136 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



mals were worshipped as deities by the people who 

 bjiilt Copan. 



Among the fragments lying on the ground, near this 

 place, is a remarkable portrait, of which the following 

 engraving is a representation. It is probably the por- 



trait of some king, chieftain, or sage. The mouth is 

 injured, and part of the ornament over the vnreath that 

 crowns the head. The expression is noble and severe, 

 and the whole character shows a close imitation of na- 

 ture. 



At the point marked D stands one of the columns or 

 " idols" which give the peculiar character to the ruins 

 of Copan, the front of which forms the frontispiece to 

 this volume, and to which I particularly request the at- 

 tention of the reader. It stands with its face to the 



