Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-26
SAYS AZTECS WERE
GODS OF THE AIR
HOLY CITY OF CH0LULU IS
DISCOVERED
MYSTERY OF ORIGIN NOT YET
UNRAVELEO
Monuments Found Are Adjusted to
Four Cardinal Points of Com-
pass, but Reason Is
Not Known

Ell PASO, Tex, Dec. 25.-The little
town of Cholula, Mexico, of barely 5000
inhabitants, was of considerable i'm
portance not only before the Spanish
conquest but long before the Aztecs
1t was a holy city, city of temples
and shrines, and even at the time of
Cortez it contained hundreds of sanctu-
aries that were the objects of pilgrim
ages from all over the country. The
plain all around Cholula was dotted
with pyramids Of sacred character and
varying size, all Of which we're domin-
ated by the great temple Of Quetzal-
coatl, the god of the air, that stood on
the summit of the artificial mound
called today the pyramid of Cholula.
This pyramid, one of the sights OF
Mexico, has at present the appearance
of a natural hill of regular form. 1t Is
thickly grown with bushes and trees.
and it's top is reached by a rough wind
ing road. Nowhere is there a trace of
its artificial origin, and on the spot
where centuries ago stood the colossal
statue OF Quetzalcoatl and where once
burned the eternal fires in honor Of the
god now rises the Christian church Of
Nuestra Sonora de los Remedies.
Like Pyramids of Egypt
The pyramid of Cholula has a height
| Of about 175 feet and, like the pyra-
rnids of Egypt, its sides face the four
cardinal points. But, unlike the Egyp-
tian monuments, 1t was originally built
| in terraces and could be easily as
| cended by stairways leading to the
sanctuary which formed the apex. The
| date of it's building is unknown, but
when the Spaniards came the Aztec
| legend ascribed its erection to race
of giants sprung from the survivors OF
a deluge.
While visit to the pyramid OF Cho-
lula and, incidentally, TO the small
town of the same name. is worth the
| travellers while, 1t does not compare
In interest to the VISIT to the pyramids
of Teotihuacan. thirty five miles from
Mexico City. There the national gov
ernment has uncovered the larger OF
two great mounds, known as the pyra-
mids Of the sun and moon, by remov-
| ing from it's sides all plant growth ana
the thick layer of soil and conducting
an archaeological research on a scien-
tific basis, like the excavations of
| Pompeii and Herculaneum.
So far nothing has come to light that
would serve to dispel the mystery sur
rounding these ancient monuments. OF
/ their history and origin nothing IS
known. There is no record of them
existing, either in writing or In hero
glyphic sculptures, although such may
| have been in evidence at the time OF
the Spanish conquest. But if there
were any they certainly have been de-
stroyed by the fanatic HidalGos, and
it now looks as If the secret of these
| pyramids would forever remain undis-
closed, for the little statuettes, imple-
ments and other relics so far found IN
the excavations do not contribute any
| thing toward a solution.
First Glance Unsatisfactory
Passing by on a railroad train or ab-
preaching them with an automobile,
| the pyramids look rather squatty and
| fail to make the impression one gets
when driving out to the pyramids of
| Gizeh from Cairo. But after you have
entered the inclosure with the help OF
permit obtained in Mexico City You
are surprised at the size of the pyra-
mid of the sun, which is the one the
government has been excavating. 1t is
built in three large terraces, rising one
| on top of the other.
It's extreme height is 216 feet. The
base lines do not form an exact reg
ular square, measuring 721 by 76l feet
respectively. The top platform con-
| tains a square water tank reconstruct
ed of cement and fed by modern pipe.
1t measures SO by 1O5 feet, and is
reached by flight of stairs on one
side of the pyramid.
| A guide furnished by the excavation
authorities accompanies the visitor
everywhere. and no cameras are al
| lowed within the inclosure This rule
is a little graft for the official photog
rapher, who sells views of the pyramid
and other interesting photographs
from a small Office in the executive
building.
According to the director. the relics
found on the ground, consisting of
small vessels, figures and masks of
obsidian and other stone, while vague
ly similar to Egyptian relics of the
same character, and supporting in
certain measure a theory of racial re-
lationship with the people of the Nile
valley. do not tell story that would
| help TO clear the mystery Of these
monuments.
The Mound of the Moon is 151 feet
high, with a base of 426 by 511 feet.
1t is about ten minutes walk from the
Pyramid of the Sun, and is so far the
only one to which an entrance has
been discovered. This leads into a
chamber of hewn stone, the use of
which is unknown.