Arizona republican., 1908-03-15

paintings. traces Of which are still vis- i ible, especially in places not exposed
 to the weather. Two typical forms of
 buildings are represented in Cempoa-
 Both types have stairways with mas
 sive balustrades on one side"
 On one of the largest of these mas sive foundations rose the Temple of f the Air supposed to have been dedi-
 cated to the Plumed Serpent. or God
 of the air. Around it are crowded | many smaller mounds. indicating houses once possibly inhabited by priests A quarter of a mile distant among closely built walls now in ruins l probably near the center of the city. stands two massive pyramids. one known as the Temple Of the Fountains ' or as "Chimneys,' and the other name l less. Not far away down a ruined ! avenue is one of the best preserved buildings. called Las Caritas. or
 Small Heads from the many small pottery heads found at its base. ap- parently having fallen out of the walls Another pyramid called the House of MocteZuma, and a group of structures around a plaza, together with these. are practically all that stands of the former city.
 Usually associated with Cempoalan was a city called Quiausitlan and in connection with its people. who moved to another site. was founded a town called Vera Cruz. where now the re- mains of crumbling walls and the lit tie church mark the oldest settlement of Europeans on the continent of America"
 \ set of ruins called XicochimalcO not far from the present town of Jala- pa on the route of Cortes' march in- land was visited by Dr. Fewkes. In this region were found a series of large angular mounds of earth enclos- ing a courtyard now planted with ba- nanas and coffee. They are different from the neighboring ruins. and many stone objects found near them are not like the Aztec relics Of the locality. so that there remains the possibility of their having been the homes of some peoples prior to the Aztecs and of a higher standard of culture.
 Not many miles away lay what was left of still another ancient town. with pyramids and fallen walls of buildings studding the slope of hill and stret- ching out over a plain below. A large stone idol was still in place in front of temple.
 Other pueblos. and pyramids both ancient and modern in the eastern part of Mexico were examined. notably the pyramid called the Lightning near Pa pantla. In this connection il is stated:
 The modern pueblo Papantla. sit Uated in the midst Of the vanilla zone of Vera Cruz. is a community of To- tonac Indians among whom survive many ancient customs. one of the most interesting of these is the game of the flyers. which was once widely distributed in Mexico. In this play men disguised as birds mount to the tops of upright poles and, attaching themselves 10 ropes. jump into space seeming to fly through the air. It would appear that ihis game has pre- served in Papantla some of its ancient vigOr and that the performance here retains much that is more or less cere5 monial. An old woman. the so-called witch makes offerings of copal. agua- diente. and fowl, which are placed in the hole when the pole is put in position. and various minor rites are performed during the several days the ceremony continues.
 Many curious idols, stone yokes. sling stones. paddle shaped stones. bowls. and clay images, were examined in connection with the habits and GUS toms of these forgotten early peoples to determine, if possible just what they were like
 In drawing conclusions, until the re- zion has been more carefully studied, little can be said with authority, but the archeologist points out that the manner of structure of some of the pyramid temples resembles that of others farther south and that the nearest northern analogues must be looked for in the Mississippi valley. He says:
 The northern Indian of certain parts of the Mississippi valley bore somewhat the same relation to those who built some of the mounds as the surviving Potomac and Huaxtec do to their own ancestors who erected the 1 temple mounds of Vera Cruz and Ia 1 maulipas. The present culture of the | survivors of the mound builders of | the Mississippi valley. however. and of ] those of the Tamaulipas region is | very different from that of their an- cestors"
 In what is now Indian territory, be- I fore the Europeans came. the tribes |