The Florida star., 1901-09-13

itttIl NtttfA
RUINS OF coPAE.
tGroup Of Mayan relics believed to be 5000 years
old.l
pan are 5000 years old. this viii make
them antedate the Egyptian pyramids
by almost a thousand years. 1t is safe
TO say that these are among the oldest
ruins in the world. They were first Wis
tied and described by Hon. John Lloyd
Stevens, the United States minister to
Central America. In 1899. II is only
within the last decade that an effort has
been made to study the ruins OF COpan.
1t was undertaken by the Peabody mu'
scum, Cambridge. Mass. operating un-
der a special concession. from the gov
ernment OF Honduras.
When Mr.. Stevens first found the
ruins. they were covered by forests OF
mahogany trees hundreds or years old
The outline or this city has now been
traced In part. and the remaining sculp'
ture has been photographed and mod.
eled in paper or plaster. Twenty-three
sculptured columns have been found
among the ruins. These are twelve feet
high, three feet wide and are covered
on two sides with elaborate carvings
which evidently once conveyed a dis
tinct meaning. On many OF the tablets
that have been discovered are hierO-
glyphics unknown to students and as
yet undecipherable.
The heavy stone relics at the Pan
American exposition were hauled over
the mountains of Honduras on mule
back. They were securely packed and
arrived here in apparently good shape,
only one having been seriously injured.
This is a carved figure of a man, pre-
sumably an Aztec Indian, who belongs
to an age that dates back perhaps 5000
years. The faces Of the older pieces OF
sculpture represent both the Egyptian
and the Greek types and are thought to
be 5000 years old. One head is dis
tinctly Egyptian and another Greek.
There are all sorts OF theories current
about these valuable antiquities, but
no amount or guesswork Will avail.
The only thing to do is to unravel the
mystery contained in the hieroglyphics
on the stone tablets. One theory ad-
vanced is that Copan is the highest
point OF the submerged continent At
lantis. Another theory is that the Chi
nese came over here by the western
ocean ages ago. There are curious
proofs to sustain this theory. Some OF
the stone heads unearthed are OF o
pronounced Chinese type. There is also
a slight resemblance between these
heiroglyphics and certain Chinese char.
acters. Genuine Chinese characters
have been found In later ruins. for Co.
pan is not the only one OF the ruined
cities where excavations have been
made. The collection from Copan Is.
however. the largest and the most ar.
tistic.
A series OF memoirs was prepared
by the curator OF the Peabody museum,
from which copious extracts have been
made which throw all the light pos.
sible on the columns. statues, tablets
and general plan of the city OF Copan.
These memoirs are illustrated. There
are pictures OF specimens Of pottery
closely resembling some OF the more
artistic vases and other vessels found
in the ruins OF Pompeli. Of Ccrinth,
Delphi, Eleusis and some OF the older
cities OF Asia Minor. The colors used
are black, brick dust red and yellow.
There is one piece OF pottery, found in
Copan, which was insured for $1,000
before it was shipped 10 Buffalo. 1t Is
the only perfect specimen that has yet
been unearthed In the republic Of Hon.
duras. The figures on it are very beau.
tiful, and the cOloring seems TO be as
perfect today as 1t was thousands OF
years ago.
In the valley of the Uloa Chinese
Buddha was found made OF a peculiar
marble OF very fine grade. This adds
another link to the proof that the dis
ciples or Confucius once lived in this
country. Among other things found in
the ruins OF Copan are obsidian knives
1..l- n