M\STKR1(JL'S TlCAll'LES OF TI11% JL'XC.LE 



between the bank and a ridge of hills, 

 covered partly with tropical growth and 

 partly with sickly pines, the banana plan- 

 tations of the Boston company cover 

 18,000 acres, mostly develojjed in the last 

 five years. 



In place of the jungle belt, through 

 which I passed on my first visit to 

 Guatemala, are well-ordered sections or 

 "farms" tapped by spur lines of the rail- 

 way, each fed in its turn by Decauville 

 roads. Each farm is overlooked by the 

 superintendent's house, built like those 

 designed for the Panama Canal work- 

 ers, well above the ground, with broad 

 porches, screened and mosquito-proof. 



The company has of late preferred 

 young college graduates as farm super- 

 intendents, and the station name often 

 indicates the founder's school. In the 

 center of all, set in a too-luxuriant rose 

 garden, surrounded by labor villages, 

 shops, storehouses, offices, and "bach- 

 elors' quarters," lies the big, comfortable 

 house of the young manager, under 

 whom this extraordinary growth has been 

 attained. 



A few miles beyond, 57 from Puerto 

 Barrios and 2j^ from the railroad, to- 

 ward the river, lie the ruins of Quirigua, 

 from the beginning of last year open 

 country like that below, planted with 

 banana "eyes" like a vast potato field, 

 WMth a lively camp of some 1,800 la- 

 borers preparing still more acres. 



Tlllv BEAUTIFUL SITUATION OF OUIRIGUA 



The ruins lie on low. fiat land, flooded 

 and renewed each rainy season by the 

 ]\Iotagua"s overflow — rich., incxliaustible 

 alluvial soil, and ideal for banana-grow- 

 ing. A more inspiring sp(5t can hardly 

 be imagined. Under the immense ceiba 

 and other coast trees (70 and 80 feet to 

 the lowest branches, each as big as a 30- 

 year maple and hung with orchids (ir 

 Spanish moss) has grown up a thicket 

 of i)alms and fern trees, forming, when 

 the underbrush is cleared, arching forest 

 g?.!Ieries impossible to describe. 



From the ceiba and mahogany trees 

 droj) long, leafless, snake-like black vine 

 stems — one, the "water-vine," containing 

 a quar'- of clear, pure w^ater to every 

 foot, which spurts forth in a refreshing 



stream when cut. It is a real, thirst- 

 quenching water, drawn up from the soil 

 and filtered through the pores of the 

 plant ; not a saj), as one might suppose. 

 As is generally the case, this vine grows 

 thickest where the surface water is least 

 drinkable. 



Through the arches of the palms sud- 

 denly appears a group of mounds, still 

 overgrown with masses of foliage, and 

 beyond these an avenue of great stones, 

 carved monoliths, leading to some — as 

 yet — invisible altar (M- temple. From each 

 pillar stares — impassive, gloomy, or sul- 

 len — a gigantic face. Each figure is 

 crowned with a tall feather head-dress ; 

 is belted with a short embroidered skirt 

 like the sacrificial apron worn by Korean 

 eunuchs in the Heaven sacrifice — naked, 

 with heavy ornaments at wrist and ankle. 



On the sides of the stones are columns 

 of glyphs, until now undeciphered, but 

 nearly all plain and well preserved, and, 

 when the clue shall have been found, 

 easily legible. The faces are well carved, 

 of a heavy, full type, with thick Wps, 

 narrow eyes, and tliin, carefully pointed 

 Egyptian beards, like the Sargent l^ha- 

 raoh in the Boston library. Several show 

 a remarkablv cruel strength, which 

 lessens with each set of pillars to a 

 weak, purposeless, degenerate type — 

 loose - lipped, chinless, and imbecile. 

 Among them is to be found the most 

 perfect pieces of carving I have yet seen 

 among American antiquities (see pages 

 333 and 342). 



CFXTKKS OF A GRFAT CINILIZATIOX 



It is not to be supposed that either this 

 place or Coi)an was an isolated gr'>up of 

 temples, it is more likely that they were 

 centers, and that more similar, if less 

 perfect, remains will be uncovered in the 

 near future in the course of deforestation 

 preliminary to banana planting. 



There is no reason to suppose that the 

 aboriginal dwelling was in any way su- 

 ])erior to the bamboo and thatch struc- 

 tures I have described above — than which 

 nothing could well be more ])erishable. 

 The Motagua \'alley and adjacent terri- 

 tory may have been and probably was 

 denselv populated about these sacrificial 

 foci ; but with the overthrow and savage 



