File:The myths of Mexico and Peru (1913) (14597600677).jpg

Identifier: mythsofmexicoper01spen (find matches)
Title: The myths of Mexico and Peru
Year: 1913 (1910s)
Authors: Spence, Lewis, 1874-1955
Subjects: Indians of Mexico Indian mythology Indians of Mexico Indians of South America Indian mythology Indians of South America
Publisher: New York, T. Y. Crowell company
Contributing Library: The Library of Congress
Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
ierarchy. Mysterious Palenque One of the most famous of these ancient centres ofpriestly domination is Palenque, situated in the modernstate of Chiapas. This city was first brought intonotice by Don Jose Calderon in 1774, when he dis-covered no less than eighteen palaces, twenty greatbuildings, and a hundred and sixty houses, whichproves that in his day the primeval forest had not madesuch inroads upon the remaining buildings as it hasduring the past few generations. There is goodevidence besides this that Palenque was standing atthe time of Cortes conquest of Yucatan. And here itwill be well at once to dispel any conception the readermay have formed concerning the vast antiquity ofthese cities and the structures they contain. The veryoldest of them cannot be of a date anterior to thethirteenth century, and few Americanists of reputewould admit such an antiquity for them. There maybe remains of a fragmentary nature here and there inCentral America which are relatively more ancient.182
Text Appearing After Image:
o § MYSTERIOUS PALENQUE But no temple or edifice which remains standing canclaim a greater antiquity. Palenque is built in the form of an amphitheatre,and nestles on the lowest slopes of the Cordilleras.Standing on the central pyramid, the eye is met by aring of ruined palaces and temples raised upon artificialterraces. Of these the principal and most imposingis the Palace, a pile reared upon a single platform,forming an irregular quadrilateral, with a doublegallery on the east, north, and west sides, surroundingan inner structure with a similar gallery and two court-yards. It is evident that there was little system orplan observed in the construction of this edifice, anunusual circumstance in Maya architecture. Thedwelling apartments were situated on the southern sideof the structure, and here there is absolute confusion,for buildings of all sorts and sizes jostle each other,and are reared on diflFerent levels. Our interest is perhaps at first excited by three sub-terraneous apartme

Note About Images