The gazette. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1798-1799, 1798-11-05

race OF the ground J diId thOuSi' tAe
body of the tree was 70 mouldered a;
fcarcely to be perceived above the fur.
face Of the earth, we were able to trace
the decayed wood, under the leaves and
,rubbifh, nearly an hundred feet. A
thrifty beach, containing I36 circles
appeared to have frlt ve5etated withir
the fDace that had been occupied by al
ancient predccehor, Of a different kinc
of wood.
Admitting the age Of the prefent
growth to be $50 years, and that it had
been preceded by one of equal fize and
age, which, as paobably as otherwile
was not tire frf, the works have beer
delevted more than geo years. If they
were occupied one hundred years, they
were erected more than thouianc
years ago.
Il is highly probable the exterior
walls were erected for defence. An 0.
pening being made at the lummit o.
the great comic mound ,there were found
the bones of an adult in an horizontal
petition, covered with fat Tone
Beneath this fkelton were thin Zone;
placed vertically at Gmall and different
difanceS, but no bones were diicover
ed. That this venerable monumenl
might not lie defaced, the opening was
clofed, without further fearch. The
cells formed by the thin fones might
have contained, like the charncl houies
in Mexico, the kulls Of the 1acriGces
or the mound may be a general DEPOT
itory Of the dead, collected in the man
ner defcribed by La6tau and othel
travellers among the Indian tribes.
The large mounds in the great fquare
it can hardly be doubted, were apPro
Priated to religious purPofes. On then
they erected their temples, placed then
idols, and offered their Gacrifces fol
it is difficult to conceive Of any othel
purpofe for which they could have beer
dedgned. Comparing their form anc
Gtuation with the places Of worlhip II
Mexico and other parts Of the country
when frit dilcoyered, we find as grea
a familiarity, as there was IL the place,
of wor lhip among thofe different tribes
Their temples we're generally erected
and their idols placed on natural or ar
tifciai elevations, with gradual aicentS
If the Mexican tribes, agreeably to THEN
hiltoric paintings and traditions, came
from the northward, and fome Of them
in their migrationS, went far to the
eaitward, it is not improbable, that eli
thcr fome of thofe tribes, or others
fmilar to them in their cuf0ms anc
manners, and who pradiled the fans
religious rites, were the contributors o.
thoie works. The preIent natives bear
a general resemblance, in their com
plcxion, form and fize, to the ancient
Mexicans Though their rites and Ger
emOnieS differ, they profefS the general
principles Of the Mexican religion ; be
lieving in the great lPirit, good and evi
genii, and fate Of exifence aftol
death. They have no temples nor i'm
ages F.; but fome faint notions Of reli
gious oblations are to be found among
them. When it is confdered, how
long it mult have been fince theft
works were ere6ted-how generally the
practice Of offering human lacriices an
GENTLY prevailed among all the tribe.
from Loufana to the weaern OCEAN
that men, women and children wer,
lacrifced in their lmaller as well as moi
populous townS---thatin the dominion
OF Monfe@Mala only, as hiltorians fay