Cleveland County herald., 1921-05-26
MINE FOR DATA
 ON LOST RACE
Aexican Government Sinking Shaft to Uncover Mysteri-
 ouS "City of Gods"
el'IlDERS THOUGHT INDlANS|
immense Stores of Valuable Archeo- logical Material Have Been Taken From the Various Excavations
 To Make 1t Show Place.

sodu J Judn u0 1eOIluUdCdus nC4ACOS~t respecting for the habitations of :ost race in virtually the same manuerl ss miners dig for gold, federal em | gloyees here have just started to uE~ cover tbe remains of a city of at leasts 100000 inhabitants which hourished sour thousand or more years ago.
 Here and there over the confines of the buried city have been sunk shafts to find streets, houses and temples known to exist below the level of the mountain valley In which lies the little village of San Juan Teotihuacan, the name of which means in the Aztec tongue City of the Gods" -,s=- -s7sz
 The Mexican government has appro- priated funds for this work of excava- tion, which is in charge of Manuel Gamio, director of anthropology of the department of agriculture. The gov ernment hopes eventually to make the spot one of the show places of Mexico.
 Dominating the area are two pyra- mids, one to the sun and the other to the moon, which for centuries have de- fled the efforts of archeologists and historians to trace their origin. Tbe pyramid to the moon Is still un- touched, retaining an appearance to the lay eye of huge mound of irregu- lar shape, overgrown with grass and rubbish.
 Builders Thought Indians.
 Senor Gamio says the city now un- dOr- o% area of fifteen square miles with a population of more than 100000 It's builders are unknown to history, but Senor Gamio believes they were part of an Indian tribe which wandered into Mexico from the north, and finding the valley fruitful and the climate salu- brious decided to settle there.
 The presence of volcanic rock as one of the top strata covering the ruins in- dicates that one of the nearby noun tains erupted and inundated the city with lava.
 Entry to the grounds is made facing the '"Temple of the Goddess of the than year ago, when erosion uncov- cred well-defned walls and decorations typically Indian and Egyptian in their conception. This temple has now been dug out and reconstructed on the ex- serlor.
 The Inside Is reached at present through a series of subterranean pas sages. Inside the visitor treads over massive stairs ornate with decorations of huge serpents with obsidian eyes and grotesque conceptions reminiscent of Egyptian art. The work of interior excavation and reconstruction Is far from complete.
 Paint Still Bright
 Between this temple and the pyra. mid to the sun Is a stretch of Une- quarter of a mile, which is at intervals pierced by the shafts of the diggers and in some places by the uncovered remains of a house or public building with the paint still bright and the fres- coes as intact as the day they were placed there several thousands of years. ago.
 Between the two pyramids is a we'll defined plaza, on one side of which a street has been uncovered, known as the "Path of the Dead" Thanking the plaza are hundreds of mounds, which. SenOr Gamio assured the correspond ent contained either houses or temples.
 Immense stores of valuable archeo- logical material have been taken froIn. the various excavations. Human bones,. terra cOtta beads ObSidiaD knives ar- rowheads, children's toys of clay, cook ing utensils, incense burners and crude musical instruments form the bulk of the find, and 2ll are preserved in museum which has just been erected en the grounds.
 In connection with his supervision of the excavations, Senor Gamio has interested himself in the Indian life. of the valley, and one of his first ef- forts has been to establish schools with, special attention paid to manual train. ing.
 Originally the valley contained 20C,- 900 Indians, but these had been re- duced to 10000 in colonial days, and now number fewer than 5000. They earn but poor living when crops are good, and when these are failures star. vation and widespread death enSue.
 Groups of Indians engaged in pot tery making. new industry in the val. Ley, were evidence that a portion at least of Senor Gamios program was being carried out.