Biologia Centrali-Americana, or, Contributions to the knowledge of the fauna and flora of Mexico and Central America . igua cannot be much more than twenty-fivemiles. There is, however, at the present time no road over the rugged and thickly-wooded hills lying between them, and the shortest practicable track takes a considerablebend westward and strikes the Motagua a little below Gualan. The valley formed by the Copan river is about a mile and a half in width where theprincipal ruins are found. The stream enters this valley from the north-east, flowingbetween hills which open out gradually, an
Biologia Centrali-Americana, or, Contributions to the knowledge of the fauna and flora of Mexico and Central America . igua cannot be much more than twenty-fivemiles. There is, however, at the present time no road over the rugged and thickly-wooded hills lying between them, and the shortest practicable track takes a considerablebend westward and strikes the Motagua a little below Gualan. The valley formed by the Copan river is about a mile and a half in width where theprincipal ruins are found. The stream enters this valley from the north-east, flowingbetween hills which open out gradually, and after running about a mile in a south-westerly direction, near to the southern line of hills, it turns for a short distance to thewest and touches the principal group of ruins, then bends sharply to the south, and,after flowing for about half a mile in that direction, turns again to the west and flowson along the south side of the plain. The tops of the hills on each side of the valley are thinly covered with pine-trees,but the lower slopes are clothed with an almost impenetrable thicket of low trees Sketch MapOF THE SITE OF Scale of Miles. Rums at Copan. The modern village stands on part of the site of the ancient pueblo, about three-quarters of a mile to the west of the principal group of ruined edifices, and is merely acollection of a dozen miserable shanties inhabited by half-castes. The clearings con-tinually made by these people for their tobacco and maize plantations have kept muchof the plain free from large timber-trees, and for a distance of about three miles alongthe valley (wherever the more recent clearings enable one to examine the ground) raised 16 C0P1jSt. foundations and mounds of stones can be seen, evidence of the considerable populationwhich must have at one time inhabited the plain, and similar remains can be found inmany of the smaller valleys in the neighbourhood. The small village of Caehapa, which is situated about seven miles up the river
Size: 1967px × 1271px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., booksubjectindians, booksubjectindiansofmexico, booksubjectmayas
