| Show lt CITIES or 01 YUCATAN hy by T Gregory or Masson G. G G s Son Sous York lork publish publisher er ers This book of pages just off the tho he press is 15 worth reading It con con- contains contains 32 illustrations and antI a map Dr Herbert J assist assist- assistant assistant ant curator of Mexican Archaeology ogy and Ethnology Ethnology- of or the Tea Tea- body Museum seum o Harvard has written a very er Interesting preface It will be news newS' to many persons per per- persons sons to know that the ancient Mayas I as were far superior to the Aztecs In m a apt t t. in science In most of the refinements that we v loose loose- loosely ly h call civilization This state state- statement statement statement ment is made in the book to cor cor- correct correct correct the average a layman's Ideas Idlas of prehistoric races in Central Amer- Amer AmerIca America Ica The so called ruined cities titles of Mexico tell lell an incomplete but nevertheless lIe marvelous mar story and furnish modern scientists with Ith a baffling riddle Why did dl these ancient people pass away Where did dill the they come from Crom What is the meaning mt of or tho the hieroglyphs they left Gregory ot Mason Is ie a time one newspaper r man explorer r novelist no and lecturer Mason worked on the New Vew ew York lork Sun for Cor two years was wag atone aVone time the editor editor- of u II paper in Japan reported the Pancho ilia ilia v rebellion for tor a magazine and amid published a n. novel Green Gold Cold of or Yucatan Ho lie was Willi also a war tear wa r correspondent In Eu Eu- Europe Europe Europe rope throughout tho the Great War ar arand and was w s one ont of the first American newspaper soon men to inter enter Germany after the armistice Ho lie stands about MX six Ix feet teet six lx and is ia about 35 years earll old Mason and Dr den passed throe three months explorIng exploring ing the archaeologically virgin ter ler- territory In and about Yucatan In 1920 1926 i American merican desire for for fot chewing guns gum the book tillS says ia Ls ti subduing the jungle exploitation and taming the Maya Maja remnants who arc are far Inferior to their for for- bears The Indians sometimes mix their puerile Christianity with worship at nt the ancient shrines and they dislike scientific Investigators The unbroken forest of or the QuIntana Roo section of or Yucatan are arc guarded by vigilant Ma Mayas Ians as who still cherish the tho crumbling buildings of oC their th lr ancestors and the tho Indians can hardly be blamed for Cor this Uti passive ho hostility for Cor the conquest st of bullets against brown breasts has gone on unceasingly since since- 1519 when the tho Spanish con con- conquest conquest conquest quest began bl's Tho The earliest known knon date In the record of the vanished builders Is August 6 6 B B. C C. The oldest date Inscribed In stone by the Majas yet vet found corresponds to ton I 98 n B B. B C C. In our in-our our count In between Is 15 a a. gap of or more than four Cour hundred years Cars To quote Within a a. hundred years jears ears or so after the birth of Christ tho the Ma Mayas as were building those splendid stone cities clUes this period is comparable to the Hassle classic period In Greek art and lasted until A. A D D. D The Tho he cit cit- cities citIes cit cit- cities ies appear to have ha been abandon abandon- abandoned ed II and then by the year ear car 1000 A A. A D D. the Ma Mayas Maas as had found them them- themselves themselves themselves selves again The Thc Mayas were ruled by b priest kings for religion Ion and government go went hand in hand Each Eich city state city state was as sufficient to itself but they banded band band- banded ed d together for defense The leaders in this era were the great cities of Uxmal Chi Chi- Chichen Chichen chen Itza and Jealousy ushered In III the civil wars which hastened the tho end of their exist exist- existence existence ence Jf a japan sought the aid of the Tolteca who were just giving ing InS way wa to the Aztecs In the tho high hIgh- highlands hIghlands highlands lands of Mexico and the resulting wars left the race degenerated when the Spaniards arrived ed In the early earl Hunting for ruins in the jungle j If f Is fraught with dangers and hard hard- hardships hardships ships ship what with reptiles Insects and fever feer on all sides In 11 tho the expedition were ere Mason fason Dr Ludlow Griscom bird expert rt Francis Francl Whiting stu stu- student student dent and Ogden Trevor Tre McClurg died in 1926 commander in the thereser Naval reserve reser Captain George Gough of or th tl Ife schooner Albert and several nondescript natives The story of their travels and discoveries eries erles Ls is Intriguing to the reader let alono alone tho the mysterious Ma Maya a alore lore Griscom found lound several se new ne species species cies cles of oC birds on the mainland and andon andon on Cozumel Island where live some birds not found elsewhere in the world The Tho expedition found the re remains re- re remains remains mains of seven se cities clUes not previous previous- previously ly known to science ret rel Saint fomas Tomas and Okop so so- the venture can be called ailed a success To go back to the Mayas in his opening chapter called The First Families of America refutes theories that they originated from rom African negroes roes from Chinese from the Lost Tribes of ot Israel or orthe orthe orthe the lost continent of or Atlantis Ho lie believes that America has a a. his his- history history history tory of her own Without telescopes t the tho Mayas Maja developed a calendar superior to i the Julian calendar of or the time Span Span- Spanish SpanIsh Spanish ish conquerors In one ono of their old books which fortunately es escaped es- es escaped I the Spaniards are the tho rom com computations for Cor 12 2 and a half mil mul- million million mullion lion da days das s years ears In a period of 33 years jears their figures for Cor this time have ha e actually been 89 one-hun- one found Cound to 10 be only of or a a. day less than tho the true truo time Among mon this people art religion and science marched together tos Then Then- priests priest were the scientists and they found no op op- opposition opposition op- op opposition position among among- amon fundamentalists of or that time Although h called bar bar- barbarians barbarians barbarians they were in many re respects re- re respects respects superior to their conquer conquer- conquerors ors Much Is still to be found out about these people and Mason fason urges that the Mexican govern govern- government government government ment remove remote the tho ban against ex- ex excavators ex ex- excavators ca because In a a. few Cew years jears ears the weather we ther and the tho Jungle will have claimed C Il time tho ruins for their t I own The records C left by the theMa Ma Mayas faas a i have been only partly de de- deciphered de- de deciphered deciphered ciphered due to the Ignorance of tho the zealous over Spaniards who destroyed d as much of or the work ork of the devil I as liS they the could Would that the tho world knew more of the ancients We Ve might profit thereby there b M. M II It |
