The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-07-07
TELLS
ABOUT YUCATAN
ARCHITECTURE
Ruined Structures of Chicken
liza Rival Those of For
eian lands.

WASHINGTON, b. O., July -
Edward II. Thompson, former United
States consul at Merida, Yucatan, lin
a communication to the National
Geographic Society, at Washington,
D. c., describing Chichen TIA, the
home of a forgotten race. on the
Peninsula Of Yucatan, declares
that the American people should
awaken to the fact that they have
right at home architecture essential
ly American and ruined structures
every whit as Interesting and massive
and possibly as old as those Of other
lands, who boast that Americans
must come. to them.
Pages of Stone.
within these mysterious Ameri-
can ruins are great books, with pages
OF stone, writ in characters that
no man may yet read" he declares.
Are the mysteries they hold, the
wonderful facts that certainly lie
sealed and mute within them, hid
den from us, less interesting to Amer
leans than are the tales of Egyptian
dynasties, the rites OF Druids, Ro-
man campings or Saxon raidings? 1
think not"
Mr.. Thompson describes what was
probably the first tennis or basket
ball court on this hemisphere and
possibly in the world. The ruined
group Of Chichen TIA covers space
of fully three square miles" he says.
"Oyer. all this wide territory are
scattered squared and carved stones,
In countless thousands, fallen by the
hundreds, while the formless re-
mains and outlined walls Of huge
structures fallen into ruin are seen
on every side. Seven massive struct-
ures of carved stone and adamantine
mortar still tower erect. and almost
inhabitable. Their cascades sustain
the claim that Chichen liza is one
OF the worlds greatest monuments Of
antiquity.
Ceremonial Court.
Several hundred feet to the west
OF the Castle Temple rest two great
parallel moles of solid masonry. each
275 feet long, "a feet wide and Is
feet high. Between these moles is
the Ceremonial Court. This level
cemented space was probably the
theater for the performance Of GER
tain rites and games of a ceremonial
character. This belief Is born out by
the fact that at a distance Of six feet
from the level upper surface OF the
mole two great rings OF stone were
fixed into the perpendicular wall
surface, directly opposite each
other"
Mr.. Thompson declares estimates
as to the age Of the city vary from
less than 2.u00 years to more than
II, 500 years. An idea of the intrica-
cies OF the language OF the people OF
the city Is given by the following
quotation from a document found
there: "Lai tzonlan katun lukci
Il cab tt yotoch Nonoual," which Is
translated to mean, This Is q
series Of epochs that elapsed from
the time Of their departure from the
house OF Nonoual in the land of Tul-
apan."
Legend OF Camel.
The writer tells legend concern
ing Camel, the impetuous ruler OF
Chieen TIA, who loved the daughter
of the ruler OF distant province.
One day a runner brought him the
news that the Batab Of q neighbor-
ing and far more powerful province
had married the maiden. Canek and
his warriors went to his enemy's city
under cover OF darkness, while all
was reyelry there in celebration Of
the Wedding After renting their
fury on the drunken celebtants they
* ~ = z. TX y ~, 4, IS, li