The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1874-06-11
STAUNTON, VIRGINIA. THURSDAY JUNE H. 1874
Ancient Ruins In Arizona,

| A letter to the st. Louis Republican gives the
| following interesting account of some ruins re-
| Gently discovered in Arizona: A careful exam
nation OF some extensive ruins, found some
miles east of Florence, on the ella river, has
been made. Lieutenant Ward was the first ex-
plOrer who came upon the desOlate remains of
| a once imposing architectural pile. It has been
deserted perhaps for more than thousand
years, and has been crumbling away in the
wilderness The Apache even never pitched
his tent upon the spot so thickly strewn with
fragments of the work of persisted race. The
principal ruin is parallelogram fortification,
900 feet in width by 1900 feet in length. The
walls, which were built Of stone, have long been
overthrown, and are overgrown by trees and
vines. In many places mere ridge indicates
the line of the wall, the stones having disap-
peared beneath the surface. Within the in
closed area are the remains of a greater struc-
tlre, 200 by 260 feet, constructed OF roughly
hewn stones. In some places the wall remains
almost perfect to height of some twelve feet
above the surface. On the east side of the
granda casa there are two openings of an oval
shape, which doubtless served the purpose of
windows, On the inner sides Of the wall Of
the palace, for such it doubtless was, there are
yet perfectly distinct tracings of the image of
the sun. There are two towers, at the south
east and southwest corners Of the great inclos-
tlles, still standing, one OF which is twenty-six
and the other thirty-One feet high. These have
evidently been much higher, as the broken tops
and amount Of debris near their base indicate.
A few copper implements, some small golden
ornaments, one being an image of the sun with
a perforation In the middle-and some stone
utensils, and two rudely carved stone vases,
much like those fonud at Zupetaro and Copan,
In Central America, are all the works of art yet
discovered. No excavations have been made
as yet to determine fully the extent and char
acter of these ruins. The ruins are situated in
a small plain, elevated nearly two hundred feet
above the bed Of the ella. Just west OF the
walls of the fertilization there is beautiful
stream of water having it's source by the noun
tains, which crosses the plain, and by series
OF cataracts fall into the ella about two miles
below. The fragments of pottery and polished
stone reveal condition Of civilization among
the builders of these ruins analogous to that of
the ancient Peruvian, Central American, and
Mexican nations The country in the vicinity
OF this buried palace Is partially wild, and UNI
usually desolate. No clue to the builders of
this great fortified palace with it's towers and
moat, has been, OF is likely ever to be discover
ed. One thing, however, is apparent, that this
whole country was once peopled by race hav
ing higher grade of civilization than is found
among any of the native tribes of the later ages.
But whether this race were the ancestors OF the
Pimos, or some extant people, is not and cam
not certainly be known. The ruins on the ella
are another uncovered Palenque, another Copan,
an Atlanexposed at last to bewilder and con-
found. It is understood that these extensive
ruins will be thoroughly explored within the !
present year.