The Washington times., 1920-04-18
Surprising Discoveries IN
a NelUly ErcdDated Mound
That Seem to UnraUeL
the Mystery of the Lost
TOItec Race of Mexico and
Reveal an Asiatic
Invasion of America 1900
Years Before Columbus


mistakable and easily translatable
- Chinese characters carved upon the
walls of Toltec pyramid in Teotihua-
can, an ancient long-buried city in the
valley of Mexico, new and astonishing
light has been thrown upon one Of the
great mysteries of the world.
1t has long been known that the extraor-
dinary civilization which arose in Gen.
tral America perhaps as far back as 10000
years ago. had it's origin in a race Of pyra.
mid builders called the Mayans. Some
thing happened to this people so that
perhaps 5000 years ago their numbers
were enormously lessened and their
strength decreased. About $500 years
ago began another civilization called the
Aztec, with which most readers are
familiar.
But between the Mayan ascendency and
that Of the Aztecs there is scanty evidence
of the existence of lost race named the
Toltecs, and these have long held doubt
full position In the mind OF science. 1t was
clear from the traditions of both Aztecs
and Mayans that the Toltecs did not be-
long to either of them. Yet except their
enormous crumbling pyramids and great
jungle buried cities so little evidence re-
mained of what they actually had been
that for long time scientists believed that
instead Of having been lost they had had
no real existence and that the word Toltec
simply meant builder" and had been ap-
piled to certain ancient forefathers Of the
Mayans by descendants-much in the
same way as "patriarchs" are referred to
to-day.
The destruction of practically all the
written records both Of Mayans and Aztecs
by the fanatical Spanish at the time of
the conquest of Mexico wiped out this
source of information. Centuries of OPP
preston have caused all except a fragment
of the legendary history Of this American
civilization to be lost from the memories
Of the conquered races.
The recent discoveries at Teotihuacan-
not only of the amazing characters, but of
other inscriptions, pottery and ornamen
tation-would seem to indicate that at
least 1000 years ago there was an inva.
sion of Asiatics, either Chinese or Mon
gols, who found foothold on the west coast
of Mexico. These were the Toltecs. The
adventurers came sailing in their junks
along, without doubt, the chain OF
1outhern Pacific islands. They started,
probably, from Malaysia or Java. In their
course eastward they provisioned them
selves and secured water at the island
stepping stones across the Pacific. The
last lap Of the journey to the western
shores OF Central America was, however,
a prodigious one, far more dangerous and
longer than that Of Columbus fifteen hun
dred years later.
This little community, landing, managed
to exist and to gather to itself other ele-
ments of strength from surrounding tribes
It is possible that when they landed the
great catastrophe-famine or pestilence,
whatever It was-had Just worked its will
with the Mayan peoples and so no opposi-
tion was encountered by them. AT the
same time. the Aztec civilization had not
yet become powerful enough to resist
them.
At any rate the invaders thrived. At
least they managed to conquer and to
hold about 500 square miles OF the Mexi.
can valley They took the architecture
and the arts OF the Mayans and developed
them with certain Asiatic trimmings. And
in their great cities they lived, surrounded
always by more CT less inimical Aztecs
and the remnants Of the old Mayans, who
4 II is clear, never ceased to look upon them
as invaders