Page:Historia Verdadera del Mexico profundo.djvu/221

 the reason why most of the common mexican does not know their “true history”.

A view and opinion of this reality was expressed by Carl Bovallius, Swedish researcher, Member of the Swedish Academy of anthropology and geography, who in 1881 made an exploration and research journey in Central America; among other places he visited the Zapatera and Ometepe islands in Lake Nicaragua.

''“In reality, reading the scanty descriptions of the last days of these nations, one feels tempted to assert that in harmonic development of the mental faculties they were superior to that nation, which, by its crowds of rapacious and sanguinary adventurers, honored in history with the name of “los Conquistadores”, has fixed upon itself the heavy responsibility for the annihilation of this civilization. For indeed so swift and radical was this annihilation, through the fanatical vandalism of “Christian” priests and the bloody crimes of a greedy soldatesca, that history knows of no similar example. Thus the investigator of the comparatively modern culture of Central America is obliged to travel by more toilsome and doubtful roads than the student of the ancient forms of civilization of Egypt and India, although these were dead several thousands of years ago.''

''So much, however, has come to the knowledge of our time, as suffices to prove that the nations of Central America were very far advanced in political and social development as well as in science and art. More so we must continue studying them until achieving a deeper knowledge of their culture, search the whole country perseveringly for the purpose of disclosing the monuments, hidden in the ground or enviously concealed by the primeval vegetation, that now reigns alone in many of those places, which were formerly occupied by populous and flourishing cities, and artistically ornamented temples."'' (Carl Bovallius. 1886)  ____________________