Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1872-07-17
THF MOUND.BUHpRRS.


Bernard de Sahag1a, the most inn
portant Of the Spanish authorities of
the time Of the conquest, whose work
was suppressed by the Council Of the
Indies as interfering with their poll
ey Of determination, speaks Of uni
vefsally received tradition among the
natives Of New Spain, of a foreign
Atlantic colony arriving before the
Christian era on the shores Of Flori-
da, proceeding across the Gulf Of
Mexico, landing on the Peninsula of
Yueatan and founding great cities
now in ruins, the greatest OF which
was destroyed q athousandyears before
the arrival Of the Spaniards. Confir-
matory Of this landing of foreign
Atlantic colony, is the statement Of
MonteZuma to Cortez that the anceg-
tors of the Mexicans came as did the
Spaniards, from the place Of the rising
sun.
Passing down the Atlantic coast,
and following up the great valley Of
the Amazon to the headquarters OF
its aff1uents neaEthe Pacific, we come
70 the city Of CuZco, and the vast re-
mains Of the sun worshipers Of Peru,
in the high valleys of the Andes
Upon the shores and Islands OF the
sacred lake Of Titieacs we find the
remains Of a civilization analogous to
that Of Copan, but more purely Egyp-
tain and Assyrian, and holding are
lation Of priority to the religion Of the
1ncas, like that of the ruins Of Copan
to the Aztec line Of the Montezumas.
The highest type of the crania Of the
ancient races of Peru suggests strong
ly the head of the mound-builder be-
fore given. The principle diety Of
these ancient sun worshipers of Peru
appears to have been Chon, answering
in name and attributes to the old
Ph9nician Baal-ehon, or Saturn.
Passing northWard, and leaving be-
hind those colossal monuments which
excited the wonder and admiration of
Humboldt, we follow the high valleys
of the CordiIleras through Central
America, and coming out in the val
| ley Of Mexico, with It's temples and
teoeali, we arrive at the great pyra-
mid Of Cholula, the eliminating point
OF the entire mound-building system
OF the two continents, From this point
northward. following the Gulf Of
Mexico and the Mississippi, we arrive
at the pyramid groups Of CahOkia,
opposite what is row st. Louis, the
site of the ancient capital of the
mound-builders of the present United
States. The mounds of the United
States must be looked At as the
northern terminusof aisysteEn which
had 3 southern center and tendency.
Working nOrthward; being pressed
upon by the uOmads Of the northwest.
to cover and protect its agricultural
civilization, Il was forced into the
building Of earth.vorks. serving the
double purpose Of teocaIn and forti1 :
cations. Such g stateOf affairs would
leave the northern ound-builders
little leisure or inclination to build
on the vast scale Of their southern
brethren, even could they have COM
manded the material and the laborers.
The eastern Asiatics Of Central Ameri-
ca appear to have arrived there with
q sufficiently pronounced civilization
of their own to be able to modify the
monuments of 3 more cultured race
by the interfusiou of their own ideas
and symbols, uniting with them to
build those colossal and bizarre speoi-
mems Of architecture Sc peFplexing
when Viewed as the prUduct Of one
people. III gs.i...i
The mound-bniIders of the United
States had no such plastiematerial in
the wild nomadic tribes of the north,
by whom they were always liable to
be overborne and driven southward.
In these circumstances they appear to
have taken possession Of a central
point near the junction Of the Missis-
sippi aud Missouri rivers, which they
held with great strength, throwing
out their lines of Qualifications along
the aff1uents Of these rfFers. At the
head waters Of the Ohio their lines Of
defence met 8 kindred system Of for
tifeations, which held the af1uents of
the Chesapeake and the region south
Of Lake Ontario, from its military
center st 0nOndaga, thus covering
and protecting the important agrieul-
tural civilization Of central and Wes-
tern New York. Within these lines
of defence, between the Mississippi and
the Atlantic, was embraced region
in which traces of q truly vast agFi-
cultural civilization are found, and
which must have reekoned its In
habitants by Millions TdRapgHz
and the Mound Builders - in Jttly
G0t0Iy. 1-s.Ga t1-4
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