|
This
image depicts the Temple of Inscriptions (center) and the Palace
(left), two of the most famous structures at Palenque in southern
Mexico’s Chiapas region. The buildings are set off against
a magnificent backdrop of wooded hills and have been almost completely
reclaimed by the forest. Catherwood writes that this particular
scene was especially difficult to draw due to the foliage which
obstructed a clear view of the entire site.
Stephens
and Catherwood both felt the overgrown state of the ruins reflected
a detestable disregard of antiquity on the part of the 19th-century
Palencanos. The explorers decided to take action by gaining proprietary
rights to the site. Stephens already believed himself a rightful
owner of the ruins, viewing them as part of the cultural heritage
of the United States due to their location on the “American”
continent; in the end, however, he failed to actually purchase
them. Meanwhile, Catherwood hired an American acquaintance to
make plaster casts of Palenque’s primary monuments. However,
this effort was halted by the protest of three Palencanos who
felt their ancestral rights to the ruins were being violated,
confirming that they were not as indifferent as Stephens and Catherwood
had supposed. [Spanish version].
CLAIRE WILSON |
