The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-10-25
Wise MEN TALK OF MEXICO.
YESTERDAYS DOfNGS At THE
CONGRESS- or AMERIC tNISTS.
Mrs. INITIAL Tells About Magyar Ways
Of Counting ThinEs-A Pre-spanish
street IL lncOvercd- Blood Sacrtrces
And the sacrifice Of Senor lhaS ero.

WV SaVTiUNr W SetoE
Mexican subjects occupied the whole
day AT yesterdays session of the Ameri-
canis's in the American Museum, and a
dozen papers were presented and dis
c,issed. DR.. Hjalmar S,olpe. head of the
| Royal Photographed Musuem al Stock
holm yice-president for sweden. was chair
man Of the morning meeting. He took
occasion to pay tribute To the late Prof.
Erik Nordens kjold, the well-kno~n Swedish
scientist. who died last year.
Prof. Edward Seller read an interest in g
paper on The Photographic and Hero
glyphic Writing Of MEXICO and Central
America" IA part of il based on the Codex
Natican,- 3.773. a commentary on which,
prepared by himself. Prof. Seller presented
20 the Congress. He said that readers
would be disappointed who hoped 10 find
in this codeX descriptions of the daily life
or religious observances Of the people
such a. appear in Egyptian hierogvphs
and papyri. as the codex was given UP al
most wholly to notes on the calendar and
to Astronomical data.
There was uuini-, akable relationship be-
tween these Mexican writings and the Mayan
writings, h. said. He had found similar
references TO the gods in each. He mem
toned an interesting find Of representa-
| tons of Venus, the planet. throwing spears
al deities Prof Seller said that unques-
tionably the ancient writings must be stud
led diligently IL the stone inocript ions were
10 lie deciphered
Mrs Celia Nu,tal read paper entitled
A Suggestion TO Maya Scholars Mn.
Nuttall said that the Mayas used many
affiyeS IN counting, the affix varying accord
ing 20 whether they were counting canoes,
mon and women. round objects. things
which could be Congrcgated ;oget her,
things carried n the hand. or animals. and
so on she had found seventv-five affixcs.
Recently she had taken the time to hunt
through a Maya dictionary in search Of
words similar in sound TO the various
affiXes She had found many She made
the suggestion, therefore. that when a
picture Of thing having name Of similar
sound followed nrneral. II might indicate
that "A certain number Of those things were
being counted. instead of indicating merely
that the af'iX of SIMILAR sound was intended
in connect ion with the numeral.
l'opoldo Batres, ia a paper on The
Excavations in -CaierillaS Street. City If
Mexico" told Of discoveries mad" when
he street was excavated recently in con-
meet ion with some new drainage work.
The diggings disclosed the pavement in
existence when The spanish came 20 the
CITY. II was more than three ccn'iInet res
below the present level. The excavations
showed where the Spaniards had over
thrown no native buildings 20 put UP build
ings Of their own sort. Many Jade beads
and copper oelS We're found on stairway.
r Maudslav. of the Anthropologiral
Institute Of Great Britain aud Ireland,
pleaded that monuments found In such
a dry atmosphere as thar of Monte Alban
in Mexico be left IN place. \ railway now
ran ~ near To that place that II could bc
reached in an hours drive, ard he believed
If left / place than when put in museIins.
Mr.. BatreH said that NaLdal man was
not vet extinct. and. 'sd"S this foe TO
mnruine' tho ~h"ets OF rain which de-
see d"d on the -tou" remains of old Mexico
rapidly washed away II sCriptioLs The
damage by the elements and 10y man had
shown the Government that the OILY way
To- prescrN" IN" relics was bv housing them
IN museums, and this the Government
vas doing Mr.. Nauds,ay's idea WAS 10
root over the monuments where they stood.
Mr.. Seller presented another short paper
Of much interest on Ancient Mexican
Religious Poetry"
Mr. Maud-ley presided az the afternoon
session, the first paper in Which was on
Datas References a Una E-pecir Nueva
de tscritura GerOgliliCa on S"AlCO, by DR.
Nicolas Leon Of the National Museum al
OaNaca. Or Leon illustrated his paper on
ii~ finds Of new kind Of hieruglvphiCal
writing 10y -teroopticor slides
NlI- Nutail. in paper ON A Prni'entisl
Rite of the Ancient McXicans, said that the
old Mexican, pIaCtl~"d their religion in
dead earnesU She Told of their blood
sacrifices, performed by letting blood
from various parts of their budie>, includ-
ing their ears, Tongues and shins.
Ear-clltting was praCt Used by all ages
and both sexes, the ear. even of infant.
being c,It in order that they might share
in the benefits Of the sacrifice. This was
not ear piercing Of the familiar kind The
oars were Cu', and the men, taking blc cd
on their fingers, drew straight lines from
their eyebrows 70 their mouth corners.
while the women made circular marks on
their cheeks
Men also drew spears or stats through
their Tongues ana the monuments bore
sculptures showing this practice A. times
they cut their shins with thorns and the
thorns were then offered 70 the God of the
North. the Darkness and the Under World.
Sculptures showed this ceremony also.
fCward H. Thompson showed repro
duCtlOnS of mural paintings of Iucatan
and described thcm. He also made for
the congress reproductions through the
Kaleidoscope and the phonograph of the
sun dance of the Mavas. The two instru-
ments were 20 well timed that the dancers
on the screen fell in with the chant coming
from tho phonograph. Tie learned scien-
fists applauded this show more vigor-
orslv Than they had most Of the solid papers
of the congress.
There were displayed as Miss Adele
Bretons contribution, under the title Of
"Ihe Ancient Ob.idian Mines of Mexico"
several copies made bv her Of mural dccora-
tons in d ruined temple. Tho work en-
hihi'ed curious nictur" ~ old painting
The absence of Alfredo Chavero from the
sessions Of the congress since Wednesday
morning. when he presided and when the
lit e episode OF Mr Ba,res's resentment
rather startled the sedste congress, has
given rise 10 stories of many sorts regarding
the two Mexican colleagues. The men are
associated on the Mexican commission 10
the Congress, but they have long been op-
posed al home TO the degree that there they
do not speak to each other. Their diler-
ences are an old story To members of the
congress rs well a. in Mexico.
They were To have been outwardly friends
here. LOT at the beginning of the present
congress- they touched fingers. But when,
as presiding officer, Mr.. Chavero neglected
to mention Mr.. Batres's excavations but
gave credit to an attache of the American
Museum for exploring Mexican uins and
buried civilizations. Mr.. Batres was i'm
PEELED not only to enter his protest forthwith
in the congress but also to wire a report to
President Diaz.
MIR. Chavero's subs aquent absence has
been variously construed. Officers Of the
congress say that Mr.. Chavero sent word
that he was going to Washin pton wbero