Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1901-04-20

the ruins, expected to find gold some
where buried.
The courts or patlos are about nine
feet below the floor of the upper story.
Around the sides where there are no
steps are large stones leaning at an
angle OF eighty degrees on which IN
bas relief are carved huge figures Of
men and women The work Is very ar
tistic. On the steps also we found
hieroglyphcs, and figures OF different
kinds. The floors Of the patios could
not be seen on account OF dirt and rub
Dish, but no doubt they were Of cement
Near the center OF the building is a
tower about forty feet high with an
outer and an inner wall. the inner wall
containing steps leading TO the top
During Mr.. stephens visit the steps
ended abruptly against a ceiling and
one could not get on top. Now an open
Ing Is made. The whole Of the tower
is In a very good state Of preservation
yet trees and grass are growing on the
top
The artificial mound is built OF stone
and dirt The walls OF the buildings
are OF stone and lime mortar and are
very solid The roof Is of the same
material as the wall, being made IN the
form Of Y instead Of an oval arch,
and capped with n large fiat stone. The
floors are OF a kind Of cement The
walls are plastered and whitewashed,
and then painted In different colors.
Everything suggests sOlldity and mas
siyeness. No pains no art, no means
apparently were spared, neither IN the
construction nor the decorating OF this
great structure. And as y has stood
for centuries, II will no doubt stand for
centuries to come, and the people Of
a thousand years hence may see part at
least Of what We see.
THE HALL OF HISTORY.
To the southwest OF the main build
ing distant about hundred yards Ia
another building on higher artificial
hill. We called II the Hal Of History
for in II are four large tablets covered
with hleroglyphics. These no doubt con-
tain history, and perhaps the history OF
the people that built the ruins. This
building Is OF the same general struc-
ture as the others. The same walls, the
same roofs and the pillars decorated
I'm the same way, though much Of the
stucco work Is gone. Ii contains cor
rider, and three rOOms, on each side
Of the entrance to the middle room are
tablets Of heIroglyphics, IN size about
u feet by IA feet, and made by fitting
the stones very accurately. The third
tablet is in the wall Of the middle room.
The figures are carved IN relief, and
| are yet mostly In good condition though
moss ls growing over some. a short
distance from this, on another hill or
pyramid of the same structure as the
first Is another building, called the
Temple Of the Sun" 1t consists OF an
outer corridor and three rooms, the
middle one containing shrine, with
three tablets, highly 0rnamented with
figures and heiroglyphics. The whole
| Is in a good state OF preservation Fac
! ing II and almost due east from II,
distance OF about 200 yards, Is an
/ other temple about the same size, but
( standing somewhat higher. II Is called
| the Temple OF the Cross" but Just why
| our guide could not explain. On the
north and facing the south, Is the third
temple larger and more highly decor
ated than the others The outer cOrri-
dor has fallen, but the heavy roof and
walls OF the three rooms stlll stand as
solidly as ever The hills or pyramids
on which these temples and buildings
stand, are not uniform in size or height.
but appear to be In uniform structure.
Whether there are chambers inside
these hills or not, no one knows as no
one has taken the trouble TO make the
necessary excavation. The only dig
cling that has been done was done by
the Spaniards In search OF buried trea-
sure. Opposite this larger temple
on the south Is another, so our guide
informed us but II Is In ruins, and
we did not take the time 70
see Il. No doubt other buildings are
near by, but Of inferior Importance.
These ruins are situated on the side OF
a mountain which from the valley rises
perhaps three thousand feet A stream
Of water flows through the grounds,
coming evidently from a spring for Ike
the Port Neuf In Idaho, II deposits a
calcareous substance that often dams
the waters. On both sides Of the stream
at intervals are walls. az II originally
the waters were kept In their channel
by rock work. From the ton ~ the
tower and from some OF the buildings
one can look over the level lands below
stretching for a hundred miles % the
gulf beyond. These are mostly covered
with a thick growth of timber yet some
prominent grass spots appear All
through the ruins and over the side OF
the mountains as far as we can see both
WAYS are endless forests. In these are
perhaps hidden other cities, not so large
as Palenque, but still once the home Of
thousands Of happy people.