The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-09-09
SUNKEN CROSSES ~ MExICo
Interesting Discovery by Prof. saviIie Near
the Ruined Palac es Of Militia.

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Tourists in Mexico are under obligations 10
the American Museum Of Natural History
and TO Prof. Saville. who Is in charge Of the
anlhropological department. for having fur.
nishcd a new attraction. when he was prosecute
ing his researches ut Militia, In the state oI
Oajaca. Mexico. in March Of the present
year, he heard Of a cruciform Snh'erranean
chamber which the Indians Of Militia supposed
TO he n tomb Of The ancient people. lie took
counsel with Teopoldo Batres. the guardian
Of Mexican monuments who looks after McNico'S
share ~ all discoveries made by parties holding
concessions for archaeological Investigations,
and learned from him the exact location o. this
chamber. which was between five and six miles
from the palaces Of Militia on the topmost plateau
Of a range of hills called Guironi. This name
is Maya. not Nahuatl, for there IL no r. in the
latter language.
Prof. Saville. as soon as he had finished NJ
Militia went with $50 men 10 this hill, whose
shoulder or lower plateau was about i.?C feet
above the lev 81 OF the plain. Toward The left the
hill rose in another slope about 200 feet higher,
and upon the top ~ this he found The sinken
cross. He instantly recognized the structure
described nv the Frenchman. Capt. Dupaiy, in
his work, Antiquities MeXicainps." published
In 1900, and encountered that capt Dupaix
had pronounced II one OF the greatest mnnll-
mentS Of ancient Mexico. With CHARACTERISTIC
energy he determined to do what DupaiN had
never thought Of doing. TO make such c~learinRs
as 10 give the public access to II. He improved
the wagon road that leads from the village NJ
Militia la n neighbOring village and passes along
the. base Of the hill. This hill was covered
with a very heavy growth Of different forms
Of cactus. shrubs, rank. grass and many flowers
lie made "A good walking or riding trail to the
top of the shoulder where there are a number
81 terraced mounds curiously arranged. and
then carried the trail M the second slone to
the summit Then no COmnlptply CLEANED ant
the cross which had been Intentionally filed
with eart,h and cohble. stones, and found that
covered Will the Militia fret decoration.
This cross Is twentv-eight feet in total length
Of me decorated par: but the western limb
ably connected with a long, sloped entrance
II the. decorated part alone IS considered tho
cross is of the Greek form, but II the undnc
Grated extension Is Judged Ia be. an essential
part, then ! Is Latin in form The width Of
me arms Is tlye feet and the depth, seven and a
half feet The walls are covered with three
tiers or courses of huge stones, the two upper
being three feet deop, and the lowest course a
loot and a half Each course has its peculiar
fret decoration. based upon m" zigzaG which
some, scholars call the Greek fret and others
me Egyptian meander, but which was always
known 10 the Chinese. Japanese and Koreans
IN ASIA II seems TO have been equally well
known, 20 the inhabitants 81 Mexico, and all
Central America In Militia what may be STYLED
the official ziglag does not appear. but there
are a number of variations based upon the
redan formation This was 2 form Of battle
'' s'''' ~ W is'i'IHl Nv "l''gl l'N-
ever, knew. and was astOnished 10 find IN Mexico
CITY The three kinds Of zigzag fret in the
Nlnken cross at Gulroni are not In mosaic, as
q Militia, by, are carved in intaglio in the stones
Prof Saville is Of the opinion that the inCisad
par was left the natural color Of the stone,
hut thar 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
ne cross Is OF that fine, hard, white cement which
has. excited so much admiration in the palaces
of Militia This seemsNo be like the chunam
flooring used today IN Hindostan, and is GER
tlInlX nTialTal IL IL f,ttpI IEa,t,,pfI. il, NJ
leo, notably in the small but Interesting ruins
OF Inla, which ambitious American railroad men
hav" Identified with the great city Of QuetZsl-
cohuali without much reason for It except
the really unimpOrtant fact of It's two bridge.
Prof. Saville found That the cross occupied
the northeastern end Of a great cement-paved
plaza, upon which are various mounds. one Of
them With i've terraces. From his plan Of the
ground II would appear that the ancient ne oplr
Of the Sunken cross Of Guironi possessed A
strong sens" of the value of breadth To produce
striking effects. Yet in spite of the dignity Of
the plaza OF lilllroni IL could only have been "A
side show Ia Militia itself, which must have been
OF vastly greater Importance
Gnironl Is not the only sunken cross in the
nelghborhOod for there is another at a place
called Naaga. very near. upon another hill.
This is larger in all its dimensions. with the ex-
caption Of the western limb. which Ia only half
the width Of the Others. Xsaga is difficult TO
see. In the first place. II ~ private property.
4 Mexican gentleman with an eye for the, pic
t1reSqur determined to build his hacienda or
country seat upon "A large mound. so that the
green grassy slope should be in front Of his
ubp III NlHhltR inc FOUNDATIONS LOT tllt mousse
the workmen came upon the sepulchre. or tomb.
a. they called II. The entrance was found
upon the western side, and they tunnelled a
passage through the western side OF he mound.
Naaga IL unlike Militia and Guironi in this. that
the walls are composed of small slabs, each
one covered with a variation Of the zig-zag
fret. IL IL a singular fact, but the cross OF
Manga presents an epitome OF every kind Of
fret ,lsed at Militia. The latter is in a peculiar
mosaic. cut in trachyte, whereas the construc-
ton stones are Of sandstone. At Guironi tho
ornamentation Is cut IN intaRlio, but AZ Xaasa
II is cut In relief.