THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 



being melted out and the gold poured in. Mixed casting, as 

 well as plating, is represented. 



Opposite the Costa Rican material is a number of stone 

 sculptures made by the Maya peoples, who were remark- 

 able above all other cultured American nations for their 

 architecture, calendar and hieroglyphic system. Their 

 hieroglyphic records were carved or painted originally upon 

 the walls of their temples and palaces, or written in books 

 made of maguey paper. A great deal of attention has been 

 given to the Maya language, which has been forceful 

 enough to remain unsupplanted. Many of the monuments 

 bear designs of priest-like beings who carry serpents and 

 other ceremonial objects in their hands. 



There is a number of reproductions of the stelae and 

 altars of Copan arranged in order from the oldest and 

 crudest forms to the latest and finest examples, covering a 

 period of nearly three hundred years. The early stela; are 

 characterized by carvings in very low relief with sharp cor- 

 ners, while the later monuments are cut deeper and in 

 more rounded form. In the collection is the cast of the 

 so-called Turtle Stone of Quirigua, which represents a two- 

 headed monster covered with several layers of ornaments. 

 A small model standing in front of the large cast will per- 

 mit the visitor to make a close examination of the designs. 



Nahua culture is represented by many pottery, copper, 

 obsidian and jade objects and by musical instruments. In 

 one case are facsimile reproductions of native books or 

 codices, originally painted in freehand on strips of deer 



61 



