The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-04-07
Che a01ieta 1airu Eagle: Sunday glorrfno, April 1901.

desired IEaE the excavation OF the great
silo or subterranean passage which exists
closed Up among the palaces Of Mictlan.
might be protected cor favored. for in II
he knew there were murnmies as perfect
y preserved as IN the ancient pyramids
OF Egypt
In 1866 Charnay visited Militia and made
photographs of the principal edihces. In
1855 Professor Edward SEER Of Berlin
copied the mural paintings. which were
published IN 1885. This was fortunate, as
the paintings have been almost entirely
destroyed since that time. Even then
there were not many left. IN 1893 Profess
scr ". H Holmes Of the Smithsonian n
statution, made q trip to Militia on the
Armour expedition. Many other arch
biologists have visited the ruins in the
last hundf ID years. but from the time CT
Dupaix no one with the exception Of
Ayrne. n 1sS1, made excavations until Ar
Savile visited the ruins last year and
made some preliminary excavations pre-
paratory 10 his WORK Of this winter.
Most OF the arcnaeologists who have
hitherto visited the ruins have described
them as buildings resting upon shape
less mounds OF earth" without founda-
have speculated as TO WHY the builders
should have erected such beautiful struc-
lures without bases. Professor Savile
believed that the buildings did have bases
and that the dust OF ages had covered
them. Following this theory, he set TO
work removing the earth around the
buildings. and a little digging proved that
he was right
Having found the inner line Of the bases
Of the buildings, Professor Savine set his
men TO work 10 find the outer bases, and
they were found but only one row Of the
base stones remains. The two lower
steps Of a grand stairway leading up 10
the main temple were found at its base,
in the patio. These were very heal and
very narrow, only wide enough 10 place
the foot upon them sidewise. This was
probably the way in which the Toltecs as
cended from the temple, 50 as never 10
turn their backs upon their gods.
4 SQUARE AND AN ALTAR.
On the west side Of the patio there had
evidently been a building similar to the
one on the east side. but totally destroy
cd. The top Of the south side is TOO mar
row TO have supported a building and it
is thought that on this side a platform
wa serected from which audiences viewed
the ceremonies in the temples and patio
In the center of the patio which was
probably an altar where religious rites
were celebrated. The rooms of the tenn
pies are too small for any audiences TO
have gathered in them, which makes il
appear that the public ceremonies were
held on the outside il the open patio. In
the southwest corner Of the patio was
found a drain leading 70 the outside Of
the court. built of stone
The south group was found to be SINH
lar TO the north group, except that the
inside lines OF the patio We're six feet less
in length. At the northeast corner was
q passageway with steps. Cleaning this
out, small cement hoored patio was un-
covered between the corners of the group
showing that they conneetde roginally-
While cleaning the earth away from the
outside base at the southeast corner OF
the south group above the lower line Of
base stones was found a section Of q pan
eI Of grecque or mosaic work, similar 70
the inner and outer walls Of the build
ings. simultaneously the worSmen on
the west side of the court found SINH
lar section Of grescque work and above
il a second base line. This throws en-
tirelv new light on the situation. indicat-
ing that the buildings were erected on
solid foundations about fifteen feet in
height; that a lower base line OF geome-
tricaIIy perfect stones ran around the
buildings: that above this was a panel
about two feet in width Of grecque work
above this terraced. a second row of per-
fectly fitting stones, above this another
row Of grecque work and then the base
lines Of the buildings themselves.
This shows that the buildings were con-
structed in perfect symmetry and that
thew re as beautiful and imposing in
their way as any modern or ancient
structures on the face OF the earth. Ruins
of buildings stiH stand on three sides OF
this court. the north. east and south The
west side of this court was the platform
side. and excavation is now proceeding
with the hope Of finding grand fight
Of steps leading Up TO it,
Under the north building in this group
is a cruciform subterraneaa structure.
measuring thirty-five feet from me en-
trance TO the head and forty-one and
four-tenths feet across the arms. The
walls are constructed Of mosaics similas
TO those Of the buildings above ground
At the entrance is q huge monolith. sup
porting the roof over The center of the
cross. This building. evidently tomb.
was found several years ago. but from
the top. When the patio was cleaned OUT
it was seen that the entrance 70 this
structure. cit out OF the bed rock, was
from the floor Of the patio.
AS TIL 11OLE LED.