The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-03-01
A MEXICAN BURIED CITY
IMPORTANT ARCHAEOLOGICAL RE-
SEARCH BY EXPLORER MAILER.
Mexican Indians still Worship at
Lorg-Forgotten Aztec Shrines-
Three Years Work.

chapter has been added TO the exploration
OF the ruined cities OF Central America,
once the seats Of the strange Aztec civiliza-
ton destroyed by Cortez nearly five CEN
turtles ago. in the recently published report
of Mr. Teobert Mailer. who for several years
has been conducting researches among
these ancient ruins in the interests of the
Peabody Museum OF Archaeology and Eth
nology at Harvard University, and whose
fully illustrated account of what he has
seen and found is shortly to be issued as
one of the publications of that institution.
Dr. MaIer's explorations stretched over
three years. and were carried on mainly in
the Usumatsintla valley, in southern Mex
leo. Among the long-forgotten cities which
Mr. Mailer visited were Yaxchilan. literally
the City OF the Green Stones;' FL Cayo,
the palace Where the Banks Are Strewn
with Stones;'' Budsilha, Smoking
Water" from the mist rising from an adj
jacent waterfall; FL Chile, so called from
the herb from which chile sauce is made;
Anaite. named for the white lilies that
fourished on the banks of the river; and
Ell Chicozapote, named from tree which
produces a well-known Mexican chewing
gum. These cities are all hidden in the
tropical tungles. some entirely unknown
even to the wandering woodcutters and
gum collectors, and others visited only by
mysterious bands of Indians who still
come to make occasional sacrifices on their
fallen affairs.
The definite results of Mr.. Maler's in
vestigations were the study and photo
graphing Of some twenty stelae. or carved
monolithes, on which are represented many
of the scenes OF Aztec daily life, in par
81 fr fofo riff he
of between twenty and thirty ruined build
fngs-temples tombs and communal
dwellings: and the examination of nearly
fifty carved and painted lintels. many Of
them excavated from long-accumulated
debris and never before noted by the mod
ern explorer In many cases the expedi-
tion has preserved the records Of objects
that in another century would have entirely
vanished. for the changing course of the
Usumatsintla river has already eaten away
the former waterfront of some of the cities.
A DIFFICULT JOURNEY.
Tenosique. where Mr.. Mailer made his
preparations for plunging into the Mexican
wilderness, is a small town about five days
sail from the Gulf of Mexico up the Usum-
atsintla. which here flows between modern
Mexico and Guatemala. From here to Ell
Cayo. the first OF the ruined cities, was
another four days journey. overland. with
camp equipage, cameras, servants and pack
animals. Budsilha Is not far from FL
Cayo. and La Mar-another town visited
by Mr.. Maler-is in the same neighborhood,
but the two separated by a tangle OF
tropical vegetation through which the ex-
plorers made their way only with the great
est difficulty Interesting finds were made
In all these places-in Ell Cayo. for ex-
ample, the figure of a god that dates back,
perhaps. to the very earliest period Of the
city. yet which had evidently been wor-
SHIPPED even up to times. as was
shown by the presence of several broken
incense vessels in the tumble-down room In
which the image was discovered.
At La Mar there still remained sufficient
evidence of its ancient structures to re-
construct very good picture OF one Of the
smaller cities OF the Aztec period. The
architectural center OF the city, 1t was
found, was formed by two temples. now in
ruins. which crowned two pyramids. one
facing TO the east and the other to the
west. Between the pyramids was a wide
plaza bordered on the north and south by
smaller buildings. The'p plaza was originally
ornamented with stelae, one of which. al
though serving only to adorn so small a
city as La Mar. is a splendid specimen Of
the best contemporary Aztec sculpture.
1t has been suggested that Yaxchilan. the
most important Of the ancient cities which
5;r. Mailer visited. may have been the town
referred 10 by Cortez In q letter to his
master. the Emperor Charles ", although
Mr.. Mailer himself rather doubts the identi-
fication. The ruins have been visited In
modern times by more than one explorer.
and in 1852. when the city was visited by
Mr. Desire Charney, French archaeolo-
gist, whose expedition was supported by
funds from his home government and from
the American millionaire. Lorillard. in
whose honor Mr.. Charney called the place
''Lorillard City" Mr.. Mailer, however. has
succeeded not only in uncoverins numerous
hitherto unnoted sculptured stone monu-
ments from the debris that now overfiows
its terraces and esplanades, but also in dis
covering certain important temples.
READING A BURIED CITY.
There must have been heavy rainfalls In
distant Guatemala and eastern Chiapas."
says Dr. Mailer in the new Peabody Museum
report. describing his approach to Yaxchil-
an. for the Usumatsintla was excessively
{ high. having risen to the very edge of the
high banks. which made progress up the
river exceedingly difficult. since the poles
by which is cayuco is propelled could not
reach the hard bottom. Under such cir
cumstances forked branches are made fast
TO the end of the poles. and with these
'horquetas' the men seize the overhangins
branches OF the trees and shrubs and thus
push the cayuco forward, while those not
occupied with the poles grasp the branches.
II possible. with their hands, and pull with
! all their might. This procedure is exceed
ingIy laborious. and progress is slow. In
this manner IL took us day and half to
overcome the short distance between Ana
tie and Yaxchilan. When the river Is In
this condition no one attempts to go up
stream. the labor and the danger are toe
great In point OF fact, we had terrible
struggle. We had TO force our way through
branches OF trees projecting out of the
water. and often we had TO use our ma
chetes to remove the obstacles impeding
our way In spite OF all exertions. we
were frequently whirled round by the force
of the current and carried downstream
Masses of trees which reached far out into
The river could not be surmounted. nor pow
erful rapids overcome. without two or three
successive attempts
when we rested at night" he continues
1--WE fastened our cayuco TO the branche.
OF a great chimon and protected ourselves