The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-02-27
CASTLE or THE MoNTEzUMAs.
Believed to Have Been Discovered NeaI
 Matamoras-

Believed to Have Been Discovered Near
 AIatamoras-
 That there should exist within a dis tance of two hundred miles from Mexi- co City. undiscovered until now, unex- plored, its massive and well built walls now tottering as they protect the lonely shepherds who frequent the spot, cas- tie whose grandeur cannot be excelled by anything on Americas sail, would seem incredible. But such is a fact. Situated on cliff whose almost per pendicular walls descend from eight hundred to one thousand feet to the ra- vine below, almost encircled by two of these ravines along whose narrow beds flow crystal waters that ooze from many springs forming refreshing look ing streams that go dashing over the rocky boulders that for ages have worn their way to the beautiful cascades. with no mode of entrance except over narrow neck. fifteen feet wide, on top of the cliff. stands to-day the castle of the Montezumas, if the universal legend current among the natives in that vii cinity be true.
 We had heard from several of the na- tives whom we had met on a recent prospecting tour that somewhere, hid den from the view of mankind by req lson of the towering mountains interven- ling between it and the lines of railway, and by reason of the many deep ravines and dangerous barancas which prevent ed other than shepherds from approach ling. there was a wonderful castle or for tress commanding view of the entire
 valley.
 These same natives intimated that the existence of this formidable structure
 was known alone to them, that no one lother than those born near there had ever visited the spot. In fact, it was merely by streak of good luck that we were enabled to visit it, for, although
 we offered several Indians five days
 wages to conduct us there, a question of
 not more than an hour they refused, in-
 timating that they were afraid that by
 so doing they might incur the displeas- ure of their people and thereby suffer.
 However, the major-domo of a large
 hacienda was kind enough to furnish one of his laborers, and it is to him that | We OWC OQl tlldllho AOA ttctf4't9 NNSAA eAaAs7
 wonderful place.
 Tepexe Viejo, the ruins of which I speak, is an abandoned fortress or cas- tie situated seven hours ride on horse back from Matamoras. About three hundred feet distant from the cliff upon which Tepexe Viejo stands, as though
 to guard the entrance, are two peaks of redsandstone fully five hundred feet ] high. Flowing between these is a . stream, twenty feet wide, not deeper : than two feet, which dashes along at a l; terrific rate over the gravel bed. The noise of it's rushing waters as they fall , over rocky cascade not far distant re- . sounds throughout the valley, the only jar to the solemn stiffness of the region. Passing over this stream you begin , the ascent up g. very steep hill that seems to have been formed since the l erection of the castle. This is the most tortuous ascent I have been over in the republic. Once having reached the sum- init, you find yourself facing wall full ly thirty feet high and one hundred and ; twenty feet long. This wall as well as } | all others, inclines inward at an angle l of about seventy degrees from the hor- izontal. It is made of stone slabs, eigh- teen by twenty-four inches thick, the narrow sideaturned outward. Behind this first layer of stone slabs is two foot filling of gravel and kind of ce- 2 ment, and then the inner wall of small CT slabs. The stones are artistically , placed, so that no cement has been ne cessary to hold them in place. The
 walls enclose fully ten acres of ground } and within this enclosure are to be seen } the walls of nearly thirty different rooms. The architecture throughout is
 the same.
 r On the west side there is very l strongly fortified wall in the shape of a
 crescent, with the extremes fully eight
 hundred feet apart, and from the top o1