The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1882-07-28
CENTRAL AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES

| LOrlllaTQ, OF Now OIh- a mtulDcr
of the family of wealthy tobacco
nists. cited out an expedition for the
exploration of Central America,
with a view to learning more OF the
archaeology Of a region SO full of
interest to the American antiquarian
and those who find pleasure in
studying the races of the earth.
Mr.. Charnay, the French traveller
and archaologist, was placed at the
head of the expedition, which has
just completed its explorations,
though a full account of the
journey and what was found has
not yet appeared in print.
Perhaps the most important of the
discoveries was the ancient city in
the interior, known ny the L. dams
as the city of the dead or phantom
city, because no tradition among
the tribes related when or by whom
it was inhabited. The existence of
the city had long been known, and
Stephens, the famous traveller, made
long and fruitless search for it;
\ but it was left for Mr.. LOrillard's
generosity and Mr.. Charnay's en-
terprise, to find the famed town.
Charnay started from Frontera, a
Mexican village on the shore of the
Caribbean Sea, and with extreme
difficulty made his way to the inte-
rior along the Usumacinta, a stream
which flows into the Tobasco river.
His progress was necessarily slow,
owing 10 the lack of means for
transportation. He says, zone
might almost traverse Africa in
less time than it takes to travel 15O
leagues in this miserable country
However, the wearisome Journey was
, relieved somewhat by the frequent
di scovery of curiosities and things
of archaeological value. At vii
lage on the stream along which he
= Travelled he found one of those
! rare instruments, an Indian piano
called the marimbu, which, by the
way is the same name given to ii
: in Central Africa. The instrument
is constructed of bass of sonorous
. wood, has four Octaves, and above
each bar is hallow wooden cone
, which I increases its sonorousness
Two persons are required to play
it, striking the notes with sticks
tipped with gutta-percha. The
p performers are remarkably pre-
! else ia passing from note to note
. and the native airs which they
q play are strikingly original and
. pleasing. During the journey
Z down forests of cedar and mahog
! any were passed through, the trees
| towering to immense heights
. Aft reaching the ruined city M
y Charnay was by no means
r satisfied it was the phantom
. city told about by The
D Indians. Still, it. is certainly ont
. Of the most important of the famed
' Central American cities, and little
\ inferior to Palenque whose ruin:
4 are not far distant in the Mexican
o state of Chiapas. Charnay christ
v eaced it Lorlllard City. and pro
4 ceeded to make thorough examina
! tions. 1t consists of multitude O
h buildings, some being palaces, other
J. temples and many evidently de
r signed for dwellings. They are NO
N the cliff houses of Mexico, nor tn
a communal dwellings Of the Puet
- los, and Moquis, but are erected o
~ natural elevations and entered b
: means Of steps and boulders. Char
nay declares them the work of tn
- Toltecs, of whose presence in Me1
leo twelve or fourteen hnndre
~ years ago there is little better recor
;. thanlegend, The Toltecs left man
Il noble ruins in Mexico clearly show
20 ing high degree of art. skill an
or civilization. The similarity in th
IN hierOglyphicS and facial types j
- Lorillard City to those of othe
lf ruins, causes Charnay to say tn
phantom city was bailt b
a the Toltecs. The hierogIyphics WEI
o. remarkably well-formed, and som
N of the bass-reliefs are very fine
- Many casts of the latter were takel
no and these are to be put on exhib
70 ton in Washington and Paris. whey
on the explorer says they will excit
81 great establishment.
so The buildings are nearly all r
to markable for their irregularity
I'll construction. The palaces hay
at massive walls rising above tt
ty roofs, in which are oblong opening