Show find nce new w cities C it I 1 C 1 S eaf ancita JIA tp t maya carnegie institutions central american expedition makes important discoveries OLD CAPITAL IS EXCAVATED greatest native civilization which america produced once flourished in what Is now desolate and forgotten region washington after having discovered and unearthed ancient and forgotten cities that once vwe the center of americas civilization and after having begun to recover I 1 the lie ancient learning for the maya people from fraai their indian descendants the carnegie institution central american expedition for 1021 1921 which penetrated the region of guatemala in the department part ment of at the base ot of the yucatan peninsula has returned to this city the te expedition under the direction of dr 93 alvanus Sl vanus us G morley mso associate clate in american archeology archaeology arche of 0 the institution left washington early in january the other investigators inere ere dr C U guthe and william gates both research associates of the institution the activities of the field season consisted of the exploration of the forests of northern in search tor for new centers of this ancient cl illation under the direction of doctor morley the excavation of Tay asal the last itza a maya tribe capital lo 10 bated upon an island lu in the lake of itza in northern noi thern central by doctor guthe and a firsthand first hand study of the maya language as spoken today in northern british honduras and also by the quiche a maya tribe living in the highlands of guatemala by sir mr gates unearth ancient cities following along the the substance from which chewing gum Is made trails which traverse this region doctor morless Mor leys party discovered several new cities during the course of the field season in what appears to have been the very heart of the old maya empire doctor guches excavations at ta tay yi asal proved equally fruitful the pran cipal plaze plaza of bilat city was located anil and the work of clearing away the tha earth and fallen masonry from th mhd principal structures was com commenced commence menceL dj the peninsula of yucatan juts ul api upi into the gulf of mexico like the great grea thumb of a giant hand pointing norths northa I 1 ward it Is miles wide and be bei 1 fore it finally takes root in the contil cental land mass far to the south southa gradually gradual Ay merging into the footh foothills ills of the Cordil it Is miles long this region a limestone format formation loil 1 of recent geological age has gradual ly emerged from the floor of the car sea and is now overgrow overgrown with a dense subtropical sub tropical jungle it id supports in fact an almost contina cont conti contenul inu nul ous forest of mahogany rubber santa marla maria ceiba chaco sapote the chew chewe ing gum tree and many other su subtropical trees which so completely complete covers the country that one may tra trav el in this buh for days wit without 0 ul leej see I 1 ing an open space large enough to tic ac cumm a modern bungalow corn com foft abl Y in tills this now desolate and forgetter for gotter gotte region there deN developed eloped burh during th first fifteen centuries of the C christlar era the greatest native civilization which america produced namely that of the ancient maya of southern merl aco and northern nor thein central america here great cities grew up filled with temples pyramids palaces and morn mon i as built of finely carved allm limestone which were grouped around paved squares and courts once brilliant people in these spacious plazas beautifully sculptured monuments were erected erected their sides inscribed with elaborate hieroglyphic writings setting forth ima ln historical and astronomical facts A dense population highly or ori under strongly centralized centra centralize lizel governments flourished in the region the vanguard of in th mhd new world but in the course of centuries pesi pes tl ti lence drought civil war and taming famine overtook the maya so that when tha spaniards landed on the east coast of 0 yucatan in 1851 under francisco dill montejo the last remnant of this jonm brilliant people fell an easy prey to the shock of foreign conquest and they were speedily reduced to depe d n and slavery their once magnificent cities vere abandoned vast sections section being actually de populated and th tropical jungle again crept over tha the region until today these former cen of life and human activity 11 lie burled buried in the grip of a dense forest and crumbling walls and piles of falli en masonry overgrown with alani giant trees alone bear melancholy witness to former pomp and glory invest investigations eions in this remote ani and inaccessible region may only be car ried on under enormous difficulties it Is only nery lery slowly wit with ditl pains and at high cost that this region Is being made to yield its archaeology archeology archeo arche logi leal secrets and the truth about out our fo demost nathe american civilization is gradually being made known |