Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1901-02-20

maps, and made paper from the fiber of
the agave. Their advanced state OF civil
ization was marre9 only by their abb
ominabie human sacrifices.
ABORIGINAL RACES OF MEXICO.
The Mayas of Yucs.an bad attained
even greater degree of civilization than
the Aztecs, especially in arts and srcbi-
tecturaI science, as the remains of their
cities and temples attest to this day. The
| Spaniards, In their blind zeal for the
Catholic faith, destroyed nearly every
/ thing they could get their hands on which
showed the civilization OF these people.
whence got they this civilizationf has
| often been asked.
The Teitecs appear to be the first OF the
aboriginal races who had attained any
oegree of civilization. They inhabited
the Valley of Anahuac (tbe Valley of
| Mexico), built cities and temples and did
not indulge any hendish desire for hu-
man sacrifices. The Aztecs, fierce, war
/ like tribe, came down frohi the north
desolated their cities, drove the Toltecs
tan, and took to themselves some of the
arts and industries. So that we see that
the civilization OF the Aztec was that OF
the Toltecs. Now we have the remains
OF the Mayas in Yncatan, who were evil
IDENTIFY Toitec, and what do we find?
In the national museum at Madrid
there Is preserved one OF the books OF
the Mayas which escaped the general
auto da fe Of the Bishop Landa, who
4 a Aku hAx
The paper resembles very much the paper
manufactured by the Chinese, and it con-
sists of long strip doubled in folds
between two boards like their early
books. The text consists of hieroglyph.
les and picture-writing, which is the
only thing about 1t not resembling the
the Chinese. II is, indeed, a beautiful
piece OF aboriginal book making.
In Mexico there existed traditions OF
the visit of a strange people to the coun-
try, W no taught many things, and Alex
ander Won Humboldt, in his "Views of the
Cordiilerss,n mentions a number of sur
prising condolences between the Next
can and Asiatic civilizations.
or course, IL old Hwui Shan's account
of Fusang is correct, and that country Is
really Mexico, his dive Buddhist mission
aries left there could not be expected to
change the physiological characteristics
OF the people, though the effect OF reiig-
ion, education and training Is evident In
a single generation OF our own people.
Nevertheless, the Mayas of Yucatan
closely resemble the Chinese.
Some years ago an English company
endeavoring to start a sugar plantation in
the colony OF British Honduras, imported
several hundred Cinnamon ,indentured for
a number of years to work their plsnta-
ton. 1t was not long before these China
men disappeared. They had seen some OF
the Maya indians, and discovering some
similarity between them and themselves,
had taken to the bush with them.
Among he people inhabiting the lake
city of Peten on the southern borders of
Yueatap, the writer of this article discov-
cred Chinaman " hom he did not distn-
guish from any OF the natives, although
he was generally called the "Chinaman."
He was one OF the survivors OF the cooie
traffic to British Honduras, and when
questioned, talked freely OF the little he
could remember OF his past. He did not
seem speculative enough to discuss any
affinity between his own race and the
Mayas, though he spoke their language
probably better than be did Spanish. He
showed me the wooden outside door of a
house which one of his countrymen had
artis, icaliy painted with pigments aud
brush,s OF his own discovery and inven-
ton.
HINTS. OF ORIENTAL VISITORS.
When we come to search the remains
of the Toltecs or whoever the builders of
these cities we're, now scattered In ruins
throughout lower Mexico and Yucatan,
we find in many places the counterpart OF
such Buddhist temples az are found in
Java and many other Asiatic countries
TO which the Buddhist religion was car
ried.
NJ. Desire Charnsy, in his "Ancient
Cities OF the New World" gives a draw
ing from photograph OF the "Tempie OF
the Sum-" at Palenque, and opposite, a
picture of a Japanese temple. The one
Is almost a counterpart OF the other, but
Mr.. Charnay limits his remarks to asking
/, |
and stating that a theory might be
started with respect to the probable
Asiatic origin Of the Toltec tribes. In
his beautiful work he does not appear to
have any knowledge of Fusang and its
historical discoverer, old Hwui Shan, or
II he does, he ignores him. He seems to
believe that the japanese carried on a
steady traffic formerly on the coast OF
North America, "as also by fortuitous
immigrations resulting from shipwreck."
Later he compares the stucco has reliefs
on the ruined nunnery at Chichen liza
to Chinese carvings.
These ruins are in the true country OF
the Mayas. Elephants heads on some OF
, the American ruins have excited the
wonder of all archeologists. Where did
they got the elephant? has been the uni