Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-05-19
EXPLORER FINDS HIS
WAY TO A RUINED FORTRESS.
MADE BY THE MONTEZUMAS
May be a Treasure House-Mighty
Walls on An Eyrie Height
Enclose Deep Cave and Dun
geons-Superstitions of the Ma
tVes.

Many ancient ruins of lower Mexico
have been explored in years past, but
| it was left to the well known Ameri.
can archaeologist, Frank c. Pierce of
Dallas, Tex, TO discover after an ex-
haustive and perilous search, the won,
derful ruins of Tepeji Viejo, in the
state of Puebla, Mexico, said to be the
castle of Montezuma, whose great
treasures are supposed to be hidden
there. The existence of this castle
was unknown to many people living
within only few miles of the place.
The mysteries and history of the
place and difficulties experienced in
exploring this ruined castle are mar
rated by Explorer Pierce:
while recently on a prospectus
tour through Mexico l was informed
by our landlord at Rosario that near
that place there were some ruins
whose history was not known by the
inhabitants of that section of the
country. Aware of the fact that not
one-tenth part of Mexico's prehistoric
ruins have been brought to light, did
not hesitate to make up my mind to
visit the place So it was that after
working our way through a dense
chaparral (wood), emerging with
clothes badly torn, hats ruined, face
and hands scratched and lacerated due
to the vicious cat-claw bushes which
blocker our way, we came to the
beautiful Ajamilpa river.
'Montezuma, or his Aztec pre-.
decessor, if to that tribe may be at
ltributed the construction of the won,
derful fort, exercised an extraordinary
judgment in selecting the site, for
from the bed of the Ajamilpa to the
summit of the promontory upon
which the now totering walls stand
by actual measurement, the distance
is fully 1,400 feet, and though now Of
a later day construction, there is al
almost impossible ascent, every evi
. dence tends to show that at one time
, there was no way to ascend from tn,
river side.
After a most laborious climb o
{ half an hour we were suddenly con
: fronted with the massive but silen
, eastern wall, fully 70 feet in height
constructed of red sandstone slabs
some of which measured 6x12 feet
and some much larger all well smooth
ed on every edge. These slabs formed
an outer wall which covered two foo
wall of gravel and cement, and behint
this gravel is still another wall one
tlnt Ia
ness of the outer wall must be no
less than four feet.
"The fort is constructed on a kline
of detached hill, or, as we would cal
it, promontory, which projects into
a wonderful canon, or ravine.
I'm all, the now moss covered anC
blackened walls inclose fully twenty
acres, and within this Enclosure there
are many walls or separate rooms OF
houses, not the least in interest being
some massive two foot walls with nc
openings to their Enclosures, which
seem to have been a series of dun
geons.
Because of the fact that the de
place upon which to stand, we wer,
, unable to take views of the most in
, terestipg outer walls, one of which
| projecting into the canon, is fully
, eighty feet high, with an incline O
twenty degrees from the perpendicu
lar, and which no human being coult
/ ever scale.
, There are the remains of cementet
floors, ovens, subterranean passages
) obsidian arrows, ETC., in abundance
, and no one can even imagine wha
t important archaeological data ar,
= hidden beneath these floors.
| "At one corner my attention was at
tracted to a small tunnel as tn
guide called it, an oval shaped open
ing just large enough for a small
t sized man to crawl or squirm through
e Ny guide, who probably knew as littl
; about IL az reDaatpd a legend chi