The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-06-26
PREHISTORIC AMERICA.
The subject Of American archmolop

Bancroft Of San Francisco, nothing OF value
had appeared In this country since Stephous's
explorations In Yucatan. Moreover, the ma
terials amasscd by Mr., Bancroft, while present.
ing an exhaustive summary Of the Information
accessible In hooks, are not skilfully co6rdi-
mated or carefully graded with respect to weight
and authority, neither are the precise problems
to be solved and the true methods Of eiucida-
ton distinctly enuncIated. All this was done,
however, by the Congress o. so-called American
tstes whose last meeting was held at Nancy, and
whose report. lately published, constitutes d.
pesteS programme Of the work to be accom-
plished.
Continuing ourselves to the continent OF North
America, we find three nations whose vesti9es
may be expected to reward scientific lnvestiga-
ton. These dominant races are the Mound
Builders OF the ohio and Mississippi valleys, the
Nahuas, whose principal monuments are en-
countered on the plateau OF Anahuac, and the
| Mayas whose progressive Developments seems
to have eliminated in Honduras and Yuostan.
These centres Of civilization were apparently in
| dependent Of one another, and what Is actually
known respecting them may be stated In a few
words.
| The basins OF the Mississippi and its eastern
tributaries present three or four successiv tor
races formed by the alluvial deposits Of the
| streams. Now, the tumuli. of which thousands
have been discovered between Lake Erie add
the Gulf of Mexico, are nvriably placed on the
highest Of these levels, ana from this clrcum-
stance some arch@ologists have sought to ap-
| proximate the date OF their construction. II Il
noteworthy that these mounds In certain cases
exhibit correct Reometrical shapes, squares, and
| circles, for example, as regular as II they had
| been traced by Q modern engineer. Elsewhere
| they represent Ia relief the colossal images OF
animals or men, here bird with outstretched
wings. and there an alligator with twisted trunk,
! bent tail, and open mouth, In the act OF swa-
lowing a smaller ogz-shaped mound. Some Of
these tumun are OF considerable size, one In
Illinois measuring at the base $50 feet by 40, and
reaching a height Of ninety feet above tbs soil.
4 hey sven to have served in many Instances as
f. ,rtresses, In others as places OF sacrifice. BE-
81 des bones, various objects have been disin-
tie tred, indicating a certain stage Of progress In
tnt arts. Among these may be men tioned cut
1in 4, earthenware OF graceful shapes, and pipes
elai ,oratey carved. Silver aud copper were like
wise employed by the Mound Builders, both
meta Is being probably derived from the mines
OF l. Ike Superior.
The 70 existed then In the Mississippi basin a
numet vus people dwelling under the same laws
and tn, same religion, since remains identical
IN char. cter are found dispersed throughout an
extensiv e territory. They were apparently an
agricultu tai race, since nomads erect no perma-
nent stru, lures, and moreover the region which
they elect ga to inhablt Is tbs most fertile OF
North An sericl. For their epoch they were
mani'estly civilized, yet their work, like GER
tain Egypt Va monuments, evinces more perse-
verance thai1 artistic skill. That they were re-
ligious, is de- ponstrated by many edlices which
can only hN o subseryed purposes Of worship,
and their cru, Ity may be Inferred from the fact
that the neigh 1orhood OF their affairs abounds
IN, of htt Tat
TALLY sums our knowledge Of the Mound Build
ere. But when did the nation disappear. and
was IL the ancestor OF the Mayas aud NahuAs
who colonized Me Woo and Central America
That is one OF the problems which still awaits
solution. Doubtless the pyramidal form OF GER
tain earthworks Is but vague index OF rela-
ti,nship. since the same architectural type Is
encountered IN the Me valley at the dawn of
another civilization. Ana again, IL all the priml-
tive races Of North America were OF one stock,
how does II happen that tive intermediate terri
tory Of Arkansas, LouisianiI and Texas reveals
no traces OF migration7
The origin and history OF the flourish ng
nation which confronted Cortcs on the pl iteau
Of Mexico have hitherto rem iinei impenetrable
TO amateur ana ntful research. IL 10 yet ques-
tionaole whether the cradle OF tho race may be
| detected In the odsIs grInies, or the abodes Of
the Pueblo Indians OF New Mexico and Arizona.
II seems. however, that about the attn century
OF our era Anahuac, or the "land OF waters, was
occupied by the rolfecs, branch of sle Nahut
stock, to whom Aztec tradition ascrioed tire
| finest Mexican monuments. The rOtecs were
| prosperous, rich, and In many respects enlight-
ened. At ali events, the civilization which they
beg Ieathcd to succeeding races was little iufe-
| rlor to that of the Spanish conquerors. Gridu-
| ally exhausted BY repeated fanines aud de-
structve civil wars, they proved unable to resist
| incursions from the north, aud accordingly In
the eleventh century the Cnichimecs, aud four
| centuries later the AZtecs acquired prepon-
derance in Anahuac. 1t Is to he noted that
| Monetzuma saared the supreme power with the
sovereigns OF Tezcuco, Tlacopsn, and Tlasc ia,
and that main lever Of spanish conquest was
the address with which the Cortes contrived to
combine the petty potentates against the Aztec
monarch. We may add, although tho si1nll-
canoe OF such legends has been distorted that
Il popular fable foreshadowcd the subjuyation
Of the country by white race coming by sea
from the quarter of the rising sun.
| Between the Nahuas and the Mayas, who are
| supposed to have reared the cities Of Honduras
aud Yucatan, there are differences 40 decisive
that II appears Impossible to assign them "a com
mon origin. In the edlces OF Copan Uxmal,
and Palenqle the rules OF art and OF solidity are
carefully preserved, and this doubtless exp0.ns
deed, seems to have been unknown. but IL WAS
Appropriated, as In tho so-called cyclopear
works Of Europe, by horizontal stones jItting
one above another. The general aspect OF Mays
architecture Is not wanting In grace, and In the
sculpture 81 this people the human figure 1:
represented in Just proportions. Yucatan has
been termed the Egypt OF the New World, anc
there Is no reason 10 doubt that tle same degree
Of ingenuity and OF severe conse ,utive study
which since the beginning OF the century ha
been directed to the Nile valley milht unrtve
most of the mysteries whicn still ensnroud
American Archaeology.
The congress Of Americanlstes at Nancy
seems to have been controlled by strictly sci
cntlnc spirit. the well known theories o
Phpnlcian, OF NDrwo HAn. and OF Chinese col
oniz ttion, were touched upon, but II was Tecoy
nlzed that all discussions respecting the eenesi,
OF our native civilizations must be postponeI
until more thorough collation. and analyst
have been brought 20 bear upon the eXtHnt mon
uments aud records. Comprehensive aud criii
+, cal exploration. such as BIyard Applied TO Nine
a web, IA seen to be indlspens ,ble, and TINS mus