The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1890-02-15
AZTEC CIVILIZATION.
Vast Tracts of Old Mexico Waiting to Be
Explored.
Ruins OF Many Ancient Cities OF Large Pop
uiation Already Discovered Tropical Veg
citation tho BAR 70 Research Rapid De-
yelopmsnt by Northern Poopla

A good many American people are
not very well informed about our
sister republic Mexico. They i'm aglne
that il is u small country, when as a
MISTER OF fact IL Is one fourth the size
OF orr own, and IL larger than any
country In Europe excepting Russia.
IL Is, however, singularly undeveloped.
This fact Is admitted by its own most
patriotic citizens. Mr.. Arturo De Or
tiega, wealthy planter and land
owner OF Chiapas. who Is on visit 10
New \ DIRK speaking Of this fact. snid:
'Thcre are Vast tracts OF my country
which have never been explored. and
Others which were explored long ago,
but OF which the records have been
lost o. even the memory forgotten.
In Sonora and chihuahua are valleys
mountains lakes and rivers which ap-
pear upon 40 map. There are min
erT.l deposits as rich MS any Ia Califor-
MIA or Colorado. which were worked
with great profit ia the last century,
but which are absolutely forgotten to-
day.
This condition OF affairs Is largely
dne 90 tho long struggle between the
Mexiclns on the one side and the Apul.
chez and Conanches on the other.
While ~ the long run the Indians were
nquished. and even driveA out OF the
country into the United States. or else
converted into peaceful inhabitants
yet the struggle mi dc those states UNI
popular. aud drove many OF their best
inhabitants into the states further
south so that it m y be questioned II
they have the same population today
within 10 per cent as they had lOO
years ago. So strong wis this feeling
and It's consequent movement that
many towns We're abandoned. so that
~ Is not an uncommon sight TO ilnd
churches and haciendas utterly desert
ed and going to ruin Ia these portions
OF the Mexican republic. la the south
crn part OF Mexico are still larger
tracts OF land.
"Aly own state OF Chinpas Is good
Illustration Of this. IL 4 "a vast state
with Il very small population and with
such varied scenery and such IN inn
measurable amount of We gctation that
IL Is almost impossible 20 travel more
than a mile on two day unless IL be
upon the old road or, along wa.cr
courses which are so import int feat.
urc in our geography. The Mexican
people arc not so adventurous nor as
inquisitiye as their northern neigh
bors. They have devoted very little
time 10 exploring CHAP rs or the other
southern states OF Mexico.
Even with The little that had been
uonc, H. had been found that all these
provinces were once the scene OF n civ
iiizution whose population. towns and
cities we're much more numerous than
those Of to-day. To what race they
belonged, whether Aztec or Toltec,
Kichean. kichequilan or Gutilhan, we
know little or nothing. We do know
that they had attained 10 n moderately
high civiliz ton, had halls, plazas,
city walls and great monuments. and
that their people had learned 70 work
many Of the metals. both precious and
common. Thus far In my st,te the
remnants OF no less than twelve cities
have been discovered. each one OF
which must have represented popu-
lation of moro than 100, 600
I'VE have IN Mexico large num-
Der OF scientific societies which have
done good work In studying these
remains and In collecting various OBJ
jects from tho ruins Besides these
societies. large number OF priests aud
monks have devoted their leisure time
to similar pursuits. and have gathered
collections OF antiques from this Next
can past running from one 10 several
thousand I'm number. The difficulty
Involved Is easily conceived when you
"A Ia. 1ts L..
vegetable growth OF our fertile soil
will form so impenetrable barrier
ms 10 require the use OF heavy knives
and hatchets for a person 10 make his
way through IL The descriptions OF
the awful African forests made by Stan
ley describe with oqu i fidelity the Tor
est formations Of southern Mexico.
I'm the past FIVE years there has
been perceptible change for the bet
ter. A great many Americans have
come into our country, bringing with
them their characteristic energy and
restlcssness. and at the same time we
have had q considerable influx OF Inn
migrants from Spain, Portugal. Italy
and the Mediterranean lands, Very
few OF these have gone 10 our northern
states. the majorities having settled la
our cities or In the central or southern
provinces OF the nation. They have
already sIgnalized their advent by
opening up large pieces OF uncleared
lands. and by constructing roads into
hitherto inaccessible territory. The
result in the next five years Is bound
10 be the discovery OF numberless dead
cities and n vast increase ia our knowl.
edge OF prehistoric Mexico"