The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1900-12-21
-sUNKEN CROSSES IN MEXICO.
Vile Near the Ruined Palaces
of Militia.

]
Natural History and to Prof. Saville,
who is in charge of the anthropolog-
ical department, for having furnished
new attraction. When he was pros
ecuting his researches at Militia, in the
state of Oaiaca, Mexico, in March of
the present year, he heard of a cruel
form subterranean chamber which
the indians of Militia supposed to be
a tomb of the ancient people. He
TOOK counsel with Leopoldo Batres,
the guardian of Mexican monuments
wko looks after Mexico's share of all
discoveries made by parties holding
concessions for archaeological investi-
cations, and learned from him the ex-
act location of this chamber, which
was between five and six miles from
the palaces of Militia on the topmost
plateau of range of hills called
Guironi. This name is Maya, not
Nahuatl, for there is no ''r" in the
latter language, says the New York
Sun.
Prof. Saville as soon as he had fin
ished at Militia went with $50 men to
this hill, whose shoulder or lower
plateau was about 1900 feet above the
level of the plain. Toward the left
the hill rose in another slope about
800 feet higher, and upon the top of
this he found the sunken cross. He
instantly recognized the structure de
scribed by the Frenchnfan, Capt. Du-
paix, in his work.. Antiquities Next
caines,' published in 1906, and remem-
bered that Capt. DupaiX had pro-
bounced it one of the greatest monu-
ments of ancient Mexico. With char
Gcteristic energy he determined to do
what Dupaix had never thought of
doing, to make such clearings as to
give the public access to it. He i'm
proved the wagon road that leads
from the village and passes along the
base of the hill. This hill was covered
with very heavy growth of different
forms of cactus, shrubs, rank grass
and many flowers. He made a good
walking or riding trail to the top of
the shoulder, where there are a num-
Der of terraced mounds curiously ar
ranged, and them carried the trail up
the second slope 10 the summit. Then
he completely cleaned out the cross
which had been Intentionally filed
with earth and cobble stones, and
found that the whole interior of the
stone work was covered with the Nit
la fret decoration.
This cross is % feet in total length
of the decorated part, but the west
ern limb has an undecorated extern
sion which was probably connected
with long, sloped entrance. If the
decorated part alone is considered the
cross is of the Greek form, but if the
undecorated extension is Judged to be
an essential part, then it is Latin in
form. The width of the arms is Ave
feet and the depth seven and half
feet. The walls are covered with
three tiers or courses of huge stones,
the two upper being three feet deep
and the lowest course a foot and a
half. Each course has its peculiar
fret decoration, based upon the zig.
gag which some scholars call the
Greek fret and others the Egyptian
meander, but which was always
known to the Chinese, Japanese and
Coreans in Asia. It seems to have
been equally well known to the inhab-
itants of Mexico and all Central Amer
lea. In Militia what may be styled the
official zigzag' does not appear, but
there are a number of variations
based upon the redan formation. This
was form of battlement rather rare
in Europe, which Cortez, however,
knew, and was astonished to find in
Mexico City,. The three kinds of zig
gag fret in the sunken cross at Gui-
roni are not in mosaic, as at Militia,
but are carved in intaglio in the
stones. Prof. Saville is of the opinion
that the incised part was left the nat
ural color of the stone, but that the
rest was covered with a fine coat of
white cement, over which was spread
an equally thin coat of red paint.
The flooring of the cross is of that
fine, hard, white cement which has eX-
cited so much admiration in the pal
aces of Militia. This seems to he like
the chunam flooring used to-day in
Hindostan, and is certainly oriental.
It is found frequently in Mexico, not
ably in the small but interesting
ruins of lula, which ambitious Amer
lean railroad men have identified with
the great city of Quetzalcohuatl, with
out much reason for it except the
really unimportant fact of its two
bridges.
Prof. SaviIle found that the cross
occupied the northeastern end of a
great cement-paved plaza, upon which
are various mounds. one of them with
five terraces. From his plan of the
ground it would appear that the an
cient people of the sunken cross CT
Guironi possessed a strong sense of
the value of breadth to produce strik-
ing effects. Yet in spite of the dig
ni5y of the plaza of Guironi it could
only have been side show to Militia
itself, which must have BEEN of vastly
greater Importance.
The Extreme Limit.
ST think there should be a law
against publishing les said the inno-
caD+ facad man nc he Ia III down his M