An American history . t no books for us to read. But they hada sort of picture writing much hke the hieroglyphics of ancientEgypt. Many of their hieroglyphics, carved in stone, maystill be seen, especially in Yucatan and Peru. There arealso ruins of temples, palaces, and gigantic fortifications. 2. An Ancient American Fortress. In Peru, near the cityof Cuzco, stand the ruins of a vast fortress of the ancientAmericans. Some of the stones in its walls are so huge thatwe cannot see how they could have been set in place without 2 AMERICAN HISTORY the use of engines. In metal working as well as in
An American history . t no books for us to read. But they hada sort of picture writing much hke the hieroglyphics of ancientEgypt. Many of their hieroglyphics, carved in stone, maystill be seen, especially in Yucatan and Peru. There arealso ruins of temples, palaces, and gigantic fortifications. 2. An Ancient American Fortress. In Peru, near the cityof Cuzco, stand the ruins of a vast fortress of the ancientAmericans. Some of the stones in its walls are so huge thatwe cannot see how they could have been set in place without 2 AMERICAN HISTORY the use of engines. In metal working as well as in masonrythe Peruvians were highly skilled. Very early they discoveredthe rich mines of the Andes; and Cuzco, their capital, becamein large part a city of silver and gold. Its cliief temple, dedi-cated to the sun, was called the place of gold. Still moreremarkable than either the fortress or the temple was thesummer palace of the Peruvian monarchs in a lovely valleyamong the Andes. Surrounding the palace were artificial. TEMPLE PYRAMID AT PAPAUTLA, MEXICO gardens in which the plants and flowers were all of the preciousmetals. Tall stalks of corn stood high in the bright mountainair, but the stalks were of silver and the ears and tassels of thecorn were gold. 3. Yucatan. Passing from Peru to Yucatan we find therethe empty city of Uxmal. The people have been treasures were long ago carried off by Spanish con-querors. The city, left desolate, has been taken possession ofby the tropical forest. In this forest, the modern explorerof Uxmal finds himself among stone pyramids on which seedshave lodged and grown into trees. Among the trunks, on the THE PROLOGUE TO AMERICAN HISTORY 3 walls of shattered temples, appear strange carvings. Thetwilight of the forest is filled with these ancient images whichwere once the gods of Yucatan. 4. Mexico. More splendid, probably, than either Cuzcoor Uxmal was the capital of a strange and terrible peoplethat inhabited the mountain countr
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