Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-11-06
THE sun WORSHIPERs.
noadway Built Twelve Hundred
Feet Up "a Mound

Roadway Built Twelve Hundred
Feet Up Mound.
LOU nave asked me to give an &C.
count OF the interesting mountain INV
lrleho, Jesse ID. Grant, and myself saw
during our trip through Mexico en- route
10 'hls city, writes Charles ]. Winnie
In the San francisco Call. SWELL that
ssmounta1n is at once one of the most
sahIlcexhlhitions of mans handiwork
anu something almost beyond credehce
were we not already familiar with the
works of the Aztecs.
Just imagine valley forty by thirty
miles IN area, and from its center ris;nr
81 MOUND over twelve hundred feet IN
'helght> then you can realize the first
'eHec0 created upon our minds when wa
came before the hill 1 am to describe
My foreman was with us, and had nartlv
prepared us for the surprise, but we had
treated his story with incredulous 70,
marks, and had by no means sssoected
he had but given modest description of
the mound
I'VE gazed to the ton and allowed orr
eyes to follow the windinos of rona
down to the base. We went arou,5 tho
base and coniectured it was about ono
anu i nan miles in circumference Then
VIC started Tor the summit. The road
way was quilt OF solid rock clear TO the
plhhaoie' ana was from thirty to forty
ieeI III width. A wall of solid rock
formed foundation, and an inside
wall at the same time. The outer edge
Oh the 0road was unguarded These
stones weigh all the way up to ton
each. ana Ere not cemented. The road
way Is a. level as floor, and is COW
ereu With broken pieces of earthenware
WatFr vessels
hall way up the mountain is an
altar cut in solid rock; in the niche is a
bowIder which must weigh at least six
ions The bowlder is of different stone
from that used in the walls The rocks
IN the walls are dressed bv skilled
.workmen, but are not polished. We
saw no inscriptions, but we had no
time to spare in making a searching
investigation. We did look for arrow
heads OF other warlike implements, to
satisfy ourselves that the mound had
rot been used for defensive of offensive
purposes Nor was there any evidence
to prove that the roadway had been
buIit for the purpose of witnessing bull
nights and other sport in the valley.
could only conclude that the Aztec
,sun-worshipers expended years of labor
on the hill in order that they might
have an appropriate place to celebrate
their imposing festivals, inasmuch as
the roadway was strewn with broken
earthenware, and those scions of a by-
gore and notable race were known to
s1arry at sunrise large quantities of
water in earthenware jars to an emil
nence and there pour out the liquid and
smash the vessels.
When we descended we brought
with US a number of small sea shells
which had petrified, and if you look at
these on my table you will see how
they have been perforated by the In
adams We again took long look at
the mountain and saw it was oblong in
shape, and that the upward road COM
menced on the eastern side. l have
travelled on both sides of the mountains
from British Column bia to Central Amer
lea, and on either side of the Sierra
Madces, where the cliff jewellers have
jeff such remarkable mementos of their
skill and customs, but | have never
witnessed any thing so wonderful and
magnificent as the mound which have
been telling you about. The valley is
about six hundred feet above the sea
level, and is about. seventy miles from
the coast. 1t is situated in Sonora, be-
tween the cities of Altar and Magda-
lena, ard near the Magdalena river.
We call the curiosity Palisade Mount
ain, and it is we'll named"