The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1911-09-21
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The sides and backs of these monuments are
usually covered with hieroglyphics though this
latter is not q constant feature. Near each one
of them. usually just In front, there Is smalleI
block of stone, sometimes round and sometimes
square These because of their close connec
ton with the larger monuments, have been
called affairs, and it is not unlikely that they
NAV have served some such purpose. They
are deliberately sculptured with grotesque ng
ures and in some cases with hieroglyph1cs also
leaving the Great Plaza and it's interesting
monuments behind, and proceeding southwark
about 100 yards, we enter narrow court NV
feet in length by 1876 feet in width. This in
closure has been named "The Court OF the
Hieroglyphic Stairway" because of it's most re
markabIe feature-an imposing flight of stairs
ascending the pyramid at it's southern end. This
stairway, including the deliberately sculptureo
balustrades on each side measures 50 1eet III
width It's steps, which average foot in height
have their vertical faces covered with Nero
glyphics.
This monumental stairway, rising steeply Tor
90 feet, it's steps and balustrades deliberately
sculptlred and full-size human figures occupy
ing its center at regular intervals clear to the
summit. must have presented in former times
striking appearance and offered an effect Du
little short of stupendous.
= Ascending the steep slope which forms the
southeastern side of the court OF the Hero
OIL
NIT of a broad terrace overlooking the Eastern
Court. This inclosure though somewhat small
(about 125 feet square), originally must have
hean one of the most beautiful parts of the city,
Judging from the elaborate sculptures now
strewing it in great profuson. On its south side
rises the highest pyramid at Copan, the summit
112 feet above the level of the river Across the
greater part of the western side extends broad,
rather low stairway, fanked by two life-sized
remnant iaguars sculptured in high relief This
eiobt of steps leads to broad terrace overlook
INC another court. The remaining sides or the
Eastern Court are occupied by high terraces,
,rhicb s,,pport number of ruined structures.
One of these on the northern terrace was exca
vated by Mr. Maudslay, who found there beau
tiful interior doorway nine feet wide, over
which there Is an elaborate frieze supported al
IT'S ends by crouching human figures of heroic
size the whole being carved In high rene1 al
most amounting to sculpture In the round
The structures on the eastern and remaining
terrace have for the most part disappeared, tneii
destruction having been due to change ID
the course of the Copan river, which now
washes the exterior base of this terrace This
cutting away of the great substructure OF the
main group of buildings by the river Is one
of the most interesting and at the same. time
deplorable features at Copan, since ultimately, II
not checked, it can mean nothing more nor less
than the total destruction of the city.
But this wholesale demolition is not being &C,
complished without it's accompanying lesson in
archaeology. This great vertical wall, cut by
the river all along the eastern side of the main
group is the largest ross-section of an arch
geological site in the world. Here, like an open
book one may read the successive periods OF
the city's growth. At different levels from the
hollows upward throughout the rubble hearting
of the substructure there are horizontal strata
of cut paving stones These are the pavements
of different plazas dating from successive
epochs of the city's history and they clearly
demonstrate that the growth of Copan has been
gradual AS time passed and the population In
creased newer and larger structures and plazas
were built to meet the needs of the growing
city. These constructions, as we see from the
cross-section of the substlucture were built d.
rectly above the older ones When 1t became
necessary to build new plaza it's rubble foun-
dations were laid on the paving Of the old plaza
which it was to replace and thus the highest OF
the substructure slowly increased A careful
study of the floors of these successive plazas
would doubtless teach much as to the different
epochs of the city's occupancy, and might even
reveal important facts relative to its history.
Before closing this description it may not be
out of place to explain here our reasons for hav-
ing called Copan "The Mother City of the
Mayas" Briefly stated, it is because of the
greater antiquity of its hieroglyphic inscriptions
as compared with those of every other Maya
CITY now huOWu. Ills greater dS0 OIL OOpdu 10
indicated, not only by the actual dates recorded
in its earliest inscriptions, but also by cruder
technique in their execution Later, in the best
period Of the southern Maya civilization sculp-
ture is found to be in very high relief or in
the round, and is characterized by great pro-
fusion and elaboration of detail. Nothing OF
this. however, appears in the earliest monu-
ments at Copan, where the relief is SO low that
it amounts to little more than incised lines, the
sculptor apparently not feeling sure enough of
his technique to attempt anything ambi'
tious.
Aside from this question of technique, how
ever, the dates themselves recorded on these
more crudely sculptured monuments much
earlier than those the more elaborate ones
The earliest historic date at Copan preceded the
earliest historic dates of all the other great
Maya cities by intervals ranging from 20 to 300
years, or, expressed In terms of Maya chronol-
ogy, from one to fifteen katuns, the Maya "ka-
tun being approximately equal to 20 of our own
years.
For these two reasons, then, the more primi-
tive character of its earliest monuments and
the actual priority of its earliest dates we have
called Copan "The Mother City of the Mayas."