THE TEMPLE OF THE CROSS. 27 



It has been mentioned that M. Charnay's atlas contains only four photo- 

 graphs from Palenque, one of which represents the central piece of the Group of 

 the Cross. He found the slab, probably not, as Mr. Stephens anticipated, with 

 the props still under it, but doubtless on the same spot where the American 

 explorer had caused it to be drawn. "Torn from its original place," says 

 Cbarnay, " by a fanatic who saw in it a reproduction of the Christian emblem, 

 miraculously employed by the ancient inhabitants of these palaces, it was 

 designed to ornament the house of a rich widow in the village of Palenque ; but 

 the authorities were aroused by this devastation, and prohibited the removal of 

 the stone : it was consequently left in the wood, where I unconsciously trod on it, 

 until my guide directed my attention to this precious piece. It was covered with 

 moss, and the sculjitures had become totally invisible. When I afterward 

 concluded to reproduce it, it had to be rubbed with brushes, washed, and set 

 against a tree. 



" The bas-relief represents a cross, surmounted by a bird of fantastic shape, 

 to which a standing person, of perfectly pure design, offers a child extended on 

 his arms ; an inscription composed of five characters is seen near the head of the 

 figure ; four other characters of the same kind are placed near the lower sides 

 of the cross. A hideous face of an idol forms the base of this monument. The 

 two other slabs, to-day in place in the sanctuary of the temple, contain : that on 

 the left, a personage in an upright attitude, ai:)parently in expectation of the 

 sacrifice to be performed. Behind the bas-relief extends a long inscription. The 

 right slab is likewise covered with characters, which doubtless reveal the significance 

 of the cross and the history of the temple or its founders^ * 



The passages here printed in italics undoubtedly convey a mistake on the 

 part of M. Charnay, who could not have seen at Paleque an object which was no 

 longer there, having been removed to another country more than fifteen years 

 before his visit. Far from accusing that gentleman of any intentional inac- 

 curacy, I fully believe that he labored under an erroneous impression.f 



It will be remembered that Del Rio, Dupaix and Galindo mention among 

 the sculptures existing at their time in the Temple of the Cross, two stone tab- 

 lets, each showing a human figure in bas-relief. The accounts of Dupaix and 

 Galindo, in particular, leave no doubt that these tablets once stood at the 



* Chiirnay : Cites et Ruincs etc., p. 418. 



t M. Charnny writes well, and with the evident intention to represent matters in their true light, as every one 

 will admit who has read the account of his travels, which forms by far the greater portion of the " Cites et Ruines 

 Americaines." A man of his character would not purposely propagate an untruth. He simply made a mistake, 

 probably caused by supposing he had seen in the Sanctuary of the Cross what he saw elsewhere among the ruins of 

 Palenque. Perhaps Dr. Samuel Johnson's observation is applicable to this case: "How seldom descriptions 

 correspond with realities ; and the reason is that people do not write them till some time after, and then their 

 imagination has added circumstances." (Boswellj. 



