1,500-YEARS-OLD-RUINS

Hokitika Guardian, 30 August 1926, Page 1

1,500-YEARS-OLD-RUINS

, SECRETS OF ANCIENT MAYA. (By F. A. Mitchell-H edges, the explorer, who is now on ii tour of the Central American Republics). GUATEMALA CITY, June 19. Lady Brown and I left British Honduras in a little coast boat, and arrived at Puerto Barrios, in Gautemala. Sending our heavy baggage ahead by the railway, we broke out journey at Quirt gua, where there are wonderful Maya ruins which lie amid the dense jungle on the banks of the Motagua River. These ruins are entirely different from those of Lubanntim in British Honduras, and are miniature in comparison. At Quirigua there are two large mounds; on the top of one are the remains of buildings. In a flat open space ljctween the mounds the Maya erected, by a stupendous engineering Teat, groat stone monoliths which are exquisitely sculptured. For more than ! .400 years they have been exposed to the elements, and yet to-day the sculpturing ran easily compare with, if not excel, the finest efforts of the present FACE OF A QUEEN. Carved on one of the monoliths is the face of a Maya queen, awful in its majesty. Rivalling the great monoliths in interest are immense stones. Their individual weight must he. colossal, running up to many tons. One represents a jaguar, another a grotesque toad. There are series of dates and beautiful sculpturing on every one, but the most remarkable is the gigantic sacrificial stone, exquistely sculptured and entirely covered with (bites, figures and curious glyphs. The top has been cut so that a person stretched out with arms extended lias the chest raised and the skin drawn taunt. I climbed to the top and lay there, and it was easy to realise how the priest, with his flint knife, struck open the chest of the victim and then tore the heart from the body to propitiate his god. There are secrets and a history in regard to the wonderful race of the Maya "which I ieol sure will in the future surprise the world. It becomes more certain every day that our ignorance in regard to this ancient civilisation is profound. As years pass and fresh discoveries arc made and knowledge gained there is little doubt that the Maya civilisation will transcend in importance that of Egypt. The remains of buildings which stand on the mounds at Quirigua appear almost modern in comparison to Lubaantun. vet, as proved by the dates on the monoliths at Quirigua, these ruins arc more than 1.500 years old. Recently rumours reached me that on the Pacific side of this country there are more immense stones buildings and monoliths.

There arc thousands of square miles of jungle and mountain in Gautemala which have never yet been explored, and who shall say what may he discovered ? In this country arc many strange Indian tribes, secretive and shy, who.rarely leave their strongholds amid the mountains and jungle. These curious people have a language of their own which resembles no tongue at present known. I.adv Brown and I are leaving here and we shall endeavour to reach some of these remote tribes.