Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-01-14
No,e. ON American ArchmoIogy-No. ..

script writings were abundant among them in
the ages previous to the Aztec period. They
had an accurate measure of the solar year and a
system of chronology; and many of their
writings were historical. Among the Mayas,
and in other communities of the same family,
writing was largely used in the time of the
Spaniards. Las Casas wrote on this point, as
follows
at should be known, that, in all the COM
/ monweaths of these countries, in the kingdoms
| of New Spain and elsewhere, among other pro.
fessions duly filled by suitable persons, was that
! of chronicler and historian. These chroniclers
had knowledge of the origin of the kingdoms,
and of whatever related to religion and the gods,
/ rs well as to the founders of towns and cities.
! They recorded the history of kings and of the
modes of their election and succession, of their
/ labors, actions, wars, and memorable deeds,
good and bad,-of the virtuous men or heroes
! that had existed; in a word, they wrote down
| everything that pertains to history" He adds
that they used the "heroglyphics," and says
"they had their great books composed with such
ingenuity and skill, that they scarcely seemed to
need our letters"
The old books Of the country were destroyed,
to great extent, some in the wars and revolu-
tons of the Toltec period, or by the wear Of
time, and some by the vandalism OF the Aztecs
and the Spaniards. According to tradition and
the testimony of writings still in existence when
the Spanards went there, the Aztec or Mexican
sovereign, Ytzcoat destroyed many of the old
Toltec books. His aim was, probably, to de-
stroy among the people all memory of the
previous times. Such things have been done
with similar motives, as we know, in other
countries by successful usurpers and Conquerors
We learn from Spanish writers, that still
greater destruction of the old books was effected
by the more ignorant and fanatical of the Span
ish priests, who were established in the country
as missionaries, after the conquest. This is
stated by Las Casas, himself one of the mission
aries, but not one of the fanatical vandals.
THE OLD BOOKS NOT ALL LOST.
Some of the old books, however, were saved
from destruction, and these are now carefully
preserved, chiefly in European libraries. Several
of the earlier Spanish bishops and priests, such
as Sahagun and others, had suticien apprecia-
ton of the old civilization, to write histories of
the country, in which they used old Maya and
Toltec books that no longer exist. Diego de
Landa, the first bishop of Yucatan, wrote an
account of the Mayas and their country, which
was not published This work was preserved,
Royal Academy of History. 1t is the most i'm
portant work on the country, written by
Spaniard, because it contains full description
and explanation of the phoneti, alphabet of the
Mayas, and thus furnishes key to their writ
ings and inscriptions. Landa's manuscript lay
neglected in the library, until it was discovered
by Brasseur de Bourbourg. By means of it, he
learned to read the old American writings The
result is that he has translated and published
some of them, the first given to the public, in
this way, being an ancient book of the CLUTCHES,
entitled "Popol-Vuh." He says of this discovery,
"the alphabet and signs explained by Landa,
have been to me Rosetta Stone. Nothing is
now wanting. | am master of the inscriptions,
in spite of the numerous variations in each char
acter." His claim seems to be well founded,
and we may hope that the inscriptions will at
length be deciphered.
The Popol-Vuh contains cosmogony, mythol-
ogy, and history. The old books tnat have been
preserved, relate mostly to the Toltec period;
but there are many references to the more au.
cient people, the first civilizers, who seem 10
have had higher development of civilized life
than any of their successors. Brasseur de Bour-
bourg finds in the books regular system of
chronology, and dates that go back so far into
the misty deeps of antiquity as to startle timid
inquirers, together with accounts OF the lost
Atlantis of classical antiquity. Some of his
theories, and his dates older than Egypt, are
not likely TO be generally accepted without care
full investigation. We must examine the old
books for ourselves, and see what warrant there
is snpb Rut nc faot ;,,,r,
and should be studied with care; and the old
writings which can now be deciphered, contain
statements and suggestions relative TO the an
cient history of the country, which can not rea-
sonably be disregarded.
THIS ANCIENT HISTORY STRETCHED.
When COrtez entered Mexico, the Aztecs,
Montezuma's people, had been in power about
two centuries. The ancient history of which we
speak relates wholly to the ages previous to
their time, and chiefly to the long period of the
Toltec domination. According to these
writings, the country where the ruins are found
was occupied successfully by three distinct peo-
pies or races,-te Chichimecs, the Colhuas, and
the Nahuas Or Toltecs. The Toltecs, whose
power declined one or two centuries before the
Aztecs appeared, are said to have come into
the country about thousand years previous
to the Christian era. They were preceded by the
Colhuas, by whom the civilization of the country
was originated and developed The most an
cient people, those found in the country by the
Colhuas, are called Chichimecs They are de.
scribed as barbarous people who lived by
hunting and fishing, and had neither towns nor
agriculture. This term, Chichimecs, seems to
have been generic appellatOn for all uncivil-
lied aborigines. Brasseur de Bourbourg says:
under the generic name, Chichimecs, which
has much embarrassed some writers, the Next
can traditions include the whole aboriginal pop
ulation of the new world, and especially the
people by whom it was first colonized, at the
beginning of time" Some of the traditions
state that the Colhuas came from the east in
ships. They are uniformly described as the
people who first established civilization and
built great cities. They taught the Chichimecs
to cultivate the earth, cook their food, and
adopt the usages of civilized life; and the civ
ilized Chichimecs are sometimes called Quna-
mes.
The civilization of the Colhuas seems to have
been much greater than that of the Toltecs or
Nahuas. There is no history of this people,
but much is said of their kingdom of Xibalba,
which was subjugated by the Toltecs in alliance
with the uncivlized Chichimecs of the noun
tains. This kingdom seems TO have included
Chiapas, Tehuantepec, Yucatan, Guatemala,
Honduras, and other portions of Central Ameri-
ca; and it may have included all Southern Mex
leo, for it appears TO have extended to regions
north of the Tampico river. A great city called
Xibalba was the capital of this kingdom, and
some investigators have endeavored to identity
it with the ruined city known to us as Palenque
Brasseur de Bourbourg says: "Palenque APP
pears 10 have been the same city TO which
the books give the name of Xibalba." Those
who believe this American civilization was es-
tablished in very remote times by people of the
Phoenician race, assume that the Colhuas came
to America from some country on the Mediter.
raneau; but their monuments do not sustain
this assumption.
The Colhuas may have come from some other