Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-06-12
TnE poMpgn o. kMERIS.
Wonders OF the Buried city Of Pairnque
in Central America.

The buried city Of Palenqr + Meyico.
is beyond question tae mr. interest
ing ruin in America ii not iu tue
world says the Piusburg DlpHaI.
The very race and language of t.opeo-
pie who built 70 are lost, uud NO one
has vet interpreted the hierog yPhic,
which cover il- massive walls Per-
haps the straugest thing connected with
this extraordinary place is the fact
that although the engineering skill in-
Scated in It's ruins is IN many respects
akin 10 that Of the ancient Egypt
ians autiquarians and Psychologists
have never investigated the ruins
or sought 10 interpret these grayou
records OF "a ioug-torgoJen race.
IN 1900 party OF Spaa.ards were
travelling in the interior of Mexico.
They had wandered H. search Of things
strange and new into the region north
of Chiapas when they suddenly came,
in the midst Of vast solitude, To- iu.
Vulnerable ancient stone buildings the
remains OF a vast city still embracing
from eighteen to twenty-four miles iD
extent and known to the Indians as
Casas de piedars. The Indians them
selves could give no account Of its
origin. Two exploring parties were
afterward seat out bv Spain, without,
however, attaining any apprcciable re-.
suits. A jHird exploration was made
in 1870 bv American travellers. They
found tine ruins oycrgToWn with so
dense a forest of gigantic trees aud
tangled underground chat a person ten
yards distant in any direction could
not be seen As the travellers had no
axes picks, or shoveis, but only the
machete, the short. broad-h.Jded
sword of the Indians with which TO
clear this accumulation of centuries of
luxuriant vegetable growth and make
systematic observations, but litt.ecouId
be accomplished 4 vast number OF
fine buildings, however were dis
covered, constructed of stone, with u
mortar of lime and sand, the outer
salls OF which were covered with
stucco and painted in pigments Of
various c1lors, and Enthusiastically orna-
mented with figures i'm ba,-rc'icf and
with inta4iio inscriptions DOB hero
glyphics. lnterspersed with tlese were
palaces, pyramids, and temples, and
there were also the remains of in
aqucduct by which the city was sup.
piled with water.
One OF the buildings which was in
course of construction, stood on a
pyramid 10 feet high 1t was 30 ieet
long. p feet deep, and about 80 feet
high. 1t was very richly ornamented
externally. aud on the interior walls
were tables Of hicroglyphic inscriptions
carved in symmetrical lines out OF
stone. One was only about half
finished when the work was arrested
forever by the unknown catastrophe
that came like the thief in the night, vs.
and obliteratei the race of builders
and all knowledge of their literature.
The solution of these inscriptions
would in all probability reveal things
that are more iuterestiugand important
from an ethnic point OF view than the
discoveries at llercuaneum and Pom
pei. Only one statue was discovered,
that of female figure 10 feet 6 inches
high, and more resembling Egyptian
portrait Statuary than anything else
found in this new 'old world. But il
en- be safely regarded as an indication
tbat chat there are other statues and
monuments in the forest around.