Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1888-04-10
AzTECS AND TOLTECS.
sRlEF DESCRIPTION or THE eI1le.
OF A BYGONE CIVILIZATION.
Ancient Ruins in Mexico and Cent?.
America-A People to BE SpeculateS
Over by ArchBologists and And Anti
quarians-Disc of Travellers.

| Ancient Ruins in Mexico and Censs1
America-A People to Be SpecuIatoS
Over by ArchBoIogists and And Anti
quarians-Discoveries of Travellers.
! The light thrown ON this ancient civilIss-
ton of the Toltecs in Mexico and Central
America by the recent discoveries in Arizona,
is of value in establishing certain traditions
which have long been known and upon which
many theories have been based. Tradition
has Away said that the Toltecs, who proba-
oily arrived In the vale Of Anahutc sometime
in the Fourth century, came from the north,
and this the present discoveries confirm
That they took their civilization with them
instead of developing it in the valley of
Mexico is also certain. Perhaps, too, The
destruction of these cities of the Salt River
valley may explain the more stable character
# the Toltec ruins in Mexico and Yucatan
and some OF the peculiarities in their con
struction.
The ruins in tho vale of Anahuac and In
Yucatan and Honduras are all characterized
by the same general features, and it has been
supposed that for the most part they were
builded by the Totucs, and that the A2tecs
who drove out the Toltecs from Mexico and
whose king, Montezuma, was conquered by
Cortez, added but little to the Toltec ciyiliza
lion which they found and conquered. 1t is
~ ,E'''"s " no'e III oni9 'oinoc'ioh ohst
VI. Daiiei nso" conhiueiS inc mound
ouuoois Vi phe oii'r Faiey nha inc ohited
'''',',s 'ho p'o''''io ''f'c'sOois vi 1''e aAoecs
"''i tniV hi'ueih discovery seehls 70 reveal
many uaiOS o, inc ihouhd puiiders IN the
a"ucos, II such were Viie case 10 u evident
'i'"' 'i'nei bie'e pioSfcs7 was 'iii''io ny ohe
i''"'ii ''ii'"oiS poioie 'hey couid deFcIop
tba ri sp,f gh 4 NJ,
siie ciVillHatioi Whlch 1oite~ io'ilo IN Mex
ico' OF ehae thho elVili@atioh was IN large
pa '"o WI "a RAGS "'ioii INC AHoecs
ON "" u"u ".'No ei'i'i~itioli ehey auued
''io" '"ii' jim 'ilo oa''" h'ouilas Vi
'no ''1o Nai'y ~ D Iuioo SteP 10 inc stone
l'niaceS n',i temples nnu iiounas panked win
st'i'e, "','i e''o'i'Ie'y cnireu iucaneS' "hich
Ne iou'id III Mexico ana fuchtan.
RUINS OF YucArAN
Tho ruins OF Yucatan are of particular in
terest. So onry as 1889 and 1871 Stevens and
Catherwood visited these ruins and made
tine drawings of many of Thorn. Other ex
plorers have followed, and though our knowl
3dge of them is still very Incomplete, yet
nough is known to make it sure that at one
me a wonderful civilization existed amid
Ie tropical forests of Yucatan. Today vast
pyrainidal mounds or terraces are found, not
terminating in point as did the Egyptian
bGt having on their SUBMITS platforms that
support ponderous structures of hewn stone,
which were unqncstionably erected for pur-
,oses of n sacred character. Many of these
eocalli were Of earth but the greater part
we're built of trick or stone, Palaces were
llso cons' uctco on these mounds. At Palen-
lue, IN ChiapJs, tho most southern province
# Mexico, ore ruins of IA palace on tho top of
I vast mound, whose base was $40 by 300
Get, aud height 10 feet, and tie palace on
he summit 22s by $50 feet, and %
Get high. The palace is one story, with
ourteen doorways in front and rear and