Augustus Le Plongeon
1877
Decorated Building at Chichen-Itza, Yucatan

Magazine plate
Google Books
Stephen Salisbury, Jr. "Dr. Le Plongeon in Yucatan", p.70-119 in Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society at the Semi-Annual Meeting, held in Boston, April 25, 1877, Volume 28, p.74. [This was also privately printed as a separate volume The Mayas, The Sources of their History: Dr. Le Plongeon in Yucatan (Worcester, 1877) - the full text is available in the public domain at: www.gutenberg.org/files/29723/29723-h/29723-h.htm]
 
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE.
 
1 Represents the building at the southern extremity of the eastern wall of the so-called Gymnasium described by Stephens Travels in Yucatan, vol. II., page 308. It is supposed by Dr. Le Plongeon to have been a monument to the chieftain Chac-Mool.
 
2. This picture shows the upper portion of the same edifice, in which were found " the mural paintings, bas-reliefs and other signs," which gave a clue to the discovery of the statue.
 
3. Shows probably the locality where the statue was excavated. The same sculptured slabs that appear in picture 8 in the foreground on the right, are seen resting against a mound, in their supposed original position, and serve to indicate the identity of the localities. In the rear of the slabs is probably the heap of stones forming the pedestal for the stone figure of a tiger spoken of in the " Mexican Memorial."
 
4. This is probably another view in the Immediate neighborhood. Among the scattered debris is the sculptured head of a serpent, with open jaws.
 
5 Represents the sculptured slabs, which are seen also in pictures 3, 6 and 8. They are of unequal width, but the length and thickness was probably the same in each.
 
6. Another view of the sculptured slabs. The first shows a bird of prey; this is apparently a tiger. Both of them hold in their grasp objects of a similar character.
 
Note. Several of these pictures are described in the Mexican Memorial, but are there differently numbered.
 
LL/36219