Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1897-02-02
PREHISTORIC AMERICA.
Was the Western Continent the Cradle Of
Civilization?

4
The Democrat and Chronicle recent,
ly republishcd from the PHILADELPHIA
Times an account of the alleged dis
covery by Mr.. LIE Plongeon of a key to
the inscriptions on the ruined cities OF
lucatan. With this key LIE Plongeon
claimed to have deciphered a record
OF the flood upon the Intel of door
at Chichcn. 1t is asserted that the in
Ecriptions are in the ancient MAYA lam
guage. The nature of the key found by
the explorer is not fully revealed. AS
form or dialect of the Maya tongue
is still spoken in Yucatan it is pos
sible that some aid was gained from
the natives. 1t is not likely that he
found any parallel writings in a known
language to throw any light on the
hieroglyphics.
The announcement, il it can be sub
stantiated, is of the highest Importance.
For, II the writings on the many ruined
buildings of Central America and Mex
leo can be read part of the mystery
surrounding early man on this CONT
pent will be solved. The existence of
written records and a dignified archi-
lecture show clearly that there was
high state of civilization.
Officials Of the bureau of ethnology
at Washington make haste to deny that
LIE Plongeon has made any discovery
whatever, and they may be right, but
such denial is the usual thing, and 1t
has no bearing on the subject. If the
French investigator has key he can
substantiate his statements and ignore
the official doubters. Until he riyes
some satisfactory exposition of his al
legged discovery. however, the decision
as to its merits must be reserved.
1t has occurred to us that the Sc
crets of the ruined cities may vet be
revealed by a careful comparison of
the ruins with the monuments and ar
chitecture of India and China. Several
of the sculptured images found in Cen
trail America and Mexico bear strik-
ing resemblance to the statues of Bud
dha in Japan and Burmah. The statue
OF Quetzalcoatl of the ancient Mexicnns,
seated with crossed legs and closed
eyes, i'll the attitude of contemplation.
with hands upon the lower limbs, bears
colossal Buddha, or Guatama, at Amara-
pura, Burmah. This comparison is
made from drawings in Chambers Cy-
clopedia and Ober's "rravels in Mex
ico." Quatzalcoatl was divinity who
during his life on earth instructed the
natives in the use of metals, in agri-
culture, and the arts of government.
pillar discovered at Copan by the ex-
plorers of the Peabody museum of Har-
ward college contains figure, recent
ly sketched in the Boston Globe, that
resembles the giant statues of Buddha.
a statue from Polenque, pictured by
ODER, also resembles Buddha. Posi-
bly, there is real relationship between
the statues of Quetzalcoatl and those
of Budha in Asia
Was Buddha a parsonage of Amer.
lean rather than Hindu origin? The
explorations by the authorities of the
Peabody museum, recently described
in the Boston Globe, reveal the fact that
the ruins now visible at Copan are but
the latest of three periods of growth
and decay. That is, under the floor
OF the ruined temples are two other
foundations of cities or great build
ings buried deeply in debris of I'M
known antiquity. We quote from the
Globe: Along the river front (Copan
extends for two miles along the Copan
river, and near the boundary of Guate-
mala and Honduras) are found three
great strata, divided by floors or pave
ments of mortar cement. If these
tloors,' says Prof. Putnam, mark the
various levels corresponding to differ
ent epochs in the history of the city,
the question of the age of the ruins
becomes still more complicated; for
between each successive period of oc-
cupancy there is a period of silence, the
length of which can only be inferred
from the thickness of the superimposed
stratum At Copan there nre 20
sculptured monoliths 10 feet high. The
three pavements indicate an age that
may be even greater than that Of any
monument or building now known.
Investigators are beginning to see
that the learning and the arts Of the
world may have had their origin in
America, and not in India or Egypt.
The pyramids Of Egypt may be copies
of the pyramids of Mexico, and the
highly ornamental sculptures and archi-
lecture of India may have had their
origin in the temples of Uxmal, Militia
and Chichen. At Chichen is found in
bold relief the SwaStika, Oldest Of en-
blems and known for ages through
out the east. This emblem shows COM
mon knowledge, that may have sprung
from America and spread to Asia and
to Egypt. The presence of the Swastika
or cross with curved arms, or arms
turned in one direction at right angle,
lends plausibility to the supposition
we have ventured, that Buddhism, and
early-world religion, may have origin
ated in America, and that the first stat
ues of the wise and enlightened ono
were erected on this continent.
Study of the ruins of Central America
has only just begun. 1t was about 1s41
that Stephens explored them and gave
the first authentic description to the
world. His work excited ridicule, be-
cause many believed that his pictures
and descriptions were works Of his
imagination; but to-day it is found
that he was wonderfully accurate, and
did not go far enough in describing tho
cities. T
Attention should be constantly direct
cd TO the solution of the mystery sur
rounding Americas ruins. and it would
be well tolooli to China and India for
clew.-tocheste Democrat and Chron-