Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1895-07-26
Discoveries N YuCArAN.

10 recent feugrts, IN Central America,
Indicating N we mistake not. that
sclenco at last IN on the road 10 solve
tho mytiofles connected with the
zbofigincs Of this continent Dr. Au.
gustuz 10 PlOnge0n, tho eminent
efcl o. 'los.st, has devoted twelve year.
To the study Of tho monuments Of the
anoiout fsCe Of that county and hos nj
last succeeded In declphrrlnR many
0i the INSCRIPTIONS found IN the ruins.
According to the account In the
July number of the ReUisUOf Reuisws,
| DR.. PiougeOn sutmiss1 that tue ilu.
guaZu tlill spoken by tho hbOrlgints Of
Huuatnn would bear some resemblance
10 that q the ntst Inhabitants, and
acting on this superstition he soon
ioun that by giving 10 the mysterious
chasc'rIs uu tho ruins tho same
phonetic value they potsess In tho
language q ,ho QIcics, they iOrmcI
iutolllgibll wog.s ans phrases. Then he
discovered that tho IA lictn language
OF the natives WAS not materially dit.
ioreut from that 0i the inscriptions.
he atcl r l.0g.s. by this means Oh,
tanned = Soy ~ 40 formerly incJmpre.
hensiblo hieTDglypAios.
What may 10 regarded o. still
more startling discovery Is tho fact that
the hleratic, Or fAortd, Elphsbot OF the
Mayas, on cOmpatison, was found to be
practically identical with that OF the
Egyptians, anu that the grammatical
structure Of the two tongues Ia strls.
ingly similar, many words and chstsc.
tiers having the same meaning in both.
Tho initial letters VI the Maya naints
Tor the objects which constitute thu
Egyptian alphAbet are tho very chlTaC.
tors 10 Represented. Tho conclusion
fGom this Ia thpI both these peoIlu ac-
pulrrd the at OF writing from com.
mon o0utcr, or one OF thUm taught u
10 tho other.
Dr. fl1ngeon, We arc Informed, has
succeeded la tfanslaIing the Troauo
msnubcflpt IN the British museum,
record dealing with geology aud bis.
tory. According 10 this tue peninsula
Of Huca.An was callsi "Mayax,"
which IL said TO moan tho hfsl or
primitive lsnt. IL comprised the
whole OF Central Amcflcs. The
two chief cities were. uxmnl ami
Chichiu.llzs, the latter Ut which
was tho center Of civilization.
This placr was visited ~ learned
men from all part, OF the
world, anu lhe Illustrations In the
manuscript show travellers with uu.
mistaGabIy A8yrlsn features. As
further proof % the commuulc. don
that must nave existed between the
different parts OF the globe, 10 this,
that tho word "mayR" Is found In
Asia, Aific, ana Europe, and always
meaning "pywor" OF "Vis1om "
The following is m account Of o.
Terrible oa.sclyem recorded In the
rroan0 manuscript and translated by
Dr.. PIougogI3
In tho wear Kan. on tho nth of |
Mu,uc, iu che month lic, thuro occurred |
terrible earthquakes, which continued |
vi bout interruption until tho II.b !
thuuu. The country NJ the LlIl, nrmuU /
tho land ~ Mn, wn. sacrificed, bpug |
twice uphuayCd, it suIduuly disappeared |
duIing tho might, tho basin being cone
tiuuMly slAhun by volcanic tutcpa,
bolug confined, .huse caused tho land tn /
sink aud tu rise several Times and in /
various places. AZ last tho surface gaye |
way, and ton countries WuTu torn asuu-
der aud scattered, Unable tu Withstand
tho force ~ the commissions, they sank
with thor ul,Wl, 900 Of iuhan.luut. 5000 |
years boiorc inc writing OF this book.
II supposed that this terrible catn.
c'ysm Ia the same as that referred to by
Plato In HE Atlantis aud that tho let.
tore Of the Greek alpha0,, are a rosor |
Of tue event.
The story Of the creation tho MAYA.
carved over the doorway OF the etsl
facade ot the palace at Chlchll.lfza.
The beliefs held by the Mayas con.
cernlug tho creation, 90 therein 10.
corded, are identical, II IL claimed,
with the ideas concerning the fret
origin Of things arrived at by tho IA.
lnOitault Of India anu Of llgypt, ami
arc expressed In nearly the same wurds.
lhe Identity or ideas expressed IN
denticallsi guagc cannot be attributed,
tie ius.Iy nr.urI,to more coincidence,
neither IL IL conceivable that the pro.
llo Of these different countries arrived
It the same conclusions indrpUul-
,ntly Of one another. Tho idea sad o..
explanation must undoubtedly have
originated among one people, end by
hem have boon taught 80 luo tlera.
DR.. plonge7u oye7lhrows the gsu,r.
lily accepted ylo6s on this NJ, lcct anu
argues TOT tho opinions advocated by
Ine believers In the Book OF Mormon.
lie contends that tho C1smocouy orr
mated on this continent aud was
transferred to the eastern hemisphere.
He shows that the legends panuprtrd