The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-09-12
The SUN WoRsHlPERS.
A Wonderful Store Roadway Built by
Thtm 200 Feet Up q Mound.

Them 1900 Feet Up q Mound.
Charles j. Wimple, one of the wealthiest
miners in Mexico, is in this city. He told
the following wonderful story:
"You have asked me to give an account
Of the interesting mountain my friend,
Jesse D. Grant, and myself saw during our
trip through Mexico, en- route to this city.
Well, that mountain is at once one of the
most gigantic exhibitions of mans handi-
work and something almost beyond Gre
dence were we not already familiar with
the work Of the Aztecs. Just imagine a
valley forty by thirty miles in area, and in
its center rising a mound over / 200 feet in
height. Then you can realize the first
effect created upon our minds when we
came before the hill am to describe. My
foreman was with us and had partly pre-
pared us for the surprise, but we had
treated his story with incredulous remarks,
and had by no means suspected he had but
given a modest description of the mound.
eve gazed to the top and allowed our eyes
to follow the windings of a road down TO
the base. We went around the base and
conjectured it was about one and half
miles in circumference. Then we started
for the summit. The roadway was built
OF solid rock clear to the pinnacle, and was
from thirty to forty feet in width. A wall
of solid rock formed foundation and an
inside wall at the same time. The outer
edge of the road was unguarded. These
stones weigh all the way up 10 a ton each,
and are not cemented. The roadway is as
level as floor and is covered with broken
pieces of earthenware water vessels.
Half way up the mountain is an altar
cut in solid rock; in the niche is a bOwlder,
which must weigh at least six tons. The
bowlder is of different stone from that used
in the walls. The rocks in the walls are
dressed by skilled workmen, but are not
polished We saw no inscriptions; in fact
we had no time to spare in making search
ing investigation. We did look for arrow
heads or other warlike implements. 70 sat
isfy ourselves that the mound had not been
used for defensive or offensive purposes.
Nor was there any evidence % prove
that the roadway had been built for the
purpose Of witnessing bull fights and other
sports in the valley could only conclude
the Aztec sun worshipers expended years
Of labor on the hill in order that they
might have an appropriate place 70 cele-
brate their imposing festivals, inasrauch
earthenware, and those scions Of bygone
and notable race were known to carry at
sunrise large quantities OF water in earth
enware jars 70 an eminenoe, and there
pour out the liquid and smash the vessels
When we descended we brought With
US number Of small sea shells which had
petrifed, and II you look Al these on my
table you will see how thew have been per
fora,ed By the Indians. We again took q
long look az the mountain and saw il Wa
oblong in shape, and that the upward road
commenced OF the eastern side. ! have
Travelled on both sides OF the mountains
from British Columbia 70 Central Amer
lea and on either side Of the Sierra Madras,
where the cliff jewellers have left such re-
markable meneutos If their skill and cus-
toms, but have never witnessed anything
so wonderful and magnificent as the
mound vhich ! have beeu telling you
about The valley Is about 600 feet above
the sea level. and Is about seventy miles
from the coast I. Il situzted in Sonora,
between the cities Of Altar and Nsgdslsns,
and nezr the Mazdalena riVsr. We called
the curiosity Psllsade mountain, and II "a
well named San Francisco Gail