El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-07-07
ANCIENT RUINS OF
An EARLY CITY
RICH IN HISTORY
Another Example of Rich
ness of History on West
ern Hemisphere.

Washington, D. c. July 7.-Edward
H Thompson, former United States
consul at Merida. Yucatan, in a com
munication to the National Geographic
society, at Washington, D. c., describ-
ing Chichen TIA, the home Of a for
gotten race, on the peninsula Of Yucca
tan, declares that the American peo-
pie should awaken TO the fact that
they have right at home architecture
essentially American and ruined struc-
lures every whit as interesting and
massive and possibly as old as those
Of other lands, who boast that Ameri-
cans must come to them.
within these mysterious American
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, hidden from US. less inter-
esting TO Americans than are the tales
OF Egyptian dynasties, the rites OF
Druids. Roman campaigns, or Saxon
raidings2 1 think not"
Tennis or Basketball
Mr. Thompson describes what was
probably the first tennis or basketball
court on this hemisphere and possibly
in the world The ruined group of
Chichen liza covers a space Of fully
three square miles," he says over all
ALAc WAlE LEAL-AOLE are SD GEEQ carved
and squared stones, in countless thou
sands. fallen by the hundreds, while
the formless remains and outlined
walls Of huge structures fallen into
ruin are seen on every side Seven
massive structures of carved stone and
adamantine mortar still tower erect,
and almost inhabitable. Their facades
sustain the claim that Chichen TIA is
one Of the worlds greatest monu-
ments Of antiquity.
Great Piles Of Masonry.
Several hundred Ieet TO the west
Of the Castle Temple rest two great
parallel moles of solid masonry, each
2T5 feet long, "a feet wide and IS feet
high Between these moles is the I
ceremonial court This level cemented /
space was probably the theater for the !
performance of certain rites and games
Of a ceremonial character. This belief I
is borne out by the fact that at a dis
lance 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 1000 years to more than 1850 /
years An idea Of the intricacies Of the /!
language Of the people of the city is 4
given by the following quotation from /
a document found there; ''Lai u tzolan /
katun lukci Ii cab Il yotoch NonOual"
which is translated to mean. This is
a series Of epOchs that elapsed from the
time Of their departure from the house
Of Nonoual in the land Of Tulapan-"
Legend of n Lover.
The writer tells a legend concerning
Camel the impetuOus ruler Of Chichen
TIA, who loved the daughter Of the
ruler of a distant province. One day, a /
runner brought him the news that the
batab of a neighboring and far more |
powerful province had married the
maiden Canek and his warriors went
10 his enemy's city under cover OF dark
ness. while all was revelry there in
celebration Of the wedding. After vent
ing their fury on the drunken cele-
orants, they stole the bride Of an hour
and disappeared Never again did
Chichen TIA know its lord Canek nor
any OF his band of fighters. Years at
a hunting band from Chichen
They finally reached a lake, and in its
enter found an island city. The city
vas Tayasal and its ruler the now aged
ord Canek-
When Spaniards Came.
He also tells Of the arrival, reception ]
nd subsequent flight by night Of /
Iontejo, one Of the early Spanish con-
.uerors, in 1925. The Spaniards, be-
legged and almost without provisions, |
led a dog to a rope of a bell and placed ,
ood just beyond his reach His efforts |
o get the food kept the bell ringing
nd deceived the natives into believing
heir captives were still there When ! s
he ruse was discovered, the little band ! .
( Spanish soldiery was nearly out OF /
he enemv's reach The writer express ]
ss the belief that the natives. desiring
hut their eyes and let them escape IN
rn1aerad