Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-01-29
A nrRInD - Isl nIENlCo.
Tie Toltsc Empire Destroyed on Ae
count Of = Woman.

From Pie Ph1ddelDhat Rsc9rd
CITY OF MEXICO, Jan. 9.-Within
seven days journey from New York, chi
cago or san Francisco is san Juan leo
tihuacan, one Of the most interesting
places in the world to antquarlans, his
torians and curiosity hunters. 1t IS the
site of a buried city, % miles square,
whose foundations were laid so long in the
past that neither records nor traditions re-
main OF the builders. We know only that
1t was OF pve-toltec origin, and that the
T0ltecs disappeared from the Valley OF
Mexico before the coming of the Aztecs.
According TO Prescott, who closely iol-
lows the native historian, Clalrsero, the
Toltecs arrived hereabouts IN the year
Gas and after four centuries vanished as
mysteriously as they came. They liked
their capital at lula, point as far n0rlh
from the City of Mexico AS Teotihuacan is
south of it, and in some subsequent MI
grafton they found here a city and took
possession OF il, but whether by conquest,
or if II had been deserted by lAe oHSlhat
inhabitants, there is no means OF know
ing. ShadOwy accounts, saVorlng more
Of legend than history, tell us Of the dis
TuptiOn OF the AZteCs, and their hnal dis
persion from Tula This was long after
their great hero. Observation-Disclosures del
ned as the 'Plumed Serpent" or God OF
the Air''-had developed among them a
civilization remarkable for That period,
and had deserted them at the bidding Of
the Jealous god, TeZcatipOca, first to
reign at Choiula, and then in an unknown
kingdom east Of the Gulf Of Tucatan.
The Indian historian, lXthlX0shitl,
a1firms that the TOltecs were ruined all on
account of a woman. He says that seeds
of disturbance were sOwn in the hitherto
peaceful Kingdom Of Tollan through the
Illicit love of the then reiguing monarch,
Tecpancaltzin, for the beautiful daugh-
ter of one OF his mobiles. Possessing him
self OF the maiden by fraud and force, the
punishment came speedily-th0ugh neitn-
er gods nor men in that day We're noJed
for virtua--Gnd during the reign of Tee
pancalIZin's natural son the nation was
destroyed. Most of them wandered south
ward, and, finding at TeOthuacan some
artificial pyramids already constructed,
determined to make them the nucleus of
q second sacred city. No more trace is
"-lett of its ancient name than OF the for
gotten people who gave it. The Toltecs
called the city TeOtinuacan, which means
g,Habitation OF the Gods" Here for many
Years their Kings came to be crowned;
here dwelt their priests, and In spacious
chambers within the pyramids their dead
were buried.
M When one is in Mexico the easiest way
30 explore these pyramids is to 20 out
from the capital early in morning by the
Mexican railway (about 20 miles J, re-
Earning thereto at evening, and repeating
the process as many times as may be de-
Sired. Betsy and ] have spent many days
prOwling about these pyramids and-as-
sisted by the gamlus OF the village, whom
we employ as aids-de-camp and c,cerones
have pOked over the whole 20-mle area
with sticks and umbrellas, and on sew
eral occasions, when SO lucky as to tind
freshly plOWed fields, have been reward
ed by great numbers of Obsidlan knives
and arrOwheads, broken idols and the ter
ra-cOtta heads for which the place is ia
nous. The two principal pyramids were
called TOnatiuh Itzacuatl, or House of
The SUM-" and MeZtH, or blouse Of the
Moon" The former is nearly 200 feet
blgh, with a base Of 700 feet. It's platform
is now only about 70 feet square, and its
central point is marked by a modern
cylindrical monument of stone. The py-
ramd OF the Moon, about 100 yards dis
4 tant, has height OF 1877 feet and a base
measurement of 426X5ll feet. Each was
once crownedlby a temple containing stone
idols wearing golden breast-plates and
we are told that outside the edIfice, on the
summit OF TOnatiuth Itzacuatl once
stood a colossal figure of its presiding
deity, the Sun, covered with FURNISHED
gold which glOwed so brightly in the sun
light as to guide wOrshipers on their way
i to the ancient Mecca.
Both pyramids are composed OF stones,
cement and pottery, and so sOftened are
their outlines by the flight Of centuries
THAT they hardly appear more sharply de-
fined to-day than an ordinary steep-sided
hill. Cactus and chapparel. clambering
all over them. contribute to hide their pv-
ramdal outline, and time has entirely re-
.moYed the facing of dressed stone that
once doubtless incased them. Three ter
Braces may still be distinctly traced
around the Pyramid of the Sun, and two
around that OF the Moon. One can as
cend to the summit of either, if good at
Iscrambling, by winding pathway start
1ng from the southern base.
q Neither pyramid now contains any yes
tlge Of statue or temple; but little to
the left OF the greater mound NAV be
found an immense Idol, supposed to have
Formerly graced the summit Mr.. Cha,-
ney, the French explorer, disentomed il
not long go from mighty pile OF debris
in which it was probably hidden by the
Terrified TOltecs at their final overthrow.
The statue is OF solid stone, about 10 feet
high and $ feet through the head. Its face
Is not that OF monster, like HuitZllopo-
chill or TeOqaOmlqui, the blo0dthirsty
gods of the AZtecs, but differs as mucD
rom them in its benign expression a. the
pastoral people VINO Wh0Tshi ped itdillpred
Rom their fierce successors. The ewes
are as large as a barrel-head, nose fat.
ears like two enormous buckwheat cakes
and ludcrously hanged. mouth in the ex-
act shape of a watermelon and halt open.
as If his majesty meant to whistle, while
I'D his breast is "a square Oritice into which
man might put his head. The whole is
cut from a single block Of trachite. and
no savant Is wise enough to tell how
The early MeXicans managed 10 carve il
from the solid rock without iron tools. or
% convey it to the top of the pyramid
without beasts OF burden. I'm the noun
tain OF rubbish beneath which the god
Was buried We found great quantities OF
bbsidian, or itztl. This natural glass.
melted thousands of years ago in the
Furnaces OF PopOcatipetl and Orizaba. was
used by the ancients for their weapons.
Says Prescott;
'They welded the terrible maquahuitl.
with It's sharp and brittle blades Of obsi-
dian"
And again he speaks Of "warriors
whose spears ana bludgeOns. armed with
blades Of volcanic cleaned in the morning
light" Among peck or two of pieces
the majority average an inch wide by I
Dches long, so thin that one side il gen
prally sharp cdgp. srrrate but keen. and
Immediately recognizable hy the most de-
termined sheptlc as knife, razor or spear.
head.
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