Cast of the facade of a temple of Labna, Yucatan - Stephen Salisbury III developed an interest in the antiquities of Yucatan and their preservation following his first visit to his Harvard classmate David Casares in Mexico in 1861. Salisbury made several efforts to fund an archaeologist to study and preserve Mayan antiquities in Meridà. In 1877 he forged a successful association with Edward H. Thompson of Worcester, who shipped crates of Mayan artifacts to the northeast and wrote articles that were published in the Society’s Proceedings. Thompson was commissioned to prepare a reproduction of a section of the Portal of Labna that Salisbury gave to the Society for installation in the Annex wing of Antiquarian Hall, soon after it was built. This elaborate plaster reproduction stood out among the many other Mayan artifacts and photographs that Salisbury presented to the Society.
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The Amerian Antiquarian Society, 1812-2012 - A View at the Bicentennial