The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-11-08

at h same level. three meters from
the surface. what appears to have
been tho contents Of a prehistoric
serulchre. lying under a mortuary
stella or gravestone. consisting of sev-
enty-fve objects Of most curious de-
sign. h most striking and won
derful Of these in terra Gotta figure
Of a human being in a sitting posture
with Il movable head. the type being
unlike Aztec. Toltec. Zapoteca, Taras-
can. Totonaca or any of the features
OF Mexican chronological objects ever
found. the hanging Lip. with a hole
for the besote, or labial ornament,
and the ears bored for the ear orna-
ments being singuar,N interesting.
"Another figure seems to hear no
relation to the former. being striking.
~ Egyptian In type. \. number M
decorative dishes of strange forms
were found, the most remarkable be-
Ing a double dish with a perfect tit
ting lid. both being perforated on each
side 80 that the NJ could be. tied
to the dish =. All the ollas and dishes
were iiled with ashes. mud md char
coal. and AT the bottom We're small
scales of Observation-Disclosures
may have been priced by this strange
race on ccoun Of its rarity in this
region, hut more probably on account
Of its infusibility.
"Pliny and Agricola speak Of the
deceptive ch:-:-cter Of this silvery and
golden dust. as silvcry and golden
mica III scales. that declared was tho
cats silver and cats gold of medie-
val Europe. So it is not surprising
when mica was looked upon as somc>
thing precious in medieval times that
this prehistoric people should also
have priced the mineral as being rare
and valuable.
"one of h largest dishes has a
bone sticking out Of tho ashes and
charcoal which is preserved intact.
Eight cups with handles. three inches
high n two inches in diameter. are |
most symmetrical in form and COM
pare favorably with modern pottery.
Less than five kilon,eters from the
locality just described ! found an an
cient river he'd. in the gravel and
sand OF which there were types Of
rounded like pebbles. representing
types of all h races Of southern
Asia from Arabia to China. the pc
culiar head-dress of the Hindu and
the oblique eyes of the Cinnamon he
ing among the most prominent fea-
lures.
When l showed this interesting
locality a few months ago to DIR. Il.
Seller. one of the worlds famous arch
aeo,ogists. he enclaimed: MIR. Niven.
this river flowed ages before the eXis-
tence of the lakes of the Mexican val
ley n it was plainly evident that
his opinion was correct. the g%eOlogiSt.
therefore. may he able to make some
calculation as to when these people
lived n the causes that led to. their
total destruction.
Harvard's noted scientists to make an |
examination of some Of the NOR, i'm
portant excavations: they made care
full notes and measurements, taking
samples of the concrete pavcments
and ashes. and in a few hours dig
ging. secured many interesting OBJ
iects. 1t nay seem strange that such
a vast and important field for the
archaeological student has never been
noted until now. while so much .atten-
ton has been given to the wonderful
ruins Of Yucatan. Chiapas. Oaxaca.
etc. when at our very door and sur
rounding h metropolis OF Mexico
there is such an archaeological bo-
nanza in sight.
From the work 1 have done and
the examinations I have made of hun |
dreds Of clay pits for several years
past. it appears to me that millions
Of people dwelt here. tens OF thou
sands years ago. when some Of the
adjacent volcanoes suddenly burst in
to activity. starting a conflagration
that completely destroyed the entire
city Or nation. covering a space of !
three thousand quare miles. This
overwhelming catastrophe was in all
probability subsequently followed by
Il flood that would account for the
layer Of ashes. lying underneath the I
second concrete floor or pavement, |
constructed by some strange. un-
known race. And this same people
might also have constructed the first !
pavement owing to a sinking Of the
land through some seismic disturb
anc which would also explain why
there appears to be no object left be-
tween the two floors. The gravel and |
sand on the first pavement would in
dictate that this second race persisted !
by food and the Aztecs would, there
fore. be the third race.
The pottery and figures found at
the lowest depth. oftentimes fifteen
feet from the surface. and it is rea-
sonable to suppose that n people OF
such culture and such numbers. prob
ing temples and edifices. as in south /,
ern Mexico. II SO, when they are
uncovered by future explorations, the
ashes that overlie them will perhaps
have preserved most of the contents
like Pompeii and Herculaneum. In
this brief article l have been unable
to give more than a plain statement
Of facts. But there is much evidence
discovered which may eventually
prove that Mexico. az some writer's
have declared, la actually the cradle
Of the human race"