Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-02-02
hsfoRY hF MAN,
The Ruins Around Santa fe Form a Link
In History,

In History.
The lecture by Prof. Z. L. HeWett, of
the Normal University of New Mexico
at Las Vegas, at the court house last
evening, was intensely interesting. The
speaker was introduced by Hon. j. f..
Victory and greeted with applause. His
topic was the STORY of Man." and the
lecture was Illustrated with stereopti-
con views, which added greatly to its
interest. Professor Hewett spoke about
the nan of prehistoric times, and
brought out the fact that as old as
Santa Fe Is In q historic sense, 1t Is in
a geological and chronological sense that
it is far, far older; in fact, so old that
it cannot be expressed in years, but
only in geologic ages. The region Of the
Rio Grande valley above White Rock
canon was a vast lake in the tertiary
period, which finally broke through the
great thicknesses of volcanic tufa at
White Rock canon. The region above
was we'll watered before this break &C.
Cured and very fertile. 1t gave sus-
tenance to hundreds of thousands of hui
man beings, who lived closely together
in the cliff dwellings, which now abound
in that section. Professor Hewett then
described these dwellings, of which
there are five varieties, forming a pro-
gression upward. Some of the immense
| stone structures, the ruins of which
| are found within twenty to thirty miles
Of Santa Fe, contained from 800 to 1000
| rooms. The speaker mentioned h prev
alent opinion that the cliff dwellings
were built 300 or 400 years ago by the
ancestors of the present Pueblo Indians,
| and asserted that the Indians in those
days merely r%eoccupied them and plas-
| tered over some Of the Inscriptions made
by the original cliff jewellers. One path
I'm sandstone on a volcanic cliff near
| Santa Clara had been worn hip deep by
| the cliff jewellers i'm going to and fro
| from one village to another. The en-
trance to the temple of Mecca. trod ev-
cry year by millions of pilgrims, has
been worn down only 6 inches in about
a thousand years, and this will give
some idea of the length of time that the
path was used. Professor Hewett de-
| scribed the fossils of prehistoric animals
like the mastodon and others which
have been found as late as this winter
| at Tesuque, at San Ildefonso and other
| places hereabouts. BY the relies fO'lrl
in the cliff and cave jewellers homes
they must have been contemporaneous
with those animals, and that would
mean that right in this vicinity are evil
dences that man existed in the tertiary
period, millions of YEARS ago, a scientific
opinion that in recent years has been
hotly debated by scientists.
Professor Hewett expressed the hope
that explorations in this region will in
the rear future decide the question Of
"How Old Is MANI"
The speaker, upon motion of Judge A.
l.. Morrison and Capt. s. H. Day, was
rendered a rising vote of thanks for his
splendid lecture, and in conclusion was
warmly congratulated upon the scien-
tific discoveries he has made upon New
Mexico soil. He exhibited a number Of
fossils of prehistoric animals found in
this vicinity, and some of which are
now on exhibition in H. S. Kaune &
Co.'s store.
The audience last evening was larger
than at the previous lecture, and ten
dered Professor Hewett a impromptu
reception after the lecture. The next
lecture Of the course will be given next
| Thursday, and will also be Of great To-
cal interest, as Prof. c. l.. Herrick,
president of the university of Albuquer-
que, will speak on 1.-THE Geological
Foundations for New Mexico's Great
ness" a subject of which he has made a
special study. This lecture will also be
illustrated.
Meals at all hours at the Bon-Ton.