Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1879-12-06
Aztec Remains In New Mexico.

y
the other evening, Gen. Simpson read
an interesting paper on the Aztec re-
mains, followed by an account of the
march of Coronado in search of the
seven cities of Cibola. He entered upon
his subject by adverting to the existence
of people who inhabited the country
before its invasion by the Spaniards, and
whose structures show the existence of a
civilization that challenges the admira-
ton of those now living. With regard
to the mounds found east of the Rocky
Mountains, they were not of a character
TO show that they were any thing but
the work of barbarous people, but
such an inference would not apply to
the temples and ruins of Mexico and
South America.
The General then gave an account OF
an expedition in New Mexico, made by
John NJ. Washington, the Governor of
New Mexico, in the fall of 1S49, which
he accompanied in the capacity of en-
gineer. They went through the country
occupied by the Navajoes, some 200
miles southwest of Santa Fe. The pur-
pose of the expedition was to make a
treaty with disaffected band of In
dams. In the course of the march they
crossed the Sierra Madre, they came to
the Rio Choppo, a small tributary of the
San Juan, which is tributary of the
Colorado of the West. Gen. Simpson,
then, with the consent of the command
ing officer, and accompanied by Richard
Mckern, who had been with Fremont
and several others, visited a large num-
Der of ruins. The first ruin visited was
the Pueblo Montezuma, which was known
by other designations. This pueblo
was four stories in height, built of a
compact gray sandstone, to which the
atmosphere impaired red tinge, the
whole presenting at distance mag
nificent piece of Mosaic work. The
thickness of the wall of the basement
was three feet, the second was less, and
each successive story the wall dimin-
ished from the joys in the terrace form
of the structure. The series of floor
beams and windows indicated at least
four stories. The ground floor was
about 400 feet in extent. There were "a
apartments from ) to u feet square, and
the rooms were connected by small
openings. There was no appearance of
a saw having been used in the construc-
ton of the building. There were found
in connection three circular astefoes, so
called by the Pueblos.
Fragments of pottery were strewn
about which still exhibited beautiful
colors. 1t was said this pueblo was
built by Montezuma and his people.
About u miles further they found an
other similar structure, and continuing
on they found about a dozen more, one
which were described by the General.
In one the plaster was found in good
state of preservation. The sixth pueblo
described was 800 feet in circuit, was
four stories high and 1S9 rooms an the
ground floor. The entire building had
not less than 600 rooms. One room was
found in good state of preservation,
with the ceiling beautifully colored. The
largest pueblo had circuit of l,700feet.
All these old palaces We're found within
a limit of IS miles. All of them were
rectangular in form. A remarkable
fact connected with the existence of the
curious dwellings is that they are now
situated in perfect desert; and reas-
enable conjecture is that the country
may at one time have been fertile, but
having undergone 4 great change, the
inhabitants had TO abandon it. The
General next gave u description of in
scriptions found on the rocks, one of
which was dated 1920, and were clearly
due to the Spaniards. Regarding the
origin of these ruins the present race of
Indians know nothing. Humboldt To-
4.
in this region, and Lewis II. Morgan
gives it as his opinion that they are the
remains Of the seven lost cities of Cor
onado, but he can not agree with this
writer. The remainder of this paper
was devoted to the expedition of Cor
onado, in search of the seven cities of