The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1891-02-12
THE SUN WoRsHIPPGRs.
A stone Roadway Built by Them LOO
Feet Up Mound.

Charles j. Wimple. one of the wealth.
lest miners of Mexico. is n recent ar
rival in San Francisco. To n repre-
sentative of the Call he told the follow
ing wonderful story last night:
You have asked me to give an ac-
count of tie interesting mountain my
friend. Jesse d. Grant. and myself saw
during our trip through Mexico en-
route to this city. Well, that mount
ain is at once one of the most gigantic
exhibitions of mans handiwork and
something almost beyond eredence
were we not already familiar with the
works of the AZtecs.
Just imagine valley forty b. thir-
tv miles in area and from its center
rising a mound over twelve hundred
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
aud had partly prepared us for the
surprise. but We had treated his story
with incredulous remarks aud ha.l by
no means expected he had but given 4
modest description of the mound.
I'VE 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 i'll width.
A wall of solid rock formed a founda-
ton and an inside wall ut the same
time The outer edge of the road was
unguarded. These stones weigh all
the way up to Il ton each, and are not
cementcd. 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 boulder which must weigh at least
six tons. The boulder 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 a
searching investigation. We did look
for arrow heads or other warlike inn
plements 10 satisfy ourselves that the
mound had not been used for defensive
or offensive purposes. Nor was there
| any evidence to prove that the road
way had been built for the purpose of
witnessing bull fights and other sports
in the valley. l could only conclude
the Aztec sun worshippers expended
wears 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 by-gone and notable race
/ were known to carry at sunrise large
| quantities of water in earthenware jars
to an eminence, and there pour out the
liquid and smash the vessels.
when we descended we brought
with us number of small sea shells
which had petrified, and il you look at
| these on my table you will see how
they have been perforated by the Ind
ians. We again took Il long look at
| the mountain and saw 1t was obiong in
shape. and that the upward road COM
menced on the eastern side. | have
Travelled or both sides of the mount
aims from British Columbia to Central
America, and on either side OF the
| Sierra Madras, where the cliff dwellerS
have left such remarkable mcmcntocs
of their skill and customs, but / nave
never witnessed anything SO wonder.
full and magnificent as the mound
which | have been telling yoa 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, between the cit eS
of Altar and Magdalena, aud near the
| Magdalena river. We called the curl.
osity PaiSade Mountain, and it is well
named