Claremore Progress. And Rogers County Democrat (Claremore, Okla.), Vol. 19, No. 32, Ed. 1 Friday, September 8, 1911 Page: 3 of 10
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e>YLVANLJ<3 G. MORELY
*
SHE ruins of Copan are situated In
the valley of the Copan river In the
western part of the Republic of Hon
durai only a few mllea from the
boundary of Guatemala. Mountains.
the foothills of the Cordillera, reach
Ing an altitude of some 2.500 feet.
aurround It on every side, their low-
er slopes overgrown with a well-
nigh Impenetrable thicket of low
trees and bushes, and their summits
sparsely covered with pine. The
vslley at this point Is about a mile
and a half wide, and It Is upon this rich river
plain that the ancient Maya metropolis was built.
Tho liver hore flows east and west, now skirting
the northern foothills, and again h.ivlng crossed
the plain, rushing along tin base of the southern
hlopes, a modest stream, easily forded In the dry
•eason, but a raging, swollen torrent frequently
'jwerllowlng Its banks after the rains have set in.
Ilia pleasant valley surrounded on all aide by
r4n.thd Mother t
TYOFTHEMjSYAS 1
ofj7ZP//v r/fs rrsfpu:
A WrU. -PJ?£^£PV£D <ST£2.A—%
lets I
<J7C>JV£~ A//P JDQJL
J?£JTO/?A T/O/V C£-
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CHAMB£f? CXF CR£AT
mountains of consider-
able height, supplied
with an abundance of
never falling streams.
and renowned for Iti
fortuity, offers a strik-
ing contrast to the
parched waterless
plaina of northern Yu-
catan. which form the
general environment of
northern Maya sites.
With the former the
water supply was nev-
er a question of mo-
ment, but with the lat-
ter Its satisfactory so-
lution In a few places
only, absolutely de-
termine! the distribu-
tion of the aboriginal
population. And yet.
unlike as these two re-
gions are. the Maya
civilization, which over
spread both of them.
was of sufficient homo-
geneity, aa we shall
see, to follow In each
one much the same
lines of cultural devel-
opment. At the very beginning of our study
of Copan we find ourselves confronted with a
grave difficulty, namely, the entire at'senre- of
aboriginal tradition concerning the place,
which consequently renders a reconstruction
at the historical background Impose 1 In
Yucatan we wero able to piece tOKetht . some-
what of the early history of the principal cities,
such aa Chicben Itza. and I'xmal, from tlie ac-
count of native as well aa Spanish writers,
many of whom derived their Information from
those well acquainted with the former history
of the country And while this Information is
often quite fragmentary, nevertheless It sheds
a very considerable light on the pre-Columbian
history of these two northern sites, and In a
measure, at least. dlsrels that darkne-s and
obscurity which so cc-npletely enshrouds al-
most all the other great centers of the Maya
culture.
Concerning the former history of Copen.
however, we know absolutely nothfng. except-
ing the tradition of very doubtful value given
below. In 1667. or thereabout. Diego Oarcla
de Palaclo. an official of the Audcncia of Gua-
temala. visited these ruin* and later described
them in a letter to Philip 11.. the then king of
Spain. In this communication, after a de-
scription of the different buildings, he says he
endeavored to ascertain who the former In-
habitants of the city were:
"1 endeavored with all possible care to as-
certain from tho Indians, through the tradi-
tions derived from the ancients, what people
lived bere, or what they kDow or had heard
from their ancestors concerning them llut
they had no books relating to their antiquities,
nor do I believe that in all this district there
la mora tnan one, which 1 possess. They say
that In ancient times there came from Yuca-
tan a great lord, who built these edifices, but
that at the end of some years he returned to
bis native country, leaving them entirely de-
serted."
Unfortunately, the reliability of this tradi-
tion Is disproved by too many different lines
of evidence to permit our accepting It. In the
first place, the structures of Copan are far too
numerous and massive to have been built
within tho span of a single life; and lis elab-
orately sculptured monuments are far too In-
tricate to have b«en carved In one generation
with the tools available Had that "(treat lord
from Yucatan" lived twice the allotted three
score years and ten. hia life, even then, could
OJOif 0£ DOCWWAY L£ADJtnG 7XJ £//£
J/YA!£#
not have embraced one fourth of the period of
building activity at Copan.
Again, as we shall tee, the hieroglyphic In-
scriptions at Copan Indicate that it was Tar
older than any of the Yucatan sites, and that
it probably had been abandoned many years
before the rise of the great northern cities.
Still another reason lor doubting that Copan
was colonized from Yucatan arise when we ex-
amine the historical data bearing on each. All
the early writers, native as well as Spanish,
with the exception of Palaclo. above quoted,
pass over the great southern metropolis In ab-
solute silence; but when they come to describe
Yucatan nearly all of them mention the two
largest of the ancient cities there. Chicben
Itza and I'xmal. and In some Instances even
give brief outlines of their history
The striking absence of tradition relating
to such an extensive fite as Copan enn only
Indicate one thing—that Its full and subse-
quent desolation bad outlived the memory of
man even at the time of the Spanish Conquest
In 1530: and a generation later, when I'alaclo
visited the place, it had been forgotten so long
that be was unable to And out anything about
I*a former history except the very dubious tra-
dition given above.
The rulDs are more easily reached today
from Onutemala than from Honduras. In which
latter Republic they are located. One leaves
the Guatemala Northern railroad at Zacupa.
and either by horseback or cart, journeys east-
ward for two days, stopping overnight at Jaco-
tan. The actual distance traveled cannot be
more than 35 or 40 nil es at the outside, but
the road la so rough snd winds through coun-
try so mountainous that It takes two days to
reach the ruins after leaving the railroad The
modern vtllnge of Copan, where one can Fecure
accommodations of a sort, is about three-quar-
ters of a (title from the malt group of ruins.
It Is built over a part of the site of the ancient
city, and has two beautifully sculptured altars
standing In the plaza under a largo tree Sev-
eral other sculptural monuments are to he
found In various pigsties and chicken yards
throughout the village, and there Is another
group of two or three, a short distance to (be
northwest In the "campo santo" or burying
ground.
Taking the path leading to the east from the
village, a tit teen minutes' wmk brings on* to
(ho entrance on the west side of the Great
Plaza, the largest and doubtless the most im
portant court In the city. This imposing area.
some 300 feet long by 250 wide, la surrounded
on three sides by a terrace 10 to 15 feet high.
The interior sides of this are stepped eo that
standing In the center of the plaza the effect Is
that of a sunken court surrounded on all sides
but one. with tiers of stone seats or benches.
The southern or open side Is occupied by a
small pyramid about 20 feet high, which,
standing midway between the ends of the ter-
race. appears to inclose the area. This pyra-
mid. because of Its central position with refer-
ence to the Great Plaza, must have been a
much more important structure than Its size
would now- seem to Indicate Standing on Its
summit and looking northward, a great open-
air auditorium Ilea at one's feet. Tier upon
tier of stone benches rising around Its sides,
and five great monumental states, posted
like gigantic sentinel! guarding Its sacred pre-
clnts.
This mound, so conspicuously located on ths
open side of the Great Plaza, attracted the at-
tention of the English traveJer and archaelol-
oglst, Mr. A. P. Maudslay, who visited Copan
in 1SP5. spending several months there in pbo-
tograhplug and making molds of the sculptures
and in studying the rulna. He cleared It*
sides and excavated It. The summit, he says,
Is very small, and shows no signs of any build-
ing ever having stood there. Digging through
the floor he sank a Bhaft Into tho Interior of
the pyramid and found at a depth of six feet
from the top an eartben pot which contained
several Jade beads, a few pearls, a Jade spin-
dle whorl, perforated disk, and some roughly
carved pieces of poarl shell. The bottom of
the pot was sovered with some finely ground
cinnabar and several ounces of quick silver.
Fragments of human bones were taken out
during the course of the:-e excavations and.
finally, at a depth of nine feet below the level
of the plain, a skeleton of a Jaguar was un-
covered.
The use of this pyramid without a building
of any kind surmounting It must forever re-
main a mystery Perhaps here In full view of the
assemb'ed Inhabitants of the ancient city w ere
practiced the bloody rites of human sacriBec;
or perhaps the derrees of rules or the otneus
from above were handed down Who can say
now? One thing alone se>ms reasonably cer-
tain: the close proximity and commanding
relation of this pyramid to such a vast open-
air auditorium as the Great Plaza Indicates
that It formerly played some very Important
part In the life of Copan.
The most Interesting feature of the Great
Plaza, however. Is not this pyramid, but tho
great sculptured monuments, which are scat-
tered here and there Bround the Inelosure. Of
these, Ave are now standing and three lie pros-
trate. They averse i not far from 12 feet In
height and are abe .t 34 feet In breadth The
general treatment I them ail Is much the
same The side 1. ng the plaza Is uniformly
sculptured with ti e likeness or a human be-
It.g sometimes of one sea and sometimes of
the other, carved In very high relief, which. In
places, amounts to sculpture In the round. The
clothing and headdresses of these figures are
exceedingly ornate
WCMrtX Of JWfiWAY
The sides and backs of these monuments are
usually covered with hieroglyphics, though this
latter la not a constant feature Near each one
of them, usually Just in front, there Is a smaller
block of stone, sometimes round and sometimes
square These, because of their close connec-
tion with the larger monuments, have been
called altars, and It la not unlikely that they
may have served some auch a purpose. They
are elaborately sculptured with grotesque fig-
ures and in some cases with hieroglyphics also.
Leaving the Great Plaza and Its interesting
monuments behind, and proceeding southward
about 100 yards, we enter a narrow court 290
feet In length by 135 feet In width. This ln-
closure has been named "The Court of the
Hieroglyphic Stairway," because of Ita most re-
markable feature—an Imposing flight of stair*
ascending the pyramid at Its southern end. This
stairway. Including the elaborately sculptured
balustrade* on each side, measures 33 feet in
width. Its steps, which average a foot in height,
have their vertical facea covered with hiero-
glyphics.
Thla monumental *talrway, rising steeply for
90 feet, Its steps and balustrades elaborately
sculptured, and full-size human figures occupy-
ing Its center at regular Intervals e'ear to the
summit, must have presented In former times a
striking appearance and offered an effect but
little abort of stupendoua.
Ascending the steep alope which forms the
southeastern aide of the court of the Hiero-
glyphic Stairway, we find ourselves on the sum-
mit of a broad terrace overlooking the Eastern
Court. This inclosure. though somewhat small
(about 125 feet square), originally must have
been one of the most beautiful parts of the city,
Judging from the elaborate sculptures now
strewing It In great profusion. On Its south *lde
rises the highest pyramid at Copan, the summit
112 feet above (be level of the river Across the
greater part of the western side extends a broad,
rather low stairway, flanked by two life-sized
rampant jaguars sculptured in high relief This
flight of steps leads to a broad terrace overlook-
ing another court. The remaining sides of tbe
Eastern Court are occupied by high terrace*,
which support a number of ruined structures.
One of these on the northern terrace wai exca-
vated by Mr. Maudslay. who found there a beau-
tiful Interior doorway nine feet wide, over
which there Is an elaborate frieze supported at
Us ends by crouching human figures of heroic
size, 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 tbelr
destruction having been due to a change In
the course of the Copan river, which now
washes the exterior base of thl* terrace. This
cutting awiy of the great substructure of the
main group of building* by the river Is one
of the most Interesting and at the same time
deplorable feature* at Copan, since ultimately. If
not checked. It can mean nothing more nor less
than the total destruction of the city.
But this wholesale demolition is not being ac-
complished without Its accompanying lesson in
archaeology This great vertical wall, cut by
tbe.river all along the eastern side of tbe main
group. 1* the largest cross-section of an arch-
aeological site In the world. Here, like an open
book, one may read tbe successive period* of
the city's growth. At different leve's 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 tbe city'* history, and they clearly
demonstrate that the growth of Copan has been
gradual. As time passed and tbe 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 It became
necessary to build a new plaza It* rubble foun-
dations were laid on tbe paving of the old p'aza
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 doubt'ess teach much as to (he different
epochs of tbe city's occupancy, and might even
reveal Important facts relative to It* history
Before clcsing this description. It may not be
out of place to explain here our reasons for hav-
ing called Copan "The Mother City of tbe
Mayas." Briefly stated. It Is because of tbe
greater antiquity of its hieroglyphic inscription*
as compared with those of e^ery ether Maya
city now known Thl* greater age oMCopan 1*
Indicated, not only by the actual date* recorded
In Its earliest Inscription*, but a'so by a cruder
technique In their execution. La er. In (he best
period ot the southern Maya clvl Izatlon, sculp-
ture ta found to be In very high relief or eveu in
the round, and Is characterized by a great pro-
fusion and elaboration of detail. Nothing of
this, however, appear* In the earliest monu-
(rem swt; Copan, where the relief I* so low that
It anttfitt to little more than incised line*, the
rculptHf apparently not feeling sure enough of
his technique to attempt anything more ambi-
tious
Aaide from thla question of technique, how-
ever. the date* themselves recorded on these
more crudely sculptured tnonumenta are much
earlier than those on (be more elaborate one*.
The earliest historic date at Copan preceded tbe
earliest historic dates of a'I the other great
Maya cities by Interval* ranging from 20 to 300
years, or. expressed In terms of Maya chronol-
ogy, from one lo fifteen katuna, the Maya "ka-
tun" being approximately equal to 20 of our own
year*.
For these two reasons, then, tbe 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 Mayaa."
Picked Berries
Fred Vosen. fishing In tbe l,ee res
ervolr, heard on shore a noise that he
at first supposed was made by a musk
rat. but on Investigation It proved to
be a big carp
He watched the fish for *orae min-
ute*. and *oy* that along the shore
strawberries hutig over the water a
distance of from four to ten Inches
from (be surface and be wa* sur-
prised to aeo ths big flaa bobbing Its
head out of the water and grabbing
the berries. He watched the carp re-
Peat (he operation half a dozen times.
He then tried his bait and succeeded
In hooking the fish, but had to shoot
It berore he could land It. The carp
weighed 32 pound*.
Death and birth are two boundaries
Beyond these boundaries there Is sr.
Identical something.
Hop*.
"When I come home tonight," said
Tommy's father, after Tommy bad.
while In a temper, upset the milk on
the clean tablecloth, "I shall punish
you."
"Qee," said Tommy along about
noon. "I hope they'll give dad a raise
tot a v "
"Why do you want blm to get a
raise?' the hoy's mother asked.
"H« always seems to he so kind and
cheerful for about s week after be
gets a raise."
Cats to Be Taxed in Munich
Though the taxation of cats baa
been dlscuaied for aoiue time In Iter-
1 n, the dractlc step has been averted
Munich, however, has decided to put
(he threat Into operation and a charge
>f five mar^s per cat per annum Is to
i>e made In the Bavarian capital It ta
not. In the first place, aa a source or
revenue th*t the lax I* to be Imposed,
for ostensibly tbe purpose* sought are
(he public health and the protection
ol singing birds. Whatever the cause
puss is to be the object of tbe tai
collectors' energies and must hence-
forth wear the bndge of suthority or
fall Into the ruthless hands of the cat
catchers, a corps to be formed to en
force tbe new decrce at Its Inception
OWEN, CORE AND (MICE Will
OPEN OKLAHOMA STATE FAIR
Oklahoma City.—Senator Robert L.
Owen, Governor Lee Cruce and prob-
ably Senator Tbomaa P. Gore, will
touch the magic button which will
start the marvelous machinery of the
1J11 Oklahoma State Fair on Tues-
day. September 26. Senator Owen has
accepted an Invitation to speak on
the opening day; Governor Cruce has
accepted, and Senator Gore has signi-
fied a desire to be present If possible.
Both President John Fields and Secre-
tary I. S. Mahan have every reason to
believe that Senator Gore will come
for the opening, which will be made
a memorable day in the history of
Oklahoma.
Senators Owen and Gore are both
vitally Interested in the Oklahoma
applies, ot course, to the twenty oth*V
department*."
Attention 1* also called to the fact
that every person In Oklahoma should
begin to get ready to attend the fair.!
Fanners of Oklahoma ahould not only
ti
SENATOR ROB'T L. OWEN
make It a point to be here early tbenva
selves but they should bring the entirel
family. They owe it to their wives!
and children. After having worked!
hard all summer, the children are en>
titled to a vacation, and a visit to thai
Oklahoma State Fair will not only b*
GOVERNOR LEE CRUCE
State Fair because they are interested
In Oklahoma. Premiums amounting to
$1,000 have been offered by Senator
Owen in the Boys' Corn Growing con-
test and Senator Gore will give a free
trip to Washington to the boy who
makes the best total score in the corn
contest.
With the greatest fair in the weBt
less than a month sway and with ar-
rangements completed for the entire
twelve days, it remains for the people
of Oklahoma and adjoining states to
send in what they have to show at the
earliest possible moment and then get
leady to visit tbe big exposition and
see for themselves the wonderful ex-
hibits that have been gathered togeth-
er from the four quarters o( Oklahoma
and the entire country.
The Oklahoma State Fair Is anxious
tnis year, above all years, for farmers
and live stock breeders to refute the
Impression that has gone abroad about
conditions in general.
"What has been accomplished in Ok.
lahoma this year?" "How did the
live stock come through?" "What
has been done along agricultural
lines?"
These are some of the questions
that the world is asking today and
they can be answered, according to
Secretary Mahan, by the farmers of
Oklahoma if they will do their part in
making the Oklahoma State Fair the
biggest agricultural and live stock
show in the country. Secretary Ma-
han says twenty counties have al-
ready engaged space for county ex-
hibits and that he expects at least
twelve more before the entries close.
"Fair time Is drawing near." says
the secretary, "and people interested
in all departments, especially live
stock,, farm and garden products,
should write for preminm books, en-
try blanks and any other information
as soon as possible. The same rule
SENATOR TOM P. GORE
a delightful vacation but will be a lib-
eral education for every man. woman
and child in Oklahoma. Thousands will
be here for the opening day to hear
the three distinguished citizens who
will take part In tbe Inaugural cere-
monies and make ringing addresses.
Difficulties of the Historian
To obtain history which is literatora
snd history which is accurate depends
upon human qualltlea not often found
in tbe same person. He who has the
art of getting at the facts—and it
really is quite an art, and difficult
enough to master—somehow does not
have tbe art ot building the "facts'*
into a literary structure that pleases.
J perhaps fascinates, a multitude ot
readers.—L. A. Chase. Fellow in Amel*
lean History, Michigan, in Outlook.
Character Above All
Young man, character is worth mors
I than money, character is worth mora
| than anything else in this wide world,
i 1 would rather have it said of me la
my old age than to have a monu-
ment of pure gold built over my dead
; body reaching from earth to heaven—
| I would rather have It said that "they
could find no occasion against him ex-
I cept it be touching the law ot hla
God," than to have all this world can
I give.—Dwight L. Moody.
Real Epochs of Life
Real action is in silent moments.
The epochs of our life are not in the
visible facts of our choice ot a calling,
our marriage, our acquisition of an
office, and the like, but in a silent
thought by tbe wayside as we walk;
in a thought which revises our entire
manner of life and says. "Thus hast
thou done, but it were better thus."—
Emerson.
Graft
Exulting In his suddenly returned
strength, Samson was about to push
the pillars from under the temple.
"Ha," he chuckled, as the roof top-
pled in. "couldn't have done It It the
contractor had built this temple ac-
cording to specifications."
Supply
New Minister—"Now Just one thing
more before I accept this charge.
Have you got a supply?"" Deacon—
"Well, yes, though we never said any*
thing to the last preacher about It.
I'll show you where It Is, and get yon
a key, but I tell you you'll have to be
Just as careful about using it as tbr
rest of us."—Fuck.
One Explanation
There are men who are startllngly
successful as cheap politicians, and
tor the life ot us we can not tell why,
unless It be the wind bloweth where
It listeth. and that from timo the
wind bloweth loud even though no
one Usteth long.—Exchange.
Ancestral Pride of the Future
"One of my forefathers was a signer
of the Declaration of Independence."
"That is something," replied Mr*
Voteby Gumra. "But think of the
proud satisfaction with which my
great-great-granddaughters will point I
to the fact that one ot their fore«
mothers was a militant suffragette."
The Canine Howlology
There is nothing so very remark
able In the Atlantic City dog that can
tell time. Every dog ou earth can
tell time. That Is, they can tei; break-
fast time, dinner time and supper time
and know to a minute when It is lima
to start their nightly bowl.
There are men who sound like pure
gold, and than there sre others who
make a eola* like brass
An Early Award
"Do you think there Is anything
creditable In that man Skinnum's
past?" "Well," replied the discreet
man, "I understand that somewhere
among hla effecta he has a mug with
the sentence 'For a Good Boy' printed
on In gilt letters. But, of course, 1
have no way ot knowing how he came
by It-
Poetical Age of Women
A Philadelphia paper affirms that
the poetical age ot women is thirty,
when they begin to love consclen*
tiously.
Foundation Important
Every triumph of lite leads back
by various paths to earlier prepara-
tion.—Blake.
Many Days for Public Worship
By different nations e7ery day In
the week Is set apart for public wor-
ship—Sunday by the Christians, Mon-
| day by the Greeks. Tuesday by the
j Persians, Wednesday by the Assy.
■ rians, Thursday by the Egyptians. FrU
day by the Turks, and, Saturday ky
i the Jews.
Plucky Robin
In Ladybank Auction Mart, an en-
ergetic auctioneer had knocked a hole
in the roatrum with his hammer. In-
side this hole and behind the boarding
a robin has built Its neat, where It Is
now sitting on four eggs.—'The Scots-
man.
Nsw Ground for Enterprise
Tho vast Interior of the South
American continent, amounting to
aome 5,000,000 square miles. Is com-
mercially undeveloped and In many
bails unexplored.
Composition of Precious Stones
The Irrldescence of the opal Is dm
to the amount of water In ita composi-
tion and contraction fissures In the
stone, but similar characteristics art
found In other stones where filtne
cnuse diffraction. The opu.'escence ot
the moonstone I* caused by the enor-
mous number of planes of separation
In the itone, light being totally rn>
fleeted from these plsnes.
Florida the Pioneer
Culture or the grape In America for
wins making began In Florida In X&t^
m
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Claremore Progress. And Rogers County Democrat (Claremore, Okla.), Vol. 19, No. 32, Ed. 1 Friday, September 8, 1911, newspaper, September 8, 1911; Claremore, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc181256/m1/3/: accessed April 25, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; crediting Oklahoma Historical Society.