Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-04-18
MEXICAN UUnIOs.AIHS.
Antiquities from PaIanque and Ec-
uadOF.
From the Ne q York Times.

EIOm luS NGH 1OIk
MIR. Jose Ortiz do Tapia, a span
.sh gentleman who has for m an,
gears been engaged in collecting an
LIquIties in Mexico, Ecuador, Peru,
central America and other Spanish
American countries, arrived in this
city few days ago from Mexico,
bringing with him large and val
liable collection of antiquities OBJ
tanned principally from the ruins OF
the ancient City of Palenque, in the
state of Chiapas, Southern Mexico
1T will be rare treat to the archie
olOgists and lover of curiosities, as
there are some of the objects which
are supposed to be 10000 years old.
There are idols of stone and earth
enware, stone masks, ornaments OF
gold, stone sceptre, mirrors of pol
IShed agate, cornelian, obsidian, and
other materials, spear and arrow
heads of quartz and obsidian, hatch
cts and knives of stone, stones OF
grinding colors, water jars and vases
of earthenware, tobacco pipes,
stamps for stamping figures on cloth.
musical instruments, of wood and
clay, spindles, and a host of other
things of most interesting charac-
ter.
The most important object of the
collection is stone Idol, which is
supposed to have been made by
the primitive race that inhabited
that portion of Mexico. From the
traditions handed down by the In
dians, and from the Popolvuh, or sa-
cred book of the Quiche Nation,
this IDOLS supposed to represent the
God Cucumaz, or the God of the
Air, also called by the Indians
Qnetzalcoatic. This idol is about
two feet high and eighteen inches
in diameter. 1t is cut from a block
Of chocolate colpred porphyry, and
represents afeathered serpent in a
solid coil. From its mouth, which
is widely distended, the head of
woman energies, her arms and legs
appearing from between the coils.
This is supposed to represent the Or
igin of woman. 1t is in a perfect
state of preservation, and is highly
polished. The type of the face Of
the woman bears 10 resemblance to
that of the race that inhabits that
portion of Mexico to-day, and is
very much like the carved faces
seen among the Egyptian ruins. The
idol is thought by Mexican antigua
ries to be at least thousand years
old. The stone masks, of which
there are some fifteen or twenty, are
made from different kinds of stone,
and are of varied types. There is
one that deserves especial mention;
it is of jade or nephith a mineral
not found in Mexico; whether it was
originally taken to thGt country
from Asia, or how it come to be
there, is a question still to be set
tied. 1t is of a light apple green,
and semi-transparent. Some of the
masks are highly polished, while
others are quite rough. Two of them
both of white marble, were evidently
made to represent death. On one of
these, eyes made of blush stone had
been fastened. The gold ornaments
in the possession of Mr.. Ortiz are
the only ones that have been found
up to the present time. They con-
sist of two rings, one of open work
of a very delicate description, which
has projection upon one side in
shape of the head-dress or crown
worn by the ancient kings or en-
perors. 1t measures about one inch
and quarter in the widest part.
The other is of plain beaten gold,
and is about an inch and half
wide. They are both of very small
diameter, and could only have been
worn by person having a very
small hand. Besids the rings there
are ornaments of beaten gold, evil
IDENTIFY intended to be worn on the
head, a number of gold beads, and
a small plate of gold in the shape OF
sandal, which is supposed to have
peen worn by the kings son between
ms root and the sandal, which up to
this day is used by the lower GLASSES
in all parts of Mexico. The articles
OF copper are very few. Among them
are hatchet, of the exact shape of
those found among the ruins of the
cities of ancient Greece; four bells
made on the same principle as our
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