The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1876-07-06
NO. a


FrYminent. It's architectural outlines are
admirable In synmetry and of impos-
| my grandeur, hardly surpassed by the ruins
of Thebes or Persep,lis ~
! Capt. Richard Stewart, of Texas, who re-
Gently travvrsed the State OF Guadalaiara.
says that on the eastern front of the QUAD
riiateral pyramid there is q broad doorway,
twenty seven feet wide and thirty-nlne in
height, crowned with perfect arch. Oa each
de of this doorway stands a munslrous
sphynY, half man, half beast, seven feet
high and ten IN length, deftly carved out Of
| granitic sandstone. Their pedestals are
blocks of marble, four feet his gh and twelve
wide, elaboTately adnrued with udeciphered
hieroglyphics. These sphiuxes guard the
entrance 10 labyrinths below, rs did dragons
the gateway to the garden Of the Hespendes.
In front of each spLynx are two marble
pillars, forty feet high aud five in diameter.
| The outlines of nude figure seven feet
high are carved on each pillar. The fea-
lures, clearly defined, are pleasing, and
their expression tull OF benignity. The
dress aud decorations of these figures are
no, elaborate ami fauciful The male, rs
presented, holds sceptre in his right
hand pointing Iward; the woman a wand
pointing tO the entrance to the temple. The
| pillars ar adj rued from base To capital with
hierug yphics. The main room OF this tenn
| pie Is thirty-five feet wiue and ninety In
length. The interior walls are covered
with sculp,ured figures and hierng giyphics
in strong relief, ami traces of the cnlurings
With which these carved stones were EN-
| bellished are still visible. The ceiling, of
even height with the donr, is supported by
marble pillars, six on either side OF the aisle,
adorned with strange designs carved in
In
marble tablet is fixed in the wall, ON which
is engraved the figure of half-recumbent
woman OF exquisite symmetry Of outline.
Ab've is II representation of the sun. On
each side of thus tablet are fuuf C lumnar
soIi's of hierOglyphics extending from floor
to ceiling, which some Champullion should
at once decIpher. The tablet il fourteen
feet wide and twenty-five in height, its
stranse letteiings, -, rhdps, teaching hum
hic devotees who worshIpped there the sa-
cred mysteries "f the fUrsu utten faith OF
forg, tten race. A block oI marble, concave
on top, eight feet squsIe, three high, and
CO nvcred with hIerog!yphics stands i'm
meiiately in front of the tablet Il is
doubtless the altar on which sacrItieial offer
inss were immolated. There are four doors
leauing from this larger into smaller apart
m MS, used, it seems, Repositories for
dead bodies. inches hollowed out of the
W lis within contain nothing but dust. The
ry bones Of the dead have been resolved
Il en- cal pr C, sses Of time into impapa-
bic powder, but strange inscriptions, per
feet as when written, ehsquent and poetical
and sad enough when inscribed, are voice.
less s the ashes within, and tell no story nf
priests or ,ople or kings. Capt. Stewart
counted 100 of these tombs, each eleven feet
'ng aud three feet wide Hc inferred, as
every peculiarly of the grand structure in
dIcated, that the occupants OF these cata-
combs were of a'glgantic proportions. A
traditional belief obtains among the present
lnhabIiants OF the country that the pyramid
builders were white and gigantic. 'Gigan-
tee" the Mexican guide SAID, dwelt here
Tn' y tniled industriously, built many cities
and temples, wore wooden and silk fabrics
Qound in their tombs), and ere addicted
to agr'cu tur', rs attested 10y iallen walls
that lnclosed broad acres" Canals which
they dug may still be traced, traversing the
valleys and plains in all directIons and
these a Multipec may not be the grandest
ruins of temples reared in Mex CO by the
prehistoric race.
cur traveller tells that the doorways on
either side Of the sar CT uary led to a fight
of steps desc nding into subterranean cham
bers, which, brcaure of their depth, dark
ness and nols0me exhalatipns, Were unex-
pl"red. Tradition tells, and popular faith
accepts the assertion, that untold treasures
are hidden in vaults beneath this vast stIui
ture, ami superstition, stands sentinel tu
guard the spot uninvaded by human fOpt-
Stcp~ through many centuries. In cryprs
IN his gloomy abnie Of butts and Creeping
things were many clay and bronz! nrns and
images, VIII ch the alcalde ot the village of
Multipec, hart by, would not suffer the
American traveller TO remove. The Ne XII
cah Puihe, OF pinched features and solemn
aspect, sid, when he interphsed 10 prevent
the des'crHtIon of the spot: ''Estan decli-
cddos a DMs"-venerated and preserved ms
mrm"rial%-of the virtues Hut greatnes. Of
departed r,ce. Standing on the stone steps
the traveller peered into the darkness be-
low, and when he addressed his quite the
sounds re-echoed along deep, black, caver-
nous passages, and ever gathered force and
volume until they died AWAY iu the distance
like revcrbrrations oi thunder in mountain
fastncs, es. The guide sa q, while visible
shudder passed over him: ''4Pdma0s, I,or
UiOa de Santa Mdrid rdmOsi'
There are no hallowed memories or sad
dening associations connected with these
venerable ruins. History is garrulous at
the gateways Of Rume and Athens, and
dreamlly Numbering heside 'the w.rld'>
great mistress in, the Egyptian plain" but
the silence that reigned here was deep and
fathoml-ss as depths beneath the temples
and tOnlbs.
Humboldt traversed this region, but
IN ,kes No allusiun To these runs. tIIe
learned, of course, that there were ,ilder
dwellrrs in Mexico than red men or Toliecs
or AIT cs; hut ascribrd the d,scovery Df the
country To Nori hmen as others to Cartha-
gen arS, while there are those giving Gre
dence To the story told by Egyptian priests
to Scion and recited 10y P,at0 that in an un-
knowL ige the Atlantic WAS brIdgrd lsy
land from Africa even to FloTids, taAt this
now sunken Continent was densely popu-
lated, and that there people, who were de-
srroyed when this c,nIineni went down and
when Pixies Peak was upheascd, were of
the race who reared mounds everywhere In
he vallly of the Mississippi aud built iem-
piles and uplifted pyramids IN Mexico and
muun' in the valley OF the Eup"Tates aud
pyrimids in Egypt and in Mexico. The
Natchez Indians, who wOrshipped the sun
aud never suffesed the 3 cred fire to be ex
tIngushed the great mound three miles
FROM the CITY of NaIchs z, told the same
story 20 la Sale more than 200 years ago |
that Egyptian prie is e000.yeArs earlier gave |
10 Sol"n. the NJ % u Indisns have the
same identical TRADITION, and these, like the !
NatcheZ peculiar IN color and race features,
tell of the former b ,undlessness of empire |
of those who built pyramids and mpuads
and tmpIes. and u ted up coeyaI temples |
and tumbs in America and 10 Africa. The
opinion Obtains that the peopsing Of this |
continent antedatss the gr-A' cs'sclysm by |
which one continent suJmeTge' Of
which Cuba aud the Azsres were part, and |
another uphesyed, Of which Pixies Peak |
and the Western plains, beztre~n with sea |
shells, are distinguishing feztures-
Capt Stewart states that the ferrseed hill, |
on which are these ruins Of Multipee. Is 2S5 |
ieet high, sscended by SEQ stone stePa-
Those IN front Of the temples portal are /
deeply worn by the footsteps Of ascending /
mnltitndes The alcalde Of Mulfinec aaid L