Morning journal and courier., 1891-10-27
THE CHIRCHAS.
LittIe-knovn Contemporaries Of the
 Aztecs and Incas.

Aztecs and Incas.
 Lieutenant Lemly in the October Century.I
 The rich regions of the AZtecs were dis covered in 1519, and the conqueror of Montezuma was already returning to Spain when Pizarro set sail for Peru. In 1532 the empire of the Incas was entirely overthrown; while in 1886 there still exist ed, unknown to the world, upon the high tablelands of the eastern cordillera of the Andes an agricultural people composed of more than million souls, possessing pop ulous cities, fortified places and paved roads; an established priesthood with tenn pies, altars and sacrifices; an organized, hereditary government and a standing army; an approximate computation of time; and various industries and no little intelligence in husbandry. Over this growing civilization of the Chibchas the conquest swept like hurricane, devasta- ting villages, archives, manufactures and | cultivated ields-dispersing the bones and | annihilating the traditions of the misera- ble Indians. In the course of few years | they were deprived of their independence, | their chiefs, their liberty, and even of | their language, at the hands of the most | cruel, blind and persistent persecution; | their very name was stricken from the | catalogue of existing nations, their de- | scendants were condemned to complete ob- | livion Of their origin, while the sntiquaTi- | an was left in the doubt and confusion of fabulous ages with respect to events which immediately preceded this epoch. The | hurriedly written narratives of the con- | querors speak of the grandeur of the "Valley of Castles"-Bogota, SO called be- cause of the high edifices of its cities; of l the extensive salt mines of ZipaQuira; of the potteries of Tinjsca, and especially of | the great riches, the golden decorations. | and the upright mummies covered with fine mantles. that were inclosed in the temple of SusmOz, the principal sanctus- | " of the Chibchas Nor were these de | scriptions exaggerated. In our day there have been found in ancient sepulchers the most delicate cotton fabrics, well-preserved mummies, elaborately carved wooden arii
 cles of furniture, exquisite vases of baked earth, often initiating the human form and the figures of animals and an infinite va
 riety of golden ornaments and images
 Beyond doubt the ChibchAs had attained the third place in the civilization of abo- I riginal America; yet volumes have been written upon the Aztecs and Incas, while the name of this enlightened contempora- | " is almost unknown. They are said io have been denominated Chibchas because of the frequent recurrence of the sylls' bles "chi" and "chs" in their tongue, but Humboldt calls them Muiscas or Moscas. According to the distinguished historian Acosta (whose excellent work has been freely consulted and often translated in the preparation of this paperl. the term muisca merely signified ''people'' in their language, and mosca tCastilian for ''ay''l was probably a corruption of the former, or may have been applied to these Indians because of the great number that appeared before, and endeayored to stay the pro. gress of the handful of Spanisrds led by Quessds. As successful as Cortez or Pi- zarro, unlike them, this famous captain was never rewarded with the coveted mar qnisate of Spain, and has lacked the mas ter hand of Prescott to portray the thrill ing incidents of his no less remarkable | conquest.