124 MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 
Mayan nation over a stretch of 1400 years previous to 
the Spanish Conquest. Now it seems certain that the 
traditional record overlaps the inscribed record so far as 
definite dating is concerned while the natural develop- 
ments give aid and comfort to the simplest and most di- 
rect correlation. 
Historical Development of Art. The sequence 
of Mayan monuments can be determined from a study of 
the style of sculpture. Beginning with the human form 
we find at Copan a remarkably homogeneous series of 
stelee on which a royal or priestly personage stands erect 
and in front view. A Ceremonial Bar is held symmetri- 
cally in the two arms and the body is partly covered with 
rich and elaborate ornament. ‘The amount of relief, the 
proportions of the body, the forms of the Ceremonial 
Bar, etc., all pass through a harmonious development. 
The earliest monuments show a crude block-like carving 
of the face, with protruding eyes, while the latest monu- 
ments have fully rounded contours. At Tikal the stelze 
show, for the most part, human figures in profile, but 
unmistakable development can be seen in general quality 
of carving as well as in specific details. 
In making comparisons in art it is always necessary to 
consider similar things. At many other Mayan cities 
than the two named above it is possible to obtain satis- 
factory evidence of sequence in art forms by cutting 
out similar details from different masses. Thus at Nar- 
anjo when we examine all the Ceremonial Bars we find a 
remarkable development of flamboyant detail on the 
later monuments. At Quirigua the faces on the tops of 
the altars may be compared with the same result. At 
Piedras Negras the heads of the T'wo-headed Dragon 
that occur in exactly similar positions on four monuments 
likewise show a steady modification towards flamboyancy 
