The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-07-31
RUINS OF A METROPOLIS.
THE REMAINS OF a PREHISTORIC
CITY FOUND IN MEXICO.
Explorer snville,s pIseovery in Tint Country

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of n Race Superior to tho Famous Aztecs.
The coming meeting OF the American Asso-
citation for the Advancement OF Science, which
will convene at Boston on Aug. %. promises to
be the most notable in the history OF the or
ganization. 1t will BIO made SO chiefly by a
paper which Mr.. Marshall II. Saville OF
the American Museum OF Natural History
is preparing, which no will read before
the association. In this paper Mr.. Savllle
will relate the remarkable results Of
his recent explorations among the an
cient cities Of Mexico. The officers OF
the American Museum. who are the only ones
thus far acquainted with the full import OF
Explorer saville's discoveries, have pronounced
them the most remarkable ever made on this
hemisphere. Not only are they likely to revo-
lutionize SOM OF the pet theories OF archBolo-
gists and anthropologists. but they are OF
great interest for the light that they throw on
the question OF the origin Of the most ancient
Inhabitants OF the western continent.
The scene OF these remarkable discoveries Ia
Xoxo, about five miles south of the district OF
Oaxaca. The most important part of the work
was accomplished during six weeks OF the half
year over which Mr.. Saville's recent trip ex-
tended. Half by accident, Mr.. Sayille stumbled
upon the ruins Of agreat prehistoric metropolis.
the ancient capital Of the Zepotccas. by all odds
lIlb LlOSbt lllk illcIldu dJlO JndJ eNOT luNdDlIeu
the New World prior to the advent Of European
civilization. He not only found this ancient
city, but unearthed hieroglyphics OF a char
acter far surprising anything hitherto sup
posed to exist in the Western Hemisphere. be-
sides other proofs of o high culture and an
advanced civilization. The explorer is con-
WINGED after careful scientific analysts that
these revelations place the prehistoric Zepote-
can nation on a par with the ancient races Of
India, Chaldea and Egypt. and that they POSI-
bly, prove the first settlers OF this continent
to have been related to the first named Of these
peoples.
Mr.. Saville Is the head Of the Department OF
Archaeology in the American Museum. and has
spent many years in studying the traces of the
prehistoric peoples Of America. Since 1889 he
has been constantly making researches in Mex
leo. Mr.. Saville left on his latest and most
successful trip in October last. 1t was his pur-
pose to decipher certain picture writings
which cover the temple Of Montezuma's far
famed sun god, then considered the most i'm
portant ancient American structure. Quetzal-
coatl. the sun-god. was the principal deity Of
the AzUocs. and by some lucky chance his tenn
pie escaped the destructive hands of Cortez
and the other Spanish invaders.
Mr.. Saville's work was prosecuted under the
auspices of the Mexican Government, and he
was dCCpluI dlltu NY UuE. humphreys, u SuT-
veyor. who acted as an official Mexican repre-
sentative. While on the way to his intended
field OF labor. Mr.. Saville found traces of a
great group Of pyramids near XoXo. This re-
gion has long been recognized as a fruitful
field for the discovery OF Zepotecan relics.
Thinking that a little exploration might
uncover something Of value. Mr.. Saville
set his native laborers at work. and in q
short time had unearthed a number of pyra-
mids and smaller mounds. The largest twelve
OF these pyramids are Of the sort called ~teocalli,
an Aztec word meaning divine tombs. The
ground throughout this region was thickly
overgrown with guamuchi and mesquite. The
roots from these trees penetrated to a great
depth. and in several instances they had broken
through the stone floors or the mounds. Speci-
mems Of ancient pottery and other relics were
found which had been broken up by tho same
resistless forces.
One day. while Mr.. Saville was recommending
som distance to the north of the big group
Of pyramids. he came to a rise of ground form
ing a sort Of low plateau some distance above
the rest of the plain and covered with the usual
heavy vegetation and underground. Separat-
ing the vines and brambles as well as he could
for a short distance from the outer edge of the
growth. and peering underneath. the explorer
7. oticed peculiar bits of pottery and traces
broken pottery he knew at once from their
InSsra nrd 1G1rmabtioap that they had lain
ilsTss 16H% t Eiia e az" !E1oq storm which RIA n sas
their way. The explorer applied Himself ITO to
two or three feet into the earth. where, he came
who quickly cleared away, the brush and dirt.
The surface was found to be a cement floor. or.
ment roof. Cutting through it. the workers
came to the face OF a stone wall. Sealed to this
bowls. Under each bowl was a briGht" re e
funeral idol. which had been so thoroughly
preserved BY the perfectly dry air that it looked
as though II had been newly painted.
What had at first appeared to be a stone wall
vas now seen to be q long slab, forming a
digging. the doorway was uncovered and was
found to be blocked by a huge metate NATIVE
smaller stones and the whole mass cemented
over. so that the tomb was Theoretically sealed
against dampness and other corrosive agents.
block of volcanic origin. about six feet long and
eighteen inches wide; Carved across its entire
OF a, civilized racei No writing q such
an advanced character as that of these HERO
Glyphics has ever before been discovered in
America. The explorer took casts in plaster
and papier mache impressions OF this monoiith,
and finally OF the whole doorway, The inscrip-
He intends to recast duplicates OF the originals
anu scIlu IleHl W TIE dDlcSG nleTDRlypnlStS and
students of ancient records. in order that the
utmost knowledge and. skill may be brought to
bear for their decipherinR.
G AZ AT, soon as the doorway was cut through. Mr..
Of the tomb. Mural paintings, representing
female figures draped in shrouds and in atti-
tudes OF prayer, were IN the. walls. Three
inches in, the tomb contained a number OF
SKULLS. and other bones. comprising parts OF ten
all painted a bright red, the same shade as that
which covered tho bones found outside tho
chambers under the c~azuelas. Red. Mr.. Saviiie
says, was, the mourning color of the. Aztecs.
The fact that all the bones were painted shows
that they had been entirely stripped Of flesh
long generations which, had elapsed since the
sepulchre had been sealed over an inch OF fine
dust had sifted down from the decayed rocks
which formed tho roof and walls.
The most valuable part Of the discoveries in
was the inscriptions, Although some OF them
bear q generic resemblance to the maya writing
which has been found In other parts Of Mexico.
no written characters OF 30 high an order have
eyer before been discovered in America. II Is
partly phonetic.
The next step in Mr.. Saville's explorations