The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-04-01
CAVES OF YUCATAN.
Were the Abodes Of People Of a
Prehistoric Race.
Scientific Expeditions Sent ut from
Pennsylvania to Secure ..elics
of Race Anterior to
tho Mayas.

If there is one thing more then an
other which archaeologists would hail
with delight it would he the discovery
which would unlock the mysteries of
the Maya stone monuments and give to
the world the keys to the history of
the early races of Central America, as
the discovery of the Rosetta stone an
locked the history of ancient Egypt.
There has been for many years dis
pute as 20 the degree of antiquity which
is to be accorded to the remains that
are found in Central America. One sa-
want carries them back to a time al
most contemporary with ancient
Egypt, while another will not allow
that they are much earlier than the
days of the MonteZumas or the time of
the discovery of the continent by Co
lumbus. If the Maya tongue was as
open a book as the records of ancient
Egypt this question might be settled.
Who were the builders of UxmaI?
Whence came the ancient race that
carved the strange figures and char
acters that are found on the altar slabs
at Palenque? No one can tell. After
years of research we are but little
closer to the heart of the riddle than
we were half a century ago.
Recently the inquiry has taken an
other turn and the effort has been
made to ascertain something about
the prehistoric races that it was sup
posed might have preceded the MAYA
Indians in the occupation of the Yucca
tan peninsula. There are in the hills
Of 1ucatan many caves, not large in
extent, butwhich it was believed would,
upon investigation, show in the de-
posts which might be found on their
floors some traces of prehistoric man
in that region The earlier races found
shelter in caves, built fires there, and
IN the refuse of the ash heap are found
the bones of the animals they consumed
and the fragments of the tools, utensils
and weapons that they used. Relics
OF importance might be found in the
hill caves of YucataD, and so an expedi-
ton was sent out from the University
OF Pennsylvania to examine these caves
and investigate the Kitchen middens."
or culture beds" as science calls the
soil of which the floors of these caves
Is composed The expedition was in
charge of Henry C.. Mercer and was
known as the Corwith expedition, and
Mr.. Mercer has written an entertaining
and valuable account of their re
searches. Ten caves were examined
and the method followed was that usu-
ally employed in such cases. Trenches
are dug across the floor with great
care, the earth removed in layers and
carefully examined for relics and frap-
ments OF pottery, boxes of animals.
arrowheads and other weapons. II
was hoped that there would be found
traces of race anterior to the Mavas.
In this the explorers were doomed to
disappointment. They did not find
any traces of the prehistoric man; but
they found that the people who came
TO the caves were generally identical |
with the race that had reared the cities |
whose ruins have excited so much at
tention and wonder. They brought |
VI
they were possessed of and had not
developed after their arrival in Yucca
tan. 1t was also established that these
people had reached the country in geo
recent times. 1t will thus be
seen that not all the results of the ex-
petition were Of negative character
and that some of them were of impor-
lance from scientific point of view.
1t was ascertained that in all probable
ity the ancient Mayas were cannibaIs.
l hey were an agricultural people and
not given to hunting TO any great ex-
lent
Nearly an the caverns contained wa
ter, and 1t was that fact which first led
theSe earlier races to resort to them.
The party devoted its entire time to
cave explorations and did not study the
ruined cities. The fact was estab-
lshed that no prehistoric race preceded
he Mayas on the Yucatan neninsuIar.
but no fresh clews were obtained as to
low far back into the past that occupa-
ion extended--Brooltlyn Eagle.