IN QUEST OF THE COCK-OF-THE-ROCK 87 



and moon with rays darting in all directions. There are 

 many other statues within a radius of several miles, and 

 doubtless a systematic search of the region would reveal 

 rich archaeological treasure-troves. Numerous mounds 

 and caverns furnish abundant evidence of the existence of 

 ruined temples and the remnants of works of art that have 

 yielded to decadence with the passing of the centuries. 

 Most of the known statues have been undermined by 

 fortune-hunters and have toppled over; others have been 

 broken by the excavators in their mad search for the small 

 gold replicas or ornaments that are found in the graves, 

 while several have been demolished by order of the clergy. 

 The only thing that prevents the removal of the stones 

 themselves is their great weight and lack of transportation 

 facilities. 



The ruins about San Agustin possess none of the ornate 

 massiveness of those found in Guatemala and Yucatan, but 

 rather has the work been executed along severe lines and in 

 bas-relief; nor are they nearly so well preserved, which 

 might tend to show that they date back to an earlier period. 

 Hieroglyphics are almost wholly wanting. Doctor Karl 

 Theodor Stoepel, who spent some time in San Agustin pre- 

 vious to our visit, has traced a similarity between one of 

 the monoliths and an example found in Pachacama, Bo- 

 livia. In one or two instances the work resembles that of 

 the Aztecs. 



Just how to account for the advance of civilization to a 

 point where art and architecture were encouraged, and 

 which supported a well-organized form of government, and 

 then to explain its complete extinction, is a question on 

 which students of the subject are at variance. Religion in 

 some form or other has always wielded a powerful influence 

 upon the life and customs of primitive nations; one evi- 

 dence — almost invariably the deities and the temples 

 erected for their veneration represent the supreme efforts 

 of the ancient artists and alone have withstood the weath- 

 ering of ages. This points strongly to the supremacy of a 





