Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1883-07-18
Ancient Ruins in Sonora,

The Tuscon Citizen has the following
account of an archaeological discovery rep
resented to have been recently made ::
Ancient ruins have recently been dis.
covered III Sonora, which, ii reports are
true, surpass anything of the kind yet
found on this continent. The ruins are
said to be about four leagues southeast
Of Magdalena. There is one pyramid
which has a base of 1850 feet, and
rises to the height of $50 feet; there is
winding roadway from the bottom
leading up on an easy grade to the top,
wide enough for carriages to pass over,
which is said to be twenty-three miles in
length the outer walls Of the roadway
are laid in solid masonry from huge
blocks of granite in rubble, and the cir
Giles are as uniform and the grade as reg
ular as they could be made at this date by
our best engineers. The wall, however, Is
: only occasionally exposed, being cover
ed over with the debris and earth, and
in many places the sahuaro and other
indigenous plants and trees have grown
up, giving the pyramid the appearance
of mountain. To the east OF the pyr-
amid a short distance is a small noun
tain. about the same size, which rises to
about the same height, and if reports
are true, will prove more interesting to
the archaologist than the pyramid.
There seems to be a heavy layer of a
species of gypsum, about half way up
the mountain, which is as white as snow,
and may be cut into any conceivable
shape, yet sufficiently hard to retain its
shape after being cut In this layer of
stone people of au unknown age have
cut hundreds upon hundreds of rooms,
from 5x10 to 16 or Is feet square. These
rooms are cut out of the solid stone,
and so even and true are the walls, floor,
and ceiling, SO plumb and level as to de-
fly variation. There are no windows in
the rooms and bat one entrance, which
is always from the top. The rooms are
about eight feet high from floor to cell
ing; the stone is so white that it seems
almost transparent. and the rooms are
not at all dark. On the walls of these
rooms are numerous hieroglyphics and
representations OF human forms, with
hands and feet Of human beings, being
cut in the stone IN different places, But
strange to say, the hands all have five
fingers and one thumb, and the feet
have six toes. Charcoal is found on the
floors of many of the rooms, which
would indicate that they built fires IN
their houses. Stone implements of
every description are to be found In
great numbers in and about the rooms.
The houses or rooms are one above the
other, three or four stories high; but
between each story there is a Jog or
recess the full width of the room below,
SO that they present the appearance OF
large steps leading up the mountain.
Who these people were, and what age
they lived i'll, must be answered, if an
swered at all, 10y the "wise men of the
east" Some say they were the ances-
tors of the Mayos, race of Indians
who still inhabit southern Sonora, who
have blue eyes, fair skin, and light hair,
and are said to be a moral, industrious,
and frugal race of people, who have a
written language and know something
OF mathematics.
A correspondent Of The Cincinnati
News-J ournal writes: Not far from this
place is situated the ruins La Hemos,
which I visited in the hope of finding
some new world Pompeii, but was dis
appointed to find only few pieces of
the adobe wall, on which undeciphered
hieroglyphics await the arrival of the
scientist to tell their story. These ruins
would seem from traditionary lore to in
dictate the site of five cities, said to have
existed in this vicinity. Numerous cop
per and ea1then vessels have from time
to time been dug from the ruins. but
whether of Spanish or Aztec workman
ship, who can say? The Oldest inhab-
itants, when questioned, can give no
information that throws any light on the
mystery of the lost La Hemos.