AZTECS AND MAYAS 45 



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

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

 hundreds of these books, which recorded ceremonial rites and historical 

 events by means of pictures and hieroglyphs. 



Nearby is a replica of the Calendar Stone, which is a graphic repre- 

 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 by the Aztecs before 1487. 



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

 gods, is a curious figure, made up of serpents. See page 44- 



These three sculptures were originally in the Great Temple enclosure 

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

 Cortez. They were buried in the destruction of that city and uncovered 

 in 1798. The originals are now in the Mexican National Museum. 



The archaeology of Mexico covers many centuries, and relics are found 

 deposited in three distinct layers, one above the other. These three 

 stages of ancient history are represented on the north side of the hall 

 beginning at the western end. The lowest of all is that of the Archaic 

 Period characterized by crude figurines of pottery and stone. Next 

 came the Maya-Toltec horizon of culture, an extended period during 

 which great pyramids were constructed and beautiful works of art were 

 produced. Lastly came the Aztec period beginning about 1100 A.D. 

 The Aztecs were not nearly so highly civilized as the Mayas had been 

 before them. They were much given to human sacrifice. The Zapotecs 

 in southern Mexico are famous for elaborate funeral urns, and for the 

 temple ruins at Mitla. 



The Mayas were perhaps the most highly civilized people in the New 

 World. They built many cities of stone and erected many fine pillar- 

 like stelae to which attention was called on entering the hall. The sculp- 

 tures on these monuments represent priest-like beings who carry serpents 

 and other ceremonial objects in their hands. There are also on them 

 long hieroglyphic inscriptions containing dates in the wonderful Maya 

 calendar. Maya history contains two brilliant periods. That of the 

 south, extending from 160 A.D. to 600 A.D., was chiefly remarkable 

 for its sculptures. The principal cities were Copan, Quirigua, Tikal, 

 Yaxchilan and Palenque. The second period fell between 950 A.D. 

 and 1250 A.D., and centered in northern Yucatan. The chief cities 

 were Chichen Itza, Uxmal and Labna, and the finest works of art were 

 architectural. (See Handbook No. 3, Ancient Civilizations of Mexico 

 and Central America.) 



