The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-12-13

One of the dark places on the Western Hemisphere Is the peninsula or 1ucatAn' Aa Excant a narrow zone on the north coast, riven to the cultivation of sisal hemp, ma an equally narrow belt on the east, n which the cutting of mahogany, cedar ma haywood is an important Industry, the ,ountrv ia practically unknown. Much or r naver has been explored and Is oceu- DIed by hostile tribes who have nam tained their independence. first against he republican government of Mexico un- nl the present.
 ues and the independent tribes have been heouent, although the reports that nave Iaen filtered through the ordinary news thaunels to the Northern press have been lew and meagre.
 The most serious of these difficulties occurred thirty years ago, when the m Hans destroyed the town of Baiacar ana nassacred many of its inhabitants. The hlryivors fled to British territory for pro- Iection. settling in Corosal, which, from ln insignificant cluster or natlve nuts' Raa transformed into the second city In rva and Importance in British Honduras. Minor disturbances hGye happened al. most every year since then, being mainly lone to timber cutters trespassing upon he domains which the Indians regarded Is their tribal inheritance.
 Not until 1900, however. did these trou- lies excite the alarm of the Mexican soyernment. In that year the tribesmen Igain descended upon Balacar, which lad been rebuilt but which had never re- lained it's former importance. There ana t Ascension Bay, further up the coast considerable loss of life and property oc- nrred before the Indians were driven ia fha fnfArinr feneral Bravo, with 5000 of the best roops of the republic. has been stationed t Ascension Bay ever since. and at Ines has found his force hardly sufh- aent to protect the coast towns and In erior camps of timber cutters from the Rvages.
 The result of the last uprising has been hat the Mexican Government has deter nined upon the Complete subJugation or he independent tribes and the thorough xploration of the peninsula. The wealth [ the forests and of the mountains to Q opened to capital and enterprise, and he wonderful ruins of past and forgot en civilization that makes Yucatan the Egypt of the New World. are to be made ccessible to the sightseer and the ar haeologist.
 The independent tribes of Yucatan are f Maya origin, and still retain some races of the civilization that hourishad the Golden Ages of the American trop- .s, when Tihob, Izamal, Uxmal, Palen- ue and Menche were great and populous lties. They wear cotton clothes of their wn manufacture, show much skill in ar hitecture, have some knowledge of navi- alton, compute times and seasons from he movements of the stars, and have an lphabet and a written language.
 Along with these inheritances from beir more enlightened ancestors, how yer, are many marks of barbarism. They aint and tattoo their faces and bodies, atten the heads of their children, prac- lee human sacrifice and make war with Disoned spears and arrows. Some of the dbes were subjugated by the Spanish lceroys and for nearly two centuries ere nominally converted to the Catholic nth.
 In lS4S they rose in revolt against the Texiean Government, then too fully en- aged in it's unequal conflict with the lnited States to eOerce them into sub ission. Ere long they lapsed into the tme condition of organism as that of ie more southern tribes which had never .lt the white mans yoke.
 Among the tribes that were never con