Show Written w for tor thin un Pr Poper BURIED 1860 YEARS T ND it came to t pass i in nth n the t e thirty and anI fourth year in iia the first month month in the fourth day of the th month there thenarose arose a great storm such an anone anone one as never neve had been b e e i known known- in all alj ti tithe the land and an J there was also als 1 a great and a an n d terrible t e m I t r pest and there was terr i b 1 l e e thunder inso inso- insomuch insomuch much that i idid t t did shake the whole earth as asif asif a if it was about to O divide asunder and there were ex ex- ex- ex exceeding exceeding exceeding sharp such as never bad been known in all II the land A And d there was great and terrible destruction destruction des- des in the land southward But behold bold there was a more great and ter ter- terrible tible destruction in the land northward f for r behold the whole face of the land was changed because of the tempest and the whirlwinds and the thunder thunder- thunder thunder-ings lags and the and the exceed exceed- exceeding big ing great quaking of the whole earth and the highways were broken up and the level roads were spoiled and many smooth places became rough and many great great and notable cities were sunk and many were burned and many were shook hook till tm the buildings thereof had fallen to the earth and the inhabitants thereof hereof were slain and the places were left desolate and there were some cities which remained but the damage there there- thereof thereof thereof of was exceedingly great and there were many in them who were stain slain and there were some who were carried away in the whirlwind and whither they went no man save they know that they were carried away and andus thus us the face ot of the whole earth became formed because of the tempest and the and the and the quaking of the earth Thus it was more than a thousand years before Christopher Columbus was born that the great historian of prehistoric prehistoric prehistoric America graved upon golden Plates his brief account of the most terrible ter- ter terri ter terrible ri le upheaval the Western Hemisphere leas known and of which occurring four centuries before his time he had learned from the J i of his fathers except as he might have seen the de- de deserted deserted de ruins of some of those cities he hede describes de cribei and which remain to this r 4 day a solemn memento of the outburst ef f mighty anger against the wicked wicked- eess ea of men j jf f Within the area of country co to which this American historian referred as the f tf 1 E f v i land land northward is embraced what is isnow isnow isnow now known as Central America and in Guatemala Honduras Yucatan and neighboring localities the evidences of this terrible visitation still remain ob- ob objects objects ob objects of wonderment mystery and awe to the venturesome explorer in arch arch- archaeological archaeological fields The date of this ap- ap appalling appalling ap appalling palling event so briefly told by the historian and which filled its destructive destructive destructive tive mission in about three hours time is disclosed in the opening words of the record quoted three thirty-three years and three days a aster after ter the Saviors Savior's birth or somewhere near April 9 A D 34 ac- ac according according ac according cording to our reckoning Six centuries before this the scene had been viewed in vision by the great Prophet of medi mediaeval val American history who says I saw a mist of darkness on the the- face of the theland theland theland land of promise and I saw and I heard and earth earth- earthquakes earthquakes earthquakes quakes and all manner of tumultuous noises and I saw the earth and the rocks that they rent and I saw moun moun- mountains mountains mountains trembling to pieces an and I saw the plains of the earth that they were broken up and I saw many cities that they were sunk and I saw many that they were burned with fire and I 1 saw many that did tremble to the earth be- be canse be-canse canse of the quaking thereof And now in this latter age of earths earth's exis exis- existence existence existence tence when a new civilization is over over- overspreading overspreading overspreading spreading the American continent comes the uncovering of many of the mighty ruins that to at for nearly nineteen centuries have been hidden from the eye of man There bas has been discovered and isnow is isnow isnow now being unearthed a great city which probably was one of those buried 1860 years ago on the day when Christ was crucified and the Savior of the world was nailed on Calvary's cross This buried city which flourished on this continent ere the birth of the Maya Maya- Quiche Maya Quiche civilization that elicited the ad ad- admiration admiration admiration of Cortez and his coadjutors and immediate successors is distant but about three miles east from the Ciudad Vieja old city of the early Europeans in Santiago Guatemala Guatemala Santiago de delos delos delos los the first cap capital tal of the modern state The new discovery is on the Pompe Pompeii 1 plantation of Manuel J Alvarado on the slope of the V Volcan olcan de Agua watery volcano The plantation acquired its its name from the an ancient ruins which exist on it and regarding which the natives have many interesting traditions Of the new discovery however there is no tradition among the natives now residing in the locality which connects It with the present age So far as the people there are concerned its record is wholly obscured in the dim and distant past The result of the earlier investigations investigations investigations were noted Doted in a NEws editorial a few months ago the details of further development can be given now It was under the orders of Senor Alvarado that the excavations now going on were commenced He had found a few relics and determined to make further search At one place at a depth of twelve feet below the surface of the mountain slope he has taken out many rare and inter inter- interesting interesting esting eating objects such as flower pots earthen vessels vessels for for domestic use J i i an- an ani ancient ancient an ancient i glazed glued ware large vases of ex- ex ex fine with engravings and with pictures in brilliant colors painted upon them domestic c utensils such as are discovered among the Indian relics in Utah axes ham ham- hammers mers tomahawks and war clubs of stone knives nives and daggers of obsidian with sharp points and edges l lances and lancets of the same material idols of stone and cla clay and well wrought jewelry of turquoise and other precious stones of all ordinary sizes and figures Among the latter was a stone like those worn by Indian royalty of ages ago on state occasions it is a rare kind of precious stone of deep green color capable cap cap- capable capable able of the highest polish and known to the natives as the villi chi st stone ne Artistically traced symbols and char char- characters characters characters the colors apparently as fresh and brilliant as though they had just left the artists artist's hands were to be seen on some of the finest vases Deeper down the investigation re- re revealed revealed re revealed that the people who had dwelt there were idol worshipers or at least had figures representative of deities or enshrined personages just as some pro pro- professed professed Christians of today have statues of St Peter the Virgin Mary and other notable characters in religious history to which they bow how in adoration There were two classes of idols those of clay and those of stone many in each class exceedingly well formed showing high knowledge of the sculptor's sculptor's sculptor's tors tor's art The clay idols show great variety and are not always of the kind that might be regarded as sacred Some of the carved faces wear the tragic mask but one particular figure was that ofa of a fat pot-bellied pot round faced round cheeked plump cheeked chap the incarnation of merriment and good living Among an anI idolatrous people he might be easily regarded as deserving reverence as the god of humor Chiseled from a hard brownstone brownstone-a brownstone and d representing a person in a recumbent position with head erect and the chin chinon chinon chinon on a line with the body was one figure the head face and neck of which were cut to a perfect finish but the sculptor evidently had not had time to complete his bis work on the entire body The face is a striking likeness in contour and ex- ex expression expression ex expression to the features of the Hebrew race while a smaller unfinished stone statue is a type of the ide ideal l of today On the head of each of these figures is a remarkably well executed warriors warrior's helmet mounted with a clear clear- cut clear cut tuft or crest of feathers hanging over overa overa overa a rimless front Encircling it is a wide band well wen up on the forehead orna orna- ornamented ornamented ornamented with quadrant figures in bas bas- relief bas relief set closely one within another from the outer lines to the center all arranged with perfect mathematic pre pre- precision precision precision The figures evidently were in- in intended intended in intended tended as monuments of great military leaders In its makeup the helmet closely resembles the pictures handed down to us of the headgear worn by the praetorian pr torian guards of Rome Other figures there were were of more or orless orless orless less merit erit and in different states of preservation and all representing the Indian type of character except one which had the Mongolian cast of ot slant slant- slanting slanting slanting ing moon eyes There was the flat nose the high cheek bones and it may be it was intended to preserve the peculiarly interesting features of some distin distin- distinguished distinguished distinguished person In the actual reUl s of former human life there was deeply interesting field This was not reached until one of the excavations extended thirty feet below the surface when at the foundation level of several houses were found many human skeletons scattered about the floors as though they had fallen thereby there thereby thereby by some sudden casualty Some were lying down and others were in the sit sit- sitting sitting sit sitting ting posture just as they were overtaken by bv the storm of mud and water which sealed their fate and consigned them to the tomb unattended by funeral service or ceremony When these skeletons were removed from the debris some of them broke and crumbled but others re re- reo remained remained firm Several of them were over six feet in length two or three nearly seven feet Many were in a good goodstate state of preservation some being very beautiful beautiful beautiful ful in form One in particular attracted attention from Irom its perfection and sym sym- symmetry symmetry symmetry metry As was the case with most of o f them the forehead was broad and high the cheek bones prominent and the chin projecting The finely molded hands and feet indicated refinement and cultivation What was the occupation the character of the one whose frame it had been in life and who will claim it in inthe inthe inthe the resurrection Say did these fingers delve the mine mineOr Or with its envied rubies shine To hew the rock or wear the gem Can little now avail to them But if the page of truth they sought Or comfort to the mourner brought These hands a richer meed shall claim Than all that wait on wealth or fame Avails it whether bare or shod These feet the path of duty trod If from the bowers of ease they fled To seek afflictions affliction's humble shed If grandeurs grandeur's guilty bribe they spurned And home to virtues virtue's cot returned These feet with angel wings shall vie And tread the palace of the sky In several vases in the rooms excavated was noticeable a feature which might lead one to believe that this people had esteemed the head as the noble part of the body and at death had it severed from the trunk and kept it as a sacred relic In glazed clay vases ornamented with crude figures in gaudy colors were many human skulls In some of the vases these heads were placed in an up up- up upright upright right upright position the chin on a level with the rim of the vase in others they were face upward In some and it probably had been the case with all precious stones were placed in the mouth and what appeared to be nose jewels lay in inthe inthe inthe the nasal cavity From what has been uncovered there is no doubt that the place was a thickly populated city of whose record the natives have lost all knowledge The relics have not been examined yet by who may be able to give some additional light on the manners and customs of the stranger dead There is much more excavating to do doand and probably further rich finds in store The excellent state of preservation and the undoubted of the great antiquity i- i i t i relics the ethnological suggestions of the carvings add and sculpture and the de- de depee depee de degree pee gree pee of culture indicated by the paint paint- paintings paintIngs paintings ings engravings and other features make the place especially attractive to investigators and it is believed by those who have nave visited the place some of o f them persons of education and experience r- r rJ J f r ence that this buried city is 0 of far greater antiquity than an anything ing of the th e kind heretofore unearthed in in that tat part rt ert of the continent which is recognized as the earliest home of civilization in North post America America at least in post days The tra tragedy dv which placed the city in its present location twelve to thirty feet or more below ground may never be written more elaborately than it is given by the historian whose words are quoted at the opening of I this his article The story is terrible as it is brief Probably in 10 the ragin raging storm which disturbed earth when its Redeemer hung upon the cataclysm which enveloped them swept with it from the mountain above the vast quantities of mud and sand which transformed a city of life into a city of the dead That is a fate the pro prophetic vision decreed for many cities in inthis in inthis inthis this landof land of promise that is the record made for the same by the hist historian rian of ancient America that is the evidence which the present appearance of the city on the slopes of Volcan de Agua offers to the observant eye and mind It is the whole narrative of destruction yet given to the world Such the brief page thy story fills fills- fills Thou ancient city of the hills Een while I gaze nights night's gloomy shade Is gathering as the moonbeams fade Around thy walls they faintly play play- play They tremble then tremble gleam then flit away away- away They they fade fade they vanish down the dell Lone city of the hills farewell GR EME ME |