--- title: Times and Seasons description: Issues of 1844 to 1845. authors: - Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints editors: - Ebenezer Robinson - Don Carlos Smith - Smith, Joseph, Jr. - Taylor, John collections: - periodicals tags: - newspaper - times-and-seasons - nauvoo - nineteenth-century periodical: Times and Seasons volume: 5 number: 15 published: 1844-08-15 publisher: E. Robinson and D. C. Smith; later John Taylor publisher_place: Commerce and Nauvoo, Illinois language: en type: article reference: "“Ancient Ruins in Texas,” *Times and Seasons* 5, no. 15 (August 15, 1844): 622–623." printed_title: ANCIENT RUINS IN TEXAS. source: url: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1844-08-15_5_15 transcription: Text from the Centerplace.org transcription (https://www.centerplace.org/history/ts/v5n15.htm), with its page breaks; this Internet Archive scan is the reference copy (its OCR was used only as a witness for OCR repair) identifier: per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1844-08-15_5_15 start_page: 622 end_page: 623 curator_note: A Mormon newspaper published by the church in Nauvoo; included for historical study. Inclusion does not imply endorsement. rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1844 (Nauvoo, Illinois); published before 1931, so public domain in the United States source: https://archive.org/details/per_utah-and-the-mormons_times-and-seasons_1844-08-15_5_15 publication_year: 1844 --- # Ancient Ruins in Texas We have been informed by a gentleman who has traversed a large portion of the Indian country of northern Texas, the country lying between Santa Fe and the Pacific, that there are vestiges of ancient cities and ruined castles or temples on the Rio Puerco on the Colorado of the west. He says, that one of the branches of the Rio Puerco, a few days travel from Santa Fe, there is an immense pile of ruins that appears to belong to an ancient temple. Portions of the walls are still standing, consisting of huge blocks of limestone regularly hewn and laid in cement. The building occupies an extent of more than an acre. It is two or three stories high, has no roof, but contains many rooms, generally of square form, without windows and the lower rooms are so dark and gloomy that they resemble caverns rather than apartments of an edifice built for human habitation. Our informant was unable to describe the style of architecture, but he believes it could not have been erected by Spaniards or Europeans, as the stones are much worn by the rains, and indicate that the building has stood several hundred years. From his description, we are induced to believe that it resembles the ruins of Palenque or Ortulun. He says that there are many similar ruins on the Colorado of the West, which empties into the California sea. In one of the vallies (valleys) of the California traversed by this river, and about four hundred miles from its mouth, there is a large temple still standing its walls and spires presenting scarcely any trace of dilapidation, and were it not for want of a roof it might still be rendered habitable. Near it, scattered along the declivity of a mountain, are the ruins of what has been once a large aqueduct, part of which however is in the solid rock still visible. Neither the Indians residing in the vicinity, nor the oldest Spanish settlers of the nearest settlements, can give any account of the origin of these buildings. They merely know that they have stood there from the early periods to which their traditions extend. The antiquarian who is desirous to trace the Aztec or Toltec races in their emigrations from the northern regions of America, may find in these ancient edifices many subjects of curious speculation. [Texas Telegraph. Henry Elliot, of Cincinnati, will cease to act in his office, as elder in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. By order of the Twelve. W. Richards, Clerk.