The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-10
LAST STAND OF SAVAGERY
Natives of Yucatan Defending
Their Homes From Invasion.
THE LAND OF THE MAYAS
Country Oncs the Abode of an Ad-
yanced Civiliz ation-Ancient Tenn
pies of the Gods Now Util-
izsd as Fortresses.

pies of the Gods Now Uti-
izsd as Fortresses
Behind the massive stone walls of
huge prehistoric fortresses, reared 1000
years or more ago, the descendants of
the Egyptians Of America-the pyra-
mid-building Mayas of Yucatan-are
awaiting the approach of the armed
expedition sent against them by the
Mexican government. Theirs is the last
stand of savagery against civilization
on this continent and for more than
one reason the outcome of the conflict
will be awaited with interest. The re-
gions inhabited by these wild people
are as yet to so great an extent unex-
plored, the enormous structures uplift-
ed upon pyramids which serve them as
military refugees are so very ancient
and of such mysterious origin, and the
resistance of the tribes to subjugation
by white authority has been SO sue
cessful hitherto that an atmosphere Of
veritable romance may be said to en-
velop the situation. Meanwhile fleet
of "a light-draught boats has been sent
up the Pondo river, carrying troops to
attack the natives, who are obstruct-
ing the commercial development of the
country by interfering with the gath
ering of dyewoods and in other ways.
Extensive portions of the peninsula of
Yucatan remain unknown to the geo.
grapher simply because the boldest ex-
plorers have not dared to venture into
them for fear of the fierce and warlike
inhabitants. Several tribes of the lat
ter have defied the authority of the
government of Mexico for more than
three-quarters of a century, holding the
temples and palaces of their forefathe
by force of arms and maintaining feud
against all corners, white or red. OF
these strongholds the most important
is that of Puloom, oft seen but never
visited by civilized travellers. 1t stands
on high bluff, in full view of the SEAL
frowning outpost of savage domination
The structure is of immense size and
many centuries ago it was the strong
est place held by the Mayas, whose de-
scendants keep watch from it's battle
ments to-day.
An Ancient Civilization.
The status of the ancient Mayas at
the time of the discovery of America
was much like that of the Egyptians
in the old world. In respect to civil
ization there were considerably ahead
of any other people on the American
continent. They were traders and navi-
gators, building vessels of large size
and maintaining commerce with
CuDd ana L lOTlQa. lnelr arts were HlSll-
ly developed and their architecture was
of SO notable character that at the
present time thousands of square miles
Of the territory they once occupied are
dotted with the ruins Of their towns.
Indeed, in that country, the traveller is
seldom out of sight of some massive
structure of antiquity, and in one case
a mountain 1000 feet high has been
completely remodeled by artifice into
system Of pyramids and terraces.
Some of these buildings, like the edl-
flee of Puloonl, are so well preserved
as to serve the purpose of fortresses
most admirably even now. The period
of their construction no man knoWeth
but many of them undoubtedly date
back to an epoch centuries earlier than
the arrival of Columbus In that mys-
ferrous theater of vanished Maya CIV
ilization are found the remains of 81
cities, while greater number probably
are hidden beneath the tropical forests
and in the unexplored region of the east
and south. In the north are Izomal,
AXE and Myuapan; in the central re-
gion are UXmal, Xaba and 10 other
ruined towns Of notable extent In the
east is the marvellous Chichenitza-a
group of huge buildings set upon q
series of pyramids.
There is something extremely pictur-
esquee and even weird about the no.
ton of race of savages lurking in the
half-ruined fortresses and palaces built
in dim antiquity by their civilized an
cestors Some day. doubtless, these
mysterious retreats will be explored,
but meanwhile the accessible remains
of ancient Yucatan cities afford suf-
ficiently attractive field for ethpologi-
cal study. The country has almost no
surface water, nearly all of the streams
running underground. In places the
pf al
| perforated by the disintegration of the
limestone strata, forming natural wells
or sinks 100 feet or more in depth the
water in which can be reached in many
| cases by ropes or ladders In olden
| times every such well, or group of
wells, was encircled by buildings
enormous in size and rich in barbarous
sculpture that any others in Old Ameri-
| "a. Many of these clusters of editices
has ceased to be occupied or used be-
fore the invasion of the Spaniards and
even at that epoch some of them We're
already overgrown with dense forests.
| Barring the Egyptians, the ancient
| Mayas of Yucatan seem to have been
the greatest pyramid builders the world
ever saw. Sometimes they shaped en-
| tire hills to serve as supports for tenn
| pies or groups of shrines, but ordinar-
| lily they would take a small elevation
and add courses Of stones in such a
| manner as TO give increased HelSHl anu
symmetery. In the interior of some OF
the mounds thus uplifted have been
found supporting constructions Of
| masonry and even cement floors.
Where Gods Were Worshiped
Evidently these We're sacred hills in
many instances, appropriately crowned
| by structures dedicated to the worship
of the gods. Occasionally they appear
to have been utilized rs places of bur.
ial. and many human bones have beer
| discovered in them, with other curl
osities, such as the painted skeletons oil
| jaguars. In the neighborhood of the
| famous castle of Chichen-Itza are two
very symmetrical terraced pyramids
500 feet on a side, one of which is well
preserved and shows painting in Vari-
| Gus colors on the stucco surface.
| In no case does it seem to have oc-
CURED to the old-time Maya architect
| to make a pyramid ccmplete-that is
IL