HISTORY OF COPAN DURING THE OLD EMPIRE. 417 
Or again, it may be held that earlier monuments will yet be found at 
Copan which will carry back the occupation of the site much earlier. While 
this is of course possible, it is nevertheless significant that such earlier monu- 
ments have not come to light as yet, in spite of the fact that Group 9, appar- 
ently the oldest settlement in the valley on the basis of the dated remains, 
has been more thoroughly excavated than any other place in the valley, the 
Main Structure not excepted, owing to the fact that the modern village was 
built on its site. On the contrary, such monuments as have been found 
under conditions indicating secondary usage are all not only of later style 
than Stela 20, but also of later date. 
Or finally, it may be contended that the earlier monuments at Copan 
were made of wood and have consequently disappeared; but against this 
objection may be adduced the fact that there is at least one stone stela 
known, at Uaxactun, which is surely 137 years older than the date suggested 
for Stela 20, and there are a half a dozen others at Tikal probably from 20 
to 50 years older than Stela 20. Ina word, stone stele had been known for 
five or six generations at least before the date suggested here for Stela 20. 
In view of all the foregoing evidence, (1) the lack of a single text at 
Copan, which, even on stylistic grounds, can possibly be older than Stela 
20 in spite of all the archeological work, especially excavation, that has been 
done there during the past 35 years, (2) the presence of inscribed stone 
stele elsewhere of every much earlier date, and (3) the dates of Stele 20 and 
24 themselves, the writer believes it probable that the Maya reached the 
Copan Valley with a full knowledge and understanding of their chronology 
and hieroglyphic writing and with an ample previous experience in the art 
of stone-carving, about the beginning of Cycle 9, and probably settled first 
at Group 9, Stela 20 possibly being the first monument erected there. 
That Group 9 was the first settlement in the valley rests on strong 
archeological evidence, as we have already seen in Chapter IT: 
1. The two earliest surely dated monuments, Stela 24 and 15, are both found 
here, as well as the one which we have seen is probably the earliest of all, Stela 20. 
2. More early monuments are found here than at all the other groups in the 
valley combined, including the Main Structure. Of the 22 monuments of the 
Early Period under observation, not including Fragments V’ and Fragment S’, 
12, or more than half, were found at this group. 
3. Of the 10 monuments outside of this group, practically every one occurs in 
positions indicating secondary usage, i. ¢., in positions for which they were not 
originally designed. 
4. Of the 15 Early Period fragments now known at Copan, all but one, Frag- 
ment S’, were found here. 
Nor could the ancient Maya have chosen a better site in the whole 
valley for their first settlement. At this point a bench of the foot-hills 
extends out into the valley from the north side. Nearby, along its eastern 
base, flows the Rio Sesesmil, offering at all times an abundant supply of 
potable water fresh from the mountains; and below, to the east, south, and 
