146

CENTEAL AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE.

Eook III.

with the cathedrals of Toledo and Seville, and knew well the palaces
and monasteries of ancient Spain.

We must not ascrihe even the great pyramid of Cholnla or the
temple of Tlascala to the Mexicans. These cities, though so near to
the Mexican capital, were inhahited hy a people of a different race,
and who practised their own arts. Beyond the Mexican houndaries
there exists a country full of ruins of the most interesting character,
and in a state of singularly perfect preservation, which, when properly
explored, will do more to elucidate the history and to illustrate the
arts of this mysterious people than anything that. has yet come to light;
hut much remains to he done before any satisfactory result can he
ohtained from the materials so unexpectedly afforded us. The country
has been visited by very few travellers at all capable of judging of
what they saw. The explorations undertaken hy Mr. Stephens,1 and
the publication of the heautiful drawings of his companion, Mr.
Catherwood, first conveyed a just idea of the extent and character
of these monuments ; neither, however, of these gentlemen were fami-
liar with the rules of arcliitectural criticism, nor capable, consequently,
of properly arranging tho materials they were collecting with such
zeal and talent; and it still remains for some one who has the know-
ledge and the energy requisite for such a task to complete the work
they have so nohly hegun, and to read for us the history of Central
America, and the long-forgotten Toltecs, as written hy them in their
monuments.

No one could he long among these huildings, provided lie was
familiar with the styles of other parts of the world, without perceiving
a sequence among them, and, when once this is done, the prohlem is
half solved. We may never he ahle to ascertain at what exact date
the earliest huilding was erected, nor when the last was completed:
hut we may he ahle to trace the steps hy which the style arose, to
judge how far it was capable of further development, and also,
perhaps, to learn the origin and history of the people to whom it
helonged.

These last are the forms of the prohlem that have been hitherto most
carefully and zealously investigated, though with singularly little suc-
cess. Because this people huilt pyramids and engraved hieroglyphics,
it is conjectured that they came from Egypt. Their temples are supposed
to he copies of the temple of Belus at Bahylon. Lord Kingshorough’s
great work was imdertaken to prove that the temple of Balenque was
built on the model of Solomon’s, and, consequently, that the people were
-Jews. Certain astronomical similarities have heen assumed as identi-
fying them witli the Moguls, and so on ad infinitum. But there is not
one of these supposed links of evidence which can he relied upon when
we consider wliat very natural shapes to he adopted hy a rude people
are those of tlie rectangular pyramid of stone or hrick and the conical
mound of earth. The same may he said of picture-writing as a mode

1 Previous to Mr, Stephens’s book the Lord Ivingsborough’s work, and some others
ruins only of Palenque were known through had heen imperfectly sketched.