Norwich bulletin., 1914-06-11

can Union of Washington, D- C. "The
 distance is 22s miles and the trip takes
 12 hours. It Is 2SS miles from Meki-
 co City and the same distance fron
 Vera Cruz. Its population is 10000. IL
 was the early home of both Portirio Diaz, former president. and Benito
 Juarez, the patriot and national hero.
 Its age makes it very attractive, but
 it is quite modern in many ways,
 possessing tramcars, electric lights,
 telephones, and other factors of com
 fort Another feature connected with
 Oaxaca is the fact that from the city the excursion is made, about 25 miles
 to the southeast, to the ruins of Mitla.
 some of the best preserved prehistoric
 remains of all Mexico"
 Mitla is a contraction or corruption
 of the word Mictlan, meaning The
 place of death" The modern village and the accident ruins occupy the cen
 ter of an arid plain or valley, sur
 rounded on all sides by equally arid
 hills, on the highest summit of which
 are the well-preserved remains of a
 great fortress, whose walls are of d
 rough construction and without oTn-
 ament of any kind. Nearly in the cen
 ter of the plain five great groups of buildings stand out completely ex-
 posed Many of them are now nea-iy
 
 Two great groups, however, are in
 comparatively perfect preservation, q third Is incorporated with an old church
 and fourth, the great sacrifcia4 mound, is surmounted by the ruins of very ancient church. The principal buildings are of stone masonry. A condensed description of one will give an idea of the others.
 The Hall of Pillars, the northermost
 building of the north group. is a great | f-zS G1.. interior measurements. The height of
 ;he walls is about IF feet. the thick ness varying from feet 2 inches ol tie sides to feet 6 inches for tae
 irort wall. The entrances ore gree l doorways nearly feet wide, each
 enormous monolfthic door jambs about
 feet high, 6 feet wide, and feet thick, surmounted by monolithic lintels neerly 20 feet long, feet wide and , feet thick. The most striking fea-
 ture of the room is a row of six mono | lit1ic columns running ,n@>Twisc oi | the 1com, each column stan lag II feet | :r.cl above the ilnJ ., w5ich is c'v- | cred with cement. Their cIrcumfer- ence is each g feet inches They
 are slightly tapered at the top which | is perfectly flat Ths 1: IerIUr walls are perfectly plain, while the exter- ior are covered with a rich decoration | of panels of mosaic, surrounded by | large squared and sometimes incisej sculptured stones.
 The great group of which this Is the | principal building, was probably the ceremonial hall. The south group waf probably that in which the final cer- emonies attending the death of a chief | high priest, or other dignitary were performed. The remaining buildings i were probably for the use of the visit ing dignitaries and for the priests and officers who served Mictlar Tecuhtli, The Lord of the Place oi Death" The mounds on which the
 buildings now stand were covered with cream white stones forming | ample terraces about the buildings | The buildings themselves stood in the
 midst of the vast plain. brilliant crim- | son and white in the glaring sunlight
 Entering the building one was plunged | into almost absolute darkness. Here midst the dim light of fickerine torches were performed the mysteri- ous rites attending the awful mys- | tery of death among these people | centuries before the conquest of Mex | fco by COrteZ.