The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-10-17
A DESERTED CITY
The Ancient Civilization oUxmaI,
I'm Mexico.
From the Baltimore su

From the Baltimore So
Frof. William H. Holmes, citor OF
the National Museum at Washgton, has
recently explored the ruins o'the de-
serted city of Uxmal, in Mexp. Count
less centuries ago it was the sode of a
highly civilized race, but no the once
massive buildings are fast Grabbing into
dust, and this former metropd Of a peo-
pie who long ago ceased to est will soon
have faded into nothingness. Uxmal lies
amid dense swamps, the vii and unre-
strained forest growth of agI The an
cieQt city was pile of ruins men Column
bus discovered the new won,' and 1t is
shrouded in the deepest mysry. A few
hardy explorers have penetrted the will
derness and caught a glimpseof it, but 1t
remained for Prof. Holmes give a de-
tailed description Of the wohers of the
deserted city. Over Uxmal hays the spell
of death. Here, as Prof. Iblres says,
may be seen the walls of enorious palaces
slowly rotting away under tbs unrelenting
hand of time. A mighty pyrmid with a
base 24O feet long by 100 fee wide, rises
to highly of 50 feet, and uon its sum-
nit are the ruins of what wa once a gor-
geous temple. A broad stairway leads
from the base of the pyramid to the
structure which rests upon i'll top. The
cascade of the temple is a most ornate
piece of composite architecture. Among
the ornamentations are a colossal face,
u feet square; a pair of tigers placed
together, with heads turned Outward and
groups of devices resembling gyphs. This
mammoth pile of stone pyramid and tenn
nR
workmanship Of which the most skilled
modern artisans might be proud
An immense structure, fairly we'll pre-
served as ruins go, is the governors pail
ace, of which Prof. Holmes gives most
interesting description. Nowhere IN the
American continent can such anoths- ruin
be found. The building rises maje!tical-
ly upon the summit of broad, triph ter
race. Court upon court, rows of mighty
pillars, space upon space of empty ehan-
bers present. themselves to the view All
are lettering before the irresistible forces
of decay, but they bear eloquent testi-
mony to the boldness and originality of
the ancient architects and builders. From
the top of a pyramid, grander even than
that which was surmounted by a temple
Prof. Holmes and his party were enabled
to get a view of the entire city as It lay
before them in swamp and plain This
pyramid is 300 feet long by 200 feet wide
at its base. Its hight is 10 feet, and at
the top is a summit platform rs feet
square. From this point the explorer
could see ruined temples and palaces, enor-
nous stone buildings, once the residences
OF long forgotten lords, and the houses
of those who were less powerful rnany
OF the buildings being roofless and half
hurled in the deep forest growth that has
sprung up around them. The walls of all
the larger structures bore evidences of
elaborate architectural ornamentation. in.
dlcatlng that In its prime, numberless cen.
turles ago, -UXmal was an art-loving an
well as wealthy and important city.
A sight so majestic and supreme, Prof,
Holmes says, he has never witnessed. 1t
was beautiful but dreary for on all sides
were desolation, decay and death. Rut II
does not require vivid Imagination to
people the ancient city again with bust
ling, pleasure-loving and cultivated in.
habitants. The market places in which the
merchants traded are now deserted. and
the only sound which Is heard is the roar
OF the Mexican lion. The temples and the
nunnerles. the palaces Of the nobility aud
the gymnasium, where the populace con-
gregated to witness the sports OF their atm
letes, have been in ruins so long that even
tradition does not say when they were
peopled. But there the city stands show
ing that centuries before Columbus land
ed in the new world there existed hers
civilization so old it was in the last
stages of decay. 1t is net necessary for US
to go to the far east in search of ruins.
for. according to Prof. Holmes, there are
mysteries on this continent which battle
US as much as Ninevah and Babylon. Tx.
NAL was once mighty city, but how long
1t has been since it was in the hight of
It's glory no man can tell, and we muse
reckon by centuries to form even a faint
conception Of the time which has elapsed
since it was the habitation of the living