18S5.] TRANSACTIONS OF THE 49 



The population was divided into casts which iiichided royalty, 

 iiol)ility, different grades of traders and artisans, and finally 

 slaves. Their countries were cultivated with much agricultural 

 skill, and in the towns were workers in gold, copper and bronze. 

 Their military organization was elaborate, and stragetic points 

 were guarded by fortifications, some of which have had no 

 rivals in magnitude in the history of the world. 



This civilization, imposing as it was at the advent of the 

 Spaniards, had passed its golden age, was then in its decadence, 

 and has since, chiefiy by the brute force, cruelty and rapacity of 

 the European invaders, been nearly driven from the earth. 



So much has been written of these two phases of ancient 

 American civilization — that of the Mound Builders of the 

 Mississippi Yalley and that of the Palace Builders of Mexico, 

 Central America and Peru — that no detailed description of 

 them is required here. I shall limit myself, therefore, at this 

 time to a brief re\dew of some of the characteristics of these 

 civilizations, particularly as bearing on the questions of their 

 origin and date, questions just now much discussed and about 

 which there is much difference of opinion. 



THE MOUND BUILDERS. 



It was for a long time believed that the ancient monuments 

 found beneath the forests of the Mississippi Valley were all 

 the work of one people, who, after long and general occupation 

 of the country, had been completely exterminated by the more 

 warlike nomadic Indians. 



In opposition to this view it has been argued by many recent 

 writers : 



1. — That the so-called Mound Builders were not one, l)ut 

 many peoples or tribes. 



2. — That in culture they are little in advance of the Indianc. 



3. — That their monuments were of comparatively modern 

 date. 



4. — That some of the various tribes found by rhe whites in 

 the Mississippi Yalley were their descendants and representati\es 



Without altogether denvino; these allegations, I venture to 

 report some facts which, as it seems to me, must prevent the 

 entire acceptance of these later views. These facts are : 



1. — The number, magnitude, diversity and wide distril)ution 

 of the ancient works, which cover the country from Lake 



