The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1918-01-24
AZTEC SUN TEMPLE
What Discovered When Clearing Away What Thought
to be Merely Mound Of Debris
Selected


the of temple the Mesa Verde region of
Colorado we'll prehistoric
walls this edfce unearthed the
of 1915 by the wokmen under charge of Dr. Jesse Walter
Ethnology 1t the first bull
ding this kind uncovered in the Southwest formerly the
strange people had further toward
the wake Indians around them the Utes Nava
hoes, Apaches and other wild tribes.
The Mesa National Park 8 rich architectural
of when the stretch of north
of old Mexico inhabited by building Indians This
built of substantial originally presented
imposing 1t evidently intended not for habaion
worship devoted the performance sacred rites
1t may be called temple. if not church 1t
building dedicated the worship of the
archaologst. Dr. Fewke in the Of
1909 excavang and repairing the of the celebrated Cliff Pal
majestic of Americas prehistoric While
engaged task he observed mound just the
supposed pueblo The huge pile of fallen
walls when cleared of debris turned be not pueblo but
pristine dave been of the
striking Southwest Alphabetically rivals Cliff
Spruce Tree House by 1t noble edifc Its
the edge of the just back of the Palace.
The plan of the temple suggestive of There
large circular kvas about which small
clustered The walls sandstone quarried from the cliff and
thick places The blocks of fashioned
by implements and smoohed by rubbing Adobe and small
cbnk cubes
The of the walls plainly indicates that the building unfn
shed had natural roof of overhangg rock such as
found the cliff dwellings, The shape Of the original building
something like the letter the width being xour feet and the
length one hundred and twenty one feet.
rectangular about the plaza The
floors the solid rock of the cliff.
The of the circular called kvas somewhat
mystery They had DOORS entered from above,
which implies Only the select few the initiated could take
the performed these sacred chambers they
sometimes called
they the Pueblos who fourshed
southern Colorado and in New Mexico from five hundred thou
sand religious people, So their neigh
Utah Arizona. They took life seriously They
of the finds Aztec skeleton of
in the Of A of
essential than house live in When founding settle
they did kiva sunken sub
oval shape generally with the
The kiva Cor eua the Spanards called it, public
institution religion
1t also of council chamber and might also
be called school, here the old and youths gathered
while the recited legends
listeners Thus the myths the old
The minstrel hanted simple telling
fathers taking
altar the four annual festivals The
the community He held forth the kva the preacher does
today in the church.
turkeys their
religious They had their Dances
coneured that of their have been the
snake such the Hops this The object
this singular performance bring Water
The figures largely by
these of the arid Southwest
released after the dance glide their holes
tell their little brothers the depths the earth bring
needed shower Such said be the this
There be bond joining snake
sby the rate put of the kvas they
ready for their in the serpent dance.
The religion of the Pueblo peoples
the underlying thought all of
blessings and important thing is
food supply This dependent
and life They regarded the the best friend
glowing dusing warmth light rpenug plants
the Pueblo stands He the spirit
live the Another myth that of the thunder bird
brings the cloud the Tapping umblng
and crashing of the heavens lit lightning ashes
shaking of its feathers scae randrops the earth The
Pueblo hears the voice of a erushin
The sacred fire. kept the kivas, a place
Cor fire hoe foot deep deeper) underground
being set apart for the At dawn the
Of the god of days He signal the waiting inhabitants
the pueblo in the valley then they
and devouty breathed object
that they