The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-09-13

and the adjacent region extending into
the highlands of Guatemala in one di-
rection and downward into Honduras
In the other. The miserable Indians Of
those States have no knowledge of the
extensive memorials OF the past upon
which the Jungle has advanced and
which 1t has swallowed up. Painful re-
search has brought to our knowledge
a dozen and two sites concerning which
we have some little information. moth
ing as yet exhaustive Of any one of the
few. NJ the fourteen known sites those
most familiar. rarely more than a speak
ing acquaintance with harsh name,
are Chichen liza, Palenque. Uxmal
Piedras Negras, Yaxchian, Copan. Not
one Of these sites has received intensive
study.
What we know Of the Maya architec-
ture In diapidatior. literally one stone
falling from another. awakes our en-
thusiasm over the discovery of culture
which In Its ruins we know to have
been great State. II IL interesting
TO observe that two authorities APP
preaching the theme from wholly dis
tinct lines of march. Ellsworth Hunt
ington. the student OF the climatic pulse
of the past, and Sylvanus Moricy, stu
dent Of Maya archaeology. have indie
pendently hit upon the Characterization
OF the Maya as the Greeks OF America.
The Maya architects were inferior TO
the Aztec in the working ot stone. they
had no such facility in handling cyclo-
pean masses az their northern ncighbors
erinccd. they lacked the tools whereby
To create the great sculpturcd monoliths
or the valley of Mexico. But hoy
were far more ingenious. They go,
around the difficulties which confronted
them and which they could not conquer
by direct assault What they could
not effect by stone masonry they pro-
duced In the far more plastic medium
or plaster and softer stone when such
was available in the outcrops OF their
country rock Evading the difficulties
OF their trade. the Maya builders Of
houses acquired freedom Of treatment
"hlch has raised their work into tho
realm OF art, and though the material
was Slghter these builders have loft us
far richer remains than the Aztecs.
Mr. Joyce has presented with great
sympathy the basic characteristics Of
Maya architecture and has made his
t'Nt clear with profilcs. sections and
ground plans Of the several typcs OF
cdlncc Included in the settlement area
as To which We are at present Informed.
Tie buildings were commonly reared
upon mound, natural or artificial
Which after treatment had assumed tho
FORM OF stepped pyramid. This base
pyramid received finish of thin slabs
OF soft stone where such was available.
surface veneer which might serve as
the base for ornament. Ipan this la 50
ana upon the pavement with which il
WIS finished tho building was erected
There is n massive appearance to these
structures which is the direct resultant
OF their structural weakness. The walls
had to be thick because their strength
was derived from bulk rather than from
the utilization IL the principles OF stable
construction in stone. Save for "A SLIGHT
example in Copan We discover no ac-
qua!ntance with the device Of breaking,
courses and the use Of bond in LAYING
up stone, The core of these walls do
pended on the bulk force of hubble or
Irregular masses of stone of moderate
size made morolithic by grouting with
mortar, medium in which the Maya
displayed more skill than any of the
builders of the three continents Of
America. EXteriorly this monolithic
core was finished with soft stone
veneer or with masses Of stucCo. In the
complete ignorance Of the principle of
the arch the Maya builders became ex.
pert In the employment OF the staggered
approximation OF facing walls until il
was possible TO close the gap with "A
single stone, thus cap stone and not
key stone. In the nature Of this
method Of building the height Of the
pseudo-arch from what We may cali its
pier and impost to its cap stone Ras
considerable. This height was carried
out to the exterior walls OF the struc-
ture as a d!sproportionately tall en-
tablature, an element of the structure
which has been put TO valuable decora-
tive use. To correct this appearance
OF overweight supe. structure arose
from some considerable area Of the fiat
and solid roof which carried the lines
Of the building into lighter treatment.
This type Of structure IL uneconomical,
the walls are out Of all proportion 10 the
contained area which may be employed
for the purposes for which the building
was designed Holmes has computed
the contents Of the Governors Palace
at uxmal: we find by rough computa-
ton that the structure occupies some
I "-"'N'' Nubi' i''N VI space, upNhTu
100000 feet OF which is solid masonry.
while only about 10000 feet is chamber
space. II the substructure he taken
into account the mass Of masonry is to
the chamber space as forty to one"
! Beginning with the first pious Spa
ish conquerors who ga2ed upon such
ruins Of an ancient culture, fostcred by
"A devout spirit stretched unrea sonah!
through a long line of later explorers,
the presence OF the cross In Maya art
has been the theme of a vast volume OF
speculation. II Is only in a quite recent
period that II has struck archRologs;s
that not every oruciform object la e$-
sentially a cross. II this note had been
struck earlier IL would have spared us
much mysticism and doctrine without
foundation. We may note with curl
osity chat this belief in the presence OF
the cross in Yucatan. the fine spun
| theories of early Christian migration
whereby the sacred symbol was ferrird
over an untracked ocean, percolated
down into the ignorant ranks Of our
rustic society and clearly served as in
spiation to an ignorant farm hand in
this State when he essayed the Won
ders Of revelation and succeeded In es-
tablisning the first religion OF American
! origin