Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-07
THEIR CITIES DESCRIBED.
Judge Ewing Says the Heat Causes
an Increase in Crime.
THE HUMANE sOCIETY'S WORK.
Republican League Clubs in Shape for the
Fall Campaign.
OTHER INTERESTING INTERVIEWS

Geological Survey in 1S81-1SS4 as topo-
graphical engineer, G. Willis Morse, at
present with the Schlosser House, visited
and explored several of the Aztec ruins in
Arizona Yesterday he gave o DISPATCH
man an interesting description OF the decay
ing monuments of the most intelligent
American Indians who ever peopled the
New World.
zone would never think the dirty, ,grovel-
ing beggars," he said, "who now lay claim
to oAxtec ancestry are the representatives OF
such a powerful, intelligent people that
their ruins proclaim. The Aztec has de-
scended until he is no better than the lazl
est tsouaw Indian of the Comanche tribe.
His thrift has departed with his forefathers
as has his bravery and every other credita-
bic attribute.
''we were encamped in Salina Canon, in
Southeastern Utah, in the spring of 1882.
Our guide was Navajo Indian, whom we
had named 'Speeky.' He was bright sort
of fellow for an Indian, and was well
posted on the traditions and history of the
mountainous country. He informed us that
an Aztec ruins was only 1S5 miles away,
and for curiosity we decided to make the
trip. Our route lay through a rocky, hilly
country, and it was three DAYS and a half
before we arrived at Ute encampment
called Manos. We spent the night with
ranchman named Reclaux, and upon awak-
ening started for the ruins, short distance
farther on.
Looked Lgk. the Pyramids.
from distance they strongly reminded
one of the Egyptian pyramids, as they had
conical aspect but closer inspection re-
yealed an immense four-story building of
gray sandstone, surrounded by crumbling
walls that in unbroken places were 80 feet in
height. The walls were 450 feet in length
and the building was 265 feet in width.
The first story was of solid though pro-
vincial masonry, and was built to with
stand attacks from opposing forces.
The natives were an inhospitable
sort of people in times of
battle and protected themselves bv entering
their habitation by means of ladders, which
were drawn up as soon one of their num-
Der was safe within. The second floor was
divided off into apartments ranging in
dimensions from small narrow cells of 6xS
feet to much larger ones wherein families
could be comfortably ensconced. In the
center of the building was one immense
room some 40 feet in breadth by 60 feet in
length. This was their council chamber, as
the line where the benches once stood
surrounded the entire Enclosure. In the
center pit was found some three feet deep
by eight feet long and five feet wide. The
sides of this were smoke begrimed, and one
of our party discovered charred remains of
wood that told conclusively that at some
bygone period council fires had been burned
there. At one end of the room were few
rough steps similar to those in use at the
base of church altars and upon the platform
to which they led the priests and rulers
once held sway.
'In ancient days fire was kept continually
burning on top of the puebloes or temples,
the superstition being that the death of the
fires would be a forerunner of the decadence
of the Aztec race. In the year 1924 the last
Aztec priest died, and the fires in all set
Elements were allowed to die out, and to-
day their fires are traditions and they are
near their end.
Where the Ruins Abound.
"while the ruins of Aztec temples are to
be found in various parts of Mexico, Ari-
Iona, New Mexico and Southern Colorado,
they are generally similar to each other in
style of architecture, but four exceptions
remain in Arizona, which are built after the
style of the old Coliseum of Rome only be-
ing square instead OF oval The total
number of these ruins in the United
States are estimated to be about 50.
The largest is located in Southeastern Ari-
zona and contains about 900 rooms, and was
probably inhabited by 10, 900 or 20, 600 peo-
pie. This is the most famous ruined city in
that part of America Their old temples
In Mexico were adorned with massive gold
and silver statuary, which was taken to
Spain by the Spanish soldiers and by Jes-
nit priests. The Aztecs held their sway
IN South America until the wear
1701, when their power passed away
as it did in Mexico in 1880.
Their ruins are very numerous in Peru and
Bolivia, more so than in Old Mexico, and are
on much larger scale, those of the city
of Cuzco and Titicaca for example.
"After spending two days in viewing the
ruins we started on another long ride to the
southwark to visit Walhuahua, another
ruined city. 1t is about one-half the size of
Manos, but built in much finer STYLE and
with much more care and finish. This tenn
pie had about 140 rooms in it and was five
stories high. The water the natives used
came from out of large cliff which formed
a part of the pueblo. BY this they were
secured against a water famine in case of a
seige by hostile Indians We found band
of about % Aztecs in and about the ruins,
living in the most abject poverty and after
satisfying our curiosity we turned our
horses homeward"