The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1914-07-05
MEX|CO'S S ANCIENT
CIVILIZATION
oemARKAsLE RUINS OF CHiCHeN
TIA, THE "HOlY CITY" Or
MAYAS

Fo. many centuries Mexico has a
hean the home of many races. Most 7
of MS are wont to regard it as the
home of only the Aztecs, with whose l
civilization Prescott and the early
Snanish chroniclers have made us :
moro or less familiar. The archaeolo-
gist and student of pre-ColumDlah anu
prehistoric times, however KNOWS
that there were races, especialy III
southern Mexico and parts OF zen
tral America, whose ancient clVlllZa-
tion had no connection with the ell
pire of the Montezumas, and whose
wonderful works, long ago fallen lhto
decay and ruin, are now the suDJecls
of scientific research and study. 10
Americans at least these should be as
interesting as the ruins OF anclenC
Eevpt or the buried cities OF Asia ana
the Far East
Under the title Ancient Temples
and Cities of the New World, the
Monthly Bulletin of the Pan-American
Union, Washington, d. c., has been
publishing a series Of articles dealing
with these relies of a splendid but
long forgotten people. One Of the
most interesting of the ruined cities
Lore the name of Chichen liza, once
the "Holy City" of the Mayas, peo-
ule of whom Sylyanus G. Morley
writes:
Long before the discovery of Am
erica there flourished in southern
Mexico, Guatemala, and parts OF Hon
: duras a great civilization, which mas
; been called the Maya. 1t may be
said without eXaggeration that this
) civilization had reached a height
equalled by no other people OF the
western hemisphere prior to the com
t ing of the white man. In architecture
+ sculpture, and in painting the Mayas
t eXcelled. Their priests were,astroho-
o mers of no mean ability, having oD,
t served and recorded, without the alo
$ os instruments of precision such as
S are known to us, the lengths of the
e Solar and Venus years, and probably
II the lengths of Mercury and Mars
d wears. In addition to this they had
y developed a calendar system and per
G fected a chronology which in some o.
e its characteristics was equal to oul
.e own. -.o
lie "But the ancient glory of this peo
1t rle had long since departed when Her
er nando Cortez first came in contac
a with them on the coast of Iucatai
r in 1919 Their star had set Thel
RS greatest cities had been abandone
ne and Law in ruins. Even the memor
to of the older cities of their culture
1t, such as Palenque, Copan and Qulrii
ca ua for example, seems to nave pas
ne ed from the minds of men, thelr 10
no mer existence forgotten. Probably IN
lie largest and certainly the most MAJ
ar- niticent. of the ruined cities which IN
VS. Snanish conqu uerars found on their a
m rival in Yucatan was Chichen llz
ST. around which oven in its desolauc
ul there still cluster thousand trac
les tions of its sanctity and splendo
ere The name is Maya, and means "l-
les Month of the Wells of the ltzas."
os- "To visit the ancient city now, OF
ms iolts for 10 long and weary miles
au two-wheeled cart drawn by lhf'
pe mules over the toughest klnd OIL
leu highway imaginable Finally when
seems that the limit OF physlcal {
g durance has been reached, the ca
M suddenly lurches around sharp tu
Id! in the road aud, as if by magic {
any lofty Castillo flashes into view, to "
pu' ing high above the plain and |
So rest of the city.
.noi ..'I This imposing structure, the hl'
Wv, u'u est in Yucatan, rises IS feet aDu
.9on . m the plain. The pyramid on Wh
~ the temple stands is 195 feet 10
anu nn and covers about an acre of grou'
,,i'. ,," If is made of nine terraces OF rae
1 nv masonry, each terrace elaborately p
!. - eled to relieve the monotony OF
!" u,o feet, Up the center of each OF
,tnd four sides rises a stairway 81 !
tSo wide. These stairways have mass
.iad stone balustrades, carved to repres
,,o,, serpents. the heads being at the pa
,i'l, of the stairways and thanking th
60 "The Castillo would seem to h
,ntas been the center of the ancient C
asid. and probably its chief sanctuary
,onIa the north lies the Sacred Gen
+, The (welD and the causeway Leading
il On the east is vast group
buildings. colonades, courts and
amids. "The City of a Thousand
umns" as some ore has pictures
cour Iv described it, Due west is the or
It's. of structures known as the Ball CO
ogpQ | TO the SOuln lot nan h't
lie of scattered through the jungle, are
and amids. courts, temples and paj0
8 of The central location of the Gas
,aste. with reference to all of these as
salts as its great size and comlnah
| feel height. argue strongly that u
Don't the chief sanctuary of the Hol!
In another structure "The hous
burns. the Tigers" are found the remn
= of several beautiful mural paint
one of these represents an at
szsG by an enemy on a large city 5
didly executed, and presents per
the most remarkable piece OF au
inal painting known to be IN
erce. The total area covered D!
! ruins has been estimated at 10 Sc
y miles.
hi