The courier-index., 1919-10-10
BOTH NEW AND OLD|
Mexico a Mixture of the Ancient
 and Modern.
Prehistoric Remains Show That the Builders Had . High State of Civ Iixation--Native Tribes and
 Races Still Exist.

What manner of folk are the Mexi- cans?
 Whatever ones views on the wisest political course toward Mexico, 1t will help In a thorough understanding Of that country to examine the rich his tory, the ancient civilization, the pre- historic remains to be found among our southern neighbors. says the Ma tional Geographic society.
 .Of the 100000 inhabitants. two ffths claim direct descent from an- cient tribes or families which are ac- cepted as the basis of Mexican his tory, two-fifths are of mixed native and foreign blood, the remainder being chased under the common appellation of foreign
 .Throughout much of the country, and often within short distances or railroads, are remnants of some o1 the ancient native tribes or races. ad- herring to customs, methods and speech of their ancestors. Thus in Oaxaca are the Zapotecas and Mixtecas, the estimate for the two races being half million, and a government publication mentions dozen other families in the same state.
 ssIn Hidalgo and adjacent states, the Otomis; in Puebla and Oaxaca. the Mexicanos; the predominating Mayas in Yucatan; in Michoacsn and Jalisco, the Tarascans, and the Tlaxcalans, in their native state, and other groups elsewhere, still maintain the tribal in- dividualities.
 Although Spanish is the language of the country and much English is spoken in the regions most visited, large number of the natives use only the vernacular.
 Prescott refers to the Aztecs, Tax calans and others as producers of deli cate fabrics. colored by vegetable dyes; Intricate designs in the precious met als, and beautiful decorations made of feathers; numerous ruins also indi- cate marvellous skill of ancient peo- pIes in stone-work, especially as the tools used were obsidian or copper.
 "Evidence that this deftness in handiwork has been retained appears in the feather-work, woodcsrving, stone-cutting. etc, of the present day. The beautiful pottery and unique weaves of serapes, made with the crudest appliances, and excellent fab rication in cast or wrought iron, dli- gree silver, etc. also bear testimony to the skill of the Mexican Indian.
 Mexico has wealth of archaeolog- acAl relics, remnants of an ancient civ iiizaiion of which no well-defned trace exists. Volumes have been written to demonstrate that the builders of what are now ruins were of Mongolian, Semitic. or Phoenician origin, but the riddle cannot be admitted as solved. All authorities. however, unite in praise of the magnitude and the per lection of workmanship shown at va rious ruins found throughout the Mex tcan territory. The region adjacent to somc of these raises question as to the source of sustenance for null titudes which must have then existed, Aad causes speculation upon changes which may have occurred in the in- &eryal.
 Prominent. among these ruins are Uxmal and Chichen-Itza, in the state of Yucatan; Palenque, in the state of Chipas: Mitla, in the state of Oaxaca, and Xochicalco. in the state of Morelos.
 "The pyramid of Cholula. in Puebla, and those of the Sun and Moon, in the state of Mexico, have also been liberally described, but distributed over wide areas are many other ruins which have had but little or no inves- tigation. and rock sculptures. images. idols and ancient pottery, found in numerous localities. are the only rec ords of peoples whose history is un- known and whose names even are lost" stsSusAsrsss-.--e~~ -.~ [, I-w