Show ANCIENT AMERICAN CITIES conspicuous among the many attractive features of the worlds fabrio 1898 will be the collection of arch seo sao logical curiosities pertaining to the A merlean merican continent Ou dable efforts are being made to make this depart ment as extensive and interesting inter eating as possible for many years it has ban been well known that vast relics in the way of ruined cities temples and mansions exist in central america but little attention has been paid to these ruins bythe by the peoples of the countries in which they exist but a new interest has been awakened in them by our pro posed columbian exposition the people of the republics of the south are active iu in their efforts to secure at that great exhibit an adequate display of ancient american curiosities last july the government of hon HOD 1 duras issued a decree turning over all the ruins within its borders to the museum of archaeology and ethnology at cambridge mass for a feriod of ten years the authorities of that institution immediately took steps to have the country thoroughly ex elored A company was formed and an expedition arranged by which the most exhaustive research wild could be prosecuted in the latter part of december last the expedition arrived safely in central america and pro ceedee to a place called copan where extensive ruins exist copan is situate ed on a river of the same name in that corner of honduras which adjoins guatemala on northwest and salvador on southwest the ruins are scattered over a large area on the left bank of the river they are now half balf buried by dense vegetation and immense forest trees the buildings con list of pyramidal structures terraced edifices temples mansions and various other kinds of works what are supposed to be altars covered with hieroglyphic or symbolic figures abound the inscriptions in the in perlor of the buildings appear as well preserved as an when first carved but those on the outside owing to the contact with and action of the elements elemen to are undecipherable similar ruins exist in yucatan guatemala and salvador many of them thein plainly show that large and populous cities at one time flourished in these regions the celebrated travelers stevens and catherwood visited central america in 1839 40 and made quite extensive researches the results of their labors they published in several illustrated volumes though a great deal of interest was awakened and other en enthusiastic archaeologists visited the countries mentioned and found the ruins as described yet nothing systematic or practical was ever attempted until the present expedition was sent out from harvard university this one to is fully equipped in every parti particular calar it is accompanied by learned men of all professions A regular plan of excavation and clearing will be carried out the inscriptions will be closely scanned and carefully handled all the material that that can be moved to this country will be ex habited at the worlds fair but the work of the expedition will be continued for ten year and it will be aided by the honduran and guatemalan governments and possibly now that serious interest is awakened by the united states government dispatches state that senator stanford is aiding the expedition financially |