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  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  ginning 
  of 
  the 
  Christian 
  era 
  it 
  was 
  trans- 
  

   ferred 
  to 
  stone, 
  inscribed 
  upon 
  monu- 
  

   ments 
  and 
  altars, 
  which 
  were 
  erected 
  in 
  

   the 
  courts 
  and 
  plazas 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  prin- 
  

   cipal 
  temples 
  of 
  the 
  different 
  Maya 
  cities. 
  

  

  And 
  here, 
  buried 
  in 
  the 
  vast 
  tropical 
  

   forests 
  of 
  northern 
  Central 
  America, 
  

   and 
  especially 
  in 
  the 
  State 
  of 
  Guatemala, 
  

   these 
  splendid 
  memorials 
  of 
  a 
  forgotten 
  

   people 
  are 
  slowly 
  coming 
  to 
  light. 
  

  

  Year 
  after 
  year 
  archaeological 
  expedi- 
  

   tions 
  sent 
  out 
  by 
  American 
  scientific 
  in- 
  

   stitutions 
  are 
  penetrating 
  deeper 
  and 
  

   deeper 
  into 
  these 
  virgin 
  fastnesses 
  and 
  

   are 
  discovering 
  new 
  ruined 
  cities, 
  from 
  

   the 
  monuments 
  and 
  hieroglyphic 
  inscrip- 
  

   tions 
  of 
  which 
  we 
  are 
  gradually 
  recon- 
  

   structing 
  the 
  outlines 
  of 
  ancient 
  Maya 
  

   history. 
  

  

  The 
  only 
  other 
  business 
  which 
  brings 
  

   man 
  into 
  these 
  tropical 
  forests 
  of 
  north- 
  

   ern 
  Guatemala 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  our 
  most 
  im- 
  

   portant 
  American 
  industries, 
  what 
  might 
  

   be 
  termed, 
  perhaps, 
  our 
  national 
  sport 
  — 
  

   chewing 
  gum. 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  ingredient 
  of 
  chewing 
  

   gum 
  is 
  "chicle," 
  which 
  is 
  obtained 
  from 
  

   a 
  tree 
  called 
  the 
  "chico-sapote," 
  growing 
  

   in 
  these 
  forests. 
  Indeed, 
  the 
  archaeolo- 
  

   gist 
  is 
  deeply 
  indebted 
  to 
  the 
  chicle 
  busi- 
  

   ness 
  for 
  bringing 
  him 
  first 
  news 
  of 
  new 
  

   cities 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  bush 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  

   time 
  by 
  the 
  chicle-hunters. 
  

  

  The 
  writer 
  has 
  a 
  standing 
  reward 
  

   offered 
  to 
  all 
  chicleros 
  for 
  "information 
  

   leading 
  to 
  the 
  capture, 
  dead 
  or 
  alive," 
  of 
  

   any 
  new 
  group 
  of 
  ruins 
  where 
  there 
  are 
  

   hieroglyphic 
  monuments, 
  and 
  already 
  this 
  

   expedient 
  has 
  resulted 
  in 
  the 
  discovery 
  

   of 
  several 
  important 
  cities. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  the 
  chicle-operators 
  who 
  keep 
  the 
  

   trails 
  open 
  ; 
  who 
  locate 
  the 
  water-holes 
  

   for 
  camping-places 
  ; 
  who 
  maintain 
  mule- 
  

   trains, 
  the 
  only 
  means 
  of 
  transportation 
  

   possible 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  ; 
  whose 
  activities 
  

   bring 
  labor 
  into 
  the 
  bush. 
  In 
  short, 
  in 
  

   this 
  held, 
  at 
  least, 
  the 
  archaeologist 
  could 
  

   scarcely 
  pursue 
  his 
  profession 
  were 
  it 
  

   not 
  for 
  our 
  popular 
  pastime 
  of 
  chewing 
  

   gum. 
  But 
  to 
  return 
  to 
  our 
  subject. 
  

  

  MAYA 
  WRITING 
  REPRESENTS 
  TURNING 
  

   POINT 
  IN 
  HUMAN 
  HISTORY 
  

  

  The 
  peculiar 
  importance 
  of 
  the 
  Maya 
  

   hieroglyphic 
  writing 
  lies 
  in 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  

   it 
  represents 
  a 
  stage 
  in 
  the 
  science 
  of 
  

  

  