Part 40 (1/2)

Amongst these ruins are about twenty mounds, both circular and square, from six to twenty-five feet in height. Some authorities think that the Mound Builders went by water from near the mouth of the Mississippi to this region. To such as place any real reliance on this theory, these mounds are full of interest. But some details of construction would seem to indicate a different people as their builders than those who reared mounds in the Gulf States of the Mississippi Valley. The main body of the mound is earth, but they are faced with hewn blocks of sandstone, eighteen inches square and six inches thick. Although one of the mounds is quite large, covering two acres, yet in but one instance was a terraced arrangement noticed. As a general thing, the facing of stone had fallen to the ground, and some of the smaller mounds had caved in; showing, perhaps, that they were used as burial mounds. In other cases the mounds had entirely disappeared, leaving the stone facing on the surface. This may account for some of the stones scattered over the surface. A few miles away there is another group of circular mounds.

Across the river in Vera Cruz, from very slight mention, we gather that, substantially, the same kind of ruins occur. At Chacuaco the ruins are said to cover three square leagues--but we have no further account of them than that. Small relics of aboriginal art are said to be common, and mention is made of mounds. The antiquities of Vera Cruz are a topic about which it is very difficult to form correct ideas. It will be noticed that it presents a long stretch of country to the Gulf. The land near the coast is low, and very unhealthy. About thirty miles from the coast we strike the slope of the mountains bounding the great interior plateau. This section is fertile and healthy, and was, evidently, thickly settled in early times. We must remember that it is always in a mountainous section of country that a people make their last stand against an invading foe. It was in these mountain chains where the Maya tribes made their last stand against the invading Nahua tribes, and even this line was pierced through by the Tonacas.

It is not strange, then, to find abundant evidence of former occupation in all this section of country. One thing in its favor was the number of easily defended positions. The country is cut up by deep ravines.

The early inhabitants used all the land that was at all available for agricultural purposes. On steep slopes they ran terraces to prevent the soil from was.h.i.+ng. In the smaller ravines they located great numbers of water-tanks, from which, in the dry season, they procured water to irrigate their land. Of this section, we are told, ”there is hardly a foot of ground in the whole State of Vera Cruz in which, by excavation, either a broken obsidian knife, or a broken piece of pottery, is not found. The whole country is intersected with parallel lines of stones, which were intended, during the heavy showers of the rainy season, to keep the earth from was.h.i.+ng away. The number of these lines of stones shows clearly that even the poorest land, which n.o.body in our day would cultivate, was put under requisition by them.”<48>

Ill.u.s.tration of Papantla.----------------

They no less conclusively show that a considerable body of people had here been pressed by foreign invasion into a small, contracted s.p.a.ce. It is useless to attempt a more particular description of these ruins.

In the absence of cuts, the description would only prove tiresome.

Pyramids, both with and without buildings on their summits, are comparatively frequent. As they would be noticed where other ruins would be overlooked, we have some cuts of the more remarkable ones. The preceding cut is the pyramid at Papantla.

The base is ninety feet square, and the pyramid has seven stories, as seen in the engraving. Only the last one contains apartments; with this exception, the pyramid is solid. Stairways in front lead up to the top.

Mr. Mayer says ”there is no doubt, from the ma.s.s of ruins spread over the plain, that the city was more than a mile and a half in circuit.”

But we have no further description of them. Other localities with pyramids and ruins are known. At Tusapan occurs this ruin, which may be taken as a type of all the pyramids in this region. This was the only building remaining standing at Tusapan; but, from the ruins lying about, this is not supposed to have been the grandest structure there.

Ill.u.s.tration of Tusapan.---------------

This will complete what we have to say of the ruins in territory occupied by the Nahua tribes. Other remains of their handiwork we will examine when we treat of their customs and manners. We will now turn our attention to the ruins in the territory of the Mayas. As the culture of these two people is so similar, we will devote but one chapter to the two. Comparison is the great means we have of fixing in the mind points we wish to keep. We have to admit that the treatment of the Nahua ruins is not very satisfactory; but it is difficult to obtain accurate information in regard to them. We think what resemblance can be traced, is more in the direction of the Pueblo tribes than of the Mound Builders. The first ruin found in Mexico, Casa Grandes, in Chihuahua, is evidently but another station of Pueblo tribes.

The fortified hill at Quemada is apparently but a further development of the cl.u.s.tering houses with the little inclosures noticed on the Gila.

Mounds are, indeed, mentioned in a number of localities, but they seem to be more nearly related to the terraced foundation of buildings observed in Arizona than to the mounds of the Mississippi Valley.

Surely as striking a ruin as any is at Mitla, but Mr. Bandelier does not hesitate to compare it with some in the Pueblo country. Now, it is very unsafe and very unsatisfactory to trace resemblances of this kind, and we do not a.s.sign any especial value to them. But it only shows that, so far as this method is of use, it points to a closer connection with the Pueblo tribes than with the Mound Builders.

REFERENCES

(1) Gregory's ”History of Mexico,” p. 19.

(2) Bancroft's ”Native Races,” Vol. II, p. 92.

(3) The _Tierra Caliente._ (4) Ober's ”Mexican Resources,” p. 2.

(5) ”Mexico As It Was,” p. 221.

(6) ”Six Months in Mexico,” p. 386.

(7) Mayer: ”Mexico As It Was,” p. 234.

(8) Thompson's ”Mexico,” p. 144.

(9) Bancroft: ”Native Races,” Vol. IV, p. 526.

(10) ”Rambles in Mexico,” p. 140.

(11) ”Gratacap, in _American Antiquarian,_ October, 1883, p. 310.

(12) ”Native Races,” Vol. II, pp. 168-173.

(13) As to this hill, Mr. Bandelier remarks: ”As a salient and striking object, and on account of the freshwater springs, Chapultepec was wors.h.i.+ped, but I find no trace among older authors of any settlement there--still less of a Summer palace-- at the time of the conquest.” ”Report of an Archaeological Tour in Mexico,” p. 73.

(14) Charney in _North American Review,_ September, 1880, p. 190.

(15) ”Recollections of Mexico,” p. 140.

(16) We have several times remarked that it is not safe to judge prehistoric population by the amount of ruins. ”Indians never rebuild on ruins or repair them.”

(17) Bancroft: ”Native Races,” Vol. IV., p. 537.

(18) Bancroft: ”Native Races,” Vol. IV, p. 547.

(19) The ceilings in the pueblos of Arizona were often made of poles covered with cement. See Chapter XI.

(20) Bancroft's ”Native Races,” Vol. IV, p. 550.

(21) Bandelier: ”Fifth Annual Report Arch. Inst.,” p. 86.

(22) Bancroft's ”Native Faces,” Vol. IV, p. 610.