The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1872-12-13
sEVEE RUINED CITIES.
REMAINS oE \ MIGHTY NATION AND REL
les OF .,N EXTINCT CIVILIZATION.

ICS OF .\N EXTINCT CIVILIZATIONS.
A late letter from Arizona says: The
country bordering on the Green and Cole
RADIO rivers for several hundred miles IS IN
many places strewn with broken pottery "I
beautiful workmanship, while the canon
walls are decorated with hier"S Fpfic' ana
picture writing. the meaning ct "hIch IS
unknown to the Indians now lnlabitin@
that region Upon the most inaccessible
cliffs. and down in the gl0omi6St chaSmS,
are found remains of houses that had once
been three and four stories high.
All these signs of a once powerful and
partially civilized people are plainly trace
able to the seven Aztec cities of Arizona.
That the inhabitants Of this region ale de
Scendents Of the ancient MexicanS there
can be no doubt. Their ancestors line OF
march TO the norh ard west IS still marked
by the remains of cities abandoned many
generations ago. From Indian tradition
and the meagrc history available, the pop
ular theory is, that during the Spanish cOu-
quest great bodies of the AztCcs were driv-
en- from Mexico into the vast deserts lying
TO the north and west, and then across the
Colorado. Here 4 mighty nation dwelt fOT
many years, building cities and cultivating
tie soil. As they were industrious and
peace-lovipg, they were soon attacked by
the warlike nOmadic tribes of the north,
and were compelled, the better to secure,
themselves against attack, to build their
houses on the top of mountains within the
canon walls, and in chasIns that would seem
almost inaccessible. Many stories are told
how the poor AZtecs were surrounded by
an overpoweriug enemy and starved to
death in their strongholds After many
years of war it is said treaty was entered
INTO between them and the Utes, whereby
the latter We're to retain the northern side
OF the river. and the AztecS were to recroSs
and forever remain in the southern coun-
try. The name by which the cities are now
most widely known, the Moquis Pablns, or
1gInated, as near rs | can find out. thus ::
''iheTe are seven towns, containing about
twelve hundred inhabitants. In approach
ing them from the Colorado river, we first
come to Oryba twelve miles further east
we ind Shee-mo-pO-wee, Shcc-pa-la-wee
and Mee-shOm- O-neah. Three miles furth-
er east, across n beautiful valley, are stu
ated on high cif MoGui. Mogueenah and
Iawah. Aloqui, the oldest and best furti-
fed of ali the towns, was MANY years ago
visited by smallpox, which carried off
nearly All the Inhabitants. After that they
called the dead town Pueblo MUerty. which
has been corrupted into MOqui Pablo. BY
strangers the common name of MoGuis
PabIos is given to all the towns but here
among them each town has its name, chief
and government. These towns are fortif-
CATIONS within themselves. The houses are
built of rock and mud. To enter them you
ascend ladder, which is on the outside
wall, TO the top of the first story the 9th
er floors are reached by stone steps on the
gable end of each house. The towns are
built in the form Of hollow square, with
a large court in the middle. In this court
are several houses under ground, which
are entered By trap-doors from the top,
and the bottom reached by ladders. They
very much resemble an oid-fashioncd ice
house. These kevas, as they are called,
are used as place Of worship, and to work
in.