Monday

Re: Monday

unfavorable conditions for wood .must mean tropical. Where christian missionaries come in and try to supplant native religions doesn't really narrow it much. I'll make a WAG. American North East, and the wood Chestnut.

Re: Monday hint

John is a bit North. His logic is impeccable. Native people, missionaries. The wood is more exotic, and harder than chestnut (I'm informed) when cured. We know of these peole mostly by buildings and carvings.

Re: Monday Answer

The people were the Maya. The surviving wood was mostly sapodilla wood. It was carved green and with obsidian tools-- fine, complex detail. There is at least one statue made of cedarwood. Most of the wood idols and drums were found in caves out of the climate normal. I�m not much for pronouncing these but for those interested, check out �teponaxtli drum�, �huehuetl drum�, �cuauhximalli� wood figures. You might also check for the wood lintel from Tikal Temple IV, and also Temple I. Architectural wood items can be found at Chichen Itza (Templeof the Tigers), and Uxmal. My source was a ggod reference book �Aztec and Maya, Life in an Ancient Civilization�, Charles Phillips and David Jones, Hermes House, pp214-215.

Correction

Correction. As it turns out the huehuetl drum is Aztec not Maya. My source provided information in the text indicating it was Maya but searching further and on the web indicates other. If you do the search for Aztec wooden drum, huehuetl or

http://www.mexicolore.co.uk/index.php?one=azt&two=mus&id=292&typ=reg you will find the example. Scroll down to the rotating image.

Tikal examples of carved wood lintels and architectural elements are definitely Maya.