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they attained, in their gradual reduction in numbers to their 
total extinction. 
In New Mexico, Mexico, Central America and Peru, we 
have countless monuments of a civilization generically the 
same throughout this great area, and a civilization which was 
indigenous to America. For the rise, culmination and 
decline of this civilization—for it was in its decadence when 
Columbus discovered America—we must allow two thousand 
or three thousand years. Perhaps they occupied much more 
time than this; but all these changes could hardly have been 
effected in less than two thousand years. Whether there was 
any relationship between the ancient Mexicans and the 
mound-builders is a question yet to be decided. They had 
this in common, that both were sedentary ani agricultural ; 
were miners and builders. But the Mexicans and the 
Incarial race were famous masons, and built huge structures 
of dressed stone which scarcely suffer in comparison with our 
finest architectural monuments. The mound-builders, on the 
contrary, built in earth and wood, and the structures they 
raised have little in common, so far as plan is concerned, with 
those of the southern nations. No geographical connection 
has been traced between these ancient civilizations. The one 
seems to have been strictly confined to the Valley of the 
Mississippi, the other to the high table lands lying between 
the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada. 
In answer to inquiries, Professor Newberry stated that the 
inscriptions which covered the monuments of Central America 
and Peru, like the arrowhead characters of Assyria, and the 
hieroglyphics of Egypt, were destined to be read. Indeed, 
it might be said that many of these inscriptions could now 
be read. But little was to be expected, however, in the way 
of Iistorical facts, from a perfect translation of all these 
records. They were apparently, for the most part, local and 
personal in character, and like the Egyptian and Assyrian 
records, consisted mostly of religions invocations, laudation 
of persons or celebrations of local and temporary political 
triumphs, which to us have no special significance or value 
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