Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-05-06
Wednesday, May s, 1914.
Before We Boast, Let's Look.


modern civilization" our marvellous
advances in the upward scale, the
amazing rapidity with which stupen-
dous accomplishments are piled upon
each other, and the almost infinite
mental capacity for solving the might
lest cosmic problems, let us pause and
consider how we would go about some
of the tasks performed by human be-
ings thousands of years ago. A re-
minder of this form comes in bulle-
tin from the director of the Pan
American Union at Washington, D. G.
describing the ruins of ancient Tia
huanaeu in Bolivio. Here are found
vast works indicating a civilization
antedating that of ancient Egypt.
A city so old that even the legendary
lore OF the meas, who traced an I'M
broken line of kings back to the
eleventh century, is dumb concerning
the people who built it; city which
a thousand years ago had been so long
dead that even song, story, and ira
dition had forgotten every vestige of
its history when Columbus discovered
the New World" Such is the ancient
city of Tiahuanacu, whose ruins are
crumbling surely, bur very slowly, into
dust not far from the southern shore
of Lake Titicaca, in Bolivia.
THE little present-day village of
Tiahuanacu is located on the railroad
which connects La Paz, the modern
capital of Bolivia, with the port of
Guaqui on Lake Titieaca, and may be
reached in about two hours from the
former place. The ruins of ancient
Tiahuanaeu, covering an area of about
a square mile, are not over half mile
from the village" writes Edward AL
hes in the Monthly Bulletin of the Pan
American Union. Washington, D. c.
"A traveller stopping in the little
town, and ignorant of the proximity
of the ruins, would be astounded to
observe the number of beautifully cut
stones built into parts of adobe huts
of the most primitive character, and
sometimes forming portions of a
squalid patio. A doorway to dilapi-
dated. thatch-roof nut, may have a
Intel or jamb formed by an artistical-
little Catholic Church and in those in
closing its yard, and even in the paw
ing, may be seen these smooth stones.
The pedestal on which is mounted the
stone cross in front of the church is
made up of them, while on either side
of the gateway to the Enclosure stands
a carved stone idol whose lines, mar
red by the ravages of time. still show
the artistic skill of the ancient sculp-
tors who wrought them"
Thus the ruins Of the ancient city
have furnished much of the material
10 build the village of today. and
while the strict unitarian may find
no fault with this work of destroying
the artistic monuments of a hoary an
tiquity TO cater TO present needs, to
the student of archaeology it seems al
most like dissertation. The Bolivian
Government has recently enacted a
Law which forbids the carrying off or
wilful destruction of that portion of
the ruins which vandal hands have
left intact.
The ruins themselves include the
remnants of temples, palaces, and
great structures of what once must
have been large and densely popu-
lated city. Not vestige remains Of
the dwellings and less pretentious
houses in which this population must
have lived. These were naturally of a
more temporary character and the re-
lentless agents of destruction, work
ing through countless centuries, have
obliterated all traces.
The question which confronts the
archaeologist is-how could a popula-
ton sufficiently numerous tc accom-
plish the building of such a city have
maintained itself in this region? The
ruins are located 1900 feet above the
level of the sea on a vast plateau
where the constant cold prevents the
maturing of corn or other grain. AT
present potatoes, oca, and some other
edible roots are grown, but the region
sustains only a scanty mountain pop
ulation. The city once covered a large
area, the great structures were built
by skilled masons. One stone is SO feet
long by seven feet wide and weighs
40 tons. another is rs feet by 16, and
G feet thick. Only the monoliths of
ancient Egypt equal those found in
Tiahuanacu. The movement and plac-
ing of such monoliths point to a dense
population, to an organized govern
ment, and consequently TO a large ag-
ricultural area with means of trans
portation from various directions. Tie
only tenable explanation is that at
the time when Tiahuanacu fiourished
the Andes were from 1000 to 1900 feet
lower than at present. Biologists hold