The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1911-09-07
XOECZ12E I91RzHlLY RG1oHLO
IN CL1yZZrP or JZ4H2D1AY ~@


of them. usually Just in front there Is n smaller
block of stone sometimes round and sometimes
square These because Of their close connec'
ton with tho larger monuments have been
called affairs, and II is not unlikely that they
may have served some such purpose They
are deliberately scuptured with grotesque hg'
ures and in some cases with herogyphics also.
Leaving tho Great Plaza and It's Interesting
monuments behind and proceeding southwark
about 100 yards, We enter narrow court 290
feet In length by 1856 feet In width This in
closure has been named The Court OF the
HIeroglyphc Stairway" because Of Its most re-
markable feature-an imposing flight Of stairs
ascending the pyramid at Its southern end rms
stairway including the deliberately sculptured
balustrades on each side, measures 33 leet In
width. Its steps. which average foot In height.
have their vertical faces covered with hero
glyphics,
This monumental stairway, rising steeply Tor
90 feet, It's steps and balustrades deliberately
sculptured aud full.szo human figures occupy
ing It's center at regular intervals clear to the
summit must have presented In former times q
striking appearance and offered an effect tGt
little short OF stupendous.
Ascending the steep slope which forms the
southeastern side OF the court OF the Hero
glyphic Stairway. VIC find ourselves on the sum
milf Of broad terrace overlooking the Eastern
Court inns lutlb6Nif lhoHth N'itl'"'A"I ''''''''
(ohout 1875 feet squared. originally must have
been one Of the most beautiful parts OF the city
Judging from the elaborate sculptures now
atrewing Il In great proiusOn, On its south side
r,ses tho highest pyramid at Copan, the summit
112 feet above the level Of tho river Across the
,rootcr mart of the western side extends a broad,
rather low stairway, nankcd by two lifesi2ed
rompant jaguars scupured in high rcnel This
eIpht of steps leads to a broad terrace overlook
SO. titsln h n
fsastern Court are occupied by high terraces,
u,hich support number Of ruined structures.
ono nf these on the northern terrace was eNca'
yntcd by Mr. MaudBlay who found there beau
tifpl interior doorway nine feet wide, over
which there is an elaborate fric2e supported NJ
,ts ends by crouching human figures Of heroic
size. the whole being carved in high reIiel al
most amounting to sculpture In the round
The structures on the eastern and remaining
torrnco have for the most part disappeared, their
destruction having been due TO change In
tho course OF the Copan river which now
Wishes the exterior base Of this terrace TINS
cutting away of the great substrucure OF the
main group Of buildings by the river Is one
of the most interesting and at the same time
deplorabe features at Copan, since ultimately, II
not checked, II can mean nothing more nor less
than the total destruction Of the city.
But this wholesale demolition Is not being &C
compIshed without its accompanying lesson in
archaeology This great vertical wall, cut by
the river all along the eastern side OF the main
group. Is the largest crosssecton 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 tho rubbo hearting
OF the substructure there are horizontal strain
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 tho growing
city. These constructions, as we sec from the
cross.section of the substructure were built d.
rectly above the older ones When II became
necessary to build plaza It's rubble foun-
dations we're 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 citys occupancy and might even
reveal important facts relative to its history.
Before closing this description, II may not be
out of place to explain here our reasons for hav'
ing called Copan "The Mother City OF the
Mayas" Briefly stated 1t is because OF the
greater antiquity OF its heroglyphic 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 u 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
1t amounts to little more than incised lines, the
sculptor apparently not feeling sure enough oil
his technique to attempt anything more ambi
tious
Aside from this question of technique, how
ever. the dates themselves recorded on these
more crudely sculptured monuments are muct
earlier than those on the more elaborate ones
The earliest historic date at Copan preceded the
earliest historic dates Of all the other grea
Maya cities by intervals ranging from 20 to Sot
years. or, expressed in terms of Maya chronoi
ogy from one to fifteen katuns. the Maya "ka
tun" being approximately equal to 20 of our owl
years.
For these two reasons, then, the more print
tive character of Its earliest mon lments an
the actual priority of its earliest dates, we hav
called Copan "The Mother City OF the Mayas.
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