Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-01-10
Hoods Sas.sapas-ilxa
ties the cocoanut is one of these, though
Tint poinf To J;aHutol

ties the cocoanut is one of these, though
that point is disputed.
I'm Southern Mesico, 10 a region
southwark of the City OF Mexico, are
found numerous aboriginal p. onle
who call themselvevs ths Otomi. There
are about 100000 of them and they
possess the only true monosyIlaiIo
languaRe--a language resembling in
struo ture the Chinese, that Ia to say
foundin that part Of the world. As we
know from their books the hiplo-
glyphio characters used In writing nv
the Mayas OF ancient Yuoat ,r and
Mexico somewhat resenblei those EN-
ployed by the early Chinese. The
chinese characters OIL today are me ely
notifications OF hieroglyphs which
were more or less Photographic.
Ethnologists have learned that peo-
pies widely separated geographically
and without acquaintance with each
other are apt 10 develop similar GUS
toms and like methods OF doing things.
Hence 1t is not sale to assume, for ex-
ample, that the rain cloak used since
ancient times In Yuostan and Mexico
ia OF Chinese origin simply because it
Ia exactly like the Chinese rain cloak
and has precisely the same knot In the
weaving OF it's fabric. Nevertheless. ID
Is strange coincidence. Authorities
on the subject have found other coincl.
dences in astronomical ideas, games, 30.
/ myself am conservative: / wish only
to be understood as finding no reason
for deuying this alleged discovery Of
America by Oriental voyagers. -
Naturally, the most striking remains
left behind by the ancient people of
Yucatap and Southern Mexico are
architectural, some oil the ruins being
10 very fair state OF preservation.
Many Of the buildings look like
Buddhist temples-vast caves of stones,
dark and windowless. They are
adorned with carvings, which, in
some cases, strikingly resemble Chinese
carving. Even at the present time the
descendants Of the Mayas OF Yucstau
are not wholly subjugsted, some OF the
tribes still holding the temples Of their
fathers Ms forts and defying all corners.
OF these strongholds the most no alb Q
Is that OF Fuloom. which is situa ed
on q high bluff, facing the sea. 1t IL
In reality Q fortress, and in early times
was the strongest place held by the
aporigines.
The fanaiical Spanish priests burntd
all of the old Maya boots they could
lay hands on, thus destroying re- OF cs
Of Immense value which can never be
replaced.
A, fow volumes we're preserved,
fortunately, and one striking thing
about them is that they are made
exactly like Chinese hooks each one
being composed Of a long sheet folded
backward and for ward, Ike screen OF
map. the sheet being bound by attach
ing boards to the outer folds.
Like the Chinese, the Maya warriors
in battle wore helmets In the shape of
the heads Of snakes, panthers and other
formidable animals, and made them.
selves additionally alarming by the
help OF grotesque masks. Some wore
body armor padded thickly with cotton
n kind of defenoa for the person
which has been commonly employed In
China. The limbs were sometimes rro-
tected with armpieces and gIeaves OF
thin hammered silver PLATE, while the
feathered coats Of the leaders were
acointd with gold and silver.
One finds in the carvings on the
ancient buildings Of Yucatan and
Southern Mexico q noticeable likeness
to grotesque Chinese carvings, walls
and pi lars being adorned with count
less human heads, more or less cario,-
tured, and with other fantastic de-
signs. The. artists of that vanished
race appear to have had great fancy
for making masks Tor ootpses anil
deaths heads of intrusted work. Repro
senrations of snakes and monkeys ars
numerous.
Like the Chinese, the Mayas had
wonderfully elaborate calendar system,
which embodied SO many elements Of
accurate chronology that it amazes
European scholars today.