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Show ANTIQUITY OP MAN ^ he study of cave deposits, which has led to such important conclusions in Europe, has produced negative results in America- instead of indicating great antiquity, caves explored in several states, both east and west, as well as in Mexico and South America, tend to prove the contrary. Careful examination of the hill- caves of Yucatan does not show the slightest trace of any ancient occupation, or of any other civilization than that found by the Spaniards upon their arrival in the country. 1 ^ Another set of problems relates to the so- called " mound- builders" and " cliff- dwellers.' V At present it seems to be fairly well agreed that these were no mysterious peoples who disappeared before the coming of the red man, but were merely the ancestors of the present American Indians. This does not necessarily imply that these structures were the work of the Indians inhabiting the particular regions when first discovered, though even that appears to have been the case in certain instances. To appreciate this inquiry, let us briefly review some of the more important of the remains and antiquities which have thus far been discovered. x The archaeological remains found in North America generally are unequally distributed and vary in different parts of the continent. - 4n the arctic such records are not numerous, and consist principally of shell or refuse heaps, ruins of ancient stone houses, and numerous small objects such as are in 1 Mercer, The Hill- Caves of Yucatan. |