Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1921-03-24
UNCOVER CITY THAT
EXISTED IN MEXICO
AT LEAST 1000 B. c..
ARCHEOLoGISTS UNEARTH RU.
ms OF METROPOLIS lNAABlT.
Ed 1000 YEARS AGO BY CITl.
zENS ESTIMATED AT 100000 OR
MORE IN POPULATION.

San Juan de Teotihuacan. Mexico
Prospecting for the habitations O
lost race in virtually the same
manner as miners dig for gold, fed
eral employees here have just started
to uncover the remains of city of
at least 100000 inhabitants which
hourished 1900 years ago Here and
there over the confines Of the buried
city have been sunk shafts to lind
streets, houses and temples known
to exist below the level of the noun
tain valley in which lies the little
village of San Juan de Teouhua.au,
the name of which means in the Az
tee tongue, CITY of the Gods
4 The Mexican government has appro-
u'riated funds tor this work of cXeava-
tiois which is in charge OF Manuel
Gam C, director Of anthropOIogy of the
depart Nueut Of agriculture The gov
eminent hopes eventually to make the
spot one VI the show places of N exi.
co
Dominating the area are the two
pyramids one to the sun and the
other to the mLQon, which for Cenaur-
les have defed n 10 efforts of archie
ologists and histo, ians to trace their
origin. The pyrant d to the moon is
stiu unt1rnhed. reta ming an appear
ance to the lay eye .1t huge mound
Of irregular shape, .oEerSToWn 9TH
grass and rubbish.
Senior GamiO says the city now an.
der excavation at one time cover ed
an area of fifteen square miles with
a population of more than 100000. Its
builders are unknown to history, ut.
Senior CANT, believes. they were
portion OF an Indian tribe viii IN W an
dered into Mexico from the nc nth
and, finding the valley fruittuN Fand
settle,
The presence of volcanic roc K s
one OF the top strata covering the
ruins indicates that one of the rear
bv mountains erupted and inund 3tcd
the city with lava.
Entry to the grounds is made fac.
ing the Temple to the Goddessi OF
the Winds which was discovered |
less than year ago, when eros ion
uncovered we'll defined walls and
decorations typicaly Indian s'nd
Egyptian in their conception. hist
temple has now been dug out ami re-
constructed on the exterior. The in
side is reached at present thFoa On
q series Of subterranean passages, In
side the visitor treadS over masstfe
stairs with ornate decorations q,
huge serpents with obsidian eyes and
grotesque conceptions reminiscent of \
Egyptian art The work of interior
excavation and reconstruction is far
from complete,
Between this temple and the pyra
mid to the sun Is a stretch Of ono l
quarter of a mile which is at inter Y
walls pierced by the shafts of the dig
gers and in some places by the un
covered remains of house or pub
lie building with the paint still
bright and the frescoes as intact
rs the day they were placed there
several thousand of years ago.
Between the two pyramids is we'll
defined plaza on one side of WhCih
a street has been uncovered known
as the Path of the Dead" Flank
ing the place are hundreds of mounds
which Senior Gamio assured the cor.
respondent contained either houses
or temples,
lmmalGe stores OF valuable archie
ologiC1l material have bcen taken
from the various excavation. HUI
lN4n bones. torra Gotta heads, Ohsid- |
ian knives, arT0wheads. Chldren's |
toys Ut clay cooking utensils, incense
burners and crude musical instru- .
ments form tn" bulk Of the find and |
all are preserved in a museum which
has JEST hecn erected on the ground
The two pyramids, however, are
the dominant structure of the city
Toe pyramid &c the sun measures
7blE72l feet at the base and is PIG
feet h. n, rarrCwng to level sum
nit
Unite the pyramids OF Egypt with
ITS huge j1ttin9 tloCks of stone form
inG an endless stairs to the ton the
sun pyramid is built with a smooth
surface il five distinct ticra Ascent
Is made by StLl built into the side
anu to the unlnn ated the undertake.
Is almost ifli'0LS because of thoI
steep 'aC,lne T,tE no supporting bal
ustT1dcs II i ntis from it's Egyp-
tthr couhter0atts also in The respect
tndt 1t cO"tS ms no interior PASSAGES
o. rooms.
Tie Tyr, md of the moon is small
or with base measuring about SILK
426 feet. # rises ISL feet with a
ciownjuE Platform about 10 feet
Fquarc
m Connection with his supervision
of the excavations Senior Gamio has
Interested himself in the indian life nf +
tbe valley and one Of his first efforts
mas cen to establish schools with spe-
clal attention paid to manual train
ing Originally the valley contained
10Vo0U Indians, but these had been
reduced to 10000 in colonial DAVIS
ana now number less than 00n (
lhey earn but a poor living when
crops are good and when there arc
failures starvation and widespread
death ensue. Groups of Indians at
pottery making. new industry in the
valley were evidence that a portiop
Of least of Senior Camio's program is
being carried out.
CAST0PIA