Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1911-08-07
LECTURE BY
DR.. HEWETT
The Holy Cities of Mexico
and CentralsAmerica
Was the Topic
DREW A LARGE AUDIENCE
Revelation of Magnificence and
Size of American Prehistoric
Monuments.

1t was an audience to inspire any
speaker that crowded into the Hall of
Representatives at the Capitol last
evening to hear DR.. Edgar l.. Hewett.
the foremost living authority on the
/ subject, tell of the Holy Cities OF
Mexico and Central America. The
lecture was illustrated with superb
views and before and after its deliv.
cry, appropriate sacred selections
We're rendered by quartet consisting
ioi Mrs. w. D. Hayes, Mrs. Rupert
Asplund, and Messrs. Hale and Teare,
MISS Sparks accompanying on the
piano. Mrs. Hayes sang a solo from
Mendelssohn's oratorio st. Paul.
DR.. Hewett's lecture was packed
with interest from the start. He In.
troduced his subject by calling atten.
tion to the fact that the North Ameri
can Indian is essentially religious
race, no matter where he is placed.
and the speaker left no doubt of his
tai;h that the people VINO built the
great monuments Of Mexico and Cen.
tral America We're Indians. He told
of the sacred structure of the Pueblo
Indians, how every pueblo has at
least two kivas or estufas, one for
the summer people and the other for
TIE winter people; how even the
Plains Indians when they pitched
camp provided first for the sacred
Places. and how town architecture Of
the town building Indians always CEN
tered about the holy places. (;
The speaker then took his auditors
by word and picture to the great Tol.
tee and Aztec ruins not far from the
city OF Mexico. Then farther south to
the border of Central America, then
into Honduras and Guatemala and
finally to Yucatan. The great pyra-
mids at Militia and Cholula and the
great sacred cities that surrounded
them passed in review. The pyramid
at Militia covers as great an area as
The Pyramid at Gizeh in Egypt while
that at Cholula is many times larger.
But OF much greater interest even
were the ruins at Palenque, in a trop.
ical forest, which the School of Amer
lean Archaeology at Santa Fe has been
authorized to excavate and study after
other great institutions of learning
the world over had vainly sought thia
concession. AS soon as means are
available, this will be done and the
beauty, size and great antiquity of the
lead to the prediction,
that there the School will accomplish
its greatest work.
AT Chiricua in Guatamala. the
School has been conducting the work
IT excavation and restoration for the
past few years with funds supplied
ny the st. Louis branch of the Arch.
geological Institute. Almost all OF
last winter, however, was spent In
away the gigantic trees and
tropical vegetation that covered the
eighty acre tract which has been Civ
en- the School for Its work. The pic
ures shown last evening of the great
monuments, the finest yet found on
he American continent were a sur.
rise to all present. They show a re.
.nement and artistic development in
he arts of sculpture and architecture
hat lead to the conclusion that the
occupied high plain of cul-
.ure. The studies of Professor S. G..
Morley in the MayanI hieroglyphics
and chronology were referred to and
there is now some definite idea as
10 the time when these structures
we're reared, the period beginning
about the date of the fall of the Ro-
nan Empire and extending to the time
VI Columbus When the Spaniards
'ame, however, this great civilization
lad passed away.
A brief visit was then made to Yu.
atan, where temples and cities of in.
value, are rapidly falling
nto decay because no attempt has
zen or is being made at restoration.
One OF the interesting facts brought
ut by the lecture, was the resem.
'lance in the symbolism of the rich
ostumes worn by the Mayas and that
# the cruder ceremonial costumes of
he Puebol Indians, such as was seen
asst week at the Green Corn dance at
'anto Domingo. The resemblance is
lmost startling.
DR.. Hewett announced plans for an
xcursion to the ruins at Pecos, an
ther to the Puye with lectures on the
'ay at San Ildefonso, the Black Mesa
nd Santa Clara, and finally the sum.
Ter camp in the Rito de los Friioles,
Thich the school will occupy for ten
ays beginning on Monday Of next
'eek.
Saturday Evening Lecture.
The lecture by DR.. L. B. Patton in
ne new lecture room of the Palace 3
the Governors on Saturday evening
rev so large an audience that chairs
ad to be carried. The lecture hall
roved to be ideal for its purpose and
lany were the favorable criticisms Of
8 architecture. The lecture by DR..
atom was followed with intense in.
srest and the many stereopticon
lews gave clear idea of the life Of
,e Bedawin Arabs who occupy the
ountry to the east and south of Pal
stine.