81 



he contends that the empire of the Mayas, which had its seat at Yuca- 

 tan, was the cradle of civilization, and that from there it went to India, 

 Egypt, and finally to Greece and Western Europe. 



Palenque. Very likely the same Mayas built the large ruins which 

 still exist in the district of Palenque in the State of Chiapas, and in 

 some places in Guatemala. 



Cholula. The great pyramid of Cholula, made known to the scien- 

 tific world by Humboldt, which is eight miles from Puebla, has been 

 pictured and described. Its base is 1000 feet on each side, and it is 

 built in two great terraces, the first being 71 feet, and the second 66 

 feet, in height. The top is 203 by 144 feet. So far as investigations 

 have revealed, the great pyramid is artificial and is constructed of sun- 

 dried brick. 



Teotihuacan. Teotihuacan, an ancient city lying twenty-five miles 

 northeast of the City of Mexico, and occupying an area of about one 

 and a half or two miles, contains some of the most remarkable series 

 of ruins. To the north of the ruins is a truncated pyramid, rectangu- 

 lar in form, squared to the points of the compass, and known as the 

 Pyramid of the Moon. South of it, at a distance of about 1300 yards, 

 is another pyramid of similar form, known as the Pyramid of the Sun. 

 Its perpendicular height is 223 feet, and its base measures about 735 

 feet from east to west. Both pyramids are united by a straight street, 

 which starts from a circular plaza at the south side of the Pyramid of 

 the Moon, and loses itself in the barranca south of the Pyramid of the 

 Sun. 



These colossal pyramids are regarded as among the most ancient 

 monuments of Mexico, far antedating the civilization found by the 

 Spaniards. They are wonderful illustrations of what perseverance and 

 time will accomplish. Now even the means which the builders used 

 for handling the immense blocks of volcanic stone with which they 

 constructed is unknown. Other ruins, in the character of little 

 mounds, are found scattered over the extensive plain in which the two 

 pyramids are situated. The street or avenue which united the latter 

 is called the " Road of the Dead." Along its entire length, parallel to 

 it on both sides, there is a terrace constructed of cement, clay, and 

 broken lava, faced with a coating of mortar or plaster, highly polished, 

 and painted red and white. Desire Charnay removed the rubbish 

 from one of the mounds on the side facing this road, and discovered 

 what he calls a " palace," with two large halls and various small rooms. 

 In 1886, Senor Don Leopoldo Batres made an excavation in one of 

 the mounds, and found two polychrome frescos painted on the wall 

 of the building which was laid bare. The question is naturally asked, 

 how these monuments came to be covered ? Was it by an earthquake, 

 or by the hands of the builders themselves ? Senor Batres inclines to 



VOL. I 6 



