The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-10-13

Ixhuatlan, Mexico, Sept. 1O.-The
discovery of the ruins of the ancient
otonaite capital of Teayo, in the state
of Vera Cruz. a month ago. is regarded
by archaeologists as an event of the
first Importance The site of the city
has been sought for three hundred
years, and expedition after expedition
had been sent into the table lands or
Vera Cruz for the purpose of locating
it, but without success.
Yet. strange as it may seem, Teayo
has never been without inhabitants.
The otonite Indians have never
abandonded the seat of power of their
ancestors, but their savage character
has heretofore kept explorers from
penetrating to their capital
.Teayo was found unexpectedly. The.
discovery was made by party of
American engineers sent out to pros
pect for minerals. A friendly Otomite
guide was ena bIed to take them to
1SdyO ny Representing tA1Citl " OG 80
enaies of the Mexicans, which is a pas
port to the favor of the Otomite In
dams.
For fourteen days they travelled
through mountains almost unknown
even to Mexicans, at times finding it
necessary to use machetes to CUT their
way through the jungle. While the dis
tance from Mexican centres was not
great. the obstacles to travel made the
journey one of many hardships.
There were dangers from wild beasts
to guard against. as the region abounds
with tigers, lions and large serpents,
such as the Cuatro narices, which the
natives gravely assert attains length
of thirty feet and girth of one foot,
and, besides having the power to kill
by construction, is more venemous than
the rattleSnake.
This party of Americans We're the
first representatives of modern civili-
cation to enter the Otomite city of my
stery. Those who composed the party
were George Lowell Roberts. mining
engineer; Herbert Gray, assayer; F. L.
Won Roncan, coal expert; and Law
renee MacGregor, interpreter.
The most interesting of the ruins as
yet encountered is the sacrificial tower,
pyramidal structure of quadrangular
form, which rises to a height of sixty
five feet above the ground. The sub
structure extends forty feet below the
soil
According to tradition the structure
in the days of Otomite civilization rose
much higher, terminating in point at
the top.
If tradition is right, the original ex-
treme altitude was approximately 200
feet, marking it the most elevated
structure of its kind built in Mexico.
There is no doubt that it was con-
siderably more than 100 feet above the
soil at one time, as is indicated by the
great quantity of stones scattered
about the country in its vicinity and
evidently detached from it. AT the
level of the ground the north and south
sides have a width of So feet and the
east and west sides, rs feet. The width
of the stairs on the east side is 80 feet
at the ground and 25 feet at the sum-
init.
The ancient Otonnites, according to
tradition, constructed a vast system of
underground thoroughfares, abodes and
vaults. The subterranean works have
been compared with the Catacombs in
magnitude and the Cretan Labyrinth
in intricacy.
The tower was said to be the key to
the system Underground chambers
with sculptured walls are numerous.
Some of the corridors have been filed
NIT eli - - r;@1Je
rites, of criminals, of Aztecs taken cap
tive and executed, and of Spaniards and
Mexicans sacrificed on the summit Of
the tower, by the Otomites of the last
five hundred years.
If the traditions of the handful of
savages who comprise the surviving
remnant of the Otomite nation are
true, the subterranean features of Teayo
will prove of great interest Thus, at
distance Of seven miles from Ixhuat-
Ian there is an opening in the side of
precipice which tradition says is the
mouth of tunnel that penetrates the
seven miles of hills and mountains in
tervening between Teayo and the pre-
cipice and was constructed for the pur-
pose of providing the Otomites, or at
least the imperial family. with a means
of exit from the capital in case of
danger.
An attempt was made to investigate
the tunnel many years ago by the Oto-
mites, but water was encountered at a
short distance from the entrance. A
party is now being organized to make
second attempt to explore it.
Sculptures found in Teayo are said
to show that the ancient Otomites were
far in advance Of the Aztecs and Mayas
in art. The expressions Of the human
face as represented on stone by Aztec
and Maya sculptors were primitive as
compared with those wrought by the
Otomites.
The foundation stones of the sacri-
fetal tower. several of which have been
brought to the surface. are notable
examples of Otomite art
One of the curiosities of Teavo is the