January 5, 1900.] 



SCIENCE. 



19 



location of starcli in the diseased area is to 

 be explained by the abnormal activity of 

 the oxidizing enzymes of these cells, and 

 that the mode of this action is by retarding 

 or weakening the activity of the trans- 

 location diastase. This would also help to 

 explain the slower growth of the diseased 



^®^^^- Albert F. Woods. 



Division of Vegetable Physiology and 

 Pathology, U. S. Department 

 OF Agriculture. 



THE MEXICAN HALL OF THE AMERICAN 

 MUSEU3I OF NATURAL HISTORY* 



When the Europeans first set foot in 

 Mexico, they were met by a numerous peo- 

 ple who had become settled into nations, 

 and had developed a civilization which was 

 astounding and incomprehensible to the 

 conquering adventurers. The antiquity of 

 this American civilization was so great, 

 ^nd it was so widely spread over Mexico 

 and Central America, that there still re- 

 mains a vast accumulation of materials 

 exemplifying the daily life of the people. 

 Hundreds of temples and other large and 

 elaborate structures and sculptures in stone, 

 which were connected with the ceremonials 

 of an all-pervading religion fostered and 

 maintained by priests and rulers, stand as 

 monuments of this ancient civilization. 



Several distinct phases of this culture re- 

 sulted from modifications by different tribes 

 with distinct languages and customs. In 

 Mexico proper the most powerful nation 

 was that of the ISTahuas, commonly known 

 as the Aztecs. Their principal seat was 

 in the Valley of Mexico, but by migra- 

 tions and conquests they left their im- 

 print in various parts of Mexico and Cen- 

 tral America. The other prominent cultures 

 of this ancient time in Mexico are attrib- 

 uted to the Tarascans in the States of 

 Michoacan and Jalisco, the Zapotecans 

 and the Mixtecans in the State of Oaxaca, 



* Opened on December 12, 1899. 



and the Totonacans in the State of Vera 

 Cruz. The great southern development, in 

 many ways the highest phase of this Amer- 

 ican civilization, is attributed to the Mayas. 

 It extended from the State of Chiapas on 

 the north, through Yucatan and Guate- 

 mala, to northern Honduras, where in the 

 Copan Valley it probably reached its high- 

 est development. 



From the time of the conquest by Cortes 

 this ancient civilization on the American 

 Continent has been a wonder and a mys- 

 tery. Some of the Spanish priests and na- 

 tive writers following the conquest left ac- 

 counts of the people and their customs, 

 from which the student of to-day is obtain- 

 ing important information ; but it is only 

 during the present century that serious re- 

 search has been directed to the study of 

 this remarkable phase of American archEe- 

 ology. The publication, by Stephens in 

 1841, of the volumes containing illustra- 

 tions by Catherwood of the ruins in Chi- 

 apas, Yucatan and Central America, first 

 aroused attention among English-speaking 

 peoples to the ruius of these ancient cities 

 of America with their strange sculptures. 

 From that time this interest has been in- 

 creasing, and during the last decade syste- 

 matic exploration and research have led to 

 many important discoveries, the beginnings 

 of definite knowledge concerning the origin 

 and development of this past American 

 civilization. 



It was in furtherance of this research 

 that the American Museum secured from 

 the Government of Mexico the right to ex- 

 plore the^ancient ruins in that country. It 

 was for this object that Mr. Lorillard pro- 

 vided the means for Charnay's expedition 

 to Yucatan and other parts of Mexico. It 

 was this incentive that led Mr. Thompson 

 to take up his abode in Yucatan, and that 

 induced Dr. and Mrs. Le Plongeon to pass 

 years of arduous labor in that country. 

 For this purpose the Duke of Loubat sent 



