Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1911-09-08
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The sides and backs or these monuments aks
usually covered with hieroglyphics, though this
latter is not a constant feature Near each one
Of them. usually just in front, there is smaller
block of stone sometimes round and sometimes
snuare These because of their close connec
ton with the larger monuments, have been
called affairs, and it is not unlikely that they
may have served some such purpose. They
are deliberately sculptured with grotesque ng
ures and in some cases with hieroglyphics also.
Leaving the Great Plaza and its interesting
monuments behind. and proceeding southwark
about 100 yards, we enter narrow court 2s0
feet in length by 1876 feet in width. This In
closure has been named THE Court OF the
Hieroglyphic Stairway because of its most re
markable feature-an imposing flight OF stairs
ascending the pyramid at it's southern END. ms
stairway, including the deliberately sculptured
balustrades on each side, measures 50 feet ID
width It's steps, which average foot in height,
have their vertical faces covered with Nero
glyphics
This monumental stairway, rising steeply for
90 feet its steps and balustrades elaborately
sculptured, 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 eHect Out
little short of stupendous.
Ascending the steep slope which forms the
southeastern side of the court of the Hero
elvphic Stairway, find ourselves on the sum
nit of broad terrace overlooking the eastern
Court This Enclosure, though somewhat smah
(ahout 125 feet square), originally must nave
been one of the most beautiful parts of the city,
iudeing from the elaborate sculptures now
s+rewing It in great profusion On its south side
rises the highest pyramid at Copan, the summit
40 feet above the level of the river. Across the
greater part of the western side extends proao,
rather low stairway, 1anked by two lifeslzeo
ramnant 1aguars sculptured in high renet. Ihis
Aieht of steps leads to broad terrace overlook
tho another court The remaining sides or the
eastern Court are occupied by high terraces
which support a number OF ruined structures
Ono of these on the northern terrace was exca-
o+od nv Mr. Maudslay who found there beau
tifuY interior doorway nine feet Wloe, over
which there is an elaborate frieze supported al
its ends by crouching human figures OF nerole
size. the whole being carved In hgh renel af
most amounting to sculpture In the round
NJ structures on the eastern and remaining
+orrace have for the most part disappeared their
destruction having been due to change IN
the course of the Copan river, Whlch now
washes the exterior base of this terrace Ihls
cutting away of the great substructure OF tue
main group of buildings by the river IS one
of the most interesting and at the same tlme
deplorable features at Copan since ultimately, IL
NOT checked 1t can mean nothing more nor les'
than the total destruction of the city.
But this wholesale demolition is not being ac-
complished without its accompanying lesson III
archaeology. This great vertical wall, cut py
the river all along the eastern side of the main
group, is the largest crosssection 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 rubbe 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 substructure were built di-
rectly above the older ones When 1t became
necessary to build new plaza Its 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. 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 known. This greater age of Copan Is
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 even 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 incsed lines the
sculptor apparently not feeling enough of
his technique to attempt anything more ambi-
tious.
Aside from this question Of technique, how
ever the dates themselves recorded on these
more crudely seuptured monuments are much
earlier than those on 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 oOo
years, or, expressed In terms of Maya chronoE
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 print
tive character of it's earliest monuments anc
the actual priority of it's earliest dates we have
called copan THE Mother City of the Mayas