plioto^iraplis slu)\vin«2; iniiiiy of thcin iti mitiirc, there ;ire down the middle 

 of the room a series of «:;roui)s of hx-al l)ree(hii<; hirds with theii' ix'sts. 

 'i'hese.the foi-ei-uuners of oui- "llahitat ( lrou|)s/' wei'e the first of theii- 

 kind made for the Museum. jSee (liiidi Leu fid No. 22.] 



SOUTHWEST WING 



ANeiKNi MoNUMKX'i's OF Mkxico AXI) CkX'I'KAL A.mkkk a 



('ontinuiu^ west ])ast tli(> coUeetiou of hx'al birds we eutei" the south- 

 west will"', (Unvoted to the imcient eivilizations of Mexico 

 IVI3.V3 Art 



and C'entral America. As the hall is approached casts 



of large upright stones appear completely covered by sculpture. These 

 stones, called stelae, are found chiefly near C'opan in Honduras and 

 represent the highest art of the Maya civilization. 



At the left of the entrance on the south side of the hall is the 

 extensive exhibit from Costa Rica of ]\Ir. Minor Keith. This includes 

 stone sculpture and a great v^ariety of pottery interesting in form and 

 design. To this collection also belongs the gold and jade from Costa 

 Rica arranged in the cases in the center of the hall. 



On the south wall is a copy of the painted sculptures of the Temple of 

 the Jaguars at Chiehen Itza. Here are shown warriors in procession who 

 seem to be coming to worship a serpent god. Prayers are represented 

 as coming from their lips. This sculpture while Maya, shows strong 

 evidence of Mexican influence in certain of its details. 



In the table cases on this side of the hall are facsimile reproductions 

 of native books or codices, which were painted free hand on strips of 

 deerskin, paper, or cloth. Several original documents are also exhibited. 

 The Spaniards, in their zeal to destroy the native rehgion, burned 

 hundreds of these books, which recorded ceremonial rites and historical 

 event by means of pictures and hieroglyphs. 



Nearby is a replica of the Calendar Stone, which is a graphic rei)re- 

 sentation of the four creations and destructions of the world, as well as a 

 symbol of the sun and a record of the divisions of the year. 



In the aisle near the end of the hall stands a copy of the great sacri- 

 ficial stone, or Stone of Tizoc, on which is a record of the principal 

 conquests made before 1487. 



The statue of Coathcue, the mother of the two principal Aztec 

 gods, is a curious figure, made up of serpents. 



These three sculptures were originally in the Great Temple enclosure 

 at Tenochtitlan, the native name of Mexico City before its conquest by 

 Cortez, but they have been removed to the Mexican National Museum. 



