The North Americans of Antiquity; their origin, migrations and type of civilization considered ... Second edition

Preface

. f I "^HE growing interest in the origin, migrations and life of -*- the races of American Antiquity has led me to believe that the subjects considered in these pages would meet with the favorable attention of the public and of the specialist in this field. With such a conviction I present this volume, realizing the difficulties which attend any efforts to elucidate such dark problems. Yet I cannot conceal my satisfaction that the age of North American Antiquity is not all darkness, but on the contrary is rapidly growing radiant with light, while a host of patient searchers for its truths roll up the obscuring curtain. The recent discoveries by Geo. Smith, Cesnola, and Schliemann naturally cause us to turn with national pride to the rich anti quarian fields in our own land. Very satisfactory results have been obtained within a few years in the exploration of Mound works and the Cliff-dwellings of the West.

A just view of the civilization of the builders of these remains, however, requires that it be considered in connection with the traditional history and civilization of the ancient races of Mexico and Central America, so marked was the influence of the ancient peoples of this continent upon each other.

PREFACE.

. VIII Kegarding this to be important, I have endeavored to present a comprehensive view of the civilization of the Mound-builders, Cliff-dwellers, and Pueblos, and to bring to the attention of the reader the traditional history and architectural remains of the Mayas of Yucatan and the Nahuas of Mexico. Only the proba ble origin and the most remote period of the growth of these latter peoples could receive attention within the limits prescribed for this work, since it is my design that this volume shall serve as a manual of information relating to the earliest period of North-American Antiquity, and as an introduction to Ancient American History. My material relating to the Mound-builders has been drawn almost entirely from the Smithsonian Eeports, the Proceedings of scientific societies, and private memoirs.

Still it is but justice to one honored co-laborer in the same field, Col. J. W. Foster, to say that his excellent work, The Pre- Historic Races of the U. S., has been of great service in our investigation of this subject. Although his sources of informa tion have been, with few exceptions, before me, my appreciation of his work is attested by my constant reference to it. Never theless, the wonderful advances which have been made in Mound exploration since the issue of the Pre-Historic Races, called for a fresh treatment of the subject. On the Mayas and Nahuas the following manuscript works in the possession of the Congressional Library at Washington were consulted, and yielded valaable materii.l : Las Casas : Historia Apologetica de las Indias occidentales, 4 vols. folio. Las Casas : Historia de Indias, 4 vols. folio. Panes (D. Diego): Fragmentos de Historia de Nueba Espana, folio.

PREFACE.

. IX Echevarria y Veitia : Historia del origen de gentes que poblaron la America Septentrional, 1755, 3 vols. folio (about one-fourth of the work is published in Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq., vol. viii). Escalante in Teniente {Jose Cortes): Memoria sobre las Provincias del Norte de Nueva Espana 1799, folio. Duran (Diego): Historia Antigua de la Nueva Esparia 1585, 3 vols. folio (part of the work has been published in Mexico). These, together with the large number of printed books relating to America in the Congressional Library added to works in my possession, afforded an ample field for research. 1 must express my appreciation of the courteous attentions of the accomplished Librarian of Congress, the Hon. A. R. Spofford, who together with his assistants did everything possible to facilitate my investigations.

To the uniform and friendly interest which Mr. Spofford has manifested in my work, its successful completion is largely due. The substantial assistance which I received from the lamented Professor Joseph Henry — the record of whose kindly offices to his fellowmen can never be written — was invaluable to me. Besides placing the latest material at my disposal, he generously furnished most of the engravings in this work relating to the Mound-builders. Dr. Charles Rau, also of the Smithsonian Institution, has placed me under obligations for valued services. To Professor F. V. Hayden and to the painstaking offices of Mr. James Stevenson of the U. S. Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories, I am indebted for the engravings as well as the sources of information relating to the Cliff-dwellers.

The Hon. J. R. Bartlett, of Provi dence, R. I., with equal generosity has conferred like favors. Prof. F. W. Putnam, of the Peabody Museum of American

PREFACE.

. X Archæology and Ethnology at Cambridge, Mass., and his courteous assistants, Mr. Carr and Miss Smith, have provided me with valuable engravings and reports. Robert Clarke, Esq., and Mr. E. G-est, of Cincinnati, have also sent me engravings, and the former in particular has conferred frequent favors. Professor Ph. Valentini, of Albion, N. Y., with rare liberality, contributed interesting material relating to the Nahua Calendar. To Mr. Stephen Salisbury, Jr., of Worcester, Mass., Dr. R. J. Farqu harson, of the Davenport Academy of Sciences, Rev. S. D. Peet, editor of the American Antiquarian, Cleveland, 0., and to A. J. Conant, Esq., of St. Louis, Mo., I am indebted for the interest they have manifested, and for the material which they have brought to my attention. Senor Orozco y Berra, of the City of Mexico, the distin guished author of the Geografia de las lenguas Mexicanas, has from time to time freely made important suggestions concerning some of the problems under consideration.

To my friend the Rev. John W. Butler, of the city of Mexico, whose intelligent efforts in my behalf have been unremitting, I have special reason to be thankful. To all these generous friends I must be per mitted here to express my deep sense of gratitude for their favors. However, this pleasant task would be but half performed were I to omit the recognition of the unselfish friendship of the justly eminent author of the Native Races of the Pacific Stdes. Mr. Hubert Howe Bancroft, whose rare erudition and breadth of thought are only surpassed by his magnanimity of nature and manliness of spirit, with a liberality which has scarce a parallel in authorship, sent me the majority of the engravings illustrative of the Maya and Nahua architecture and sculpture, used in the fourth volume of the Native Races. To this I may add the no less valuable encouragement which he so heartily gave durin"-

PREFACE.

. XI the progress of my work. Although some of my investigations were prosecuted before the publication of the Native Races, and though all of Mr. Bancroft's sources relating to subjects which have received our mutual attention were before me and under went a critical examination at my hands, it is but fair to state that the assistance which I derived from the Native Races has been of incalculable service in the preparation of this volume. If in any place I have omitted to render full credit to Mr. Ban croft, and to that imperishable monument of learning and industry, his great work, the omission has been due to inadvertence rather than intention. My obligations to Mr. Bancroft can never be discharged, nor can the kind attentions of Mr. Henry L. Oak, of the Bancroft Library, San Francisco, be forgotten.

Still my examination of the sources has not always led me to the same conclusions as were reached by the author of the Native Races. This may be owing to our different standpoints of observation, or possibly to an inappreciable bias in my own mind. It is, however, but justice to myself to say that this work has been prosecuted to its completion with the spirit of inquiry rather than of advocacy, and is the embodiment of an honest search for the truth. THE AUTHOR. Columbus, O., November, 1879. CONTENTS.

Chapter I. Ancient Inhabitants Of The United States

Page The Aborigines — Antiquity of the Red Indian — The Mound-builders — Geographical Distribution of Mound-works — Frontier Defences of the Mound-builders — Micliigan Mounds — Mounds in the North-west — On tbe Upper Missouri — In Dakota — Animal Mounds of Wisconsin — Elephant Mound — Discoveries at Davenport, Iowa — Davenport Tablet — Heart of the Mound-builder Country — Cahokia — Resemblances to Mexico — St. Louis and Cincinnati Works — Cincinnati Tablet — Works in Ohio — Fortified Places — Fort Ancient — Signal Systems — Works at Newark — The Ohio Valley — Explorations in Tennessee — Burial in Stone Coffins — Mound Colonies in the South-east; — Mr. Anderson's Calendar Stone — Mounds of the Lower Mississippi Valley — Seltzertown Mound — Alabama and Georgia Mounds — Pyramid of Kolee- Mokee — Explorations in Missouri — Sun-dried Bricks— Remains in the South-west — Direction of the Migration — Architectural Progress — Altar Mounds — Mounds of Sepulture — Ancient Copper Mines — Astronomical Knowledge, -.'1

Chapter II

Antiquity of Man ox the Western Continent. Antiquity of the Mounds— No Tradition of tbe Mound-builders— Vegetation Covering tbe Mounds — Age of Mound Crania — Probable Date of the Abandonment of the Mounds — Ancient Shell-heaps — Man's Intlu- CONTENTS. XIV Page ence on Nature — Supposed Testimony of Geology — Agassiz on the Floridian Jaw-bone — Remains on Santos River — The Natchez Bone — Remains on Petit Anse Island — Brazilian Bone-caves — Dr. Koch's Pre tended Discoveries — Ancient Hearths— Age of the Mississippi Delta — Dr. Dowler's Discovery at New Orleans — Dr. Abbott's Discoveries in New Jersey — Discoveries in California — Inter-Glacial Relics in Ohio — Crania from Mounds in tbe North-west — No Evidences as yet Discovered Proving Man's Great Antiquity in America, .... 101

Chapter III

Diversity of Opinion as to the Origin of toe Ancient Americans. Conflict of Discovery and Dogmatism — Arabic Learning in the VHIth Century — Spirit of tbe Early Writers on America — Common Opinion as to the Origin ofthe Americans — Father Duran — Lost Tribes of Israel — Garcia — Lascarbot — Villagutierre — Torquemada — Pineda, etc. — Abbe Domenech — Modern Views — Pre-Columbian Colonization — Plato's Atlantis — Kingsborough — The "Book of Mormon" — Phœnicians — George Jones — Greek and Egyptian Theories — The Tartars — Japanese and Chinese Theories — Fusang — The Mongol Theory — Traces of Buddhism —White-Man's Laud— The Northmen— The Welsh Claim, . . . 131

Chapter IV

Origin of the Americans as Viewed from the Standpoint of Science. Origin Theories — Indigenous Origin — Separate Creation Theory— Dr. Morton's Theory— Agassiz's Views — Dr. Morton's Cranial Measurements — Dr. Morton's Theory of Ethnic Unity Groundless— Ethnic Relationships—Typical Mound-skull— Crania from the River Rouge— Dr. Farquharson's Measurements — Crania from Kentucky — Researches in Tennessee by Prof. Jones— Measurements— Prof. Putnam's Collection of Crania from Tennessee Mounds — Low Type Crania from the Mounds —Development Observable in Mound Crania — Head-Flattening Derived from Asia — Diseases of the Mound-builders— Physiognomy of the Ancient Americans — Languages — Evolution and its Bearing on the CONTENTS. XV 203 Origin of the Americans— Darwin and Hæckel on the Indigenous American— The Autochthonic Hypothesis Groundless— Unity of the Human Family— Accepted Chronology Faulty 155

Chapter V

Traditional History of the Origin of the Maya Nations. Ancient Civilization of Tabasco and Chiapas— The Tradition of Votan— The First Immigrants to America— The City of Nachan— The Votanic Document — Ordonez — Brasseur and Cabrera on the Tzendal Document— The Empire of the Chanes— The Oldest Civilization— The Earliest Home of the Mayas— The Quiches— Their Origin Tradition— The Quiche Cosmogony — The Creation of Man— The Quiche Migration— Tulan — Mt. Hacavitz— Human Sacrifices Instituted — Four Tulans — Association of the Mayas and Nahuas — Heroic Period of the Quiches — Xibalba and its Downfall— Exploits of the Quiche Chieftains— War of the Sects — Xibalba and Palenque the Same — Mayas of Yucatan and their Traditions — Culture-heroes-^-Zamna and Cukulcan — Christ Myth,

CHAPTER VL

Traditional History of the Origin of the Nahua Nations. The Early Inhabitants of Mexico — Quinames — Miztecs and Zapotecs — Totonacs and Huastecs — Olmecs and Xicalancas — The Nahuas — The Cholula Pyramid — Its Origin Explained by Duran — No Relation to a Flood— Ixtlilxochitl's Deluge Tradition— The first Toltecs— The Codex Chimalpopoca Account — The Discovery of Maize — Sahagun's Origin of the Nahuas — They came from Florida — Their Settlement in Tamoanchan — Their Migrations — Hue Hue Tlapalan — Its Location, according to the Sources — Not Identical with Tlapallan de Cortes— Not in Central America — Probably in the Mississippi Valley — Beginning of the Toltec Annals — The Chichimecs not Nahuas — The Nahuatlacas — The Aztecs — Aztlan — As Described by Early Writers — Aztec Migration — Aztec Maps — Senor Ramirez on Migration Maps — The Seven Caves — Three Claims for the Location of Aztlan — The Culture Hero, Quetzalcoatl, CONTENTS. XVI

Chapter VII

The Ancient Pueblos and Cliff-Dwellers. Page The Casas Grandes of Chihuahua— Ruins in the Casas Grandes and Janos Valleys— Casa Grande of the Rio Gila— Ruins in. the Gila Valley— Also in the Valley of the Rio Salado— Ruins in the Canon of the Colorado— In the Valley of the Colorado Chiquito— Pueblos of the Zuni River— Zuni and the " Seven Cities of Cibola "— " El Moro "—Pueblos of the Chaco Valley — Cliff-dwellers — Mr. Jackson's Discoveries in the Valley of the Rio San Juan— Cliff-houses of the Rio Mancos— Cliff-dwellings on the McElmo— Traditional Origin and Fate of the Cliff-dwellers- Ancestors of the Moquis — Remarkable Discoveries by Mr. Holmes — The Seven Moqui Towns— The Montezuma Legend, .... 275

Chapter VIII

Ancient American Civilization and Supposed Old World Analogies. — Architecture, Sculpture, and Hieroglyphics. Analogies, Real and Fancied — Maya Architecture— The American Pyramid — The Palace of Palenque — The French Roof at Palenque — The Trefoil Arch — Yucatanic Architecture — Uxmal — The Casa de Monjas — Kabah— Casa Grande of Zayi — Quiche Architecture — Copan — Circus of Copan — Description by Fuentes — Utatlan — Nahua Architecture — Remains in Oajaca — Mitla — Grecques at Mitla — Remains in the State of Vera Cruz — Cholula — Pyramid of Xochicalco — The Temple of Mexico — Teotihuacan — Los Edificios of Quemada — Maya and Nahua Architecture Compared — Old World Analogies — Sculpture — Of the Mounds — At Palenque — At Uxmal — Of the Nahuas — Ancient American Art and its Old World Analogies — Egyptian Tau at Palenque — Serpent Sculpture — Nahua Symbolism probably Asiatic — Hieroglyphics— Maya MSS. and Books — Landa's Alphabet — Attempts at the Interpretation of Maya MSS. by Bollaert, Charencey, and Rosny — Rosny's Classification of the Hieroglyphics — Hopes that a Key has been Discovered — The Mexican Picture-writing — Aztec Migration Maps, . 338

Chapter IX

Chronology, Calendar Systems, and Religious Analogies. No Mound-builder Chronology Known— Maya Calendar — Landa on the Calendar— Maya Days— Maya Months— The Katun— The Ahau Katun or Great Cycle— The Maya System Adjusted to our Chronology— The CONTENTS. xvii Page Adjustment by Perez— Intercalary Days— The Nalma Calendar— The Sources — Divisions of the Mexican Calendar— The Aztec Year — The Nemontemi— Aztec Months— Aztec Days— Nahua Ritual Calendar- Mexican Calendar Stone — Sources of Interpretation— History of the Stone— Its Interpretation— Date of the Origin of the Calendar Stone- Date of the Nahua Migration — Analogies with the Nahua Calendar — Religious Analogies— Jewish Analogies — Deluge Traditions—Sup posed Parallels in Jewish and Mexican History — Analogies of Doctrine — Analogies of Ceremonial Law — Yucatanic Trinity Myth — Mexican and Asiatic Analogies — Buddhism in the New World — Scandinavian aAnalogies — Mexican and Greek Analogies — Brasseur de Bourbourg's Comparisons 435

Chapter X

, Language and its Relation to North American Migrations. Diversity of Languages in America — Causes of Diversity — Richness of American Languages — Polysynthesis — Grimm's Law — The Maya- Quiche Languages — Stability of the Maya — Oldest Americau Language — The Maya compared to the Greek, the Hebrew, the North European, the Basque, West African, and the Quichua Languages — Epitome of Maya Grammar — The Mizteco-Zapotec Languages — The Nahua or Aztec — The Classic Tongue — Ancient and Modern Nahua — Epitome of Aztec Grammar — Geographical Extension of the Aztec — In the South — In the North-west — Buschmann's Researches — The Sonora Family — Opata-Tarahumar-Pima Family — Moqui and Aztec Elements — Aztec in the Shoshone and in the Languages of Oregon and the Columbian Region — Line of Aztec Elements — The Nahua probably the Language ofthe Mound-builders — The Otomi — Supposed Chinese Analogies— Japanese Analogies — Geographical Names, 468

Chapter XI

Probabilities that America was Peopled from the Old World Considered Geographically and Physically. Legends of Atlantis — Brasseur de Bourbourg's Theory — The Subject Examined in the Light of Science— Retzius' View— Le Plongeon's Observations — Identity of European and American Plant Types — Revelations CONTENTS. xviii Page of the Dolphin and Challenger Expeditions — The Atlantic Floor — Challenger and Dolphin Ridges — ■" Challenger Plateau " probably once Dry Land — Identity of European and South American Fauna — Eleva tion and Depression of Coast Level — Of Greenland, the United States, and South America — The Gulf Stream — Equatorial Current — The Trade- Winds — Accidental Discovery of Brazil — America Probably Reached by Ancient Navigators — The Caras — Atolls of the Pacific Ocean — A Pacific Continent — Contiguity of the Continents at the North — Aleutian Islands — The Kuro-Suvo — Behring's Straits — Inviting Ap pearance of the American Shore — Remoteness of the Migration — Prof. Grote's View — Prof. Asa Gray's Observations — Conditions Favorable to a Migration — Mr. John H. Becker's Observations, .... 498