River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1911-09-07
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The sides and backs of these monuments are
usually covered with hieroglyphics though this
latter is not constant feature. Near eacn one
of them, usually just in front, there is smaller
block of stone sometimes round and sometlmes
SQUARE These, because of their close connec
ton with the larger monuments, have Deen
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 h1eroglyph1cs also
Leaving the Great Plaza and its interesting
monuments behind, and proceeding southwark
about 100 yards, we enter narrow court zSV
feet in length by 1876 feet in width. This in
closure has been named 1.-The Court of the
Hieroglyphic Stairway because of its most re
markable feature-an imposing flight OF stairs
ascending the pyramid at its southern end. inns
stairway including the deliberately sculptureo
balustrades on each side, measures So feet IN
width It's steps, which average foot in height,
have their vertical faces covered WIN hlero-
glyphics.
This monumental stairway, rising steeply for
90 feet its steps and balustrades deliberately
sculptured and full-siZe human hgures occupy
ing it's center at regular intervals clear to the
summit must have presented in former times a
striking appearance and offered an erect Out
little short of stupendous.
Ascending the steep slope which forms the
southeastern side of the court Of the Hero
elvnhic Stairway, find ourselves on the sum-
nit of a broad terrace overlooking the Eastern
Court This Enclosure, though somewhat small
(about 125 feet square,, originally must nave
bean one of the most beautiful parts OF the city,
indeing from the elaborate sculptures now
+royving It in great profusion On it's south side
risos the highest pyramid at Copan the summit
412 feet above the level of the river. Across the
greater part of the western side extends broad,
ro+her low stairway, fianked by two hfe-s1zed
remnant iaguars scuptured in high relief. This
loa1 DO to hrOa
in@ another court. The remaining sides OF the
Eoe+ern Court are occupied by high terraces.
which support number of ruined structures
One Of these on the. northern terrace was exca-
yatad nv Mr. Maudslay who found there peau-
+iful interior doorway nine feet Wloe' over
which there is elaborate frieze supported aC
It's ends by crouching human figures OF herolc
cize the whole being carved in high relief al
most amounting to sculpture In the round.
The structures on the eastern and remaining
terrace have for the most part disappeared theh
destruction having been due to a change III
the course of the Copan river, which now
washes the exterior base of this terrace. ms
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 Tune
denlorable features at Copan, since ultimately, IL
not checked, 1t can mean nothing more nor AeSS
than the total destruction of the city.
But this wholesale demolition is not being &C
complshed 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 cross-section or an arcn-
geological site in the world Here, like an open
book one may read the successive periods or
the city's growth. At different levels from the
hollows upward throughout the rubble hearttng
of the substructure there 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 d.
rectly above the older ones. When 1t became
necessary to build 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 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 reasons for hav-
ing called Copan "The Mother City Of the
Mayas" Briefly stated, it is because of the
greater antiquity of it's 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 It's earnest inscriptions, DuL dlSO Ny d CAuuO
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 incised lines, the
sculptor apparently not feeling sure enough OF
his technique to attempt anything more ambi-
tious.
Aside from this question of technique how
ever the dates themselves recorded on these
mlore crudely sculptured monuments are mnch
earlier than those on the more elaborate ones
The earliest historic date at Copen pzeceSeo Tne
earliest historic dates of all the other great
Maya cities by intervals ranging from 20 to 5OO
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 it's earliest dates we have
called Copan 1.-THE Mother City of the Mayas.