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Show PFEMSTORIC CITY. Vrnkdul Rks if TertikaticaM City Being Restored. TT The Hounds are Tjwenty-seven Allies Northeast of the City of flexlco. Northeast of the City of Moxioo, at a dlatanoe of 'i? miles au hour's ruu on tbo Mexican railway stand oojoeeal ruins of prehistoric race and known toibs archaeological world as Taotlbiuean, "Tho City of the Gods," says W.W. Blaok in "Modern Mexico..'' Tho great city occupied an area of not loss than four square miles. "Everywhere within with-in that space the ground is covorod with shapeless mounds which, when tho dobrls of earth and atone is ro-moved ro-moved prove to hi the sites of auoiont houses or small pyraatidB. Towering ovor all, and visiblo loi4 many miles iu any direction, in thp center of Ibla fortllo valo, "aro tbo two greatest pyramids of tbW American oon-tiuont oon-tiuont tho "StuT,rund tho "Moon." Tho "Moou" is tho smaller of tho two bolng about 450 foot squaro at tho bsao aud 1H7 feet high. Tho "Sun" Is a little , moro than half a ra Ho south of 'the "Moon," aud is about 700 feet squaro at tho baso aud 187 foot high. Both of thoao pyramids pyra-mids woro, in tholr origiunl state, considerably higher than they aro now. Tho doetniotivq tooth of tlmo and tbo ravaging hand of mau havo united iu rounding off their sharp contours aud giving them tho appear-anoe appear-anoe at a distance of .natural hills. The Mexican government, under the department of, public instruction and, the fine arts, recently created, BiJOjajteH-iko reWatloujif,tlib- WouderfumJItyWWo Uotls." Iffii. Juato Slorra, tho wwtby head of' the department, has plaoqd Don Loopoldti Batres in obargo of t)i0 work whioh la to bo completed within four years. Senor Batres hos been inspector aud conservator of publfo monuments for tho past 22 years! aU(l '8 dutiroly capable to carry to a successful conclusion con-clusion this great work. He bus 350 laborers under his employ and, although al-though they have been at work but a fow weekB, tljey have already moved 114,000 cubic meters of earth aud looao stones to tho outskirts of tho ruins. To do this they had to build a tramway several hundrod yards lu length, conatruot ofllces, ropnir shops, storerooms aud u comfortablo two story rosidonco for the family of Senor Batro. Tbo government has appro-prlntrtd appro-prlntrtd 81,30), 000 for tho work und, although it is boing done as cheaply us possible it is probublo that 82,000,000 will bo spent beforo it is brought to a termination. A small, urtifloluf hill uenr tho Boutbwoat coruor of tho "Sun" was first uttuoked. All tbo loose earth and atones wero carefully removed, nnd tho mound soon resolved Jnto a bountiful truncuted pyramid with houses or rooms ovor and around it. It has boon nnmod by Sen"r Batroa tbo "Houao of tho Priests," on tho supposition that it was the homo of tbo attendants in obargo of tbo great tomplo tbat must have originally crowned the summit of the "Sun." Tho two great pyramids, at least (and possibly some of the hundreds of smaller ones) wero built iu layers or coats of ourtb and volcanio rook. Each layer is a complete pyramid itsolf, its outer surfaoe being faood with masonary and then plastered ovor with n thin coating of oomeut or lino mortar. Both tho "Sun" and tho "Moon" show Ave snob layers or pyramids built liko a iwat of boxoa. Sonor Batres has begun to romovo the fifth or outr layer, which had beoomo bo destroyed by time or man tbat its shape is hardly disceraublo. This necessitates tho romoval of about four and a half yards of earth and atono from the outer surface, but reveals tho fourth layer or inner pyramid in nil Its pristino granduer. Ho bus finished the south side of tho "Sun" aud mado considerable headway on tho north side. The next to bo oloarod of its debris and vegetation is tho west aide (facing tbo "Street of tho Dead") and there bo will probably find tho stairway running from tbo baso to tho summit. One of the uowel with hieroglyphics has already been unearthed. |