iv PREFACE. 



country. Such neglect is, however, never likely to occur again, for although many of 

 the ruins are as deeply buried in the forest as they were in Stephens's time, steamboats 

 and railways have now brought the points of departure for exploring expeditions 

 within at most a fortnight's journey from New York, and the Universities and learned 

 societies of the United States are becoming fully alive to the rich fields of research 

 within easy reach. 



I have myself undertaken three expeditions since the Introduction to these volumes 

 was written, and was ably assisted in my work at Palenque and Quirigua by Mr. H. 

 W. Price, and at Chichen Itza by Mr. H. N. Sweet. 



M. Desire Cbarnay has given us the results of his journeys in Mexico in ' Les 

 Anciennes Villes du Nouveau Monde,' and the collections made by him are exhibited 

 in Paris. The Peabody Museum of Harvard University has equipped and sent out 

 expedition after expedition, and under its auspices Messrs. John G. Owens, G. B. 

 Gordon, and H. M. Saville have done good work at Copan and elsewhere. Mr. E. H. 

 Thompson has added much to our knowledge of the ruins of Northern Yucatan, 

 and Mr. Teobert Maler to that of the ruins of Southern Yucatan and the banks 

 of the Usumacinta. The results of these expeditions are to be found in the 

 publications of the Peabody Museum, and the fine collection of casts at Harvard 

 and also in the Natural History Museum of New York. 



Dr. E. Seler, of Berlin, has again visited Mexico and Central America, and 

 has added to his valuable publications on American ethnology and archaeology. 

 Mr. W. H. Holmes has given us a most lucid account of his rapid survey of many 

 ruins during the winter of 1894-95, published by the Field Columbian Museum of 

 Chicago ; and Dr. Carl Sapper has rendered great service, both by his geographical 

 observations and maps and by making sketch plans' of many of the less known ruins. 

 Mr. Erwin Dieseldorff has most industriously dug up and collected specimens of 

 pottery in the Alta Vera Paz, of which drawings have been published. More 

 recently the Society of Antiquaries has published copies of the very interesting 

 mural paintings from British Honduras, unearthed and most carefully reproduced 

 by Mr. T. Gann, and Miss A. Breton has made accurate copies of the fast-vanishing 

 mural paintings at Chichen Itza. 



I have mentioned only the names of those working in the field within the area 

 dealt with in these volumes ; but the list would have to be greatly extended were it to 



