The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-07-29

to be found in Mexico. They stand as
colossal monuments to peoples whose
history was as obscure to the con-
quering Spaniards in the 18th cen
fury as it is today. Because of their
general construction, some authori-
ties assert they are the handiwork OF
Egyptians.
Teotihuacan, which in the Azetc
language means "City of the Gods
was a scene of extraordinary relig-
ious ceremonies during the early days
of Aztec history. The two pyra-
mids, one dedicated to the sun, the
other to the moon, are known to
have been the tombs in which hum
dreds of chieftainS were buried and
excavators have exhumed wrought
stones containing human bones, obsi-
dian knives, terra Gotta heads with
broad faces and flat noses, fragments
of are pottery and a great number
of arrow heads. One of the most
valuable discoveries was that of a
jadeite mask of some dead monarch
with the brow covered with the dia-
dem known to early Mexican his
tory.
The pyramid to the sun measures
761 by 721 feet at the base and is ZIG
feet high. That to the moon is some
what smaller.
The inscriptions having Chinese
characteristics were discovered dur
ing excavation in the ruins of what
has generally been known as La
Ciudadela, the citadel, but which &C
o1uls.~ - ,,ooant roVarfc Of 5nxrncfi-
gators, are what is left of a pyramid
larger and perhaps older than the
two pyramids to the sun and moon.
Evidence of the probably Asiatic
origin of the American Indpian con-
tinues to accumulate. From a re-
cent journey into Siberia, Copley
Amory, Jr., brought back pictures of
the lodges of the fungus peoples, who
are Mongolians, showing the con-
struction of their summe houses al
most exactly the same as that of the
tepee of the Chippewa Indian. The
Chippewas also make birch bark
houses in the shape of half an egg
which are almost identical with the
Siberian house known as a yurta, the
main difference being that the latter
is covered with hides rather than
birch bark.
America before the European dis
was no exception to the rule
that in every continent northern
tribes press southwark, attracted by
the milder climate, the richer and
rapid agricultural growth, and
the generally easier living conditions.
The Mexican peninsula and Central
America were the outstanding centers
of such ~migrations on this continent.
Aztecs, the Indians found in control
of Mexico when the Spaniards dis
covered and conquered it were a
''Prussianized" Indian tribe. Their
business was conquest, and they
neither developed civilizations of
own nor added any considerable
contribution to agriculture. 1t is sup
posed that less than 200 years had
passed between their descent on the
Deaceable, civilized Mayas and the de-
struction of prehistoric Mexican civil
by the S~paniards under Cor
,ez.
That the Aztecs came from the
north has been established. Whether
hey had passed as an entire tribe
Asia into America and down the
coast, or had developed elsewhere in
North America before pouring into
Mexico on their marauding expedi-
ion, is not known. The probabilities,
however, favor the latter explanation,
Ind the fact that no relics of the
the Aztecs left when they en-
cred Mexico have been found, is I'M
lerstood when one considers that
hey had no particular civilization of
heir own but were ~marauding bar
)arians. The sumptuous civilization
lmong which the Spaniards found
hem in Mexico was that of the May
Is, upon whom they had imposed
themselves as rulers.
Some day science may discover that
here was a land bridge from South
asia to America Until then we shall
lave to be content with the belief
hat the first Americans came from
Worth Asia, although their number
vas swelled by occasional boatloads
# Malay and Island people caught by
yphoons and Pacific storms and
wept eastward to the American
cast.