The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1875-09-29

pied this country long before it was liscoy-
cred by Columbus. Let rs go back to the
early history Of our country, or, rather, re.
fer to the prehistoric glinpses Of the past
Some time about the sixth or seventh cen.
tury, A. d., a race OF people appeared on
the Western Continent called the Toltecs.
Whether they we're autochlhones (spripging
from the soiD or whether they migrated to
this country from another, Is not settled, and
Is O matter of much srjecture; but the
latter supposiion seems the most probable,
for their sudden appearance can be accounted
for in no other way. They may have come
over from Asia aud penetrated south ward to
Central America, for their manuers, customs,
and modes Of living. so far as we can ascer.
taiu, resembled closely those of the Ofientals.
They were an industrious, harmless, peace
fuI people. employing 10 certain extent the
fine arts; ind 10 some parts of Central
America mighty edifices OF stone, carved
and polished, and built in fantastic shapes,
representing huge serpents and imaginary
beasts, still remain to bear evidence of the
advancement of the times and the proficiency
Of the architects.
ABOUT TIE TWELFTH CENTURY
q race of people known as the Aztecs--
fierce, barbarous, and upcuured cine
down from the northward and conquered
and subjugated the Totfc race. For time
they ruled and mIde slaves Of the vanquished
people; but the Aces seem to bave been
tribe that sprung up suddenly and as quickly
disappeared, for we lose all trace Of them
after they orce suck into oblivion. Not so,
however, the Toltecs. Until lately there
seemed to be 4 wide gap in time between
those ancient races and the Indian race Of
to-day, The connecting link seems to be
the modern Mcquis, who most undoubtedly
descended from the builders Of the ancient
ruins we are now investigating, and they In
their turn were in all probability remnants
of the sutjusated Tolttc race. escaped from
bondage. The builders ef these ruins seem
TO have come from the south and
built northward, and were then driven
back, step by step; for generally the lower
most ruins are the most perfectly preserved
and evidently the most recent, becoming
more complicated as their creators retired
soulhward. For a time this scattered people
seem 10 have regained their freedom, pros
pered and multip led. spreading their towns
and secreted communities throughout most
all Of the canyons Of the tributaries OF the
San Juan, and thence west as far as the Colo
RADIO river. But presently another foe, as re-
lentless and prosecuting as the Alters, ap-
peared on the scene. These were the ancient
Ute Indians, who were strong, bloody
tribe, inhabitiug a section of country north
of the San Juan. We have this fact from the
traditions both of the present Utes aud
the M'qIis; and al hough mere Indian
traditions are not data on which to
base facts, still they help to establish
truths when taken In connection with
other facts which are indisputable. All the
Utes at The present day will tell the traveller
through this country that these ruins are
"Moquitch" r, mains. We made il u point
to ask thequestlon whenever we bad the OPP
portunity, and Invariably received the same
reply. Showing a party of Utes one day 4
collection Of pottery " hich We had gathered,
we Inquired CT them whether it was Ute
pottery, and were answered Moquitch,"
with Il point Of the finger southwark. As
we were digging in one o! the old graves at
another time Ute passed by, who Informed
us that it was q Moquitch clcbe" We
have been repeatedly told that the walls OF
houses in the vicinity we're those OF " MO-
quitch" houses, and it is certain that this idea
pre- walls among the Navajo Indians as well as
the Utes-that the Moqui tribe once ln-
nabited all this country many, many years
ago, beyond the recollections of their
grandfathcrS. The Ute traditions, Wb'ch
have been handed down from one genera
ton TO the next for centuries, give accounts
Of war with this race long ago, in which
tie Moquis were driven from the country.
We kno that between three and four ceu-
turtles ago The seven Moqui towns occupied
their present positions on the mesaS OF hrl'
IONA, and we therefore conclude that THESE
ruins possess still greater antiquity. 1t Is
quite certain that the present Moqul towns
we're not built until after the tribe bad been
driven south aud took their last stand there,
where they have since remained undisturbed
for many hundreds of years. III regard 10
the antiquity of the ruins, great diversity
of opinions exists. Some writer's give them
an antiquity
OF NEARLY A THOUSAND YEARS,
while others set them down as being not fur
from 800. 1t is most probable, however, that
they have been standing, as near as 1t Is pos
sibIe to ca, lecture from the external EVIL
Geuces which they present, for time 10 tne
neighborhood of 800 or 600 years. Many OF
the crumhled mounds of stone and clay
could not possibly have become decomposea
TO such an extent as we find them In less
time BIZ the ordinary action of the elements,
and especially in such dry, equabIc atmo-
sphere AS cAarlcleriZa IS the whole ruin coun'
try. Whatever the senealogy or origin OF
these people, there can be no. the shade OF Il
doubt that they were the ancestors OF those
present incff.nsire industrial tribes living in
New Mexico and Ariz,na known as the
Pueblo, Moqni, and Znn'.