180 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXIII. No. 840 



in the Museo Nacional, Mexico City, Mexico, 

 September 8-14, 1910.^ In addition to Mex- 

 ico, the following countries were represented 

 by official delegates present: Austria-Hun- 

 gary, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, France, Ger- 

 many, Guatemala, Holland, Italy, Japan, 

 Portugal, Salvador, Spain and the United 

 States of America. There were also in attend- 

 ance delegates from a number of learned so- 

 cieties and other institutions from various 

 parts of the world. 



The United States government was repre- 

 sented by Professor Franz Boas, Professor 

 Poland B. Dixon, Dr. Ales Hrdlicka and Dr. 

 Alfred M. Tozzer. The state of Louisiana 

 was represented by Judge Joseph A. Breaux. 

 Delegates from several American institutions 

 were present: Drs. Pliny E. Goddard and 

 Herbert J. Spinden, American Museum of 

 Natural History; Mr. Stansbury Hagar, 

 Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences; Mr. 

 William Beer, Howard Memorial Library; 

 Mrs. Zelia Nuttall, University of California; 

 Professor George B. Gordon, University of 

 Pennsylvania; and Dr. George Grant Mac- 

 Curdy, Tale University. All these are mem- 

 bers of the American Anthropological Associa- 

 tion. 



To any one interested in American archeol- 

 ogy Mexico offers remarkable attractions, not 

 only in the priceless treasures of the Museo 

 Nacional, but also in the number and grandeur 

 of the prehistoric ruins. The author spent 

 five weeks in excursions to various sites, and 

 in study at the museum. His program was 

 no doubt duplicated by many other visiting 

 members. The only official excursions an- 

 nounced by the committee of organization 

 were those to Teotihuacan, Mitla and Xochi- 

 calco. The first of these took place during the 

 congress. To it were invited not only the 

 members of the Americanist Congress but 

 also the official delegates to the Mexican cen- 

 tenary, the hosts being the department of 

 foreign affairs as well as that of public in- 

 struction and fine arts. It was made the oc- 

 casion for the opening of the new museum at 



'A session had already been held in Buenos 

 Aires during the montii of May. 



the ruins of Teotihuacan. An elaborate din- 

 ner was served in the celebrated grotto near 

 the Pyramid of the Sun, at which speeches 

 were made by both the secretary of foreign 

 affairs, Seiior Creel, and the secretary of pub- 

 lic instruction and fine arts, Senor Sierra. 

 The excursions to Mitla and Xochicalco took 

 place after the congress and were unfortu- 

 nately marred by some confusion and delay. 



Among the centennial attractions that were 

 of special interest to the Americanists was the 

 great historic pageant occurring the day after 

 the congress closed. The first section of the 

 pageant numbering 839 persons, dealt with 

 the epoch of the conquest, particularly the first 

 meeting between Montezuma and Cortes 

 (1519). The sections which followed repre- 

 sented the epochs of Spanish dominion and 

 of independence, respectively. 



There were a number of special social func- 

 tions in honor of the congress, including re- 

 ceptions by the minister of public instruction 

 and fine arts, and by Mrs. Zelia Nuttall at her 

 interesting home, Casa Alvarado, in the his- 

 toric old suburb of Coyoaean. 



The mode of selection of the council empha- 

 sized a weakness of the statutes that should be 

 remedied by amendment at the next congress. 

 So far as I have been able to ascertain, no 

 change has been made in the statutes since the 

 close of the first congress.' Article 7 of the 

 statutes is as follows : 



The Assembly elects the Members of the Council 

 of which the number is determined by the Com- 

 mittee of Organization. 



Each nationality should, at all events, be repre- 

 sented by at least one Member. 



This article gives the committee of organi- 

 zation power to limit the number of the coun- 

 cil and thus in a measure to determine its 

 personnel. By its very nature the committee 

 of organization is temporary and a local body ; 

 while the congress itself is international. 

 Not a single member, for example, of the com- 

 mittee of organization of the immediately 

 preceding congress in Vienna was on the com- 



^ Congrfea intern, des Americanistes, Compte 

 rendu de la premiere session, t. II., p. 170, Nancy, 



1875. 



