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There arose great interest last winter when Professor Caso, excavating the ruins of Monte Albán, Oaxaca, Mexico, found a royal tomb with all its treasures intact. The rings and necklaces of gold, the cups of crystal, and the other jewels comprising this treasure have been made known through popular articles in the press and current periodicals, but little has appeared as yet to tell us who the makers of the treasure were and when they lived. Since Professor Caso is the authority in the field of Oaxacan archaeology, the historical and scientific data pertaining to the tomb were completely recovered. It is especially fortunate for the readers that one of the foremost authorities on Mexican prehistory consented to give in these pages his first analysis of the significance of his finds. One of the greatest of Egyptologists said that “Museum collections are but a by-product of history,” and in the following article the reader will see that archaeology is not merely grubbing in the ground for curiosities, but is instead a method of historical research. Professor Caso uses his magnificent material to tell the story of these forgotten civilizations, not as collateral for personal aggrandizement or romantic interest.