THE ANCIENT MONUMENTS 
 
 OF 
 
 NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA. 
 
 SECOND EDITION, 
 
 Corrected, enlarged and with some additions, 
 BY C. S. R^FINESQUE, A. M. Ph, D, 
 
 Professor of Historical and Natural Sci 
 ences, Member of many Learned Societies in 
 Philadelphia, New York, Lexington, Cincin 
 nati^ Nashville, Paris, Bordeaux, Brussels, 
 Bonn, Vienna, Zurich, Naples <$>c, the Amer 
 ican Antiquarian Society, the Northern An 
 tiquarian Society of Copenhagen 
 
 The massive ruins the arts and skill unfold 
 Of busy workers, and their styles reveal, 
 The objects and designs of such devisers : 
 In silent voices they speak, to thinking minds 
 They teach, who were the human throngs that left 
 Uplifted marks, for witness of past ages. 
 
 PHILADELPHIA 
 
 183. 
 
 Printed for the Author, 
 
NOTICE. 
 
 This Essay or Introduction to my Resear 
 ches on the Antiquities and Monuments of 
 North and South America, was printed in Sep 
 tember 1838 in the first Number of the Amer 
 ican Museum of Baltirnorc, a literary monthly 
 periodical undertaken by Messrs. Brooks and 
 Snodgrass, as a new series of the North Amer 
 ican Quarterly Magazine. Being printed in a 
 hurry and at a distance several material errors 
 oecured, which are now rectified, and this se 
 cond edition will form thereby the Introduction 
 to my long contemplated Work on the Ancient 
 Monuments of this continent : to which I allu 
 ded in my work on the Ancient Nations of 
 America published in 1836, I will add some 
 notes or additions thereto, and may gradualy 
 publish my original descriptions and views, 
 plans, maps &c, of such as I have surveyed, 
 examined and studied between 1818 and this 
 time ; comparing them with those observed by 
 others in America or elsewhere of the same 
 character such works are of a national im 
 portance or interest, and ought to be patroni 
 zed by the States or Learned Societies, or 
 wealthy patriots ; but if there is little prospect 
 of their doing so, I must either delay or curtail 
 the publication of the interesting materials col 
 lected for 20 years past. 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 THE feelings that lead some men to investi 
 gate remains of antiquity and search into their 
 origin, dates and purposes, are similar to those 
 actuating lofty minds, when not satisfied with 
 the surface of things, they inquire into the 
 source and origin of every thing accessible to 
 human ken, and scrutinize or analize every tan 
 gible object. Such feelings lead us to trace 
 events and principles, to ascend rivers to their 
 sources, to climb the rugged sides of mountains 
 and reach their lofty summits, to plough the 
 waves and dive into the sea, or even soar into 
 the air, to scan and measure the heavenly 
 bodies, and at last to lift our eyes and souls to 
 the Supreme Being, the source of all. Appli 
 ed to mankind the same feelings invite us to 
 seek for the origin of arts and sciences, the 
 steps of civilization on earth, the rise of nations, 
 states and empires, tracing their cradles, dis 
 persions and migrations by the dim records of 
 traditional tales, or the more certain monumen 
 tal evidence of human structures. 
 
 This last evidence is but a branch of the ar- 
 cheological science, embracing besides the 
 study of documents, records, medals, coins, in 
 scriptions, implements, &c., buried in the earth 
 or hidden in recesses: while the ruins of cities, 
 palaces and temples, altars and graves, pyra 
 mids and towers, walls and roads, sculptures 
 and idols reveal to our inquiries not only the 
 existence of their devisers and framers at their 
 locations, but give us a view of their civiliza 
 tion, religions, manners and abilities. 
 
4 AMERICAN 
 
 If the annals of the Greeks and Romans had 
 been lost, as have been those of Egypt, of Assy 
 ria and many other early empires, we should 
 still have in the ruins and monuments of Italy, 
 and Greece, complete evidence of the existence 
 of those nations, their location, power and skill ; 
 nay, even of the extent of their dominion by 
 their colonial monuments, scattered from Syria 
 to Spain, from Lybia to Britain. If the British 
 annals should ever be lost hereafter by neglect 
 or revolutions, the ruins of dwellings, churches, 
 monuments &c., built in the British style, will 
 reveal the existence or preserve the memory of 
 the wide extent of British power by colonies 
 sent from North America to Guyana, from Hin 
 dustan to Ceylon, South Africa and Australia. 
 
 And thus it is in both Americas where many 
 nations and empires have dwelt and passed 
 away, risen and fallen by turns, leaving few or 
 no records, except the traces of their existence, 
 and widely spread colonies by the ruins of their 
 cities and monuments, standing yet as silent 
 witnesses of past dominion and great power. It 
 is only of late that they have begun to deserve 
 the attention of learned men and historians 
 what had been stated by Ulloa, Humboldt, 
 Juarros, Delrio, &c., of some of them, chiefly 
 found in the Spanish part of America, as well 
 as the scattered accounts of the many frag 
 ments found in North America, from the lakes 
 of Canada to Louisiana, although confined to a 
 few places or widely remote localities, have be 
 gun to excite the curiosity of all inquiring men, 
 and are soon likely to deserve as much interest 
 as the famed ruins of Palmyra and Thebes, 
 Babylon and Persepolis ; when the future his 
 torians of America shall make known the won- 
 
MONUMENTS. i) 
 
 dcrful and astonishing results that thr-y have 
 suggested, or will soon unfold, particularly when 
 accurately surveyed and explored, drawn and 
 engraved; instead of being hidden and veiled, 
 or hardly noticed by the detractors of the 
 Americans, the false historians of the school of 
 Depaw and Robertson, who have perverted or 
 omitted the most striking features of American 
 history. 
 
 The most erroneous conceptions prevail as 
 yet concerning them, and the most rude or ab 
 surd ideas are entertained in our country of 
 their objects and nature. As in modern Greece, 
 every ruin is now a Paleo-castro or old castle 
 for the vulgar peasant or herdsman, thus all 
 our ruins of the West are Indian forts for the 
 settlers of the Western states ; and every 
 traveller gazing at random at a few, exclaims 
 that nothing is known about them, nor their 
 builders. The more refined writers can be 
 very sentimental on their veiled origin, but 
 scarcely any one takes the trouble to compare 
 them with others elsewhere, in or out of Amer 
 ica, which would be, however, the only means 
 to attain the object they seem desirous of, or to 
 unravel their historical riddle. Some writers 
 speak of them as if they were onfy a few mounds 
 and graves, scarcely worthy of notice ; yet 
 they are such mounds as are found yet in the 
 Trojan plains, sung by Homer, dating at least 
 three thousand years ago, and even by many 
 deemed earlier than the Trojan war, and still 
 existing to this day to baffle our inquiries: 
 while similar monuments existing by thousands 
 in the plains of Scythia and Tartary, Persia and 
 Arabia, as well as the forests and prairies of 
 North America, evince a striking connexion of 
 
AMERICAN 
 
 purpose and skill by remote ancient nations of 
 both hemispheres. 
 
 But our monuments do not merely consist in 
 such mounds or tumuli, since we find besides in 
 North America, ruins of cities, some of which 
 were walled with earth or even stones, real forts 
 or citadels, temples and altars of all shapes, but 
 chiefly circular, square or polygonal, some ellip 
 tical, hexagonal, octagonal, <c., quite regularly 
 pointing to the cardinal points. We have also 
 traces of buildings, foundations, roads, avenues, 
 causeways, canals, bridges, dromes, or race 
 courses, pillars and pyramids, wells, pits, are- 
 . nas, <c. And of these not a few, but hundreds 
 of them, many of which are unsurveyed and un- 
 described as yet. These, it must be recollect 
 ed, are all north of Mexico,or the region of the 
 more perfect monuments of Mexican an$ Cen 
 tral America, although often in the same style. 
 There, as in South America, structures are met 
 of the most elaborate workmanship, of cut and 
 carved stones,with hard cement, vaulted arches, 
 fine sculptures and even inscriptions. The ma 
 terials of our Northern monuments are often 
 rnder, chieffy of earth, clay, gravel, small stones, 
 or even shells near the sea-shores, sometimes 
 of piz& or beaten and rammed clay, (as in Pe 
 ru,) unbaked bricks and rough stones. These 
 facts may confirm the Mexican traditions, stat 
 ing that the nations of Anahuac (now Mexico) 
 once dwelt further north, in our fruitful Wes 
 tern plains, where wood abounded and stones 
 were scarce, wherefore they built their cities 
 and /emples of wood, raising altars, platforms, 
 walls and entrenchments of earth or clay. 
 
 The dreams and false hypotheses upon Amer 
 ica have amused the learned for ages: in attempt- 
 
MONUMENTS. 7 
 
 ing to account for the origin of the Americans 
 and their monuments, they have generally ne 
 glected to compare them with the monuments 
 and languages of all the other nations scattered 
 over the whole earth, or else only taking a par 
 tial view of them, comparing a few fragments of 
 two or three nations or regions, a few words of 
 a centesimal part of the actual languages, the 
 writers or historians have fallen into egregious 
 mistakes; more fond of systematic errors than 
 hidden truth, they have indulged, without due 
 consideration, in mere dreams or systems, bas 
 ed on a few facts, that are overruled by hun 
 dreds of other facts, unknown to them, or ne 
 glected when known. It would be useless and 
 tedious to refute again such false systems, that 
 have been refuted and upset by each other. It 
 may, however, be needful, perhaps, to mention 
 three of the most absurd, in order to warn 
 against them, or show their improbability and 
 impossibility. They may be called for distinc 
 tion sake, the Jewish system, the Mongolic 
 system, and the American system. 
 
 Among these the first named is one of the 
 oldest, and at the same time, has yet a power 
 ful hold upon many minds; it ascribes the 
 whole American population with one hundred 
 languages and one thousand dialects, myriads 
 of ruins and monuments, to the Jews ! either of 
 the ten dispersed tribes, who were not Jews but 
 Israelites or of Solomon's time and voyages, 
 while the Jews only began to exist as such after 
 his death or of patriarchal times antecedent 
 to their existence,when they were only OBR1M, 
 whom we miscall Hebrews, or going still fur 
 ther back to the times of Noah and Peleg, when 
 not even the Obrim had any existence. It has 
 
8 AMISKICANA. 
 
 been proved that the American nations did not 
 possess the use of the plough, iron, alphabets, or 
 week of seven days, which no Jewish nor He 
 brew descendants could have forgotten. The 
 American languages have as much, or more 
 affinities with the Sanscrit, Greek, Latin,Celtic, 
 Persian, Berber, Turkish, &c., languages, than 
 with the old and modern Hebrew and Arabic. 
 The Jews or IEUDI, who only began two thou 
 sand four hundred years ago were not naviga 
 tors; therefore it is evident that they cannot 
 have come to America and produced here the 
 two thousand nations and tribes of this vast 
 continent : nay, not even a single one of them 
 perhaps. $4 fafu 
 
 The Mongolic opinion, lately revived by 
 Ranking, is the most extravagant of all, since 
 it ventures to assert seriously, and derive all 
 these nations and languages from late colonies 
 of Mongols within less than one thousand years 
 ago, who came to America over the ice, bring 
 ing with them tame elephants for sport, that are 
 since become the fossil elephants and mam 
 moths buried in our diluvial or alluvial soil to 
 state these absurdities is a sufficient refutation, 
 every man of any reading and scientific know 
 ledge will perceive the impossibility. 
 
 Galindo and Josiah Priest have quite lately 
 revived also the opinion of some dreaming 
 philosophers who had asserted that America 
 was the cradle of mankind or one of them, 
 instead of Central Asia. Galindo allows, how 
 ever, the Caucasian race of men to be distinct; 
 but he says " The human race of America 
 I -must assert to be the most ancient on the 
 globe;"* 
 * Letter to Col, Winthrop, in 2d vol. Archcologia Americana, 
 
MONUMENTS. 
 
 9 
 
 He goes on to state that to the primaeval 
 civilization of America must be assigned a great 
 and indefinite antiquity, leaving however no 
 palpable monuments ; but sending colonies to 
 civilize China and Japan ! is not this preposte 
 rous? where are the proofs either from tradi 
 tions, languages, monuments or other sources ? 
 
 Meantime Josiah Priest, in his compilation 
 on American antiquities, has boldly asserted 
 that Noah's ark rested in America, (where 
 about ?) and that he had three sons, one white, 
 one red and one black ! (what was the color 
 of their wives?) from whom are descended the 
 three races of mankind, who colonized the 
 whole earth, leaving, however, neither white 
 nor black in America The glaring incongruity, 
 of these bold assertions, or of the indefinite ori 
 gin of Galindo are equally palpable; but never 
 theless it is not improbable that they will find 
 now and hereafter other advocates, since the 
 absurd Jewish origin of all the Americans has 
 still many believers^ and even Ranking has per 
 haps some supporters. 
 
 To admit that America was the only cradle 
 of mankind, is based on no evidence whatever, 
 either historical or philological or monumental: 
 while on the contrary all the monuments and 
 records of the eastern continent trace this 
 cradle to Central Asia. To suppose that Amer 
 ica was one of the human cradles, is certainly 
 worthy of inquiry ; but such a cradle must be 
 sought for and located somewhere, and neither 
 the volcanic mountains, nor swampy plains of 
 South America, nor the frigid wilds of North 
 America, appear calculated to offer it. Others 
 have been thought of in Africa and Australia ; 
 but seldom in the spirit of seeking truth, rather 
 
10 AMERICAN 
 
 in that of supporting some favorite doctrine. 
 Such speculations ought at least to be based on 
 better foundations than mere assertions, evident 
 philological proofs are required before they can 
 be listened to, and no total and complete diver 
 sity of mankind in every aspect has been found 
 any where to support the theory of a plurality 
 of human species arid Cradles. Europe and 
 Africa have been repeatedly invaded by mi 
 grations from Asia. In America such migra 
 tions can be traced north and east by the At 
 lantic ocean, or north west from Berhring's 
 strait, while we have not the faintest indica 
 tion of invasions of Asia from America, The 
 only traditional account of the invasion of Eu 
 rope, and North Africa by the Atlantes (pro 
 bably Americans, for the great Atlantis was 
 this continent) is involved in doubt, and besides 
 these very Atlantes were deemed Neptunian co 
 lonies; although it must be confessed that in 
 almost every instance the colonists to America 
 appear to have found previous inhabitants, who 
 must have been still earlier and remote colo 
 nies, if they were not indigenous. But the sea 
 shores of North America from Labrador to 
 Carolina were desert at a very late period com 
 paratively, when the Western tribes came 
 there. 
 
 The actual purpose does not extend to all the 
 details of these deep inquiries, but is chiefly 
 confined to ascertain and prove the similarity of 
 the oldest primitive monuments of both hemis 
 pheres, and whereby a connection of coeval and 
 similar civilization is evinced in the earliest 
 times before the records of history. This evi 
 dence, which may be called monumental, dives 
 into the gloom of past ages, and hence descends 
 
MONUMENTS. 11 
 
 I 
 
 to ours, reaching our understanding by gradual 
 links : while the philological evidence of spoken 
 modern languages, fragments or children of ol 
 der primitive languages, ascends hy their means 
 to equal antiquity ; both combining, therefore, 
 to complete the history of mankind, where an 
 nals and traditions cease to lead us or are quite 
 obscure: these combined bring more certainty 
 to the scrutinising mind than the mere phy 
 sical features of men, and their complexions, so 
 fluctuating and mingled. But neither of them 
 solve the question of the actual original Cradle 
 or Cradles of mankind. If indeed monuments 
 and languages of various parts of the earth 
 were quite different, and the features or colors 
 of men likewise distinct there, we might sup 
 pose there could have been several species and 
 cradles of men: but it is not so, features and 
 languages are so variable and mingling in our 
 own times, and so diversified every where, as to 
 baffle and preclude complete insulation. Mon 
 uments are also after all so much alike in many 
 remote parts, that although divisible into styles 
 of various ages and stages of improvement, they 
 do evince a great similarity in coeval ages or 
 stages of civilization. 
 
 To prove this great fact and the important 
 results, might be the subject of a large work, 
 and we have heard that Mr. Warden has been 
 engaged in Paris in something of this kind. 
 His work has not yet reached us; but when 
 ever it will be completed, it shall be only one 
 step towards the elucidation of this deep theme. 
 Many facts are yearly evolved in America,new 
 researches undertaken and discoveries made : 
 while in Africa, Lybia, Arabia, Persia, India 
 and even the Oceanic world of Australia and 
 
AM H It It: A. \ 
 
 Polynesia, similar discoveries are progressing 
 and new facts made known, that will unfold 
 many new and unexpected analogies with 
 American inquiries. Of the early Monuments 
 of China, Tartary and Thibet, we know little 
 or nothing, and in the very heart of Asia, the 
 real Cradle of Arts and Sciences, if not man 
 kind itself, our learned travellers have not yet 
 penetrated, and the most interesting region of 
 the globe is thus almost unknown to us. This 
 subject is therefore in a progressive state of in 
 quiries, and future ages will yet add thereto: 
 although a number of Ruins and Monuments 
 crumble or disappear under the plough or the 
 leveling energy of men, little respecting these 
 structures of antiquity, enough of unexplored 
 sites will be discovered and surveyed : some of 
 our rudest monuments appear indestructible, the 
 lofty mounds of earth have withstood like the 
 heavy pyramids of Egypt, the lapse of count 
 less ages, some even appear now covered with 
 a dress of new soil, or even diluvial coat, as if 
 they were antediluvian ! 
 
 Meantime we may endeavor to collect and 
 compare the facts already known, and deduce 
 therefrom some useful instruction to satisfy cu- 
 riosity or gratify the greedy wish to ascend to 
 the origin of every thing, and of mankind above 
 all. The most proper and obvious way to elu 
 cidate American Antiquities and Monuments, 
 would be by classifying them, which has how- 
 ever never been attempted, having always been 
 noticed or elucidated loosely at random, or in 
 a kind of geographical arrangement of the re 
 gions where found. Such classification might 
 be based either on their styles, forms and mate 
 rials, or ultimately their ascertained scopes of 
 
MONUMKMS. Ill 
 
 purposes which arc even now often doubtful or 
 elouhted. They might thus be divided into 
 classes or series easily distinguished between 
 themselves, but all finding their equivalents or 
 similar structures in the .Eastern Continent, an 
 important fact to be kept in mind. There are 
 out of America some structures not found in it, 
 but there are none in it that cannot be detected 
 somewhere else, either in Europe, North Africa 
 or Asia, Polynesia. &c, among the earliest 
 Monuments or Ruins, or the rudest structures. 
 None of the latest styles and improved Archi 
 tecture, such as Colonnades, roofed temples, 
 Budhist and Mahometan temples, Gothic or 
 Modern Churches, fortifications with large 
 towers or bastions are met in America, being 
 a convincing proof that all the American struc 
 tures were of a previous date, or of an earlier 
 style, than these later. 
 
 But even some very ancient Eastern struc 
 tures are lacking in America, or only found in a 
 modified form. Thus although the Cyclopian 
 structures had been denied to America, they 
 are not quite lacking ; although their Tyrin- 
 thian style, the rudest of huge unshapen blocks 
 of stone put together, has not yet been met 
 with, the other Cyclopian styles are found of 
 rough polygones or irregular squared stones : 
 the most common however is of rough flat 
 stones put together pretty much as our dry walls 
 are to this day by us. 
 
 If we do not exactly find in this Continent, 
 the Celtic style of Stonehenge and circles of 
 stones scattered from Persia to Scotland, we 
 meet several other branches of the Celtic style, 
 standing rough pillars, massive altars, circles 
 of earth, fortified villages similar to those of Bri- 
 
N 
 
 AM Lit It A*. 
 
 tain, miscalled Ho man Camps, although no 
 such camps are found where the Romans went 
 out of Celtica, and the American camps or forts 
 are certainly not Roman ! Whether the Celtic 
 race ever came to America has been doubted, 
 and may be deemed doubtful yet : there are 
 two strong arguments against it at least, the 
 lack of Monuments like the Stonehenge tem 
 ples, and the Celtic structure of Language, or 
 regular series of interposed ideas not being 
 widely spread in America, and chiefly found in 
 Brazil and Florida, where nations of another 
 lineage dwelt. Yet it is pretty certain, not 
 withstanding that nearly all the writers, omit it 
 or deny it, that the old Celts had an intercourse 
 of trade in America once, even from Gaul. It 
 has lately been discovered by Sir A. Brooke, 
 that there are Celtic monuments in Morocco, 
 he describes a large mound with a circle of 
 stones around. The N. W. of Africa must in 
 very early time have been one of the regions 
 whence the Atlantes went or came ; this is an 
 historical fact, and their posterity yet live in 
 Africa from Mount Atlas to Nubia, their lan 
 guage have the Celtic and Semetic structure. 
 They gave name to the Atlantic Ocean, and 
 this name is one of the few <hat have reached 
 our times, Africa and Spain once joined, even 
 the Berbers have a tradition of it. The same 
 Nations filled Lybia and Spain, the Bas-Tules, 
 As-Tures of Spain were Tulas, Turas, as in 
 Central Asia and Central America ; so were 
 also the Tur-tules or Tur-detani, &c. while 
 the Cantes of Spain were akin to the Antes of 
 Lybia, Hy antes of Greece. The Greeks have 
 stated that their Atlantes or Atalantoi were 
 
15 MONUMENTS. 
 
 formed of the united nations of Atlas and Antoi 
 or Anteus. 
 
 Pyramids exactly similar to those of Egypt, 
 and pillared temples similar to those of Thebes, 
 are not met with in America ; but \\e have 
 their equivalent in the pyramidal Teocalis of 
 Anahuac, and the temples of Peru, similar to 
 the pyramidal temples of Assyria arid India, 
 towers in stages like those of Lybia, Syria and 
 China, In all cases the materials depend pretty 
 much on the localities, and the kind of stones 
 or proper materials at hand, although often car 
 ried from a distance, and requiring the joint la 
 bors of many thousand men during several 
 years. 
 
 But it has been ascertained that there were 
 older inhabitants in the west of Europe, than 
 these very Celts, Cantes and Atlantes. The 
 Creons a superior race that erected the annual 
 monumental pillars of Carnac in Brittany, the 
 Cunis or Cynetes, that dvvelt at the S. W. of 
 Spain and Portugal, the degraded Vassals or 
 outcasts of the Celts called Cacoux, Cahets, 
 dunigos, whose posterity is not yet quite ex 
 tinct. The Eskuaras now called Basks and 
 Gascons, but formerly Cantabrians were the 
 Cantas of the river Ebro, they had great affini 
 ties of Language with many American nations. 
 The Atlantic monuments may be distinctly 
 traced from Syria and Greece to Lybia. Moroc 
 co, 4c. Immense mounds have been found as 
 far South as the river Nun. Of these Atlantes 
 their countries, deeds of yore, &c. much has 
 been written, and much more remains to be elu 
 cidated : they can be traced Eastward as far 
 as the very Centre of Asia, once called Turan, 
 through Scvthia, in the North and Persia in the 
 
16 AMERICAN 
 
 South, to the utmost verge of Africa and Eu 
 rope Westwards. Next to the famed Island 
 Atlantis, or rather Megatlantides which was 
 America ! the smaller Atlantis seated midway 
 between the two continents, has been supposed 
 to have sunk when the Volcanos of the Azores, 
 Canaries and other African Islands did explode. 
 
 The American Nations connected'with these 
 were widely scattered in America, and chiefly 
 wherever the earliest monuments were spread, 
 even as far as Chili to the South, in Guyana to 
 the East under the name of Alures or Atules, 
 and Northwards as far as Ohio and Illinois, It 
 is easy to trace surprising analogies of Langua 
 ges between the early languages of South Eu 
 rope and North Africa, with the Chilians, Peru 
 vians, Muyzcas, Haytians, Tulansor Tol-tecas, 
 &.C., and many other pre-eminent Nations of 
 this Continent. 
 
 By the useful process of generalization we 
 may collect the following important results con 
 cerning our monuments : 1. They are scattered 
 all over Amer. from lat. 45d. N. to 45d. S. of the 
 Equator, thus occupying 90d. of latitude, which 
 is no where else the case. 2. They chiefly oc 
 cupy a flexuose belt from our great Lakes to 
 Mexico, Guatemala, Panama, Quito, Peru and 
 Chili. 3. There are few or none in Boreal 
 America, the Eastern Shores of it as far as Vir 
 ginia, the Western as far as California, nor in 
 the Antilles, Guyana, Orinoco, Maragnon, Bra 
 zil, Paraguay and Patagonia; although some of 
 these regions not having yet been properly ex 
 plored may hereafter offer some likewise. 4. 
 Those known from our Eastern Shores, the 
 Antilles and Brazil are few, and of a peculiar 
 character, distinct from the general style of the 
 
MONUMENTS. 17 
 
 others. In New Hampshire concentric castra- 
 mations have been found as in Peru, but not of 
 stone nor shaped like stars. In Massachusetts 
 inscribed rocks are met with, those of Penn 
 sylvania East of the mountains are rude and 
 small, and such they are as far as Virginia and 
 Carolina. In the Antilles or West Indies, they 
 are chiefly caves, temples and tombs. In Bra 
 zil we know of but few, but they are of stone 
 and peculiar style. 5. Therefore the main 
 monuments and structures occupy only one 
 half of America or even less, they are mostly 
 thickly scattered in the fertile regions near 
 rivers, from Ohio to Florida, from Missouri to 
 Texas, from Sonora to Honduras, from Bogota 
 to Chili, &c. being often on high grounds and 
 mountains, table lands and valleys, seldom in 
 the low plains. 
 
 Such are the most interesting by number and 
 extensive spreading locations. Yet there are 
 among them various ages and styles, the Flori- 
 dan or North American, the Mexican or Ana- 
 huac, the Guatimalan or Tulan, the Peruvian or 
 Inca Series, are all somewhat different, min 
 gled with others of earlier or various ages in 
 Peru the Pucaras or oldest fortified cities in 
 a stellate form are of earliest ages, the ruins of 
 Tiahuanaco with sculptures of a remote period, 
 the ruins of Chimu of another style yet, all dif 
 ferent from the style of the Incas. In central 
 America, the Cave-temples the fortified cities 
 and Palaces and the Teocalis or Pyramids 
 and Towers, offer as many eras and styles. 
 
 In North America we have also at least three 
 great Eras and styles of monuments, the first or 
 most rude, somewhat similar to that of the An 
 tilles; excavations, small houses &c. and this* 
 3 
 
AMERICAN 
 
 although so rude, is found to have lasted till 
 very lately, as our log-house style is lasting with 
 us along with large stone buildings. 2. A pri 
 mitive style using earth and wood or rough 
 stones for large and fine structures, temple s, 
 ^e. 3. The most refined employing cut stores 
 and ornaments, &c., rare in the North, but be 
 coming more common towards Mexico. 
 
 We may assert in ultimate result that Amer 
 ica had no Monuments of Grecian or Roman 
 structures, except such as belong to primitive 
 Italy and Greece, ascribed to their ancestors 
 as a different race the Pelagic, Curetes, Hyan- 
 tes, Taulantes, Aones, and other similar old 
 tribes or nations, long previous to Roman pow 
 er and Grecian refinement, above all no colon 
 nades and no baked bricks. None of our mon 
 uments were like the best Celtic structures, but 
 rather similar to the earliest or ruder Celtic 
 Style, if not perhaps previous, such as standing 
 or rocking stones, rough pillars and pilasters, 
 tumuli and mounds, circular and angular areas 
 and temples. None were like the Egyptian 
 temples and pyramids, our American pyramids 
 being rather in stages, as iu Ethiopia, Assyria, 
 India, &c,, or in huge platforms bearing tem 
 ples and palaces, as in Balbec and Persepolis, 
 but by no means so ornamented, nor with such 
 huge stones. None were like the Tyrinthian or 
 Titanic style, but rather a modification of it. 
 None like the slender pillars and round towers 
 of India, Persia, Ireland. None like the modern 
 structure of the Christians, Mahometans, Bud- 
 hists, Chinese &c., no Gothic or Arabic style, 
 nor domes were found. The inference cannot 
 trace any of these religions to America by their 
 peculiar structures. 
 
MONUMENTS. 19 
 
 While on the ofher side, we can assert and 
 prove that the American monuments were more 
 or less alike to. 1, The oldest monuments, 
 square and circular platforms of all shapes and 
 sizes, some as large as hills or evtfi natural hills 
 cut to shapes for altars, or support of temples 
 and staged pyramids, <$-c., as are found from 
 Celtica and Ireland to France, Spain, Italy, 
 Greece, Russia, &c., from Morocco to Senegal, 
 Lybia and Abyssinia ; in Asia, from Natolia 
 and the Trojan plain, to Syria and Arabia, 
 Persia, Media around the Caspian, and even in 
 India, Tartary and China ; also, the Morals of 
 Polynesia. All of which were the primitive al 
 tars of early men or their imitation in later 
 times as in China. 2. Or like the Cave temples, 
 scattered also from Ireland to India, found in 
 Greece, Syria, Egypt, Persia, &c., sometimes 
 like the excavated cities of the Troglodyte na 
 tions, found in Sicily, Crete, Cyprus, Syria, Ara 
 bia, Cabul at Bamiyan, &c. 3d. Or like the 
 massive structures of stones of earliest ages,the 
 Norajes or Conical towers of Sardinia and the 
 Balearic Islands, the angular towers of Lybia, 
 &c. imitated in Peru, Brazil, Guatimala,Chiapa 
 &c. 4th. Or like the fortified cities of oldest 
 ages in Persia, India, Arabia, Turan, $c. imi 
 tated in Peru, and Central America, often with 
 concentric inclosures or curious shapes, some 
 times with arks or citadels or acropolis, as in 
 Persia, Greece, Etruria &c. 5th. Or like the 
 vast inclosures and sacred areas of temples,with 
 peculiar cells or holy recesses, shrines, oracles, 
 &c., as in India, China, Thibet, formerly in Sy 
 ria, Egypt, Assyria, even like the old temples 
 of Mecca and Solomon ; such are found in Peru 
 Tunca, Mexic6, North America as far as Mis- 
 
29 AMERICAN 
 
 souri, where most were of wood as were the 
 first temples of Solomon, Tyre, Delphos, and 
 are yet in China very often. 
 
 Then it is evident that the American Monu 
 ments are similar to the oldest and earliest of 
 the Eastern Continent, or the modern ones that 
 are yet built there on the primitive models. We 
 have some late instances of it even in Europe, 
 when the huge mound of Waterloo was erected 
 after the battle of that name. Grecian build 
 ings are often built now in Europe and Amer 
 ica, the Gothic style has travelled from Arabia 
 to Europe and is not yet quite out of use. The 
 national altars of the Celestial Empire at Pekin 
 in China are yet exactly similar to those of ear 
 liest times, and found in America. 
 
 Architecture and the various styles it has 
 employed for monuments, temples, cities &c. 
 have undergone several changes and improve 
 ments, from the rude imitations of a tent, or 
 cottage, or hill, to that of pyramids, towers, pil 
 lars, colonnades, caves, norajes, teocalis, &c., 
 from irregular inclosures to square, circular, 
 octagon forms, from heaps of earth forming 
 ditches, canals, to regular walled excavations. 
 Styles of building are fluctuating with the Na 
 tions and times, taste and religion : some are 
 occasionally revived or improved ; yet they 
 have a certain duration, location, or age, and 
 origin somewhere. Nevertheless they may hap 
 pen to be blended by the same people ; our own 
 modern civilization admits yet of the tents in 
 camps, the loghouse, the shed, the hut, the cot 
 tage, the houses of wood, brick or stone, pala 
 ces and temples, theatres, Capitols, and negro 
 huts ! We must not be surprised to see the 
 same incongruity and admixture in various parts 
 
MONUMENTS. %i 
 
 of America in former times. Many tribes fol 
 lowed 300 years ago the style of 3000 years be 
 fore, as yet partly done in China. 
 
 Every thing on earth follows the universal 
 law of terrestrial mutations, monuments and 
 arts, as well as languages and human features! 
 they rise and fall like the nations, mingle or 
 blend as our modern English nation and lan 
 guage formed out of many others. What di 
 versity in any one of our cities in complexions, 
 statures and features of men ! there are more 
 differences between some men of our own race, 
 than between negroes, red or white men. 
 White, black and bay horses, are not peculiar 
 species, nor are men of different hues, hairs, 
 eyes, noses, &c. tttocr 
 
 Inscriptions are monuments also, and of the 
 highest value, even when we cannot read them. 
 Some of these will be hereafter, since those of 
 Egypt so long deemed inexplicable, have at last 
 found interpreters. So it will be at a future day, 
 with those of America. Few have been made 
 known as yet, but there are many all over the 
 range of the monumental regions. Those sculp 
 tured in the temples and palaces of Otolum 
 near Palenque, are not the only ones. Several 
 in caves, or upon rocks, involve in rude paint 
 ing, a symbolic meaning, to which we are ob 
 taining a clue. Several nations of North Amer 
 ica had a language of signs made or written ; 
 although known sometimes to but few, these 
 signs or symbols prevailed from Origon to Chili 
 or else Quipos as in China, were used as re 
 cords, in coloured strings or knots, wampums, 
 belts, collars. All these however, appear to be 
 long to the first attempt of mankind to perpetu 
 ate ideas, they seem to have preceded the al- 
 
 
AMERICAN 
 
 phabets of India, Persia and Europe, or the vo 
 cal signs of China, although some of these date 
 of the earliest ages. Tula, Oaxaca, Otolum, 
 &c., had glyphs or a kind of combined alpha 
 bet, where the letters or syllables were blended 
 into words, as in our anagrams, and not in se 
 rial order. A few traces of Alphabets have, 
 however, been found in South America on the 
 R. Cauca and elsewhere, which have not yet 
 obtained sufficient atteution : that of Cauca 
 given by Humboldt, is nearly Pelagic or Etrus 
 can; traces of Runic signs were found in Caro 
 lina other signs have occasionally been met 
 in North America, but neglected. 
 
 Painted symbols or hieroglyphics, or some 
 times abridged outlines of them, were used 
 chiefly in Anahuac, from Panuco to Panama; 
 in North America, from Florida to New Mex 
 ico, also in Cuba, Hayti, Yucatan, Bogota, Peru, 
 by the Panos, Muyzcas and other nations. 
 Those without any means to convey ideas could 
 even in America, as in Scythia and Africa, use 
 emblems or objects to which a peculiar mean 
 ing was applied, and trace rude pictures of 
 them on trees or rocks. 
 
 The monuments connected with pictures, 
 emblems, hieroglyphics, scattered in caves, on 
 rocks, on cliffs above human reach -are very 
 curious, and ought to be collected, sought for, 
 and explained ; they will all impart historical 
 events. The rock of Taunton and a few others, 
 have alone exercised the ingenuity of antiqua 
 rians, and perhaps to little purpose at yet, since 
 the inscription has been ascribed by turns to the 
 Phenicians, the Jews, the Atlantes, Norwegians 
 or even to our modern tribes. It may not be 
 properly understood until all the graphic sys- 
 
MONUMENTS. 
 
 terns of America are studied and explained. 
 The late successful attempt of the Cherokis to 
 obtain a syllabic alphabet for their language, 
 proves that the Americans were not devoid of 
 graphic ingenuity. 
 
 But the contents of mounds, graves, caves, 
 &c., are also very interesting, affording us a 
 clue to their purpose, and the arts of times when 
 raised or inhabited. Many kinds of implements, 
 ornaments, tools, weapons, vases, &c, have 
 been found every where, displaying skill and 
 taste. Idols and sculptures have given us the 
 features and religious ideas of some nations. 
 Astronomical stones and calendars have been 
 found, recovered, and lost again, revealing pe 
 culiar systems of astronomy and chronology. 
 We possess the oomplex calendars of the Tu- 
 lans, Mexicans, Chiapans, Muyzcas, Peruvians, 
 &c , that of the Talegas of North America, a 
 dodecagone with one hundred and forty-four 
 parts and hieroglyphics, was found on the banks 
 of the Ohio, and has since been lost or hidden. 
 
 Humboldt's labors on American astronomy 
 and his results coincide with those on antiquity 
 to make the American systems quite different 
 from the oriental, Hindu, Jewish, Egyptian, 
 Greek, Roman, and Celtic systems of days, 
 months, zodiac, and cycles; while they are 
 more like those of Thibet, China, Japan, Lybia, 
 Etruria, &c. At any rate the American sys 
 tems were anterior to the admission of the 
 week of seven days, being the fourth of a luna 
 tion, each day dedicated to a planet, and the 
 Sabatical observance of the Jews based there 
 on. The American weeks were of three, five, 
 nine, and even thirteen days, as in some parts 
 of Asia, and Africa, in Java, Thibet, China, 
 
. AMERICAN 
 
 Guinea. The week of five days appears the 
 most ancient of all and the most natural, includ 
 ing exactly seventy-three weeks in the solar 
 year, and sixty-nine in the lunar year; that of 
 the three days is only the decimal part of a 
 month ; in China the long week of fifteen days 
 prevails as yet being half a lunation or month. 
 
 Accounts of monuments with dry descriptions 
 and measures, are often uninteresting, unless 
 with figures and explanations to illustrate their 
 nature and designs. The writer having him 
 self surveyed many American sites of ancient 
 .cities, may hereafter describe and explain some 
 of them, with or without figures. He has also 
 collected accounts of similar monuments all 
 over the earth, and will be able to elucidate 
 thereby our own monuments. Meantime who 
 ever wishes to become acquainted with such as 
 have been made known in the United States 
 alone, must consult a host of writers who have 
 described a few, such as Soto, Charlevoix, Bar 
 ton, Belknap, Lewis, CrevecoEiir, Clinton, At- 
 water, Brekenridge,Nuttal, McCulloh, Bartram, 
 Priest, Beck, Madison, James, Schoolcraft, 
 Keating, &c-; and in the appendix to the An 
 cient History of Kentucky will be found my cata 
 logue made in 1824. Such study in then a task, 
 and requires the amending hand of a careful 
 compiler at least, before we can even obtain the 
 complete knowledge of what has been done with 
 us already on this historical subject. 
 
 Philadelphia, September -, 1838. 
 
 
ADDITIONS. 
 
 1. The Mexican Antiquities have lately been 
 illustrated in many splendid works, by Aglio, 
 Kingsborough, Dupaix, Baraden, St. Priest, 
 Nebel, Icaza, Gondra, Waldeck &c. In a 
 clever review of these works (in the foreign re 
 view) it is distinctly asserted Jhat the Tul-tecas 
 (people of Tul,) or American Atlantes, were 
 quite a different people from the Later Mexi 
 can tribes, that their monuments are equal in 
 interest to those of Egypt and Syria, with co 
 lossal and even Cyclopian structures---which 
 agrees with my former statements, and I have 
 traced them in America from Missouri to Chi* 
 li, but their central seats and empires were 
 from Mexico to Quito. Their great temple at 
 Otolum near Palenque was equal to Solomon's 
 temple. Their mythology was quite peculiar 
 and Asiatic, their maindeity was Hun-aku (first 
 cause) comparable to Anuki the Syrian Cybele, 
 their Astronomy was antediluvian, the year of 
 360 days or 18 months of 20 days. 
 
 2. The first monuments of the United States 
 may be ascribed to the Talegas* a northern 
 branch of these Atlantes. The oldest monu 
 ments of Peru long before the Incas with those 
 of Brazil and Oronoco are related thereto, and 
 were erected by their Southern tribes, the Atu- 
 les and Talahets. 
 
 3. In a late work of Harcourt (1838) all these 
 ancient monuments of America, Africa, Europe 
 and Asia, are ascribed to the Arkites saved at 
 the flood of Noah ; which was also the previous 
 opinion of M'culloh in his American researches, 
 But some Antiquaries are yet seeking in Amer- 
 ea traces of the Adamites. 
 
ADDITIONS. 
 
 4. The Tulawas and Telingas nations and 
 languages of Decan of Southern India, are pro 
 bably of Atlantic or Tulanic (Syn. of Turan or 
 Tartary) descent; and these nations sent co 
 lonies furher east in early times to Polynesia 
 and perhaps as far as America! yet the bulk of 
 Oceanic population from Madagascar to Japan 
 and Australia is of Hamite descent, by the 
 regular structure of all the languages ; while 
 this seldom happens in America as in China 
 and Tartary. 
 
 5. The late attempts of tracing analogies of 
 origin and descent between the Chinese and 
 Polynesian Nations, are quite vain. The Chi 
 nese Nations are evidently Asiatic and primi 
 tive akin to the Tartars and Turks (the modern 
 Turans,) their language have the same inverse 
 position, and monosylabic structure. The idea 
 of Harcourt to^eem the Chinese the real Sem- 
 etic stock of Languages, is worthy of enquiry. 
 He -has proved that the Obri (Hebrpw) was in 
 reality a Hamite language, the posterity of 
 Abraham having adopted a dialect of the Acuri 
 (Assyrian) and Xnoni (Canaanit;) but the 
 Arabic languages and nations, so akin thereto 
 must then also be Hamites ! and the old Ara 
 bians alone were Semites. 
 
 5. Meantime the Turanic or Japhetic nations 
 and languages (IFH meaning widely spread \9 
 our Japhet) should be the real Turans and At- 
 lantes, including the Medians,Caucasians,Hin- 
 dus, Pelagians,Thracians, Slavonians,Goths,and 
 nearly two thirds of the American Nations, the 
 most civilized and powerful of them. But it ap 
 pears to me that the Celts and Cantabrians 
 were like the Etruscans and Phenicians of Ha 
 mite Origin. It is strange that all the brown 
 
ADDITIONS. 27 
 
 0r black nations of Africa, Asia and Oceania 
 are also of similar descent. 
 
 7. In my work on the Ancient American Na 
 tions, may be seen which were the oldest or 
 earliest in America, and to which other nations 
 elsewhere they are most intimately connected. 
 I have proved that two great nations of America 
 the Aruac including the Haytians and tribes 
 from Florida to Patagonia, with the Sekeh or 
 old Chilians, having branches from Chili to 
 Brazil; were certainly very akin in language 
 with the ancient Greeks and Italians and Span 
 iards, or rather their ancestors the Pelagic, 
 Oscan and Cantabrian Nations. 
 
 8. The American Atlantes of North America 
 (Talegas) the Tols and Chontals of Anahuac 
 and Central America, the Muyzcas of Tunca 
 and Peru ; with the ancient Peruvians of mixt 
 origin, were certainly the most civilized nations 
 of this continent, as their monuments prove it, 
 and their languages are of Japhetic or Turanic 
 structure, having their major affinities in Cen 
 tral Asia,the Caucasus,the Illyrians, Slavonians 
 &c ; but some also with the African Atlantes 
 or ancient and modern Lybians, Getulians, 
 Shellus 4* c ' 
 
 9. The Guarani group of languages and na 
 tions in South America was most widely spread 
 from Guyana to Paraguay, and all over Brazil. 
 It is quite monosyllabic, with the Hamite or 
 African structure, having its affinities all over 
 Africa, where hardly any except the Qua or 
 Hottentot nation are of Chinese ? or Turanic 
 descent by structure of speech. 
 
 10. In North America, 4 widely different 
 stocks of nations had the Hamite structure, the 
 Floridia including Chactas, the Wdkons or 
 
28 ADDITIONS. 
 
 Missourians, the Ongwis or Iroquois, and the 
 Uskimas or Esquimaux spread across the whole 
 or Boreal America. This last stock is evident 
 ly akin to the Northern Asiatic Hamites such 
 as the Fins, Slaves, Chudis, Ostiaks $c. The 
 Wakons and Ongwis appear also Asiatic, akin 
 to the Tonguz and other Northern Tartars; 
 but the Chactas with the Natchez, Seminoles 
 and akin tribes appear of Eastern descent, and 
 find their parents in North Africa. 
 
 11. In my work on Historical Palingenesy or 
 the restoration of ancient nations and languages 
 presumed lost, I have been able to restore many 
 of all the parts of the world (but chiefly Ameri 
 ca and Europe) in the same manner as I once 
 did for the Haytian nation and language,where- 
 by many historical links will be evolved and 
 traced. My process is similar to that of Cuvier 
 and the modern Paleontologists, who restore ex 
 tinct animals by fragments of their bones. I 
 do the same with extinct languages by frag 
 ments of their words and elements, discovered 
 and put together. 
 
 12. In result the monumental evidences com 
 bine with the philological to descry and ascer 
 tain whatever is obscure in Ancient History. 
 By their mutual help and accordance, with the 
 use of acurate comparisons in both Hemisphe 
 res, we shall certainly be enabled to advance 
 the Archeol6gical and Historical knowledge of 
 Yore, beyond our most sanguine expectation. 
 The path is open and becoming easy to pursue; 
 much therefore will be achieved by following 
 the comparative process and discarding all the 
 conjectural systems. 
 
 , . 
 
 THE END.