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The Civil engineer & [and] architect's journal
- Bandzählung
- 7.1844
- Erscheinungsdatum
- 1844
- Sprache
- Englisch
- Signatur
- A128
- Vorlage
- Universitätsbibliothek Chemnitz
- Digitalisat
- Universitätsbibliothek Chemnitz
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- SLUB Dresden
- Lizenz-/Rechtehinweis
- Public Domain Mark 1.0
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- urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-db-id375634746-184400006
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- http://digital.slub-dresden.de/id375634746-18440000
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- oai:de:slub-dresden:db:id-375634746-18440000
- Sammlungen
- Projekt: Bestände der Universitätsbibliothek Chemnitz
- LDP: Bestände der Universitätsbibliothek Chemnitz
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Zeitschrift
The Civil engineer & [and] architect's journal
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Band
Band 7.1844
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- Titelblatt Titelblatt -
- Register Index I
- Register List of illustrations VI
- Sonstiges Directions to binder VI
- Ausgabe No. 77 - January, 1844 1
- Ausgabe [No. 78 - February, 1844] 49
- Ausgabe No. 79 - March, 1844 97
- Ausgabe No. 80 - April, 1844 137
- Ausgabe No. 81 - May, 1844 177
- Ausgabe No. 82 - June, 1844 213
- Ausgabe No. 83 - July, 1844 253
- Ausgabe No. 84 - August, 1844 293
- Ausgabe No. 85 - September, 1844 333
- Ausgabe No. 86 - October, 1844 381
- Ausgabe No. 87 - November, 1844 421
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- Abbildung Plate. XIII -
- Abbildung Plate. XIV -
- Abbildung Plate. XV -
- Abbildung Plate. XVI -
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Band 7.1844
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- The Civil engineer & [and] architect's journal
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1844.] THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT’S JOURNAL f.3 life is depicted. The subjects are too numerous to mention, and such was the multitude of figures and objects, that a month would not have sufficed for delineating them. Unfortunately these beautiful paintings are fast has tening to decay, and every day adds to their approaching obliteration, from the visits of Indians. The pervading type of the architecture in the central parts of America and Yucatan, consists in first constructing immense pyramidal mounds, or ter races, of greater or less height, and on these placing their sacred edifices and palaces. Whether these mounds, or, as some call them, pyramids, (and by the Indians they are called teocalli,) are in general solid, or contain in all cases passages and apartments, remains yet to be ascertained. In the few that have been opened, by accident or design, small arched rooms have been found. The buildings are generally long, low, arched, and of a single story, a plan frequently adopted by the Spaniards on account of the shocks of earth quake to which many parts of the country are exposed. In a few instances buildings of two and three stories were met with. The teocalli before-men tioned are found in great numbers throughout the country. They are fre quently of large dimensions, of a pyramidal form, but do not terminate in a point like the Egyptian structures. They have on their summits platforms of sufficient extent for their temples, which contained statues of their deities, and in front was seen conspicuous the sacrificial stone or altar, convex on its upper surface so as to raise the chest of the human victim. Mr. Catliervvood thought there could be but one opinion as to the altars, idols, and sacrificial stones at Quirigua and Copau, having been constructed and used for these dismal rites. Indeed the channels cut on the upper sur faces of these sacrificial stones left no doubt on his mind as to the uses to which they were applied. Another, and not less distinguishing, feature than their mounds and pyra mids are the arched rooms found in all their buildings; he called it an arch, because it has all the appearance of one, and answers most of its purposes, and the inventors were on the very threshold of discovering the true principles of the arch. It invariably consists of stones overlaying each other from opposite walls, until the last meet over the centre of the room, or what is still more commonly the case, when the last stones approach within about 12 inches of each other, a flat stone is laid on the top, covered either with solid masonry or concrete. The joints of the stones are all horizontal. The roofs have a slight inclination to throw off the rain, and are cemented. This form of arch appears at first sight original, and is so in as much as regards the Indians, but the same principle was used in the earliest times by the Egyptians, the Greeks, and the Etrurians, and would, in all probability, sug gest itself to any people who had to construct a stone roof over a space too wide for them to cover with fiat stones. He had been indebted to Mr. Ainsley a short time ago for a sight of his beautiful drawings of Etrurian remains, and among them is shown an arch, which, if he had met with it in Central America or Yucatan, he should have undoubtedly taken for one of the usual arches of the country. It is at a place called Cervetri, and forms a part of the Galassi tomb. The finding similar arches in Etruria and Yucatan, and not very dissimilar pyramids in the latter country and Egypt, was no proof to his mind that a communication must have anciently existed between the respective countries. Similar necessities may well have produced similar results. As regards analogies in architectural ornaments in the new and old world, the same argument applies. The one most frequently met with, and per fectly alike in Greece and Yucatan (which he would call the twisted rope or cable), is an ornament likely to be found wherever rope making was under stood. Copau may he called the City of Idols, as it abounds with monolithic statues of Indian deities. The city stood on the bank of a river, and was surrounded by walls; that on the river side is still from CO to 1)0 feet in height in some places. The remains of a vast temple or collection of temples lie scattered about, with innumerable fragments of mutiiated ornaments and statues. The statues are generally about 12 feet in height and four feet square, the front and back having representations of human figures, habited in a most singular manner, with towering head-dresses of feathers and skins of animals, the necks adorned with necklaces, the ears with ear-rings, and the feet with sandals, like those of the ancient Romans. The sides are carved with hieroglyphics, which no one has yet been able to decipher. They were all painted. There are no remains of arched buildings here, though no doubt such formerly existed, but immense pyramidal mounds and terraced walls are met with to a great distance in the surrounding forests. Quirigua is the next place of interest in this part of the country. It is in many respects similar to Copau, but probably more ancient. It consists of ruined mounds and terraces, with many colossal statues, deeply buried in the entanglement of a tropical forest. Some of the statues are 2fi feet in height of a single stone, the sculpture is in low relief, and as usual there are numerous hieroglyphics. At Ocosingo the arch was met with, before alluded to, with the usual accompaniments of mounds and terraces, and an ornament over one of the doorways not unlike the winged globe of Egypt. I’alenque, in Chiapas, the most southern province of Mexico, is better known than any other of the ruined American cities. It was probably aban doned and in ruins when Cortes passed near it in his celebrated march from Mexico to Honduras, as no mention is made of it in his despatches. The principal building is called the palace. It stands on an artificial mound, whose base is 313 x 2G0ft. and 40ft. high, with staircases on the four sides. The building itself measures 228 x 180 ft., 25 ft. high, and of one story. The front and rear have each 14 doorways, and eleven on each end. The piers dividing the doorways still present traces of admirable stuccoes, which were painted. The interior is divided into three court-yards, with a tower in one of them. Every part appears to have been elaborately decorated with sculp ture in stone, stuccoes, and paintings. In several of the apartments Mr. Catherwood noticed that the walls had been painted several times, as traces of earlier subjects were discernible where the outer coat of paint had been destroyed. The paintings were of the same nature as the frescoes of Italy, water colours applied to cement. The other buildings are inferior in size to the palace, but all on high mounds, richly deoorated with numerous stone tablets of hieroglyphics, and sculpture of figures, well executed, which have awakened a lively interest in the antiquarian world. The whole is shrouded in the depths of a tropical forest, which has to be cleared away at every fresh visit of the traveller. Next came the ruins of Uxmal, which for their vast extent, their variety, and being for the most part in good preservation, may claim precedence of any other remains of antiquity in Yucatan. (Of these a plan and view will be found in Vol. VI. of the Journal, p. 135.) The Casa de las Monjas, or House of the Nuns, is a building forming four sides of a square, and enclosing a court-yard about 300ft. each way. Each of the four buildings presents a different design, so also do the rear fronts and the ends, presenting no less than sixteen different facades. The Grand Teocallis, called by the Indians the House of the Diviner, stood to the eastward of the last-mentioned building, and within a hundred yards of it. The pyramidal part rose to the height of 100ft. above the plain, with two noble flights of stairs leading to the platform on the top. The Casa del Gobernador, or House of the Governor, is next in importance. This immense building is constructed entirely of hewn stone, and measures 320ft. in front, by 40ft. in depth. The height is about 26ft. It has 11 doorways in front and two at the ends. The apartments are narrow, seldom exceeding 12 ft., just large enough to swing a hammock, which was, and still is, the substitute for beds throughout the country. Some of the rooms are long, measuring 60ft. and 23ft. high. There does not appear to have been any internal decorations, nor are there any windows. The lower part of the edifice is of plain wrought stone, but the upper part is singularly rich in ornament. Taking the front, the ends, and the rear of the building, we have a length of 712 ft. of elaborate carving, on which traces of painting are still visible. The peculiar arch of the country has been employed in every room. The lintels of the doorways were of wood, a more costly but less durable material than stone, and from its hardness more difficult to be worked. Un fortunately they have all decayed, and the masonry they supported has fallen down, and much of the beauty of the building is thus destroyed. The Casa del Gobernador stands on three terraces, the lowest is 3 ft. high, 15 ft. wide, and 575 long; the second is 20ft. high, 250ft. wide, and 545ft. long; and the third is 19ft. high, 30ft. broad, and 360ft. long. They are all of stone, and in a tolerable state of preservation. These are the principal buildings at Uxmal, and the others are much inferior in size and preservation. At Kabah, in addition to richly decorated facades, some very curious in ternal decorations were found. At Zayi an immense edifice of three stories in height. (Of Zayi a description and engraving will be found in Vol. VI., p. 135.) At Labnah a handsome gateway. At Bolonchen a natural curiosity in a deep subterranean well, the descent to which is by long ranges of ladders of dangerous construction. At Tuloom a walled city. At Izamal some large mounds, and a colossal head. And, finally, at Ake a collection of large stones on a high mound, not unlike a Druidical monument. With regard to the age of these monuments, Mr. Catherwood differed from Del Rio, Du Paix, Lord Kingsborough, and Waldeck. The growth of tropical trees has not been sufficiently studied to make them a safe criterion to judge of the age of such monuments. The accumulation of vegetable mould to the depth of 9 ft. is another proof that has been adduced in favour of their high antiquity, and doubtless in a northern climate would indicate a remote age, but not so in the tropics; vegetation there is so rank and rapid, that within less than twelve months from the first visit to Uxmal, Mr. Catherwood found the whole place so overgrown with shrubs and small trees, that nothing but the high Tescalli were visible, and the outline of the other monuments, and a thick deposit of vegetable mould covered the places they had so short a time before cleared away. Mr. Catherwood met with no physical marks surely indicating a high antiquity ; on the contrary, the whole course of his obser vations led him to form an opposite opinion. It is also proved by undoubted testimony that many of the buildings, now in ruins, were in use by the Indians at the time of the Spanish invasion. He did not think he should he safe in ascribing to any of the monuments (which still retain their form) a greater age than from 800 to 1,000 years, and those which are perfect enough to be delineated he thought it likely were not more than from 400 to 600 years. The roots of trees, and the tropical rains, are the chief elements of destruction, and daily and hourly is the work going on. Another century will hardly have elapsed before the whole of these interesting monuments will have become undistinguishable heaps of rains. If it be so difficult to determine the age of the monuments, it can scarcely he less so to ascertain who were their architects. At all events it is probable that the Tolteques and their descendants erected the buildings we have been considering this evening. The Mexicans, or Aztecs, adopted the arts and civilization of their predecessors, and used the same method of astronomical calculation. Mr. Tite observed that the greatest resemblances to the American styles he had observed, were in the buildings of Ceylon and Java, described in the
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