Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-11-20


surprised to learn that the source from
which these relics had been obtained was
one which was unknown to archmologists.
He did not have an opportunity at that
time to follow up his clew, but three
years later he interested in the matter Mr.
Morris X. .Jesup, president of the Amer
lean Museum of Natural History, and was
engaged by that gentleman to make trip
OF about 80 days through the district
On May 90, 1894, Mr.. Niven started on
his expedition, travelling on horseback and
accompanied only by single servant and
five pack mules. During the three weeks
which followed he found in nearly every
town which he visited some remnants Of
prehistoric buildings. One great temple
which had covered space of 300 by 900
feet had an altar of solid masonry in the
center 10 feet square and about 30 feet
high. The foundations and part of the
walls of circular towers at each corner
were plainly visible. The walls were 6
feet thick in many instances.
For ten miles he rode among the ruins
of that great city of past ages The houses,
of which there were thousands indicated,
had been from to so feet square, and the
walls, which were still standing to the
height of from to feet, were from to s
feet in thickness. They had been soldly
built of lime and stone and were probably
comfortable habitations at one time.
Enough fragments of the quantly decorat-
ed pottery of the age were found to have
loaded dozen mules. Mr. Niven selected
the most valuable of the portable objects
and carried them away with him. Alto
gether his collection on this one trip COM
prised more than 600 articles, which have
~
Natural History in New York city.
These discoveries, Ii must be remember
ed, were at distance of five days ride on
horseback from the nearest railroad and In
a country where no human being could be
seen, the same territory which-no one
knows how many centuries ago-must
have swarmed with human life.
But Mr.. Nven was certain that he had
not seen the whole of this wonderful
country, SO he went to work to obtain
concession from the Mexican government
to allow him to make more elaborate and
extended researches. This concession was
granted last summer, and soon after that
Mr.. Niven led a we'll equipped archeolog-
ical expedition into the state of Guerrero.
He selected a favorable location for his
camp near small stream which flows over
the site Of the ancient city and began
operations. First he made general sur
face survey and on every hand found evil
dences of the prehistoric civilization of the
mysterious Toltecs The main portion of
the city which had been the great mart of
trade and the seat of the greater popula-
ton shows that the metropolis had bound
aries greater than those of the present
city OF New York, and beyond this evil
denoeS Of suburbs which must have made
Quec which ia the ancient
Mexican name for the ruined city larger
than London.
After the surface survey had been oom-
pleted Mr.. Niven set his force of men to
work exoavating and then pursued his
subterranean explorations. The details Of
what he accomplished have not yet been
Mexico he says
81 have taken 500 photographs of the
ruins of Quechomictlipan which cover a
much wider area than had at first sup
posed-something like 900 square miles
and instead of temples there are
more than 20. l have photographs of
them and of objects which found in the
ruins. In short, my trip has been highly
successful.
Mr.. Niven is a native of Glasgow, but
came to America in his youth and spent
the years from 1879 to 1884 prospecting in
Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Mex
leo. He was assistant commissioner of
Arizona at the worlds exposition at New
Orleans in 1884 He discovered a number
Of minerals which had been before I'M
known TO mineralogists. He is life NOM
Der Of the American Museum Of Natural
History and a member of the New York
Academy Of Science and the Brooklyn In
stitute. FRANKLIN PRiuf.