The herald., 1895-01-01
THE DvELLERS IN TOWNS,
The Mythical Stene House in
the Desert.
relationship of PueblOs and
Aztecs.
The Probable Origin of the PuebIos
and Description of the Houses
They Build.


city whose ruins have been fohnd; this
time sin the neighborhood of Yuma,
Arizona"
The latest story seems somewhat to be
built along lines laid down in paper
on tho Aztec Calendar read by Mrs.
Zelia Nutall at the Worlds Congress OF
Anthropology during the Worlds fair,
and, aB usual, the dead and gone arch
itects of the discovered city are quite
confidently assumed TO he fathers or
SONS or coupins of the civilized Azteos of
Mexico.
The patriotic but uncritical reader of
newspapers, never willing to admit that
these United States lack anything that
any nation, ct any timo, has posseSesd,
is rather glad to believe that within the
limits of his own country are ruins OF
cities built of cut and carved etone,
which in the hayday of their glory must
have rivsled the tabled cities OF the
realms OF Kublai Kahn.
1t may not be altogether impossible
that more complete Interpretation OF the
Aztec calendar, and the half-promised
translation of the heiroglyphics to be
found in Mexico and Central America
may compel ua to doff our mathematical
hats to those persistent Aztecs who are
paid to have ''prQeecuted accurate as
Economical observations for four thous-
and years in order to perfect thoir oal-
endar" before they attempted to weld
iron or to make wheel 60 round ;"
but il ia very certain indeed that the
architects of the worlds fair buildingo
need never rsgyet the failure to prepare
for their great work by taking "trip to
''the neighborhood of Yuma" to dig up
from the earth or pull down from the Hky
valuable ideas regarding the conetruc-
tion or ornsnentation of great build
ings.
In the newspaper accounts Of the ss-
serted discovery the city is said to be
located in the "neighborhood of Yuma"
which may mean in Southeastern CAL
ifcrnis, Southwestern Arizona or North.
ern Mexico; but details of construction
are given with great circumstsntiality.
Lions and panthefs carved from solid
agate guard entrances ornamented with
columns OF onyx, whose delicate hutings
and intricstely carved capitals have de-
fed time and cutting sand and the
wind-borne, ell-corroding alkali of the
desert; spacious rooms are paved with
stones of colors many as those of
Joseph's coat, most artisticElly ar
ranged, and rooted with greater slabs,
go elnborately dressed or carved aa TO
indicate the use of tools equal to or
better than the best ntone-outslng in-
strument now in use; and go heavy as
to lend credibility to the belief that
their handling necessitated knowledge
of mechanical powers of which the
modern builder is ignorant. ~
The buildings, half exposed as the
eternal west wind of the Tonto basin
sweeps away the shifting desert sand.
are seen TO take the form Of terraces, and
the conclusion is drawn that these
great piles of stone were reared and this
elaborate carving executed by race of
civilized mon, OF which the Mexican
Aztecs were an offehoot and the Pueblo
Indian OF today the degenerate descend.
ant.
The tale is pretty one. 1t has been
widely circulated and not infrequsntly
believed. Nevertheless it is sheer nom
eense-as purely a fabrication as the
story of the palace whose blue glas q
walls and diamond windows protected
the Sleeping Beauty till the coming OF
Prince.
Probably no other North American
Indian has resolved go much attention
from explorera in early times or from
scholars in later years as the so-called
Pusbo; certainly no othor Indian was
the subject of such monumental lying
in days gone by, or is today better under
stood SO far as observation OF customa
and study of origin anu manners can
enable the Anglo-Saxon to understand
the Indian character.
1t wac in 1889 that Vasquez dc Coros
nedo, commissioned to explore the
country around tho Gulf of California.
sent San Francisco iriar named Marco
do Mica as sort of advance agent to spy
out the land. Father Marco came back
in due time, announcing the diacovery
of seven cities, to the capital of which
he gave the name Cibola. What else
he eaid will never be known, for he
made his report by word of mouth. The
story passed from lip to lip and by the
time it reached Europe the very name
Cibola had become the synonym OF
wealth and luxury and splendor almost
inconceivable by men not familiar with
the riches of the orient. The buildings
of the Seven Cities were said to reach
the skies; the stones whereof they were
builded were precious stoues, cleaning
In the sunlight, and on turret aud on
spire great Jewels flashed back to q
moon shining ever at the full; the roofs
were made of wonderful turquoises, blue
as the summer sky; the inhabitants of
the City of Beauty lived in luxury, amid
delights unspeakable, breathing the
perfume of flowers sweeser than the
lotus of the east, eating fruits delicious
as the apples OF Eden; and they trod
upon gold as the inhabitants OF Europe
walked upon pavements of stone.
These tales of wonder. handed down
from generation to generation, seem etill
30 serve as models for not-very .compe-
tent romancers who wish to desoribe a
buried city Quilt of cut stone and
carvsd onyx, by that civilized race from
whom the Pueblo Indiana are de-
scendei."
EaIhe buildings, the language. the cus-
toms, ths origin and tho character of the
Pueblo Indians have been so carefully
studied, sad so successfully, that the
tslee which for 300 yesrs passed un'
questioned, ire now absolutely known
20 be either yillful misssatemente or the
result Of imeguation gone mad.
Certain southwestern Indians (to
whom, later, wa, given the name Pueblo,
Spanish word agnifying ''town") built
houses, in Oorondo's time and earlier
But their building we're not constructed
OF stone ia masses requiring the uae Of
apparatus whose principles the Anglo
Saxon srtissn mas mo- learned no domet
.,..taa;1ad their eraudaur ,,a;th.,