Evening star., 1905-10-08

in Mexico was anna zing but Il was savage.
Ii was, with some improvement. the civili-
cation of the northern Indian races who In
recent times, In an archaeological sense, had
come southwark and driven out the Toltecs.
Underneath the City OF Mexico itself only
lately. buried city has been found. The
Aztecs knew that their forbears came
from the north and had been dominant In
Mexico for thfite Thousand years. The pres-
ent Indians OF southern Mexico are n Toitec
race. Their only traditions regarding the
ruins Is that when their ancestors the pre-
decessors OF the Teltecs, being driven from
their homes in the north, had come into the
isthmian country they found the ruins very
much in the same condition they are now
In, and took them for dwellings, The an
cient civilization of Peru. on the other hand
correlates with that OF. the Clutches, admit
tedly the most ancient people of the 18TH
mus. The belief of the best authorities IS
that the Peruylans. whose engineering
works and temples and wealth were the
wonder of the Spanish invaders and who
as their records show. had been driven
southwark by more warllke races. were
really the builders OF these temples of Yu-
catan.
The Indian tenants of the later centuries
nave dealt harshly by the ruins. From the
doorways of the temples they have torn out
the heavy croSsbeams of zapotc wood which
held up the superincumbent masses OF wall
This wood is hard as iron and anna rentiv
impenetrabie to weather. since in certain
OF the temples. even now, though parts of
the walls have gone to pieces the poles
upon which the curtains once hung to shut
the sacred mysteries from the eyes of the
onSanctihed are stiH there rotted slightly
on the surface. but inwardly as strong an
TIMBER that was cut five years ago.
The door tirnbers have been used nv tas
Iater races in the construction of dwellings,
oii account of their seasoning and dura oil.
ny. rearing them out leaves ghasily holes
III place OF doorways. but the extraordinary
strength of the building and the tenscitv 81
the mortar and grout have repeIled the ef.
rect of the climate. and even refused &c
.ieIo .. 70 the demands OF upgrowing vegets-
uon In places one sees huge mahoganies
ana other trees growing up through one OF
these ancient structures. and stin IL stands
and viii stand for centuries to come
or late years the Mexican government
observing that the ruins were being strinpt a
Tor the benefit OF other nations. placed
guard over them and forbade the removal
Oh relics OF any kind. But the Mexican
government Is very anxious to secure Iof
Mexico two things-investment of capItaI
ana population. So a few years ago
smart Yankee, backed by some wealthy
people who were interested in Maya anti
qulty, went back into the interior looked
around and on his return went to the all.
tnorities and paid for a parcel OF ninety
square miles Of land for sugar plan;a-
ton"
Deed was made. duly signed sealed ana
delivered by the Maxican government ana
giad they were to make the sale. Their as
tenishment may be imagined when they dis
covered, some time later, that the down
caster or the millionaires who were behind
him, had bought the greater part of the
ruins of Chichen-Itza.
I'll see, now said he whether l can
take stones and things Off my own pIanta-
ton not"
To know the utter sense of PROCLAMATION
with which incident OF this sort can rII
one you should go stand in the sacred radi-
ance of the rising sun upon the towering
walls of the Temple of the Divine" in Tx.
NAL, or in the lengthening shadows of q
winters day amid the downfalIing temples
OF Chichen-ltza, while the macaw emblem
10 all time OF the queen sister of Cain anc
Abel tCan and Balil.. cries it's shrill note
through the underbrush, above the forgot
ten tombs of the mighty who were her &c.
scendants.