PAPERS EELATING TO ANTHROPOLOGY. 807 



On the hills we were crossing there were scattered superb, tall pines, 

 apparently the yellow pine of the United States, and a great portion of 

 the land was clothed in fine grass, which was supporting good cattle. 

 Winding our way down again we came, at dusk, to a village of ten or 

 fifteen houses perched half way up the mountain-side and rejoicing in 

 the name of Mataxano. An Indian dialect was spoken by the inhabit- 

 ants, but a man was found who understood Sijanish. After visiting 

 half the houses and considerable negotiation permission was obtained 

 to swing my hammock under a shed, where I shivered in the raw, north- 

 east wind all night. We had three eggs and a tortilla for supper and 

 the same for breakfast next morning. Early in the morning we de- 

 scended by a steep and dangerous trail to the river at the pass between 

 Jocotan and Oopan. Here again was a wild rush of water for 2 or 

 3 miles through a narrow and tortuous channel with immense bowl- 

 ders strewn along its course. The river, here known as the Oopan, 

 flows through a narrow valley of more fertile land. Vegetation was 

 richer; in some places irrigation was practised, and some fine cattle were 

 noticed. In the afternoon we crossed a slight ridge clothed in pines 

 and descended to the village of Oopan. 



The night was spent in the village, and next morning, January 24, 

 the ruins one mile east were visited. My instructions to determine 

 whether the Oopan Eiver could be used for transportation had been car- 

 ried out, and then it was my duty to return to San Jos6 and catch the 

 steamer of the 4th of February for Oosta Eica, if possible. I therefore 

 concluded to spend only one day here walking around the ruins, and by 

 an occasional critical comparison of some object with the representa- 

 tion given in incidents of travel in Central America, Ohiapas, and Yuca- 

 tan, testing the work done by Stephens and Oatherwood. 



Along the road from the village to the ruins, antiquities are scattered 

 and the dense forest on either side is without doubt the keeper of great 

 archaeological treasure. Once at the village of Oopan any native will 

 give the locality of the ruins, and once there, no guide is needed but 

 Stephens. The thoroughness of the work done by Stephens and Oather- 

 wood has been confirmed by subsequent visitors and is a lasting rebuke 

 to the imperfect methods of most investigators. There is one curious 

 mistake, made, probably in copying notes — Stephens' plan of the ruins 

 is turned around, and the north side is marked south. With the excep- 

 tion of these two errors the work of description and illustration is ad- 

 mirable. 



Passing the statue O we struck the temple at the northwest corner. 

 Where we ascended, near D, the steps were 16 inches high and 17 wide, 

 in blocks of stone. We descended into the court at U. In the north- 

 west corner were two vases in the shape of human heads, ornamented 

 fantastically, and with bowis 9 inches in diameter and 6 inches deep. 

 These are probably the heads which Stephens says were turned over and 

 partially buried. The colossal head, figured on page 143, was in the 



