oot of the Nahua stock, probably the Pipil
Indians, which developed on lines of its own in this remote corner.

Near the frontier of Honduras are the remarkable ruins of Quirigua,
which rival Copan in importance and have suffered less from the ravages
of the climate. The ruins of temples and palaces contain gigantic stone
stelae of very fine workmanship, on which are sculptured human and
animal figures representing hieroglyphs of the calendar dates.

_Honduras_.--Copan, one of the most important seats of Mayan
civilization, lies close to the borders of Guatemala. The ruins comprise
great buildings, temples, pyramids, &c. and contain sculptures of the
highest interest. Especially noteworthy are altars in the form of a
turtle and stelae covered with hieroglyphs. The hieroglyphs are of the
kind usually found in such ruins, the meaning of which is so far clear
that it is known that the commencement of an inscription records certain
dates in the complicated calendar system of the Mayas. A collation of
these dates demonstrates that the most ancient on record are separated
from the most recent by an interval of only a few centuries. From this
it may be concluded that the Mayan civilization, whether or not it was
preceded by anything older, flourished for only a comparatively short
period, the beginning of which cannot be placed many centuries before
A.D. 1000.

According to Squier (_Honduras_, London, 1870, p. 75) the other
principal ruins of Honduras are to be found in plains of the department
of Comayagua, near Yarumela, near Lajamini, and in the ruined town of
Cururu. They are "large, pyramidal, terraced structures, often faced
with stones, conical mounds of earth and walls of stone." Further ruins,
such as those of Calamulla, Jamalteca, Maniana, Guasistagua, Chapuluca
and Chapulistagua, are found in the department of Comayagua in the side
valleys and adjoining tablelands. The most interesting and most
extensive are the ruins of Tenampua (Pueblo Viejo), about 20 m.
south-east of Comayagua. Here ramparts, defence works, terraced stone
mounds and numerous large pyramids are to be found. Squier found further
ruins in the west of Honduras, which have also been described in part by
Stephens, and were probably first mentioned in 1576 by Diego Garcia de
Palacio (_Carta dirigida al Rei de Espana_, published by Squier, New
York, 1860).

[Illustration: (Map of Central America)]

At Rio Ulloa are remains which testify to the exis