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diff --git a/44104-0.txt b/44104-0.txt index 20d38f4..22fc628 100644 --- a/44104-0.txt +++ b/44104-0.txt @@ -1,40 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume IV, -by Hubert Howe Bancroft - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume IV - The Native Races, Volume IV, Antiquities - - -Author: Hubert Howe Bancroft - - - -Release Date: November 4, 2013 [eBook #44104] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WORKS OF HUBERT HOWE BANCROFT, -VOLUME IV*** - - -E-text prepared by Melissa McDaniel and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made -available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 44104 *** Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the more than 300 original illustrations. @@ -25872,363 +25836,4 @@ Page 294: to fall the trees should possibly be to fell the trees. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume IV - The Native Races, Volume IV, Antiquities - - -Author: Hubert Howe Bancroft - - - -Release Date: November 4, 2013 [eBook #44104] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WORKS OF HUBERT HOWE BANCROFT, -VOLUME IV*** - - -E-text prepared by Melissa McDaniel and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made -available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file - which includes the more than 300 original illustrations. - See 44104-h.htm or 44104-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/44104/44104-h/44104-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/44104/44104-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/worksofhubertho04banc - - -Transcriber's note: - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - A reversed lower case "c" has been replaced with =c=. - - A "T" symbol in the text has been replaced with "T". - - - - - -THE WORKS OF HUBERT HOWE BANCROFT. - -VOLUME IV. - -THE NATIVE RACES. - -VOL. IV. ANTIQUITIES. - - - - - - - -San Francisco: -A. L. Bancroft & Company, Publishers. -1883. - -Entered according to Act of Congress in the Year 1882, by -Hubert H. Bancroft. -In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. - -All Rights Reserved. - - - - -CONTENTS OF THIS VOLUME. - - - CHAPTER I. - - ARCHÆOLOGICAL INTRODUCTION. - - PAGE. - - Monumental Archæology -- Scope of the Volume -- Treatment - of the Subject -- Sources of Information -- Tangibility of - Material Relics --Vagueness of Traditional and Written - Archæology -- Value of Monumental Relics, as conveying - Positive Information respecting their Builders, as - Corroborative or Corrective Witnesses, as Incentives to - Research --Counterfeit Antiquities -- Egyptian, Assyrian - and Persian monuments --Relics proving the Antiquity of - Man -- Exploration of American Ruins -- Key to Central - American Hieroglyphics -- No more Unwritten History 1 - - - CHAPTER II. - - ANTIQUITIES OF THE ISTHMUS, COSTA RICA, MOSQUITO COAST, - AND NICARAGUA. - - The Isthmus -- Roman Coin and Galley -- Huacas of Chiriquí - -- Incised Stone-carvings -- Sculptured Columns -- Human - Remains -- Golden Ornaments -- Weapons -- Implements -- - Pottery -- Musical Instruments -- Costa Rica -- Stone - Hammers -- Ancient Plantations -- Images of Gold -- - Terra-Cottas -- Axe of Quartz -- Wonderful Hill -- Paved - Road -- Stone Frog -- Mosquito Coast -- Granite Vases -- - Remarkable Reports -- Animal Group -- Rock-Paintings -- - Golden Figure -- Home of the Sukia -- Nicaragua -- - Authorities -- Mounds -- Sepulchres --Excavations -- - Weapons -- Implements -- Ornaments -- Statues -- Idols -- - Pottery -- Metals 15 - - - CHAPTER III. - - ANTIQUITIES OF SALVADOR AND HONDURAS, RUINS OF COPAN. - - Salvador -- Opico Remains -- Mounds of Jiboa -- Relics of - Lake Guijar -- Honduras -- Guanaja -- Wall -- Stone Chairs - -- Roatan -- Pottery --Olancho Relics -- Mounds of Agalta - and Abajo -- Hacienda of Labranza -- Comayagua -- Stone - Dog-idol -- Terraced Mounds of Calamulla --Tumuli on Rio - Chiquinquare -- Earthen Vases of Yarumela -- Fortified - Plateau of Tenampua -- Pyramids, Enclosures, and - Excavations -- Stone Walls -- Parallel Mounds -- - Cliff-Carvings at Aramacina -- Copan --History and - Bibliography -- Palacio, Fuentes, Galindo, Stephens, Daly, - Ellery, Hardcastle, Brasseur de Bourbourg -- Plan of Ruins - Restored --Quarry and Cave -- Outside Monuments -- - Enclosing Walls -- The Temple -- Courts -- Vaults -- - Pyramid -- Idols -- Altars -- Miscellaneous Relics -- - Human Remains -- Lime -- Colossal Heads -- Remarkable - Altars -- General Remarks 68 - - - CHAPTER IV. - - ANTIQUITIES OF GUATEMALA AND BELIZE. - - The State of Guatemala -- A Land of Mystery -- Wonderful - Reports --Discoveries Comparatively Unimportant -- Ruins - of Quirigua -- History and Bibliography -- Pyramid, - Altars, and Statues -- Comparison with Copan -- Pyramid of - Chapulco -- Relics at Chinamita -- Temples of Micla -- - Cinaca-Mecallo -- Cave of Peñol -- Cyclopean Débris at - Carrizal -- Copper Medals at Guatemala -- Esquimatha -- - Fortification of Mixco -- Pancacoya Columns -- Cave of - Santa María -- Mammoth Bones at Petapa -- Rosario Aqueduct - -- Ruins of Patinamit, or Tecpan Guatemala -- - Quezaltenango, or Xelahuh -- Utatlan, near Santa Cruz del - Quiché -- Zakuléu, near Huehuetenango -- Cakchiquel Ruins - in the Region of Rabinal -- Cawinal -- Marvelous Ruins - Reported -- Stephens' Inhabited City -- Antiquities of - Peten -- Flores -- San José -- Casas Grandes -- Tower of - Yaxhaa -- Tikal Palaces and Statues -- Dolores - --Antiquities of Belize 106 - - - CHAPTER V. - - ANTIQUITIES OF YUCATAN. - - Yucatan, the Country and the People -- Abundance of Ruined - Cities --Antiquarian Exploration of the State -- Central - Group -- Uxmal --History and Bibliography -- Waldeck, - Stephens, Catherwood, Norman, Friederichsthal, and Charnay - -- Casa del Gobernador, Las Monjas, El Adivino, Pyramid, - and Gymnasium -- Kabah, Nohpat, Labná, and nineteen other - Ruined Cities -- Eastern Group; Chichen Itza and vicinity - --Northern Group, Mayapan, Mérida, and Izamal -- Southern - Group; Labphak, Iturbide, and Macoba -- Eastern Coast; - Tuloom and Cozumel --Western Coast; Maxcanú, Jaïna, and - Campeche -- General Features of the Yucatan Relics -- - Pyramids and Stone Buildings -- Limestone, Mortar, Stucco, - and Wood -- The Triangular Arch -- Sculpture, Painting, - and Hieroglyphics -- Roads and Wells -- Comparisons -- - Antiquity of the Monuments -- Conclusions 140 - - - CHAPTER VI. - - ANTIQUITIES OF TABASCO AND CHIAPAS, RUINS OF PALENQUE. - - Geographical Limits -- Physical Geography -- No Relics in - Tabasco --Ruins of Palenque -- Exploration and - Bibliography -- Name; Nachan, Culhuacan, Otolum, Xibalba - -- Extent, Location, and Plan -- The Palace -- The - Pyramidal Structure -- Walls, Corridors, and Courts -- - Stucco Bas-Reliefs -- Tower -- Interior Buildings -- - Sculptured Tablet --Subterranean Galleries -- Temple of - the Three Tablets -- Temple of the Beau Relief -- Temple - of the Cross -- Statue -- Temple of the Sun - --Miscellaneous Ruins and Relics -- Ruins of Ococingo -- - Winged Globe --Wooden Lintel -- Terraced Pyramid -- - Miscellaneous Ruins of Chiapas --Custepeques, Xiquipilas, - Laguna Mora, Copanabastla, and Zitalá --Huehuetan -- San - Cristóval -- Remains on the Usumacinta -- Comparison - between Palenque and the Cities of Yucatan -- Antiquity of - Palenque --Conclusion 286 - - - CHAPTER VII. - - ANTIQUITIES OF OAJACA AND GUERRERO. - - Nahua Antiquities -- Home of the Zapotecs and Miztecs -- - Remains in Tehuantepec -- Fortified Hill of Guiengola -- - Petapa, Magdalena, and Laollaga -- Bridge at Chihuitlan -- - Cross of Guatulco -- Tutepec --City of Oajaca and Vicinity - -- Tlacolula -- Etla -- Peñoles --Quilapan -- Ruins of - Monte Alban -- Relics at Zachila -- Cuilapa --Palaces of - Mitla -- Mosaic Work -- Stone Columns -- Subterranean - Galleries -- Pyramids -- Fortifications -- Comparison with - Central American Ruins -- Northern Monuments -- Quiotepec - -- Cerro de las Juntas -- Tuxtepec -- Huahuapan -- - Yanguitlan -- Antiquities of Guerrero 366 - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - ANTIQUITIES OF VERA CRUZ. - - Physical Features of the State -- Exploration and Reports - -- Caxapa and Tuxtla -- Negro Head -- Relics from Island - of Sacrificios --Eastern Slope Remains -- Medelin -- - Xicalanco -- Rio Blanco -- Amatlan -- Orizava -- Cempoala - -- Puente Nacional -- Paso de Ovejas --Huatusco -- - Fortifications and Pyramids of Centla -- El Castillo - --Fortress of Tlacotepec -- Palmillas -- Zacuapan -- - Inscription at Atliaca -- Consoquitla Fort and Tomb -- - Calcahualco -- Ruins of Misantla or Monte Real -- District - of Jalancingo -- Pyramid of Papantla -- Mapilca -- Pyramid - and Fountain at Tusapan -- Ruins of Metlaltoyuca -- Relics - near Pánuco -- Calondras, San Nicolas, and Trinidad 425 - - - CHAPTER IX. - - ANTIQUITIES OF THE CENTRAL PLATEAUX. - - Anáhuac -- Monuments of Puebla -- Chila, Teopantepec, - Tepexe, Tepeaca, San Antonio, Quauhquelchula, and Santa - Catalina -- Pyramid of Cholula -- Sierra de Malinche -- - San Pablo -- Natividad -- Monuments of Tlascala -- Los - Reyes -- Monuments of Mexico -- Cuernavaca, Xochicalco, - Casasano, Ozumba, Tlachialco, Ahuehuepa, and Mecamecan - --Xochimilco, Tlahuac, Xico, Misquique, Tlalmanalco, and - Culhuacan --Chapultepec, Remedios, Tacuba, and Malinalco - -- City of Mexico --Tezcuco -- Tezcocingo -- Teotihuacan - -- Obsidian Mines -- Tula --Monuments of Querétaro -- - Pueblito, Canoas, and Ranas -- Nahua Monuments 464 - - - CHAPTER X. - - ANTIQUITIES OF THE NORTHERN MEXICAN STATES. - - The Home of the Chichimecs -- Michoacan -- Tzintzuntzan, - Lake Patzcuaro, Teremendo, Aniche, and Jiquilpan -- Colima - -- Armería and Cuyutlan -- Jalisco -- Tonala, Guadalajara, - Chacala, Sayula, Tepatitlan, Nayarit, Tepic, Santiago - Ixcuintla, and Bolaños --Guanajuato -- San Gregorio and - Santa Catarina -- Zacatecas -- La Quemada and Teul -- - Tamaulipas -- Encarnacion, Santa Barbara, Carmelote, - Topila, Tampico, and Burrita -- Nuevo Leon and Texas - --Coahuila -- Bolson de Mapimi, San Martero, Durango, - Zape, San Agustin, and La Breña -- Sinaloa and Lower - California -- Cerro de las Trincheras in Sonora -- Casas - Grandes in Chihuahua 568 - - - CHAPTER XI. - - ANTIQUITIES OF ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO. - - Area enclosed by the Gila, Rio Grande del Norte, and - Colorado -- A Land of Mystery -- Wonderful Reports and - Adventures of Missionaries, Soldiers, Hunters, Miners, and - Pioneers -- Exploration -- Railroad Surveys -- - Classification of Remains -- Monuments of the Gila Valley - -- Boulder-Inscriptions -- The Casa Grande of Arizona -- - Early Accounts and Modern Exploration -- Adobe Buildings - -- View and Plans -- Miscellaneous remains, Acequias, and - Pottery -- Other Ruins on the Gila -- Valley of the Rio - Salado -- Rio Verde -- Pueblo Creek -- Upper Gila -- - Tributaries of the Colorado -- Rock-Inscriptions, Bill - Williams' Fork -- Ruined Cities of the Colorado Chiquito - -- Rio Puerco -- Lithodendron Creek -- Navarro Spring -- - Zuñi Valley -- Arch Spring -- Zuñi -- Ojo del Pescado -- - Inscription Rock -- Rio San Juan --Ruins of the Chelly and - Chaco Cañons -- Valley of the Rio Grande --Pueblo Towns, - Inhabited and in Ruins -- The Moqui Towns -- The Seven - Cities of Cíbola -- Résumé, Comparisons, and Conclusions 615 - - - CHAPTER XII. - - ANTIQUITIES OF THE NORTHWEST. - - General Character of North-western Remains -- No Traces of - Extinct or of Civilized Races -- Antiquities of California - -- Stone Implements --Newspaper Reports -- Taylor's Work - -- Colorado Desert -- Trail and Rock-Inscriptions -- - Burial Relics of Southern California -- Bones of Giants - -- Mounds in the Saticoy Valley -- New Almaden Mine - --Pre-Historic Relics in the Mining Shafts -- Stone - Implements, Human Bones, and Remains of Extinct Animal - Species -- Voy's Work -- San Joaquin Relics -- Merced - Mounds -- Martinez -- Shell-Mounds round San Francisco - Bay, and their Contents -- Relics from a San Francisco - Mound -- Antiquities of Nevada -- Utah -- Mounds of Salt - Lake Valley --Colorado -- Remains at Golden City -- - Extensive Ruins in Southern Colorado and Utah -- Jackson's - Expedition -- Mancos and McElmo Cañons -- Idaho and - Montana -- Oregon -- Washington -- Mounds on Bute Prairie, - and Yakima Earth-work -- British Columbia -- Deans' - Explorations -- Mounds and Earth-works of Vancouver Island - -- Alaska 687 - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - WORKS OF THE MOUND-BUILDERS. - - American Monuments beyond the Limits of the Pacific States - -- Eastern Atlantic States -- Remains in the Mississippi - Valley -- Three Geographical Divisions -- Classification - of Monuments -- Embankments and Ditches -- Fortifications - -- Sacred Enclosures -- Mounds --Temple-Mounds, - Animal-Mounds, and Conical Mounds -- Altar-Mounds, Burial - Mounds, and Anomalous Mounds -- Contents of the Mounds -- - Human Remains -- Remains of Aboriginal Art -- Implements - and Ornaments of Metal, Stone, Bone, and Shell -- Ancient - Copper Mines --Rock-Inscriptions -- Antiquity of the - Mississippi Remains --Comparisons -- Conclusions 744 - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - PERUVIAN ANTIQUITIES. - - Two Epochs of Peruvian Civilization -- Aboriginal - Government, Religion, and Arts -- Contrasts -- The Huacas - -- Human Remains --Articles of Metal -- Copper Implements - -- Gold and Silver Vases and Ornaments -- Use of Iron - unknown -- Aboriginal Engineering -- Paved Roads -- - Peruvian Pottery -- Ruins of Pachacamac -- Mausoleum of - Cuelap -- Gran-Chimú -- Huaca of Misa -- Temple of the Sun - -- Remains on the Island of Titicaca -- Chavin de Huanta - -- Huanuco el Viejo --Cuzco -- Monuments of Tiahuanaco -- - Island of Coati 791 - - - - - [Illustration: NATIVE RACE OF THE PACIFIC STATES SHOWING THE - LOCATION OF ANCIENT MONUMENTS] - - - - - THE NATIVE RACES - OF THE - PACIFIC STATES. - - ANTIQUITIES. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -ARCHÆOLOGICAL INTRODUCTION. - - MONUMENTAL ARCHÆOLOGY -- SCOPE OF THE VOLUME -- TREATMENT - OF THE SUBJECT -- SOURCES OF INFORMATION -- TANGIBILITY OF - MATERIAL RELICS -- VAGUENESS OF TRADITIONAL AND WRITTEN - ARCHÆOLOGY -- VALUE OF MONUMENTAL RELICS, AS CONVEYING - POSITIVE INFORMATION RESPECTING THEIR BUILDERS, AS - CORROBORATIVE OR CORRECTIVE WITNESSES, AS INCENTIVES TO - RESEARCH -- COUNTERFEIT ANTIQUITIES -- EGYPTIAN, ASSYRIAN, - AND PERSIAN MONUMENTS -- RELICS PROVING THE ANTIQUITY OF - MAN -- EXPLORATION OF AMERICAN RUINS -- KEY TO CENTRAL - AMERICAN HIEROGLYPHICS -- NO MORE UNWRITTEN HISTORY. - - - [Sidenote: TREATMENT OF THE SUBJECT.] - -The present volume of the NATIVE RACES OF THE PACIFIC STATES treats of -monumental archæology, and is intended to present a detailed -description of all material relics of the past discovered within the -territory under consideration. Two chapters, however, are devoted to a -more general view of remains outside the limits of this -territory--those of South America and of the eastern United States--as -being illustrative of, and of inseparable interest in connection with, -my subject proper. Since monumental remains in the western continent -without the broad limits thus included are comparatively few and -unimportant, I may without exaggeration, if the execution of the work -be in any degree commensurate with its aim, claim for this treatise a -place among the most complete ever published on American antiquities -as a whole. Indeed, Mr Baldwin's most excellent little book on Ancient -America is the only comprehensive work treating of this subject now -before the public. As a popular treatise, compressing within a small -duodecimo volume the whole subject of archæology, including, besides -material relics, tradition, and speculation concerning origin and -history as well, this book cannot be too highly praised; I propose, -however, by devoting a large octavo volume to one half or less of Mr -Baldwin's subject-matter, to add at least encyclopedic value to this -division of my work. - -There are some departments of the present subject in which I can -hardly hope to improve upon or even to equal descriptions already -extant. Such are the ruins of Yucatan, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, so -ably treated by Messrs Stephens, Catherwood, and Squier. Indeed, not a -few relics of great importance are known to the world only through the -pen or pencil of one or another of these gentlemen, in which cases I -am forced to draw somewhat largely upon the result of their -investigations. Yet even within the territory mentioned, concerning -Uxmal and Chichen Itza we have most valuable details in the works of -M. M. Waldeck and Charnay; at Quirigua, Dr Scherzer's labors are no -less satisfactory than those of Mr Catherwood; and Mr Squier's careful -observations in Nicaragua are supplemented, to the advantage of the -antiquarian public, by the scarcely less extensive investigations of -Mr Boyle. In the case of Palenque, in some respects the most -remarkable American ruin, we have, besides the exhaustive delineations -of Waldeck and Stephens, several others scarcely less satisfactory or -interesting from the pens of competent observers; and in a large -majority of instances each locality, if not each separate relic, has -been described from personal examination by several parties, each -noting some particulars by the others neglected. By a careful study -and comparison of information drawn from all available sources -respecting the several points, the witnesses mutually corroborating or -correcting one another's statements, I expect to arrive in each case -practically at the truth, and thus to compensate in a measure for that -loss of interest inevitably incurred by the necessary omission of that -personal experience and adventure by which antiquarian travelers are -wont to impart a charm to their otherwise dry details. - -Although necessarily to a great extent a compilation, this volume is -none the less the result of hard and long-continued study. It embodies -the researches of some five hundred travelers, stated not merely en -résumé, but reproduced, so far as facts and results are concerned, in -full. Very few of the many works studied are devoted exclusively or -even chiefly to my subject; indeed most of them have but an occasional -reference to antiquarian relics, which are described more or less -fully among other objects of interest that come under the traveler's -eye; hence the possibility of condensing satisfactorily the contents -of so many volumes in one, and of making this one fill on the shelves -of the antiquary's library the place of all, excepting, of course, the -large plates of the folio works. Full references to, and quotations -from, the authorities consulted are given in the notes, which thus -become a complete index to all that has been written on the subject. -These notes contain also bibliographical notices and historical -details of the discovery and successive explorations of each ruin, and -other information not without interest and value. That some few books -containing archæological information may have escaped my notice, is -quite possible, but none I believe of sufficient importance to -seriously impair the value of the material here presented. In order to -give a clear idea of the great variety of articles preserved from the -past for our examination, the use of numerous illustrations becomes -absolutely essential. Of the cuts employed many are the originals -taken from the published works of explorers, particularly of Messrs -Stephens and Squier, with their permission. As I make no claim to -personal archæological research, save among the tomes on the shelves -of my library, and as the imparting of accurate information is my only -aim, the advantage of the original cuts over any copies that could be -made, will be manifest to the reader. Where such originals could not -be obtained I have made accurate copies of drawings carefully selected -from what I have deemed the best authorities, always with a view to -give the clearest possible idea of the objects described, and with no -attempt at mere pictorial embellishment. - -Confining myself strictly to the description of material remains, I -have omitted, or reserved for another volume, all traditions and -speculations of a general nature respecting their origin and the -people whose handiwork they are, giving, however, in some instances, -such definite traditions as seem unlikely to come up in connection -with ancient history. This is in accordance with the general plan -which I adopt in treating of the Native Races of this western half of -North America, proceeding from the known to the unknown, from the near -to the remote; dealing first with the observed phenomena of aboriginal -savagism and civilization when first brought within the knowledge of -Europeans, as I have done in the three volumes already before the -public; then entering the labyrinthine field of antiquity from its -least obstructed side, I devote this volume to material relics -exclusively, thus preparing the way for a final volume on traditional -and written archæology, to terminate with what most authors have given -at the start,--the vaguest and most hopelessly complicated department -of the whole subject,--speculations respecting the origin of the -American people and of the western civilization. - -In the descriptions which follow I proceed geographically from south -to north for no reason more cogent than that of convenience. From the -same motive, much more weighty however in this case, I follow the same -order in my comparisons between remains in different parts of the -continent, comparing invariably each ruin with others farther south -and consequently familiar to the reader, rather than with more -northern structures to be described later. It is claimed by some -writers that the term antiquities is properly used only to designate -the works of a people extinct or only traditionally known. This -restriction of the term would exclude most of the monumental remains -of the Pacific States, since a large majority of the objects described -in the following pages are known to have been the work of the peoples -found by Europeans in possession of the country, or of their immediate -ancestors. I employ the term, however, in its more common application, -including in it all the works of aboriginal hands presumably executed -before native intercourse with Europeans, at dates varying -consequently with that of the discovery of different localities. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: REALITY OF MATERIAL RELICS.] - -Monumental archæology, as distinguished from written and traditional -archæology, owes its interest largely to its reality and tangibility. -The teachings of material relics, so far as they go, are irrefutable. -Real in themselves they impart an air of reality to the study of the -past. They stand before us as the actual work of human hands, -affording no foothold for scepticism; they are the balance-wheels of -tradition, resting-places for the mind wearied with the study of -aboriginal fable, stepping-stones on which to cross the miry sloughs -of mythic history. The ruins of a great city represent and recall -vividly its original state and the populace that once thronged its -streets; the towering mound or pyramid brings before the observer's -mind toiling bands of slaves driven to their unwelcome task by strong -progressive masters; temples and idols are but remnants of religious -systems, native fear, superstition, and faith; altars imply victims -and sacrificial ceremonies; sculpture, the existence of art; kingly -palaces are the result of a strong government, wars, and conquest; -sepulchral deposits reveal thoughts of another life; and hieroglyphic -inscriptions, even if their key be lost, imply events deemed worthy of -record, and a degree of progress toward letters. - -What the personal souvenir is to the memory of dead friends, what the -ancestral mansion with its portraits and other relics is to family -memories and pride of descent, what the ancient battle-ground with the -monument commemorating early struggles for liberty is to national -patriotism, what the familiar hill, valley, stream, and tree to -recollection and love of home,--all this and more are material relics -to the study of ages gone by. Destroy such relics in the case of the -individual, the family, and the nation, and imagine the effect on our -interest in a past, which is, however, in nearly every instance -clearly recorded. What would be the consequence of blotting from -existence the ruins that stand as monuments of a past but vaguely -known even in the most favorable circumstances through the medium of -traditionary and written annals? Traditional archæology, fascinating -as its study is and important in its results, leaves always in the -mind a feeling of uncertainty, a fear that any particular tradition -may be in its present form, modified willfully or involuntarily in -passing through many hands, a distortion of the original, or perhaps a -pure invention; or if intact in form its primary signification may be -altogether misunderstood. And even in the case of written annals, more -definite and reliable of course than oral traditions, we cannot forget -that back beyond a certain time impossible to locate in the distant -past, history founds its statements of events on no more substantial -basis than popular fable. - - [Sidenote: COUNTERFEIT ANTIQUITIES.] - -It is true that false reports may be made respecting the discovery or -nature of ruined cities and other monuments; and relics may be -collected and exhibited which have no claim whatever to antiquity. -Indeed it is said that in some parts of Spanish America, Aztec, -Chichimec, or Toltec relics, of any desired era since the creation, -are manufactured to order by the ingenious natives and sold to the -enthusiastic but unwary antiquarian. To similar imposition and like -enthusiasm may be referred the long list of Roman, Greek, -Scandinavian, Tyrian, and other old-world coins, medals, and -inscriptions, whose discovery in the New World from time to time has -been reported, and used in support of some pet origin-theory. Yet -practically these counterfeit or fabulous antiquities do little harm; -their falsity may in most cases be without difficulty detected, as -will be apparent from several instances of the kind noted in the -following pages. There are, as I have said, few ruins of any -importance that have not been described by more than one competent and -reliable explorer. The discovery of wonderful cities and palaces, or -of movable relics which differ essentially from the well-authenticated -antiquities of the same region, is not accepted by archæologists, or -by the public generally, without more positive proof of genuineness -than the representations of a single traveler whose reliability has -not been fully proved. - - * * * * * - -The study of ancient monuments, in addition to its high degree of -interest, is moreover of great practical value in the development of -historical science, as a source of positive information, as a -corroboration of annals otherwise recorded, and as an incentive to -continued research. It contributes to actual knowledge by indicating -the various arts that flourished among the peoples of antiquity, the -germs of the corresponding arts of modern times. The monuments show -not alone the precise degree of excellence in architecture and -sculpture attained by the particular people whose work they are, but -by an examination of their differences they throw much light on the -origin and growth of these and other arts, while by comparison with -the works of other peoples better known they serve to establish more -or less clearly national affinities. And not only do they illustrate -the state of the fine and useful arts, but also to a great extent -public institutions and private customs. Temples, idols, and altars -reveal much of religious rites and priestly power; weapons, of -warfare; implements, of household habits; ornaments, of dress; tombs -and sepulchral relics, of burial ceremonies, regard for the dead, and -ideas respecting another life. When, in addition to their indirect -teachings respecting the arts and institutions of their builders, -antique monuments bear also inscriptions in written or legible -hieroglyphic characters, their value is of course greatly increased; -indeed under such circumstances they become the very highest historic -authority. - -It is, however, in connection with the other branches of the science, -written and traditional, that material relics accomplish their most -satisfactory results, their corroborative evidence being even more -valuable than the positive information they convey. For instance, -tradition relates wondrous tales of the wealth, power, and mighty -deeds of a people that long ago occupied what is now a barren desert -or a dense forest. These tales are classed with other aboriginal -fables, interesting but comparatively valueless; but some wandering -explorer, by chance or as the result of an apparently absurd and -profitless research, discovers in the shade of the tangled thicket, or -lays bare under the drifting desert-sands, the ruins of a great city -with magnificent palace and temple; at once the mythic fable is -transformed into authentic history, especially if the traditional -statements of that people's arts and institutions are confirmed by -their relics. - -Again, the written record of biblical tradition, unsatisfactory to -some, when not supported by corroborative evidence, narrates with -minute detail the history of an ancient city, including its conquest -at a given date by a foreign king. The discovery in another land of -that monarch's statue or triumphal arch, inscribed with his name, -title, and a list of his deeds, confirms or invalidates the scriptural -account not only of that particular event but indirectly of other -details of the city's annals not recorded in stone. In America -material relics acquire increased importance as corroborative and -corrective witnesses, in comparison with those of the old world, from -the absence of contemporary written annals. Beside constituting the -only tangible supports of the more ancient triumphs of American -civilization, they are the best illustrations of comparatively modern -stages of art whose products have disappeared, and by no means -superfluous in support of Spanish chroniclers in later times, "very -many, or perhaps most of whose statements respecting the wonderful -phenomena of the New World culture," as I have remarked in a preceding -volume, "without this incontrovertible material proof would find few -believers among the sceptical students of the present day." - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: IMPORTANCE OF MATERIAL RELICS.] - -The importance of monumental remains as incentives to historical study -and research results directly from the interest and curiosity which -their examination invariably excites. Gibbon relates that he was first -prompted to write the annals of Rome's decline and fall by the -contemplation of her ruined structures. Few even of the most prosaic -and matter-of-fact travelers can resist the impulse to reason and -speculate on the origin of ruins that come under their notice, and the -civilization to which they owe their existence; and there are probably -few eminent archæologists but may trace the first development of a -taste for antiquarian pursuits to the curiosity excited at the sight -of some mysterious relic. - -This irresistible desire to follow back remains of art to the artist's -hand and genius, prompted the oft-repeated and so long fruitless -attempts to decipher the Egyptian hieroglyphics and the cuneiform -inscriptions of Persia and Assyria. These efforts were at last crowned -with success; the key to the mysterious wedges, and the Rosetta-stone -were found, by which the tablets of Babylon, Ninevah, and the -pyramids--the Palenque, Copan, and Teotihuacan of the old world--may -be read. The palaces, monuments, and statues of ancient kings bear -legible records of their lives, dominions, and succession. By the aid -of these records definite dates are established for events in the -history of these countries as early as two thousand years before the -Christian era, and thus corroborations and checks are placed on the -statements of biblical and profane history. But the art of -interpreting these hieroglyphics is yet in its infancy, and the -results thus far accomplished are infinitesimal in comparison with -what may be reasonably anticipated in the future. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: THE ANTIQUITY OF THE HUMAN RACE.] - -So much for antique monuments and their teachings--alone and in -connection with history and tradition--respecting the peoples to whom -they owe their existence. Another and not less important value they -have, in connection with geology and paleontology, in what they tell -us about the age of the human race on the earth. Biblical tradition, -as interpreted in former times, asserts the earth and its inhabitants -to be about six thousand years old. Geology has enforced a new -interpretation, which, so far as the age of the earth is concerned, is -accepted by all latter-day scholars; and geology now lends a helping -hand to her sister sciences in their effort to prove, what is not yet -universally accepted as truth, that man's antiquity far exceeds the -limit which scripture is thought to establish. - -Throughout the successive geologic strata of earthy matter that -overlie the solid rocky foundations below, traces of man's presence are -found. It is in deposits of peat and alluvium that these traces are -most clearly defined and with greatest facility studied. The extremely -slow accumulation of these deposits and the great depth at which human -remains appear, impress the mind of the observer with a vivid idea of -their antiquity. Calculations based on the known rate of increase for -a definite period fix the age of the lowest relics at from six -thousand to one hundred thousand years according to the locality. But -geology tells yet no definite tale in years, her chronology being on a -grander scale, and these calculations are to scientific men the -weakest proofs of man's antiquity. As we penetrate, however, this -superficial geologic formation, we find in the upper layers weapons -and implements of iron; then, at a greater depth, of bronze; and -lowest of all stone is the only durable material employed. In all -parts of the world, so far as explorations have been made, this order -of the ages, stone, bronze, iron, is observed; although they were -certainly not contemporaneous in all regions. With the products of -human skill, in its varying stages of development, are mingled the -fossil trees and plants of different species which flourished and -became locally extinct as the centuries passed away. So animal -remains, no less abundant than the others, indicate successive changes -in the fauna and its relations to human life, the animals pursued at -different epochs for food, the introduction of domestic animals, and -the transition from the chase to agriculture as a means of -subsistence. - -From a study of all these various relics of the past--human, animal, -and vegetable--in connection with geologic changes, the student seeks -to estimate approximately the date at which man first appeared upon -the earth. He observes the slow accumulation of surface deposits and -speculates on the time requisite to bury the works of man hundreds of -feet deep in dilluvium. He studies savagism in its different phases as -portrayed in a previous volume; notes how tenaciously the primitive -man clings to old customs, how averse he is to change and improvement; -and then reflects upon the centuries that would probably suffice for -beings only a little above the beast to pass successively from the use -of the shapeless stone and club to the polished stone spear and arrow -and knife, to the partial displacement of stone by the fragment of -crude metal, to the smelting of the less refractory ores and the -mixture of metals to form bronze, and to a final triumph in the use of -iron. He reflects farther that all this slow process of development -precedes in nearly every part of the world the historic period; that -its relics are found in the alluvial plains of the Nile, buried far -below the monuments of Egyptian civilization, a civilization, -moreover, which dates back at least two thousand years before Christ. -Searching the peat-beds of Denmark, he brings to light fossil Scotch -firs in the lower strata mingled with relics of the stone age; -oak-trees above with implements of bronze; and beech-trunks in the -upper deposits, corresponding with the iron age and also with the -present forest-growth of the country. He tries to fix upon a period of -years adequate to effect two complete changes in Danish forest-trees, -bringing to his aid the fact that about the Christian era the Romans -found that country covered as now with a luxurious growth of beech, -and that consequently eighteen hundred years have wrought no change. -Having thus established in his mind the epoch to which he must be -carried by the relics of the alluvial deposits, he remarks that during -all this period climate has not essentially changed, for the animal -remains thus far discovered are all of species still existing in the -same climatic zone. - -But at the same time he finds in southern Europe abundant remains of -polar animals which could only have lived when the everlasting snow -and ice of a frigid clime covered the surface of those now sunny -lands. Still finding rude stone implements, the work of human hands, -mingled with these polar skeletons, he adds to the result of previous -computations the time deemed necessary for so essential a climatic -transformation, and, finally, he is driven to make still another -addition, when he learns that in geologic strata much older than any -yet considered, the bones and works of man have been discovered in -several apparently well-authenticated instances lying side by side -with the bones of mastodons and other ancient species which have long -since disappeared from the face of the earth. With the innumerable -data of which the foregoing is only an outline before him, the student -of man's antiquity is left to decide for himself whether or not he can -satisfactorily compress within the term of sixty centuries all the -successive periods of man's development. - -In our examination of relics in the thinly peopled Pacific States we -shall find comparatively few works of human hands bearing directly on -this branch of archæology; yet in the north-west regions, newest to -modern civilization, the Californian miner's deep-sunk shafts have -brought to light implements and fossils of great antiquity and -interest to the scientific world. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: AMERICAN RELICS AND HIEROGLYPHICS.] - -In America many years must elapse before explorations equaling in -extent and thoroughness those already made in the old world can be -hoped for. The ruins from whose examination the grandest results are -to be anticipated lie in a hot malarious climate within the tropics, -enveloped in a dense thicket of exuberant vegetation, presenting an -almost impenetrable barrier to an exploration by foreigners of -monuments in which the natives as a rule take no interest. It must be -admitted, however, that even the most exhaustive examination of our -relics cannot be expected to yield results as definite and -satisfactory as those reached in the eastern continent. We have -practically no written record, and our monuments must tell the tale of -the distant past unaided. - -Our hieroglyphic inscriptions are comparatively few and brief, and -those found on the stones of the more ancient class of ruins as yet -convey no meaning. By reason of the absence of a contemporary written -language, the difficulties in the way of their interpretation are -clearly much greater than those so brilliantly overcome in Assyria and -Egypt. Only one systematic attempt has yet been made to decipher their -signification, and that has thus far proved a signal failure; it is -believed almost universally that future efforts will be equally -unsuccessful, and that our annals as written in stone will forever -remain wrapped in darkness. Yet not only was the interpretation of the -cuneiform inscriptions long deemed an impossibility, but the very -theory that any meaning was hidden in that complicated arrangement of -wedges was pronounced absurd by many wise antiquaries. Let not -therefore our New World task be abandoned in despair till the list of -failures shall be swollen from one to seventy times seven. - -It is believed that the antiquary's zeal for all coming time will be -brought to bear on no other objects than those which now claim our -attention and search; that is, although new monuments will be brought -to light from their present hiding-places, no additions will be made -to their actual number. With the invention of printing and the -consequent wide diffusion of national annals, the era of unwritten -history ceased, and with it all future necessity of searching tangled -forest and desert plain for monumental records of the present -civilization. That the key of our written history can ever be lost, -our civilization blotted out, ruined structures and vague traditions -called anew into requisition for historic use, we believe impossible. -Yet who can tell; for so doubtless thought the learned men and -high-priests of Palenque, when with imposing pageant and sacrificial -invocation to the gods in the presence of the assembled populace, the -inscribed tablets had been set up in the niches of the temple; and -proudly exclaimed the orator of the day, as the last tablet settled -into its place, "Great are our gods, and goodly the inheritance they -have bequeathed to their chosen people. Mighty is Votan, world-wide -the fame of his empire, the great Xibalba; and the annals and the -glory thereof shall endure through all the coming ages; for are they -not here imperishably inscribed in characters of everlasting stone -that all may read and wonder?" - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -ANTIQUITIES OF THE ISTHMUS, COSTA RICA, MOSQUITO COAST, AND NICARAGUA. - - THE ISTHMUS -- ROMAN COIN AND GALLEY -- HUACAS OF CHIRIQUÍ - -- INCISED STONE-CARVINGS -- SCULPTURED COLUMNS -- HUMAN - REMAINS -- GOLDEN ORNAMENTS -- WEAPONS -- IMPLEMENTS -- - POTTERY -- MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS -- COSTA RICA -- STONE - HAMMERS -- ANCIENT PLANTATIONS -- IMAGES OF GOLD -- TERRA - COTTAS -- AXE OF QUARTZ -- WONDERFUL HILL -- PAVED ROAD -- - STONE FROG -- MOSQUITO COAST -- GRANITE VASES -- - REMARKABLE REPORTS -- ANIMAL GROUP -- ROCK-PAINTINGS -- - GOLDEN FIGURE -- HOME OF THE SUKIA -- NICARAGUA -- - AUTHORITIES -- MOUNDS -- SEPULCHRES -- EXCAVATIONS -- - WEAPONS -- IMPLEMENTS -- ORNAMENTS -- STATUES -- IDOLS -- - POTTERY -- METALS. - - -The ancient Muiscas of Colombia, or New Granada, have left interesting -relics of their antiquity, which, with some points of resemblance, -present marked contrasts to the monuments of Peruvian civilization -farther south, and of Maya, Quiché, and Aztec civilizations in North -America.[II-1] In that part of Colombia, however, which is included -within the limits of the Pacific States, extending from the gulf of -Darien westward to Costa Rica, no such relics have yet come to light, -except in the western provinces of Chiriquí and Veragua, -notwithstanding the extensive explorations that have been made in -various parts of the Isthmus in the interests of interoceanic -communication.[II-2] - - [Sidenote: CHIRIQUÍ ROCK-SCULPTURES.] - -The province of Chiriquí lies on the Pacific side of the Isthmus, and -it is in its central region about the town of David, that monuments of -a past age have been unearthed.[II-3] These monuments are of three -classes; the first consisting of rude figures cut on the surface of -large boulders. The best known of this class, and in fact the only one -definitely described, is the Piedra Pintal at Caldera, a few leagues -from David, which is fifteen feet high, about sixteen in diameter, and -somewhat flattened at the top. Top and sides are covered with curves, -ovals, and concentric rings; while on the eastern side there are also -fantastic figures, with others supposed to represent the sun, a series -of varying heads, and scorpions. The figures are cut to a depth of -about one inch, but on the parts most exposed to the weather are -nearly effaced. - - [Illustration: Incised Figures on the Rocks of Chiriquí.] - -Another lava boulder similarly incised found in the parish of San -Miguel is pronounced by Mr Squier, from the examination of a drawing, -to resemble stones seen by him in other parts of Central America. I -copy Seemann's cuts of several of the characters.[II-4] The second -class includes a few stone columns, some of them ten or twelve feet -high, found at David and in Veragua as well. These seem never to have -been seen in situ, but scattered and sometimes used for building -purposes by the present inhabitants. Their peculiarity is that the -characters engraved on their surface are entirely different from those -of the Piedra Pintal, being smaller and cut in low relief. Drawings of -these possibly hieroglyphic signs, by which to compare them with those -of Copan, Palenque, and Yucatan, are not extant. The third class -comprises the _huacas_, or tombs, a large number of which have been -opened, and a variety of deposited articles brought to light. The -tombs themselves are of two kinds. Those of the first kind are mere -pebble-heaps, or mounds, three or four feet high, and the only -articles taken from them are three-legged stones for grinding corn, -known in all Spanish America as _metates_. The other graves have rude -boxes or coffins of flat stones, with, in a few instances, rude stone -posts several feet in height. Graves of this class are found to -contain golden ornaments, with trinkets and implements of stone and -burned clay. In most of them no traces of human remains are met; and -when human bones do occur, they usually crumble to dust on exposure to -the air, one skull, however, described as broad in the middle and flat -behind, having been secured, and a plaster cast exhibited to the -American Ethnological Society.[II-5] - - [Sidenote: POTTERY OF CHIRIQUÍ.] - -The golden ornaments taken from the huacas of Chiriquí amount to many -thousands of dollars in value. They are of small size, never exceeding -a few inches in either dimension, are all cast and never soldered, and -take the shape of men, animals, or birds. One represents a man holding -a bird in each hand, with another on his forehead. The gold is -described by Dr Davis as being from ten to twenty carats fine, with -some copper alloy; but by another party the alloy is pronounced -silver.[II-6] Of stone are found ornaments, such as round agates -pierced in the middle; weapons, including axes, chisel-heads, and -arrow-heads, the latter of peculiar make, being pyramidal in form, -with four cutting edges converging to a point, and in some instances -apparently intended to fit loosely into a socket on the shaft; images, -perhaps idols, in the shape of animals or men, but these are of -comparatively rare occurrence;[II-7] and various articles of unknown -use. One of the latter dug up at Bugabita is described as a -"horizontal tablet, supported on ornamented legs, and terminating in -the head of a monster--all neatly carved from a single stone," being -twenty inches long, eight inches high, and weighing twenty-five -pounds. Another was conjectured to have served for grinding -paints.[II-8] Articles of burned clay are more numerous in the huacas -than those of other material. Small vases, jars, and tripods, some of -the latter having their three legs hollow and containing small earthen -balls which rattle when the vessels are moved, with musical -instruments, compose this class of relics. The earthen ware has no -indication of the use of the potter's wheel; is found both glazed and -unglazed; is painted in various colors, which, however, are not burned -in, but are easily rubbed off when moist; and many of the articles are -wholly uninjured by time. The specimens, or some part of each, are -almost invariably molded to imitate some natural object, and the -fashioning is often graceful and true to nature. Perhaps the most -remarkable of these earthen specimens, and indeed of all the Chiriquí -antiquities, are the musical wind-instruments, or whistles. These are -of small dimensions, rarely exceeding four inches in length or -diameter, with generally two but sometimes three or four finger-holes, -producing from two to six notes of the octave. No two are exactly -alike in form, but most take the shape of an animal or man, the -mouth-hole being in the tail of the tiger and bird, in the foot of the -peccary, in the elbow of the human figure. Some have several -air-cavities with corresponding holes to produce the different notes, -but in most, the holes lead to one cavity. One had a loose ball in its -interior, whose motion varied the sounds. Several are blown like -fifes, and nearly all have a hole apparently intended for suspending -the instrument by a string.[II-9] Other antiquities are reported to -exist at various points of the Isthmus, which white men have never -seen; instance a rocking stone in the mountains of Veragua.[II-10] - -I close my somewhat scanty information concerning the antiquities of -Chiriquí with the general remarks which their examination has elicited -from different writers. Whiting and Shuman speak of the sculptured -columns of Muerto Island as being similar to those in Yucatan -described by Stephens;[II-11] but it is hardly probable that this -opinion rests on an actual comparison of the hieroglyphics. Dr Merritt -deems the axe or chisel heads almost identical in form as well as -material with specimens dug up in Suffolk County, England; some of the -same implements resemble those seen by Mr Squier in actual use among -the natives of other parts of Central America; while the arrow-heads -and musical instruments are pronounced different in some respects from -any others known, either ancient or modern. The incised characters -represented in the cut on page 17, together with many others, if we -may believe Mr Seemann, have a striking resemblance to those of -Northumberland, England, as shown by Mr Tate.[II-12] In some of the -terra cottas, a likeness to vessels of Roman, Grecian, and Etruscan -origin has been noted; the golden figures, in the opinion of Messrs -Squier and May, being like those found further south in the country of -the ancient Muiscas.[II-13] - -One point bearing on the antiquity of the Chiriquí relics is the -wearing away by the weather of the incised sculptures, which appear to -Mr Seemann to belong to a more ancient, less advanced civilization -than those in low relief.[II-14] Another is the disappearance as a -rule of human remains, which, however, as Dr Torrey remarks,[II-15] -cannot in this climate and soil be regarded as an indication of great -age; and, moreover, against the theory of a remote origin of these -relics, and in favor of the supposition that all may be the work of -the not distant ancestors of the people found by the Spaniards in -possession of the country, we have the fact that gold figures similar -to those found in the huacas were made, worn, and traded by the -natives of the Isthmus at the time of its discovery and -conquest;[II-16] that the animals so universally imitated in all -objects whether of gold, stone, or clay, are all native to the -country, with no trace of any effort to copy anything foreign; and -that similar clay is still employed in the manufacture of rude -pottery.[II-17] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: COSTA RICAN RELICS.] - -Costa Rica, adjoining Chiriquí on the west, is the first or most -southern of the states which belong politically to North America, all -the Isthmus provinces forming a part of Colombia, a state of the -southern continent. Stretching from ocean to ocean with an average -width of ninety miles, it extends north-westward in general terms some -two hundred miles from the Boca del Drago and Golfo Dulce to the Rio -de San Juan and the southern shores of Lake Nicaragua in 11° north -latitude. Few as are the aboriginal monuments reported to exist within -these limits, still fewer are those actually examined by travelers. - - [Illustration: Terra Cottas from the Graves of Costa Rica.] - - [Sidenote: IMPLEMENTS AND ORNAMENTS.] - -Drs Wagner and Scherzer, who traveled extensively in this region in -1853-4, found in all parts of the state, but more particularly in the -Turialba Valley, which is in the vicinity of Cartago, traces of old -plantations of bananas, cacao, and palms, indicating a more systematic -tillage of the soil, and consequently a higher general type of culture -among the former than are found among the modern native Costa Ricans. -The only other antiquities seen by these intelligent explorers were a -few stone hammers thought to resemble implements which have been -brought to light in connection with the ancient mines about Lake -Superior; but the locality of these implements is not stated. Cabo -Blanco, reported by Molina[II-18] as containing the richest deposit of -ancient relics, yielded nothing whatever to the diligent search of the -German travelers; nor did their failure here leave them sufficient -faith to continue their researches on the island of Chira, where, -according to the same authority, there are to be found ruined -aboriginal towns and tombs. At San José they were told of figures of -gold alloyed with copper which had been melted at the government mint, -and they briefly mention hieroglyphics on a few ancient ornaments -nowhere described.[II-19] Mr Squier describes five vessels of earthen -ware or terra cotta obtained, in localities not mentioned, from Costa -Rican graves. Four of these are shown in the accompanying cut. Fig. 1, -symmetrically shaped, is entirely without decoration; Fig. 2 is a -grotesque image supposed to have done duty originally as a rattle; -Fig. 3 has hollow legs, each containing a small earthen ball, which -rattles at each motion of the vase; and the top of Fig. 4 is -artistically moulded, apparently after the model of a tortoise's back. -An axe of green quartz is also described, which to Mr Squier seemed to -indicate a higher grade of skill in workmanship than any relic of the -kind seen in Central America. The cutting edge is slightly curved, -showing the instrument to have been used as an adze; the surface shown -in the cut is highly polished, and the whole is penetrated by a small -hole drilled from side to side parallel to the face where the notches -appear. This implement seems to present a rude representation of a -human figure whose arms are folded across its breast. Other implements -similar in material but larger and of ruder execution, are said to be -of not unusual occurrence in the sepulchres of this state.[II-20] - - [Illustration: Axe of Green Quartz.] - -Mr Boyle makes the general statement that gold ornaments and idols are -constantly found, and that the ancient mines which supplied the -precious metal are often seen by modern prospectors. Dr Merritt also -exhibited specimens of gold, both wrought and unwrought, from the -(ancient?) mines of Costa Rica, at a meeting of the American -Ethnological Society in February, 1862.[II-21] While voyaging on the -Colorado, the southern mouth of the Rio de San Juan, Mr Boyle was told -by a German doctor, his traveling companion, of a wonderful artificial -hill in that vicinity, but of whose exact locality the doctor's ideas -appeared somewhat vague. On this hill, according to his statement, was -to be seen a pavement of slate tiles laid in copper; but the -interesting specimens which he claimed to have collected in this -neighborhood had been generously presented by him to museums in -various parts of the world, and therefore he was unable to show any -of them.[II-22] Father Acuña, an enthusiastic antiquary of the Rich -Coast, living at Paraiso near Cartago, reports an ancient road which -he believes to have originally connected Cartago with the port of -Matina, and to have formed part of a grand aboriginal system of -highways from the Nicaraguan frontier to the Isthmus, with branches to -various points along the Atlantic coast. The road is described as -thirty-six feet wide, paved with rounded blocks of lava, and guarded -at the sides with sloping walls three feet in height. Where the line -of the road crossed deep ravines, bridges were not employed, but in -their stead the ascent and descent were effected by means of massive -steps cut in the rocky sides. Some relics found near this road were -given to New York gentlemen. The priest also speaks of tumuli -abounding in the products of a past age, which dot the plains of -Terraba, once the centre, as he believes, of a populous American -empire.[II-23] A channel which connects the Rio Matina with Moin Bay -has been sometimes considered artificial, but Mr Reichardt pronounces -it probably nothing more than a natural lagoon.[II-24] In the -department of Guanacaste, near the gulf of Nicoya, was found the -little frog in grey stone shown, full-sized, in the cut. The hole near -the fore feet would seem to indicate that it was worn suspended on a -string as an ornament.[II-25] - - [Illustration: Frog in Grey Stone.] - -Such is the meagre account I am able to give of Costa Rican monuments. -True, neither this nor any others of the Central American states have -been thoroughly explored, nor are they likely to be for many years, -except at the few points where the world's commerce shall seek new -passages from sea to sea. The difficulties are such as would yield -only to a denser population of a more energetic race than that now -occupying the land. The only monuments of the aboriginal natives -likely to be found are those buried in the ancient graves. The -probability of bringing to light ruined cities or temples south of -Honduras is extremely slight. It is my purpose, however, to confine -myself to the most complete account possible of such remains as have -been seen or reported, with very little speculation on probable -discoveries in the future. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: THE MOSQUITO COAST.] - -Our next move northward carries us to Cape Gracias á Dios on the -Atlantic, and to the gulf of Fonseca on the Pacific, the inclosed -territory of Nicaragua stretching some two hundred and fifty miles -north-westward to the Wanks River and Rio Negro, widening in this -distance from one hundred and fifty to about three hundred miles. -Dividing this territory by a line along the central mountain ranges, -or water-shed, into two nearly equal portions, the western or Pacific -slope is the state of Nicaragua proper, while the eastern or Atlantic -side is known as the Mosquito Coast. This latter region is almost -entirely unexplored except along the low marshy shore, and the natives -of the interior have always been independent of any foreign control. - -In respect of ancient remains the Mosquito Coast has proved even more -barren of results than Costa Rica. A pair of remarkable granite vases -preserved in an English museum are said to have come from this region, -but as no particulars of their discovery are given, it is of course -possible, considering the former unsettled condition of all Central -American boundary lines, not altogether remedied in later times, that -there may be an error in locality. It is from ten to twelve inches in -diameter and height, as nearly as can be ascertained from the drawing, -and Humboldt remarks the similarity of its ornamentation to that found -on some parts of the ruins of Mitla in Oajaca, described in a future -chapter. One of the vases as represented in Humboldt's drawing, is -shown in the cut. The second vase is somewhat larger, more nearly -uniform in size at top and bottom, with plain legs, only -diamond-shaped ornaments on the body of the vessel, and handles which -take the form of a head and tail instead of two heads as in the first -specimen.[II-26] - - [Illustration: Granite Vase from the Mosquito Coast.] - -Christopher Columbus in a letter speaks of having seen on this coast, -which he calls Cariay, a sculptured tomb in the forest as large as a -house; and Mr Helps imagines the Spanish conquerors sailing up the coast -and beholding amidst the trees white structures "bearing some likeness -to truncated pyramids, and, in the setting sun, dark figures would be -seen against the horizon on the tops of these pyramids;"[II-27] but as -he is describing no particular voyage, some allowance may be made for -the play of his imagination. Mr Boyle is enthusiastic over "the vast -remains of a civilization long since passed away," but far superior to -that of Spain, including rocks cut down to human and animal shapes, -artificial hills encased in masonry, streams turned from their -courses, and hieroglyphic sculptures on the cliffs,--all in the -Mosquito wilds. As a foundation for this, three men who descended the -Rio Mico and Blewfields River from Libertad, Nicaragua, to the sea, -claim to have beheld extraordinary ancient works. These took the form -of a cliff cut away where the river passed through a narrow cañon, -leaving a group of stone animals, among which was a colossal bear, -standing erect on the brink of the precipice as if to guard the -passage. The natives reported also to Mr Pim the existence of grand -temples of the antiguos, with an immense image of the aboriginal god -Mico (a monkey) on the banks of this river; but when subjected to -cross-questioning, their wonderful stories dwindled to certain rude -figures painted on the face of a cliff, which Mr Pim was unable to -examine, but which seemed from the native description similar to the -cliff-paintings at Nijapa Lake in Nicaragua, to be described on a -future page.[II-28] - - [Illustration: Golden Image.] - - [Sidenote: COLOSSAL BEAR AND GOLDEN IMAGE.] - -From a mound of earth fifteen feet in diameter, and five or six feet -high, on an island in Duckwarra Lagoon, south of Cape Gracias á Dios, -Mr Squier unearthed a crumbling human skeleton, at whose head was a -rude burial vase containing chalcedony beads, two arrow-heads of the -same material, and the human figure shown full-sized in the cut, -fashioned from a piece of gold plate. Antonio, an intelligent Maya -servant, could see no resemblance in this figure to any relics of his -race in Yucatan. Two additional vases of coarse earthen ware were -discovered, but contained no relics. On another occasion, during a -moonlight visit to the 'Mother of Tigers,' a famed native _sukia_, or -sorceress, on the Bocay, which is a branch of the Wanks, about fifty -miles south-westward from Cape Gracias, Mr Squier claims to have seen -a ruined structure, part of which is shown in the cut. The building -was of two stories, but the upper walls had fallen, covering the -ground with fragments. It is described as "built of large stones, laid -with the greatest regularity, and sculptured all over with strange -figures, having a close resemblance, if not an absolute identity" with -those drawn by Catherwood. A short distance from the building stood an -erect stone rudely sculptured in human form, facing east, as in the -cut. There are, however, some reasons for doubting the accuracy of -these Bocay discoveries, notwithstanding the author's well-known skill -and reliability as an antiquarian, since they were published under a -nom de plume, and in a work perhaps intended by the writer as a -fictitious narrative of adventures.[II-29] - - [Illustration: Home of the Sukia.] - - [Illustration: Mosquito Statue.] - - * * * * * - -Across the dividing sierras, the Pacific slope, or Nicaragua proper, -has yielded plentiful monuments of her former occupants, chiefly to -the researches of two men, Messrs Squier and Boyle. The former -confined his explorations chiefly to the region between the lakes and -ocean, while the latter has also made known the existence of remains -on the north-east of Lake Nicaragua, in the province of -Chontales.[II-30] - - [Sidenote: CLASSIFICATION OF RELICS.] - -Although nothing like a thorough exploration of the state has ever -been made, yet the uniformity of the remains discovered at different -points enables us to form a clear idea of the character, if not of the -full extent, of her antiquities, which for convenience in description -may be classified as follows: I. Mounds, sepulchres, excavations, and -other comparatively permanent works; II. Figures painted or cut on -rocks or cliffs; III. Statues or idols of stone; IV. Stone weapons, -implements, and ornaments; V. Pottery; VI. Articles of metal. -Remarking that nowhere in Nicaragua have traces of ruined cities been -found, nor even what may be regarded positively as the ruins of -temples or other buildings, I proceed to describe the first class, or -permanent monuments, beginning in the south-west, following the coast -region and lake islands northward, and then returning to the -south-eastern province of Chontales. - -First on the south are the cemeteries of Ometepec Island, which is by -some supposed to have been the general burial place of all the -surrounding country. These cemeteries, according to Woeniger, are -found in high and dry places, enclosed by a row of rough flat stones -placed a few inches apart and projecting only slightly above the -surface of the ground. Friederichsthal represents the sepulchres as -three feet deep and scattered at irregular intervals over a plain. -Boyle found both fixed cemeteries fenced with a line of heavy stones -and also separate graves.[II-31] Thus no burial mounds proper seem to -exist on the island. The ashes or unburned bones of the dead are found -enclosed in large earthen vases, together with what may be considered -as the most valued property of the deceased, or the most appropriate -gifts of friends, in the shape of weapons, ornaments, vessels, and -implements of stone, clay, and perhaps metal, all of which will be -described in their turn. When the burial urn is found to contain -unburned bones, its mouth is sometimes closed with the skull; in other -cases one or more inverted earthen pans are used for that purpose. - - [Sidenote: EL BAÑO AT MASAYA.] - -On Zapatero, an island which lies just north of Ometepec, distributed -over a level space covered with a dense growth of trees, are eight -irregular heaps of loose unhewn stones, showing no signs of system -either in the construction of each individual mound or in their -arrangement with reference to each other.[II-32] An attempt to open -one of the largest of the number led to no results beyond the -discovery of an intermixture of broken pottery in the mass of stones. -They are surrounded, as we shall see, by statues, and are believed by -Mr Squier to be remains of the teocallis known to have served the -Nicaraguans as temples at the time of the conquest.[II-33] At the foot -of Mt Mombacho, a volcano south of Granada, was found a ruined cairn, -or sepulchre, about twenty feet square, not particularly described, -but similar to those which will be mentioned as occurring in the -department of Chontales; others were said by the inhabitants to have -been found in the same vicinity.[II-34] In a steep-banked ravine near -Masaya, the rocky sides of which present numerous sculptured figures, -or hieroglyphics, a shelf some nine feet wide is cut in the -perpendicular cliff which towers one hundred feet in height at its -back. On this shelf is a rectangular excavation eight by four feet and -eighteen inches deep, with regularly sloping and smoothly cut sides, -surrounded by a shallow groove which leads to the edge of the -precipice, presumably designed to carry off rain-water. This strange -excavation is popularly known as El Baño, although hardly of -sufficient size to have served as a bath; a rudely cut flight of steps -leads up the cliff to the shelf, and two pentagonal holes penetrate -the face of the cliff at its back horizontally to a great depth, but -these may be of natural formation. Some kettle-shaped excavations are -reported also along the shore of the lake, now and possibly of old -used in tanning leather.[II-35] Mr Boyle speaks of the road by which -water is brought up from the lake to the city by the women of Masaya, -a deep cut in the solid rock, a mile long and descending to a depth of -over three hundred feet, as a reputed work of aboriginal engineering, -but as he seems himself somewhat doubtful of the fact, and as others -do not so mention it, this may not properly be included in our list of -ancient monuments.[II-36] In the cliff at Nijapa, an old crater-lake -near Managua, is what has been regarded by the natives as a wonderful -temple excavated from the solid rock by the labors of the Antiguos, -their ancestors. Indeed its entrance bears a strong resemblance, when -viewed from the opposite side of the lake, to the arched portals of a -heathen temple, but, explored by both Squier and Boyle, it proved to -be nothing more than a natural cavern.[II-37] - -Across the lake northward from Managua the volcano of Momotombo, -projecting into the waters, forms a bay in a locality once occupied -traditionally by a rich and populous city. If we may credit the Abbé -Brasseur de Bourbourg, its ruins are yet to be seen beneath the waters -of the bay.[II-38] Captain Belcher visited the country in 1838, and -was told that a causeway formerly extended across from the main to the -island of Momotombita, probably for the use of the priests of ancient -faith, since the island is rich in idols. He even was able to see the -remains of the causeway extending in the dry season some three hundred -and sixty yards from the shore; but a closer examination convinced Mr -Squier that the supposed ruins were simply a natural formation whose -extreme hardness had resisted better than the surrounding strata the -action of the waves.[II-39] - -On the slope of a small bowl-shaped valley near Leon is what the -natives call the Capilla de la Piedra, a natural niche artificially -enlarged in the face of a large rock facing the amphitheatre. It is -spacious enough to accommodate four or five persons, and a large flat -stone like an altar stands just at the entrance. At Subtiava, an -Indian pueblo near Leon, is a stone mound, sixty by two hundred feet, -and ten feet high, very like those at Zapatero, except that in this -case the stones about the edges present some signs of regularity in -their arrangement. It is very probably the ruin of some old -temple-mound, and even in modern days the natives are known to have -secretly assembled to worship round this stone-heap the gods of their -antiquity. Several low rectangular mounds were also seen but not -examined at the base of the volcano of Orota, north-east of -Leon.[II-40] - - [Sidenote: CHONTAL BURIAL MOUNDS.] - -Returning to the south-eastern Chontal province, the only -well-attested permanent monuments are burial mounds or cairns of -stone, although the Chevalier Friederichsthal claims to have found -here "remains of ancient towns and temples," which, nevertheless, he -does not attempt to describe, and Mr Squier mentions a traditionary -ruined city near Juigalpa.[II-41] The cairns are found in the regions -about the towns of Juigalpa and Libertad, although exploration would -doubtless reveal their existence elsewhere in the province. At both -the places named they occur in great numbers over a large area. "At -Libertad," says Mr Boyle, "graves were so plentiful we had only the -embarrassment of choice. Every hill round was topped with a vine-bound -thicket, springing, we knew, from the cairn of rough stone reverently -piled above some old-world chieftain." No farther description can be -given of them than that they are rectangular embankments of unhewn -stone, built, in some cases at least, with regularly sloping sides, -and of varying dimensions, the largest reported being one hundred and -twenty by one hundred and seventy-five feet, and five feet high. Being -opened they disclose earthen burial urns containing, as at Ometepec, -human remains, both burned and unburned, and a great variety of stone -and earthen relics both within and without the cinerary vase. The -burial deposit is oftenest found above, but sometimes also below, the -original surface of the ground. These cairns appear to have somewhat -more regularity, on the exterior at least, than the stone tumuli of -Ometepec. A more thorough examination of both is necessary before it -can be determined whether or not the Ometepec mounds are, as Mr Squier -believes, the ruins of teocallis and not tombs, and whether some of -the Chontal cairns may not be the ruins or foundations of ancient -structures. There can be little doubt that the Nicaraguans employed -the mound-temple in their worship, and it is somewhat remarkable if -modern fanaticism has left no traces of them; yet it is probable that -wood entered more largely into their construction than in more -northern climes. Mr Boyle found one grave near Juigalpa differing from -the usual Chontal method of interment, and agreeing more nearly with -that practiced in Mexico and Ometepec; and Mr Pim mentions the -occurrence of numerous graves in the province, of much smaller size -and of different proportions, the largest being twenty by twelve feet, -and eight feet high.[II-42] - -Near Juigalpa was seen a hill whose surface was covered with stones -arranged in circles, squares, diamonds, and rays about a central -stone;[II-43] also a hill of terrace-formation which from a distance -seemed to be an aboriginal fortification.[II-44] In the same -neighborhood is reported a series of trenches stretching across the -country, one of them traced for over a mile, nine to twelve feet wide, -widening at intervals into oval spaces from fifty to eighty feet in -diameter, and these enlargements containing alternately two and four -small mounds arranged in lines perpendicular to the general direction -of the trench.[II-45] "Several rectangular parallelograms outlined in -loose stone," in the vicinity of Libertad, are supposed by Mr Boyle to -be Carib works, not connected with the Chontal burial system.[II-46] - - [Illustration: Trench near Juigalpa.] - -I come secondly to the hieroglyphic figures cut or painted on -Nicaraguan cliffs. These appear to belong for the most part to that -lowest class of picture-writing common throughout the whole length of -the North American continent, even in the territory of the most savage -tribes. Doubtless many of these figures were executed in commemoration -of events, and thus served temporarily as written records; but it is -doubtful if the meaning of any of these inscriptions ever survived the -generation which originated them, and certain that they are not -understood by native or by antiquarian at the present day. It is not -unlikely that some of them in Nicaragua may be rude representations of -deities, and thus identified with the same gods preserved in stone, -and with characters in the Aztec picture-writings; but the -picture-writing of the Nicaraguan Nahuas, unlike that of their -brethren of Anáhuac, was not committed to paper during the first years -of the conquest, and has consequently been lost. - - [Sidenote: CLIFF-CARVINGS AT MASAYA.] - -At Guaximala a cave is mentioned having sculptures on the rocks at its -entrance. The natives dared not cross the figured portal.[II-47] In -the ravine near Masaya, already spoken of as the locality of the -excavation known as El Baño, the steep side-cliffs are covered with -figures roughly cut in outline, and often nearly obliterated by the -ravages of time. They are shown in Squier's drawings on the following -page, the order in which the groups occur being preserved. - -Mr Squier detects among the objects thus rudely delineated, the sun -twice represented, a shield, arrows or spears, the _Xiuhatlatli_ of -the Aztec paintings, which is an instrument for hurling spears, and a -monkey. Besides the regular groups, isolated single figures are seen, -among which the two characters shown in the accompanying cut are most -frequently repeated. The same vicinity is reported to contain figures -both painted and cut in other localities.[II-48] - - [Illustration] - - [Illustration: Rock-Sculptures at Masaya.] - - [Sidenote: CLIFF-PAINTINGS AT NIJAPA.] - -On the old crater-walls, five hundred feet in height at the lowest -point, which inclose Lake Nijapa, a few miles south-west of Managua, -are numerous figures painted in red. Portions of the walls have been -thrown down by an earthquake, the débris at the water's edge being -covered with intricate and curious red lines; and most of those still -in place have been so defaced by the action of wind and water that -their original appearance or connection cannot be distinguished. - - [Illustration: Feathered Serpent at Lake Nijapa.] - -Among the clearest of the paintings is the coiled feathered serpent -shown in the cut. It is three feet in diameter, across the coil, and -is painted forty feet up the perpendicular side of the precipice. This -would seem to be identical with the Aztec Quetzalcoatl, or the Quiché -Gucumatz, both of which names signify 'plumed serpent.' Of the -remaining figures, shown in the cut on the following page, the red -hand is of frequent occurrence here, and we shall meet it again -farther north, especially in Yucatan. The central upper figure is -thought by Mr Squier to resemble a character in the Aztec paintings; -and among those thrown down the sun and moon are said to have been -prominent.[II-49] - - [Illustration: Rock-paintings of Nijapa.] - -In the Chontal province none of these pictorial remains are reported, -yet Mr Boyle believes that many of the ornamental figures on pottery -and stone vessels are hieroglyphic in their nature; founding this -opinion on the frequent repetition of complicated groups, as for -instance that in the cut, which is repeated four times on the -circumference of a bowl.[II-50] - - [Illustration: Chontal Hieroglyphic.] - - [Sidenote: STONE STATUES OR IDOLS.] - -Statues in stone, representing human beings generally, but in some -cases animals and monsters also, have been found and described to the -number of about sixty, constituting our third and the most interesting -class of Nicaraguan relics. Ometepec, rich in pottery and other -relics, and reported also to contain idols, has yielded to actual -observation only the small animal couchant represented in the cut. It -was secretly worshiped by the natives for many years, even in modern -times, until this unorthodox practice was discovered and checked by -zealous priests. This animal idol was about fourteen inches long and -eight inches in height.[II-51] - - [Illustration: Ometepec Idol.] - - [Illustration: Idols of Zapatero.--Fig. 1, 2.] - - [Sidenote: IDOLS ON ZAPATERO ISLAND.] - -The island of Zapatero has furnished some seventeen idols, which are -found in connection with the stone-heaps already described, lying for -the most part wholly or partially buried in the sand and enveloped in -a dense shrubbery. It is not probable that any one of them has been -found in its original position, yet such is their size and weight that -they are not likely to have been moved far from their primitive -locality. Indeed Mr Squier, with a large force of natives, transformed -into zealous antiquarians by a copious dispensation of brandy, had the -greatest difficulty in placing them in an upright position. An -ancient crater-lake conveniently near at hand accounts satisfactorily -for the almost entire absence of smaller idols, and would doubtless -have been the receptacle of their larger fellow-deities, had the -strength of the priestly iconoclasts been in proportion to their godly -spirit, as was the case with Mr Squier's natives. As it was they were -obliged to content their religious zeal with overthrowing and defacing -as far as possible these stone gods of the natives. There seems to be -no regularity or system in the arrangement of the statues with respect -to each other, and very little with respect to the stone mounds. It is -probable, however, that, if the latter are indeed ruined teocallis, -the statues stood originally round their base rather than on their -summit. The idols of Zapatero, which is within the limits of the -Niquiran or Aztec province, are larger and somewhat more elaborate in -workmanship than those found elsewhere; and the genital organs appear -on many of their number, indicating perhaps the presence here of the -wide-spread phallic worship. The cuts show ten of the most remarkable -of these monuments. - -Fig. 1 is nine feet high and about three feet in diameter, cut from a -solid block of black basalt. The head of the human figure crouching on -its immense cylindrical pedestal forms a cross, a symbol not uncommon -here or elsewhere in America. All the work, particularly the -ornamental bands and the niches of unknown use or import in front, is -gracefully and cleanly cut. Fig. 2 is a huge tiger eight feet high -seated on a pedestal. The heads and other parts of different animals -are often used in the adornment of partially human shapes both in -stone work and pottery, but purely animal statues, intended as this -apparently is, for idols, are rare. Fig. 3, an idol "of mild and -benignant aspect" is shown in the leaning position in which it was -found. Fig. 4, standing in the background, was raised from its fallen -position to be sketched. - - [Illustration: Idols of Zapatero.--Fig. 3, 4.] - - [Illustration: Idols of Zapatero.--Fig. 5.] - - [Illustration: Idols of Zapatero.--Fig. 6.] - -Fig. 5 represents a statue which, with its pedestal, is over twelve -feet high. The well-carved head of a monster, two feet eight inches -broad, surmounts the head of a seated human form, a common device in -the fashioning of Nicaraguan gods. A peculiarity of this monument is -that the arms are detached from the sides at the elbows; -free-sculptured limbs being of rare occurrence in American aboriginal -carvings. Fig. 6 is a slab three by five feet, bearing a human figure -cut in high relief, the only sculpture of this kind discovered in -Nicaragua. The tongue appears to hang upon the breast, and the eyes -are merely two round holes. Fig. 7, on the following page, represents -a crouching human form, on whose back is a tiger or other wild beast -grasping the head in its jaws, a favorite method among these southern -Nahua nations of representing in stone and clay the characteristics of -what are presumably intended as beings to be worshiped. The expression -of the features in the human face is described by Mr Squier as -differing from any of the others found in this group. This idol and -the following, with many other curious monuments of antiquity -obtained by the same explorer, are now in the museum of the -Smithsonian Institution at Washington. - - [Illustration: Idols of Zapatero.--Fig. 7.] - -Fig. 8 is carved on a slab five feet long and eighteen inches wide, -representing a person who holds to his abdomen what seems to be a mask -or a human face. - -Fig. 9 is of very rude execution and seemingly represents a human -figure wearing an animal mask, which is itself surmounted by another -human face. Two small cup-shaped smoothly cut holes are also noted in -the head-dress. Fig. 10 is a stone three feet and a half high, but -slightly modified by the sculptor's art, which gave some semblance of -the human form. - - [Illustration: Idols of Zapatero.--Fig. 8, 9.] - -From the cuts given a good general idea of the Zapatero monuments may -be obtained; of the others described, one is a man with a calm, mild -expression of countenance, seated with knees at chin and hands on -feet on a round-topped square pedestal which tapers towards the -bottom. - - [Illustration: Idols of Zapatero.--Fig. 10.] - - [Sidenote: IDOLS AT GRANADA.] - -Two statues from Zapatero stand at the street-corners of Granada; one, -known as the Chiflador, is much broken; the other has the crouching -animal on the human head. Another from the same island stands by the -roadside at Dirioma, near Granada, where it serves as a boundary mark. -According to Mr Boyle this statue is of red granite, and it seemed to -Mr Squier more delicately carved than those at Zapatero.[II-52] - -In the vicinity of the cairn already spoken of at the foot of Mount -Mombacho, were found six statues with abundant fragments. One had what -seemed a monkey's head, with three female breasts and a phallus among -the complicated sculptures below; a rudely cut animal bore some -resemblance to a bear; a broken figure is said by the natives to have -represented, when whole, a woman with a child on her back. One female -figure, of which there is no drawing, is pronounced by Mr Boyle "very -far the best-drawn statue we found in Nicaragua." A sleeping figure -with large ears, a natural face, absurd arms, and a phallus, with the -life-sized corpse or sleeper of the cut complete the list. - - [Illustration: Sleeping Statue of Mombacho.] - -Mr Boyle believes the statues of Mombacho, like other relics there -found, to unite the styles of art of the Chontales and the Aztec -natives of Ometepec; showing, besides the cairns, the simplicity of -sculpture peculiar to the former, together with the superior skill in -workmanship and the distinction of sex noticeable in the monuments of -the latter.[II-53] - - [Sidenote: IDOLS OF PENSACOLA ISLAND.] - -Pensacola is one of the group of islands lying at the foot of Mt -Mombacho in Lake Nicaragua. On this island the three statues shown in -the following cuts have been dug up, having been buried there -purposely by order of the catholic authorities in behalf of the -supposed spiritual interests of the natives. Fig. 1 is cut from hard -red sandstone; the human face is surmounted by a monster head, and by -its side the open mouth and the fangs of a serpent appear. The limbs -of this statue, unlike those of most Nicaraguan idols, are freely -sculptured and detached so far as is consistent with safety. - - [Illustration: Pensacola Idols.--Fig. 1.] - - [Illustration: Pensacola Idols.--Fig. 2.] - -Fig. 2 is an animal clinging to the back of a human being, concerning -which Mr Squier remarks: "I never have seen a statue which conveyed so -forcibly the idea of power and strength." The back is ribbed or -carved to represent overlapping plates like a rude coat of mail, and -the whole is nine feet high and ten feet in circumference. Fig. 3 is -the head and bust--the lower portion having been broken off--of a -hideous monster, with hanging tongue and large staring eyes, large -ears, and distended mouth, "like some gray monster just emerging from -the depths of the earth at the bidding of the wizard-priest of an -unholy religion," not inappropriately termed 'el diablo' by the -natives, when first it met their view.[II-54] - - [Illustration: Pensacola Idols.--Fig. 3.] - - [Sidenote: MOMOTOMBITA RELICS.] - -Momotombita Island formerly contained some fifty statues standing -round a square, and facing inward, if, as Mr Squier believes, we may -credit the native report. All are of black basalt, and have the sex -clearly marked, a large majority representing males. - - [Illustration: Idols of Momotombita.--Fig. 1 and 2.] - -Fig. 1 is a statue noticeable for its bold and severe cast of -features, and for what is conjectured to be a human heart held in the -mouth, as is shown in the front view, Fig. 2. Fig. 3 was found at a -street-corner at Managua, but had been brought originally from the -island. Another, also from Momotombita, was found at Leon and -afterwards deposited in the Smithsonian Institution. It evidently -served as a support for some other object; the back is square and -ribbed like the one at Pensacola, the eyes closed, and "the whole -expression grave and serene." The colossal head shown in the cut on -the preceding page was among the other fragments found on the island, -where two groups of relics are said to exist, only one of which has -been explored.[II-55] - - [Illustration: Idols of Momotombita.--Fig. 3.] - - [Illustration: Colossal Head from Momotombita.] - - [Illustration: Piedra de la Boca.] - -The Piedra de la Boca is a small statue, or fragment, with a large -mouth, standing at a street-corner in Granada, having been brought -from one of the lake islands. The natives still have some feelings of -dependence on this idol in times of danger. Several rudely carved, -well-worn images stood also at the street-corners of Managua in -1838.[II-56] - - [Sidenote: IDOLS OF SUBTIAVA.] - - [Illustration: Idols of Subtiava.--Fig. 1.] - -At the Indian pueblo of Subtiava near Leon many idols were dug up by -the natives for Mr Squier, eight of them ranging from five and a half -to eight feet in height and from four to five feet in circumference. -The natives have always been in the habit of making offerings secretly -to these gods of stone, and only a few months before Mr Squier's visit -a stone bull had been broken up by the priests. About the large stone -mound before described are numerous fragments, but only one statue -entire, which is shown in Fig. 1. It projects six feet four inches -above ground and is cut from sandstone. At the lower extremity of the -flap which hangs from the belt in front is noted a cup-like hole large -enough to contain about a quart. Fig. 2, of the same material, is two -feet six inches in height, and represents a female either holding a -mask over her abdomen, or holding open the abdomen for the face to -look out. Fig. 3 and 4 show a front and rear view of another statue, -in which the human face, instead of being surmounted by, looks out -from the jaws of some animal. The features of the face had been -defaced apparently by blows with a hammer; the ornamentation was -thought to resemble somewhat that of the Copan statues. Others -mentioned and sketched at Subtiava have a general resemblance to -these.[II-57] - - [Illustration: Idols of Subtiava.--Fig. 2.] - - [Sidenote: IDOLS OF CHONTALES.] - -The Chontal statues are divided by Mr Boyle into two classes; the -first of which includes idols, with fierce and distorted features, -never found on the graves, but often near them; while the second is -composed of portrait-statues, always distinguished by closed eyes and -a calm, "simple, human air about their features, however irregularly -modeled." The latter are always found on or in the cairns under which -bodies are interred, and are much more numerous than the idols proper. -Unfortunately we have but few drawings in support of this theory. It -is true that the two classes of features are noticeable elsewhere, as -well as here, but the position of the statues does not seem to justify -any such division into portraits and idols. Mr Boyle also believes the -Chontal sculptures better modeled though less elaborate than those of -the south-west.[II-58] - - [Illustration: Idols of Subtiava.--Fig. 3 and 4.] - - [Illustration: Chontal Statues.--Fig. 1 and 2.] - - [Illustration: Fig. 3.] - -Fig. 1 is one of several statues found near Juigalpa; it is of the -portrait class, and is remarkable for the wen over the eye and a cross -on the breast. Fig. 2 is the head of another taken from a cairn near -Libertad, and since used to prop up a modern wall. Fig. 3 is what Mr -Pim terms a head-stone of one of the graves in the same locality. Many -of the images have holes drilled through them; there is no distinction -of sex, and here, as elsewhere, there is no attempt at drapery. Entire -statues seem to be rare, but fragments very abundant. Mr Squier notes -in all the Nicaraguan statues a general resemblance, but at the same -time marked individuality, and deems it possible to identify many of -them with the gods of the Mexican Pantheon.[II-59] - - [Sidenote: NICARAGUAN WEAPONS.] - -My fourth class includes weapons, implements, ornaments, and other -miscellaneous articles of stone. There is a mention without -description of arrow-heads and flint flakes dug up from the graves of -Ometepec. Celts, much like those extant in European collections, are -reported as of frequent occurrence; two of granite and one of basalt -at Ometepec, and one of chipped flint at Zapatero, the latter being -regular in outline, with a smooth sharp edge, believed by Mr Boyle to -be of very rare form, and unique in America. Axes are also said to be -numerous, there being specially mentioned one of basalt, broad and -thin, from Ometepec; and a similar one, three or four inches wide, six -inches long, and of a uniform thickness, not exceeding one third of an -inch, from Zapatero. - - [Illustration: Nicaraguan Weapons.--Fig. 1 and 2.] - - [Illustration: Nicaraguan Weapons.--Fig. 3 and 4.] - -Fig. 1 is a rude aboriginal weapon from a cairn near Libertad, called -by Mr Pim a hatchet. Fig. 2 is an axe of syenite found by Mr Squier -at Granada, where he states that similar relics are not uncommon. Fig. -3 is one of two very beautiful double-edged battle-axes from the -Chontal cairns. It is of volcanic stone, twelve and a half inches long -by seven and three fourths inches wide. Fig. 4 represents a flint axe -from Zapatero Island as sketched by Mr Boyle. A knife ten inches long -was also found by Pim in a Chontal grave.[II-60] - - [Illustration: Granite Vase from Brita.] - - [Sidenote: STONE IMPLEMENTS AND ORNAMENTS.] - -Stone vessels are rare, though a granite vase, eighteen inches high, -as shown in the cut, was dug up at Brita, near Rivas; and two marble -vases of very superior workmanship were found in a Libertad mound. One -was of the tripod form and badly broken; the other was shaped like a -can resting on a stand, with ornamental handles, and having its sides, -not thicker than card-board, covered with grecs and arabesques.[II-61] - -Metates occur often on both sides the lakes. The cut on the following -page shows one dug up at Leon, being very similar to those still in -use in the country, but more elaborate in its ornamentation. Those -east of the lakes are flat instead of curved, but still superior to -any now made, and in connection with them have been found the pestles -with which maize was crushed.[II-62] - - [Illustration: Nicaraguan Metate.] - -Broken pedestals and sculptured fragments whose original purpose is -unknown occur frequently, and stone rattles were formerly found about -Juigalpa. Beads of lava, basalt, and chalcedony, in collections -suggestive of small necklaces, are numerous, particularly at Ometepec. -Those of lava are often wonderfully wrought, about an inch long, -ringed or grooved on the surface, pierced lengthwise with a hole only -large enough to admit a fine thread, and yet the whole, of the most -brittle material, not thicker than twine. Those of chalcedony are of -larger size.[II-63] - -The niche near Leon, known as the Capilla de la Piedra, had before its -entrance a flat stone resembling an altar. At Zapatero Mr Squier found -four stones also apparently intended for sacrificial purposes. One of -these, an oval stone imbedded in the earth, and covered on its upper -surface with inscribed characters, is shown in the cut. Near the Simon -mine in Nueva Segovia, the north-eastern province of the state, was -found by Mr Pim a broken font, the only relic of this region, on the -exterior of which the following figure is carved, supposed to -represent the sun. It has also the peculiarity of what seem intended -for long moustaches.[II-64] - - [Illustration: Altar from Zapatero.] - - [Illustration: Sun-sculpture in Nueva Segovia.] - - [Illustration: Burial Urns from Ometepec.] - - [Sidenote: NICARAGUAN POTTERY.] - -The fifth class embraces all articles of pottery, abundant throughout -the whole extent of the state, but especially so on the lake islands, -where the natives actually dig them from the earth to supply their -present needs. None of the localities which have yielded other relics -is without its deposit of earthen ware, either whole or in fragments. -The fact that vessels unearthed by the natives, when unbroken, are -wholly uninjured by their long rest under a damp tropical soil, -indicates their excellence in material and construction. It is not -indeed probable that in material or methods of manufacture the ancient -differed essentially from the modern pottery; but in skill and taste -the former was unquestionably far superior. Mr Squier pronounces the -work equal to the best specimens of the Mexican and Peruvian potters. -He finds no evidence of the use of the wheel; Mr Boyle, however, -thinks it was employed, but rarely. The clay varies from brown to -black, and the glazing, often sufficiently thick to be chipped off -with a knife, is usually of a whitish or yellowish hue. The colors -with which most articles are painted are both brilliant and durable, -red being a favorite. In some cases the paint seems to have penetrated -the substance of the pottery, as if applied before the clay was dry. -The figures of the cut illustrate the two most common forms of the -cinerary, or burial, urns, both from Ometepec, the former sketched by -Mr Boyle and the latter by Mr Squier. The urns contain a black sticky -earth supposed to represent traces of burned flesh, and often -unburned bones, skull, or teeth, together with a collection of the -smaller relics which have been described. The bones of animals, -deer-horns, and boar-tusks, and bone implements rarely or never occur. -Earthen basins of different material and color from the urns are -often--always in the Chontal graves--found inverted one over another -to close the mouth. The burial vases are sometimes thirty-six inches -long by twenty inches high, painted usually on the outside with -alternate streaks of black and scarlet, while serpents or other -ornaments are frequently relieved on the surface. One or two handles -are in most cases attached to each. Mr Squier believes a human skull -to have been the model of the urns. Five of them at Libertad are -noticed as lying uniformly east and west. It appears evident that many -of the articles found in or about the graves had no connection with -burial rites, some of them having undoubtedly been buried to keep them -from the hands of the Spaniards. The figures of the cuts, from Mr -Boyle, show two forms of vessels which are frequently repeated among -an infinite variety of other shapes. The tripod vase with hollow legs -is a common form, of which Fig. 1 is a fine specimen from Ometepec, -five and three fourths inches high, and six inches in diameter, with a -different face on each leg. Fig. 2 is a bowl from Zapatero which -occurs in great numbers, of uniform shape and decoration, but of -varying size, being ordinarily, however, ten inches in diameter and -four and one fourth inches high. Both inside and outside are painted -with figures which from their uniformity in different specimens are -deemed by Mr Boyle to have some hidden hieroglyphic meaning. It is -also remarked that vessels intended to be of the same size are exactly -equal in every respect. Another common vessel is a black jar, glazed -and polished, about four inches high and five and one fourth inches in -diameter, made of light clay, and having a simple wavy ornament round -the rim. Animals or parts of animals, particularly alligators, often -form a part of the ornamentation of pottery, but complete animals in -clay are rare, a rude clay stag being the only relic of the kind -reported. The device of a beast springing on the back of a human form, -so frequent among the statues or idols, also occurs in terra cotta. -The four figures of the cut show additional specimens in terra cotta -from Mr Squier, of which Fig. 2 is from Ometepec.[II-64] - - [Illustration: Ometepec Tripod Vase.--Fig. 1.] - - [Illustration: Bowl from Zapatero.--Fig. 2.] - - [Illustration: Nicaraguan Figures in Terra Cotta.] - - [Sidenote: RELICS OF THE USE OF METALS.] - -It only remains to speak of the sixth and last class of Nicaraguan -relics; viz., articles of metal, which may be very briefly disposed -of. The only gold seen by any of our authorities was "a drop of pure -gold, one inch long, precisely like the rattles worn by Malay girls," -taken by Mr Boyle from a cinerary vase at Juigalpa. But all others -mention small gold idols and ornaments which are reported to have been -found, one of them weighing twenty-four ounces; so that there can be -but little doubt that the ancient people understood to a limited -extent the use of this precious metal, which the territory has never -produced in large quantities. Copper, on the contrary, is said to be -abundant and of a variety easily worked, and yet the only relic of -this metal discovered is the copper mask, which Mr Squier supposes to -represent a tiger's face, shown in the cut. It was presented to him by -a man who claimed to have obtained it from Ometepec. Mr Boyle -believes, with reason as I think, that in a country abounding in the -metal, the skill and knowledge requisite to produce the mask would -most certainly have left other evidences of its possession. The -authenticity of this mask, when considered as a Nicaraguan relic, may -be regarded as extremely problematical.[II-65] - - [Illustration: Copper Mask.] - -Nicaraguan antiquities, concerning which I have now given all the -information in my possession, give rise to but little discussion or -visionary speculation. Indeed there is little of the mysterious -connected with them, as they do not necessarily carry us farther back -into the past than the partially civilized people that occupied the -country in the sixteenth century. Not one relic has appeared which may -not reasonably be deemed their work, or which requires the agency of -an unknown nation of antiquity. Yet supposing Nicaragua to have been -long inhabited by a people of only slightly varying stages of -civilization, any one of the idols described may have been worshiped -thousands of years before the Spanish conquest. The relics are over -three hundred years old; nothing in themselves proves them to be less -than three thousand. Comparison with more northern relics and history -may fix their age within narrower limits. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[II-1] A general view of South American antiquities is given in -another chapter of this volume. - -[II-2] I might except a Roman coin of the time of Cæsar Augustus, and -a buried ship, or galley, of antique model, said to have been -discovered in early times by the Spaniards in the vicinity of Panamá, -and which figured somewhat largely in early speculations on the -question of American origin. I need not say that the evidence for the -authenticity of such a discovery is extremely unsatisfactory. See: -_García_, _Orígen de los Ind._, p. 174, with quotation from _Marineo_, -_Sumario_, (Toledo, 1546,) fol. 19--apparently the original authority -in the matter--and a reference to other editions and works; _Solórzano -Pereyra_, _De Ind. Jure_, tom. i., p. 93; _Id._ _Política Ind._, tom. -i., p. 22; _Horn_, _Orig. Amer._, p. 13; _Simon_, _Noticias -Historiales_, (Cuença, 1626,) lib. i., cap. x. - -[II-3] Authorities on the Isthmian antiquities are not numerous. Mr -Berthold Seemann claims to have been the first to discover stone -sculptures near David in 1848, and he read a paper on them before the -Archæological Institute of London in 1851. He also briefly mentions -them in his _Voy. Herald_, vol. i., pp. 312-13, for which work -drawings were prepared but not published. Some of the drawings were, -however, afterwards printed in _Bollaert's Antiq. Researches in N. -Granada_, (Lond., 1860,) and a few cuts of inscribed figures also -inserted with farther description by Seemann in _Pim and Seemann's -Dottings_, pp. 25-32. It is stated in the last-named work that M. -Zeltner, French Consul at Panamá, whose private collection contained -specimens from Chiriquí, published photographs of some of them with -descriptive letter-press. Bollaert also wrote a paper on 'The Ancient -Tombs of Chiriquí,' in _Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., pp. -151, 159. On various occasions from 1859 to 1865, travelers or -residents on the Isthmus, chiefly parties connected with the Panamá -railway, sent specimens, drawings, and descriptions to New York, where -they were presented to the American Ethnological Society, or exhibited -before and discussed by that body at its monthly meetings, an account -of which may be found in the _Hist. Mag._, vol. iii., p. 240, vol. -iv., pp. 47-8, 113, 144, 176-7, 239-41, 274, 338, vol. v., pp. 50-2, -vol. vi., pp. 119, 154, vol. ix., p. 158. A report on the Chiriquí -antiquities by Dr Merritt was printed by the same society. The above, -with slight mentions in _Cullen's Darien_, p. 38, from _Whiting and -Shuman's Report on Coal Formations_, April 1, 1851, and in _Bidwell's -Isthmus_, pp. 37-8, from _Hay's Report_, in _Powles' N. Granada_, are -the only sources of information on the subject with which I am -acquainted. - -[II-4] _Pim and Seemann's Dottings_, pp. 25, 28-31; _Seemann's Voy. -Herald_, vol. i., pp. 312-13; _Hist. Mag._, vol. iv., p. 338. - -[II-5] _Hist. Mag._, vol. ix., p. 158. - -[II-6] _Id._, vol. iii., p. 240, vol. iv., pp. 47-8, 239-40. - -[II-7] Three statues presented by Messrs Totten and Center in 1860 -were about two feet high, of a dark, hard stone, in human form with -features and limbs distorted. Two of them had square tapering -pedestals apparently intended to support the figures upright in the -ground. _Id._, vol. iv., p. 144. - -[II-8] _Id._, vol. iv., pp. 239-40, 274. - -[II-9] _Hist. Mag._, vol. iv., pp. 144, 177, 240-1, 274. - -[II-10] _Seemann's Voy. Herald_, vol. i., p. 314. - -[II-11] _Cullen's Darien_, p. 38. - -[II-12] _Pim and Seemann's Dottings_, pp. 25-32; _Tate's Ancient -British Sculptured Rocks_. - -[II-13] _Bidwell's Isthmus_, p. 37; _Hist. Mag._, vol. iv., p. 176. - -[II-14] 'A much higher antiquity must be assigned to these -hieroglyphics than to the other monuments of America.' _Voy. Herald_, -vol. i., p. 313. - -[II-15] _Hist. Mag._, vol. v., p. 50. - -[II-16] Vol. i., chap. vii. of this work. - -[II-17] _Merritt and Davis_, in _Hist. Mag._, vol. iv., pp. 176, 274. - -[II-18] In a work which I have not seen. That author's _Coup d'Oeuil -sur la République de Costa Rica_, and _Memoir on the Boundary -Question_, furnish no information on the subject. - -[II-19] _Wagner and Scherzer_, _Costa Rica_, pp. 465-6, 471, 522-4, -561. - -[II-20] _Squier's Nicaragua_, (Ed. 1856,) vol. ii., pp. 338-9, and -plate. - -[II-21] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. ii., p. 86; _Hist. Mag._, vol. vi., p. -119. - -[II-22] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. i., pp. 25-6. - -[II-23] _Meagher_, in _Harper's Mag._, vol. xx., p. 317. - -[II-24] _Reichardt_, _Cent. Amer._, pp. 121-2. - -[II-25] _Squier's Nicaragua_, p. 511. - -[II-26] _Pownal_, in _Archæologia_, vol. v., p. 318, pl. xxvi.; -_Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. ii., p. 205, pl. xiii.; (Ed. in folio, pl. -xxxix.); _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., pp. 27-8, tom. -ii., suppl. pl. vii., fig. xi. - -[II-27] _Colon_, _Carta_, in _Navarrete_, _Col. de Viages_, tom. i., -p. 307; _Helps' Span. Conq._, vol. ii., p. 138. - -[II-28] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. i., pp. 296-9; _Pim and Seemann's -Dottings_, p. 401. - -[II-29] _Bard's (E. G. Squier) Waikna, or Adventures on the Mosquito -Shore_, pp. 216-17, 254, 258-60. The 'King of the Mosquitos' somewhat -severely criticised the work, in which, by the way, His Royal Highness -is not very reverently spoken of, as 'a pack of lies, especially when -it was notorious that the author had never visited the Mosquito -Coast.' _Pim and Seemann's Dottings_, p. 271. 'Le désert qui s'étend -le long de la côte de la mer des Antilles, depuis le golfe Dulce -jusqu'à l'isthme de Darien, n'a pas offert jusqu'à présent de vestiges -indiquant que le peuple auquel on doit les monuments de Palenquè, de -Quiragua, de Copan, ait émigré au sud de l'isthme.' _Friederichsthal_, -in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., p. 301. - -[II-30] _Squier's Nicaragua_; _Boyle's Ride Across a Continent_. Mr E. -G. Squier resided in Nicaragua as Chargé d'Affaires of the United -States during the year 1849-50. On account of his position he was -afforded facilities for research not enjoyed by other foreigners, and -which his well-known antiquarian tastes and abilities prompted and -enabled him to use to the best advantage during the limited time left -from official duties. Besides the several editions of the work -mentioned, Mr Squier's accounts or fragments thereof have been -published in periodicals in different languages; while other authors -have made up almost wholly from his writings their brief descriptions -of Nicaraguan antiquities. See _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 341; -_Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, pp. 128-35; _Tiedemann_, in _Heidelberger -Yahrb._, 1851, pp. 81, 91, 170; _Müller_, _Amerikanische -Urreligionen_, pp. 463, 484, 498, 544; _Andree_, in _Westland_, tom. -ii., pp. 3, 251; _Heine_, _Wanderbilder_, p. 181; _Holinski_, _La -Californie_, p. 252; _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, p. 124. Frederick Boyle, -F.R.G.S., visited the country in 1865-6, with the examination of -antiquities as his main object. Both works are illustrated with plates -and cuts; and both authors brought away interesting specimens which -were deposited by the American in the Smithsonian Institution, and by -the Englishman in the British Museum. 'J'avoue n'avoir rien rencontré -d'important dans mes lectures, en ce qui touche les états de Costa -Rica et de Nicaragua.' _Dally_, _Races Indig._, p. 12. - -[II-31] 'Nicht ... von abgesonderten Steinen umgeben, sondern fanden -sich, in einer Tiefe von drei Fuss, unregelmässig über die Ebene -zerstreut.' _Friederichsthal_, in _Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, p. 128; -'Les îles du lac, notamment Ométépé semblent avoir servi de -sépultures à la population des villes environnantes, ... car on y -rencontre de vastes nécropoles ou villes des morts, ressemblant par -leur caractère à celles des anciens Mexicains.' _Id._ in _Nouvelles -Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., p. 297; in _Lond. Geog. Soc., -Jour._, vol. xi., p. 100; _Woeniger_, in _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. -509-10; _Boyle's Ride_, vol. ii., p. 86. - -[II-32] Plan showing their relative position, in _Squier's Nicaragua_, -p. 477. - -[II-33] 'On y trouve (sur les îles du lac) encore un grand nombre de -débris de constructions antiques.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, in -_Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1855, tom. cxlvii., p. 135. - -[II-34] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. ii., p. 42. - -[II-35] _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 439-41. - -[II-36] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. ii., pp. 10-11. - -[II-37] _Id._, vol. ii., pp. 161-2; _Squier's Nicaragua_, p. 396. - -[II-38] 'Ils montrent avec effroi les débris de la cité maudite, -encore visibles sous la surface des eaux.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, in -_Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1855, tom. cxlvii., p. 149. - -[II-39] _Belcher's Voyage_, vol. i., p. 171; _Squier's Nicaragua_, p. -299. - -[II-40] _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 306-8; _Id._, (Ed. 1856,) vol. ii., -p. 335. - -[II-41] _Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour._, vol. xi., p. 100; _Nouvelles -Annales des Voy._, 1811, tom. xcii., p. 297; _Squier's Nicaragua_, -(Ed. 1856,) vol. ii., p. 335. - -[II-42] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. i., pp. 159-61, 195-212, 291; _Pim and -Seemann's Dottings_, p. 126; On the buildings of the ancient -Nicaraguans, see vols. ii. and iii. of this work; also _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 114; _Peter Martyr_, dec. -vi., lib. v.; _Squier's Nicaragua_, (Ed. 1856,) vol. ii., pp. 335-6. - -[II-43] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. i., pp. 154-5. - -[II-44] _Froebel_, _Aus Amer._, tom. i., pp. 379-80; _Id._, _Cent. -Amer._, pp. 119-20. - -[II-45] _Livingston_, in _Squier's Nicaragua_, (Ed. 1856,) vol. ii., -pp. 334-5. - -[II-46] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. i., p. 212. - -[II-47] _Heine_, _Wanderbilder_, p. 181. - -[II-48] _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 435-41; 'Sur les parois du rocher on -voit encore des dessins bizarres gravés et peints en rouge, tels que -les donne M. Squier.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, in _Nouvelles Annales -des Voy._, 1855, tom. cxlvii., p. 147. - -[II-49] Mr Boyle found the cliff-paintings to have suffered much since -Mr Squier's visit, thirteen years before; so much so that none could -be made out except the winged snake and red hand. He also states that -yellow as well as red pictures are here to be seen. _Boyle's Ride_, -vol. ii., pp. 160-1; _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 391-6. In a letter, a -fragment of which is published in the _Annual of Scientific -Discovery_, 1850, p. 364, Mr Squier declares the paintings precisely -in the style of the Mexican and Guatemalan MSS., closely resembling, -some of the figures indeed identical with, those of the Dresden MS. -Pim and Seemann, _Dottings_, p. 401, also noted the 'coiled-up lizard' -and other pictures, calling the locality Asososca Lake. Scherzer, -_Wanderungen_, p. 72, and _Trav._, vol. i., p. 77, mentions also -sculptured figures on this crater-wall. - -[II-50] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. ii., pp. 142-3. - -[II-51] _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 510-17. There were formerly many -idols resembling those of Zapatero, but they have been buried or -broken up. A group is reported still to be found near the foot of Mt -Madeira, but not seen. _Woeniger_, in _Id._, p. 509. _Froebel_, _Aus -Amer._, tom. i., p. 261. - -[II-52] _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 180, 470-90, 496; _Id._, (_ed._ -1856,) vol. ii., p. 336; _Id._, in _Annual Scien. Discov._, 1851, p. -388. 'L'île de Zapatero a fourni des idoles qui sont comme des -imitations grossières du fameux colosse de Memnon, type connu de cette -impassibilité réfléchie que les Égyptiens donnaient à leurs dieux.' -_Holinski_, _La Californie_, p. 252. 'There still exist on its surface -some large stone idols.' _Scherzer's Trav._, vol. i., p. 31. 'Statues -d'hommes et d'animaux d'un effet grandiose, mais d'un travail qui -annonce une civilisation moins avancée que celle de l'Yucatan ou du -Guatémala.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, -1855, tom. cxlvii., p. 135; _Boyle's Ride_, vol. ii., p. 122. - -[II-53] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. ii., pp. 42-7; _Friederichsthal_, in -_Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour._, vol. xi., p. 100; _Id._, in _Nouvelles -Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., p. 297. - -[II-54] _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 448-57. The head of fig. 1 is the -Mexican sign tochtli. The animal in fig. 2 may be intended for an -alligator. _Id._, in _Annual Scien. Discov._, 1851, p. 387. - -[II-55] _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 285-7, 295-301, 402; _Id._, in -_Annual Scien. Discov._, 1850, p. 363; _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. -341. - -[II-56] _Belcher's Voyage_, vol. i., p. 172; _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. -179, 402. - -[II-57] _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 264-5, 301-7: 'Some of the statues -have the same elaborate head-dresses with others of Copan; one bears a -shield upon his arm; another has a girdle, to which is suspended a -head.' _Id._, in _Annual Scien. Discov._, 1850, p. 363. - -[II-58] If idols, to Mr Boyle they indicate a worship of ancestors, of -which, however, there seems to be no historical evidence. Mr Pim -suggests that the idols of mild expression may be those worshiped -before, and those of more ferocious aspect after, the coming of the -Aztecs. - -[II-59] The other Chontal statues more or less fully described are the -following: A huge monolith, of which twelve feet six inches were -unearthed, having a cross on the breast with two triangles, and the -arms and legs doubled back; a head four feet eight inches in -circumference, and one foot ten inches high; an idol four feet eight -inches high, wearing on its head an ornamented coronet, resembling a -circlet of overlapping oyster-shells, with a cross on the left -shoulder and a richly carved belt; a stone woman thirty-seven inches -high, having the left corner of the mouth drawn up so as to leave a -round hole between the lips, and the arms crossed at right angles from -the elbows; a very rude idol with pointed cap, holes for eyes, and a -slit for a mouth, whose modern use is to grind corn; and lastly, a -statue with beard and whiskers. _Boyle's Ride_, vol. i., pp. 147-9, -158-64, 210-12, 242, 290-5; _Pim and Seemann's Dottings_, pp. 126-8. - -[II-60] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. i., pp. 290-1, vol. ii., pp. 97, 144-5; -_Squier's Nicaragua_, (Ed. 1856,) vol. ii., p. 339; _Pim and Seemann's -Dottings_, pp. 126-7. - -[II-61] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. i., pp. 200-2, 209, vol. ii., pp. 45-6; -_Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 515, 521; cut of the leg of a stone vase, -_Id._, (Ed. 1856,) vol. ii., p. 339. - -[II-62] _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 256-7. - -[II-63] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. i., pp. 150-2, 159, vol. ii., pp. 43, 98; -_Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 521-2; _Pim and Seemann's Dottings_, pp. -126-7. - -[II-64] _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 307-8, 476, 488; _Pim and Seemann's -Dottings_, p. 128. - -[II-64] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. i., pp. 150-1, 201, 209, vol. ii., pp. -45, 86, 90-7; _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 299, 490, 509-10; _Id._, (Ed. -1856,) vol. ii., pp. 335-8, 362; _Pim and Seemann's Dottings_, p. 126; -_Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, pp. 128-9. - -[II-65] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. i., pp. 150-1, vol. ii., p. 87; _Squier's -Nicaragua_, pp. 509-11. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -ANTIQUITIES OF SALVADOR AND HONDURAS. RUINS OF COPAN. - - SALVADOR -- OPICO REMAINS -- MOUNDS OF JIBOA -- RELICS OF - LAKE GUIJAR -- HONDURAS -- GUANAJA -- WALL -- STONE CHAIRS - -- ROATAN -- POTTERY -- OLANCHO RELICS -- MOUNDS OF AGALTA - AND ABAJO -- HACIENDA OF LABRANZA -- COMAYAGUA -- STONE - DOG-IDOL -- TERRACED MOUNDS OF CALAMULLA -- TUMULI ON RIO - CHIQUINQUARE -- EARTHEN VASES OF YARUMELA -- FORTIFIED - PLATEAU OF TENAMPUA -- PYRAMIDS, ENCLOSURES, AND - EXCAVATIONS -- STONE WALLS -- PARALLEL MOUNDS -- - CLIFF-CARVINGS AT ARAMACINA -- COPAN -- HISTORY AND - BIBLIOGRAPHY -- PALACIO, FUENTES, GALINDO, STEPHENS, DALY, - ELLERY, HARDCASTLE, BRASSEUR DE BOURBOURG -- PLAN OF RUINS - RESTORED -- QUARRY AND CAVE -- OUTSIDE MONUMENTS -- - ENCLOSING WALLS -- THE TEMPLE -- COURTS -- VAULTS -- - PYRAMID -- IDOLS -- ALTARS -- MISCELLANEOUS RELICS -- - HUMAN REMAINS -- LIME -- COLOSSAL HEADS -- REMARKABLE - ALTARS -- GENERAL REMARKS. - - - [Sidenote: ANTIQUITIES OF SALVADOR.] - -Following the continent westward from Nicaragua, we have the state of -Salvador on the Pacific side, stretching some one hundred and eighty -miles from the gulf of Fonseca to the Rio de Paza, the Guatemalan -boundary, and extending inland about eighty miles. Here, in the -central province of San Vicente, a few miles southward from the -capital city of the same name, I find the first well-authenticated -instance in our progress northward of the occurrence of ruined -edifices. But of these ruins we only know that they are the most -imposing monuments in the state, covering nearly two square miles at -the foot of the volcano of Opico, and that they consist of "vast -terraces, ruins of edifices, and circular and square towers, and -subterranean galleries, all built of cut stones. A single carving has -been found here, on a block of stone eight feet long by four broad. It -is in the true Mexican style, representing probably a prince or great -warrior."[III-1] Several mounds, considerable in size and regular in -outline, were noted on the plain of Jiboa west of San Vicente; also -similar ones near Sonsonato in the south-western portion of the state. -In the north-west on the Guatemalan boundary, aboriginal relics are -vaguely reported on the islands of Lake Guijar, but of them nothing is -known.[III-2] And concerning Salvador monuments nothing further is to -be said, although Mr Squier heard of ruins in that state rivaling in -extent and interest the famous Copan.[III-3] - - * * * * * - -On the other side of the continent, reaching also across to the -Pacific at the gulf of Fonseca, north of Nicaragua, the Mosquito -coast, and Salvador, is the state of Honduras. It extends over three -hundred and fifty miles westward along the Atlantic shore, from Cape -Gracias á Dios nearly to the narrowest point of the isthmus where -America is a second time so nearly cut in twain by the gulfs of -Honduras and Dulce. The mountain chains which skirt the valley of the -Motagua on the south, known as the sierras of Grita, Espíritu Santo, -Merendon, Copan, etc., form the boundary line between Honduras and -Guatemala. The northern coast, closely resembling in its general -character the Mosquito shore, has preserved along its marshy lagoons, -so far as they have been explored, no traces of its early occupants. -Yet on the coast islands some relics appear. On that of Guanaja, -whence in 1502 Columbus first beheld the continent of North America, -is reported a wall of considerable extent, only a few feet high, with -three-legged stone chairs fixed at intervals in rude niches or -fissures along its sides. Chair-shaped excavations in solid rock occur -at several other points on the island, together with rudely molded but -fantastically decorated vessels of earthen ware. The Guanaja remains -are chiefly found in the vicinity of the Savanna Bight Kay.[III-4] On -the neighboring island of Roatan fragments of aboriginal pottery and -small stone idols are found scattered through the forest.[III-5] - -The eastern interior of Honduras, by reason of its gold mines, has -been more extensively explored than the Mosquito region farther south; -yet with respect to the departments of Olancho and Tegucigalpa I only -find the statement by Mr Wells that "mounds containing specimens of -ancient pottery are often met with by the _vaqueros_ while exploring -the gloomy depths of the forest, but these seldom survive the -destructive curiosity of the natives;" this chiefly in the valleys of -Agalta and Abajo, and on the hacienda of Labranza. The pottery takes -the form of pans and jars to the number of ten to thirty in each -mound; no idols or human remains having been reported.[III-6] - - [Sidenote: COMAYAGUA RELICS.] - -Still farther west, in the valley of Comayagua, midway between the -oceans, about the head-waters of the rivers, to which the names Ulua, -Goascoran, and Choluteca are applied as often as any others on the -maps, there are abundant works of the former natives, made known, but -unfortunately only described in part, by Mr Squier. These works -chiefly occur on the terraces of the small branch valleys which -radiate from that of Comayagua as a centre, in localities named as -follows: Chapulistagua, Jamalteca, Guasistagua, Chapuluca, Tenampua, -Maniani, Tambla, Yarumela, Calamulla, Lajamini, and Cururu. The ruins -are spoken of in general terms as consisting of "large pyramidal, -terraced structures, often faced with stones, conical mounds of earth, -and walls of stone. In these, and in their vicinity, are found -carvings in stone, and painted vases of great beauty." Concerning most -of the localities mentioned we have no further details, and must form -an idea of their nature from the few that are partially described, -since a similarity is apparent between all the monuments of the -region. - - [Illustration: Mastodon's Tooth.] - - [Illustration: Earthen Vase of Yarumela.] - -About Comayagua, or Nueva Valladolid, we are informed that "hardly a -step can be taken in any direction without encountering evidences of -aboriginal occupation," the only relic specified, however, being a -stone idol of canine form now occupying a position in the walls of the -church of Our Lady of Dolores. At Tambla, some leagues south-east of -Comayagua, was found the fossil skeleton of a mastodon, whose tooth is -shown in the cut, imbedded in a sandstone formation.[III-7] One of the -stratified sandstone terraces of the sierra south-west of Comayagua -forms a fertile table over three thousand feet above the level of the -sea; and on its surface, in an area of ten or twelve acres inclosed by -a spring-fed mountain stream, are the ruins of Calamulla, consisting -simply of mounds. Of these, two are large, one about one hundred feet -long, with two stages, having a flight of steps on the western slope. -It shows clear traces of having been originally faced with flat -stones, now for the most part removed. Most of the mounds are of earth -in terraces, and some of rectangular outline have a small conical -mound raised a few feet above the surface of their upper platform. -Stone-heaps of irregular form also occur; perhaps places of sepulture; -at least differing in their use from the tumuli of more regular -outlines which may readily be imagined once to have supported -superimposed structures of more perishable materials. The natives have -traditions, probably unfounded, of subterranean chambers and galleries -beneath this spot. In the same vicinity, near the banks of the Rio -Chiquinguare, and about a league from the pueblo of Yarumela, is -another group of mounds, lying partly in the forest and partly in -lands now under native cultivation. These remains, although in a more -advanced state of ruin, are very similar to those of the Calamulla -group. It is noted, however, that the tumuli are carefully oriented, -and that some have stone steps in the centre of each side. In one or -two cases there even remained standing portions of cut-stone walls. -Local tradition, which as a rule amounts to nothing in such cases, -seems to indicate that these structures were already in a ruined state -before the Spanish conquest. At the town of Yarumela, and presumably -taken from the group described, were seen, besides a few curiously -carved stones, six earthen vases of superior workmanship and design, -one of which is represented in the cut, together with separate and -enlarged portions of its ornamentation, which is both carved and -painted. The flying deity painted in outline on one of its faces is -pronounced by Mr Squier identical with one of the characters of the -Dresden Codex.[III-8] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF TENAMPUA.] - -At Tenampua, or Pueblo Viejo, twenty miles south-east of Comayagua, -near Flores, is a hill of white stratified sandstone, whose sides rise -precipitously to a height of sixteen hundred feet above the level of -the surrounding plain. The summit forms a level plateau one half a -mile wide and one mile and a half long from east to west. On the -eastern half chiefly, but also spreading over the whole surface of -this lofty plateau, is the most extensive group of ancient works in -the whole region, and in fact the only one of which we have a -description at all in detail. As in the other localities of this part -of the state, the group is made up for the most part of rectangular -oriented mounds, some of stone, but most of earth, with a stone -facing. The smaller mounds are apparently arranged in groups according -to some system; they vary in size from twenty to thirty feet in -height, having from two to four stages. The larger pyramidal tumuli -are from sixty to one hundred feet long and of proportionate width and -altitude, with in many cases a flight of steps in the centre of the -side facing the west. - - [Illustration: Enclosure at Tenampua.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF TENAMPUA.] - -The structures that have been described are as follows, it being -understood that they are but a part of the whole: A mound located on -the very edge of the southern precipice commands a broad view over the -whole plain of Comayagua, and its position suggests its possible -aboriginal use as a station for fire-signals. Just north of this is an -excavation, or perhaps a small natural valley, whose sides are faced -with stone in steps leading up the slope on all four sides. In the -centre of the eastern half of the plain, and consequently in the -midst of the principal ruins, is what may be regarded as the chief -structure of the group, commanding a view of all the rest. The annexed -cut, made up from the description, will aid in giving a clear idea of -the work. Two stone walls, an outer and an inner, about ten feet -apart, each two feet thick, of which only a few feet in height remain -standing, enclose a rectangular area of one hundred and eighty by -three hundred feet. Cross-walls at regular intervals divide the space -between the two into rectangular apartments now filled with earth to a -depth of two feet. The walls terminate on the western side in two -oblong terraced mounds between which is the only entrance to the -enclosure; while on the opposite side in a corresponding position on -the eastern wall is a mound equal in bulk to both the western ones -combined. Within the inclosure is a large pyramidal mound in three -stages, with a flight of steps on the west, situated just south of a -central east and west line. From its south-west corner a line of -imbedded stones runs to the southern wall; and between the pyramid and -the gateway is a small square of stones. A similar mound, also -provided with a stairway, is found in the north-east corner of the -enclosure. The stones of which the walls and facings are made, indeed -of all the stone work at Tenampua, are not hewn, but very carefully -laid, no mention being made of mortar. All the structures are -carefully oriented. At the south-east corner of the plateau is a -second enclosure which has a gateway in the centre of each of its four -equal sides, but whose dimensions are not given. This has in its area -two mounds, each with a stairway. Elsewhere, its location on the -plateau not being stated, is a raised terrace, or platform, three -hundred and sixty feet long, containing one of the most remarkable -features of the place, in the form of two parallel mounds one hundred -and forty feet long, thirty-six feet wide at the base, ten feet high, -and forty feet apart at their inner and lower edges. The outer sides -have double walls like those of the chief enclosure, divided into -three compartments, and having served apparently as the foundations of -three separate buildings. The inner side of each mound slopes in three -terraces, the lower ones being faced with large flat stones set -upright. In a line with the centre between these parallels and at a -distance of one hundred and twenty paces is a mound with a stairway on -its southern slope, and at a distance of twenty-four paces on the same -line, but in a direction not stated, are two large stones carefully -placed with a space of one foot between them. The conjectural use of -these parallels, like that of somewhat similar ones which we shall -meet elsewhere, is for the accommodation of the ancient nobility or -priesthood in their games or processions. On the west end of the -plateau are two perpendicular excavations in the rock, twenty feet -square and twelve feet deep, with a gallery three feet square leading -northward from the bottom of each. The natives have an idea that these -passages lead to the ruins of Chapulistagua, but they are probably of -natural formation with artificial improvements, and of no great -extent. The remains of a pyramid are found in the vicinity of the -holes. Near the centre of the plateau, in a spot naturally low and -marshy, are two large square excavations which may have been -reservoirs. In addition to the works described are over three hundred -mounds or truncated pyramids of different sizes, scattered over the -surface of the plateau, to the location and arrangement of which, in -the absence of a plan, we have no guide. They are covered with a heavy -growth of timber, some of them supporting pine-trees two feet in -diameter. Only one was opened and its interior found to consist simply -of earth, except the upper terrace which was ashes and burned matter, -containing fragments of pottery and of obsidian knives. The pottery is -chiefly in the form of small flat pans and vases, all decorated with -simple painted figures; and one small gourd-shaped vase, nearly -entire, was filled with some black indurated matter so hard as not to -be removable. As to the original purposes to which the structures of -Tenampua were devoted, speculation points with much plausibility to -religious ceremonies and temples in the case of the enclosures and -larger pyramids; to sepulchral rites in that of the smaller mounds; -while the strong natural position of the works on a plateau with high, -precipitous, and at nearly every point inaccessible sides, indicates -that defense was an important consideration with the builders. The -supposed reservoirs favor this theory, which is rendered a certainty -by the fortifications which protect the approach to the plateau at the -only accessible points, on three narrow ridges connecting this hill -with others of the range. These fortifications are walls of rough -stone, from six to fifteen feet high and ten to twenty feet thick at -the base, according to the weakness or strength of the location. -Gullies on the slopes which might afford a cover for approaching foes -are carefully filled with stones; and the walls themselves, which also -have traces of towers at intervals, while presenting a perpendicular -exterior, are terraced on the inside for the convenience of the -defenders. Yet the poor thin soil, incapable of supporting a large -number of people, indicates that it was not probably a fortified town, -but that it must be regarded as a place sacred to the gods, to be -defended to the last, and possibly a refuge for the people of the -towns below in cases of extreme danger.[III-9] - - [Sidenote: CLIFF-CARVINGS OF ARAMACINA.] - -Southward from Comayagua, toward the Pacific shore, we find relics of -former times near Aramacina, in the Goascoran region. Here the smooth -vertical face of a sandstone ledge forms one side of a natural -amphitheatre, and is covered, for a space of one hundred by fifteen -feet, with engraved figures cut to a depth of two and a half inches, -the incisions serving as convenient steps by which to mount the cliff. -Some of the engravings have been destroyed by modern quarry-men; of -those remaining some seem to be ornamental and arbitrary, while in -others the forms of men and animals may be distinguished. They are -pronounced by the observer identical in style with the inscriptions of -Nicaragua and Salvador, of whose existence in the latter state we have -no other intimation.[III-10] - - * * * * * - -But one group of antiquities in Honduras remains to be -described,--Copan, the most wonderful of all, and one of the most -famous of American ruins. The location is in a most fertile -tobacco-producing region near the Guatemalan boundary, on the eastern -bank of the Rio Copan, which flows northward to join the Motagua some -fifty miles below the ruins, at a point something more than one -hundred miles above its mouth in the bay of Honduras.[III-11] - -Some rapids occur in the Copan River below the ruins, but in the -season of high water it is navigable for canoes for a greater part of -its course. The name Copan, so far as can be known, was applied to the -ruins simply from their vicinity to an adjacent hamlet or Indian -pueblo so named, which is located at the mouth of a small stream, -called Sesesmil by Col. Galindo, which empties into the Copan a little -higher up. This pueblo has greatly deteriorated in later times; -formerly both town and province were rich and prosperous. Indeed, in -the sixteenth century, in the revolt which broke out soon after the -first conquest, the cacique of Copan resisted the Spanish forces long -after the neighboring provinces had been subdued. Driven eventually to -his chief town, he opposed barricades and ditches to the advancing -foe, but was at last forced after a desperate struggle to yield to -Hernando de Chaves in 1530. It was formerly supposed that the place -where he made his brave stand against Chaves was identical with the -ancient city since called Copan, its ruin dating from its fall in -1530. It is now believed, however, that there was no connection -whatever between the two, and that, so far as the ruined city of -antiquity is concerned, history is absolutely silent. This conclusion -is based on the facts that Cortés in his famous march through Honduras -in 1524, although passing within a few leagues of this place, heard -nothing of so wonderful a city, as he could hardly have failed to do -had it been inhabited at the time; that there is not the slightest -resemblance between the ruined structures to be described in these -pages and the town besieged by Chaves as reported in the chronicles of -the period; and above all that the ruins are described by Palacio as -being very nearly in their present state, with nothing but the vaguest -traditions respecting their origin, only about forty years after the -fall of the brave cacique, the latter fact, however, not having been -known to those authors who have stated that Copan was inhabited at the -conquest.[III-12] - - [Sidenote: EXPLORATION OF THE RUINS.] - -This region has never been really explored with a view to the -discovery of ancient relics. The few visitors, of whose explorations I -give the history and bibliography in full in the annexed note,[III-13] -have found enough of the wonderful in the monuments known to exist -since the sixteenth century, without pushing their investigations back -into the dense and almost impenetrable forest away from the immediate -banks of the river. The difficulty attending antiquarian research in a -country where the whole surface is covered with so dense a growth that -progress in any direction is possible only foot by foot with the aid -of the native machete, may be imagined. A hot climate, a moist and -malarious atmosphere, venomous serpents and reptiles, myriads of -diminutive demons in the form of insects, all do most vigorous battle -against the advances of the foreign explorer, while the apathetic -natives, whether of American or Spanish blood, feel not the slightest -enthusiasm to unveil the mysterious works of the antiguos. - -For what is known of Copan the world is indebted almost entirely to -the works of the American traveler, Mr John L. Stephens, and of his -most skilful artist-companion, Mr F. Catherwood;[III-14] and from the -works of these gentlemen, with the slight notes to be gleaned from -other sources, I proceed to give all that is known of what is commonly -termed the oldest city on the American continent. I will begin by -giving Juarros' description in full, since few or none of the objects -mentioned by him can be identified with any of those met in the -following pages. "In the year 1700, the Great Circus of Copan, still -remained entire. This was a circular space, surrounded by stone -pyramids about six yards high, and very well constructed; at the bases -of these pyramids were figures, both male and female, of very -excellent sculpture, which then retained the colours they had been -enamelled with; and, what was not less remarkable, the whole of them -were habited in the Castilian costume. In the middle of this area, -elevated above a flight of steps, was the place of sacrifice. The same -author (Fuentes) relates that, at a short distance from the Circus, -there was a portal constructed of stone, on the columns of which were -the figures of men, likewise represented in Spanish habits, with hose, -ruff round the neck, sword, cap, and short cloak. On entering the -gateway there are two fine stone pyramids, moderately large and lofty, -from which is suspended a hammock that contains two human figures, one -of each sex, clothed in the Indian style. Astonishment is forcibly -excited on viewing this structure, because, large as it is, there is -no appearance of the component parts being joined together; and, -although entirely of stone, and of an enormous weight, it may be put -in motion by the slightest impulse of the hand. Not far from this -hammock is the cave of Tibulca; this appears like a temple of great -size, hollowed out of the base of a hill, and adorned with columns -having bases, pedestals, capitals and crowns, all accurately adjusted -according to architectural principles; at the sides are numerous -windows faced with stone exquisitely wrought. All these circumstances -lead to a belief that there must have been some intercourse between -the inhabitants of the old and new world at very remote -periods."[III-15] - - [Sidenote: EXTENT OF THE RUINS.] - -The ruins are always spoken of as extending two miles along the bank -of the river; yet all the structures described or definitely located -by any visitor, are included in the much smaller area shown on Mr -Stephens' plan, with, however, the following exceptions: "A stone wall -with a circular building and a pit, apparently for a reservoir," is -found about a mile up the river; the quarry which supplied material -for all the structures and statues,--a soft grit interspersed with -hard flinty lumps,--is in a range of hills two miles north of the -river, where are scattered many blocks rejected by the ancient -workers, one being seen on the very top of the range, and another, the -largest noted, half-way between the quarry and its destination at the -ruins; Fuentes' wonderful cave of Tibulca is in the same range of -hills, and may be identical with the quarry, or, as Col. Galindo -thinks, with a natural cave in a mountain two leagues distant; one -monument is mentioned at a distance of a mile across the river on the -summit of a mountain two thousand feet high, but this does not appear -to have been visited; and finally, the natives reported to Mr -Hardcastle a causeway in the forest, several leagues in length. Yet -although so very little is known of outside monuments, there can be no -doubt that such exist, not improbably of great extent and interest; -since, although heaps of ruins and fragments are vaguely reported in -every direction, no attempt at a thorough examination has ever been -made or indeed could be, except by removing the whole forest by a -conflagration during the dry season.[III-16] - - [Illustration: Temple of Copan.] - - [Illustration: RUINS OF COPAN RESTORED] - -The plan on the opposite page shows the ruins in their actual state, -according to Mr Stephens' survey, together with a restoration to what -seems to have been something like their original condition. The union -of the two effects in one plate is, I believe, a sufficient reason for -indulging to this extent in a fancy for restoration, justly condemned -by antiquarians as a rule.[III-17] - -Returning then to the limits of the plan, we find portions of a wall, -_a_, _a_, _a_, which when entire, as indicated by the dotted lines, -seems to have enclosed a nearly rectangular area, measuring in general -terms 900 by 1600 feet. Whatever treasures of antiquity may be hid in -the depths of the forest, there can be but little doubt that this -enclosure embraced the leading structures or sacred edifices of the -ancient town. These walls would seem at least twenty-five feet thick -at the base, and are built, like all the Copan structures, of large -blocks of cut stone, of varying but not expressly stated dimensions. -They are built, in parts at least, in terraces or steps, and -painted. Only one authority speaks of the use of mortar.[III-18] - - [Sidenote: THE GREAT TEMPLE.] - -In the north-west corner of the enclosure, nearly filling its northern -half, is the chief structure which has been called the Temple. Its -dimensions are 624 feet north and south by 809 feet east and -west.[III-19] From the remains the Temple in its original state is -seen to have been an immense terrace, with sides sloped toward the -land but perpendicular on the river, on the platform of which were -both pyramidal elevations and sunken courts of regular rectangular -outlines. The river wall, _b_, _c_, rises perpendicularly to a -height, in its present ruined state, of from sixty to ninety feet, and -the annexed cut gives its appearance from the opposite side of the -river; but the original elevation of the terrace overlooking the -river, judging from portions still intact, was about a hundred feet, -some twenty-five or thirty feet of this elevation, at least at the -northern end, being, however, the height of the original bank above -the water; so that the terrace-platform of the whole Temple, _d_, _d_, -_d_, must have been about seventy feet above the surface of the -ground. The whole is built of cut stone in blocks a foot and a half -wide by three to six feet long, and, without taking into account the -excess of superimposed pyramids over sunken courts, must have required -in round numbers over twenty-six million cubic feet of stone in its -construction.[III-20] - -The land sides on the north, east, and south, slope by steps of about -eighteen inches each to a height of from thirty to 140 feet according -as they are more or less fallen, extending also in some parts to the -general level of the terrace-platform, and in others reaching in one -incline to the top of the upper pyramids, E, E.[III-21] On the main -platform are two sunken rectangular courts, marked on the plan A and -B, whose floors or pavements seem to be about forty feet above the -surface of the ground, and thirty feet below the level of the terrace. -The court A is ninety by 144 feet, and ascends on all sides in regular -steps like a Roman amphitheatre. The west side ascends in two flights -each of fifteen steps, separated by a terrace twelve feet wide, to the -platform overlooking the river, on which, at _i_, are the ruins of -what were apparently two circular towers. From a point half-way up the -steps a passage or gallery _m_, _n_, just large enough to afford -passage to a crawling man, leads horizontally through to the face of -the river-wall, the opening in which, visible from the opposite bank, -has given to the ruins the name among the natives of Las Ventanas. -Just below the entrance to this gallery, at _o_, is a pit five feet -square, and seventeen feet deep, from the bottom of which a passage -leads into a vault five feet wide, ten feet long, and four feet high, -which, according to Col. Galindo's measurement, is twelve feet below -the pavement of the court; the opening into this pit, at _o_, seems -however to have been made by Galindo by excavation. The entrance to -the court A is by the passage-way, C, C, from the north, the floor of -which is on a level with that of the court. Similar steps lead up to -the river-terrace on the west, while the pyramid D on the east rises -to a height of 122 feet on the slope in steps or stages each six feet -high and nine feet wide. The passage-way is thirty feet wide and over -300 feet long, and it seems probable that a flight of steps originally -led up to the level of its entrance at _p_. The Court B is larger, but -its steps are nearly all fallen, and it is now only remarkable for its -altar, which will be described elsewhere.[III-22] - -As I have said, all the steps and sides bear evident traces of having -been originally painted. The whole structure is enveloped in a dense -growth of shrubs and trees, which have been the chief agents in its -ruin, penetrating every crevice with their roots and thus forcing -apart the carefully laid superficial stones. Two immense ceiba-trees -over six feet in diameter, with roots spreading from fifty to one -hundred feet, are found on the summit of the lofty pyramid D. - - [Sidenote: PYRAMIDS AT COPAN.] - -Besides the temple, there are three small detached pyramids, I, F, G, -the former fifty feet square and thirty feet high, between the last -two of which there seems to have been a gateway, or entrance, to the -enclosure. There are moreover the terraced walls _v_, _v_, of the -plan, which require no additional description, but which extend for an -unknown distance eastward into the forest. There are also shapeless -heaps of fallen ruins scattered in every direction.[III-23] - - [Illustration: Sandaled feet at Copan.] - - [Sidenote: STATUES OR IDOLS.] - - [Sidenote: SCULPTURED OBELISK.] - -Next to the ruined Temple in importance, or even before it as an -indication of the artistic skill of its builders, are the carved -obelisks, statues, or idols, which are peculiar to this region, but -remarkably similar to each other. Fourteen of these are more or less -fully described, most of them standing and in good preservation, but -several of this number, and probably many besides, fallen and broken. -Their positions are shown on the plan by the numbers 1 to 14. It will -be noticed that only one is actually within the structure known as the -Temple, three standing at the foot of its outer terrace within the -quadrangle H, and the remainder in a group at the southern part of the -enclosure, two of the latter being at the foot of terraced walls. -These statues are remarkable for their size and for their complicated -and well-executed sculpture. Of the eight whose dimensions are given, -the smallest, No. 13, is eleven feet eight inches high, three feet -four inches wide and thick; and the largest, Nos. 2 and 3, are -thirteen feet high, four feet wide, and three feet thick. The material -is the same soft stone taken from the quarry which furnished the -blocks for building the walls. As to their position, Nos. 3, 11, and -13 face toward the east; Nos. 1, 5, and 9, toward the west; and No. 10 -toward the north; the others are either fallen or their position is -not given. No. 1 is smaller at the bottom than at the top, and Col. -Galindo mentions two others, on hills east and west of the city, which -have a similar form; all the rest are of nearly uniform dimensions -throughout their length. Several rest on pedestals from six to seven -feet square, and No. 13 has also a circular stone foundation sixteen -feet in diameter. In each a human face occupies a central position on -the front, having in some instances something that may be intended to -represent a beard and moustache. The faces are remarkably uniform in -the expression of their features, generally calm and pleasant; but in -the case of No. 11 the partially open lips, and eye-balls starting -from their sockets, indicate a design on the part of the artist to -inspire terror in the beholder of his work. The hands rest in nearly -every instance back to back on the breast. The dress and decoration -seem to indicate that some were intended for males, others for -females; this and the presence or absence of beard are the only -indications of sex observable. The feet are mostly dressed in sandals, -as shown clearly in the cut from No. 7. Above and round the head is a -complicated mass of the most elaborate ornamentation, which utterly -defies verbal description. Mr Stephens notes something like an -elephant's trunk among the decorations of No. 8. The sides and usually -the backs are covered with hieroglyphics arranged in square tablets, -which probably contain, as all observers are impelled to believe, the -names, titles, and perhaps history of the beings whose images in stone -they serve to decorate. The backs of several, however, have other -figures in addition to the supposed hieroglyphics, as in No. 8, where -is a human form sitting cross-legged; and in No. 10, in which the -characters seem to be human in a variety of strange contortions, -although arranged in tablets like the rest; and No. 13 has a human -face in the centre of the back as well as front. The sculpture is all -in high relief, and was originally painted red, traces of the color -being well preserved in places protected from the action of the -weather. I give cuts of two of these carved obelisks, Nos. 3, and 6, -to illustrate as fully as possible the general appearance of these -most wonderful creations of American art, the details and full -beauties of which can only be appreciated in the large and finely -engraved plates of Catherwood. - - [Illustration: Copan Statues.--No. 3.] - - [Illustration: Copan Statues.--No. 6.] - - [Illustration: Copan Altar.--No. 10.] - - [Sidenote: SACRIFICIAL ALTARS.] - -Standing from six to twelve feet in front of nine of the fourteen -statues, and probably of all in their primitive state, are found -blocks of stone which, apparently, can only have been employed for -making offerings or sacrifices in honor of the statues, whose use as -idols is rendered nearly certain by the uniform proximity of the -altars. The altars are six or seven feet square and four feet high, -taking a variety of forms, and being covered with sculpture somewhat -less elaborate than the statues themselves, often buried and much -defaced. Two of them, belonging to Nos. 10 and 7, are shown in the -accompanying cuts. The former is five and a half feet in diameter, and -three feet high, with two grooves in the top; the latter seven feet -square and four feet high, supposed to represent a death's head. The -top of the altar accompanying No. 9 is carved to represent the back of -a tortoise; that of No. 13 consists of three heads strangely grouped. -The grooves cut in the altars' upper surface are strongly suggestive -of flowing blood, and of slaughtered victims.[III-24] - - [Illustration: Copan Altar.--No. 7.] - -I will next mention the miscellaneous relics found in connection with -the ruins, beginning with the court A. The vault already spoken of, -whose entrance is at _o_, was undoubtedly intended for burial -purposes. Both on the floor of the vault and in two small niches at -its sides were found human bones, chiefly in vessels of red pottery, -which were over fifty in number. Lime was found spread over the floor -and mixed with human remains in the burial vases; also scattered on -the floor were oyster and periwinkle shells, cave stalactites, -sharp-edged and pointed knives of chaya stone, and three heads, one of -them "apparently representing death, its eyes being nearly shut, and -the lower features distorted; the back of the head symmetrically -perforated by holes; the whole of most exquisite workmanship, and cut -out or cast from a fine stone covered with green enamel." Another -head, very likely one of the other two found in this vault, its -locality, not, however, being specified, is two inches high, cut from -green and white jade, hollow behind, and pierced in several places, -probably for the introduction of a cord for its suspension. Its -individual character and artistic workmanship created in Col. -Galindo's mind the impression that it was customary with this people -to wear as ornaments the portraits of deceased friends.[III-25] - - [Illustration: Colossal Head.] - -Two thirds of the distance up the eastern steps at _u_, is the -colossal head of the cut, which is about six feet high. Two other -immense heads are overturned at the foot of the same slope; another is -half-way up the southern steps at w; while numerous fragments of -sculpture are scattered over the steps and pavement in every -direction. There are no idols or altars here, but six circular stones -from one foot and a half to three feet in diameter, found at the foot -of the western stairway of the passage C, C, may have supported idols -or columns originally.[III-26] - - [Illustration: Altar in the Temple of Copan.] - - [Sidenote: ALTAR OF THE TEMPLE.] - -In the court B, the only relic beside the statue No. 1 is a remarkable -stone monument, generally termed an altar, at _x_. This is a solid -block of stone six feet square and four feet high, resting on four -globular stones, one under each corner. On the sides are carved -sixteen human figures in profile, four on each side. Each figure is -seated cross-legged on a kind of cushion which is apparently a -hieroglyphic, among whose characters in two or three cases the serpent -is observable. Each wears a breastplate, a head-dress like a -turban,--no two being, however, exactly alike--and holds in one hand -some object of unknown significance. The cut shows the north front of -the altar. The two central figures on this side sit facing each other, -with a tablet of hieroglyphics between them, and may readily be -imagined to represent two kings or chiefs engaged in a consultation on -important matters of state. According to Mr Stephens' text the other -fourteen figures are divided into two equal parties, each following -its leader. But the plates represent all those on the east and west -as facing the south, while those on the south look toward the west. -The top is covered with hieroglyphics in thirty-six squares, as shown -the cut on the preceding page. A peculiarity of this altar is that its -sculpture, unlike that of all the other monuments of Copan, is in low -relief.[III-27] - - [Illustration: Hieroglyphics on the Copan Altar.] - - [Illustration: Decorated Head at Copan.] - - [Illustration: Death's Head at Copan.] - - [Sidenote: MISCELLANEOUS RELICS.] - -The head shown in the cut is one of the fragments lying on the ground -at the foot of the terraces that inclose the quadrangle H. On the -slopes of these terraces, particularly of the eastern slope of the -pyramid _e_, half-way from top to bottom, are rows of death's heads in -stone. It is suggested that they represent the skulls of apes rather -than of human beings, and that this animal, abundant in the country, -may have been an object of veneration among the ancient people. One of -the skulls is shown in the cut. The next cut pictures the head of an -alligator carved in stone, found among the group of idols towards the -south. Another is mentioned by Col. Galindo, as holding in its open -jaws a figure, half human, half beast. A gigantic toad, standing -erect, with human arms and tiger's claws, was another of the relics -discovered by the same explorer, together with round plain stones -pierced by a hole in the centre. Mr Davis talks of an architrave of -black granite finely cut; and M. Waldeck corrects a statement, in a -work by Balbi, that marble beds are to be found here. The portrait in -the cut is from the fragments found at the north-west corner of the -temple near _b_.[III-28] - - [Illustration: Alligator's Head at Copan.] - - [Illustration: Copan Portrait.] - - [Sidenote: GENERAL CONCLUSIONS.] - -Most of the general reflections and speculations on Copan indulged in -by observers and students refer to other ruined cities in connection -with this, and will be noted in a future chapter. It is to be remarked -that besides pyramids and terraced walls, no traces whatever of -buildings, public or private, remain to guide us in determining the -material or style of architecture affected by the former people of -this region. The absence of all traces of private dwellings we shall -find universal throughout America, such structures having evidently -been constructed of perishable materials; but among the more notable -ruins of the Pacific States, Copan stands almost alone in its total -lack of covered edifices. There would seem to be much reason for the -belief that here grand temples of wood once covered these mighty -mounds, which, decaying, have left no trace of their former grandeur. - -Col. Galindo states that the method of forming a roof here was by -means of large inclined stones. If this be a fact, it must have been -ascertained from the sepulchral vault in the temple court, concerning -the construction of which both he and Stephens are silent. The top of -the gallery leading through the river-wall would indicate a method of -construction by means of over-lapping blocks, which we shall find -employed exclusively in Yucatan and Chiapas. No article of any metal -whatever has been found; yet as only one burial deposit has been -opened, it is by no means certain that gold or copper ornaments were -not employed. That iron and steel were not used for cutting -implements, is clearly proved by the fact that hard flinty spots in -the soft stone of the statues are left uncut, in some instances where -they interfere with the details of the sculpture. Indeed, the -chay-stone points found among the ruins are sufficiently hard to work -the soft material, and although in some cases they seem to have -required the use of metal in their own making, yet when we consider -the well-known skill of even the most savage tribes in the manufacture -of flint weapons and implements, the difficulty becomes of little -weight. How the immense blocks of stone of which the obelisks were -formed, were transported from the quarry, several miles distant, -without the mechanical aids that would not be likely to exist prior to -the use of iron, can only be conjectured. - -The absence of all implements of a warlike nature, extending even to -the sculptured decorations of idol and altar, would seem to indicate a -population quiet and peaceable rather than warlike and aggressive; for -though it has been suggested that implements of war are not found here -simply because it is a place sacred to religion, yet it does not -appear that any ancient people has ever drawn so closely the line -between the gods of war and the other divinities of the -pantheon.[III-29] - -Of the great artistic merit of the sculpture, particularly if executed -without tools of metal, there can be no question. Mr Stephens, well -qualified by personal observation to make the comparison, pronounces -some of the specimens "equal to the finest Egyptian sculpture."[III-30] -Mr Foster believes the flattened forehead of the human profile on the -altar-sides to indicate a similar cranial conformation in the builders -of the city.[III-31] - -With respect to the hieroglyphics all that can be said is mere -conjecture, since no living person even claims the ability to decipher -their meaning. They have nothing in common with the Aztec -picture-writing, which, consequently, affords no aid in their study. -The characters do, however, appear similar to, if not identical with, -some of those found at Palenque, in Yucatan, in the Dresden Codex, and -in the Manuscript Troano. When the disciples of Brasseur de Bourbourg -shall succeed in realizing his expectations respecting the latter -document, by means of the Landa alphabet, we may expect the mystery to -be partially lifted from Copan. It is hard to resist the belief that -these tablets hold locked up in their mystic characters the history of -the ruined city and its people, or the hope that the key to their -significance may yet be brought to light; still, in the absence of a -contemporary written language, the hope must be allowed to rest on a -very unsubstantial basis.[III-32] - - [Sidenote: ORIGIN OF THE RUINS.] - -Concerning the age and origin of the Copan monuments, as distinguished -from other American antiquities, there are few or no facts on which to -base an opinion. The growth of trees on the works, and the -accumulation of vegetable material can in this tropical climate yield -but very unsatisfactory results in this direction. Copan is, however, -generally considered the oldest of American cities; but I leave for -the present the matter of comparison with more northern relics. -Palacio claims to have found among the people a tradition of a great -lord who came from Yucatan, built the city of Copan, and after some -years returned and left the newly built town desolate; a tradition -which he inclines to believe, because he says the same language is -understood in both regions, and he had heard of similar monuments in -Yucatan and Tabasco. Among the inhabitants of the region in later -times, there is no difference of opinion whatever with respect to the -origin of the ruins or their builders; they are unanimous in their -adherence to the 'quien sabe' theory. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[III-1] _Squier's Cent. Amer._, p. 341; _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, pp. -123-4. - -[III-2] 'Hier sollen sich gleichfalls noch ununtersuchte interessante -indianische Monumente finden.' _Reichardt_, _Cent. Amer._, p. 83. -'Nothing positive is known concerning them.' _Squier's Cent. Amer._, -p. 341. Hassel says they are the remains of the old Indian town of -Zacualpa. _Mex. Guat._, p. 368. - -[III-3] _Squier's Nicaragua_, (Ed. 1856,) vol. ii., p. 335. - -[III-4] _Young's Narrative_, p. 48. Mr Young also saw, but does not -describe, several 'curious things' besides these chairs where once the -antiguos seated, perhaps, their gods of stone. - -[III-5] _Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, p. 182. 'I understand the adjacent -island, Roatan, exhibits yet more proofs of having been inhabited by -an uncivilized race.' _Young's Narrative_, p. 48. 'Jusqu'à ce jour on -n'y a découvert aucune ruine importante; mais les débris de poterie et -de pierre sculptée qu'on a trouvés ensevelis dans ses forêts, -suffisent pour prouver qu'elle n'était pas plus que les autres régions -environnantes privée des bienfaits de la civilisation.' _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iv., pp. 612-3. - -[III-6] _Wells' Explor. Hond._, p. 553. Sivers, _Mittelamerika_, pp. -166-7, without reference to any particular locality, mentions pottery -as frequently found in graves and among ruins, including pipe-heads, -cigar-holders, drinking-cups, sacrificial vessels, and jugs. - -[III-7] _Squier's Cent. Amer._, pp. 132-3; _Scherzer's Trav._, vol. -ii., p. 95; _Id._, _Wanderungen_, p. 371; _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, -p. 310; _Harper's Mag._, vol. xix., p. 610, with a cut of the -mastodon's tooth. - -[III-8] _Visit to the Guajiquero Ind._, in _Harper's Mag._, vol. xix., -pp. 608-11. For account of the Dresden _MS._, see vol. ii. of this -work. - -[III-9] _Squier's Cent. Amer._, pp. 134-9; _Scherzer's Trav._, vol. -ii., pp. 95; _Id._, _Wanderungen_, p. 371; _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. -Stat._, p. 310. - -[III-10] _Atlantic Monthly_, vol. vi., p. 49. Las Casas has the -following on the province of Honduras at the time of the conquest: -'Tenia Pueblos innumerables, y una vega de treinta leguas y mas, toda -muy poblada ... la ciudad de Naco que tenia sobre dos cientas mil -animas, y muchos edificios de piedra, en especial los templos en que -adoraban.' _Hist. Apologética_, _MS._, cap. lii. - -[III-11] On the north bank of the Copan, in latitude 14° 45´, -longitude 90° 52´, four leagues east of the Guatemalan line, twenty -leagues above the junction of the Motagua, which is sixty-five leagues -from the bay. _Galindo_, in _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., -pp. 547-50. Latitude 14° 39´, longitude 91° 13´ west of Paris; six -hundred and forty mètres above the sea level; forty-five leagues from -San Salvador, fifty-eight leagues from Guatemala. _Id._, in _Antiq. -Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 76. 'Thirty miles east of Chiquimula.' -_Cyclopedia._ Three hundred miles from the sea, (perhaps by the -windings of the stream). By reason of accidental injury to the -instruments the latitude and longitude could not be obtained. Situated -on the east bank of the stream according to plan. _Stephens' Cent. -Amer._, vol. i., p. 132. 'Until lately erroneously located in -Guatemala, are many miles within the boundaries of Honduras, and but a -few days' travel from the original landing-place of the Spanish -discoverers.' _Wells' Explor. Hond._, p. 552. Not to be confounded -with Coban, metropolis of Vera Paz, one hundred and fifty miles west -of Copan. _Gallatin_, in _Amer. Ethnol. Soc., Transact._, vol. i., p. -5. - -[III-12] 'Copan was a colony of Tultecos.' 'The Spaniards found Copan -inhabited, and in the summit of its perfection.' _Galindo_, in _Amer. -Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., pp. 546, 549. On the expedition of -Cortés referred to, see _Alaman_, _Disertaciones_, tom. i., pp. -203-25; _Cogolludo_, _Hist. Yucathan_, pp. 45-58; _Cortés_, _Cartas_, -pp. 396-492; _Gomara_, _Conq. Mex._, fol. 245-74; _Herrera_, _Hist. -Gen._, dec. iii., lib. vii., cap. viii., to lib. viii., cap. vii.; -_Peter Martyr_, dec. viii., lib. x.; _Prescott's Mex._, vol. iii., pp. -278-99; _Torquemada_, _Monarq. Ind._, tom. i., p. 588; _Villagutierre_, -_Hist. Conq. Itza_, pp. 39-50; _Helps' Span. Conq._, vol. iii., pp. -33-57. Stephens seems to be in some doubt as to the identity of -ancient and modern Copan, there being 'circumstances which seem to -indicate that the city referred to was inferior in strength and -solidity of construction, and of more modern origin.' _Cent. Amer._, -vol. i., pp. 99-101. 'The ruins of the city of that name and their -position do not at all agree with the localities of the severe battle -which decided the contest.' 'There is every appearance of these places -(Copan and Quirigua) having been abandoned long before the Spanish -conquest.' _Gallatin_, in _Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact._, vol. i., p. -171. 'Whatever doubts may have existed on the Subject, and as regards -the high antiquity of the Ruins of Copan ... they are set at Rest by -this Account of Palacio. They were evidently very nearly in their -present Condition, at the Time he wrote, three hundred Years ago.' -_Squier's Pref._ to _Palacio_, _Carta_, p. 9. 'Certain it is that the -latter was a ruin long before the arrival of the Spaniards.' _Squier's -Cent. Amer._, p. 345. - -[III-13] The Licenciado Diego García de Palacio, Oidor (Justice, not -Auditor) of the Real Audiencia of Guatemala, in accordance with the -duties of his office, traveled extensively in Guatemala and adjoining -provinces, embodying the results of his observations on countries and -peoples visited in a relation to King Felipe II. of Spain, dated March -8, 1576, which document is preserved in the celebrated Muñoz -collection of MSS. It contains a description of the ruins of Copan -which exists in print as follows; _Palacio_, _Relacion_, in _Pacheco_, -_Col. Doc. Inéd._, tom. vi., pp. 37-9; _Palacio_, _Carta dirijida al -Rey_, Albany, 1860, pp. 88-96, including an English translation by E. -G. Squier; _Palacios_, _Description_, in _Ternaux-Compans_, _Recueil -de Doc._, pp. 42-4, which is a somewhat faulty French translation; -_Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1843, tom. xcvii., pp. 38-40; _Squier's -Cent. Amer._, pp. 242-4; and it is mentioned by Señor J. B. Muñoz in a -report on American antiquities, written as early as 1785, of which a -translation is given in _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Palenqué_, pp. 7-8; -Herrera, _Hist. Gen._, quotes, or rather takes from, Palacio's -relation extensively, but omits the portion touching Copan. This first -account of the ruins is by no means the worst that has been written. -Although naturally incomplete, it is evidently a bona-fide description -by an actual visitor, written at a time when the ruins were very -nearly in their present condition, and their origin wrapped in -mystery, although the stirring events of 1530 were yet comparatively -fresh in the memory of the natives. The next account is that in -_Fuentes y Guzman_, _Recopilacion Flórida de la Historia del Reino de -Guatemala_, _MS._, 1689. This work was never printed, although said to -be in preparation for the press in 1856. _Ximenez_, _Hist. Ind. -Guat._, p. vii. Fuentes' description of Copan was, however, given to -the public in 1808, in _Juarros_, _Compendio de la Hist. de la Ciudad -de Guatemala_, a work translated into English in 1823, under the title -of _A Statistical and Commercial Hist. of the Kingdom of Guatemala_. -From Juarros the account is taken by many writers, none, so far as I -know, having quoted Fuentes in the original. Where the latter obtained -his information is not known. His account is brief, and justly termed -by Brasseur de Bourbourg, _Palenqué_, p. 14., 'la description menteuse -de Fuentes,' since nothing like the relics therein mentioned have been -found in later times. Yet it is possible that the original was -mutilated in passing through Juarros' hands. This description, given -in full in my text, is repeated more or less fully in _Stephens' Cent. -Amer._, vol. i., p. 131; _Warden_, _Recherches_, p. 71; _Conder's Mex. -Guat._, vol. ii., pp. 299-300; _Malte-Brun_, _Précis de la Géog._, -tom. vi., pp. 470-1; _Humboldt_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, -1827, tom. xxxv., p. 329; _Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, pp. 385-6; _Cortés_, -_Adventuras_, p. 321, and in many other works mentioned in connection -with matter from later sources. Next we have the exploration of -Colonel Juan Galindo, an officer in the Central American service, -sometime governor of the province of Peten, made in April, 1835. An -account of his observations was forwarded to the Société de Géographie -of Paris, and published in the _Bulletin_ of that Society, and also in -the _Literary Gazette_ of London. A communication on the subject was -also published in _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., pp. -545-50; and the information furnished to the French Geographical -Society was published en résumé in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., -pp. 73, 76. Ten drawings accompanied Galindo's report, but have never -been published, although the author announced the intention of the -Central American government to publish his report in full with plates. -He says, 'je suis le seul qui ait examiné les ruines de Copan, et qui -en ait fait la relation,' but he knew nothing of Palacio's visit. 'Not -being an artist, his account is necessarily unsatisfactory and -imperfect, but it is not exaggerated.' _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. -i., p. 132. 'Had an enquiring mind, but a very superficial Education.' -_Squier's Pref._ to _Palacio_, _Carta_, p. 8. Most of Galindo's -account is also given with that of Juarros, in _Bradford's Amer. -Antiq._, pp. 96-9; also some information from the same source in -_Brownell's Ind. Races_, p. 52, and in _Larenaudière_, _Mex. et -Guat._, p. 267. In 1839 Messrs Stephens and Catherwood visited Copan. -Mr Stephens, as I find by a careful examination of his book, spent -thirteen days in his survey, namely, from November 17 to 30; while Mr -Catherwood spent the larger part of another month in completing his -drawings. The results of their labors appeared in 1841 and 1844 under -the titles:--_Stephens' Incidents of Travel in Central America_, vol. -i., pp. 95-160, with twenty-one plates and seven cuts; _Catherwood's -Views of Ancient Monuments in Central America_, in folio, with large -lithographic plates. Slight descriptions of the ruins, made up chiefly -from Stephens, may be found as follows:--_Helps' Span. Conq._, vol. -iii., pp. 54-5; _Willson's Amer. Hist._, pp. 76-9, with plan and cut; -_Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., pp. 64-74, 57, with -plan and plates; _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, pp. 57-69, 116; _Davis' -Antiq. Amer._, pp. 4-5; _Id._, (Ed. 1847,) p. 30; _Dally_, _Races -Indig._, pp. 12-13; _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, pp. 111-14, with cut; -_Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 308; _Tiedemann_, _Heidelb. Yahrb._, -1851, p. 85; _Larenaudière_, _Mex. et Guat._, pl. 9-12, the text being -from Galindo and Juarros; _Reichardt_, _Cent. Amer._, pp. 91-2; -_Amérique Centrale_, _Colonization_, pt. ii., p. 68; _Müller_, -_Amerikanische Urreligionen_, pp. 462-4, 483; _Macgregor's Progress of -Amer._, pp. 877-8; _Frost's Great Cities of the World_, pp. 279-82, -with cut. Dr Scherzer in 1856 started to explore Copan, but, owing to -the political state of the country at the time, was unable to get -nearer than Santa Rosa, where the padre said moreover that recent -land-slides had much injured the effect of the ruins. This author -gives, however, a brief account made up from Stephens, Galindo, and -Juarros. _Scherzer's Trav._, vol. ii., pp. 41, 86-7, 94-5. _Id._, -_Wanderungen_, pp. 332, 366, 371. In September, 1856, the Jesuit Padre -Cornette is said to have visited the ruins; M. César Daly, at a date -not mentioned, prepared on the spot plans and drawings of the -different structures which he intended to publish in the _Revue -Générale de l'Architecture_, but whether or not they have ever -appeared, I know not; the Abbé Brasseur de Bourbourg made two visits -to Copan in 1863 and 1866; some slight additional information on the -subject was communicated by Mr Center, on authority not given, at a -meeting of the American Ethnological Society in February, 1860; and Mr -Hardcastle, who had spent several weeks in exploring the ruins, -furnished some farther notes at a meeting of the same society in -April, 1862; and, finally, photographs were made of the ruins by M. -Ellerly, director of the Alotepeque silver-mines. But these later -explorations have not as yet afforded the public much information, -except that the photographs mentioned, when compared by Brasseur de -Bourbourg with Catherwood's plates, show the latter as well as -Stephens' descriptions to be strictly accurate. _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 96, tom. ii., p. 493; -_Id._, _Palenqué_, pp. 8, 17; _Hist. Mag._, vol. v., p. 114, vol. vi., -p. 154. - -[III-14] The only unfavorable criticism of Mr Stephens' work within my -knowledge, is that 'the Soul of History is wanting!' 'The Promethean -spark by which the flame of historic truth should illuminate his work, -and be viewed as a gleaming beacon from afar, to direct wanderers -through the dark night of wonders, has found no spot to rest upon and -to vivify!' _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 55. And we may thank heaven -for the fault when we consider the effects of the said 'Promethean -spark' in the work of the immortal Jones. - -[III-15] _Juarros' Hist. Guat._, pp. 56-7. That any such structure as -the rocking hammock ever existed here is in the highest degree -improbable; yet the padre at Gualan told Stephens that he had seen it, -and an Indian had heard it spoken of by his grandfather. _Stephens' -Cent. Amer._, vol. i., p. 144. - -[III-16] 'The extent along the river, ascertained by monuments still -found, is more than two miles.' 'Beyond the wall of enclosure were -walls, terraces, and pyramidal elevations running off into the -forest.' _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. i., pp. 133, 139, 146-7. -'Extended along the bank of its river a length of two miles, as -evidenced by the remains of its fallen edifices.' 'Mounts of stone, -formed by fallen edifices, are found throughout the neighbouring -country.' _Galindo_, in _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., pp. -547, 549-50. 'La carrière ... est à 2000 mètres au nord.' 'Là se -trouve beaucoup de bois de sapin pétrifié.' _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, -tom. i., div. ii., p. 76. 'The ground, being covered with ruins for -many square miles, and much overgrown by a rank vegetation, would -require months for a thorough examination.' 'No remains whatever on -the opposite side of the river.' _Hardcastle_, in _Hist. Mag._, vol. -vi., p. 154. 'Les plaines de Chapulco s'étendent entre Copan et le -pied des montagnes de Chiquimula. Elles sont couvertes de magnifiques -ruines.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 105. - -[III-17] Plan in _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. i., p. 133, reproduced -in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., p. 57; and in -_Willson's Amer. Hist._, p. 76. Galindo's drawings also included a -plan. By reason of the disagreement between Stephens' plan and text in -the matter of dimensions, I have omitted the scale as useless. The -southern wall of the enclosure, to accommodate the size of my page, I -have placed some two hundred feet north of its true position. Those -portions of the temple shaded by cross-lines are the portions still -standing according to the survey. - -[III-18] The southern wall in one place rises 30 or 40 feet in steps. -_Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. i., p. 134. 'One wall eighty feet high -and fifty feet thick for half its height, or more, and then sloping -like a roof, was formed of stones often six feet by three or four, -with mortar in the interstices.' _Hardcastle_, in _Hist. Mag._, vol. -vi., p. 154. Mr Center 'mentioned a Cyclopean wall ... undescribed in -any publication, but reported to him by most credible witnesses, about -800 feet long, 40 feet high, ---- feet thick, formed of immense hewn -stone.' _Hist. Mag._, vol. v., p. 114. Stones 'cut into blocks.' -_Galindo_, in _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., p. 549. Before -reaching the ruins 'está señal de paredes gruesas.' _Palacio_, in -_Pacheco_, _Col. Doc. Inéd._, tom. vi., p. 37. - -[III-19] According to Stephens' text, which states that the river or -west side is 624 feet, and the whole line of survey, which cannot in -this case mean anything but the circumference, is 2866 feet, thus -leaving 809 feet each for the northern and southern sides. His plan, -and consequently my own, makes the dimensions about 790 feet north and -south by 600 east and west, the circuit being thus 2780 feet. 'Not so -large as the base of the great Pyramid of Ghizeh.' _Stephens' Cent. -Amer._, vol. i., pp. 133. Galindo, _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, -vol. ii., p. 547, makes the dimensions 750 feet east and west (He -calls it north and south, but on the supposition that the ruins are on -the north bank of the river instead of the east) by 600 feet north and -south, a circumference of 2700 feet; or if his measurements be -understood to be Spanish, their English equivalent would be about 690 -by 552 feet, circuit 2484 feet. The same author, _Antiq. Mex._, tom. -i., div. ii., p. 76, gives 653 by 524, and 2354 feet; or if French -measure be understood, its equivalent is 696 by 588, and 2568 feet. As -large as Saint Peter's at Rome. _Davis' Antiq. of Amer._, pp. 4-5. - -[III-20] 'Broad terrace one hundred feet high, overlooking the river, -and supported by the wall which we had seen from the opposite bank,' -cut showing a view of this wall from across the river. _Stephens' -Cent. Amer._, vol. i., pp. 104, 95-6, 139. Same cut in _Baldwin's Anc. -Amer._, p. 112. 'Built perpendicularly from the bank of the river, to -a height, as it at present exists, of more than forty yards.' -_Galindo_, in _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., p. 547. 'Una -torre ó terrapleno alto, que cae sobre el rio que por allé pasa.' 'Hay -una escalera que baja hasta el rio por muchas gradas.' _Palacio_, in -_Pacheco_, _Col. Doc. Inéd._, tom. vi., p. 38. 'The city-wall on the -river-side, with its raised bank, ... must then have ranged from one -hundred and thirty to one hundred and fifty feet in height' in -imitation of ancient Tyre, the only city of antiquity with so high a -wall on a river-bank. _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, pp. 63, 161-2. - -[III-21] At the south-west corner a recess is mentioned which Mr -Stephens believes to have been occupied by some large monument now -fallen and washed away. _Cent. Amer._, vol. i., p. 134. - -[III-22] This court may have been Fuentes' circus, although the latter -is represented as having been circular. The terrace between it and the -river is stated by Stephens to be only 20 feet wide; according to the -plan it is at least 50 feet. _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. i., pp. -142-4, 133, 140. The pavement of the court is 20 yards above the -river; the gallery through the terrace is 4 feet high and 2½ feet -wide; the vault below the court is 5½ by 10 by 6 feet, its length -running north and south with 9° variation of the compass. _Galindo_, -in _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., p. 547. 'Una plaza muy -bien fecha, con sus gradas á la forma que escriben del Coliseo romano, -y por algunas partes tiene ochenta gradas, enlosada, y labrada por -cierto en partes de muy buena piedra é con harto primor.' The -river-wall 'háse caido y derrumbado un gran pedazo, y en lo caido se -descubrieron dos cuevas debajo del dicho edificio,' a statement that -may possibly refer to the gallery and vault. _Palacio_, in _Pacheco_, -_Col. Doc. Inéd._, tom. vi., pp. 37-8. - -[III-23] 'There was no entire pyramid, but, at most, two or three -pyramidal sides, and these joined on to terraces or other structures -of the same kind.' _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. i., p. 139. The -author intends to speak perhaps of the Temple only, but Mr Jones -applies the words to Copan in general, and considers them a flat -contradiction of the statement respecting the three detached pyramids. -_Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 63. 'Les édifices sont tous tombés et ne -montrent plus que des monceaux de pierres.' _Galindo_, in _Antiq. -Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 73. 'Several hills, thirty or forty feet -in height, and supporting ruins, appeared to have been themselves -entirely built of stone.' _Hardcastle_, in _Hist. Mag._, vol. vi., p. -154. 'Unas ruinas y vestigios de gran poblazon, y de soberbios -edificios.' 'Hay montes que parecen haber sido fechos á manos.' -_Palacio_, in _Pacheco_, _Col. Doc. Inéd._, tom. vi., p. 37. The -latter sentence is incorrectly translated by M. Ternaux-Compans, 'il y -a des arbres que paraissent avoir été plantés de main d'homme.' -_Recueil de Doc._, p. 42. Mr Squier makes the same error: 'Trees which -appear to have been planted by the hands of men.' Translation of -_Palacio_, _Carta_, p. 91. - -[III-24] See _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. i., pp. 140, 138, 136-7, -134, 149, 158, 157, 156, 155, 153, 152, 150, 151, for description of -the statues in their order from 1 to 14, with plates of all but 4, 6, -and 12, showing the altars of 7, 10, and 13. Plates of 3, 5, 10, and -13 are copied from Stephens in _Larenaudière_, _Mex. et Guat._, pl. -ix-xi.; and of No. 13, from the same source, in _Nouvelles Annales des -Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., p. 57. We have already seen the idea of -Fuentes respecting these statues, clad in Spanish habits; that of the -Licenciado Palacio is as follows: 'Una estátua grande, de más que -quatro varas de alto, labrada como un obispo vestido de pontificial, -con su mitra bien labrada y anillos en las manos.' In the plaza, which -would seem to be the court A, where no statues were found by Stephens, -were 'seis estátuas grandísimas, las tres de hombres armados á lo -mosáico, con liga gambas, é sembradas muchas labores por las armas; y -las otras dos de mujeres con buen ropaje largo y tocaduras á lo -romano; la otra, es de obispo, que parece tener en las manos un bulto, -como cofrecito; decian ser de idolos, porque delante de cada una -dellas habia una piedra grande, que tenia fecha una pileta con su -sumidero, donde degollaban los sacrificados y corria la sangre.' -_Palacio_, in _Pacheco_, _Col. Doc. Inéd._, tom. vi., pp. 37-8. -Galindo says 'there are seven obelisks still standing and entire, in -the temple and its immediate vicinity; and there are numerous others, -fallen and destroyed, throughout the ruins of the city. These stone -columns are ten or eleven feet high, and about three broad, with a -less thickness; on one side were worked, in _basso-relievo_, (Stephens -states, on the contrary, that all are cut in _alto-relievo_) human -figures, standing square to the front, with their hands resting on -their breast; they are dressed with caps on their heads, and sandals -on their feet, and clothed in highly adorned garments, generally -reaching half way down the thigh, but sometimes in long pantaloons. -Opposite this figure, at a distance of three or four yards, was -commonly placed a stone table or altar. The back and sides of the -obelisk generally contain phonetic hieroglyphics in squares. Hard and -fine stones are inserted (naturally?) in many obelisks, as they, as -well as the rest of the works in the ruins, are of a species of soft -stone, which is found in a neighbouring and most extensive quarry.' -_Galindo_, in _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., p. 548; and in -_Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, p. 97. A bust 1m., 68 high, belonging to a -statue fifteen to twenty feet high. _Galindo_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. -i., div. ii., p. 76. Pillars so loaded with attributes that some -scrutiny is required to discover from the head in the centre that they -represent a human form. An altar not infrequently found beside them -would, if necessary, show their use. They are sun-pillars, such as are -found everywhere in connection with an ancient sun-religion. _Müller_, -_Amerikanische Urreligionen_, p. 464. - -[III-25] _Galindo_, in _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., pp. -547-8; _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 73, -supplementary pl. vii., fig. 14. This head bears a remarkable -resemblance to one given by Humboldt as coming from New Granada, shown -in fig. 13, of the same plate. Stephens, _Cent. Amer._, vol. i., p. -144, gives the dimensions of the two niches as 1 foot 8 in. by 1 foot -9 in. by 2 feet 5 in.; the relics having been removed before his -visit. - -[III-26] _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. i., pp. 103-4, 142-3, with cut. -Cut also in _Larenaudière_, _Mex. et Guat._, pl. x. - -[III-27] _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. i., pp. 140-2, with plates; -_Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., pp. 57, 67-8. Plate. -Mention of the altar with a comparison of the cross-legged chiefs to -certain ornaments of Xochicalco. _Tylor's Anahuac_, p. 190. The altar -is described by Galindo as a very remarkable stone table in the -temple, 'two feet four inches high, and four feet ten inches square; -its top contains forty-nine square tablets of hieroglyphics; and its -four sides are occupied by sixteen human figures in _basso-relievo_, -sitting cross-legged, on cushions carved in the stone, and bearing -each in their hands something like a fan or flapper.' _Amer. Antiq. -Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., p. 548. To Mr Jones, possessed as that -gentleman is with the 'Soul of History,' this altar is the -'Rosetta-stone' of American antiquity. The four supporting stones are -eggs; serpents occur in the ornaments; the objects held in the hands -of the lesser personages of the sides are spiral shells; the figures -are seated cross-legged, or in the oriental style; one chief holds a -sceptre, the other none. Now these interpretations are important to -the author, since he claims that the _serpent_ was the good demon of -the Tyrians; a serpent entwining an _egg_ is seen on Tyrian coins; the -_spiral shell_ was also put on Tyrian medals in honor of the discovery -of the famous purple; the style of sitting is one practiced in Tyre; -the chief representing Tyre holds no sceptre, because Tyre had ceased -to be a nation at the time of the event designed to commemorate. The -conclusion is clear: the altar was built in commemoration of an act of -friendship between Tyre and Sidon, by which act the people of the -former nation were enabled to migrate to America! _Jones' Hist. Anc. -Amer._, pp. 65-6, 156-62. More of this in a future treatise on origin. - -[III-28] _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. i., pp. 134-9, 156; _Galindo_, -in _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., pp. 548-9; _Id._, in -_Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 76; _Davis' Antiq. Amer._, pp. -4-5; _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 68-9. Palacio's miscellaneous relics -are, a large stone in the form of an eagle with a tablet of -hieroglyphics a vara long on its breast; a stone cross three palms -high, with a broken arm; and a supposed baptismal font in the plaza. -_Relacion_, in _Pacheco_, _Col. Doc. Inéd._, tom. vi., p. 38. - -[III-29] _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 67; _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, -vol. i., p. 142; _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, p. 197. - -[III-30] _Cent. Amer._, vol. i., pp. 102-3, 151. 'La sculpture -monumentale des ruines de Copan peut rivaliser avec quelques produits -similaires de l'Orient et de l'Occident européens. Mais la conception -de ces monuments, l'originalité de leur ornementation suffit à plus -d'un esprit pour éloigner toute idée d'origine commune.' _Dally_, -_Races Indig._, p. 13. - -[III-31] 'We have this type of skull delineated by artists who had the -skill to portray the features of their race. These artists would not -select the most holy of places as the groundwork of their caricatures. -This form, then, pertained to the most exalted personages.' _Foster's -Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. 302, 338-9. - -[III-32] 'The hieroglyphics displayed upon the walls of Copan, in -horizontal or perpendicular rows, would indicate a written language in -which the pictorial significance had largely disappeared, and a kind -of word-writing had become predominant. Intermingled with the -pictorial devices are apparently purely arbitrary characters which may -be alphabetic.' _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, p. 322. They are -conjectured to recount the adventures of Topiltzin-Acxitl, a Toltec -king who came from Anáhuac and founded an empire in Honduras, or -Tlapallan, at the end of the eleventh century. _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., pp. 101-2. Like those of -Palenque, and some characters of the Dresden MS. _Squier's Pref._ to -_Palacio_, _Carta_, p. 10. 'No he hallado libros de sus antigüedades, -ni creo que en todo este distrito hay más que uno, que yo tengo.' -_Palacio_, in _Pacheco_, _Col. Doc. Inéd._, tom. vi., p. 39. I have no -idea what this one book spoken of may have been. The characters are -apparently hieroglyphics, 'but to us they are altogether -unintelligible.' _Gallatin_, in _Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact._, vol. -i., pp. 55-6, 66. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -ANTIQUITIES OF GUATEMALA AND BELIZE. - - THE STATE OF GUATEMALA -- A LAND OF MYSTERY -- WONDERFUL - REPORTS -- DISCOVERIES COMPARATIVELY UNIMPORTANT -- RUINS - OF QUIRIGUA -- HISTORY AND BIBLIOGRAPHY -- PYRAMID, - ALTARS, AND STATUES -- COMPARISON WITH COPAN -- PYRAMID OF - CHAPULCO -- RELICS AT CHINAMITA -- TEMPLES OF MICLA -- - CINACA-MECALLO -- CAVE OF PEÑOL -- CYCLOPEAN DÉBRIS AT - CARRIZAL -- COPPER MEDALS AT GUATEMALA -- ESQUIMATHA -- - FORTIFICATION OF MIXCO -- PANCACOYA COLUMNS -- CAVE OF - SANTA MARÍA -- MAMMOTH BONES AT PETAPA -- ROSARIO AQUEDUCT - -- RUINS OF PATINAMIT, OR TECPAN GUATEMALA -- - QUEZALTENANGO, OR XELAHUH -- UTATLAN, NEAR SANTA CRUZ DEL - QUICHÉ -- ZAKULÉU NEAR HUEHUETENANGO -- CAKCHIQUEL RUINS - IN THE REGION OF RABINAL -- CAWINAL -- MARVELOUS RUINS - REPORTED -- STEPHENS' INHABITED CITY -- ANTIQUITIES OF - PETEN -- FLORES -- SAN JOSÉ -- CASAS GRANDES -- TOWER OF - YAXHAA -- TIKAL PALACES AND STATUES -- DOLORES -- - ANTIQUITIES OF BELIZE. - - - [Sidenote: GUATEMALA.] - -Above the isthmus of Honduras the continent widens abruptly, forming -between the Rio Motagua and Laguna de Terminos on the Atlantic, the -Rio Paza and bar of Ayutla on the Pacific, a territory which stretches -some five hundred and fifty miles from north to south, with a nearly -uniform width of two hundred miles from east to west. Dividing this -territory into two nearly equal portions by a line drawn near the -eighteenth parallel of latitude, the northern part, between the bay of -Chetumal and Laguna de Terminos, is the peninsula of Yucatan; while -that portion lying south of the dividing line constitutes the -republic of Guatemala and the English province of Belize, which latter -occupies a strip along the Atlantic from the gulf of Amatique -northward. The Pacific coast of Guatemala for an average width of -seventy miles is low and unhealthy, with few inhabitants in modern, -as, judging from the absence of material relics, in ancient times. -Then comes a highland tract which contains the chief towns and most of -the white population of the modern republic; succeeded by the yet -wilder and more mountainous regions of Totonicapan and Vera Paz, -chiefly inhabited by comparatively savage and unsubdued aboriginal -tribes; from which we descend, still going northward towards Yucatan, -into the little-explored lake region of Peten. At the time of its -conquest by the Spaniards, Guatemala was the seat of several powerful -aboriginal kingdoms, chief among which were those of the Quichés and -Cakchiquels. They fought long and desperately in defence of their -homes and liberty, and when forced to yield before Spanish discipline -and arms, the few survivors of the struggle either retired to the -inaccessible fastnesses of the northern highlands, or remained in -sullen forced submission to their conquerors in the homes of their -past greatness--the aboriginal spirit still unbroken, and the native -superstitious faith yielding only nominally to Catholic power and -persuasion. Here and in the adjoining state of Chiapas the natives -probably retain to the present day their original character with fewer -modifications than elsewhere in the Pacific States. - -By reason of the peculiar nature of the country, the grandeur of its -mountain scenery, the existence of large tracts almost unknown to -white men, the desperate struggles of its people for independence, -their wild and haughty disposition, and their strange and -superstitious traditions, Guatemala has always been a land of mystery, -particularly to those who delight in antiquarian speculations. A -residence at Rabinal in close contact with the native character in -its purest state first started in the mind of the Abbé Brasseur de -Bourbourg the train of thought that has since developed into his most -startling and complicated theories respecting American antiquity; and -Guatemala has furnished also many of the documents on which these -theories rest. Few visitors have resisted the temptation to indulge in -speculative fancies or to frame far-reaching theories respecting -ancient ruins or possibly flourishing cities hidden from the explorer's -gaze in the depths of Guatemalan forests and mountains. - -And yet this mysterious land, promising so much, has yielded to actual -exploration only comparatively trifling results in the form of -material relics of antiquity. The ruins scattered throughout the -country are indeed numerous, but with very few exceptions, besides -being in an advanced state of dilapidation, they are manifestly the -remains of structures destroyed during the Spanish conquest. Important -as proving the accuracy of the reported power and civilization of the -Quichés and Cakchiquels, and indirectly of the Aztecs in Anáhuac, -where few traces of aboriginal structures remain for our study, they -are still unsatisfactory to the student who desires to push his -researches back into the more remote American past. - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF QUIRIGUA.] - -Beginning with the province of Chiquimula, bordering on Honduras and -composed for the most part of the valley of the Motagua and its -tributaries, the first ruin of importance, one of the exceptions noted -above to the general character of Guatemalan antiquities, is found at -Quirigua, fifty miles north-east of Copan, on the north side of the -Motagua, about sixty miles above its mouth, and ten miles below -Encuentros where the royal road, so called, from Yzabal to Guatemala -crosses the river. The stream is navigable for small boats to a point -opposite the ruins, which are in a cedar-forest on low moist ground -nearly a mile from the bank.[IV-1] Our only knowledge respecting this -ancient city comes through Mr Catherwood and Dr Scherzer. The former, -traveling with Mr Stephens, visited the locality in 1840 in company -with the Señores Payes, proprietors of the estate on which the ruins -stand, and by his description Quirigua first was made known to the -world. Mr Stephens, on hearing Catherwood's report, entered into -negotiations with the owners of the land for its purchase, with a view -to shipping the monuments to New York, their location on the banks of -a navigable stream being favorable for the execution of such a -purpose; but the interference of a European official so raised the -market value of ancient real estate that it was found necessary to -abandon the scheme. Dr Karl Scherzer's visit was in 1854, and his -account, published in the Transactions of the Royal Austrian Academy -of Science, and also reprinted in pamphlet form, is the most extensive -and complete extant.[IV-2] Nothing like a thorough exploration has -been made even in comparison with those of Copan and other Central -American ruins; but monuments and fragments thus far brought to light -are found scattered over a space of some three thousand square feet, -on the banks of a small creek which empties into the Motagua. The site -is only very slightly elevated above the level of the river, and is -consequently often flooded in times of high water; indeed, during a -more than ordinary freshet in 1852, after Mr Catherwood's visit, -several idols were undermined and overthrown. No aboriginal name is -known for the locality, Quirigua being merely that of a small village -at the foot of Mount Mico, not far distant. There being no plan extant -by which to locate the different objects to be mentioned in this old -centre of civilization, I will give the slight descriptions -obtainable, with very slight reference to their arrangement, beginning -with the pyramid which seems to occupy a somewhat central position -round which the other relics are grouped. Catherwood's description of -this structure is limited to the statement that it is "like those at -Copan, with the steps in some places perfect," and twenty-five feet -high. Scherzer's account only adds that it is constructed of neatly -cut sandstone in regular oblong blocks, and is very much ruined, -hardly more, in fact, than a confused mass of fragments, among which -were found some pieces of fine white marble. But under this structure -there is, it seems, a foundation, an artificial hill, or mound, of -rough stones without mortar. The base is an irregular square, the -dimensions of which are not stated, with a spur extending toward the -south. The steps which lead up the sides to the super-imposed -structure are only eight or nine inches high and six or seven inches -in width, remaining intact only at a few points. In the upper part of -the mound are two or three terraces, on the first of which several -recesses, or niches, of no great extent are noticed; they are lined -with small rough stones, plastered, and in a good state of -preservation, details which indicated to the observer that these -niches may be of more modern origin than the rest of the ruin. There -are no traces of openings to show that the hill contained underground -apartments; neither are there any sculptures on the hewn stones of the -pyramid itself, nor any idols or carved fragments found on the surface -of the mound. - -Very near the foot of the mound Mr Catherwood found a moss-covered -colossal head six feet in diameter, and a large altar, both relics -being within an enclosure.[IV-3] Scherzer also describes several -monuments near the pyramid, some of which may be identical with the -ones mentioned by Catherwood, although he says nothing of an -enclosure. The first is a stone of a long oval form like a human head, -six feet high and thirty-five feet in circumference, the surface being -covered with carved figures in demi-relief, which for some reason have -been better preserved and present clearer outlines than other carvings -at Quirigua. One of the most clearly defined of these sculptures -represents a sitting female, whose legs and hands are wanting, but -whose arms hang down to the ground. A prominent feature is her -head-dress, sixteen inches high, the upper part of which is an idol's -head crowned with a diadem. The forehead is described as narrow, -depressed above and projecting below. The features are indistinct, but -the form of the head is of what Scherzer terms the Indian type. On -the south side of this block, or altar, is the rude figure of a turtle -five feet high. The top is covered with ornamental figures -representing plants and fruits, all the varieties there delineated -being such as still flourish in this region. The sides bear also faint -indications of hieroglyphics. Dr Scherzer believes that the stone used -in the construction of this altar must have been found on the spot, -since by reason of its great size it could not have been brought from -a distance with the aid of any mechanical appliances known to native -art.[IV-4] The second of these monuments is like a mill-stone, four -feet in diameter and two feet thick, cut from harder material than the -other objects. A tiger's head nearly covers one side of the disk, and -the rest of the surface, including the rim, is covered with -hieroglyphics, several of these mysterious signs appearing on the -animal's forehead. The third of the relics found near the pyramid is a -fragment eighteen feet long and five feet wide, the upper portion -having disappeared. The human face appears at different points among -its hieroglyphics and ornaments. - - [Sidenote: STATUES OF QUIRIGUA.] - -Three or four hundred yards northward from the mound, and at the foot -of a 'pyramidal wall,' concerning which we have no information beyond -the mention of its existence, is a group of sculptured idols, pillars, -or obelisks, standing in the forest like those in the sacred enclosure -at Copan. Indeed, they bear a strong resemblance to the latter, except -in their greater height and less elaborate sculpture, which is also in -lower relief. Twelve of them are definitely mentioned, the smallest of -which is nine feet high, and the largest twenty-six feet above ground, -increasing in size toward the top, leaning twelve feet out of the -perpendicular, and requiring, of course, some six or eight feet below -the surface to sustain its weight in such a position.[IV-5] They are -from two to three feet thick and four to six feet wide. In most -instances a human face, male or female, appears on the front or back -or both; while the sides are covered for the most part with -hieroglyphics, which are also seen on various parts of the dress and -ornaments. One statue is, however, mentioned, which, although crowded -with ornaments, has no character, apparently, of hieroglyphic nature. -One of the idols, twenty-three feet high, stands on a stone foundation -projecting some fifteen feet; and another, circular instead of -rectangular in form, rests on a small mound, within a wall of stones -enclosing a small circular area.[IV-6] In one the human figure has a -head-dress of which an animal's head forms a prominent part, while in -yet another the head is half human and half animal. In both cases the -aim of the artist would seem to have been to inspire terror, as in the -case of some Nicaraguan idols already noticed. Mr Catherwood made -sketches of two of the obelisks, including the leaning one, the -largest of all; but as he could not clean them of moss in the limited -time at his disposal, he makes no attempt to give the details of -sculpture, and a reproduction of the plates is therefore not deemed -necessary. The two monuments sketched by him could not be found at all -by Dr Scherzer. The Quirigua idols have not, like those at Copan, -altars in front of them, but several altars, or apparently such, were -found buried in moss and earth, and not carefully examined by either -of the explorers. They are usually of round or oval form, with -hieroglyphically inscribed sides; and one of them, within the circular -wall with steps, already mentioned as enclosing one of the -statues,[IV-7] is described as supported by two colossal heads. Many -fragments were noticed which are not described; and here as elsewhere -monuments superior to any seen were reported to exist by enthusiastic -guides and natives; in which latter class of antiquities are eleven -square columns higher than those mentioned, and also a female holding -a child, and an alligator's head in stone.[IV-8] The material of all -the stone work of Quirigua is a soft coarse-grained sandstone, not -differing materially, so far as I can judge, from that employed at -Copan. It is the prevalent formation at both localities, and may be -quarried readily at almost any point in the vicinity. - -Absolutely no traditions have been preserved respecting Quirigua in -the days when its monuments were yet intact, when a large town, which -has left no traces, must have stood in the immediate vicinity.[IV-9] -The idols scattered over the surface of the ground, instead of being -located on the pyramids, may indicate here as at Copan that the -elevations served as seats for spectators during the religious -ceremonies, rather than as temples or altars on which sacrifice was -made. Both observers agree on the general similarity between the -monuments of Quirigua and Copan,[IV-10] and the hieroglyphics are -pronounced identical. Indeed, it seems altogether probable that they -owe their existence to the same era and the same people. Mr Stephens -notes, besides the greater size and lower relief of the Quirigua -monuments, that they are "less rich in design, and more faded and -worn, probably being of a much older date." Dr Scherzer speaks of the -greater plumpness of the sculptured figures, and has no faith in their -great antiquity, believing that the low-relief carvings on so soft a -material, would, when exposed in an atmosphere so moist, have been -utterly obliterated in a thousand years.[IV-11] - - [Sidenote: CHAPULCO AND CHINAMITA.] - -At Chapulco, a few leagues below Quirigua, on the opposite side of the -Motagua, one traveler speaks of a quadrilateral pyramid with terraced -sides, up which steps lead to the summit platform, where débris of -hewn stone are enveloped in a dense vegetation. Also at Chinamita, -some sixteen miles above Quirigua on the same side of the river, the -same authority reports a large area covered with aboriginal relics, in -the form of ruined stone structures, vases and idols of burned clay, -and monoliths buried for the most part in the earth. Of course, with -this meagre information, it is impossible to form any definite idea of -what these ruins really are, and whether they should be classed with -Quirigua and Copan, or with a more modern class of Guatemalan -antiquities. The same remark will apply also to many of the localities -of this state, of whose relics we have no description in -detail.[IV-12] - -At Micla, or Mimilla, some three leagues north of lake Guijar, or -Uxaca, which is on the boundary between Guatemala and Salvador, traces -of a sacred town with its cues and temples are spoken of as visible in -1576. They are represented as of the class erected by the Pipiles who -occupied the region at the time of the conquest.[IV-13] - - [Sidenote: CINACA-MECALLO.] - -Still farther south-west towards the coast, a few miles south, of -Comapa, are the ruins of Cinaca-Mecallo, a name said to mean 'knotted -rope.' The Rio Paza here forms the boundary line between the two -states, and from its northern bank rises abruptly a mountain chain. On -the summit, at a point commanding a broad view over a large portion of -Salvador, is a plain of considerable extent, watered by several small -mountain streams, which unite and fall over a precipice on the way to -the river below. On the highest portion of this summit plain -interesting works of the former inhabitants have been discovered by D. -José Antonio Urrutia, padre in charge of the church at Jutiapa.[IV-14] -The remains of Cinaca-Mecallo cover an oval area formerly surrounded -by a wall, of which fragments yet remain sufficient to mark the line -originally followed. Within this space are vestiges of streets, ruined -buildings, and subterranean passages. Padre Urrutia makes special -mention of four monuments. The first is what he terms a temple of the -sun, an excavation in the solid rock opening towards the rising sun, -and having at its entrance an archway known to the natives as 'stone -of the sun,' formed of stone slabs closely joined. On these slabs are -carved in low relief figures of the sun and moon, to which are added -hieroglyphics painted on the stone with a very durable kind of red -varnish. There are also some sculptured hieroglyphic signs on the -interior walls of this artificial cavern. The second monument is a -great slab covered with carved inscriptions, among which were noted a -tree and a skull, emblematic, according to the padre's views, of life -and death. Next is mentioned the representation of a tiger or other -wild animal cut on the side of a large rock. This monument is, it -appears, some distance from the other ruins, and is conjectured by -Urrutia to be a commemoration of some historical event, from the fact -that the natives still celebrate past deeds of valor by dances, or -scenic representations, in which they dress in imitation of different -animals. Mr Squier suggests farther that the event thus commemorated -may have been a conflict between the Pipiles and the Cakchiquels, in -which the latter were driven permanently from this district. The -fourth and last of these monuments is one of the subterranean passages -which the explorer penetrated until he reached a kind of chamber where -were some sculptured blocks. This underground apartment is celebrated -among the natives as having been in modern times the resort of a -famous robber chief, who was at last brought to bay and captured here -in his stronghold. The material employed in all the Cinaca-Mecallo -structures is a slate-like stone in thin blocks, joined by a cement -which resembles in color and consistence molten lead. Some of the -carved blocks were sent by the discoverer as specimens to the city of -Guatemala. Outside the walls are tumuli of earth and small stones, -with no sculptured fragments. These are supposed to be burial mounds, -and to vary in size according to the rank and importance of the -personages whose resting-places they mark. - -Proceeding now north-eastward to the region lying within a circle of -fifty miles about the city of Guatemala as a centre, we have a -reported cave on the hacienda of Peñol, perhaps twenty-five miles east -of Guatemala, which is said to have been explored for at least a -distance of one mile, and is believed by the credulous natives to -extend eleven leagues through the mountain to the Rio de los Esclavos. -In this cavern, or at least on the same hacienda, if we may credit -Fuentes, human bones of extraordinary size were found, including -shin-bones about five feet in length. These human relics crumbled on -being touched, but fragments were carefully gathered up and sent to -Guatemala, since which time nothing is known of them.[IV-15] On the -hacienda of Carrizal, some twenty miles north of Guatemala, we hear of -cyclopean débris, or masses of great unhewn stones heaped one on -another without cement, and forming gigantic walls, which cover a -considerable extent of territory on the lofty heights that guard the -approaches to the Motagua Valley.[IV-16] - - [Illustration: Copper Medal at Guatemala.] - - [Sidenote: COPPER MEDALS AND FORTIFICATIONS.] - -The immediate vicinity of Guatemala seems not to have yielded any -antiquarian relics of importance. M. Valois reports the plain to be -studded with mounds which the natives regard as the tombs of their -ancestors, which others have searched for treasure, but which he -believes to be ant-hills.[IV-17] Ordoñez claims to have found here two -pure copper medals, fac-similes one of the other, two inches in -diameter and three lines thick, a little heavier than a Mexican peso -fuerte, engraved on both sides, as shown in the cut, which I give -herewith notwithstanding the fact that this must be regarded as a -relic of doubtful authenticity. M. Dupaix noticed an indication of -the use of the compass in the centre of one of the sides, the figures -on the same side representing a kneeling, bearded, turbaned man, -between two fierce heads, perhaps of crocodiles, which appear to -defend the entrance to a mountainous and wooded country. The reverse -presents a serpent coiled round a fruit-tree, and an eagle--quite as -much like a dove or crow or other bird--on a hill. There are, besides, -some ornamental figures on the rim, said to resemble those of -Palenque, and, indeed, Ordoñez refers the origin of these medals to -the founders of that city. He kept one of them and sent the other to -the king of Spain in 1794.[IV-18] - -About 1860, a stone idol forty inches high was dug up in a yard of the -city, where it had been buried fifty years before, having been brought -by the natives from a point one hundred and fifty miles distant. Its -discovery was mentioned at a meeting of the American Ethnological -Society in 1861, by Mr Hicks. The same gentleman also spoke of the -reported discovery of a great city in ruins in the province of -Esquimatha, buried in a dense forest about fifty-six miles from the -city.[IV-19] - -A few leagues west of the city are the ruins of Mixco, a fortified -town of the natives down to the time of the conquest, mentioned by -several authorities but described by none. Fuentes, however, as -quoted by Juarros, speaks of a cavern on a small ridge by the side of -the ruins. The entrance was a Doric portico of clay about three feet -wide and high. A flight of thirty-six stone steps leads down to a room -one hundred and twenty feet square, followed by another flight still -leading downward. This latter stairway no one has had the courage to -fully explore, on account of the tremulous and insecure condition of -the ground. Eighteen steps down this second flight, however, is an -arched entrance on the right side, to a passage which, after a descent -of six steps, has been explored for a distance of one hundred and -forty feet. Furthermore, the author tells us there are some -extravagant (!) accounts not worthy of implicit belief, and -consequently not repeated by him. Hassel states that gigantic bones -have been found here, and that the cave is natural, without any -artificial improvements whatever.[IV-20] - -In this same valley, where the Pancacoya River enters the Xilotepec, -Juarros speaks of "a range of columns curiously wrought, with -capitals, mouldings, etc.; and a little farther on there are several -round cisterns formed in the rock." The cisterns are about four feet -in diameter and three feet deep, and may have served originally, as -the author remarks, for washing auriferous earths in the search for -gold.[IV-21] The Santa María River, near its junction with the -Motagua, is said to flow for a long distance underground, and at the -entrance to its subterranean channel are reported some carvings, the -work of human hands, but from superstitious fears the interior of this -bewitched cave has never been explored.[IV-22] - - [Sidenote: PETAPA, ROSARIO, AND PATINAMIT.] - -Petapa, twelve or fifteen miles southward from Guatemala on Lake -Amatitlan is another of the localities where the old authors report -the discovery of mammoth human bones, including a tooth as large as a -man's two fists. Such reports, where they have any other than an -imaginary foundation, may probably result from the finding of animal -bones, by which the good padres were deceived into the belief that -they had come upon traces of the ancient giants reported in all the -native traditions, which did not seem to them unworthy of belief, -since they were told elsewhere that "there were giants on the earth in -those days."[IV-23] - -At Rosario, eight or ten miles south of the same lake, we have a bare -mention of a beautiful aqueduct in ruins.[IV-24] Twenty-five or thirty -miles west of the lake, at the western foot of the volcano of Fuego, -Don José María Asmitia, a Guatemalan official of antiquarian -tendencies, reports the discovery on his estate of a well-preserved -aqueduct, constructed of hewn stone and mortar, together with nine -stone idols each six feet in height. He proposed to make, at an early -date, more thorough explorations in that vicinity. Like other -explorers he had his theory, although he had not personally seen even -the relics on his own estate; deriving the American culture from a -Carthaginian source.[IV-25] Farther south on the Pacific lowlands, at -a point called Calche, between Escuintla and Suchiltepeques, the Abbé -Brasseur speaks of a pyramid cut from solid stone, which had been seen -by many Guatemalans.[IV-26] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF PATINAMIT.] - -Passing now north-westward to the region lying about Lake Atitlan, and -noting that the town of Sololá on the northern lake-shore is said to -be built on the ruins of the aboriginal Tecpan Atitlan,[IV-27] we come -to the ruins of the ancient Patinamit, 'the city', the Cakchiquel -capital. It is near[IV-28] the modern town of Tecpan Guatemala, -fifteen miles south-east of the lake, and forty miles north-west of -Guatemala. The aboriginal town, to which Brasseur de Bourbourg would -assign a very ancient, pre-Toltec origin, was inhabited down to the -time when the conquistadores came, and was by them destroyed. With the -state of the city as found and described by them, I have, of course, -nothing to do in this volume, having simply to record the condition of -the ruins as observed at subsequent periods, although in the -descriptions extant the two phases of the city's condition are -considerably confounded. The remains are found on a level plateau -having an area of several square miles, and surrounded by a ravine -from one hundred to four hundred feet in depth, with precipitous -sides. The plateau is accessible at one point only by a path -artificially cut in the side of the barranca, twenty to thirty feet -deep, and only wide enough to permit the passage of a single horseman. -At the time of Mr Stephens' visit nothing was visible but confused -irregular masses, or mounds, of fallen walls, among which, however, -could still be made out the foundations of two buildings, one of them -fifty by one hundred feet. Two sculptured figures were pointed out by -the natives, lying on the ground, on one of which the nose and eyes of -some animal were discernible. Fuentes, who wrote in the century -following the conquest, observed, during his examination of the city, -more definite traces of its former grandeur. Two gates of chay-stone -afforded entrance to the narrow passage which led up to the plateau; a -coating, or layer, of clay covered the soil to a depth of two feet; -and a trench six or eight feet deep, faced with stone and having also -a breastwork of masonry three feet high, running north and south -across the table, divided the city's site into two portions, -inhabited, as is suggested, respectively by the plebeian and -aristocratic classes of its original citizens. The street-lines, -crossing each other at right angles, were traceable, indicating that -the city was regularly laid out in blocks. One of the structures whose -foundations were then to be seen was a hundred yards square, besides -which there remained the ruins of what is described as a palace, and -of several houses. West of the city, on a mound six feet high, was "a -pedestal formed of a shining substance, resembling glass." Brasseur -also mentions 'vastes souterrains,' which, as usual, he does not deign -farther to describe. The modern town is built to a considerable -extent, and its streets are paved, with fragments of the hewn stone -from Patinamit, which have been carried piece by piece on the backs of -natives up and down the sides of the barranca. The aborigines still -look with feelings of superstitious respect on this memorial of their -ancestral glory, and at times their faithful ears detect the chimes of -bells proceeding from beneath the hill. A famous black stone was, in -the days of aboriginal independence, an object of great veneration in -the Cakchiquel religious rites connected with the fate of prisoners, -its shrine being in the depths of a dark ravine near at hand. In -Fuentes' time it had been consecrated by the Catholic bishop and -placed on the altar of the church. He describes it as of singular -beauty and about eighteen inches square. Stephens found it still on -the altar, the object of the people's jealous veneration; and when his -Spanish companion had, with sacrilegious hand, to the infinite terror -of the parish priest, ripped open the cotton sack in which the relic -was enveloped, there appeared only a plain piece of ordinary slate -measuring ten by fourteen inches. Brasseur de Bourbourg, however, -believes that the former visitors were both in error, and that the -original black stone was never permitted to fall into the hands of the -Spanish unbelievers.[IV-29] At Patzun, a native pueblo near Tecpan -Guatemala, two mounds were noticed, but not opened.[IV-30] - -Quezaltenango, the aboriginal Xelahuh, is some twenty-five or thirty -miles westward from Lake Atitlan. In the days of Quiché power this -city was one of the largest and most powerful in the land. I find no -evidence that any remains of the town itself are to be seen, though -Wappäus speaks of such remains, even classing them with the most -ancient type of Guatemalan antiquities. Two fortresses in this -vicinity, however, Olintepec and Parrazquin, supposed to have guarded -the approaches to Xelahuh, are said to have left some traces of their -former strength.[IV-31] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF UTATLAN.] - - [Illustration: El Sacrificatorio at Utatlan.] - -Thirty miles farther back in the mountains north-eastward from -Quezaltenango, toward the confines of Vera Paz, was Utatlan, 'road of -the waters,' in the native language Gumarcaah, the Quiché capital and -stronghold, at the modern town of Santa Cruz del Quiché. This city was -the richest and most magnificent found by the Spaniards south of -Mexico, and at the time of its destruction by them was, unlike most -aboriginal American towns, in its highest state of prosperity. Slight -as are the ruins that remain, they are sufficient to show that the -Spanish accounts of the city's original splendor were not greatly -exaggerated; this, with the contrasts which these ruins present in the -absence of statues, sculpture, and hieroglyphics, and in other -respects, when compared with those of Quirigua and Copan, constitutes -their chief importance in archæological investigations. Like -Patinamit, Utatlan stood on a plateau, or mesa, bounded by a deep -ravine on every side, a part of which ravine is believed to be of -artificial construction. The barranca can only be crossed and the site -of the city reached at one point, from the south-east. Guarding this -single approach, at the distance of about half a mile from the village -of Santa Cruz, are the ruins of a long line of structures of carefully -laid hewn stone, evidently intended as fortifications and connected -one with another by a ditch. Within this line and more immediately -guarding the passage, is an immense fortress, El Resguardo, one -hundred and twenty feet high, in the form of a square-based pyramidal -structure, with three ranges of terraces, and steps leading up from -one to another. A stone wall, plastered with a hard cement, incloses -the area of the summit platform, in the centre of which rises a tower -furnished with steps, which were also originally covered with cement. -Crossing the barranca from the fort Resguardo, we find the table which -was the site of the ancient city covered throughout its whole extent -with shapeless masses of ruins, among which the foundations of a few -structures only can be definitely made out. The chief edifice, known -as the grand castle, or palace, of the Quiché kings, and said to have -been in round numbers eleven hundred by twenty-two hundred feet, -occupied a central position. Its upper portions have been carried away -and used in the construction of the modern town, but in 1810, if we -may trust the cura of the parish, the building was still entire. The -floors remain, covered with a hard and durable cement, and also -fragments of the partition walls sufficient to indicate something of -the original ground plan. A plaster of finer quality than that -employed on the floors and pyramids, covers the inner walls, with -evident traces of having been colored or painted. The ruins of a -fountain appear in an open court-yard, also paved with cement. Another -structure, El Sacrificatorio, still visible, is a pyramid of stone -sixty-six feet square at the base and, in its present state, -thirty-three feet high, the plan and elevation of which are shown in -the cuts. Each side except the western is ascended by a flight of -nineteen steps, each step eight inches wide and seventeen inches high. -The western side is covered with stucco, laid on, as is ascertained by -careful examination, in several successive coatings, each painted with -ornamental figures, among which the body of a leopard only could be -distinguished. The pyramid is supported by a buttress in each of the -four corners, diminishing in size toward the top. The summit is in -ruins, but our knowledge of the Quiché religious ceremonies, as set -forth in the preceding volume of this work, leaves little doubt that -this was a place of sacrifice and supported an altar. No sculpture has -been found in connection with the ruins of Utatlan. Its absence is -certainly remarkable; but it is to be noted that the natives of this -region have always been of a haughty, unsubdued spirit, ardently -attached to the memory of their ancestors; and the destruction or -concealment of their idols with a view to keep them from the -sacrilegious touch and gaze of the white man, would be in accordance -with their well-known character. They have the greatest respect for -the holy pyramid on the plateau, and at one time when the reported -discovery of a golden image prompted the destruction of the palace in -search of treasure, the popular indignation on the part of the natives -presaged a serious revolt and compelled the abandonment of the scheme, -not, however, until the walls had been razed. Flint arrow-heads are -mentioned as of frequent occurrence among the débris of fortifications -outside the barranca, and a Spanish explorer in 1834 found a sitting -figure twelve inches high, and two heads of terra cotta exceedingly -hard, smooth, and of good workmanship. One of the heads was solid, the -other and the idol were hollow. The annexed cut shows the sitting -figure. Under one of the buildings is an opening to what the natives -represented as a subterranean passage leading by an hour's journey to -Mexico, but which only revealed to Mr Stephens, who entered it, the -presence of a roof formed by overlapping stones. This form of arch -will be described in detail when I come to speak of more northern -ruins, where it is of frequent occurrence. That a long time must have -passed between the erection of Copan and Utatlan, the civilization of -the builders meantime undergoing great modifications, involving -probably the introduction of new elements from foreign sources, is a -theory supported by a careful study of the two classes of remains. For -an account of Utatlan and other Guatemalan cities as they were in the -time of their aboriginal glory, I refer the reader to Volume II. of -this work.[IV-32] The cura at Santa Cruz del Quiché said he had seen -human skulls of more than natural size, from a cave in a neighboring -town.[IV-33] - - [Illustration: Utatlan Terra Cotta.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF HUEHUETENANGO OR ZAKULÉU.] - - [Illustration: Sepulchral Urn from Huehuetenango.] - -North-westward from Utatlan, thirty or forty miles distant, in the -province of Totonicapan, is the town of Huehuetenango, and near it, -located like Utatlan on a ravine-guarded plain, are the ruins of -Zakuléu, the ancient capital of the Mams, now known popularly as Las -Cuevas. These remains are in an advanced state of dilapidation, hardly -more than confused heaps of rubbish scattered over the plain, and -overgrown with grass and shrubs. Two pyramidal structures of rough -stones in mortar, formerly covered with stucco, can, however, still be -made out. One of them is one hundred and two feet square and -twenty-eight high, with steps, each four feet in height and seven feet -wide. The top is small and square, and a long rough slab found at the -base may, as Mr Stephens suggests, have been the altar thrown down -from its former position on the platform. There are also several small -mounds, supposed to be sepulchral, one of which was opened, and -disclosed within an enclosure of rough stones and lime some fragments -of bone and two vases of fine workmanship, whose material is not -stated but is probably earthen ware. One of them is shown in the cut, -and bears a striking resemblance to some of the burial vases of -Nicaragua.[IV-34] Another burial vault, not long enough, however, to -contain a human being at full length, at the foot of one of the -pyramids, was faced with cut stone, and from it the proprietor of the -estate took a quantity of bones and the terra-cotta tripod shown in -the cut. It has a polished surface and is one foot in diameter. At a -point on the river where the banks had been washed away at the time of -high water, some animal skeletons of extraordinary size were brought -to light. Mr Stephens saw in the bank the imprint of one of these -measuring twenty-five or thirty feet in length, and others were said -to be yet larger.[IV-35] - - [Illustration: Tripod from Huehuetenango.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS IN RABINAL VALLEY.] - -Extending eastward from the region of Huehuetenango to that of Salama -in the province of Vera Paz, a distance of nearly one hundred miles, -there seems to be a line of ruins, occurring at frequent intervals, -particularly in the valley of the Rabinal and about the town of that -name. A map of Guatemala now before me locates seventeen of these -ruins, and M. Brasseur de Bourbourg incidentally mentions many of them -by name, none of them, however, being anywhere described in detail. It -is much to be regretted that the last-named author, during a residence -at Rabinal, did not more fully improve his opportunities for the -examination of these remains, or, at least, that he has never made -known to the world the result of his investigations. All the ruins -along this line would seem to belong to the class of those occupied -by the natives, chiefly Cakchiquels, at the time of the conquest, most -of them being the remains of fortresses or fortified towns, built on -strong natural positions at the river-mouths, guarding the entrance to -fertile valleys. - -Opposite the mouth of the River Rabinal, where the Pacalah empties -into the Chixoy, or Usumacinta, are the ruins of Cawinal, visited by -the Abbé Brasseur in 1856, and by him pronounced the finest in Vera -Paz. They are situated on both sides of the stream in a fine -mountain-girt valley, the approach to which was guarded by a long line -of fortifications, pyramidal mounds, and watch-towers, whose remains -may yet be seen. Among these structures is a pyramid of two terraces, -forty feet high, ascended by a stairway of three flights, with the -ruined walls of three small buildings on its summit. Near many of the -old towns, especially in the Rabinal district, tumuli--_cakhay_, 'red -houses'--very like in form and material to those of the Mississippi -Valley are said to be numerous.[IV-36] - -Besides the ruins actually seen and vaguely described, there are -reports of others. The province is large and comparatively unexplored, -its people wild and independent, and both have ever been to travelers -the object of much mysterious conjecture, increasing in intensity as -the northern region of Peten is approached. In 1850 Mr Squier wrote, -"there has lately been discovered, in the province of Vera Paz, 150 -miles north-east of Guatemala, buried in a dense forest, and far from -any settlements, a ruined city, surpassing Copan or Palenque in extent -and magnificence, and displaying a degree of art to which none of the -structures of Yucatan can lay claim."[IV-37] The cura of Santa Cruz -had once lived in Coban, some forty miles north of Rabinal, and four -leagues from there he claimed to have seen an ancient city as large as -Utatlan, its palace being still entire at the time of his -visit.[IV-38] One Leon de Pontelli claims to have traveled extensively -in these parts in 1859, and to have discovered many ancient and -remarkable ruins of great cities, at points impossible to locate, -somewhere about the confines of Vera Paz and Peten. Pontelli is not -regarded as a trustworthy explorer, and no positive information -whatever is to be obtained from his account.[IV-39] - -Not only are cities in ruins reported to exist, but also somewhere in -this region, four days' journey from Utatlan towards Mexico, an -inhabited city in all its aboriginal magnificence is said to be -visible, far out on the plain, from the summit of a lofty sierra. The -cura of Santa Cruz before mentioned had gazed upon its glittering -turrets and had heard from the natives traditions of its splendor, and -the failure of all attempts on the part of white men to approach its -walls for the purpose of a closer examination. One other man had the -courage to climb the sierra, but on the day chosen for the ascent the -city was rendered invisible by mists. The intelligence and general -reliability of the good cura inclined Mr Stephens to put some faith in -the accuracy of his report; others, however, not without reason, are -sceptical about the matter.[IV-40] - - [Sidenote: PROVINCE OF PETEN.] - -Leaving the lofty highlands of Vera Paz, we descend northward to the -province of Peten, a comparatively low region whose central portion is -occupied by several large lakes. It is in this lake region chiefly -that antiquities have been brought to light by the few travelers who -have penetrated this far-off country, less known, perhaps, than any -other portion of Central America. The Spaniards found the Itzas, a -Maya branch from Yucatan, established here, their capital, Tayasal, a -city of no small pretensions to magnificence, being on an island now -known as Remedios, in Lake Itza, or Peten, where the town of Flores is -now situated. Flores is built indeed on the ruins of the aboriginal -city, which, however, has left no relics of sculpture or architecture -to substantiate the Spanish accounts of its magnificent structures, -which included twenty-one adoratorios. Rude earthen figures and -vessels are, however, occasionally exhumed; and M. Morelet heard of -one vase of some hard transparent material, very beautifully formed -and ornamented. This relic had passed into the hands of a Tabascan -merchant. Sr Fajardo, commissioner to establish the boundary between -Mexico and Guatemala, furnished to Sr I. R. Gondra drawings of some -_nacas_, or small idols, found in the Peten graves. Sr Gondra -pronounces them similar to those of Yucatan as represented by -Stephens.[IV-41] - -On the north side of the lake is the small town of San José, and a -spot two days' journey south-eastward from here--although this would, -according to the maps, carry us back across the lake--is given as the -locality of three large edifices buried in the forest, called by the -natives Casas Grandes. All we know of them rests on the report of an -Indian chief, who was induced by M. Morelet to depart from the -characteristic reserve and secrecy of his race respecting the works of -the antiguos; consequently the statement that the buildings are -covered with sculptures in high relief, closely analogous to those of -Palenque, must be accepted with some allowance.[IV-42] - -Two days eastward of Lake Peten, on the route to Belize, is the lake -of Yaxhaa, Yachá, or Yasja, one of the isles in which is said to be -covered with débris of former structures. Col. Galindo, who visited -the locality in 1831, is the only one who has written of the ruins -from personal observation, and he only describes one structure, which -he terms the most remarkable of all. This is a tower of five stories, -each nine feet high, each of less length and breadth than the one -below it, and the lower one sixty-six feet square. No doors or windows -appear in the four lower stories, although Galindo, from the hollow -sound emitted under blows, supposed them not to be solid. A stairway -seven feet wide, of steps each four inches high, leads up to the base -of the fifth story on the west, at which point, as on the opposite -eastern side, is an entrance only high enough for a man to crawl -through on hands and knees. This upper story is divided into three -apartments communicating with each other by means of low doors, and -now roofless, but presenting signs of having been originally covered -with the overlapping arch. The whole structure is of hewn stone laid -in mortar, and no traces of wood remain. It is evident that this -building is entirely different from any other monuments which we have -thus far met in our progress northward, and further north we shall -meet few if any of a similar nature. So far as the data are sufficient -to justify conclusions, this may safely be classed with the older -remains at Copan and Quirigua, rather than with the more modern -Quiché-Cakchiquel structures. There are no means of determining with -any degree of accuracy whether these buildings of Yaxhaa were the work -of the Itzas or of a more ancient branch of the Maya people.[IV-43] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF TIKAL.] - -About forty miles north-east from the eastern end of Lake Peten, in -the foothills of the mountains, but in a locality inaccessible from -the direction of the lake except in the dry season, from January to -June, are the ruins of Tikal, a name signifying in the Maya language -'destroyed palaces.' So dry is the locality, however, during this dry -season, that water must be carried in casks, or thirst quenched with -the juice of a peculiar variety of reed that grows in the region. A -more thorough search might reveal natural wells, which supplied water -to the ancient inhabitants, as was the case further north in Yucatan. -The ruined structures of Tikal are reported to extend over a space of -at least a league, and they were discovered, although their existence -had been previously reported by the natives, in 1848, by Governor -Ambrosio Tut and Colonel Modesto Mendez. From the pen of the latter we -have a written description accompanied by drawings.[IV-44] -Unfortunately I have not been able to examine the drawings made by Sr -Mendez, whose text is brief and, in some respects, unsatisfactory. - - [Sidenote: TIKAL PALACES.] - -The chief feature at Tikal is the occurrence of many palaces or -temples of hewn stone in mortar, on the summit of hills usually of -slight elevation. Five of these are specially mentioned, of which -three are to some extent described. The first is on a hill about one -hundred and forty feet high, natural like all the rest so far as -known, but covered in many places with masonry. A stairway about -seventy feet wide leads up to the summit, on which stands a lofty -stone palace, or tower, seventy-two by twenty-four feet at the base -and eighty-six feet high, facing the east. The walls of the lower -portion, or what may be regarded as the first story, are plain and -coated with a hard cement. There is a niche five or six feet deep in -the front, covered on the interior with paintings and hieroglyphics, -and furnished with wooden rings at the top, as if for the suspension -of curtains. At this point an attempt to penetrate to the interior of -the structure showed the lower story to be solid, filled with earth -and stones. The upper story has an ornamented and sculptured front, -and there are ruins of a fallen balcony, or more probably a staircase -which formerly led up to the entrance. Nothing is said of the -interior of the upper portion. The second structure is of the same -dimensions as the first, and is built on a hill opposite, or eastward, -which seems, however, to have no steps upon its sides. It is much -damaged and fallen, but several of its rooms are well preserved, -having the triangular-arched roof of overlapping stones, walls -decorated with paintings and hieroglyphics, and corridors six and a -half feet wide and over one hundred feet long, with windows, or -air-holes, two and a half by four feet. The walls are nearly seven -feet thick, and the top of the doorway at the entrance is of rough -zapote beams. The third palace differs in no respect from the others, -except that the zapote architrave of the chief entrance is carved in -ornamental and hieroglyphic figures. In a kind of a court at the foot -of the hill in front of the first palace were found eleven stone idols -from five to six feet high. Three of the number stood on large round -stone disks, or pedestals. About twenty of these disks, without idols, -were also found, seven or eight of which bore indistinct medallion -figures sculptured in low relief, and the rest were rough and -apparently unfinished. Three oval stone disks were also dug out, as -implied by Mendez' text, from the excavation under the first palace, -although it is difficult to explain the presence of sculptured relics -in such a situation. One of the stones measured five and a half by -four by five and a half feet, and bore on one side the figure of a -woman with decorated robe. The second bore the outlines of a supposed -god, and the third a figure which the explorer profoundly concludes to -have represented an eagle or a snake, but which may perhaps be taken -for some other insect. On the road, just before reaching the ruins, -fragments of pottery were noticed, and Governor Tut had also seen the -figure of a bull well cut from stone lying on the bank of a lagoon -some eight miles distant. It is evident that at or near Tikal was -formerly a large city, and when we consider the extent and importance -of the ruins, the preceding description unaccompanied by plates may -seem meagre and unsatisfactory. But after a perusal of the following -chapter on the ruins of Yucatan, the reader will not fail to form a -clear idea of those at Tikal; since all that we know of the latter -indicates clearly their identity in style and in hieroglyphics with -numerous monuments of the peninsula further north. It is therefore -very probable that both groups are the work of the same people, -executed at approximately the same epoch. - -Colonel Mendez, while on his way to visit Tikal for the second time in -1852, accidentally discovered two other groups of ruins in the -neighborhood of Dolores, south-eastward from Lake Peten and at about -the same distance from the lake as Tikal. One group is south-east and -eight miles distant from Dolores, and the other the same distance -north-west. The former is called by the natives Yxtutz, and the latter -Yxcum. There seem to have been made a description and some drawings of -the Dolores remains, which I have not seen. Traces of walls are -mentioned and monoliths sculptured in high relief, with figures -resembling those at Copan and Quirigua rather than those at Tikal, -although the hieroglyphics are pronounced identical with those of the -latter monuments. Other relics are the figure of a woman dressed in a -short nagua of feathers about the waist, fitting closely and showing -the form of the leg; and a collection of sculptured blocks upon a -round disk, on which are carved hieroglyphics and figures of the sun -and moon with a prostrate human form before them. - - [Sidenote: RELICS IN BELIZE.] - -Near by on the Belize River is a cave in which several idols were -discovered, probably brought here by the natives for concealment.[IV-45] -There are found in the early Spanish annals of this region some -accounts of inhabited towns in this vicinity when the conquerors -first came, of which these ruins may be the remains. I close the -chapter on Guatemalan antiquities with two short quotations, embodying -all I have been able to find respecting the ancient monuments of the -English province of Belize, on the Atlantic coast eastward from Peten. -"About thirty miles up the Balize River, contiguous to its banks are -found, what in this country are denominated the Indian-hills. These -are small eminences, which are supposed to have been raised by the -aborigines over their dead; human bones, and fragments of a coarse -kind of earthen-ware, being frequently dug from them. These -Indian-hills are seldom discovered but in the immediate vicinity of -rivers or creeks," and were therefore, perhaps, built for refuge in -time of floods. "The foot of these hills is regularly planted round -with large stones, and the whole may perhaps be thought to bear a very -strong resemblance to the ancient barrows, or tumuli, so commonly -found in various parts of England."[IV-46] "I learned from a young -Frenchman that on this plantation (New Boston) are Indian ruins of the -same character as those of Yucatan, and that idols and other -antiquities have often been found there."[IV-47] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[IV-1] About five miles down the river from El Pozo de los Amates on -the main road from Guatemala to Yzabal, in a forest of cedar and -mahogany, about a mile from the left bank of the river, on the estate -of the Señores Payes. _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., pp. 118-23. -Stephens' map locates Quirigua, however, on the south bank of the -river. 'Quirigua, village guatémalien, situé sur la route et à huit -lieues environ du port de l'Isabal; les ruines qui en portent le nom -existent à deux lieues de là sur la rive gauche du fleuve Motagua.' -_Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Palenqué_, introd., p. 22. 'Sur la rive -gauche de la rivière de Motagua, à milles vares environ de cette -rivière.' _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1840, tom. lxxxviii., pp. -376-7. 'Liegen in der Nähe des kleinen Dorfes Los Amates, 2 Stunden -unterhalb Encuentros, am linken Ufer des Motagua, ¾ Stunde vom Flusse -entfernt, mitten im Walde. Der Weg von Yzabal führt in einer -Entfernung von 3 Stunden an dem Orte vorbei.' _Reichardt_, _Cent. -Amer._, p. 69. 'Eine der unbekanntesten und merkwürdigsten -Ruinenstätten Central-Amerika's, nahe dem See von Isabal, in einer -schwer zugänglichen Wildniss.' _Wagner and Scherzer_, _Costa Rica_, p. -x. 'Quirigüa, c'est le nom d'une ville considérable, bâtie par les -Aztèques à l'époque où florissait la magnifique Anahuac. Ses ruines -mystérieuses sont aujourd'hui ensevelies à environ trois lieues du -triste village qui porte son nom.' _Sue_, _Henri le Chancelier_, pp. -110-11. Nearly two English miles from the river-bank. _Scherzer_, -_Quiriguá_, p. 5. Mention in _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 276; -_Hesse_, in _Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, p. 256. - -[IV-2] _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., pp. 118-24, with two plates. -An account made up from Catherwood's notes was, however, inserted in -the Guatemalan newspaper _El Tiempo_ by the proprietors of the -Quirigua estate, and translated into French in _Le Moniteur Parisien_, -from which it was reprinted in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1840, -tom. lxxxviii., pp. 376-7; and in _Amérique Cent._, pt. ii., pp. 68-9, -both French and Spanish text is given. The same description is also -given in _Valois_, _Mexique_, pp. 202-3. Scherzer's pamphlet on the -subject bears the title _Ein Besuch bei den Ruinen von Quiriguá im -Staate Guatemala in Central-Amerika_, (Wien, 1855,) and I have not -found it quoted elsewhere. _Baily's Cent. Amer._, pp. 65-6, also -contains a brief account from a source not stated, and this is quoted -nearly in full in _Helps' Span. Conq._, vol. ii., pp. 138-9. The ruins -are slightly mentioned in _Macgregor's Progress of Amer._, vol. i., -pp. 878-9, and in _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, pp. 114-17, where it is -incorrectly stated that Mr Stephens personally visited Quirigua. -Brasseur de Bourbourg says: 'Nous les avons visitées en 1863, et nous -possédons les dessins des plusieurs des monolithes qu'on y voit, faits -par M. William Baily, d'Izabal.' _Palenqué_, introd., p. 22. See also -the additional references in Note 1. - -[IV-3] The French version of Catherwood's notes has it, 'Au centre du -cirque, dans lequel on descend par des degrés très-étroits, il y a une -grande pierre arrondie, dont le contour présente beaucoup -d'hiéroglyphes et d'inscriptions; deux têtes d'homme, de proportion -plus grande que nature, parraissent soutenir cette table, laquelle est -couverte de végétation dans la plus grande partie.' _Nouvelles Annales -des Voy._, 1840, tom. lxxxviii., p. 377. - -[IV-4] 'Wahrscheinlich benutzten die Erbauer einen hier schon -vorhandenen grossen Felsblock zu ihren Zwecken, denn der Transport -eines Steines von solcher Grösse und Umfang mit den bewegenden Kräften -welche diesen Völkern muthmasslich zu Gebote standen, wäre sonst kaum -begreiflich.' _Scherzer_, _Quiriguá_, p. 7. - -[IV-5] 'Plus inclinée que la tour de Pise.' _Nouvelles Annales des -Voy._, 1840, tom. lxxxviii., p. 376. - -[IV-6] Stephens' text, _Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 122, leaves it -uncertain whether it is the statue or the altar afterwards mentioned -which rests on the elevation. The French text, however, indicates that -it is the former. - -[IV-7] See Notes 6 and 3. - -[IV-8] Baily, _Cent. Amer._, pp. 65-6, sums up all the relics at -Quirigua as follows: seven quadrilateral columns, twelve to -twenty-five feet high, three to five feet at base; four pieces of an -irregular oval shape, twelve by ten or eleven feet, not unlike -sarcophagi; two large square slabs seven and a half by three feet and -over three feet thick; all except the slabs being covered on all sides -with elaborately wrought and well-defined sculptured figures of men, -women, animals, foliage, and fanciful representations. All the columns -are moreover of a single piece of stone. - -[IV-9] Yet Scherzer thinks that 'es ist nicht ganz unwahrscheinlich, -dass die Monumente von Quiriguá noch zur Zeit der spanischen Invasion -ihrer religiösen Bestimmung dienten, und dass auch eine Stadt in der -Nähe noch bewohnt war.' _Quiriguá_, p. 15, although there is no record -of such a place in the annals of the conquest. - -[IV-10] Although Baily, _Cent. Amer._, p. 66, says 'they do not -resemble in sculpture those of Palenque ... nor are they similar to -those of Copan.... They suggest the idea of having been designed for -historical records rather than mere ornament.' - -[IV-11] The sculpture presents no old-world affinities whatever. A -certain coarseness of execution, implying inferior tools, -distinguishes them from the coarsest Egyptian carvings. Both grouping -and execution indicate a still "barbaric state of art, with no -advanced idea of beauty, the patience and industry of the workmen -being more remarkable than their ideas or skill." _Scherzer_, -_Quiriguá_, p. 11-12. - -[IV-12] _Hesse_, in _Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, p. 256. - -[IV-13] _Palacio_, _Carta_, pp. 62. - -[IV-14] Padre Urrutia published an account of his investigations at -Cinaca-Mecallo in the _Gaceta de Guatemala_, according to _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 81. The most complete -description, however, he gave in a letter to E. G. Squier, who -published the same in his _Cent. Amer._, pp. 342-4. The substance of -the letter may be found in _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, p. 124; and a -French version in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1857, tom. cliii., pp. -182-6. - -[IV-15] _Juarros' Hist. Guat._, pp. 45, 308-9, taking the information -from _Fuentes_, _Recopilacion Florida_, MS., tom. ii., lib. iv., cap. -ii. Of course no importance is to be attached to these and similar -reports. - -[IV-16] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., pp. 43-4. - -[IV-17] _Valois_, _Mexique_, pp. 430-1. - -[IV-18] _Dupaix_, _Rel. 3me Expéd._, p. 9, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. -i., div. i., tom. iii., pl. vii., fig. 12, and in _Kingsborough's Mex. -Antiq._, vol. v., p. 290, vol. vi., p. 470, vol. iv., pl. viii., fig. -12. Kingsborough's translation incorrectly represents this relic as -having been found at Palenque, although the original reads 'lo -encontró en Guatemala' and the French 'l'a trouvée à Guatemala.' M. -Lenoir, _Parallèle_, p. 72, thinks the engraved device may show some -analogy with the astronomical traditions of the ancients, the serpent -of the pole, the dragon, the constellation Ophis, the apples of the -Hesperides, etc.; and the reverse may be the Mexican tradition of the -creation, the Python, or the serpent killed by Cadmus!! Cabrera, -_Teatro Crítico_, pp. 53-5, pl. i., who was the bearer of one of the -medals to the king of Spain, speaks of it as made of brass, and -pronounces it to be 'a concise history of the primitive population of -this part of North America.' The bird, in his opinion, is an eagle -with a serpent in its beak and claws. His application of this relic to -history will be more appropriate when I come to treat of the origin of -the Americans. - -[IV-19] _Hist. Mag._, vol. vi., pp. 57-8. - -[IV-20] _Juarros' Hist. Guat._, pp. 488-9. The ruins are situated on a -rock commanding the junction of the rivers Pixcayatl and Motagua. -_Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 524. Ruins of -the ancient capital of the Cakchiquel kings. _Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, -pp. 333, 335. 'Remarquable par les ruines de l'ancienne forteresse du -même nom.' _Larenaudière_, _Mex. et Guat._, p. 266; _Malte-Brun_, -_Précis de la Géog._, tom. vi., p. 470. - -[IV-21] _Juarros' Hist. Guat._, pp. 487-8; _Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, p. -333. - -[IV-22] _Hesse_, in _Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, p. 257. - -[IV-23] _Fuentes_, in _Juarros' Hist. Guat._, p. 492; _Hassel_, _Mex. -Guat._, p. 327. - -[IV-24] _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 281. - -[IV-25] _Hesse_, in _Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, p. 257. - -[IV-26] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 507. - -[IV-27] _Reichardt_, _Cent. Amer._, p. 72. - -[IV-28] The distance is stated to be one fourth of a mile, one mile -and a half, one league, and one league and a half by different -writers. - -[IV-29] _Juarros' Hist. Guat._, pp. 382-4; his authority being -_Fuentes_, _Recopilacion_, MS., tom. i., lib. iii., cap. i., and lib. -xv., cap. v.; _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., pp. 147, 149-53. -Juarros' account is also given in _Conder's Mex. Guat._, vol. ii., pp. -270-1, in _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, p. 90, and in _Stephens' Cent. -Amer._, loc. cit. It is also used with that of Stephens to make up the -description in _Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, pp. 199-200. Slight mention -also in _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 284; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, -_Palenqué_, p. 33; _Id._, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., pp. 152, 493, -526. According to Brasseur's statement, M. Daly made drawings at -Patinamit, seen by the Abbé, and to be published. - -[IV-30] _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 146. - -[IV-31] 'In the province of Quezaltenango, there are still to be met -with the vestiges and foundations of many large fortresses, among -which is the celebrated one of Parrazquin, situated on the confines of -Totonicapan and Quezaltenango; and the citadel of Olintepeque, formed -with all the intricacies of a labyrinth, and which was the chief -defence of the important city of Xelahuh.' _Juarros' Hist. Guat._, pp. -485, 379. Slight mention also, probably resting on no other authority -than the paragraph above quoted, in _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. -247; _Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, p. 341. - -[IV-32] _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., pp. 171, 182-8. Mr Stephens -gives, besides the engravings I have copied, and one of the other -terra-cotta heads mentioned, a view of El Sacrificatorio, a ground -plan showing the relative positions of the plateau, the barranca, and -the projecting fortress, together with a view of El Resguardo and the -other ruins in the distance. I do not reproduce them because they show -no details not included in the description, which, moreover, is easily -comprehended without the aid of cuts. A thorough exploration of -Utatlan was made by Don Miguel Rivera y Maestre, a commissioner sent -for the purpose by the Guatemalan government in 1834. His MS. report -to the state authorities was seen by Mr Stephens and is described as -being very full and accurate, but not containing any details outside -of Stephens' account. He does not state that his plans and views were -obtained from Rivera y Maestre. Juarros, _Hist. Guat._, pp. 86-8, 487, -follows Fuentes, who described the city chiefly from historical -accounts of its original condition, although it seems that he also -visited the ruins. Las Casas, _Hist. Apologética_, MS., cap. lii., -speaks of Utatlan's 'maravillosos edificios de cal y canto, de los -cuales yo vide muchos.' Brasseur de Bourbourg, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. -ii., pp. 493, 120, tom. i., p. 124, speaks of Rivera y Maestre's plans -in Stephens' work as incorrect, but rejoices in the prospect that M. -César Daly will publish correct drawings. 'Un des palais des rois de -Quiché a 728 pas géométriques de longueur et 376 de largeur.' -_Humboldt_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1827, tom. xxxv., p. 329. -'En Utlatan habia muchos y muy grandes _cues_ ó templos de sus Idolos, -de maravillosos edificios, y yo vi algunos aunque muy arruinados.' -_Zurita_, in _Palacio_, _Carta_, pp. 123-4. See also accounts of these -ruins made up from Stephens and Juarros, in _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. -Stat._, p. 286, and _Reichardt_, _Cent. Amer._, p. 72; also mention in -_Malte-Brun_, _Précis de la Géog._, tom. vi., p. 470; _Larenaudière_, -_Mex. et Guat._, pp. 266, 274; _Galindo_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., -div. ii., pp. 73-8; _Revue Amér._, 1826, tom. i., pp. 353-5; _Müller_, -_Amerikanische Urreligionen_, p. 462. - -[IV-33] _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 192. - -[IV-34] See p. 63 of this volume. - -[IV-35] _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., pp. 228-32, with figures of -two vases found at Huehuetenango in addition to those represented -above. 'On trouve un plan des plus incorrects dans le MS. de Fuentes.' -_Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., pp. 119, 504. -Mention of the ruins in _Id._, _Palenqué_, p. 34. Huehuetenango, in -Lat. 15° 28´ 15´´, Long. 91° 36´ 50´´. _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. -288. Engravings of four vases copied from Stephens, in _Larenaudière_, -_Mex. et Guat._, p. 379, pl. 14. - -[IV-36] 'J'ai moi-même visité les ruines d'un grande nombre de ces -villes et châteaux, dont les positions sont admirablement choisies -pour la défense; il en existe sur presque toutes les hauteurs qui -environnent la plaine de Rabinal. Elles sont, du reste, -très-nombreuses dans toutes les provinces guatémaliennes et sont une -preuve de l'étendue de leur antique population.' The chief one is one -league west of Rabinal. _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, -tom. ii., p. 125. Ruins of Cawinal, _Id._, p. 149. Mention of tumuli, -_Id._, tom. i., p. 15. Mention of ruins of Tzuruya, Tzutum, Nimpokom, -Cakyug, Zamaneb, and Salama. _Id._, tom. ii., pp. 479, 505-6. Mention -of Nebah, Uspantan, Rabinal, Cavinal, Xeocok, and Nimpokom. _Wappäus_, -_Geog. u. Stat._, pp. 288, 291. The ruins located by Sonnenstern, -_Mapa de Guat._, 1859, proceeding from west to east, are as follows: -Xolacul, Nebak, Hatzal, Suizul, Balbitz, Cavinal, Pacalay, Xokoc, -Beleh Trak, Pikek, Xozintun, Trak Pocoma, Cakyug, Chocotoy, Chotocoy, -Talam, Xubabal. - -[IV-37] _Annual Scien. Discov._, 1850, pp. 363-4. - -[IV-38] _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 193. - -[IV-39] Pontelli's account with some plates was published in the -_Correo de Ultramar_, Paris, 1860. I have not seen the original, but -what purports to be a translation of it in the _California Farmer_, -Nov. 7, 1862, is the veriest trash, containing nothing definite -respecting the location or description of the pretended discoveries. - -[IV-40] _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., pp. 195-7; _Id._, _Yuc._, -vol. ii., p. 201. 'Quant à l'existence d'une cité mystérieuse, habitué -par des indigènes, qui vivraient au centre du Petén dans les mêmes -conditions d'autrefois, c'est une croyance qu'il faut reléguer parmi -les fantaisies de l'imagination. Ce conte a pris naissance au Yucatan, -et les voyageurs en le recueillant, lui ont donné trop d'importance.' -_Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. ii., p. 68. Mr Otis, on the authority of a -late English explorer, believes the city to be a limestone formation -which has misled. _Hist. Mag._, vol. vi., p. 120. 'We must reject the -notion of great cities existing here.' _Squier_, in _Id._, vol. iv., -p. 67. Its existence not improbable. _Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, p. 263. -Such reports unfounded. _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, -tom. i., p. 37. - -[IV-41] _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. ii., pp. 65-8, 26. M. Morelet, by -reason of sickness, was unable to make any personal explorations in -Peten beyond the island. He has preserved, however, some native -reports respecting the antiquities of the region. 'On trouve dans tout -ce pays des ruines d'anciens édifices, comme dans le Yucathan, et des -idoles en pierre.' _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1843, tom. xcvii., p. -51. 'Por aquellos montes ay muchos edificios antiguos grandiosos (como -lo que oy se ven en Yucathàn) y en ellos muy grandes Idolos de -piedra.' _Cogolludo_, _Hist. Yuc._, p. 700. 'It is doubtful if any -monuments of note exist in the district, except on the islands, or in -the immediate neighborhood of the lakes.' _Squier's Cent. Amer._, pp. -543-5. Mention in _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 295; _Humboldt_, in -_Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1827, tom. xxxv., p. 329. 'Il n'existe -dans cette île aucuns vestiges d'idoles ni de temples.' _Waldeck_, -_Voy. Pitt._, pp. 69-70. Many relics and remains of idols still to be -found on the island. _Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, p. 359; _Malte-Brun_, -_Précis de la Géog._, tom. vi., p. 470; _Morelet's Trav._, pp. 240-2; -_Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Mex._, tom. iii., p. 98. - -[IV-42] 'Les Indiens, on le sait, se montrent très réservés sur tout -ce qui touche à leur ancienne nationalité: quoique ces ruines fussent -connues d'un grand nombre d'entre eux, pas un n'avait trahi le secret -de leur existence.' _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. ii., pp. 66-7; _Id._, -_Trav._, pp. 241-2; _Squier_, in _Hist. Mag._, vol. iv., p. 66; -_Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 295. - -[IV-43] _Galindo_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 68; -_Squier_, in _Hist. Mag._, vol. iv., p. 66. Mr Squier says the tower -is 22 feet square at the base, instead of 22 paces as Galindo gives -it. He does not state the authority on which his description rests; it -seems, however, in other respects to be simply a reproduction of -Galindo's account, which is also repeated in _Squier's Cent. Amer._, -pp. 544-5. Slight mention in _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. ii., p. 66; -_Id._, _Trav._, p. 240; _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 295. - -[IV-44] Col. Mendez, whom Gov. Tut preceded at Tikal by a day or two -only, visited the ruins as commissioner of the Guatemalan government, -to which, after a stay of four days, he made a report. This report, so -far as I know, was never published in the original Spanish; but the -MS. fell into the hands of Mr Hesse, Prussian envoy to the Central -American governments, and was by him translated into German and -published with the plates in the _Zeitschrift für Allgemeine -Erdkunde_, 1853, tom. i., pt. iii., pp. 162-8. This translation, -without the plates, and with some slight omissions of unimportant -details respecting the journey, was also published in _Sivers_, -_Mittelamerika_, pp. 247-54, 304-8, with notes by Messrs Hesse and -Sivers. This is the source of my information. Mendez revisited Tikal -in 1852, without obtaining any additional information of value so far -as I know. The ruins are mentioned and more or less fully described, -always from the same source, in _Müller_, _Amerikanische -Urreligionen_, pp. 460-2; _Buschmann_, _Ortsnamen_, pp. 115-17; -_Ritter_, in _Gumprecht_, tom. i., p. 3; _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, -pp. 247, 295. - -[IV-45] Hesse, in _Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, pp. 254-5, 308-9; -_Buschmann_, _Ortsnamen_, pp. 115-16; _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. -295; _Müller_, _Amerikanische Urreligionen_, p. 460. - -[IV-46] _Henderson's Honduras_, pp. 52-3; repeated in _Squier's Cent. -Amer._, pp. 596-7. - -[IV-47] _Froebel's Cent. Amer._, p. 167. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -ANTIQUITIES OF YUCATAN. - - YUCATAN, THE COUNTRY AND THE PEOPLE -- ABUNDANCE OF RUINED - CITIES -- ANTIQUARIAN EXPLORATION OF THE STATE -- CENTRAL - GROUP -- UXMAL -- HISTORY AND BIBLIOGRAPHY -- WALDECK, - STEPHENS, CATHERWOOD, NORMAN, FRIEDERICHSTHAL, AND CHARNAY - -- CASA DEL GOBERNADOR, LAS MONJAS, EL ADIVINO, PYRAMID, - AND GYMNASIUM -- KABAH, NOHPAT, LABNÁ, AND NINETEEN OTHER - RUINED CITIES -- EASTERN GROUP; CHICHEN ITZA AND VICINITY - -- NORTHERN GROUP; MAYAPAN, MÉRIDA, AND IZAMAL -- SOUTHERN - GROUP; LABPHAK, ITURBIDE, AND MACOBA -- EASTERN COAST; - TULOOM AND COZUMEL -- WESTERN COAST; MAXCANÚ, JAÏNA, AND - CAMPECHE -- GENERAL FEATURES OF THE YUCATAN RELICS -- - PYRAMIDS AND STONE BUILDINGS -- LIMESTONE, MORTAR, STUCCO, - AND WOOD -- THE TRIANGULAR ARCH -- SCULPTURE, PAINTING, - AND HIEROGLYPHICS -- ROADS AND WELLS -- COMPARISONS -- - ANTIQUITY OF THE MONUMENTS -- CONCLUSIONS. - - - [Sidenote: PHYSICAL FEATURES OF YUCATAN.] - -North of the bay of Chetumal on the Atlantic, the Laguna de Terminos -on the gulf of Mexico, and latitude 17° 50´ in the interior, lies the -peninsula of Yucatan, one of the few exceptions to the general -direction of the world's peninsulas, projecting north-eastwardly from -the continent, its form approximately a parallelogram whose sides -measure two hundred and fifty miles from north to south and two -hundred from east to west. Its whole surface, so far as known to -geographers, may be termed practically a level plain only slightly -elevated above the level of the sea. The coast for the most part, and -especially in the north, is low, sandy, and barren, with few -indentations affording harbors, and correspondingly few towns and -cities of any importance. Crossing the narrow coast region, however, -we find the interior fertile and heavily wooded. While there are no -mountains that deserve the name, yet there are not entirely wanting -ranges of hills to break up and diversify by their elevation of from -two hundred to five hundred feet the monotony of a dead level. Chief -among these is the Sierra de Yucatan, so called, an offshoot of the -southern Peten heights, branching out from the great central -Cordillera. It stretches north-eastward nearly parallel with the -eastern coast to within some twenty-five miles of Cape Catoche. -Another line of hills on the opposite gulf coast extends from the -mouth of the River Champoton, also north-eastward, toward Mérida, the -capital of the state, about thirty miles south-west of which place it -deflects abruptly at right angles from its former direction, and with -one or two parallel minor ranges extends south-eastward at least -half-way across the state. At some period geologically recent the -waves of ocean and gulf doubtless beat against this elbow-shaped -sierra, then the coast barrier of the peninsula; since the country -lying to the north and west presents everywhere in its limestone -formation traces of its comparatively late emergence from beneath the -sea. The lack of water on the surface is a remarkable feature in the -physical geography of Yucatan. There are no rivers, and the few small -streams along the coast extend but few miles inland and disappear as a -rule in the dry season. One small lake, whose waters are strongly -impregnated with salt, is the only body of water in the broad -interior, which is absolutely destitute of streams. From June to -October of each year rain falls in torrents, and the sandy, calcareous -soil seems to possess a wonderful property of retaining the stored-up -moisture, since the ardent rays of the tropical sun beating down -through the long rainless summer months, rarely succeed in parching -any portion of the surface into any approach to the sterility of a -desert. The summer temperature, although high, is modified by -sea-breezes from the east and west; consequently the heat is less -oppressive and the climate on the whole more healthful than in any -other state of the American tierra caliente. The inhabitants, -something over half a million in number, of whom a very large -proportion are full-blooded natives of the Maya race, are a quiet and -peaceful though brave people, living simply on the products of the -soil and of the forest, and each community taking but little interest -in the affairs of the world away from their own immediate -neighborhood. They made a brave but vain resistance to the progress of -foreign conquerors, and have since lived for the most part in quiet -subjection to the power of a dominant race and the priests of a -foreign faith, having lost almost completely the ambitious and haughty -spirit for which they were once noted, and forgotten practically the -greatness of their civilized ancestors. Since throwing off the power -of Spain, they have passed through four or five revolutions,--a -noteworthy record when compared with that of other Spanish American -states--by which Yucatan has passed successively to and fro from the -condition of an independent republic to that of a state in the Mexican -Republic, to which it now belongs. Except the northern central -portion, which contains the capital and principal towns, and which -itself, outside of Mérida and the route to the coast, is only -comparatively well known through the writings of a few travelers, and -except also some of the ports along the coast visited occasionally by -trading vessels of various nations, Yucatan is still essentially a -terra incognita. It was more thoroughly explored by the Spanish -soldiers and priests in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries than -at any subsequent time. The eastern interior and the southern -bordering on the Guatemalan province of Peten are especially -unexplored, little or nothing being known of the latter district away -from the trails that lead southward, one to Bacalar, the other to Lake -Peten, trodden by the feet of few but natives during the last two -centuries. - - [Sidenote: A RICH ANTIQUARIAN FIELD.] - -Yucatan presents a rich field for antiquarian exploration, furnishing -perhaps finer, and certainly more numerous, specimens of ancient -aboriginal architecture, sculpture, and painting than have been -discovered in any other section of America. The state is literally -dotted, at least in the northern central, or best known, portions with -ruined edifices and cities. I shall have occasion to mention, and -describe more or less fully, in this chapter, such ruins in between -fifty and sixty different localities.[V-1] While these monuments, -however, are the most extensive and among the best preserved within -the limits of the Pacific States, they were yet among the last to be -brought to the knowledge of the modern world. In the voyages, made -early in the sixteenth century, which immediately preceded the -conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards, Córdova, Grijalva, and Cortés -touched at various points along the Yucatan coast, and were amazed to -find there on the borders of a new world which they had supposed to be -occupied exclusively by barbarians, a civilized people who served -their gods and kept their idols in lofty stone temples. But their stay -was brief and they pursued their way northward, bent on the conquest -of the richer realms of Montezuma. The excitement of the conquest and -the new wonders beheld in Anáhuac blotted practically from the popular -mind all memory of the southern tower-temples, although their -discovery was recorded in the diaries of the expeditions, from which -and from verbal descriptions accounts were inserted in the works of -the standard historians of the Indies. Later, in the middle of the -century, when the turn came for Yucatan to be overrun with soldiers, -stone temples had become too familiar sights to excite much attention; -yet the chroniclers of the time included in their annals some brief -descriptions of the heathen temples destroyed by the Spanish invaders; -and the Yucatan historians of the following century, Landa, Cogolludo, -and Villagutierre Soto-Mayor, described and personally visited some of -the ruins. These earlier accounts have been utilized in delineating -the state of architectural art among the Mayas in a preceding volume, -and they will also be used somewhat extensively as illustrative -material in the following pages. Since these early times the ruins, -shrouded by a dense tropical vegetation, have lain untenanted and -unknown, save to the peaceful inhabitants of the northern and more -thickly settled portions of the state, who have from time to time -become aware of their existence accidentally while in search of water -or a favorable locality for a milpa, or cornfield. Only a few of the -forty-four ruined towns explored by Mr Stephens were known to exist by -the people of Mérida, the state capital. - - [Sidenote: EXPLORATION OF MAYA RUINS.] - - [Sidenote: STEPHENS AND CATHERWOOD.] - -Since 1830 the veil has been lifted from the principal ruins of -ancient Maya works by the researches of Zavala, Waldeck, Stephens, -Catherwood, Norman, Friederichsthal, and Charnay. A general account of -the antiquarian explorations and writings of these gentlemen is given -in the appended note,[V-2] details and notices of additional visitors -to particular localities being reserved until I come to speak of those -localities. It will be noticed that all the authors mentioned who -write from actual observation, have confined their observations to -from one to four of the principal ruins, whose existence was known -previous to their visits, excepting Messrs Stephens and Catherwood. -These gentlemen boldly left the beaten track and brought to the -knowledge of the world about forty ruined cities whose very existence -had been previously unknown even to the residents of the larger -cities of the very state in whose territory they lie. With a force of -natives to aid in clearing away the forest, Mr Stephens spent ten -months in surveying, and Mr Catherwood in sketching with the aid of a -daguerrean camera, the various groups of ruined structures. The -accuracy of both survey and drawings is unquestioned. The visit of -these explorers was the first, and has thus far proved in most cases -the last. The wrecks of Maya architecture have been left to slumber -undisturbed in their forest winding-sheet. "For a brief space the -stillness that reigned around them was broken, and they were again -left to solitude and silence. Time and the elements are hastening them -to utter destruction. It has been the fortune of the author to step -between them and the entire destruction to which they are destined; -and it is his hope to snatch from oblivion these perishing, but still -gigantic memorials of a mysterious people." His hope has been fully -realized, and his book may be regarded as a model, both as a journal -of travel and personal adventure and as a record of antiquarian -research. Mr Stephens is one of the very few travelers who have been -able to gaze upon the noble monuments of a past civilization without -being drawn into a maze of absurd reasoning and conjecture respecting -their builders. His conclusions, if sometimes incorrect in the opinion -of other antiquarians entitled to a hearing in the matter, are never -groundless or rashly formed. - -Notwithstanding the extent of Mr Stephens' explorations, a very large -part of Yucatan remains yet untrodden by the antiquary's foot. This is -especially true in the east, except on the immediate coast, and in the -south toward Guatemala. That extensive ruins yet lie hidden in these -unexplored regions, can hardly be doubted; indeed, it is by no means -certain that the grandest cities, even in the settled and partially -explored part of the peninsula, have yet been described; but the -uniformity of such as have been brought to our knowledge does not lead -us to expect new developments with respect to the nature, whatever may -be proved of the extent, of the Maya antiquities. - -By reason of the level surface of the peninsula, uncut by rivers, and -unbroken by mountain ranges, the determination of the geographical -position of its ruins is reduced to a statement of distances and -bearings. The location of the chief cities is moreover indicated on -the map which accompanies this volume.[V-3] With respect to the order -in which they are to be described there would be little ground for -preference in favor of any particular arrangement, were they all -equally well known. But this is not the case. Two or three of the -principal cities have been carefully examined, described, and -sketched, and as for the rest, only their points of contrast with the -preceding have been pointed out. All that is known of most of the -ruins would be wholly unintelligible at the commencement of my -description, but will be found comparatively satisfactory further on. -Thus I am not only obliged to describe the best-known ruins first, but -fortunately these are also among the grandest and most typical of the -whole, being, in fact, the very ones that would be selected for the -purpose. To fully describe a few and point out contrasts in the rest -is the only method of avoiding a very tiresome monotony in attempting -to make known some hundreds of structures very like one to another in -most of their details as well as in their general features. The -similarity observed among the different monuments is a very great -advantage to the antiquarian student, since it will enable me, if I -mistake not, to give the reader in this chapter as clear an idea of -the antiquities of Yucatan, notwithstanding their great number, as of -any portion of the Pacific States. - - [Sidenote: GROUPS OF RUINS.] - -For convenience in description, then, I divide the ruins in the -interior of the state into four groups; the central group,--placed -first that I may begin my account with Uxmal--which, besides the -extensive ruins of Uxmal, Kabah, and Labná, embraces relics of the -past in at least nineteen other localities; the eastern group, -including little besides the famous ruins at Chichen Itza; the -northern group, in which I mention Izamal, Aké, Mérida, and Mayapan; -and the southern group, comprising five or six ruined towns in the -region of Iturbide. I shall finally treat of the antiquities -discovered at various points on the eastern and western coasts. - -The parallel ranges of hills already spoken of as extending half-way -across the peninsula from north-west to south-east contain within -their enclosed valleys the ruins of the first group, more numerous -than in any other section of the state, and all comprised within a -parallelogram whose sides would measure about thirty and forty miles -respectively. - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF UXMAL.] - -Uxmal is the most north-western of the group, in latitude 20° 27´ -30´´, thirty-five miles south of Mérida, on a hacienda belonging, by -a deed running back one hundred and forty years, thirty-five years -ago,--and very likely still, as real estate rarely changes hands in -Spanish American countries,--to the Peon family, and at one time -cultivated by its owners as a cornfield.[V-4] The derivation and -meaning of the name Uxmal,[V-5] like that of so many American cities -of the past, is unknown; it is even uncertain whether this was the -name of the city at all in the days of its original greatness, or only -an appellation derived from that of the hacienda on which it stands, -in comparatively modern times. Waldeck and some other writers take the -latter view, identifying the ruins themselves with the city of -Itzalane, ancient capital of the Itzas, although the authorities -indicate only very vaguely that a city named Itzalane ever existed. -Brasseur de Bourbourg, on the contrary, believes it to have been, -under its present name of Uxmal, the capital of the Tutul Xius in the -ninth century; Mr Stephens also believes that Uxmal was an inhabited -city down to the days of the conquest.[V-6] The ruins are situated in -the foothills of one of the ranges mentioned, notwithstanding which -fact the locality seems to be one of the most unhealthy in the state. -Fever and ague, especially during the rainy season, and ravenous -mosquitos have ever been the chief obstacles encountered by travelers. -The vegetation, although dense and of the usual rapid growth, has been -a lesser hindrance here than in many other localities, by reason of -the ruins' proximity to a hacienda and the frequent clearings -made.[V-7] - -The exact extent of the ruins it is of course impossible to determine, -since the whole region abounds with mounds and heaps of débris -scattered in every direction through the adjoining forest,[V-8] and -belonging originally to Uxmal or to some city in its immediate -vicinity. A rectangular space, however, measuring in general terms -something over one third of a mile from north to south and one fourth -of a mile from east to west would include all the principal -structures. The annexed plan will show their arrangement within the -rectangle, as well as their ground forms and dimensions more clearly -than many pages of descriptive text. Except in a few instances I have -not attempted on the plan to represent the grades of the various -terraces, which will be made clear in the text, but have indicated the -extent of their bases by dotted lines and by the omission of the -foliage which covers their sides and platforms as well as the -surrounding country.[V-9] It will be seen at a glance by the reader -that none of the structures face exactly the cardinal points, and that -no two of them face exactly in the same direction. It is customary for -writers on American antiquities to speak of all the principal ruined -palaces and temples as exactly oriented, and all the visitors to -Uxmal, except Stephens, make the same statement respecting its -structures, or so represent them on their plans. But in this case we -are left in no uncertainty in the matter, for a photographic view of -the southern ruins from the courtyard of the building C, agrees -exactly with Stephens' plan, and proves beyond question that the -structures A and C, at least, cannot lie in the same direction.[V-10] -To prove that any of them face the cardinal points will require more -careful examination than has yet been made. - - [Illustration] - - [Sidenote: PLAN OF UXMAL] - - [Sidenote: UXMAL--CASA DEL GOBERNADOR.] - -In the southern central portion of the space comprised in the plan is -the edifice at A, known as the Casa del Gobernador, or Governor's -House. It may be remarked here that the names by which the different -structures are known have been given them, generally by the natives, -but sometimes by visitors, in accordance with what they have fancied -to have been their original use. There is only a very slight -probability that in a few cases they may have hit upon a correct -designation, although many of the names, like that of this building, -are certainly sufficiently appropriate.[V-11] The terraced mound that -supports the Governor's house demands our first attention. Its base, -with its irregularities in form on the west and south, is shown on the -plan by the dotted lines _a_, _b_, _c_, _d_: and measures on its -perfect sides, _ab_, and _bc_, about six hundred feet. At a height of -three feet from the ground a terrace, or promenade, mostly destroyed -at the time of observation and not indicated on the plan, extends -round the mound. From this rises the second terrace to a height of -twenty feet, supporting a platform whose sides measure five hundred -and forty-five feet. Somewhat west of the centre of this platform -rises the third terrace, nineteen feet high and supporting the summit -platform _e_, _f_, _g_, _h_, whose dimensions are about one hundred by -three hundred and sixty feet, and whose height above the original -surface of the ground is something over forty feet.[V-12] The material -of the body of this mound is rough fragments of limestone thrown -together without any order; the terraces are supported, however, at -the sides by solid walls built of regular blocks of hewn limestone -carefully laid in mortar nearly as hard as the rock. So far as can be -determined from the drawings, these walls are not perpendicular, but -incline slightly inward towards the top, and the corners are not -square but carefully rounded. It is not improbable that the platforms -were also paved originally with square blocks, as M. Charnay believes, -although now covered with soil and vegetation. By means of an -excavation, solid stone was found in the interior above the surface -level, showing that the builders had taken advantage of a natural -elevation as a labor-saving expedient in heaping up this massive -artificial stone mound. There are no traces of stairways by which -access was had to the second platform,[V-13] but a long inclined plane -without steps, one hundred feet wide, on the southern side, apparently -furnished the only means of ascent. From the second platform, however, -a regular stairway of thirty-five steps, one hundred and thirty feet -wide, leads up to the summit at _i_, being in the centre of the -eastern side, or front. - - [Illustration: Ground Plan of the Casa del Gobernador.] - - [Illustration: Section of the Casa del Gobernador.] - -The upper platform supports, and forms a promenade thirty feet wide -round the Casa del Gobernador, which is a building three hundred and -twenty-two feet long, thirty-nine feet wide, and twenty-six feet -high,[V-14] built of stone and mortar. A central wall divides the -interior longitudinally into two nearly equal corridors, which, -divided again by transverse partition walls, form two parallel rows of -rooms extending the whole length of the building. The arrangement of -these rooms will be best understood by a reference to the accompanying -ground plan from Mr Stephens.[V-15] The two central apartments are -about sixty feet long and twelve feet wide; the others, except the -two in the recesses, are twelve by twenty-five feet. Those of the -front corridor are twenty-three feet high, while in the rear they are -only twenty-two, authorities differing somewhat, however, on this -point. There are two doorways in the rear, one on each end, and -thirteen on the front; with nine interior doorways exactly opposite -the same number on the exterior. The rear, or western wall, except for -a short distance at each end, is nine feet thick and perfectly solid, -as was proved by an excavation; the transverse walls corresponding -with the two recesses are of about the same thickness; and all the -other walls are between two and three feet thick. The stone for the -facings of the whole building is cut in smooth blocks nearly cubic in -form and of varying but nowhere exactly stated dimensions; but the -mass of the structure, as is proven by M. Charnay's photograph, is an -agglomeration of rough, irregular fragments of stone in mortar. The -construction of the whole will be understood by a glance at the cut, -which represents a section of the building at the central doorway in -very nearly its true proportions, although the proper size and cubical -form of the blocks are not observed.[V-16] At about mid-height of each -room the side walls begin to approach each other, one layer of stones -overlapping the one below it, until they are only one foot apart, when -a number of blocks, longer than usual, are laid across the top, -serving by means of the mortar which holds them in place and the -weight of the superimposed masonry, as key-stones to this arch of the -true American type. The projecting corners of the overlapping blocks -are beveled off so that the ceiling presents two plane stone surfaces -nearly forming an acute angle at the top. Above and between these -arches all is solid masonry to the flat roof, giving to the apartments -the air of galleries excavated in the solid mass, rather than enclosed -by walls. The top of each doorway is formed by a stout beam of -zapote-wood which has to bear the weight of the stone-work above. One -of these lintels in the southern apartment, ten feet long, twenty-one -inches wide, and ten inches thick, is elaborately carved; the rest, -not only in this building, but in all at Uxmal, are plain.[V-17] Many -of them are broken and fallen. It is to the breaking of these wooden -lintels that is to be attributed nearly all the dilapidation -observable about this ruin, especially over the outer doorways. Some -special motive must have influenced the builders to use wood in -preference to the more durable stone, and this motive may be supposed -to have been the rarity and value of the zapote, which is said not to -grow in this part of the state. The only traces preserved of the means -by which these doorways were originally closed are the remains, on the -inside of some of them near the top, of rings, or hooks, which may -have served as hinges, or more probably for the support of a bar from -which to suspend curtains. The dimensions of the doorways are not -stated, but they are about ten feet high and seven feet wide. They are -the only openings into or between the apartments, there being -absolutely no windows, chimneys, or air-holes. Across the ceilings -from side to side at about mid-height stretch small wooden beams, -whose ends are built into the stone-work. The only suggestions -respecting their use are that they served to support the ceilings -while in process of construction, and that they served for the -suspension of hammocks.[V-18] The inner surface of the rooms is that -of the plain smooth stone blocks, except in one or two of them where a -very thin coating of fine white plaster is noticed. There is no trace -of painting, sculpture, or other attempt at decoration. The floors and -roof are covered with a hard cement. Nothing further worthy of -particular notice demands our attention in the interior of the -Governor's House, except the small apartments corresponding with the -recesses near each end of the building. In these the sides of the -ceiling instead of beginning to approach each other by means of -overlapping blocks at mid-height of the room, begin at or near the -floor, thus leaving no perpendicular walls whatever. The explanation -of this seems to be, so far as can be judged from Catherwood's drawing -and Charnay's photograph, that originally an open passage about twenty -feet wide at the bottom, narrowing to two or three feet at the top, -and twenty-four feet high, extended completely through the building -from front to rear at each of the recesses, and that afterwards this -passage was divided into two small apartments by three partition -walls, a small door being left in the front and rear.[V-19] - - [Illustration: South End of the Governor's House.] - - [Illustration: Ornament of the Casa del Gobernador.--Fig. 1.] - - [Illustration: Ornament of the Casa del Gobernador.--Fig. 2.] - - [Illustration: The Elephant's Trunk.--Fig. 3.] - -It now only remains to notice the exterior of the walls. A cornice -just above the doorway, at something over one third of the height of -the building, surrounds the entire structure, and another cornice is -found near the top. Below the lower cornice the walls present the -plain surface of the smoothly cut cubes of limestone, no traces of -plaster or paint appearing. Above the cornice the walls are covered -with elegant and complicated sculpture. The preceding cut[V-20] -presents a view of the south end, and gives an idea of the sculptured -portion of the wall, although it must be remembered that both the ends -and rear are much less elaborately decorated than the front. The whole -surface is divided into squares, or panels, filled alternately with -frets, or grecques, and diamond lattice-work, with specially elaborate -ornaments over each doorway, in connection with some of which are -characters presumably hieroglyphic. The three cuts[V-21] show the -ornamentation over the central front doorway. The first represents -what seems to have been a human figure seated and surmounted by a -lofty plumed head-dress. These human statues occurred in several -places along the front, probably over each door, but few fragments -remained to be seen by Europeans, and most of these have long since -entirely disappeared. The second cut represents that part of the -decoration extending above that before pictured to the upper cornice -along the top of the wall. The central portion of this ornament is a -curved projection, supposed, by more than one traveler, to be modeled -after the trunk of an elephant, of which a profile view is shown in -the third cut. It projects nineteen inches from the surface of the -wall. This protruding curve occurs more frequently on this and other -buildings at Uxmal than any other decoration, and usually with the -same or similar accompaniments, which may be fancied to represent the -features of a monster, of which this forms the nose. It occurs -especially on the ornamented and rounded corners; being sometimes -reversed in its position, and having, with few exceptions, the point -broken off, probably by the natives, from superstitious motives, to -prevent the long-nosed monster from walking abroad at night.[V-22] The -ornaments are cut on square blocks, which are inserted in the wall, -one block containing only a part of the ornamental design. Of course, -a verbal description fails utterly in conveying any proper idea of -this front, whose sculptured decorations, if less elaborate and -complicated than some others in Yucatan, are surpassed by none in -elegant grandeur. I append however, in a note, some quotations -respecting this façade, and take leave of the Casa del Gobernador with -a mention of the 'red hand,' whose imprint is found on stones in all -parts of the building. Mr Stephens believes that it was made by the -pressure of a small human hand, smeared with red paint, upon the -surface of the wall.[V-23] - -This magnificent palace, whose description I have given, may be -regarded as a representative, in its general features and many of its -details, of the ancient Maya structures, very few of which, however, -are so well preserved as this. Consequently, over this type of -ruins--long, low, narrow buildings, with flat roofs, divided into a -double line of small rooms, with triangular-arched ceilings, plain -interior walls, and cement floors; the whole supported by a stone -mound, ascended by a broad stairway--I shall be able in future to pass -more briefly, simply noting such points of contrast with the Casa del -Gobernador as may occur. Still some of the other buildings of Uxmal -have received more attention from visitors, and consequently will -afford better illustrations of some of the common features than the -one already described. - - [Sidenote: UXMAL--CASA DE TORTUGAS.] - -On the north-west corner of the second platform of the same mound that -supports the Governor's House, and lying in a direction perpendicular -to that building, is the small structure marked B on the plan, and -known as the Casa de Tortugas, or Turtle House. It is ninety-four feet -long, thirty-four feet wide, and, as nearly as can be estimated by -Charnay's photograph, about twenty feet high. The roof, in an insecure -condition at the time of Mr Stephens' first visit, had fallen in -before the second, filling up the interior, concerning which -consequently nothing is known. The central portion of the southern -wall, corresponding with the three doorways on that side, had also -fallen, and on the northern side was ready to fall, the wooden lintel -of the only doorway being broken. At the time of Charnay's visit -neither the centre nor western end of the northern wall remained -standing. The exterior walls below the lower cornice are plain, as in -the Casa del Gobernador, but between the cornices, instead of the -complicated sculpture of the former building, there appears a simple -and elegant line of round columns standing close together and -encircling the whole edifice. Each of these columns is composed of two -or three pieces of stone one upon another, and although presenting -outwardly a half-round surface, they are undoubtedly square on the -side that is built into the wall. Above the upper cornice is a row of -turtles, occurring at regular intervals, sculptured each on a square -block which projects from the wall; hence the name of the building. It -is noted as a remarkable circumstance that no stairway leads up the -terrace to this building from the surface below, or from it to the -Governor's House above.[V-23] - -At different points on the second, or grand, platform of the mound -supporting the Casa del Gobernador are traces of structures which once -stood there, but insufficient in every case, except in that of the -Tortugas, to give any idea of their original nature. Standing at the -foot of one of these old foundation walls three hundred feet long, -fifteen feet wide, and three feet high, on the south side of the -platform, at _j_, is a range of broken round columns, each five feet -high and eighteen inches in diameter.[V-24] - -On the same platform, about eighty feet eastward of the central -stairway, at _k_, is a round stone standing eight feet above the -ground in a leaning position. It is rudely formed, has no sculpture on -its surface, and is surrounded by a small square enclosure two stones -high. The natives call it _picote_, 'stone of punishment,' or -'whipping-post.' Its prominent and central position in front of the -magnificent palace, indicates its great importance in the eyes of the -ancient Mayas, and Mr Stephens thinks it may be a phallus, not without -reason, since apparent traces of an ancient phallic worship will be -found not unfrequently among the Yucatan ruins.[V-25] - - [Sidenote: UXMAL--PICOTE AND IDOL.] - -Sixty feet further eastward, at _l_, was a circular mound of earth and -stones about sixty feet in height, opened by Mr Stephens, who brought -to light a double-headed stone animal, three feet long and two feet -high, which had been buried there, very probably for the purpose of -concealment. Being too heavy for convenient removal, it was left -standing in the same position as when buried, and has there been -noticed by several subsequent observers. Its sculpture is rude, and -but slightly damaged by time. It is shown in the cut on the next page, -with the picote, the stairway, and the front of the Governor's House -in the distance.[V-26] One hundred and thirty feet from this -two-headed idol, in a direction not stated, Mr Stephens found a -structure twenty feet square at the base, from which were dug out two -sculptured heads, apparently portraits. The only objects of interest -which remain to be noticed in connection with this platform, or the -mound-structure of which it forms a part, are two excavations, -supposed to have been originally cisterns. The entrance, or mouth, to -each is a circular opening, eighteen inches in diameter, lined with -regular blocks of cut stone, and descending three feet, vertically, -from the surface of the platform, before it begins to widen into a -dome-shaped chamber. The dimensions of the chambers could not be -ascertained because they were nearly filled with rubbish, but similar -chambers are of frequent occurrence throughout the city of Uxmal and -vicinity, several of which were found unencumbered with débris, and in -perfect preservation. They were all dome-shaped, or rather of the -shape of a well-formed hay-stack, as Mr Stevens expresses it, the -bottoms being somewhat contracted. The walls and floor were carefully -plastered. One of these cisterns measured ten and a half feet deep and -seventeen and a half feet in diameter.[V-27] - - [Illustration: Two-headed Idol at Uxmal.] - - [Sidenote: UXMAL--CISTERNS AND PYRAMID.] - -At the south-west corner of the Casa del Gobernador, and even -intrenching on the terraces that support it, is the pyramid E, to -which strangely enough no name has been given. It has in fact received -but very slight attention; one short visit by Mr Stephens, during -which he mounted to the summit with a force of Indians, being the only -one recorded, although it is barely mentioned by others. This pyramid -measures two hundred by three hundred feet at the base, and its height -is sixty-five feet. At the top is a square platform, whose sides are -each seventy-five feet. The area of this platform is flat, composed of -rough stones, and has no traces whatever of ever having supported any -building. Its sides, however, three feet high perpendicularly, are of -hewn blocks of stone, and smooth with ornamented corners. Below this -summit platform, for a distance of ten or twelve feet, the sides of -the pyramid are faced with sculptured stone, the ornaments being -chiefly grecques, like those on the Governor's House, having one of -the immense faces with projecting teeth at the centre of the western -side. At this point Mr Stephens attempted an excavation in the hope of -discovering interior apartments, but the only result was to prostrate -himself with an attack of fever, which obliged him to quit Uxmal. Just -below this sculptured upper border, some fifteen feet below the top, a -narrow terrace extends round the four sides of the pyramid. Concerning -the surface below this terrace, we only know that it is encased in -stone, and would very probably reveal additional ornamentation if -subjected to a more minute examination.[V-28] The pyramid F, still -farther south-west, is two hundred feet long and one hundred and -twenty feet wide at the base, being about fifty feet high. These -particulars, together with the fact that a stairway leads up the -northern slope, to one of the typical Yucatan buildings, twenty by one -hundred feet and divided into three apartments, are absolutely all -that has been recorded of this structure, which, like its more -imposing companion pyramid, has not been thought worthy of a name. The -reader will be able to form a more consistent conjecture respecting -its original appearance after reading a description in the following -pages of the structure at D, which presents some points of apparent -similarity to its more modest southern neighbor.[V-29] - - [Sidenote: UXMAL--CASA DE PALOMAS.] - -Northward from the last pyramid, and connected with it by a courtyard -one hundred feet long and eighty-five feet wide, with ranges of -undescribed ruins on the east and west, are the buildings at G, built -round and enclosing a courtyard one hundred and eighty feet long and -one hundred and fifty feet wide, entered through an archway in the -centre of the northern and southern buildings. This courtyard has a -picote in the centre, like that before the Governor's House, but -fallen. These buildings are in an advanced state of ruin and no -details are given respecting any of them except the northern one, -which presents one remarkable feature. Along the centre of the roof -from east to west throughout the whole length of two hundred and forty -feet, is a peculiar wall rising in peaks like saw-teeth. These are -nine in number, each about twenty-seven feet long at the base, between -fifteen and twenty feet high, and three feet thick. Each is pierced -with many oblong openings arranged in five or six horizontal rows, one -above another like the windows in the successive stories of a modern -building, or like those of a pigeon house, or Casa de Palomas, by -which name it is known. Traces yet remain which show that originally -these strange elevations were covered with stucco ornaments, the only -instance of stucco decorations in Uxmal. Of this group of structures, -including the two courtyards and the pyramid beyond, notwithstanding -their ruined condition, Mr Stephens remarks that "they give a stronger -impression of departed greatness than anything else in this desolate -city."[V-30] - -Respecting the remains marked 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15, on -the plan, north of the Pyramid and Casa de Palomas, and west of the -Casa del Gobernador, all that can be said is embodied in the following -quotation: "A vast range of high, ruined terraces, facing east and -west, nearly eight hundred feet long at the base, and called the Campo -Santo. On one of these is a building of two stories, with some remains -of sculpture, and in a deep and overgrown valley at the foot, the -Indians say, was the burial-place of this ancient city; but, though -searching for it ourselves, and offering a reward to them for the -discovery, we never found in it a sepulchre."[V-31] - -Crossing over now to the eastward of the Governor's House, we find a -small group of ruins in the south-eastern corner of the rectangle. The -one marked 6 on the plan is known as the Casa de la Vieja, or Old -Woman's House, so named from a statue that was found lying near its -front. The building stands on the summit of a small pyramid and its -walls were just ready to fall at the time of the survey. Of the other -structures of the group, 5 and 7, no further information is given than -that which may be gathered from the plan. Along the line marked 4, 4, -4, are slight traces of a continuous wall, indicating that Uxmal may -have been a walled city, since no careful search has ever been made -for such traces in other portions of the city's circumference.[V-32] - - [Sidenote: UXMAL GYMNASIUM.] - -To go from the Casa del Gobernador northward to the buildings at C and -D, yet to be described, we pass between two parallel walls at H. These -two parallel structures are solid masses of rough stones faced on all -four sides with smoothly cut blocks, and were, so far as can be -determined in their present condition, exactly alike. Each measures -thirty by one hundred and twenty-eight feet on the ground, and they -are seventy feet apart, their height not being given. The fronts which -face each other were covered with sculptured decorations, now mostly -fallen, including two entwined serpents; while from the centre of each -of these façades projected originally a stone ring about four feet in -diameter, fixed in the wall by means of a tenon. Both are broken, and -the fragments for the most part lost. A similar building in a better -state of preservation will be noticed among the ruins of Chichen Itza, -in describing which a cut of one of the stone rings will be given. It -is easy to imagine that the grand promenade between the northern and -southern palaces, or temples, was along a line that passed between -these walls, and that these sculptured fronts and rings were important -in connection with religious rites and processions of priests. The -chief entrance to the northern buildings is in a line with this -passage, and it seems strange that we find no corresponding stairway -leading up the southern terrace to the front of the Casa de -Tortugas.[V-33] - - [Sidenote: UXMAL--CASA DE MONJAS.] - -Between two and three hundred yards north from the Casa del -Gobernador, is the Casa de Monjas, or Nunnery, marked C on the plan. -This is perhaps the most wonderful edifice, or collection of edifices, -in Yucatan, if not the finest specimen of aboriginal architecture and -sculpture in America. The supporting mound, whose base is indicated by -the dotted lines _m_, _n_, _o_, _p_ is in general terms three hundred -and fifty feet square, and nineteen feet high, its sides very nearly -facing the cardinal points. The southern, or front, slope of the -mound, about seventy feet wide, rises in three grades, or terraces, -three, twelve, and four feet high, and twenty, forty-five, and five -feet wide, respectively, from the base. There are some traces of a -wide central stairway leading up to the second terrace on this side, -but none of the steps remain in place. - -On this platform stand four of the typical Yucatan edifices built -round a courtyard, with unequal intervals between them at the corners. -The southern building is two hundred and seventy-nine feet long, -twenty-eight feet wide, and eighteen feet high; the northern building, -two hundred and sixty-four feet long, twenty-eight feet wide, and -twenty-five feet high; the eastern, one hundred and fifty-eight by -thirty-five feet, and twenty-two feet high; the western, one hundred -and seventy-three by thirty-five feet, and twenty feet high.[V-34] The -northern building stands on a terrace of its own, which rises about -twenty feet above the general level of the main platform on which the -others stand. The court formed by the four edifices measures two -hundred and fifty-eight by two hundred and fourteen feet. It is two -feet and a half lower than the foundations of the eastern, western, -and southern buildings, and traces of low steps may yet be seen -running the whole length of the sides. Its area is paved with stone, -much worn by long usage. M. Waldeck, by diligent research or by an -effort of his imagination, found that each of the forty-three thousand -six hundred and sixty blocks composing the pavement was six inches -square, and had the figure of a turtle sculptured on its upper -surface. Stephens could find no traces of the turtles, and believes -that the pavement was originally covered with cement.[V-35] In the -centre are the fragments of a rude column, picote, or phallus, like -those found in connection with the Casa del Gobernador and Casa de -Palomas. M. Charnay also found traces of a straight path with raised -borders leading north and south across the centre, and also two of the -dome-shaped cisterns already described.[V-36] - - | SOUTH || NORTH || EAST - +----+----+----++----+----+----++----+----+---- - |Long|Wide|High||Long|Wide|High||Long|Wide|High - +----+----+----++----+----+----++----+----+---- - Stephens, Text |279 | | ||264 | | 25 ||158 | | - Stephens, 1st Plan |300 | 30 | ||300 | 25 | ||162 | 35 | - Stephens, 2d Plan |279 | 25 | ||260 | 25 | ||160 | 35 | - Waldeck, Text |227 | 27 | ||227 | 27 | ||176 | 34 | - Waldeck, 1st Plan |235 | 27 | ||235 | 25 | ||210 | 40 | - Waldeck, 2d Plan |264 | 28 | ||225 | 27 | ||174 | 34 | - Charnay, Text | | | ||351 | | ||210 | | - Charnay, Plan |360 | 33 | ||393 | 33 | ||262 | 33 | - Norman |200 | 25 | 16 ||246 | 25 | 26 ||140 | 34 | 25 - Heller | | | ||260 | 24 | 25 ||150 | | - - | WEST || COURT || TERRACE - +----+----+----++----+-----++----+------ - |Long|Wide|High||Long| Wide||High|Circum - +----+----+----++----+-----++----+------ - Stephens, Text |173 | | ||258 | 214 || 19 | - Stephens, 1st Plan |165 | 35 | ||240 | 185 || | 1520 - Stephens, 2d Plan |165 | 35 | ||220 | 195 || | 1430 - Waldeck, Text |176 | 34 | ||227 | 172 || 15 | 1116 - Waldeck, 1st Plan |210 | 40 | ||222 | 205 || | 1360 - Waldeck, 2d Plan |174 | 34 | ||234 | 180 || | - Charnay, Text | | | ||262 | 262 || | - Charnay, Plan |262 | 33 | ||262 | 265 || | - Norman |140 | 34 | 25 || | || 15 | 1100 - Heller |170 | 34 | 25 || | || 18 | 1000 - -The situation of the four structures forming the quadrangle, and the -division of each into apartments, are shown in the accompanying ground -plan.[V-37] - - [Illustration: Ground Plan of the Nunnery.] - - [Illustration: Interior of Room--Casa de Monjas.] - -It will be noticed that the northern building of the Nunnery does not -stand exactly in the same direction as the sides of the platform or of -the other edifices, an arrangement which detracts somewhat from the -symmetry of the group. Each of the four buildings is divided -longitudinally into two parallel ranges of apartments, arranged very -much like those of the Governor's House, with doorways opening on the -interior court. The only exterior doorways are on the front of the -southern building and on the ends of the northern; these, however, -only afford access to the outer range of rooms, which do not -communicate with the interior. In only one instance do more than two -rooms communicate with each other, and that is in the centre of the -eastern building, where are two communicating apartments, the largest -in the Nunnery, each thirteen by thirty-three feet, with an ante-room -at each end measuring nine by thirteen feet. All the doorways of this -suite are decorated with sculpture, the only instance of interior -stone-carving in Uxmal. The cut on the next page shows the inside of -one of the larger rooms of this suite, and also gives an excellent -idea of the interior of all the structures of Yucatan.[V-38] The rooms -of the Casa de Monjas, eighty-eight in number, like some in the Casa -del Gobernador, are plastered with a thin coat of hard white material -like plaster of Paris. Those of the southern building average -twenty-four feet long, ten feet wide, and seventeen feet high. They -all present the same general features of construction--angular-arched -ceilings, wooden lintels, stone rings, or hinges, on the inside of the -doorways, holes in the sloping ceilings for hammock-timbers, entire -absence of any openings except the doors--that have been previously -described.[V-39] The platform on which the buildings stand forms a -narrow promenade, only five or six feet in width, round each, both -on the exterior and on the court. The entrance to the court is by a -gateway, at _v_ on the general plan, in the centre of the southern -building. It is ten feet and eight inches wide and about fourteen feet -high, the top being formed by the usual triangular arch, and the whole -being similar to the passages through the Casa del Gobernador before -the latter were walled up. Opposite this gateway, at _w_, a stairway -ninety-five feet wide leads up to the upper terrace which supports the -northern building. On each side of this stairway, at _x_, _y_, on the -slope of the terrace, is a ruin of the usual construction, in which -six small apartments may be traced. The dilapidation of these -buildings is so great that it is impossible to ascertain whether they -were independent structures or formed a part of the terrace itself, a -mode of construction of which we shall find some specimens in Yucatan, -and even at Uxmal. A noticeable peculiarity in the northern building -is that, wherever the outer walls are fallen, the sculptured surface -of an inner wall is disclosed, showing that the edifice in its present -form was built over an older structure. - -Nothing remains to be said respecting the general plan and -construction of the Nunnery, or of the interior of the apartments -which compose it: and I now come to the exterior walls. The sides and -ends of each building are, like those already described, plain and -unplastered below the cornice, which extends round the whole -circumference just above the doorways. Above this cornice the whole -surface, over twenty-four thousand square feet for the four buildings, -is covered with elegant and elaborate sculptured decorations. The four -interior façades fronting on the court are pronounced by all beholders -the chef-d'oeuvres of aboriginal decorative art in America, being -more chaste and artistic, and at the same time less complicated and -grotesque, than any other fronts in Yucatan. All have been carefully -studied, sketched, or photographed. No two of them are alike, or even -similar. The outer fronts received somewhat less care at the hands of -the native builders, and consequently less attention from modern -visitors, being moreover much more seriously affected by the ravages -of time and the elements. - - [Illustration: Southern Court Façade--Casa de Monjas.] - - [Illustration: Detail of Southern Court Façade.] - -I begin with the southern building, showing in the accompanying -engraving the eastern third of its court façade, the other portions -being precisely like that which is represented. Except over the -doorways the space between the cornices is occupied by diamond -lattice-work and vertical columns, small portions being left, however, -entirely plain. Some of the columns have central moldings -corresponding nearly in form to the cornices.[V-40] The central -gateway is not shown in the engraving, but there is no special -ornamentation in connection with it, its border being of lattice-work, -according to Waldeck, or of plain blocks, according to Charnay, -contrary to what might be expected over the only entrance to so grand -a court. The next engraving shows a portion of the same façade on a -larger scale, including the ornament which is repeated over each door. -This ornament seems to represent a small house with a roof of thatch -or tiles, having a human figure seated in a niche in the wall, which -corresponds with the doorway of the house. This seated statue had -disappeared before the visits of later explorers. That a statue once -occupied the niche there can be no doubt. Whether M. Waldeck sketched -it from actual observation or from the report of the natives, is not -quite so clear. The last-named writer advances two original and -somewhat remarkable theories respecting these small houses; first, -that they may be taken as a representation of the houses actually -occupied by the common people at the time Uxmal was built; and second, -that they are identical with the Aztec sign _calli_, 'house,' from -which he derives an argument respecting the probable age of the -building, which will be noticed in its place. M. Charnay calls this -front the Façade des Abeilles, or Bee front, while M. Waldeck terms -the building the Temple of the Asterisms. The exterior, or southern, -front of this building is similar to the northern, but somewhat -plainer, having, however, the same houses and niches over the -doorways.[V-41] - - [Illustration: Eastern Court Façade--Casa de Monjas.] - - [Illustration: Detail of Eastern Court Façade.] - -The court façade of the eastern building, which has been called the -Sun front, and also the Egyptian front, is perhaps more tasteful in -its sculptured ornaments than either of the other three. The southern -half of this façade is represented in the engraving. The ornaments -over the central doorway and at the corners consist of the immense -grotesque masks, with the curved projecting tusks noticed on the Casa -del Gobernador; but the remaining surface is covered with regular -diamond lattice-work, while in connection with each of the cornices is -a line of stone blocks with rounded faces, resembling short columns. -Over this lattice-work, but not entirely concealing it, are six -peculiar and graceful ornaments, placed at regular intervals, four of -them surmounting doorways. One of these, precisely like all the rest, -is shown on an enlarged scale in the engraving. It consists of eight -parallel horizontal bars, increasing in length as they approach the -upper cornice, and each terminating at either end in a serpent's or -monster's head with open jaws. A human face with a peculiar -head-dress, large ear-pendants, and tongue hanging from the mouth, -looks down from the centre of the upper bars. This face is fancied by -Waldeck to represent the sun, and something in its surroundings -strikes Charnay as partaking of the Egyptian style; hence the names -that have been applied to this façade. M. Viollet-le-Duc attempts to -prove the development of the architectural ideas embodied in the Maya -edifices from an original structure of wood. His use of this claimed -peculiarity will be more appropriately spoken of hereafter, but his -illustration of the idea in connection with this eastern front, is -certainly striking as shown in the annexed cut.[V-42] The southern end -of this building is shown in one of Charnay's photographs, and, -together with a small portion of the western front, in a drawing by -Catherwood. These views show that the ends, and probably all of the -rear, are made up of plain wall and lattice-work, with elaborate -ornaments at each of the corners.[V-43] - - [Illustration: Trace of Original Structure in Wood.] - - [Illustration: Western Court Façade--Casa de Monjas.] - -I now pass on to the opposite, or western building, known as the -Serpent Temple, whose court façade is shown in the engraving. At the -time of the visits of Catherwood and Charnay a large portion of this -front had fallen, and the standing portions only were represented in -their drawings and photographs, no attempt being made in the former at -restoration. In 1835, however, according to the testimony of both M. -Waldeck and Sr Peon, proprietor of Uxmal, it was standing nearly -intact; I have consequently preferred to reproduce Waldeck's drawing -of a portion of this façade, especially as the portions shown by -Catherwood and Charnay agree almost exactly with this drawing and -prove its accuracy. But slight justice can be done to this, the most -magnificent and beautiful front in America, by an engraving on so -small a scale as I am obliged to employ. Two serpents, each with a -monster's head between the open jaws of which a human face appears, -and the tail of a rattlesnake placed near and above the head at either -end of the building, almost entirely surround the front above the -lower cornice, dividing the surface by the folds and interlacing of -their bodies into square panels. That is, it seems to have been the -aim of the builders to form these panels by the folds of these two -mighty serpents, and the work is so described by all visitors, but it -appears from an examination of the folds, as shown in the engraving, -that the serpent whose head and tail are shown on the right only -encloses really the first panel, and that each other panel is -surrounded by the endless body of a serpent without head or tail. The -scales or feathers on the serpent's body are somewhat more clearly -defined than is indicated in the engraving, as is proved by Charnay's -photograph. The surface of this wall is filled with grecques and -lattice-work similar to those of the Governor's House, but much more -complicated; and each panel has one or more human faces among its -decorations, while several of them have full-sized standing human -figures. Over each doorway and on the rounded corners of the building, -are the usual grotesque decorations, bearing some likeness to three -distorted faces or masks placed one above another, and all furnished -with the projecting curves, or hooks, previously compared to -elephants' trunks.[V-44] Respecting the ends and rear of this building -nothing whatever has been recorded. - -The northern building, standing on a terrace twenty feet above the -platform which supports the other structures, and consequently -overlooking them all, was very probably intended by the builders as -the crowning feature of the Casa de Monjas. Its court façade was -crowded with sculptured designs, grander, perhaps, and more imposing, -but at the same time much less elegant and refined than those of the -fronts already described. Apparently from no other motive than to -obtain more space on which to exercise their talent for decorative -art, and thus to render this front more striking, the builders -extended the front wall at regular intervals above the upper cornice, -forming thirteen turrets seventeen feet high and ten feet wide, -placed generally above the doorways. These turrets, towering about -eighty feet above the site of the city, and loaded with elaborate -sculpture, must have been a prominent feature of the aboriginal Uxmal. -Only four of the turrets remained standing at the time of Stephens' -visit, and the wall was otherwise much dilapidated. The only view is -that given in Charnay's photographs, none of the turrets being -complete at the time of his visit. The background of the sculpture is -divided into panels filled with grecques and ornamented lattice-work -very similar to that of the Serpent front. Half the doorways are -surmounted by niches like those in the southern façade; while over the -alternate doorways and on all the corners are seen the immense mask -ornaments with the elephant-trunk projection.[V-45] A peculiarity of -this building not noticed by any authority, but clearly shown in -Charnay's photograph, is that not only are the corners rounded as in -the other buildings, but the walls at the corners are not -perpendicular either above or below the cornice, inclining inward -toward the top at an angle of about seven degrees. Several human -figures are noted among the decorations, of ruder execution than -others at Uxmal, two of which seem to be playing on musical -instruments resembling somewhat a guitar and harp; while a third is -sitting with his hands crossed on his breast, and bound by -cords.[V-46] All that is known of the exterior front of this northern -building is that among its decorations, which are comparatively plain -and simple, are two naked male figures, the condition of whose genital -organs indicates the existence of the same phallic rites of which -traces have been already noted. With the additional remark that traces -of bright-colored paint are still visible in sheltered portions of the -sculptured façades, I conclude my description of the so-called -Nunnery.[V-47] - - [Illustration: House of Birds at Uxmal.] - - [Sidenote: UXMAL ARCH.] - - [Illustration: Arch at Uxmal.] - -Immediately eastward of the Casa de Monjas are several ruined -structures shown in the plan, standing on terraces somewhat lower than -those last mentioned. Only one of these, and which one of the four or -five shown on the plan is not stated, has been more than mentioned by -any visitor. This one exception is the House of Birds. A portion of -its front is shown in the preceding cut, which sufficiently explains -the origin of the appellation. The interior is remarkable for -containing two rooms which are larger than any others at Uxmal, -measuring fourteen by fifty-two feet, and about twenty feet in height. -One of these apartments has well-preserved traces of the paint which -formerly covered walls and ceiling; and the other has an arch which -differs somewhat from all others in this ancient city. Its peculiarity -is that the overlapping blocks of stone, instead of lying horizontally -as in other cases, are slightly inclined, as is shown in the cut, -forming a nearer approach to the principle of the true arch with a -key-stone than has been found elsewhere in Yucatan. It will also be -noticed in the cut that the blocks, instead of being all in regular -cubical form, are some of them cut elbow-shaped. This is a feature, -which, if it exists in other buildings, has not been particularly -noticed.[V-48] - - [Sidenote: UXMAL--CASA DEL ADIVINO.] - -Still further eastward are the pyramid and building at D, on the plan, -which have been called the Casa del Adivino, or Prophet's House; the -Casa del Enano, or Dwarf's House; Tolokh-eis, or Holy Mountain, and -Kingsborough's Pyramid; the first three names originating from -traditions among the natives respecting the former occupants of the -buildings: the latter having been applied by M. Waldeck in honor of -the Irish lord who aided in his explorations. Connecting the Casa del -Adivino with the Nunnery are lines of low mounds, or terraces, -possibly occupied in former times by buildings, forming a courtyard -which measures eighty-five by one hundred and thirty-five feet, and in -the centre of which, at _z_, is the usual rude column, or picote. - -The supporting mound, or pyramid, in this case, from a base of one -hundred and fifty-five by two hundred and thirty-five feet, rounded at -the corners so as to form an oval rather than a rectangular -figure,[V-49] rises with very steep sides to a height of eighty-eight -feet, forming at the summit a platform twenty-two by eighty-two feet. -The surface of this pyramid is faced with blocks of hewn stone laid in -mortar. The interior is presumably of rough stones in mortar, although -little or nothing is said on this point.[V-50] Excavations prove that -the structure is solid without interior galleries. The surface blocks -are cubical, about two feet in dimensions at the base, if we may trust -M. Waldeck's drawing, but diminishing toward the top. They are not -laid so as to break joints, yet so solid is the structure that the -powerful leverage of growing roots has caused comparatively little -damage. The eastern front is shown on the following page. A stairway -one hundred and two feet on the slope, seventy feet wide at the base, -but narrowing toward the summit, composed of ninety steps, each step -being about a foot high and five or six inches wide, leads up this -side. The slope of this stairway is so steep, being inclined at an -angle of about eighty degrees, that visitors have found it very -difficult to ascend and descend. Padre Cogolludo was the first to -complain of the steep grade. He says: 'I once did go up that of -Uxumual, and when I would come down, I did repent me; because so -narrow are the steps, and so many in number, that the edifice goes up -exceeding straight, and being of no small height, the head swims, and -there is even some peril in its descent.'[V-51] - - [Illustration: Casa del Adivino at Uxmal.] - -In the centre of the western slope of the Prophets Pyramid, toward the -Nunnery, are certain structures, which M. Waldeck represents as -projecting portions of the pyramid, or piers, the lower one forming a -platform fifteen by forty feet, sixty feet up the slope; and the upper -rising from this platform and forming a second, twenty by twenty-five -feet, continuous with the main summit platform of the pyramid. The -upper projection, or pier, has since proved to be a distinct building, -with richly sculptured front,[V-52] one central door, and two plain -rooms in the interior; the outer one seven by fifteen feet, and -nineteen feet high; the inner, four by twelve feet, and eleven feet -high. The lower pier may have been a similar structure, but it is -completely in ruins below the central platform, except a few slight -traces of rooms near the base. Mr Stephens is disposed to believe that -a broad staircase of peculiar construction, supported by a triangular -arch-like stairways that will be mentioned later in a few instances in -connection with other Yucatan ruins--originally led up to the front of -the building on the slope; otherwise it is difficult to imagine by -what means these apartments could have been reached. The stones of -these projecting portions are longer than elsewhere, and laid so as to -break joints. On the summit platform stands a small building, twelve -feet wide, seventy-two feet long, and about sixteen feet high, leaving -a promenade five feet wide at its base. This building presents no -feature with which the reader is not already perfectly familiar, -except that it contains only one range of rooms, having no dividing -interior wall. The interior is divided into three rooms, which do not -communicate with each other, and are not plastered. The central room -is seven by twenty-four feet, and its door is on the west, just -opposite the platform formed by the projecting pier. The end rooms are -seven by nineteen feet, and open on the promenade at either side of -the eastern stairway.[V-53] - -Cut on the interior walls of the end rooms, seventy-two circular -figures, two or three inches in diameter, have been observed. M. -Waldeck, as usual, has a theory respecting these circles, or rather he -has two in case one should prove unsatisfactory. He thinks they may -have been made by prisoners to kill time, or they may have been a -record of sacrifices consummated in this cu. The sculptured -decorations of the exterior walls are described as elegant but simple. -We have here the back-ground of ornamental lattice-work, and besides -this the prominent feature is four full-length human figures standing -on the west front, two on each side of the doorway, and overlooking -the courtyard of the Casa de Monjas. They are the figures of males, -and are naked, except a sort of helmet on the head, a scarf round the -shoulders, and a belt round the waist. The arms are crossed high on -the breast, and each hand holds something resembling a hammer. The -genital organs are represented in their proper proportions, and were -evidently intended by the sculptor as the prominent feature of the -statues. All four had fallen from their places, even at the time of M. -Waldeck's visit, but this explorer by careful search collected -sufficient fragments of the four, which are precisely alike, to -reconstruct one. He intended to bring these fragments away with him, -but his intentions being thwarted by the emissaries of the Mexican -government, he buried the statue in a locality only known to -himself.[V-54] It remains to be stated that the decorations of this -Prophet's House, like that of the Nunnery, were originally painted in -bright colors. Blue, red, yellow, and white, were found by M. Waldeck -on the least exposed portions. There can be but little doubt that this -pyramid was a temple where the sacrifices described in a preceding -volume were celebrated. It has been customary with many writers to -speak of it, as of all similar structures in America, as a Teocalli, -the name of such temples in Anáhuac; but thus to apply an Aztec name -to monuments in regions inhabited by people whose relation to the -Aztecs or their ancestors is yet far from proved, is at least -injudicious, since it tends to cause confusion when we come to -consider the subject of aboriginal history.[V-55] - - [Sidenote: UXMAL--MISCELLANEOUS RELICS.] - -All the principal structures of Uxmal have now been fully described, -and as all conclusions and general remarks respecting this city will -be deferred until I can include in such remarks all the ruins of the -state, I take leave of Uxmal with a mention of a very few -miscellaneous relics spoken of by different travelers. - -No water has been found in the immediate vicinity of the city, the -dependence having probably been on artificial reservoirs and -_aguadas_, possibly also on subterranean springs, or _senotes_, whose -locality is not known. There are several of these aguadas within a -radius of a few miles of Uxmal. They resemble, in their present -abandoned condition, small natural ponds, and their stagnant waters -are thought to have much to do with the unhealthiness of the locality. -They have no appearance of being artificial, but the inhabitants -universally believe them to be so, and Mr Stephens, from his -observations in other parts of the country, is inclined to agree with -the general belief. I have already noticed the dome-shaped underground -apartments which occur frequently among the ruins, and were probably -used as cisterns, or reservoirs, for the storing up of water for the -use of the city. Mr Norman states also that one of the numerous -mounds, that occur in all directions, westward of the Nunnery, "is -found to be an immense reservoir or cistern, having a double curb; the -interior of which was beautifully finished with stucco, and in good -preservation." He further states that some of these mounds have been -opened and "seemed to have been intended originally for sepulchres," -although Mr Stephens could find no traces of sepulchral relics. - -M. Waldeck barely mentions the discovery of small fragments of flint -artificially shaped, but beyond this there is no record of relics in -the shape of implements. Traces of pottery are nearly as rare. Mr -Norman says he found fragments of broken vases on the pyramid E of the -plan; and Mr Stephens found similar fragments in one of the reservoirs -on the platform of the Governor's House, together with a nearly -complete tripod vase, one foot in diameter, with enameled surface. - -Mr Friederichsthal found on a low mound five stones lying, as he -states, from north-west to south-west (_?_), the middle one of which -was over twelve feet long and covered with carved figures. - -A native reported to Sr Zavala that he had seen a stone table, painted -red, located in a cellar, and indicating a place of sacrifice. This -report would not be worth recording were it not for the fact that -similar tables are of frequent occurrence in Chiapas, as will be seen -in the following chapter. - -The Abbé Domenech has something to say of Uxmal antiquities; he says -that "carved figures representing Boudha of Java, seated on a Siva's -head, were found at Uxmal, in Yucatan."[V-54] - -One and a half hour's ride westward from Uxmal a mound surmounted with -ruins, called Senuisacal, was seen at a distance; and about the same -distance north-westward, not far from Muna, was found one of the -typical buildings on a mound. This building was nearly entire, except -that the outer walls above the cornice had fallen. Between this place -and Uxmal, about five miles from the latter, is a mound with two -buildings, to which the same description will apply. These ruins were -seen by Mr Stephens during a hasty trip from Uxmal, unaccompanied by -his artist companion. Ruins observed still further westward will be -included in another group.[V-55] - -In describing the ruins outside of Uxmal which compose the central -group, and which may for the most part be passed over rapidly from -their similarity to each other and to those already described, I shall -locate each by bearing and distance as accurately as possible, and all -the principal localities are also laid down on the map. This matter of -location is not, however, very important. The whole central region is -strewn with mounds bearing ruined buildings; some of these have -received particular attention from the natives and from travelers, and -have consequently been named. I shall describe them by the names that -have been so applied, but it must be noted that very few of these -names are in any way connected with the aboriginal cities; they were -mostly applied at first to particular structures, and later to the -ruins in their immediate vicinity; consequently several of the small -groups which have been honored with distinct names, may, in many -instances, have formed a part of the same city. - -At Sacbé,--meaning a 'paved road of white stone,' a name derived from -such a paved way in the vicinity, which will be mentioned later,--four -or five miles south-east of Uxmal, besides other 'old walls' is a -group of three buildings. One of them is twelve and a half by -fifty-three feet; none, however, present any peculiar feature, save -that in one of the doorways two columns appear.[V-56] - - [Illustration: Pyramid of Xcoch.] - - [Illustration: Nohpat Sculpture.] - - [Sidenote: THE PYRAMID OF XCOCH.] - - [Sidenote: SKULLS AND CROSSBONES AT NOHPAT.] - -Somewhat less than ten miles eastward of Uxmal is the town of -Nohcacab, 'the great place of good land,' preserving the name of an -aboriginal town which formerly existed somewhere in this vicinity. In -this village are several mounds; and a sculptured head, with specimens -of pottery, has been dug up in the plaza. The surrounding country -within a radius of a few miles abounds in ruins, two of which are -particularly mentioned. The first is known as Xcoch, and consists of -the pyramid shown in the cut. It is between eighty and ninety feet -high, plainly visible from the Prophet's House at Uxmal, but the -buildings on its summit, like its sides, are almost completely in -ruins, although traces of steps yet remain. Great and marvelous -stories were told by the natives concerning a senote, or well, in this -vicinity; and it proved indeed to be a most wonderful cavern with -branching subterranean galleries, worn by the feet of ancient carriers -of water; but it was entirely of natural formation, a single block of -sculptured stone, with the worn paths being the only traces of man's -presence. The second of the ruins is that of Nohpat, 'great lord,' -three miles from Nohcacab toward Uxmal, whose buildings are plainly -visible from it, and of which it may, not improbably, have been a -continuation or dependency. A mound, or pyramid, two hundred and fifty -feet long at the base, and one hundred and fifty feet high on the -slope, with a nearly perfect stairway on the southern side, supports a -portion of a dilapidated building, which overlooks the numerous ruins -scattered over the plain at its foot. A single corridor, or room, is -left intact, and is only three feet and five inches wide. At the foot -of the stairway is a platform with a picote, as at Uxmal, in its -centre. There was also lying at the foot of the steps, the flat stone -represented in the cut, measuring eleven and one third feet in length -by three feet ten inches in width. The human figure in low relief on -its surface is very rudely carved, and was moreover much defaced by -the rains to which for many years it had been exposed. Near the -pyramid another platform, two hundred feet square, and raised about -twenty feet, supports buildings at right angles with each other, one -of which has two stories built after a method which will be made clear -in describing other ruins. The only others of the many monuments of -Nohpat which throw any additional light on Yucatan antiquities, are -those found on a level spot, whose shape is that of a right-angled -triangle with a mound at each angle. Here are many scattered blocks -and fragments, two of which united formed the statue shown in the cut -on the next page. It is four and a quarter feet high and a foot and a -half in diameter. The face seems to be represented as looking sideways -or backward over the shoulder, and is surmounted by a head-dress in -which the head of a wild beast may be made out, recalling slightly the -idols which we have already seen in Nicaragua. Other statues might -doubtless be reconstructed by means of a thorough search, but only the -stone blocks shown in the cut are particularly mentioned. They are -twenty-seven inches high and from sixteen to twenty-two inches wide, -bearing alternately sculptured on their fronts the skull and -cross-bones, symbols in later times--perhaps also when these carvings -were made--of death. In its original condition Nohpat may not unlikely -have been as grand a city as Uxmal, but it is almost completely in -ruins.[V-57] - - [Illustration: Statues at Nohpat.] - - [Illustration: Skull and Crossbones.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF KABAH.] - - [Illustration: Interior Steps at Kabah.] - -In the same region, some five or six miles southward from Nohcacab, -and perhaps ten or twelve miles south-eastward from Uxmal, is a most -extensive group of ruins, probably the remains of an ancient city, -known as Kabah. Sixteen different structures are located in a space -about two thousand by three thousand feet, on Mr Stephens' plan, -which, however, was not formed by measurements, but by observation -from the top of a pyramid. Norman is the only visitor, except Stephens -and Catherwood, and his description amounts to nothing. I proceed to -describe such of Kabah monuments as differ in construction and -sculpture from those we have previously examined, and consequently -throw additional light on Maya architecture. - -A mound forms a summit platform, raised twenty feet, and measuring one -hundred and forty-two by two hundred feet. Ascending the terrace from -its south-western side, buildings of the ordinary type appear on the -right and left; the former resting on the slope instead of on the -summit of the terrace,--that is, the rear wall, of great thickness, -rises perpendicularly from the base. In the centre of the platform is -an enclosure seven feet high and twenty-seven feet square, formed of -hewn stones, the lower tier of which was sculptured with a continuous -line of hieroglyphics extending round the circumference. No picote, -however, was found within the enclosure. Directly in front, or on the -north-east side of the platform, a stairway of twenty steps, forty -feet wide, leads up to a higher terrace, the arrangement being much -like that of the northern building of the Casa de Monjas at Uxmal. -But in this case the upper platform, instead of being long and narrow -as usual, is nearly square, and supports a building of the same shape, -whose front at the top of the stairway measures one hundred and -fifty-one feet. The advanced state of ruin in which the whole -structure was found, made it difficult to form an idea of its original -plan, and Mr Stephens' description in this case fails to present -clearly the idea which he formed on the subject. The front portion of -the edifice, however, which is the best preserved of all, has two -double ranges of apartments, separated by a very thick wall, and all -under the same roof. Two peculiarities were noted in these rooms. The -inner rooms of the front range have their floors two feet and eight -inches higher than the outer, and are entered from the latter by two -stone steps; while in one case at least these steps are cut from a -single block of stone, the lower step taking the form of a scroll, and -the walls at the sides are covered with carvings, as shown in the cut. -Over the rear wall of the front range rises a structure of hewn stone -four feet thick and fifteen feet high, which, like the turrets over -the northern building of the Nunnery and the Casa de Palomas at Uxmal, -could only have been intended as an ornament, but which from the -ground beneath presents every appearance of a second story. The -exterior sculpture of this front, except a small portion at the -northern end, has fallen, but enough remains to indicate that the -decorations were most rich and elaborate, though uniform; and, unlike -those of any structure yet met with, they covered the whole surface of -the front, both above and below the central cornice. The cut shows the -general appearance of these decorations.[V-58] This building is called -by the natives _Xco=c=poop_, or 'straw hat doubled up.' - - [Illustration: Sculptured Front at Kabah.] - -At a short distance from the ruin just described, in a north-easterly -direction, is another group, the details of whose arrangement, in the -absence of a carefully prepared plan, it is useless to attempt to -describe, but three new features presented by these ruins require -notice. First, one of them, from a base of one hundred and six by one -hundred and forty-seven feet, is built in three receding stories. That -is, the roof of each story, or range, forms a platform, or promenade, -before the doors of the one above; or, in other words, the stories are -built one above another on the slope of a pyramid. Second, an exterior -staircase leads up from story to story. These staircases are -supported by half of one of the regular triangular arches resting -against the top of the wall of the buildings. The accompanying cut, -although not representing this or any other particular building, is -intended as a half section to illustrate the construction of the Maya -structures in several stories, and that of the stairways which afford -access to the upper stories; _a_ being the solid mound, or terrace; -_bb_, the apartments or corridors; _d_, the staircase; and _c_, an -open passage under the half arch of overlapping stones that supports -the stairway. In this Kabah building the stairway leading to the foot -of the third story is not immediately over the lower one, but in -another part of the edifice. The third peculiarity is a double one, -and is noticed in some of the doorways; since here for the first time -we find lintels of stone, supported each by a central column, about -six feet high, of rude workmanship, with square blocks serving as -pedestal and capital.[V-59] - - [Illustration: Yucatan Structure in Three Stories.] - -The Casa de Justicia, or Court House, is one hundred and thirteen feet -long, divided into five rooms, each nine by twenty feet. The outer -wall of this building is plain, except groups of three pillars each -between the doorways, and four rows of short pilasters that surround -it above the cornice, standing close together like the similar -ornaments on the Casa de Tortugas at Uxmal. - - [Illustration: Arch at Kabah.] - -The solitary arch shown in the cut stands on a mound by itself. Its -span is fourteen feet, and its top fallen. "Darkness rests upon its -history, but in that desolation and solitude, among the ruins around, -it stood like the proud memorial of a Roman triumph."[V-60] Kabah is -not without its pyramid, which is one hundred and eighty feet square -at the base, and eighty feet high, with traces of ruined apartments at -the foot. In one of the buildings the two principal doorways are under -the stairway which leads up to the second story, and over one of them -was a wooden lintel ten feet long, composed of two beams and covered -with carving that seemed to represent a human figure standing on a -serpent. Mr Stephens carried these carved beams, which were in almost -a perfect state of preservation, to New York, where they were burned. -He considered them the most important relics in the country, although -his drawing does not indicate them to be anything very remarkable, -except as bearing a clearly cut and complicated carving, executed on -exceedingly hard wood without implements of iron or steel. The -building with the sculptured lintel, and another, stand on an immense -terrace, measuring one hundred by eight hundred feet. One of the -apartments has the red hand in bright colors imprinted in many places -on its walls. A stucco ornament, painted in bright colors, much -dilapidated, but apparently having represented two large birds facing -each other, was found in a room of another building. In still another -edifice, a room is described as constructed on a new and curious plan, -having "a raised platform about four feet high, and in each of the -inner corners was a rounded vacant place, about large enough for a man -to stand in." Another new feature was a doorway--the only one in the -building to which it belonged--with sculptured stone jambs, each five -feet eleven inches high, two feet three inches wide, and composed of -two blocks one above the other. The sculptured designs are similar one -to the other, each consisting of a standing and kneeling figure over a -line of hieroglyphics. One of these decorated jambs is shown in the -cut given on the following page. The weapon in the hands of the -kneeling figure corresponds almost exactly with the flint-edged swords -used by the natives of the country at the time of the conquest. This -group of ruins, representing an aboriginal city probably larger and -more magnificent even than Uxmal, was discovered by the workmen who -made the road, or camino real, on which the ruins stand; but so little -interest did the discovery excite in the minds of travelers over the -road, that the knowledge of it did not reach Mérida.[V-61] - - [Illustration: Sculptured Door-Jamb at Kabah.] - -In this immediate vicinity, located on the road to Equelchacan, a -place not to be found on any map that I have seen, some artificial -caverns are reported, probably without any sufficient authority.[V-62] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF SANACTÉ.] - - [Illustration: Front of Building at Sanacté.] - -Southward and south-eastward of Kabah, all included within a radius of -eight or ten miles, are ruins at Sanacté, Xampon, Chack, Sabacché, -Zayi, and Labná, the last two being extensive and important. At -Sanacté are two buildings, which stand in a milpa, or cornfield. One -has a high ornamental wall on its top, and the front of another -appears as represented in the cut. It will be noticed that in this, -as in most of the structures in this region, the doorways have stone -jambs, or posts, each of two pieces, instead of being formed simply by -the blocks that compose the walls; the lintels are also generally of -stone. At Xampon are the remains of a building that was built -continuously round a rectangle eighty by one hundred and five feet; it -is mostly fallen. In the immediate vicinity ruins of the ordinary type -are mentioned under the names of Hiokowitz, Kuepak, and Zekilna. At -Chack a two-storied building stands on a terrace, which is itself -built on the summit of a natural stony hill. A very remarkable feature -at Chack is the natural senote which supplies water to the modern as -it did undoubtedly to the ancient inhabitants. It is a narrow passage, -or succession of passages and small caverns, penetrating the earth for -over fifteen hundred feet, much of the distance the descent being -nearly vertical. At Sabacché is a building of a single apartment, -whose front presents the peculiarity of four cornices, dividing the -surface into four nearly equal portions, the lower cornice being as -usual at the height of the top of the doorway. The first space above -the doorway is plain, like that below; but the two upper spaces are -divided by pilasters into panels, which are filled with diamond -lattice-work. Three other buildings were visited, and one of them -sketched by Catherwood, but they present no new features except that -the red hand, common here as elsewhere, is larger than usual.[V-63] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF ZAYI.] - - [Illustration: Casa Grande at Zayi.] - -At Zayi, situated in the midst of a beautiful landscape of rolling -hills, the principal edifice, called the Casa Grande, is built in -three receding stories, as already explained, extending round the four -sides of the supporting mound, which rests on a slight natural -elevation. The lower story is one hundred and twenty by two hundred -and sixty-five feet; the second, sixty by two hundred and twenty feet; -and the third, standing on the summit of the mound, is eighteen by one -hundred and fifty feet. The cut shows the ground plan of the Casa -Grande, much of which is fallen. A stairway thirty-two feet wide leads -up to the third story on the front, and a narrower stairway to the -second platform on the rear. Ten of the northern rooms in the second -story are completely filled with stone and mortar, which for some -unimaginable reason must have been put in while the structure was -being built. This part of the building is known among the natives as -the Casa Cerrada, or closed house. It will be noticed from the plan -that the front and rear platforms are not exactly of the same width. -With respect to the exterior walls, those of the lower range are -nearly all fallen. The western portion of the front of the second -range is shown in the cut on the following page. Ranges of pillars, or -pilasters, compose the bulk of the ornamentation, both above and below -the cornice. A strange if not very artistic and delicate decoration -found elsewhere on this building, is the figure of a man standing on -his hands with his legs spread apart. The lintels are of stone, and -many of the doorways are of triple width, in which cases the lintel is -supported by two rudely-formed columns, about six and a half-feet -high, with square capitals, as shown in the following cut. The front -of the third range appears to have been entirely plain. In another -building near by "a high projection running along the wall" in the -interior of an apartment is mentioned. Some five hundred yards -directly south of the Casa Grande is a low, small, flat-roofed -building, with a wide archway extending completely through it. It is -much dilapidated, and hardly noticeable in itself, but from the centre -of its flat roof rises the extraordinary structure shown in the cut, -which is a perpendicular wall, two feet thick and thirty feet high, -pierced with ranges of openings, or windows, which give it, as the -discoverer remarks, the appearance of a New England factory. The stone -of which it is constructed is rough, and it was originally covered -with ornaments in stucco, a few of which still remain on the rear. The -only other Zayi monument mentioned is an immense terrace about fifteen -hundred feet square. Most of its surface was not explored, but one -building was noticed and sketched in which the floor of the inner -range of rooms is raised two feet and a half above that of the front -range, being reached by steps, as was the case in the building at -Kabah, already described. The interior wall was also decorated with a -row of pilasters. The superstitious natives, like those I have spoken -of at Utatlan in Guatemala, hear mysterious music every Good Friday, -proceeding from among the ruins.[V-64] - - [Illustration: Front of Casa Grande at Zayi.] - - [Illustration: Wall at Zayi.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF LABNÁ.] - -The ruins of Labná comprise some buildings equal in extent and -magnificence to any in Yucatan, but all far gone in decay. In one case -a mound forty-five feet in height supports a building twenty by -forty-three feet, of the ordinary type, except that its southern front -is a perpendicular wall, thirty feet high above the cornice over the -doorways. This front has no openings like other similar walls already -noticed, but was originally covered throughout its whole surface with -colossal ornaments in stucco, of which but a few small fragments -remained, the whole structure being, when examined, on the point of -falling. Among the figures of which sufficient portions remain to -identify their original form, are: a row of death's heads, two lines -of human figures in high relief, an immense seated human figure, a -ball, or globe, supported by a man kneeling on one knee and by -another standing at its side. All the figures were painted in bright -colors still visible, and the whole structure appeared to its only -visitors "the most curious and extraordinary" seen in the country. -Another building, surrounding a courtyard, which was entered through a -gateway, differed in its plan from those seen elsewhere, but the plan -unfortunately is not given. Over each of the interior, or court, -doorways, on one side at least, is a niche occupied by a painted -stucco ornament supposed to represent the sun. Near by, a terrace four -hundred feet long and one hundred and fifty feet wide supports a -building of two receding stories with a front of two hundred and -eighty-two feet. The upper story consists of a single line of -apartments and its walls are perfectly plain. The lower story has a -double line of rooms, and its front is elaborately sculptured, the -chief peculiarity in this front being that it presents three distinct -styles in as many portions of the wall. The opposite cut shows a -corner of this wall in which the open mouth of an alligator or -monster, from which looks out a human face, is a new and remarkable -feature in Maya decoration. On the roof of the lower range is a narrow -opening which leads vertically to a chamber like those found so -frequently at Uxmal, except that this, instead of being dome-shaped, -is like the ordinary rooms, with triangular-arched ceiling, being -seven by eleven feet and ten feet high. Both sides and bottom are -covered with cement, and there is nothing but its position in the mass -of masonry, between the arches and over the interior apartments, to -indicate that it was not originally used as a cistern for storing -water. There is also in connection with the ruins of Labná an entrance -to what may well be supposed to have been a subterranean senote like -those noticed at Xcoch and Chack, but it could not be explored. It was -noted that the natives about Labná, had much less superstitious fear -respecting the spirits of the antiguos haunting the ruins than those -of most other localities, although even they had no desire to explore -the various apartments. - - [Illustration: Corner at Labná.] - -At Tabi, a few leagues distant, is a heap of ruins, from which -material had been taken for the construction of a modern church, and -many sculptured fragments had been inserted in the walls of the -hacienda buildings. A stream of water was pouring from the open mouth -of a stone idol, possibly worshiped by the ancient inhabitants; "to -such base uses," etc. A cave near by was the subject of much marvelous -report, but its exploration led to nothing in an antiquarian point of -view.[V-65] - -At Kewick, seven or eight miles southward of Labná, a large space is -strewn with the remains of a ruined city, the casa real itself being -built on the terrace of an ancient mound. One single stone, however, -among these ruins demands the attention of the reader, familiar as he -now is with the general features of ancient Maya art. This stone is -one of those which compose the top layer, joining the sides of the -ceiling in one of the apartments. Singled out for some inexplicable -reason from its fellows, it bore a painting in bright colors, chiefly -red and green, representing a grotesquely adorned human form -surrounded by a line of hieroglyphics. The painting measured eighteen -by thirty inches and was taken out from its place by Mr Stephens for -the purpose of removal, but proved too heavy for that purpose. Two -fronts were sketched by Mr Catherwood at Kewick; one had a line of -pillars separated by diamond-shaped ornaments on each side of the -doorway; the other was decorated also with a line of pillars, or -pilasters, standing close together, as on the Casa de Tortugas at -Uxmal.[V-66] - - [Sidenote: XUL, SACACAL, AND CHACCHOB.] - -Xul, a modern village near by, stands also on the site of an -aboriginal town, and the cura's residence is built of material from an -ancient mound, many sculptured stones occupying prominent places in -the walls; the church moreover contains sixteen columns from the -neighboring ruins of Nohcacab. Two leagues from Xul where some ruins -were seen, two apartments had red paintings on the plastered walls and -ceilings. A row of legs, suggesting a procession, heads decorated with -plumes, and human figures standing on their hands, all well-drawn and -natural to the life, were still visible, and interesting even in their -mutilated state. The rancho buildings at Nohcacab--a second place of -the same name as the one already mentioned towards Uxmal--are also -decorated with relics from the 'old walls,' but nothing of interest -was seen in connection with the ruins themselves, except one room in -which the ceiling formed an acute angle at the top instead of being -united by a layer of horizontal stones as in other places.[V-67] - -Some leagues further eastward, in the neighborhood of the town of -Tekax, ruins are mentioned at Sacacal, Ticum, Santa María, and -Chacchob. At Sacacal is a chamber with an opening at the top, as at -Labná, only much larger; and this one has also three recesses, about -two feet deep, in the sides. An apartment here has a painted stone in -the top layer as at Kewick; and one building has its wall rounded -instead of straight, although this is only on the exterior, the inner -surface being straight as usual. The remains at Ticum were only -reported to exist by the Cura of San José. At Santa María a high mound -only was seen.[V-68] At Chacchob ruins of the usual type are -represented, by a Spanish writer in a Yucatan magazine, to be enclosed -within a wall, straight from north to south, the rest of the -circumference of over six thousand feet being semi-circular. The only -entrance is in the centre of the straight side. A well occupies the -centre of the enclosure, the chief pyramid is on the summit of a -natural elevation, and in one room a door was noticed which was much -wider at the top than at the bottom. On the edge of a wall eight -hundred varas distant, grooves worn by the ropes formerly used in -drawing water are still to be seen.[V-69] - -Further north, in the north-eastern corner of the rectangle which -contains our central group of ruins, are Akil and Mani, the relics of -the former locality, so far as known, being chiefly built into the -walls of modern buildings. Mani was a prominent city at the time of -the conquest, and the modern village stands on the remains of the -aboriginal town, mounds and other relics not described being yet -visible. Mr Stephens here found some documents, dating back to the -coming of the Spaniards, which are of great importance in connection -with the question of the antiquity of the Yucatan ruins, and will be -noticed when I come to speak of that point. The only monuments of the -central group remaining to be mentioned are those of Chunhuhu, in the -extreme south-western corner of the rectangle. These are very -extensive, evidently the remains of a large city, and several of the -buildings were sketched by Mr Catherwood, being of one story, and -having grotesque human figures as a prominent feature in their -exterior decoration. One is plastered on the outside, as Mr Stephens -thinks all the Yucatan buildings may have been originally--that is, on -the plain portions of their walls. One front has the frequently -noticed line of close-standing pilasters, with full-length human -figures at intervals, which stand with uplifted hands, as if -supporting the weight of the upper cornice.[V-70] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF CHICHEN ITZA.] - -The next, or eastern, group of Yucatan antiquities includes little -beside the ruined city of Chichen Itza,[V-71] a city which was famous -in the ancient traditionary annals of the Mayas, whose structures -served both natives and Spaniards as fortifications at the time of the -conquest, and whose ruins have been more or less known to the -inhabitants of the country since that epoch. The ruins lie twenty -miles west of Valladolid, the chief town of the eastern portion of the -state, on a public road in plain view of all travelers by that route. -In this case the original Maya name has been retained, Chichen meaning -'mouth of wells,' and Itza being the name of a branch of the Maya -people, or of a royal family, which played a most prominent part in -Yucatan history. The name Chichen comes probably from two great -senotes which supplied the ancient city with water, and which differ -from the complicated underground passages noted in other parts of the -state, being immense natural pits of great depth, with nearly -perpendicular sides, the only traces of artificial improvement being -in the winding steps that lead down to the water's surface, and slight -remains of a wall about the edge of the precipice. So far as explored, -the remains may be included in a rectangle measuring two thousand by -three thousand feet, and their arrangement is shown in the plan on the -next page, made by Mr Catherwood.[V-72] - - [Illustration: PLAN OF CHICHEN-ITZA] - - [Sidenote: CHICHEN--NUNNERY.] - -Perhaps the most remarkable of the Chichen edifices is that known as -the Nunnery, marked H on the plan.[V-73] Of course in this and other -buildings I shall confine my description chiefly to points of contrast -with ruins already mentioned, and well known to the reader. Supporting -the Nunnery, instead of a pyramid, we have for the first time a solid -mass of masonry one hundred and twelve by one hundred and sixty feet -rising with perpendicular sides to a height of about thirty-two feet. -On the summit, with a base one hundred and four feet long, is a -building in two receding stories, of which the upper, whose summit was -sixty-five feet above the ground, is almost entirely in ruins. The -first story is better preserved, and its front was decorated with -sculpture of which no drawings have been made. In the centre of the -northern side a stairway fifty-six feet wide leads up, with -thirty-nine steps, to the top of the solid basement, which forms a -broad promenade round the superimposed building, and continues with -fifteen additional steps to the roof of the first story. One room in -this first story is forty-seven feet long; several contain niches in -their walls, extending from floor to ceiling and bearing traces of -having been covered with painted figures, some of them human with -plumed heads; and some of the apparent doorways are false, or walled -up, evidently from the date of their first construction. Attached to -the eastern end of the solid structure is a projecting wing, shown in -the plan, sixty feet long, thirty-five feet wide, and twenty-five feet -high, consisting of only a single story, and divided into nine -apartments, several of which are filled up with solid masonry. The -lintels throughout the Nunnery are of stone, and the interior walls of -the rooms are plastered. The exterior walls of this eastern wing are -covered with rich sculpture, both above and below the cornice, but -this sculpture presents no contrasts with that of Uxmal, or other -cities, sufficiently striking to be verbally described. Only a few -feet from the eastern end of the Nunnery, and indeed described by -Charnay as wings of that edifice, are the two small buildings _a_ and -_b_ of the plan. The former is thirteen by thirty-eight feet, and -twenty feet high; the latter, sometimes known as the Iglesia, or -Church, is fourteen by twenty-six feet, and thirty-one feet high, -containing only one room. These structures present a most imposing -appearance by reason of their great height in proportion to their -ground dimensions.[V-74] - - [Sidenote: CHICHEN--AKAB-TZIB.] - -The building G of the plan, instead of standing on an artificial -mound, rests on the level plain, but the usual effect is produced by -excavating the surface about it, thus giving it the appearance of -resting on a raised foundation. It measures forty-eight by one hundred -and forty-nine feet, and its outer walls are perfectly plain. The roof -is reached by a stairway forty-five feet wide in the centre of the -eastern front, while, corresponding with the stairway, on the western -front is a solid projection thirty-four by forty-four feet, of unknown -use. The floor of the inner range of rooms is one foot higher than -that of the outer, and on the under surface of a lintel in one of the -interior doorways is the sculptured design shown in the cut on the -following page, surrounded by a row of hieroglyphics, of which only a -small portion are included in the cut, but which are of the same type -as those we have seen at Copan. The subject seems to be some -mysterious incantation or other sacrificial rite, and the -hieroglyphics, known as the 'writing in the dark,' in Maya -_akab-tzib_, have given their name to the building.[V-75] - - [Illustration: Sculptured Lintel at Chichen.] - - [Sidenote: CHICHEN--THE CASTLE.] - - [Illustration: Serpent Balustrade at Chichen.] - - [Illustration: Carved Door-Jamb in the Castle.] - -In the northern part of the city, at B, is the Pyramid, or Castle, of -Chichen. Its base is one hundred and ninety-seven by two hundred and -two feet; its height about seventy-five feet; and its summit platform -sixty-one by sixty-four feet. A stairway thirty-seven feet wide leads -up the western slope to the platform, and on the north is another -stairway of ninety steps forty-four feet wide, having solid -balustrades which terminate at the bottom in two immense serpent's -heads ten feet long, with open mouths and protruding tongues as in the -opposite cut. On the platform stands a building forty-three by -forty-nine feet, and about twenty feet high, having only a single -doorway in the centre of each front. These doorways have all wooden -lintels elaborately carved, and the jambs,--probably of stone, -although Norman says they are of wood--are also covered with -sculpture. The upper portion of one of these sculptured jambs is -represented in the cut, and the designs on the others are of a similar -general character. The northern doorway, which seems to have been the -principal entrance, is twenty feet wide and its lintel is supported by -two columns, each eight feet and eight inches high, with projecting -bases, and having their entire surface decorated, like the jambs at -the sides, with sculptured figures. The interior plan of this building -differs materially from any we have met; since the doorways on the -east, west, and south open into a corridor six feet wide, which -extends without partition walls round the three corresponding sides of -the edifice; while the northern doorway gives access also to a -corridor forty feet long and six and a third feet wide. Through the -centre of the rear wall of this corridor a doorway leads into a room -twelve feet nine inches by nineteen feet eight inches, and seventeen -feet high. This room also differs widely from any before described, -for its ceiling, instead of being formed by a single triangular arch -running lengthways, has two transverse arches supported by immense -carved zapote-beams stretched across the room, and which rest, each at -its centre, on two square pillars whose dimensions are twenty-two -inches on each side and nine feet in height. The cut shows the ground -plan of this remarkable structure, the squares at _a_ representing the -feet of the interior pillars, and the circles at _b_, the pillars that -support the lintel of the northern doorway.[V-76] - - [Illustration: Ground Plan of the Castle.] - - [Illustration: Stone Ring at Chichen.] - - [Illustration: Painted Boat in the Gymnasium.] - - [Sidenote: CHICHEN--THE GYMNASIUM.] - -The building at A of the plan is called by the natives the Iglesia, by -Norman the Temple, by Charnay the Cirque, and by Stephens the -Gymnasium. The latter names were applied from the supposition that the -structure served for a peculiar game of ball to which the Aztec kings, -at least, if not the Mayas, were much addicted. Landa seems, however, -entitled to the honor of having invented this theory, since he speaks -of buildings in this part of Chichen devoted to amusements.[V-77] This -structure is very similar to the one marked H on the plan of Uxmal. It -consists of two parallel walls, thirty by two hundred and seventy-four -feet, twenty-six feet high, and one hundred and twenty feet apart. The -inner walls facing each other present a plain undecorated surface, but -in the centre of each, about twenty feet from the ground, is fixed by -means of a tenon, a stone ring four feet in diameter and thirteen -inches thick, with a hole nineteen inches in diameter through the -centre, surrounded by two sculptured serpents intertwined as in the -following cut. M. Charnay found only one of these rings in place at -the time of his visit. The south end of the eastern wall served as a -base to superimposed buildings or ranges of apartments erected on it -after the manner of all the Yucatan structures of more than one story. -The upper range has a part of its exterior wall still standing, -covered with sculpture, which includes, among other devices, a -procession of tigers or lynxes. In the interior, massive sculptured -pillars and door-posts, with carved zapote lintels appear, but what -seemed to Mr Stephens "the greatest gem of aboriginal art which on the -whole Continent of America now survives," was the series of paintings -in bright colors which cover the wall and ceiling of one of the -chambers. The paintings are so much damaged and the plaster so -scratched and fallen, that the connection of the whole cannot be made -out, but detached subjects were copied, one of which is the boat -represented in the cut, inserted here because of the rarity of all -species of watercraft in our surviving relics of aboriginal -decoration. The other paintings represent human figures in various -postures and occupations, battles, processions, houses, trees, and -other objects. Blue, red, yellow, and green are the colors employed, -all the human figures moreover being tinted a reddish brown. It is, -however, the supposed resemblance of these figures to some of the -Aztec sculpture and picture-writings that gave this room and the one -below it in the same building their great importance in Mr. Stephens' -eyes. We shall be better qualified to appreciate this resemblance -after our study of Mexican antiquities in a future chapter. The lower -room referred to has its inner surface exposed to the open air, the -outer wall having fallen. It is covered with figures sculptured in -bas-relief, also originally painted, of which a specimen is shown in -the cut, consisting of human forms, each with plumed head-dress, and -bearing in his hand what seems to be a bunch of spears or arrows, -marching in a procession, or as the natives say, engaged in a dance. -One hundred feet from the northern and southern ends of the parallel -walls, and very probably connected with them in the uses to which they -were by their builders applied, are the two small buildings at _c_ and -_d_ of the plan. The southern building is eighty-one feet long, the -northern only thirty-five, containing a single apartment. Both are -much ruined, but each presents the remains of two sculptured columns, -and one of them has carvings on the walls and ceilings of its chamber -besides. A horizontal row of circular holes in the exterior walls are -conjectured by M. Viollet-le-Duc to have held timbers which supported -a kind of outer balcony or sun-shade.[V-78] - - [Illustration: Sculptured Design in the Gymnasium.] - - [Illustration: Red House at Chichen.] - -The building at E on the plan is called by the natives Chichanchob, or -Red House; Charnay terms it the Prison. It's front is shown in the -cut, the whole being in an excellent state of preservation. The three -doorways lead into a corridor extending the whole length of the -building, forty-three feet, through which three corresponding doorways -give access to three small apartments in the rear. Over these -doorways, and running the whole length of the corridor, is a narrow -stone tablet on which is sculptured a row of hieroglyphics, of which -the first and best preserved portion is shown in the cut. Their -similarity to, if not identity with, the characters at Copan, will be -seen at a glance. There are traces of painting on the walls of the -three rear rooms.[V-79] The building D presents nothing of particular -interest. - - [Illustration: Hieroglyphic Tablet at Chichen.] - - [Sidenote: CHICHEN--THE CARACOL.] - -At F is the Caracol, or winding staircase, called also by Norman the -Dome, a building entirely different in form and plan from any we have -seen. Of the two supporting rectangular terraces, the lower is one -hundred and fifty by two hundred and twenty-three feet, and the upper -is fifty-five by eighty feet. A stairway of twenty steps, forty-five -feet wide, leads up to the former, and another of sixteen steps, -forty-two feet wide, to the latter. The lower stairway had a -balustrade formed of two intertwined serpents. On the upper platform -is the Caracol, a circular building twenty-two feet in diameter and -about twenty-four feet high, its roof being dome-shaped instead of -flat. The annexed section and ground plan illustrate its peculiar -construction. Two narrow corridors, with plastered and painted walls, -extend entirely round the circumference, and the centre is apparently -a solid mass of masonry.[V-80] - - [Illustration: The Caracol at Chichen.] - -The only remaining monument at Chichen which demands particular -mention is that at C on the plan. Here occur large numbers, three -hundred and eighty having been counted, of small square columns from -three to six feet high, each composed of several separate pieces, one -placed on another, standing in rows of from three to five abreast, -round an open space some four hundred feet square, and also extending -irregularly in other directions in connection with various mounds. The -use of these columns is entirely unknown; but any structure which they -may have supported must have been of wood, since absolutely no -vestiges remain.[V-81] Besides the monuments described, there are the -usual heaps of ruins, mounds, fallen walls, and sculptured blocks, -scattered over the plain for miles in every direction. Chichen was -evidently a great capital and religious centre, and its ruins present, -as the reader has doubtless noticed, very many points of contrast with -those of the central or Uxmal group.[V-82] - -Ruins are mentioned by Mr Wappäus as existing at Tinum, a short -distance north-west of Chichen; and are also indicated, on -Malte-Brun's map already referred to, at Espita, still farther north, -and at Xocen, a few miles south of Valladolid. At Sitax, near Tinum, a -vase, 'something of the Etruscan shape,' from some of the ruined -cities, was seen by Mr Norman. At Coba, eastward from Valladolid, the -curate of Chemax, in a report of his district prepared for the -government, described slightly ranges of buildings in two stories. -They are said to be built of stones, each of which measures six square -yards; this is very likely an error, and no other peculiarities were -spoken of worthy of mention. The same cura discovered on the hacienda -of Kantunile far north-eastward toward the coast several mounds, and -in one of them three skeletons, at whose head were two earthen vases. -One of these was filled with the relics shown in the cuts on the -following page, consisting of implements, ornaments, and two carved -shells. The shell carvings are in low relief, and the arrow-heads, -with which the other vase was nearly filled, were of obsidian, a -material not known to exist in Yucatan, and which must consequently be -supposed to have been brought from more northern volcanic states of -Mexico, where it formed the usual material of knives and many other -aboriginal implements and weapons. Besides these different articles, -was a horn-handled penknife in the same vase, proving that this burial -deposit was made subsequently to the coming of Europeans.[V-83] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: NORTHERN GROUP.] - - [Sidenote: RELICS AT TICUL.] - -I now come to the northern group of Yucatan Antiquities, which is -separated from the Uxmal group by the low sierra before mentioned as -running from north-west to south-east across this portion of the -state. First in this group are the ruins of the ancient Ticul, on the -hacienda of San Francisco close to the modern town of Ticul, and just -across the sierra from Nohcacab. Here are thirty-six mounds, or -pyramids, all visible from one of the highest when the trees are free -from foliage. Most of the elevations support buildings, but these are -so completely ruined that nothing can be known of the original city, -save that it must have been of great extent. These ruined piles have -served as quarries to supply building material at Ticul, which is -almost entirely built of stone. Many relics are preserved in the -town, but the only one particularly noticed is the earthen vase shown -in the cut. It is five inches in diameter and four and a half inches -high, and the reader will notice a similarity of style between the -figures on its front and those carved on the burial relics of -Kantunile previously shown. Between two of the mounds of San -Francisco, a square stone wall filled with earth and stones was -opened, and in it, under a large flat stone, was found a skeleton -sitting with knees against the stomach and hands clasping the neck, -facing the west. In connection with this skeleton were found a large -earthen vase, or water-jar, empty, and a deer's-horn needle, sharp at -one end and having an eye at the other. Mr Norman calls this group of -mounds Ichmul, supposes them all to be sepulchres, and says that -several have been opened and disclosed sitting skeletons, with pots at -their feet, and even interior rooms. M. Waldeck briefly mentions in -many parts of his work the ruins of Tixualajtun, which may possibly be -identical with Ticul, and which bear carved stones, indicating by -their number and position in the walls an age of at least three -thousand years.[V-84] - - [Illustration: Sepulchral Relics from Kantunile.] - - [Illustration: Earthen Vase from Ticul.] - - [Illustration: Mound at Mayapan.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF MAYAPAN] - - [Illustration: Circular Structure at Mayapan.] - -About ten miles northward of Ticul, and twenty-five miles southward of -Mérida is the rancho of San Joaquin, included in the hacienda of -Xcanchakan, on which are the remains of Mayapan, the ancient Maya -capital. According to the traditional annals of the country Mayapan -was destroyed by an enemy, in one of the many civil conflicts that -desolated Yucatan, not much more than a century before the Spanish -conquest. Numerous mounds, scattered blocks, and a few ruined -buildings are all that remain to recall the city's ancient splendor. -The best preserved mound is that shown in the preceding cut, one -hundred feet square at the base, and sixty feet high, with a stairway -twenty-five feet wide in the centre of each side. The top is a plain -stone platform, with no signs of its ever having supported any -building. Most of the sculptured fragments contain only parts of -ornamental designs and are fitted with tenons by which they were -probably secured on the front walls, as at Uxmal. One building of the -ordinary type was sufficiently entire to show the triangular ceiling. -A circular building similar to that described at Chichen was also -noticed. It is twenty-five feet in diameter, and twenty-four feet -high, with only a single doorway facing the west. A single corridor -only three feet wide runs entirely round the edifice, the outer wall -being five feet thick, and the inner wall is a solid circular mass of -stone and mortar nine feet in thickness. The interior walls of the -corridor are plastered with several coats of stucco, and yet retain -vestiges of yellow, blue, red, and white paint. The preceding cut -shows the exterior of this structure, and also gives a good idea of -the similar one at Chichen. On a terrace of the mound which supports -this dome, are eight round columns, two and a half feet in diameter, -and each composed of five stones placed one upon another. Among the -sculptured blocks with which the country for miles around is strewn, -are some which differ from those mentioned as parts of façade -decorations. They are rudely carved, and each represents a subject -complete in itself. Two of these, one four and the other three feet -high, together with some of the decorative fragments alluded to, are -shown in the cut on the opposite page. An idol was also found in one -of the subterranean passages of a senote. The inhabitants of the -locality report that the ruins extend over the plain within a -circumference of three miles, and that the foundations yet remain of -a wall that once surrounded the city.[V-85] - - [Illustration: Mayapan--Sculptured Fragments.] - - [Sidenote: RELICS OF TIHOO AT MÉRIDA.] - -Mérida, the capital of Yucatan, was built by the Spanish conquerors on -the ruins of the aboriginal city of Tihoo, the ancient mounds -furnishing material to the builders of the modern town. Only very -slight vestiges of Tihoo remain; yet in the lower cloisters of the -Franciscan convent, which is known to have been erected over an -ancient mound and building, the Spanish architects left one of the -peculiar aboriginal arches intact, unless we suppose that they -imitated such an arch in their own work, which is most unlikely. -Bishop Landa describes and illustrates with a ground plan one of the -largest and finest of the Tihoo structures, as it was in the sixteenth -century. In most respects his description agrees exactly with the -ruins of the grander class already mentioned. The supporting mound has -two retreating terraces on all sides except the western, which side -seems to have been perpendicular to its full height. Stairways running -the whole length of the mound lead up to the eastern slopes, and on -the summit platform is a courtyard surrounded by four buildings, like -the Casa de Monjas at Uxmal. A gateway leads through the centre of -both eastern and western buildings, and one of these gateways is -represented by Landa as having a round arch, the other being of the -ordinary form. The buildings are divided into a single range of small -apartments opening on the court, except the southern, which has two -large rooms, and in front of which was a gallery supported by a row of -square pillars. A round building or room is also mentioned in -connection with the western range. Landa also mentions several other -structures, including the one over whose ruins the Franciscan convent -was built. M. Waldeck mentions an excavation in a garden of the city, -which is twenty-three by thirty feet, and fifteen feet deep, with -double walls three and six feet thick, where the bones of a tapir and -other bones were dug up. He also saw here several idols collected from -different parts.[V-86] - - [Sidenote: PYRAMID AND COLUMNS OF AKÉ.] - -Some twenty-five miles east of Mérida, at a place called Aké, barely -mentioned in the annals of the conquest as the locality where a battle -was fought between the Spaniards and Mayas, are the ruins of an -aboriginal city; ruins which, according to Mr Stephens, their only -visitor, have a ruder, older, and more cyclopean air than any others -seen. Some of the stones here employed are seven feet long. One -remarkable feature is a pyramid, whose summit platform is fifty by two -hundred and twenty-five feet, and supports thirty-six columns, each -four feet square, and from fourteen to sixteen feet high. These -columns are arranged in three parallel rows, ten feet apart from north -to south, and fifteen feet from east to west. Each column is composed -of several square stones. A stairway one hundred and thirty-seven feet -wide, with steps seventeen inches high, and four feet five inches -deep, leads up the southern slope. Of this mound Mr Stephens says: "It -was a new and extraordinary feature, entirely different from any we -had seen, and at the very end of our journey, when we supposed -ourselves familiar with the character of American ruins, threw over -them a new air of mystery." Between Mérida and Mayapan is mentioned a -stone wall, which crosses the road and extends far on either side into -the forest. Near by is also an aguada, said by the inhabitants to be -of artificial formation.[V-87] - - [Illustration: Cara Gigantesca at Izamal.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF IZAMAL.] - -Izamal, something more than twenty miles further eastward, was a city -of great importance in aboriginal times, as we shall see in the -following volume. Two or three immense pyramids are all the vestiges -that remain of its former greatness. The largest mound is between -seven and eight hundred feet long, and between fifty and sixty feet -high, and Mr Stephens "ascertained beyond all doubt" that it has -interior chambers, concerning which he very strangely gives no further -information. M. Charnay's photograph shows that this mound was in two -receding stages, on the slopes of the upper of which steps are still -to be seen. The modern town is built on the site of the ancient city, -and the mounds as elsewhere have furnished the material of the later -structures. The upper portion of a pyramid facing the one already -mentioned was leveled down, and on the lower platform was erected the -Franciscan church and convent. Another smaller mound is in the -courtyards of two private houses, and on its side near the base is the -cara gigantesca, or gigantic face, shown in the cut. It is seven feet -wide and seven feet eight inches high. The features were first rudely -formed by small rough stones, fixed in the side of the mound by means -of mortar, and afterward perfected with a stucco so hard that it has -successfully resisted for centuries the action of air and water. There -were signs of a row of similar stucco ornaments extending along the -side of the mound; and either on this mound or another near by, M. -Charnay photographed a similarly formed face, which is twelve feet -high. These colossal stucco faces are the distinctive features of the -ruins of Izamal, nothing of the kind appearing elsewhere in Yucatan, -although a slight resemblance may be traced to the gigantic faces in -stone at Copan. Bishop Landa describes one of the Izamal structures as -it appeared in his time, and adds a plan to his description. He -represents the supporting pyramid as being over one hundred feet high, -with a very steep stairway and very high steps, being built in a -semi-circular form on one side. According to his statement the -edifices were eleven or twelve in number, standing near together. -Lizana, another of the early writers on Yucatan, mentions five of the -sacred mounds supporting buildings which were already in ruins in his -time, and he also gives the Maya name of each temple with its meaning. -It should be noted, moreover, that Izamal is, according to the annals -of Yucatan, the burial place of Zamná, the great semi-divine founder -of the ancient Maya power.[V-88] - - [Sidenote: SENOTE OF BOLONCHEN.] - -I now come to the southern group of Maya antiquities, over which I may -pass rapidly, beginning with the ruins of Ytsimpte near the village of -Bolonchen, some fifteen miles south of Chunhuhu, the most -south-western ruin of the central group. By the kindness of the cura -and the industry of the natives this ruined city was cleared of all -obstacles in the shape of vegetation, and its thorough exploration was -thus rendered easy; but unfortunately no corresponding results -followed, since no new features whatever were discovered. Here are -undoubtedly the remains of a great city, but most of the walls, and -all of the sculptured decorations have fallen. Bolonchen means 'nine -wells,' so named from a group of natural wells in the plaza. These -fail for several months in the dry season, and then the inhabitants -resort to a senote in the neighborhood, which, as one of the most -wonderful in the peninsula, is shown, or rather one of its several -passages is shown, in the cut. By a series of rude ladders water is -brought from springs over fifteen hundred feet from the opening at the -surface, and at a perpendicular depth of over four hundred feet. - - [Illustration: Senote at Bolonchen.] - - [Illustration: Ground Plan of Labphak Structure.] - - [Illustration: Sculptured Tablet at Labphak.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF LABPHAK.] - -Labphak is about twenty miles further south, and is one of the -grandest of the Maya ruins, although the single brief exploration by -Mr Stephens, its only visitor, is barely sufficient to excite our -curiosity respecting its unknown wonders. Only one building was -examined with care; this has three receding stories. The western front -was carefully cleared, and, sketched by Mr Catherwood, resembling very -closely the other three-storied structures before described. But at -the last moment it was discovered that this was only the rear wall, -and that the eastern front "presented the tottering remains of the -grandest structure that now rears its ruined head in the forests of -Yucatan." The dimensions and arrangement of rooms of the lower story, -differing from any that have been met further north, are shown in the -accompanying ground plan, together with the stairways that lead up to -the second story. Besides the grand central eastern staircase, there -are two interior stairways, each in two flights, leading up to the -platform of the second and third stories from the rooms of the western -range. This is the first instance of interior stairs, but the method -of their construction is not explained. The western wall of the third -story has no doorways. On the platform of the second story stand two -high buildings like towers, ornamented with stucco, and on the third -platform two similar structures at the head of the stairway before the -central entrance. These upper rooms have plain walls and ceilings. The -lower ones present numerous imprints of the ever-present red hand, and -one of them has a painted stone in the tier over the arch, as at -Kewick. At the points marked _a_ in the plan, are sculptured tablets -of stone fixed in the exterior walls, one of which is shown in the -cut. Each tablet is composed of several pieces of stone, and the -sculptured figures are naturally much worn by exposure to the air and -rain. Two circular openings to _chultunes_, or cisterns, like those at -Uxmal and elsewhere, were found near by. Another Labphak structure -formed a parallelogram, surrounding a courtyard, and presenting two -peculiarities; the entrance to the court was by stairways leading over -the flat roof of one of the ranges of buildings; and the ornamentation -of the court façades was in stucco instead of sculptured stone. With -this slight description I am obliged to leave this most interesting -city, whose solitude, so far as I know, has remained undisturbed for -thirty years and more since Messrs Stephens and Catherwood spent two -days in the halls of its departed greatness. Now as then, "it remains -a rich and almost unbroken field for the future explorer." - -At Iturbide, the south-western frontier town of modern Yucatan, there -is a mound of ruins in the plaza, and also a well some four feet in -diameter, and twenty-five feet deep, stoned with hewn blocks without -mortar; its sides polished by long usage, and grooved by the ropes -employed in drawing water. This well is considered the work of the -antiguos, and another similar one was seen near by. In the outskirts -of Iturbide the plain is dotted with the mounds and stone buildings of -the ancient town of Zibilnocac. Thirty-three mounds were counted, but -the walls of the buildings had all fallen except one, which presented -the peculiarity of square elevations, or towers, with sculptured -façades, at each end and in the middle. Its rooms also preserved -traces of interesting paintings, representing processions of human -figures whose flesh was colored red. - - [Sidenote: AGUADAS OF THE SOUTH.] - -At the rancho of Noyaxche, a few miles distant, is a seemingly natural -pond, which, being explored by the proprietor during a very dry -season, proved to have an artificial bottom of flat stones many layers -thick, pierced in the centre with four wells, and round the -circumference with over four hundred small pits, or cisterns. At -Macoba, twelve or fifteen miles eastward is another similar aguada, -and ruined buildings are also found, actually occupied by the natives -as dwellings. Mankeesh is another locality in this region where -extensive ruins are reported to exist. At the rancho of Jalal is an -aguada similar to the one mentioned at Noyaxche, the forms of the -wells and cisterns, pierced in its paved bottom being illustrated by -the cut. Upwards of forty deep wells were discovered by the natives in -the immediate neighborhood. Yakatzib is another place near by, where -ruined buildings were seen. Becanchen is a town of six thousand -inhabitants, and owes its existence to the discovery of a group of -ancient wells, partially artificial, and a stream of running water. -Fragments of ancient structures are built into the walls of the -town.[V-89] - - [Illustration: Aguada at Jalal.] - - * * * * * - -Only the monuments found on or near the coast of the peninsula remain -to be noticed, and in describing them I shall begin in the south-east -and follow the coast northward, then westward, and again southward to -Lake Terminos. For a description of Maya structures, as found by the -earliest Spanish voyagers on the eastern coast, I refer the reader to -the chapter on Central American buildings in volume II. of this -work.[V-90] M. Waldeck, giving no authority for his statement, -mentions the existence of ruined buildings at Espíritu Santo Bay, and -at Soliman Point, but no description is given.[V-91] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF TULOOM.] - - [Illustration: Plan of Tuloom.] - -Tuloom is the most important city of antiquity on the eastern coast, -standing in about 20° 10´. It is undoubtedly one of the many -aboriginal towns whose 'towers' excited so much wonder in the minds of -the first European voyagers along this coast. It presents several -marked contrasts with the other monuments that have been described, -not only in the construction and arrangement of its edifices, but in -its site, since it is built on a high bluff on the very border of the -sea, commanding a view of wild and diversified natural scenery, -differing widely from the somewhat monotonous plain that constitutes -for the most part the surface of the peninsula. Tuloom has only been -visited by Mr Stephens, and his exploration was nearly at the end of -his long journey, when the keen edge of his antiquarian zeal was -naturally somewhat blunted by fatigue, sickness, and a desire to -return home. Moreover, countless hordes of mosquitos, with a -persistent malignity unsurpassed in the annals of their race, scorning -the aid even of their natural allies in the defense of Central -American ruins, the garrapatas and fleas, proved victorious over -antiquarian heroism, and drove the foreign invaders from their -stronghold. The annexed cut is a ground plan of the ruins so far as -explored, and we notice at once a novel feature in the wall A, A, that -bounds them on three sides--the first well-authenticated instance -which we have met of a walled Maya town. A precipitous cliff rising -from the waters of the ocean makes a wall unnecessary on the eastern -side, but on the other sides the wall is in excellent preservation, -stretching six hundred and fifty feet from east to west, and fifteen -hundred feet from north to south, from eight to thirteen feet thick, -and built of rough flat stones without mortar. The height is not -stated. On each of the inland corners at C, C, is a small structure, -twelve feet square, with two doors, which may be considered a -watch-tower, and which is shown in the cut on the next page. Five -gateways, each five feet wide, at B, B, B, give access to the city. -Within the walls the largest and most imposing structure is that at D, -known as the Castle, which stands on the cliff overlooking the sea. A -solid mass of masonry thirty feet square and about thirty feet in -height, ascended on the western side by a massive stairway of the -same width with solid balustrades, supports on its summit a building -of the same size as the foundation, and about fifteen feet high. The -doorway at the head of the stairway is wide, and its lintel is -supported by two pillars. Over the doorway are niches in the wall, one -of which contains fragments of a statue. The interior is divided into -two corridors connected by a single doorway, the front one having what -are described as 'stone benches' at the ends, and the rear range -having a similar bench along one of its sides. The rear, or sea, wall -is very thick and has no doorways, but several small openings of -oblong shape form the nearest approach to windows found in Yucatan. -The corridors have ceilings of the usual type, the doorways are -furnished with stone rings for the support of doors, and the imprint -of the red hand appears on the interior walls. Against each end of the -solid foundation is built a wing in two stories, thirty-five feet -long, making the whole length of the Castle one hundred feet. The -upper story of each wing consists of two apartments, one of which is -twenty by twenty-four feet. Two columns, ornamented with stucco, stand -in the centre of the room, of which the ceiling has fallen, although a -succession of holes along the top of the walls indicate that it had -been flat and supported by timbers. The building north of the Castle, -at E, contains a single room seven by twelve feet, with a raised step -or bench at each end, and much defaced painted ornaments in stucco on -its walls. Over the doorway on the outside is the figure we have met -before, standing on the hands with legs spread apart. The building -close to the Castle on the south has four columns in the centre of a -room nineteen by forty feet, and also in another room are fragments of -a sculptured tablet. A senote with artificial steps, which supplied -water to the ancient inhabitants, is included within the enclosure at -K. At H is a building remarkable for its roof, which differs radically -from the usual Maya type. Four timbers fifteen feet long and six -inches thick stretch across the room from wall to wall, and crossways -on these timbers are placed smaller timbers ten feet long and three -inches thick close together, and the whole covered with a thick layer -of coarse pebbles in mortar. Several other buildings evidently had -similar roofs originally, else it might be suspected that this one had -undergone modern improvements, especially as an altar was found in it -with traces of use at no very remote period. In this building also -sea-shells take the place of stone rings at the sides of the doorways. -One of the structures marked G on the plan has two stories. The front -is decorated with stucco, and the doorway of the lower story occupies -nearly the whole front, its top being supported by four pillars. The -interior plan is similar to that of the Castle at Chichen Itza, since -a corridor extends round three sides of a central apartment. The -interior walls of both room and corridor are painted, and in the -latter is an altar on which copal is supposed to have been burned. The -second story, which has no stairway or other visible means of -approach, differs from all other upper stories in Yucatan, in standing -directly over the central lower room, instead of over a solid mass of -masonry as elsewhere. Among other ruins near this, two stone tablets -with indistinct traces of sculpture were noticed. The cut shows one -of several small structures found at Tuloom outside the walls, and -probably intended as altars or adoratorios. This building is twelve by -fifteen feet and contains a single room where a copal altar appears. -Tuloom was undoubtedly one of the cities seen by the early voyagers -along this coast, and from the perfect state of preservation of many -of the monuments, especially of the stucco ornament resembling a -pine-apple shown in the last cut, Mr Stephens believes that the city -was occupied long after the conquest of other parts of the peninsula. -At Tancar, a few miles north of Tuloom, are many remains of small -ancient edifices, much dilapidated and not described.[V-92] - - [Illustration: Watch-Tower at Tuloom.] - - [Illustration: Tuloom Relics.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS ON THE EASTERN COAST.] - - [Illustration: Building at Cozumel.] - -The island of Cozumel has not been explored, by reason of the dense -growth which covers its surface, but in a small clearing on the shore -two buildings were discovered. One of them is shown in the preceding -cut. It is sixteen feet square, with plain exterior walls formerly -plastered and painted. A doorway in the centre of each side opens into -a corridor only twenty inches wide, extending round a central chamber -five by eight and a half feet, with one doorway. The other is similar -but larger. One of the dome-shaped cisterns was also found on the -island. Here is also a ruined Spanish church, which very probably -furnished the cross with a crucified Christ, preserved in Mérida as an -aboriginal relic, and much talked of by enthusiasts who formerly -believed that Christianity was introduced into America long before the -Spaniards came. On the main land opposite the island ruined stone -buildings are also visible from the sea, as they were to Grijalva and -Córdova in the sixteenth century. Pole, or Popole, is one of the -localities somewhat further north where ruins are located on the -maps.[V-93] - -At Point Nisuc Mr Stephens locates ruins on his map, as does -Malte-Brun at the mouth of the River Petampich a little further south, -and the former also mentions stone buildings as visible on the barren -island of Kancune. On the northern point of Mugeres Island, known to -the early voyagers as Point, or Cape, Mugeres, are two small buildings -of the usual type. One of them, fifteen by twenty-eight feet, resting -on a solid foundation with perpendicular sides in which a narrow -stairway was cut, is located on a cliff at the extreme point of the -island.[V-94] - -At Cayo Ratones is a ruin according to Malte-Brun's map; and Cape -Catoche was the location of one of the cities seen by the Spaniards in -the sixteenth century, this early discovery being perhaps the only -authority for M. Waldeck's statement that a ruined city may there be -found.[V-95] - - [Sidenote: NORTHERN COAST RELICS.] - -Following the coast westward, an ancient mound is seen at Yalahao, the -map shows another at Emal, and Monte Cuyo is a lofty mound, reported -to have no traces of buildings, visible from far out at sea. This -latter may perhaps be identical with "a small Hill by the Sea, call'd -the _Mount_," mentioned by the old English voyager Dampier, who says: -"I was never ashore here, but have met with some well acquainted with -the Place, who are all of opinion that this Mount was not natural, but -the Work of Men."[V-96] Two pyramids are reported further east, near -the Rio Lagartos, but their existence rests on no very reliable -authority.[V-97] Two mounds, once covered with buildings, at the port -of Silan, are the only other monuments to be mentioned on the northern -coast. One of these latter is of great size, being four hundred feet -long and fifty feet high. The padre could remember when the building -on the other, known as the Castle, was still standing.[V-98] - -On or near the western coast are few monuments of antiquity worthy of -note. At Maxcanú, some twenty-five miles north-west from Uxmal, a -locality visited by Stephens during his trip toward the coast, are -several mounds covered with ruins, which present no peculiarities. But -in the interior of one of these mounds was found a gallery four feet -wide and seven feet high, with triangular-arched ceiling, extending -several hundred feet with many branches and angles. Before Mr -Stephens' visit this was supposed by the inhabitants of the region to -be a subterranean passage, or cave, known as Satun Sat, or the -Labyrinth. The presence of this gallery of course suggests the idea -that others of the Yucatan pyramids may contain similar ones, and that -their exploration might lead to important results. On the hacienda of -Sijoh, a few leagues nearer the coast, is a large group of ruined -mounds and buildings, presenting nothing new, except that the stones -of one of them were much larger than usual, one being noticed that was -three by six feet. In a kind of courtyard in the midst of these mounds -are standing many huge stones, resembling in their situation and size -the monoliths of Copan, but they bear no marks of sculpture, being -rough and unhewn as if just taken from the quarry. The largest is -fourteen feet high, four feet wide and a foot and a half thick. At -Tankuché one apartment of a ruined building has its walls and ceiling -decorated with paintings in bright colors, but the room was filled up -with rubbish, and nothing definite could be made out respecting the -designs, except in the case of one ornament which seemed to resemble a -mask found at Palenque. Ruins are reported also at Becal, in the same -region.[V-99] At the mouth of the Rio Jaïna a tumulus, with pottery -and spear-heads on its surface, is mentioned by Waldeck and Norman, -and perhaps at the same place under the name of Chuncana, ruins are -indicated on Malte-Brun's map. - - [Illustration: Campeche Idol in Terra Cotta.] - - [Sidenote: MONUMENTS OF CAMPECHE.] - - [Sidenote: RELICS AT CAMPECHE.] - - [Illustration: Campeche Idols in Terra Cotta.] - -Further south, in the region extending from Campeche to Laguna de -Terminos there is only the vaguest information respecting antiquities. -The city of Campeche itself is said to be built over extensive -artificial galleries, or catacombs, supposed to have been devoted by -the ancient people to sepulchral uses; but I find no satisfactory -description of these excavations. On the Rio Champoton, some leagues -from the coast, ruins are reported concerning which nothing definite -is known. From the tumulus mentioned, "and other places contiguous to -ruins of immense cities, in the vicinity of Campeachy," Mr Norman -claims to have obtained "some skeletons and bones that have evidently -been interred for ages, also a collection of idols, fragments, flint -spear-heads, and axes; besides sundry articles of pottery-ware, well -wrought, glazed, and burnt." The cuts on the preceding pages show five -of these idols, which are hollow and have small balls within to rattle -at every movement. Padre Camacho is also said to have collected at -Campeche a museum composed of many relics from different localities, -many of them interesting but not particularly described.[V-100] - - [Sidenote: MAYA CALZADAS.] - -Besides the monuments that have been described, the remains of -ancient paved roads, or calzadas, have been found in several different -parts of the state. The traditionary history of the country represents -the great cities and religious centres as connected, in the time of -their original splendor and prosperity, by broad smooth paved ways, -constructed for the convenience of the rulers in sending dispatches -from place to place. These roads are even reported to have stretched -beyond the limits of the peninsula, affording access to the -neighboring kingdoms of Guatemala, Chiapas, and Tabasco. Modern -discoveries lend some probability to these reports. Cozumel was one of -these great religious centres from which roads led in every direction, -and Cogolludo says that in his time "were to be seen vestiges of -calzadas which cross the whole kingdom, said to end at its eastern -border on the sea-shore." The cura of Chemax, speaking of Coba, far -eastward of Chichen toward the coast, says "there is a calzada, or -paved road, of ten or twelve yards in width, running to the south-east -to a limit that has not been discovered with certainty, but some aver -that it goes in the direction of Chichen Itza." Bishop Landa mentions -"a fine broad calzada extending about two stone's throw to a well" -from one of the Chichen structures. Izamal was another much-frequented -shrine, from which Lizana tells us "they had constructed four roads, -or calzadas, towards the four winds, which reached the ends of the -county, and even extended to Tabasco, Guatemala, and Chiapas; and even -now are seen in many places portions and traces of these roads." Landa -also states that between Izamal and Mérida, "there are to-day signs of -there having existed a very beautiful paved way." In the same -locality, running parallel to the modern road for several miles, M. -Charnay found "a magnificent road, from seven to eight mètres wide, -whose foundation is of immense stones surmounted by a concrete -perfectly preserved, which is covered with a coating of cement two -inches thick. This road is everywhere about a mètre and a half above -the surface of the ground. The coating of cement seems as if put on -yesterday;" the whole being buried, however, some sixteen inches deep -in soil and vegetable accumulations. The Cura Carillo and party found -in 1845 one of these paved roads four and a half varas wide, running -parallel with the modern road south-eastward from Uxmal, and said by -the natives to connect the latter city with Nohpat. It is perhaps the -same calzada, in Maya _Sacbé_, 'a road of white stone,' that has given -a name to the Sacbé ruins, and is described by Mr Stephens as "a -broken platform or roadway of stone, about eight feet wide and eight -or ten inches high, crossing the road, and running off into the woods -on both sides," reported to extend from Uxmal to Kabah.[V-101] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: GENERAL RÉSUMÉ.] - -Having now completed my detailed description of Maya antiquities in -all parts of the peninsula where aboriginal relics have been seen or -reported, I have thought it best to give in conclusion a general view -of these antiquities, their peculiarities, the contrasts and -similarities which they present among themselves and when compared -with more southern monuments, together with such general remarks and -conclusions as their examination may seem to warrant. - -The comparatively level and uniform surface of the peninsula left the -aboriginal builders little choice in the location of their cities and -temples, yet a preference for a broken hilly region may be traced in -the fact that the central, or Uxmal, group, the most crowded with -ancient monuments, corresponds with the principal transverse ranges of -the peninsula; likewise the eastern coast cities rest generally on -elevated bluffs overlooking the sea. In the selection of sites, -however, as in the construction of their cities, security against -enemies seems to have been not at all, or at best very slightly, -considered. None of the cities on the plains are located with any view -to defence, or have any traces of fortifications to guard their -approaches. Tuloom, on the eastern coast, was indeed surrounded by a -strong wall on which watch-towers were placed; but of all the Yucatan -cities this is best guarded by its natural position and would seem to -have least need of artificial defences. Some slight remains of walls -are seen at Uxmal and Mayapan, but insufficient to prove that these -were walled cities. A wall more or less perfect is also reported at -Chacchob. No structure has been found which partakes in any way of the -nature of a fort, or which appears to have been erected with a view to -military defense. It is true the numerous pyramids and their -superimposed buildings would serve as a refuge for non-combattants, as -well as property, and would afford facilities for defense in a -hand-to-hand conflict, or perhaps against any attack by men armed with -aboriginal weapons; but would in nowise serve as a protection to the -dwellings or fields of the populace which must be supposed to have -dotted the plains for a wide extent about the palaces of the nobility -and temples of the gods. - -In the laying out both of cities and of individual structures, no -fixed plan was followed that can now be ascertained, except that a -majority of the edifices face in general terms the cardinal points; -that is, as nearly as these points would naturally be determined by -observation of the rising and setting sun. The oft-repeated statement -that all the temples and palaces were exactly oriented is altogether -unsupported by facts. - -The materials employed by the Maya builders were limestone, mortar, -and wood. The limestone used is that which, covered with a few feet of -sand or soil, forms the substratum of the whole peninsula. It is soft -and easily worked, and may be readily quarried in any part of the -state. Somewhat strangely, none of the quarries which supplied the -stone for building, or for sculptured decorations and idols, have ever -been found;--at least none such have been reported by any -explorer.[V-102] With very few exceptions, such as in the case of the -city wall at Tuloom, the stone employed, whether rough or hewn, was -laid in mortar. Cement was also used on roofs and floors; plaster on -interior walls; and stucco in exterior decorations. Mortar, cement, -plaster, and stucco were presumably composed of the same materials, -lime and sand, mixed in different proportions according to the use for -which it was designed. No satisfactory analysis seems to have been -made of the mortar, nor is anything definite known respecting the -method of its manufacture, or the source from which lime was obtained. -That the material was of excellent quality is proved by the resistance -it has offered for at least three centuries to tropical rains and the -inroads of tropical vegetation. It is nearly as hard as the stone -blocks which it holds together, and to its excellence the preservation -of the Yucatan monuments is in great measure due.[V-103] - -Wood was employed by the Maya builders only for lintels, for timbers -of unknown use stretched across the rooms from side to side of the -ceilings, in one case at Chichen for beams to support the regular -stone arches of the roof, and, at Tuloom only, for the support of a -flat cement roof. The only wood mentioned is the zapote, native to -some parts of the peninsula, extremely hard and heavy, but not -resinous or particularly well fitted to resist decay or the ravages of -worms. It seems remarkable that any portion of this woodwork should -have survived even their three or four centuries of unquestioned -age;--and, indeed, few or none of the lintels of outer doorways -exposed to the weather have remained unbroken. - -Having fixed upon a site for a proposed edifice, the Maya builder -invariably erected an artificial elevation on which it might rest. And -this peculiarity is observed, not only in Yucatan, but, as we shall -see in many other portions of the Pacific States, no less universally -in regions where natural hills abound than on level plains. In several -places, however, the artificial structure rests on a natural hill of -slight elevation, as at Chack and Zayi; in other cases advantage is -taken of a small hill to save labor in the accumulation of material, -as at Uxmal; and in one instance at Chichen the appearance of a mound -is gained by excavating the surrounding earth. Buildings resting on -the natural surface of the earth are unknown, as are also subterranean -apartments or galleries of artificial construction, excepting only the -reported catacombs under the city of Campeche. The bases of the -foundation structures, or pyramids, are usually rectangular, the -largest dimensions being fifteen hundred feet square at Zayi, while -many have sides of three to eight hundred feet. They diminish in size -towards the summit, from twenty to fifty feet high in the case of the -larger mounds, and from sixty to ninety feet in some of the smaller -ones. Most of the larger mounds have two or more terrace-platforms on -their slope. The mass of the mound is composed of rough stones and -fragments generally in mortar, making a coarse concrete; the outer -surface is faced with hewn stones, not generally laid so as to form -steps, as seems to have been the case at Copan, but so as to present a -smooth surface on the slope. It is uncertain whether some of the -larger terrace-platforms were paved with regular blocks or not. The -corners are often rounded. Sculptured decorations occur in a few -instances, as on the Pyramid at Uxmal; and at Izamal a row of faces in -stucco adorn the base. A stairway always occupies the centre of one -side, often of more than one side. Some of these stairways are over a -hundred feet wide, and their steps are rarely arranged with any -reference to convenience in mounting. Balustrades remain on some -stairways, ornamented in a few instances by sculptured monsters' -heads. There is nothing to show that the surface of the slopes or the -steps were covered with cement. The supporting stone structure of one -building at Chichen and also of one at Tuloom has perpendicular -instead of sloping sides. All the pyramids are truncated, none forming -a point at the top, although there is one or more in every group of -ruins whose summit platform presents no traces of ever having -supported buildings of any kind. Interior galleries were explored in a -mound at Maxcanú, and chambers in the body of that at Izamal were -reported; others are solid so far as known, except that a few small -chambers have been mentioned with a vertical entrance at the top, -which may have been cisterns. - -The edifices supported by the mounds are built either on the summit -platform, or in receding ranges, one above another, on the slope. In -the latter case these receding ranges form the nearest approach on the -part of the Mayas to buildings of several stories, except in one -instance at Tuloom, where one room is directly over another. In one -building at Kabah the outer wall rises from the foot of the mound, and -the inner from the summit. One building usually occupies the summit; -but in several cases four of them enclose an interior courtyard. The -buildings are long, low, and narrow. Thirty-one feet is the greatest -height, thirty-nine the greatest width, and three hundred and -twenty-two the greatest length. The roofs are flat and, like the -floors, covered with cement. The walls are, in proportion to the -dimensions of the buildings, very thick, usually from three to six -feet, but sometimes nine feet. Like the pyramids, the buildings -consist of a mass of concrete, stones and mortar, faced with hewn -blocks of nearly cubical form, and of varying dimensions rarely -exceeding eighteen inches, but found at Sijoh and Aké as large as -three by six and seven feet. Only one building has been noted whose -exterior walls are not perpendicular, but the corners are in most -cases rounded. - -The interior has generally two, often one, and rarely four parallel -ranges of rooms, while in a few of the smaller buildings an -uninterrupted corridor extends the whole length. Neither rooms nor -corridors ever exceed twenty feet in width or height, while the -ordinary width is eight to ten feet and the height fifteen to eighteen -feet. Sixty feet is the greatest length noted. The walls of each room -rise perpendicularly for one half their height, and then approach each -other, by the stone blocks overlapping horizontally, to within about -one foot, the intervening space being covered with a layer of wide -flat stones, and the projecting corners being beveled off to form a -straight, or rarely a curved, surface. In a few instances, as at -Nohcacab, the sides of the ceiling form an acute angle at the top; and -once, at Uxmal, the overlapping stones are inclined instead of lying -horizontally, forming a slight, but the nearest, Maya approach to the -true arch. This is the only kind of ceiling found in Yucatan, except -one at Tuloom which is flat and supported by timbers stretched across -from wall to wall. I have followed Stephens and applied the name of -'triangular arch' to this structure of overlapping stones, although -the term may by a strict interpretation be liable to some -criticism.[V-104] - -The tops of the few gateways discovered are constructed by means of -the same arch as that employed in the ceilings. One solitary arch -unconnected with any other structure has been noted at Kabah; and in -the Castle at Chichen two interior arches rest on beams supported by -stone columns instead of the usual perpendicular walls. In some of the -buildings at Kabah and Chichen the floor of the inner range of rooms -is higher than that of the outer, being reached by stone steps. Small -round timbers extend from side to side of the ceiling in nearly all -rooms, and at Tuloom stone benches are found along the sides and ends. - -Rarely do more than two rooms communicate with each other. The -doorways are on an average perhaps four feet wide and eight feet high, -with square tops formed by zapote beams or stone lintels, which rest -on stone jambs composed of two or three pieces, or are built into the -regular wall of the building. At Chacchob a doorway is reported wider -at the top than at the bottom. Many exterior doorways are wide and -divided into two or more entrances by stone pillars supporting the -lintels. Stone rings, or hooks, replaced at Tuloom by shells, near the -top on the inside, and in a few cases at both top and bottom, are the -only traces of the means by which the entrances were originally -closed. Wooden lintels are almost exclusively employed at Uxmal, but -elsewhere stone is more common; a few both of wood and stone are -covered with carved devices, as are also some of the door-posts. -Besides the doorways the rooms have no openings whatever, no chimneys, -windows, or ventilators being found, if we except the oblong openings -in the rear wall of the Castle at Tuloom.[V-105] - -Respecting the rooms, aside from their decoration, nothing remains to -be noticed except the casas cerradas, or rooms filled with solid -masonry, and the interior stairways of unexplained construction at -Labphak. Exterior stairways supported by a half arch lead up to the -top of such of the buildings as have more than one story, and also to -the summit of the few mounds that have perpendicular sides; in one -case the entrance to the courtyard is by stairways leading over the -roof of one of the enclosing edifices. The only important exceptions -to the usual type of Yucatan buildings are the circular structures -with conical roofs, at Chichen and Mayapan, and the gigantic walls -composing the so-called gymnasiums at Chichen and Uxmal. - -It will be noticed that the strength of these structures depended to a -great extent on the excellence of the mortar by which the blocks were -united, since the latter are not usually laid so as to break joints, -although carefully placed so that the plummet line applied to such -walls as are uninjured, rarely detects any departure from perfect -regularity. A Maya custom of inserting projecting stones, or -_katunes_, in the walls of their buildings as a record of time and in -commemoration of great events is spoken of by many authors; and by -certain stones which he identifies with the katunes, M. Waldeck -computes the age of some of the ruins, but I am unable to tell which -are the stones meant, unless they be those already mentioned as -elephants' trunks. - -Besides the columns mentioned in connection with doorways, many others -are found whose use in most cases is not understood. They are both -round and square, and usually, if not always, composed of several -pieces placed one upon another. Among them may be mentioned the row -of round columns on the terrace of the Governor's House at Uxmal, -sixteen columns at Xul from the ruins of Nohcacab, thirty-six square -columns on the summit platform of the pyramid at Aké, three hundred -and eighty short pillars, also square, arranged round a square at -Chichen, eight round pillars on the terrace of the round house at -Mayapan, the reported line of square columns originally supporting a -gallery at Mérida, and finally the monoliths of Sijoh, which latter may -have been idols. - -I now come to the interior and exterior decorations of the Yucatan -buildings. In some apartments, particularly at Uxmal, the walls and -ceilings present only the plain surface of the hewn blocks of stone. -Most, however, are covered with a coating of fine white plaster, and -in many this plastered surface is wholly or partially covered with -paintings in bright colors. The paintings are much damaged in every -case, but seem to have been executed with much care and skill. They -are, apparently, never purely ornamental, but represent some definite -objects, oftener than otherwise human beings in various attitudes and -employments, battles, processions, and dances. In one or two -localities, as at Kewick, a single stone is decorated with painting, -while the rest of the surface is left plain. Niches in the walls of a -room at Chichen, benches along the sides and ends at Tuloom, and a -reported inner cornice at Zayi vary the usual interior monotony of the -Maya apartments. - -Interior sculptured decorations are of comparatively rare occurrence. -A few of the lintels and jambs in each of the cities are covered with -carvings; the steps leading up to the raised inner room at Kabah, -together with the base of the walls at their sides, are sculptured; -small circles are cut on the walls of the Casa del Adivino at Uxmal; a -tablet of hieroglyphics stretches over the inner doorways of a -corridor at Chichen; and a sculptured procession covers the wall and -ceiling of a room on the Gymnasium wall at the same city. -Hieroglyphic inscriptions are not very numerous, but are apparently -identical in character with those we have seen at Copan. The only -instance noted of interior decoration in stucco is that of the stucco -birds in a room at Kabah, and a few stuccoed columns. - -The exterior walls have almost invariably a cornice extending over the -doorways round the whole circumference, and another near the roof. -Several buildings have one or two additional cornices. Besides the -cornices a very few fronts are plain; most are so below the lower -cornice, but are decorated in their upper portions, as several are -from top to bottom, with a mass of complicated sculptured designs, of -which the reader has formed a clear idea by the drawings that have -been presented. These ornaments, or the separate parts of each, are -carved on the faces of cubical or rectangular blocks which are built -into the face of the wall, each carved piece fitting most accurately -into its place as part of a most elaborate whole. Some parts of the -decoration are also joined to the walls by means of long tenons. In -the human faces represented in profile among the ornamental carvings -the flattened forehead, or contracted facial angle, is the most -important feature noticed, and this is not as strongly marked as in -many other regions of America. Excepting the phallus, which is -prominent in many of the decorations, and which was probably a -religious symbol, no ornaments of an obscene nature are noticed. -Instead of stone, stucco is employed at Labphak in exterior -decorations, and to a slight extent at Tuloom also. Over the front -wall of some buildings, and from the centre of the roof of others, -rises a lofty wall, sometimes in peaks, or turrets, apparently -intended only as a basis for ornamentation. At Kabah this -supplementary wall is plain and resembles from a distance a second -story; on the Nunnery at Uxmal the ornamentation is in stone; but in -other cases stucco is employed. Only one exterior wall, at Chunhuhu, -is plastered; but all the exterior decorations are supposed to have -been originally painted, traces of bright colors still remaining in -sheltered positions.[V-106] - - [Sidenote: MAYA IDOLS.] - -The scarcity of idols among the Maya antiquities must be regarded as -extraordinary. The double-headed animal and the statue of the Old -Woman at Uxmal; the nude figure carved on a long flat stone and the -small statue in two pieces, at Nohpat; the idol at Zayi reported as in -use for a fountain; the rude unsculptured monoliths of Sijoh; the -scattered and vaguely mentioned idols on the plains of Mayapan; and -the figures in terra cotta collected by Norman at Campeche, complete -the list; and many of these may have been originally merely -decorations for buildings. That the inhabitants of Yucatan were -idolators there is no possible doubt, and in connection with the -magnificent shrines and temples erected by them, stone representatives -of their deities carved with all their aboriginal art and rivaling or -excelling the grand obelisks of Copan, might naturally be sought for. -But in view of the facts it must be concluded that the Maya idols were -small, and that such as escaped the destructive hands of the Spanish -ecclesiastics, were buried by the natives, as the only means of -preventing their desecration. Altars are as rare as idols; indeed, -only at Tuloom are such relics definitely reported, and then they are -of small size and of simple construction, merely hewn blocks on which -copal was burned. - -The almost complete lack of pottery, implements, and weapons is no -less remarkable. Earthen relics, so abundant over nearly the whole -surface of the Pacific States, even in the territory of the wildest -tribes, where no ruined edifices are to be seen, are rarely met with -in Yucatan and Chiapa, where the grandest ruins indicate the highest -civilization. No trace of any metal has been found in Yucatan, -although there is some historical evidence that copper implements were -used by the Mayas to a slight extent in the sixteenth century, the -material for which must have been brought from other parts of the -country. Besides spear and arrow heads of flint or obsidian which have -been found in small numbers in different parts of the state, and the -implements included in the Camacho collection at Campeche already -mentioned, there remains to be noticed "a collection of stone -implements, gathered by Dr. J. W. Veile, in Yucatan," spoken of by Mr -Foster as resembling in many respects similar relics from the -Mississippi Valley. "The material employed is porphyry. Some of them -are less than two inches in length, and the edges are polished as if -from use. At the first glance it would be said that many of these -implements were too small for practical purposes, but when we reflect -that the material out of which the ancient inhabitants of that region -cut their basso-relievos, was a soft coralline limestone, I find, by -experiment, that such a tool is almost as effective as one of steel. -Some of the implements, however, are cylindrical in shape, with the -convex surface brought to an edge, and the opposite side ground out -like a gouge."[V-107] There can be little doubt that the Maya -sculpture was executed with tools of stone, although with such -implements the complicated carvings on hard zapote lintels must have -presented great difficulties even to aboriginal patience and skill. - - [Sidenote: THE MAYAS AS ARTISTS.] - -With respect to the artistic merit of the monuments of Yucatan, and -the degree of civilization which they imply on the behalf of their -builders, I leave the reader to form his own conclusion from the -information which I have collected and presented as clearly as -possible in the preceding pages. That they bear, as a whole, no -favorable comparison with the works of the ancient Greeks, Romans, -Egyptians, Assyrians, and perhaps other old-world peoples must, I -believe, be granted. Yet they are most wonderful when considered as -the handiwork of a people since lapsed into a condition little above -savagism. I append in a note some quotations designed to show the -impression these monuments have made on explorers and students.[V-108] - - [Sidenote: ANTIQUITY OF THE MAYA MONUMENTS.] - -Finally I have to consider the antiquity of the Yucatan monuments. As -in the case of all ruined cities and edifices, the questions, when and -by whom were they built? are of the most absorbing interest. In -Yucatan the latter question presents no difficulties, and the former -few, compared with those connected with other American ruins. It was -formerly a favorite theory that the great American palaces and temples -of ancient times, whose remains have astonished the modern world, were -the work of civilized peoples that have become extinct, probably of -some old-world people which long centuries ago settled on our coasts -and flourished for a long period, but was at last forced to succumb to -the native races whose descendants occupied the land at the coming of -Europeans in the sixteenth century. The discussion of the origin of -the American people and of the American civilization, as well as of -the possible agency of old-world elements in the development of the -latter, belongs to another part of my work; still it may be -appropriately stated here that the theory of extinct civilized races -in America, to which our ruined cities may be attributed, rests upon -only the very vaguest and most unsubstantial foundation, while so far -as the Yucatan cities are concerned it rests on no foundation at all. - -The traditional history of the peninsula, which will be given in the -following volume, represents Yucatan as constituting the mighty Maya -empire, whose rulers, secular and religious, reared magnificent -cities, palaces, and temples, and which flourished in great, if not -its greatest, power down to within a little more than a century of the -Spaniards' coming. Then the empire was more or less broken up by civil -wars, an era of dissension and comparative weakness ensued, some of -the great cities were abandoned in ruins, but the edifices of most, -and especially the temples, were still occupied by the disunited -factions of the original empire. In this condition the Spaniards found -and conquered the Maya people. They found the immense stone pyramids -and buildings of most of the cities still used by the natives for -religious services, although not for dwellings, as they had probably -never been so used even by their builders. The conquerors established -their own towns generally in the immediate vicinity of the aboriginal -cities, procuring all the building material they needed from the -native structures, destroying so far as possible all the idols, -altars, and other paraphernalia of the Maya worship, and forcing the -discontinuance of all ceremonies in honor of the heathen gods. A few -cities escaped the damning blight of European towns in their vicinity, -and kept up their rites in secret for some years later; such were -Uxmal, Tuloom, and probably others of the best preserved ruins. All -the early voyagers, conquistadores, and writers speak of the wonderful -stone edifices found by them in the country, partly abandoned and -partly occupied by the natives. To suppose that the buildings they saw -and described were not identical with the ruins that have been -described in these pages, that every trace of the former has -disappeared, and that the latter entirely escaped the notice of the -early visitors to Yucatan, is too absurd to deserve a moment's -consideration. That the Mayas were found worshiping in the temples of -an extinct race is a position almost equally untenable. The Spaniards -forced the Mayas to accept a new faith, utterly crushed out their -ancient spirit by a long course of oppression, and then together with -other Europeans resorted to the theory of an extinct old-world race to -account for the wonderful structures which the ancestors of the -degraded Mayas could not have reared. The Mayas are not, however, the -only illustrations of a deteriorated race to be seen in Yucatan, as -will be understood by comparing the present Spanish population of the -peninsula with the proud Castilian conquerors of the sixteenth -century. - -Mr Stephens, to whom many of the Spanish and Maya documents relating -to Yucatan history were unknown, sought carefully for proofs in -support of his belief that the cities were constructed by "the same -races who inhabited the country at the time of the Spanish conquest, -or by some not very distant progenitors." He was entirely successful -in establishing the truth of his position, which rested on the -statements of the historians with whose works he was acquainted, and -on the following points, many of them discovered by himself, and whose -only weakness is the fact that they were not really needed to justify -his conclusions. 1st. The Maya arch in the foundations of the -Franciscan convent at Mérida, built in 1547, with the historical -statement that Mérida was built on the mounds of ancient Tihoo. 2d. -The traditional destruction of Mayapan in 1420. 3d. The custom of the -Spaniards to locate their towns near those of the natives, together -with the almost uniform location of the ruins, near the modern towns. -4th. The skeletons and skulls dug up at Ticul were pronounced by Dr -Morton to belong to the universal American type. 5th. Sr Peon's deed -to the Uxmal estate, dated in 1673, states that the natives still -worshiped in the stone buildings; that a native then claimed the -estate as having belonged to his ancestors; that at that time there -were doors in the ruins which were opened and shut; and that water was -then drawn from the aguadas. 6th. The sword in the hands of the -kneeling sculptured figure at Kabah, which has already been mentioned -as almost identical with an aboriginal Maya weapon. 7th. A map dated -1557 was found at Mani, on which Uxmal is designated by a different -character from all the other surrounding towns, being the only one -that is not surmounted by a cross. 8th. With the map was found a -document in the Maya language, also dated 1557, announcing the arrival -of certain officials with interpreters at, and their departure from, -Uxmal. Now there never was a Spanish town of Uxmal, and the hacienda -was not established until one hundred and forty-five years later. 9th. -The gymnasiums at Chichen and Uxmal, agreeing with those traditionally -described in connection with certain aboriginal games of ball. 10th. -Many scattered resemblances to Aztec relics and customs. 11th. The -European penknife discovered in a grave with aboriginal relics at -Kantunile. 12th. The comparatively fresh appearance of the altars and -other relics at Tuloom.[V-109] - -It may then be accepted as a fact susceptible of no doubt that the -Yucatan structures were built by the Mayas, the direct ancestors of -the people found in the peninsula at the conquest and of the present -native population. Respecting their age we only know the date of their -abandonment--that is the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Nothing in -the ruins themselves gives any clue to the date of their construction, -and this is not the place to discuss the few vague historical -traditions bearing on the subject. The data on which different writers -have based their speculations, and claimed for these monuments greater -or less antiquity are the following. 1st. The immense trees that are -found growing on the ruins, and the accumulation of soil and vegetable -matter on the roofs and terrace platforms; but to persons acquainted -with the rapid growth of trees in tropical countries, these constitute -no evidence of antiquity. 2d. The ignorance of the natives respecting -the builders of the monuments; the investigations of Indian character -in the preceding volumes of this work, however, show conclusively -enough that two generations, to say nothing of three centuries, are -amply sufficient to blot from the native mind everything definite -concerning the past. 3d. Comparisons of the Yucatan ruins with -different old-world remains; the argument being that if an American -monument is more dilapidated than an Egyptian one, it must be older. -4th. And on the other hand, against a great antiquity, the -destructiveness of the tropical vegetation and tropical rains. 5th. -The softness of the building material. 6th. The perfect preservation -in many places of wood and paint. 7th. The rapid decay of the ruins -between the periods of the earliest and latest visits. - -It will be at once noted that the preceding points all bear on the -date of abandonment and not at all on the date of construction. -Explorers may marvel, according to the view they take of the matter, -either that the buildings have resisted for three or four hundred -years the destructive agencies to which they have been exposed; or, -that three or four short centuries have wrought so great ravages in -structures so strongly built; still the fact remains that the -buildings were abandoned three or four hundred years ago. M. Waldeck's -theory, by which he computes the antiquity of some of the ruins by -certain stones peculiarly placed in the walls, or by the small -houses--_calli_, or house, being one of the signs of the Aztec -calendar--over the doorways of the Nunnery at Uxmal, like Mr Jones' -argument that the structures must have been reared before the -invention of the arch, is mere idle speculation, utterly unfounded in -fact or probability. The history of the Mayas indicates the building -of some of the cities at various dates from the third to the tenth -centuries. As I have said before, there is nothing in the buildings to -indicate the date of their erection,--that they were or were not -standing at the commencement of the Christian Era. We may see how, -abandoned and uncared for, they have resisted the ravages of the -elements for three or four centuries. How many centuries they may have -stood guarded and kept in repair by the builders and their descendants -we can only conjecture.[V-110] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[V-1] 'Le sol de l'Yucatan est encore, aujourd'hui, parsemé -d'innombrables ruines, dont la magnificence et l'étendue frappent -d'étonnement les voyageurs; de toutes parts, ce ne sont que collines -pyramidales, surmontées d'édifices superbes, des villes dont la -grandeur éblouit l'imagination, tant elles sont multipliées et se -touchent de près, sur les chemins publics: enfin on ne saurait faire -un pas sans rencontrer des débris qui attestent à la fois l'immensité -de la population antique du Maya et la longue prospérité dont cette -contrée jouit sous ses rois.' 'Nulle terre au monde ne présente -aujourd'hui un champ si fécond aux recherches de l'archéologue et du -voyageur.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., pp. -20, 24. 'A peine y a-t-il dans l'Yucatan une ville, une bourgade, une -maison de campagne qui n'offre dans ses constructions des restes de -pierres sculptées qui ont été enlevées d'un ancien édifice. On peut -compter plus de douze emplacements couverts de vastes ruines.' -_Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., -pp. 300-1. 'Elle est, pour ainsi dire, jonchée de ruines. Partout, -dans cette partie de l'Amérique, la poésie des souvenirs parle à -l'imagination.' _Larenaudière_, _Mex. et Guat._, p. 320. - -[V-2] The earliest modern account of Yucatan Antiquities with which I -am acquainted is that written by Sr Lorenzo de Zavala, Ambassador of -the Mexican Government in France, and published in _Antiquités -Mexicaines_, tom. i., div. ii., pp. 33-5. Sr Zavala visited Uxmal -several years before 1834. His communication gives a tolerably good -general idea of the ruins, but it is brief, unaccompanied by drawings, -and relates only to one city. It is, therefore, of little value when -compared with later and more extensive works on the subject, and is -mentioned in this note only as being the earliest account extant. Yet -long before Zavala's visit, Padre Thomas de Soza, a Franciscan friar -of the convent of Mérida, had observed the ruins during his frequent -trips through the province, and he gave a slight account of them to -Antonio del Rio, who mentioned it in his _Descrip. of an Ancient -City_, pp. 6-8. - -M. Frédéric de Waldeck, a French artist, visited Uxmal in 1835 during -a short tour in the peninsula, and published the result of his labors -in his _Voyage Pittoresque et Archéologique dans la Province -d'Yucatan_, Paris, 1838, large folio, with 22 steel plates and -lithographic illustrations. M. de Waldeck became in some way obnoxious -to the Mexican Government, which threw some obstacles in his way, and -finally confiscated his drawings, of which he had fortunately made -copies. Waldeck in his turn abuses the government and the people, and -has consequently been unfavorably criticised. His drawings and -descriptions, however, tested by the work of later visitors under -better auspices, are remarkable for their accuracy so far as they -relate to antiquities. The few errors discoverable in his work may be -attributed to the difficulty of exploring alone and unaided ruins -enveloped in a dense tropical forest. 'Supplied with pecuniary aid by -a munificent and learned Irish peer.' (Lord Kingsborough.) _Foreign -Quar. Rev._, vol. xviii., p. 251. 'Waldeck, aumentando ó disminuyendo -antojadiza y caprichosamente sus obras, las hace participar, en todos -sentidos, de las no muy acreditadas cualidades de verídico, imparcial -y concienzudo que aquí le conocieron.' _M. F. P._, in _Registro -Yucateco_, tom. i., p. 362. - -Mr. John L. Stephens, accompanied by Fred. Catherwood, artist, at the -end of an antiquarian expedition through Central America, arrived at -Uxmal in 1840, and began the work of surveying the city, but the -sickness of Mr Catherwood compelled them to abandon the survey when -but little progress had been made and return abruptly to New York. The -results of their incomplete work were published in _Stephens' Cent. -Amer._, N. Y., 1841, vol. ii. - -Mr B. M. Norman, a resident of New Orleans, made a flying visit to -Yucatan from December to March, 1841-2, and published as a result -_Rambles in Yucatan_, N. Y., 1843, illustrated with cuts and -lithographs. According to the _Registro Yucateco_, tom. i., p. 372, -this trip was merely a successful speculation on the part of Norman, -who collected his material in haste from all available sources, in -order to take advantage of the public interest excited by Stephens' -travels. However this may be, the work is not without value in -connection with the other authorities. 'The result of a hasty visit.' -_Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 172. The work 'n'est qu'une -compilation sans mérite et sans intérêt.' _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. -i., p. 150. 'A valuable work.' _Davis' Antiq. Amer._, p. 12. 'By which -the public were again astonished and delighted.' _Frost's Pict. Hist. -Mex._, p. 77. Norman's work is very highly spoken of and reviewed at -length, with numerous quotations and two plates, in the _Democratic -Review_, vol. xi., pp. 529-38. - -Mr Stephens arrived in New York on his return from his Central -American tour in July, 1840, having left Yucatan in June. 'About a -year' after his return he again sailed for Yucatan on October 9th and -remained until the following June. This is all the information the -author vouchsafes touching the date of his voyage, which was probably -in 1841-2, Stephens and Norman being therefore in the country at the -same time; the latter states, indeed, that they were only a month -apart at Zayi. Stephens' work is called _Incidents of Travel in -Yucatan_, N. Y., 1843. (?) (Ed. quoted in this work, N. Y., 1858.) The -drawings of this and of the previous expedition were published, with a -descriptive text by Stephens, under the title of _Catherwood's Views -of Ancient Monuments in Central America_, N. Y., 1844, large folio, -with 25 colored lithographic plates. Stephens' account was noticed, -with quotations, by nearly all the reviews at the time of its -appearance, and has been the chief source from which all subsequent -writers, including myself, have drawn their information. His -collection of movable Yucatan relics was unfortunately destroyed by -fire with Mr Catherwood's panorama in New York. Critics are almost -unanimous in praise of the work. 'Malgré quelques imperfections, le -livre restera toujours un ouvrage de premier ordre pour les voyageurs -et les savants.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Esquisses_, p. 7. 'Stephens -y Catherwood, por ejemplo, sin separarse de la verdad de los -originales, los cópia el uno, y los describe el otro con exactitud, -criterio y buena fé,' _M. F. P._, in _Registro Yucateco_, tom. i., p. -362. 'Ce que M. Stephens a montré talent, de science et de modestie -dans ses narrations est au-dessus de toute appréciation.' _Dally_, -_Races Indig._, p. 14. Jones, _Hist. Anc. Amer._, criticises Stephens' -conclusions, and his criticisms will be somewhat noticed in their -proper place. See also p. 82, note 14, of this volume. - -The Baron von Friederichsthal, an attaché of the Austrian Legation, -spent several months in an examination of Yucatan ruins, confining his -attention to Chichen Itza and Uxmal. He had with him a daguerreotype -apparatus, and with its aid prepared many careful drawings. As to the -date of his visit it probably preceded those of Norman and Stephens, -since a letter by him, written while on his return to Europe, is dated -April 21, 1841. This letter is printed in the _Registro Yucateco_, -tom. ii., pp. 437-43, and in the _Dicc. Univ._, tom. x., pp. 290-3. It -contains a very slight general account of the ruins, which are spoken -of as 'hasta hoy desconocidas,' with much rambling speculation on -their origin. On his arrival in Europe Friederichsthal was introduced -by Humboldt to the Académie Royale des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, -before which society he read a paper on his discoveries on October 1, -1841, which paper was furnished by the author for the _Nouvelles -Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., pp. 297-314, where it was -published under the title of _Les Monuments de l'Yucatan_. The author -proceeded to Vienna where he intended to publish a large work with his -drawings, a work that so far as I know has never seen the light. 'M. -de Friederichsthal a souvent été inquiété dans ses recherches; les -ignorants, les superstitieux, les niais les regardaient comme -dangereuses au pays.' _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., -p. 304. - -In 1858 M. Désiré Charnay visited Izamal, Chichen Itza, and Uxmal, -taking with him a photographic apparatus. He succeeded in obtaining -perfect views of many of the buildings, which were published under the -title _Cités et Ruines Américaines_, Paris, 1863, in large folio. The -text of the work is in octavo form and includes a long introduction by -M. Viollet-le-Duc, French Government Architect, occupied chiefly with -speculation and theories rather than descriptions. Charnay's part of -the text, although a most interesting journal of travels, is very -brief in its descriptions, the author wisely referring the reader to -the photographs, which are invaluable as tests of the correctness of -drawings made by other artists both in Yucatan and elsewhere. - -See also a general notice of the ruins in _Cogolludo_, _Hist. Yuc._, -pp. 176-7, and in _Gottfriedt_, _Newe Welt_, p. 611; full account in -_Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, pp. 125-50, from Stephens; and brief accounts, -made up from the modern explorers, in _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. -ii., pp. 171-3, with cut of an idol from Catherwood; _Prichard's -Researches_, vol. v., pp. 346-8; _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., pp. -147, 191-5, 269-72; _Dally_, _Races Indig._, pp. 14-15; _Warden_, -_Recherches_, pp. 68-9; _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1843, tom. -xcvii., pp. 36-50, from old Spanish authorities; _Müller_, -_Amerikanische Urreligionen_, pp. 460, 462; _Mühlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, -tom. ii., pt. i., p. 12; _Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, p. 267; _Wappäus_, -_Geog. u. Stat._, pp. 144, 247; _Baril_, _Mexique_, pp. 128-30; -_Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., pp. 20-31; -_Davis' Antiq. Amer._, pp. 512-30; _Id._, Ed. 1847, p. 31; -_Larenaudière_, _Mex. et Guat._, pp. 320-8; _Mex. in 1842_, p. 75; -_Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, pp. 227, 242-7, 303-4. - -[V-3] The best map of Yucatan, showing not only the country's -geographical features, but the location of all its ruins, is the -_Carte du Yucatan et des régions voisines_, compiled by M. Malte-Brun -from the works of Owen, Barnett, Lawrence, Kiepert, García y Cubas, -Stephens, and Waldeck, and published in _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, -_Palenqué_, Paris, 1866, pl. i., ii. - -[V-4] Fray Diego Lopez Cogolludo visited Uxmal at some time before the -middle of the seventeenth century, and describes the ruins to some -extent in his _Historia de Yucathan_, Mad., 1688, pp. 176-7, 193-4, -197-8. Padre Thomas de Soza, about 1786, reported to Antonio del Rio -stone edifices covered with stucco ornaments, known by the natives as -Oxmutal, with statues of men beating drums and dancing with palms in -their hands, which he had seen in his travels in Yucatan, and which -are thought to be perhaps identical with Uxmal, although the monuments -are reported as being located twenty leagues south of Mérida and may -be quite as reasonably identified with some other group. _Rio's -Description_, pp. 6-7. Zavala's visit to Uxmal at some date previous -to 1834 has already been spoken of in note 2. His account is called -_Notice sur les Monuments d'Ushmal_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. -ii., pp. 33-5. M. de Waldeck left Mérida for Uxmal on May 6, 1835, -arrived at the ruins on May 12, where he spent some eight days, and -was interrupted in his work by the rainy season. _Waldeck_, _Voy. -Pitt._, pp. 67-74, 93-104, and plates. Mr Stephens had Waldeck's work -with him at the time of his second visit. He says, _Yucatan_, vol. i., -p. 297, 'It will be found that our plans and drawings differ -materially from his, but Mr Waldeck was not an architectural -draughtsman;' yet the difference is only to be noted in a few plates, -and is not so material as Mr Stephens' words would imply. Still, where -differences exist, I give Mr Stephens the preference, because, having -his predecessor's drawings, his attention would naturally be called to -all the points of Waldeck's survey. Mr Stephens says further, 'It is -proper to say, moreover, that Mr Waldeck had much greater difficulties -to encounter than we, ... besides, he is justly entitled to the full -credit of being the first stranger who visited these ruins and brought -them to the notice of the public.' Mr Stephens' first visit was in -June, 1840, during which he visited the ruins from the hacienda three -times, on June 20, 21, and 22, while Mr Catherwood spent one day, the -21st, in making sketches. It was unfortunate that he was forced by Mr -Catherwood's illness to leave Uxmal, for at this time the ground had -been cleared of the forest and was planted with corn; the occasion was -therefore most favorable for a thorough examination. _Stephens' Cent. -Amer._, vol. ii., pp. 413-35, with 3 plates. Mr Norman, according to -his journal, reached the ruins, where he took up his abode, on -February 25, 1842, and remained until March 4, devoting thus seven -days or thereabouts to his survey. His account is accompanied by -several lithographic illustrations. _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. -154-67. Messrs Stephens and Catherwood arrived on their second visit -on November 15, 1841, and remained until January 1, 1842, Mr Stephens -meanwhile making two short trips away, one in search of ruins, the -other to get rid of fever and ague. It is remarkable that they found -no traces of Mr Friederichsthal's visit, (_Nouvelles Annales des -Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., pp. 306-9,) which was probably in the same -year. _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 163-325, vol. ii., pp. 264-73, -with many plates and cuts. Padre Carrillo, cura of Ticul, with D. -Vicente García Rejon, and D. José María Fajardo, visited the ruins in -March, 1845, and an account of the visit, embodying but little -information, was published by _L. G._, in _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., -pp. 275-9. Another account of a visit in the same year was published -by _M. F. P._, in _Id._, pp. 361-70. Mr Carl Bartholomaeus Heller -spent two or three days at Uxmal, April 6 to 9, 1847. His account is -found in _Heller_, _Reisen_, pp. 256-65. M. Charnay's visit was in -1858, and his efforts to obtain photographic negatives and to fight -the insects which finally drove him away, lasted eight days. -_Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, pp. 362-80, pl. xxxv-xlix. M. Brasseur de -Bourbourg was at Uxmal in 1865, and made a report, accompanied by a -plan, which was published in the _Archives de la Com. Scien. du Mex._, -tom. ii., pp. 234, 254, as the author states in his _Palenqué_, -Introd., p. 24. See further on Uxmal: Description quoted from Stephens -with unlimited criticisms, italics, capitals, and exclamation points, -in _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, pp. 86-105, 120; description from -Waldeck and Stephens, with remarks on the city's original state, in -_Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., pp. 21-3, 585; -and also slight accounts made up from one or more of the authorities -already cited as follows: _Müller_, _Amerikanische Urreligionen_, pp. -462, 483; _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 99-103, from Waldeck; -_Baril_, _Mexique_, pp. 129-30, from Del Rio; _Sivers_, -_Mittelamerika_, pp. 237-41; _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., pp. 149-50, -193; _Frost's Great Cities_, pp. 268-81; _Id._, _Pict. Hist. Mex._, p. -80; _Album_, _Mex._, tom. i., pp. 203-4, the last three including a -moonlight view of the ruins, from Norman; _Larenaudière_, _Mex. et -Guat._, pp. 321-8, with plates from Waldeck; _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, -pp. 131-7, with cuts, from Stephens; _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. -208, 212-13, 302, 330, 398-9, from Stephens; _Willson's Amer. Hist._, -pp. 82-6, with cuts, from Stephens; _Armin_, _Das Heutige Mex._, pp. -91-6, with cuts, from Stephens; _Id._, _Das Alte Mex._, p. 97; -_Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 144; _Mühlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. -ii., pt. i., p. 12; _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., p. 51; _Hermosa_, -_Enciclopedia_, Paris, 1857, pp. 176-7; _Prescott's Mex._, vol. iii., -pp. 412-13; _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1843, tom. xcvii., pp. 36-7, -44. - -[V-5] Pronounced _ooshmahl_. - -[V-6] Cogolludo sometimes writes the name Uxumual. 'Il nous a été -impossible de trouver une étymologie raisonnable à ce nom.' _Brasseur -de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 21. 'Le nom d'_Uxmal_ -signifie _du temps passé_. Il ne s'applique aux ruines que parce que -celles-ci sont situées sur le terrain de la hacienda d'Uxmal.' -_Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 68; _Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, p. 237. -Possibly derived from _ox_ and _mal_, meaning 'three passages' in -Maya. _Heller_, _Reisen_, p. 255. 'It was an existing inhabited -aboriginal town' in 1556. _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., p. 272. -Called _Oxmutal_ by Soza, in _Rio's Description_, p. 7. - -[V-7] Lat. 30° 22´ 86´´ (!), Long. 4´ 33´´ west of Mérida. 'Une couche -très mince d'une terre ferrugineuse recouvre le sol, mais disparaît -dans les environs où l'on n'aperçoit que du sable.' _Friederichsthal_, -in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., p. 306. 2 miles -(German) west of Jalacho, which lies near Maxcanú, on the road from -Mérida to Campeche. _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 144. 20 leagues -from Mérida, occupying an extent of several leagues. _Mühlenpfordt_, -_Mejico_, tom. ii., pt. i., p. 12. 'A huit lieues de Mayapan ... dans -une plaine légèrement ondulée.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. -Civ._, tom. ii., p. 21. 'Le terrain d'Uxmal est plat dans toute -l'étendue du plateau.' 'Sur le plateau d'une haute montagne.' -_Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 68, 70. - -[V-8] 'Sur un diamètre d'une lieue, le sol est couvert de débris, dont -quelques-uns recouvrent des intérieurs fort bien conservés.' -_Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, p. 363. - -[V-9] In the plan I have followed Stephens, _Yucatan_, vol. i., p. -165, who determined the position of all the structures by actual -measurement, cutting roads through the undergrowth for this express -purpose, and the accuracy of whose survey cannot be called in -question. His plan is reproduced on a reduced scale in _Willson's -Amer. Hist._, p. 83. Plans are also given in _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, -pl. viii.; _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, p. 155; and _Charnay_, _Ruines -Amér._, introd. by Viollet-le-Duc, p. 62. These all differ very -materially both from that of Stephens, and from each other; they are -moreover very incomplete, and bear marks of having been carelessly or -hastily prepared. 'Disposée en échiquier, où se déployaient, à la -suite les uns des autres, les palais et les temples.' _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 21. Besides the plans, -general views of the ruins from nearly the same point (_q_ on the plan -looking southward) are given by Stephens, _Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 305, -and by Charnay, _Ruines Amér._, phot. 49. Norman, _Rambles in Yuc._, -frontispiece, gives a general view of the ruins by moonlight from a -point and in a direction impossible to fix, which is copied in the -_Album Mex._, tom. i., p. 203, in _Frost's Great Cities_, p. 269, and -in _Id._, _Pict. Hist. Mex._, p. 80. It makes a very pretty -frontispiece, which is about all that can be said in its favor, except -that it might serve equally well to illustrate any other group of -American or old-world antiquities. - -[V-10] _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, phot. 49. - -[V-11] 'No habiendo tradicion alguna que testifique los nombres -propios, que en un principio tuvieron los diferentes edificios que -denuncian estas ruinas, es preciso creer que los que hoy llevan, son -enteramente gratuitos.' _L. G._, in _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., p. 275. -Mr Jones is positive this must have been a temple rather than a -palace. 'Mr Stephens appears to be so strict a Spartan Republican, -that every large, or magnificent building in the Ruined Cities, he -considers to be a _Palace_,--he seems to have thought less of mind, -than of matter.' _Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 96; Waldeck, _Voy. Pitt._, p. -97, calls it the Temple of Fire. - -[V-12] In stating the dimensions of this mound, as I shall generally -do in describing Uxmal, I have followed Stephens' text. His plan and -both plans and text of all the other visitors vary more or less -respecting each dimension. I had prepared tables of dimensions for -each building from all the authorities, but upon reflection have -thought it not worth while to insert them. Such tables would not -enable the reader to ascertain the exact measurements, and moreover -differences of a few feet cannot be considered practically important -in this and similar cases. All the authorities agree on the general -form and extent of this pyramidal mound. Most of them, however, refer -only to the eastern front, and no one but Stephens notes the western -irregularities. In giving the dimensions of the respective terraces -some also refer to their bases, and others probably to their summits. -Norman, _Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 156-7, states that the second and third -terraces are each thirty feet high, while Charnay, _Ruines Amér._, pp. -372-3, makes the same fifteen and ten feet respectively. Waldeck's -plan makes the summit platform about 240 feet long. - -[V-13] Jones, _Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 120, says there was a stairway in -the centre of each side. - -[V-14] Norman's dimensions are 36×272 feet; Heller's, 40×320 feet; -Friederichsthal's, 38×407 feet; and Waldeck's, about 65×195 feet. - -[V-15] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 175, reproduced in _Baldwin's -Anc. Amer._, p. 132, and _Willson's Amer. Hist._, p. 84. The author -speaks of the number of rooms as being 18, although the plan shows 24. -He probably does not count the four small rooms corresponding with the -recesses on the front and rear, as he also does not include their -doors in his count. How he gets rid of the other two does not appear. -Norman says 24 rooms, Charnay 21, and Stephens indicates 22 in the -plan in _Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 428. - -[V-16] Friederichsthal, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. -xcii., p. 309, speaking of the Uxmal structures in general, says the -blocks are usually 5×12 inches; Zavala, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., -div. ii., p. 34, pronounces them from 25 to 28 centimètres in length, -width, and thickness. - -[V-17] This beam was taken to N. Y., where it shared the fate of -Stephens' other relics. - -[V-18] Stephens favors the former theory, Waldeck and Charnay the -latter, insisting that the hammock is consequently an American -invention. Norman goes so far as to say that the grooves worn by the -hammock-ropes are still to be seen on some of these timbers. - -[V-19] Waldeck, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 97, speaks of real or false doors -made of a single stone in connection with this building, but his -examination of it was very slight. Cogolludo, _Hist. Yuc._, p. 177, -speaks of interior decorations as follows: 'Ay vn lienço en lo -interior de la fabrica, que (aunque es muy dilatado) à poco mas de -medio estado de vn hombre, corre por todo èl vna cornisa de piedra muy -tersa, que haze vna esquina delicadissima, igual, y muy perfecta, -donde (me acuerdo) avia sacado de la misma piedra, y quedado en ella -vn anillo tan delgado, y vistoso, como puede ser vno de oro obrado con -todo primor.' - -[V-20] From _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 174; also in _Baldwin's -Anc. Amer._, p. 132. Charnay's photograph 48 shows the opposite or -northern end in connection with another building. - -[V-21] From Stephens; one of them also in _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._ - -[V-22] A cut of this hook is also given by Norman, and by Waldeck, -who, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 74, attempts to prove its identity with an -elephant's trunk, and that it was not molded from a tapir's snout. - -[V-23] Charnay, _Ruines Amér._, phot. 46, shows the whole eastern -façade. Photograph 47 gives a view on a larger scale of the portion -over the principal doorway. Stephens, _Yucatan_, vol. i., -frontispiece, represents the same front in a large plate, and in his -_Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 434, is a plate showing a part of the -same. Norman gives a lithograph of the front. _Rambles in Yuc._, p. -158. His enlarged portion of the front from Waldeck does not belong to -the Governor's House at all. 'Couvert de bas-reliefs, exécutés avec -une rare perfection, formant une suite de méandres et arabesques d'un -travail non moins capricieux que bizarre.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, -_Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 23. Decorated with 'gros serpents -entrelacés et d'anneaux en pierre.' _Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles -Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., p. 308. 'Chiefly the meander, or -the Grecian square border, used in the embroidery of the mantles and -robes of Attica.' _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 98. 'The length of the -upper platform (in English feet!!) is seen to correspond nearly with -the number of days in the year, and the mysterious emblem of eternity, -the serpent, is found extending its portentous length around the -building.' _Frost's Great Cities_, p. 271. 'Du haut de ses trois -étages de pyramides, il se dresse comme un roi, dans un isolement -plein de majestueuse grandeur.' 'L'ornementation se compose d'une -guirlande en forme de trapèzes réguliers, de ces énormes têtes déjà -décrites, courant du haut en bas de la façade, et servant de ligne -enveloppante à des grecques d'un relief très-saillant, reliées entre -elles par une ligne de petites pierres en carré diversement sculptées; -le tout sur un fond plat de treillis de pierre. Le dessus des -ouvertures était enrichi de pièces importantes, que divers voyageurs -ont eu le soin d'enlever. Quatre niches, placées régulièrement, -contenaient des statues, absentes aujourd'hui.' _Charnay_, _Ruines -Amér._, pp. 372-3. 'One solid mass of rich, complicated elaborately -sculptured ornaments forming a sort of arabesque.' 'Perhaps it may -with propriety be called a species of sculptured mosaic; and I have no -doubt that all these ornaments have a symbolical meaning; that each -stone is part of a history, allegory, or fable.' _Stephens' Yucatan_, -vol. i., pp. 166, 173. 'The ornaments were composed of small square -pieces of stone, shaped with infinite skill, and inserted between the -mortar and stone with the greatest care and precision. About -two-thirds of the ornaments are still remaining upon the façade.... -The ground-work of the ornaments is chiefly composed of raised lines, -running diagonally, forming diamond or lattice-work, over which are -rosettes and stars; and, in bold relief, the beautiful Chinese -border.' _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 158-9. 'A travers ces grands -méandres formés par l'appareil se montrent, ici encore, la tradition -des constructions de bois par empilages, en encorbellement et le -treillis. Cette construction est une des plus soignées parmi celles -d'Uxmal.' _Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, p. 70. - -[V-23] 'La décoration du parement de cet édifice ne consiste -qu'en une imitation de palissade formée de rondins de bois. Sur la -frise supérieure, des tortues saillantes rompent seules les lignes -horizontales.' _Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, p. 69. -Photograph 48 shows the north front of the Casa de Tortugas. Stephens, -_Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 184, gives a plate showing the southern front. -Waldeck's plan would make this building's dimensions about 60×185 -feet. The column structure will be illustrated by engravings in -connection with the ruins of Zayi and others. - -[V-24] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 181; _Norman's Rambles in -Yuc._, p. 156. From this rather meagre information Mr Jones proves, in -a manner entirely satisfactory to himself, that the whole platform was -surrounded in its original condition by a double row of columns, 230 -in number, placed 10 feet apart, each 18 inches in diameter and 12 -feet high, with a grand central column, 6 feet in diameter, and 60 -feet high. _Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 119. - -[V-25] 'A shaft of gray limestone in an inclined position, measuring -twelve feet in circumference and eight in height; bearing upon its -surface no marks of form or ornament by which it might be -distinguished from a natural piece.' _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, p. -156. 'Une espèce de colonne dite _pierre du châtiment_, où les -coupables devaient recevoir la punition de leurs fautes.' _Charnay_, -_Ruines Amér._, p. 372. 'Una enorme columna de piedra, cuya forma -semicónica le da el aire de un obelisco, aunque de base circular y sin -adornos.' _M. F. P._, in _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., p. 364. - -[V-26] 'Double-headed cat or lynx,' cut from _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. -i., p. 183; and _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, p. 133. 'Un autel, au centre, -soutenait un tigre à deux têtes, dont les corps reliés au ventre -figurent une double chimère.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, p. 372. 'Rude -carving of a tiger with two heads.' _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, p. -156. 'En un mismo cuerpo contiene dos cabezas de tigre de tamaño -regular, vueltas hácia fuera: su actitud es la misma que la en que -generalmente se representa la esfinge de la fábula; y si su excavacion -no fuera tan reciente, probablemente habria corrido la suerte de otras -estátuas y objetos preciosos, que à nuestra vista y paciencia han sido -sacados del pais para figurar en los museos extranjeros.' _M. F. P._, -in _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., pp. 364-5. Mr Heller, _Reisen_, p. 259, -confounds this monument with the picote. - -[V-27] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i. pp. 229-32. Sr Peon, proprietor of -Uxmal, believed that these excavations were originally used as -granaries, not deeming the plaster sufficiently hard to resist water. -'Excavations ... with level curbings and smoothly finished inside.' -_Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, p. 156. - -[V-28] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 253-6, with a view in the -frontispiece. Although Stephens says the pyramid is only sixty-five -feet high, it is noticeable that in Catherwood's drawing it towers -high above the roof of the Casa del Gobernador, which is at least -sixty-eight feet in height. Norman, _Rambles in Yuc._, p. 157, calls -this a pile of loose stones, about two hundred feet square at the -base, and one hundred feet high, and covered on the sides and top with -débris of edifices. Friederichsthal, _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, -1841, tom. xcii., p. 308, says the summit platform is seventy-seven -feet square. - -[V-29] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 319. A distant view of this -pyramid is included in Stephens' general view, p. 305, and in -Charnay's photograph 49. Norman, in both plan and text, unites this -pyramid at the base with that at E, and makes its height eighty feet. -_Rambles in Yuc._, p. 157. - -[V-30] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 318-19, with view of the Casa -de Palomas; cut also in _Id._, _Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 426. 'Une -muraille dentelée de pignons assez élevés, percés d'une multitude de -petites ouvertures, qui donnent à chacun la physionomie d'un -colombier.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, pp. 371-2, phot. 49. 'A wall of -two hundred feet remains standing upon a foundation of ten feet. Its -width is twenty-five feet; having ranges of rooms in both sides, only -parts of which remain. This wall has an acute-angled arch doorway -through the centre.... The top of this wall has numerous square -apertures through it, which give it the appearance of pigeon-holes; -and its edge is formed like the gable-end of a house, uniformly -notched.' _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, p. 165, with plate showing one -of the peaks of the wall. - -[V-31] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 320; Norman, _Rambles in -Yuc._, p. 165, speaks of this part of the ruin as 'an immense court or -square, enclosed by stone walls, leading to the Nun's House,' C of the -plan. He says, also, that some of the scattered mounds in this -direction have been excavated and seem to have been intended -originally for sepulchres. - -[V-32] Mr Stephens, _Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 320, refers to his appendix -for a mention of some of the relics found in this group. The reference -is probably to a note on vestiges of the phallic worship on p. 434, -which from motives of modesty the author gives in Latin. - -[V-33] Mr Norman's statements, _Rambles in Yuc._, p. 166, differ -materially from those of Stephens, _Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 298-9. He -states that the walls are only twelve feet apart, that the eastern -façade only has the entwined serpents, that the western is covered -with hieroglyphics, that the structure contains rooms on a level with -the ground, and implies that the western ring was still perfect at the -time of his visit. This building is called by Charnay the Cárcel, or -Prison. - -[V-34] In these dimensions I have followed Mr Stephens' text, as usual -in Uxmal, as far as possible. Although the Casa de Monjas has received -more attention than any of the other structures, yet, strangely -enough, no visitor gives all the dimensions of the buildings and -terraces; hardly any two authors agree on any one dimension; and no -author's text agrees exactly with his plans. Yet the figures of my -text may be considered approximately correct. I append, however, in -this instance a table of variations as a curiosity. - -Respecting the height of the buildings, except the northern, we have -no figures from any reliable authority; but we know that both eastern -and western are lower than the northern building and higher than the -southern, whose rooms are 17 feet high on the inside, and moreover -that the eastern is higher than the western. - -[V-35] M. Waldeck, _Voy. Pitt._, pl. xii., presents a drawing of four -of these turtles. 'Covered with square blocks of stone.' _Norman's -Rambles in Yuc._, p. 163. '_Each tortoise_ is in a square, and in the -two external angles of each square is an _Egg_. The _tortoise_ and the -_egg_, are both National emblems.' _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 94. - -[V-36] _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, pp. 364, 368; _Stephens' Yucatan_, -vol. i., pp. 301, 308. - -[V-37] Plan in _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 301; reproduced in -_Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, p. 136. Waldeck, _Voy. Pitt._, pl. xii., also -gives a ground plan, which, so far as the arrangement of rooms and -doorways is concerned, differs very widely from that of Stephens, and -must be regarded as very incorrect. M. Waldeck, during his short stay -in Yucatan, seems to have devoted his chief attention to sketching the -sculptured façades, a work which he accomplished accurately, but to -have constructed his plans from memory and imagination after leaving -the country. In the preparation of the present plan he had, to aid his -fancy, the supposed occupation of these buildings in former times by -nuns, and he has arranged the rooms with an eye to the convenience of -the priests in keeping a proper watch and guard over the movements of -those erratic demoiselles. - -[V-38] Cut from _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 309. For some reason -the sculpture is not shown. Waldeck's pl. xii. contains also a section -showing the form of the arches and ceilings. - -[V-39] 'Les linteux des portes sont en bois, comme partout à Uxmal.' -'Les intérieurs, de dimensions variées suivant la grandeur des -édifices ... deux murailles parallèles, puis obliquant, pour se relier -par une dalle.' 'Les salles étaient enduites d'une couche de plâtre -fin qui existe encore.' 'On remarque de chaque côté de l'ouverture, à -égale distance du sol et du linteau de la porte, plantés dans la -muraille de chaque côté des supports, quatre crochets en pierre.' -_Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, pp. 364-6. M. Waldeck speaks of the -door-tops of the western building as being composed of nine pieces of -stone, perpendicular on the outside, or visible, portions, but beveled -and secured by a keystone within. 'Fait de neuf pierres à coupe -perpendiculaire, et point du tout à clef: je parle ici de l'aspect de -cette partie du monument à l'extérieur; mais à l'intérieur, ces neuf -pierres sont à clef, ce que l'absence d'enduit m'a permis de -constater.' _Voy. Pitt._, p. 100. 'The height of the ceiling is -uniform throughout.' _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, p. 161. Heller, -_Reisen_, p. 257, gives the botanical name of the zapote-wood used for -lintels as _cavanilla_, _achras sapota_. Waldeck calls the wood -_jovillo_. _Voy. Pitt._, p. 97. Norman spells it _zuporte_. - -[V-40] 'J'ai parlé, dans le texte du présent ouvrage, des prétendues -colonnes trouvées dans l'Yucatan. Les trois balustres qu'on voit dans -cette planche peuvent, déplacés comme ils l'étaient, avoir donné lieu -à cette erreur. En effet, en divisant ces ornements en plusieurs -morceaux, on y trouvera un fût droit et une espèce de chapiteau que, -d'après des idées relatives assurément fort naturelles, on place -volontiers à l'extrémité supérieure du fût, au lieu de le mettre au -milieu.' _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 103. 'C'est un ensemble de -colonnettes nouées dans le milieu trois par trois, séparées par des -parties de pierres plates et les treillis qu'on rencontre si souvent; -ce bâtiment est d'une simplicité relative, comparé à la richesse des -trois autres.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, p. 368. - -[V-41] My engravings are taken from _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pl. xv., -xvii. They are reproduced in _Larenaudière_, _Mex. et Guat._, p. 323, -pl. 3, 6. The perfect accuracy of the engravings--except the seated -statues--is proved by Charnay's photographs 42, 49, which show the -same front, as does the view in _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 305. -The southern front of this building is only shown in general views in -_Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 420; repeated in _Armin_, _Das -Heutige Mex._, p. 92; and in _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, p. 160, which -give no details. - -[V-42] 'La décoration se compose d'une espèce de trophée en forme -d'éventail, qui part du bas de la frise en s'élargissant jusqu'au -sommet du bâtiment. Ce trophée est un ensemble de barres parallèles -terminées par des têtes de monstres. Au milieu de la partie -supérieure, et touchant à la corniche, se trouve une énorme tête -humaine, encadrée à l'égyptienne, avec une corne de chaque côté. Ces -trophées sont séparés par des treillis de pierre qui donnent à -l'édifice une grande richesse d'effet. Les coins ont toujours cette -ornementation bizarre, composée de grandes figures d'idoles -superposées, avec un nez disproportionné, tordu et relevé, qui fait -songer à la manière chinoise.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, pp. 366-7. -The first of my engravings I take from _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., -p. 306; the same front being shown also in Charnay's photograph 38, in -Waldeck's pl. xv., and in _Larenaudière_, _Mex. et Guat._, pl. 3. The -second engraving is from Waldeck's pl. xvi., given also in -_Larenaudière_, _Mex. et Guat._, pl. 5, in _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, -p. 156--where it is incorrectly stated to represent a portion of the -Casa del Gobernador,--and corresponding with Charnay's photograph 39. -The third cut is from _Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, -p. 65. M. Viollet-le-Duc explains the cut as follows: 'Supposons des -piles ou murs de refend A; si l'on pose à la tête des piles les -premiers patins B, sur lesquels, à angle droit, on embrévera les -traverses C, puis les secondes pièces B', les deuxièmes traverses C' -en encorbellement égalemente embérvées, et ainsi de suite, on obtient, -au droit des têtes de piles ou murs de refend, des parois verticales, -et, dans le sens des ouvertures, des parois inclinées arrivant à -porter les filières D avec potelets intercalés. Si, d'une pile à -l'autre, on pose les linteaux E en arrière du nu des pièces BB', et -que sur ces linteaux on établisse des treillis, on obtiendra une -construction de bois primitive, qui est évidemment le principe de la -décoration de la façade de pierre du bâtiment.' This façade is 'the -most chaste and simple in design and ornament, and it was always -refreshing to turn from the gorgeous and elaborate masses on the other -façades to this curious and pleasing combination.' _Stephens' -Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 306. 'The eastern façade is filled with -elaborate ornaments, differing entirely from the others, and better -finished.' _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 161-2. 'Les huit échelons -dont la série forme un cône renversé, sont ornés, à chacune de leurs -extrémités, d'une tête symbolique de serpent ou de dragon. La tête du -Soleil qui touche à la corniche et repose sur le troisième échelon, -offre deux rayons ascendants, indépendemment de ceux qui flamboient -autour du masque, dont je n'ai pu deviner la signification. Les trois -rayons qui se voient au dessus de la tête ont peut-être quelques -rapports avec le méridien, celui du milieu indiquant le parfait -équilibre.' 'Des sept masques solaires, un seul était intact.' -'L'ensemble de cette façade offre à l'heure de midi un caractère de -grandeur dont il serait difficile de donner une idée.' _Waldeck_, -_Voy. Pitt._, pp. 102-3. - -[V-43] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 307, with plate; _Charnay_, -_Ruines Amér._, phot. 43. - -[V-44] The illustrations of the Serpent front are in _Waldeck_, _Voy. -Pitt._, pl. xiii., xviii., which latter shows some of the detached -faces, or masks; _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, phot. 40, 41, 44; and -_Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 302-3. Rattlesnakes are common in -this region. The proprietor proposed to build this serpent's head into -a house in Mérida as a memorial of Uxmal. 'Toward the south end the -head and tail of the serpents corresponded in design and position with -the portion still existing at the other.' _Id._, vol. i., pp. 302-3. -'The remains of two great serpents, however, are still quite perfect; -their heads turned back, and entwining each other, they extend the -whole length of the façade, through a chaste ground-work of ornamental -lines, interspersed with various rosettes. They are put together by -small blocks of stone, exquisitely worked, and arranged with the -nicest skill and precision. The heads of the serpents are adorned with -pluming feathers and tassels.' _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, p. 162. -'Son nom lui vient d'un immense serpent à sonnettes courant sur toute -la façade, dont le corps, se roulant en entrelacs, va servir de cadre -à des panneaux divers. Il n'existe plus qu'un seul de ces panneaux: -c'est une grecque, que surmontent six croisillons, avec rosace à -l'intérieur; une statue d'Indien s'avance en relief de la façade, il -tient à la main un sceptre; on remarque au-dessus de sa tête un -ornement figurant une couronne.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, p. 367. -'Un ornement, imité d'une sorte de pompon en passementerie terminé par -une frange, se voit au-dessus de la queue du reptile. On découvre -également dans la frise ces rosettes frangées comme celles signalées -dans le bâtiment de l'est.' _Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Id._, p. 69. 'En -voyant pour la première fois ce superbe édifice, je ne pus retenir un -cri de surprise et d'admiration, tant les choses originales et -nouvelles émeuvent l'imagination et les sens de l'artiste. J'ai -cherché à rendre, dans ce qu'on vient de lire, mes premières -impressions. Pourquoi n'avouerais-je pas qu'il s'y mêle un peu de -vanité? Un pareil sentiment n'est-il pas excusable chez le voyageur -qui révèle au monde civilisé des trésors archéologiques si longtemps -ignorés, un style nouveau d'architecture, et une source abondante où -d'autres, plus savants que lui, iront puiser un jour?' _Waldeck_, -_Voy. Pitt._, p. 100. - -[V-45] Cut of one of these projecting curves in _Norman's Rambles in -Yuc._, p. 162. - -[V-46] 'The whole, loaded as it is with ornament, conveys the idea of -vastness and magnificence rather than that of taste and refinement.' -_Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 304. 'The northern front, no doubt, -was the principal one, as I judge from the remains, as well as from -the fact, that it is more elevated than the others.' _Norman's Rambles -in Yuc._, p. 161. Norman's general view of the Nunnery includes a view -of this northern front, but the decorations are omitted and the -turrets also. 'Chaque porte, de deux en deux, est surmontée d'une -niche merveilleusement ouvragée que devaient occuper des statues -diverses. Quant à la frise elle-même, c'est un ensemble extraordinaire -de pavillons, où de curieuses figures d'idoles superposées ressortent -comme par hasard de l'arrangement des pierres, et rappellent les têtes -énormes sculptées sur les palais de Chichen-Itza. Des méandres de -pierres finement travaillées leur servent de cadre et donnent une -vague idée de caractères hiéroglyphiques: puis viennent une succession -de grecques de grande dimension, alternées, aux angles, de carrés et -de petites rosaces d'un fini admirable. Le caprice de l'architecte -avait jeté çà et là, comme des démentis à la parfaite régularité du -dessin, des statues dans les positions les plus diverses. La plupart -ont disparu, et les têtes ont été enlevées à celles qui restent -encore.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, pp. 364-5, phot. 36-7. 'Les -grosses têtes forment la principale décoration des dessus de portes; -les treillis sont historiés, les encorbellements empilés supprimés.' -_Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Id._, p. 67. - -[V-47] I append a few general quotations concerning the Nunnery: The -court façades 'ornamented from one end to the other with the richest -and most intricate carving known in the art of the builders of Uxmal; -presenting a scene of strange magnificence, surpassing any that is now -to be seen among its ruins.' _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 300. -'All these façades were painted; the traces of the colour are still -visible, and the reader may imagine what the effect must have been -when all this building was entire, and according to its supposed -design, in its now desolate doorways stood noble Maya maidens, like -the vestal virgins of the Romans, to cherish and keep alive the sacred -fire burning in the temples.' _Id._, p. 307. The bottoms of the -caissons of the diamond lattice-work are painted red. The paint is -believed to be a mixture in equal parts of carmine and vermilion, -probably vegetable colors. _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 200-1; Zavala, -in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., pp. 33-4, describes a building -supposed to be the Nunnery on account of the serpent ornament, which, -however, is stated to be on the exterior front of the building. -Cogolludo, _Hist. Yuc._, p. 177, describes the court and surrounding -edifices, stating that the serpent surrounds all four sides. 'Vn gran -patio con muchos aposentos separados en forma de claustro donde viuian -estas doncellas. Es fabrica digna de admiracion, porque lo exterior de -las paredes es todo de piedra labrada, donde estàn sacadas de medio -relieue figuras de hombres armados, diuersidad de animales, pajaros, y -otras cosas.' 'Todos los quatro lienços de aquel gran patio (que se -puede llamar plaça) los ciñe vna culebra labrada en la misma piedra de -las paredes, que termina la cola por debaxo de la cabeça, y tiene toda -ella en circuito quatrocientos pies.' Jones, _Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. -93, accounts for the superiority of the sculpture on the court façades -by supposing that it was executed at a later date; its protection from -the weather would also tend to its better preservation. - -[V-48] Although Zavala says, speaking of the Uxmal ruins in general: -'Celles qui forment l'arête à partir de laquelle les plans des murs -convergent pour déterminer la voûte prismatique dont j'ai déjà parlé, -sont taillées en forme de coude dont l'angle est obtus.' _Antiq. -Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 34. 'In the rear of, and within a few -feet of the eastern range, are the remains of a similar range, which -is now almost in total ruins. There appear to have been connecting -walls, or walks, from this range to the Pyramid near by, as I judged -from the rubbish and stones that can be traced from one to the other.' -_Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, p. 162. Cuts from _Stephens' Yucatan_, -vol. i., pp. 311, 430; one of them reproduced in _Baldwin's Anc. -Amer._ - -[V-49] So say Stephens' text and plan, Viollet-le-Duc, and Charnay's -plan; but Stephens' views, except that in _Cent. Amer._, Charnay's -photographs, and Waldeck's plan and drawings, do not indicate an oval -form. I am inclined to believe that the corners are simply rounded -somewhat more than in the other Uxmal structures, and that the oval -form indicated in the plan is not correct. - -[V-50] M. Viollet-le-Duc says it is 'entièrement composé d'un blocage -de maçonnerie revêtu de gros moellons parementés,' in _Charnay_, -_Ruines Amér._, p. 70. - -[V-51] _Cogolludo_, _Hist. Yuc._, p. 193. 'La subida principal está á -la parte del oriente y se practica por medio de una grada, que á la -altura referida, guarda, segun mi cálculo, el muy escaso declive de -treinta pies á lo mas: esta circunstancia, como se deja entender, la -hace en extremo pendiente y peligrosa. Si no me engaño, la grada á que -me refiero, tiene de 95 á 100 escaloncitos de piedra labrada, pero tan -angostos, que apénas pueden recibir la mitad del pié: la cubren muchos -troncos de árboles, espinos, y, lo que es peor, una multitud de yerba, -resbaladiza.' The author, however, climbed the stairway barefooted. -_L. G._, in _Registro de Yuc._, tom. i., p. 278. 'Les côtés de la -pyramide sont tellement lisses qu'on ne peut y monter même à l'aide -des arbres et des broussailles qui poussent dans les interstices des -pierres.' _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 95. The eastern slope 70°, and -the western 80°. _Heller_, _Reisen_, p. 256. Stairway has 180 steps, -each 12 to 15 centimetres wide and high. _Zavala_, in _Antiq. Mex._, -tom. i., div. ii., p. 33. 100 steps, each 5 inches wide. _Waldeck_, -_Voy. Pitt._, p. 71. 100 steps, each 6 inches wide. _Norman's Rambles -in Yuc._, p. 163. About 130 steps, 8 or 9 inches high. _Stephens' -Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 421. - -[V-52] 'Une espèce de petite chapelle en contre-bas tournée à l'ouest; -ce petit morceau est fouillé comme un bijou; une inscription parait -avoir été gravée, formant ceinture au-dessus de la porte.' _Charnay_, -_Ruines Amér._, p. 368. 'Loaded with ornaments more rich, elaborate, -and carefully executed, than those of any other edifice in Uxmal.' -_Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 313. - -[V-53] In the matter of dimensions, the Casa del Adivino presents the -same variations as the other structures--Stephens, _Yucatan_, being -the authority followed. Waldeck makes the platform 45 by 91 feet 8 -inches, and the building 81 feet 8 inches by 14 feet 8 inches. Zavala -calls the building 8 metres square. According to Norman the pyramid -measures 500 feet at the base, and is 100 feet high, the platform -being 21 by 72 feet, and the building 12 by 60, and 20 feet high. -Charnay pronounces the pyramid 75 to 80 feet high. Stephens, _Cent. -Amer._, vol. ii., pp. 421-2, gives the dimensions as follows: Pyramid, -120 by 240 feet at base; platform, 4½ feet wide outside the building; -building, 68 feet long; rooms, 9 feet wide, 18, 18, and 34 feet long. -Friederichsthal's dimensions: Pyramid, 120 by 192 feet and 25½ feet -high; platform, 23-1/3 by 89 feet; building, 12 by 73 feet, and 19¼ -feet high. _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., p. 307. -Heller's dimensions: Pyramid, 135 by 225 feet, and 105 feet high; -platform, 20 by 70 feet; building, 12 by 60 feet, and 20 feet high. - -[V-54] 'Il est à remarquer que le pénis des statues était en érection, -et que toutes ces figures étaient plus particulièrement mutilées dans -cette partie du corps.' _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 95-6. Plate xi. -shows the statue and accompanying portion of the wall. 'The emblems of -life and death appear on the wall in close juxtaposition, confirming -the belief in the existence of that worship practiced by the -Egyptians, and all other eastern nations, and before referred to as -prevalent among the people of Uxmal.' _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. -314. 'The western façade is ornamented with human figures similar to -_caryatides_, finely sculptured in stone with great art.' _Norman's -Rambles in Yuc._, p. 164. It is astonishing how easy the meaning of -these sculptures may be deciphered when the right person undertakes -the task. For instance: 'The translation of the above Sculpture seems -as easy as if a DANIEL had already read the handwriting on the wall! -as thus--The human figure, in full life and maturity, together with -the sex, presents mortality; over the figure the _cross-bones_ are -placed, portraying the figure's earthly death; while the skull -supported by expanding wings (and this Sculpture being placed above -those of life and death,) presents the immortal Soul ascending on the -wings of Time, above all earthly life, or the corruption of the -grave!' _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 103. - -[V-55] Stephens, _Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 312, 316, gives views of the -east and west fronts, the former of which I have inserted in my -description; and in _Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 420, a view from the -south, which is copied in _Armin_, _Das Heutige Mex._, p. 92, which -last authority also gives what seems to be a restoration of the -pyramid from Waldeck. Waldeck's plates, ix., x., xi., relate to this -structure; plate ix. is a view from a point above the whole and -directly over the centre, including a ground plan of the summit -building; plate x. is the western elevation of the pyramid and -building with the eastern elevation of the latter; and plate xi. is a -view of one of the statues as already mentioned. Charnay's photograph -35 gives a western view of the whole, which is also included in -photograph 38; it is to be noted that his plan places the Casa del -Adivino considerably south of the Nunnery. Norman, _Rambles in Yuc._, -p. 162, gives an altogether imaginary view of the pyramid and -building, perhaps intended for the western front. 'La base de la -colline factice est revêtue d'un parement vertical avec une frise dans -laquelle on retrouve l'imitation des rondins de bois, surmontés d'une -sorte de balustrade presque entièrement détruite.' _Viollet-le-Duc_, -in _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, p. 70. On the east front of the building -are 'deux portes carrées et deux petits pavillons couverts d'une -espèce de toit reposant sur des pilastres.' 'Tel est ce monument, -chef-d'oeuvre d'art et d'élégance. Si j'étais arrivé un an plus tard -à Uxmal, je n'aurais pas pu en donner un dessin complet; le centre -avait été dégradé par suite de l'extraction de quelques pierres -nécessaires à la solidité de cette partie de l'édifice.' _Waldeck_, -_Voy. Pitt._, p. 96. Yet if the structure was as perfect and his -examination as complete as he claims, it is very strange, to say the -least, that he did not discover the apartments in the western -projections. Zavala, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 33, says -that the interior walls of this building are plastered. Stephens, -Charnay, and Brasseur, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., pp. 578-88, give -the tradition of the Dwarf, which gives this temple one of its names. -'The construction of these ornaments is not less peculiar and striking -than the general effect. There were no tablets or single stones, each -representing separately and by itself an entire subject; but every -ornament or combination is made up of separate stones, on each of -which part of the subject was carved, and which was then set in its -place in the wall.' 'Perhaps it may, with propriety, be called a -species of sculptured mosaic.' _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. -422. - -[V-54] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 248-51, 227-8; _Norman's -Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 166, 157; _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 74; -_Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., -pp. 307-8; _Zavala_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 35; -_Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., p. 51. - -[V-55] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 188, 221-2. - -[V-56] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., p. 122, with plate showing front -of one building. - -[V-57] On Xcoch and Nohpat see _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. -348-58, 362-8, with cut of the pyramid, beside those given in the -text. Cut of former ruin reproduced in _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, pp. -144-5. 'Una infinita multitud de edificios enteramente arruinados, -esparcidos sobre toda la extension del terreno que puede abrazar la -vista. Esta como cadena de ruinas que desde Uxmal se prolonga con -direccion al S.E. por mas de 4 millas, induce á creer que es la -continuacion de esa inmensa ciudad.' 'Muchos edificios colosales -enteramente arruinados, que, aunque compartidos casi del mismo modo -que en Uxmal, indican, sin embargo, mayor antigüedad; porque siendo -construidos con iguales materias, y con no menor solidez, las injurias -del tiempo son mas evidentes sobre cuantos objetos se presentan á la -vista. Aún se nota la configuracion y trazo de las rámpas, átrios y -plazas, donde andan, como diseminados en grupos, restos de altares, -multitud de piedras escuadradas talladas en medios relievos -representando calaveras y canillas, trozos de columnas, y cornizas y -estátuas caprichosas ó simbólicas.' This visitor describes most of the -monuments mentioned by Stephens. The picote, or phallus, together with -a sculptured head, he brought away with him. _M. F. P._, in _Registro -Yuc._, tom. i., pp. 365-7. - -[V-58] 'The cornice running over the doorways, tried by the severest -rules of art recognised among us, would embellish the architecture of -any known era, and amid a mass of barbarism, of rude and uncouth -conceptions, it stands as an offering by American builders worthy of -the acceptance of a polished people.' _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., -pp. 387-95, with plates of the whole front, an enlarged portion of the -same, and the interior of the room mentioned. Norman, _Rambles in -Yuc._, p. 149, devotes a few lines to this building, but furnishes no -details. - -[V-59] The front is as usual decorated with sculpture, but it is much -fallen. Plate showing the front in _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. -397. - -[V-60] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 398-400, with cuts of the -Casa de Justicia and of the Arch; the latter being also in _Baldwin's -Anc. Amer._, p. 139. - -[V-61] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 386-7, 402-14, with cuts and -plates. Norman, _Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 148-9, thus describes these -sculptured jambs, which he found where Stephens left them placed -against the walls of the room: 'They are about six feet high and two -wide; the front facings of which are deeply cut, representing a -caçique, or other dignitary, in full dress, (apparently a rich Indian -costume,) with a profusion of feathers in his head-dress. He is -represented with his arms uplifted, holding a whip; a boy before him -in a kneeling position, with his hands extended in supplication; -underneath are hieroglyphics. The room is small, with the ceiling -slightly curved.' - -[V-62] _Larenaudière_, _Mex. et Guat._, p. 321; _Baril_, _Mexique_, p. -129; _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 144. 'Autour de cette grande -ville (Uxmal), dans un rayon de plusieurs lieues, l'oeil admirait les -cités puissantes de Nohcacab, de Chetulul, de Kabah, de Tanchi, de -Bokal et plus tard de Nohpat, dont les nobles omules se découpaient -dans l'azur foncé du ciel, comme autant de fleurons dans la couronne -d'Uxmal.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 21. - -[V-63] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 30-8, 41-6, 124-6. - -[V-64] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 16-28, with two plates in -addition to the cuts I have given. _Armin_, _Das Heutige Mex._, pp. -79-80, with two cuts, from Stephens. 'The summits of the neighboring -hills are capped with gray broken walls for many miles around.' -_Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 150-3, with view of front, copied in -_Democratic Review_, vol. xi., pp. 536-7; _Frost's Pict. Hist. Mex._, -pp. 78-9; and _Id._, _Great Cities_, pp. 291-5. - -[V-65] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 40-65, with plates. The cut -given in the text is also given by Baldwin, _Anc. Amer._, as a -frontispiece. _Willson's Amer. Hist._, p. 86. - -[V-66] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 72-8, with two plates, and -cut of painting. _Willson's Amer. Hist._, pp. 86-7. - -[V-67] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 83-4, 87-94. - -[V-68] _Id._, vol. ii., pp. 235-43. - -[V-69] _Un Curioso_, in _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., pp. 207-8, 351. - -[V-70] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 249, 258-61, 130-5, with -four plates illustrating the ruins of Chunhuhu. At Mani 'a pillory of -a conical shape, built of stones, and to the southward rises a very -ancient palace.' _Soza_, in _Rio's Description_, p. 7. 'On voit encore -près de Mani les restes d'un édifice construit sur une colline. On -appelle cette ruine le temple _de las monjas del fuego_.' _Waldeck_, -_Voy. Pitt._, p. 48. - -[V-71] Authorities on Chichen Itza. _Landa_, _Relacion_, pp. -340-7,--Landa describing the ruins from personal observation, having -been bishop of Mérida for several years, and died in the country in -1579; _Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. -xcii., pp. 300, 302, 304-6,--this author having visited Chichen in -1840, directed thereto by the advice of Mr Stephens, who had heard -rumors of the existence of extensive remains; _Stephens' Yucatan_, -vol. ii., pp. 282-324,--whose visit was from March 11 to 29, 1842, and -whose description, as usual, is much more complete than that of other -explorers; _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 104-28,--the corresponding -survey having lasted from February 10 to 14, 1842; _Charnay_, _Ruines -Amér._, pp. 339-46, phot. 26-34,--from an exploration in 1858. Thomas -Lopez Medel is also mentioned in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1843, -tom. xcvii., pp. 38, 43, as having visited Chichen by authority of the -Guatemalan government. Other authors who publish accounts of Chichen, -made up from the works of the preceding actual explorers, are as -follows: _Armin_, _Das Heutige Mex._, pp. 80-3; _Baldwin's Anc. -Amer._, pp. 140-4; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. -ii., p. 15; _Frost's Great Cities_, pp. 282-91; _Morelet_, _Voyage_, -tom. i., pp. 186, 193; _Willson's Amer. Hist._, pp. 79-82; _Davis' -Antiq. Amer._, p. 6; _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 144; _Mayer's -Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 179, cut; _Democratic Review_, vol. -xi., pp. 534-6; _Gallatin_, in _Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact._, vol. -i., p. 174; _Schott_, in _Smithsonian Rept._, 1871, pp. 423-4. - -[V-72] Plan from Stephens. The only other plan is that given by -Norman, which, in distances and the arrangement of the buildings with -respect to each other, presents not the slightest similarity with the -probably accurate drawings of Stephens and Catherwood. 'The ruins of -Chichen lie on a hacienda, called by the name of the ancient city.' -'The first stranger who ever visited them was a native of New-York,' -Mr John Burke. First brought to the notice of the world by -Friederichsthal. 'The plan is made from bearings taken with the -compass, and the distances were all measured with a line. The -buildings are laid down on the plan according to their exterior form. -All now standing are comprehended, and the whole circumference -occupied by them is about two miles ... though ruined buildings appear -beyond these limits.' 'In all the buildings, from some cause not -easily accounted for, while one varies ten degrees one way, that -immediately adjoining varies twelve or thirteen degrees in another;' -still the plan shows no such arrangement. _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. -ii., pp. 282-3, 290, 312. The modern church 'entièrement composée de -pierres enlevées aux temples et aux palais dont j'allais étudier les -ruines.' The proprietor 'me proposa la cession de sa propriété et des -ruines pour la somme de deux mille piastres.' _Charnay_, _Ruines -Amér._, pp. 336, 344-5. 'A city which, I hazard little in saying, must -have been one of the largest the world has ever seen. I beheld before -me, for a circuit of many miles in diameter, the walls of palaces and -temples and pyramids, more or less dilapidated.' 'No marks of human -footsteps, no signs of previous visitors, were discernible; nor is -there good reason to believe that any person, whose testimony of the -fact has been given to the world, had ever before broken the silence -which reigns over these sacred tombs of a departed civilization.' -_Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 108-9. Thirty-three leagues from -Valladolid, and twenty-five from Mérida. 'Une grotte offre, à une -profondeur de 52 pieds, un petit étang d'eau douce, auquel on descend -par des degrés taillés dans le roc, et se prolongeant au-dessous de la -surface de l'eau.' _Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, -1841, tom. xcii., pp. 304-6. - -[V-73] 'Le bijou de Chichen pour la richesse des sculptures.' -_Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, p. 342. 'The most strange and -incomprehensible pile of architecture that my eyes ever -beheld--elaborate, elegant, stupendous.' _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, -p. 119. Norman calls the building House of the Caciques. - -[V-74] 'L'édifice appelé _la casa de las Monjas_ (la maison des -nonnes) est long de 157 pieds, large de 86, haut de 47. Dans la partie -inférieure, il n'y a pas de trace d'ouverture. L'étage supérieur a des -chambres nombreuses; les linteaux des portes sont ornés -d'hiéroglyphes.' _Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, -1841, tom. xcii., p. 305. 'La porte (east front), surmontée de -l'inscription du palais, possède en outre une ornementation de -clochetons de pierre qui rappellent, comme ceux des coins de plusieurs -édifices, la manière chinoise ou japonaise. Au-dessus, se trouve un -magnifique médaillon représentant un chef la tête ceinte d'un diadème -de plumes; quant à la vaste frise qui entoure le palais, elle est -composée d'une foule de têtes énormes représentant des idoles, dont le -nez est lui-même enrichi d'une figure parfaitement dessinée. Ces têtes -sont séparées par des panneaux de mosaïque en croix, assez communs -dans le Yucatan.' 'Le développement du palais et de la pyramide est -d'environ soixante-quinze mètres.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, pp. -342-3. Photograph 30 shows the eastern front, and 29 the northern, of -the wing; 26 the north side of the building _a_; 27 the eastern, and -28 the southern front of the Iglesia, _b_. 'La façade (eastern) est -même d'un beau caractère, et la composition de la porte avec le -bas-relief qui la surmonte est pleine d'une grandeur sauvage, d'un -effet saisissant. Mieux traités que dans les exemples précédents, -l'appareil des parements est plus régulier, et il présente cette -particularité très-remarquable, qu'il s'accorde exactement avec la -décoration.' _Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Id._, p. 60. East wing 32 by 50 -feet, and 20 feet high. 'Over the door-way ... is a heavy lintel of -stone, containing two double rows of hieroglyphics, with a sculptured -ornament intervening. Above these are the remains of hooks carved in -stone, with raised lines of drapery running through them ... over -which, surrounded by a variety of chaste and beautifully executed -borders, encircled within a wreath, is a female figure in a sitting -posture, in basso-relievo, having a head-dress of feathers, cords, and -tassels, and the neck ornamented.' Building _a_, 10×35×20 feet; -building _b_, 13×22×36 feet. Main platform 75×100 feet. 'On the -eastern end of these rooms (in 1st story over the solid basement) is a -hall running transversely, four feet wide ... one side of which is -filled with a variety of sculptured work, principally rosettes and -borders, with rows of small pilasters; having three square recesses.' -_Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 169-73, with view of eastern front of -wing, and of north front of the whole structure. 'Over the doorway -(eastern front) are twenty small cartouches of hieroglyphics in four -rows, five in a row.' _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., p. 293, with -plates of eastern front, northern front, and the Iglesia. - -[V-75] _Akab-Tzib_ and not _Akatzeeb_, as Stephens spells it. -_Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 12; -_Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 291-2, with plate of front and of -the sculptured lintel. 'Those (rooms) fronting the south are the most -remarkable, the inner doorways having each a stone lintel of an -unusually large size, measuring thirty-two inches wide, forty-eight -long, and twelve deep; having on its inner side a sculptured figure of -an Indian in full dress, with cap and feathers, sitting upon a -cushioned seat, finely worked; having before him a vase containing -flowers, with his right hand extended over it, his left resting upon -the side of the cushion--the whole bordered with hieroglyphics. The -front part of this lintel contains two rows of hieroglyphics. 43×150×20 -feet, walls 3 feet thick. _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 123-4. -'Un énorme bâtiment près des Nonnes, mais totalemente dénué de -sculptures.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, p. 344. - -[V-76] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 311-17, with plates of north -front of the castle and its pyramid, and the interior of the room, -besides the cut of the monsters' heads given in my text. Bishop Landa -gives a description probably intended for this edifice and even gives -a plan of it. His account, except in mentioning four stairways, agrees -very well with that of later visitors, and is as follows: 'This -edifice has four stairways facing the four parts of the world; they -are 33 feet wide, each having 91 steps, very difficult of ascent. The -steps have the same height and width as ours. Each stairway has two -low balustrades, two feet wide, of good stonework like all the -building. The edifice is not sharp-cornered, because from the ground -upward between the balustrades the cubic blocks are rounded, ascending -by degrees and elegantly narrowing the building. There was, when I saw -it, at the foot of each balustrade a fierce serpent's mouth very -strangely worked. Above the stairways there is on the summit a small -level platform in which is an edifice of four rooms. Three of them -extend round without interruption, each having a door in the middle -and being covered with an arch. The northern room is of peculiar form, -and has a corridor of great pillars. The middle one, which must have -been a kind of little court between the rooms, has a door which leads -to the northern corridor and is closed with wood at the top, and -served for burning perfumes. In the entrance of this door or corridor -is a kind of coat of arms sculptured in stone, which I could not well -understand.' _Landa_, _Relacion_, pp. 342-4. 550 feet in circumference -at the base, its sides facing the cardinal points. 'The angles and -sides were beautifully laid with stones of an immense size, gradually -lessening, as the work approached the summit.' Stairways on north and -east 30 feet wide and narrowing toward the top. The south and west -slopes also mount in steps, each four feet high. Monsters' heads at -foot of eastern stairway. Slope 100 feet; building 42 feet square; -stone door-jambs have holes drilled through their inner angles; -interior walls are plastered and painted with figures now very dim; -roof perfectly flat and covered with soil. This author in his whole -description evidently confounds the north with the east front. -_Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 115-17, with view of pyramid. -Charnay's phot. 32 gives a view of the Chateau. 120 feet high, 159 -feet square at base; platform 60 feet square; 80 steps in the -stairway. _Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, -tom. xcii., p. 304. - -[V-77] 'Tenia delante la escalera del corte (of the castle) algo -aparte dos teatros de canteria pequeños de a quatro escaleras, y -enlosados por arriba en que dizen representavan las farsas y comedias -para solaz del pueblo.' _Landa_, _Relacion_, p. 344. - -[V-78] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 303-11. Plates giving a -general view of the Gymnasium, the front of the building on the -eastern wall, and the painted and sculptured figures. 'Le monument se -composait autrefois de deux pyramides perpendiculaires et parallèles, -d'un développement de cent dix mètres environ, avec plate-forme -disposée pour les spectateurs. Aux extrémités deux petits édifices -semblables, sur une esplanade de six mêtres de hauteur, devaient -servir aux juges, ou d'habitation aux guardiens du gymnase.' Of the -two chambers on the eastern wall, 'la seconde, entière aujourd'hui, -est couverte de peintures. Ce sont des guerriers et des prêtres, -quelques-uns avec barbe noire et drapés dans de vastes tuniques, la -tête ornée de coiffures diverses. Les couleurs employées sont le noir, -le jaune, le rouge, et le blanc.... Dans le bas et en dehors du -monument se trouve la salle dont nous donnons les bas-reliefs, qui -sont certainement ce qu'il y a de plus curieux à Chichen-Itza. Toutes -les figures en bas-relief, sculptées sur les murailles de cette salle, -ont conservé le type de la race indienne existante.' _Charnay_, -_Ruines Amér._, pp. 140-1. Phot. 33 and 34 show the sculptured -procession of tigers and that of human figures, of which I have given -a portion in my text. 'On observera que les joints des pierres ne sont -pas _coupés_ conformément à l'habitude des constructeurs -d'_appareils_, mais que les pierres, ne formant pas _liaison_, -présentent plusieurs joints les uns au-dessus des autres, et ne -tiennent que par l'adhérence des mortiers, qui les réunit au blocage -intérieur. Par le fait, ces parements ne sont autre chose qu'une -décoration, un revêtement collé devant un massif.' _Viollet-le-Duc_, -in _Id._, pp. 48-9. Walls stand on foundations about 16 feet high; -columns two feet in diameter; walls 250×16×26 feet and 130 feet -apart; building of southern wall (eastern, Norman having completely -lost his reckoning at Chichen in the points of the compass) 24 feet -high; rings two feet thick; line of rubbish in form of a curve -connecting main and end walls (_c_ and _d_). General view of the -Temple and cut of the ring. _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 111-15. -Walls 262×18×27 feet. _Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles Annales des -Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., p. 305. - -[V-79] Cuts from _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 300-1. Terrace 55 -by 62 feet; stairway 20 feet wide; building 23 by 43. _Ib._ -'Foundations of about twenty feet in height, which were surrounded and -sustained by well-cemented walls of hewn stone with curved angles' 240 -feet in circumference. Building 21 by 40 feet. 'Across these halls -were beams of wood, creased as if they had been worn by -hammock-ropes.' _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 124-5. Foundation only -two mètres high, but photograph 31 shows this to be an error. -_Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, p. 344. 'Deux petits temples (E and D), -ayant leur façade au sud et à l'est; le vestibule du premier est orné -d'hiéroglyphes.' _Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, -1841, tom. xcii., p. 305. - -[V-80] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 298-300, with view of the -building. This author is at fault so far as dimensions are concerned, -since 4 and 5 feet, the width of the corridors, and 3¾ feet, half the -diameter of the solid central mass, exceed 11 feet, half the diameter -of the whole building, to say nothing of the two walls. 'Bâti en -manière de mur à limaçon.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, p. 344. Top of -first terrace, 30 feet high, 125 feet square; second terrace 50 feet -square and 12 feet high; on this terrace is a pyramidical square 50 -feet high, divided into rooms; on the centre of this square is the -Dome--'three conic structures, one within the other, a space of six -feet intervening; each cone communicating with the others by doorways, -the inner one forming the shaft. At the height of about ten feet, the -cones are united by means of transoms of zuporte. Around these cones -are evidences of spiral stairs, leading to the summit.' It is clear -that either Stephens' description or that of Norman is very incorrect. -Norman compares this Dome to a 'Greenan Temple' in Donegal, Ireland. -_Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 118-19, with a cut which agrees with Stephens' -cut and text. Tower 50 feet high, 36 feet in diameter; surrounding -wall 756 feet in circumference and twenty-five feet high. -_Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., -p. 305. - -[V-81] Four hundred and eighty bases of overthrown columns. 'Des -colonnades qui, bien que d'une construction lourde, surprennent par -leur étendue.' _Friederichsthal_, loc. cit., pp. 302, 300; _Stephens' -Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 317-18, and view. - -[V-82] 'Had the Spaniards selected this for the site of their city of -Valladolid, a few leagues distant, it is highly probable that not a -vestige of the ancient edifices would now be seen.' _Gallatin_, in -_Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact._, vol. i., p. 174. 'Lieu qui offre -beaucoup l'apparence d'une ville sainte.' _Friederichsthal_, loc. -cit., p. 300. Dr Arthur Schott discourses, in the _Smithsonian Rept._, -1871, pp. 423-5, on a face, or mask, of 'semiagatized xyolite, still -bearing the marks of silicified coniferous wood, a fossil probably -foreign to the soil of the peninsula.' It was found at Chichen, and -the Doctor thinks it may have some deep mythologic meaning, which he -generously leaves to some other ethnologist to decipher. Norman, -_Rambles in Yuc._, p. 127, states that the hewn blocks of stone at -Chichen are uniformly 12 by 6 inches. M. Waldeck, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 47, -speaks of a reported silver collar bearing an inscription in Greek, -Hebrew, and Phoenician letters, found in the 'grottes cristallines -de Chixhen.' But even this enthusiastic antiquarian looks at this -report with much distrust. - -[V-83] _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 144; _Norman's Rambles in -Yuc._, p. 87; _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 340-4. - -[V-84] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 272-85; _Norman's Rambles in -Yuc._, pp. 146-7; _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 22, 70, 73, 102-3, 111; -_Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, p. 103; _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. -144. - -[V-85] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 130-9, with cuts; _Baldwin's -Anc. Amer._, pp. 127-9, with cuts. Near the village of Telchaquillo. -_Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 144. Surrounded by a ditch that can be -traced for three miles. _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., pp. 194-5. 'Se -dice que Mayapan ... estaba murada, pero fué demolida hasta sus -cimientos, y únicamente los grandes montones de piedras indican que -fué una gran poblacion.' _Un Curioso_, in _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., p. -206. - -[V-86] 'Los españoles poblaron aqui una ciudad, y llamaronla Mérida, -por la estrañeza y grandeza de los edificios.' As to the size of the -pyramid mentioned it is 'mas de dos carreras de caballo'--that is -twice as far as a horse can run without taking breath--in extent. The -cement is made with the juice of the bark of a certain tree, 'El -primero edificio de los quatro quartos nos dio el adelantado Montejo a -nosotros hecho un monte aspero, limpiamosle y emos hecho en el con su -propria piedra un razonable monesterio todo de piedra y una buena -yglesia que llamamos la Madre de Dios.' _Landa_, _Relacion_, pp. -330-8, with cut. 'Entre aquel cerro, y otro como èl hecho à mano, que -està à la parte Oriental de la Ciudad; se determinò fuesse fundada, y -eran tan grandes, que con la piedra que auia en el que estaban, se -obraron quantos edificios ay en la Ciudad, con que quedò todo el sitio -llano, que es la Plaça mayor oy, y sus quadras en contorno, y con la -del de la parte Oriental, se edifico nuestro Conuento por caerle -cercano, despues se han hecho muchas casas, y todo el Conuento, y -Iglesia de la Mejorada, que tambien es nuestro, y tiene material para -otros muy muchos.' _Cogolludo_, _Hist. Yuc._, p. 138. 'Auia junto -adonde està aora la Plaça entre otros cerros, vno que llamaban el -grande de los Kues, adoratorio que era de Idolos lleno de arboleda.' -_Id._, p. 149. Tihoo was built by the Tutul-Xius, and had a celebrated -temple to Baklum-Chaam, the Maya Priapus. _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, -_Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., pp. 8-9. 'En el pátio del convento de S. -Francisco está una cruz.... En la huerta del mismo convento se ven aun -algunas piedras curiosamente labradas con cotas y morreones á la -antigua romana, y púnica.' _Alegre_, _Hist. Comp. de Jesus_, tom. ii., -p. 112. The buildings were 'construits en pierres de taille fort -grandes. On ignore qui les a bâtis; il paraît que ce fut avant la -naissance de Jésus-Christ, car il y avait au-dessus des arbres aussi -gros que ceux qui croissaient au pied. Ces bâtiments ont cinq toises -de hauteur, et sont construits en pierres sèches; au sommet de ces -édifices sont quatre appartements divisés en cellules comme celles des -moines; ils ont vingt pieds de long et dix de large; les jambages des -portes sont d'un seul morceau, et le haut est voûté.' _Bienvenida_, -_Lettre_, in _Ternaux-Compans_, _Voy._, série i., tom. x., pp. 310-11. -'In different parts of the city are the remains of Indian buildings.' -_Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 398. Montanus, _Nieuwe Weereld_, -p. 259, says that Mérida is built on the ruins of Mayapan. Malte-Brun, -_Précis de la Géog._, tom. vi., p. 465, confounds Mérida with the -ruins farther south, mentioned by Padre Soza. See mention in _Norman's -Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 45-8; _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 23, 55-6; -_Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1843, tom. xcvii., p. 37; _Gallatin_, in -_Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact._, vol. i., p. 174; _Sivers_, -_Mittelamerika_, pp. 243-4; _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., p. 269; -_Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 94-8. - -[V-87] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., p. 440-4, vol. i., p. 127, with -plate; _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 144. 'Les monuments les plus -anciens, dont les restes sont composés d'énormes blocs de pierres -brutes, posés quelquefois les uns sur les autres, sans aucun ciment -qui les unisse. Tels sont les édifices d'un lieu voisin de l'hacienda -d'Aké, située à 27 milles à l'est-sud-est de Mérida.' _Friederichsthal_, -in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., p. 300. - -[V-88] Stephens speaks of the 'sternness and harshness of expression' -of the cara gigantesca. 'A stone one foot six inches long protrudes -from the chin, intended, perhaps, for burning copal on, as a sort of -altar.' _Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 434-6, with plate. 'Les alentours -sont parsemés de pyramides artificielles, et deux, entre autres, sont -les plus considérables de la péninsule.' M. Charnay finds fault with -Catherwood for representing the colossal head as in a desert with a -raging tiger and savages armed with bows and arrows in the foreground. -'A force de vouloir faire de la couleur locale, on fausse l'histoire, -et on déroute la science.' He pronounces the face 'd'un genre -cyclopéen. Ce sont de vastes entailles, espèces de modelages en -ciment.' _Ruines Amér._, pp. 319-22, phot. 23-5. 'C'est une sorte de -gros blocage dont les moellons, posés avec art par le sculpteur au -milieu d'un mortier très-dur, ont formé les joues, la bouche, le nez, -les yeux. Cette tête colossale est réellement une bâtisse enduite.' -'Les traits sont beaux, la bouche est bien faite, les yeux grands sans -être saillants, le front, couvert d'un ornement, ne semble point -fuyant. Cette tête était peinte comme toute l'architecture mexicaine.' -_Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Id._, pp. 46-7. Dr Schott pronounces Mr -Stephens' description unsatisfactory, especially his calling the face -harsh and stern in expression. The features are feminine in their -cast, and of the narrow rather than of the broad type. 'The whole face -exhibits a very remarkable regularity and conforms strictly to the -universally accepted principles of beauty.' 'The head-dress in the -shape of a mitre is encircled just above the forehead by a band, which -is fastened in front by a triple locket or tassel.' This author -identities the face as that of Itzamatul, the semi-divine founder of -Izamal, and explains the signification of each particular feature. His -treatise is perhaps as intelligible and rational as most speculation -on such topics, but it is to be noted that the Dr founds his -conclusions on Clavigero's description of the Toltecs! It would be -hard to prove that the cara gigantesca does not represent this -particular hero, and that the large ears are not emblems of wisdom. Dr -Schott pronounces it 'hazardous' to attempt to connect this face with -any other than Itzamatul, and I prefer to run no risks. _Smithsonian -Rept._, 1869, pp. 389-93. Norman, _Rambles in Yuc._, p. 79, speaks of -a well on the platform of one of the pyramids. 'Dans ses flancs, la -colline sacrée recélait de vastes appartements, des galeries et un -temple souterrain, destinés, dit-on, aux mystères de la religion et à -servir de nécropole aux cadavres des prêtres et des princes.' The -grave of Zamná was here, and his followers erected the pyramid. -_Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 79. History of -the pyramids, see _Id._, tom. ii., pp. 47-8. 'On trouva dans un -édifice en démolition une grande urne à trois anses, recouverte -d'ornements argentés extérieurement, au fond duquel il y avait des -cendres provenant d'un corps brûlé, parmi lesquelles nous trouvâmes -des objets d'art en pierre.' 'Statues en demi-bosse, modelées en -ciment que je dis se trouver dans les contreforts, et qui sont -d'hommes de haute taille.' _Landa_, _Relacion_, pp. 326-30, with plan. -'Ay en este pueblo de Ytzamal cinco cuyos ó cerros muy altos, todos -levantados de piedra seca, con sus fuerças y reparos, que ayudan á -levantar la piedra en alto, y no se ven edificios enteros oy, mas los -señales y vestigios están patentes en uno dellos de la parte de -mediodia.' One altar was in honor of their king or false god -Ytzmat-ul, and had on it the figure of a hand, being called _Kab-ul_, -or 'working hand.' Another mound and temple in the northern part of -the city, the highest now standing, was called _Kinich-Kakmó_, or 'sun -with fiery rayed face.' Another, on which the convent is founded, is -_Ppapp-Hol-Chac_, 'house of heads and lightnings.' Another in the -south called _Hunpictok_, 'captain with an army of 8000 flints.' -_Lizana_, _Devocionario_, 1663, in _Landa_, _Relacion_, pp. 348-64. - -[V-89] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 137-232, with plates and -cuts; _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 144; _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, pp. -101, 146-7; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., pp. -20-3. - -[V-90] On these east coast buildings seen by Córdova, Grijalva, and -Cortés, see _Diaz_, _Itinéraire_, in _Ternaux-Compans_, _Voy._, série -i., tom. x., pp. 5-9; and in _Icazbalceta_, _Col. de Doc._, tom. i., -pp. 282-6; _Cortés_, _Vida_, in _Id._, p. 339; _Oviedo_, _Hist. Gen._, -tom. i., pp. 497, 505-7; _Torquemada_, _Monarq. Ind._, tom. i., p. -352; _Herrera_, _Hist. Gen._, dec. ii., lib. iii., cap. i.; _Gomara_, -_Conq. Mex._, fol. 22-4; _Id._, _Hist. Ind._, fol. 60; _Peter Martyr_, -dec. iv., lib. iii.; _Cogolludo_, _Hist. Yuc._, p. 4; _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iv., p. 41; _Morelet_, _Voyage_, -tom. i., p. 181; _Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, pp. 241-4; _Folsom_, in -_Cortés_, _Despatches_, p. 20. - -[V-91] _Voy. Pitt._, p. 102. - -[V-92] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 387-409, with plates and -cuts. - -[V-93] 'They founde auncient towers there, and the ruines of such as -hadde beene broken downe and destroyed, seeming very auncient: but one -aboue the rest, whereto they ascended by 18 steppes or staires, as -they ascende to famous, and renowned temples.' _Peter Martyr_, dec. -iv., lib. iii. Grijalva found a tower 'xviii gradi de altura et tutta -massiza al pede et tenia a torno clxxx piedi, et incima de essa era -una torre piccola la quale era de statura de homini doi uno sopra -laltro.' _Diaz_, _Itinerario_, in _Icazbalceta_, _Col. de Doc._, tom. -i., pp. 284, 287. See also the authorities referred to in note 89. -_Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 362-80, with cut; _Larenaudière_, -_Mex. et Guat._, p. 321; _Gondra_, in _Album Mex._, tom. i., p. 239; -_Mayer's Mex., Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 169; _Baril_, _Mexique_, p. -129; _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 145. - -[V-94] Córdova found here in 1517 'torres de piedra con grados y -capillas cubiertas de madera y paja en que por gentil orden estauan -puestos muchos idolos, que parecian mugeres.' _Gomara_, _Hist. Ind._, -fol. 60; _Cortés_, _Vida_, in _Icazbalceta_, _Col. de Doc._, tom. i., -p. 339; _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 415-17, with plate. - -[V-95] _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 102. 'Une ville entière offre ses -ruines aux investigations des archéologues.' _Baril_, _Mexique_, p. -129; _Larenaudière_, _Mex. et Guat._, p. 321. - -[V-96] _Dampier's Voyages_, vol. ii., pt. ii., pp. 10-11; _Stephens' -Yucatan_, vol. ii., p. 418. - -[V-97] 'Tout près du rio Lagarto se voient deux pyramides, au sommet -desquelles croissent maintenant des arbres élevés et touffus.' -_Baril_, _Mexique_, p. 129; _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 102. - -[V-98] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 427-30, with plate. - -[V-99] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 189, 199-220; _Wappäus_, -_Geog. u. Stat._, p. 144. - -[V-100] 'The whole of Campeachy rests upon a subterraneous cavern of -the ancient Mayas. It is now difficult to ascertain whether these -quarries or galleries, which, according to the traditions of the -country, are understood to be immense, served for the abode of the -people who executed the work. Nothing reveals the marks of man's -sojournings here; not even the traces of smoke upon the vaults were -visible. It is more probable that the greater part of this excavation -was used as a depository for their dead. This supposition has been -strengthened by the discovery of many openings of seven feet deep by -twenty inches in breadth, dug horizontally in the walls of the -caverns. These excavations, however, are few; and the galleries have -been but little investigated and less understood.' Mr Norman sent some -of the skeletons discovered here to Dr Morton, who pronounced them to -present many of the characteristics of the natives at the present -time. _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 211-18, with plates. Sr Gondra, -in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._ (Mex. 1846) tom. iii., pp. 95-8, pl. -xviii., gives engravings of four of these idols in Norman's -collection, erroneously stating that they are from Stephens' work. 'I -have seen some of his (Norman's) remarkable antiquities, as Penates, -hieroglyphics,' etc. _Davis' Antiq. Amer._, p. 12. The above notice, -given by Mr Norman is an almost literal translation of _Waldeck_, -_Voy. Pitt._, p. 10; as is also the account by _I. R. Gondra_, in -_Album Mex._, tom. i., p. 162. Mention of the Champoton ruins in -_Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 102; _Larenaudière_, _Mex. et Guat._, p. -321; _Baril_, _Mexique_, p. 128. Córdova in 1517 saw at Campeche 'vn -torrejoncillo de piedra quadrado y gradado, en lo alto del qual estaua -vn ydolo con dos fieros animales alas hijadas, como que lo comian. Y -vna sierpe de quarenta y siete pies larga, y gorda quanto vn buey, -hecha de piedra como el ydolo.' _Gomara_, _Hist. Ind._, fol. 61. 'On -ne rencontre ni dans l'île de Carmen ni sur les bords de la Lagune -aucun tumulus, aucune ruine, aucun vestige enfin de l'industrie des -temps passés.' Description of the Camacho collection in Campeche, -consisting of 'figurines et des vases d'argile portant encore des -traces de peinture et de vernis, des instruments de musique, de menus -objets de parure, des haches, des fers de lance en silex ou en -obsidienne.' _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., pp. 226, 167-8. The Camacho -Museum contains 'Una numerosa colleccion de ídolos de barro y -piedra.... Una urna cineraria que contiene los restos de un hombre.... -Una coleccion de vasos, jarros, cántaros y fuentes de piedra y barro, -adornados, muchos de ellos, con geroglíficos y con pinturas vivas, -frescas y bien conservadas. Una colleccion de lanzas, flechas, dardos -y demas instrumentos de guerra.... Casi todos estos instrumentos son -de pedernal. Otra coleccion de flautas y otros instrumentos músicos, -de barro. Otra id. de zarcillos, cuentas y adornos de piedra.... Otra -id. de lozas sepulcrales.... Una multitud de fragmentos -arquitectónicos.' _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., pp. 373-4. 'Le canton qui -s'étend de la côte de la lagune de Jerm, vers le nord-est, offre -sur-tout une suite presque continue de monticules et de villes, -jusqu'au point où il atteint le sanctuaire de l'île de Cozumel.' -_Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., -pp. 299-300. 'Une foule de ruines d'une grande importance.' _Brasseur -de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 67. - -[V-101] _Cogolludo_, _Hist. Yuc._, p. 193; _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. -ii., pp. 341, 122, vol. i., p. 415; _Landa_, _Relacion_, pp. 344, 330; -_Lizana_, in _Id._, p. 358; _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, pp. 321-2; -_Registro Yuc._, tom. i., p. 366. - -[V-102] 'La piedra _margosa_ de que están formados tales edificios, es -ademas generalmente considerada como un material muy inferior para la -construccion.' _Friederichsthal_, in _Dicc. Univ._, tom. x., p. 292. -The blocks 'ont une transparence troublée comme celle du gypse. Il est -probable ... que c'est du véritable carbonate calcaire.' _Zavala_, in -_Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 34. 'A soft coralline limestone -of a comparatively recent geological formation, probably of the -Tertiary period.' _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, p. 398. - -[V-103] 'La poca mezcla que se advierte en ellos, es fina, tersa y tan -compacta por su particular beneficio, que tomada entre los dedos una -pastilla, cuyo grueso es poco mayor que el de un peso fuerte, da sumo -trabajo quebrantarla.' _L. G._, in _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., p. 277. -'Ces mortiers sont faits avec une chaux hydraulique presque pure, et -ont une si complète adhérence, soit dans les massifs, soit même -lorsqu'ils sont appliqués comme enduits, comme à Palenqué, qu'à peine -si le marteau peut les entamer.' _Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Charnay_, -_Ruines Amér._, pp. 59-60. - -[V-104] Jones says 'The term "triangular _Arch_" cannot be admitted by -the language of Architecture; he (Mr Stephens) might as well have -written _triangular semicircle_, terms distinctly opposed to each -other.' _Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 100. 'Los techos, sin variacion alguna -entre sí, representan una figura ojiva, muy conocida de los árabes, y -repetidamente citada por el recomendable Victor Hugo en su obra de -Nuestra Sra. de Paris.' _L. G._, in _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., p. 277. -'On dit en espagnol de _boveda_, qui n'exprime aucunement cette -architecture toute particulière; _boveda_ veut dire voûte, et ces -intérieurs n'y ressemblent nullement; ce sont deux murs parallèles -jusqu'à une hauteur de trois mètres, obliquant alors l'un vers -l'autre, et terminés par une dalle de trente centimètres.' _Charnay_, -_Ruines Amér._, pp. 342-3. - -[V-105] Friederichsthal erroneously says the wooden lintels are always -sculptured, and that each room has air-holes above the cornice, both -square and round, from 3 to 5 inches in diameter. _Nouvelles Annales -des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., p. 311. - -[V-106] Mr Jones believes that the ornaments on the Maya façades must -have been sculptured after the stones in a rough state had been put in -place, and not before, as Mr Stephens thinks. _Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. -92. The following is Mr Waldeck's not very clear explanation of the -mode of decorating these façades. 'Voulaient-ils couvrir une façade -d'ornements ou de figures symboliques, ils commençaient par peindre la -muraille toute entière de la couleur qu'ils avaient choisie; presque -toujours c'était le rouge qui formait le fond.... Cette première -opération terminée, on posait sur le mur peint la marqueterie en -pierre qui devait servir d'ornement et on la badigeonnait avec plus de -soin que le fond. Le bleu était employé dans ce travail.' _Voy. -Pitt._, pp. 72-3. 'In the Mayan delineations of the human countenance -the contracted facial angle is as remarkable as in the paintings of -the Aztecs.' _Prichard's Researches_, vol. v., p. 346. See _Foster's -Pre-Hist. Races_, p. 302. 'On retrouve chez quelques-uns de ces -Indiens les traits bien accentués de la race au front fuyant et au nez -busqué, qui construisit les palais d'Uxmal, de Palenque, et de -Chichen-Itza. Je fus frappé de cette analogie, quoique la similitude -soit loin d'être parfaite, les artistes nationaux ayant exagéré -vraisemblablement certains caractères qui constituaient alors l'idéal -de la beauté.' _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., p. 147. - -[V-107] _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. 212-13. - -[V-108] 'Depuis le cap Catoche jusqu'au pied de la Cordillère -centrale, analogie frappante dans le caractère, l'ensemble et les -proportions des diverses parties des ouvrages.' 'Quant à l'impression -que fait éprouver l'examen de l'architecture de tous ces édifices, je -dois ajouter que les idées fines de l'artiste ont évidemment été -exécutées d'une manière qui ne les rend nullement.' 'Toutefois on -rencontre, notamment à Uxmal, des preuves suffisantes qu'ils étaient -parvenus à plus de dextérité dans quelques-unes de leurs sculptures. -On reconnaît leur addresse à représenter les formes humaines, dans les -idoles et les figures en argile.... Ces ouvrages sont supérieurs, sous -tous les rapports de l'art, à tout ce que cette nation a produit.' -_Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., -pp. 303, 312. 'Esa bella y elegante arquitectura, esos soberbios é -imponentes adornos, superiores á todo lo que hasta hoy ha podido verse -y concebirse.' 'Ruinas soberbias, que agobian la imaginacion y oprimen -el entendimiento.' _Id._, in _Dicc. Univ._, tom. x., p. 291. 'The -splendid temples and palaces still standing attest the power of the -priests and of the nobles; no trace remains of the huts in which dwelt -the mass of the nation.' _Gallatin_, in _Amer. Ethno. Soc., -Transact._, vol. i., p. 174. Uxmal 'the American Palmyra.' _Wappäus_, -_Geog. u. Stat._, p. 144. 'El primer golpe de vista de su conjunto, es -grandioso, es imponente. Examinandolos luego en detall, causa -admiracion el distinto órden de arquitectura que se nota en cada -edificio, la elegancia caprichosa de sus formas, la abundancia y -riqueza del material que interior y exteriormente es todo de piedra de -sillería, el lujo prodigioso de los adornos variados hasta lo infinito -de un modo raro, original y nunca visto, y la perfeccion y maestría -con que todo ha sido ejecutado.' 'Nótase en Uxmal ... la infancia del -arte en punto á estatuaria.' _M. F. P._, in _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., -pp. 363, 365. 'En somme, les ruines d'Uxmal nous paraissent être la -dernière expression de la civilisation américaine; nulle part un tel -assemblage de ruines, maisons particulières, temples et palais.' -_Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, p. 374. 'La arquitectura de Uxmal brillante -en su perspectiva, es complicada y simétrica en sus dibujos, robusta -en sus cimientos y terraplenes, simbólica en sus geroglíficos y -figuras humanas ... y bastante delicada en sus cornizas y molduras.' -_L. G._, in _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., p. 277. 'The sculpture at Uxmal -is not only as fine, but distinctly of a Grecian character.' _Jones' -Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 107. 'Plusieurs de ces constructions ne laissent -rien à désirer au point de vue du bon goût et des règles de l'art.' -_Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., p. 193. M. Viollet-le-Duc's conclusions -and speculations are mostly directed to prove that the builders were -of mixed race, white and yellow, Aryan and Turanian. He supports his -theory by a study of the faces among the sculptured decorations, and -by pointing out in the buildings traditions of structures in wood, and -also the use of mortar, the use of wood and mortar being peculiar, as -he claims, to different races. _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, introd. -'These antiquities show that this section of the continent was -anciently occupied by a people admirably skilled in the arts of -masonry, building, and architectural decoration.' _Baldwin's Anc. -Amer._, p. 101. 'The builders of the ruins of the city of Chi-Chen and -Uxmal excelled in the mechanic and fine arts. It is obvious that they -were a cultivated, and doubtless a very numerous people.' _Norman's -Rambles in Yuc._, p. 175. 'Ohne Zweifel zu den herrlichsten Amerikas -gehören.--Welch riesenhafte Bauten für eine Nation, die alles mit -steinernen Instrumenten arbeitete!' _Heller_, _Reisen_, p. 260. - -[V-109] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 93-9, 140, 274, 322-5, 413, -vol. ii., pp. 264-73, 306, 343, 406. - -[V-110] 'Dilato la fundacion de Uxmal á 150 ó 200 años ántes del de -1535, en que tuvo efecto la conquista del pais por los españoles.' _L. -G._, in _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., p. 276. 'Aunque el mar de conjeturas -que las cubre sea muy ancho, y de libre navegacion para todo el mundo, -creo, sin embargo, que lo ménos ridículo y mas acertado es no -engolfarse en él.' _M. F. P._, in _Id._, p. 363. Cogolludo found in -the Casa del Adivino at Uxmal traces of recent sacrificial offerings. -_Hist. Yuc._, p. 193. 'Fassen wir nun diess alles zusammmen, so haben -wir in den Ruinen Uxmals echte Denkmäler tultekischer Kunst von einem -Alter von ungefähr 800 Jahren.' _Heller_, _Reisen_, p. 264. 'Elles -paraissent, en majeure partie, appartenir à l'architecture toltèque et -dater d'au moins mille ans.' _Baril_, _Mexique_, p. 128,. -Friederichsthal, in _Registro Yuc._, tom. ii., pp. 437-43, and many -others regard the Yucatan and other Central American ruins as the work -of the Toltecs. See vol. ii., cap. ii., and vol. v. of this work on -this point. Uxmal generally regarded as having been founded by -Ahcuitok Tutul-Xiu between 870 and 894 A. D. _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, -_Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 22. Chichen seems older than the other -ruins. The Maya MS. places its discovery between 360 and 432 A. D. -_Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., p. 323. 'Uxmal is placed by us as the -last built of all the Ancient Cities as yet discovered on the Western -Continent.' _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, pp. 104, 101. 'Evidently the -city of Chi-Chen was an antiquity when the foundations of the -Parthenon at Athens, and the Cloaca Maxima at Rome, were being laid.' -The ruins of Yucatan 'belong to the remotest antiquity. Their age is -not to be measured by hundreds, but by thousands of years.' _Norman's -Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 177-8. See _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 71, -97-8; _Prescott's Mex._, vol. iii., pp. 412-13; _Foster's Pre-Hist. -Races_, p. 398. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -ANTIQUITIES OF TABASCO AND CHIAPAS, RUINS OF PALENQUE. - - GEOGRAPHICAL LIMITS -- PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY -- NO RELICS IN - TABASCO -- RUINS OF PALENQUE -- EXPLORATION AND - BIBLIOGRAPHY -- NAME; NACHAN, CULHUACAN, OTOLUM, XIBALBA - -- EXTENT, LOCATION, AND PLAN -- THE PALACE -- THE - PYRAMIDAL STRUCTURE -- WALLS, CORRIDORS, AND COURTS -- - STUCCO BAS-RELIEFS -- TOWER -- INTERIOR BUILDINGS -- - SCULPTURED TABLET -- SUBTERRANEAN GALLERIES -- TEMPLE OF - THE THREE TABLETS -- TEMPLE OF THE BEAU RELIEF -- TEMPLE - OF THE CROSS -- STATUE -- TEMPLE OF THE SUN -- - MISCELLANEOUS RUINS AND RELICS -- RUINS OF OCOCINGO -- - WINGED GLOBE -- WOODEN LINTEL -- TERRACED PYRAMID -- - MISCELLANEOUS RUINS OF CHIAPAS -- CUSTEPEQUES, XIQUIPILAS, - LAGUNA MORA, COPANABASTLA, AND ZITALÁ -- HUEHUETAN -- SAN - CRISTÓVAL -- REMAINS ON THE USUMACINTA -- COMPARISON - BETWEEN PALENQUE AND THE CITIES OF YUCATAN -- ANTIQUITY OF - PALENQUE -- CONCLUSION. - - - [Sidenote: NO RELICS IN TABASCO.] - -The next step, as antiquarian investigation is pushed westward along -the continental line, will lead us from the boundaries of Guatemala -and Yucatan to the isthmus of Tehuantepec. The included territory, -constituting the geographical basis of the present chapter, stretches -on the Atlantic shore from the Laguna de Terminos to Laguna de Santa -Ana, about one hundred and fifty miles, and on the Pacific a somewhat -less distance from the bar of Ayutla to the bar of Tonalá The northern -and smaller portion--all in the low and flat tierra caliente--is -comprised in the state of Tabasco, with a part of El Carmen, a -province belonging politically, I believe, to Yucatan; while in the -south--a high and mountainous region, except a very narrow strip along -the Pacific border--we have the state of Chiapas, with its -south-eastern province of Soconusco, to the political possession of -which Guatemala, no less than her neighbor, has always laid claim. -Tabasco and Chiapas, like Yucatan, are states of the Mexican Republic, -although they are situated in what it is more convenient to term -Central America, and in a region treated in a preceding volume of this -work as a part of the Maya territory. This chapter will consequently -complete the description of southern, or Maya, antiquities, and bring -us to the study of Nahua monuments in the north. - -Tabasco, a part of the aboriginal Anáhuac Xicalanco, extends inland -seventy-five miles on an average throughout its whole length. It is -for the most part a low marshy plain--the American tierra caliente par -excellence--of the usual tropical fertility, covered with an exuberant -growth, but extremely unhealthy to all but natives, except while the -winter winds render the navigation of the coast waters dangerous. This -tract is traversed by two large rivers, flowing from the hilly country -farther inland, the Tabasco and Usumacinta, under several different -names, communicating with each other by many branches, and pouring, or -rather creeping, into the gulf through many mouths. In the annual -season of inundation from June to October, the whole country is -involved in a labyrinth of streams and sloughs, and travel by land -becomes impossible. The luxuriant tropical vegetation includes a -variety of valuable dye-woods, the export of which constitutes the -leading industry of the few towns located on the banks of the larger -streams. On the immediate coast some large towns and temples were seen -by the early voyagers, but I have no information that relics of any -kind have been discovered in modern times. It is true that no careful -explorations have been made, but the character of the country is not -promising, so far as ruined cities and other architectural monuments -are concerned. Indeed, it is not improbable that a large part of this -region was covered by a body of water similar to the Laguna de -Terminos, at a time when the great aboriginal Central American cities, -now far inland, were founded. Moreover, as state boundaries are not -very accurately laid down in the maps, and as the location of relics -by travelers is in many cases vague, it is quite possible that some of -the few miscellaneous monuments which I shall describe in this -chapter, are really within the limits of Tabasco instead of Chiapas. - -As we go southward from the gulf coast, and reach the boundary of -Chiapas the face of the country changes rapidly from marshy flat to -undulating hills of gradually increasing height toward the Pacific, -retaining all the wonderful fertility and density of tropical forest -growth without the pestilential malaria and oppressive heat of the -plain below. Here is an earthly paradise, the charms of which have -been enjoyed with enthusiastic delight by the few lovers of nature who -have penetrated its solitudes.[VI-1] - - [Sidenote: EXPLORATION OF PALENQUE.] - - [Sidenote: BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PALENQUE.] - -The natural advantages of this region seem to have been fully -appreciated by aboriginal Americans, for here they reared the temples -and palaces of one of their grandest cities, or religious centres, -which as a ruin under the name of Palenque has become famous -throughout the world, as it was doubtless throughout America in the -days of its pristine glory many centuries ago. Built on the heights -just mentioned, which may be appropriately termed foothills of the -lofty sierras beyond, its high places afforded a broad view over the -forest-covered plain below to the waters of the gulf. A detailed -account of the explorations by which the ruins of this city have been -brought to light, and of the numerous books and reports resulting -from such explorations, is given in the appended note.[VI-2] About -the year 1564 a Dominican missionary, with a few Tzendal natives who -had been converted to the true faith by his labors in their behalf, -chose what he deemed a suitable location for future evangelical -efforts, and founded the little town of Santo Domingo del Palenque, -some seventy miles north-east of San Cristóval, the state capital, on -a tributary of the Usumacinta, not over twenty miles, perhaps less, -from the head of navigation for canoes. Nearly two centuries later a -group of magnificent ruins, whose existence had been before utterly -unknown, at least to any but natives, was accidentally discovered -only a few leagues from the town in the midst of a dense forest. Since -their discovery in the middle of the eighteenth century the ruins have -been several times carefully explored both by public and private -enterprise, and all their prominent features have been clearly brought -to the knowledge of the world by means of illustrative plates and -descriptive text. Waldeck and Stephens are the best and most complete -authorities, but the reports of Antonio del Rio, Guillaume Dupaix, -Juan Galindo, and Désiré Charnay afford also much valuable -information, especially in connection with the two standard -authorities mentioned. After a most careful study of all that has been -written on the subject, I shall endeavor to give the reader a clear -idea of ruined structures which have given rise to more faithful -investigation and absurd speculation than any others on the continent. - - [Sidenote: NAME OF THE ANCIENT CITY.] - -The aboriginal name of the city represented by this group of ruins is -absolutely unknown. Palenque, the name by which it is known, is, as we -have seen, simply that of a modern village near by. The word -_palenque_ is of Spanish origin and means a stockade or enclosure of -palisades. How it came to be applied to the village of Santo Domingo -is not explained, but there is not the slightest reason to suppose -that it has any connection with the ruins.[VI-3] Sr Ordoñez, already -mentioned, applies in his unpublished writings the name Nachan, 'city -of the Serpents,' the same as the Aztec Culhuacan, to Palenque, but so -far as can be known, without any authority whatever. This name has -been adopted without question by several writers, and it is quite -common to read of "the ruins of Culhuacan, improperly termed -Palenque."[VI-4] The old traditions of the primitive times when -Votan's great empire flourished, apply the name Xibalba not only to -the empire but to a great city which was its capital. Palenque, as the -greatest city of ancient times in this region which has left traces of -its existence, may have been identical with Xibalba; the difficulty of -disproving the identity is equaled only by that of proving it.[VI-5] -The natives, here as elsewhere, have often applied to the city a name -which simply indicates its ruined condition, calling it Otolum, 'place -of falling stones,' a name also borne by the small stream on which the -buildings stand. Waldeck writes it Ototiun, 'stone house,' which he -derives from the native words _otote_ and _tinnich_. Stephens calls -the stream Otula. If there were any good reasons for abandoning the -designation Palenque, and there certainly are none, Otolum would -perhaps be the most appropriate name to take its place.[VI-6] The name -Xhembobel-Moyos, from that of another modern village of this region, -seems sometimes to have been used by the natives in connection with -Palenque; and in a Tzendal manuscript the name Ghocan, 'sculptured -serpent,' is said to be used in the same connection; while one -author, drawing heavily on his imagination, speaks of the "immense -city of Culhuacan or Huehuetlapallan," thus identifying Palenque with -the famous city whence the Toltecs started in their traditional -migration to Anáhuac.[VI-7] By the Spanish inhabitants and most of the -native population of Santo Domingo, the ruins are commonly spoken of -as the Casas de Piedra. - - [Sidenote: LOCATION OF THE RUINS.] - -The structures that have attracted the attention of and been described -by all the successive explorers, are generally the same, and in their -descriptions less exaggeration is found in the earlier reports than -might naturally be expected. In extent, however, the city has -gradually dwindled in the successive reports from two hundred -buildings stretching over a space of twenty miles, to less than the -area of a modern town of humble pretensions. A few scattered mounds or -fragments in the surrounding country, which very probably exist, but -which have escaped the attention of modern travelers, eager to -investigate the more wonderful central structures, are probably the -only basis of the statements by the first explorers. The earlier -visitors doubtless counted each isolated fragment of hewn stone, or -other trace of the antiguos' work, as representing an aboriginal -edifice.[VI-8] Doubtless the condition of Palenque has changed -materially for the worse since its discovery. The rapidity with which -structures of solid stone are destroyed by the growth of a tropical -forest, when once the roots have gained a hold, is noted with surprise -by every traveler. In the work of destruction, moreover, nature has -not been unaided by man, and few visitors have been content to depart -without some relic broken from the walls. Del Rio, if we may credit -his own words, seems to have attempted a wholesale destruction of the -city; he says: "By dint of perseverance I effected all that was -necessary to be done, so that ultimately there remained neither a -window nor a doorway blocked up, a partition that was not thrown down, -nor a room, corridor, court, tower, nor subterranean passage in which -excavations were not effected from two to three varas in depth."[VI-9] - -Palenque,--for I shall hereafter apply this name exclusively to the -ruins,--is situated about six or seven miles[VI-10] south-west of -Santo Domingo, and some sixty-five miles north-east of San Cristóval. -The topography of the region is not definitely marked out on the maps, -and the nomenclature of the streams and mountains is hopelessly -confused; but many parallel streams flow north-westward from the -hills, and unite to form a branch of the Usumacinta sometimes called -the Tulija. The Otolum on which the ruins stand seems to be a -tributary from the north of one of the parallel streams. The location -is consequently in a small valley high in the foothills, through which -runs a mountain stream of small size during the dry season, but -becoming a torrent when swollen by the rains.[VI-11] - -The present extent of the ruins, their distribution, and their -relative size are shown in the accompanying plan, taken with slight -changes to be mentioned in their proper place, from Waldeck.[VI-12] -The structures that have been described or definitely located by any -author are numbered on the plan, the unnumbered ones being heaps of -ruins whose existence is mentioned by all, and the exact location of -which M. Waldeck in his long stay was able to fix. It will be seen -that the buildings all face the cardinal points with a very slight -variation. So thick is the forest on the site and over the very -buildings that no one of the latter can be seen from its neighbor or -from the adjoining hills. M. Morelet, on one occasion, lost his -bearings in the immediate vicinity, and although he did not perhaps go -a half-mile from the ruins, yet he had the greatest difficulty in -returning, and coming from a contrary direction thought at first he -had discovered new monuments of antiquity. When the trees are cut -down, as they have been several times, only a few years are necessary -to restore the forest to its original density, and each explorer has -to begin anew the work of clearing.[VI-13] - - [Illustration: PLAN OF PALENQUE. - Zinco A L Bancroft & Co S F] - -I begin with the largest of the structures, marked 1 on the plan, and -commonly known as the Palace, although of course nothing is known of -its original use. From a narrow level on the left bank of the stream -rises an artificial elevation of pyramidal form, with quadrangular -base measuring about two hundred and sixty by three hundred and ten -feet, and something over forty feet in height, with sloping sides -and traces of broad central stairways on the east and north.[VI-14] -The sides were faced with regular blocks of hewn stone, but this -facing has been so broken up and forced out of place by the roots of -trees that the original outline is hardly distinguishable. Dupaix, -both in text and drawings, divides the pyramid into three sections or -stories by two projections of a few feet running horizontally round -the sides; he puts a similar projection, or cornice, at the summit, -and covers the whole surface of the sides with a polished coating of -cement. That this state of things existed at the time of his -exploration is possible, although not very probable; yet it is not -unlikely that the slopes were originally covered with plaster, or even -painted. - - [Illustration: Mode of constructing Pyramid.] - - [Sidenote: ORIGIN OF PYRAMIDAL STRUCTURES.] - -The material of which the bulk of the mound is composed is not very -definitely stated by any visitor. I believe, however, that I have -discovered a peculiarity in the construction of this pyramid, which -may possibly throw some light on the origin of the pyramidal structure -so universal among the civilized nations of the continent. I think -that, perhaps with a view to raise this palace or temple above the -waters of the stream, four thick walls, possibly more, were built up -perpendicularly from the ground to the desired height; then, after -the completion of the walls to strengthen them, or during the progress -of the work to facilitate the raising of the stones, the interior was -filled with earth, and the exterior graded with the same material, the -whole being subsequently faced with hewn stone. My reasons for this -opinion may be illustrated by the annexed cut. All the authorities by -text and plates represent the pyramid with sloping stone-faced sides, -much damaged by the trees. Two of them, Stephens and Waldeck, making -excavations from the summit at different points, clearly imply that -the interior, D, is of earth. The height is given by all the visitors -down to Stephens, as from forty to sixty feet. Now Charnay, coming -nearly twenty years later, found the eastern side a perpendicular -wall, only fifteen feet high, and proves the accuracy of his statement -by his photograph, which, as he says, cannot lie. I cannot -satisfactorily account for the condition of the structure as found by -him, except by supposing that the stone facing, loosened by the trees, -had fallen from B to F, and that the earth which filled the sides at -EE, had been washed away by the rain, leaving the perpendicular wall -at B. We shall see later that it is utterly impossible to fix any -definite date for the founding of Palenque; but it is doubtless to be -referred to the earliest period of American civilization which has -left definite architectural traces; and its claims are perhaps as -strong as those of any other to be considered the oldest American -city. If this pyramid was the first erected and took its shape as -above indicated, its adoption as a type throughout the region -penetrated by the religion and civilization of its builders, would be -very natural, although the form would afterwards be more readily -attained by means of a solid structure. I offer this as a conjectural -theory to take its place by the side of many others on the subject, -and at the least not more devoid of foundation than several of its -companions.[VI-15] It is not improbable that the builders may have -taken advantage of a slight natural elevation as a foundation for -their work. - - [Sidenote: EXTERIOR OF THE PALACE.] - - [Sidenote: BAS-RELIEFS OF THE PALACE.] - -The summit platform of the pyramid supports the Palace, which covers -its whole extent save a narrow passage round the edge, and the -exterior dimensions of which are about one hundred and eighty by two -hundred and twenty-eight feet and thirty feet high.[VI-16] The outer -wall, a large portion of which has fallen, was pierced with about -forty doorways, which were generally wider than the portions of the -wall that separated them, giving the whole the appearance of a portico -with wide piers. The doorways are eight and a half feet high and nine -feet wide. The tops seem to have been originally flat, but the lintels -have in every case fallen and disappeared, having been perhaps of -wood; indeed, Charnay claims to have found the marks of one of these -wooden lintels composed of two pieces, while Del Rio found a plain -rectangular block of stone five by six feet, extending from one of the -piers to another. The whole exterior was covered with a coat of hard -plaster, and there are some traces of a projecting cornice which -surrounded the building above the doorways, pierced at regular -intervals with small circular holes, such as I have noticed in -Yucatan, conjectured with much reason to have originally held poles -which supported a kind of awning. Later visitors have found no part of -the roof remaining in place; but Castañeda, who may have found some -portion standing, represents it as sloping, plain, and plastered. From -the interior construction and from the roofs of other Palenque -buildings, it is probable that his drawing gives a correct idea of the -Palace in this respect. Dupaix often speaks of the roofs at Palenque -as being covered with large stone flags (lajas) carefully joined; -other authors are silent respecting the arrangement of the stones in -the roofs. Judging from the position of the grand stairway that leads -up the side of the pyramid, and from the arrangement of the interior -doorways, the chief entrance, or front, of the Palace, was on the -east, towards the stream. It is from this side, although not so well -preserved as some other portions, that general views have been -taken.[VI-17] Of the piers that separated the doorways in this outer -wall, only fifteen have been found standing, eight on the east and -seven on the west, although their foundations may be readily traced -throughout nearly the whole circumference. Each of the remaining -piers, and probably of all in their original condition, contained on -its external surface a bas-relief in stucco, and these reliefs with -their borders occupied the whole space between the doorways. The cuts, -fig. 1, 2, and 3, represent three of the best preserved of the -reliefs, drawings of six only of them having been published. Most of -the designs, like those shown in the cuts, were of human figures in -various attitudes, and having a variety of dress, ornaments, and -insignia. It will be noticed that the faces are all in profile, and -the foreheads invariably flattened. This cranial form was doubtless -the highest type of beauty or nobility in the eyes of the ancient -artists; and of course the natural inference is that it was -artificially produced by methods similar to those employed by the -Mayas of more modern times. Yet many have believed that the builders -of Palenque or the priests and leaders that directed the work were of -a now extinct race, the peculiar natural conformation of whose -forehead was artificially imitated by the descendants of their -disciples. The many far-fetched explanations of these strange -figures, which fertile imaginations have devised, would not, I -believe, be instructive to the reader, who will derive more amusement -and profit from his own conjectures. The resemblance of the head-dress -in fig. 2 to an elephant's trunk is, however, somewhat striking. We -may be very sure that these figures placed in so prominent a position -on the exterior walls of the grandest edifice in the city, were not -merely ornamental and without significance; and it is almost equally -certain that the three hieroglyphic signs over the top of each group -would, if they could be read, explain their meaning. Some of the piers -seem to have been covered entirely with hieroglyphics in stucco, but -better preserved specimens of these inscriptions will be shown in -connection with other buildings at Palenque. The stucco, or cement, -from which the figures are molded, is the same as that with which the -whole building was covered, and is nearly as hard as the stone itself. -M. Charnay found evidence to convince him that the reliefs were put on -after the regular coating of cement had become hardened; Dupaix -believes that some of them were molded over a skeleton of small -stones, in the same way perhaps as the gigantic faces at Izamal in -Yucatan. Traces of color in sheltered portions make it evident that -the piers were originally painted.[VI-18] - - [Illustration: Bas-Relief in Stucco.--Fig. 1.] - - [Illustration: Bas-Relief in Stucco.--Fig. 2.] - - [Illustration: Bas-Relief in Stucco.--Fig. 3.] - - [Illustration: Ground Plan of the Palace.] - - [Sidenote: PLAN OF THE PALACE.] - -Nothing further remains to be said of the exterior of the Palace; let -us therefore enter the doorway at the head of the eastern stairway. -The main building is found to consist of two corridors, formed by -three parallel walls and covered by one roof, which extend entirely -round the circumference of the platform, and enclose a quadrangular -court measuring about one hundred and fifty by two hundred feet. This -court also contains five or six buildings, some of them connected with -the main edifice, others separate, which divide the court into four -smaller ones. The whole arrangement of buildings and courts is clearly -shown in the preceding ground plan. At _b_, is the chief entrance at -the head of the eastern stairway; _a_, _a_, _a_, etc., are the -standing piers with stucco bas-reliefs, which have been noticed -already; A, A, B, B, etc., are the main corridors; C, D, E, F, G, the -smaller enclosed buildings; 1, 2, 3, 4, the courts.[VI-19] - - [Sidenote: THE PALACE CORRIDORS.] - -Entering at _b_, we find that the corridors extend uninterruptedly on -the east and north, but are divided on the other sides, especially on -the south, into compartments. In the inner as in the outer wall -doorways are frequent, while the central wall has but few. The -corridors are each nine feet wide and twenty feet high, the -perpendicular walls being ten feet, and the sides of the ceiling -inclining inward from that height until they nearly form an acute -angle at the top. The cut represents a section of the two corridors in -nearly their true proportions. The walls are from two to three feet -thick, and so far as can be determined from the authorities, they are -built entirely of hewn blocks of stone, without the interior filling -of rubble which I have noticed in the Yucatan ruins. Indeed, with a -thickness of three feet or less the use of rubble would have been -almost impracticable. Floor, walls, and ceiling are covered with a -coating of the same hard cement found on the exterior walls. The cut -on the following page is a view from a point somewhat southward from -_b_, and looking northward into the corridor; it gives an excellent -idea of the present appearance of this portion of the Palace. The -construction of the ceiling, both in the Palace and in other Palenque -structures, is by means of the triangular arch of overlapping stones, -as in Yucatan. A remarkable difference, however, is that the -projecting corners of the blocks, instead of being beveled so as to -leave a smooth stone surface, are left, and the smooth surface is -obtained by filling the notches with cement. - - [Illustration: Section of the Palace Corridors.] - - [Illustration: Palace Corridor at Palenque.] - - [Illustration: Elevation of Palace Corridor.] - -The doorway through the central wall at _c_, is eighteen feet high, -and its top, instead of being flat like those in the outer wall, -takes the form of a trefoil arch; depressions, or niches, of the same -trefoil form, extend at regular intervals right and left from the -doorway along the inclined face of the ceiling. The last cut gives a -clear idea of the doorway and trefoil niches, but the artist who -copied it from Catherwood's plate for _Morelet's Travels_, from which -I take it, has erred in representing the niches as continuing downward -on the perpendicular wall. Near the top of the perpendicular wall was -a line of what seem to have been circular stucco medallions, perhaps -portraits, at _d_, _d_, _d_, of the plan, which have for the most part -fallen. Small circular holes, apparently left by the decay of beams -that once stretched across the arch, occur at regular intervals -between the niches of the ceiling. The cut shows a front elevation of -the corridor from _e_ of the plan looking eastward, and includes all -the peculiarities found in any part of the corridors. The position of -the medallions is shown, though they are really on the opposite side -of the wall, and the shaded figures on the left of the cut are -introduced from other parts of the Palace, to illustrate the different -forms of niches which occur in the walls. The niches on the right are -in their proper place. The three which are symmetrically placed at -each side of this and some other doorways, are from eight to ten -inches square, and have a cylinder two inches in diameter fixed -upright within each. They would seem to have served in some way to -support the doors. The "T" shaped niches are of very frequent -occurrence throughout the ruins, and have caused much speculation by -reason of their resemblance to the Egyptian _tau_ and to the cross. -Some of them extend quite through the walls, and served probably for -ventilation and the admission of light. Others of the same shape are -of varying depths and of unknown use; they may have been niches for -the reception of small idols, or possibly designed to hold the -torches which lit up the corridors, since M. Waldeck claims to have -found the marks of lamp-black on the tops of some of them.[VI-20] -Nothing remains to be said of the corridors of the main building, -save that the interior like the exterior surface of the walls bears -traces of red paint over the coating of plaster in certain sheltered -portions.[VI-21] - - [Sidenote: COURT OF THE PALACE.] - -Passing through the doorway _e_ we enter the court 1, the dimensions -of which are about seventy by eighty feet, its pavement, like that of -the other courts, being eight or ten feet below that of the corridors. -This pavement is covered to a depth of several feet with débris, which -has never been entirely cleared away by any explorer. The court is -bounded on the north and east by the walls, or piers, of the inner -corridor, and on the south and west by those of the interior buildings -C and D. The piers, whose position and number are clearly indicated on -the plan, are, except those on the north, yet standing, and each has -its stucco bas-relief as on the eastern front. These reliefs are, -however, much damaged, and no drawings of them have been made, or, at -least, published. Broad stairways of five or six steps lead down to -the level of the court pavement, at _g_, _g_, _g_, _g_, and a narrow -stairway, _h_, affords access through an end door to the building -E.[VI-22] - - [Illustration: Sculptured Group in the Palace Court.] - -The eastern stairway is thirty feet wide, and on each side of it, at -_i_, _i_, on a surface about fifteen feet long by eleven feet high, -formed by immense stone slabs inclined at about the same angle as the -stairway itself, is sculptured in low relief a group of human figures -in peculiar attitudes. The northern group is shown in the accompanying -cut. Stephens pronounces the attitude of the figures one of pain and -trouble. "The design and anatomical proportions of the figures are -faulty, but there is a force of expression about them which shows the -skill and conceptive power of the artist."[VI-23] Stephens' plate of -this side of the court shows remains of stucco ornamentation and also -a line of small circular holes over the doorways of the inner -corridor. The opposite or western stairway is narrower than the -eastern, and at its sides, at _j, j_, are two colossal human figures -sculptured in a hard whitish stone, as shown in the cut, in which, -however, the stairway is shown somewhat narrower than its true -proportions. Waldeck sees in these figures a male and female whose -features are of the Caucasian type. At the sides of the stairway, at -_k, k, k_, stand three figures of smaller dimensions, sculptured on -pilasters which occur at regular intervals. On the basement wall -between the pilasters are found small squares of hieroglyphics.[VI-24] -In the centre of the court Waldeck found some traces of a circular -basin. - - [Illustration: Sculptured Figures in Palace Court.] - - [Sidenote: COURTS OF THE PALACE.] - -The western court, 2, measuring about thirty by eighty feet, has a -narrow stairway of three steps at _l_, leading up to the central -building C. At the ends of this stairway, at _o_, _o_, are two large -blocks similar in position to those at _j_, _j_, but their sloping -fronts bear no sculptured figures. As in the other court, however, -there are some squares of hieroglyphics on the basement walls. The -piers round this court, such as remain standing, bear each a stucco -bas-relief.[VI-25] - -In the southern court, 3, stands the structure known as the Tower, -marked G on the plan. Its base is about thirty feet square, and rests -like the other buildings on the platform of the pyramid some eight or -ten feet above the pavement of the courts. This base is solid, but has -niches, or false doorways, on the sides. Above the base two slightly -receding stories are still standing, with portions of a third, each -with a doorway--whose lintel has fallen--in the centre of each side, -and surrounded by two plain cornices. The walls are plain and -plastered. The whole structure is of solid masonry, and the fact that -large trees have grown from the top, presenting a broad surface to the -winter winds, which have not been able to overturn the Tower, shows -the remarkable strength of its construction. The height of the -standing portion is about fifty feet above the platform of the -pyramid. Respecting the interior arrangement of the Tower, I am unable -to form a clear idea from the descriptions and drawings of the -different visitors, notwithstanding the fact that Waldeck gives an -elevation, section, and ground plan of each story. Stephens describes -the structure as consisting of a smaller tower within the larger, and -a very narrow staircase leading up from story to story. Waldeck deemed -the Tower a chef d'oeuvre, while to Stephens' eyes it appeared -unsatisfactory and uninteresting. Dupaix, without doubt erroneously, -represents the doors as surmounted by regular arches with -keystones.[VI-26] - -Respecting the other interior buildings of the Palace, the -construction of which is precisely the same as that of the main -corridors, very little remains to be said, especially since their -location and division into apartments are shown clearly in the plan. -According to Waldeck, the central room of the building D had traces of -rich ornamentation in stucco on its walls; and he also claims to have -found here an acoustic tube of terra cotta, the mouth of which was -concealed by an ornament of the same material, but of this -extraordinary relic he gives no description. Stephens found in one of -the holes in the ceiling the worm-eaten remains of a wooden pole, -about a foot in length, the only piece of wood found in Palenque, and -very likely not a part of the original building at all. Except this -chamber, the building is mostly in ruins, although, as we have seen, -the northern piers remain standing.[VI-27] - -The roofs of some of the interior buildings seem to have been somewhat -better preserved than those of the main corridors, so that the sloping -roof, double cornice, and remains of stucco ornamentation were -observable. In the western apartment of the building C, the walls have -several, in one place as many as six, distinct coatings of plaster, -each hardened and painted before the next was applied. There was also -noticed a line of what appeared to be written characters in black, -covered by a thin translucent coating.[VI-28] - - [Illustration: Sculptured Tablet in the Palace.--Fig. 1.] - - [Illustration: Sculptured Tablet in the Palace.--Fig. 2.] - - [Sidenote: SCULPTURED TABLET.] - -The building E has the interior walls of its two northern apartments -decorated with painted and stucco figures in a very mutilated -condition. In the wall of one of them, at the point _p_, is fixed an -elliptical stone tablet, three feet wide and four feet high, the -surface of which is covered by the sculptured device shown in the -cut. With the exception of the figures in the court 1, already -mentioned, this is the only instance of stone-carving in the Palace. -It is cut in low relief, and is surrounded by an ornamental border of -stucco. A table consisting of a plain rectangular stone slab resting -on four blocks which served as legs, stood formerly on the pavement -immediately under the sculptured tablet. Tables of varying dimensions, -but of like construction, were found in several apartments of the -Palace and its subterranean galleries, as shown in the plan at v, v, -v. They are called tables, beds, or altars, by different writers. -Waldeck says that this one was of green jasper; and Del Rio, that its -edges and legs were sculptured, one of the latter having been carried -away by him and sent to Spain. The first cut which I have given is -taken from Waldeck's drawing. The second cut, representing a portion -of the same tablet, taken from Catherwood's plate, for _Morelet's -Travels_, differs slightly in some respects--notably in the ornament -suspended from the neck, represented by one artist as a face, and by -the other as a cross. Of the subject Mr Stephens says: "The principal -figure sits cross-legged on a couch ornamented with two leopards' -heads; the attitude is easy, the physiognomy the same as that of the -other personages, and the expression calm and benevolent. The figure -wears around its neck a necklace of pearls, to which is suspended a -small medallion containing a face; perhaps intended as an image of the -sun. Like every other subject of sculpture we had seen in the country, -the personage had earrings, bracelets on the wrists, and a girdle -round the loins. The head-dress differs from most of the others at -Palenque in that it wants the plumes of feathers.... The other figure, -which seems that of a woman, is sitting cross-legged on the ground, -richly dressed, and apparently in the act of making an offering. In -this supposed offering is seen a plume of feathers, in which the -headdress of the principal person is deficient." Waldeck deems the -left-hand figure to be black, and recognizes in the profile an -Ethiopian type. Del Rio sees in the subject homage paid to a river -god; and Galindo believes the object offered to be a human head. -Somebody imagines that the two animal heads are those of the -seal.[VI-29] - -The stucco ornaments on the walls of the building F seem to have been -richer and more numerous than elsewhere, but were found in a very -dilapidated condition. In the room _q_, Stephens found traces of a -stone tablet in the wall, and he also gives a sketch of a stucco -bas-relief from the side of a doorway, representing a standing human -figure in a very damaged state. A peculiar stucco ornament sketched by -Castañeda is probably from the same room, and is perhaps identical -with what Waldeck describes as a sanctuary with two birds perched on -an elephant's head, the latter, however, not appearing in the -drawing.[VI-30] - - [Sidenote: SUBTERRANEAN GALLERIES.] - - [Illustration: Ornament over a Doorway.] - -Within the pyramid itself, and above the surface of the ground, -although frequently spoken of as subterranean, are found apartments, -or galleries, with walls of stone plastered but without ornament, of -the same form and construction as the corridors above. Such as have -been explored are at the south end of the pyramid and for the most -part without the line of the Palace walls, with lateral galleries, -however, extending under the corridors and affording communication -with the upper apartments by means of stairways. The arrangement of -the galleries and their entrances is made sufficiently clear by the -fine lines at the bottom of the plan, yet perhaps very little is known -of their original extent. The southernmost gallery receives a dim -light by three holes or windows leading out to the surface of the -pyramid; the other galleries are dark and damp, with water running -over their pavements in the rainy season. The walls are much fallen -and the galleries blocked up at several points. At the south-western -corner an opening affords a means of egress near the surface of the -ground; but this, as well as the windows mentioned, may be accidental -or of modern origin and have formed no part of the original plan. -These rooms are variously regarded as sleeping-rooms, dungeons, or -sepulchres, according to the temperament of the observer. Whatever -their use, they contain several of the low tables mentioned before, -one of which is said to have been richly decorated with sculpture. M. -Morelet occupied one of these lower rooms during his visit, as being -more comfortable than the others, at least in the dry season. The -chief entrance to the vaults seems to have been from one of the -southern rooms of the building E, at the point _r_, through an opening -in the floor. A narrow stairway by which the descent was made, is -divided into two flights by a platform and doorway, surmounting which -was the stucco device shown in the cut. Waldeck states that when he -found this decoration it was partially covered with stalactites formed -by trickling water. His explanation, by which he connects the figures -with aboriginal astronomical signs and the division of time, is too -long and too extremely conjectural to be repeated here. Stephens -noticed this ornament but gives no drawing of it. It was sketched by -Castañeda together with another somewhat similar one. Dupaix speaks of -two doors in this stairway; Del Rio speaks of several landings, and -says that he brought away a fragment of one of the ornamented steps. I -suspect the visitors may have confounded this stairway with another at -_w_, concerning which nothing is particularly said. Somewhere in -connection with these stairways Dupaix found a tablet of hieroglyphics -which he brought away with him, and concerning which he states the -remarkable fact that on the reverse side of the tablet, built into the -wall, were the same characters painted that were sculptured on the -face. Openings through the pavement were found at several points, as -in the court 1, and the building C, which led to no regular galleries, -but to simple and small excavations in the earth, very likely the work -of some early explorer or searcher for hidden treasure.[VI-31] - - [Sidenote: THE PALACE RESTORED.] - -Having now given all the information in my possession respecting the -Palace, I present in the accompanying cut a restoration of the -structure made by a German artist, but which I have taken the liberty -to change in several respects. The reader will notice a few points in -which the cut does not exactly agree with my description; such as the -curved surface of the roofs, the height of the tower and its spire, -the width of the western stairway in court 1, etc., yet it may be -regarded as giving an excellent idea of what the Palace was in the -days when its halls and courts were thronged with the nobility or -priesthood of a great people. The view is from the north-east on the -bank of the stream, and besides the palace includes the edifice No. 2 -of the general plan.[VI-32] - - [Illustration: Restoration of the Palace.] - -The structure No. 2 shown in the last cut stands a short distance -south-west from the Palace, and may be known as the Temple of the -Three Tablets. The pyramid supporting it, of the same construction as -the former so far as may be judged from outward examination, is said -by Stephens to measure one hundred and ten feet on the slope, and -seems to have had continuous steps all round its sides, now much -displaced by the forest. The cut on the following page presents a view -of this temple from the north-east as it appeared at the time of -Catherwood's visit, and illustrates very vividly the manner in which -the ruins are enveloped in a tropical vegetation. - - [Illustration: Temple of the Three Tablets.] - - [Sidenote: TEMPLE OF THE THREE TABLETS.] - - [Illustration: Temple and Pyramid.--Fig. 1.] - - [Illustration: Temple of the Three Tablets.--Fig. 2.] - -The building, which stands on the summit platform but does not like -the Palace cover its whole surface, is seventy-six feet long, -twenty-five feet wide, and about thirty-five feet high. The front, or -northern, elevation is shown in the cuts. Fig. 1 includes the temple -with the supporting pyramid, and fig. 2 presents the building on a -larger scale. Each of the four central piers on this front has its -bas-relief in stucco, while the two lateral piers have each ninety-six -small squares of hieroglyphics, also in stucco. The bas-reliefs -represent single human figures, standing, and each bearing in its arms -an infant, or in one instance some unknown object. They are all very -much mutilated, and although drawings have been published, I do not -think it necessary to reproduce them. The roof is divided into two -sections, sloping at different angles; the lower slope was covered -with painted stucco decorations, and had also five square solid -projections, one over each doorway. The dividing line between the two -slopes marks the height of the apartments in the interior, the upper -portion being solid masonry. Along the ridge of the roof was a line of -pillars, of stone and mortar, eighteen inches high and twelve inches -apart, probably square, although nothing is said of their shape, and -surmounted by a layer of projecting flat stones. Similar constructions -may possibly have existed originally on some of the Palace roofs, -since they would naturally be among the first to fall. Waldeck's plate -represents a small platform in front of the doorways, ascended by four -lateral stairways. Respecting the two square projections below the -piers at the side of the central doorway there is no information -except their representation by Catherwood in the cut, fig. 2. - - [Illustration: Ground plan--Temple of the Three Tablets.] - - [Illustration: Section--Temple of the Three Tablets.] - -The arrangement of the interior is shown in the accompanying ground -plan. The central wall is four or five feet thick, and is pierced by -three doorways, which afford access to three apartments in the rear. -The front corridor has a small window at each end; Stephens speaks of -two slight openings about three inches wide in each of the lateral -apartments of the rear; and the plan indicates two similar openings in -the central room, although he speaks of them as dark and gloomy. -Castañeda's drawing shows only one window at the end; it also -represents the building as having a roof like the Palace, and as -standing on a natural rocky hill in which some steps are cut, no -bas-reliefs or other decorations appearing on the front. The interior -walls are perfectly plain, and it is not even definitely stated that -they are plastered. In the walls, however, at _a_, _b_, and _c_, of -the ground plan, are fixed stone tablets one foot thick, each composed -of several blocks, neatly joined and covered with sculptured -hieroglyphics. Those in the central wall, at _a_ and _b_, measure -eight by thirteen feet, and contain each two hundred and forty squares -of hieroglyphics in a very good state of preservation, while the one -hundred and forty squares of the tablet in the rear apartment, three -and a half by four feet, are much damaged by trickling water. Drawings -of the hieroglyphics have been made by Waldeck and Catherwood only, -although other visitors speak of them. I do not copy the drawings -here, because, in the absence of any key to their meaning, the -specimen which I shall present from another part of the ruins is as -useful to the reader as the whole would be. The cut is a longitudinal -section of this temple at the central wall, and shows the position of -the tablets. Waldeck's drawing represents the two lateral doorways as -having flat tops. Brasseur tells us that, according to the statements -of the natives, the tablets were used originally for educational -purposes. M. Charnay found them still undisturbed in 1859.[VI-33] - - [Illustration: Ground plan--Temple of the Beau Relief.] - - [Sidenote: THE BEAU RELIEF.] - - [Illustration: Beau Relief in Stucco.] - -Some four hundred yards south of the Palace is a pyramid, only partly -artificial if we may credit Dupaix, and rising with a steep slope of -one hundred feet from the bank of the stream according to Stephens, on -which is a small building, No. 3 of the plan, which we may call, with -Waldeck, the Temple of the Beau Relief. This edifice was found by -later visitors in an advanced state of ruin, and Catherwood's drawings -of it are much less satisfactory than in the case of other Palenque -ruins; but both Dupaix and Waldeck found it in a tolerably good state -of preservation, and were enabled to sketch and describe its principal -features. This temple measured eighteen by twenty feet, apparently -fronting the east, and is twenty-five feet high. It presents the -peculiarity of an apartment in the pyramid, immediately under the -upper rooms. The cut gives ground plans--No. 1 of the upper, and No. 2 -of the lower rooms. The stairway which afforded communication between -the two, is also shown. Catherwood's drawing, however, represents the -upper and lower apartments as alike in everything but height. On the -rear, or western, wall, at _a_, was the Beau Relief in stucco, which -gives a name to the temple, the finest specimen of stucco work in -America, shown in the accompanying cut. It was sketched by Castañeda -and Waldeck, in whose drawings some differences of detail appear. At -the time of Stephens' visit only the lower portions remained for -study; yet he pronounced this "superior in execution to any other -stucco relief in Palenque." At the time of Charnay's visit the last -vestige of this beautiful relic had disappeared. Waldeck speaks of a -tomb found in connection with this pyramid, which he had no time to -explore, having made the discovery just before leaving the -ruins.[VI-34] - - [Illustration: Temple of the Cross.] - - [Sidenote: TEMPLE OF THE CROSS.] - -Standing about one hundred and fifty yards a little south of east from -the Palace, and on the opposite bank of the stream Otolum, is the -building No. 4 of the plan, known as the Temple of the Cross, standing -on a pyramid which measures one hundred and thirty-four feet on the -slope. Mr Stephens locates this temple several hundred feet further -south than I have placed it on the plan. Charnay describes the pyramid -as partly natural but faced with stone. The temple is fifty feet long, -thirty-one feet wide, and about forty feet high. The cut shows the -front, or southern elevation. The construction of the lower portion is -precisely like that of the other buildings which have been described. -The two lateral piers were covered with hieroglyphics, and the central -ones bore human figures, all in stucco. The lower slope of the roof -was also covered with stucco decorations, among which were fragments -of a head and two bodies, pronounced by Stephens to approach the Greek -models in justness of proportion and symmetry. On the top, the roof -formed a platform thirty-five feet long and about three feet wide, -which supported the peculiar two-storied structure shown in the -preceding cut, fifteen feet and ten inches high. This is a kind of -frame, or open lattice, of stone blocks covered with a great variety -of stucco ornaments. A layer of projecting flat stones caps the whole, -and from the summit, one hundred feet perhaps above the ground, a -magnificent view is afforded, which stretches over the whole -forest-covered plain to Laguna de Terminos and the Mexican gulf. This -superstructure, like some that I have described at Uxmal and elsewhere -in Yucatan, would seem to have been added to the temple solely to give -it a more imposing appearance. It could hardly have served as an -observatory, since there are no facilities for mounting to the -summit.[VI-35] - - [Illustration: Ground plan--Temple of the Cross.] - -The interior arrangement is made clear by the adjoined plan. Within -the central apartment of the rear, or northern, corridor, and directly -opposite to the main doorway is an enclosure measuring seven by -thirteen feet. From its being mentioned as an enclosure rather than a -regular room by Stephens, it would seem probable that it does not -reach the full height of the chamber, but has a ceiling, or covering, -of its own. At any rate, it receives light only by the doorway. -Besides a heavy cornice round the enclosure, the doorway was -surmounted by massive and graceful stucco decorations, and at its -sides on the exterior were originally two stone tablets bearing each a -human figure sculptured in low relief, resembling in their general -characteristics the more common stucco designs, but somewhat more -elaborately draped and decorated. One of them wears a leopard-skin as -a cloak. These tablets were sketched by both Waldeck and Catherwood in -the village of Santo Domingo, whither they had been carried and set up -in a modern house. Stephens understood them to come from another of -the ruins yet to be mentioned, but the evidence indicates strongly -that he was misinformed. Both Waldeck and Stephens entered into some -negotiations with a view to remove these tablets; at the time of the -former's visit the condition of obtaining them was to marry one of the -proprietresses; in Stephens' time a purchase of the house in which -they stood would suffice. Neither removed them.[VI-36] - - [Illustration: Tablet of the Cross.] - - [Sidenote: TABLET OF THE CROSS.] - -Fixed in the wall at the back of the enclosure, and covering nearly -its whole surface, was the tablet of the cross, six feet four inches -high, ten feet eight inches wide, and formed of three stones. The -central stone, and part of the western, bear the sculptured figures -shown in the cut. The rest of the western, and all of the eastern -stone, were covered with hieroglyphics. This cut is a photographic -reduction of Waldeck's drawing, the accuracy of which is proved by a -careful comparison with Charnay's photograph. The subject doubtless -possessed a religious signification, and the location of the tablet -may be considered a sacred altar, or most holy place, of the ancient -Maya or Tzendal priesthood. Two men, probably priests, clad in the -robes and insignia of their office, are making an offering to the -cross or to a bird perched on its summit. This tablet has been perhaps -the most fruitful theme for antiquarian speculation yet discovered in -America, but a fictitious importance has doubtless been attached to it -by reason of some fancied connection between the sculptured cross and -the Christian emblem. All agree respecting the excellence of the -sculpture. Of the two priests, Stephens says: "They are well drawn, -and in symmetry of proportion are perhaps equal to many that are -carved on the walls of the ruined temples in Egypt. Their costume is -in a style different from any heretofore given, and the folds would -seem to indicate that they were of a soft and pliable texture like -cotton." Stephens and other writers discover a possible likeness in -the object offered to a new-born child. Of the hieroglyphics which -cover the two lateral stones, the cut on the opposite page shows, as a -specimen, the upper portion of the western stone, or what may be -considered, perhaps, the beginning of the inscription. The large -initial character, like an aboriginal capital letter, is a remarkable -feature. In Dupaix's time all parts of the tablet were probably in -their place, and in good condition, but his artist only sketched, and -that somewhat imperfectly, the cross and human figures, omitting the -hieroglyphics. Waldeck and Stephens found and sketched the central -stone in the forest on the bank of the stream, to which point it had -been removed, according to the former, with a view to its removal to -the United States, but according to the latter its intended -destination had been the village of Santo Domingo. Stephens says he -found the eastern stone entirely destroyed, though Charnay speaks of -it as still in place nearly twenty years later; why Waldeck made no -drawing of it does not appear.[VI-37] - - [Sidenote: MAYA HIEROGLYPHICS.] - - [Illustration: Hieroglyphics--Tablet of the Cross.] - - [Sidenote: THE ONLY STATUE AT PALENQUE.] - -This temple is paved with large flags, through which is an opening -made by Del Rio and noticed by later visitors. From this place Del Rio -took a variety of articles which will be mentioned hereafter. On the -southern slope of this pyramid Waldeck found two statues, exactly -alike, one of which is represented in the cut on the opposite page, -from Catherwood's drawings in Stephens' work. They are ten and one -half feet high, of which two and a half feet, not shown in the cut, -formed the tenon by which they were imbedded in the ground or in a -wall. The figure stands on a hieroglyph which perhaps expresses the -name of the individual or god represented. These statues are -remarkable as being the only ones ever found in connection with the -Palenque ruins; and even these are not statues proper, sculptured 'in -the round,' since the back is of rough stone and was very likely -imbedded originally in a wall. Waldeck believes they were designed to -support a platform before the central doorway. One of them was broken -in two pieces. After sketching the best preserved of them, Waldeck -turned them face downward that they might escape the eye of parties -who might have better facilities than he for removing them; but -Catherwood afterwards discovered and sketched the one which remained -entire. The resemblance of this figure to some Egyptian statues is -remarked by all, though Stephens notes in the lower part of the dress -"an unfortunate resemblance to modern pantaloons." The space at the -western base of the pyramid where various undescribed ruins are -indicated on the plan, is described by Stephens as a level esplanade -one hundred and ten feet wide and supported by a stone terrace wall -which rises sixty feet on the slope from the bank of the -stream.[VI-38] - - [Illustration: Statue from Temple of the Cross.] - - [Illustration: Temple of the Sun.] - - [Sidenote: TEMPLE OF THE SUN.] - - [Sidenote: PECULIAR ROOF STRUCTURES] - -At the south-western base of the pyramid of the Cross, and almost in -contact with it, rises another of smaller base, but nearly as high, -with a still smaller companion on the north, respecting which latter -no information is given. These pyramids, Nos. 5 and 6 of the plan, are -located by Stephens directly south from the Temple of the Cross, as -indicated by the dotted lines. The building No. 5, sometimes called, -without any sufficient reason, the Temple of the Sun, is one of the -best preserved and most remarkable for variety of ornamentation of all -the Palenque structures, but is very similar in most respects to its -neighbor of the cross, having the same stuccoed piers and roof. Its -front elevation is shown in the cut, from Catherwood. Waldeck's plate -differs chiefly in representing the stucco ornaments in a more perfect -state; but both are confessedly restorations to a certain extent. Here -again we have stucco reliefs of human figures on the central, and -hieroglyphics of the same material on the lateral piers. The roof -bears a superstructure similar to that already described, composed of -a frame of hewn stone blocks, supporting complicated decorations in -cement, several of which are modeled to represent human figures -looking from openings in the lattice-work. The stone frame-work -entirely freed from its ornamentation, is shown in the cut from -Waldeck, which presents both a front and end view. Brasseur believes -that these roof structures were erected by some people that succeeded -the original builders of the temples. It will be remembered that in -Yucatan similar superimposed structures were found by Stephens and -others, and are for the most part the only ones on which traces of -stucco work are observable. - - [Illustration: Roof Structure--Temple of the Sun.] - -The dimensions of this temple are twenty-eight by thirty-eight feet, -and its ground plan, identical with the exception of an additional -doorway with that of the Temple of the Cross, is shown in the cut. The -central enclosure in the rear, as is clearly shown by the plates and -description in this case, has a roof of its own. Its interior -dimensions are, nine feet long, five feet wide, and eight feet high. -It has on the exterior a double cornice and graceful ornaments, now -mostly fallen, over the doorways, while at the sides stood two -sculptured reliefs representing human figures, which although broken -in many fragments, were sketched by Waldeck. The tablets in the -village of Santo Domingo were understood by Stephens to have come from -this apartment. - - [Illustration: Ground plan--Temple of the Sun.] - -Fixed in the rear wall, occupying its whole extent, and receiving -light only through the doorway, is the Tablet of the Sun, which -measures eight by nine feet and is made of three slabs of stone. In -1842 it was still unbroken and in place, and was considered by -Stephens to be the most perfect and interesting monument in Palenque. -As in the Tablet of the Cross the sides are covered with squares of -hieroglyphics; and in the central portion is an object to which two -priests are in the act of making human offerings. This central object -is a hideous face, or mask, with protruding tongue, standing on a kind -of altar which is supported on the backs of two crouching human -figures. Two other stooping men support the priests, who stand on -their backs. The name Tablet of the Sun comes from the face with -protruding tongue, which was sometimes regarded by the Aztecs as a -symbol of the sun;--a very far-fetched derivation for the name.[VI-39] - -The stream on whose banks the ruins stand flows for a short distance -through an artificial covered stone channel, or aqueduct, about six -feet wide, and ten feet high, covered like all the corridors by an -arch of overlapping blocks. It extends fifty-seven feet from north to -south, and one hundred and sixty feet further south-eastward toward -the Temple of the Cross, where the fallen roof blocks up the passage -and renders further exploration impracticable. Such is the information -obtained from the works of Waldeck and Stephens. The position of this -structure is indicated on the plan by the dotted lines numbered 7, -although Stephens locates it considerably further north. There is -great confusion in the accounts of this so-called aqueduct. Bernasconi -included in his report a description and drawing of a vault seven feet -wide, twelve feet high, and two hundred and twenty-seven feet long, -extending in a curved line from the Palace to the stream. Del Rio -speaks of a "subterranean stone aqueduct of great solidity and -durability, which passes under the largest building." Dupaix states -that a rapid stream, a few paces--Kingsborough's edition has it over a -league--west of the ruins, runs through a subterranean aqueduct five -and one half feet wide, eleven feet high, and one hundred and -sixty-seven feet long, built of stone blocks without mortar. The -drawings of this structure, however, in Dupaix and Kingsborough's -works do not bear the slightest resemblance to each other, one -picturing it as a bridge, and the other as a corridor, or possibly -aqueduct, built above the surface of the ground. Galindo tells us that -a stream rises two hundred paces east of the Palace and is covered for -one hundred paces by a gallery, with traces of buildings, probably -baths, extending fifty paces further. Waldeck describes the mouth of a -subterranean passage as concealed by a small cataract in the stream. -There seems to be little reason to doubt that all these conflicting -accounts refer to the same structure. Charnay tells us that the -conduit is two mètres high and wide, and that it is covered with -immense stones.[VI-40] - -Not far from the Temple of the Sun a small building eight feet square -was found by Waldeck lifted bodily from the ground by the branches of -a large tree.[VI-41] On an eminence north of the Palace, at 9 of the -plan, are the foundations of several buildings,--eleven in number, -according to Dupaix, in whose time some of the arches were still -standing. They extend in a line from east to west, and all front the -south.[VI-42] On the summit of a high steep hill, or mountain, the -slope of which begins immediately to the east of the Temple of the -Cross, are the foundation stones of a building twenty-one feet square, -at 8 of the plan. So thick is the forest that from this point none of -the ruins below are visible, although the site of the village of -Santo Domingo may be seen by climbing a lofty tree.[VI-43] - - [Illustration: Conduit of a Bridge near Palenque.] - -Two bridges are indefinitely located in the vicinity of Palenque. One -of them, said by Dupaix to be north of the Palace, is fifty-six feet -long, forty-two feet wide, and eleven feet high, built of large hewn -blocks without mortar. The conduit is nine feet wide, having a flat -top constructed with a layer of wide blocks, and convex sides, as -illustrated in the cut. The second bridge was found on the Tulija -River some leagues west of the ruins, and only extends, according to -Galindo, partly across the river, which is now about five hundred -paces wide at that point.[VI-44] The Abbé Brasseur, during his visit -to the ruins in 1871, claims to have discovered an additional temple, -that of the Mystic Tree, containing hieroglyphic tablets.[VI-45] Three -thousand five hundred paces southward from the last house of Santo -Domingo, on a stream supposed to be a branch of the Usumacinta, -Waldeck found two pyramids. They are described as having been at the -time in a perfect state of preservation, square at the base, pointed -at the top, and thirty-one feet high, their sides forming equilateral -triangles. Pyramids of this type rarely, if ever, occur in America, -and it is unfortunate that the existence of these monuments is not -confirmed by other explorers, since without such confirmation it must -be considered very doubtful.[VI-46] Seven leagues north from the -ruins, Galindo found a circular cistern twenty feet in diameter, two -feet high on the outside, and eight feet on the inside, occupied at -the time of his visit by alligators.[VI-47] According to Ordoñez, one -of Del Rio's companions discovered on the Rio Catasahà, two leagues -from Palenque, a subterranean stone structure, which contained large -quantities of valuable woods, stored as if for export.[VI-48] - - [Illustration: Palenque Altar for burning Copal.] - - [Sidenote: MISCELLANEOUS RELICS.] - -A few miscellaneous relics, found by visitors at different points in -connection with the ruins of Palenque, and more or less fully -described, remain to be noticed. Del Rio made an excavation under the -pavement of the central chamber in the Temple of the Cross, and says: -"at about half a yard deep, I found a small round earthen vessel, -about one foot in diameter, fitted horizontally with a mixture of lime -to another of the same quality and dimensions; these were removed, and -the digging being continued, a quarter of a yard beneath, we -discovered a circular stone, of rather larger diameter than the first -articles, and on removing this from its position, a cylindrical cavity -presented itself, about a foot wide and the third of a foot deep, -containing a flint lance, two small conical pyramids with the figure -of a heart in dark crystallized stone; ... there were also two small -earthen jars or ewers with covers containing small stones and a ball -of vermilion.... The situation of the subterranean depository -coincides with the centre of the oratory, and in each of the inner -angles, near the entrance, is a cavity like the one before described," -containing two little jars. The same author also speaks of burnt -bricks which seem to have been used sparingly.[VI-49] Waldeck, having -made a similar excavation in what he calls the temple of the Palace, -perhaps the building C, found a gallery containing hewn blocks of -stone, and earthen cups and vases with many little earthen balls of -different colors. He also speaks of a fine fragment of terra cotta -which he found in the court 1 where he also discovered just before -leaving Palenque the entrance to other galleries of the pyramid. -Waldeck also gives drawings of two images of human form in terra -cotta, from Dr Corroy's collection; also a face, or mask, in stucco -from the cornice of the Temple of Death, whatever that building may -have been.[VI-50] Galindo found stones apparently for grinding maize, -similar to the Mexican _metate_; also artificially shaped pebbles, -similar, as he says, to those used by the modern Lacandones but -smaller. Both Galindo and Dupaix speak of a circular granite stone, -like a mill-stone, six feet in diameter and one foot thick, found on -the side or at the foot of the Palace pyramid. Dupaix found at a -distance of a league westward from the ruins, a square pillar -fourteen feet in circumference, and about the same in height, with two -short round pillars standing at its eastern foot. He also speaks of -finding many small altars probably used originally for burning copal. -One of them, four feet in circumference and sixteen inches high, is -represented in the preceding cut.[VI-51] At the sale of a collection -of antiquities in London, 1859, two of the objects sold are, -erroneously in all probability, mentioned as relics from Palenque; one -was "a mask, with open mouth, in hard red stone, the concave surface -sculptured with a sitting figure of a Mexican chief, surrounded by -various emblems," price thirteen pounds; the other, "a Mexican deity, -with grotesque human face sculptured out of a very large and massive -piece of greenstone," price twenty-five pounds. Mr Davis talks about -"an idol of pure gold about six inches long."[VI-52] The two copper or -bronze medals which I have already noticed as probably not authentic -relics in my account of Guatemalan antiquities, have been considered -by various writers, following Ordoñez without any apparent reason, as -belonging to Palenque. The speculations to which they have given rise, -and their attempted interpretations are splendid specimens of the -trash, pure and simple, which has been written in unlimited quantities -about primitive America.[VI-53] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF OCOCINGO.] - -Some thirty-five or forty miles southward from Palenque, on another of -the parallel streams which unite to form a branch of the Usumacinta, -is another important group of ruins, which may be called Ococingo, -from the name of a modern village, five or six miles distant toward -the west. The same traditions that tell us of Votan's great Maya -empire, and of Xibalba, allude also somewhat vaguely to another great -capital called Tulhá. Juarros, perhaps following Ordoñez, applied this -name to the ruins of Ococingo, and most authors have followed him in -this respect. I need not say, however, that the only authority for -this use of the name is the traditional existence in the shadowy past, -of a Tulhá in this region. The natives call the ruins Tonila, which in -the Tzendal tongue signifies 'stone houses.' Notwithstanding the -importance of the ruins, very little is known of them. Stephens and -Catherwood spent about half a day here just before their visit to -Palenque; and Dupaix and Castañeda also visited this point. The -accounts by these explorers are about all there is extant on the -subject, but they are necessarily brief, and unfortunately neither in -text nor drawings do they agree at all with each other. Both Waldeck -and Brasseur visited Ococingo, but neither gives any description of -the monuments.[VI-54] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF OCOCINGO.] - -At the village of Ococingo Stephens noticed two sculptured figures -brought from the ruins, which he pronounced "somewhat in the same -style as those at Copan." Castañeda also saw and sketched here two -tablets, which may be the same. One of them measured forty-five by -thirty-six by four inches, was of a grayish stone, and contained a -single human figure, whose arms were bound behind the back with what -resembles a modern rope. The other measuring thirty-six by -twenty-seven inches, was of a yellow stone, and contained a standing -and a squatting figure, surrounded by a border in which hieroglyphics -appear. On the way from the village, Stephens noticed two well-carved -figures lying on the ground; while Dupaix found several of them thrown -down and broken, two of which were sketched. One of them represents a -human bust with arms crossed on the breast, the lower portion of which -seems to be a kind of tenon originally fixed in the ground; the other -bears a slight resemblance to the only statue found at Palenque. This -statue must have been removed by Dupaix, since it was afterwards seen -by Waldeck in Vera Cruz. Both statues had lost their heads.[VI-55] - - [Illustration: Terra-Cottas from Ococingo.] - - [Illustration: Engraved Chalchiuite from Ococingo.] - - [Illustration: Hieroglyphics from Ococingo.] - -In the possession of some French citizens of Vera Cruz, Waldeck found -a collection of seven or eight terra-cottas of very fine workmanship -and very curious form, which had been brought from Ococingo. Two of -them are shown in the accompanying cuts.[VI-56] The figure shown in -the cut was carved in bas-relief on a hard and polished chalchiuite -which was found in this vicinity. The design is represented -full-sized, and its resemblance to one of the figures on the stone -tablet in the Palace at Palenque will be apparent to the reader. -Another similar stone bore the hieroglyphics shown in the preceding -cut, which was also given in the second volume of this work as an -illustration of the Maya system of writing. M. Warden speaks -indefinitely of ancient monuments in this vicinity, in connection with -which were stone figures representing warriors of great size.[VI-57] - -This brings us to the ruins proper. They are situated a little north -of east from the village, at a distance of five or six miles. Dupaix -describes them as located on the slope of a hill, on the sides of -which are some stone steps, and as consisting of five structures. The -central building is nearly square, built of hewn stone, and covered -with plaster, without exterior decorations. The drawing represents a -double cornice, and a sloping roof, very similar to those of the -interior Palace buildings at Palenque. There is only one door, on the -west, and two square windows appear on each side. A few rods in front -of this building, at the sides of the broad stairway leading up to it, -and facing each other, are two other buildings of similar -construction, but so small that the roof is pointed, its slopes -forming four triangular surfaces. In the rear of the central -structure, in positions corresponding to those of the buildings in -front but at a greater distance, are two conical mounds of masonry -covered with cement. Each is sixty feet high and two hundred feet in -diameter, being pointed at the top; indeed, the only specimen of -pointed stone pyramids seen by Dupaix in his explorations.[VI-58] - - [Illustration: Winged Globe from Ococingo.] - -Stephens also describes the ruins, or the principal ones at least, as -located "on a high elevation," but the elevation is an immense -artificial pyramidal structure, built in five terraces. The surface -was originally faced with stone and plastered, but was so broken up in -places that Stephens was able to ascend to the third terrace on -horseback. On the summit of this terraced hill is a pyramid, high and -steep, which supports a stone building measuring thirty-five by fifty -feet on the ground, built of hewn stone, and covered with stucco. This -is perhaps identical with the central building sketched by Dupaix. The -only exterior doorway is in the centre of the front, and is ten feet -wide. The ground plan is very similar to those of the temples of the -Cross and Sun at Palenque, except that the front corridor is divided -by partition walls, while the rear corridor is uninterrupted except by -an oblong enclosure, which, as at Palenque, seems to have been a kind -of sanctuary. The dimensions of this enclosure are eleven by eighteen -feet, and over the doorway on the outside is a stucco ornament which -arrested Mr Stephens' attention from its resemblance to the 'winged -globe' of the Egyptian temples. A portion which was yet in place was -sketched by Catherwood; the rest, which had fallen face downward, was -too heavy for four men and a boy to overturn. Waldeck, however, either -succeeded in raising the fragments, or, what is more likely, copied -the standing part and restored the rest from his imagination, -producing the drawing, a part of which is copied in the cut. The -lintel of this inner doorway is of zapote-wood, and in perfect -preservation. The entrance to this sanctuary was much obstructed by -fallen fragments, and the natives, who had never dared to penetrate -the mysterious recess, believed the passage to lead by a subterranean -course to Palenque. Stephens succeeded in entering the room, and found -its walls covered with stucco decorations, including two life-sized -human figures and a monkey. - -From the top of the first building was seen another of similar plan -and construction, but in a more damaged condition. It probably stands -on the same terraced foundation, although no definite information is -given on this point. Two other buildings supported by pyramids were -seen. Stephens also speaks of an open table, probably the former site -of the city, protected on all sides by the terraced structures which -overlook the country far around. There is also a high narrow causeway, -partially artificial, extending from the ruins to a mountain range, -and bearing on its summit a mound and the foundations of a building, -or tower. Of these ruins Mr Stephens says "there was no place we had -seen which gave us such an idea of the vastness of the works erected -by the aboriginal inhabitants."[VI-59] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: MISCELLANEOUS RUINS.] - -I have found no very definite information about the antiquities of -Chiapas, except the ruins of Palenque and Ococingo. In a statistical -work on Chiapas and Soconusco by Emilio Pineda there are the following -brief mentions of scattered monuments: In one of the hills near -Comitan is a stone table; and a sun, sculptured in stone, serves as a -boundary mark on the frontier. Remains are still visible of the cities -which formerly stood in the valleys of Custepeques and Xiquipilas, -including remains of giants; also of those at Laguna Mora, five -leagues from the left bank of the river Chiapas, between the pueblo of -Acalá, and the valley of Custepeques, believed to have been the towns -of Tizapetlan and Teotilac, where Cortés hung the Aztec king -Guatimozin and others; also those of Copanabastla, where columns are -mentioned. There are, besides, some sepulchres of the Tzendal nobles, -two of which are especially worthy of note. The first is between the -pueblo of Zitalá and the hacienda of Boxtic, twenty-two leagues -north-west of San Cristóval. "Its base is a parallelogram formed from -a hill cut down on three sides, so that at the entrance one seems to -be ascending an inclined plain; but further along is seen an elevation -with grades, or terraces, chiefly on the sides which are cut away. On -the summit plane is found an enormous cone, built of hewn blocks of -slate, whose base is about two hundred varas in circumference. In the -centre are the sepulchres, and in some of them human bones. The ascent -to them is by steps, and the whole seems like a vast winding stairway, -for which reason it is called Bololchun, meaning in the Tzendal tongue -a 'coiled snake.' Similar to this, is another at the hacienda of San -Gregorio, near the pueblo of Huistan, eight leagues east of the city -of San Cristóval; but the latter has no supporting mound, but stands -on the level of the ground. Here are two Egyptian pyramids, -considering their form and purpose." Walls of masonry are mentioned on -the hill of Colmena, four leagues from Ocosucoautla; being nine feet -thick, seven feet high, and enclosing a circular space forty-five feet -in diameter. There is also a wall on the hill of Petapa, south of -Ocosucoautla; but the most notable is that of Santoton, near Teopisca, -seven leagues south-west of San Cristóval. Two parallel walls extend -a long distance, having at one end a ditch, and at the other a high -steep mound; within the walls was a town.[VI-60] - -Among the relics found at Huehuetan in Soconusco at the end of the -seventeenth century, and publicly destroyed, are said to have been -some sculptured stones; and we have a statement that the shapeless -ruins of the city itself are still visible on a hill near the Pacific, -at the modern town of Tlazoaloyan.[VI-61] The ruins of the aboriginal -Tonalá, a town captured by Pedro de Alvarado, are said to be still -seen on the banks of a laguna communicating with the sea, near the -Tehuantepec frontier. The ancient Ghowel, or Huey Zacatlan, is -supposed to have stood on the present site of San Cristóval, where -some traces are reported. Dupaix mentions a human head, wearing a kind -of helmet, cut from green porphyry. This relic was in the possession -of Sr Ordoñez.[VI-62] - -Brasseur states that the town of Chiapa de Indios, twelve leagues from -San Cristóval, is "full of ruins;" and he thinks that obelisks, on one -of which there is a tradition of an old king having inscribed his -name, and other ruins like those at Copan and Quirigua will some time -be brought to light in the forests about Comitan. Hermosa mentions two -stones cut in the form of tongues, nine feet long and two feet wide, -at Quixté, the location of which I am unable to find. Galindo speaks -of some extraordinary and magnificent ruins in a cave somewhere on the -left bank of the Usumacinta near the falls; and somewhat lower down, -about three miles from Tenosique, a remarkable monumental stone, with -inscribed characters. And finally, among the wonderful pretended -discoveries of Leon de Pontelli, were the ruined cities of Ostuta and -Copanahuaxtla, southward of Palenque, and in the vicinity of San -Bartolomé.[VI-63] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: COMPARISONS.] - -I have now presented to the reader all that is known of Palenque, and -the few other relics of antiquity that have been found in Chiapas. -Since the monuments described are nearly all found in one locality, a -general résumé seems less necessary than in the chapter on Yucatan -antiquities, where the remains of many cities, with numerous -variations in detail, were described. Yet a brief consideration of the -leading points of resemblance and contrast between the two groups is -important. In Palenque, as in Yucatan, we have low, narrow buildings -of stone and mortar, standing on the summit platforms of artificial -pyramidal elevations faced with masonry. There are no traces of city -walls or other fortifications. Galleries are found within the Palace -pyramid, and that of the Beau Relief; they were also found in Yucatan -at Maxcanú, reported at Izamal, and may very likely exist in other -pyramids. The building-material, stone, mortar, and wood, were -apparently the same in both groups of ruins, although at Palenque the -wood has disappeared. Respecting the form and dimensions of the hewn -blocks, our information is less complete than is desirable, especially -in the case of Palenque. I believe, however, that no importance can be -attached to Galindo's remark that the blocks at Palenque are only two -inches thick, and it is probable that the blocks used in both groups -are of varying forms and dimensions, as indeed I am informed by a -gentleman residing in San Francisco, who visited the ruins in 1860. -Mortar, plaster, or stucco was used in greater profusion at Palenque, -but there is no reason to suppose that it differed in composition or -excellence; the bright-colored paints also, although better preserved -in Yucatan, were, so far as can be known, everywhere the same in the -Maya ruins.[VI-64] - -Interiors here as before consist for the most part of two narrow -parallel corridors, with perpendicular walls for half their height, -and covered by triangular arches of overlapping blocks of stone. Both -walls and ceilings are covered with plaster, and both painted and -stucco decorations occur on their surface. Poles originally stretched -across from ceiling to ceiling, the poles themselves remaining in -Yucatan, and the holes in which they were placed at Palenque. At the -sides of many doorways on the interior are simple contrivances for -supporting doors or curtains.[VI-65] The Palace, like those of the -Yucatan structures which seem to have been intended partially for the -residence of priests or lords, is built about an enclosed courtyard, -but at Palenque the building is continuous instead of being composed -of four separate structures as at Uxmal; and the court, unlike those -in Yucatan, contains other structures. The strongest bond connecting -Palenque to Uxmal, Kabah, and their sister cities, together with -Copan, is the evident identity of the hieroglyphic characters -inscribed on their tablets. Respecting this identity all writers are -agreed, but the reader, with the specimens given in the preceding -pages, will require no other authority on the subject.[VI-66] Both -Palenque and Yucatan are also alike remarkable for the comparative -absence of idols, statues, implements, and pottery; and, except in the -matter of statues, Copan may be classed with them. The human faces -sculptured or molded in profile in Yucatan and Chiapas exhibit the -same flattened forehead, although the type is much more strongly -marked at Palenque. The absence of all warlike subjects is remarkable -in the stucco and sculptured figures at Palenque as in all the more -ancient remains of Central America. - -Together with the resemblances pointed out and others that will occur -to the student of this and the preceding chapters, there are also -strongly marked contrasts to be noted. In nearly every city of Yucatan -there are one or more pyramids on the summits of which no traces of -buildings appear, apparently designed for the performance of religious -rites in sight of the assembled people, but possibly having served -originally to support wooden structures; while at Palenque each -pyramid seems to have borne its edifice of stone. The number of -buildings apparently intended as temples, in comparison with those -which may have served also as residences for priests or rulers, seems -much greater at Palenque. Many of the pyramids in Yucatan had broad -terraces on their sides; at Palenque none appear, although a terraced -elevation has been noticed at Ococingo. Some of the Yucatan pyramids -are built of a concrete of rough stones and mortar; some of those at -Palenque are chiefly composed of earth, but our information is not -sufficiently full on this point to warrant the conclusion that there -is any uniform difference in the structure of the pyramids. The sides -of the pyramids have in Chiapas no decorations either in stone or -stucco, but such decorations in stucco may have existed and have left -no trace. Coming now to the superimposed edifices we note that none -are found of more than one story at Palenque, while in Yucatan two or -three stories are of common occurrence. The walls at Palenque are much -thinner, are built entirely of hewn stone, and lack, so far as the -authorities go, the filling of rubble found in Yucatan. While the arch -of overlapping stones is constructed in precisely the same manner, -yet, as I have said, the projecting corners are beveled in Yucatan, -while at Palenque a plain surface is produced by the aid of mortar. -Doorways in the ruins of Yucatan have for the most part, except at -Uxmal, stone lintels; in those of Palenque there is no very positive -evidence of their use. In the former the principal exterior entrances -have arched tops; in the latter no such structure appears. In the -former the roof seems to have been flat, cemented, and plain; in the -latter they were sloping, and decorated with stucco. In Yucatan -columns occur occasionally both in doorways and elsewhere, but there -are no windows; while in Chiapas small windows appear in most -buildings, but no columns. Traces of a phallic worship are apparent in -the Yucatan sculptured figures; at Palenque no such traces have been -pointed out, and there is not among the many tablets or decorations in -stucco, a single figure which would be offensive to the most prudish -modesty. It is not necessary to speak of the exterior stairways, the -isolated arch, the round buildings, the flat wooden roof, and other -peculiar edifices which were found in Yucatan and have no counterpart -at Palenque. The most marked contrast is in the use of stone and -stucco for exterior ornamentation. No stone sculpture is seen on the -outer walls of any Palenque building; while in Yucatan, except in -superimposed ornamental roof-structures, stucco very rarely -appears.[VI-67] - -The resemblances in the different groups of ruins in Chiapas, Yucatan, -and Honduras, are more than sufficient to prove intimate connection -between the builders and artists. The differences pointed out prove -just as conclusively that the edifices were not all erected and -decorated by the same people, under the same laws and religious -control, at the same epoch. - - [Sidenote: ANTIQUITY OF PALENQUE.] - -And this brings me to the question of the age of Palenque, the date of -its foundation and abandonment. It has already been shown that the -Yucatan structures were built by the direct ancestors of the Mayas who -occupied the peninsula at the time of the conquest; that they were not -abandoned wholly until the coming of the Spaniards, although partially -so during the two centuries preceding that event; that the reasons -adduced for and against the great antiquity of the ruins by different -authors, bear almost exclusively on the date of their abandonment -rather than that of their erection; and that the latter date, so far -as anything can be known of it, depends chiefly on traditional -history, which indicates that the cities were built at different dates -from the third to the tenth century. It is chiefly by comparison with -the ruined cities of Yucatan that the age of Palenque must be -determined, since there is no traditional history that relates -definitely to this city, and it was doubtless abandoned before the -Spaniards came; for it is hardly possible that a great inhabited city -could have remained utterly unknown during the conquest of this part -of the country, especially as Cortés is known to have passed within -thirty miles of its site. In favor of great antiquity for Palenque, -the growth of large trees on the ruins, the accumulation of vegetable -mold in the courtyards, and the disappearance of all traces of wood, -have been considered strong arguments; but they all bear on the date -of abandonment rather than of building, as do the rapid crumbling of -the ruins since their discovery, the remains of bright-colored paint, -the destructiveness of tropical climate and vegetation, and the -comparison with some European ruins of known age. The size of trees -and accumulation of earth are known to be very uncertain tests of age -in this region; indeed the clearings and excavations of the earlier -explorers seem to have left few signs visible to those who came a few -years later. The utter disappearance of wooden lintels is, however, a -very strong argument that Palenque was abandoned some centuries -earlier than the cities of the peninsula, where the lintels were found -often in perfect preservation, although it cannot be conclusively -shown that the same kind of wood was employed. When we add to this the -more advanced state of ruin of the Palenque structures, and the utter -silence of all later traditions respecting any great city or religious -centre in this region, it seems safe to conclude that Palenque was -abandoned, or left without repairs, as early as the twelfth or -thirteenth century, and possibly earlier. - - [Sidenote: FOUNDATION OF PALENQUE.] - -Respecting the date when the city was built, we have the resemblances -to Yucatan ruins already noticed, which show beyond doubt that it was -built--under different conditions, such as religion and government -possibly--by a people of the same race and language, and not by an -extinct race as has been sometimes imagined. The present deteriorated -condition of the natives, and the flattened foreheads of the -sculptured figures have been the strongest reasons for believing in an -extinct race; but the former has been shown, I believe, in the three -preceding volumes of this work to have no weight, and the peculiar -cranial conformation may be much more simply and as satisfactorily -explained by supposing that in ancient as in modern times the forehead -was artificially flattened. Then we have the strong differences -noticeable between Uxmal and Palenque, which lead us to conclude that -these cities must have been built either at widely different epochs, -or by branches of the Maya race which had long been separated, or by -branches, which through the influence of foreign tribes lived under -greatly modified institutions. It cannot be accurately determined to -what extent the last two conditions prevailed, but from what is known -of Maya history, and the uniformity of Maya institutions, I am -inclined to attribute most of the architectural and sculptural -differences noted to the lapse of time, and to allow a difference of a -few centuries between the dates of building. I must confess my -inability to judge from the degree of art displayed respectively in -the peninsular ruins and those of Palenque, which are the older; I -will go further, and while in a confessional mood, confess to a shade -of skepticism respecting the ability of other writers to form a -well-founded judgment in the matter. Authors are, however, unanimous -in the opinion that Palenque was founded before any of the cities of -Yucatan, an opinion which is supported to a certain extent by -traditional history, which represents Votan's empire in Chiapas and -Tabasco as preceding chronologically the allied Maya empire in the -peninsula. If the Yucatan cities flourished, as I have conjectured, -between the third and tenth centuries, Palenque may be conjecturally -referred to a period between the first and eighth centuries. I regard -the theory that Palenque was built by the Toltecs after their -expulsion from Anáhuac in the tenth century as wholly without -foundation; and I believe that it would be equally impossible to prove -or disprove that the Palace was standing at the birth of Christ. It -must be added that Brasseur and some others regard the stucco -decorations and especially the peculiar roof-structures as the work of -a later people than the original builders, or at least, of a later -epoch and grade of culture.[VI-68] - - [Sidenote: OLD WORLD RESEMBLANCES.] - -Respecting the vague resemblances in the Palenque monuments to -old-world ruins, there is very little to be said. The earlier -observers were not permitted by their religious faith to doubt that -the builders must be connected with some race of the old world; they -were, however, allowed to use their judgment to a certain extent in -determining which should have the credit, and most of them discovered -the strongest similarities to Egyptian antiquities, although Dupaix -could find no likeness in the hieroglyphics. Later authorities are not -disposed to admit a marked likeness to the monuments of any particular -nation of Europe, Asia, or Africa, although finding vague and perhaps -accidental similarities to those of many of the older nations. My -acquaintance with old-world antiquities is not sufficiently thorough -to give any weight to my individual opinion in the matter, and I have -no space for the introduction of descriptive text and illustrative -plates. I give in a note the opinions of some writers on the -subject.[VI-69] - - [Sidenote: ART DISPLAYED AT PALENQUE.] - -I close my account of Maya antiquities with the following brief -quotations respecting Palenque, and the degree of art exhibited in her -ruined monuments. "These sculptured figures are not caricatures, but -display an ability on the part of the artists to represent the human -form in every posture, and with anatomical fidelity. Nor are the -people in humble life here delineated. The figures are royal or -priestly; some are engaged in offering up sacrifices, or are in an -attitude of devotion; many hold a scepter, or other baton of -authority; their apparel is gorgeous; their head-dresses are -elaborately arrayed, and decorated with long feathers."[VI-70] "Many -of the reliefs exhibit the finest and most beautiful outlines, and the -neatest combinations, which remind one of the best Indian works of -art."[VI-71] "The ruins of Palenque have been perhaps overrated; these -remains are fine, doubtless, in their antique rudeness; they breathe -out in the midst of their solitude a certain imposing grandeur; but it -must be affirmed, without disputing their architectural importance, -that they do not justify in their details the enthusiasm of -archæologists. The lines which make up the ornamentation are faulty in -rectitude; the designs in symmetry; the sculpture in finish; I -except, however, the symbolic tablets, the sculpture of which seemed -to me very correct." "I admire the bas-reliefs of Palenque on the -façades of her old palaces; they interest me, move me, and fill my -imagination; but let them be taken to the Louvre, and I see nothing -but rude sketches which leave me cold and indifferent."[VI-72] "The -most remarkable remains of an advanced ancient civilization hitherto -discovered on our continent." "Their general characteristics are -simplicity, gravity, and solidity."[VI-73] "While superior in the -execution of the details, the Palenque artist was far inferior to the -Egyptian in the number and variety of the objects displayed by -him."[VI-74] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[VI-1] The physical features and natural beauties of this region are -perhaps more vividly and eloquently described by the French traveler -Morelet than by any other visitor. _Voyage_, tom. i., pp. 245-85; -_Travels_, pp. 65-111. M. Morelet visited Palenque from the Laguna de -Terminos, passing up the Usumacinta and its branches, while other -visitors approached for the most part from the opposite direction. He -gives, moreover, much closer attention to nature in its varied aspects -than to artificial monuments of the past. 'L'esprit est frappé par le -rêve biblique de l'Éden, et l'oeil cherche vainement l'Ève et l'Adam -de ce jardin des merveilles: nul être humain n'y planta sa tente; sept -lieues durant ces perspectives délicieuses se succèdent, sept lieues -de ces magnifiques solitudes que bornent de trois côtés les horizons -bleus de la Cordillère.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, p. 412. 'La nature -toujours prodigue de ses dons, dans ce climat enchanteur, lui assurait -en profusion, avec une éternelle fertilité, et une salubrité éprouvée -durant une longue suite de siècles, tout ce qu'un sol fécond, sous un -ciel admirable, peut fournir spontanément de productions nécessaires à -l'entretien et au repos de la vie.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. -Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 82. - -[VI-2] In 1746, while Padre Antonio de Solis was temporarily residing -at Santo Domingo, a part of his curacy, the ruins were accidentally -found by his nephews; although Stephens, _Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. -294, gives a report without naming his authority--probably _Antiq. -Mex._, tom. i., div. i., p. v., or _Juarros_, _Hist. Guat._, p. 18., -where the date is given as the middle of the century--which he does -not credit, that they were found by a party of Spaniards in 1750. From -one of the nephews, Ramon Ordoñez, then a schoolboy at San Cristóval, -first heard of the ruins in which he took so deep an interest in later -years. In 1773 Ordoñez sent his brother with one Gutierrez de la Torre -and others to make explorations, and from their report wrote an -account--probably the _Memoria relativa à las ruinas de la Ciudad -descubierta en las inmediaciones del pueblo de Palenque_, a MS. in -Brasseur's collection, (_Bib. Mex. Guat._, p. 113,) from which these -facts were gathered--which was forwarded in 1784 to Estacheria, -President of the Guatemalan Audiencia Real. President Estacheria, by -an order dated Nov. 28, 1784,--_Expediente sobre el descubrimiento de -una gran ciudad, etc._, MS., in the Archives of the Royal Hist. Acad. -of Madrid,--instructed José Antonio Calderon, Lieut. Alcalde Mayor of -Santo Domingo, to make further explorations. Calderon's -report,--_Informe de D. J. A. Calderon, etc._, translated in substance -in _Brasseur_, _Palenqué_, Introd., pp. 5-7,--is dated Dec. 15, 1764, -so that the survey must have been very actively pushed, to bring to -light as was claimed, over 200 ruined edifices in so short a time. -Some drawings accompanied this report, but they have never been -published. In Jan. 1785 Antonio Bernasconi, royal architect in -Guatemala, was ordered to continue the survey, which he did between -Feb. 25 and June 13, when he handed in his report, accompanied by -drawings never published so far as I know. Bernasconi's report with -all those preceding it was sent to Spain, and from the information -thus given, J. B. Muñoz, Royal Historiographer, made a report on -American antiquities by order of the king. - -In accordance with a royal cedula of March 15, 1786, Antonio del Rio -was ordered by Estacheria to complete the investigations. With the aid -of seventy-nine natives Del Rio proceeded to fall the trees and to -clear the site of the ancient city by a general conflagration. His -examination lasted from May 18 to June 2, and his report with many -drawings was sent to Spain. Copies were, however, retained in -Guatemala and Mexico, and one of these copies was in Brasseur's -collection under the title of _Descripcion del terreno y poblacion -antigua, etc._ Another copy was found, part in Guatemala and the rest -in Mexico, by a Dr M'Quy. It was taken to England, translated, and -published by Henry Berthoud, together with a commentary by Paul Felix -Cabrera, entitled _Teatro Crítico Americano_, all under the general -title of _Description of an Ancient City, etc._, London, 1822. The -work was illustrated with eighteen lithographic plates, by M. Fréd. -Waldeck, ostensibly from Del Rio's drawings; but it is elsewhere -stated, _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. i., p. vi., that Del Rio's -drawings did not accompany the work at all. If this be true, the -published plates must probably have been taken from the Latour-Allard -copies of Castañeda's drawings, of which I shall speak presently, and -indeed a comparison with Kingsborough's plates shows almost -conclusively that such was in some cases at least their origin. -Humboldt speaks of the Latour-Allard plate of the cross as differing -entirely from that of Del Rio. This difference does not appear in my -copies. It is possible that the plates in my copy of Del Rio's work, -the only one I have ever seen, are not the ones which originally -appeared with the book. A French translation by M. Warden was -published by the Société de Géographie, with a part of the plates; and -a German translation by J. H. von Minutoli, with an additional -commentary by the translator, appeared in Berlin, 1832, as -_Beschreibung einer alten Stadt_, etc. This contained the plates, -together with many additional ones illustrating Mexican antiquities -from various sources. The German editor says that the whole English -edition, except two copies of proof-sheets, was destroyed; but this -would seem an error, since the work is often referred to by different -writers, and the price paid for the copy consulted by me does not -indicate great rarity. Stephens, _Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 296, -speaks of this as 'the first notice in Europe of the discovery of -these ruins,'--incorrectly, unless we understand _printed_ notice, and -even then it must be noticed that Juarros, _Hist. Guat._, 1808-18, pp. -18-19, gave a brief account of Palenque. Del Rio, in Brasseur's -opinion, was neither artist nor architect, and his exploration was -less complete than those of Calderon and Bernasconi, whose reports he -probably saw, notwithstanding the greater force at his disposal. 'Sin -embargo de sus distinguidas circunstancias, carecia de noticias -historiales para lo que pedia la materia, y de actividad para lograr -un perfecto descubrimiento.' _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., p. 320. The -original Spanish of Del Rio's report, dated June 24, 1787 -(?),--_Informe dado par D. Antonio del Rio al brigadier D. José -Estacheria, etc._--was published in 1855, in the _Diccionario Univ. de -Geog. etc._, tom. viii., pp. 528-33. See also an extract from the same -in _Mosaico Mex._, tom. ii., pp. 330-4. In _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., -div. ii., p. 76, it is stated that Julio Garrido wrote a work on -Palenque about 1805, which was not published. That is all I know of -it. - -From 1805 to 1808 Capt. Guillaume Dupaix, in company with Luciano -Castañeda, draughtsman, and a company of Mexican soldiers, by order of -Carlos IV., King of Spain, made three expeditions to explore the -antiquities of southern Mexico. Dupaix's MS. report, and 145 drawings -by Castañeda, were deposited in the Mexican archives to be sent to -Spain; but the revolution breaking out soon after, they were for some -years forgotten. Copies of most of the drawings were obtained by M. -Latour-Allard of Paris, passed through the hands of Humboldt, who did -not publish them, and later into English hands. They were engraved in -London, 1823, without any accompanying explanation, and M. Warden -reproduced a part of them in a memoire to the French Geographical -Society. These are certainly the plates in my copy of Del Rio, and I -have but little doubt that they are the only ones that ever -accompanied his published work. Bullock, _Six Months' Residence in -Mex._, p. 330, says he copied Castañeda's drawings in Mexico, 1823, -but he published none of them. In 1831, copies of the Latour-Allard -copies, made by the artist Aglio, were published by Lord Kingsborough, -in vol. iv. of his _Mexican Antiquities_, together with the Spanish -text of Dupaix's report, obtained from I know not what source, in vol. -v., and a carelessly made English translation of the same in vol. vi. -of the same work. In 1828, the original text and drawings were -delivered by the Mexican authorities to M. Baradère--at least Sr -Icaza, curator of the Mexican Museum, certified them to be the -originals; but Sr Gondra, afterwards curator of the same institution, -assured Brasseur that these also were only copies,--and were -published--the text in Spanish and French--in 1843, in _Antiquités -Mexicaines_. The faithfulness with which the descriptions and drawings -of Dupaix and Castañeda were made, has never been called in question; -but Castañeda was not a very skilful artist, as is admitted by M. -Farcy in his introduction to _Antiq. Mex._, and many of his faults of -perspective were corrected in the plates of that work. M. Farcy states -that all previous copies of the plates were very faulty, including -those of Kingsborough, although Humboldt, in a letter to M. -Latour-Allard, testifies to the accuracy of the latter. A comparison -of the two sets of plates shows much difference in the details of a -few of them, and those of the official edition are doubtless superior. -The French editors, while criticising Kingsborough's plates more -severely, as it seems, than they deserve, say nothing whatever of his -text; yet both in the Spanish and translation it varies widely from -the other, showing numerous omissions and not a few evident blunders. -Stephens, seconded by Brasseur, objects to the slighting tone with -which Dupaix's editors speak of Del Rio's report; also to their claim -that only by government aid can such explorations be carried on. M. -Waldeck says, _Palenqué_, p. vii., that he tried to prevent the -publication of the plates in Kingsborough's work on account of their -inaccuracy, although how he could at that date pretend to be a judge -in the matter does not appear. It is true that Castañeda's drawings -are not equal to those of Waldeck and Stephens, but they nevertheless -give an excellent idea of the general features of all ruins visited. -Morelet says of Dupaix's report: 'Ce document est encore aujourd'hui -le plus curieux et le plus intéressant que nous possédons sur les -ruines de Palenque.' _Voyage_, tom. i., p. 268; _Travels_, p. 90. It -was during the third expedition, begun in December, 1807, that Dupaix -visited Palenque with a force of natives. His survey lasted several -months. The results may be found as follows: _Dupaix_, _3ème expéd._, -in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. i., pp. 13-36, tom. iii., pl. -xi.-xlvi., with an explanation by M. Lenoir, tom. ii., div. i., pp. -73-81; _Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol. v., pp. 294-339, vol. vi., -pp. 473-83, vol. iv., pl. xii.-xlv. To economize space I shall refer -to these works by the simple names of _Dupaix_, and _Kingsborough_, -with the number of page or plate; and I shall, moreover, refer -directly to Kingsborough only when differences may appear in text or -plates. - -Dr F. Corroy, a French physician of Tabasco, lived 20 years in the -country and made several visits to Palenque, claiming to know more -about the ruins than anyone else. An inscription on one of the -entrances of the Palace, shown in _Waldeck_, pl. ix., reads 'François -Corroy de tercer viage en estas ruinas los dias 25 de Agosto. Unico -historiador de hellos. Con su Esposa y Ija.' He furnished some -information from 1829 to 1832 to the French Geographical Society, and -speaks of 14 drawings and a MS. history in his possession. _Soc. -Géog., Bulletin_, tom. ix., No. 60, 1828, p. 198; _Antiq. Mex._, tom. -i., div. ii., p. 76. Col. Juan Galindo, at one time connected with the -British Central American service, also Governor of Peten, and -corresponding member of the London Geographical Society, sent much -information, with maps, plans, and sketches to the French Société de -Géographie. His letter dated April 27, 1831, describing the Palenque -ruins, is printed in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., pp. 67-72, also -an English translation in the _Literary Gazette_, No. 769, London, -1831, which was reprinted in the _Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour._, vol. iii., -pp. 60-2. Lafond, _Voyages_, tom. i., p. 142, states that Nebel -visited Palenque, and Müller, _Urreligionen_, p. 459-60, also implies -that this traveler explored the ruins; but this is probably erroneous. - -On April 12, 1832, M. Fréderic de Waldeck, the most indefatigable and -successful explorer of Palenque, arrived at the ruined city, -illustrative plates of which he had engraved ten years before for Del -Rio's work. This veteran artist--64 years of age at that time, -according to Brasseur's statement, _Palenqué_, p. vi., but 67 if we -may credit the current report in the newspapers that he celebrated his -109th birthday in Paris on Dec. 7, 1874, being still hale and -hearty--built a cabin among the ruins and spent two whole years in -their examination,--Brasseur, _Palenqué_, p. vi., incorrectly says -_three_ years. 'Deux ans de séjour sur les lieux,' _Waldeck_, _Voy. -Pitt._, p. 68, translated 'in a sojourn of twelve years,' _Bradford's -Amer. Antiq._, p. 86,--his expenses being paid by a subscription which -was headed by the Mexican Government. More than 200 drawings in water -and oil colors were the result of his labors, and these drawings, more -fortunate than those made the next year in Yucatan--see p. 145 of this -volume--escaped confiscation, although Stephens erroneously states the -contrary, and were brought to France. _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, p. vi. -For various reasons Waldeck was unable to publish his proposed work, -and over 30 years elapsed before the result of his labors was made -public, except through communications dated Aug. 28, and Nov. 1, 1832, -sent to the Geographical Society at Paris. _Lafond_, _Voyages_, tom. -i., p. 142. I shall speak again of his work. Mr Friederichsthal -visited Palenque in his Central American travels before 1841, but -neither his text nor plates, so far as I know, have ever been -published. _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Palenqué_, introd., p. 14. See -pp. 146-7 of this vol. - -In 1840, Messrs Stephens and Catherwood, after their exploration of -the antiquities of Honduras and Guatemala, reached Palenque on May 9, -remaining until June 4. Such are the dates given by Brasseur,--the -only antiquarian except myself who has ever had the hardihood to -explore Stephens' writings for dates,--but the actual examination of -the ruins lasted only from May 11 to June 1. The results are found in -_Stephens' Yuc._, vol. ii., pp. 280-365, with 31 plates and cuts from -Catherwood's drawings; and in _Catherwood's Views of Anc. Mon._, N. -York, 1844, 25 colored lithographs, with text by Mr Stephens. A French -translation of Stephens' description of Palenque is given in _Brasseur -de Bourbourg_, _Palenqué_, pp. 14-27. Respecting the ability of these -explorers, and the faithfulness of their text and drawings, there can -be but one opinion. Their work in Chiapas is excelled only by that of -the same gentlemen in Yucatan.--See p. 146 of this vol.--Without aid -from any government, they accomplished in 20 days, at the height of -the rainy season, the most unfavorable for such work, more -satisfactory results, as Stephens justly claims, _Cent. Amer._, vol. -ii., p. 299, than any of their predecessors--except Waldeck, whose -drawings had not then been published. - -An anonymous account of the ruins appeared in 1845 in the _Registro -Yucateco_, tom. i., pp. 318-22. M. Morelet, of whom I have already -spoken, spent a fortnight here in 1846. _Voyages_, tom. i., pp. -264-84; _Travels_, pp. 64-111, with cuts from other sources. In 1858, -M. Désiré Charnay, 'Chargé d'une mission par le ministre d'État, à -l'effet d'explorer les ruines américaines,' visited Palenque; but his -photographic efforts were less successful here than elsewhere, and of -the four views published in his Atlas, only one, that of the tablet of -the cross, is of great value in testing the accuracy of preceding -artists. His description, however, is interesting and valuable as -showing the effects of time on the ruins since Stephens' visit. -_Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, Paris, 1863, pp. 411-41, phot. 19-22; -Remarks by M. Viollet-le-Duc, pp. 72-3. - -In 1860, a commission appointed by the French government examined and -reported upon Waldeck's collection, which was found to contain -ninety-one drawings relating exclusively to Palenque, and ninety-seven -representing objects from other localities. The Palenque drawings were -reported to be far superior to any others in existence, a somewhat too -decided _penchant aux restaurations_ being the only defect;--a defect, -however, which is to a greater or less extent observable in the works -of all antiquarians, several of Catherwood's plates being confessedly -restorations. In accordance with the report of the commission, the -whole collection was purchased, and a sub-commission appointed to -select a portion of the plates for publication. It was decided, -however, to substitute for M. Waldeck's proposed text some -introductory matter to be written by the Abbé Brasseur, a man -eminently qualified for the task, although at the time he had never -personally visited Palenque. He afterwards, however, passed a part of -the month of January, 1871, among the ruins. The work finally appeared -in 1866, under the general title _Monuments Anciens du Mexique_, in -large folio, with complicated sub-titles. It is made up as -follows:--I. _Avant Propos_, pp. i.-xxiii., containing a brief notice -of some of the writers on American Antiquities, and a complete account -of the circumstances which led to the publication of this work; II. -_Introduction aux Ruines de Palenqué_, pp. 1-27, a historical sketch -of explorations, with translations of different reports, including -that of Stephens nearly in full; III. _Recherches sur les Ruines, -etc._, pp. 29-83, being for the most part speculations on the origin -of American civilization, with which I have nothing to do at present; -IV. _Description des Ruines, etc._, by M. Waldeck, pp. i.-viii; V. -Fifty-six large lithographic plates, of which Nos. i., v.-xlii., and -l., relate to Palenque, including a fine map of Yucatan and Chiapas. I -shall refer to the plates simply by the name _Waldeck_ and the number -of the plate. By the preceding list of contents it will be seen that -this is by far the most important and complete work on the subject -ever published. The publishers probably acted wisely in rejecting -Waldeck's text as a whole, since his archæological speculations are -always more or less absurd; but it would have been better to give his -descriptive matter more in full; and fault may be justly found with -the confused arrangement of the matter, the constant references to -numbers not found in the plates, and with the absence of scales of -measurement; the latter, although generally useless in the -illustrations of an octavo volume, are always valuable in larger -plates. In addition to the preceding standard authorities on Palenque, -there are brief accounts, made up from one or more of those mentioned, -and which I shall have little or no occasion to refer to in my -description, as follows: _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, pp. 104-11; _Priest's -Amer. Antiq._, pp. 246-7; _Conder's Mex. Guat._, vol. ii., pp. 157-69; -_McCulloh's Researches in Amer._, pp. 294-303; _Klemm_, -_Cultur-Geschichte_, tom. v., pp. 160-3; _Armin_, _Das Heutige Mex._, -pp. 73, 85-91; _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 148; _Nott and -Gliddon's Indig. Races_, pp. 184-5; _D'Orbigny_, _Voyage_, pp. 354, -356, plate, restoration from Dupaix; _Fossey_, _Mexique_, pp. 373, -564-6; same account in _Escalera_ and _Llana_, _Mej. Hist. Descrip._, -pp. 332-6; _Lafond_, _Voyages_, tom. i., pp. 139-44; _Bradford's Amer. -Antiq._, pp. 86-9; _Democratic Review_, vol. i., p. 38; _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., pp. 82-94; _Davis' Anc. -Amer._, pp. 4-8; _Malte-Brun_, _Précis de la Géog._, tom. vi., pp. -464-5; _Frost's Pict. Hist._, pp. 71-7; _Willson's Amer. Hist._, pp. -74-6; _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, pp. 69-86, 127; _Müller_, -_Amerikanische Urreligionen_, pp. 462, 498; _Mosaico Mex._, tom. ii., -p. 330, cut, restoration from Dupaix; _Mühlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. -ii., p. 21; _Revista Mex._, tom. i., p. 498; _Buschmann_, _Ortsnamen_, -pp. 117-20, 181; _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 180, cut, -erroneously said to be a Yucatan altar; _Littera_, _Taschenbuch der -Deutschen_, in _Russland_, pp. 54-5; _Foreign Quar. Review_, vol. -xviii., pp. 250-51; _Larenaudière_, _Mex. Guat._, pp. 308-20, with -plates from Stephens; _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 284-92. - -[VI-3] 'Une enceinte de bois et de pallisades.' _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Palenqué_, p. 32; see also the Spanish dictionaries. 'Tal -vez es corrupcion de la palabra (aztec) _palanqui_, cosa podrida,' -_Orozco y Berra_, _Geografía_, p. 84. 'Means lists for fighting.' -_Davis' Anc. Amer._, p. 5. I remember also to have seen it stated -somewhere that palenque is the name applied to the poles by which -boatmen propel their boats on the waters of the tierra caliente. - -[VI-4] _Humboldt_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, tom. xxxv., p. -327; _Fossey_, _Mexique_, p. 373; _Malte-Brun_, _Précis de la Géog._, -tom. vi., p. 464; _Juarros_, _Hist. Guat._, p. 19; _D'Orbigny_, -_Voyage_, p. 354; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., -p. 69. Brasseur, however, changed his mind about the name in later -works. _Palenqué_, p. 32. Domenech, _Deserts_, vol. i., p. 18, calls -the name Pachan, probably by a typographical error. - -[VI-5] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 111; -_Id._, _Popol Vuh_, and _Ximenez_, _Hist. Ind. Guat._, passim. - -[VI-6] 'Je prouve, en effet, dans mon ouvrage sur ces célèbres ruines, -que ce sont les débris de la ville d'Ototiun.' _Waldeck_, _Voy. -Pitt._, p. 111. 'Otolum, c'est à dire Terre des pierres qui -s'écroulent. C'est le nom de la petite rivière qui traverse les -ruines. M. Waldeck, lisant ce nom de travers, en fait Ototiun, qui ne -signifie rien.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., -p. 69. 'I have restored to them the true name of Otolum, which is yet -the name of the stream running through the ruins.' _Raffinesque_, -quoted in _Priest's Amer. Antiq._, p. 246. - -[VI-7] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Palenqué_, p. 32; _Baril_, _Mexique_, -p. 27. - -[VI-8] Calderon gives a list of 206 buildings more or less in ruins. -Bernasconi gives the city a circumference of 6 leagues and 1000 varas. -Del Rio, _Descrip._, p. 4, gives the ruins an extent of 7 or 8 leagues -from east to west, along the foot of a mountain range, but speaks of -only 14 buildings in which traces of rooms were yet visible. According -to Galindo the city extends 20 miles on the summit of the chain. -_Lond. Geog. Soc._, vol. iii., p. 60. Waldeck, p. iii., says that the -area is less than one square league. Mr Stephens, vol. ii., p. 355, -pronounces the site not larger than the Park in New York city. - -[VI-9] _Descrip._, p. 3. - -[VI-10] Stephens says eight miles, vol. ii., p. 287; Dupaix, a little -over two leagues, p. 14; Morelet, _Voyage_, tom. i., p. 245, two and a -half leagues--_Travels_, p. 64, two leagues; Charnay, p. 416, twelve -kilometres. The maps represent the distance as somewhat less than -eight miles. - -[VI-11] 'Built on the slope of the hills at the entrance of the steep -mountains of the chain of Tumbala,' on the Otolum, which flows into -the Michol, and that into the Catasahà, or Chacamal, and that into the -Usumacinta three or four leagues from Las Playas, which was formerly -the shore of the great lake that covered the plain. 'Les rues -suivaient irrégulièrement le cours des ruisseaux qui en descendant, -fournissaient en abondance de l'eau à toutes les habitations.' -_Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., pp. 82-84. 'Mide -al suroeste del pueblo dos leguas largas de extension.' _Dupaix_, p. -14, translated in _Kingsborough_, vol. vi., p. 473, 'occupied a space -of ground seven miles and a half in extent.' 'Au nord-ouest du village -indien de Santo Domingo de Palenqué, dans la ci-devant province de -Tzendales.' _Humboldt_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, tom. xxxv., -pp. 327-8. Galindo, _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 69, describes -the location as on the summit of the range, and reached by stairways -from the valley below. On a plain eight leagues long, which extends -along the foot of the highest mountain chain. _Mühlenpfordt_, -_Mejico_, tom. ii., p. 21. Petrifactions of marine shells from the -ruins preserved in the Mexican Museum. _Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. -Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., p. 6. - -[VI-12] _Waldeck_, pl. vi. Stephens' plan, vol. ii., p. 337, agrees in -the main with this but is much less complete. Dupaix, p. 18, found -only confused and scattered ruins, and declared it impossible to make -a correct plan. - -[VI-13] 'Tous les monuments de Palenqué sont orientés aux quatre -points cardinaux, avec une variation de 12°.' _Waldeck_, p. iii. -'Orienté comme toutes les ruines que nous avons visitées.' _Charnay_, -_Ruines Amér._, p. 424. Others, without having made any accurate -observations, speak of them as facing the cardinal points. See -_Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., p. 276, etc., for the experience of that -traveler in getting lost near the ruins. - -[VI-14] Dimensions from _Stephens_, vol. ii., p. 310. It is not likely -that they are to be regarded as anything more than approximations to -the original extent; the state of the pyramid rendering strictly -accurate measurements impracticable. The authorities differ -considerably. 273 feet long, 60 feet high. _Waldeck_, p. ii. 1080 feet -in circumference, 60 feet high. _Dupaix_, p. 14. 20 yards high. _Del -Rio_, _Descrip._, p. 4. 100×70 mètres and not over 15 feet high. -_Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, p. 424. Circumference 1080 feet, height 60 -feet, steps one foot high. _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, -tom. i., p. 85. 20 mètres high, area 3840 sq. mètres. _Morelet_, -_Voyage_, tom. i., p. 267; 20 _feet_ high. _Id._ _Travels_, p. 88. -Over 340 mètres long. _Lafond_, _Voyages_, tom. i., pp. 143-4. -Waldeck, p. iii., is the only one who found traces of a northern -stairway, and none of the general views show such traces. Charnay, p. -425, thought the eastern stairway was double, being divided by a -perpendicular wall. Brasseur, _Palenqué_, p. 17, in a note to his -translation of Stephens, says that author represents a stairway in his -plate but does not speak of it in his text--an error, as may be seen -on the following page of the translation or on p. 312 of the original. -The translation 'qui y montent _de_ la térasse' for 'leading up to it -_on_ the terrace' may account for the error. - -[VI-15] _Stephens_, vol. ii., p. 316; _Waldeck_, p. vi.; _Charnay_, p. -425, phot. 22. Dupaix's plate xiii., fig. 20, showing a section of the -whole, indicates that the interior may be filled with earth and small -stones. - -[VI-16] _Stephens_, vol. ii., p. 310, except the height, which he -gives at 25 feet. 144×240×36 feet. _Dupaix_, p. 15. 324 varas in -circumference and 30 varas high. _Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 296. -145×240×36 feet. _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., -p. 86. - -[VI-17] Waldeck thinks, on the contrary, that the principal entrance -was originally on the north. General views are found in _Stephens_, -vol. ii., p. 309; _Dupaix_, pl. xii., fig. 19; _Kingsborough_, pl. -xii.; _Waldeck_, pl. viii.; _Charnay_, phot. 22. All but the last two -are, more or less, restorations, but not--except Castañeda's in a few -respects--calculated to mislead. Stephens says that this cut is less -accurate than others in his work, and Charnay calls his photograph a -failure, although I have already made important use of the latter. -Concerning the lintels, see _Charnay_, p. 427, and _Del Rio_, -_Descrip._, pp. 9-11. Brasseur, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 86, -says the outside doors are 6 feet high. Doorways 4½ to 12 ft high, 1½ -to 15 ft wide. _Dupaix_, p. 15. - -[VI-18] Descriptions and drawings of the bas-reliefs. _Dupaix_, pp. -20, 37, 75-6, pl. xix-xxii. Kingsborough, vol. iv., pl. xxvi., shows -one damaged group not given in _Antiq. Mex._; _Del Rio_, _Descrip._, -pp. 9-11, pl. viii., x., xi., xv., xvi. (as they are arranged in my -copy--they are not numbered); _Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 311, 316-17; -_Waldeck_, p. v., pl. xii., xiii. See _Charnay_, p. 426, and this -vol., p. 246. Morelet, _Voyage_, tom. i., pp. 274, 282, implies that -all the stucco work had disappeared at the time of his visit; and he -mentions a shell-fish common in the region which furnishes good lime -and was probably used by the ancients. Waldeck concludes that the -supposed elephant's head may be that of a tapir, 'quoiqu'il existe -parmi ces mêmes ruines des figures de tapir bien plus ressemblantes.' -_Voy. Pitt._, p. 37. - -[VI-19] The plan is reduced from _Waldeck_, pl. vii. Ground plans are -also given in _Stephens_, vol. ii., p. 310, copied in _Willson's Amer. -Hist._, p. 75; _Dupaix_, pl. xi.; _Kingsborough_, vol. iv., pl. xiii.; -and in _Del Rio_, _Descrip._, the latter being only a rough imperfect -sketch. It is understood that a large portion of the outer and -southern walls have fallen, so that the visitors differ somewhat in -their location of doorways and some other unimportant details. -Stephens' plan makes the whole number of exterior doorways 50 instead -of 40, and many doorways in the fallen walls he does not attempt to -locate. I give the preference to Waldeck simply on account of his -superior facilities. - -[VI-20] Plates illustrating the corridors may be found as follows: -_Waldeck_, pl. ix., view of doorway _c_ from _b_, showing two of the -medallions, one of which is filled up with a portrait in stucco, and -is probably a restoration; the view extends through the doorways _c_ -and _d_, across the court to the building C. The same plate gives also -a view of the outer corridor lengthwise looking northward. Pl. x. -gives an elevation of the east side of the inner corridor, and a -section of both corridors. Pl. xi., fig. 1, shows the details of one -of the "T" shaped niches. _Stephens_, vol. ii., p. 313--sketch -corresponding to Waldeck's pl. ix., copied in _Morelet's Travels_, and -taken from the latter for my work. _Dupaix_, pl. xviii., fig. 25, -shows the different forms of niches and windows found in the Palace, -all of which are given in my cut. 'A double gallery of eighty yards in -length, sustained by massive pillars, opened before us.' _Morelet_, -_Voyage_, tom. i., pp. 265-6; _Travels_, p. 87. The square niches with -their cylinders are spoken of by Waldeck, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 71-2, as -'gonds de pierre.' 'Quant aux ouvertures servant de fenêtres, elles -sont petites et généralement d'une forme capricieuse, environnées, à -l'intérieur des édifices, d'arabesques et de dessins en bas-relief, -parfois fort gracieux.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, -tom. i., p. 92. Principal walls 4 feet thick, others less. _Dupaix_, -p. 15. - -[VI-21] Paint the same as at Uxmal. Some was taken for analysis, but -lost. Probably a mixture in equal parts of carmine and vermilion. -Probably extracted from a fungus found on dead trees in this region, -and which gives the same color. _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 100-1. - -[VI-22] Waldeck is the only authority for this narrow stairway, and -his plan for the northern broad stairway. - -[VI-23] Dupaix, p. 21, says that the stone is granite, the figures 11 -feet high, and the sculpture in high relief. 'Peuplée de simulacres -gigantesques à demi voilés par la végétation sauvage.' _Morelet_, -_Voyage_, tom. i., p. 266. These figures, with the eastern side of the -court, are represented in _Dupaix_, pl. xxiii-iv., fig. 29; _Waldeck_, -pl. xiv-xvi. (according to a seated native on the steps, each step is -at least 2 feet high); _Stephens_, pp. 314-15; _Charnay_, phot. xix., -xx. My cut is a reduction from Waldeck. - -[VI-24] _Waldeck_, pl. xiv-v.; _Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 314-15. One -of the small sculptured pilasters in _Dupaix_, pl. xxv., fig. 32. - -[VI-25] The only plate that shows any portion of the court 2, is -_Waldeck_, pl. xviii., a view from the point _n_ looking -south-eastward. Two of the reliefs are shown, representing each a -human figure sitting cross-legged on a low stool. - -[VI-26] Del Rio, p. 11, calls the height 16 yards in four stories, -also plate in frontispiece. Galindo, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. -ii., p. 70, says it is somewhat fallen, but still 100 feet high. -_Id._, in _Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour._, vol. iii., p. 61. Dupaix, p. 16, -says 75 feet in four stories, and his pl. xv-vi., fig. 22, make it 93 -feet in three stories. Kingsborough's text mentions no height, but his -plates xvii-xviii., fig. 24, make it 108 feet in four stories. The -other authorities mention no height, but from their plates the height -would seem not far from 50 feet. See _Waldeck_, pl. xviii-xix., and -all the general views of the Palace. Waldeck, p. iii., severely -criticises Dupaix's drawings. 'Une tour de huit étages, dont -l'escalier, en plusieurs endroits est soutenu sur des voûtes -cintrées.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., pp. -86-7. 'En el pátio occidental está la torre de tres cuerpos y medio: -en el primero tiene cuatro puertas cerradas, y una que se abrió cuando -el desmonte del capitan Rio, y se halló ser un retrete de poco mas de -tres cuartas y lumbreras que se abrieron entónces.' _Registro -Yucateco_, tom. i., pp. 319-20. 'Dominée par une tour quadrangulaire, -dont il subsistait trois étages, separés l'un de l'autre par autant -de corniches.' _Morelet_, _Voy._, tom. i., p. 266. 'It would seem to -have been used as a modern oriental minaret, from which the priests -summoned the people to prayer.' _Jones_, p. 83. - -[VI-27] _Waldeck_, p. iii. One of the figures in pl. xi. purports to -be a cornice of this room, but may probably belong to the outer walls, -since no other author speaks of interior cornices. _Stephens_, vol. -ii., p. 315. - -[VI-28] _Stephens_, vol. ii., p. 316; _Waldeck_, pl. xv., fig. 2, a -cross-section of this building, showing a "T" shaped niche in the end -wall. - -[VI-29] View of the building from the south-west, representing it as a -detached structure, in _Dupaix_, pl. xiv., fig. 21. This author speaks -of a peculiar method of construction in this building: 'Su -construccion varia algo del primero, pues el miembro que llamaremos -arquitrabe es de una hechura muy particular, se forma de unas lajas -grandísimas de un grueso proporcionado é inclinadas, formando con la -muralla un angulo agudo.' The plate indicates a high steep roof, or -rather second story. It also shows a "T" shaped window and -two steps on this side. For plates and descriptions of the tablet see -_Stephens_, vol. ii., p. 318; _Waldeck_, pp. iv., vi., pl. xvii.; -_Dupaix_, pp. 16, 23, pl. xviii., fig. 26, pl. xxvi., fig. 33; _Del -Rio_, p. 13, pl. xv.-xvii.; _Galindo_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. -ii., p. 70. Waldeck's pl. xvi., fig. 3, is a ground plan showing more -detail than the general plan; and pl. xi., fig. 3, is a study of the -cornices (?) in the interior. The sculptured tablet probably -represents Cuculkan, or Quetzalcoatl. _Morelet's Travels_, p. 97. No -doubt the medallion represented a sun, and the table beneath was an -altar to the sun. _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 83. - -[VI-30] _Stephens_, vol. ii., p. 319; _Dupaix_, pl. xxvii., fig. 34; -_Del Rio_, pl. iv. - -[VI-31] _Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 316, 318-19. Plan of galleries in -_Dupaix_, pl. xvii., fig. 24. Stucco ornaments, pl. xxv., fig. 30, 31. -Hieroglyphic tablet, pl. xxxix., fig. 41. Description, p. 28. Niche in -the wall of the gallery, _Waldeck_, p. iv., pl. xi., fig. 2. -Decoration over doorway (copied above), _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, p. -105, pl. xxii.; also in _Del Rio_, pl. xiv. - -[VI-32] Cut from _Armin_, _Das Heutige Mex._, p. 73. - -[VI-33] _Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 339-43, with the cuts which I have -given, and also plates of the four stucco reliefs, and the -hieroglyphic tablets. _Waldeck_, pl. xxxiii.-xl., illustrating the -same subjects as Catherwood's plates, and giving also a transverse -section of the building in pl. xxiii., fig. 4. Waldeck's ground plan -represents the building as fronting the north. _Dupaix_, pp. 24-5, pl. -xxviii.-xxxii., including view of north front, ground plan, and the -stucco reliefs, which latter M. Lenoir, _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. -i., p. 78, incorrectly states to be sculptured in stone. Castañeda did -not attempt to sketch the hieroglyphics, through want of ability and -patience, as Stephens suggests. See _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, p. 424; -_Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 89; _Baldwin_, -_Anc. Amer._, p. 107; _Del Rio_, _Descrip._, p. 16; _Galindo_, in -_Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 71. It is to be noticed that -Stephens' plan locates this temple nearer the Palace than the one I -have copied. Dupaix states the distance to be 200 paces. - -[VI-34] _Stephens_, vol. ii., p. 355, giving view, section, ground -plan, and what remained of the Beau Relief. _Waldeck_, p. iii., pl. -xli.-ii., with ground plans, sections, and Beau Relief as given above, -and which the artist pronounces 'digne d'être comparée aux plus beaux -ouvrages du siécle d'Auguste.' Drawings of the relief also in -_Dupaix_, pl. xxxiii., fig. 37; _Del Rio_, _Descrip._, pl. ii.; -_Kingsborough_, pl. xxxvi., fig. 37. - -[VI-35] Del Rio, _Descrip._, p. 17, says this pyramid is one of three -which form a triangle, each supporting a square building 11×18 -yards. Charnay locates this temple 300 mètres to the right of the -Palace. _Ruines Amér._, p. 417. _Waldeck_, pl. xx., is a fine view of -this temple and its pyramid as seen from the main entrance of the -Palace. But according to this plate the structure on the roof is at -least 10 feet wide instead of 2 feet 10 inches as Stephens gives it, -and narrows slightly towards the top. This plate also shows two -"T" shaped windows in the west end. _Stephens_, vol. ii., -pp. 344-8, elevation and ground plan as given in my text from -_Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, p. 106, and some rough sketches of parts of -the interior. _Dupaix_, pl. xxxv., fig. 39, exterior view and ground -plan. The view omits altogether the superstructure and locates the -temple on a natural rocky cliff. Galindo, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., -div. ii., p. 71, speaks of the top walls as 80 feet from the ground -and pierced with square openings. - -[VI-36] _Waldeck_, p. vii., pl. xxiii-iv.; _Stephens_, vol. ii., p. -352; _Dupaix_, pp. 24-5, pl. xxxvii-viii.; _Galindo_, in _Antiq. -Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 71. - -[VI-37] _Dupaix_, pp. 25-6, pl. xxxvi., fig. 40; _Waldeck_, p. vii., -pl. xxi.-ii.; _Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 345-7; _Charnay_, p. 419, -phot. xxi., showing only the central stone. 'Upon the top of the cross -is seated a sacred bird, which has two strings of beads around its -neck, from which is suspended something in the shape of a hand, -probably intended to denote the manitas. This curious flower was the -production of the tree called by the Mexicans macphalxochitl, or -"flower of the hand."' _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, p. 89. 'Une grande -croix latine, surmontée d'un coq, et portant au milieu une croix plus -petite, dont les trois branches supérieures sont ornées d'une fleur de -lotus.' _Baril_, _Mex._, pp. 28-9. 'Un examen approfondi de cette -question m'a conduit à penser avec certitude que la croix n'était, -chez les Palenquéens, qu'un signe astronomique.' _Waldeck_, _Voy. -Pitt._, p. 24. - -[VI-38] _Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 344, 349; _Waldeck_, pl. xxv. 'From -the engraving, Egypt, or her Tyrian neighbour, would instantly claim -it.' _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 127. Copy of the statue from -Stephens, in _Squier's Nicaragua_, (Ed. 1856,) vol. ii., p. 337. - -[VI-39] Waldeck's plate xx. shows the pyramid No. 6 and indicates that -his location of it on the plan is correct. Charnay, _Ruines Amér._, -pp. 420-1, places No. 5 'à quelque distance de ce premier (Palace) -édifice, presque sur la même ligne.' _Waldeck_, pl. xxvi., front -elevation; pl. xxvii., elevation of central chamber; pl. xxviii., -central wall, roof structure (as given above), ground plan, sections; -pl. xxix-xxx, Tablet of the Sun; pl. xxxi-ii, lateral stone tablets. -Stephens, vol. ii., pp. 351-4, and frontispiece, gives elevation and -ground plan as above, and also elevation of central chamber, a view of -a corridor, and the Tablet of the Sun. Dupaix, p. 25, pl. xxxiv., fig. -38, describes a two storied building 10 by 19 varas, 12 varas high, -standing on a low pyramid, which may probably be identical with this -temple. - -[VI-40] _Stephens_, vol. ii., p. 321; _Waldeck_, p. ii.; _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Palenqué_, introd., p. 7; _Del Rio_, _Descrip._, p. 5; -_Dupaix_, p. 29, pl. xlvi., fig. 48; _Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 310, -pl. xlv., fig. 45; _Galindo_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. -71; _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, p. 429. - -[VI-41] _Waldeck_, p. ii. - -[VI-42] _Dupaix_, p. 18; _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, p. 424. - -[VI-43] _Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 320-1; _Waldeck_, p. iii. Plate xx. -also gives a view of the mountain from the Palace. A 'monument qui -paraîtrait avoir servi de temple et de citadelle, et dont les -constructions altières commandaient au loin la contrée jusqu'aux -rivages de l'Atlantique.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, -tom. i., p. 84. - -[VI-44] _Dupaix_, p. 28, pl. xliv., fig. 46; _Kingsborough_, p. 310, -pl. xliv., fig. 43. The latter plate does not show any curve in the -sides. _Galindo_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 68; _Id._, -in _Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour._, vol. iii., p. 64. - -[VI-45] _Bibliothèque Mexico-Guatémalienne_, p. xxvii. - -[VI-46] _Waldeck_, p. ii. - -[VI-47] _Galindo_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 68. - -[VI-48] _Ordoñez_, _MS._, in _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. -Civ._, tom. i., p. 92. - -[VI-49] _Del Rio_, _Descrip._, pp. 18-20. - -[VI-50] _Waldeck_, _Palenqué_, p. iv., pl. l.; _Id._, _Voy. Pitt._, p. -104, pl. xviii., fig. 3. - -[VI-51] _Galindo_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., pp. 70-2; -_Dupaix_, pp. 28-9, pl. xlii-iii., xlv., fig. 44-5, 47. - -[VI-52] _Hist. Mag._, vol. iii., p. 100, quoted from _Athenæum_; -_Davis' Anc. Amer._, p. 5. - -[VI-53] See this vol. p. 118; _Melgar_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, -2da época, tom. iii., pp. 109-18. - -[VI-54] _Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 255-61; _Dupaix_, pp. 10-13, pl. -viii.-x.; _Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 291-4, vol. vi., pp. 470-2, -vol. iv., pl. ix.-x.; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., -pp. 23, 72-3; _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 46-7, 104, pl. xix.-xxi.; -_Id._, _Palenqué_, p. viii., pl. liv.; _Brasseur_, _Palenqué_, -introd., pp. 2, 14, 15--he writes the name Toninà. _Juarros_, _Hist. -Guat._, pp. 18-19, mere mention. Other authorities, containing no -original information, are as follows: _Mühlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. -ii., p. 21; _Malte-Brun_, _Précis de la Géog._, tom. vi., p. 465; -_Baril_, _Mexique_, p. 27; _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., p. 20; -_Wappäus_, _Mex. Guat._, p. 147; _Müller_, _Amerikanische -Urreligionen_, p. 461; _Larenaudière_, _Mex. Guat._, p. 320; -_Morelet's Trav._, pp. 97-8; _Warden_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., p. -71. - -[VI-55] _Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 256, 258; _Dupaix_, pp. 10-12, pl. -viii.-ix., fig. 13-16; _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 46-7. - -[VI-56] _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 46, 104, pl. xix-xxi. 'Les -figures de terre cuite qu'on trouve de temps à autre dans les champs -voisins de ces ruines, sont bien modelées, et d'un style qui révèle un -sentiment artistique assez élevé.' - -[VI-57] _Morelet's Travels_, pp. 97-8, cuts probably from Catherwood's -drawings. _Warden_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., p. 71. - -[VI-58] _Dupaix_, pp. 12-13, pl. x., fig. 17. - -[VI-59] _Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 258-62. Elevation, section, and -ground plan, with fragment of the stucco ornament. The latter copied -in _Brasseur_, _Palenqué_, introd., pp. 14-15. _Waldeck_, _Palenqué_, -p. viii., pl. liv. 'Dans l'intérieur de ses monuments, un caractère -d'architecture assez semblable à celui des doubles galeries de -Palenqué; seulement, j'ai remarqué que les combles étaient coniques et -à angles saillants, comme des assises renversées.' _Id._, _Voy. -Pitt._, p. 46. Shows higher degree of art than Palenque. _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 88. - -[VI-60] _Pineda_, _Descrip. Geog._, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, -tom. iii., pp. 346, 406-7. - -[VI-61] _Pineda_, ubi sup.; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. -Civ._, tom. i., p. 74; _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., p. 21. - -[VI-62] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iv., p. 633, -tom. i., p. 75; _Wappäus_, _Mex. Guat._, p. 147; _Mühlenpfordt_, -_Mejico_, tom. ii., p. 20; _Dupaix_, 3d Exped., p. 8, pl. vii. - -[VI-63] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 96; -_Id._, _Palenqué_, p. 33; _Hermosa_, _Manual Geog._, pp. 88-9; -_Galindo_, in _Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour._, vol. iii., p. 60; _Id._, in -_Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 68; _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, -1857, tom. clv., pp. 221-2. - -[VI-64] _Galindo_, in _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., p. -549. The stones that cover the arches in the Palace corridors, are -three feet long; those of the court stairways are one and a half feet -high and wide. Oxide of iron is mixed with the mortar. 'No es decible -la excelencia de este yeso que yo llamo estuco natural, pues no se -indaga visiblemente en su composicion ó masa, arena ó mármol molido. A -mas de su dureza y finura tiene un blanco hermoso.' Quarries were seen -one and a half leagues west of ruins. _Dupaix_, pp. 15-17, 20. Red, -blue, yellow, black, and white, the colors used. _Stephens_, vol. ii., -p. 311. - -[VI-65] Brasseur de Bourbourg, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 87, -following Castañeda, speaks of regular semi-circular arches at -Palenque, and states that he has himself seen several such arches in -other American ruins. It is very certain that no such arches exist at -Palenque. Indeed, Dupaix himself, notwithstanding Castañeda's -drawings, says, p. 17, that semi-circular arches were not used, and -Lenoir, _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 74, repeats the -statement; although the latter on the same page speaks of the 'voûtes -cintrées' as appearing among the ruins. Brasseur's statement about -arches in other ruins would be more satisfactory if he had seen fit to -give further particulars. 'This original mode of construction, which -discloses the principle of the arch, was not wanting in grandeur or -boldness of design, although the architects did not understand the -science of curves, and stopped short, so to speak, on the verge of the -discovery.' _Morelet's Travels_, p. 88; _Id._, _Voyage_, tom. i., pp. -265-6. - -[VI-66] Hieroglyphics at Palenque are the same as those at Copan and -Quirigua, although the intermediate country is now occupied by races -of many different languages. _Stephens_, vol. ii., p. 343; but, as -Brasseur says, _Palenqué_, introd., p. 22, 'Toutes les langues qui se -parlent dans les régions existant entre Copan et Palenqué ont la même -origine; ... à l'aide du maya et du quiché, je crois qu'on les -entendrait toutes, avec quelque travail.' _Id._, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, -tom. i., p. 89; _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 102. See also this work, -vol. ii., chap, xxiv., vol. iii., Languages, chap. xi. - -[VI-67] 'Il serait facile de démontrer, par une comparaison raisonnée -des ruines du Yucatan et de celles de Palenque, que les monuments dont -elles perpétuent le souvenir avaient un même caractère architectonique; -qu'ils étaient ordonnés selon les mêmes principes et construits -d'après les mêmes règles de l'art.' _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., p. -270. Brasseur, _Palenqué_, introd., pp. 20, 24, notes a striking -similarity between the arrangement of buildings at Palenque and -Yucatan. He also speaks of a remarkable inferiority in the ruins of -Palenque, compared to Chichen, Zayi, and Uxmal. _Hist. Nat. Civ._, -tom. i., p. 88. Viollet-le-Duc, in _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, pp. -72-3, says the ruins do not resemble those of Yucatan, either in plan, -construction, or decoration; and that the face of the priest in the -Temple of the Cross is of a different race from the sculptured heads -in Yucatan. 'La sculpture ... indique un art plus savant qu'au -Yucatan; si les proportions du corps humain sont observées avec plus -de soin et d'exactitude, on s'aperçoit que le _faire_ est mou, rond, -et qu'il accuse plutôt une période de décadence que l'âpreté des -premiers temps d'un art.' _Id._, p. 74, 'Le caractère de la sculpture -à Palenqué est loin d'avoir l'énergie de celle que nous voyons dans -des édifices de l'Yucatan.' _Id._, p. 97. 'A pesar de tanta desnudez, -no hemos reparado una postura, un gesto, ó algunas de aquellas del -cuerpo, al descubierto que el pudor procura ocultar,' _Dupaix_, p. 21. -Waldeck, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 72, thinks the tau-shaped figures may have -been symbols of the phallic worship. Friederichsthal, in _Nouvelles -Annales des Voy._, tom. xcii., pp. 300-3, says of the Yucatan ruins -that 'elles portent indubitablement des traces d'une identité -d'origine avec les ruines de Palenqué,' but remarks a difference in -the sculptured and molded heads. Sivers, _Mittelamerika_, p. 238, says -that the stone reliefs of Uxmal belong to a ruder primitive art; and -that stucco was used at Palenque for want of suitable stone, and for -the same reason greater attention was paid to the stone tablets at the -latter ruins. See also _Reichardt_, _Centro-Amerika_, pp. 26-9; -_Prichard's Researches_, vol. v., pp. 345-6; _Foster's Pre-Hist. -Races_, p. 197. - -[VI-68] M. Viollet-le-Duc, judging from the nature and degree of art -displayed in the ruins, concludes that the civilized nations of -America were of a mixed race, Turanian or yellow from the north-west, -and Aryan or white from the north-east, the former being the larger -and the earlier element. Stucco work implies a predominance of -Turanian blood in the artists; traces of wooden structures in -architecture belong rather to the white races. Therefore he believes -that Palenque was built during the continuance of the Empire of -Xibalba, probably some centuries before Christ, by a people in which -yellow blood predominated, although with some Aryan intermixture; but -that the Yucatan cities owe their foundation to the same people at a -later epoch and under a much stronger influence of the white races. In -_Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, pp. 32, 45, 97, 103, etc. 'Here were the -remains of a cultivated, polished, and peculiar people, who had passed -through all the stages incident to the rise and fall of nations; -reached their golden age, and perished, entirely unknown. The links -which connected them with the human family were severed and lost, and -these were the only memorials of their footsteps upon earth.' -Arguments against an extinct race and Egyptian resemblances. -_Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 356-7, 436-57. Dupaix believes in a -flat-headed race that has become extinct, p. 29. After writing his -narrative he made up his mind that Palenque was antediluvian, or at -least that a flood had covered it. _Lenoir_, p. 76. M. Lenoir says -that according to all voyagers and students the ruins are not less -than 3000 years old. _Id._, p. 73. 'Catlin, _Revue des Deux Mondes_, -March, 1867, p. 154, asserts that the ruined cities of Palenque and -Uxmal have within themselves the evidences that the ocean has been -their bed for thousands of years,' but the material is soft limestone -and presents no water lines. _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. 398-9. -The work of an extinct race. _Escalera_ and _Llana_, _Méj. Hist. -Descrip._, p. 333; _Valois_, _Mexique_, p. 197; _Wappäus_, _Mex. -Guat._, p. 247. Judging by decay since discovery, bright paint, -comparison with German ruins, etc., they cannot date back of the -Conquest. _Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, pp. 237-47. 'All of them were the -Work of the same People, or of Nations of the same Race, dating from a -high antiquity, and in blood and language precisely the same Race, ... -that was found in Occupation of the Country by the Spaniards, and who -still constitute the great Bulk of the Population.' _Squier_, in -_Palacio_, _Carta_, pp. 9-10. Copan and Quirigua preceded Palenque and -Ococingo as the latter preceded the cities of Yucatan. _Ib._ 'The -sculptures and temples of Central America are the work of the -ancestors of the present Indians,' _Tylor's Researches_, pp. 189, 184. -In age the ruins rank as follows: Copan, Utatlan, Uxmal, Mitla, -Palenque. _Edinburgh Review_, July, 1867. 'Una antiguedad no ménos que -antediluviana.' _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., p. 322, 'Approximative -calculations, amounting to all but certainty ... would carry its -origin as far back as twenty centuries at least.' _Dem. Review_, vol. -i., p. 38. 'Ces ruines étaient déjà fort anciennes avant même que les -Toltèques songeassent à quitter Tula.' _Fossey_, _Mexique_, p. 566. -Founded by the Toltecs after they left Anahuac in the 11th century. -They afterwards went to Yucatan. _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., pp. -269-70. Palenque much older than Yucatan according to the Katunes. -_Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 22-3, 103. Waldeck found a tree whose -rings indicated an age of nearly 2000 years. _Id._, _Palenqué_, p. v. -'Il est probable qu'elles appartiennent à la première période de la -civilization américaine.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, -tom. i., pp. 85, 87, 89. Copan built first, Palenque second, and Uxmal -third. _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, pp. 80, 72, 76. Humboldt, _Vues_, -tom. ii., p. 284, thinks it improbable that the foundation of Palenque -dates back further than the 13th or 14th century; but he never saw the -ruins and does not pretend to have any means of accurately determining -their age. - -[VI-69] 'Palenqué, dans quelques bas-reliefs, a des intentions -assyriennes.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, p. iii. 'The writing of the -inscriptions ... has no more relatedness to the Phoenician than to -the Chinese writing;' nor is there any resemblance in the -architecture. _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, p. 174. Long arguments against -any resemblance of the Central American cities to Egyptian monuments. -_Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 436-57; which Jones, _Hist. Anc. Amer._, pp. -106-37, labors to refute. No resemblance to Egyptian pyramids, except -in being used as sepulchres. _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. 186-7. -'The Palenque architecture has little to remind us of the Egyptian, or -of the Oriental. It is, indeed, more conformable, in the perpendicular -elevation of the walls, the moderate size of the stones, and the -general arrangement of the parts, to the European. It must be -admitted, however, to have a character of originality peculiar to -itself.' _Prescott's Mex._, vol. iii., pp. 407-8. 'Un bas-relief -représentant un enfant consacré à une croix, les têtes singulières à -grands nez et à fronts rejetés en arrière, les bottines ou _caligulæ_ -à la romaine servant de chaussure; la ressemblance frappante des -figures avec les divinités indiennes assises, les jambes croisées, et -ces figures un peu roides, mais dessinées dans des proportions -exactes, doivent inspirer un vif intérêt à quiconque s'occupe de -l'histoire primitive du genre humain.' _Humboldt_, in _Nouvelles -Annales des Voy._, tom. xxxv., p. 328. See also _Juarros_, _Hist. -Guat._, p. 19; _Dupaix_, p. 32, and elsewhere; _Larenaudière_, _Mex. -Guat._, pp. 326-9; _Scherzer_, _Quiriguá_, p. 11. - -[VI-70] _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. 338-9, 302. - -[VI-71] _Klemm_, _Cultur-Geschichte_, tom. v., pp. 161-3. - -[VI-72] _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., pp. 273, 264. - -[VI-73] _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 172; _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 85. - -[VI-74] _Prescott's Mex._, vol. iii., pp. 408-9. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -ANTIQUITIES OF OAJACA AND GUERRERO. - - NAHUA ANTIQUITIES -- HOME OF THE ZAPOTECS AND MIZTECS -- - REMAINS IN TEHUANTEPEC -- FORTIFIED HILL OF GUIENGOLA -- - PETAPA, MAGDALENA, AND LAOLLAGA -- BRIDGE AT CHIHUITLAN -- - CROSS OF GUATULCO -- TUTEPEC -- CITY OF OAJACA AND - VICINITY -- TLACOLULA -- ETLA -- PEÑOLES -- QUILAPAN -- - RUINS OF MONTE ALBAN -- RELICS AT ZACHILA -- CUILAPA -- - PALACES OF MITLA -- MOSAIC WORK -- STONE COLUMNS -- - SUBTERRANEAN GALLERIES -- PYRAMIDS -- FORTIFICATIONS -- - COMPARISON WITH CENTRAL AMERICAN RUINS -- NORTHERN - MONUMENTS -- QUIOTEPEC -- CERRO DE LAS JUNTAS -- TUXTEPEC - -- HUAHUAPAN -- YANGUITLAN -- ANTIQUITIES OF GUERRERO. - - - [Sidenote: NAHUA MONUMENTS.] - -I now enter what has been classified in a preceding volume of this -work as the home of the Nahua nations,--nations, most of which were at -the time of the Spanish conquest, and during the preceding century, -subjected to the allied powers of Anáhuac, and were more or less -closely related to the nations of the central valley, in blood, -language, or institutions. It has been seen, in what has been said on -the subject,[VII-1] that the dividing line between the Nahuas and -Mayas, drawn across the isthmus of Tehuantepec, is not a very sharply -defined one. Many analogies, linguistic, institutionary, and -mythologic, were found between nations dwelling on different sides of -the line; so in monumental relics, and in traditional history, we -shall find many points of similarity; but on the whole, the -resemblances will be so far outweighed by the differences, as "to -indicate either a separate culture from the beginning, or what is more -probable, and for us practically the same thing, a progress in -different paths for a long time prior to the coming of the Europeans," -to repeat the words of a preceding chapter. - -The relics to be described in the present chapter are those of the -isthmus proper, and of that portion of the Mexican Republic above the -isthmus which lies in general terms south of the eighteenth parallel -of latitude, including the states of Oajaca and Guerrero, and -stretching on the Pacific from Tonalá to the mouth of the Rio -Zacatula, a distance of between five and six hundred miles. The -province of Tehuantepec, belonging politically to the state of Oajaca, -includes the central continental mountain chain, with the plains on -the Pacific at its southern base, a region somewhat less fertile and -attractive than those in which many of the ruins already described are -situated. The two chief mountain ranges of the Mexican Republic, one -skirting the Atlantic, the other the Pacific shore, draw near each -other as the continent narrows, and meet in Tehuantepec. The southern -portions of these two converging ranges, the broad mountain-girt -valleys in the angle formed by their junction, and a narrow strip of -tierra caliente on the southern coast, constitute the state of Oajaca, -the home of the Miztecs, Zapotecs, and other tribes somewhat less -civilized, powerful, and celebrated. The interior valleys are for the -most part in the tierra templada, and include some of the best -agricultural land in the country, with all the larger towns grouped -round the capital as a centre. Guerrero is made up of the very narrow -lowlands of the coast, the southern mountain range extending through -its whole length from north-west to south-east, and the valley of the -Zacatula further north. It is a region but little known to travelers, -except along the great national highway, or trail, which leads from -Acapulco, the most important port of the state, to the city of Mexico. - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF GUIENGOLA.] - -Five or six leagues from the city of Tehuantepec, the capital of the -province of the same name, and in the south-western corner of the -province, have been found the remains of an aboriginal fortification -or fortified town, which, according to the traditional annals of the -country, was built by the Zapotecs, not very long before the Conquest, -to resist the advance of the Aztec forces. The principal remains are -on a lofty hill, the cerro of Guiengola, but the fortified territory -is said to extend over an area measuring one and a half by over four -leagues, the outer walls being visible throughout the entire -circumference at every naturally accessible point. Besides the -protecting walls there are remains of dwellings, all of stone without -mortar, except a cornice on the larger walls. Three fortresses covered -with a coating of hard plaster are mentioned. Ditches accompany the -walls and add to the strength of the works. From a subterranean -sepulchre were taken about two hundred pieces of pottery, including -vases and imitations of various animals. The tombs had a coating of -compact cement, and the skeletons found in them were lying face down. -The preceding information I take from a very vague account written by -Sr Arias and published in the _Museo Mexicano_. Arias visited the -locality in 1833; he claims to have sent some very interesting relics, -found at Guiengola and other localities in the vicinity of -Tehuantepec, to the museum at Oajaca; but the man to whom they were -entrusted probably disposed of them in a manner more profitable to -himself, if less advantageous to the museum. Several natural caves are -spoken of by Arias, and one of them, seventy feet deep, showed traces, -according to the German traveler Müller, of having been formerly -inhabited. The latter also found vestiges of dwellings scattered -throughout the vicinity, and speaks of a well-preserved tumulus -standing not long before his visit in a valley close by. It was -thirty-three feet high, with a base of ninety by one hundred and five -feet, and a summit platform sixty by seventy-five feet, reached by a -stairway of twenty-five wide steps. At the side of this tumulus was a -quadrilateral elevation covering an area of about two acres, and -enclosed by a wall eight feet high and twelve feet thick. Whether -these structures are identical with the 'castles' of Arias is -uncertain. A correspondent of _Hutchings' Magazine_ in 1858 describes -a wall of rough stones four feet thick and thirty feet high, said to -extend nine miles. This writer speaks also of buildings with pillars -in their centre, and of quarries from which the stone was originally -taken. Some plans accompanied Arias' report but were not published. -Unsatisfactory as it certainly is, the preceding is all the -information extant respecting these remains,[VII-2] or at least -referred definitely to Guiengola by name; but some remains were -described by Dupaix and sketched by Castañeda, at a point three -leagues west of Tehuantepec, which undoubtedly belonged to this group, -and were probably the same ruins which the other writers so vaguely -mention. On the top of a high hill, surrounded by other grand ruins, -are two pyramids of hewn stone and mortar. The first is fifty-five by -one hundred and twenty feet at the base, and thirty by sixty-six feet -at the summit. The main stairway, thirty feet wide, of forty steps, -leads up the centre of the western slope; there are also narrower -stairways on the north and south. The pyramid is built in four -terraces, the walls of the lower one being perpendicular; and of all -the rest sloping. The whole surface was covered with a brilliant -cement of lime, sand, and red ochre. No remains whatever were found on -the summit. A remarkable feature is noticed on the surface of the -second story, from which project throughout the whole circumference, -except where interrupted by the stairways, four ranges of flat stones, -forming hundreds of small shelves. The only suggestions made -respecting the possible use to which these shelves were devoted are -that they supported torches or human skulls. - - [Illustration: Pyramid near Tehuantepec.] - -The second pyramid is shown in the accompanying cut. The dimensions of -the base and summit platform are about the same as those of the former -pyramid, but the height is over fifty feet. The chief stairway, shown -in the cut, is on the east, and narrower stairways also afford access -to the summit on the north and south. The curved slope of the lower -story constitutes a feature not found in American pyramids farther -south, and rarely if at all in the north. The upper story has three -projections, or cornices, on its perpendicular sides; and between them -is set a row of blocks, said to be white marble, bearing sculptured -designs in bas-relief. Three of these blocks with their sculptured -figures, found by Castañeda at the foot of the pyramid, are shown in -the cut. Of the building which appears on the summit nothing is known -further than may be gathered from the cut. The sides of the pyramid -were covered with cement, which was doubtless in a much more -dilapidated condition than is indicated in the drawing. - - [Illustration: Marble Tablets from Tehuantepec.] - -Near the pyramids, and perhaps used in connection with them as an -altar, is a structure comprised of eight circular masses of stone and -mortar, like mill-stones in shape, placed one above another, and -diminishing in size towards the top. The base is ten feet and a half -in diameter, and the summit about four feet and a half, the height -being about twelve feet. Kingsborough's translation, without any -apparent authority, represents this monument as standing on a base -sixty-six feet long and twelve feet high. - -About a hundred paces in front of the second pyramid, stands a -structure precisely similar to the lower story of that just described, -twelve feet in diameter and three feet high. Both of these altar-like -pyramids were built of regular blocks of stone, and covered with a -hard white plaster. Dupaix suggests that the latter was a gladiatorial -stone, or possibly intended for theatrical representations.[VII-3] - - [Sidenote: MONUMENTS OF TEHUANTEPEC.] - -In the city of Tehuantepec, or in its immediate vicinity, Dupaix -found a flint lance-head of peculiar shape, having three cutting -edges, like a bayonet. Its dimensions were one and a half by six -inches, and the end was evidently intended to be fixed in a socket on -the shaft. Cuts of four terra-cotta idols, sent to the Mexican Museum -probably by Arias, already mentioned, are given in a Mexican magazine, -and also in a Spanish edition of Prescott's work. Two of them wear -horrible masks, the main feature of which is the projection from the -mouth of six large tusks, like those of some fierce animal or monster. -The same Arias speaks of a statue representing a naked woman, but -broken in pieces; also a stone tablet covered with hieroglyphics. A -small earthen bowl or censer, with a long handle, was presented to the -American Ethnological Society, as coming from some point on the -Tehuantepec interoceanic route.[VII-4] - -In the region of Petapa, a town forty or fifty miles north of -Tehuantepec, a stalactite cave is mentioned by Brasseur, on the walls -of which figures painted in black are seen, including the imprint of -human hands like those on the Yucatan ruins except in color. A -labyrinth of caves, with some artificial improvements, is also -reported, where the remains of princes and nobles were formerly -deposited, and where an arriero claims to have seen over one hundred -burial urns, painted and ranged in order round the sides of the -cave.[VII-5] Only four leagues from Tehuantepec, near Magdalena, -Burgoa speaks of a statue of Wixepecocha, the white-haired reformer -and prophet of the Zapotecs, which Brasseur, without naming his -authority, states to have been still visible a few years before he -wrote.[VII-6] Lafond briefly mentions three pyramids on the isthmus -without definitely locating them;--that of Tehuantepec, seventy-two -feet high, that of San Cristóval near the former, and that of Altamia -in a broad plain.[VII-7] At Laollaga, seven leagues from Tehuantepec -in a direction not stated, Arias--very vaguely, as is the custom of -Mexican and Central American explorers of local antiquities--describes -a group of mounds, some of which are seventy or eighty varas square, -built of stones--or stone adobes, as the author calls them--three feet -long and half as thick. In connection with these mounds, flint and -copper hatchets have been found, together with many anchor-shaped -objects of what is spoken of as brass. A cave containing some relics -was reported to exist in the same vicinity; and at another point, some -fourteen leagues from the city, is a mound seventy-five feet high, on -the side of which was discovered a black rock, covered with -hieroglyphic characters.[VII-8] At Chihuitlan, a day's journey from -the city, a bridge of aboriginal construction, stretches across a -stream. The bridge is twelve feet long, six feet wide, and nine feet -high above the water, having low parapets guarding the sides. The -conduit is nine feet wide, and is formed by two immense stones, which -meet in the centre. According to Castañeda's drawing these two stones -have curved surfaces, so that the whole approaches in form a regular -arch. The whole structure is of the class known as cyclopean, built of -large irregular stones, without mortar.[VII-9] - -Respecting Tehuantepec antiquities, I have in addition to what has -been said only brief mention by Garay of the following reported -relics: On a cliff of the Cerro del Venado, is the sculptured figure -of a deer, whence comes the name of the hill. Nine miles east of the -same hill the Indians pointed out the location of a valley where they -said were the remains of a large town of stone buildings. The Cerro de -Coscomate, near Zanatepec, is said to have a sculptured image of the -sun, with an inscription in unknown characters. And finally, relics -have been found on the islands of Monapostiac, Tilema, and -Arrianjianbaj; those on the first being in the form of earthen idols, -while in the latter were the foundations of an aboriginal -town.[VII-10] - -At the port of Guatulco, south-west from Tehuantepec on the Oajacan -coast, there may yet be seen, if Brasseur's statement is to be -credited, traces of the roads and buildings of the ancient city that -stood in this locality, and transmitted its name to the modern town. -Guatulco was likewise one of the many localities described by the -early Catholic writers as containing a wonderful cross, left here -probably by Saint Thomas during his sojourn in America. We are not -very clearly informed as to the material of this relic, but we know, -from the same authorities, that all the powers of darkness could not -destroy it, not even the famous Englishman, Sir Francis Drake, who -subjected it for three days to the fiercest flames without affecting -its condition. Brasseur also tells us that the remains of Tututepec, a -great aboriginal south-coast capital, are still to be seen three or -four leagues from the sea, between the Rio Verde and Lake -Chicahua.[VII-11] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: MISCELLANEOUS REMAINS.] - -Passing now to the interior valleys about the capital city of Oajaca, -where the chief remains of aboriginal works are found, I shall mention -first a few miscellaneous relics of minor importance, or at least -only slightly known to explorers,[VII-12] beginning with the city of -Oajaca, where Dupaix found two ancient ornaments of great beauty. The -first was a pentagon of polished transparent agate, about two inches -in diameter and an inch and a half thick. The surface bore no marks of -the instruments by which it was polished, and a hole was bored through -the stone presumably for the insertion of a string. The second was a -hexagonal piece of black touch-stone, of about the same dimensions, -sprinkled with grains of gold or copper, and like the former -brilliantly polished. The hole in this stone was bored in the form of -a curve, by an unknown process which must have been accompanied by no -little difficulty.[VII-13] - -At Tlacolula, some twenty miles south-east of Oajaca, Mr Müller -reports the opening of a mound twelve feet high and eight feet in -diameter at the base. It was simply a heap of earth, and the only -artificially wrought objects found in the excavations were an earthen -tube two inches in diameter and nearly two feet long, closed at each -end with a stone plug, found in a horizontal position somewhat above -the natural surface of the ground, and a bowl-shaped ring of the same -material lying in a vertical position over the tube near the centre of -the mound, but separated from the first relic by a layer of -earth.[VII-14] Remains of the ruined fortress of Quíyechapa are said -to have been seen by travelers at a point some twenty-five leagues -east of Oajaca.[VII-15] At Etla, two leagues northward from the -capital, two subterranean tombs were opened, and found to contain -what are supposed to have been earthen torch-bearers, or images in -distorted human form, with a socket in the head which indicates their -former use. Similar images found at Zachila will be noticed later in -this chapter. A wooden fac-simile of the tomb is mentioned by Sr -Gondra as preserved in the Mexican Museum.[VII-16] At Peñoles, seven -leagues from Oajaca, a skull covered and preserved by a coating of -limestone was found.[VII-17] On the western boundary of this state, -perhaps across the line in Guerrero, at Quilapan, formerly a great -city of the Miztecs, an axe cast from red copper was found, one fourth -of an inch thick, four inches long, and three and a half inches wide. -From a mound opened in the same vicinity some fragments of statues and -of pottery were taken.[VII-18] Fossey tells us that conical mounds in -great numbers are scattered over the whole country between Oajaca, -Zachila, and Cuilapa. The mounds are from fifteen to fifty feet high, -and are formed in some cases of simple earth, in others of clay and -stones. Human remains are found often in the centre together with -stone and earthen figures. Those figures which are molded in human -form agree in features with the Zapotec features of modern times. -Copper mirrors and hatchets have also been found, according to this -author, as well as golden ornaments and necklaces of gilded -beads.[VII-19] M. Charnay saw in the second valley of Oajaca as he -came from Mexico the ruins of a temple, the building of which was -begun by the Spaniards in the time of Cortés, on the site of an -aboriginal temple. The ruined walls of the latter were of adobes, and -served for scaffolding in the erection of the former, and both ruins -now stand together. The whole valley was covered with tumuli, -probably tombs, as the author thinks; but the natives would neither -help to make excavations nor permit strangers to make them.[VII-20] - -In addition to the relics described in the few and unsatisfactory -notes of the preceding pages, three important groups of antiquities in -central Oajaca remain to be noticed: Monte Alban, Zachila, and Mitla; -our information respecting the two former being also far from -satisfactory. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF MONTE ALBAN.] - -Monte Alban is located immediately west of the city of Oajaca, or -Antequera, at a distance of from half a mile to five miles according -to different authorities. These differences in the statements of the -distance perhaps result from the fact that some visitors estimate it -in an air line, while others include the windings of the road which -must be traveled over a mountainous country in order to reach the -ruins, which seem to be located on a high hill or on a range of hills -overlooking the town. Dupaix and Castañeda visited this place during -their second expedition. Juan B. Carriedo made in 1833 a manuscript -atlas of plans and drawings of the remains, which has never been -published, but which is said to be preserved in the Mexican Museum. -José María García explored Monte Alban in 1855, and his report with -some drawings was published in the bulletin of the Mexican -Geographical Society. Müller, the German traveler, visited the place -in 1857 with one Ortega, and published a plan in his work. Finally we -have Charnay's description from an exploration in 1858 or 1859, -unaccompanied, however, by photographic views.[VII-21] - - [Illustration: Plan of Ruins--Monte Alban.] - -Notwithstanding this array of authorities, which ought to give a clear -idea of a single group of remains, the reader will find the following -description very imperfect, since each of the visitors, as a rule, -describes a different part of the ruins, and they do not often agree -in their remarks on any one structure. The plan in the annexed cut is -copied from that in Müller's work, and shows all the remains marked on -the original, except four small structures on a northern continuation -of the hill, or spur, _a_, shown in the north-eastern part of the -plan. As the plan indicates, the ruins are situated on a plateau of -some three hundred by nine hundred yards along the summit of a range -of high hills with precipitous ascent, rising from the banks of a -stream which Müller calls the Rio Xoxo. The works mentioned as not -included in the plan, are described by Müller as the remains of four -walls which form a parallelogram. All he tells us of the works at _d_ -and _f_, is that the terraces are covered with walls and embankments -parallel or at right angles to each other. The structure at _c_ is -described as a pyramidal elevation fifty feet high and two hundred and -fifty varas square at the base, from the summit platform of which rise -a smaller terrace, or mound, at the north-west corner, and various -other embankments and ruined walls not particularly described, but -indicated on the plan. The structures in the central portion of the -main plateau, at _h_, are spoken of as parallel embankments about -thirty feet high. - -To the ruins thus far mentioned no one but Müller refers definitely, -although others speak somewhat vaguely of the ruined embankments and -walls that cover the whole surface of the plateau. Only the southern -remains at _e_ seem to have attracted the attention of all. These -Müller briefly represents as an embankment fifty feet high, enclosing -a quadrilateral space, on which embankment were two pyramids or -mounds. One of the latter was proved by excavating to have no interior -apartments or galleries; the other was penetrated at the base by -galleries at right angles with each other, and leading to a central -dome-shaped room, the top of which had fallen. García represents the -square court as enclosed, not by a continuous embankment, but by four -long mounds, having a slight space between them at the ends. The -southern mound is the largest of the four, being about forty-five feet -high, and, according to García's plan, about twelve hundred feet long -and three hundred feet wide. It seems, from the drawings, to be -nothing but a simple heap of earth and rough stones, although the -slopes of the sides and ends were doubtless regular originally, -perhaps even faced with masonry, and there are traces of a stairway -leading up to the summit platform from the court. On the summit of the -mounds, and also in the court, are many conical mounds, four of which -were particularly noticed. These mounds were the only remains on the -plateau of Monte Alban which attracted the attention of Dupaix and -Castañeda, and are represented by them as heaps of rough stones, in -some cases with mortar, covered on the exterior with cement, and -traversed at the base by galleries, the sides of which are faced with -hewn blocks. García says the mounds are about twenty-four feet high; -but Dupaix calls one forty feet, another sixty, and a third still -higher. - -One of the mounds stands at the head of the stairway from the court, -and the gallery through it at the base is described by García as -having a bend in the centre, being six feet high, wide enough for two -persons, and according to the plate, surmounted by large inclined -blocks of stone resting against each other and forming an angle at the -summit. Dupaix describes one of the mounds as traversed from north to -south by a gallery nine feet high and six feet wide, which makes a -turn, or elbow, near the centre, thus forming a room about twelve feet -square and of the same height. The two mounds may very likely be -identical, for although Castañeda's plate represents a regular curved -arch, Kingsborough's copy has the pointed arch of large stones. -Another of these artificial stone hills, according to Dupaix, has in -the centre a room eighteen feet square, and thirty feet high, with a -semicircular or dome-like top, the surface being formed of hewn stone. -From the centre of each side a gallery thirty feet long, seven and a -half feet high, and four feet and a half wide, with a regular arch, -leads to the open air. The whole is said to be built on a large -rectangular base of masonry, the dimensions of which are not given. -García mentions a similar mound, but speaks of the central room as -being circular. - - [Illustration: Sculptured Profile from Monte Alban.] - -Another of these structures, resembling at the time of Dupaix's visit -a natural hill covered with trees, is sixty feet high, and has a -gallery seven and a half feet high and six feet wide, with arched top, -extending seventy-eight feet, or nearly the whole diameter from south -to north. The left hand, or western, wall of the gallery is composed -of granite blocks, generally about twenty-eight by thirty-six inches -and eighteen inches thick, on the surface of which are sculptured -naked human figures in profile facing northward toward the interior of -the mound. Four of these figures were sketched by Castañeda, and one -of them, from whose head hangs something very like a Chinese queue, is -shown in the cut. García locates this mound or another very similar -one in the court, and he also sketched some of the figures, but very -slight if any resemblance can be discovered between his drawings and -those of Castañeda. Müller speaks of one of the tablets the sculptured -design of which represents a woman giving birth to a ball. García -states that human bones and fragments of pottery have been dug from -these ruins, Dupaix found some bones, and M. Lenoir suggests that the -figures in bas-relief were portraits of persons buried in the tombs. -Dupaix mentions a fourth mound similar to the others, having an -angular ceiling, and a pavement of lime and sand. - -Charnay describes the plateau as being partially artificial, and as -covering about one half a square league, covered with masses of stone -and mortar, forts, esplanades, narrow subterranean passages, and -immense sculptured blocks. The arches of the galleries, contrary to -Dupaix's statements, are formed by large inclined blocks. The grandest -ruins are at the south end of the plateau; they are mostly square -truncated pyramids, about twenty-five feet high, and having steep -sides. Enormous masses of masonry represent what once were palaces, -temples, and forts.[VII-22] - - [Illustration: Aboriginal Coin from Monte Alban.] - - [Sidenote: RELICS AT MONTE ALBAN.] - -Three smooth cubical stones, seven and a half feet high, four and a -half feet wide, and eighteen inches thick, of granite, according to -García, but of red porphyry, in the opinion of Müller, were found -during the ascent of the hill, perhaps at _b_, or _g_, of the plan. -Two of the stones were standing close together, while the third had -fallen; all are supposed to have formed an altar or pedestal.[VII-23] -At the southern brink of the plateau Müller found a crumbling stone -covered with hieroglyphics. On the slope of the hill, stones covered -with sculptured hieroglyphics were noticed by Dupaix, also at the -western base long cubes, some plain and others sculptured. One of the -latter six feet long, four feet and a half wide, and eighteen inches -thick, was sketched by Castañeda, together with a circular stone three -varas and a half in circumference. His plates also include a -semi-spherical mirror of copper-covered lava, three and a half inches -in diameter, with beautifully polished surface and a hole drilled -through the back; a copper chisel, seven inches long and one inch in -diameter; and finally, the cast copper implement shown in the -preceding cut, one of two hundred and seventy-six of the same form, -but of slightly varying dimensions, which were found in an earthen jar -dug up in this vicinity. The dimensions of the one shown in the cut -are about eight by ten inches. Pieces of copper of this form were used -by the Nahua peoples for money, and such was doubtless the purpose of -these Oajacan relics. A precisely similar article from one of the -Mexican ruins lies before me as I write. Charnay states that the -plateau is covered with fragments of very fine pottery, on which a -brilliant red glazing is observable. He states further, that an -Italian explorer, opening some of the mounds, found necklaces of -agate, fragments of worked obsidian, and even golden ornaments of fine -workmanship. - -Respecting these ruins Charnay says: "Monte Alban, in our opinion, is -one of the most precious remains, and very surely the most ancient, of -the American civilizations. Nowhere else have we found these strange -profiles so strikingly original." He pronounces the arch similar to -that employed in Yucatan, but this opinion does not agree with his -description on another page, where he represents the ceilings of the -galleries as formed of large inclined blocks of stone. Viollet-le-Duc -gives a cut indicating the latter form of arch; and I think there can -be no doubt that Dupaix and Castañeda are wrong in representing -semicircular arches. M. Viollet-le-Duc deems the sculpture different -in type from that at Palenque but very similar to the Egyptian. He -regards the works as fortifications and speaks of the galleries as -penetrating the ramparts. Müller and García also deem the remains -those of fortifications, while Ortega seeks to form them into a -stately capital full of royal palaces, temples, and fine edifices. -García tells us that these works were erected by a Zapotec king, with -a view to resist the advance of the Miztecs; while Brasseur believes -that here was the fortress of Huaxyacac built by the Aztecs about the -year 1486, and garrisoned to keep the country in subjection.[VII-24] - -It seems to me that the preceding description, imperfect as it is, is -yet more than sufficient to prove that the structures on Monte Alban -were never erected by any people as temporary works of defense. The -choice of location shows, however, that facility of defense was one of -the objects sought by the builders, and renders it very improbable -that a city proper ever stood here, where, at least in modern times, -there are no springs of water. On the other hand, the conical mounds -as represented by Castañeda's drawings seem in no way fitted for -defensive works, and were almost certainly erected as tombs of Zapotec -nobles or priests. The plateau was probably in aboriginal times a -strongly fortified holy place, sacred to the rites of the native -worship, but serving perhaps as a place of refuge to the dwellers in -the surrounding country when threatened by an advancing foe. It is -moreover very likely that in the period of civil strifes and foreign -invasions which preceded the Spanish Conquest, these works were -strengthened and occupied by the Zapotecs, and possibly by the Aztecs -also in their turn, as a fortress. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RELICS AT ZACHILA.] - -Zachila, ten or twelve miles, according to the maps, southward from -Oajaca, was the site of a great Zapotec capital. A writer in a Mexican -magazine mentions the base of an ancient pyramid as still visible near -the church of the modern town. With the exception of this brief -mention all our information respecting the antiquities of Zachila -comes from the work of Dupaix; and this writer, so far as permanent -monuments are concerned, only speaks generally of an immense group of -mounds in conical form, built of earth and a few stones, and of the -imprint of a gigantic foot probably marking the meridian somewhat -south of the mounds. From excavations in these tumuli, stone and clay -statues, or idols, were obtained, together with pottery, burnt bricks, -pieces of human bones, and fragments of ruined walls. Of the objects -taken from the tumuli or found in the vicinity, over twenty were -described and sketched by Dupaix and Castañeda. - - [Illustration: Stone Statue from Zachila.] - -1. A seated human figure with arms and legs crossed as shown in the -cut. It is carved from a grayish yellow grindstone-like material, and -is about a foot in height. It was found in a tomb together with some -human bones. The rear view in the original shows the hair falling down -the back and cut square across; while the belt about the waist is -passed between the legs and is tied in a knot behind. 2. A seated -human figure in granite, eighteen inches high. The arms, from elbow to -wrist, are free from the body, and the hands rest on the knees. A -string of beads or pearls is suspended from the neck, and a mask with -fantastic figures in relief covers the face. In the top of the head -is a hollow, and the image seems to have been designed, like many -others in the same locality, for a vase or, perhaps, a torch-bearer. -3. A seated human figure, twenty-seven inches high, cut from white -marble and painted red. The arms and body are concealed by a kind of -semicircular cape. The hands appear below the cape, holding some -indescribable object. A necklace of beads or pearls surrounds the -neck, the face is apparently masked or at least the features are -ideally fantastic, and an immense headdress, as large as all the rest -of the figure, surmounts the whole in semicircular form. A serpent -appears among the emblems of the head-dress.[VII-25] 4. A stone -twenty-seven inches long, twelve inches high, and three inches thick, -of very hard and heavy material. On one side, within a plain border, -are four human figures in low relief, two on each side facing a kind -of altar in the middle. All are squatting cross-legged, one has -clearly a beard, and another has a bird--called by Dupaix an eagle, as -is his custom respecting every bird-like sculpture--forming a part of -his head-dress. The stone was badly broken, but seems to have been -carried by the finder to Mexico.[VII-26] 5. A bird bearing -considerable likeness to an eagle, holding a serpent in its beak and -claws. This figure was sculptured in low relief on a block of hard -sandstone three feet square, built into a modern wall. 6. A human -face, much like what is in modern times drawn to represent the full -moon, three feet in diameter, and also built into a wall. The material -is a brilliant gray marble. 7. Three fragments with sculptured -surfaces, one of which has among other figures several that seem to -represent flowers. 8, 9. Two masked images, similar in some respects -to No. 2, but of terra-cotta instead of stone. One of them is shown in -the cut. They are about a foot and a half high, hollow, and present -some indications, in the form of a socket at the back of the head, of -having been intended to hold torches.[VII-27] 10. A terra-cotta -figure, about nine inches high, apparently representing a female clad -in a very peculiar dress, as shown in the cut.[VII-28] 11. An earthen -cylinder, five inches in diameter and nine inches high, on the top of -which is a head, possibly the caricature of a dog, from whose open -jaws looks out a tolerably well-formed human face. 12-17. Six heads of -animals or monsters in terra cotta. 18-23. Six earthen dishes of -various forms, one of which, in the form of a platter, has within it a -representation in clay of a human skull. - - [Illustration: Terra-Cotta Image--Zachila.] - - [Illustration: Terra-Cotta Image--Zachila.] - -A tomb is said to have been opened at Zachila in which were several -tiers of earthen platters, each containing a skull. Some of the -vessels have hollow legs with small balls, which rattle when they are -moved.[VII-29] At Cuilapa, some distance north-east of Zachila, the -existence of tumuli is mentioned, but a German explorer, who visited -the locality with a view to open some of them, is said to have been -stoned and driven away by the infuriated natives, notwithstanding the -fact that he was provided with authority from the local -authorities.[VII-30] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: MITLA--HOME OF THE DEAD.] - -The finest and most celebrated group of ruins in Oajaca, probably the -finest in the whole Nahua territory, is that at Mitla, about thirty -miles slightly south of east from the capital, and eight or nine -miles north-east of Tlacolula. Here was a great religious centre often -mentioned in the traditional annals of the Zapotecs. The original name -seems to have been Liobaa, or Yobaa, 'the place of tombs,' called by -the Aztecs Miquitlan, Mictlan, or Mitla, 'place of sadness,' 'dwelling -of the dead,' often used in the sense of 'hell.'[VII-31] The buildings -at Mitla were at least partially in ruins when the Spaniards came, but -their dilapidation probably dated only from the fierce contests waged -by the Zapotec kings against the Aztec powers in Anáhuac, during one -or two centuries preceding the Conquest; and as we shall see later -there is no reason whatever to doubt that the place was occupied by -the Zapotec priesthood during the long period of that nation's -supremacy in Oajaca and the southern Anáhuac.[VII-32] - -The gloomy aspect of the locality accords well with the dread -signification of its name. The ruins stand in the most desolate -portion of central Oajaca, in a high, narrow valley, surrounded by -bare and barren hills. The soil is a powdery sand, which supports no -vegetation save a few scattered pitahayas, and is borne through the -air in clouds of dust by the cold dry wind which is almost continually -blowing. A stream with parched and shadeless banks flows through the -valley, becoming a torrent in the rainy season, when the adjoining -country is often flooded. No birds sing or flowers bloom over the -remains of the Zapotec heroes, but venomous spiders and scorpions are -abundant. Yet a modern village with few inhabitants stands amid the -ruins, and the natives go through forms of worship in honor of a -foreign deity in a modern church over the tombs of their ancestors' -kings and priests, whose faith they were long since forced to -abandon.[VII-33] - - [Sidenote: EXPLORATION OF MITLA.] - -Most of the early Spanish chroniclers speak of Mitla and of the -traditions connected with the place, but what may be called the modern -exploration of the structures, as relics of antiquity, dates from the -year 1802, when Don Luis Martin and Col. de la Laguna from Mexico -visited and sketched the ruins. It was from Martin and from his -drawings in the hands of the Marquis of Branciforte, that Humboldt -obtained his information. In August 1806, Dupaix and Castañeda reached -Mitla in their second exploring tour. In 1830, the German traveler -Mühlenpfordt, during a residence in the country, made plans and -drawings of the remains, copies of which were retained by Juan B. -Carriedo and afterwards published in a Mexican periodical. Drawings -were also made by one Sawkins in 1837, and published by Mr Brantz -Mayer in a work on Zapotec antiquities. M. de Fossey was at Mitla in -1838, but his description is made up chiefly from other sources. Sr -Carriedo, already mentioned, wrote for the _Ilustracion Mejicana_, a -statement of the condition of the ruins in 1852, with measures which -had been, or ought to be, taken by the government for their -preservation. Mr Arthur von Tempsky spent part of a day at the ruins -in February, 1854, publishing a description with several plates in the -account of his Mexican travels which he named _Mitla_. José María -García saw the ruins in October, 1855, as is stated in the bulletin -of the Mexican Geographical Society, but no description resulted from -his exploration. Finally Charnay came in 1859, and succeeded after -many difficulties in obtaining a series of most valuable and -interesting photographs.[VII-34] - - [Illustration: General Plan of Mitla.] - -The number of ruined edifices at Mitla is variously stated by -different authors, according to their methods of counting; for -instance, one explorer reckons four buildings enclosing a court as -one palace, another as four. The only general plan ever published is -that made by Mühlenpfordt, and published by Carriedo, from which the -annexed cut was prepared.[VII-35] Most of the visitors, however, say -something of the bearing of some of the buildings from the others, and -there are only very few instances where such remarks seem to differ -from the plan I have given. The structures usually spoken of as -palaces or temples, are four in number, marked 1, 2, 3, and 4; 5 and 7 -are pyramids, mounds, or altars; and 6 shows the position of the -houses in the modern village. - - [Illustration: Ground Plan of Palace No. 1.] - - [Sidenote: GRAND PALACE.] - -I begin with the best preserved of all, palace No. 1 of the -plan.[VII-36] The arrangement of its three buildings is shown in the -accompanying ground plan, a reduction from Castañeda's drawing. Three -low oblong mounds, probably of rough stones, only five or six feet -high, enclose on the east, north, and west, a court, E, whose -dimensions are in general terms one hundred and twenty by one hundred -and thirty feet, and each of the mounds supports a stone building. The -walls of the northern building are still in a tolerable state of -preservation; the eastern one has mostly fallen, and of that on the -west only slight traces of the foundations remain. It is possible that -originally there was a fourth mound, with or without its building, on -the south.[VII-37] - -The lateral buildings, _d_, _j_, are about nineteen by ninety-six feet -on the ground. Of the northern building, the southern portion, A, is -about thirty-six by a hundred and thirty feet, the northern portion, -C, sixty-one feet square, and the whole not far from eighteen feet -high, the walls being from four to nine feet in thickness.[VII-38] -Other details will be readily learned from the plan. Three doorways -open on the court from each building, and a broad stairway of few -steps leads up to the doorways, at least on the north. - -The southern wing of the northern building, A of the plan, may be -first described, being the best known and one of the best preserved of -all; and the structure of the walls naturally claims attention first. -In Yucatan we have found a filling of rough stones and cement, faced -on both exterior and interior with hewn blocks; at Palenque the walls -are built entirely of hewn stone; at Mitla the mode of construction -somewhat resembles that in Yucatan, but the filling seems to be clay, -instead of cement, with an admixture of irregular stones, varying in -quantity in different parts of the walls.[VII-39] - - [Sidenote: CONSTRUCTION OF WALLS.] - -The exterior facing of the wall is shown very clearly by the two -following cuts, which represent the southern façade of the building, -A, as seen from the court. The first cut I have reduced -photographically from Charnay's original photograph; the second, -showing the rest of the façade, was taken from the same photograph for -Mr Baldwin's work. The facing is of stone blocks cut in different -forms and sizes, placed against or in some cases slightly penetrating -the inner filling. First, a double tier of very large blocks are -placed as a base along the surface of the supporting mound, projecting -two or three feet from the line of the wall, the stones of the upper -tier sloping inward. On this base is erected a kind of frame-work of -large hewn blocks with perfectly plain unsculptured fronts, which -divide the surface of the wall into oblong panels of different -dimensions. These panels are then filled with a peculiar mosaic work -of small brick-shaped blocks of stone of different sizes, set in -different positions, so as to form a great variety of regular -patterns, usually spoken of as grecques.[VII-40] No mortar seems to -have been employed in this facing of stone; at least its use is not -mentioned by any author, and Dupaix states expressly that it is not -found. Some of the blocks used in the base, frame-work of the panels, -and lintels of the doorways, are very large. One of the latter is -described by different writers as from sixteen to nineteen feet long, -and is said by Dupaix to be of granite. The only sculpture on the -façade is found on these lintels, the surface of which is represented -as carved into regular figures in low relief, corresponding with the -mosaic in the panels. The doorways are about seven feet wide and eight -feet high, and in the upper part of the piers that separate them are -noticed four round holes, which may be supposed, as in other -aboriginal structures, to have served for the support of an awning, -although the natives have a tradition that they were originally -occupied by stone heads of native deities.[VII-41] The only other -peculiarity to be noticed in this front is, that instead of being -perpendicular, it inclines slightly outward from the base, as do many -of the walls at Mitla.[VII-42] - - [Illustration: Façade of First Palace--Mitla.] - - [Illustration: Façade of First Palace--Mitla.] - - [Sidenote: STONE COLUMNS.] - -The interior of the building, A, has a pavement of flat stones covered -with cement, which latter has mostly disappeared. The inner surface of -the walls is of rough stones and earth, probably the same as the -interior filling, and covered with a coat of plaster, a greater part -of which remained in 1859, and is shown in Charnay's photograph; there -were also traces of red paint on these walls in Dupaix's time. There -are no windows, or other openings except the doorways; but on the -northern wall, at mid-height, there is a niche, perhaps more than one, -one or two feet deep, square in form, and enclosed by four blocks of -stone. Extending in a line along the centre of this apartment, are six -round stone pillars, _g_, _g_, of the plan, each about fourteen feet -high, three feet in diameter, and cut from a single block of porphyry -or granite. The tops are slightly smaller than the bases, and five or -six feet of each stone, in addition to the height mentioned, are -buried in the ground.[VII-43] - - [Illustration: Interior--South wing of the First Palace.] - -The following cut I take from Baldwin's work, for which it was copied -from one of Tempsky's plates. It is very faulty, as is proved by -Charnay's photograph taken from the same point of view, in -representing the walls as if built of large rough stones without -mortar, in putting a doorway in the central part of the northern wall, -and in making the columns diminish in size towards the top much more -than is actually the case.[VII-44] - - [Sidenote: MOSAIC GRECQUES AT MITLA.] - -Passing now to the northern wing of this building, C, the exterior -walls are the same in style and construction as those of the southern -wing just described, as is proved by the photographic views.[VII-45] -The court, C, is about thirty-one feet square, and its pavement was -covered with cement, as that of the larger court, E, may have been -originally. The ground plan shows the arrangement of the four -apartments, b, b, b, b, although it is to be noted that other plans -differ slightly from this in the northern and western rooms. The only -entrance to the northern court and rooms is from the southern wing -through the passage _f, f_, which is barely wide enough to admit one -person. The interior façades, fronting on the court, are precisely -like the southern façade of the southern wing, A, being made up of -mosaic work in panels.[VII-46] The interior walls of the small -apartments, b, b, b, b, unlike those of the southern apartment, A, are -formed of mosaic work in regular and graceful patterns, except a space -of four or five feet at the bottom, which is covered with plaster and -bears traces of a kind of fresco painting in bright colors. The mosaic -grecques or arabesques of the upper portions are arranged, not in -panels as on the exterior, but in three parallel bands of uniform and -nearly equal width, extending round the whole circumference of each -room. The cut is a fac-simile from Charnay's photograph of one of -these interiors, and gives an excellent idea of the three mosaic bands -that extend entirely round each room.[VII-47] - - [Illustration: Grecques on Interior of Room at Mitla.] - - [Sidenote: ROOF STRUCTURES.] - -I now have to speak of the roof which originally covered this -building, since in the other buildings and palaces nothing will be -found to throw any additional light on the subject. It seems evident -that the columns in the southern wing were intended to support the -roof, and if there were no contradictory evidence, the natural -conclusion would be that the covering was of wooden beams stretching -completely across the narrow apartments, and resting on the pillars of -the wider ones, as we have seen to be the case at Tuloom, on the -eastern coast of Yucatan.[VII-48] Burgoa, in whose time it is not -impossible that some of the roofs may have been yet in place, tells us -that they were formed of large stone blocks, resting on the columns, -and joined without mortar.[VII-49] Humboldt states that the roof was -supported by large _sabino_ beams, and that three of these beams still -remained in place (1802). According to Dupaix, both the roofs and -floors in the northern wing were formed by a row of beams, or rather -logs, of the _ahuehuete_, a kind of pine, a foot and a half in -diameter, built into the top of the wall, and stretching from side to -side. He does not inform us what traces he found to support his -opinion. Mühlenpfordt[VII-50] found traces of a roof in one of the -northern rooms sufficient to convince him that the original "consisted -of round oak timbers, eight inches in diameter, placed across the room -at a distance of eight inches one from another; these were first -covered with mats, on which were placed stone flags, and over the -latter a coat of lime; forming thus a solid and water-proof covering." -Fossey speaks of one worm-eaten beam, but probably obtained his -information from Humboldt. Tempsky, notwithstanding the shortness of -his exploration, made the remarkable discovery that one of the -northern rooms was still covered by a flat roof of stone. He also -found windows in some of the buildings. What would he not have found -had he been able to remain a few hours longer at Mitla? Viollet-le-Duc -judges from the quantity and quality of the débris in the south wing, -that the roof could not have been of stone in large blocks, but was -formed by large beams extending longitudinally from pillar to pillar, -and supporting two transverse ranges of smaller timbers, laid close -together from the centre to either wall, the whole being surmounted by -a mass of concrete like that which constitutes the bulk of the walls; -and finally covered with a coating of cement. I have no doubt that -this author has given a correct idea of the original roof structure, -although in attempting to explain in detail the exact position -which--'il y a tout lieu de croire'--each timber occupied, it is -possible that the distinguished architect has gone somewhat beyond his -data.[VII-51] - - * * * * * - - [Illustration: View from Court of Palace No. 1.] - -As I have said before, the western building of the palace No. 1--like -the southern building, if any ever stood on the south of the -court--has entirely fallen. Of the eastern building, _d_, there remain -standing a small portion of the wall fronting on the court, including -a doorway and its lintel, and also two of the five columns which -occupied the centre of the building. The condition of this side -structure seems not to have changed materially between Dupaix's and -Charnay's visits, a period of over fifty years. The preceding cut, -taken by Baldwin from Tempsky's work, gives a tolerably correct idea -of what remains of it, except that the lintel had a sculptured front. -It is a view from the south side of the court, and includes an -imperfect representation also of the northern façade.[VII-52] - -The palaces of Mitla are differently numbered by different writers, -and much that has been written of them is so vague or confused that is -difficult to determine in many cases what particular structure is -referred to; I believe, however, that the preceding pages include all -that is known of the palace numbered 1 on my general plan. I close my -account of this palace by presenting on the opposite page a cut copied -for Baldwin's work from one of Charnay's photographs, a general view -of the ruins. The cut is a distant view of the palace No. 1 from the -south-west, and cannot be said to add very materially to our -knowledge respecting this building.[VII-53] - - [Sidenote: VIEW OF PALACE.] - - [Illustration: Distant View of Palace No. 1.] - - [Sidenote: THE SECOND PALACE.] - -The remaining palaces of Mitla, Nos. 2, 3, and 4, may be more briefly -disposed of, since in the construction of their walls they are -precisely the same as No. 1, but are not in so good a state of -preservation. No. 2 is located south-west of No. 1, and almost in -contact with it, so that both groups have been by some visitors -described together under the name of First Palace. It consists of four -buildings, built on low mounds like those of No. 1, from seven to nine -feet high, about a square court. All four are precisely the same in -their ground plan, which is identical with that of the western -building in palace No. 1. The dimensions of the four buildings are -also the same, according to Castañeda's plan, being about eighteen by -ninety-two English feet;[VII-54] but Mühlenpfordt's plan, so far as it -can be understood, makes the eastern and western buildings about one -hundred and forty feet long, the northern and southern being about -twenty by one hundred feet, and the former somewhat larger than the -latter. - -The western building is the best preserved, being, so far as can be -judged by human figures in Charnay's photographs, about seventeen feet -high. The eastern building has fallen, and only its foundation stones -remain by which to trace its plan. Three doorways open on the court -from each building, and in the rear wall opposite the doors square -niches are seen. There are no traces of columns in any of the -apartments; nor was any part of the roofs in place in 1806. The outer -walls are composed, as in palace No. 1, of oblong panels of mosaic; -whether any mosaic work is found in the interior, is not stated. The -court is said by Mühlenpfordt to be covered with a coating of cement -five or six inches in thickness, painted red as was also the exterior -of the buildings. The same writer, and Müller, noted that the -supporting mounds were double, or terraced, on the exterior;[VII-55] -and the latter, that one of the central doorways diminishes in width -towards the top. If this, latter statement be true, it must be one of -the doorways in the southern building, of which no photographic view -was taken.[VII-56] Views of the southern façade of the northern -building are given by Charnay, Dupaix, Mühlenpfordt, and Tempsky; of -the court façade of the western building, by Charnay and Mühlenpfordt; -and Charnay also took photographs of the western and southern façades -of the latter building.[VII-57] - - * * * * * - -Under the northern building of this palace there is a subterranean -gallery in the form of a cross. The entrance to this gallery is said -by several writers to have been originally in the centre of the -court, but this seems to rest on no very good authority, and it is not -unlikely that the entrance was always where it is now, at the base of -the northern mound, as shown in the photograph and in other views. The -centre of the cross may be supposed to be nearly under the centre of -the apartment above, and the northern, eastern, and western arms are -each, according to Castañeda's drawings, about twelve feet long, five -and a half feet wide, and six and a half feet high. The southern arm, -leading out into the court is something over twenty feet long, and for -most of its length only a little over four feet high; its floor is -also several feet lower than that of the other arms, to the level of -which latter four steps lead up. Nearly the whole depth of this -gallery is probably in the body of the supporting mound rather than -really subterranean. The top is formed of large blocks of stone, -stretching across from side to side, and, according to Mühlenpfordt, -plastered and polished. The floor was also covered, if we may credit -Müller, with a polished coat of cement. The walls are panels of mosaic -work like that found on the exterior walls above. Mühlenpfordt noticed -that the mosaic work was less skillfully executed than on the upper -walls, and therefore probably much older. The large dall that covers -the crossing of the two galleries is supported by a circular pillar -resting on a square base. According to Tempsky the natives call this -the 'pillar of death,' believing that whoever embraces it must die -shortly. The whole interior surface, sides, floor, and ceiling, are -painted red. No relics of any kind have been found here. Fossey says -that this gallery, or at least _a_ gallery, leads from the palace to -the eastern pyramid--meaning probably the western pyramid, No. 5 of -the plan--and from that point still further westward, where it may be -traced for a league to the farm of Saga, and extends, as the natives -believe, some three hundred leagues. Tradition relates that the -Zapotecs originally had their temples in natural caverns, which they -gradually improved to meet their requirements, and over which they -finally built these palaces. There are consequently many absurd rumors -afloat respecting the extent of the subterranean passages, but nothing -has ever been discovered to indicate the existence of natural caves or -extensive artificial excavations at this point. At the time of -Charnay's visit the opening to the gallery had been closed up, and the -natives would allow no one to remove the obstructions, on the ground -that hidden treasure was the object sought.[VII-58] - - * * * * * - - [Illustration: Ground Plan--Palace No. 3.] - - [Sidenote: THIRD PALACE.] - -Palace No. 3 of the plan is said to have no supporting mound, but to -stand on the level of the ground. Its ground plan, according to -Castañeda, the only authority, is shown in the cut. The whole -structure, divided into three courts, is about two hundred and -eighty-four feet long and one hundred and eight feet wide, the -thickness of the walls, not shown in the plan, being five or six feet. -Nearly all the walls have fallen except those of the buildings about -the central court, B, which have been repaired, covered with a roof of -tiles, and are occupied by the curate of the parish as a residence. In -the western front a doorway has been cut, before which, supporting a -balcony, or awning, stand two stone columns which were evidently -brought from some other part of the ruins. Both on the exterior and -court walls, the regular panels of mosaic work are seen in the upper -portions; the lower parts have been repaired with adobes, and newly -plastered in many places. The modern church, quite a large and -imposing structure, stands either upon or adjacent to a part of this -ancient palace.[VII-59] - - [Illustration: Ground Plan--Palace No. 4.] - - [Sidenote: FOURTH PALACE, AND PYRAMIDS.] - -The cut is a ground plan of palace No. 4, which is also said to stand -on the original level of the ground. The walls are spoken of by all -visitors as almost entirely in ruins, and as presenting no -peculiarities of construction when compared with the other palaces. -From one of the portions still standing, however, Mühlenpfordt copied -some fragmentary paintings, representing processions of rudely -pictured human figures, as shown in the accompanying cut. The same -author speaks of similar paintings, very likely not the work of the -original builders of Mitla, on the walls of some of the other -buildings.[VII-60] - - [Illustration: Painting on Doorway--Palace No. 4.] - - * * * * * - -Two mounds, or groups of mounds, stand west and south of the other -ruins at 5 and 7 of the plan. No. 5 was photographed by Charnay, and -is described as built of adobes, ascended by a stone stairway, and -bearing now a modern chapel. According to Castañeda's drawing probably -representing these pyramids, the principal structure had four stories, -or terraces, and was about seventy-five feet high, measuring at the -base about one hundred and twenty feet on its shortest sides from east -to west. The stairway faces westward towards the court formed by the -smaller mounds which have only two stories. Group No. 7 is -represented by Castañeda as consisting like No. 5 of a large mound and -three small ones, of two and one stories respectively, surrounding a -court in whose centre is a block, or altar, which Dupaix thinks may -conceal the entrance to a subterranean passage. Mühlenpfordt -represents the arrangement of the mounds as on my plan, and thinks the -smaller elevations may have borne originally buildings like the -northern palaces. In one of these mounds, according to the -last-mentioned author, a tomb was found. Dupaix also describes two -tombs found under mounds, the locality of which is not specified. One -of these tombs was in the form of a cross, with arms about three by -nine feet, six feet high, covered with a roof of flat stones, and in -its construction like the gallery under palace No. 2, except that the -small brick-shaped blocks of which its sides are formed are not -arranged in grecques, but laid so as to present a plain surface. The -second tomb was of rectangular form, about four by eight feet in -dimensions. In one of them some human remains, with fragments of fine -blue stone were discovered.[VII-61] - - [Sidenote: FORTIFIED HILL.] - -At a distance of a league and a half eastward of the village, Dupaix -described and Castañeda sketched a small plain square stone building, -divided into four apartments, standing on the slope of a high rocky -hill. On the plate there is also shown the entrance to a subterranean -gallery not mentioned in Dupaix's text.[VII-62] Three fourths of a -league westward from the village is a hill some six hundred feet in -height, with precipitous sides naturally inaccessible save on one -side, toward Mitla. The summit platform, probably leveled by -artificial means, is enclosed by a wall of stone about six feet thick, -eighteen feet high, and over a mile in circumference, forming many -angles, as is shown in the annexed plan. On the eastern and accessible -side, the wall is double, the inner wall being higher than the outer; -and the entrances are not only not opposite each other, but penetrate -the walls obliquely. Heaps of loose stones, _c_, _c_, _c_, were found -at various points in the enclosure, doubtless for use as weapons in a -hand-to-hand conflict. Outside of the walls, moreover, large rocks, -some three feet in diameter, were carefully poised where they might be -easily started down the sides against the advancing foe. Within the -fortress, at several places, _d_, _e_, _f_, _g_, are slight remains of -adobe buildings, probably erected for the accommodation of the -aboriginal garrison. All we know of this fortress is derived from the -work of Dupaix and Castañeda.[VII-63] - - [Illustration: Plan of Fortress near Mitla.] - -Dupaix claims to have found the quarries which furnished material for -the Mitla structures, in a hill three-fourths of a league eastward -from the ruins, called by the Zapotecs Aguilosoé, by the Spaniards -Mirador. The stone is described as of such a nature that large blocks -may be easily split off by means of wedges and levers, and many such -blocks were scattered about the place; the removal of the stone to the -site of the palaces, here as in the case of many other American ruins, -must have been the chief difficulty overcome by the builders. Stone -wedges, together with axes and chisels of hard copper, are said to -have been found at Mitla, but are not particularly described.[VII-64] - - [Illustration: Head in Terra Cotta--Mitla.] - -A head in terra cotta, wearing a peculiar helmet, was sketched here by -Castañeda, and is shown in the cut. Another terra-cotta image -represented a masked human figure, squatting cross-legged with hands -on knees. A large semicircular cape reaches from the neck to the -ground, showing only the hands and feet in front. The whole is very -similar to some of the figures at Zachila, already described, but the -tube which may be supposed to have held a torch originally, projects -above the head, and is an inch and a half in diameter. The only -specimen of stone images or idols found in connection with the ruins, -is shown in the cut. It represents a seated figure, carved from a hard -red stone, and brilliantly polished. Its height is about four inches. -Tempsky tells us that the children at Mitla offered for sale small -idols of clay and sandstone, which had been taken from the inner -palace walls.[VII-65] - - [Illustration: Stone Image from Mitla.] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: GENERAL REMARKS.] - - [Sidenote: COMPARISONS.] - -The ruins of Mitla resemble Palenque only in the long low narrow form -of the buildings, since the low supporting mounds can hardly be said -to resemble the lofty stone-faced pyramids of Chiapas. A stronger -likeness may be discovered when they are compared with the structures -of Yucatan; since in both cases we find long narrow windowless -buildings, raised on low mounds, and enclosing a rectangular -courtyard, walls of rubble, and facings of hewn stone. The contrasts -are also strong, as seen in the mosaic grecques, the absence of -sculpture, and the flat roofs, in some cases supported by columns; -although in one city on the east coast of Yucatan flat roofs of wooden -beams were found. Whether the mosaic work of Mitla indicates in -itself an earlier or later development of aboriginal art than the -elaborately sculptured façades of Uxmal, I am unable to decide; but -the flat roof supported by pillars would seem to indicate a later -architectural development than the overlapping arch. The influence of -the builders of Palenque and the cities of Yucatan, was doubtless felt -by the builders of Mitla. How the influence was exerted it is very -difficult to determine; Viollet-le-Duc attributes these northern -structures to a branch of the southern civilization separated from the -parent stock after the foundation of the Maya cities in Yucatan. Most -antiquarians have concluded that Mitla is less ancient than the -southern ruins, and the condition of the remains, so far as it throws -any light on the subject, confirms the conclusion. This is the last -ruin that will be found in our progress northward, which shows any -marked analogy with the Maya monuments, save in the almost universal -use of supporting mounds or pyramids, of various forms and dimensions. -It has already been shown that the Zapotec language has no likeness -whatever to the Aztec, or to the Maya, and that so far as institutions -are concerned, this people might almost as properly be classed with -the Maya as with the Nahua nations. The Abbé Brasseur in one part of -his writings expresses the opinion that Mitla was built by the Toltecs -from Cholula, who introduced their religion in Oajaca in the ninth or -tenth century. Mitla is also frequently spoken of as a connecting link -between the Central American and Mexican remains; this, however, is -merely a part of the old favorite theory of one civilized people -originating in the far north, moving gradually southward, and leaving -at each stopping-place traces of their constantly improving and -developing culture. There seems to have been no tradition among the -natives at the Conquest, indicating that Mitla was built by a people -preceding the Zapotecs. On the contrary, Burgoa and other early -Oajacan chroniclers mention the place frequently as a Zapotec holy -place, devoted to the burial of kings, the residence of a certain -order of the priesthood, who lived here to make expiatory sacrifices -for the dead, and a place of royal mourning, whither the king retired -on the death of a relative. Subterranean caverns were used for the -celebration of religious rites before the upper temples were built. -Charnay fancies that the palaces were built by a people that -afterwards migrated southward. He noticed that the walls in sheltered -places were covered with very rude paintings--a sample of which has -been given--and suggests that these were executed by occupants who -succeeded the original builders. It will be apparent to the reader -that the ruins at Mitla bear no resemblance whatever to other Oajacan -monuments, such as those at Guiengola, Monte Alban, and Quiotepec; and -that they are either the work of a different nation, or what is much -more probable, for a different purpose. I am inclined to believe that -Mitla was built by the Zapotecs at a very early period of their -civilization, at a time when the builders were strongly influenced by -the Maya priesthood, if they were not themselves a branch of the Maya -people.[VII-66] - -The mosaic work undoubtedly bears a strong resemblance to the -ornamentation observed on Grecian vases and other old-world relics; -but this analogy is far from indicating any communication between the -artists or their ancestors, for, as Humboldt says, "in all zones men -have been pleased with a rhythmic repetition of the same forms, a -repetition which constitutes the leading characteristic of what we -vaguely call grecques, meandres, and Arabesques."[VII-67] - -In the northern part of Oajaca, towards the boundary line of Puebla, -remains have been found in several localities. Those near Quiotepec -are extensive and important, but are only known by the description of -one explorer, Juan N. Lovato, who visited the ruins as a commissioner -from the government in January, 1844.[VII-68] Lovato's account -contains many details, but the drawings which originally accompanied -it were, with two exceptions, not published, and from the text only a -general idea can be formed respecting the nature of the ruins. The -following are such items of information as I have been able to extract -from the report in question. - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF QUIOTEPEC.] - -A hill about a mile long and a quarter of a mile wide at its base, and -over a thousand feet high, known as the Cerro de las Juntas, stands at -the junction of the rivers Quiotepec and Salado. At the eastern end, -where the streams meet, the ascent is precipitous and inaccessible, -but the other sides and the summit are covered with ruins. The slopes -are formed into level platforms with perpendicular terrace walls of -stone, of height and thickness varying according to the nature of the -ground. In ascending the western slope, thirty-five of these terrace -walls were encountered; on the southern slope there were fifty-seven, -and on the northern eighty-eight, counting only those that were still -standing. One of the walls at the summit is about three hundred and -twenty feet long, sixty feet high, and five and a half feet thick. - -Scattered over the hill on the terrace platforms, the foundations of -small buildings, supposed to have been dwellings, were found in at -least a hundred and thirty places. In connection with these buildings -some tombs were found underground, box-shaped with walls of stone, -containing human remains and some fragments of pottery. Tumuli in -great numbers are found in all directions, probably burial mounds, -although nothing but a few stone beads has been found in them. Other -mounds were apparently designed for the support of buildings. At -different points towards the summit of the hill are three tanks, or -reservoirs, one of which is sixty feet long, twenty-four feet wide, -and six feet deep, with traces of steps leading down into it. In the -walls traces of beams are seen, supposed by the explorer to have -supported the scaffolding used in their construction. - - [Illustration: Temple Pyramid--Cerro de las Juntas.] - -Besides the terrace walls, foundations of dwellings, and the remains -that have been mentioned, there are also many ruins of statelier -edifices, presumably palaces and temples. Of these, the only ones -described are situated at the summit on a small level plateau, of a -hundred and twenty-two by two hundred and forty-eight feet. These -consist of what are spoken of as a palace and a temple, facing each -other, a hundred and sixty-six feet apart. Between the two are the -bases of what was formerly a line of circular pillars, leading from -one edifice to the other. The bases, or pedestals, are fourteen inches -in diameter, five inches high, and about fourteen feet apart. The -Temple faces north-east, and its front is shown in the accompanying -cut. This is a form of the pyramidal structure very different from any -that has been met before. Its dimensions on the ground are fifty by -fifty-five feet. The Palace is described as thirty-nine feet high in -front and thirty-three feet in the rear, and has a stairway of twenty -steps about twenty-eight feet wide, leading up to the summit on the -front. Judging by the plate, this so-called palace is a solid -elevation with perpendicular sides, ornamented with three plain -cornices, one end of which is occupied throughout nearly its whole -width by the stairway mentioned. The material of the two structures is -the stone of the hill itself cut in thin regular blocks, laid in what -is described as mud, and covered, as is shown by traces still left in -a few parts, with a coating of plaster. Both the structures, according -to the plates, have a rather modern appearance, and differ widely from -any other American monuments, but there seems to be no reason to doubt -the reliability of Sr Lovato's account, considering its official -nature, and I cannot suppose that the Spaniards ever erected such -edifices. The foundations and arches of three small apartments are -vaguely spoken of as having been discovered by excavation in -connection with the Palace, but whether they were on its summit or in -the interior of the apparently solid mass, does not clearly appear, -although Müller states that the latter was the case. On the summit of -the Palace a copal-tree, one foot in diameter, was found. Five -sculptured slabs were sketched by Müller at Quiotepec, but he does not -state in what part of the ruins they were found. Each slab has a human -figure in profile, surrounded by a variety of inexplicable attributes. -The foreheads seem to be flattened, and four of the five have an -immense curved tongue, possibly the well-known Aztec symbol of speech, -protruding from the mouth. Somewhere in this vicinity, on the -perpendicular banks of rock that form the channel of the Rio Tecomava, -painted figures of a sun, moon, and hand, are reported, at a great -height from the water.[VII-69] - - [Sidenote: TUXTEPEC AND HUAHUAPAN.] - -Near the town of Tuxtepec, some fifty miles eastward from Quiotepec, -near the Vera Cruz boundary, there is said to be an artificial mound -eighty-three feet high, known as the Castillo de Montezuma. A passage -leads toward the centre, but nothing further is known of it, except -that some stone idols are mentioned by another writer as having been -dug from a mound in a town of the same name.[VII-70] - - [Illustration: Sculptured Block from Huahuapan.] - -At Huahuapan, about fifty miles westward of Quiotepec, Dupaix found -the sculptured block shown in the cut. It is four and a half feet -long, and a foot and a half high; the material is a hard blue stone, -and the sculpture in low relief seems to represent a kind of coat of -arms, from which projects a hand grasping an object, a part of which -bears a strong resemblance to the Aztec symbol of water. This relic -was found in a hill called Tallesto, about a league east of the -town.[VII-71] - -In another hill, called Sombrerito, only half a league from the town, -a laborer in 1831 plowed up an ancient grave, said to have contained -human bones, fine pottery, with gold beads and rings. All the relics -were buried again by the finder, except four of the rings, which came -into the possession of the Bishop of Puebla, and two of which are -shown in the cut. With some doubts respecting the authenticity of -these relics I give the cuts for what they are worth. There are -accounts and drawings of several rudely carved stone images from the -same region.[VII-72] - - [Illustration: Gold Rings from Huahuapan.] - -At Yanguitlan, ten or fifteen miles south-east of Huahuapan, several -relics were found, including a human head of natural size carved from -red stone; two idols of green jasper, slightly carved in human -likeness; three cutting implements of hard stone; and the two objects -shown in the cuts on the opposite page. The first is a spear-head of -gray flint, and the second a very curious relic of unknown use, and -whose material and dimensions the finder has neglected to mention. It -is of a red color, and is very beautifully wrought in two pieces, one -serving as a cover for the other, apparently intended to be joined by -a cord as represented in the cut. Among the uses suggested are those -of a censer and a lantern.[VII-73] - - [Illustration: Relics from Yanguitlan.] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: ANTIQUITIES OF GUERRERO.] - -Respecting the relics of the state of Guerrero, my only information is -derived from a statistical work by Sr Celso Muñoz, contained in the -report of Gov. Francisco O. Arce to the legislature of the state in -1872. This author mentions such relics in the district of Hidalgo, -north of the Rio Zacatula towards the Mexican boundary, as follows: -1st. "The _momoxtles_, or tombs of the ancient Indians, which are -found in almost all the towns, although they are constantly -disappearing, and abound especially in the municipality of Cocula." -2d. "Traces of ancient settlements of the aborigines, who either -became extinct or migrated to other localities: such are seen on the -hill of Huizteco, in the municipality of Tasco, in that of Tetipac el -Viejo and of Coatlan el Viejo, of Tetipac, of Coculatepil, of Piedra -Grande or San Gaspar, region of Iglesia Vieja, Cocula, and many -others." 3d. At Tepecoacuilco "there are traces very clearly defined -of many foundations of houses; and in excavations that have been made -there have been found many idols and flint weapons, especially lances, -very well preserved, and other curious relics of Aztec times." 4th. At -Chontalcuatlan, there are traces of the ancient town on a hill called -Coatlan el Viejo, where there is also said to be a block of porphyry -one or two mètres in diameter, on the surface of which is sculptured a -coiled serpent.[VII-74] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[VII-1] See vol. ii., chap. ii., of this work. - -[VII-2] _Arias_, _Antigüedades Zapotecas_, in _Museo Mex._, tom. i., -pp. 246-8, _Müller_, _Reisen_, tom. ii., pp. 356-7; _Hutchings' Cal. -Mag._, vol. ii., pp. 395; 539-41; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. -Civ._, tom. iii., p. 359, with reference to _Carriedo_, _Estudios -hist. y estad. del Estado Oaxaqueño_, tom. ii., append. i.; _Garay_, -_Reconocimiento_, p. 110; _Id._, _Survey_, pp. 112-13; _Id._, _Acct._, -pp. 79-81. - -[VII-3] _Dupaix_, 3d exped., pp. 6-7, pl. iii.-v., fig. 6-9; -_Kingsborough_, vol. vi., p. 469, vol. iv., pl. iii.-v., fig. 6-9; -_Larenaudière_, _Mex. Guat._, pl. viii., from Dupaix, showing second -pyramid; _Mayer's Observations_, pp. 25-6, with cut of the first altar -representing its successive platforms as forming a spiral ascent. - -[VII-4] _Dupaix_, 3d exped., p. 6, pl. ii., fig. 5; cut of same -lance-head in _Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., -p. 85, pl. xiv.; _Museo Mexicano_, tom. i., pp. 248-9, tom. iii., pp. -135-7; _Hist. Mag._, vol. iii., p. 240. - -[VII-5] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Voy. Tehuan._, pp. 122-5. - -[VII-6] _Burgoa_, _Geog. Descrip._, tom. ii., cap. lxxii.; _Brasseur -de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iii., pp. 9-10. - -[VII-7] _Lafond_, _Voyage_, tom. i., p. 139. - -[VII-8] _Museo Mex._, tom. i., p. 248. - -[VII-9] _Dupaix_, 3d exped., p. 8, pl. vi., fig. 10; _Kingsborough_, -vol. v., p. 289, vol. vi., p. 469, vol. iv., pl. vi., fig. 10; -_Lenoir_, pp. 16, 71. Kingsborough calls the name of the locality of -these remains Chilmitlan. His plate shows regular quadrilateral -openings in the parapets, while in Castañeda's plate they appear of -irregular form, as if made by the removal of stones. - -[VII-10] _Garay_, _Reconocimiento_, pp. 110-12; _Id._, _Survey_, pp. -113-15; _Id._, _Acct._, pp. 79-81. - -[VII-11] _Burgoa_, _Geog. Descrip._, tom. ii., p. 298; _Florencia_, -_Hist. Comp. Jesus_, pp. 233-6, _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. -Civ._, tom. iii., pp. 39, 286, tom. i., p. 146. - -[VII-12] Besides remains attributed to particular localities, see -_Museo Mex._, tom. iii., p. 135, cuts and descriptions of four earthen -idols found in this state; _Burgoa_, _Geog. Descrip._, tom. i., fol. -160, 166, 170, 197, tom. ii., fol. 275, 298, 319-21, 330, 344-5, 363, -mention and slight description of burial places, caves, temples, etc., -of the natives, some of them seen by the author; _Mühlenpfordt_, -_Mej._, tom. ii., pp. 186, 195, 200, 206, 212, 215, slight mention of -scattered relics; _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 218, cuts -of three heads in Peñasco collection, said to have come from Oajaca. - -[VII-13] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 28-9. - -[VII-14] _Müller_, _Reisen_, tom. ii., p. 282, with cut of the ring. - -[VII-15] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iii., p. 47. - -[VII-16] _Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., p. -91. - -[VII-17] _Museo Mex._, tom. i., p. 249. - -[VII-18] _Dupaix_, 3d exped., p. 6, pl. ii., 2d exped., p. 51. - -[VII-19] _Fossey_, _Mexique_, pp. 375-6. No authority is given, and M. -Fossey was not himself an antiquarian explorer. - -[VII-20] _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, pp. 249-51. - -[VII-21] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 17-23, pl. xxi-viii., fig. 64-77; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 247-51, vol. vi., pp. 444-6, vol. iv., -pl. xix-xxv., fig. 64-77; _Lenoir_, pp. 16, 22, 49-51. Carriedo's -_Atlas de una Fortaleza Zapoteca, etc._, mentioned by _Gondra_, in -_Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., p. 94, and in _Museo Mex._, -tom. i., p. 246. The editors of the latter magazine announced their -intention to publish the drawings as soon as the plates could be -engraved, but I have not seen the volume in which their purpose was -carried out, if indeed it was ever carried out. García's report in -_Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. vii., pp. 270-1, with plates; -_Müller_, _Reisen_, tom. ii., pp. 270-1, with plates; _Charnay_, -_Ruines Amér._, pp. 250-3; _Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Id._, pp. 25-6, with -cut. Other references to slight notices of Monte Alban, containing no -original information are;--_Larenaudière_, _Mex. Guat._, pl. i., from -Dupaix; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iii., p. 340; -_Fossey_, _Mexique_, pp. 370-1. This writer locates the ruins ¼ of a -league from the city. _Escalera_ and _Llana_, _Mej._, p. 332; -_Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, p. 91. - -[VII-22] See authorities in preceding note. - -[VII-23] Plate showing the stones in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. -vii., p. 270. - -[VII-24] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iii., pp. -339-40. - -[VII-25] 'Elle représente un dieu dont les attributs caractérisent le -principe actif de la nature qui produit les grains et les fruits. -C'est le dieu qui crée, conserve et est en hostilité permanente avec -le Génie destructeur qui gouverne aussi le monde. Son casque ou son -diadème, ombragé d'un panache considérable et qui atteste son -importance, est orné de la Grande couleuvre, nommée aussi par les -astronomes modernes le _serpent d'Ève_, dont la présence dans le ciel -annonce la saison des récoltes.' _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., -div. i., pp. 57-8. Cut also in _Mayer's Obs._, p. 32, pl. iii., from -the original which is preserved in Mexico. - -[VII-26] Plate also in _Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, -tom. iii., pp. 64-5, pl. xi. - -[VII-27] Copies of plates in _Mayer's Obs._, p. 32, pl. iii.; _Id._, -_Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., pp. 218-19. - -[VII-28] Dupaix says of this image: 'Elle participe un peu du style -égyptien. Elle est couverte de trois vêtements qui croisent l'un sur -l'autre symétriquement, et qui sont bordés de franges. La tête est -ornée de tresses qui font deviner le sexe; les oreilles et le cou sont -parés de bijoux; enfin toute cette figure est étrange.' 2d exped., p. -49. This image in the opinion of M. Lenoir, _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., -div. i., pp. 60-1, represents the Mexican goddess Toci, and the -preceding one the god of war, Huitzilopochtli. These images are now in -the Mexican Museum, and plates of them were published by Sr Gondra, in -_Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., pp. 90-5, pl. xvii., who by -no means agrees with Lenoir's conclusions identifying them with Aztec -deities, although he agrees with Dupaix respecting their probable use -as chandeliers. - -[VII-29] Authorities on antiquities of Zachila. _Dupaix_, 2d exped., -pp. 44-51, pl. xlvii., fig. 95-116; _Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. -269-78, vol. vi., pp. 458-63, vol. iv., pl. xlvii.-li., fig. 96-117. -Kingsborough also attributes fig. 118-19 to Zachila, but according to -the official edition the relics represented by those numbers came from -Tizatlan in Tlascala. _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., -pp. 57-63. The aboriginal name of the place was Zaachillatloo. -_Dupaix_, pp. 44-5. Brasseur, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iii., p. 47, -speaks of a fortress visited by several travelers, built by Zaachila, -the great Zapotec conqueror, on the top of a lofty rock 25 leagues -east of Oajaca. Mention of ruins and two cuts of figures in -_Ilustracion Mej._, tom. iii., pp. 367-8, 480; _Escalera_ and _Llana_, -_Mej. Hist. Descrip._, p. 226. - -[VII-30] _Escalera_ and _Llana_, _Mej. Hist. Descrip._, p. 226; -_Fossey_, _Mex._, p. 376. - -[VII-31] Liubá, 'Sepultura;' Miquitlan, 'infierno ó lugar de -tristeza.' _Dupaix_, 2d exped., p. 30. Leoba, or Luiva, '_sépulture_;' -_Miguitlan_, 'lieu de désolation, lieu de tristesse.' _Humboldt_, -_Vues_, tom. ii., pp. 278-9. Yopaa, Lyoba, or Yobaa, 'terre des -tombes;' Mictlan, 'séjour des Morts.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. -Nat. Civ._, tom. i., pp. 304-5, tom. iii., p. 9. Liobáá, 'place of -rest.' _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. vii., p. 170. - -[VII-32] 'Uno, llamado Mictlan, que quiere decir infierno ó lugar de -muertos, á do hubo en tiempos pasados, (segun hallaron las muestras) -edificios mas notables y de ver que en otra parte de la Nueva España. -Hubo un templo del demonio y aposentos de sus ministros, maravillosa -cosa á la vista, en especial una sala como de artesones, y la obra era -labrada de piedra de muchos lazos y labores.' _Mendieta_, _Hist. -Ecles._, pp. 395-6; _Burgoa_, _Descrip. Geog._, tom. ii., fol. 259, -etc. - -[VII-33] 'Du haut de la forteresse de Mitla, la vue plonge dans la -vallée et se repose avec tristesse sur des roches pelées et des -solitudes arides, image de destruction propre à relever l'effet des -palais de Liobaa. Un torrent d'eau salée (?), qui se gonfle avec la -tempête, coule au milieu des sables poudreux qu'il entraîne avec lui. -Les rives sont sèches et sans ombrages; à peine voit-on de distance en -distance quelques nopals nains, ou quelques poivriers du Pérou, aussi -maigres que le terrain où ils ont pris racine. Seulement, du côté du -village, la verdure sombre des magueys et des cactus donne au tableau -l'aspect d'un jardin d'hiver planté de buis et de sapins.' _Fossey_, -_Mexique_, p. 371. - -[VII-34] _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. ii., pp. 278-85, pl. xvii-viii., -fol. ed., pl. xlix-l; _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., pp. -28-30, supl. pl. viii.; _Id._, _Essai Pol._, pp. 263-5. Humboldt -speaks of Martin as 'un architecte mexicain très-distingué.' _Dupaix_, -2d exped., pp. 30-44, pl. xxix-xlvi., fig. 78-93; _Kingsborough_, vol. -v., pp. 255-68, vol. vi., pp. 447-56, vol. iv., pl. xxvii-xli., fig. -81-95; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., pp. 16, 23-4, -52-7. Mühlenpfordt, _Mejico_, tom. i., pref., p. 5, claims to have -been for some time Director of road-construction in the state of -Oajaca, and states his intention of publishing at some future time 18 -or 20 large copper-plate engravings illustrating the antiquities of -Mitla and others. These plates, so far as I know, have never been -given to the public. Carriedo accompanied Mühlenpfordt, or -Mihelenpforott as he writes the name, and published some of the -drawings, perhaps all, in the _Ilustracion Mejicana_, tom. ii., pp. -493-8. Some of the German artists' descriptive text is also quoted -from I know not what source. _Tempsky's Mitla_, pp. 250-3, with plates -which must have been made up for the most part from other sources than -the author's own observations. García's visit, _Soc. Mex. Geog., -Boletin_, tom. vii., pp. 271-2. Sawkin's exploration, in _Mayer's -Observations_, p. 28, et seq., with plates. It will be shown later -that Mr Sawkins' drawings are without value to the archæological -student. Fossey's account, _Mexique_, pp. 365-70; _Charnay_, _Ruines -Amér._, pp. 261-9, phot. ii-xviii.; _Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Id._, pp. -74-104, with cuts. After Charnay had completed, as he thought, the -work of photographing the ruins, all his negatives were spoiled for -want of proper varnish. He was therefore compelled to return alone, -since he had exhausted the somewhat limited patience of his native -assistants, and to work day and night to take a new set of pictures. -Müller, _Reisen_, tom. ii., pp. 279-81, seems also to have made a -personal exploration. Other references for Mitla containing no -original information are as follows:--_Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, pp. -117-22, with two cuts from Charnay and two from Tempsky, all given in -my text. _Gallatin_, in _Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact._, vol. i., p. -173; _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 85-6; _Larenaudière_, in -_Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, tom. xxxiv., pp. 121-2; _Gondra_, in -_Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., pp. 90-5, pl. xvii.; -_Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, pp. 251-3; _Id._, _Mex. Aztec_, vol. ii., -pp. 213-16; _Klemm_, _Cultur-Geschichte_, tom. v., pp. 157-60; -_Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., pp. 270-1; _Id._, _Travels_, p. 92; -_Müller_, _Amerikanische Urreligionen_, p. 462; _Prescott's Mex._, -vol. i., p. 14, vol. iii., pp. 404-6; _Malte-Brun_, _Précis de la -Géog._, tom. vi., p. 463; _Mexicanische Zustände_, tom. i., pp. 403-4; -_Wappäus_, _Mex. Guat._, p. 162; _Lemprière_, _Mexique_, p. 144; -_Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, p. 255; _Hermosa_, _Manual Geog._, p. 135; -_Escalera_ and _Llana_, _Mex._, pp. 327-32, 225, same as in _Fossey_; -_Lafond_, _Voyages_, tom. i., p. 139; _Bonnycastle's Span. Amer._, -vol. i., p. 154, vol. ii., p. 233; _D'Orbigny_, _Voyage_, p. 356; -_Conder's Mex. Guat._, vol. ii., pp. 130-4; _Dally_, _Races Indig._, -pp. 16-17; _Macgillivray's Life Humboldt_, pp. 314-15; _Mills' Hist. -Mex._, p. 158; _Mexico in 1842_, p. 77; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, -_Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 105; _Larenaudière_, _Mex. Guat._, pl. -ii-vi., from Dupaix; _Delafield's Antiq. Amer._, pp. 55, 59-60. - -[VII-35] Charnay, phot. xvii., gives a general view of the ruins, from -which, however, no clear idea can be formed of the arrangement of the -structures. The buildings are named or numbered as follows by the -different authors; Dupaix numbers them as they are marked on my plan; -Carriedo and Mühlenpfordt unite Nos. 1 and 2 under the name of 1st -Palace, making No. 3 No. 2, and No. 4 No. 3; Charnay's 1st or grand -palace is the northern building of No. 1; his 2d is the eastern -building of the same; his 3d and 4th are the northern and western -buildings respectively of No. 2. My No. 3 is called by him the House -of the Curate, and No. 4 is only mentioned by him without name or -number. - -[VII-36] At the Conquest the ruins covered an immense area, but they -now consist of six palaces and three ruined pyramids. _Charnay_, -_Ruines Amér._, p. 261. - -[VII-37] Dupaix's ground plan, pl. xxix., fig. 78, represents such a -southern building and mound, although very slight, if any, traces -remained of the former at the time of his visit. Martin's plan, given -by Humboldt, shows two shorter mounds without buildings; while -Carriedo's plan locates no structure whatever south of the court, and -I have omitted it in my plan. - -[VII-38] The dimensions are very nearly those of the plans of Martin -and Castañeda, who differ only very slightly. The dimensions given by -the different authorities are as follows: A. 12½×47½ varas, -_Castañeda_; 13¼×46½ varas, _Martin_, in _Humboldt_; 40 mètres long, -_Charnay_; 180 feet long, _Tempsky_; 132 feet long, _Fossey_. C. 22×22 -varas, _Castañeda_ and _Martin_; _d_, 7×35½ varas, _Castañeda_; 7½×34½ -varas, _Martin_. Walls 1½ to 3½ varas thick, _Castañeda_; 1½ varas, -_Martin_. Height 5 to 6 mètres, _Humboldt_; 14 feet, _Fossey_. The -height of the inner columns, to be spoken of later, shows something -respecting the original height of the walls. - -[VII-39] Charnay, p. 264, describes the material of this filling as -'terre battue, mêlée de gros cailloux.' His photographs of walls where -the facing has fallen show in some places a mass of large irregular -stones, even laid with some regularity in a few instances; in other -parts of the ruins there seem to be very few stones, but only a mass -of earth or clay; and in still other parts the wall has every -appearance of regular adobes. Dupaix, p. 35, says that sand and lime -are mixed with the earth. 'El macizo, ó grueso de las paredes se -compone de una tierra mezclada y beneficiada con arena y cal.' 'De -tierra preparada, hollada ó beneficiada cuando fresca y pastosa.' -Tempsky, p. 251, declares the material to be rough boulders in cement. -Humboldt, _Vues_, tom. ii., p. 283, speaks of 'une masse d'argile qui -paroît remplir l'intérieur des murs.' - -[VII-40] 'Los compartimientos divididos por unos tableros -cuadrilongos, terminados por unas molduras cuadradas que sobresalen á -la linea de la muralla, contienen en sus planos unas grecas de alto -relieve de una bella invencion, pues sus dibujos presentan unos -enlaces complicados arreglados á una exactisima geometría, con una -grande union entre las piedras que los componen, las que son de varios -gruesos, y configuraciones; ademas se advierte una perfecta nivelacion -en toda esta admirable ensambladura.' _Dupaix_, 2d exped., p. 31. A -mosaic of soft sandstone cut in blocks 7×2-1/8 ×1 inches, and all -forming a smooth exterior surface. _Tempsky's Mitla_, pp. 251-2, with -a very faulty cut. The statement about the smooth surface is certainly -erroneous, as is probably that respecting the size of the blocks. 'Ces -arabesques forment une sorte de mosaïque, composée de petites pierres -carrées, qui sont placées avec beaucoup d'art, les unes à côté des -autres.' _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. ii., p. 283; with cuts of three -styles of this mosaic from Martin. 'Briquettes de différentes -grandeurs.' The modern church is built of stone from the ruins. The -natives carry away the blocks of mosaic in the belief that they will -turn to gold. _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, p. 252, 263-5. Phot. v-vi., -view of southern façade. 22 different styles of grecques on this -front. _Fossey_, _Mexique_, pp. 367-8. Cuts of 16 different styles in -_Ilustracion Mej._, tom. ii., p. 501. - -[VII-41] An Indian woman was reported to have one of the heads from -these holes, built into the walls of her house, but it could not be -found. _Dupaix_, 2d exped., p. 31. - -[VII-42] Besides the photograph copied above, Charnay's photographs, -vii.-viii., present views from the east and west, showing that the -same style of construction and ornamentation extends completely round -the building. Dupaix's plate xxx. represents this façade, but shows -only a small portion of the stone-work. Kingsborough gives in its -place a magnificent plate, 1×5 feet, showing the whole front restored -in all its details; he gives also the plate from _Antiq. Mex._, but -refers it to the palace No. 2. pl. xxxi., fig. 85. See description of -the walls quoted from Burgoa, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. -vii., pp. 170-3. - -[VII-43] 5.8 mètres high; one third of the height buried in the -ground. _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. ii., p. 282. 4 varas above surface, 2 -varas below, 1 vara diameter. _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, suppl. pl. -viii. Of the material, Humboldt says: 'Quelques personnes, -très-instruites en minéralogie, m'ont dit que la pierre est un beau -porphyre amphibolique; d'autres m'ont assuré que c'est un granite -porphyritique.' 12 feet high, 9½ feet in circumference. _Fossey_, -_Mex._, pp. 367-8. About 14 feet high, _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, p. -263; 5½ varas high, 1 vara in diameter, material granite, _Dupaix_, p. -31. Over 5 varas high. _Burgoa_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. -vii., p. 171. 12 feet high, 4 feet diameter. _Tempsky's Mitla_, p. -253. 10 feet 10½ inches above ground, over 6 feet below, 3-1/3 varas -in circumference; material porphyry. _Ilustracion Mej._, tom. ii., pp. -495-6. So large that two men can hardly reach round them, 5 fathoms -high. _Mendieta_, _Hist. Ecles._, pp. 395-6. Material a porous -limestone. _Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, p. 78. - -[VII-44] See _Charnay_, phot. x. - -[VII-45] _Charnay_, phot. vii.-viii. - -[VII-46] _Charnay_, phot. xi. Plate in _Tempsky's Mitla_, pp. 252-3, -very incorrect, as are nearly all of this author's illustrations. - -[VII-47] _Charnay_, phot. ix. - -[VII-48] See p. 257 of this volume. - -[VII-49] _Murguia_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. vii., pp. -170-3. 'De grandes dalles, de plus de deux pieds d'épaisseur, reposant -sur des piliers d'une hauteur de trois mètres, formaient le plafond de -ces palais: au-dessus on voyait une corniche saillante ornée de -sculptures capricieuses, dont l'ensemble formait comme une sorte de -diadème posé sur le sommet de l'édifice.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, -_Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iii., p. 26, Burgoa. - -[VII-50] As quoted in _Ilustracion Mej._, tom. ii., p. 496. - -[VII-51] _Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, pp. 78-9. - -[VII-52] _Charnay_, phot. xii., p. 264; _Dupaix_, pp. 31-2, pl. xxxi., -fig. 80. - -[VII-53] In the preceding pages it will be noticed that I have paid no -attention to the plates and description by Mr J. G. Sawkins, from an -exploration in 1837, as given by Col. Brantz Mayer in his -_Observations on Mexican History and Archæology_, published among the -_Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge_. My reasons for disregarding -Sawkins' authority are, that the said descriptions and plates are just -sufficiently accurate to identify palace No. 1 with the one referred -to, but otherwise constitute one of the most bare-faced frauds -recorded in the annals of antiquarian exploration in America. The -following points are more than sufficient to substantiate what I have -said:--1st. Sawkins reverses the cardinal points, respecting which the -other authorities agree, placing the principal building on the east of -the court instead of the north, etc. To avoid repetition and -confusion, I shall in the following remarks, however, correct this -error and speak of each building in its proper location. 2d. Sawkins -found five standing columns in the eastern building, _d_, four of -which supported parts of a wall, while the other standing apart was -taller than the rest; now the columns supporting the wall may have -been the piers between the doorways--but only _three_ of these were -standing in 1806 (see _Dupaix_, pl. xxxi.); and the taller column -standing apart agrees well enough with the truth, except that there -were _two_ of them standing in 1859. (See _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, -phot. xii.) On the west our explorer correctly found everything -obliterated, and the 'crumbling and indistinct walls' which he found -on the south may have been part of palace No. 2. 3d. Coming now to the -northern building, Sawkins found in the front 4 doorways, so narrow -and low that only one person at a time could enter, and that only by -stooping; during the next 20 years these doorways grew remarkably in -size, and decreased in number, since Charnay's photograph shows 3 -doorways with standing human figures in two of them, not obliged to -stoop or much pressed for elbow room, as may be seen in the copy I -have given. 4th. Sawkins found all the adornments removed from this -façade; they were perhaps replaced before Charnay's visit. 5th. In the -interior, A of the plan, Sawkins found niches in the end walls not -seen by any other visitor. 6th. The six columns represented by Martin -and Dupaix as standing in the centre of this apartment, had all been -removed (!) at the time of Sawkins' visit. It was a strange freak of -the camera to picture them all in place 20 years later. 7th. But -Charnay's photographic apparatus had yet other repairs to make, for in -the northern wing, C, the walls of the interior apartments had all -disappeared, and even the interior surface of the outer walls, which -enclosed the quadrangle, had no mosaic work, but the panels presented -only 9 long recesses in three tiers on each side. Mr Sawkins' plates -are two in number; one of them presents a general view of this palace -from the west, and although faulty, indicates that the artist may have -actually visited Mitla; the other is a rear view of the northern -building, gives a tolerably correct idea of the construction of the -walls, and may possibly have been made up from the large plate in -Kingsborough's work. I have no more space to devote to Sawkins. He may -have been already 'shown up' by some critic whose writings have -escaped my notice. It is proper to add that as Col. Mayer apparently -consulted only Humboldt's description of Mitla, it is not at all -strange that this zealous investigator and usually correct writer was -deceived by a pretended explorer. - -[VII-54] _Dupaix_, pl. xxxii., fig. 81, where the dimensions are -6½×33½ varas. Carriedo's, or Mühlenpfordt's, plan, pl. ii., makes the -court 114×135 feet, and the western building 128.9 feet on the inside; -on page 495, and on another plan, it is implied that the eastern mound -never bore any building. - -[VII-55] _Ilustracion Mej._, tom. ii., p. 495. - -[VII-56] _Müller_, _Reisen_, tom. ii., p. 280. - -[VII-57] _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, phot. xiii.-xvi.; _Dupaix_, p. 33, -pl. xxxiii., fig. 82-3; _Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 258-9, vol. vi., -pp. 450-1, vol. iv., pl. xxx., fig. 84; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, -tom. ii., div. i., pp. 53, 16; _Mühlenpfordt_, in _Ilustracion Mej._, -p. 500, pl. vi.; _Tempsky's Mitla_, pp. 250-1. - -[VII-58] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 32-3, pl. xxxiv.-v., fig. 82; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 259, vol. vi., p. 451, vol. iv., pl. -xxxii.-iii., fig. 86-7, ground plan, and section showing mosaic work; -_Ilustracion Mej._, tom. ii., pp. 495-500, pl. iv., v., ix. Humboldt, -_Vues_, tom. ii., pp. 278-82, places the gallery erroneously under the -northern wing of palace No. 1, with an entrance in the floor of the -column chamber. _Murguia_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. vii., -pp. 170-3, from Burgoa, about the caves on which the palaces were -built. _Müller_, _Reisen_, tom. ii., p. 280; _Tempsky's Mitla_, pp. -250-1; _Fossey_, _Mex._, p. 369; _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, pp. 264-5; -_Mayer's Observations_, p. 30, with cuts from Dupaix. _Lenoir_, in -_Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., p. 53. 'Un appartement souterrain -qui a 27 mètres de long, et 8 de large.' _Humboldt_, _Essai Pol._, p. -264. - -[VII-59] _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, p. 263, phot. iii.-iv.; _Dupaix_, -2d exped., pp. 33, 35-6, pl. xxxvi., fig. 83; _Kingsborough_, vol. v., -p. 259, vol. vi., p. 451, vol. iv., pl. xxxiv., fig. 88, this plan -differs from the one given above in making the passage _d_ straight. -_Ilustracion Mej._, tom. ii., p. 496. - -[VII-60] _Dupaix_, pl. xxxvii., fig. 84; _Kingsborough_, vol. iv., pl. -xxxv., fig. 89. The latter plan represents three doorways in each of -the buildings fronting on the northern court, C. See also references -of preceding note. - -[VII-61] _Dupaix_, pp. 34, 39, pl. xxxlx-xl., xliii-iv., fig. 86-7, -91-2; _Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 260-1, vol. vi., pp. 451-3, vol. -iv., pl. xxxvii-ix., fig. 91-4; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., -div. i., pp. 55-6; _Charnay_, p. 263, phot. ii.; _Mühlenpfordt_, in -_Ilustracion Mej._, tom. ii., p. 496; Fossey, _Mexique_, pp. 368-9, -locates these pyramidal groups east and north, instead of south and -west of palace No. 1. He also mentions a granite block, or altar, 4½ -feet long and one foot thick. - -[VII-62] _Dupaix_, p. 34, pl. xxxviii., fig. 85; _Kingsborough_, vol. -v., p. 259, vol. vi., p. 451, vol. iv., pl. xxxvi., fig. 90. -Kingsborough's plate represents the walls as mostly fallen. _Lenoir_, -in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., p. 53. - -[VII-63] _Dupaix_, pp. 40-1, pl. xliv.-v., fig. 93-4, view of hill, -and plan copied above. _Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 265, vol. vi., p. -455, vol. iv., pl. xl.-i., fig. 95; _Lenoir_, p. 56. Dupaix's plates -are copied in _Mosaico Mex._, tom. ii., pp. 281-4, and _Armin_, _Alte -Mex._, p. 290; _Fossey_, _Mex._, p. 370. Plate from Sawkins' drawing, -different from that of Castañeda, but of course unreliable, in -_Mayer's Observations_, p. 32, pl. iv. - -[VII-64] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 41-3; _Tylor's Anahuac_, p. 139. - -[VII-65] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 37-8, pl. xli.-ii., fig. 88-90; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 254, vol. vi., p. 447, vol. iv., pl. -xxvi., fig. 78-80; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, pp. 23-4, 55; -_Tempsky's Mitla_, p. 254. - -[VII-66] _Burgoa_, _Geog. Descrip._, fol. 257-60; _Id._, in _Soc. Mex. -Geog., Boletin_, tom. vii., p. 170, et seq., pp. 271-2; _Id._, in -_Ilustracion Mej._, tom. ii., p. 494; _Id._, in _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iii., pp. 21-30. Brasseur says -that the temple built over a subterranean labyrinth was called -Yohopehelichi Pezelao, 'supreme fortress of Pezelao.' Built under -Toltec influence. _Id._, tom. i., pp. 304-5, tom. iii., p. 9. Sacked -by the Aztecs about 1494, and the priests carried as captives to -Mexico. _Id._, tom. iii., p. 358; _Tylor's Anahuac_, p. 139. Buildings -of different age. _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 34-5; _Charnay_, _Ruines -Amér._, pp. 252-3, 265; _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. ii., p. 279. - -[VII-67] _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. ii., pp. 284-5. 'Les palais -funéraires de Mitla reproduisent en certains cas l'ordonnance des -demeures chinoises.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, p. iii. The ruins of -Mitla 'nous paraissent appartenir à la civilisation quichée, quoique -postérieurs à ceux de l'Yucatan. La perfection de l'appareil, les -parements verticaux des salles avec leurs épines de colonnes portant -la charpente du comple, l'absence complète d'imitation de la -construction de bois dans la décoration extérieure ou intérieure, -l'ornementation obtenue seulement par l'assemblage des pierres sans -sculpture, donnent aux édifices de Mitla un caractère particulier qui -les distingue nettement de ceux de l'Yucatan et qui indiquerait aussi -une date plus récente.' _Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Id._, pp. 100-1. - -[VII-68] Lovato's report was published with two of the nine plates -which originally accompanied it in the _Museo Mex._, tom. iii., p. -329-35, and, without the plates in _Diccionario Univ._, tom. ix., pp. -697-700. Müller, _Reisen_, tom. ii., pp. 251-4, gives an account which -seems to have been made up mostly from Lovato's report, although he -may have personally visited the ruins. A short description, also from -the _Museo Mex._, may be found in _Mayer's Mex. Aztec_, vol. ii., p. -217, and _Id._, _Observations_, pp. 25-6. - -[VII-69] _Museo Mex._, tom. i., p. 136. Lovato's exploration was made -by the order of Gen. Leon, and the account furnished for publication -by Sr J. M. Tornel. In describing the Temple, the three flights of -stairs are said to have 10, 8, and 6 steps, respectively, which does -not agree with the plate as copied above. Müller gives the number of -small buildings, or dwellings, whose foundations are visible as 120 -instead of 130; he also gives in his dimensions mètres instead of -varas, which would increase them in English feet in the proportion of -92 to 109. He further states that the structures face the cardinal -points. - -[VII-70] _Unda_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da época, tom. i., p. -30; _Museo Mex._, tom. i., p. 250. - -[VII-71] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., p. 14, pl. xix., fig. 55; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 244, vol. vi., p. 442, vol. iv., pl. -xvii., fig. 55; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., p. 47. - -[VII-72] _Museo Mex._, tom. i., pp. 249, 401, with plates of the rings -and 7 stone relics. - -[VII-73] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 15-16, pl. xix.-xx., fig. 56-63; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 244-5, vol. vi., pp. 442-3, vol. iv., pl. -xvii.-xviii., fig. 56-63. Respecting the jasper figures M. Dupaix -says: 'Le nombre de celles qu'on trouve dans les sépultures de la -nation zapotèque est infini. Elles ont deux à trois pouces de haut; -elles sont presque toutes de forme triangulaire, quadrangulaire, ou -prismatique, et sont sculptées en jaspe vert foncé, ayant -invariablement la même attitude semblable à celle d'Iris ou d'Osiris, -dont les petites idoles étaient destinées à accompagner les momies -égyptiennes.' The hole in the back part of each is drilled in a curved -line. _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., pp. 47-8. - -[VII-74] _Muñoz_, _Estadística del Distrito de Hidalgo_, in -_Guerrero_, _Memoria presentada á la H. Legislatura, por el -Gobernador, Fran. O. Arce_, 1872, pp. 45, 150, 272. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -ANTIQUITIES OF VERA CRUZ. - - PHYSICAL FEATURES OF THE STATE -- EXPLORATION AND REPORTS - -- CAXAPA AND TUXTLA -- NEGRO HEAD -- RELICS FROM ISLAND - OF SACRIFICIOS -- EASTERN SLOPE REMAINS -- MEDELIN -- - XICALANCO -- RIO BLANCO -- AMATLAN -- ORIZAVA -- CEMPOALA - -- PUENTE NACIONAL -- PASO DE OVEJAS -- HUATUSCO -- - FORTIFICATIONS AND PYRAMIDS OF CENTLA -- EL CASTILLO -- - FORTRESS OF TLACOTEPEC -- PALMILLAS -- ZACUAPAN -- - INSCRIPTION AT ATLIACA -- CONSOQUITLA FORT AND TOMB -- - CALCAHUALCO -- RUINS OF MISANTLA OR MONTE REAL -- DISTRICT - OF JALANCINGO -- PYRAMID OF PAPANTLA -- MAPILCA -- PYRAMID - AND FOUNTAIN AT TUSAPAN -- RUINS OF METLALTOYUCA -- RELICS - NEAR PÁNUCO -- CALONDRAS, SAN NICOLAS, AND TRINIDAD. - - -Passing now to the eastern or gulf coast, I shall devote the present -chapter to the antiquities of Vera Cruz, the ancient home of the -Totonacs in the north, and the Xicalancas and Nonohualcos in the -south. Vera Cruz, with an average width of seventy miles, extends from -the Laguna de Santa Ana, the western boundary of Tabasco, to the mouth -of the River Pánuco, a distance of about five hundred miles. Its -territory is about equally divided lengthwise between the low -malarious tierra caliente on the immediate gulf shore, and the eastern -slope of the lofty sierra that bounds the Mexican plateau. Two or -three much-traveled routes lead inland from the port of Vera Cruz -towards the city of Mexico, and travelers make haste to cross this -plague-belt, the lurking-place of the deadly vomito, turning neither -to the right nor left to investigate the past or present. A railroad -now completed renders the transit still more direct and rapid than -before. Away from these routes the territory of this state is less -known than almost any other portion of the Mexican Republic, although -a portion of the southern Goatzacoalco region has been pretty -thoroughly explored by surveyors of the Tehuantepec interoceanic -routes, and by an unfortunate French colonization company that settled -here early in the present century. The mountain slopes and plateaux -twenty-five or thirty miles inland are, however, fertile and not -unhealthy, having been crowded in ancient times with a dense -aboriginal population, traces of whose former presence are found in -every direction. Most of our information respecting the antiquities of -this state is derived from the reports of Mexican explorers, only one -or two of whom have in most cases visited each of the many groups of -ruins. These explorers have as a rule fallen into a very natural, -perhaps, but at the same time very unfortunate error in their -descriptions; for after having displayed great energy and skill in the -discovery and examination of a ruin, doubtless forming a clear idea of -all its details, they usually compress these details into the space of -a few paragraphs or a few pages, and devote the larger part of their -reports to essays on the Toltec, Chichimec, or Olmec history--subjects -on which they can throw no light. They neglect a topic of the deepest -interest, concerning which their authority would be of the very -greatest weight, for another respecting which their conclusions are -for the most part valueless. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RELICS AT SACRIFICIOS ISLAND.] - -The ruins of an aboriginal city are mentioned at Caxapa, between the -volcano of Tuxtla and the coast in the southern part of the -state.[VIII-1] In the vicinity of Tuxtla, at the south-western base -of the volcano, a colossal granite head, six feet high, was found by a -laborer in 1862, while making a clearing for a milpa. The head was -photographed, and a copy of the plate published by the Mexican -Geographical Society, together with an accompanying text prepared by -J. M. Melgar. A copy of the plate is given in the cut. The most -noticeable peculiarity in this head is the negro cast of the features, -and Señor Melgar devotes his article to the negro race, which as he -supposes lived in America before the coming of the Spaniards.[VIII-2] - - [Illustration: Ethiopian Head of Granite.] - - [Illustration: Earthen Vase--Isle of Sacrificios.] - - [Illustration: White Marble Vase--Vera Cruz.] - -On the island of Sacrificios, in the harbor of Vera Cruz, one -author[VIII-3] states that remains of the ancient temple are visible. -This is probably an error, but numerous small relics have been dug up -on the island. Many of the relics were articles of pottery, one of -which of very peculiar form is shown in the cut from Waldeck. This, -like most of the other articles found here, is preserved in the Museum -of Mexico, and was sketched by Mayer and by Waldeck. Mr Tylor -pronounces it not the work of the natives before the Conquest, in fact -a fraud, "one of the worst cases I ever noticed." There is no doubt of -the accuracy of the drawing, and Sr Gondra assured Col. Mayer, as the -latter informs me, that the relic is an authentic one.[VIII-4] Workmen -engaged in laying the foundations of the modern fort found, at a depth -of six feet, vases of hard material, which in the opinion of M. -Baradère resembled vases that have been brought from Japan.[VIII-5] -Col. Mayer gives cuts of thirteen relics dug from a subterranean -chamber or grave in 1828. Two of these were of white marble or -alabaster, and one of them is shown in the cut. M. Dumanoir made an -excavation also in 1841, finding a sepulchre containing well-preserved -human skeletons, earthen vases painted and etched, idols, images, -bracelets, teeth of dogs and wild beasts, and marble, or alabaster, -urns. Plates of many of the relics have been published.[VIII-6] - - [Sidenote: REMAINS ON THE EASTERN SLOPE.] - -From the city of Vera Cruz two main routes of travel lead inland -toward the city of Mexico. The first extends north-westward via -Jalapa, and the second south-westward via Orizava. After crossing the -first lofty mountain barrier which divides the coast from the interior -plateaux, the roads approach each other and meet near Puebla. On the -eastern slope, the roads with the mountain range, which at this point -extends nearly north and south, form a triangle with equal sides of -about eighty miles, at the angles of which are the cities of Vera -Cruz, Jalapa, and Orizava, or more accurately points ten or fifteen -miles above the two latter. This comparatively small triangular area, -round which so many travelers have passed in their journey to Anáhuac, -is literally covered with traces of its aboriginal population, in the -shape of pottery, implements, foundation stones of dwellings, -fortifications, pyramids, and graves. I quote the following from an -article on the antiquities of Vera Cruz, written in 1869, for the -Mexican Geographical Society, by Carlos Sartorius: - -"On the eastern slope of the lofty volcanic range, from the Peak of -Orizava to the Cofre de Perote, at an average elevation of two to five -thousand feet above the level of the gulf, there exist innumerable -traces of a very numerous indigenous population before the Conquest. -History tells us nothing respecting this part of the country, -distinguished for its abundant supply of water, its fertility, and its -delightful and healthy climate." "For an extent of fifteen to twenty -leagues, from east to west, there was not a span of earth that was not -cultivated, as is proved by numberless remains.... The whole country -is formed into terraces by stone walls, which follow all the -variations of the surface with the evident object of preventing the -washing away of the soil. Sometimes the terraces are ten or twelve -yards wide, at others hardly one yard. The small ravines called -_rayas_ served for innumerable water-tanks, built of rocks and clay, -or of stone and mortar, these dams being also covered with a coating -of hard cement. It is evident that a numerous population took -advantage of every inch of land for cultivation, using the water -gathered in the tanks during the rainy season for irrigation, possibly -effected by hand by means of earthern vessels. In the more sterile -portions of the land, on the top of hills which have no soil are seen -the foundations of dwellings, all of stone without mortar, arranged in -streets or in groups. They always form an oblong rectangle and face -the cardinal points. They are found in clearing heavy forests as well -as on open tracts, and the fact that oaks a mètre in diameter are -found within the enclosure of the walls, proves that many centuries -have passed since the population disappeared. In many parts are found -groups of pyramids, of various sizes and degrees of preservation. The -largest, of stone, are fifty feet and over in height, while the -smallest are not over ten or twelve. The last seem to be tombs; at -least several that we opened contained skeletons in a very decomposed -state, with earthen utensils like those now made by the natives, -arrow-heads of obsidian and bird-bone, doubtless the supplies given to -the dead for their journey." One contained an elegant burial urn, -bearing ornamental figures in relief, containing ashes and fragments -of human bones, and covered first with small pebbles, and then with -stone flags. "The region which we subjected to our investigation -comprehends the slope of the sierra to the coast between Orizava and -Jalapa. At an elevation of four or five thousand feet there are many -springs, which at a short distance form ravines in a soil composed of -conglomerates or, further south, of lime. In their course the ravines -unite and form points sometimes with vertical walls of considerable -height. As the water-courses do not follow a straight line, but wind -about, the erosion of the current above the meeting of the ravines -destroys a great portion of the dividing ridge, so that above there -remains only a narrow pass, the ridge afterwards assuming greater -width until the end is reached. This play of nature occurs in the -region of which we are speaking, at many points and with great -uniformity, almost always at the same level of two thousand to -twenty-five hundred feet. The natives selected these points, strong by -nature, fortifying them by art so ingeniously as to leave no doubt as -to their progress in military art.... Some of them are almost -inaccessible, and can be reached only by means of ladders and ropes. -They all have this peculiarity in common, that, besides serving for -defense, they enclose a number of edifices destined for -worship,--teocallis and traces of very large structures, such as -residences, quarters, or perhaps palaces of the priests and rulers. In -some of them there are springs and remains of large artificial tanks; -in others, aqueducts of stone and mortar, to bring water from distant -springs." Sr Sartorius then proceeds to the description of particular -ruins, of which more hereafter.[VIII-7] - - [Sidenote: TRACES OF ABORIGINAL POPULATION.] - -Mr Hugo Finck, a resident for twenty-eight years in the region under -consideration, in which he traveled extensively to collect botanical -specimens, contributed the following general remarks to the -Smithsonian Report for 1870: "There is hardly a foot of ground in the -whole state of Vera Cruz [the author refers particularly to the region -about Córdova, Huatusco, and Mirador] in which, by excavation, either -a broken obsidian knife, or a broken piece of pottery is not found. -The whole country is intersected with parallel lines of stones, which -were intended during the heavy showers of the rainy season to keep the -earth from washing away. The number of those lines of stones shows -clearly that even the poorest land, which nobody in our days would -cultivate, was put under requisition by them.... In this part of the -country no trace of iron or copper tools has ever come under my -notice. Their implements of husbandry and war were of hard stone, but -generally of obsidian and of wood. The small mounds of stones near -their habitations have the form of a parallelogram, and are not over -twenty-seven inches high. Their length is from five to twelve yards, -their width from two to four. On searching into them nothing is found. -A second class of mounds is round, in the form of a cone, always -standing singly. They are built of loose stones and earth, and of -various sizes; some as high as five yards, with a diameter of from -five to twenty yards. Excavation made in them brought to light a large -pot of burned clay filled with ashes, but in general nothing is found. -The third class of mounds, also built of loose stones and earth, have -the form of a parallelogram, whose smaller sides look east and west, -and are from five to six yards high, terminating at the top in a level -space of from three to five yards in width, the base being from eight -to twelve yards. They are found from fifteen to two hundred yards -long. Sometimes several are united, forming a hollow square, which -must have been used as a fortress. Others again have their outer -surface made of masonry, but still the inside is filled up with loose -stones and earth. Near river-beds, where stones are very abundant, -these tumuli are largest. Principally in this latter class, idols, -implements of husbandry and war are discovered, sometimes lying quite -loose, and at others imbedded in hollow square boxes made of masonry. -The last-described mounds form the transition to those constructions -which are altogether built of solid masonry.... One peculiarity of the -last-mentioned ruins is, that they are all constructed at the junction -of two ravines, and used as fortresses, on account of their -impregnability. Most of the larger barrancas have precipitous sides -from three hundred to one thousand feet deep, which guarded the -inhabitants on their flank, so that nothing more was required than to -build a wall, leaving a small entrance in the middle, as a passage, -which could be barricaded in time of war.... Such constructions can be -seen to this day in tolerable good condition. The interior of these -fortified inclosures is in general large, sometimes holding from four -to five square miles, and could be put under cultivation in case of a -siege. The wall is in general from four to five yards high, and has on -the inside terraces with steps to lead to the top. At other places -there is a series of semicircular walls, the front one lower than the -following, and a passage between each to permit one person at a time -to pass from one to the other. The innermost wall is sometimes -perforated with loopholes through which arrows could be thrown. Quite -a number of ruins are found inside the fortification, as mounds, -altars, good level roads with a foundation of mortar. Most of these -monuments have good preserved steps leading to the top. In some very -small pots of burning clay are found filled with ashes."[VIII-8] - -The preceding quotations are sufficient to give a clear idea of the -ruins in their general features, and leave only such particular -remains as have been made known through the labors of different -explorers to be described. Some ten or twelve of the peculiar -fortified places alluded to above have been more or less fully -described, but as there is no even tolerably accurate topographical -map of this region, it is utterly impossible to locate them. Each -stream, ravine, bluff, hill, and mountain of all the labyrinth, has -its local name; indeed, some of them seem to have two or three, but -most of them have no place on the maps. It is consequently quite -possible that the same ruins have been described under more than one -name. I shall present each group as it is described by the explorer, -giving when possible the distance and bearing from some point laid -down on the map which accompanies this volume. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: AMATLAN AND ORIZAVA.] - -Before treating of these ruins, however, I shall mention some -miscellaneous relics, from the region under consideration, found at -well-known towns, or in their vicinity. Colonel Albert S. Evans dug -two terra-cotta images from a grave at Medellin, about eight miles -south-west of Vera Cruz, in 1869. They seem to represent a male and -female, and are now in the collection of Mr C. D. Voy, of Oakland, -California. Near the same town, on the Rio Jamapa, are to be seen, -Brasseur tells us, the ruins of one of the two ancient cities called -Xicalanco; and also that the traces of an ancient city may yet be seen -under the water between the city of Vera Cruz and the fort of San Juan -de Ulloa.[VIII-9] About forty-five miles south-east of Córdova, -between that town and the bridge over the Rio Blanco, Dupaix found a -hard stone of dark blue color, artificially worked into an irregular -spherical form, about six feet in diameter, and so carefully balanced -that it could be made to vibrate by a slight touch. A number of small -shallow holes were formed on the surface. A similar stone is placed -two leagues to the eastward, and they are supposed by Dupaix to have -served as boundary marks. Teololinga is the name by which the natives -call them.[VIII-10] Also in the neighborhood of Córdova, at Amatlan -de los Reyes, certain traces of a temple are vaguely mentioned by the -same traveler; and on a wooded hillside near by is a cave, in which -have been found fragments of carved stone and pottery, including a -squatting trunk and legs, and a head carved from the same kind of -stone that constitutes the walls of the cave. The latter relic is -shown in the cut. The form of the head seems to have nothing in common -with the ordinary aboriginal type.[VIII-11] - - [Illustration: Stone head from Amatlan.] - - [Illustration: Sacrificial Yoke from Orizava.] - -At Orizava two relics were seen, one of them a triangular stone five -feet thick and ninety feet in circumference, used in modern times as -the floor of a native's cabin. On one of the triangular surfaces was -incised in rude outline a colossal human figure twenty-seven feet -high, standing with legs spread apart and arms outstretched. A girdle -appears at the waist, plumes decorate the head, and the mouth is wide -open. On one side a fish stands on its tail; on the other is a rabbit -with ten small circles, very likely expressing some date after the -Aztec manner,--ten tochtli. Some carvings not described were noticed -on the edges also. The other relic was a kind of yoke carved from -green jasper and supposed to have been used in connection with the -Aztec sacrifices. It is shown in the cut according to Castañeda's -drawing. The original yoke was carried by Dupaix to Mexico and -deposited in one of the antiquarian collections there, where it was -afterwards sketched by Mayer and Gondra.[VIII-12] Near Jalapa, Rivera -states that a serpent fifteen feet long and nine feet broad, may be -seen carved in the rock.[VIII-13] Half a day's journey from Vera Cruz -towards Mexico, at a point which he calls Rinconado, Robert Tomson saw -"a great pinacle made of lime and stone, fast by a riuer side, where -the Indians were wont to doe their sacrifices vnto their -gods."[VIII-14] About the location of Cempoala, a famous city in the -time of the Conquest, there has been much discussion. Lorenzana says -that the place "still retains the same name; it is situated four -leagues from Vera Cruz, and the extent of its ruins indicates its -former greatness." Rivera tells us, however, that "to-day not even the -ruins of this capital of the Totonac power remain," although some -human bones have been dug up about its site.[VIII-15] - - * * * * * - - [Illustration: Pyramid near Puente Nacional.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS AT PUENTE NACIONAL.] - -Passing now to the labyrinth of ruins within the triangular area -extending from the peaks of Orizava and Perote to the coast, I begin -with those in the vicinity of the Puente Nacional, where the road from -Vera Cruz to Jalapa crosses the Rio de la Antigua. These remains are -located on the summit of a forest-covered hill over a hundred feet -high, on the bank of the river some two leagues from the bridge. They -were discovered in 1819 or 1820 by a priest named Cabeza de Vaca, and -in November, 1843, J. M. Esteva, to whom the priest related his -discovery, made an exploration, and as a result published a -description with two plates in the _Museo Mexicano_. On the uneven -surface of the hill-top stands a pyramid of very peculiar form, shown -in the cut, which is an ichnographic plan of the structure. It is -built of stone and mortar, the former probably in hewn blocks, -although the text is not clear on this point. The height varies from -thirty-three to forty-two feet, according to the inequalities of the -ground. The circumference is not far from three hundred English feet, -while the summit platform measures about fifty-five by forty-four -feet. On all sides except the eastern the slope is divided into six -stories, or steps, about one foot wide and seven feet high at the base -but diminishing towards the top, making the ascent much steeper than -that of most aboriginal pyramids that we have met hitherto. The -eastern side is all taken up by a stairway about sixty-three feet -wide, consisting of thirty-four steps. This stairway, as is more -clearly shown in Esteva's view of this side than in my cut, is -arranged in the form of a cross. - -On the western base is the entrance to a gallery which penetrates the -body of the pyramid; it was obstructed by fallen stones, but Esteva -succeeded in exploring the passage far enough to convince himself that -the interior was divided into several apartments. At some distance -from the pyramid were noticed the foundations of a wall.[VIII-16] - -Mr Lyon mentions the existence of ruins--which he did not visit--in -this vicinity on the edge of a plateau, at the north side of the -valley, about a mile and a half to the right of the road, and only a -short distance from Paso de Ovejas. "All that remains are the traces -of streets and inclosures, and an assemblage of pyramidical elevations -of earth and stones of various sizes, some of them forty feet in -height." Sr Sartorius reports very extensive ruins on the right bank -of the Antigua, some leagues west of Consoquitla, near Tuzamapa, from -the material of which the 'puente nacional' was constructed. An old -native also reported that a spiral stairway formerly led down to the -bottom of the barranca. Whether the two groups of ruins last mentioned -are identical with that described by Esteva, it is impossible to -determine; quite likely they are distinct remains.[VIII-17] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: FORTIFICATIONS OF CENTLA.] - -Some twenty-five or thirty miles northward from Córdova, in the -vicinity of Huatusco, and stretching northward from that town, is a -line of fortified places, nearly every junction of two ravines bearing -more or less extensive remains. One of the most extensive of these -works is that known as Centla, a few leagues north-east of Huatusco. -The ruins are said to have been discovered by rancheros in 1821. -Ignacio Iberri saw them in 1826, but published no description. An -explorer whose name is not given visited the locality in 1832, and -furnished information from which Sr Gondra published an account, -illustrated with plates, in 1837. Sr Sartorius made an exploration of -Centla in 1833, but his description, also accompanied with plates, -was not published until 1869.[VIII-18] - - [Sidenote: FORTRESS OF CENTLA.] - -Two ravines, running from east to west, with precipitous sides from -three hundred to a thousand feet high, approach so near to each other -as to leave only space for a passage about three feet wide, and this -narrow pass is made still stronger by protecting walls not -particularly described. The barrancas then diverge and again converge, -forming an oval table of about four hundred acres, across which, from -east to west is excavated a ditch, or protected road, about seventeen -feet wide and from eight to eleven feet deep, leading to the second -narrow pass, where the ravines again approach each other.[VIII-19] - -This second pass is about twenty-eight feet wide from the brink of the -northern to that of the southern precipice.[VIII-20] This pass is -fortified by defensive works of the strongest character, the plan of -which is shown in the cut on the following page. The only entrance is -through the narrow passage only three feet wide, shown by the arrows, -beginning at the southern brink, passing between two stone pyramids, -A, and E, D, C, and then along the northern brink to the plateau -beyond, the issue into the latter being guarded additionally by three -smaller pyramids. The chief pyramid on the right of the entrance is -built of stone and mortar in three stories, or terraces, C, D and E, -respecting the arrangement of which the plan[VIII-21] is not -altogether satisfactory; but each story is reached by a stairway on -the east, and on the summit are parapets pierced with loopholes for -the discharge of weapons. This structure is also flanked on the south, -where the descent for a short distance is less precipitous than -elsewhere, by a terraced wall at B. The left hand fortification, A, is -described by Gondra as a simple wall, but according to Sartorius and -the plan it is also a pyramid, with stairway on the east and parapets -on the summit. It has apparently only one story, and is lower than its -companion, but its front has an additional protection in the form of a -ditch eleven feet wide and five and a half feet deep, excavated in the -solid rock, the position of which is shown by the dotted line _a_, -_a_.[VIII-22] - - [Illustration: Fortifications of Centla.] - -Beyond the narrow fortified pass that has been described, the -southern ravine again diverges and forms a semicircle before joining -that on the north, forming thus a peninsular plateau a mile and a half -long, and somewhat less than three quarters of a mile wide, covered -with soil of great fertility, and divided in two parts by the waters -of a spring, whose waters flow through the centre. Since its discovery -this fertile table has been settled and cultivated by modern farmers, -some twenty families of whom--whether native or Spanish is not -stated--were living here in 1832. The whole surface was covered with -traces of its former inhabitants, but most of the monuments in the -cultivated portions have been destroyed by the settlers, who used the -stones for buildings and fences. In other parts, covered with a forest -at the time of exploration, extensive remains were found in good -preservation, besides the fortresses at the entrance. Pyramids of -different dimensions, standing singly and in groups, together with -foundations of houses and sculptured fragments, were scattered in -every direction enveloped in the forest growth. - - [Illustration: Type of Pyramids at Centla.] - -The pyramids are all built of rough stones, clay, and earth, faced on -the outside with hewn blocks from eighteen inches to two feet long, -laid in mortar. The stone seems to have been brought from the bottom -of the ravines, and it is said that no lime is procurable within a -distance of fifteen or twenty miles. Sartorius gives a plate -representing one of the pyramids, which he states to be a type of all -those at Centla, and indeed of all in this region, and which is -copied in the cut. The stairways are generally on the west, and the -niches at the sides are represented as having arched tops and as -occupied by idols. Some of the smaller mounds have been found to -contain human skeletons lying north and south, and from one of them a -farmer claimed to have dug a number of green stone beads. Sartorius -claims to have found in connection with one of the pyramids an altar -having a concavity on the top, and a canal leading to a receptacle at -the foot of the mound; he also mentions a very elegant vase, six by -four inches, found under a stone flag, near the altar. Gondra speaks -of a large square or court, level and covered with a coat of hard -polished cement; he also claims that six columns of stone and mortar -were seen, twelve feet high, standing at the bottom of a ravine. - - [Illustration: El Castillo at Huatusco.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS AT HUATUSCO.] - -Dupaix in his first exploring tour visited Huatusco, and states that -at a distance of half a league down the river from the modern town was -found a group of ruins known as the Pueblo Viejo. These ruins were on -the slope of a hill, and on the summit stood the pyramid shown in the -cut, known as El Castillo. The height of this Castle is about -sixty-six feet, and according to Dupaix's text the base is two -hundred and twenty-one feet square, but, according to Castañeda's -drawing, copied above, each side is not over seventy-five -feet.[VIII-23] The foundation, or pyramid proper, is built in three -stories, being about thirty-seven feet high. A broad stairway, with -solid balustrade, leads up the western front. On the summit platform -stands a building in three stories, with walls about eight feet thick, -which, at least on the exterior, are not perpendicular but slope -inward. The lower story has but one doorway, that at the head of the -stairway; it forms a single hall, in the centre of which are three -pillars, which sustained the beams of the floor above, pieces of the -beams being yet visible. The two upper stories seem to have had no -doors or windows. Dupaix says that on the summit was a platform three -feet thick, yet as the roof was fallen, he probably had little or no -authority for the statement. The interior of the whole structure was a -rubble of stone and mortar, and the facing of hewn blocks regularly -laid. The whole exterior surface, at least of the superimposed -structure, was covered with a polished coating of plaster, and a -peculiar ornament is seen in each side of the second story, in the -form of a large panel, containing regular rows of round stones -imbedded in the wall. El Castillo, if we may credit Dupaix's account -of it, must be regarded as a very important monument of Nahua -antiquity, by reason of the edifice, in a tolerable state of -preservation, found on the summit of the pyramid. These upper -structures with interior apartments have in most instances entirely -disappeared. In connection with these ruins Dupaix found a coiled -serpent carved from hard stone; a fragment of terra-cotta with -decorations in relief; and a fancifully modeled skull, the material of -which is not stated.[VIII-24] - - [Sidenote: FORTRESS OF TLACOTEPEC.] - -Sartorius mentions a 'castle,' with towers and teocallis, situated on -a frightful cliff between two barrancas, three leagues from Huatusco, -distinct from Centla, and some leagues further southward.[VIII-25] -Clavigero says that in his time the ancient fortress of Quauhtochco, -or Guatusco, was still standing, surrounded with lofty walls of solid -stone, which could only be entered by means of many high and narrow -steps.[VIII-26] Sr Iberri applies the name El Castillo to the ruins -visited by him in 1826, but it is evident from his slight description -that he refers to Centla.[VIII-27] It is clear that at least two and -probably more groups of remains are indicated by the different -authorities cited. - - * * * * * - -The following are mentioned as the localities of undescribed ruins, -several of them belonging to what seems to be a line of ancient -fortifications extending northward from the vicinity of Huatusco: -Cotastla, Matlaluca, Capulapa, Tlapala, Poxtla, Xicuintla, and -Chistla.[VIII-28] The fortress of Tlacotepec is located four leagues -east of Jolutla, between the Rio de la Antigua and Paso de Ovejas, six -thousand varas west of and a quarter of a league above the houses of -the hacienda of Mirador, separated by a deep ravine from San Martin on -the south--a location which might possibly be clear enough with the -aid of a good map, or to a person perfectly familiar with the -topography of the country. The position of the fortified plateau is -similar to that of Centla, and a ditch, generally fourteen feet deep -and from sixteen to eighteen feet wide, leads over the hills for -several leagues to the entrance of the plateau. This ditch, however, -seems only to be excavated in the earth, and disappears in several -places where the solid rock is encountered.[VIII-29] At the terminus, -towards the fortifications, the ditch widens into a rectangular -excavation, one hundred and eight by two hundred and seventy-six feet, -surrounded with an embankment formed of the earth thrown out. The -defensive works which guard the passage between the ravines, and the -extensive ruins of temples and dwellings on the plateau beyond, are -described only by Sartorius, and his text, plan, and sketch, all fail -to convey any clear notion respecting the arrangement and details of -these remains. The following, however, are the principal features -noted:--A wall twenty-eight feet high across the entrance to the -plateau; two small towers in pyramidal form on the narrow pass; a -building called the castle, apparently somewhat similar to the -fortifications at Centla; a line of pyramids, serving as a second line -of defense; a ditch excavated in the solid rock; another group of -pyramids protected by a semicircular wall; an excavation apparently -intended as a reservoir for water, covering two thousand square yards, -the bottom of which is literally covered with fragments of pottery, -and on the banks of which are the foundations of many dwellings; a -number of temple pyramids, like the type at Centla shown in a -preceding cut, one of them having the so-called blood-canal; an -earthen receptacle at the foot of the altar, filled with earth, in -which were found two human skulls; the foundations of an edifice two -hundred yards long, having along its whole length "a corridor of -cement with hewn stone at its sides, forming one or two steps;" a -small pyramid formed from the living rock of the cliff, at the very -edge of the precipice where the ravines meet; and finally, -arrow-heads, lance-heads, and knives of obsidian, which are found at -every step, and are even dug up from under the roots of large -trees.[VIII-30] - - * * * * * - - [Illustration: Rock Inscription at Atliaca.] - - [Sidenote: REMAINS ABOUT MIRADOR.] - -A few leagues eastward from Tlacotepec on the same barranca, are two -forts known as Palmillas, separated by a deep ravine. One of them was -used by the Mexican forces under General Victoria in the war of -independence; the other has the remains of an aqueduct which brought -water from a point over a league distant.[VIII-31] At Zacuapan, near -Mirador, and five leagues from Huatusco, according to Heller, are -remains of the ordinary type, including terraced walls, parapets with -loopholes, a plaza with plastered pavement in the centre of which -stands a pyramid, a cubical structure or altar on the very verge of -the precipice, and the usual scattered pottery and implements. Six -miles south of Mirador the same traveler mentions some baths, on a -rock near which is the inscription shown in the cut.[VIII-32] Also in -the vicinity of Mirador, at the junction of two tributaries of the -Santa María, is the fortress of Consoquitla, similar to the others. A -line of plastered pyramidal structures is mentioned, in one of the -smallest of which was a tomb three by six feet lying north and south -and covered with large stone flags. Within the tomb was a skeleton, -together with earthen boxes filled with arrow-heads and bird-bones. -Some large idols are also said to have been found here, and on the -summit platform of some of the pyramids were the marks of upright -beams, which seem to have supported wooden buildings.[VIII-33] -Calcahualco, 'ruined houses,' is also on one of the tributaries of the -Santa María. A parapeted wall fifty-five feet long protects the -entrance, and could only be crossed by the aid of ropes or ladders. -The wall seems to stand in an excavation, so that its top is about on -a level with the original surface of the plateau. Within the -fortifications is a large pyramid surrounded by smaller ones and by -the foundations of houses; and another excavation, a hundred yards -long and twenty-five in width, is vaguely mentioned as of unknown use. -A mile and a half further south-east are some ruins in the bottom of a -ravine. A wall nine feet high rises from the water's edge, and on it -stand a row of round monolithic columns, which seem to have supported -a stone architrave.[VIII-34] Mr Tylor noticed some remains by the -roadside, at the eastern foot of Orizava, as he was traveling towards -San Antonio de Abajo.[VIII-35] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF MISANTLA.] - -Northward from the triangular area, the remains of which I have -described, ruins seem to be no less abundant, and accounts of them no -less unsatisfactory. The remains known by the name of Misantla, from a -modern pueblo near by, are located some twenty-five or thirty miles -north-eastward of Jalapa, near the headwaters of the Rio Bobos. They -are sometimes called Monte Real, from the name of one of the hills in -the vicinity. They were discovered accidentally by men searching for -lost goats, and visited by Mariano Jaimes in 1836; in October of the -same year, I. R. Gondra, from information furnished by the discoverers -and Jaimes, and from certain newspaper accounts, wrote and published a -very perplexing description, illustrated with a plan and two views. In -the same or the following year J. I. Iberri made an official -exploration of Misantla, or Monte Real, and his report, also -illustrated with many plates, and rivaling that of Gondra in its -unsatisfactory nature, was published in 1844. Not only are the two -accounts individually to a great extent unintelligible, but neither -they nor their accompanying illustrations seem to have any -well-defined resemblance to each other.[VIII-36] - -The site of the ruins seems to be a ravine-bounded plateau, somewhat -similar to those already described, the approach to which is guarded -by a wall. This wall extends not only across the pass, but down one of -the slopes, which is not so steep as to be naturally inaccessible to -an enemy. According to Iberri the wall is a natural vein of porphyry, -artificially cut down in some parts, and built up by the addition of -blocks of stone in others, measuring three yards high and two in -width. The same explorer, after passing the wall and climbing with -much difficulty to a point about two hundred and fifty feet higher, -found a pyramid standing on a terraced hill, on the terraces of which -were various traces of houses and fortifications. The pyramid was -built of porphyry and basalt in blocks of different sizes, laid in -mortar, was thirty-three feet square at the base and seventeen feet -high, and had a narrow stairway on one side at least. On the summit -platform were traces of apartments of rough stones and mortar; also a -canal nine inches square, leading to the exterior. The first wall -mentioned by Gondra in the approach to the ruins, was one of large -stones in poor mortar, mostly fallen; it seemed to form a part of -walls that bounded a plaza of nearly circular form, in the centre of -which stood the pyramid. This edifice was forty-seven by forty-one -feet at the base, twenty-eight feet high, and was built in three -stories; the lower story had a central stairway on the front, the -second had stairways on the sides, while on the third story the steps -were in the rear. There are also some traces of a stairway on the -front of the second story. The whole surface is covered with trees, -one of which is described as being about fourteen feet high, and over -eight feet in diameter. The only resemblance in the two views of this -pyramid, is the representation of a tree on the summit in each; -between the two plans there is not the slightest likeness; and so far -as Iberri's third figure is concerned, it seems to resemble nothing in -heaven above, the earth beneath, or the waters under the earth. Both -authors agree on the existence of many house-foundations of stone -without mortar, extending the whole length of the plateau. According -to Iberri these houses were eleven by twenty-two feet, some of them -divided in several apartments, standing on the terraces of the hill, -only a foot and a half apart, along regular streets about six feet -wide. The walls are of hewn stone without mortar, and none remained -standing over three feet high. Gondra represents the houses as -extending in three and four straight and parallel rows for over two -miles on the plateau, with a wall of masonry running the whole length -on the south. At various points on the summit and slopes of the hill -tombs are found, containing seated skeletons and relics of obsidian -and pottery. One of these tombs, as represented by Gondra, is shown in -the cut, in which the arched doorway has a very suspicious look. - - [Illustration: Tomb at Misantla.] - -The miscellaneous relics found in connection with the ruins and in the -tombs include pottery, metates, slabs with sculptured grecques, -hieroglyphics, and human figures in relief, stone images of different -sizes up to eighteen inches, representing human figures seated with -elbows on the knees, and head raised; and finally an obsidian tube, a -foot in diameter and eighteen inches long, very perfectly turned, -together with similar earthen tubes with interior compartments. Such -is all the information I am able to glean from the published accounts -and plates respecting Misantla, in the vicinity of which town other -groups of ruins are very vaguely mentioned. - -In the same range of mountains, in the district of Jalancingo, walls -of hewn stone, with well-preserved subterranean structures containing -household idols, are mentioned as existing at Mescalteco; also some -remains at Pueblo Viejo and Jorse, those of the latter including a -remarkable stone statue of marble. This reported relic is said to -have represented a naked woman clasping a bird in her arms. The lower -parts of the woman are missing, and the bird much mutilated, but the -prefect of Jalancingo says in his report, "it would be easy to -complete the figure into Jupiter-swan fondling Leda."[VIII-37] - - * * * * * - - [Illustration: Pyramid of Papantla.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF PAPANTLA.] - -About a hundred and fifty miles north-westward from Vera Cruz, fifty -miles in the same direction from the ruins of Misantla, forty-five -miles from the coast, and four or five miles south-west from the -pueblo of Papantla, stands the pyramid shown in the cut, known to the -world by the name of the pueblo, Papantla, but called by the Totonac -natives of the region, El Tajin, the 'thunderbolt.' It was -accidentally discovered in March, 1785, by one Diego Ruiz, who was -exploring this part of the county in an official capacity, with a view -to prevent the illegal raising of tobacco; and from his report a -description and copper-plate engraving were prepared and published in -the _Gaceta de Mexico_.[VIII-38] Humboldt described but did not visit -the pyramid. He states that Dupaix and Castañeda explored and made -drawings of it, but neither description nor plates appear in the work -of these travelers.[VIII-39] The German artist Nebel visited Papantla -about 1831, and made a fine and doubtless perfectly accurate drawing, -from which the cut which I have given has been copied.[VIII-40] - -The pyramid stands in a dense forest, apparently not on a naturally or -artificially fortified plateau like the remains further south. Its -base is square, measuring a little over ninety feet on each side, and -the height is about fifty-four feet; the whole structure was built in -seven stories, the upper story being partially in ruins.[VIII-41] -Except the upper story, which seems to have contained interior -compartments, the whole structure was, so far as known, solid. The -material of which it was built is sandstone, in regularly cut blocks -laid in mortar--although Humboldt, perhaps on the authority of Dupaix, -says the material is porphyry in immense blocks covered with -hieroglyphic sculpture--the whole covered on the exterior surface with -a hard cement three inches thick, which also bears traces of having -been painted. According to the account in the _Gaceta_, the stones -that form the tops of the many niches shown in the cut are from five -and a half to seven feet long, four to five and a half wide, and four -to nine inches thick. Respecting the stairway nothing can be said in -addition to what is shown in the cut. It leads up the eastern slope, -and is the only means of ascent to the summit. It is divided by solid -balustrades into five divisions, only two of which extend -uninterruptedly to the upper story, while the central division can -hardly have been used at all as a stairway.[VIII-42] - -The niches shown in my cut extend entirely round the circumference of -each story, except where interrupted on the east by the stairways. -Each niche is about three feet square and two feet deep, except those -in the centre of the eastern front, which are smaller. Their whole -number seems to have been three hundred and twenty-one, according to -Nebel's plate, without including those that may have occurred on the -seventh story.[VIII-43] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF MAPILCA.] - -Only slight mention is made of any scattered or movable relics at -Papantla. It is said that fragments of ruins are scattered over an -area of half a league from the pyramid, but no exploration has been -made. A small golden idol is reported by Gondra to have been found -here, very like a terra-cotta image of Quetzalcoatl, from Culhuacan, -of which a cut will be given in the next chapter. Bausa speaks of a -stone trough found on the summit of the pyramid, ruins of houses in -regular streets in the vicinity, and immense sculptured blocks of -stone. - - [Illustration: Sculptured Granite Block--Mapilca.] - -Mr Nebel also visited another locality where remains were discovered, -south-eastward from Papantla towards the Tecolutla river, near the -rancho of Mapilca. Here in a thick forest were several pyramids in a -very advanced stage of dilapidation and not described. There were also -seen immense blocks of granite scattered in the forest. The one -sketched by Nebel and shown in the cut is twenty-one feet long, and -covered with ornamental sculpture in low relief: it rested on a kind -of pavement of irregular narrow stones. Another explorer, who saw the -ruins in 1828, found the remains of twenty houses, one of them seventy -paces long, with walls still standing to the height of ten feet. Most -of them were only six feet high, and the small amount of débris -indicated that only part of the original height was of stone.[VIII-44] - - * * * * * - - [Illustration: Pyramid of Tusapan.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF TUSAPAN.] - -On a low hill some forty miles west of Papantla, at the foot of the -cordillera, enveloped in an almost impenetrable forest, is another -group of ruins, called Tusapan, known only from the drawings and -slight description of Nebel. The only structure which remains standing -is shown in the cut. It consists of a pyramid thirty feet square at -the base, and bearing a building in a tolerable state of preservation. -Except the doorposts, lintels, and cornices, the whole structure is -said to be built of irregular fragments of limestone; but if this be -true, it is evident from the drawing that the whole was covered with a -smooth coat of plaster. The building on the summit contains a single -apartment twelve feet square, with a door at the head of the stairway. -The apartment contains a block, or pedestal, which may have served for -an altar, or to support an idol; and it has a pointed ceiling similar -in form to the exterior. It is unfortunate that we have no further -details respecting this ceiling, since it would be interesting to know -if it was formed by overlapping stones as in the Maya ruins, -particularly as this is one of the very few remaining specimens of the -aboriginal arch in Nahua territory. From the large number of stone -blocks and other débris found in the vicinity it is supposed that the -pyramid represented in the cut was not the grandest at Tusapan. -Several filled-up wells, and numerous fragments of stone images of -human and animal forms much mutilated were also noticed. - - [Illustration: Fountain in the Living Rock--Tusapan.] - -The water which supplied the aboriginal inhabitants of the place, -seems to have come from a spring located on the side of a precipitous -mountain; and at the base of the cliff, where the water reached the -plain, was the very remarkable fountain shown in the cut, artificially -shaped from the living rock. The cut is an exact fac-simile of Nebel's -plate, except that the surroundings, which add much to its interest, -are necessarily omitted. I quote Nebel's brief description in full. -"Among the ruins of Tusapan is found the grotesque fountain here -represented. The whole monument consists of a statue nineteen feet -high, sculptured in the living rock. The clothing indicates clearly a -woman, seated, resting her head on the left arm, which is supported by -her knee. The head seems to be adorned with feathers and precious -stones. Among the plumes behind is a hollow intended to receive the -waters of a neighboring spring (which no longer exists). The water ran -through the whole figure and out under the petticoats in the most -natural manner, whence it was conducted in a canal of hewn stone to -the town near by."[VIII-45] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF METLALTOYUCA.] - -The Mesa de Metlaltoyuca is on the Tuxpan River, about twelve leagues -south-west from the port of Tuxpan, twenty-two leagues north-east of -Tulancingo, and probably in the state of Vera Cruz, although very near -the boundary. The table-land is very extensive, and is covered -throughout most of its extent by a thick forest. Juan B. Campo, -Sub-Prefect of Huauchinango, discovered a group of ruins here, and -gave a description of his discoveries in a report dated June 27, -1865.[VIII-46] His account is very general, alluding to the ruins of a -great city, whose streets were paved with polished stones, a fine -stone palace plastered and painted, all surrounded by a wall fifteen -feet thick and ten feet high, with a great gate, covered way, stone -bastions, etc., etc. Immediately after the publication of Campo's -report, Ramon Almaraz, chief of a Mexican scientific commission, -engaged with other engineers in surveying for a road in this region, -spent five days in the exploration of the ruined city, preparing -plans and other drawings, and also taking some photographic views. His -report, very far from being full and satisfactory, illustrated with -several plates, was published in the government reports for the year -mentioned.[VIII-47] - - [Illustration: Plan--Ruins of Metlaltoyuca.] - -The name, Metlaltoyuca, according to Galicia Chimalpopoca, signifies -'place fortified with solid stones,' but Sr Linares attributes to the -word a different derivation, and makes it mean 'land of the -maguey.'[VIII-48] Almaraz says: "A succinct account of the ruins might -be given by saying that they consist of pyramids built of hewn blocks -of sandstone, partially covered with a good hydraulic cement, as will -be seen by the chemical analysis which will be given,[VIII-49] and of -some tumuli, and remains of edifices of slight elevation." The -arrangement of the remains is shown in the plan; only a few of the -structures indicated on the plan are mentioned in the description, and -of those few very little is said. The space covered by the ruins is in -rectangular form, about two hundred and fifty by five hundred yards, -and is located in the south-western portion of the mesa. The chief -structure, _a_ of the plan, stands at the north-west corner, and its -northern and western walls, four hundred and eighty-five and one -hundred and ninety-four feet respectively, meet at an angle of 87° -30´; on the other sides the walls are irregular, forming many angles, -and in the interior there are walls which divided the enclosed area -into several compartments. There are, according to the text, traces of -walls, in some places five or six feet high, extending from the ends -of the main structure and inclosing the other works, but not shown in -the plan. Some steps and also water-tanks were found in connection -with the corner walls. Campo also found two doors blocked up with -stone slabs. There are several truncated pyramids, the largest of -which, at _b_, is thirty-six feet high, and one hundred and thirty-one -feet square at the base. It is built in six stories, and has traces of -the buildings which formerly occupied its summit. All the structures -are built of brick-shaped blocks of sandstone, very nicely cut, and -laid in mud.[VIII-50] On the surface of the cement, which covers all -the buildings to a thickness of over an inch, painted figures are -seen. - - [Illustration: Section of a Mound--Metlaltoyuca.] - -A remarkable feature at Metlaltoyuca is the existence of the parallel -mounds at _c_, of the plan. As nearly as can be ascertained from the -drawings and text, they are about one hundred and forty feet long, -twenty feet wide, and ten or twelve feet high. The interior is filled -with loose stones and earth, and the surface is covered with somewhat -irregular brick-shaped blocks, laid in mud or clay, and apparently -covered with cement. The cut shows a transverse section of one of the -mounds, and indicates a near approach to the principle of the regular -key-stone arch, although as the interior was filled to the top, there -is no evidence that the arch was intentionally self-supporting. Some -traces of hieroglyphic paintings were found on the mortar which -covered a part of these mounds.[VIII-51] - -Something over two miles north-west of the ruins described, at the -only point where the mesa is accessible on the northern side, is a -double stone wall guarding the passage. The outer wall is three or -four hundred yards long, thirteen feet high, and fifty feet thick at -the base, diminishing towards the top. The inner wall is of smaller -dimensions. The same system of defensive works is repeated on the -opposite side of the mesa. The only movable relics found were, the -figure of a female bearing a sculptured cross, a representation of a -mummy closely wrapped as if for burial and having features of a -different type from those ordinarily found in Aztec idols, and the -form of a man with arms crossed and legs bent, sculptured on a slab, -all of the same sandstone of which the buildings were constructed. -According to Campo, another smaller group of remains has been seen -farther south, towards the Mesa de Amistlan. Two idols of porous -basalt and numerous arrow-heads of obsidian are reported at Guautla, -twenty-five or thirty miles north-west of Metlaltoyuca.[VIII-52] - - [Illustration: Limestone Statue from Pánuco.] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RELICS AT PÁNUCO] - -In the northern extremity of the state, in the region about Pánuco, -small relics are said to be very abundant. A list of thirty specimens -collected by Mr Francis Vecelli during a survey of the Pánuco River, -some of them doubtless belonging to the state of Tamaulipas, across -the river, is given by Mr Vetch in the Journal of the London -Geographical Society. They are mostly of limestone and represent human -figures, for the most part females, rudely sculptured and wearing -peculiar head-dresses. The foreheads are represented as high and -broad, the lips thick, and the cheek-bones high. The sculpture is -rude, and nearly every one of the images has a long unshaped base or -tenon, as if intended to be fixed in a wall. A front and rear view of -one of these images are shown in the cut.[VIII-53] In the town itself, -idols, heads, obsidian arrow-heads, and fragments of ancient pottery, -some of it glazed, are often washed out by the heavy rains. Mr Lyon -speaks of "several curious ancient toys and whistles, with one small -terra cotta vase very beautifully carved with those peculiar -flourishes introduced in the Mexican manuscripts," also "an antique -flute of a very compact red clay, which had once been polished and -painted. It had four holes, and the mouth part was in the form of a -grotesque head." Flutes occur both single and double, with two, three, -and four holes. Earthen representations of birds, toads, and other -animals are frequently found either whole or in fragments. West of the -town five or six mounds from thirty to forty feet high are vaguely -mentioned.[VIII-54] Buried in the ground in a ravine near the town, -and resting on the stone walls of a dilapidated sepulchre, Mr Norman -claims to have found a stone slab seven feet long, wider at one end -than the other, but two feet and a half in average width, one foot -thick, and bearing on one side the sculptured figure of a man. Dressed -in a flowing robe, with girdle, sandal-ties on his feet, and a -close-fitting cap on his head, he lies with crossed arms. The face is -Caucasian in feature, and the work is very perfectly executed. For the -authenticity of so remarkable a relic Mr Norman is hardly a sufficient -authority. Two small images, probably of terra cotta, were presented -by Mr Norman to the New York Historical Society.[VIII-55] - -At the Calondras Rancho, some twenty-five miles from Pánuco, a large -oven-like chamber is reported on the slope of a hill, which contains -large flat stones used for grinding maize. The ruins at Chacuaco, -three leagues south of the town, are said to cover about three square -leagues. Mr Norman also gives cuts of two clay vases from the same -locality, one of them having a negro face, very likely of modern -origin. San Nicolas, five leagues, and Trinidad six leagues south-west -of Pánuco, are other places where ruins are reported to -exist.[VIII-56] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[VIII-1] _Mühlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. ii., p. 32; _Mexikanische -Zustände_, tom. i., p. 31. - -[VIII-2] _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da época, tom. i., pp. 292-7, -tom. iii., pp. 104-9, with two plates representing the colossal head, -and several other relics from some locality not mentioned. - -[VIII-3] _Ottavio_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1833, tom. lix., -p. 64. - -[VIII-4] _Waldeck_, _Palenqué_, pl. xlix.; _Tylor's Anahuac_, pp. -230-1. - -[VIII-5] _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 35. - -[VIII-6] _Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, pp. 93-7; _Id._, _Mex. Aztec, -etc._, vol. ii., p. 272, with 3 cuts; _Id._, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, -vol. vi., p. 588, pl. vi., fig. 5, 6, 8, 11, 12; _Gondra_, in -_Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., pp. 82-4, pl. xv., plate of -a vase. - -[VIII-7] _Sartorius_, _Fortificaciones Antiguas_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., -Boletin_, 2da época, tom. i., pp. 818-27. - -[VIII-8] _Finck_, in _Smithsonian Rept._, 1870, pp. 373-5. Mr Tylor, -in traveling northward towards Jalapa, speaks of 'numerous remains of -ancient Indian mound-forts or temples which we passed on the road.' -_Anahuac_, p. 312. - -[VIII-9] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Palenqué_, p. 33. -'_Chalchiuhcuecan_, ou le pays des coquilles vertes. On voit encore -des débris de la ville de ce nom, sous les eaux qui s'étendent de la -ville de la Véra Cruz au château de San-Juan-de-Ulloa.' _Id._, _Hist. -Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 143. Ruins of the ordinary type are reported -outside the triangular area, in the Sierra de Matlaquiahuitl or del -Gallego, running south from the Rio Jamapa to San Juan de la Punta. -_Sartorius_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da época, tom. i., p. -820. - -[VIII-10] _Dupaix_, 1st exped., pp. 7-8, pl. viii., fig. 8; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 214, vol. vi., p. 425, vol. iv., pl. iv., -fig. 10; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, p. 28. Kingsborough's text -represents this relic as 16 leagues from Orizava instead of Córdova. - -[VIII-11] _Dupaix_, 1st exped., p. 7, pl. vi., vii., fig. 6, 7; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 213-14, vol. vi., pp. 424-5, vol. iv., -pl. iv., fig. 8, 9; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., pp. -22, 27-8. - -[VIII-12] _Dupaix_, 1st exped., p. 5, pl. iv-v., fig. 4-5; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 212-13, vol. vi., pp. 423-4; vol. iv., -pl. iii., fig. 6-7; _Lenoir_, pp. 18, 22, 26-7. - -[VIII-13] _Historia de Jalapa_, Mex. 1869, tom. i., p. 7. - -[VIII-14] _Hakluyt's Voy._, vol. iii., p. 453. - -[VIII-15] Note in _Cortés_, _Despatches_, p. 39; _Rivera_, _Hist. -Jalapa_, Mex., 1869, tom. i., p. 39. Cempoala is located on some maps -on the coast a few leagues north of Vera Cruz; there is also a town of -the name in Mexico. - -[VIII-16] _Esteva_, in _Museo Mex._, tom. ii., pp. 465-7, with plan -and view. Respecting the circumference of the structure, Esteva's text -says: 'la media circunferencia de la base, tomada desde el escalon ó -cuerpo A. B. C., (letters which do not appear in his plate) pues mas -abajo no se podia tomar con esactitud, es de ciento cincuenta y seis -piés castellanos.' I have taken the circumference from the plan. The -material Esteva states to be 'cal, arena, y piedras grandes del rio,' -but the view indicates that hewn stone is employed, or at least that -the whole structure is covered with a smooth coating of cement in -perfect preservation. Esteva's account is also published in the -_Diccionario Univ. de Geog._, tom. x., pp. 166-8, and a slight -description from the same source in _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. -ii., pp. 203-4. - -[VIII-17] _Lyon's Journal_, vol. ii., p. 209; _Sartorius_, in _Soc. -Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da época, tom. i., p. 826. Mühlenpfordt, -_Mej._, tom. ii., p. 89, also mentions the Paso de Ovejas remains. - -[VIII-18] _Iberri_, in _Museo Mex._, tom. iii., p. 23. Gondra's -account in _Mosaico Mex._, tom. ii., pp. 368-72, with two views and a -plan. Sartorius' description in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da época, -tom. i., pp. 821-2, tom. ii., p. 148, with two views apparently the -same as by Gondra, an additional side and front view of a pyramid, and -a plan which bears no likeness to Gondra's, representing perhaps a -different part of the ruins. According to this author the ruins were -first made known in 1829 or 1830. The two accounts are very perplexing -to the student, sometimes resembling each other so closely that one is -ready to believe that Sartorius was the explorer from whom Gondra -obtained his information and drawings, in other parts so different as -to indicate that different ruins are referred to. I am inclined to -believe that Gondra's information did in part refer to some other ruin -in the same region. Gondra's account is also printed in _Diccionario -Univ. Geog._, tom. ix., pp. 565-8. Brief mention in _Rivera_, _Hist. -Jalapa_, Mex. 1869, tom. i., pp. 389-90. - -[VIII-19] Respecting the first narrow pass, the oval table, and the -ditch, Sartorius says nothing. He mentions such a ditch, however, in -connection with the ruins of Tlacotepec, as we shall see. It is quite -possible that the features mentioned do not belong to Centla at all. - -[VIII-20] 10 varas according to Sartorius; Gondra says 15. - -[VIII-21] Copied from Sartorius, with the addition of the shading -only. - -[VIII-22] The views given by Gondra and Sartorius are of the pyramid -A, from the east, and of the terrace walls at B, from the west. The -latter also gives a view of the small pyramid _b_, from the north. The -plan given by Gondra bears no resemblance to the other. It may -represent ruins in other parts of the plateau; it may be a faulty -representation made up from the explorer's description of the works -that have been described; or, what is, I think, more probable, it may -refer to some other group of ruins in the vicinity. It represents a -collection of pyramids and buildings, bounded on both the east and -west by walls, one of which has an entrance close to the brink of the -precipice, while the other had no opening till one was made by the -modern settlers. - -[VIII-23] 'Ochenta varas en cuadro.' Perhaps it should read _feet_ -instead of varas. The plate makes the front slightly over 24 varas. - -[VIII-24] _Dupaix_, 1st exped., pp. 8-9, pl. ix-xi., fig. 9-12; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 215-16, vol. vi., pp. 425-6, vol. iv., -pl. v-vi., fig. 11-15. The skull is mentioned and sketched only in -Kingsborough's edition. _Lenoir_, pp. 23, 29. Slight mention of these -ruins from Dupaix, in _Mosaico Mex._, tom. ii., pp. 373-4; _Klemm_, -_Cultur-Geschichte_, tom. v., p. 157; _Warden_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. -ii., pp. 67-8. - -[VIII-25] _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da época, tom. i., p. 821. - -[VIII-26] _Storia Ant. del Messico_, tom. ii., p. 150; _Bradford's -Amer. Antiq._, p. 104. - -[VIII-27] _Museo Mex._, tom. iii., p. 23. - -[VIII-28] _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da época, tom. i., p. 822; -_Mosaico Mex._, tom. ii., pp. 368, 372; _Smithsonian Rept._, 1870, p. -374. - -[VIII-29] This may possibly be the ditch referred to by Gondra in his -account of Centla. - -[VIII-30] _Sartorius_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da época, tom. -i., pp. 822-4, with plan and view, the latter giving no information. - -[VIII-31] _Id._, p. 824. - -[VIII-32] _Heller_, _Reisen_, pp. 61, 72-3, 76-7, with cut. - -[VIII-33] _Sartorius_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da época, tom. -i., pp. 825-6. - -[VIII-34] _Id._, pp. 821, 824-5, with a sketch which amounts to -nothing. - -[VIII-35] _Anahuac_, p. 297. - -[VIII-36] _Mosaico Mex._, tom. i., pp. 102-5. Gondra's account of the -location is as follows: 'En la serranía al Norte de Jalapa, y distante -de aquella ciudad de diez á once leguas, se encuentra en el canton de -Misantla el cerro llamado del Estillero, á cuya falda se descubre una -montaña terminada por una meseta muy angosta, de cerca de legua y -media de largo, y aislada por barrancos profundos y acantilados, y por -despeñaderos inaccessibles; rodeada por los cerros del Estillero, -Magdalenilla, el Chamuscado, el Camaron y el Conejo por la parte del -Oeste; por el Monte Real ácia el Este, y lo restante por la elevada -cuesta de Misantla.... La única parte algo accesible para subir á la -meseta de la montaña donde se hallan las ruinas, está ácia la falda -del Estillero.... Al comenzar la meseta, bajando por la falda del -cerro del Estillero, lo primero que se observa es un paredon demolido -hecho de gruesas piedras,' etc. Gondra's account was reprinted in the -_Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. ii., p. 220-3. Iberri's account is -found in the _Museo Mex._, tom. iii., pp. 21-4. Respecting the -location he says:--'El cerro conocido de la Magdalena, degradando su -altura en picos porfiríticos que afectan figuras cónicas ó -piramidales, ... forma un grupo de montañas sumamente escabrosas, que -se dividen como rádios en ramas estrechadas por barrancas profundas y -escarpadas de pórfido.... En una de estas ramas se hallan las -referidas ruinas, cuya entrada está cerrada por un muro,' etc. Account -made up from Gondra, with cut probably from same source in _Mayer's -Mex. Aztec_, vol. ii., pp. 200-3; _Id._, _Mex. as it Was_, pp. 250-1. -Slight mention by Mühlenpfordt, _Mej._, tom. ii., p. 88, who thinks -the ruin may be identical with that of Tusapan. Same account in -_Mexicanische Zustände_, tom. i., p. 142. - -[VIII-37] _Mühlenpfordt_, _Mej._, tom. ii., pp. 88-9; _Mexikanische -Zustände_, tom. i., pp. 142-3. - -[VIII-38] _Gaceta de Mexico_, July 12, 1785, tom. i., pp. 349-51. -Location 'por el rumbo del Poniente de este pueblo, á dos leguas de -distancia, entre un espeso bosque.' This original account was printed -later in _Diccionario Univ. Geog._, tom. x., pp. 120-1; it was also -translated into Italian, and printed in _Marquez_, _Due Antichi -Monumenti_, Rome, 1804, p. 3, also accompanied by the plate. - -[VIII-39] _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. i., pp. 102-3; _Id._, _Essai Pol._, -p. 274; _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 12. Humboldt's -account translated by Gondra, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. -iii., pp. 39-40, says it is the forest that is called Tajin, that the -ruin was discovered by hunters, and pronounces the plate in the -_Gaceta_ very faulty. - -[VIII-40] _Nebel_, _Viage Pintoresco_. The drawing is geometric rather -than in perspective, and the author's descriptive text in a few -details fails to agree exactly with it. José M. Bausa gives a slight -description in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. v., p. 411, without -stating the source of his information. He locates the ruin 2½ leagues -south-west of the pueblo. This author states that Carlos M. Bustamante -published a good account of the ruin in 1828, in his _Revoltijo de -Nopalitos_. Other accounts of Papantla made up from the preceding -sources, are as follows:--_Mayer's Mex. Aztec_, vol. ii., pp. 196-7, -with cut after Nebel; _Id._, _Mex. as it Was_, pp. 248-9; _Id._, in -_Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. vi., p. 583, pl. xi.; _Baldwin's Anc. -Amer._, pp. 91-2; _Conder's Mex. Guat._, tom. i., p. 227; _Fossey_, -_Mex._, pp. 317-18; _Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, pp. 238-9; _Larenaudière_, -_Mex. Guat._, p. 45; _De Bercy_, _Travels_, tom. ii., p. 237; -_Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 79-80; _Mühlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. -ii., p. 88; _Mexicanische Zustände_, p. 142; _Bingley's Trav._, pp. -259-60; _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. i., p. 256; _Armin_, -_Heutige Mex._, pp. 96-7, with cut; _Malte-Brun_, _Précis de la -Géog._, tom. vi., p. 462; _Müller_, _Amerikanische Urreligionen_, p. -459; _Priest's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 276-8; _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, -p. 154; _Wilson's Mex. and its Religion_, pp. 246-7. - -[VIII-41] The dimensions in Nebel's text are, 120 feet square and 85 -feet high, which must be an error, since the author says that the -stairway in the plate may be used as a scale, each step being a foot; -and measuring the structure by that scale it would be something over -90 feet square at the base and about 54 feet high. The _Gaceta_ says -that the base is 30 varas (83 English feet) square, and the steps in -sight were 57 in number. Humboldt calls the pyramid 25 mètres (82 -feet) square and 18 mètres (59 feet) high, or, in _Essai Pol._, 16 to -20 mètres. Bausa, _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. v., p. 411, calls -the height 93 feet, with 53 steps. - -[VIII-42] Bausa says the pyramid faces the north. The _Gaceta_ account -represents the stairway as 10 or 12 varas wide. The plate represents -the lateral narrow stairways as single instead of double, and the -niches as not extending entirely across the wide central stairway. -Only six stories are shown in the plate, terminating in a summit -platform on which stand two small altar-like structures at the head of -the lateral stairways. Nebel speaks simply of a 'double stairway.' -Humboldt agrees with the plate in the _Gaceta_. - -[VIII-43] The _Gaceta's_ text says 342, but its own figures correctly -added make the number 378 as is pointed out by Marquez; and the plate -accompanying the same account makes the number 309. Fossey says 360 -niches. Humboldt made the number 378, which he supposed to relate to -the signs of the Toltec civil calendar. - -[VIII-44] _Nebel_, _Viage Pintoresco_; _Cassel_, in _Nouvelles Annales -des Voy._, 1830, tom. xlv., pp. 336-7; _Mayer's Mex. Aztec_, vol. ii., -p. 198; _Id._, _Mex. as it Was_, pp. 246-7. - -[VIII-45] _Nebel_, _Viage Pintoresco_; _Mayer's Mex. Aztec_, vol. ii., -pp. 199-200; _Id._, _Mex. as it Was_, pp. 247-8; _Armin_, _Alte Mex._, -p. 43; Bausa, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. v., pp. 411-12, -locates Tusapan 14 leagues south-west of Papantla. - -[VIII-46] The original of this report I have not seen; a translation, -however, was published in the _San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, of Feb. -20, 1866. - -[VIII-47] _Mex., Mem. del Ministro del Fomento_, 1865, p. 234, etc. It -was also published in a separate pamphlet. _Almaraz_, _Mem. acerca de -los Terrenos de Metlaltoyuca_, pp. 28-33. Mention by García y Cubas, a -companion of Almaraz, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da época, tom. -i., p. 37. - -[VIII-48] _Chimalpopoca_, in _Almaraz_, _Mem._, p. 28; _Linares_, in -_Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 3ra época, tom. i., p. 103. - -[VIII-49] The analysis is as follows:--quartzy sand, 31.00; silex, -13.00; aluminia and iron, 2.60; carbonate of lime, 48.00; magnesia, -2.50; moisture, 2.00; loss, 0.90. _Almaraz_, _Mem._, p. 30. - -[VIII-50] 'De las dimensiones que usan hoy para hacer los árboles de -tierra.' I am unable to say what such dimensions amount to in English -measurement. - -[VIII-51] A plate showing these paintings is given by Almaraz. - -[VIII-52] _Burkart_, _Mexiko_, tom. i., p. 51. - -[VIII-53] _Vetch_, in _Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour._, vol. vii., pp. 1-11, -with plate. - -[VIII-54] _Lyon's Journal_, vol. i., pp. 57-61. - -[VIII-55] _Norman's Rambles by Land and Water_, pp. 145-51, 164; -_Mayer's Mex. Aztec_, tom. i., pp. 193-6. - -[VIII-56] _Lyon's Journal_, vol. i., pp. 61-2; _Norman's Rambles_, pp. -149-50. Slight mention of relics in this region, in _Mühlenpfordt_, -_Mejico_, tom. ii., p. 72; _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 112-13. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -ANTIQUITIES OF THE CENTRAL PLATEAUX. - - ANÁHUAC -- MONUMENTS OF PUEBLA -- CHILA, TEOPANTEPEC, - TEPEXE, TEPEACA, SAN ANTONIO, QUAUHQUELCHULA, AND SANTA - CATALINA -- PYRAMID OF CHOLULA -- SIERRA DE MALINCHE -- - SAN PABLO -- NATIVIDAD -- MONUMENTS OF TLASCALA -- LOS - REYES -- MONUMENTS OF MEXICO -- CUERNAVACA, XOCHICALCO, - CASASANO, OZUMBA, TLACHIALCO, AHUEHUEPA, AND MECAMECAN -- - XOCHIMILCO, TLAHUAC, XICO, MISQUIQUE, TLALMANALCO, AND - CULHUACAN -- CHAPULTEPEC, REMEDIOS, TACUBA, AND MALINALCO - -- CITY OF MEXICO -- TEZCUCO -- TEZCOCINGO -- TEOTIHUACAN - -- OBSIDIAN MINES -- TULA -- MONUMENTS OF QUERÉTARO -- - PUEBLITO, CANOAS, AND RANAS -- NAHUA MONUMENTS. - - -The monuments of the Mexican tierra templada, of Anáhuac and the -adjoining plateaux, next claim our attention. The territory in -question is bounded on the south and east by that treated in the two -preceding chapters--Oajaca and Guerrero on the south toward the -Pacific, and Vera Cruz on the east toward the gulf. The present -chapter will carry my antiquarian survey to a line drawn across the -continent from Tampico to the mouth of the Zacatula river, completing -what has been regarded as the home of the Nahua civilized nations, -with the exception of the Tarascos in Michoacan, and leaving only a -few scattered monuments to be described in the broad extent of the -northern states of the republic. On most of the maps extant the -territory whose monuments I have now to describe, is divided into the -states of Mexico, Puebla, Tlascala, and Querétaro, to which have been -added in later years Morelos and Hidalgo, formed chiefly, I believe, -from the old state of Mexico. In my description, however, I shall pay -but little attention to state lines, locating each group of -antiquities by its distance and bearing from some well-known point. -Respecting the physical features of this central Nahua region, enough -has been said in the preceding volumes; I consequently begin at once -the description of antiquarian relics, dealing first with those found -in Puebla and Tlascala, starting in the south and proceeding -northward. - - * * * * * - - [Illustration: Section of Chila Tomb.] - - [Sidenote: REMAINS AT CHILA.] - -At Chila, in the extreme southern part of Puebla, is a hill known as -La Tortuga, on which is built an unterraced pyramid eighty-eight feet -square at the base, fifty-five feet high, with a summit platform fifty -feet square. It is built of hewn stone and covered, as it appears from -Castañeda's drawing, with cement. The exterior surface is much broken -up by the trees that have taken root there. A stairway leads up the -western front. Near the north-eastern corner of the mound is an -entrance leading down by seven stone steps to a small tomb about -eleven feet below the surface of the ground and not under the mound. -At the foot of the steps is an apartment measuring five and a half -feet long and high, and four feet wide, with a branch, or gallery, -four feet long and a little less than three feet wide and high, in the -centre of each of the three sides, thus giving the whole tomb in its -ground plan the form of a cross. Its vertical section is shown in the -cut. There is certainly a general resemblance to be noted in this -tomb-structure to those at Mitla; the interior is lined with hewn -blocks laid in lime mortar and covered with a fine white plaster, the -plaster on the ceiling being eight or nine inches thick. The discovery -of human bones in the lateral galleries leaves no doubt respecting the -use to which the subterranean structure was devoted.[IX-1] - -At Tehuacan el Viejo, two leagues eastward of the modern town of -Tehuacan, in the south-eastern part of the state, were found ruins of -stone structures not particularly described.[IX-2] At San Cristóval -Teopantepec, a little native settlement north-westward of the remains -last mentioned, is another hill which bears a pyramid on its top. A -road cut in the rocky sides leads up the hill, and on the summit, -beside the pyramid, traces of smooth cement pavements and other -undescribed remains were noticed. The pyramid itself from a base fifty -feet square rises about sixty-seven feet in four receding stories with -sides apparently sloping very slightly inward toward the top, the -fourth story being moreover for the most part in ruins. The most -remarkable feature of this structure is its stairway, which is -different from any yet noticed, and similar to that of the grand -teocalli of Mexico-Tenochtitlan as reported by the conquerors. It -leads up diagonally from bottom to top of each story on the west, not, -however, making it necessary to pass four times round the pyramid in -order to reach the summit, as was the case in Mexico, since in this -ruin the head of each flight corresponds with the foot of the one -above, instead of being on the opposite side of the pyramid. The -whole is built of stone and mortar, only the exterior facing being of -regular blocks, and no covering of cement is indicated in Castañeda's -drawing.[IX-3] - - [Sidenote: TEPEXE AND TEPEACA.] - -At Tepexe el Viejo, on the Zacatula River, some sixteen leagues -south-east of the city of Puebla, Dupaix discovered, in 1808, a -structure which he calls a fortification. It was located on a rocky -height, surrounded by deep ravines, and the rough nature of the -ground, together with the serpents that infest the rocks, prevented -him from making exact measurements. There are traces of exterior -enclosing walls, and within the enclosed area stands a pyramid of hewn -stone and lime mortar, in eight receding stories. A fragment of a -circular stone was also found at Tepexe, bearing sculptured figures in -low relief, which indicate that the monument may have borne originally -some resemblance to the Aztec calendar-stone, to be mentioned -hereafter. Another round stone bore marks of having been used for -sharpening weapons.[IX-4] - -At Tepeaca and vicinity four relics were found:--1st. A bird's, -perhaps an eagle's, head sculptured in low relief within a triple -circle, together with other figures, on a slab about a foot square; -apparently an aboriginal coat of arms. 2d. A stone head eighteen -inches high, of a hard, reddish material; the features are very -regular down to the mouth, below which all is deformed. 3d. A -sculptured slab, built into a wall, shown only in Kingsborough's -plate. 4th. A feathered serpent coiled into a ball-like form, six feet -in diameter. It was carved from a red stone, and also painted red, -resting on a cubical pedestal of a light-colored stone.[IX-5] - -At San Antonio, near San Andres Chalchicomula, on the eastern boundary -of the state, a pyramid stands on the summit of a rocky hill. The -pyramid consists of three stories, with sides sloping at an angle of -about forty-five degrees, is about twenty-five feet in height, and has -a base fifty-five feet square. A stairway about ten feet wide, with -solid balustrades, leads up the centre of the western front; and on -the top, parts of the walls of a building still remained in 1805. This -summit building was said to have been in a good state of preservation -only twelve years before. The material is basalt, in blocks about two -by five feet, according to Dupaix's plate, laid in mortar, and all but -the lower story covered with cement.[IX-6] - - [Illustration: Stone Monster's Head.] - -At Quauhquelchula, near Atlixco, in the western part of the state, -Dupaix noticed four relics of antiquity. 1st. A rattlesnake eight feet -and a half long, and about eight inches in diameter, sculptured in -high relief on the flat surface of a hard brown stone. 2d. A hard -veined stone of various colors, four feet high and ten feet and a half -in circumference, carved into a representation of a monster's head -with protruding tusks, a front view of which is given in the cut. The -rear is flat and bears a coat of arms, made up of four arrows or -spears crossing a circle, with other inexplicable figures. 3d. Another -coat of arms, three lances across a barred circle, carved in low -relief on the face of a boulder. 4th. A human face, larger than the -natural size, on the side of another boulder, and looking towards the -town.[IX-7] At the town of Atlixco a very beautifully worked and -polished almond-shaped agate was seen.[IX-8] - - [Illustration: Serpent-Cup--Santa Catalina.] - -On the hacienda of Santa Catalina, westward from Atlixco, was found -the coiled serpent shown in the cut. The material is a black porous -volcanic stone, and the whole seems to form a cup, to which the head -of the serpent served as a handle. Another relic from this locality -was a masked human figure of the same stone.[IX-9] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: PYRAMID OF CHOLULA.] - -About ten miles west of the city of Puebla de los Angeles, and in the -eastern outskirts of the pueblo of Cholula, is the famous pyramid -known throughout the world by the name of Cholula. The town at its -base was in aboriginal times a large and flourishing city, and a great -religious centre. The day of its glory was in the Toltec period, -before the tenth century of our era, and tradition points for the -building of the pyramid to a yet more remote epoch, when the Olmecs -were the masters of the central plateaux. Several times during the -religious contests that raged between the devotees of rival deities, -the temple of Cholula was destroyed and rebuilt. Its final destruction -dates from the coming of the Spaniards, who, under Hernan Cortés, -after a fierce hand-to-hand conflict on the slopes of the pyramid, -maddened by the desperate resistance of the natives, elated by -victory, or incited by fanatical religious zeal and avarice, sacked -and burned the magnificent structure on the top of the mound. Since -the time of the Conquistador, after the fierce spirit of the Spaniards -had expended its fury on this and other monuments reared in honor of -heathen gods, the mound was allowed to remain in peace, save the -construction of a winding road leading up to a modern chapel on the -summit, where services are performed in which the great Quetzalcoatl -has no share.[IX-10] - -Since 1744, when the historian Clavigero rode up its side on -horseback, this pyramid has been visited by hundreds of travelers, few -tourists having left Anáhuac without having seen so famous a monument -of antiquity, so easily accessible from the cities of Mexico and -Puebla. Humboldt's description, made from a personal exploration in -1803, is perhaps the most complete that was ever published, and most -succeeding visitors have deemed it best to quote his account as being -better than any they could write from their own observations. Dupaix -and Castañeda, and in later times Nebel, also examined and made -drawings of Cholula. The four or five views of the mound that have -been published differ greatly from each other, accordingly as the -artist pictured the monument as he saw it or attempted to restore it -more or less to its original form. Humboldt's drawing, which has been -more extensively copied than any other, contrary to what might be -expected from his text, was altogether a restoration, and bore not the -slightest resemblance to the original as he saw it, since Clavigero -found it in 1744, "so covered with earth and shrubs that it seems -rather a natural hill than an edifice," and there is no reason to -suppose that at a later date it assumed a more regular form.[IX-11] - -For the past two centuries, at least, the condition and appearance of -the mound has been that of a natural conical hill, rising from the -level of a broad valley, and covering with its circular base an area -of over forty acres.[IX-12] On closer examination, however, traces of -artificial terraces are noted on the slopes, and excavations have -proven that the whole mound, or at least a very large portion of -it--for no excavation has ever been made reaching to its centre--is of -artificial construction. By the careful surveys of Humboldt and others -the original form and dimensions have been clearly made known. From a -base about fourteen hundred and forty feet square, whose sides face -the cardinal points, it rose in four equal stories to a height of -nearly two hundred feet, having a summit platform of about two hundred -feet square.[IX-13] Humboldt in 1803 found the four terraces tolerably -distinct, especially on the western slope; Evans in 1870 found the -lower terrace quite perfect, but the others traceable only in a few -places without excavation. - -The material of which the mound was constructed is adobes, or -sun-dried bricks, generally about fifteen inches long, laid very -regularly with alternate layers of clay. From its material comes the -name Tlalchihualtepec, 'mountain of unburnt bricks,' which has been -sometimes applied to Cholula. An old tradition relates that the adobes -were manufactured at Tlalmanalco, and brought several leagues to their -destination by a long line of men, who handed them along singly from -one to another. Humboldt thought some of the bricks might have been -slightly burned. Respecting the material which constitutes the -alternate layers between the bricks, called clay by Humboldt, there -seems to be some difference of opinion between different explorers. -Col. Brantz Mayer, a careful investigator, says the adobes are -interspersed with small fragments of porphyry and limestone; and Mr -Tylor speaks of them as cemented with mortar containing small stones -and pottery. Evans tells us that the material is adobe bricks and -layers of lava, still perfect in many places. The historian Veytia by -a personal examination ascertained the material to be "small stones of -the kind called _guijarros_, and a kind of bricks of clay and straw," -in alternate layers.[IX-14] Beaufoy claims to have found the pyramid -faced with small thin hewn stones, one of which he carried away as a -relic--a very wonderful discovery certainly, when we consider that -other very trustworthy explorers, both preceding and following -Beaufoy, found nothing of the kind. Mr Heller could not find the stone -facing, but, as he says, he did find a coating of mortar as hard as -stone, composed of lime, sand, and water.[IX-15] Many visitors have -believed that the pyramid is only partially artificial, the -adobe-work having been added to a smaller natural hill. This is, -however, a mere conjecture, and there are absolutely no arguments to -be adduced for or against it. The truth can be ascertained only by the -excavation of a tunnel through the mound at its base, or, at least, -penetrating to the centre. It is very remarkable that such an -excavation has never been made, either in the interests of scientific -exploration or of treasure-seeking. - -Bernal Diaz, at the time of the Conquest, counted a hundred and twenty -steps in a stairway which led up the slope to the temple, but no -traces of such a stairway have been visible in more modern times. -There are traditions among the natives, as is usually the case in -connection with every work of the antiguos, of interior galleries and -apartments of great extent within the mound; such rumors are doubtless -without foundation. The Puebla road cuts off a corner of the lower -terrace, and the excavation made in building the road not only showed -clearly the regular interior construction of the pyramid, but also -laid bare a tomb, which contained two skeletons with two idols in -basalt, a collection of pottery, and other relics not preserved or -particularly described, although the remains of the tomb itself were -examined by Humboldt. The sepulchre was square, with stone walls -supported by cypress beams. The dimensions are not given, but the -apartment is said to have had no traces of any outlet. Humboldt claims -to have discovered a peculiar arrangement of the adobes about this -tomb, by which the pressure on its roof was diminished. - -It is very evident that the pyramid of Cholula contains nothing in -itself to indicate its age, but from well-defined and doubtless -reliable traditions, we may feel very sure that its erection dates -back to an epoch preceding the tenth century, and probably preceding -the seventh. Humboldt shows that it is larger at the base than any of -the old-world pyramids, over twice as large as that of Cheops, but -only slightly higher than that of Mycerinus. "The construction of the -teocalli recalls the oldest monuments to which the history of the -civilization of our race reaches. The temple of Jupiter Bélus, which -the mythology of the Hindus seems to designate by the name of Bali, -the pyramids of Meïdoùm and Dahchoùr, and several of the group of -Sakharah in Egypt, were also immense heaps of bricks, the remains of -which have been preserved during a period of thirty centuries down to -our day."[IX-16] - -The historical annals of aboriginal times, confirmed by the Spanish -records of the Conquest, leave no doubt that the chief object of the -pyramid was to support a temple; the discovery of the tomb with human -remains may indicate that it served also for burial purposes. It is by -no means certain, however, that the mound was in any sense a monument -reared over the two bodies whose skeletons were found; for besides the -position of the skeletons in a corner of the pyramid, indicating in -itself the contrary, there is the possibility that the bodies were -those of slaves sacrificed during the process of building, and -deposited here from some superstitious motive. It will require the -discovery of tombs near the centre of this immense mound to prove that -it was erected with any view to use as the burial place of kings or -priests.[IX-17] Wilson, always a sceptic on matters connected with -Mexican aboriginal civilization, pronounces the pyramid of Cholula -"the finest Indian mound on this continent; where the Indians buried -the bravest of their braves, with bows and arrows, and a drinking cup, -that they might not be unprovided for when they should arrive at the -hunting-grounds of the great spirit." "It is sufficiently wasted by -time to give full scope to the imagination to fill out or restore it -to almost any form. One hundred years ago, some rich citizen constructed -steps up its side, and protected the sides of his steps from falling -earth by walls of adobe, or mud-brick; and on the west side some adobe -buttresses have been placed to keep the loose earth out of the village -street. This is all of mans labor that is visible, except the work of -the Indians in shaving away the hill which constitutes this pyramid. -As for the great city of Cholula, it never had an existence."[IX-18] -At a short distance from the foot of the large pyramid, two smaller -ones are mentioned by several visitors; one of which is doubtless a -portion of the chief mound separated by the road that has been already -mentioned. One of them is described by Beaufoy as having perpendicular -sides, and built of adobes nine inches square and one inch thick; the -second was much smaller and had a corn-patch on its summit. Cuts of -the two small mounds are given by the same explorer. Bullock claims to -have found on the top of one of the detached masses a ditch and wall -forming a kind of figure-eight-formed enclosure one hundred feet long, -in which were many human bones. Evans has a theory that the small -mounds were formed of the material taken from the larger one in -shaping its terraces. Latrobe says that many ruined mounds may be seen -from the summit; in fact, that the whole surface of the surrounding -plain is broken by both natural and artificial elevations. Ampère was -led by his native guide, through a misunderstanding, to a flat-topped -terraced hill, still bearing traces of a pavement, at a locality -called Zapotecas.[IX-19] - -The only miscellaneous Cholulan relics of which I find a mention, are -three described by Dupaix and sketched by Castañeda. They were, a -stone head, said to have originally been the top of a column; a -quadrangular block, with incised hieroglyphics on one of its faces; -and a mask of green jasper, reported to have been dug from the -pyramid.[IX-20] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: REMAINS AT NATIVIDAD.] - -On the summit of the Sierra de Malinche, which forms the boundary -between Puebla and Tlascala, the existence of ruined walls and -pyramids, with fragments of stone images, is mentioned without -description.[IX-21] At San Pablo del Monte two kneeling naked females -in stone, modestly covering the breasts with the hands, were sketched -by Castañeda.[IX-22] Of an important group of remains in the vicinity -of Natividad, between Puebla de los Angeles and Tlascala, a very -unintelligible account has been written by Cabrera, for the Mexican -Geographical Society. The ruins seem to cover a hill, different -localities on the slopes of which are called Mixco, Xochitecatl, -Tenexotzin, Hueyxotzin, and Cacaxtlan. The western slope has gigantic -terraces, and among other relics five vertical stones called -_huitzocteme_, supposed to have been used for sacrificial purposes. -They are two varas high and three fourths of a vara wide. On the -northern slope a concavity of stone and mud is mentioned, whose bottom -is strewn with pottery and obsidian weapons. At Cacaxtlan, the site of -the principal fortress in the wars between Tlascala and Mexico, are -ditches and subterranean passages running in all directions. The chief -ditch extends from north to south across the hill; it is about -twenty-eight feet wide and eleven or twelve feet deep, with -embankments formed of the earth thrown out. The subterranean passages -are believed to penetrate the heights of Cacaxtlan. One has an opening -among the rocks on the north, beginning at the cave of Ostotl; another -begins on the east at San Miguel del Milagro, having for an entrance a -square hole five or six yards deep, from the bottom of which it -extends horizontally in a semicircular course; the third opening is on -the south, and its top is supported by columns left in the volcanic -stone; and finally, the fourth subterranean passage sends out vapor -when it is about to rain. This is all I can glean from Cabrera's -account--in fact, rather more than I can fully understand.[IX-23] -Dupaix found at Natividad two wooden teponastles, or aboriginal -musical instruments, similar to the one found at Tlascala by the same -explorer and shown in the accompanying cut. The former were, however, -less elaborately carved; the latter was three feet long and five -inches in diameter, the cut showing a side and end view. Other relics -found by Dupaix in the city of Tlascala and vicinity, are the -following:--a lance-head, nine inches long, of green flint; a small -stone statue, nine or ten inches in height, representing a seated -female, whose head bears a strong resemblance to some of the Palenque -profiles; a mask of green agate a little smaller than the natural size -of the face, pronounced by Dupaix the finest specimen of sculpture -seen in America; an earthen vase called _popocaxtli_, used in -ceremonies in honor of the dead, found in connection with some human -bones; two mutilated human heads carved from a gray stone; and a -masked, bow-legged idol of stone, twenty-four inches high, standing on -a small pedestal, covering the breasts with the hands.[IX-24] - - [Illustration: Teponastle from Tlascala.] - - [Sidenote: ABORIGINAL BRIDGES.] - -At Pueblo de los Reyes, northward from Tlascala, on the road to San -Francisco, two aboriginal bridges over a mountain stream were sketched -by Castañeda. One is eleven feet high and thirty-seven feet wide; the -other fifty-five feet high and thirty-three feet wide; each being over -a hundred feet in length. They are built of large irregular stones in -mortar. The conduits through which the stream passes are from four to -six feet wide and high, one of them having a flat top, while in the -other two large blocks meet and form an obtuse angle. On the top of -the bridges at the sides are parapets of brick four or five feet high, -pierced at intervals to allow water to run from the road; and at each -of the four corners stands a circular, symmetrical, ornamental -obelisk, or pillar, over forty feet high, of stone and mortar, covered -with burned bricks. It is quite probable that the brick-work of these -bridges, if not the whole structure, is to be referred to Spanish -rather than to aboriginal times. Sr Almaraz sketched at Xicotepec, in -the north, some fifty miles west of Papantla, a teponastle of -iron-wood, gracefully carved and brilliantly polished.[IX-25] - -The famous wall that was found by Cortés, extending along the -frontier of Tlascala, has been spoken of in another part of this work. -Brasseur de Bourbourg tells us that many remains of this wall are still -visible, and some other authors vaguely speak to the same effect; but -as no modern traveler describes or locates these remains, I think it -altogether likely that the statements referred to may be simply echoes -of those made by the early writers, who represented the ruins of the -wall as visible in the years immediately following the Conquest.[IX-26] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RELICS AT CUERNAVACA.] - -Passing westward into the state of Mexico, and beginning again in the -south, I find a notice in a Mexican government report, of ruins at -Tejupilco, in the south-west, about sixty miles westward of -Cuernavaca. The remains are noticed especially on the hill of -Nanchititla, consisting of buildings standing on regular streets yet -traceable, and built of very thin blocks, or slates, of stone without -mortar. In the valley of San Martin Luvianos, in the same region, a -subterranean apartment with polished sides of cement, discovered in -1841, contained quantities of carbonized maize.[IX-27] At Zacualpan, -midway between Cuernavaca and Tejupilco, and some leagues further -south, flint spear-heads, stone masks, and other relics not specified -are said by the same authority to have been found in a cave.[IX-28] A -peculiarity of the aboriginal relics found by Dupaix at Cuernavaca and -vicinity was that all consisted of sculptured figures on the surface -of large naturally shaped boulders. The first was an immense lizard -over eight feet long and a foot and a half thick, carved in high -relief on the top of a rough block. Four small circular projections -are seen on the side of the rock below the animal. On the southern -face of another isolated boulder was sculptured in low relief the coat -of arms shown in the cut, which, in its principal features of a circle -on parallel arrows or lances, is very similar to others that have been -mentioned.[IX-29] On the flag that projects from the upper part of the -circle, a Maltese cross is seen, and the bird's head above is -pronounced of course by Dupaix to be that of an eagle.[IX-30] On the -opposite, or northern, side of the same boulder are sculptured the -figures shown in the cut. The left hand figure, thirteen inches high, -may in connection with the small circles be a record of a -date--thirteen calli. M. Lenoir, however, on account of the column -shown within the building, believes the whole may be an emblem of -phallic worship, the column being a phallus and the building its -shrine or temple. The sculpture on both sides of this rock is -described as having been executed with great care and clearness. -Somewhat less than a league south of the city is another isolated -rock, said to have served as a boundary mark to the ancient -Quauhnahuac, 'place of the eagle,' of which the modern name Cuernavaca -is a corruption. On the face of this rock is carved in rather high -relief the figure represented in the cut, which, in consideration of -the aboriginal meaning of the name, and the purpose served by the -stone, may be regarded as an eagle. The material is a fine gray stone, -the bird is thirty-five inches high, and the boulder, or its locality, -is called by the natives Quauhtetl, 'stone eagle.'[IX-31] - - [Illustration: Coat of Arms--Cuernavaca.] - - [Illustration: Boulder-Sculptures at Cuernavaca.] - - [Illustration: Eagle of Cuernavaca.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF XOCHICALCO.] - -The ruins of Xochicalco, doubtless the finest in Mexico, are about -fifteen miles 13° west of south from Cuernavaca, and about -seventy-five miles south-west from the city of Mexico. The first -published description was written by Alzate y Ramirez, who visited the -locality in 1777, and published his account with illustrative plates -as a supplement to his Literary Gazette in November, 1791.[IX-32] -Humboldt made up his account from that of Alzate; Dupaix and Castañeda -included Xochicalco in their first exploration; Nebel visited and -sketched the ruins in 1831; and finally an account, perhaps the most -complete extant, written from an exploration in 1835 by order of the -Mexican government, was published in the _Revista Mexicana_.[IX-33] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF XOCHICALCO.] - -Xochicalco, the 'hill of flowers,'[IX-34] is a natural elevation of -conical form, with an oval base over two miles in circumference, -rising from the plain to a height of nearly four hundred feet.[IX-35] -Mr Latrobe claims to have found traces of paved roads, of large stones -tightly wedged together, one of them eight feet wide, leading in -straight lines towards the hill from different directions. The account -in the _Revista_ mentions only one such causeway running towards the -east. A ditch, more or less filled up and overgrown with shrubbery, is -said to extend entirely round the base of the hill, but its depth and -width are not stated; perhaps in the absence of more complete -information its existence should be considered doubtful. - - [Illustration: Subterranean Galleries--Xochicalco.] - -Very near the foot of the northern slope are the entrances to two -tunnels or galleries, one of which terminates at a distance of -eighty-two feet; at least, it was obstructed and could not be explored -beyond that point. The second gallery, cut in the solid limestone of -the hill, about nine feet and a half wide and high, has several -branches running in different directions, some of them terminated by -fallen débris, others apparently walled up intentionally. The floors -are paved to the thickness of a foot and a half with brick-shaped -blocks of stone, the walls are also in many places supported by -masonry, and both pavement, walls, and ceiling are covered with lime -cement, which retains its polish and shows traces in some parts of -having had originally a coating of red ochre. The principal gallery, -after turning once at a right angle, terminates at a distance of -several hundred feet in a large apartment about eighty feet long, in -which two circular pillars are left in the living rock to support the -roof. The accompanying cut is Castañeda's ground plan of the galleries -and subterranean apartment, _a_ being the entrance on the north; _b_ -the termination of main gallery; _c_, _k_, the branch gallery; _e_ and -_d_, obstructed passages; _g_, _g_, the room and _f_, _f_, the -pillars. The scale of the plan is about fifty feet to the inch, but -the dimensions, according to the scale, are doubtless inaccurate. -According to the plan the galleries are only a little over four feet -wide; and the apartment thirty-three by thirty-nine feet. Alzate's -plan agrees with it so far as it goes; the _Revista_ gives no plan, -and its description differs in some respects, so far as the -arrangement of the galleries is concerned, from the cut.[IX-36] In the -top of the room at the south-east corner, at _h_, is a dome-like -structure, a vertical section of which is shown at _j_ of the -preceding cut, six feet in diameter and six feet high, lined with -stone hewn in curved blocks, with a round hole about ten inches in -diameter extending vertically upward from the top. It has been -generally believed that this passage leads up to the pyramid on the -top of the hill, to be described later; but it will be seen that if -the hill be two miles in circumference, or even half that size, the -galleries are not nearly long enough to reach the centre under the -pyramid. Nebel fancied that the hole in the cupola was so situated -that the rays of the sun twice a year would penetrate from above and -strike an altar in the subterranean hall. The natives report other -passages in the hill besides the one described, and believe that one -of them leads to Chapultepec, near the city of Mexico. - - [Sidenote: THE HILL OF FLOWERS.] - -Passing now from the interior to the outer surface of the 'hill of -flowers,' we find it covered from top to bottom with masonry. Five -terraces, paved with stone and mortar, and supported by perpendicular -walls of the same material, extend in oval form entirely round the -whole circumference of the hill, one above the other. Neither the -width of the paved platforms nor the height of the supporting walls -has been given by any explorer, but each terrace, with the -corresponding intermediate slope, constitutes something over seventy -feet of the height of the hill. The terrace platforms have sometimes -been described, without any authority, as a paved way leading round -and round the hill in a spiral course to the summit. Dupaix speaks of -a road about eight feet wide, which leads to the summit, but no other -explorer mentions any traces of the original means of ascent. Each -terrace wall, while forming in general terms an ellipse, does not -present a regular line, but is broken into various angles like the -bastions of a fortification. The pavements all slope slightly towards -the south-west, thus permitting the water to run off readily. -According to the plans of Alzate and Castañeda there are two -additional terraces where a spur projects from the hill at the -north-eastern base. Latrobe is the only authority on the intermediate -slopes between the terraces, which he says are occupied with -platforms, bastions, and stages one above another. It is evident from -all accounts that the whole surface of the hill, very likely shaped to -some extent artificially, was covered with stone work, and that -defense was one object aimed at by the builders. The _Revista_ -represents the terrace platforms as additionally fortified by the -perpendicular supporting walls projecting upward above their level, -forming what may perhaps be termed a kind of parapet. - -On the summit is a level platform measuring two hundred and -eighty-five by three hundred and twenty-eight feet.[IX-37] According -to Alzate, Humboldt, Dupaix, and other early authorities--except -Nebel, who is silent on the subject--this plaza is surrounded by a -wall. Dupaix says the wall is built of stones without mortar, is five -feet and a half high, and two feet and nine inches thick. Alzate -represents the wall as perpendicular only on the inner side, being in -fact a projection of the upper terrace slope, forming a kind of -parapet, and making the plaza a sunken area. Latrobe also speaks of -the plaza as a hollow square, and Alzate's representation is probably -a correct one; for the author of the account in the _Revista_ says -that the wall described by previous visitors could not be found; and -moreover, that there was no room for it on the north between the -central pyramid and "one of the solid stone masses, or _caballeros_, -that surround the platform," the _caballeros_, which may perhaps in -this connection be translated 'parapets,' being doubtless the same -structures that the others describe as a wall. - - [Sidenote: PYRAMID OF XOCHICALCO.] - -In this plaza, cultivated in later years as a cornfield, there are -several mounds and heaps of stones not particularly described; and -near the centre is a pyramid, or rather the lower story of one, with -rectangular base, the sides of which, exactly or very nearly facing -the cardinal points, measure sixty-five feet from east to west, and -fifty-eight feet from north to south. The lower story, which in some -parts is still standing to its full height, is divided into what may -be termed plinth, frieze, and cornice, and is about sixteen feet -high.[IX-38] - - [Illustration: Pyramid of Xochicalco.] - -In the centre of one of the façades is an open space, something over -twenty feet wide, bounded by solid balustrades, and probably occupied -originally by a stairway, although it is said that no traces of steps -have been found among the débris. The cut, from Nebel, shows the front -of the pyramid on one side of the opening, being the eastern portion -of the northern front, according to Nebel, who locates the stairway on -the north, or the northern part of the western front, according to the -_Revista_, which speaks of the opening as being on the west. - -The pyramid, or at least its facing, is built of large blocks of -granite or porphyry,[IX-39] a kind of stone not found within a -distance of many leagues. The blocks are of different sizes, the -largest being about eleven feet long and three feet high, and few -being less than five feet in length. They are laid without mortar, and -so nicely is the work done that the joints are scarcely perceptible. -The cut shows one of the façades, probably the northern, from -Castañeda's drawing, which corresponds almost exactly to that given by -Alzate. So far as the details of the sculpture are concerned it is -probably not very trustworthy. The preceding cut, from Nebel, is -perhaps the only reliable drawing in this respect that has been -published. The whole exterior surface seems to have been covered with -sculptured figures in low relief, apparently executed after the stones -were put in place, since one figure extends, with the greatest -exactitude at the joints, over several blocks of stone.[IX-40] - - [Illustration: Pyramid of Xochicalco.] - -I translate from the _Revista_ the following remarks about the -sculptured figures: "At each angle, and on each side, is seen a -colossal dragon's head, from whose great mouth, armed with enormous -teeth, projects a forked tongue; but in some the tongue is horizontal, -while in others it falls vertically; in the first it points towards a -sign which is believed to be that of water, and in the others towards -different signs or emblems.... Some have pretended to see in these -dragons images of crocodiles; but nothing certain can be known of -these fantastic figures which have no model in nature.... On the two -sides still standing there are two figures of men larger than the -natural size, seated cross-legged in the eastern fashion, wearing -necklaces of enormous pearls, rich ornaments, and a head-dress out of -all proportion, with long flowing plumes. In one hand they hold a kind -of sceptre, and the other is placed on the breast; a hieroglyphic of -great size, placed in the middle of each side, separates the two -figures, whose heads are turned, on the east side, one north and the -other south, while on the north side both face the west. The frieze -which surrounds this story presents a series of small human figures, -also seated in the eastern manner, with the right hand crossed on the -breast, and the left resting on a curved sword, whose hilt reminds us -of ancient swords; a thing the more worthy of attention since no -people descended from the Toltecs or Aztecs has made use of this kind -of arms. The head-dress of these small figures, which closely resemble -those mentioned before, is always disproportionately large, and this -circumstance, which is found in all the Egyptian mythologic fables, is -considered in the latter an emblem of power or divinity. With the -human figures are seen various signs, some of which seem allegorical -and others chronologic, so far as may be judged from their conformity -with those employed in the Aztec paintings.... Another sign, -apparently of a different nature, is often repeated among the figures; -it is a dragon's mouth, open and armed with teeth, as in the large -reliefs, from which projects instead of a tongue a disk divided by a -cross.... It has also been thought (Alzate) that dances are -represented on the frieze of Xochicalco, but its perfect preservation -makes such an error inexcusable, and figures seated with legs crossed -and hands on a sword, exclude any idea of sacred or warlike dances, -and suggest only mythologic or historical scenes. Over the frieze was -a cornice adorned with very delicate designs in the form of _oalmetas_ -or meandres in the Greek style." The cut shows one of the bas-reliefs -on a larger scale than in the preceding illustrations. There is, as -Nebel observes, a certain likeness between these sculptured designs -and the stucco reliefs of Palenque, although in the architectural -features of the monument, and of the base on which it rests, there -seems to be no analogy whatever with any of the southern ruins. - - [Illustration: Bas-Relief from Xochicalco.] - -On the summit of this lower structure a few sculptured foundation -stones of a second story were found yet in place, the walls being two -feet and three inches from the edge of the lower, except on the west, -where the space is four feet and a half. According to the report of -the inhabitants of the vicinity, the structure had originally five -receding stories, similar to the first in outward appearance, which -were all standing as late as 1755, making the whole edifice probably -about sixty-five feet high. It is said to have terminated in a -platform, on the eastern side of which stood a large block, forming a -kind of throne, covered with hieroglyphic sculpture. The proprietors -of neighboring sugar-works were the authors of the monument's -destruction, the stone being of a nature suitable for their furnaces, -and none other being obtainable except at a great distance. Alzate -puts on record the name of one Estrada as the inaugurator of this -disgraceful work of devastation.[IX-41] Several restorations of the -pyramid of Xochicalco have been attempted on paper, that by the artist -Nebel being probably the only one that bears any likeness to the -original; and even his sketch, so far as the sculptured designs are -concerned, must be regarded as extremely conjectural, having as a -foundation only a few scattered blocks and the reports of the 'oldest -inhabitant.' At the Paris international exhibition in 1867 a structure -was built and exhibited in the Champs de Mars, purporting to be a -fac-simile of this monument; but judging from a cut published in a -London paper, it might with equal propriety have been exhibited as a -model of any other ruin in the new or old world.[IX-42] - -The second story seems to have had interior apartments, with three -doorways at the head of the grand stairway. On the summit of the lower -story, according to the _Revista_, is a pit, perhaps a covered -apartment originally, measuring twenty-two feet square, and nearly -filled with fragments of stone, some of them sculptured, which were -not removed. It is of course possible that there exists some means of -communication between this apartment and the subterranean galleries of -the hill below. - -East of the hill of Xochicalco, on the road to Miacatlan, an immense -stone was said to have been found serving as a kind of cover to a -hole, perhaps the entrance to a subterranean gallery, on the face of -which was sculptured an eagle tearing a prostrate native Prometheus. -It was broken up and most of the pieces carried away, but Alzate saw -one fragment containing a part of the sculptured thigh, from which -perhaps with the aid of his imagination and his knowledge of Grecian -mythology the good padre prepared a drawing of the whole, which he -published. Later visitors have not even seen a fragment of so -wonderful a relic. Mr Tylor speaks of a small paved oval space -somewhere in connection with the ruin, in which he found fragments of -a clay idol. There are no springs of water on or near the hill. - -The _Revista_ says, "adjoining this hill is another higher one, also -covered with terraces of stone-work in form of steps. A causeway of -large marble flags led to the top, where there are still some -excavations and among them a mound of large size. Nothing further in -the way of monuments is to be seen on the lower (part of the?) hill -except a granite block, which may be the great square stone mentioned -by Alzate, which served to close the entrance to a subterranean -gallery, situated east of the principal monument." There are also some -traces of one terrace indicated on Castañeda's view of the larger -hill. On the sculptured façades of the pyramid, all have found traces -of color in sheltered places, and have concluded that the whole -surface was originally painted red, except the author of the account -in the _Revista_, who thinks that the groundwork of the reliefs only -was covered with a colored varnish, as was the usage in Egypt. -Löwenstern claims to have found in the vicinity of Xochicalco the -foundation of many aboriginal dwellings. - -A slight resemblance has been noted in some of the sculptured human -figures, seated cross-legged, to the Maya sculptures and stucco -reliefs of Central America; a few figures, like that of the rabbit, -may present some analogies to Aztec sculptures, many specimens of -which will be shown in the present chapter; the very fact of its -being a pyramid in several stories, gives to Xochicalco a general -likeness to all the more important American ruins; the terraces on the -hill-slopes have their counterparts at Quiotepec and elsewhere; the -absence of mortar between the façade-stones is a feature also of -Mitla; still as a whole the monument of Xochicalco stands alone; both -in architecture and sculpture it presents strong contrasts with Copan, -Uxmal, Palenque, Mitla, Cholula, Teotihuacan, or the many pyramids of -Vera Cruz. There is no definite tradition referring the origin of this -monument to any particular pre-Aztec period, save the universal modern -tradition among the natives referring everything wonderful to the -Toltecs. It is not, moreover, improbable that the pyramid was built by -a Nahua people during the Aztec period; for it must be remembered -first that all the grand temples in Anáhuac--the Aztec territory -proper--have disappeared since the Conquest, so that a comparison of -such buildings with that of Xochicalco is impossible; and second, that -the Aztecs were superior to the nations immediately surrounding them -in war rather than art, so that it would be by no means surprising to -find a grander temple in Cuernavaca than in the valley of Mexico. The -Aztec sculpture on such monuments as have been found in the city of -Mexico if different from, is not inferior to that at Xochicalco, and -there is no reason whatever to doubt the ability of the Aztecs to -build such a pyramid. Still there remains of course the possibility of -a pre-Aztec antiquity for the building on the hill of flowers, and of -Maya influence exerted upon its builders.[IX-43] - - [Sidenote: REMAINS IN THE SOUTH-EAST.] - - [Illustration: Sculptured stone--Casasano.] - -In the south-eastern part of the state from Yahualica northward to -Mecamecan, relics have been discovered, mostly by Dupaix, in several -localities. At Yahualica, near Huautla, there are tombs, with stone -images, human remains, pottery, and metates, also some metallic relics -not described.[IX-44] At Xonacatepec was seen a mask of about the -natural size, carved very neatly from a whitish translucent -stone.[IX-45] At the sugar plantation of Casasano, in the same region, -a somewhat remarkable relic was a stone chest, of rectangular base, -larger at the bottom than at the top, with a cover fitting like that -of a modern chest. It was cut from a grayish stone, and when found by -laborers engaged in digging a ditch, is said to have been filled with -stone ornaments. At the same place was seen a circular stone, three -feet in diameter and nine inches thick, sculptured in geometric -figures on one side, as shown in the preceding cut.[IX-46] - -Another similar stone of the same thickness, and about three feet and -a half in diameter, was built into a modern wall at Ozumba. These -geometrically carved circular blocks are of not infrequent occurrence -on the Mexican plateaux; of their use nothing is known, but they seem -to bear a vague resemblance to the Aztec calendar and sacrificial -stones to be described later. Another class of circular blocks, from -two to three feet in diameter, with curves and various ornamental -figures sculptured on one face, are also of frequent occurrence. -Several of this class will be mentioned and illustrated in connection -with the relics of Xochimilco. Two of them were seen by Dupaix at -Chimalhuacan Tlachialco, near Ozumba, together with two small idols of -stone. At Ahuehuepa, in the same region, was a statue which had lost -the head and the legs below the knees; a hieroglyphic device is seen -on the breast, and a small cord passes round the waist, and is tied in -a bow-knot in front. Two fragments of head-dresses carved in red stone -were found at the same place. A few miles east of the village of -Mecamecan is an isolated rock of gray granite, artificially formed -into pyramidal shape as shown in the cut. It is about twelve feet high -and fifty-five feet in circumference, having rudely cut steps, which -lead up the eastern slope. Dupaix conjectures that this monument was -intended for some astronomic use, and that the man sculptured on the -side is engaged in making astronomical observations, the results of -which are expressed by the other figures on the rock. The only -possible foundation for the opinion is the resemblance of some of the -signs to those by which the Aztecs expressed dates.[IX-47] - - [Illustration: Pyramidal stone--Mecamecan.] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: REMAINS IN ANÁHUAC.] - - [Sidenote: REMAINS AN XOCHIMILCO.] - -Entering now the valley of Mexico, we find many localities on the -banks, and islands of Lake Chalco where relics of the ancient -inhabitants have been brought to light. At Xochimilco on the western -shore of the lake, Dupaix mentions the following:--1st. A stone block -with regular sides, on one of which about three feet square are -sculptured two concentric circles, as large as the space permits, with -smaller circles outside of the larger, at each corner of the block. -2d. A crouching monster of stone thirty inches high, which apparently -served originally for a fountain or aqueduct, the water flowing -through the mouth. 3d. A semi-spherical pedestal of limestone, broken -in two pieces, three feet high, and decorated on the curved surface -with oval figures radiating from the centre. 4th. A lizard thirty -inches long, sculptured on a block which is built into a modern wall. -5th. A coat of arms, also on a block in a wall, consisting of a circle -on parallel lances like some already described. Within the circle is a -very perfect Maltese cross, hanging from the lower part is a fan-like -plume, and elsewhere on the smooth faces of the stone are nine very -peculiar knots or tassels. 6th. A kind of flat-fish three feet eight -inches long, carved from a bluish gray stone. 7th. A coiled serpent in -red porphyry, a foot and a half in diameter, and nine feet long if -uncoiled. This relic is shown in the cut. 8th. Two death's heads in -stone. 9th. A rabbit in low relief on a fragment of stone. 10th. An -animal in red stone on a cubic pedestal of the same material. 11th. A -stone image of a seated female. 12th. An idol with a man's head and -woman's breasts. 13th. Ten sculptured blocks, the faces of which are -shown in the following cut, and which would seem to have served only -for decorative purposes. Most of them have rough backs, evidently -having been taken from ancient walls; and many of these and other -similar blocks found in this region had tenons like that shown in fig. -9 of the cut. Fig. 7 shows one of the several death's heads found at -Xochimilco. - - [Illustration: Coiled Serpent--Xochimilco.] - - [Illustration: Sculptured Stones--Xochimilco.] - - [Illustration: Sculptured Vase--Tlahuac.] - -At Tlahuac, or Cuitlahuac, were seen two circular stones something -over three feet in diameter and half as thick, of black porous -volcanic material. Each had a circular hole in the centre, rude -incised figures on the faces, and a tenon at one point of the -circumference. They strongly remind me of the rings in the walls of -the so-called gymnasium at Chichen in Yucatan. Another relic was a -cylindrical stone of a hard gray material, of the same dimensions as -the preceding, but without a supporting tenon. The circular faces were -plain, but the sides, or rim, were decorated with circles, bands, and -points symmetrically arranged and sculptured in low relief. And -finally there was found at Tlahuac the very beautiful vase of hard -iron-gray stone shown in the cut. It is eight feet four inches in -circumference on the outside, one foot nine inches in diameter on the -inside, and elaborately sculptured in low relief on both the exterior -and interior surface. In Kingsborough's edition of Dupaix's work it is -stated that the two causeways which led to the town across the waters -of Lake Chalco are still in good preservation, five or six yards wide -and of varying height, according to the depth of the water. In the -report of the Ministro de Fomento in 1854 there is also a mention of a -dike built to keep the waters of the lake from Mexico. Another dike, -serving also as a causeway at Tulyahualco is mentioned in the same -report. - -At Xico, on an island in Lake Chalco, there are some traces of an -aboriginal city, in the shape of foundation walls of masonry, stone -terraces, and what is very important if authentic, well-burned bricks -of different forms and dimensions. In the Mexican government report -referred to, the foundations of a palace are alluded to. - -At Misquique, on another of the lake islands Dupaix found the -following objects left by the antiguos:--1st. A sculptured monster's -head, with a tenon for insertion in a wall. 2d. A large granite vase, -circular in form, four feet and a half in diameter, three feet and a -half high, sculptured on the upper rim, painted on the inside, and -polished on the outer surface. It rests on a cylindrical base, smaller -than the vase itself, and is used in modern times as a baptismal font. -3d. A mill-stone shaped block, with a tenon, very similar to those -found at Tlahuac, except that the sculptures on the face are evidently -in low relief in this case. 4th. An animal called by Dupaix a coyote, -sculptured on the face of a block. 5th. A cylindrical stone twenty-one -inches in diameter and twenty-eight in height, round the circumference -of which is sculptured, or apparently merely incised, a serpent. 6th. -A square block with concentric circles and other figures, similar to -those at Xochimilco. 7th. Another block with a spiral figure. 8th. A -very finely formed head of gray veined stone, furnished with a tenon -at the back of the neck. 9th. Three small and rudely formed images, -one of green jasper and two of a red stone. - - [Illustration: Animal in Stone--Tlalmanalco.] - - [Sidenote: TLALMANALCO AND CULHUACAN.] - -At Tlalmanalco were four small idols in human form, three of which -were built into a modern wall; two heads, one of which is of -chalchiuite; three of the ornamental blocks, one bearing clearly -defined cross-bones; and the nondescript animal in gray stone shown in -the cut. Also at Tlalmanalco, in the official report already several -times cited, mention is made of three fallen pyramids, one of which -was penetrated by a gallery, supposed to have been intended for burial -purposes. - - [Illustration: Terra-Cotta Idol--Culhuacan.] - -Culhuacan, on the north-eastern bank of the same lake, is a small -village which retains the name of the city which once occupied the -site, famous in the annals of Toltec times. Veytia tells us that in -his time some vestiges of the ancient capital were still visible; and -Gondra describes a clay idol found at Culhuacan, and shown in the cut, -as an image of Quetzalcoatl, giving, however, no very clear reasons -for his belief. This relic is fourteen inches high, thirteen inches -wide, and is preserved in the Mexican Museum.[IX-48] - -The relics discovered in Anáhuac at points westward from the lakes, I -shall describe without specifying in my text the exact locality of -each place referred to. At Chapultepec there is a tradition that -statues representing Montezuma and Axayacatl were carved in the living -rock of the cliff; and these rock portraits are said to have remained -many years after the Conquest, having been seen by the distinguished -Mexican scientist Leon y Gama. Brasseur de Bourbourg even claims to -have seen traces of them, but this may perhaps be doubted. One was -destroyed at the beginning of the eighteenth century by order of the -over-religious authorities; but the other remained in perfect -preservation until the year 1753, when it also fell a victim to -anti-pagan barbarism. The immense cypresses or _ahuehuetes_ that still -stand at the foot of Chapultepec, 'hill of the grasshopper,' are said -to have been large and flourishing trees before the coming of the -Spaniards.[IX-49] - - [Sidenote: HILL OF OTONCAPOLCO.] - -A few miles from the celebrated church of Nuestra Señora de los -Remedios, is a terraced stone-faced hill, similar perhaps in its -original condition to Xochicalco, except that the terraces are more -numerous and only three or four feet high. Although, only a short -distance from the capital in an easily accessible locality, only two -writers have mentioned its existence--Alzate y Ramirez in 1792 and -Löwenstern in 1838. The former calls the hill Otoncapolco, and his -article in the _Gaceta de Literatura_ is mainly devoted to proving -that this was the point where Cortés fortified himself after the -'noche triste,' instead of the hill on which the church of Remedios -stands, as others in Alzate's time believed. The author, who visited -the place with an artist, says, "I saw ruins, and hewn stones of great -magnitude, all of which proves to the eye that this was a -fortification, or as the historians say, a temple, because they -thought that everything made by the Indians had some connection with -idolatry; it is sure that in the place where the celebrated sanctuary -stands, there is not found the slightest vestige of fortress or -temple, while on the contrary, all this is observed at Otoncapolco." -This with the remark that this monument, although not comparable to -Xochicalco, yet merits examination, is all the information Padre -Alzate gives us; and Löwenstern adds but little to our knowledge of -the monument. He found débris of sculptured stone, obsidian, vases, -and pottery; also the ruins of a castle two-thirds up the slope, in -connection with which was found a flat stone over six feet long, -bearing a sculptured five-branched cross--a kind of coat of arms. The -hill is from two hundred and sixty to three hundred and twenty-five -feet high, has a square summit platform, and the whole surface of its -slopes was covered with stone-work, now much displaced, in the shape -of steps, or terraces, between three and four feet high. At one point -the explorer found, as he believed, the entrance to a subterranean -passage, into which he did not enter but inserted a pole about nine -feet.[IX-50] - -At Tacuba, the ancient Tlacopan, Bradford mentions the "ruins of an -ancient pyramid, constructed with layers of unburnt brick," and -Löwenstern speaks of broken pottery and fragments of obsidian. The -latter author also claims to have seen near the church of Guadalupe -the foundations of many small dwellings which constituted an -aboriginal city.[IX-51] At Malinalco, near Toluca, two musical -instruments, _tlamalhuilili_, are mentioned. They were carved from -hard wood and had skin stretched across one end, being three feet long -and eighteen inches in diameter.[IX-52] Mr Foster gives a cut of a -tripod vase in the Chicago Academy of Sciences, which was dug up near -San José. "It is very symmetrically moulded, and is ornamented by a -series of _chevrons_ or small triangles. This chevron mode of -ornamentation appears to have been widely prevalent."[IX-53] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: CITY OF MEXICO.] - -In describing the relics which have been discovered from time to time -in the city of Mexico, the ancient Aztec capital, I shall make no -mention for the present of such objects, preserved in public and -private antiquarian collections in that city, as have been brought -from other parts of the state or republic. When the locality is known -where any one of this class of relics was found I shall describe it -when treating of antiquities in that locality. The many relics whose -origin is unknown will be alluded to at the end of this chapter. Since -all who have visited Mexico or written books about that country, -almost without exception, have had something to say of antiquities and -of the collections in the National Museum, as well as of the relics -belonging strictly to the city, I shall economize space and avoid a -useless repetition by deferring a list of such authorities to my -account of the miscellaneous relics of the Mexican Republic at the end -of the chapter, referring for my present purpose only to the more -important authorities, or such as contain original information or -illustrations. - -No architectural monuments whatever remain within the city limits. -The grand palaces of the Aztec monarchs, the palatial residences of -the nobility, the abodes of wealth and fashion, like the humbler -dwellings of the masses, have utterly disappeared; monuments reared in -honor of the gods have not outlasted the structures devoted to trade; -the lofty teocalli of the blood-thirsty Huitzilopochtli, like the -shrines of lesser and gentler deities, has left no trace. - -Movable relics in the shape of idols and sculptured stones are not -numerous, although some of them are very important. No systematic -search for such monuments has ever been made, and those that have been -brought to light were accidentally discovered. Some sculptured blocks -of the greatest antiquarian value have been actually seen in making -excavations for modern improvements, and have been allowed to remain -undisturbed under the pavements and public squares of a great city! -There can be no doubt that thousands of interesting monuments are -buried beneath the town. The treasures of the Plaza Mayor will perhaps -be some day brought out of their retirement to tell their story of -aboriginal times, but hundreds of Aztec divinities in stone will sleep -on till doomsday. It is unfortunate that these gods of other days -cannot regain for a time the power they used to wield, turn at least -once in their graves, and shake the drowsy populace above into a -realization of the fact that they live in the nineteenth century. - -The three principal monuments of Mexico Tenochtitlan are the -Calendar-Stone, the so-called Sacrificial Stone, and the idol called -Teoyaomiqui. They were all dug up in the Plaza Mayor where the great -teocalli is supposed to have stood, and where they were doubtless -thrown down and buried from the sight of the natives at the time of -the Conquest. In the years 1790 to 1792 the plaza was leveled and -paved by order of the government, and in the excavations for this -purpose and for drainage the three monuments were discovered, the -Calendar-Stone and the idol very near the surface, and the third relic -at a depth of twenty-five or thirty feet. - -The Calendar-Stone was a rectangular parallelopipedon of porphyry, -thirteen feet one inch and a half square, three feet three inches and -a half thick, and weighing in its present mutilated state twenty-four -tons. The sculptured portion on one side is enclosed in a circle -eleven feet one and four-fifths inches in diameter. These are the -dimensions given by Humboldt, who personally examined the stone, and -agree almost exactly with those given by Leon y Gama, who examined and -made drawings of the monument immediately after its discovery. Gama -pronounced the material to be limestone, which provoked a sharp -controversy between him and Padre Alzate, the latter calling the -material, which he tested by means of acids, a volcanic rock. -Humboldt's opinion is of course decisive in such a matter. The centre -of the circle does not exactly correspond with that of the square, and -Gama concludes from this circumstance that the stone had a companion -block which might be found near the place where this was found.[IX-54] - - [Sidenote: THE CALENDAR-STONE.] - - [Illustration: Aztec Calendar-Stone.] - -The stone has been for many years built into the wall of the cathedral -at the base, where it is exposed to the view of all passers-by, and to -the action of the elements. While lying uncovered in the plaza it was -considerably mutilated by the natives, who took the opportunity of -manifesting their horror of the ancient gods, by pelting with stones -this relic of their paganism. Parts of the stone were also broken off -when it was thrown down and buried by the conquistadores. Fortunately -the sculptured portions have been but slightly injured, and are shown -in the cut. The plates published by Gama, Humboldt, Nebel, Mayer, and -others, are all tolerably accurate; except that they were drawn to -represent the stone correctly on the plate or block, and of course -reversed in printing. The origin of this error is probably to be found -in the fact that nearly all have copied Gama's plate. In my cut the -error is corrected and the sculptured figures agree exactly with -Charnay's photograph.[IX-55] These figures are the symbols of the -Aztec calendar, many of which are well understood, while others are of -unknown or disputed signification. The calendar has been sufficiently -explained in a preceding volume, and I shall not enter upon its -elucidation here. The sculpture is in low relief, very accurately -worked, and the circle which encloses it projects, according to Mayer, -seven inches and a half, according to Gama and Nebel about three -inches, and the rim of the circle is also adorned with sculptures not -shown in the cut. Respecting the excellence of the sculpture Humboldt -says: "the concentric circles, the divisions, and the subdivisions -without number are traced with mathematical exactitude; the more we -examine the details of this sculpture, the more we discover this taste -for repetitions of the same forms, this spirit of order, this -sentiment of symmetry, which, among half-civilized peoples, take the -place of the sentiment of the beautiful." - -No stone like that from which the Calendar-Stone is hewn, is found -within a radius of twenty-five or thirty miles of Mexico, and this may -be regarded as the largest block which the natives are known to have -moved over a long distance. Prescott tells us that the stone was -brought from the mountains beyond Lake Chalco, and was dropped into -the water while being transported across one of the causeways. There -is no reason to attribute this monument to any nation preceding the -Aztecs, although the calendar itself was the invention of an older -people. Wax models of this and other relics, described by Mr Tylor as -very inaccurate, are sold in Mexico; and a plaster cast, taken by Mr -Bullock in 1823, was exhibited in London.[IX-56] - - [Illustration: Sacrificial Stone--Mexico.] - - [Sidenote: THE SACRIFICIAL STONE.] - -The Sacrificial Stone, so called, is a cylindrical block of porphyry, -nine feet and ten inches in diameter, three feet seven and one fourth -inches thick. This also was dug from the Plaza Mayor, was carried to -the courtyard of the University, where it has lain ever since, much of -the time half covered in the ground, and where different visitors have -examined it. The cut, which I have copied from Col. Mayer's drawing, -shows the sculpture which covers one side of the stone, the other side -being plain. The name of Sacrificial Stone, by which it is generally -known, probably originated from the canal which leads from the centre -to the edge, and which was imagined to have carried off the blood of -sacrifices; but the reader will notice at once that this stone bears -not the slightest resemblance to the altars on which the priests cut -out the hearts of their human victims, as described in a preceding -volume. Some authors, among whom is Humboldt, believe this to be the -_temalacatl_, or gladiatorial stone, on which captives were doomed to -fight against great odds until overcome and put to death. The -bas-relief sculptures, the central concavity, the canal, and the -absence of any means of securing the foot of the captive, are very -strong arguments against this use of the cylinder. A smooth surface -would certainly be desirable for so desperate a conflict, and the -sculptured figures on the rim, or circumference, soon to be noticed, -show that the plain side of the stone was not in its original position -uppermost. Gama, the first to write about the monument, pointed out -very clearly the objections to the prevailing ideas of its aboriginal -purpose. He claimed that the stone was, like the one already -described, a calendar-stone, on which was inscribed the system of -feast-days. The strongest objection to this theory was the existence -of the central concavity and canal, which, however, Gama considers not -to have belonged to the monument at all, but to have been added by the -ruder hands of those who wished to blot out the face of the sun which -originally occupied the centre. Latrobe also says, "I have but little -hesitation in asserting that the groove in the upper surface formed no -part of the original design;" but Col. Mayer, who has carefully -examined this relic, tells me that the canal presents no signs -whatever of being more recent than the other carving, and it must be -admitted that the Spaniards would hardly have adopted this method of -mutilation. Tylor suggests that this was a sacrificial altar, but used -for offerings of animals. Fossey speaks of it as a 'triumphal stone.' -But in alluding to these theories I am departing somewhat from my -purpose, which is to give all the information extant respecting each -relic as it exists. - - [Illustration: Sculpture on the Sacrificial Stone.] - -The whole circumference of the stone is covered with sculptured -figures, consisting of fifteen groups. Each group contains two human -figures, apparently warriors or kings, victor and vanquished, -differing but little in position or insignia in the different groups, -but accompanied by hieroglyphic signs, which may express their names -or those of their nations. Two groups as sketched by Nebel are shown -in the cut. According to Gama these sculptured figures represent by -the thirty dancers the festivities celebrated twice each year on the -occasion of the sun passing the zenith; and also commemorate, since -the festivals were in honor of the Sun and of Huitzilopochtli, the -battles and victories of the Aztecs, the hieroglyphics being the names -of conquered provinces, and most of them legible.[IX-57] - -The idol of which the cut on the opposite page shows the front, was -the first to be brought to light in grading the Plaza Mayor in August, -1790. It is an immense block of bluish-gray porphyry, about ten feet -high and six feet wide and thick, sculptured on front, rear, top, and -bottom, into a most complicated and horrible combination of human, -animal, and ideal forms. No verbal description could give the reader -any clearer idea of the details of this idol than he can gain from the -cuts which I present, following Nebel for the front, and Gama for the -other views. Gama first expressed the opinion, in which other authors -coincide, that the front shown in the opposite cut represents the -Aztec goddess of death, Teoyaomiqui, whose duty it was to bear the -souls of dead warriors to the House of the Sun--the Mexican -Elysion.[IX-58] - - [Illustration: Huitzilopochtli, God of War.] - - [Illustration: Teoyaomiqui, Goddess of Death.] - - [Illustration: Mictlantecutli, God of Hell.] - - [Sidenote: THE GODDESS OF DEATH.] - -The following cut is a rear view of the idol, and represents, -according to Gama, Huitzilopochtli, god of war and husband of the -divinity of gentler sex, whose emblems are carved on the front.[IX-59] -The bottom of this monument bears the sculptured design shown in the -following cut, which is thought to represent Mictlantecutli, god of -the infernal regions, the last of this cheerful trinity, goddess of -death, god of war, and god of hell, three distinct deities united in -one idol, according to the Aztec catechism. The sculptured base, -together with the side projections, _a_, _a_, of the cut showing the -front, prove pretty conclusively that this idol in the days when it -received the worship and sacrifices of a mighty people, was raised -from the ground or floor, and was supported by two pillars at the -sides; or possibly by the walls of some sacred enclosure, the space -left under the idol being the entrance. The next cut shows a profile -view of the idol, and also a representation of the top. This idol also -was removed to the University, and until 1821 was kept buried in the -courtyard, that it might not kindle anew the aboriginal -superstitions.[IX-60] - - [Sidenote: THE GODDESS TEOYAOMIQUI.] - - [Illustration: Profile of Teoyaomiqui.] - - [Illustration: Top of the Idol.] - -A monument similar in form and dimensions to the Sacrificial Stone, -was found in the Plaza Mayor during certain repairs that were being -made, and although it was again covered up and allowed to remain, Sr -Gondra made a drawing of the upper sculptured surface, which was -published by Col. Mayer, and is copied in the cut. The surface -presented the peculiarity of being painted in bright colors, yellow, -red, green, crimson, and black, still quite vivid at the time of its -discovery. Sr Gondra believed this to be the true gladiatorial stone, -but the sculptured surface would hardly agree with this theory. Mayer -notes as a peculiarity "the open hand which is sculptured on a shield -and between the legs of some of the figures of the groups at the -sides" not shown in the cut. Gama also speaks of a painted stone found -in June, 1792, in the cemetery of the Cathedral, which was left in the -ground, and which he says evidently formed the entrance to the temple -of Quetzalcoatl.[IX-61] - - [Illustration: Stone buried in Plaza of Mexico.] - -Another relic found during the excavations in January, 1791, was a -kind of tomb, six feet and a half long and three feet and a quarter -wide, built of slabs of _tetzontli_, a porous stone much used for -building-purposes in Mexico, filled with sand, which covered the -skeleton of some animal like a coyote, together with clay vases and -bells of cast bronze. It was perhaps the grave of some sacred animal. -Gama also mentions an image of the water god _Tlaloc_, of a common -black stone, three feet long and one foot wide; he also vaguely speaks -of several other relics not particularly described, and even found -some remains in digging the foundations of his own house.[IX-62] - - [Illustration: Burial Vase--Tlatelulco.] - - [Sidenote: TLATELULCAN VASE.] - -The plaza of Tlatelulco is nearly as prolific in ancient monuments as -the Plaza Mayor. Here was found the beautiful earthen burial vase -shown in the cut. It is twenty-two inches high, fifteen inches and a -half in diameter, covered with a circular lid, also shown in the cut, -and when found was full of human skulls. The beauty of this vase can -only be fully appreciated by a glance at the original, or at the -sketch in Col. Mayer's album made by himself from the original in the -Museum at Mexico, and showing the brilliant colors, blue, red, and -yellow, with which it is adorned. The author says, "in many respects, -it struck me as belonging to a higher grade of art than anything in -the Museum, except, perhaps, the obsidian carvings, and one or two of -the vases." Gondra mentions another burial casket, carved from basalt -and of rectangular form.[IX-63] - - [Illustration: Head of Goddess Centeotl.] - -The head shown in the cut, taken from the _Mosaico Mexicano_, measures -twenty-nine by thirty-six inches, and is carved from a block of -serpentine, a stone rarely found in Mexico. It was dug up near the -convent of Santa Teresa in 1830, and has been supposed to represent -the Aztec Goddess Centeotl. The bottom being covered with sculpture, -it seems that the monument is complete in its present state. Another -serpentine image of somewhat peculiar form, is shown in an original -sketch in the Album of Col. Mayer, who says, "it appears to have been -a charm or talisman, and in many respects resembles the bronze figures -which were found at Pompeii, and are preserved in the Secret Museum -at Naples." It was found at Tlatelulco, and is preserved in the -Mexican Museum.[IX-64] - - [Sidenote: MISCELLANEOUS RELICS.] - -Mr Bullock speaks of several relics not mentioned by any other -visitor:--"In the cloisters behind the Dominican convent is a noble -specimen of the great serpent-idol, almost perfect, and of fine -workmanship. This monstrous divinity is represented in the act of -swallowing a human victim, which is seen crushed and struggling in its -horrid jaws." The corner-stone of the Lottery Office he described as -"the head of the serpent-idol," not less than seventy feet long, when -entire. Under the gateway of a house opposite the mint was a fine -life-size recumbent statue found in digging a well. A house on a -street corner on the south-east side of the plaza rested on an altar -of black basalt, ornamented with the tail and claws of a -reptile.[IX-64] Mayer dug up in the courtyard of the University two -feathered serpents, of which he gives cuts, as well as of several -other relics found within the city limits, including the 'perro mudo,' -a stone image of one of the dumb dogs bred by the Aztecs, and a seated -human figure known as the 'indio triste.'[IX-65] - - [Illustration: Aztec Musical Instrument.] - -Mr Christy's London collection of American antiquities contains, as -we are told by Mr Tylor, a number of bronze hatchets, dug up in the -city of Mexico.[IX-66] Sr Gondra gives plates of nine Mexican musical -instruments, one of which of very peculiar construction was found in -the city, and is shown in the preceding cut. The top shaped like a -coiled serpent is of burned clay, resting on the image of a tortoise -carved from wood, and that on a base of tortoise-shell. The whole is -about twelve inches high.[IX-67] And finally I give a cut which -represents part of a block built into the wall of the Convent of -Concepcion, as sketched by Sr Chavero, who joins to his plate some -remarks on the meaning of the hieroglyphic sculpture.[IX-68] - - [Illustration: Sculptured Block in Convent Wall.] - - * * * * * - - [Illustration: Stone Basin from Tezcuco.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF TEZCUCO.] - -Tezcuco, the ancient rival of Mexico, across the lake eastward, -formerly on the lake shore, but now by the retirement of the water -left some miles inland, has, notwithstanding her ancient rank in all -that pertained to art, left no monuments to compare with those taken -from the Plaza Mayor of Mexico. But unlike the latter city Tezcuco yet -presents traces, and traces only, of her aboriginal architectural -structures. Fragments of building-material are found wherever -excavations are made, and the material of the old city is said to have -been extensively used in the construction of the modern, so that plain -or sculptured stone blocks, shaped by the aborigines, are often seen -in modern walls in different parts of the town. In the southern part -of the city are the foundations of several large pyramids, apparently -built of adobes, burnt bricks, and cement, since the materials named -all occur among the débris. The foundations show the structures to -have been originally about four hundred feet square, but of course -supply no further information respecting their form. These pyramids -were three in number at the time of Mayer's visit, standing in a line -from north to south, and strewn with fragments of pottery, idols, and -obsidian knives. Tylor found traces, barely visible, of two large -teocallis; he also speaks vaguely of some burial mounds, and states -that there is a Mexican calendar-stone built into the wall of one of -the churches. In the north-west part of the town Mayer found another -shapeless heap of bricks, adobes, and pottery, overgrown with magueys. -On the top were several large basaltic slabs, squared and lying north -and south. The rectangular stone basin with sculptured sides shown in -the cut, was found in connection with this heap and preserved in the -Peñasco collection in Mexico. Also in this heap of débris, according -to Mayer, Mr Poinsett found in 1825 an arched sewer or aqueduct built -of small stone blocks laid in mortar, together with a 'flat arch' of -very large blocks over a doorway. I find no mention of these remains -in Mr Poinsett's book. Bradford states that, "lying neglected under a -gateway, an idol has been observed nearly perfect, and representing a -rattlesnake," painted in bright colors. Mr Latrobe found a stone idol, -perhaps the same, in 1834, and Nebel gives a sketch of a most -interesting relic, said to have come from Tezcuco, and shown in the -cut. It was the custom of the Aztec priests at certain times to wear -the skin of sacrificed victims.[IX-69] This figure seems to represent -a priest thus clad. It is carved from basalt, and was half the natural -size, the natural skin being painted a bright red, and the outer one -a dirty white. A collection of Tezcucan relics seen by Tylor in 1856, -contained, 1st. A nude female figure four or five feet high, well -formed from a block of alabaster. 2d. A man in hard stone, wearing a -mask which represents a jackals head. 3d. A beautiful alabaster box -containing spherical beads of green jade, as large as pigeons' eggs -and brilliantly polished.[IX-70] - - [Illustration: Skin-clad Aztec Priest.] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: HILL OF TEZCOCINGO.] - -About three miles eastward from Tezcuco is the isolated rocky hill -known as Tezcocingo, which rises with steep slopes in conical form to -the height of perhaps six hundred feet above the plain. A portion of -one side of the hill, beginning at a point probably on the -south-eastern slope, is graded very much as if intended for a modern -railroad, forming a level terrace round a part of the circumference. -From the termination of the grading, an embankment with level summit, -variously estimated at from sixty to two hundred feet high, connects -this hill with another three quarters of a mile distant, the side of -which is likewise graded into a terrace thirty feet wide and a mile -and a half long, extending two thirds round the circumference; and -then another embankment stretches away towards the mountains ten or -fifteen miles distant, although no one seems to have recorded any -attempt to explore its whole extent. The object of both grading and -embankments was to support an aqueduct or pipe ten inches in diameter, -which is still in very good preservation at several points. Waddy -Thompson brought away a piece of the water-pipe as a relic, and he -pronounces the material to be a very hard plaster made of lime and -small portions of a soft red stone. "It is about two feet wide, and -has a trough in the centre about ten inches wide. This trough is -covered with a convex piece of the same plaster, which being placed -upon it when the plaster was soft, seems to be all one piece, making -together a tube of ten inches in diameter, through which the water -flowed from the distant mountains to the basin, which it enters -through a round hole about the size of one made with a two-inch auger. -No plasterer of the present day can construct a more beautiful piece -of work; it is in its whole extent as smooth as the plastering on a -well-finished wall, and is as hard as stone." Mayer tells us that the -aqueduct was made of baked clay, the pipes being as perfect as when -they were first laid. He also seems to imply that along the graded -terraces the water was conducted in a ditch, or canal, instead of the -regular pipes. But Tylor, on the other hand, says "the channel of the -aqueduct was made principally of blocks of the same material -[porphyry], on which the smooth stucco that had once covered the -whole, inside and out, still remained very perfect." - - [Illustration: Montezuma's Bath.] - - [Sidenote: MONTEZUMA'S BATH.] - -At the termination of the aqueduct on the eastern slope of Tezcocingo, -on the brink of a precipitous descent of two hundred feet to the -plain, is the work shown in the cut, from Mayer, hewn from the living -rock of reddish porphyry, and popularly known as Montezuma's Bath. -There was of course no reason whatever to attach this name to it, for -although it is possible, if not probable, that it may have been used -for a bath, it is very certain that it never belonged to Montezuma, -but rather to Nezahualcoyotl or some other of the Tezcucan -kings.[IX-71] The circular basin in the centre is four feet and a half -in diameter, and three feet deep, and the circular aperture through -which it received water from the aqueduct, is shown in the cut, -together with what seem to be seats cut in the rock. Respecting this -monument Col. Mayer says: "Its true use, however, is perfectly evident -to those who are less fanciful or antiquarian than the generality of -visiters. The picturesque view from this spot, over a small plain set -in a frame of the surrounding mountains and glens which border the -eastern side of Tescocingo, undoubtedly made this recess a favorite -resort for the royal personages at whose expense these costly works -were made. From the surrounding seats, they enjoyed a delicious -prospect over the lovely but secluded scenery, while, in the basin, at -their feet, were gathered the waters of a neighboring spring, -[implying that the basin and aqueduct were not connected] which, -whilst refreshing them after their promenade on the mountain, gurgled -out of its stony channel and fell in a mimic cascade over the -precipitous cliff that terminated their path. It was to this shady -spot that they no doubt retired in the afternoon, when the sun was hot -on the west of the mountain, and here the sovereign and his court, in -all probability, enjoyed the repose and privacy which were denied them -amid the bustle of the city." - -Accounts of the other remains at Tezcocingo are somewhat confused. On -the northern slope is another recess, bordered by seats cut in the -living rock, and leading to a perpendicular cliff on which a calendar -is said to have been carved, but destroyed by the natives in later -days. Traces of a spiral road winding up to the summit were found by -Mayer. Tylor reports a terrace round the hill near the top, some -sculptured blocks on the summit, and a second circular bath. Bullock -speaks of "ruins of a very large building--the cemented stones -remaining in some places covered with stucco, and forming walks and -terraces, but much encumbered with earth fallen from above.... As we -descended our guide showed us in the rock a large reservoir for -supplying with water the palace, whose walls still remained eight feet -high; and as we examined farther, we found that the whole mountain had -been covered with palaces, temples, baths and hanging gardens." -Beaufoy saw a mass of porphyry on the summit, which had been fashioned -artificially and furnished with steps. The whole surface, overgrown -with nopal-bushes, abounds in fragments of pottery, obsidian, cement, -and stone.[IX-72] - - [Sidenote: BOSQUE DEL CONTADOR.] - -North-westward from Tezcuco on the level plain is the Bosque del -Contador, a grove of _ahuehuetes_, or cypresses, arranged in a double -row and enclosing a square area of about ten acres, whose sides face -the cardinal points. The trees are between five and six hundred in -number, some of them forty to fifty feet in circumference, and are -supposed to date from a time preceding the conquest. The ground on -which they stand is firm and somewhat raised above the level of the -surrounding plain, which itself is but little above the waters of the -lake. The enclosed area, however, is soft, miry, and impassable. It is -uncertain whether this area was originally an inland lake surrounded -by trees, or an island grove in the waters of the lake. From the -north-west corner of the square a double row of similar trees extends -some distance westward, and near its termination is a dyke and a -walled tank full of water; at the north-east corner, a rectangular -mass of porphyry is said to project above the surface and to be -surrounded by a ditch; and from this point some traces of a causeway -may be seen extending towards the east. Small stone idols, articles of -pottery, and various small relics have been dug up in and about this -grove, which was not improbably a favorite promenade of the Chichimec, -or Acolhuan monarchs.[IX-73] - -On the hacienda of Chapingo, about a league south of Tezcuco, an -ancient causeway was found in excavating, at a depth of four feet -below the surface, the cedar piles of which were in a good state of -preservation. Under the causeway was the skeleton of a mastodon, and -similar skeletons are said to have been found at other points in the -valley of Mexico.[IX-74] - - [Illustration: Bridge at Huejutla.] - -At Huejutla, also in the vicinity of Tezcuco, a wall was still -standing as late as 1834, which was nearly thirty feet high, between -five and six feet thick, and built of stone and mortar. From bottom to -top the wall was divided into five distinct divisions distinguished by -the arrangement of the stones. The widest of these divisions was built -of cylindrical and oval stones, the rounded ends of which projected -symmetrically. The wall terminates on the east at a ravine, which is -crossed by a bridge of a single span, twenty feet long and forty feet -high. The span is an arch of peculiar construction, being formed of -stone slabs, set on edge, and the interstices filled with mortar. The -irregularities of the stones and the firmness of the mortar support -the structure, forming a near approach to the regular arch as shown in -the cut from Tylor. Its antiquity has been doubted, but the near -approximation to the keystone arch seems to be the only argument -against the theory that it was built by the natives, and as we have -seen a very similar arch in the mounds of Metlaltoyuca, there seems to -be no good reason to attribute it to the Spaniards. This is probably -the bridge known as the Puente de los Bergantines, where Cortés is -said to have launched his brigantines which rendered so efficient -service in the siege of Mexico. The fact that it is set askew instead -of crossing the ravine at right angles with the banks adds greatly to -the difficulty of its construction. Near this place there are also -some heaps of débris, which according to Bullock could be identified -in 1823 as small adobe pyramids; and the foundations of a building and -two reservoirs, one of the latter in good preservation and covered -with rose-colored cement, were mentioned. Beaufoy tells us that in -1826 a serpent's head carved in stone protruded from the ground near -the modern church. A stone column, seven feet high, was among the -relics seen; it had a well-carved pyramidal piece of hornblende on its -top. Two idols of stone were brought away, one of them described by -Latrobe as "an ugly monster of an idol in a sitting posture, deftly -carved in a hard volcanic substance."[IX-75] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF TEOTIHUACAN.] - -Not quite two miles north-east from the little village of San Juan, -and about twenty-five miles in the same direction from Mexico, on the -road to Otumba, are the ruins of Teotihuacan, 'city of the gods,' to -which, according to Brasseur, the names Veitioacan, 'city of signals,' -and Toltecat are sometimes applied in the native traditional -annals.[IX-76] These monuments stand on a plain which slopes gently -towards the south, and are included in a rectangular space of about a -third of a mile from east to west and a mile and a half from north to -south, extending from the Tulancingo road on the north to the Otumba -road on the south, with, however, some small mounds outside of the -limits mentioned. By reason of its nearness to Mexico, Teotihuacan, -like Cholula, has naturally had hundreds of visitors in modern times, -and is more or less fully described by all the early chroniclers. -Humboldt, Bullock, Beaufoy, Ward, Latrobe, Mayer, Thompson, Tylor, and -many other actual visitors have written accounts, which still others -have quoted; but by far the most complete and reliable account, which -is also the latest, is that given in the report of a scientific -commission appointed by the Mexican government in 1864, accompanied by -plates prepared from careful measurements and photographic views. I -have used this report as my chief authority, carefully noting, -however, all points respecting which other authorities differ.[IX-77] - - [Illustration: Plan of Teotihuacan.] - -The annexed cut, reduced from that of Almaraz, shows clearly, on a -scale of about twenty-five hundred and fifty feet to an inch, the plan -of the different monuments. I shall describe them in the following -order:--1st. The Pyramid of the Moon, A of the plan; 2d. The Pyramid -of the Sun, B; 3d. The Road of the Dead, CD; 4th. The Citadel, E; 5th. -The scattered mounds and miscellaneous relics. - - [Sidenote: HOUSE OF THE MOON.] - -The first pyramid, Metztli Itzacual, 'house of the moon,' [I find no -word in Molina's Vocabulary corresponding at all to _Itzacual_ with -the meaning of 'house.' It may be a compound of _calli_ incorrectly -written] the most northern of the remains, measures four hundred and -twenty-six feet north and south, and five hundred and eleven feet east -and west at the base, has a summit platform of about thirty-six by -sixty feet, and is a hundred and thirty-seven feet high, the sides -facing almost exactly the cardinal points.[IX-78] The slope of the -sides, according to Beaufoy's observations, is at an angle of about -forty-five degrees. The pyramid, as seen from a little distance, bears -much resemblance to a natural hill, being overgrown with shrubbery; -still the regular original outlines and angles are much more apparent -here than in the case of Cholula, already described, as is proven by -the photographs taken by the Mexican commission. A terrace, three feet -wide, is plainly visible at a height of sixty-nine feet from the base, -but a close examination shows there were originally three of these -terraces, dividing the pyramid into four stories, except on the east, -which has no terrace, and where the commission mentioned claim to have -found traces of a zigzag road leading up the slope, as shown in the -plan. None but the authority referred to have discovered the zigzag -path, and no other explorers note that the terraces were interrupted -on one side of the pyramid. Humboldt states that the space between the -terraces was divided into smaller grades, or steps, about three feet -high, still visible, and also that there still remained parts of a -stairway of large blocks of hewn stone. Mr Tylor also says, not -referring to this pyramid particularly: "As we climbed up their sides, -we could trace the terraces without any difficulty, and even flights -of steps." There is hardly any other American monument respecting -which the best authorities differ so essentially.[IX-79] - - [Sidenote: HOUSE OF THE MOON.] - -The material of the structure has generally been described as a -conglomerate of small irregular stones and clay, encased, according to -Humboldt and most other writers, in a wall of the porous volcanic -rock, tetzontli; or this facing covered with a coating of stucco, -which is salmon-colored, light blue, streaked, and red, according to -the views of different observers. The Mexican commissioners disagree -with all previous explorers by doing away altogether with the facing -of hewn stone, and representing the facing to consist of different -conglomerates arranged in successive layers, as follows:--1st, small -stones from eight to twelve inches in diameter, with mud, forming a -layer of about thirty-two inches; 2d, fragments of volcanic tufa as -large as a man's fist, also in mud, to the thickness of sixteen -inches; 3d, small grains of tetzontli, of the size of peas, with mud, -twenty-eight inches thick; 4th, a very thin and smooth coat of pure -lime mortar. These layers are repeated in the same order nine times, -and are parallel to the slopes of the pyramid, which would make the -thickness of the superficial facing about sixty feet. There have been -no excavations sufficiently deep to show what may be the material in -the centre. Almaraz states that a somewhat different order and -thickness of the strata was observed in certain excavations, or -galleries, to be described later; but none of these galleries are -described as of sufficient depth to penetrate the facing of sixty -feet, and the exact meaning of the report in question it is very -difficult to determine. I give in a note, however, what others have -said of the building-material.[IX-80] - -The excavation, or gallery, already referred to, extends about -twenty-five feet on an incline into the pyramid from an entrance on -the southern slope, between the second and third terraces according to -Mayer, about sixty-nine feet above the base according to Almaraz. It -is large enough to permit the passage of a man on hands and knees, and -at its inner termination are two square wells, walled with blocks of -volcanic tufa three inches thick, or, as Mayer says, of adobes,--about -five feet square, and one of them fifteen feet deep. No relics -whatever have been found in connection with gallery or wells; Almaraz -speaks of the former as simply excavations by treasure-hunters, and -mentions only one well, without stating its location with respect to -the gallery. Mr Löwenstern states that the gallery is a hundred and -fifty-seven feet long, increasing in height to over six feet and a -half, as it penetrates the pyramid; that the well is over six feet -square, extending apparently down to the base and up to the summit; -and that other cross galleries are blocked up by débris. Still lower -on this slope, at the very base according to the plan, is a small -mound like those scattered over the plain to be described later. Mr -Bullock claims to have found on the summit, in 1823, walls of rough -stones, eight feet high and three feet thick, forming a square -enclosure fourteen by forty-seven feet, with a doorway on the south, -and three windows on each side. This author's unsupported statements -may be taken always with some allowance for the play of his -imagination. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: HOUSE OF THE SUN.] - -Some eight hundred and seventy-five yards south of the House of the -Moon, between it and the Rio San Juan, at B of the plan, stands the -Tonatiuh Itzacual, or 'house of the sun,' also called sometimes in -tradition, according to Brasseur and Veytia, Tonacatecuhtli, 'god of -subsistence.' In material, form, and construction, it is precisely the -same, so far as my authorities go, as its northern companion; indeed, -many of the remarks which I have quoted in the preceding description, -were applied by the authors to both pyramids alike. Its dimensions -are, however, considerably larger, and its sides vary about sixteen -degrees from the cardinal points. It measures at the base seven -hundred and thirty-five feet from east to west, and is two hundred and -three feet high. Beaufoy estimated the size of the summit platform at -sixty by ninety feet.[IX-81] - -This pyramid is in better condition than the other, and the three -terraces are plainly visible, although as before no one but Almaraz -has discovered that they do not extend completely round the four -sides, and the latter author states that the zigzag path on the -eastern slope is much more clearly defined and makes more angles than -that on the House of the Moon. Beaufoy found a path leading up the -slope at the north-west corner, and Humboldt's remarks about a -stairway of stone blocks may apply to this pyramid as well as to the -other. Bullock states that the second terrace is thirty-eight feet -wide. There are no traces of buildings on the summit or of galleries -in the interior, but this, like the other pyramid, has a small mound -on one of its sides near the base, and this mound seems to have -embankments connecting it with the road on the west. The House of the -Sun is also surrounded on the north, south, and east, according to the -report of the Mexican commission, by the embankment _a_, _b_, _c_, -_d_, which is a hundred and thirty feet wide on the summit, and twenty -feet high, with sloping sides, widening out at the extremities, _a_ -and _d_, into unequal rectangular platforms. It is certainly very -remarkable that among the many visitors to Teotihuacan no one had -found any traces of this embankment before 1864. - -Twelve hundred and fifty yards still further south across the stream -is the Texcalpa, 'citadel,' 'palace,' or 'stone house,' as it is -called, or defined, by different writers. The Citadel is a -quadrangular enclosure, whose sides measure twelve hundred and -forty-six and thirteen hundred and thirty-eight feet respectively, or -nine hundred and eighty-four feet square according to Linares, and are -exactly parallel with those of the Pyramid of the Sun. The enclosing -walls, or embankments, are two hundred and sixty-two feet thick and -thirty-three feet high, except on the west side, where it is but -sixteen feet high; their material not being mentioned, but presumably -the same as that of the pyramids. A cross-embankment of smaller -dimensions divides the square area into two unequal parts, and on its -centre stands a smaller pyramid, said by Linares to be ninety-two feet -high, in ruins, having traces of a stairway, or path, on its eastern -slope. Two small mounds stand at the western base of the small -pyramid, one is found in the western enclosure, and fourteen, -averaging twenty feet in height, are symmetrically arranged on the -summit of the main embankments, as shown in the plan. The Citadel in -some of its features seems to bear a slight resemblance to the works -at Tenampua, in Honduras, and at Monte Alban, in Oajaca.[IX-82] - - [Sidenote: PATH OF THE DEAD.] - -Just south of the House of the Moon a line of mounds, C D, forms -nearly a circular enclosure about six hundred feet in diameter, with a -small mound in the centre. From this area two parallel lines of mounds -extend south 15° west, parallel also with the sides of the House of -the Sun and Citadel, for two hundred and fifty rods to the Rio San -Juan, forming an avenue two hundred and fifty feet wide, called by the -natives, as in the Toltec traditions, Micaotli, 'path of the -dead.'[IX-83] The mounds that form this avenue are of conical or -semispherical form, and of different dimensions, the largest being -over thirty feet in height. They are built of stone fragments, earth, -and clay, and stand close together, so as to resemble in some parts a -continuous embankment. Six cross-embankments divide the southern part -of the Path of the Dead into compartments, three of which have a mound -in their centre. Linares represents the avenue as extending four or -five miles beyond the House of the Moon, to the Cerro de Tlaginga; and -Mayer in his plan terminates it on the south at a point opposite the -House of the Sun, where it is crossed by the modern path. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: MOUNDS OF TEOTIHUACAN.] - -Besides the mounds, or _tlalteles_ that form the Path of the Dead, -there are numerous others of the same form and material--being, so far -as known, mere heaps of stone and earth--scattered over the plain, -some of them in lines or groups, with an approach to regularity, and -others with no apparent arrangement. They vary in height from four or -five to twenty-five or thirty feet. Respecting these tlalteles I quote -from Almaraz as follows: "In them many excavations have been made, -causing most of the dilapidation which is noted; some of them executed -for scientific purposes in search of archæological objects; others -made by ignorant and rapacious persons, impelled by a hope of finding -falsely reported treasures: Neither have there been wanting, and this -is the cause of most of the destruction, persons of evil intentions -who undertake to demolish the ruins in order to obtain the hewn blocks -of porphyry which are used in the construction of their barbarous -dwellings; and they do not even preserve the blocks, but break and -destroy them; in this manner have perished relics truly precious. -Almost under my eyes there were taken from one of the tlalteles eight -hewn blocks four by three and a half feet; the outer faces were -sculptured, representing a strange and grotesque figure, with the head -of a serpent and of some other fierce animal, like a tiger or lion; -they were curved on the outside, and all must have formed a circular -monument seventeen feet in diameter; they were broken up without pity, -although I was able to make a drawing of one of them. In the same -tlaltel were other sculptured stones.... In the houses of San Juan de -Teotihuacan are seen some of these sculptures built into the walls, -and in the Ventilla, near the ruins, I have seen stones representing -in my opinion a serpent.... Of all the objects of this class the most -notable is a monolith found among the débris of a tlaltel, and of -which I give a drawing [see next page.] It is a parallelopipedon ten -feet and a half high, and five feet and a half wide and thick," -weighing, according to the author's calculations, over fifteen tons. -"I had an excavation made in one of the smallest, and found four walls -meeting at right angles and forming a square; they are inclined, and -within are found some steps which are parallel to it [the square]; in -the upper part of these, begin four other walls also inclined, -containing a little room:--I thought it was a tomb, although I have -some doubts about its true object."[IX-84] The people of the vicinity -said that in one of the mounds there had been found a stone box -containing a skull, beads, and various curious relics of beryl, -serpentine, heliotrope, and obsidian. They also claimed to have found -quantities of gold-dust and gold vases. - - [Illustration: Monolith from a Teotihuacan Mound.] - -Humboldt speaks of hundreds of these mounds arranged in streets -running exactly east and west and north and south from the pyramids. -Mayer's plan represents a square area partly enclosed by a line of -tlalteles north-east of the House of the Moon. According to Latrobe, -the mounds extend for miles towards Tezcuco; and Waddy Thompson is -confident that they are the ruins of an ancient city nearly as large -as Mexico. The Citadel he calls the public square of twenty acres with -a stone building in the centre, and he also finds traces of several -other smaller squares. The streets are marked by large piles of rock -resembling--except in size--potato-hills, formed by falling buildings. -In the opinion of this author it is simply absurd to suppose these -heaps to have been formed as separate mounds. Thompson also found a -number of circular niches two feet in diameter on the bank of a ravine -west of the other remains.[IX-85] - - [Illustration: The Fainting-Stone at Teotihuacan.] - -Mayer found, near _i_ of the plan--as nearly as can be determined by -his plan, which differs considerably in detail from the one I have -given--a globular mass of granite nineteen feet eight inches in -circumference; also, near _m_, the stone block shown in the cut. It is -ten feet and a half long, five feet wide, lies exactly east and west, -and is found in the centre of a group of small mounds. The cut shows -the sculpture on the face turned toward the south, that on the top and -north being very indistinct. At _b_ of the cut is a hollow described -as three inches deep at the sides, and six at top and bottom. -Notwithstanding Col. Mayer's opinion to the contrary, it is most -natural to regard this monument as an overturned pillar. The natives -believe that whoever sits or reclines on this stone will immediately -faint.[IX-86] - - [Sidenote: MISCELLANEOUS RELICS.] - -At the time of the Conquest statues of the sun and moon are reported -to have been found on the summits of their respective pyramids. The -gold plates which are said to have covered or decorated these idols -were of course immediately appropriated by the Spanish soldiers, and -the idols themselves broken by order of the priests. Gemelli Careri -claims to have seen fragments of their arms and legs at the base of -the pyramid, and Ramon del Moral assured Veytia that he had found the -colossal head of the statue of the moon, and that the pedestal still -remained in place; Veytia, however, could find no traces of such -relics in 1757, although Ixtlilxochitl and Boturini both claim to have -seen them.[IX-87] Mayer claims to have found well-defined traces of an -ancient road covered with cement, between the ruins and the village. -The whole surfaces of the pyramids, mounds, and much of the -surrounding plain, are literally strewn with the fragments of pottery -and obsidian; and small terra-cotta heads are offered to the visitor -in great quantities for sale, by the natives, who pick them up among -the ruins, or perhaps manufacture them when their search is not -sufficiently fruitful. Many of these heads have been brought away and -sketched, and they are very similar one to another. One of them, -sketched by Mr Vetch, is shown in the cut.[IX-88] - - [Illustration: Terra-Cotta Head--Teotihuacan.] - -The ruins of Teotihuacan, like the pyramid of Cholula, contain no -internal evidences of their age. Its building is attributed in -different records to the Toltecs, Olmecs, and Totonacs, in the very -earliest period of Nahua supremacy. The name Teotihuacan is one of the -very earliest preserved in Nahua annals, and there can be but little -doubt that the pyramids are older than that of Cholula, or that they -were built at least as early as the sixth century, the commencement of -what is regarded as the Toltec era in Anáhuac. The pyramids themselves -served, according to tradition, as places of sepulture, but not -altogether for this purpose, for Teotihuacan is spoken of as a great -centre of religious worship and priestly rites, a position it would -not have held had it been simply a burial place. It is altogether -probable that the houses of the Sun and Moon served the double purpose -of tombs and shrines, although there is no proof that any temples -proper ever stood on the summit as at Cholula. These structures are -said to have served as models for the Aztec teocallis of later times. -Don Lucas Alaman, a distinguished Mexican statesman and author, -believed that the numerous terra-cotta heads already spoken of were -relics distributed by the priests to the crowds of pilgrims that -assembled at the shrines.[IX-89] - -At Otumba few relics of antiquity seem to have been discovered; Mayer, -however, gives a cut of a pillar ornamented with geometric sculptured -figures, which is said to have been found by Mr Poinsett. At Tizayuca, -a little north of the lake, a low hill is spoken of with a small hole -in the top, whence issues continually a current of air; I know not -whether there are evidences of anything artificial about this curious -phenomenon of more than doubtful authenticity. The same authority also -mentions some ruined buildings on the hacienda of San Miguel.[IX-90] -Brasseur de Bourbourg tells us that the ruins of Quetzalcoatl's temple -at Tulancingo were visible long after the Conquest, and also speaks of -a subterranean palace called Mictlancalco, and a stone cross -discovered on Mount Meztitlan. Veytia also speaks of the cross of -Meztitlan, sculptured together with a moon on a lofty and almost -inaccessible cliff; and Chaves barely mentions relics of antiquity not -described very definitely.[IX-91] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: OBSIDIAN MINES.] - -At the Cerro de las Navajas, near Monte Jacal, about midway between -Real del Monte and Tulancingo, are the mines or quarries from which -the natives of Anáhuac are believed to have obtained the large -quantities of obsidian used by them in the manufacture of their -implements and weapons. The mines are described as openings three or -four feet in diameter and one hundred and ten to one hundred and forty -feet in extent, probably horizontal, with side drifts wherever the -obsidian is of a desirable quality and most abundant. Large quantities -of the material are found in fragments of different shapes and sizes, -which throw some light on the manner in which the Aztecs manufactured -their knives and other implements.[IX-92] In the vicinity of Actopan, -at Mixquiahuala, we are told in a Mexican government report already -often quoted, that clay relics are frequently discovered.[IX-93] At -Atotonilco el Grande, south of Guautla, Mr Burkart found pieces of -obsidian of many-sided pyramidal form, from which knives had -apparently been split off by the natives in ancient times. The art of -working this intractable material has been practically lost in modern -times.[IX-94] - -At Zacualtipan, in the north-eastern portion of Mexico, a very -peculiar monument is described, consisting of a house excavated from a -single stone. A doorway on the south, with columns at its sides, leads -to an apartment measuring about twelve by seven and a half feet, and -ten feet and a half high. The room contains the remains of a kind of -altar and a sculptured cross. A stone bench extends round the sides, -being two feet high and one foot wide. This main room is connected by -a doorway on the west with another very narrow one, in the south end -of which is what is described as a kind of stone bed measuring three -by six feet, all of the same stone. Another stone near by has a bath, -so-called, and still another, known as Caparrosa, has an inscription -painted in red. These remains are of so extraordinary a character, -that in the absence of confirmation the report must be considered -doubtful or erroneous. At Tecomal, north of Lolotla, a stone is -mentioned six feet high, which has six steps leading up to the summit, -where is an oval hole a yard and a half deep.[IX-95] At Monte Penulco -Mr Latrobe speaks of some remains probably of Spanish origin, like -many others that are attributed to the antiguos.[IX-96] - - * * * * * - -Near San Juan de los Llanos, in the extreme north-eastern part of the -state, some forty leagues from the city of Mexico, the existence of a -ruined city was reported late in the eighteenth century on apparently -good authority; but I find no later mention of it. The description -bears some resemblance to that of Metlaltoyuca, discovered in 1865, -just across the line in Vera Cruz, twenty-five or thirty miles -north-east from San Juan. The two groups of remains may be identical, -or the earlier report may refer to other monuments, many of which very -probably exist yet undiscovered in that densely wooded district. The -ruined city near San Juan was described in 1786, by Sr Cañete, as -covering an area of one league by three fourths of a league, surrounded -by walls of hewn stone laid without mortar, five to eight feet high -and very thick. A street running from east to west was paved with -volcanic stone, worn smooth, and guarded by battlements, or side walls. -Several ruined temples, sculptured blocks of stone, stone metates and -other implements, stone statues of men and animals--including a -lion--were found here, but all of a rather coarse workmanship. A tall -pine was growing on the summit of one of the temples, and there seemed -to be some evidence that the town had been abandoned for want of a -supply of water.[IX-97] - - [Sidenote: REMAINS AT TULA.] - - [Illustration: Earthen Vase--Tula.] - -At Tula, north-west of the city of Mexico, the ancient Tollan, the -Toltec capital, we are told that extensive ruins remained at the time -of the Conquest,[IX-98] but very few relics have survived to the -present time, although some of the few that have been found here are -of a somewhat extraordinary character. The cut shows both sides of an -earthen vase from Tula, which, as Mayer says, is "of exquisitely -grained and tempered material, and ornamented with figures in -_intaglio_, resembling those found on the monuments in Yucatan."[IX-99] -Villa-Señor y Sanchez, one of the early Spanish writers, names Tula as -one of the many localities where giants' bones had been found.[IX-100] -A commission from the Mexican Geographical Society, composed of Drs -Manfred and Ord,--the latter an old resident of California, who takes -a deep interest in the antiquities and history of the Pacific -States--with Mr Porter C. Bliss,--whose large collection of Mexican -works, with some curious relics of antiquity, has been lately added to -my library--and Sr García y Cubas, made an exploration of Tula and -vicinity in 1873, bringing to light some interesting monuments, of -which an illustrated account was published in the Boletin of the -society. The cut shows a very curious double column of basalt, -somewhat over eight feet high. The sculptured knots are interpreted by -the commissioners mentioned as the _tlalpilli_, or periods of thirteen -years. None of them occur on the reverse of the column. Other relics -discovered by this party included half of what seemed to be a kind of -calendar-stone, a large animal in basalt or monster idol, and some -hieroglyphic sculptures on the cliff of the Cerro de la Malinche. -There were also found the three fragments shown in the cut, which are -interesting as showing an aboriginal method of forming columns not -elsewhere met with in America, a round tenon on one part fitting -closely into a hole in the next. The largest of the three parts shown -is four feet long and two and three fourths feet in diameter. The -material is basalt and the sculpture is said to be well done. Most of -the Tula relics were found at the Cerro del Tesoro, west of the modern -village.[IX-101] - - [Illustration: Basaltic Column--Tula.] - - [Illustration: Parts of a Column--Tula.] - -Gondra speaks of fine pieces of basalt and other stone, about nine -feet long, recently discovered on the hacienda of Tlahuililpan near -Tula, leaving it to be inferred that the blocks were artificially -shaped if not sculptured.[IX-102] Another author says that on the same -hacienda an idol six feet high has been found,[IX-103] and mentions -some ruins of dwellings about Jacala in the Tula district, especially -at Santa María de los Alamos and Cerro Prieto, and also a pillar in -the middle of the Rio de Montezuma.[IX-104] Other remains vaguely -reported to exist in this part of the state include a subterranean -arch at Huehuetoca, between Mexico and Tula, built by the natives to -keep the water from the capital; and a group of ruins at Chilcuautla, -among which are those of a temple of stone and mortar, and a pyramid -fifty-five feet long and seven feet high, with steps in a good state -of preservation.[IX-105] - - * * * * * - -Still further north-west in the state of Querétaro, three groups of -antiquities are reported, but very inadequately described. At Pueblito -a league and a half south of the city of Querétaro, said to have been -a favorite resort for Mexican tourists and invalids in the last -century, there stood on a natural elevation, in 1777, the foundations -of a large rectangular building. The walls were built of stones laid -in clay, and were not, when visited, standing above the level of the -ground, one or two feet having been, however, brought to light by -excavation. On the east and west of the main building were two smaller -ones, from which many idols and other relics, including round polished -stones pierced through the centre, are said to have been taken. A -pavement of clay is also spoken of in connection with these ruins. On -the same elevation stood an artificial sugar-loaf-shaped mound, built -of alternate layers of loose stones and mud, having at its summit a -level mesa thirty-three feet in diameter. It is said that many idols, -sculptured fragments, pedestals, architectural decorations, and flint -arrow-heads from Pueblito, were sent to enrich collections in the city -of Mexico. The only writer on the subject, Sr Morfi, attempts some -descriptions of the sculpture, but as is usual with such accounts -unaccompanied by cuts, they convey no idea whatever of the subjects -treated. Certain adobe ruins of doubtful antiquity were also shown to -the author mentioned.[IX-106] - - [Sidenote: CANOAS AND RANAS.] - -In the Sierra de Canoas, between thirty and forty miles north-east of -Querétaro, is a steep hill known as Cerro de la Ciudad, the summit of -which is very strongly fortified. A lithographic plate showing a -general view of the hill is given in a Mexican government report, but -I do not copy it because the view is too distant to show anything -further than what has already been said; namely, that the hill is -steep, and the summit covered with strong stone fortifications. -Another plate shows simply the arrangement of the stones, which are -brick-shaped blocks, whose dimensions are not given, laid in a mortar -of reddish clay and lime. There are in all forty-five defensive works -on the hill, including a wall about forty feet in height, and a -rectangular platform with an area of five thousand square feet. Some -large trees, one of them three hundred years old by its rings, are -growing over the ruins. It is very unfortunate that we have no ground -plan of these fortifications.[IX-107] - -Two or three leagues north-west of the ruins last mentioned is the -ranchería of Ranas, situated in a small valley enclosed by hills on -every side, on the summits of most of which are still to be seen -traces of an ancient population. The fortifications on these hills -seem to resemble, so far as may be determined by the slight accounts -extant, those of the barranca-girt peninsular plateaux of Vera Cruz. -One hill-summit on the north has a pyramid sixty-five feet square at -the base, with four stairways leading to the top. Near the pyramid is -a burial mound, or _cuicillo_, in which with a human skeleton were -found marine shells, pottery, and beads. The cuicillos are numerous -throughout the whole region, and marine shells are of frequent -occurrence in them. From a mound in the vicinity of San Juan Del Rio -some idols were taken as well.[IX-108] - -From an article read before the Mexican Geographical Society by Sr -Ballesteros in 1872, I quote the following extracts: "What all down to -the present time called cities (Canoas and Ranas), are only the -fortified points which guarded the city proper, which was situated -between the two at the point called Ranas, where was the residence of -the monarch. In a region absolutely broken up and cut in all -directions by enormous barrancas, caused by the sinking of whole -mountains, the settlement could not be symmetrically laid out, but was -scattered, as it is still found, in the bottom of ravines, on the -slopes and tops of the hills for many leagues." A small lake, and a -perennial spring are supposed to have been the attractions of this -locality in the eyes of the ancient people. "On all the hills about -are still seen vestiges of their monuments, particularly what are -called cuicillos, scattered in every direction from the pueblo of El -Doctor to the banks of the streams that drain the valley opposite -Zimapan, and even to that of Estorax. Although beforehand I believed -that the capital was situated in the central part of Ranas, still this -idea was rather vague; but now I think I may be sure of it, since I -have found a place surrounded with little elevations, with all the -signs of a circular plaza, with many remains of monuments, which have -been destroyed through ignorance and greed. In my presence were -destroyed the last remains of a cuicillo to found a house, the work -not being checked by the presence of the bodies of a man and woman, -whose skulls, which I wished to remove, were reduced to dust by the -simple touch of the hand. This circumstance may serve to-day as a -proof that the cuicillos are nothing but mortuary monuments erected -over the sepulchres of persons of rank, more or less grand according -to the power of the pueblo, or of the relatives of the deceased." "The -idea of a remote antiquity is proved by the presence of the remains of -very large oaks which sprang up among the edifices, grew and died, and -from the ashes of which others equally large have grown up and cover -to-day the majestic remains with their shade." "The summit of the hill -on which it [the fortification] was founded is somewhat over a quarter -of a league long, and between wall and wall there is room for three -thousand men without crowding. The terrible sinking of the mountains -cut down the cliffs, which are perpendicular on the north to a height -of over eleven hundred feet. On the brow of the cliff was built the -superimposed wall of stone, of a very considerable thickness, and -terraced on the interior where the warriors were sheltered. On the -highest part of the wall there is a kind of tower, the height of which -from the bottom of the ravine is not less than sixteen hundred and -fifty feet. The hill has only one entrance, but at the same time it -has three projecting points which impeded the enemy from approaching -in sufficient numbers to make an assault. At this same point is the -tower which was perhaps the residence of the chief of the fortress, -the view from which commanded the only two roads by which the enemies -could approach." "The two fortifications (Canoas and Ranas) are about -two leagues distant one from the other, and throughout the whole -extent are seen the remains of the settlement, which territory the -natives still inhabit. That of Canoas guards the entrance of Zimapan -by way of Santo Domingo and Maconí; and that of Ranas protects the -approach to Cadereyta and Piñal de Amoles."[IX-109] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: MISCELLANEOUS REMAINS.] - -I have now mentioned all the relics of antiquity that have been found -in stated localities within the central Mexican region, which was to -constitute the geographical basis of this chapter. Besides these -relics, however, there are very many others in antiquarian -collections, public or private, in different parts of the world, -respecting which all that is known is that they are Mexican, that is, -were brought from some part of the Mexican Republic, or even from the -northern Central American states. Probably a larger part did actually -originate in that part of the Republic which has been treated of in -the present and the two preceding chapters. Very few, if any, came -from the broad northern regions, whose few scattered remains will form -the subject of the following chapter. Neither do the general remarks -of different writers on Mexican antiquities refer, except very -slightly, to any northern monuments; consequently I may introduce here -better than elsewhere such miscellaneous matter as would naturally -come at the close of my description of Nahua antiquities. - - [Sidenote: THE MEXICAN MUSEUM.] - -The collections in the city of Mexico, embracing relics of aboriginal -times gathered at different dates from all parts of the country, are -described by travelers as very rich, but little cared for. The public -collections were gradually united in the National Museum, where it is -to be supposed they are still preserved and cared for under government -auspices. M. de Waldeck at one time undertook the work of publishing -lithographic plates of the relics in the Museum, but never completed -it, and so far as I know no systematic catalogue has ever been given -to the public. Every visitor to the city has had something to say of -these monuments, but most have given their attention to the -calendar-stone, and a few other well-known and famous objects. Many -copies have been made by traveling artists, and such is the source -whence many of the cuts in the preceding pages have been taken. -Respecting the various private collections of Mexico, frequently -changing hands, and scattered more or less to foreign lands at every -succeeding revolution, I do not deem it important to notice them in -this place, especially as I have no information about their present -number and condition, or the effects of the French intervention. - -M. de Fossey represents the Museum as containing "a hundred masks of -obsidian, of serpentine, and of marble; a collection of vases of -marble and clay; implements in clay, in wood, and in stone; metallic -mirrors; amulets and ornaments in agate, coral, and shell," all in -great confusion.[IX-110] Mr Mayer gives perhaps the most complete -account of the monuments gathered in this and some other collections -in the city of Mexico, illustrated by many cuts besides those which I -have had occasion to copy or to mention in describing the monuments of -particular localities. I make some quotations from this author -respecting miscellaneous objects. "In the city of Mexico I constantly -saw serpents, carved in stone, in the various collections of -antiquities. One was presented to me by the Conde del Peñasco, and the -drawings below represent the figures of two 'feathered serpents,' -which, after considerable labor I disinterred (I may say,) from a heap -of dirt and rubbish, old boxes, chicken-coops, and decayed fruit, in -the court-yard of the University." "The carving with which they are -covered is executed with a neatness and gracefulness that would make -them, as mere ornaments, worthy of the chisel of an ancient sculptor." -"On the benches around the walls, and scattered over the floor, are -numberless figures of dogs, monkeys, lizards, birds, serpents, all in -seemingly inextricable confusion and utter neglect." A mortar of -basalt with a coiled serpent round the rim, and a beautifully cut -human head of the same material. "In the adjoining cases [of the -Museum] are all the smaller Mexican antiquities, which have been -gathered together by the labor of many years, and arranged with some -attention to system. In one department you find the hatchets used by -the Indians; the ornaments of beads of obsidian and stone worn round -their necks; the mirrors of obsidian; the masks of the same material, -which they hung at different seasons before the faces of their idols; -their bows and arrows, and arrow-heads of obsidian, some of them so -small and beautifully cut, that the smallest birds might be killed -without injuring their plumage. In another department are the smaller -idols of the ancient Indians, in clay and stone, specimens of which, -together with the small domestic altars and vases for burning incense, -are exhibited in the following [IX-7] drawings. Many of these figures -were doubtless worn suspended around the neck, or hung on the walls of -houses, as several are pierced with holes, through which cords have -evidently passed. In the next place is a collection of Mexican vases -and cups, most of which were discovered ... in the Island of -Sacrificios," and have consequently been already mentioned. There -follow cuts of an axe and two pipes; nine small clay idols; and seven -musical instruments. Sixteen cuts of objects from the Peñasco -collection are also given.[IX-111] - - [Illustration: Bronze Bells--Christy Collection.] - -Mr Tylor tells us that the Uhde collection at Heidelberg is a far -finer one than that in Mexico, except in the department of -picture-writings; it contains a large number of stone idols and -trinkets, pipes, and calendars. The Christy collection in London is -particularly rich in small sculptured figures, many of them from -Central America. It includes the squatting female figure carved from -hard black basalt, fifteen inches high and seven and a half inches -wide, described by Humboldt as an Aztec priestess;[IX-112] and also -bronze needles and the bronze bells shown in the cut, which I take -from Tylor. The same author also describes and illustrates various -other relics seen by him in Mexican and European collections. These -include stone and obsidian knives, spear-heads, and arrow-heads; heads -and small idols in terra cotta; pottery, consisting of vases, altars, -censers, rattles, flageolets, and whistles; and masks of obsidian, -stone, wood, and terra-cotta. Respecting obsidian relics Mr Tylor -says, "Anyone who does not know obsidian may imagine great masses of -bottle-glass, such as our orthodox ugly wine bottles are made of, very -hard, very brittle, and--if one breaks it with any ordinary -implement--going, as glass does, in every direction but the right -one." "Out of this rather unpromising stuff the Mexicans made knives, -razors, arrow- and spear-heads, and other things, some of great -beauty. I say nothing of the polished obsidian mirrors and ornaments, -nor even of the curious masks of the human face that are to be seen in -collections, for these were only laboriously cut and polished with -jewelers' sand, to us a common-place process." "We got several -obsidian maces or lance-heads--one about ten inches long--which were -taper from base to point, and covered with taper flutings; and there -are other things which present great difficulties." "The axes and -chisels of stone are so exactly like those found in Europe that it is -quite impossible to distinguish them. The bronze hatchet-blades are -thin and flat, slightly thickened at the sides to give them strength, -and mostly of a very peculiar shape, something like a "T", -but still more resembling the section of a mushroom cut vertically -through the middle of the stalk."[IX-113] These supposed hatchets -were, according to some authorities, coins. They are extremely light -to be used as hatchets. "Many specimens are to be seen of the red and -black ware of Cholula." "The terra-cotta rattles are very -characteristic. They have little balls in them which shake about, and -they puzzled us much as the apple-dumpling did good King George, for -we could not make out very easily how the balls got inside. They were -probably attached very slightly to the inside, and so baked and then -broken loose." A cut is given of a brown lava mask from the Christy -collection, which seems to have some sculptured figures on the -inside.[IX-114] - - [Illustration: Mosaic Knife--Christy Collection.] - - [Sidenote: MOSAIC WORK.] - -There are three very remarkable mosaic relics in the Christy -collection, one of which is the knife represented in the cut, which I -take from Waldeck's fine colored plate, although most of the -information respecting these relics comes from Tylor. The blade is of -a semi-translucent chalcedony found in the volcanic regions of Mexico. -The uncolored cut gives but a faint idea of the beauty of the handle, -which is covered with a complicated mosaic work of a bright green -turquoise, malachite, and both white and red shell. It is certainly -most extraordinary to find a people still in the stone age, as is -proved by the blade, able to execute so perfect a piece of work as the -handle exhibits. Two masks of the same style of workmanship are -preserved in the same collection. "The mask of wood is covered with -minute pieces of turquoise--cut and polished, accurately fitted, many -thousands in number, and set on a dark gum or cement. The eyes, -however, are acute-oval patches of mother-of-pearl; and there are two -small square patches of the same on the temples, through which a -string passed to suspend the mask; and the teeth are of hard white -shell. The eyes are perforated, and so are the nostrils, and the upper -and lower teeth are separated by a transverse chink.... The face, -which is well-proportioned, pleasing, and of great symmetry, is -studded also with numerous projecting pieces of turquoise, rounded and -polished." The wood is the fragrant cedar or cypress of Mexico. The -knife handle is "sculptured in the form of a crouching human figure, -covered with the skin of an eagle, and presenting the well-known and -distinctive Aztec type of the human head issuing from the mouth of an -animal." "The second mask is yet more distinctive. The incrustation of -turquoise-mosaic is placed on the forehead, face, and jaws of a human -skull.... The mosaic of turquoise is interrupted by three broad -transverse bands, on the forehead, face, and chin, of a mosaic of -obsidian similarly cut (but in larger pieces) and highly polished,--a -very unusual treatment of this difficult and intractable material, the -use of which in any artistic way, appears to have been confined to the -Aztecs (with the exception, perhaps, of the Egyptians). The eye-balls -are nodules of iron-pyrites, cut hemispherically and highly polished, -and are surrounded by circles of hard white shell, similar to that -forming the teeth of the wooden mask. The Aztecs made their mirrors of -iron-pyrites polished, and are the only people who are known to have -put this material to ornamental use." These mosaic relics, and two -similar but damaged masks at Copenhagen, are probably American, if not -Aztec; but this cannot be directly proved; for while something is -known of their European history, their origin cannot be definitely -ascertained.[IX-115] - - [Illustration: Image of Huitzilopochtli.] - - [Sidenote: THE AZTEC HUITZILOPOCHTLI.] - -The image shown in the following cut is given by Sr Gondra as -representing the Aztec deity Huitzilopochtli, although he gives no -reason for the opinion; nor does he name the material, or dimensions -of the relic. Sr Chavero also speaks of several images of the same -god, in his possession or seen by him. They are of sandstone, granite, -marble, quartz, and one of solid gold. Several had a well-defined -beard.[IX-116] Gondra gives plates of many weapons, implements of -sculpture and sacrifice, funeral urns, and musical instruments. The -_macana_, an Aztec aboriginal weapon, shown in the cut, is copied from -one of his plates. The material is probably a basaltic stone.[IX-117] - - [Illustration: An Aztec Macana.] - -In 1831 a report was made to the French Geographical Society on a -collection of drawings of Mexican antiquities executed by M. Franck. -This collection embraced drawings of about six hundred objects, most -of them from the National Museum in Mexico; eighty in the museum of -the Philosophical Society at Philadelphia; forty in the Peñasco -collection in Mexico, and others belonging to Castañeda and other -private individuals. They were classified as follows: one hundred and -eighty figures of men and women; fifty-five human heads in stone or -clay; thirty masks and busts; twenty heads of different animals; -seventy-five vases; forty ornaments; six bas-reliefs; six fragments; -thirty-three flageolets and whistles; and a miscellaneous collection -of weapons, implements, and divers objects.[IX-118] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.] - - [Illustration: Aztec Flageolet.] - - [Illustration: Terra-Cotta Musical Instrument.] - -Sixteen specimens of Mexican relics, in the possession of M. -Latour-Allard in Paris, are represented by Kingsborough unaccompanied -by explanations. The objects are mostly sculptured heads, idols, and -animals. Bullock also gives plates of six Mexican idols, about which -nothing definite is said; Humboldt pictures an idol carried by him -from Mexico to Berlin; and Nebel's plates show about thirty -miscellaneous relics, in addition to those that have been already -mentioned. Humboldt also gives an Aztec hatchet of green feldspath or -jade, which has incised figures on its surface. He remarks that he -never has found this material 'in place' in Mexico, although axes made -of it are common enough.[IX-119] The two musical instruments shown in -the cuts are taken from Waldeck's plates. Their material is terra -cotta.[IX-120] Other miscellaneous cuts and descriptions are given in -the work of the German traveler Müller, and in the appendix to the -German translation of Del Rio and Cabrera.[IX-121] José María -Bustamante told Mr Lyon of an obsidian ring, carried away by Humboldt, -which was perforated round the circumference so that a straw -introduced at one side would traverse the circle and come out again at -the same opening.[IX-122] The two idols shown in the cut were copied -by Kingsborough's artist in the British Museum. The figures of the cut -are one sixth of the original size.[IX-123] Prescott tells us that "a -great collection of ancient pottery, with various other specimens of -Aztec art, the gift of Messrs Poinsett and Keating, is deposited in -the cabinet of the American Philosophical Society, at Philadelphia," a -list of the relics having been printed in the _Transactions_ of that -Society.[IX-124] - - [Illustration: Aztec Idols--British Museum.] - - [Illustration: Phallic Relic in National Museum.] - - [Sidenote: HIEROGLYPHIC SCULPTURES.] - -The preceding cut represents a serpentine relic preserved in the -National Museum, and shown to Col. Mayer--from whose album I copy -it--by Sr Gondra as a 'cosa muy curiosa.' - - [Illustration: Serpentine Hieroglyphic Block.] - -Four interesting sculptured stones are represented and their -inscriptions interpreted by Sr Ramirez, in a Spanish edition of -Prescott's work. The first is a cylinder twenty-six inches long, -eleven inches in diameter, representing a bundle of straight sticks -bound with a double rope at each end. There are hieroglyphic -sculptures on one side and both ends, which are interpreted by Sr -Ramirez as a record of the feast which was celebrated at the last -'binding up of the years' in 1507. The second is a block of black lava -thirteen and a half by twelve and a half inches, bearing a serpent -carved in low relief. The third is a similar block somewhat larger, -with a sculptured inscription, supposed to represent the date of -November 28, 1456. The fourth monument is that shown in the cut. It is -a block of green serpentine, measuring thirty-eight by twenty-six -inches. According to the meaning attributed to the sculptures by -Ramirez, the lower inscription is the year 8 Acatl, or 1487; the upper -part shows the day 7 Acatl, or February 19. The left hand figure is -supposed to represent Ahuitzotl, and that on the right Tizoc. The -event commemorated by the whole sculpture is thought to be the -dedication of the great temple of Mexico, begun by Tizoc and completed -by Ahuitzotl. The same block is shown in one of Waldeck's -plates.[IX-125] I may also notice a small collection of Mexican relics -in my possession, obtained by Porter C. Bliss during his travels in -the country. This collection includes a grotesque mask of clay; a head -of terra-cotta, eight inches high and six inches wide, including -head-dress; a small head carved from limestone; a wooden teponaztli; a -copper coin or hatchet; five terra-cotta faces, whose dimensions are -generally about two inches; six fragments of pottery, mostly -ornamented with raised and indented figures--one with raised figures -added after the vessel was completed, one with painted figures, one -glazed, and one apparently engraved; and seven fragments, some of -which seem to have been handles or legs of large vessels. - -I close my description of Mexican Antiquities with the two following -quotations, somewhat at variance with the matter contained in the -preceding pages. "This, like other American countries, is of too -recent civilization to exhibit any monuments of antiquity."[IX-126] "I -am informed by a person who resided long in New Spain and visited -almost every province of it, that there is not, in all the extent of -that vast empire, any monument or vestige of any building more ancient -than the conquest, nor of any bridge or highway, except some remains -of the causeway from Guadaloupe to the gate of Mexico."[IX-127] I give -in a note a list of authorities which contain descriptions more or -less complete of Mexican relics, but no information in addition to -what has been presented.[IX-128] - - [Sidenote: NAHUA MONUMENTS.] - -No general view or résumé of Nahua monuments seems necessary here, nor -are extensive concluding remarks called for, in addition to what has -been said in connection with particular groups of monuments, and to -the conclusions which the reader of the preceding pages will naturally -form. The most important bearing of the monuments as a whole is as a -confirmation of the Nahua civilization as it was found to exist in -the sixteenth century, reported in the pages of the conquerors and -early chroniclers, and as it has been exhibited in a preceding volume. -That there were exaggerations in the reports that have come down to us -is doubtless true, as it is very natural; but a people who could -execute the works that have been described and pictured in this and -the two preceding chapters, were surely far advanced in many of the -elements of what is termed civilization. And all this they did, it -must be remembered, while practically still in their 'stone age;' for -although copper was used by them, it has been seen that implements of -that metal but rarely occur in the list of relics described. It is -doubtful if any known people ever advanced so far under similar -circumstances--that is in their 'stone age,' or in the earlier stages -of their 'bronze age'--as did the Nahuas and Mayas of this continent. - -Not only do the northern monuments confirm the reported culture -existing at the Conquest, but they agree, so far as they go, with the -traditional annals of Anáhuac during the centuries preceding the -coming of the Spaniards. Teotihuacan and Cholula differ from any works -of the later Nahua epochs; while Xochicalco and Mitla are far superior -to any known works of the Aztecs proper. All remains sustain the -traditions that the Aztecs were superior to their neighbors chiefly in -the arts of war, and that the older inhabitants were more devoted to -the arts of architecture and sculpture, if not more skillful in the -practice of them, than their successors. Still, this must not be -understood to indicate anything like a permanent deterioration, or the -beginning of a backward march of civilization, whose march is ever -onward, although making but little account of centuries or -generations. - - [Sidenote: NAHUA AND MAYA RELICS.] - -The comparison of Nahua with Maya monuments is a most interesting -subject, into the details of which I do not propose to enter. In the -use of the pyramidal structure, common to both branches of American -civilized nations, and in a few sculptured emblems there is doubtless -a resemblance; but this likeness is utterly insufficient to support -what has been in the past a favorite theory among writers on the -subject;--namely, that of a civilized people migrating slowly -southward, and leaving behind them traces of a gradually improving but -identical culture. The resemblances in question have in my opinion -been greatly exaggerated, and are altogether outnumbered and -outweighed by the marked contrasts, which, as they exist between the -monuments of Yucatan and Chiapas, and those of Mexico and Vera Cruz, -do not need to be pointed out to one who has studied the preceding -descriptions. It is true that the best architectural specimens of -Nahua art have been entirely destroyed, still there is no reason to -doubt that if they could be partially restored they would resemble the -structures of Vera Cruz, or at best, Xochicalco, rather than those of -Uxmal and Palenque. - -The differences between the northern and southern remains, while far -more clearly marked than the resemblances, and constituting a much -more forcible argument against than in favor of the theory that all -American peoples are identical, must yet not be regarded as in any way -conclusive in the matter; for it may be noticed that the likeness is -very vague between the Nicaraguan idols of stone and those carved by -the hands of the northern Aztecs. Yet the peoples were doubtless -identical in blood and language, as the divinities which the -respective artists attempted to symbolize in stone were the same. The -reader will probably agree with me in the conclusion that, while a -comparison of northern and southern monuments is far from proving or -disproving the original identity of the Civilized Races of the Pacific -States, yet it goes far to show, in connection with the evidence of -language, tradition, and institutions, a Nahua and a Maya culture, -progressing in separate paths,--though not without contact, friction, -and intermingling,--during a long course of centuries. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[IX-1] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., p. 14, pl. xviii., fig. 53-4; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 243, vol. vi., p. 442, vol. iv., pl. xvi., -fig. 53-4; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., p. 47. - -[IX-2] 'No subsisten de él sino unas grandes ruinas de templo y -caserías de cal y canto, situadas en ladera de unos cerritos.' -_Dupaix_, 1st exped., p. 5; _Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 211, vol. vi., -p. 423. - -[IX-3] _Dupaix_, 1st exped., p. 4, pl. iii., fig. 3; _Kingsborough_, -vol. v., p. 211, vol. vi., p. 422, vol. iv., pl. ii., fig. 5. 'On y -monte, du côté de l'ouest, par une rampe tracée de gauche à droite -pour le premier étage, de droite à gauche pour le second, et ainsi de -suite jusqu'au dernier.' _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. -i., p. 26; _Klemm_, _Cultur-Geschichte_, tom. v., p. 157. - -[IX-4] _Dupaix_, 3d exped., p. 5, pl. i., ii., fig. 1-3; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 285-6, vol. vi., p. 467, vol. iv., pl. -i., ii., fig. 1-3. According to Dupaix's plate the sides and summit -platform are covered with plaster. Kingsborough's plate omits the -coating of plaster and shows the remains of a ninth story. A scale -attached to the latter plate would indicate that the pyramid has a -base of 150 feet and is about 75 feet high. _Lenoir_, p. 69. - -[IX-5] _Dupaix_, 1st exped., pp. 3-4, pl. i.-ii., fig. 1, 2; 2d -exped., p. 51, pl. lxi., fig. 117; _Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. -209-10, vol. vi., pp. 421-2, vol. iv., pl. i., fig. 1-4; _Lenoir_, in -_Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., pp. 22, 25-6, 63. - -[IX-6] _Dupaix_, 1st exped., p. 10, pl. xii., fig. 13; _Kingsborough_, -vol. v., p. 217, vol. vi., p. 426, vol. iv., pl. vi., fig. 16; -_Lenoir_, p. 30. Kingsborough's plate makes the blocks of stone much -smaller than the other, shows no plaster, and represents the walls of -the summit building as still standing. Kingsborough also incorrectly -translates 'antes de San Andrés,' 'formerly San Andrés.' _Klemm_, -_Cultur-Geschichte_, tom. v., p. 157. - -[IX-7] _Dupaix_, 1st exped., pp. 12-13, pl. xvii-xxii., fig. 19-24; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 219-20, vol. vi., pp. 427-8, vol. iv., -pl. ix.-xi., fig. 21-4; _Lenoir_, pp. 31-3. - -[IX-8] _Dupaix_, p. 11, pl. xvii., fig. 18, not in Kingsborough. - -[IX-9] _Dupaix_, 1st exped., p. 13, pl. xxiii.-iv., fig. 25-6; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 220, vol. vi., p. 428, vol. iv., pl. xii., -fig. 25-6; _Lenoir_, p. 33. - -[IX-10] On the building and history of the pyramid, see, among many -others, _Veytia_, _Hist. Ant. Mej._, tom. i., pp. 18-19, 155-6, -199-205; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iv., pp. -182-3. - -[IX-11] _Clavigero_, _Storia Ant. del Messico_, tom. ii., pp. 33-4; -_Humboldt_, _Essai Pol._, pp. 239-40; _Id._, _Vues_, tom. i., pp. -96-124, pl. iii. (fol. ed. pl. vii., viii.); _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, -suppl. pl. ii.; _Dupaix_, 1st exped., p. ii., pl. xvi., fig. 17; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 218, vol. iv., pl. viii., fig. 20. It is -to be noted that there is not the slightest resemblance between the -two editions of Castañeda's drawing. _Nebel_, _Viage Pintoresco_, with -large colored plate. Other visitors to Cholula, whose accounts contain -more or less original information, are:--Poinsett, 1822, _Notes_, pp. -57-9; Bullock, 1823, _Mexico_, pp. 111-15--no plate, although the -author made a drawing; Ward, 1825, _Mexico_, vol. ii., p. 269; -Beaufoy, 1826, _Mexican Illustr._, pp. 193-5, with cuts; Latrobe, -1834, _Rambler in Mex._, p. 275; Mayer, 1841, _Mexico as it Was_, p. -26; _Mex. Aztec_, vol. ii., p. 228, with cut; _Id._, in _Schoolcraft's -Arch._, vol. vi., p. 582; Thompson, 1842, _Recollections of Mex._, p. -30; Tylor, 1856, _Anahuac_, pp. 274-7; Evans, 1869, _Our Sister -Republic_, pp. 428-32, with cut. Still other references on the -subject, containing for the most part nothing except what is gathered -from the preceding works, are:--_Robertson's Hist. Amer._ (8vo. ed. -1777), vol. i., p. 268; _Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, -tom. iii., pp. 37-45, pl. vi.; _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. -70; _Lafond_, _Voyages_, tom. i., pp. 137-8; _Armin_, _Heutige Mex._, -pp. 63, 68, 72; _Wilson's Mex. and her Religion_, pp. 95-9; _Amer. -Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. i., p. 256, etc., from _Humboldt_, with -cut; _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, p. 90; _Baril_, _Mex._, p. 193; -_Beltrami_, _Mexique_, tom. ii., pp. 283-8; _DeBercy_, _L'Europe et -L'Amér._, tom. ii., p. 235, etc.; _Brackett's Brigade in Mex._, pp. -154-5; _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 76-7; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, -_Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 301, et seq.; _Calderon de la Barca's -Life in Mex._, vol. ii., p. 97; _Chevalier_, _Mex._, pp. 55-6; _Id._, -_Mex. Ancien et Mod._, pp. 174-9; _Combier_, _Voyage_, pp. 385-6; -_Dally_, _Sur les Races Indig._, p. 17; _Davis' Anc. Amer._, p. 9; -_Donnavan's Adven._, p. 98; _D'Orbigny_, _Voyage_, p. 331; _Fossey_, -_Mex._, p. 111; _Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, p. 246; _Heller_, _Reisen_, -pp. 131-2; _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1835, tom. lxv., pp. 363-4; -_Delafield's Antiq. Amer._, p. 57; _Jourdanet_, _Mexique_, p. 20; -_Larenaudière_, _Mex. Guat._, pp. 24, 45-6, plate from Dupaix; -_Löwenstern_, _Mexique_, pp. 48-9; _Malte-Brun_, _Précis de la Géog._, -tom. vi., pp. 461-2; _Marmier_, _Voyageurs_, tom. iii., pp. 328-9; -_Mexico, Country, etc._, p. 14; _Mex. in 1842_, pp. 80-1; _Mexico, A -Trip to_, pp. 59-60; _Mill's Hist. Mex._, p. 140; _Mühlenpfordt_, -_Mejico_, tom. ii., pp. 232-3, 236; _Müller_, _Amerikanische -Urreligionen_, pp. 458-9, 581; _Pagés_, _Nouveau Voy._, tom. ii., pp. -385-7; _Prescott's Mex._, vol. i., p. 60, vol. ii., pp. 6-8, 26, vol. -iii., p. 380; _Shepard's Land of the Aztecs_, p. 128; _Saturday Mag._, -vol. v., pp. 175-6; _Scherr_, _Trauerspiel_, pp. 29-30; _Stapp's -Prisoners of Perote_, pp. 107-8; _Thümmel_, _Mexiko_, pp. 261-2; -_Tudor's Nar._, vol. ii., pp. 208-9; _Vigneaux_, _Souv. Mex._, p. 531; -_Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, pp. 32, 36, 180, 182; _Warden_, -_Recherches_, pp. 66-7; _Willson's Amer. Hist._, pp. 60-1, 73; -_Yonge's Mod. Hist._, p. 38; _Frost's Pict. Hist._, pp. 37-8; -_Hermosa_, _Manual Geog._, pp. 140-1; _Taylor's Eldorado_, vol. ii., -p. 181; _Wortley's Trav._, pp. 230-1, etc.; _McCulloh's Researches in -Amer._, p. 252; _Gemelli Careri_, in _Churchill_, _Col. Voy._, vol. -iv., p. 519; _Escalera_ and _Llana_, _Méj. Hist. Descrip._, pp. 205-6; -_Klemm_, _Cultur-Geschichte_, tom. v., p. 156; _Alcedo_, -_Diccionario_, tom. i., p. 550; _Democratic Review_, vol. xxvii., p. -425, vol. xxvi., pp. 546-7, vol. xi., p. 612; _Mansfield's Mex. War_, -p. 207; _Macgillivray's Life Humboldt_, pp. 292, 312-13; _Conder's -Mex. Guat._, vol. i., pp. 258-9, plate from Humboldt; _Prichard's Nat. -Hist. Man_, vol. ii., p. 509. - -[IX-12] 'The large mound of earth at Cholula which the Spaniards -dignified with the name of temple, still remains, but without any -steps by which to ascend, or any facing of stone. It appears now like -a natural mount, covered with grass and shrubs, and possibly it was -never anything more.' _Robertson's Hist. Amer._, vol. i., p. 269. 'A -le voir de loin, on seroit en effet tenté de le prendre pour une -colline naturelle couverte de végétation.' 'Elle est très-bien -conservée du côte de l'ouest, et c'est la face occidentale que -présente la gravure que nous publions.' _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. i., -pp. 104-5. - -[IX-13] The dimensions of base, height, and summit platform -respectively, as given by different authorities, are as follows: -439×54x64¾ mètres, _Humboldt_; 530×66 varas, _Nebel_; 1069×204×165 -feet, _Mayer_, according to a careful measurement by a U. S. official -in 1847; 40 varas square by actual measurement! _Dupaix_; 1423×177×208 -feet, _Prescott_; 1425×177×175 feet, _Latrobe_; 1301×162×177 feet, -_Poinsett_; About 200 feet high, _Tylor_; 1310×205 feet, _Wilson_; -1335×172 feet, _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, p. 345; 1355×170 feet, -_Ampère_, _Promenade_, tom. ii., pp. 374-80; 1388×170 feet, summit -13285 sq. feet, _Heller_, _Reisen_, pp. 131-2; said to cover an area -of over 43 acres and to be 179 feet high, but it seems much smaller -and higher. _Evans' Our Sister Rep._, pp. 428-32. - -[IX-14] _Veytia_, _Hist. Ant. Mej._, tom. i., pp. 155-6. - -[IX-15] _Heller_, _Reisen_, pp. 131-2. - -[IX-16] _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. i., pp. 127-8. - -[IX-17] Foster, _Pre-Hist. Races_, p. 345, believes, on the contrary, -that the pyramid was erected with the sole object of enshrining in an -interior chamber of stone two corpses, showing that 'the industry of -the great mass of the population was at the absolute command of the -few.' - -[IX-18] _Wilson's Mex. and its Relig._, pp. 95, 99. See a restoration -of Cholula, by Mothes, in _Armin_, _Heutige Mex._, pp. 63, 68, 72. - -[IX-19] _Ampère_, _Promenade_, tom. ii., pp. 373, 380. 'On découvre -encore, du côté occidental, vis-a-vis du Cerro de Tecaxete et de -Zapoteca, deux masses parfaitement prismatiques. L'une de ces masses -porte aujourd'hui le nom d'Alcosac ou d'Istenenetl, l'autre celui du -Cerro de la Cruz; la dernière, construite en pisé, n'est élevée que de -15 mètres.' _Humboldt_, _Essai Pol._, pp. 240-1. - -[IX-20] _Dupaix_, 1st exped., pp. 10-11, pl. xiii.-v., fig. 14-16; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 218; vol. vi., p. 427, vol. iv., pl. -viii., fig. 17-18; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., pp. -23, 30. - -[IX-21] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., p. 52. - -[IX-22] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 52-3, pl. lx., lxii., fig. 118-19; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 279, vol. vi., p. 464, vol. iv., pl. lii., -fig. 120-1; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, p. 63. - -[IX-23] _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. ii., pp. 265-6. - -[IX-24] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 53-5, pl. lxii.-vii., fig. 120-8; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 279-81, vol. vi., pp. 464-5, vol. iv., -pl. lii.-liv., fig. 121-5; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. -i., pp. 64-6. - -[IX-25] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 55-56, pl. lxviii.-ix., fig. 129-30; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 282, vol. vi., p. 466, vol. iv., pl. lv., -fig. 129-30; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., pp. 66-7; -_Larenaudière_, _Mex. Guat._, pl. vii., from Dupaix; _Almaraz_, _Mem. -Metlaltoyuca_, p. 33, lithograph without description. - -[IX-26] 'On voit encore beaucoup de restes de cette grande muraille, -conservés avec d'autant plus de soin qu'il s'y trouve des quartiers de -roc de plus de vingt pieds d'épaisseur.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, -_Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iv., p. 135; _Lorenzana_, in _Cortés_, _Hist. -N. España_, pp. vi.-vii.; _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 104-5. -Additional references to slight notices of ruins and relics in the -region about Tlascala, containing no available information, are as -follows: _Camargo_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1843, tom. -xcviii., pp. 135-7; _Helps' Span. Conq._, vol. ii., p. 423; -_Mühlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. ii., pp. 238, 240. The _Historical -Magazine_, vol. x., pp. 308-10, has an extract from a Mexican -newspaper, in which reference is made to an official report of a -prefect of the department, announcing the discovery of two magnificent -cities. They were probably identical with some of the ruins already -described in Vera Cruz. - -[IX-27] _Mex., Anales del Ministerio de Fomento_, 1854, tom. i., p. -691. - -[IX-28] _Id._, p. 694. - -[IX-29] Pp. 467-9 of this volume. - -[IX-30] Respecting the figures within the circle, Dupaix, 1st exped., -p. 14, says 'la parte derecha dividida en dos cuarteles. En el -superior aparece como un plano de ciudad á la orilla de un lago (cual -puede ser la de Chalco).' 'Au-dessus est une tête, que Dupaix désigne -comme celle d'un aigle, mais que je crois être une pièce d'armure, -savoir, un casque ou morion.' _Lenoir_, _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. -i., p. 34. - -[IX-31] 'Il semble porter, à la partie antérieure de l'aîle, le bâton -augural, ce qui lui donnerait un caractère religieux. L'aigle, emblême -du Mexique, était affecté à Vitzlipuztli, et cette seule circonstance -donne de l'importance à cette représentation, qui a donné son nom au -lieu où elle fut trouvée: _Quautetl_ ou _aigle de pierre_. Dans toute -l'Antiquité, l'aigle fut mis au rang des oiseaux sacrés. Il était -affecté, en Grèce, à Jupiter, et en Égypte, à Osiris. C'était -l'_accipiter_ ou épervier qui, selon Ælien, était l'image, du dieu -_Horus_, ou d'Apollon. A Thèbes, au solstice d'hiver, on plaçait cet -oiseau sur l'autel d'Osiris; il était richement paré, mitré ou -courronné du _pschent_, et portant sur l'épaule le bâton pastoral, -dans la même position que l'aigle Mexicain que nous avons sous les -yeux. Ceci est digne de remarque.' _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. -ii., div. i., p. 35. On the Cuernavaca sculptures see _Dupaix_, 1st -exped., pp. 13-14, pl. xxvii-xxx., fig. 29-32; _Kingsborough_, vol. -v., pp. 221-2., vol. vi., p. 429, vol. iv., pl. xiii-v., fig. 29-31; -_Mex., Anales del Ministerio de Fomento_, 1854, tom. i., p. 549. - -[IX-32] _Descripcion de las Antigüedades de Xochicalco_, supplement to -_Gaceta de Literatura_, Nov. 1791, also reprint of _Id._, tom. ii.; -also preliminary mention in _Id._, February 8, 1791, tom. ii., p. 127. -Dr Gamarra made a compendium of the MS. before its publication, and -sent the same to Italy. An Italian translation of Alzate's account was -published with the original plates in _Marquez_, _Due Antichi -Monumenti_, pp. 14-29, and re-translated from Marquez, in _Dupaix_, -1st exped., pp. 18-20. - -[IX-33] _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. i., pp. 129-37, (fol. ed. pl. ix.); -_Id._, _Essai Pol._, pp. 189-90; _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., -div. ii., pp. 15-17. 'M. Humboldt, ... n'a-t-il pas suivi à la lettre -l'inexacte description de la pyramide de Xochicalco par le P. Alzate, -et n'a-t-il pas fait dans le dessin qu'il donne de ce monument, une -seconde édition des erreurs de son modèle?' _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, -p. 69; _Nebel_, _Viage Pintoresco_, pl. ix.-x., xix.-xx.; _Revista -Mexicana_, tom. i., pp. 539-50, reprinted in _Diccionario Univ. -Geog._, tom. x., pp. 938-42; _Dupaix_, 1st exped., pp. 14-18, pl. -xxxi.-ii., fig. 33-6; _Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 222-4, vol. iv., -pl. xv.-vi.; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., pp. 35-6. -Tylor pronounces Castañeda's drawings grossly incorrect. Other -accounts by visitors, are found in _Latrobe's Rambler_, pp. 241-3; -_Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, pp. 180-7; _Id._, _Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. -ii., pp. 283-5, with cuts; _Id._, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. vi., -pp. 583-4, pl. xi.; _Tylor's Anahuac_, pp. 183-95; _Löwenstern_, -_Mexique_, pp. 208-12, 273-81. Other references to compiled accounts -are:--_Prescott's Mex._, vol. iii., pp. 403-4; _Carbajal_, _Hist. -Mex._, tom. i., pp. 203-4; _Armin_, _Das Heutige Mex._, pp. 98-9, cut; -_Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, pp. 89-90; _Hartmann_, _Californien_, tom. -ii., p. 86; _Fossey_, _Mex._, pp. 302-3; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, -_Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 329; _Larenaudière_, _Mex. Guat._, pp. -46-9, plate; _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 78-9; _Malte-Brun_, -_Précis de la Géog._, tom. vi., p. 460; _Democratic Review_, vol. xi., -p. 612; _Baril_, _Mexique_, p. 70; _Cortés' Despatches_, p. 244; -_Priest's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 276-7; _Macgillivray's Life of Humboldt_, -p. 308; _Delafield's Antiq. Amer._, p. 58; _Frost's Pict. Hist. Mex._, -pp. 49-53, cut; _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, p. 171; _Frost's Great -Cities_, pp. 295-300, cut; _Conder's Mex. Guat._, vol. i., pp. 339-40; -_Illustrated London News_, June 1, 1867, cut. - -[IX-34] Xochicalco, 'castle of flowers,' according to _Diccionario -Univ. Geog._, tom. x., p. 938. - -[IX-35] Alzate's barometrical observations, as reckoned by himself, -made the height 289 feet; from the same observations Humboldt makes it -384; 279 feet, _Dupaix_; 369, _Nebel_; about 400, _Tylor_; about 333, -_Revista Mex._ - -[IX-36] According to the _Revista_, the gallery leads south 193 feet -(_a_, _b_, of plan 83 feet), then west 166 feet (not on plan), and -terminates in what seems and is said by the natives to be an -intentional obstruction. 83 feet from the entrance (_a_, _c_, of plan -16½ feet) a branch leads east 138 feet (_c_, _k_, of plan 81 feet) to -the room. I have no doubt that these dimensions are more accurate than -Dupaix's. The _Revista_ account of the room, so far as it is -intelligible, agrees well enough with the plan. - -[IX-37] These are the dimensions given in the _Revista_, 100 by 87 -mètres. Dupaix, 1st exped., p. 15, says 89 by 102 varas. - -[IX-38] Dimensions in English feet--length east and west, width north and -south, and height of 1st story, always in the same order--according to -different authorities:--64½ by -- by 16 feet, _Nebel_, plate; 69 by 61 -by --, _Dupaix_; -- by 43 by 9½, _Id._, plate; 58 by 69 by 11, -_Alzate_ and _Humboldt_; 63 by 58 by 19, _Revista Mex._ The side shown -in Dupaix's plate as 43 feet may be the northern or southern, instead -of the eastern or western, according as the stairway is on the north -or west. - -[IX-39] 'Pórfido granítico,' _Revista Mex._, p. 548. 'Basalto -porfírico,' _Nebel_. Basalt, _Löwenstern_, _Mex._, pp. 209-10. 'La -calidad de piedra de esta magnífica arquitectura es de piedra -vitrificable, y por la mayor parte de aquella piedra con que forman -las muelas ó piedras para moler trigo: tambien hay de color -blanquecino, siendo de notar, que en muchas leguas à la redonda no se -halla semejante calidad de piedra.' _Alzate_, p. 8. - -[IX-40] Kingsborough's edition of Castañeda's drawing bears not the -slightest likeness to that in the _Antiq. Mex._, copied above. It is -possible that the latter was made up at Paris from Alzate's plate. - -[IX-41] 'El primer destruidor, comparable al zapatero que quemó el -templo de Diana Efesina, fué un fulano Estrada; su atrevimiento -permanezca en oprobio para con los amantes de la antigüedad.' -_Alzate_, p. 8. Humboldt, _Vues_, tom. i., p. 132, gives 1750 as the -date when the five stories yet remained in place. - -[IX-42] _London Illustrated News_, June 1, 1867. Alzate and Mayer also -give restorations. - -[IX-43] 'A part ce monument, Mexico ne possède intact et debout aucun -vestige de constructions antiques.' _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 72. -'No se puede poner en duda el destino absolutamente militar de estos -trabajos, ni rehusarse á creer que tuvieron por objeto especial la -defensa del monumento que encerraban, cuya importancia puede -apreciarse, atendiendo á los medios empleados para su seguridad.' -'Todos los viageros convienen en la nobleza de la estructura y en la -regularidad de proporciones del monumento. La inclinacion de las -paredes, la elegancia del friso y la cornisa, _son de un efecto -notable_.' In the sculptures 'se hallan proporciones regulares, y -mucha espresion en las cabezas y en el adorno de las figuras; mientras -que en las otras (Aztec) no se descubren sino vestígios de barbarie. -Las estatuas aztecas, informes y desproporcionadas, en nada -manifiestan la imitacion de la naturaleza; y si en ellas se observa -frecuentemente una ejecucion algo correcta, con mas frecuencia se ven -todavia cabezas desmedidas, narices ecsageradas y frentes deprimidas -hasta la estravagancia.' _Revista Mex._, tom. i., pp. 539, 542, 549. -'Les naturels du village voisin de Tetlama possèdent une carte -géographique construite avant l'arrivée des Espagnols, et à laquelle -on a ajouté quelques noms depuis la conquête; sur cette carte, à -l'endroit où est situé le monument de Xochicalco, on trouve la figure -de deux guerriers qui combattent avec des massues, et dont l'un est -nommé Xochicatli, et l'autre Xicatetli. Nous ne suivrons pas ici les -antiquaires mexicains dans leurs discussions étymologiques, pour -apprendre si l'un de ces guerriers a donné le nom à la colline de -Xochicalco, ou si l'image des deux combattans désigne simplement une -bataille entre deux nations voisines, ou enfin si la dénomination de -_Maison des fleurs_ a été donnée au monument pyramidal, parce que les -Toltèques, comme les Péruviens, n'offroient à la divinité que des -fruits, des fleurs et de l'encens.' _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. i., pp. -135-6. - -[IX-44] _Mex._, _Anales del Ministerio de Fomento_, 1854, tom. i., p. -649. - -[IX-45] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., p. 13, pl. xvii., fig. 52; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 243, vol. vi., p. 442, vol. iv., pl. xv., -fig. 52; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., p. 46. - -[IX-46] _Dupaix_, 1st exped., p. 13, pl. xxv.-vi., fig. 27-8; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 221, vol. vi., pp. 428-9, vol. iv., pl. -xii., fig. 27-8; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., pp. -33-4. - -[IX-47] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 11-13, pl. xv.-vii., fig. 44-51; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 241-3, vol. vi., p. 441, vol. iv., pl. -xiii.-xv., fig. 44-51; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., -pp. 45-6; _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, pp. 122-3--with a remark that -'telescopic tubes' have been found in Mississippi mounds and in Peru. - -[IX-48] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 3-11, pl. i.-xiv., fig. 1-43; -_Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol. v., pp. 228-40, vol. vi., pp. -432-40, vol. iv., pl. i.-xii., fig. 1-43; _Lenoir_, _Parallèle_, pp. -37-45; _Mexico, Anales del Ministerio de Fomento_, 1854, tom. i., pp. -477, 486, 500, 502, 521; _Veytia_, _Hist. Ant. Mej._, tom. i., p. 21; -_Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., pp. 66-9, pl. -xii. - -[IX-49] _Leon y Gama_, _Dos Piedras_, pt. ii., p. 80; _Lyon's -Journal_, vol. ii., p. 113; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. -Civ._, tom. iv., p. 11; _Montanus_, _Nieuwe Weereld_, p. 268; -_Prescott's Mex._, vol. i., p. 142; _Thümmel_, _Mexiko_, pp. 124-5; -_Ward's Mexico_, vol. ii., pp. 230-1; _Latrobe's Rambler_, p. 176. - -[IX-50] _Alzate y Ramirez_, _Gacetas_, Oct. 2, 1792, reprint, tom. -ii., pp. 457-9; _Löwenstern_, _Mexique_, pp. 260-5, and scattered -remarks, pp. 273-81; _Id._, in _Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour._, vol. xi., p. -107. - -[IX-51] _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, p. 78, with reference to _Latrobe_; -_Löwenstern_, _Mexique_, pp. 258-60; _Baril_, _Mexique_, p. 70. - -[IX-52] _Mexico, Anales del Ministerio de Fomento_, 1854, tom. i., pp. -241-2. - -[IX-53] _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, p. 244. - -[IX-54] 4 by 4 by 1 mètres, circle 3.4 mètres in diameter. _Humboldt_, -_Vues_, tom. ii., p. 85, (or 3.04 mètres, 9 feet 6½ inches, according -to _Antiq. Mex._) 'La nature de cette pierre n'est pas calcaire, comme -l'affirme M. Gama, mais de porphyre trappén gris-noirâtre, à base de -wacke basaltique. En examinant avec soin des fragments détachés, j'y -ai reconnu de l'amphibole, beaucoup de cristaux très alongés de -feldspath vitreux, et, ce qui est assez remarquable, des paillettes de -mica. Cette roche, fendillée et remplie de petites cavités, est -dépourvue de quarz, comme presque toutes les roches de la formation de -trapp. Comme son poids actuel est encore de plus de quatre cent -quatre-vingt-deux quintaux (24,400 kilogrammes).' _Id._, in _Antiq. -Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 22, supl. pl. v.; _Id._, _Vues_, tom. i., -p. 332, et seq., tom. ii., pp. 1, et seq., 84, pl. viii. (fol. ed., -pl. xxiii.). 4½ by 4½ by 1 varas, diameter of circle a little over 4 -varas. 'La figura de esta piedra debió ser en su orígen un -paralelepípedo rectángulo, lo que manifiesta bien (aunque la faltan -algunos pedazos considerables, y en otros partes está bastante -lastimada) por los ángulos que aun mantiene, los que demuestran las -extremidades que permanecen menos maltratadas.' _Leon y Gama_, _Dos -Piedras_, pt. i., pp. 92, 2-3; _Id._, _Saggio Astron._, Rome, 1804. p. -130. Reply to Alzate's criticism, _Id._, pt. ii., pp. 24-5. See -_Alzate y Ramirez_, _Gacetas_, tom. ii., p. 421. Original weight as it -came from the quarry nearly 50 tons. _Prescott's Mex._, vol. i., p. -142. Dug up on Dec. 17, 1790. _Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. -Mex._, tom. iii., pp. 47-54, pl. viii. 11 feet 8 inches in diameter. -_Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, pp. 126-8. 12 feet in diameter, of porous -basalt. _Bullock's Mexico_, pp. 333-4. 'Basalto porfírico,' circle 9 -feet in diameter. _Nebel_, _Viaje_. 11 feet diameter. _Fossey_, -_Mexique_, p. 217. 27 feet in circumference. _Bradford's Amer. -Antiq._, p. 109. - -[IX-55] _Charnay_, _Ruines Amér._, phot. i. - -[IX-56] Additional references on the Calendar-Stone:--_Tylor's -Anahuac_, pp. 238-9; _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. i., p. 117, -cuts; Id., in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. vi., p. 590, with plate; -_Gallatin_, in _Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact._, vol. i., pp. 70, -94-103, 114. - -[IX-57] _Leon y Gama_, _Dos Piedras_, pt. ii., pp. 46-73. Discovered -December 17, 1791; 3 varas, 1 pulgada, 4½ lineas in diameter; 1 vara, -1 pulgada high; material a hard, dark-colored, fine grained stone, -which admits of a fine polish. Humboldt gives the dimensions 3 mètres -diameter, 11 décimètres high; he also says the groups are 20 in -number. _Vues_, tom. i., pp. 315-24, (fol. ed. pl. xxi.); _Id._, in -_Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., pp. 20-1, suppl. pl. iv., showing -the rim. Nebel, _Viaje_, gives plates of upper surface,--showing, -however, no groove--all the groups on the rim, and one group on a -larger scale. He says the material is 'basalto porfírico,' and the -dimensions 9×3 feet. Bullock, _Mexico_, pp. 335-6, says, 25 feet in -circumference. He also took a plaster cast of this stone. A mass of -basalt 9 feet in diameter, and 3 feet high, believed by the author to -be in reality a sacrificial stone. _Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, pp. -119-22; _Id._, _Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. i., pp. 114-15; _Id._, in -_Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. vi., p. 586, with plates and cuts in each -work. According to Fossey, _Mexique_, p. 214, the sculptured figures -represent a warrior as victorious over 14 champions. 'I think that it -is the best specimen of sculpture which I have seen amongst the -antiquities of Mexico.' _Thompson's Mex._, p. 122; _Latrobe's -Rambler_, pp. 171-2; _Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol. v., p. 340, -vol. iv., pl. unnumbered; _Tylor's Anahuac_, p. 224; _Bradford's Amer. -Antiq._, p. 108; _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. i., p. 85, with -plate. - -[IX-58] See vol. iii., pp. 396-402, of this work, for a résumé of -Gama's remarks on this idol. - -[IX-59] Respecting the god Huitzilopochtli, see vol. iii., pp. -288-324, of this work. - -[IX-60] 3.0625 by 2 by 1.83 varas; of sandstone: '156 de las piedras -arenarias que describe en su mineralogía el Señor Valmont de Bomare, -dura, compacta, y dificil de extraer fuego de ella con el acero; -semejante á la que se emplea en los molinos.' _Leon y Gama_, _Dos -Piedras_, pt. i., pp. 1-3, 9-10, 34-44, with 5 plates. Reply to -Alzate, _Gacetas_, tom. ii., p. 416, who pronounced the stone a kind -of granite. _Id._, pt. ii., pp. 8-10. 'Plus de trois mètres de hauteur -et deux mètres de largeur.' 'La pierre qui a servi à ce monument, est -une _wakke_ basaltique gris bleuâtre, fendillée et remplie de -feldspath vitreux.' 'En jetant les yeux sur l'idole figurée ... telle -qu'elle se présente ... on pourrait d'abord être tenté de croire que -ce monument est un _teotetl_, _pierre divine_, une espèce de bétyle, -orné de sculptures, une roche sur laquelle sont gravés des signes -hiéroglyphiques. Mais, lorsqu'on examine de plus près cette masse -informe, on distingue, à la partie supérieure, les têtes de deux -monstres accolés; et l'on trouve, à chaque face, deux yeux et une -large gueule armée de quatre dents. Ces figures monstrueuses -n'indiquent peut-être que des masques: car, chez les Mexicains, on -étoit dans l'usage de masquer les idoles à l'époque de la maladie d'un -roi, et dans toute autre calamité publique. Les bras et les pieds sont -cachés sous une draperie entourée d'énormes serpents, et que les -Mexicains désignoient sous le nom de _cohuatlicuye_, _vêtement de -serpent_. Tous ces accessoires, surtout les franges en forme de -plumes, sont sculptés avec le plus grand soin.' _Humboldt_, _Vues_, -tom. ii., pp. 148-61, (fol. ed., pl. xxix.); _Id._, _Antiq. Mex._, -tom. i., div. ii., pp. 25-7, suppl. pl. vi., fig. 9. 9 feet high. -_Nebel_, _Viaje_, with large plate. Dug up for Bullock, who made a -plaster cast in 1823. _Bullock's Mexico_, pp. 337-42. Description with -plates in _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. i., pp. 108-11; _Id._, -_Mex. as it Was_, pp. 109-14; _Id._, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. -vi., pp. 585-6, pl. viii. 5 feet wide and 3 feet thick. 'The most -hideous and deformed that the fancy can paint.' _Latrobe's Rambler_, -pp. 171, 175-6; _Tylor's Anahuac_, pp. 221-3; _Fossey_, _Mexique_, p. -214. - -[IX-61] _Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, pp. 123-4; _Leon y Gama_, _Dos -Piedras_, pt. ii., p. 73-4. - -[IX-62] _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. ii., p. 158; _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, -tom. i., div. ii., p. 27; _Leon y Gama_, _Dos Piedras_, pt. i., pp. -11-12, pt. ii., pp. 73-111. - -[IX-63] _Mayer_, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. vi., p. 589, pl. vi.; -_Id._, _Mex. as it Was_, pp. 100-1; _Id._, _Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. -ii., p. 274; _Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., -pp. 89-90, pl. xvi. - -[IX-64] _Mosaico Mex._, tom. iii., pp. 402-3, with plates; _Calderon -de la Barca's Life in Mex._, vol. i., p. 203; _Mayer's Mex. as it -Was_, pp. 85-8, 97; _Id._, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. vi., pl. v., -fig. 3. - -[IX-64] _Bullock's Mexico_, pp. 326-8. Plates of six other relics, -perhaps found in the city. - -[IX-65] _Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, pp. 31-2, 85-8. 'Indio triste' also -in _Mosaico Mex._, tom. iii., pp. 165-8. - -[IX-66] _Anahuac_, p. 138. - -[IX-67] _Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., pp. -103-8, pl. xxi-ii. - -[IX-68] _Chavero_, in _Gallo_, _Hombres Ilustres_, Mex. 1873, tom. i., -p. 151. - -[IX-69] See vol. iii., pp. 355-7, 413-15, of this work. - -[IX-70] Brasseur de Bourbourg, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iv., pp. 303-5, -speaks of 'les murs gigantesques de ses palais, les statues mutilées, -à demi enfoncés dans le sol, les blocs énormes de basalte et de -porphyre sculptés, épars dans les champs de Tetzcuco.' Bullock, -_Mexico_, pp. 381-7, 399-400, says, 'you pass by the large aqueduct -for the supply of the town, still in use, and the ruins of several -stone buildings of great strength.... Foundations of ancient buildings -of great magnitude.... On entering the gates, to the right are seen -those artificial tumuli, the teocalli of unburnt brick so common in -most Indian towns.' The site of the palace of the kings of Tezcuco -extended 300 feet on sloping terraces with small steps; some terraces -are still entire and covered with cement. It must have occupied some -acres of ground, and was built of huge blocks of basalt 4 or 5 by 2½ -or 3 feet. 'The raised mounds of brick are seen on all sides, mixed -with aqueducts, ruins of buildings of enormous strength, and many -large square structures nearly entire.... Fragments of sculptured -stones constantly occur near the church, the market-place, and -palace.' Both Brasseur and Bullock are somewhat given to exaggeration, -and they also refer, probably, to other remains in the vicinity yet to -be described. 'The ruins of tumuli, and other constructions of unbaked -bricks, intermingled with platforms and terraces of considerable -extent, are still to be traced; and it is asserted, that many of the -Spanish edifices are constructed out of the ruins of the Teocallis.' -_Latrobe's Rambler_, pp. 184-5. Other authorities on Tezcuco: _Nebel_, -_Viaje_; _Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, p. 221; _Id._, _Mex. Aztec, etc._, -vol. ii., pp. 274-6; _Id._, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. vi., pl. -v., fig. 7; _Tylor's Anahuac_, pp. 96, 150, 236, 262-3, with cuts; -_Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 76, 83, 110; _Beaufoy_, in _Antiq. -Mex._, tom. ii., div. ii., pp. 70-1; _Mexico_, _Anales del Ministerio -de Fomento_, 1854, tom. i., pp. 448-9, 719; _Willson's Amer. Hist._, -p. 73; _Conder's Mex. Guat._, vol. i., p. 332; _Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, -p. 132. - -[IX-71] On Nezahualcoyotl's country palace at Tezcocingo, see vol. -ii., pp. 168-73, of this work. - -[IX-72] Bath 12 by 8 feet, with well in centre 5 feet in diameter and -4 feet deep, surrounded by a parapet 2½ feet high, 'with a throne or -chair, such as is represented in ancient pictures to have been used by -the kings.' _Bullock's Mexico_, pp. 390-3. 'His majesty used to spend -his afternoons here on the shady side of the hill, apparently sitting -up to his middle in water like a frog, if one may judge by the height -of the little seat in the bath.' _Tylor's Anahuac_, pp. 152-3; -_Beaufoy's Mex. Illustr._, pp. 194-5; _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. -ii., div. ii., p. 70. The aqueduct 'is a work very nearly or quite -equal in the labor required for its construction to the Croton -Aqueduct.' _Thompson's Mex._, pp. 143-6; _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, -vol. ii., pp. 276-8; _Id._, _Mex. as it Was_, pp. 86, 233-4, with the -cut copied, another of the aqueduct, and a third representing an idol -called the 'god of silence;' _Ward's Mexico_, vol. ii., pp. 296-7; -_Prescott's Mex._, vol. i., pp. 182-4; _Löwenstern_, _Mexique_, pp. -252-3; _Vigne's Travels_, vol. i., p. 27; _Frost's Pict. Hist. Mex._, -pp. 54-8; _Id._, _Great Cities_, pp. 302-4. - -[IX-73] _Tylor's Anahuac_, pp. 155-6; _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. -ii., pp. 278-9; _Latrobe's Rambler_, pp. 190-1. - -[IX-74] _Latrobe's Rambler_, p. 192. - -[IX-75] _Bullock's Mexico_, pp. 395-9. This author also speaks of a -'broad covered way between two huge walls which terminate near a -river,' on the road to Tezcuco. _Beaufoy's Mex. Illustr._, pp. 196-7, -cut of idol; _Latrobe's Rambler_, pp. 184-5; _Tylor's Anahuac_, pp. -153-4, with cut of bridge; _Ward's Mexico_, vol. ii., p. 296; _Mexico, -Anales del Ministerio de Fomento_, 1854, tom. i., p. 615; _Conder's -Mex. Guat._, vol. i., p. 335; _Aubin_, in _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, -_Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 355; _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 78, -85; _Beaufoy_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. ii., pp. 69-70. - -[IX-76] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., pp. -148-51. - -[IX-77] _Almaraz_, _Apuntes sobre las Pirámides de San Juan -Teotihuacan_, in _Id._, _Mem. de los Trabajos ejecutados por la -Comision de Pachuca_, 1864, pp. 349-58. Linares, _Soc. Mex. Geog., -Boletin_, 3ra época, tom. i., pp. 103-5, wrote an account which seems -to be made up from the preceding. See also: _Clavigero_, _Storia Ant. -del Messico_, tom. ii., pp. 34-5; _Humboldt_, _Essai Pol._, tom. i., -pp. 187-9; _Id._, _Vues_, tom. i., pp. 100-2; _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, -tom. i., div. ii., pp. 11-12; _Bullock's Mexico_, pp. 411-18, with -pl.; _Beaufoy's Mex. Illustr._, pp. 189-93, with cut; _Ward's Mexico_, -vol. ii., pp. 214-15, 295; _Latrobe's Rambler_, pp. 194-217; _Mayer's -Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 279; _Id._, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, -vol. vi., p. 583; _Thompson's Mex._, pp. 139-43; _Tylor's Anahuac_, -pp. 96, 141-4; _García_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. viii., -pp. 198-200. The preceding authorities are arranged chronologically: -the following are additional references:--_Nouvelles Annales des -Voy._, 1831, tom. li., pp. 238-9; _Veytia_, _Hist. Ant. Mej._, tom. -i., pp. 239-40, 247-9; _Fossey_, _Mexique_, pp. 315-16; _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., pp. 15, 148-51, 197-8; -_Gemelli Careri_, in _Churchill's Col. Voyages_, vol. iv., p. 514; -_Bullock's Across Mex._, pp. 165-6; _Löwenstern_, _Mexique_, pp. -248-50, 272-81; _Heller_, _Reisen_, p. 157; _Tudor's Nar._, vol. ii., -pp. 277-9; _Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., pp. -38-41; _Chevalier_, _Mexique_, p. 51; _Nebel_, _Viaje_, plates of -terra-cotta heads; _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. i., pp. 254-5; -_Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 80-1; _Conder's Mex. Guat._, vol. i., -pp. 336-9; _Calderon de la Barca's Life in Mex._, vol. i., pp. 236-7; -_Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, p. 131; _Müller_, _Amerikanische -Urreligionen_, p. 459; _Prichard's Nat. Hist. Man_, vol. ii., p. 509; -_Delafield's Antiq. Amer._, pp. 56-7; _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. -186; _McCulloh's Researches in Amer._, pp. 252-3; _García y Cubas_, in -_Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da época, tom. i., p. 37; _Klemm_, -_Cultur-Geschichte_, tom. v., p. 155; _Frost's Pict. Hist. Mex._, pp. -53-4; _Id._, _Great Cities_, pp. 298-303; _Lafond_, _Voyages_, tom. -i., pp. 138-9; _Larenaudière_, _Mex. et Guat._, pp. 24, 44-5; -_Malte-Brun_, _Précis de la Géog._, tom. vi., p. 460; _Willson's Amer. -Hist._, p. 598; _Mexico, Anales del Ministerio de Fomento_, 1854, tom. -i., pp. 530-1, 719; _Baril_, _Mexique_, p. 70; _Mühlenpfordt_, -_Mejico_, tom. ii., pt. ii., p. 269; _Beaufoy_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. -ii., div. ii., pp. 69-70; _Shepard's Land of the Aztecs_, pp. 103-5; -_Vigne's Travels_, vol. i., p. 28; _Album Mex._, tom. i., pp. 117-18. - -[IX-78] These are the dimensions given by Almaraz, except those of the -summit platform, which are only an estimate by Beaufoy. The following -are the dimensions as given by different authors: 130 by 156 by 42 -mètres. _Almaraz_; 44 mètres high. _Humboldt_, according to -measurements of Sr Oteyza; 360 by 480 by 150 feet. _Gemelli Careri_; ----- by 645 by 170 feet. _Heller_; 130 by 156 by 44 mètres. _Linares_. -Others take the dimensions generally from Humboldt. - -[IX-79] 'On les prendrait pour ces turgescences terrestres qu'on -trouve dans les lieux jadis bouleversés par les feux souterrains.' -_Fossey_, _Mexique_, p. 315. Veytia, _Hist. Ant. Mej._, tom. i., pp. -247-9, says the pyramid was round instead of rectangular, and that it -had three terraces, although in Boturini's time no traces of them -remained. 'It required a particular position whence to behold them, -united with some little _faith_, in order to discover the pyramidal -form at all.' _Tudor's Nar._, vol. ii., p. 277. 'To say the truth, it -was nothing but a heap of earth made in steps like the pyramids of -Egypt; only that these are of stone.' _Gemelli Careri_, in -_Churchill's Col. Voyages_, vol. iv., p. 514. 'Ils formoient quatre -assises, dont on ne reconnoit aujourd'hui que trois.' 'Un escalier -construit en grandes pierres de taille, conduisoit jadis à leur cime.' -'Chacune des quatres assises principales étoit subdivisée en petits -gradins d'un mètre de haut, dont on distingue encore les arrêtes.' -_Humboldt_, _Essai Pol._, tom. i., p. 188. Mayer, _Mex. as it Was_, p. -223, says that three stories are yet distinctly visible. 'The line -from base to summit was broken by three terraces, or perhaps four, -running completely round them.' _Tylor's Anahuac_, pp. 142-3. - -[IX-80] 'Leur noyau est d'argile mêlée de petites pierres: il est -revêtu d'un mur épais de _tezontli_ ou amygdaloïde poreuse.' -_Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. i., pp. 101-2. 'On y reconnoît, en outre, des -traces d'une couche de chaux qui enduit les pierres par dehors.' -_Id._, _Essai Pol._, tom. i., p. 157. 'In many places, I discovered -the remains of the coating of cement with which they were incrusted in -the days of their perfection.' _Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, p. 223. -'Arcilla y piedras,' covered with a conglomerate of tetzontli and mud, -and a coating of polished lime, which has a blue tint. _Linares_, in -_Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 3ra época, tom. i., pp. 103-5. 'En argile -... avec révêtement en pierre.' _Chevalier_, _Mexique_, p. 50. 'No -trace of regular stone work or masonry of any kind.' _Bullock's Across -Mex._, p. 165. Originally covered with a white cement bearing -inscriptions. _Glennie_, according to _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, -1831, tom. li., pp. 238-9. Built of clay and stone. _Heller_, -_Reisen_, p. 157. Salmon-colored Stucco. _Latrobe._ Unhewn stones of -all shapes and sizes. _Thompson._ Stones and pebbles, faced with -porous stone. _García._ Adobes, stones, clay, and mortar, with a -casing of hewn stone and smooth stucco. _Tylor._ A conglomerate of -common volcanic stones and mud mortar with the faces smoothed. -_Beaufoy._ Masses of falling stone and masonry, red cement, 8 or 10 -inches thick, of lime and pebbles. _Bullock._ 'It is true, that on -many parts of the ascent masses of stone and other materials, strongly -cemented together, announce the devices and workmanship of man; but on -penetrating this exterior coating nothing further was perceptible than -a natural structure of earth' like any natural hill with many loose -stones. An American engineer who had made excavations confirmed the -idea that the pyramids were natural, although artificially shaped. -_Tudor's Nar._, vol. ii., p. 278. - -[IX-81] Humboldt's dimensions, according to Oteyza's measurements are, -208 mètres (682 feet) long and 55 mètres (180 feet) high. 645 feet -square, _Bullock_; 480 by 600 feet, _Beaufoy_; 182 feet square, -_García_; 221 feet high, _Mayer_; 221 feet high, _Thompson_. Round, -297 varas in diameter, 270 varas (745 feet!) high, _Veytia_, according -to Boturini's measurements; 60 mètres high, _Löwenstern_; 720 by 480 -by 185 feet, _Gemelli Careri_. - -[IX-82] See pp. 74, 380, of this volume. - -[IX-83] Linares, _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 3ra época, tom. i., pp. -103-5, calls it Mijcahotle. Brasseur, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., pp. -148-51, applies the name to the whole plain, called by the Spaniards -Llano de los Cues. - -[IX-84] _Almaraz_, _Apuntes_, pp. 354-5, with plate. - -[IX-85] 'It is certain, that where they stand, there was formerly a -great city, as appears by the vast ruins about it, and by the grots or -dens, as well artificial as natural.' _Gemelli Careri_, in -_Churchill's Col. Voyages_, vol. iv., p. 514. Ruins of streets and -plazas. _Linares_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 3ra época, tom. i., -p. 104. - -[IX-86] _Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, pp. 222-5, with cut. Thompson, -_Mex._, p. 140, alluding probably to the same monument, locates it 'a -few hundred yards from the pyramids, in a secluded spot, shut closely -in by two small hillocks,' pronounces it undoubtedly a sacrificial -stone, and estimates the weight at 25 tons. Beaufoy also speaks of an -unsculptured sacrificial stone 11 by 4 by 4 feet. 'Une fort grande -pierre semblable à une tombe, couverte d'hiéroglyphes.' _Fossey_, -_Mexique_, p. 316. 'A massive stone column half buried in the ground.' -_Bullock's Across Mex._, p. 166. - -[IX-87] _Veytia_, _Hist. Ant. Mej._, tom. i., pp. 239-40, 247-9; -_Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., p. 39; -_Gemelli Careri_, p. 514. Bullock, _Across Mex._, p. 165, says he saw -as late as 1864, on the summit of the House of the Moon, an altar of -two blocks, covered with white plaster evidently recent, with an -aperture in the centre of the upper block, supposed to have carried -off the blood of victims. - -[IX-88] _Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour._, vol. vii., p. 10. 'One may shut his -eyes and drop a dollar from his hand, and the chances are at least -equal that it will fall upon something of the kind.' _Thompson's -Mex._, p. 140. Plates of 12 terra-cotta heads in _Nebel_, _Viaje_. -Cuts of 8 heads, some the same as Nebel's, in _Mayer's Mex. as it -Was_, p. 227. - -[IX-89] Sr Antonio García y Cubas, a member of the commission whose -description of Teotihuacan I have used as my chief authority, has -since published an _Ensayo de un Estudio comparativo entre las -Pirámides Egípcias y Mexicanas_, Mexico, 1871, which I have received -since writing the preceding pages. He gives the same plan and view -that I have used, also a plan of the Egyptian pyramids in the plain of -Ghizeh, and a plate representing part of a human face in stone from -Teotihuacan. The author made some additional observations subsequently -to the exploration of the commission, and gives the following -dimensions, which vary somewhat from those I have given, especially -the height: Sun--232 by 220 by 66 mètres; summit, 18 by 32 mètres; -slope, north and south 31° 3´, east and west 36°; direction, E. to W. -southern side, 83° N.W.; direction, N. to S. eastern side, 7° N.E. -Direction, 'road of the dead' 8° 45´ N.E.; line through centres of the -two pyramids, 10° N.W. Moon--156 by 130 by 46 mètres; eastern slope, -31° 30, southern slope, 36°; summit, 6 by 6 mètres; direction, north -side, 88° 30´ N.W., east side, 1° 30´ N.E. The author thinks the -difference in height may result from the fact that the ground on which -the pyramids stand slopes towards the south, and the altitude was -taken in one case on the south, in the other on the north. - -The following quotation contains the most important opinion advanced -in the essay in question:--'The pyramids of Teotihuacan, as they exist -to-day, are not in their primitive state. There is now a mass of loose -stones, whose interstices covered with vegetable earth, have caused to -spring up the multitude of plants and flowers with which the faces of -the pyramids are now covered. This mass of stones differs from the -plan of construction followed in the body of the monuments, and -besides, the falling of these stones, which has taken place chiefly on -the eastern face of the Moon, has laid bare an inclined plane -perfectly smooth, which seems to be the true face of the pyramid. This -isolated observation would not give so much force to my argument if it -were not accompanied by the same circumstances in all the monuments.' -The slope of these regular smooth surfaces of the Moon is 47°, -differing from the slope of the outer surface. The same inner smooth -faces the author claims to have found not only in the pyramids, but in -the tlalteles, or smaller mounds. Sr García y Cubas thinks that the -Toltecs, the descendants of the civilized people that built the -pyramids, covered up these tombs and sanctuaries, in fear of the -depredations of the savage races that came after them. - -Respecting miscellaneous remains at Teotihuacan the author says, 'The -river empties into Lake Tezcuco, with great freshets in the rainy -season, its current becoming at such times very impetuous. Its waters -have laid bare throughout an immense extent of territory, foundations -of buildings and horizontal layers of a very fine mortar as hard as -rock, all of which indicates the remains of an immense town, perhaps -the Memphis of these regions. Throughout a great extent of territory -about the pyramids, for a radius of over a league are seen the -foundations of a multitude of edifices; at the banks of the river and -on both sides of the roads are found the horizontal layers of lime; -others of earth and mud, of tetzontli and of volcanic tufa, showing -the same method of construction; on the roads between the pyramids and -San Juan are distinctly seen traces of walls which cross each other at -right angles.' He also found excavations which seem to have furnished -the material for all the structures. - -As to the chief purpose for which the _ensayo_ was written, the author -claims the following analogies between Teotihuacan and the Egyptian -pyramids: 1. The site chosen is the same. 2. The structures are -oriented with slight variation. 3. The line through the centres of the -pyramids is in the 'astronomical meridian.' 4. The construction in -grades and steps is the same. 5. In both cases the larger pyramids are -dedicated to the sun. 6. The Nile has a 'valley of the dead,' as in -Teotihuacan there is a 'street of the dead.' 7. Some monuments of each -class have the nature of fortifications. 8. The smaller mounds are of -the same nature and for the same purpose. 9. Both pyramids have a -small mound joined to one of their faces. 10. The openings discovered -in the Moon are also found in some Egyptian pyramids. 11. The interior -arrangement of the pyramids is analogous. - -[IX-90] _Mexico, Anales del Ministerio de Fomento_, 1854, tom. i., pp. -382-3; _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 282. - -[IX-91] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 258; -_Veytia_, _Hist. Ant. Mej._, tom. i., pp. 171-5; _Chaves_, _Rapport_, -in _Ternaux-Compans_, _Voy._, série ii., tom. v., p. 300. - -[IX-92] _Tylor's Anahuac_, pp. 96, 100, with cut of a knife or -spear-head; _Burkart_, _Mexico_, tom. i., pp. 124-5. Löwenstern speaks -of the obsidian mines of Guajolote, which he describes as ditches one -or two mètres wide, and of varying depth; having only small fragments -of the mineral scattered about. _Mexique_, p. 244. - -[IX-93] _Mexico, Anales del Ministerio de Fomento_, 1854, tom. i., p. -277. - -[IX-94] _Burkart_, _Mexico_, tom. i., p. 51. - -[IX-95] _Mexico, Anales del Ministerio de Fomento_, 1854, tom. i., pp. -623-4, 719; _Huasteca_, _Noticias_, pp. 48-9, 69. - -[IX-96] _Latrobe's Rambler_, p. 75. - -[IX-97] _J. F. R. Cañete_, in _Alzate y Ramirez_, _Gaceta de -Literatura_, Feb. 20, 1790; also in _Id._, reprint, tom. i., pp. -282-4. Sr Alzate y Ramirez, editor of the _Gaceta_, had also heard -from other sources of ruins in the same vicinity. - -[IX-98] _Prescott's Mex._, vol. i., p. 13. - -[IX-99] _Mayer_, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. vi., p. 588, pl. iii., -fig. 1, 2.; _Id._, _Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 268; _Id._, _Mex. -as it Was_, pp. 107-8. - -[IX-100] _Theatro_, tom. i., pp. 86-7. - -[IX-101] _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 3ra época, tom. i., pp. 185-7, -with 10 fig. - -[IX-102] _Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., p. -94. - -[IX-103] _Mexico_, _Anales del Ministerio de Fomento_, 1854, tom. i., -p. 263. - -[IX-104] _Id._, p. 334. - -[IX-105] _Id._, pp. 417, 299-300. - -[IX-106] _Morfi_, _Viage_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, série iii., tom. iv., -pp. 312-14. Alegre, _Hist. Comp. de Jesus_, tom. ii., p. 164, also -speaks of some small mounds at Pueblito. - -[IX-107] _Mexico_, _Mem. de la Sec. Justicia_, 1873, pp. 216-17, two -plates. - -[IX-108] _Id._, p. 217. - -[IX-109] _Ballesteros_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da época, tom. -iv., pp. 774-8. - -[IX-110] _Fossey_, _Mexique_, pp. 213-14. - -[IX-111] _Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, pp. 31-2, 84-5, 87-106, 272-9; -_Id._, _Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., pp. 265-74; _Id._, in -_Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. vi., pl. i.-vii. - -[IX-112] _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. i., pp. 51-6, plate of front and -rear; _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., pp. 9-10, suppl., -pl. i. Remarks on the statue by Visconti, in _Id._, p. 32; Plates in -_Larenaudière_, _Mex. et Guat._, pl. xxviii., p. 48; _Prescott_, -_Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. i., p. 389; and _Delafield's Antiq. Amer._, -p. 61. - -[IX-113] See p. 382, for a cut of a similar article. - -[IX-114] _Tylor's Anahuac_, pp. 95-103, 110, 195, 225-6, 235-6. - -[IX-115] _Waldeck_, _Palenqué_, p. viii., pl. xliv.; _Tylor's -Anahuac_, pp. 110, 337-9. Mr Tylor notes that in an old work, -_Aldrovandus_, _Musæum Metallicum_, Bologna 1648, there were drawings -of a knife and wooden mask with mosaic ornamentation, but of a -different design. - -[IX-116] _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., p. 70, pl. xiii.; -_Chavero_, in _Gallo_, _Hombres Ilustres_, tom. i., pp. 146-7; -_Gilliam's Trav._, pp. 44-5. - -[IX-117] _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., pp. 82, 87, 99, -101, pl. xv.-xx. - -[IX-118] _Soc. Géog., Bulletin_, tom. v., No. 95, p. 116, No. 98, p. -283, et seq.; _Warden_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., pp. -36-40. - -[IX-119] _Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol. iv., unnumbered plates -following those of Castañeda; _Bullock's Mexico_, p. 326; _Humboldt_, -_Vues_, tom. ii., pp. 207, 146, (fol. ed. pl. xl., xxviii.); _Id._, in -_Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., pp. 25-7, suppl., pl. vii., fig. 10, -pl. vi., fig. 8; _Nebel_, _Viaje_. - -[IX-120] _Waldeck_, _Palenqué_, pl. lvi.; other miscellaneous relics, -pl. iii.-v., xliii., xlv.-vi., lv. - -[IX-121] _Müller_, _Reisen_, tom. ii., p. 292, et seq.; _Cabrera_, -_Beschreibung einer alten Stadt_, appendix. - -[IX-122] _Lyon's Journal_, vol. ii., p. 119. - -[IX-123] _Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol. iv. - -[IX-124] _Prescott's Mex._, vol. i., p. 143; _Amer. Phil. Soc., -Transact._, vol. iii., p. 510. - -[IX-125] _Ramirez_, _Notas_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. -ii., suppl., pp. 106-24; _Waldeck_, _Palenqué_, pl. liii. - -[IX-126] _Bigland's View of the World_, vol. v., p. 523. - -[IX-127] _Robertson's Hist. Amer._, vol. i., p. 269. - -[IX-128] _Ampère_, _Prom. en Amér._, tom. ii., pp. 266-7, 287-92; -_Armin_, _Das Alte Mex._, pp. 47-50; _Andrews' Illust. W. Ind._, pp. -73-4; _Beaufoy's Mex. Illustr._, pp. 198-9; _Bonnycastle's Span. -Amer._, vol. i., p. 52; _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 108-13; -_Brownell's Ind. Races_, pp. 50-4; _Calderon de la Barca's Life in -Mex._, vol. i., p. 93, vol. ii., p. 136; _Chambers' Jour._, 1834, vol. -ii., pp. 374-5, 1838, vol. vi., pp. 43-4; _Chevalier_, _Mexique_, p. -10; _Id._, _Mex. Ancien et Mod._, pp. 50-3, 453-4; _Conder's Mex. -Guat._, vol. i., p. 272; _Cortés' Despatches_, pp. 82-3, 265; -_Democratic Review_, vol. xi., pp. 611-13; _Davis' Anc. Amer._, pp. -6-7; _Delafield's Antiq. Amer._, pp. 30, 56, 61; _Domenech_, _Jour._, -pp. 289, 371; _D'Orbigny_, _Voyage_, p. 336; _Edinburgh Review_, July, -1867; _Elementos de Geog. Civil_, p. 29; _Evans' Our Sister Rep._, pp. -330-3; _Frost's Pict. Hist. Mex._, pp. 44-6; _Gilliam's Trav._, pp. -95-9; _Gordon's Hist. and Geog. Mem._, pp. 45-6; _Id._, _Ancient -Mex._, vol. i., pp. 201-8; _Gregory's Hist. Mex._, p. 17; _Grone_, -_Briefe_, pp. 91-2, 96-7; _Heller_, _Reisen_, pp. 148-50; _Helps' -Span. Conq._, vol. i., pp. 288-90, vol. ii., p. 141; _Hazart_, -_Kirchen-Geschichte_, tom. ii., p. 499; _Hill's Travels_, vol. ii., -pp. 238-42; _Hist. Mag._, vol. iv., p. 271; _Kendall's Nar._, vol. -ii., p. 328; _Klemm_, _Cultur-Geschichte_, tom. v., pp. 5-6, 8, 17-19, -137-43, 153-63; _Larenaudière_, _Mex. et Guat._, pp. 30, 44, 46-50, -53, 264, 326-7; _Lang's Polynesian Nat._, pp. 218-24; _Latrobe's -Rambler_, pp. 168-76; _Lemprière's Notes in Mex._, pp. 88-9; _Linati_, -_Costumes_, pl. 29; _Löwenstern_, _Mexique_, p. 106, et seq., _Lyon's -Journal_, vol. ii., pp. 119-21; _Malte-Brun_, _Précis de la Géog._, -tom. vi., pp. 293, 295, 406, 446, 460; _McSherry's El Puchero_, pp. -154-5; _Mexique, Études Hist._, p. 7; _Mexico, Mem. de la Sec. -Estado_, 1835, pp. 42-4; _Mexikanische Zustände_, pp. 372-6; _Mexico, -Trip to_, p. 66; _Mexico, Stories of_, pp. 87, 105; _Mexico in 1842_, -pp. 86-7; _Monglave_, _Résumé_, pp. 5, 11-13, 57-8; _Morton's Crania -Amer._, p. 149; _Moxó_, _Cartas Mej._, pp. 86, 90-3, 132, 349-59; -_Montanus_, _Nieuwe Weereld_, p. 219; _Mühlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. -i., p. 229, tom. ii., pt. ii., pp. 295, 318-19, 352; _Müller_, -_Amerikanische Urreligionen_, pp. 45, 457-9, 463-4, 466-8, 498-9, -543-5, 549-62, 642-6; _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 277-80; _Id._, -_Rambles by Land and Water_, pp. 199-210; _Nott and Gliddon's Indig. -Races_, pp. 184-7; _Pimentel_, _Mem. sobre la Raza Indígena_, pp. -9-10, 54-5; _Prescott's Mex._, vol. iii., pp. 402-4; _Prichard's -Researches_, vol. v., pp. 345-8; _Poinsett's Notes Mex._, pp. 73-6, -111; _Priest's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 255-7; _Ranking's Hist. Researches_, -pp. 353-62, 401-3; _Ruxton's Adven. Mex._, p. 47; _Id._, in _Nouvelles -Annales des Voy._, 1850, tom. cxxvi., pp. 45-6; _Saturday Magazine_, -vol. vi., p. 42; _Simon's Ten Tribes_, pp. 155, 157, 196, 283; _Soc. -Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da época, tom. i., p. 37; _Shuck's Cal. -Scrap-Book_, p. 657; _Tayac_, in _Comité d'Arch. Amér._, 1866-7, p. -142; _Taylor's Eldorado_, vol. ii., pp. 159-60; _Thompson's Mex._, pp. -116-17, 213; _Thümmel_, _Mexiko_, pp. 134-5, 182-3, 246-7, 330; -_Tudor's Nar._, vol. ii., pp. 239-40, 253-5; _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, -p. 72; _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, pp. 186, 188, 192, 196; _Wise's -Los Gringos_, pp. 255-6; _Willson's Amer. Hist._, pp. 73-4, 87-9; -_Wortley's Trav._, pp. 194-8; _Young's Hist. Mex._, p. 21. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -ANTIQUITIES OF THE NORTHERN MEXICAN STATES. - - THE HOME OF THE CHICHIMECS -- MICHOACAN -- TZINTZUNTZAN, - LAKE PATZCUARO, TEREMENDO -- ANICHE AND JIQUILPAN -- - COLIMA -- ARMERÍA AND CUYUTLAN -- JALISCO -- TONALA, - GUADALAJARA, CHACALA, SAYULA, TEPATITLAN, ZAPOTLAN, - NAYARIT, TEPIC, SANTIAGO IXCUINTLA, AND BOLAÑOS -- - GUANAJUATO -- SAN GREGORIO AND SANTA CATARINA -- ZACATECAS - -- LA QUEMADA AND TEUL -- TAMAULIPAS -- ENCARNACION, SANTA - BARBARA, CARMELOTE, TOPILA, TAMPICO, AND BURRITA -- NUEVO - LEON AND TEXAS -- COAHUILA -- BOLSON DE MAPIMI, SAN - MARTERO -- DURANGO -- ZAPE, SAN AGUSTIN, AND LA BREÑA -- - SINALOA AND LOWER CALIFORNIA -- CERRO DE LAS TRINCHERAS IN - SONORA -- CASAS GRANDES IN CHIHUAHUA. - - -A somewhat irregular line extending across the continent from -north-east to south-west, terminating at Tampico on the gulf and at -the bar of Zacatula on the Pacific, is the limit which the progress -northward of our antiquarian exploration has reached, the results -having been recorded in the preceding chapters. The region that now -remains to be traversed, excepting the single state of Michoacan, the -home of the Tarascos, is without the limits that have been assigned to -the Civilized Nations, and within the bounds of comparative savagism. -The northern states of what is now the Mexican Republic were inhabited -at the time of the Conquest by the hundreds of tribes, which, if not -all savages, had at least that reputation among their southern -brethren. To the proud resident of Anáhuac and the southern plateaux, -the northern hordes were Chichimecs, 'dogs,' barbarians. Yet several -of these so-called barbarian tribes were probably as far advanced in -certain elements of civilization as some of the natives that have been -included among the Nahuas. They were tillers of the soil and lived -under systematic forms of government, although not apparently much -given to the arts of architecture and sculpture. Only one grand pile -of stone ruins is known to exist in the whole northern Chichimec -region, and the future discovery of others, though possible, is not, I -think, very likely to occur. Nor are smaller relics, idols and -implements, very numerous, except in a few localities; but this may be -attributed perhaps in great degree to the want of thorough -exploration. A short chapter will suffice for a description of all the -monuments south of United States territory, and in describing them I -shall treat of each state separately, proceeding in general terms from -south to north. A glance at the map accompanying this volume will show -the reader the position of each state, and each group of remains, more -clearly than any verbal location could do. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: TARASCAN MONUMENTS.] - -The civilized Tarascos of Michoacan have left but very few traces in -the shape of material relics. Their capital and the centre of their -civilization was on the shores and islands of Lake Patzcuaro, where -the Spaniards at the time of the Conquest found some temples described -by them as magnificent.[X-1] Beaumont tells us that the ruins of a -'plaza de armas' belonging traditionally to the Tarascos at -Tzintzuntzan, the ancient capital, were still visible in 1776, near -the pueblo of Ignatzio, two leagues distant. Five hundred paces west -of the pueblo a wall, mostly fallen, encloses a kind of plaza, -measuring four hundred and fourteen by nine hundred and thirty feet. -The wall was about sixteen feet thick and eighteen in height, with -terraces, or steps, on the inside. In the centre were the foundations -of what the author supposes to have been a tower, and west of the -enclosed area were three heaps of stones, supposed to be burial -mounds. Two idols, one in human form, lacking head and feet, the other -shaped like an alligator, were found here, carved from a stone called -_tanamo_, much like the tetzontli. The same author says, "respecting -the ruins of the palace of the Tarascan kings, according to the -examination which I lately made of these curiosities, I may say that -eastward of this city of Tzintzuntzan, on the slope of a great hill -called Yaguarato, a hundred paces from the settlement, are seen on the -surface of the ground some subterranean foundations, which extend from -north to south about a hundred and fifty paces, and about fifty from -east to west, where there is a tradition that the palace of the -ancient kings was situated. In the centre of the foundation-stones are -five small mounds, or cuicillos, which are called stone _yacatas_, and -hewn blocks, over which an Indian guardian is never wanting, for even -now the natives will not permit these stones to be removed." "On the -shores of Lake Siraguen are found ancient monuments of the things -which served for the pleasure of the kings and nobles, with other -ruined edifices, which occur in various places."[X-2] Tzintzuntzan is -on the south-eastern shore of the lake, some leagues northward from -the modern Patzcuaro. Lyon in later times was told that the royal -palace and other interesting remains were yet to be seen on the lake -shores, but he did not visit them.[X-3] - - [Sidenote: TEREMENDO AND ANICHE.] - -Another early writer, Villa-Señor y Sanchez, says that in 1712 he, -with a companion, entered what seemed a cavern in a deep barranca at -Teremendo, eight leagues south-west of Valladolid, or Morelia. "There -were discovered prodigious aboriginal vaults, bounded by very strong -walls, rendered solid by fire. In the centre of the second was a bench -like the foot of an altar, where there were many idols, and fresh -offerings of copal, and woolen stuffs, and various figures of men and -animals." It was found according to this author that the builders had -constructed walls of loose stones of a kind easily melted, and then by -fire had joined the blocks into a solid mass without the use of -mortar, continuing the process to the roof. The outside of the -structure was overgrown with shrubs and trees.[X-4] - - * * * * * - -At Aniche, an island in Lake Patzcuaro, Mr Beaufoy discovered some -hieroglyphic figures cut on a rock; and at Irimbo about fifty miles -east of Morelia, he was shown some small mounds which the natives -called fortifications, although there was nothing to indicate that -such had been their use.[X-5] In the mountains south-east of Lake -Chapala, in the region of Jiquilpan, Sr García reports the remains of -an ancient town, and says further that opals and other precious stones -well worked have been obtained here.[X-6] Humboldt pictures a very -beautiful obsidian bracelet or ring, worked very thin and brilliantly -polished; and another writer mentions some giants' bones, all found -within the limits of Michoacan.[X-7] - - * * * * * - -At the time when official explorations were undertaken by Dupaix and -Castañeda in the southern parts of New Spain, it seems that officials -in some northern regions also were requested by the Spanish government -to report upon such remains of antiquity as might be known to exist. -The antiquarian genius to whom the matter was referred in Colima, then -a department of Michoacan, but now an independent state, made a -comprehensive report to the effect that he "had not been able to hear -of anything except an infinite number of edifices of ruined towns," -and some bones and other remains apparently of little importance, -which had been taken from excavations on the hacienda of Armería and -Cuyutlan, and which seemed to have been destroyed and covered up by -volcanic eruptions. If this archæologist had found more than 'an -infinite number' of ruins, it might possibly have occurred to him to -describe some of them.[X-8] Nothing more is known of Colima -antiquities. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: PYRAMID OF TEPATITLAN.] - -At Tonala, probably just across the Colima line northward in the state -of Jalisco, the report sent in reply to the inquiry just spoken of, -mentioned a hill which seemed to be for the most part artificial, and -in which excavations revealed walls, galleries, and rooms. Similar -works were said to be of frequent occurrence in that region. In -digging for the foundations of the Royal Hospital at Guadalajara, -"there was found a cavity, or subterranean vault, well painted, and -several statues, especially one which represents an Indian woman in -the act of grinding corn." It was hollow, and probably of clay. Near -Autlan, in the south-west, there were said to exist some traces of -feet sculptured in the rock, one at the ford called Zopilote, and -another on the road between Autlan and Tepanola. Near Chacala, still -further south, "there is a tank, and near it a cross well carved, and -on its foot certain ancient unknown letters, with points in five -lines. On it was seen a most devoted crucifix. Under it are other -lines of characters with the said points, which seemed Hebrew or -Syriac." This information comes from an old author, and is a specimen -of the absurd reports of the Christian gospel having been preached at -various points in these regions, which are still believed to a -considerable extent by a certain class of the people of Mexico.[X-9] - -An author who wrote in 1778 states that between Guadalajara and -Sayula, and four leagues north-east of the latter town, "there is a -causeway of stone and earth, about half a league long, across the -narrowest part of a marsh, or lagoon. There is a tradition that the -gentiles built it in ancient times. On most parts of its shores this -marsh has little heaps of pottery in fragments, very wide and thick, -and there can still be found figures of large vessels, and also -foundations and traces of small houses of stone. Tradition relates -that the antiguos of different nations came here to make salt, and -that they had several bloody fights, of which many traces appear in -the shape of black transparent flints worked into arrow-points."[X-10] - -Mr Löwenstern discovered near Tepatitlan, some fifty miles north-east -of Guadalajara, a pyramid described as somewhat similar to those of -Teotihuacan, but smaller, its exact dimensions not being given, but -the height being estimated at from ninety to a hundred and thirty -feet. It was built in three stories of earth, sand, and pebbles, and -bore on its summit a dome-shaped mound. The pyramid at the base was -encased with large stones; whether or not they were in hewn blocks is -not stated, but the stones lying about indicated that the whole -surface had originally borne a stone facing. The form of the base was -quadrangular, but time and the cultivation of the whole surface as a -cornfield, had modified the original form and given the structure an -octagonal conformation with not very clearly defined angles. It -requires additional evidence to prove that this supposed pyramid was -not a natural hill like Xochicalco with some artificial improvement. -The hill is called Cerrito de Montezuma, the custom of applying this -monarch's name to every relic of antiquity being even more common in -the northern regions than in other parts of the country. The author of -_Cincinnatus' Travels_, mentions a 'mound' at Zapotlan, about fifty -miles east of Guadalajara, which is five hundred feet high. He does -not expressly state that it is artificial, and a gentleman familiar -with the locality tells me that it is not generally so regarded, -having the appearance of a natural grass-covered hill.[X-11] - -In the northern part of the state, in the region of Tepic, the -Spaniards seem to have found grander temples, a more elaborate -religious system, and a civilization generally somewhat more advanced -than in most other parts of the north or north-west. Still no -well-defined architectural monuments are reported on good authority in -modern times. It is to the earlier writers that we must go for -accounts of any extensive remains, and such accounts in all cases -probably refer to the buildings which the Spaniards found still in use -among the natives; and the old writers were ready to seize upon every -scrap of rumor in this direction, that they might successfully trace -the favorite southward course of the Aztecs to Anáhuac. Hervas says -that "there have been found and still exist in Nayarit ruins of -edifices which by their form seem to be Mexican, and the natives say -that the Mexicans built them when they were in Nayarit."[X-12] This -was another of the regions where some wandering apostle preached the -gospel in aboriginal times, and the 'cross of Tepic' was one of the -celebrated Christian relics. Some wonderful foot-prints in the stone -are also among the reported relics.[X-13] A temple of hewn stone, -situated on a rocky hill, ascended by a winding road, was found at -Xuchipiltepetl by the Spanish explorers in 1841; and Villa-Señor -describes a cave where the natives were wont to worship the skeleton -of an ancient king gaily appareled and seated in state upon a -throne.[X-14] Finally Prichard informs us that "near Nayarit are seen -earthen mounds and trenches."[X-15] - - [Sidenote: SANTIAGO IXCUINTLA.] - -A writer in the Boletin of the Mexican Geographical Society describes -the temple at Jalisco as it was found by the first Spaniards; and -another in the _Nouvelles Annales des Voyages_ states that the village -of Jalisco, about a league from Tepic, is built on the ruins of the -ancient city, and that "in making excavations there are found utensils -of every kind, weapons and idols of the Mexican divinities."[X-16] -After all, the only definite account extant of relics found in this -part of the state is that by Sr Retes. He says that the northern bank -of the Rio Grande, or Tololotlan, contains numerous remains for three -or four hundred miles, consisting chiefly of stone and clay images and -pottery, and occurring for the most part on the elevated spots out of -the reach of inundations. The part of this region that has been most -explored, is the vicinity of Santiago Ixcuintla, twenty-five or thirty -miles from the mouth of the river. On the slope of a hill four leagues -north-west of Santiago, at the foot of Lake San Juan, was found a -crocodile of natural size carved from stone, together with several -dogs or sphinxes, and some idols, which the author deems similar to -those of the Egyptians. Human remains have been found in connection -with the other relics, and most of the latter are said to have been -sent to enrich European collections by rich foreign residents of -Tepic. The objects consist of idols in human and animal forms, axes, -and lances, the pottery being in many cases brightly colored. The cut -shows six of the thirty-eight relics pictured in the plates given by -Retes. Fig. 1, 2, are the heads of small stone idols, the first head -being only two inches in height. Fig. 3 is a head of what the author -calls a sphinx. Fig. 4 is an earthen-ware mold for stamping designs on -cloth or pottery; there are several of these represented in the -collection. Fig. 5 is an earthen jar six inches high, of a material -nearly as hard as stone. Many of the jars found are very similar to -those now made and used in the same region. Fig. 6 is an earthen idol -four inches high. Among the other objects is a flint lance-head with -notches like saw-teeth on the sides.[X-17] Similar relics, but of -somewhat ruder style and coarser material, have been found at a -locality called Abrevadero, about eighteen miles south of Santiago -towards Tepic.[X-18] At Bolaños, some distance east from Santiago, on -a northern branch of the same river, Lyon obtained, by offering -rewards to the natives, "three very good stone wedges or axes of -basalt." Bones of giants were reported at a distance of a day's -journey. At the same distance southward "there is said to be a cave -containing several figures or idols in stone."[X-19] - - [Illustration: Relics from Santiago, Jalisco.] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: ANTIQUITIES OF GUANAJUATO.] - -Respecting the antiquities of Guanajuato Sr Bustamante states that the -only ones in the state are some natural caves artificially improved, -as in the Cerro de San Gregorio, on the hacienda of Tupátaro; and some -earthen mounds in the plains of Bajio, proved to be burial mounds. -Under the earth and a layer of ashes the skeleton lies with its head -covered by a little brazier of baked clay, and accompanied by arrows, -fragments of double-edged knives, obsidian fragments, bird-bone -necklaces strung on twisted bird-gut, smooth stones, some small -semi-spheres of baked clay with a hole in the centre of each, and a -few grotesque idols.[X-20] - -Castillo describes a small human head, brought from the mines of -Guanajuato, the material of which was a "concretion of quartz and -chalcedony for the most part, sprinkled with fine grains of gold, and -a little pyrites, of a whitish color, but partly stained red by the -oxide of iron." This head, it seems, was claimed by some to be a -petrifaction, but the author is of a contrary opinion, although he -believes there is nothing artificial about it except the mouth.[X-21] -Finally Berlandier describes two pyramids near the pueblo of Santa -Catarina, in the vicinity of the city of Guanajuato. They are square -at the base, face the cardinal points, and are built of pieces of -porphyry laid in clayey earth. The eastern pyramid is twenty-three -feet high, thirty-seven feet square at the base, with a summit -platform fifteen feet square. The corresponding dimensions of the -western mound are eighteen, thirty-seven, and fifteen feet. They are -only fifteen or twenty feet apart, and are joined by an embankment -about five feet high.[X-22] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF QUEMADA.] - -The most important and famous ruins of the whole northern region are -those known to the world under the name of Quemada, in southern -Zacatecas. The ruins are barely mentioned by the early writers as one -of the probable stations of the migrating Aztecs; and the modern -explorations which have resulted in published descriptions were made -between 1826 and 1831, although Manuel Gutierrez, parish priest of the -locality in 1805, wrote a slight account which has been recently -published.[X-23] Capt. G. F. Lyon visited Quemada in 1826, and -published a full description, illustrated with three small cuts, in -his journal.[X-24] Gov. García of Zacatecas ordered Sr Esparza in 1830 -to explore the ruins. The latter, however, by reason of other duties -and a fear of snakes, was not able to make a personal visit, but -obtained a report from Pedro Rivera who had made such a visit. The -report was published in the same year.[X-25] - -Mr Berghes, a German mining engineer, connected with the famous Veta -Grande silver mines, made a survey of the ruins in 1831, for Gov. -García, and from the survey prepared a detailed and presumably -accurate plan of the works, which was afterwards published by Nebel, -and which I shall copy in this chapter. Mr Burkart, another engineer, -was the companion of Berghes, and also visited Quemada on several -other occasions. His published account is accompanied by a plan -agreeing very well with that of Berghes, but containing fewer -details.[X-26] Nebel visited Quemada about the same time.[X-27] His -plates are two in number, a general view of the ruins from the -south-west, and an interior view of one of the structures, besides -Berghes' plan. His views, so far as I know, are the only ones ever -published.[X-28] - -The location is about thirty miles southward of the capital city of -Zacatecas, and six miles northward of Villanueva. The stream on which -the ruins stand is spoken of by Burkart as Rio de Villanueva, and by -Lyon as the Rio del Partido. The name Quemada, 'burnt,' is that of a -neighboring hacienda, about a league distant towards the south-west. -I do not know the origin of the name as applied to the hacienda, but -there is no evidence that it has any connection with the ruins. The -local name of the latter is Los Edificios. The only other name which I -have found applied to the place is Tuitlan. Fr Tello, in an -unpublished history of Nueva Galicia written about 1650, tells us that -the Spaniards under Capt. Chirinos "found a great city in ruins and -abandoned; but it was known to have had most sumptuous edifices, with -grand streets and plazas well arranged, and within a distance of a -quarter of a league four towers, with causeways of stone leading from -one to another; and this city was the great Tuitlan, where the Mexican -Indians remained many years when they were journeying from the -north."[X-29] This ruined city was in the region of the modern town of -Jerez, and without much doubt was identical with Quemada. Sr Gil -applies the same name to the ruins. Others without any known authority -attempt to identify Quemada with Chicomoztoc, 'the seven caves' whence -the Aztecs set out on their migrations; or with Amaquemecan, the -ancient Chichimec capital of the traditions. Gil rather extravagantly -says, "these ruins are the grandest which exist among us after those -of Palenque; and on examining them, it is seen that they were the -fruit of a civilization more advanced than that which was found in -Peru at the time of the Incas, or in Mexico at the time of -Montezuma."[X-30] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: LOS EDIFICIOS OF QUEMADA.] - -The Cerro de los Edificios is a long narrow isolated hill, the summit -of which forms an irregular broken plateau over half a mile in length -from north to south, and from one hundred to two hundred yards wide, -except at the northern end, where it widens to about five hundred -yards. The height of the hill is given by Lyon as from two to three -hundred feet, but by Burkart at eight to nine hundred feet above the -level of the plain. In the central part is a cliff rising about thirty -feet above the rest of the plateau. From the brow the hill descends -more or less precipitously on different sides for about a hundred and -fifty feet, and then stretches in a gentler slope of from two to four -hundred yards to the surrounding plain. On the slope and skirting the -whole circumference of the hill, except on the north and north-east, -are traces of ancient roads crossing each other at different angles, -and connected by cross roads running up the slope with the works on -the summit. Berghes' plan of Quemada is given on the following page, -on which the roads spoken of are indicated by the dotted lines marked -H, H, H, etc. This plan and Burkart's plan and description are the -only authorities for the existence of the roads running round the -hill, Lyon and other visitors speaking only of those that diverge from -it; but it is probable that Berghes' survey was more careful and -thorough than that of the others, and his plan should be accepted as -good authority, especially as the other accounts agree with it so far -as they go.[X-31] - - [Illustration: Plan of the Ruins at Quemada.] - -One of the roads, which turns at a right angle round the south-western -slope, has traces of having been enclosed or raised by walls whose -foundations yet remain; and from it at a point near the angle a raised -causeway ninety-three feet wide extends straight up the slope -north-eastward to the foot of the bluff. The walls supposed to have -raised those south-western roads are not spoken of by Burkart or shown -on his plan; Lyon speaks of certain walls here which he considers -those of an enclosed area of some six acres. From a point near the -junction of the road and causeway three raised roads, paved with rough -stones extend, according to Lyon, in perfectly straight lines S.W., -S.S.W., and S.W. by S. The first terminates in an artificial mound -across the river towards the hacienda of Quemada;[X-32] the second -extends four miles to the Coyote Rancho; and the third is said by the -natives to terminate at a mountain six miles distant. Two similar -roads thirteen or fourteen feet wide extend from the eastern slope of -the hill, one of them crossing a stream and terminating at a distance -of two miles in a cuicillo, or heap of stones. Burkart found some -evidence that the heap constituted the ruins of a regular structure or -pyramid; and Rivera locates the cuicillo on the summit of the Sierra -de Palomas. He also speaks of a road running west from the -north-western part of the hill to the small hills of San Juan, on the -Zacatecas road. Of the other roads radiating from the hill I have no -farther information than the fact that they are laid down in the -plan.[X-33] - -At all points in the whole circumference where the natural condition -of the slope is not in itself a sufficient barrier to those seeking -access to the summit plateau, the brow of the hill is guarded by walls -of stone, marked B on the plan for the northern portions, and -indicated generally by the black lines in the south. Indeed the -northern end of the mesa, where the approach is somewhat less -precipitous than elsewhere, is continuously guarded by such a wall, -from nine to twelve feet thick and high, enclosing an irregular -triangular area with sides of about four hundred and fifty yards: this -area being divided by another wall into two unequal portions. - -The most numerous and extensive ruins are on the southern portion of -the hill, where a larger part of the uneven surface is formed into -platforms or terraces by means of walls of solid masonry. One of these -supporting walls is double--that is, composed of two walls placed in -contact side by side, one having been completed and plastered before -the other was begun, the whole structure being twenty-one feet high -and of the same thickness.[X-34] On the platforms thus formed are a -great number of edifices in different degrees of dilapidation. Any -attempt on my part to describe these edifices in detail from the -information afforded by the authorities available could not be -otherwise than confusing and unsatisfactory. There is probably no ruin -in our territory, the verbal description of which would present so -great difficulties, even if the accounts of the original explorers -were perfectly comprehensive, as they are not; for perhaps more than -three fourths of the structures shown on the plan are not definitely -spoken of by any author. I will, however, give as clear a description -as possible, referring the reader to the plan and to one view which I -shall copy, the only satisfactory one ever published. - -Near each end of the wide causeway already mentioned are two -comparatively small masses of ruins. One of them appears to have been -a square stone building thirty-one feet square at the base and of the -same height; the others, now completely in ruins, may perhaps have -been of similar dimensions, so far as may be judged by the débris. In -the centre of the causeway, perhaps at F of the plan, although -described as nearer the bluff, is a heap of stone over a star-shaped -border or pavement. On the lower part of the mesa, at the extreme -southern end and also near the head of the causeway, at A iv of the -plan, is a quadrangular space measuring two hundred by two hundred and -forty feet,[X-35] and bounded, at least on the north and east, by a -stone terrace or embankment four or five feet high and twenty feet -wide, the width of which is probably to be included in the dimensions -given.[X-36] Mr Burkart states that near the inner edge of this -terrace is a canal a foot deep and wide, covered with stone flags. On -the outer edge of the terrace, on the eastern side, stands a wall -eight feet thick and eighteen feet high. Mr Lyon thinks the other -sides were always open, but Burkart speaks of the wall as having -originally enclosed the square, and having been torn down on three -sides, which seems much more probable. At one point on the eastern -terrace stands a round pillar nineteen feet in circumference and of -the same height as the wall, or eighteen feet. There are visible -traces of nine other similar pillars, seemingly indicating the former -presence of a massive column-supported portico. - -Adjoining this enclosure on the east, with only a narrow passage -intervening, is another, R of the plan, measuring according to -Burkart's measurement, which agrees very nearly with that of Berghes, -one hundred by one hundred and thirty-eight feet,[X-37] with walls -still perfect, eighteen feet high and eight feet thick, in connection -with which no terraces are mentioned, although Rivera speaks of steps -on the west. Within the walls, twenty-three feet from the sides and -nineteen and a half from the ends, is a line of eleven pillars--Lyon -says fourteen, and Rivera ten--each seventeen feet in circumference -and of the same height as the walls. There can be little doubt that -these columns once sustained a roof. Mr Berghes in one of his -excavations in 1831 is said, by Nebel, to have found an ancient roof -supported by a column, and showing exactly the method followed by the -builders. The roof was made of large flat stones, covered with mortar -and supported by beams. It is not quite clear how an excavation on -the hill could show such a room, but there is little room to doubt -that the roof-structure was similar to that described. Near this -second enclosure--and west of it, as is said, but that would be hardly -possible--Rivera speaks of a circular ruin sixteen and a half feet in -diameter, with five steps leading up to the summit, on which some -apartments were still traceable. - -From the level platform in front of the two main structures described, -a causeway, beginning with a stairway and guarded at the sides by -walls for much of its length, leads northward up the slope. About -three hundred yards in this direction, possibly at the point marked F -on this causeway, is a pyramid in perfect preservation, about fifty -feet square at the base, also fifty feet high, with a flat summit. -Near this is another pyramid, only twelve feet square and eighteen -feet high, but standing on a terrace fifty by one hundred feet. Two -bowl-shaped circular pits, eight feet in diameter, with fragments of -pottery and traces of fire; a square building ten by eight feet on the -inside, with walls ten feet high; and a simple mound of stones eight -feet high, are the miscellaneous remains noted in this part of the -hill. - -The most extensive and complicated ruins are found between the steep -central height and the western brow of the hill, where there is a -perpendicular descent of a hundred and fifty feet. On this central -height itself there are no ruins, but passing nearly round its base -are terraced roads twenty-five feet wide, with perpendicular walls -only partially artificial. Of the extensive group of monuments on the -platform of the south-western base of the central height, only the -portion about A ii, of the plan, has been definitely described, and -the description, although clear enough in itself, does not altogether -agree with the plan. Here we have a square enclosure similar to the -one already described in the south at A iv. Its sides are one hundred -and fifty feet, bounded by a terrace three feet high and twelve feet -wide, with steps in the centre of each side. Back of the terrace on -the east, west, and south sides stand walls eight or nine feet in -thickness and twenty feet high. The north side of the square is -bounded by the steep side of the central cliff, in which steps or -seats are cut in some parts in the solid rock, and in others built up -with rough stones. In the centre of this side, and partially on the -terrace, is a truncated pyramid, with a base of thirty-eight by -thirty-five feet, and nineteen feet high, divided into several -stories--five according to Nebel's drawing, seven according to Lyon's -statement.[X-38] - -In front of the pyramid, and nearly in the centre of the square, -stands a kind of altar or small pyramid seven feet square and five -feet high. A very clear idea of this square is given in the following -cut from Nebel's drawing. It presents an interior view from a point on -the southern terrace. The pyramid in five stories, the central altar, -the eastern terrace with its steps, and standing portions of the walls -are all clearly portrayed. The view, however, disagrees very -essentially with the plan in representing extensive remains northward -from the enclosure on the upper slope, where, according to Berghes' -plan, no ruins exist. There is an entrance in the centre of the -eastern wall, another in the western, and two on the south. These -entrances do not seem to be in the form of doorways, but extend, -according to the drawing, to the full height of the walls. That on the -east is thirty feet wide and leads to an adjoining square with sides -of two hundred feet and walls still perfect. The arrangement of these -two adjoining squares is much like that of those at A iv in the south, -but in the northern structures there are no pillars to be seen. - - [Illustration: Interior of Los Edificios.] - -The opening through the western wall leads to the entrance to a cave, -reported to be of great extent, but not explored by any visitor on -account of the ruined condition of the passage leading to it--or, as -Gutierrez says, because the wind issues constantly from the entrance -with such force that no one can enter with lights. The mouth of the -subterranean passage is on the brink of the western precipice; the -walls were plastered, and the top supported by cedar beams. Strangely -enough the structure at A iii, so clearly defined on the plan, is not -described at all. It seems to be very similar to the enclosures -described. - -The ruins on the northern part of the plateau are similar in character -to those in the south, but fewer in number. Among them are square -terraced enclosures like those already mentioned; a pyramid with -sloping sides, and eighteen feet square at the summit; a square -building sixteen feet square at the base and sixteen feet high; and -two parallel stone mounds thirty feet long. - -On the lower southern slopes the foundation-stones of numerous -buildings are found, and many parts of the adjoining plain are strewn -with stones similar to those employed in the construction of the -edifices above. There is now no water on the hill, but there are -several tolerably perfect tanks, with a well, and what seem to be the -remains of aqueducts. - -The material of which all the works described are built is the gray -porphyry of this and the neighboring hills, and Burkart states that -the building-stone of Los Edificios was not quarried in the hill on -which they stand, but brought from another across the valley. The -nature of the stone permits it to be very easily fractured into slabs, -and those employed in the buildings are of different sizes, but rarely -exceeding two or three inches in thickness and not hewn. They are laid -in a mortar of reddish clay mixed with straw, in which one visitor -found a corn-husk. The mortar, according to Burkart, is of an inferior -quality,--although others represent it as very good--and on the outer -walls and in all exposed situations is almost entirely washed out. -Except this washing-out of the mortar, time and the elements have -committed but slight ravages at Quemada, the dilapidation of the -buildings being due for the most part to man's agency, since most of -the buildings of the neighboring hacienda have been constructed of -blocks taken from Los Edificios. Lyon found some evidence that the -walls were originally plastered and whitened. - -A large circular stone from ten to thirteen feet in diameter and from -one to three in thickness, according to different observers, on the -surface of which were sculptured representations of a hand and foot, -was found at the western base of the hill, or as Burkart says, at the -eastern base. The editor of the _Museo Mexicano_ also speaks of a -sculptured turtle bearing the figure of a reed, the Aztec _acatl_. No -other miscellaneous relics whatever have been found. Nothing -resembling inscriptions, hieroglyphics, or even architectural -decorations, is found in any part of the ruins. Obsidian fragments, -arrow and spear heads, knives, ornaments, heads and idols of terra -cotta and stone, pottery whole or in fragments, human remains and -burial deposits, some or all of which are strewn in so great abundance -in the vicinity of most other American ruins, are here utterly -wanting; or at least the only exceptions are a few bits of porphyry -somewhat resembling arrow-heads, and some small bits of pottery found -by Lyon in the circular pit on the summit. - - * * * * * - -The works which have been described naturally imply the existence in -this spot at some time in the past of a great city of the plain, of -which the Cerro de los Edificios was at once the fortified citadel and -temple. The paved causeways may be regarded as the principal streets -of the ancient city, on which the habitations of the people were built -of perishable material, or as constructed for some purely religious -purpose not now understood. Mr Burkart suggests that the land in the -vicinity was once swampy, and the causeways were raised to ensure a -dry road. An examination of their foundation should settle that -point, as a simple pavement of flat stones on the surface of a marsh -would not remain permanently in place. As simple roads, such -structures were hardly needed by barefooted or sandaled natives, -having no carriages or beasts of burden; and it seems most reasonable -to believe that they had a connection with religious rites and -processions, serving at the same time as main streets of a city. - -The ruins of Quemada show but few analogies to any of the southern -remains, and none whatever to any that we shall find further north. As -a strongly fortified hill, bearing also temples, Quemada bears -considerable resemblance to Quiotepec in Oajaca; and possibly the -likeness would be still stronger if a plan of the Quiotepec -fortifications were extant. The massive character, number, and extent -of the monuments show the builders to have been a powerful and in some -respects an advanced people, hardly less so, it would seem at first -thought, than the peoples of Central America; but the absence of -narrow buildings covered by arches of overlapping stones, and of all -decorative sculpture and painting, make the contrast very striking. -The pyramids, so far as they are described, do not differ very -materially from some in other parts of the country, but the location -of the pyramids shown in the drawing and plan within the enclosed and -terraced squares seems unique. The pillars recall the roof structures -of Mitla, but it is quite possible that the pillars at Quemada -supported balconies instead of roofs; indeed, it seems improbable that -these large squares were ever entirely covered. The walls of Los -Edificios are higher as a rule than those of other American ruins, and -the absence of windows and regular doorways is noticeable. The total -want of idols in structures so evidently built, at least partially, -for religious purposes, is also a remarkable feature, as is the -absence of the usual pottery, implements, and weapons. The peculiar -structure, several times repeated, of two adjoining quadrangular -spaces enclosed, or partially so, by high walls, and one of them -formed by a low terrace into a kind of square basin, containing -something like an altar in its centre, is a feature not elsewhere -noted. There can hardly be any doubt that these and other portions of -the Edificios were devoted to religious rites. - -While Quemada does not compare as a specimen of advanced art with -Uxmal and Palenque, and is inferior so far as sculpture and decoration -are concerned to most other Nahua architectural monuments, it is yet -one of the most remarkable of American ruins, presenting strong -contrasts to all the rest, and is well worthy of a more careful -examination than it has ever yet received. Such an examination is -rendered comparatively easy by the accessibility of the locality, and -would, I have no doubt, be far from unprofitable in an antiquarian -point of view. Los Edificios, like Copan and Palenque, have, so far as -has yet been ascertained, no place in the traditional annals of the -country, yet they bear no marks of very great antiquity; that is, -there is more reason to class them with Xochicalco, Quiotepec, Monte -Alban, and the fortified towns of Vera Cruz, than with the cities of -Yucatan and Chiapas, or even the pyramids of Teotihuacan and Cholula. - - * * * * * - -At San Juan Teul, nearly a hundred miles southward from Quemada, the -Spaniards found a grand aboriginal temple when they first came to this -part of the country; and Frejes, an early writer, says, "there are -ruins of a temple and of dwellings not far from the present pueblo." -There is, however, no later information respecting this group of -remains. At a place called Tabasco, about fifty miles from Quemada, -Esparza mentions the discovery of some stone axes. No other -antiquities have been definitely reported in the state of Zacatecas, -although Arlegui tells us that the early missionaries were much -troubled, and hindered in their work of conversion by the constant -discovery of idols and temples concealed in the mountains.[X-39] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: AGUASCALIENTES AND SAN LUIS POTOSÍ.] - -I have no record of any relics of antiquity in the state of -Aguascalientes: San Luis Potosí has hardly proved a more fruitful -field of archæological research. Mayer gives a cut representing a -stone axe from this state; Cabrera reports some ancient tombs, or -cuicillos,--which he calls _cuiztillos_; the word being written -differently by different authors, and as applied to different -states--in the suburbs of the city of San Luis Potosí; and according -to a newspaper report two idols and a sacrificial basin, cut from a -concrete sandstone, were found in the sierra near the city and brought -to New Orleans. One of the idols was of life size, had two faces and a -hole for the insertion of a torch in its right hand; the basin was two -feet in diameter, and held by intertwined serpents.[X-40] - - * * * * * - -In southern Tamaulipas relics are quite abundant and of a nature very -much the same as that of those which have already been described south -of the Rio Pánuco, the boundary line between Tamaulipas and Vera Cruz. -At Encarnacion, in the vicinity of Tampico, Mr Furber reports the -stone idol shown in front and profile view in the cut. The sculpture -is described as rude, and with the idol, three feet high, were dug up -several implements and utensils.[X-41] Near a small salt lake between -Tula and Santa Barbara, Mr Lyon found a ruined pyramidal mound of hard -earth or clay, faced with flat unhewn stones, with similar stones -projecting and forming steps leading up the slope on one side. This -pyramid is thirty paces in circumference at the base, and is divided -by a terrace into two stories, the lower of which is twenty feet high, -and the upper in its present state ten feet. Some stone and -terra-cotta images have been taken from this mound, and another much -smaller but similar structure is reported to exist somewhere in the -same vicinity.[X-42] - - [Illustration: Idol from Tamaulipas.] - -On the Tamissee River, which flows into Tampico Bay, traces of ancient -towns have been found in two localities near the Carmelote Creek. They -consist of scattered hewn blocks of stone, covered with vegetable mold -and overgrown with immense trees and rank vegetation. At one of these -localities the remains include seventeen large earthen mounds, with -traces of a layer of mortar at the bottom. In them have been found -broken pottery, rudely carved images of natural size in sandstone, and -idols and heads in terra cotta. Mr Norman gives cuts representing two -of these heads.[X-43] - - [Sidenote: TOPILA REMAINS.] - -In the south-western part of the state, in the Topila hills, near a -creek of the same name, is a large group of remains at a locality -known as Rancho de las Piedras. Mr Norman, who spent a week in their -examination, is the only authority for these remains, and as he was -obliged to work alone and unaided, his examination was necessarily -superficial. Over an area several miles square the ground is strewn -with hewn blocks of stone and fragments of pottery and obsidian. Many -of the blocks bear decorative sculptured figures. A female face carved -from a block of fine dark reddish sandstone, was brought away by Mr -Norman and presented to the New York Historical Society. It is shown -in the cut. The face is of life size, very symmetrical in its form, -and of a Grecian type. Another monument sketched by the explorer was a -stone turtle, six feet long, with a human head. The sculpture, -especially of the turtle's shell, is described as very fine; the whole -rests on a large block of concrete sandstone, and is called by the -finder the American Sphinx. This relic was somewhat damaged, but the -features of the human face seemed of a Caucasian rather than a native -type. - - [Illustration: Stone Face--Topila Ruins.] - - [Illustration: Colossal Head--Topila Ruins.] - -The Topila ruins include twenty mounds, both circular and square, from -six to twenty-five feet in height, built of earth and faced with -uniform blocks of sandstone, eighteen inches square and six inches -thick. The facings had for the most part fallen, and that invariably -inward in the smaller mounds, indicating perhaps their original use as -tombs. Many of the blocks are scattered through the forest in places -where the mounds had entirely disappeared. Of all the mounds only one -has any trace of a terrace, and in that one it is very faint; and -there is no evidence that mortar was employed in laying the stones. -The largest covered about two acres, and bore on its summit a wild -fig-tree one hundred feet high. At its base is a circular wall of -stone, the top of which is even with the surface of the -ground--perhaps a well--and which is filled with stones and broken -pottery. Its top is covered with a circular stone four feet and nine -inches in diameter and seven inches thick, with a hole in its centre -and some ornamental lines sculptured on its upper surface. Another -round stone, twelve feet in diameter and three feet thick, on the -front of which is carved a colossal human head, is shown in the cut. -The author speaks vaguely of "vast piles of broken and crumbling -stones, the ruins of dilapidated buildings, which were strewed over a -vast space;" and his cuts of the relics which I have copied show in -the background, not included in my copies, regular walls of hewn -stone. Mr Norman regards this group as the remains of a great city, -the site of which is now covered by a heavy forest. In another -locality, seven miles further north-west on the Topila Creek, and a -few miles from the Pánuco River, is another group of circular mounds, -one of them twenty-five feet high, and the lower portions faced with -flat hewn stones. Hewn blocks of various forms and sizes are also -scattered about the locality, but none of them are sculptured.[X-44] -Lyon tells us that "remains of utensils, statues, weapons, and even -skeletons," have been often found in digging for the foundations of -new buildings in the vicinity of Tampico, or Tamaulipas. He made -drawings, which he did not publish, of two very perfect basalt idols, -and mentioned also some bone carvings and terra-cotta idols found in -this region.[X-45] In northern Tamaulipas I find only one mention of -aboriginal monuments, and that at Burrita, about twenty miles east -from Matamoras, respecting which locality Berlandier says, "on a small -hill which is seen two or three hundred paces from the rancho of -Burrita are found in abundance (as the rancheros say) the bones of -ancient peoples."[X-46] - - [Sidenote: BOLSON DE MAPIMI.] - - [Sidenote: BURIAL CAVES.] - -Nuevo Leon, adjoining Tamaulipas on the west, is another of the states -within whose limits no antiquities have been reported; and in Texas on -the north almost the same absence of aboriginal remains is to be -remarked, although one group of rock-inscriptions will be noted in a -future chapter at Rocky Dell creek, in the north-western part of the -state bordering on New Mexico. In the region bordering on the valley -known as the Bolson de Mapimi, comprising parts of the states of -Coahuila, Durango, and Chihuahua, the natives at some time in the past -seem to have deposited their dead in natural caves, and several of -these burial deposits of great extent have been discovered and -reported. None of them are accurately located by any traveler or -writer, nor is it possible to tell in which of the three states any -one of them should be described. As antiquities, however, these burial -caves do not require a long notice. The one of which most has been -written is that discovered by Juan Flores in 1838. The entrance to the -cave was at the foot of a hill, and within were seated round the walls -over a thousand mummies "dressed in fine blankets, made of the fibres -of lechuguilla, with sandals, made of a species of liana, on their -feet, and ornamented with colored scarfs, with beads of seeds of -fruits, polished bones, &c.," as Wizlizenus says. Mühlenpfordt tells -us that Flores to find this cave traveled eastward from the Rancho San -Juan de Casta, which is eighty-six leagues northward from Durango. -Another traveler heard of several of these caves, and that the remains -found were of gigantic size. Mayer gives a report that in latitude 27° -28´ there are a multitude of caverns excavated from solid rock, -bearing inscribed figures of animals and men, the latter dressed like -the ancient Mexicans. Some of them were described by Fr Rotéa as -fifteen by thirty feet, and identical probably with Chicomoztoc, the -famous 'seven caves.' A writer in _Silliman's Journal_, referring -perhaps to the same cave, extends the number of mummies from a -thousand to millions, and speaks of necklaces of marine shells. Mr -Wilson locates one of these mummy-deposits on the western slope of a -high mountain overlooking the ancient pueblo of Chiricahui, in -Chihuahua probably. Several rows of bodies, dried and shrunken but not -decayed, were exposed by an excavation for saltpetre. Each body sewn -up in a strong well-woven cloth, and covered again with sewn -palm-leaves, lay on its back on two sticks, with knees drawn up to -chin, and feet toward the mouth of the cavern. The cave was a hundred -feet in circumference and thirty or forty feet high, and the bottom -for a depth of twenty feet, at least, was composed of alternate -layers of bodies, and of earth and pebbles. The preservation is -thought to be attributable to the dryness of the air and the presence -of saltpetre. Parts of the mummies, of the wrapping-cloths, bone beads -and beads of blue stone, with parts of a belt and tassels, were -presented to the California Academy of Natural Sciences in July, 1864. -Sr Avila describes two of these caves situated in the vicinity of San -Lorenzo, about thirty-five leagues west of Parras, in Coahuila. One -had to be entered from the top by means of ropes, and the other had -some of its rocks artificially cut and painted. In both of these -deposits bones were found instead of mummies, but they were as in the -other cases wrapped in cloth and gaily decked with beads, sticks, and -tassels. Hair was found on some of the heads, and a white hand was -noticed frequently painted on the walls. Padre Alegre speaks of the -existence of caves in this region, with human remains, and painted -characters on the cliffs. Respecting the latter, Padre Ribas says "the -cliffs of that hill and of the caves were marked with characters and a -kind of letters, formed with blood, and in some places so high that -nobody but the devil could have put them there, and so permanent that -neither the rains nor winds had erased or diminished them."[X-47] - -Besides the burial caves, the only account I find of any antiquities -in the state of Coahuila, is contained in the following quotation, of -rather doubtful authenticity, perhaps, respecting some remains on the -hacienda of San Martero, about twenty-six miles from Monclova. "The -spot bears every appearance of having once been a populous city. -Stone foundations are to be seen, covering many acres. Innumerable -columns and walls rise up in every direction, composed of both -limestone and sandstone. The columns are built in a variety of shapes, -some round, others square, and bear every imprint of the work of human -hands.... For miles in the vicinity, the basin is covered with broken -pottery of burnt clay, fantastically painted and ornamented with a -variety of inexplicable designs."[X-48] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: REMAINS IN LA BREÑA.] - -In Durango, besides the sepulchral deposits alluded to, Ribas in his -standard and very rare work on the 'triumphs of the faith' in the -northern regions, mentions the existence of idols, columns, and the -ruins of habitations at Zape, in the central part of the state; and -Larios tells us that in the vicinity of the church which was being -built in his time, there were found at every step burial vases, -containing ashes and human bones, stones of various colors, and, most -wonderful of all, statues or images of men and animals, one resembling -a priest.[X-49] At San Agustin, between the city of Durango and San -Juan del Rio, Arlegui notes the existence of some bones of giants. The -good padre did not rely in making his statement on mere reports, but -saw with his own eyes a jaw-tooth which measured over eight inches -square, and belonged to a jaw which must, according to his -calculations, have measured nine feet and a half in the -semicircle.[X-50] In the volcanic region extending south-eastward from -the city of Durango, known as La Breña, there are large numbers of -very curious natural caves, the bottoms of which are covered with a -thick layer of fine dust, containing much saltpetre. In this dust, Sr -José Fernando Ramirez discovered various antiquarian relics, which he -deposited in the National Museum of Mexico. The only one specially -mentioned was a very small stone turtle, not over half an inch in -diameter, very perfectly carved from a hard material. The region of La -Breña has always been a land of mystery popularly supposed to contain -immense concealed treasure, the localities of the deposits being -marked by small heaps of stones which occurred frequently in -out-of-the-way places not covered by the torrent of lava. Most of -these stone heaps, perhaps altars or burial places of the ancient -inhabitants, have been destroyed by the treasure-seekers, always -without yielding the sought-for deposits of gold or silver. The only -other relics of aboriginal times in La Breña are certain small -cup-shaped excavations in the living rock, supposed to have been used -originally for offerings to the deities worshiped by the -natives.[X-51] - - * * * * * - -I find no record of any ancient monuments in Sinaloa, and across the -gulf in the state of Lower California, with the exception of some -idols, said to have been brought to the priests by the natives they -were attempting to convert, and a smooth stone about six feet long, -bearing a kind of coat of arms and some inscribed characters,[X-52] -the only accounts of antiquities relate to cave and cliff paintings -and inscriptions, which have never been copied, and concerning which -consequently not much can be said. Clavigero says that the Jesuits -found, between latitude 27° and 28°, "several great caves excavated in -living rock, and painted with figures of men and women decently clad, -and of several kinds of animals. These pictures, though rude, -represented distinctly the objects. The colors employed in them were -obtained, as may be plainly seen, from the mineral earths which are -found about the volcano of Virgenes." The paintings were not the work -of the natives found in possession of the country, at least so the -Spaniards decided, and it was considered remarkable that they had -remained through so many centuries fresh and uninjured by time. The -colors were yellow, red, green, and black, and many designs were -placed so high on cliffs that it seemed necessary to some of the -missionaries to suppose the agency of the giants that were in 'those -days.' Indeed, giants' bones were found on the peninsula, as in all -other parts of the country, and the natives are said to have had a -tradition that the paintings were the work of giants who came from the -north. Clavigero mentions one cave whose walls and roof formed an arch -resting on the floor. It was about fifteen by eighty feet, and the -pictures on its walls represented men and women dressed like Mexicans, -but barefooted. The men had their arms raised and spread apart, and -one woman wore her hair loose and flowing down her back, and also had -a plume. Some animals were noted both native and foreign. One author -says they bore no resemblance to Mexican paintings. A series of red -hands are reported on a cliff near Santiago mission in the south, and -also, towards the sea, some painted fishes, bows, arrows, and obscure -characters. A rock-inscription near Purmo, thirty leagues from -Santiago, seemed to the Spanish observer to contain Gothic, Hebrew, -and Chaldean letters. From all that is known of the Lower California -rock-paintings and inscriptions, there is no reason to suppose that -they differ much from, or at least are superior to, those in the New -Mexican region, of which we shall find so many specimens in the next -chapter. It is not improbable that these ruder inscriptions and -pictures exist in the southern country already passed over, to a much -greater extent than appears in the preceding pages, but have remained -comparatively unnoticed by travelers in search of more wonderful or -perfect relics of antiquity.[X-53] - - [Sidenote: CERRO DE LAS TRINCHERAS.] - -Only one monument is known in Sonora, and that only through newspaper -reports. It is known as the Cerro de las Trincheras, and is situated -about fifty miles south-east of Altar. An isolated conical hill has a -spring of water on its summit, also some heaps of loose stones. The -sides of the cerro are encircled by fifty or sixty walls of rough -stones; each about nine feet high and from three to six feet thick, -occurring at irregular intervals of fifty to a hundred feet. Each -wall, except that at the base of the hill, has a gateway, but these -entrances occur alternately on opposite sides of the hill, so that to -reach the summit an enemy would have to fight his way about -twenty-five times round the circumference. One writer tells us that -Las Trincheras were first found--probably by the Spaniards--in 1650; -according to another, the natives say that the fortifications existed -in their present state long before the Spaniards came; and finally Sr -C. M. Galan, ex-governor of Sinaloa and Lower California, a gentleman -well acquainted with all the north-western region, informs me that -there is much doubt among the inhabitants of the locality whether the -walls have not been built since the Spanish Conquest. Sonora also -furnished its quota of giants' bones.[X-54] - - * * * * * - -There are three or four localities in the state of Chihuahua where -miscellaneous remains are vaguely mentioned in addition to the burial -caves already referred to in the extreme south-east. Hardy reports a -cave near the presidio of San Buenaventura, from which saltpetre is -taken for the manufacture of powder, and in which some arrows have -been found, with some curious shoes intended for the hoof of an -animal, arranged to be tied on heel in front, with a view of -misleading pursuers. The cave is very large, and the natives have a -tradition of a subterranean passage leading northward to the Casas -Grandes, over twenty miles.[X-55] Lamberg mentions the existence of -some remains at Corralitos, and announces his intention to explore -them.[X-56] García Conde says that ancient works are found at various -points in the state, specifying, however, only one of them, which -consists of a spiral parapet wall encircling the sides of a hill from -top to bottom, near the cañon of Bachimba.[X-57] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: CASAS GRANDES OF CHIHUAHUA.] - -One celebrated group of ruins remains to be described in this -chapter--the Casas Grandes of northern Chihuahua. These ruins are -situated on the Casas Grandes River,--which, flowing northward, -empties into a lake near the United States boundary,--about midway -between the towns of Janos and Galeana, and one hundred and fifty -miles north-west of the city of Chihuahua. They are frequently -mentioned by the early writers as a probable station of the migrating -Aztecs, but these early accounts are more than usually inaccurate in -this case. Robertson found in a manuscript work a mention of the Casas -Grandes as "the remains of a paltry building of turf and stone, -plastered over with white earth or lime."[X-58] Arlegui, in his -_Chrónica_, speaks of them as "grand edifices all of stone well-hewn -and polished from time immemorial." So nicely joined were the blocks -of stone that they seemed to have been 'born so,' without the slightest -trace of mortar; but the author adds that they might have been joined -with the juice of some herbs or roots.[X-59] Clavigero, who claims to -have derived his information from parties who had visited the -ruins,--since the hostile attitude of the Apaches at the time of his -own residence in the country made a visit impracticable--was the first -to give any definite idea of these monuments, although he also falls -into several errors. He says: "This place is known by the name of -Casas Grandes on account of a vast edifice still standing, which -according to the universal tradition of the people was built by the -Mexicans in their pilgrimage. This edifice is constructed according to -the plan of those in New Mexico, that is composed of three stories and -a terrace above them, without doors in the lower story. The entrance -to the edifice is in the second story; so that a ladder is -required."[X-60] - -Sr Escudero examined the ruins in 1819, and describes them as "a group -of rooms built with mud walls, exactly oriented according to the four -cardinal points. The blocks of earth are of unequal size, but placed -with symmetry, and the perfection with which they have lasted during a -period which cannot be less than three hundred years shows great skill -in the art of building. It is seen that the edifice had three stories -and a roof, with exterior stairways probably of wood. The same class -of construction is found still in all the independent Indian towns of -Moqui, north-east from the state of Chihuahua. Most of the rooms are -very small with doors so small and narrow that they seem like the -cells of a prison."[X-61] A writer in the _Album Mexicano_, who -visited the Casas Grandes in 1842, wrote a description which is far -superior to anything that preceded it.[X-62] Mr Hardy visited the -place, but his account affords very little information;[X-63] and Mr -Wizlizenus gives a brief description evidently drawn from some of the -earlier authorities and consequently faulty.[X-64] Finally Mr Bartlett -explored the locality in 1851, and his description illustrated with -cuts is by far the most satisfactory extant. From his account and that -in the _Album_ most of the following information is derived.[X-65] - - [Illustration: Casas Grandes--Chihuahua.] - -The ruined casas are about half a mile from the modern Mexican town of -the same name, located in a finely chosen site, commanding a broad -view over the fertile valley of the Casas Grandes or San Miguel river, -which valley--or at least the river bottom--is here two miles wide. -This bottom is bounded by a plateau about twenty-five feet higher, and -the ruins are found partly on the bottom and partly on the more -sterile plateau above. They consist of walls, generally fallen and -crumbled into heaps of rubbish, but at some points, as at the corners -and where supported by partition walls, still standing to a height of -from five to thirty feet above the heaps of débris, and some of them -as high as fifty feet, if reckoned from the level of the ground. The -cuts on this and the opposite pages represent views of the ruins from -three different standpoints, as sketched by Mr Bartlett. - - [Sidenote: CASAS GRANDES.] - - [Illustration: Casas Grandes--Chihuahua.] - -The material of the walls is sun-dried blocks of mud and gravel, about -twenty-two inches thick, and of irregular length, generally about -three feet, probably formed and dried in situ. Of this material and -method of construction more details will be given in the following -chapter on the New Mexican region, where the buildings are of a -similar nature. The walls are in some parts five feet thick, but were -so much damaged at the time of Mr Bartlett's visit that nothing could -be ascertained, at least without excavation, respecting their finish -on either surface. The author of the account in the _Album_ states -that the plaster which covers the blocks is of powdered stone, but -this may be doubted. There is no doubt, however, that they were -plastered on both interior and exterior, with a composition much like -that of which the blocks were made; Escudero found some portions of -the plaster still in place, but does not state what was its -composition. The remains of the main structure, which was rectangular -in its plan, extend over an area measuring about eight hundred feet -from north to south, and two hundred and fifty from east to -west.[X-66] Within this area are three great heaps of ruined walls, -but low connecting lines of débris indicate that all formed one -edifice, or were at least connected by corridors. On the south the -wall, or the heaps indicating its existence, is continuous and -regular; of the northern side nothing is said; but on the east and -west the walls are very irregular, with many angles and projections. - - * * * * * - - [Illustration: Ground Plan--Casas Grandes.] - -The ground plan of the whole structure could not be made out, at least -in the limited time at Mr Bartlett's disposal. He found, however, one -row of apartments whose plan is shown in the cut. Each of the six -shown is ten by twenty feet, and the small structure in the corner of -each is a pen rather than a room, being only three or four feet high. -In the _Album_, the usual dimensions of the rooms are given as about -twelve and a half by sixteen and a half feet; one very perfect room, -however, being a little over four feet square. Bartlett found many -rooms altogether too small for sleeping apartments, some of great -size, whose dimensions are not given, and several enclosures too large -to have been covered by a roof, doubtless enclosed courtyards. One -portion of standing wall in the interior had a doorway narrower at the -top than at the bottom, and two circular openings or windows above it. -The explorer of 1842 speaks of doorways long, square, and round, some -of them being walled up at the bottom so as to form windows. - - * * * * * - -Not a fragment of wood or stone remained in 1851; nor could any holes -in the walls be found which seemed to have held the original -floor-timbers; and consequently there was no way of determining the -number of stories. In 1842, however, a piece of rotten wood was found, -over a window as it seems; and the people in the vicinity said they -had found many beams. No traces of any stairway was, however, visible. -No doubt the earlier accounts spoke of wooden stairways, or ladders, -because such means of entrance were commonly used in similar and more -modern buildings in New Mexico; later writers converted the -conjectures of the first visitors into actual fact; hence the -galleries of wood and exterior stairways spoken of by Wizlizenus and -others. - -It is difficult to determine where the idea originated that the -structure had three stories; for the walls still standing in places to -a height of fifty feet, notwithstanding the wear of three centuries at -least, would certainly indicate six or seven stories rather than -three. These high walls are always in the interior, and the outer -walls are in no part of a sufficient height to indicate more than one -story. The general idea of the structure in its original condition, -formed from the descriptions and views, is that of an immense central -pile--similar to some of the Pueblo towns of New Mexico, and -particularly that of Taos, of which a cut will be given in the -following chapter--rising to a height of six or seven stories, and -surrounded by lower houses built about several courtyards, and -presenting on the exterior a rectangular form. Notwithstanding the -imperfect exploration of this ruin and its advanced state of -dilapidation, the reader of the following chapter will not fail to -understand clearly what this Casa Grande was like when still -inhabited; for there is no doubt that this building was used for a -dwelling as well as for other purposes, and this may be regarded as -the first instance in the northward progress of our investigation -where any remains of authentic aboriginal dwellings have been met. - - [Illustration: Ground Plan--Casas Grandes.] - - [Sidenote: BROKEN POTTERY.] - -About one hundred and fifty yards west of the main building and -somewhat higher on the plateau, are seen the foundations of another -structure of similar nature and material, indicating a line of small -apartments built round an interior court, according to the ground plan -shown in the cut, the whole forming a square with sides of about one -hundred and fifty feet. There are some other heaps in the vicinity -which may very likely represent buildings, of whose original forms, -however, they convey no idea, besides some remains of what seemed to -Mr Bartlett to be very evidently those of modern Spanish buildings. -Between the two buildings described there are three mounds or heaps of -loose stones each about fifteen feet high, which have not been opened. -Escudero, followed by García Conde, states that throughout an extent -of twenty leagues in length and ten leagues in width in the valleys of -the Casas Grandes and Janos, mounds are found in great numbers--over -two thousand, as estimated in the _Album_--and that such as have been -opened have furnished painted pottery, metates, stone axes, and other -utensils. One visitor thought that one of the mounds presented great -regularity in its form and had a summit platform. - - [Illustration: Pottery from Casas Grandes.] - - [Illustration: Pottery from Casas Grandes.] - - [Illustration: Pipe from Casas Grandes.] - -Escudero and Hardy report the existence of an aqueduct or canal which -formerly brought water from a spring to the town. The following cut -shows specimens of broken pottery found in connection with the ruins. -The ornamentation is in black, red, or brown, on a white or reddish -ground. The material is said to be superior in texture to any -manufactured in later times by the natives of this region. The whole -valley for miles around is strewn with such fragments. Unbroken -specimens of pottery are not abundant, as is naturally the case in a -country traversed continually by roving bands of natives to whom it is -easier to pick up or dig out earthen utensils than to manufacture or -buy them. Three specimens were however found by Mr Bartlett, and are -shown in the cut. Mr Hardy also sketched a vase very similar to the -first figure of the cut, and he speaks of "good specimens of earthen -images in the Egyptian style, which are, to me at least, so perfectly -uninteresting, that I was at no pains to procure any of them." -According to the _Album_, some idols had been found by the inhabitants -among other relics, and the women claimed to have discovered a -monument of antiquity which was of practical utility to themselves, as -well as of interest to archæologists--namely, a jar filled with bear's -grease! The pipe shown in the cut, has a suspiciously modern look, -although included in Bartlett's plate of Chihuahuan antiquities. - - [Sidenote: FORTRESS AT CASAS GRANDES.] - -The inhabitants pointed out to Bartlett, on the top of a high -mountain, some ten miles south-west of the ruins described, what they -said was a stone fortress of two or three stories. Escudero describes -this monument, which he locates at a distance of only two leagues, as -a watch-tower or sentry-station on the top of a high cliff; and says -that the southern slope of the hill has many lines of stones at -irregular intervals, with heaps of loose stones at their extremities. -This is probably, in the absence of more definite information the more -credible account. The _Album_ represents this monument as a fortress -built of great stones very perfectly joined, though without the aid of -mortar. The wall is said to be eighteen or twenty feet thick, and a -road cut in the rock leads to the summit. At this time, 1842, the -works were being destroyed for the stone they contained. Clavigero -speaks of the hill works as "a fortress defended on one side by a high -mountain, and on other sides by a wall about seven feet thick, the -foundations of which yet remain. There are seen in this fortress -stones as large as millstones; the beams of the roofs are of pine, and -well worked. In the centre of the vast edifice is a mound, built as it -seems, for the purpose of keeping guard and watching the enemy." -Clavigero evidently confounds the two groups of ruins, and from his -error, and a similar one by others, come the accounts which represent -the Casas Grandes as built of stone. He mentions obsidian mirrors -among the relics dug up here, probably without any authority. The cut -from Bartlett shows a stone metate found among the ruins. - - [Illustration: Metate from Casas Grandes.] - -So far as any conclusions or comparisons suggested by this Chihuahuan -ruin are concerned, they may best be deferred to the end of the -following chapter. The Casas Grandes, and the ruins of the northern or -New Mexican group, should be classed together. They were the work of -the same people, at about the same epoch. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[X-1] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iv., p. 58. - -[X-2] _Beaumont_, _Crón. Mechoacan_, MS., pp. 45-6. Ihuatzio, probably -the true name of the town called by Beaumont Ignatzio, 'recuerda por -sus antiguedades (la Pirámide aun no destruida, que les servia de -plaza de armas: otras _Yácatas_, ó sepulcros de sus Reyes: las -reliquias de una torre que fabricó su primer fundador antes venir los -Españoles, y la _via_, calle ó camino de _Queréndaro_, que comunicaba -con la Capital) tristes memorias de la grandeza michuacana.' -_Michuacan_, _Análisis Estad., por J. J. L._, p. 166. - -[X-3] _Lyon's Journal_, vol. ii., pp. 71-2. 'Some relics of the -Tarascan architecture are said to be found at this place, but we do -not possess any authentic accounts or drawings of them.' _Mayer's Mex. -Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 291. Mention in _Mühlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, -tom. ii., pt. ii., p. 369; _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 167. - -[X-4] _Villa-Señor y Sanchez_, _Theatro_, tom. ii., pp. 70-1; mention -in _Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, p. 154. - -[X-5] _Beaufoy's Mex. Illustr._, p. 199. - -[X-6] _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da época, tom. iv., p. 559. - -[X-7] _Humboldt_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 30, suppl., -pl. vii., fig. 13; _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. viii., p. 558. - -[X-8] _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da época, tom. iii., p. 277. - -[X-9] _Gutierrez_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da época, tom. -iii., pp. 277-80. - -[X-10] _Rico_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da época, tom. iii., p. -183. - -[X-11] _Löwenstern_, _Mexique_, pp. 265-7, 280, 344; _Id._, in -_Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1840, tom. lxxxvi., pp. 119-20; _Id._, -in _Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour._, vol. xi., p. 104; _Cincinnatus' -Travels_, p. 259. - -[X-12] _Hervás_, _Catálogo_, tom. i., p. 311. - -[X-13] _Florencia_, _Origen de los Santuarios_, p. 8; _Padilla_, -_Conq. N. Galicia_, MS., pp. 217-19. - -[X-14] _Acazitli_, in _Icazbalceta_, _Col. de Doc._, tom. ii., pp. -313-14; _Villa-Señor y Sanchez_, _Theatro_, tom. ii., pp. 269-70. - -[X-15] _Nat. Hist. Man_, vol. ii., p. 515. - -[X-16] _Gil_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. viii., p. 496; -_Ternaux-Compans_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1842, tom. xcv., -p. 295; same account in _Mofras_, _Explor._, tom. i., p. 161. - -[X-17] _Retes_, in _Museo Mex._, 2da época, tom. i., pp. 3-6. - -[X-18] _Id._, p. 6. - -[X-19] _Lyon's Journal_, vol. i., pp. 322-3. - -[X-20] _Bustamante_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. i., pp. 56-7. - -[X-21] _Castillo_, in _Id._, 2da época, tom. iv., pp. 107-8. - -[X-22] _Berlandier and Thovel_, _Diario_, p. 25. - -[X-23] _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da época, tom. iii., pp. 278-9, -preceded by an account quoted from Torquemada. - -[X-24] _Lyon's Journal_, vol. i., pp. 225-44. - -[X-25] _Esparza_, _Informe_, pp. 56-8. The same report also published -in 1843, in the _Museo Mex._, tom. i., p. 185, et seq., with some -remarks by the editor, who saw the ruins in 1831. The article also -includes a quotation from _Frejes_, _Conquista de Zacatecas_, an -attempt to clear up the origin and history of the ruined city, and a -plate reduced from Nebel. - -[X-26] _Burkart_, _Aufenthalt_, tom. ii., pp. 97-105. - -[X-27] _Viaje._ His Mexican trip began in 1831, _Soc. Géog., -Bulletin_, tom. xv., No. 95, p. 141, and Burkart met him in Zacatecas -some time before 1834. - -[X-28] Other accounts containing no additional information, and made -up, except one or two, from the authorities already mentioned:--_Gil_, -in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. viii., pp. 441-2; _Mayer's Mex. as -it Was_, pp. 240-6; _Id._, _Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., pp. 317-23, -Lyon's description and Nebel's plate; _Id._, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, -vol. vi., p. 581; _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 90-5; _Mühlenpfordt_, -_Mejico_, tom. ii., pt. ii., p. 492; _Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. -204; _Frost's Pict. Hist. Mex._, pp. 58-66; _Id._, _Great Cities_, pp. -304-12, cuts; _Rio_, _Beschreib. einer alt. Stadt_, appendix, pp. -70-5. - -[X-29] _Tello_, _Fragmentos_, in _Icazbalceta_, _Col. de Doc._, tom. -ii., p. 344. - -[X-30] _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. viii., pp. 441-2, 496; -_Frejes_, in _Museo Mex._, tom. i., pp. 186-9; _Lyon's Journal_, vol. -i., p. 243. - -[X-31] The explanation of the plan by the lettering given in Nebel's -work is as follows: A i., A ii., A iii., A iv. Temples and structures -connected therewith. B. Enclosing walls. C. Walls supporting terraces. -D. Pyramids in the interior of temples. E. Isolated Pyramids. F. Ruins -of dwellings. G. Stairways. H. Ancient roads. J. Kind of a 'plaza de -armas.' K. Fortifications. L. Small stairways leading to the court of -the temple. M. A small altar. N. Ancient foundations. O. Batteries in -the form of flat roofs (azotéas). P. Modern cross on the summit of the -hill. Q. Well. R. Large hall with 11 columns to support the roof. S. -Two columns. T. Rock. U. Stream. - -[X-32] Rivera, pp. 56-8, says that the causeway leading toward the -hacienda runs S.E. - -[X-33] _Frejes_, in _Museo Mex._, tom. i., p. 186, speaks of 'tres -calzadas de seis varas de ancho que por líneas divergentes corren al -mediodía algunas leguas hasta perderse de vista.' - -[X-34] _Lyon._ According to the _Museo Mex._, tom. i., p. 187, it is 5 -or 6 varas high and 10 thick. - -[X-35] Burkart gives the dimensions as 194 by 232 Rhenish feet, -somewhat larger than English feet; Rivera says 35 or 40 varas square. -This author also noticed on the slope of the hill before reaching the -steepest part, a pyramid about 20 feet high and 11 feet square, now -truncated but apparently pointed in its original condition. This was -probably the heap of stones mentioned above. - -[X-36] Burkart implies that the terrace extends entirely round the -square, forming a sunken basin 4 or 5 feet deep; and this is probably -the case, as it agrees with the plan of some other structures on the -hill. - -[X-37] Lyon says 137 by 154 feet; Rivera, 50 to 60 varas, with walls 8 -to 9 varas high. - -[X-38] Burkart gives the dimensions of the pyramid as 30 feet square -and 30 feet high; and of the altar in front as 6 feet square and 6 -feet high. - -[X-39] 'Tiene este pueblo [Teul] por cabeza un cerro al principio -cuadrado como de peña tajada, y arriba otro cerro redondo, y encima -del primero hay tanta capacidad que caben mas de veinte mil indios.... -En este monte estaba una sala, en donde estaba su ídolo, que llamaban -el Teotl ... tiene más una pila de losas de junturas de cinco varas de -largo y tres de ancho, y mas ancha de arriba que de abajo.... Esta -pila tiene dos entradas; la una en la esquina que mira al Norte, con -cinco gradas, y la otra que mira en esquina al Sur, con otras cinco: -no lejos de esta pila, como dos tiros de arcabuz, están dos -montecillos que eran los osarios de los indios que sacrificaban.' -_Tello_, in _Icazbalceta_, _Col. de Doc._, tom. ii., pp. 362-4; _Id._, -in _Beaumont_, _Crón. Mechoacan_, MS., p. 300; description of the -temple, _Gil_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. viii., p. 497; -mention of ruins, _Frejes_, in _Museo Mex._, tom. i., p. 186; stone -axes, _Esparza_, _Informe_, p. 7; concealed temples and idols, -_Arlegui_, _Chrón. Zacatecas_, p. 95. - -[X-40] _Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, p. 98; _Cabrera_, in _Soc. Mex. -Geog., Boletin_, 2da época, tom. iv., p. 24; _Annual Scien. Discov._, -1850, p. 361. - -[X-41] _Furber's Twelve Months Volunteer_, pp. 387-8. - -[X-42] _Lyon's Journal_, vol. i., pp. 141-2. - -[X-43] _Norman's Rambles by Land and Water_, pp. 169-70. - -[X-44] _Norman's Rambles by Land and Water_, pp. 121-37. - -[X-45] _Lyon's Journal_, vol. i., pp. 21, 28, 114. Mention of -Tamaulipas antiquities from Norman and Lyon, in _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, -etc._, vol. ii., pp. 207-9; _Id._, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. vi., -p. 581. Newspaper account of some relics of Christianity, in -_Cronise's California_, p. 30. - -[X-46] _Berlandier and Thovel_, _Diario_, p. 151. - -[X-47] _Wizlizenus' Tour_, pp. 69, 70. This author says the bodies are -supposed to belong to the Lipans. _Mühlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. ii., -pt. ii., p. 518; _Severn's Journal_, vol. xxx., p. 38; _Mayer's Mex. -as it Was_, pp. 239-40; _Id._, _Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 333; -_Silliman's Jour._, vol. xxxvi., p. 200; _Cal. Acad. Nat. Sciences_, -vol. iii., pp. 160-1; _Pac. Monthly_, vol. xi., p. 783; _Nouvelles -Annales des Voy._, 1839, tom. lxxxi., pp. 126-7; _Lemprière's Notes in -Mex._, p. 135; _Avila_, in _Album Mex._, tom. i., pp. 465-8; _Alegre_, -_Hist. Comp. de Jesus_, tom. i., p. 418; _Ribas_, _Hist. de los -Triumphos_, p. 685. - -[X-48] _Donnavan's Adven._, pp. 30-1. - -[X-49] _Larios_, in _Alegre_, _Hist. Comp. de Jesus_, tom. ii., pp. -54-5; _Ribas_, _Hist. de los Triumphos_, p. 583; _Orozco y Berra_, -_Geografía_, p. 318. - -[X-50] _Arlegui_, _Chrón. Zacatecas_, pp. 6, 67. - -[X-51] _Ramirez_, _Noticias Hist. de Durango_, pp. 6-9; _Id._, in -_Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. v., pp. 10-11. - -[X-52] _Doc. Hist. Mex._, série iv., tom. v., pp. 213, 254. - -[X-53] _Clavigero_, _Storia della Cal._, tom. i., pp. 107-9; _Doc. -Hist. Mex._, série iv., tom. v., pp. 213, 254; _Taylor_, in _Cal. -Farmer_, Dec. 21, 1860, Nov. 22, 1861, Jan. 10, 1862; _Hesperian_, -vol. iii., p. 530. - -[X-54] _San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, July 16, 1864; _Cal. Farmer_, -March 20, 1863, April 4, 1862; _Doc. Hist. Mex._, série iii., tom. -iv., pp. 626-7. - -[X-55] _Hardy's Trav._, p. 467. - -[X-56] _Lamberg_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. iii., p. 25. - -[X-57] _García Conde_, _Ensayo sobre Chihuahua_, p. 74. - -[X-58] _Robertson's Hist. Amer._, vol. i., p. 269. - -[X-59] _Arlegui_, _Chrón. Zacatecas_, pp. 104-5. Same in _Padilla_, -_Conq. N. Galicia_, MS., pp. 484-5. - -[X-60] _Clavigero_, _Storia Ant. del Messico_, tom. i., p. 159; -_Heredia y Sarmiento_, _Sermon_, pp. 89-90. - -[X-61] _Escudero_, _Noticias Estad. del Estado de Chihuahua_, pp. -234-5; repeated in _García Conde_, _Ensayo sobre Chihuahua_, p. 74; -_Orozco y Berra_, _Geografía_, pp. 110-11. - -[X-62] _Album Mex._, tom. i., pp. 374-5. - -[X-63] _Hardy's Trav._, pp. 465-6. - -[X-64] _Wizlizenus' Tour_, pp. 59-60. - -[X-65] _Bartlett's Pers. Nar._, vol. ii., pp. 347-64. Other compiled -accounts may be found in _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 339; -_Armin_, _Das Heutige Mex._, pp. 269-70; _Möllhausen_, _Tagebuch_, pp. -312-13; _Mühlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. ii., pt. ii., p. 525; -_Thümmel_, _Mexiko_, p. 347; _Ranking's Hist. Researches_, pp. 282-3; -_Wappäus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 216; _Willson's Amer. Hist._, p. 561; -_Gordon's Ancient Mex._, vol. i., p. 105; _Gregory's Hist. Mex._, p. -71. - -[X-66] Although the dimensions in the _Album_ are given as 414 by 1380 -feet, probably including some structures reckoned by Bartlett as -detached. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -ANTIQUITIES OF ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO. - - AREA ENCLOSED BY THE GILA, RIO GRANDE DEL NORTE, AND - COLORADO -- A LAND OF MYSTERY -- WONDERFUL REPORTS AND - ADVENTURES OF MISSIONARIES, SOLDIERS, HUNTERS, MINERS, AND - PIONEERS -- EXPLORATION -- RAILROAD SURVEYS -- - CLASSIFICATION OF REMAINS -- MONUMENTS OF THE GILA VALLEY - -- BOULDER-INSCRIPTIONS -- THE CASA GRANDE OF ARIZONA -- - EARLY ACCOUNTS AND MODERN EXPLORATION -- ADOBE BUILDINGS - -- VIEW AND PLANS -- MISCELLANEOUS REMAINS, ACEQUIAS, AND - POTTERY -- OTHER RUINS ON THE GILA -- VALLEY OF THE RIO - SALADO -- RIO VERDE -- PUEBLO CREEK -- UPPER GILA -- - TRIBUTARIES OF THE COLORADO -- ROCK-INSCRIPTIONS, BILL - WILLIAMS FORK -- RUINED CITIES OF THE COLORADO CHIQUITO -- - RIO PUERCO -- LITHODENDRON CREEK -- NAVARRO SPRING -- ZUÑI - VALLEY -- ARCH SPRING -- ZUÑI -- OJO DEL PESCADO -- - INSCRIPTION ROCK -- RIO SAN JUAN -- RUINS OF THE CHELLY - AND CHACO CAÑONS -- VALLEY OF THE RIO GRANDE -- PUEBLO - TOWNS, INHABITED AND IN RUINS -- THE MOQUI TOWNS -- THE - SEVEN CITIES OF CÍBOLA -- RÉSUMÉ, COMPARISONS, AND - CONCLUSIONS. - - -Crossing the boundary line between the northern and southern -republics, and entering the territory of the Pacific United States, I -shall present in the present chapter all that is known of antiquities -in Arizona and New Mexico. An area approximating somewhat the form of -a right-angle triangle, with a base of four hundred miles and a -perpendicular of three hundred, includes all the remains in this -region. The valley of the Rio Gila, with those of its tributary -streams, is the southern boundary, or base, stretching along the -thirty-third parallel of latitude; the Rio Grande del Norte, flowing -southward between the one hundred and sixth and one hundred and -seventh meridians, forms with its valley the eastern limit or -perpendicular; while on the north and west the region is bounded by -the Rio Colorado as a hypothenuse, albeit a very winding one. The -latter river might, however, be straightened, thus improving -materially the geometrical symmetry of my triangle, without -interfering much with ancient remains, as will be seen when the relics -of the Colorado section are described. - - * * * * * - -The face of the country is made up of fertile valleys, precipitous -cañons, rugged mountains, and desert table-lands, the latter -predominating and constituting a very large portion of the area. -Arizona and New Mexico since first they became known to the outside -world, have always had, as they still have, more or less of the -mysterious connected with them. Here have been located for over three -hundred years the wonderful peoples, marvelous cities, extensive -ruins, mines of untold wealth, unparalleled natural phenomena, savages -of the most bloodthirsty and merciless character, and other marvels, -that from the narratives of adventurers and missionaries have found -their way into romance and history. This was in a certain sense the -last American stronghold of the mysterious as connected with the -aborigines, where the native races yet dispute the progress of a -foreign civilization. - -And the wondrous tales of this border land between civilization and -savagism, always exaggerated, had nevertheless much foundation in -fact. The Pueblo tribes of New Mexico and the Moquis of Arizona are a -wonderful people when we consider the wall of savagism which envelopes -them; their towns of many-storied structures are better foundations -than usually exist for travelers' tales of magnificent cities; ruins -are abundant, showing that the pueblo nations were in the past more -numerous, powerful, and cultured, than Europeans have found them; rich -mines are now worked, and yet richer ones are awaiting development; -few greater natural curiosities have been seen in America than the -cañon of the Colorado, with perpendicular sides in some places a mile -in height; and the Apaches are yet on the war-path, making a trip -through the country much more dangerous now than at the time when the -Spaniards first visited it. - -Although a large part of these states is still in the possession of -the natives, and no official or scientific commission has made -explorations which were especially directed to its antiquarian -treasures, yet the labors of the priest, hunter, immigrant, Indian -fighter, railroad surveyor, and prospector, have left few valleys, -hills, or cañons, mountain passes or desert plains unvisited. While it -is not probable that all even of the more important ruins have been -seen, or described, we may feel very sure, here as in Yucatan, from -the uniformity of such monuments as have been brought to light, that -no very important developments remain to be made respecting the -character, or type, of the New Mexican remains. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: EXPLORATION OF NEW MEXICO.] - -This country was first visited by the Spaniards in the middle of the -sixteenth century. The part known to them as New Mexico, and to which -their efforts as conquistadores and missionaries were particularly -directed, was the valley of the Rio Grande and its tributary streams, -but the whole district was frequently crossed and recrossed by the -padres down to the latter part of the seventeenth century. Reports of -large cities and powerful nations far in the north reached Mexico -through the natives as early as 1530; Cabeza de Vaca, ship-wrecked on -the coast of the Mexican gulf, wandered through the regions south of -and near New Mexico, in 1535-6; roused by the shipwrecked soldier's -tale, Fr Marco de Niza penetrated at least into Arizona from Sinaloa -in 1539, and was followed by Vasquez de Coronado, who reached the -Pueblo towns on the Rio Grande in 1540; Antonio de Espejo followed the -course of the great river northward to the Pueblos in 1583, and in -1598 New Mexico was brought altogether under Spanish rule by Juan de -Oñate. In 1680 the natives threw off the yoke by revolt, but were -again subdued fifteen years later, and the Spaniards retained the -power, though not always without difficulty until 1848, when the -territory came into the possession of the United States. The archives -of the missions are said to have been for the most part destroyed in -the revolt of 1680, and consequently their history previous to that -date is only known in outline; since 1680 the annals are tolerably -clear and complete. The diaries of the Spanish pioneers have been, -most of them, preserved in one form or another, and show that the -authors visited many of the ruins that have attracted the attention of -later explorers, and also that they found many of the towns inhabited -that now exist only as ruins. Their accurate accounts of towns still -standing and inhabited attest, moreover, their general veracity as -explorers. - -It is, however, to the explorations undertaken under the authority of -the United States government, for the purpose of surveying a -practicable route for an interoceanic railroad, and also to establish -a boundary line between American and Mexican territory, that we owe -nearly all our accurate descriptions of the ancient monuments of this -group. These exploring parties, as well as the military expeditions -during the war with Mexico, were accompanied by scientific men and -artists, whose observations were made public in their official -reports, together with illustrative plates. They generally followed -the course of the larger rivers, but the ruins discovered by them show -a remarkable similarity one to another, and consequently the reports -of trappers and guides respecting remains of similar type on the -smaller streams, may be generally accepted as worthy of more implicit -confidence than can generally be accorded to such reports. - -In this division of Pacific States antiquities, which may be spoken of -as the New Mexican group, we shall find, 1st, the remains of ancient -stone and adobe buildings in all stages of disintegration, from -standing walls with roofs and floors to shapeless heaps of débris or -simple lines of foundation-stones; 2d, anomalous structures of stone -or earth, the purpose of which, either by reason of their advanced -state of ruin or of the slight attention given them by travelers, is -not apparent; 3d, traces of aboriginal agriculture in the shape of -_acequias_ and _zanjas_, or irrigating canals and ditches; 4th, -pottery, always in fragments; 5th, implements and ornaments of stone -and shell, not numerous; and 6th, painted or engraved figures on -cliffs, boulders, and the sides of natural caverns. - - [Sidenote: MOUTH OF THE COLORADO.] - -About the mouth of the Colorado there are no authentic remains of -aboriginal work dating back beyond the coming of the Spaniards, -although Mr Bartlett found just below the mouth of the Gila traces of -cultivation, which seemed to him, judging from the growth of trees -that covered them, not to be the work of the present tribes in the -vicinity. I find also an absurd newspaper report--and no part of the -Pacific States has been more prolific of such reports than that now -under consideration--of a wonderful ruined city of hewn stone -somewhere about the head of the Gulf of California. This city included -numerous dwellings, circular walls of granite, sculptured -hieroglyphics, and seven great pyramids, not unlike the famous Central -American cities of Palenque and Copan. Some rude figures scratched or -painted on the surface of a boulder, seen by a traveler, have been -proved by experience to be ample foundation for such a rumor.[XI-1] - - [Illustration: Boulder-Sculptures on the Gila.] - - [Sidenote: ROCK-INSCRIPTIONS OF THE GILA.] - -Ascending the Rio Gila eastward from its junction with the Colorado, -for some two hundred miles we find nothing that can be classed with -ancient monuments except natural heaps of large boulders at two -points, the flat sides of which are "covered with rude figures of men, -animals, and other objects of grotesque forms, all pecked in with a -sharp instrument." The accompanying cut shows some of these -boulder-sculptures as they were sketched by Bartlett in 1852. Some of -them seemed of recent origin, while many were much defaced by -exposure, and apparently of great age. The newer carvings in some -cases extend over the older ones, and many are found on the under -side of the rocks, where they must have been executed before they -fell to their present position. The locality of the sculptured rocks -is shown on the map; the first is about fifty miles east of Fort Yuma, -and the second twenty miles west of the big bend of the Gila, both on -the south bank. Two additional incised figures are given in the -following cut from Froebel's sketches, since the author thinks that -Bartlett may have selected his specimens with a view to strengthen his -theory that the figures are not hieroglyphics with a definite -meaning.[XI-2] - - [Illustration: Boulder-Sculptures on the Gila.] - -Between the Pima villages and the junction of the San Pedro with the -Gila, stands the most famous ruin of the whole region--the Casa -Grande, or Casa de Montezuma, which it is safe to say has been -mentioned by every writer on American antiquity. Coronado during his -trip from Culiacan to the 'seven cities' in 1540, visited a building -called Chichilticale, or 'red house,' which is supposed with much -reason to have been the Casa Grande. The only account of Coronado's -trip which gives any description of the building is that of Castañeda, -who says, "Chichilticale of which so much had been said [probably by -the guides or natives] proved to be a house in ruins and without a -roof; which seemed, however, to have been fortified. It was clear that -this house, built of red earth, was the work of civilized people who -had come from far away." "A house which had long been inhabited by a -people who came from Cíbola. The earth in this country is red. The -house was large; it seemed to have served as a fortress."[XI-3] - -Father Kino heard of the ruin while visiting the northern missions of -Sonora in the early part of 1694. He was at first incredulous, but the -information having been confirmed by other reports of the natives, he -visited the Casa Grande later in the same year, and said mass within -its walls. Since Kino was not accompanied at the time by Padre Mange, -his secretary, who usually kept the diary of his expeditions, no -definite account resulted from this first visit.[XI-4] - -In 1697, however, Padre Kino revisited the place, in company this time -with Mange, who in his diary of the trip wrote what may be regarded as -the first definite description.[XI-5] - - [Sidenote: CASA GRANDE OF THE GILA.] - -Padre Jacobo Sedelmair visited the Casa Grande in 1744, but in his -narrative he copies Mange's account. He went further, however, and -discovered other ruins.[XI-6] - - [Sidenote: AUTHORITIES ON THE CASA GRANDE.] - -Lieut C. M. Bernal seems to have been military commandant in Kino's -expedition, and he also describes the ruin in his report.[XI-7] Padres -Garcés and Font made a journey in 1775-6, under Capt. Anza, to the -Gila and Colorado valleys, and thence to the missions of Alta -California and the Moqui towns. Both mention the ruin in their -diaries, the latter giving quite a full account. I know not if Padre -Font's diary has ever been printed, but I have in my collection an -English manuscript translation from the original in the archives at -Guadalajara,--perhaps the same copy from which Mr Bartlett made the -extracts which he printed in his work.[XI-8] Font's plan is not given -with the translation, but in Beaumont's _Crónica de Mechoacan_, a very -important work never published, of which I have a copy made from the -original for the Mexican Imperial Library of Maximilian, I find a -description of the Casa Grande, which appears to have been quoted -literally from Font's diary, and which also contains the ground plan -of the ruined edifice. I shall notice hereafter its variations from -the plan which I shall copy.[XI-9] A brief account was given in the -_Rudo Ensayo_, written about 1761, and by Velarde in his notice of the -Pimería, written probably toward the close of the eighteenth century; -but neither of these descriptions contained any additional -information, having been made up probably from the preceding.[XI-10] - -Finally the Casa Grande has been visited, sketched, and described by -Emory and Johnston, connected with Gen. Kearny's military expedition -to California in 1846; by Bartlett with the Mexican Boundary -Commission in 1852; and by Ross Browne in 1863.[XI-11] - -The descriptions of different writers do not differ very materially -one from another, Bartlett's among the later, and Font's of the -earlier accounts being the most complete. From all the authorities I -make up the following description, although the extracts which I have -already given include nearly all that can be said on the subject. The -Casa Grande stands about two miles and a half south of the bank of the -Gila;--that is all the early writers call the distance about a league; -Bartlett and Emory say nothing of the distance, and Ross Browne says -it is half an hour's ride. The Gila valley in this region is a level -bottom of varying width, with nearly perpendicular banks of earth. -Opposite the ruin the bottom is about a mile wide on the southern bank -of the river, and the ruin itself stands on the raised plateau beyond, -surrounded by a thick growth of mesquite with an occasional pitahaya. -The height and nature of the ascent from the bottom to the plateau at -this particular point are not stated; but from the fact that acequias -are reported leading from the river to the buildings, it would seem -that the ascent must be very slight and gradual. - -The appearance of the ruins in 1863 is shown in the cut as sketched by -Ross Browne. Other sketches by Bartlett, Emory, and Johnston, agree -very well with the one given, but none of them indicate the presence -of the mesquite forest mentioned in Mr Bartlett's text. The material -of the buildings is adobe,[XI-12] that is, the ordinary mud of the -locality mixed with gravel. Most writers say nothing of its color, -although Bernal in 1697 pronounced it 'white clay,' and Johnston also -says it is white, probably with an admixture of lime, which, as he -states, is abundant in the vicinity. Mr Hutton, a civil engineer well -acquainted with the ruins, assured Mr Simpson that the surrounding -earth is of a reddish color, although by reason of the pebbles the -Casa has a whitish appearance in certain reflections. This matter of -color is of no great importance except to prove the identity of the -building with Castañeda's Chichilticale, which he expressly states to -have been built of red earth.[XI-13] The material instead of being -formed into small rectangular or brick-shaped blocks, as is customary -in all Spanish American countries to this day, seems in this -aboriginal structure to have been molded--perhaps by means of wooden -boxes--and dried where it was to remain in the walls, in blocks of -varying size, but generally four feet long by two feet in width and -thickness. The outer surface of the walls was plastered with the same -material which constituted the blocks, and the inner walls were -hard-finished with a finer composition of the same nature, which in -many parts has retained its smooth and even polished surface. Adobe is -a very durable building-material, so long as a little attention is -given to repairs, but it is really wonderful that the walls of the -Casa Grande have resisted, uncared for, the ravages of time and the -elements for over three hundred years of known age, and of certainly a -century--perhaps much more--of pre-Spanish existence. - - [Illustration: Casa Grande of the Gila.] - -The buildings that still have upright walls are three in number, and -in the largest of these both the exterior and interior walls are so -nearly perfect as to show accurately not only the original form and -size, but the division of the interior into apartments. Its dimensions -on the ground are fifty feet from north to south, by forty feet from -east to west. The outer wall is about five feet thick at the base, -diminishing slightly towards the top, in a curved line on the -exterior, but perpendicular on the inside.[XI-14] The interior is -divided by partition walls, slightly thinner than the others, into -five apartments, as shown in the accompanying ground plan taken from -Bartlett. Font's plan given by Beaumont agrees with this, except that -additional doors are represented at the points marked with a dot, and -no doorway is indicated at _a_. The three central rooms are each about -eight by fourteen feet, and the others ten by thirty-two feet, as -nearly as may be estimated from Bartlett's plan and the statements of -other writers.[XI-15] The doors in the centre of each façade are three -feet wide and five feet high, and somewhat narrower at the top than at -the bottom, except that on the western front, which is two by seven or -eight feet. There are some small windows, both square and circular in -the outer and inner walls. The following cut shows an elevation of the -side and end, also from Bartlett.[XI-16] - - [Illustration: Ground Plan of the Casa Grande.] - - [Illustration: Elevations of the Casa Grande.] - -Remains of floor timbers show that the main walls were three stories -high, or, as the lower rooms are represented by Font as about ten -English feet high, about thirty feet in height; while the central -portion is eight or ten feet--probably one story--higher. Mr Bartlett -judged from the mass of débris within that the main building had -originally four stories; but as the earliest visitors speak of three -and four stories--some referring to the central, others apparently to -the outer portions--there would seem to be no satisfactory evidence -that the building was over forty feet high, although it is possible -that the outer and inner walls were originally of the same height. -Respecting the arrangement of apartments in the upper stories, there -is of course no means of judging, all the floors having fallen. There -may, however, have been additional partition walls resting on the -floors, and these may have helped to make up the débris noticed by Mr -Bartlett. The floors were evidently supported by round timbers four or -five inches in diameter, inserted in the walls and stretching across -the rooms at regular intervals. The holes where the beams were placed, -and in many cases the ends of the beams themselves are still visible. -At the time of Padre Kino's visit one floor in an adjoining ruin was -still perfect, and was formed by cross-sticks placed upon the round -floor-timbers and covered with a thick cake of mud, or adobe.[XI-17] -No marks of any cutting instrument were noticed by any visitor except -Mr Browne, who says "the ends show very plainly marks of the blunt -instrument with which they were cut--probably a stone hatchet."[XI-18] -The timbers, of cedar, or _sabino_, show by their charred ends that -the interior was ruined by fire; and Johnston found other evidences -that the walls had been exposed to great heat.[XI-19] Nothing seems -more natural than that the building should have been burned by some -band of Apaches. No traces of stairways have been found even by the -earliest visitors; so that the original means of communication with -the upper stories may be reasonably supposed to have been wooden -ladders, still used by the Pueblo natives in buildings not very unlike -what this must originally have been. Mr Bartlett and also Johnston -found and sketched some rude figures painted in red lines on the -smooth wall of one apartment, but which had disappeared at the time of -Mr Browne's visit. - -The descriptions of successive explorers show clearly the gradually -increasing effects of time and the elements on this ruin; from -Browne's sketch it would seem that the walls, undermined at the base -by the yearly rains, as is always the case with neglected adobe -structures, must soon fall; although I learned from a band of Arizona -natives who visited San Francisco in 1873 that the Casa was still -standing. When the adobe walls have once fallen, they will require but -one or two seasons to crumble and become reduced to a shapeless mound -of mud and gravel; as has been the case with most of the eleven other -buildings reported here by the first comers, and the existence of -which there is no reason to doubt. - -Of the additional casas seen by Kino and others no particular -description was given, save that Font describes one of them as -measuring twenty-six by eighteen feet on the ground. Only two of them -show any remains of standing walls, one on the south-west and the -other on the north-east of the Casa Grande. The standing portions of -the former seemed to indicate a structure similar in plan to the chief -edifice, although much smaller; the latter is of still smaller -dimensions and its remains convey no idea of its original form. "In -every direction," says Mr Bartlett, "as far as the eye can reach, are -seen heaps of ruined edifices, with no portions of their walls -standing," and Mange, Kino, and Font observed also shapeless heaps -covering the plain for a distance of two leagues. - -Father Font found "ruins indicating a fence or wall which surrounded -the house and other buildings," mentioning a ruin in the south-west -angle which had divisions and an upper story. This corner structure -may be the same that has been mentioned as standing south-west of the -Casa Grande, and Font very likely mistook the heaps of fallen houses -for the remains of a wall, since no such wall was seen by Kino and -Mange. The dimensions of this supposed wall, four hundred and twenty -feet from north to south, and two hundred and sixty feet from east to -west, were erroneously applied by Arricivita and Humboldt, followed by -others, to the Casa Grande itself, an error which has given a very -exaggerated idea of the size of that edifice.[XI-20] - -Traces of acequias are mentioned by all as occurring frequently in the -vicinity, especially in the Gila bottom between the ruins and the Pima -villages. No plan or accurate description of these irrigating works -has been given. Probably they were simple shallow ditches in the -ground, still traceable at some points. Mange describes the main canal -as twenty-seven feet wide, ten feet deep, capable of carrying half the -water of the Gila, and extending from the river for a circuit of three -leagues round the ruins. Considering the general conformation of the -bottom and plateau in this part of the Gila valley, it seems -impossible that a canal ten, or even twenty, feet deep could have -reached the level of the river, or that so grand an acequia should -have escaped the notice of later explorers. - - [Sidenote: MISCELLANEOUS REMAINS.] - -The miscellaneous remains near the Casa Grande, besides the mounds -formed by fallen houses, the irrigating ditches, and the fragments of -pottery strewn over the adjacent country in the greatest profusion, -are two in number. The first is a circular embankment, three hundred -feet in circumference, situated about six hundred feet north-west from -the chief ruin. Its height and material are not stated, but it is -undoubtedly of the surrounding earth. Johnston considers it a -filled-up well; while Bartlett pronounces the circle a simple corral, -or enclosure for stock, although of course it could not have been -built in aboriginal times for such a purpose. The second monument is -only a few yards north of the circle, and is described by Johnston, -the only one who mentions its existence, as a terrace measuring about -three hundred by two hundred feet and five feet high. Resting on the -terrace is a pyramid only eight feet high, but having a summit -platform seventy-five feet square, affording from the top a broad view -up and down the valley. A more complete survey of this pyramid would -be very desirable, not that there is any reason to question Mr -Johnston's reliability as an explorer, but because, as will be seen, -this mound, if it be not like the rest, formed by fallen adobe walls, -together with the circular embankment, present a marked contrast to -all other monuments of the New Mexican group.[XI-21] - -Sedelmair and Velarde speak rather vaguely of a reservoir, or tank, -six leagues southward of the Gila, which was one hundred and ten by -one hundred and sixty-five feet, with walls of adobe 'or of -masonry.'[XI-22] - -A few miles further up the river, westward from the Casa Grande, and -on the opposite or northern side Padre Kino's party saw a ruined -edifice, and three men were sent across to examine it. They found some -walls over three feet thick still standing, and other heaps of ruins -in the vicinity showing that a large town had once stood on the site. -Emory found there only a "pile of broken pottery and foundation -stones of the black basalt, making a mound about ten feet" -high.[XI-23] Still farther west, near the Pima villages, Johnston -found another circular enclosure, and also what he calls a mound, -ninety by a hundred and fifty feet, and six feet high, having a low -terrace of sixty by three hundred feet on the eastern side, all -covered with loose basaltic rocks, dirt, and pottery. I consider it -not impossible that this mound was formed by the walls of a building -which assumed a symmetrical shape in falling.[XI-24] Sedelmair speaks -of a group of ruins on the southern bank of the river, twelve leagues -below the Casa Grande; but no later writer mentions such -remains.[XI-25] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: REMAINS IN THE SALADO VALLEY.] - -The principal tributary of the Gila from the north is the Rio Salado, -or Salinas, the mouth of which is below the Casa Grande, and into -which, near its mouth, flows the Rio Verde, or San Francisco. The -Spaniards seem not to have ascended these streams; or at least not to -have discovered any ruins in their valleys. The guides, however, -reported to the missionaries the existence of ruins on the Rio Verde, -in the north, similar to those on the Gila.[XI-26] Sedelmair also -discovered in 1744, the ruins of a large edifice and several smaller -ones in the space between the Gila and Salado.[XI-27] Velarde speaks -of ruined buildings of three stories at the junction of the rivers -Salado and Gila, and other remains at the junction of the Salado and -Verde.[XI-28] - -A guide reported to Emory a casa in the Salado valley, complete except -the floors and roof, of large dimensions, with glazed walls, and the -imprint of a naked foot in the adobe.[XI-29] One of four stone axes -shown in a cut to be given later, was found in this valley and -sketched by Whipple.[XI-30] The Salado ruins between the Gila and -Verde, on the south bank, about thirty-five miles from the mouth, were -examined by Mr Bartlett. They are built on the plateau beyond the -river bottom, and are exclusively of adobe. They are very numerous, -but consist for the most part of shapeless heaps indicating the -location of buildings and long lines of walls. In only two instances -did portions of standing walls remain; being in one case the ruins of -an adobe building over two hundred feet long and from sixty to eighty -feet wide, facing the cardinal points, and, so far as could be judged -by the débris, three or four stories high; the others were about two -hundred yards distant, and represented a smaller structure. There are -traces of a wall which appears to have surrounded the larger building. -From the top of the principal pile, similar heaps of ruins may be seen -in all directions, including a range of them running north and south -at a distance of about a mile eastward. The latter were not visited, -but were said by the natives to be similar in every respect to the -others. A small circular enclosure, whose dimensions are not given, -was seen among the ruins, and there were also excavations along the -sides of some of the heaps, as if they had furnished the material for -the original structures. In the river bottom irrigating canals are of -frequent occurrence, one of them from twenty to twenty-five feet wide -and four to five feet deep, formed by cutting down the bank of the -plateau, along which it extends for many miles. The whole vicinity of -the ruins, as in the Gila Valley, is strewn with fragments of earthen -ware. These earthen ware fragments are of a very uniform character -throughout the New Mexican region, and will be illustrated in another -part of this chapter.[XI-31] - -Trappers and natives report that these remains continue indefinitely -up the valleys of both the Salado and Verde. Mr Leroux, who served as -guide to several of the United States military expeditions, passed up -the Verde valley in 1854 on his way from the Gila to the Colorado -Chiquito, keeping a diary, a part of which has been printed.[XI-32] He -claims to have found the river banks covered in many places with ruins -of stone buildings and broken pottery. The walls were of solid masonry -still standing from ten to twenty feet high in two stories, three feet -thick and from fifty to seventy-five feet long. Except in material the -structures were not unlike the Casa Grande of the Gila, and were -generally situated in the most fertile parts of the valley, surrounded -by traces of acequias; although in one instance the ruins of a town -were ten miles from the nearest water. A complete change of building -material within so short a distance is somewhat extraordinary, but -there is no other reason to doubt the accuracy of this report. These -ruins are not very far from Prescott in the north, and Fort McDowell -in the south, and I regret not having been able to obtain from -officers in the Arizona service the information which they must have -acquired respecting those remains, if they actually exist, during the -past ten or fifteen years.[XI-33] - - [Sidenote: PUEBLO CREEK AND THE UPPER GILA.] - -Whipple describes some ruins discovered by him in 1854 on Pueblo Creek -and other small streams which form the head waters of the Verde. They -consist of what seem to have been two fortified settlements, and a -third separate fortification. The first was an irregular stone -enclosure on the top of a hill three or four hundred feet high. The -walls were from eight to ten feet high, and the interior was divided -by partition walls five feet thick into different compartments. On the -slopes of the hill were traces of adobe walls with the usual abundance -of broken pottery. The second was located in a fertile spot on a fork -of the Pueblo Creek, and consisted of a mass of stones, six feet thick -and several feet high, forming a square enclosure "five paces in the -clear." The third work is situated about eight miles further west, and -commands what is known as Aztec Pass. It is an enclosure one hundred -feet long, twenty-five feet wide at one end and twenty at the other, -the walls being four feet thick and five feet in height. In the -absence of any definite statement on the subject these northern -fortifications are presumed to be of rough, or unhewn, stones without -mortar.[XI-34] - - [Illustration: Typical Plan of Gila Structures.] - - [Illustration: Plan of a Gila Structure.] - - [Sidenote: LABYRINTH ON THE GILA.] - - [Illustration: Plan of Labyrinth on the Gila.] - -From the mouth of the San Pedro, which joins the Gila about forty -miles eastward of the Casa Grande, up the Gila valley eastward, ruins -of ancient edifices are frequently found on both banks of the river. -Emory says "wherever the mountains did not impinge too close on the -river and shut out the valley, they were seen in great abundance, -enough, I should think, to indicate a former population of at least -one hundred thousand; and in one place there is a long wide valley, -twenty miles in length, much of which is covered with the ruins of -buildings and broken pottery." The remains consist uniformly of lines -of rough amygdaloid stones rounded by attrition, no one of which -remains upon another, apparently the foundations upon which were -erected adobe walls that have altogether disappeared. The plan of the -buildings as indicated by their foundations was generally rectangular; -many of them were very similar to the modern Spanish dwellings, as -shown in the accompanying cut; but a few were circular or of irregular -form. One of them just below the junction of the Santo Domingo, on an -isolated knoll, was shaped as in the following cut, with faces of from -ten to thirty feet. Besides the traces of what seem to be dwellings, -there were also observed, an enclosure or circular line of stones, -four hundred yards in circumference; a similar circle ninety yards in -circumference with a house in the centre; an estufa with an entrance -at the top; some well-preserved cedar posts; and some inscribed -figures on the cliffs of an arroyo, similar to those lower down the -river, of which cuts have been given. The native Pimas reported to the -Spaniards in early times the existence of a building far up the Gila, -the labyrinthine plan of which they traced on the sand, as shown in -the cut. Emory and Johnston found these traces of aboriginal towns in -at least twelve places on the Gila above the San Pedro, the largest -being at the mouth of a stream flowing from the south-east, probably -the Santo Domingo. I find no mention of ruins on any of the smaller -tributaries of the Gila above the Casa Grande, though it seems very -probable that such ruins may exist, similar to those on the main -stream. A painted stone, a beaver-tooth, and marine shells were the -miscellaneous relics found by Johnston among the ruins, besides the -usual large quantities of broken pottery. Emory speaks of a few -ornaments, principally immense well-turned beads of the size of hens' -eggs, also fragments of agate and obsidian. The latter explorer gives -a plate of rock-hieroglyphics of doubtful antiquity, and Froebel also -sketched certain inscriptions on an isolated rock. Six or eight -perfectly symmetrical and well-turned holes about ten inches deep and -six or eight inches wide at the top were noticed, and supposed to have -served for grinding corn.[XI-35] - -Having presented all that is known of antiquities upon the Gila and -its tributaries, I pass to the Colorado, the western and northern -boundary of the New Mexican territory. The banks of the Colorado -Cañon, for the river forms no valley proper, are for the most part -unexplored, and no relics of antiquity are reported by reliable -authorities; indeed, from the peculiar nature of this region, it is -not likely that any ruins ever, will be found in the immediate -vicinity of the river.[XI-36] - -On Bill Williams' Fork there is a newspaper report, resting on no -known authority, of walls enclosing an area some eight hundred feet in -circumference, still perfect to the height of six or eight -feet.[XI-37] The only other traces of the former inhabitants found on -this stream are painted cave and cliff pictures or hieroglyphics. Two -caves have their walls and the surrounding rocks thus decorated; they -are about a mile apart, near the junction of the Santa María, and one -of them is near a spring. Many of the inscriptions appear very -ancient, and some were painted on cliffs very difficult of access. The -cut shows a specimen from the sketches made by Möllhausen. The streak -which crosses the cut in the centre, extends to the left beyond the -other figures, and only half its length is shown. This streak is red -with white borders; the other figures are red, purple, and -white.[XI-38] - - [Illustration: Rock-Paintings--Bill Williams' Fork.] - - [Sidenote: TRIBUTARIES OF THE COLORADO.] - -Leaving Bill Williams' Fork, and passing the Pueblo Creek ruins -already described, which are not far distant, I follow the routes of -Sitgreaves, Ives, and Whipple, north-westward to the Colorado -Chiquito, a distance of about one hundred miles, striking the river at -a point a hundred miles above its supposed junction with the main -Colorado. In this region we again find numerous ruined buildings with -the usual scattered pottery, respecting which our knowledge is derived -from the explorers just named. The ruins occur at all prominent -points, both near the river and away from it towards the west, at -intervals of eight or nine miles, the exact location not being -definitely fixed. The material employed here is stone, and some of -the houses were three stories high. A view of one ruin as sketched by -Sitgreaves is shown in the cut. On a rocky eminence were found by -Whipple stone enclosures, apparently for defense. According to Mr -Sitgreaves the houses resembled in every particular, save that no -adobe was used, the inhabited Pueblo towns of New Mexico. His -description, like that of Möllhausen and Whipple, would doubtless be -much more complete and satisfactory, had they not previously seen the -Pueblo towns and other ruins further east. Some of the ruins are far -from water, and Sitgreaves suggests that the lava sand blown from the -neighboring mountains may have filled up the springs which originally -furnished a supply. - - [Illustration: Ruin on the Colorado Chiquito.] - - [Illustration: Vases from the Colorado Chiquito.] - -The cut from Whipple shows two vases found here, restored from -fragments. This is one of the rarest kinds of pottery found in the -region, and is said by Whipple not to be manufactured by any North -American Indians of modern times. It is seldom colored, the -ornamentation being raised or indented, somewhat like that on molded -glassware, and of excellent workmanship. The material is light-colored -and porous, and the vases are not glazed. The ordinary fragments of -earthen ware found on this river will be represented in another part -of this chapter. Some very rude and simple rock-inscriptions were -noticed, and a newspaper writer states that the names of Jesuit -priests who visited the place in the sixteenth century are inscribed -on the rocks. Some additional and not very well-founded reports of -antiquities are given in a note.[XI-39] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: REMAINS ON THE COLORADO CHIQUITO.] - -At a bend in the river, about forty miles above the ruins last -mentioned, are the remains of a rectangular stone building, measuring -one hundred and twenty by three hundred and sixty feet, and standing -on an isolated sandstone hill. The walls are mostly fallen, but some -of the standing portions are ten feet thick, and seem to contain -small apartments. Many pine timbers are scattered about in good -preservation, and two posts twelve feet in height still remain -standing.[XI-40] - -Some twenty-five miles still farther up the Rio Puerco flows into the -Colorado Chiquito from the north-east, and at the junction of the two -streams Möllhausen noticed some remains which he does not -describe.[XI-41] Twelve miles up the Puerco valley, on the banks of a -small tributary, called Lithodendron Creek, were scattered fragments -of pottery, and remains of stone houses, one of the walls extending -several feet below the present surface of the ground. Still farther up -the Puerco and five miles south of the river, at Navajo Spring, -scattered pottery and arrow-heads are the only remaining trace of an -aboriginal settlement, no walls being visible. On a neighboring hill, -however, was noticed a circular depression in the earth forty paces in -diameter. The cut from Möllhausen represents some of the aboriginal -inscriptions on Puerco River.[XI-42] - - [Illustration: Rock-Inscriptions on Rio Puerco.] - - [Sidenote: REMAINS ON THE RIO ZUÑI.] - -Forty or fifty miles farther south-east, the Colorado Chiquito -receives the waters of the Rio Zuñi, flowing from the north-east in a -course nearly parallel to that of the Puerco. Aboriginal inscriptions -and pictures are found on the sandstone cliffs which border on the -stream wherever a smooth surface is presented, but no buildings occur -for a distance of about fifty miles, until we come to within eight -miles of the Pueblo town of Zuñi, where the table-lands about Arch -Spring are covered with ruins, which were seen, although not -described, by Sitgreaves and Whipple. All the ruins of the Zuñi valley -seem, however, to be of the same nature--stone walls laid in mud -mortar, and in a very dilapidated condition. The cut from Whipple -shows also a sample of the rock-inscriptions about Arch Spring.[XI-43] -Zuñi is a Pueblo town still inhabited, and I shall have something -further to say of it in connection with the Pueblo towns of the Rio -Grande and its tributaries, for the purpose of comparing the inhabited -with the ruined structures. - - [Illustration: Rock-Inscriptions at Arch Spring.] - - [Illustration: Zuñi Vases.] - -Two or three miles south-east of Zuñi, on the south side of the river, -is an elevated level mesa, about a mile in width, bounded on every -side by a precipitous descent of over a thousand feet to the plain -below. The mesa is covered with a growth of cedar, and in one part are -two sandstone pillars of natural formation, which from certain points -of view seem to assume human forms. Among the cedars on the mesa, -"crumbling walls, from two to twelve feet high, were crowded together -in confused heaps over several acres of ground." The walls were -constructed of small sandstone blocks laid in mud mortar, and were -about eighteen inches thick. They seemed, however, to rest on more -ancient ruins, the walls of which were six feet in thickness. At -various points on the winding path, by which only the top can be -reached, there are stone battlements which guard the passage. A -supposed altar was found in a secluded nook near the ruins, consisting -of an oval excavation seven feet long, with a vertical shaft two feet -high at one end, a flat rock, and a complicated arrangement of posts, -cords, feathers, marine shells, beads, and sticks, only to be -understood from a drawing, which I do not reproduce because the whole -altar so-called is so evidently of modern origin and use. These ruins -are commonly called Old Zuñi, and were doubtless inhabited when the -Spaniards first came to the country.[XI-44] The cut from Whipple shows -two vases found at what is called a sacred spring near Zuñi. Of the -first the discoverer says: "the material is a light-colored clay, -tolerably well burnt, and ornamented with lines and figures of a dark -brown or chocolate color. A vast amount of labor has been spent on -decorating the unique lip. A fine borderline has been drawn along the -edge and on both sides of the deep embattled rim. Horned frogs and -tadpoles alternate on the inner surface of the turrets, while one of -the latter is represented on the outside of each. Larger frogs or -toads are portrayed within the body of the vessel." One of these -figures is presented in the cut enlarged. The second vase is five -inches deep, ten inches in diameter at the widest part, and eight -inches at the lips. Both outer and inner surface bear a white glazing, -and there are four projections of unknown use, one on each side. The -decorations are in amber color, and the horned or tufted snakes, shown -above the vase, are said to be almost unique in America.[XI-45] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: OJO DEL PESCADO.] - -At and near some springs called Ojo del Pescado, on the head-waters of -this stream, some twelve miles above Zuñi, there are at least four or -five ruined structures, or towns. They are similar in character to the -other ruins. Two of them near the spring have an elliptical shape, as -shown by the lines of foundation-stones, and are from eight hundred to -a thousand feet in circumference. The houses seem to have been built -around the periphery, forming a large interior court. These towns are -so completely in ruins that nothing can be ascertained of the details -of their construction, except their general form, and the fact that -they were built of stones and mud. About a thousand yards down the -river from the springs are ruins covering a space one hundred and -fifty by two hundred yards, and in much better preservation than those -mentioned, though of the same nature. The material was flat stones and -cement, and the walls are standing in places to the height of two -stories. Möllhausen tells us that the roofs and fire-places were still -standing at the time of his visit. Simpson describes a ruin as being -two miles below the spring, and which may possibly be the same last -mentioned. The buildings were originally two stories high and built -continuously about a rectangular area three hundred by four hundred -feet. In the interior of the enclosed court was seen a square estufa, -twelve by eighteen feet, and ten feet high, with the roof still -perfect. The cut shows some of the rock-inscriptions at Ojo del -Pescado.[XI-46] - - [Illustration: Rock-Inscriptions--Ojo del Pescado.] - - [Sidenote: EL MORO, OR INSCRIPTION ROCK.] - - [Illustration: Inscriptions--El Moro.] - - [Illustration: Plan of El Moro.] - -About eighteen miles south-east of the sources of the Zuñi River, but -belonging as properly in this valley as any other, is a sandstone rock -known as Inscription Rock, or to the Spaniards as El Moro, from its -form. It is between two and three hundred feet high, with steep sides, -which on the north and east are perpendicular, smooth, white, and -covered near the base with both Spanish and native inscriptions. -Specimens of the latter, as copied by Simpson, are shown in the cut. -The former were all copied by the same explorer, but of course have no -connection with the subject of this volume: they date back to 1606, -but make no reference to any town or ruins upon or about the rock. The -ascent to the summit is on the south and is a difficult one. The cut -shows a plan of El Moro made by Möllhausen, the locality of the -inscriptions being at _a_ and _b_. The summit area is divided by a -deep ravine into two parts, on each of which are found ruins of large -edifices. Those on the southern--or, according to Simpson, on the -eastern--division, B of the plan, form a rectangle measuring two -hundred and six by three hundred and seven feet, standing in some -places from six to eight feet high. According to Simpson the walls -agree with the cardinal points, but Whipple states the contrary. The -walls are faced with sandstone blocks six by fourteen inches and from -three to eight inches thick, laid in mud-mortar so as to break joints; -but the bulk of the wall is a rubble of rough stones and mud. Two -ranges of rooms may be traced on the north and west sides, and the -rubbish indicates that there were also some apartments in the interior -court. Two rooms measured each about seven by eight feet. A circular -estufa thirty-one feet in diameter was also noticed, and there were -cedar timbers found in connection with the ruined walls; one piece, -fifteen inches long and four inches in diameter was found still in -place, and bore, according to Whipple, no signs of cutting tools. The -remains across the ravine, A of the plan, are of similar nature and -material, and the north wall stands directly on the brink of a -precipice, being complete to a height of eight feet. There is a spring -furnishing but a small amount of water at the foot of the cliff at -_d_. Fragments of pottery are abundant here as elsewhere.[XI-47] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF CHELLY CAÑON.] - -This completes my account of remains on the Colorado Chiquito, and I -pass to the next and last tributary of the Colorado within the -territory covered by this chapter--the San Juan, which flows in an -eastwardly course along the boundary line between Arizona and New -Mexico on the south, and Utah and Colorado on the north. The valley of -the main San Juan has been but very slightly explored, but probably -contains extensive remains, judging from what have been found on some -of its tributaries. Padres Dominguez and Escalante went in 1776 from -Santa Fé north-westward to Utah Lake, and noticed several ruins which -it is impossible to locate, before crossing the Colorado. I shall have -occasion in the following chapter to notice some important ruins -lately discovered on the northern tributaries of the San Juan, in the -southern part of Colorado and Utah.[XI-48] - -The two chief tributaries of the San Juan from the south are the -Chelly and Chaco, flowing through deep cañons in the heart of the -Navajo country. On both of these streams, particularly the latter, -very important ruins have been discovered and described by Mr Simpson, -who explored this region in 1849. - -The Chelly cañon for a distance of about twenty-five miles is from one -hundred and fifty to nine hundred feet wide, from three hundred to -five hundred feet deep, and its sides are almost perpendicular. -Simpson explored the cañon for eight miles from its mouth, which does -not correspond with the mouth of the river. In a branch cañon of a -character similar to that of the main stream he found several small -habitations formed by building walls of stone and mortar in front of -overhanging rocks. Some four miles up the main cañon he saw on a shelf -fifty feet high and only accessible by means of ladders a small ruin -of stone, much like those on the Chaco yet to be described. Seven -miles from the mouth another ruin was discovered on the north side as -shown in the cut. It was built partly on the bottom of the cañon, and -partly like the one last mentioned, on a shelf fifty feet high with -perpendicular sides. The walls measure forty-five by a hundred and -forty-five feet, are about eighteen feet high in their present state, -and are built of sandstone and mortar, having square openings or -windows. A circular estufa was also found in connection with these -cliff-dwellings. Fragments of pottery were not lacking, and specimens -were sketched by Mr Simpson.[XI-49] - - [Illustration: Ruin in the Chelly Cañon.] - -Eastward from the Chelly, at a distance of about a hundred miles, is -the Chaco, a parallel tributary of the San Juan, on which are found -ruins perhaps the most remarkable in the New Mexican group. Lieut. -Simpson is the only one who has explored this valley, or at least who -has left a record of his exploration. The ruins are eleven in number, -situated with one exception on the north bank of the stream, within a -distance of twenty-five miles in latitude 36° and longitude 108°. - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF THE CHACO.] - - [Illustration: Ruins of the Pueblo Pintado.] - - [Illustration: Section of Wall--Chaco Ruins.] - -The cut shows a general view of the ruin called by the guide Pueblo -Pintado, the first one discovered in coming from the south. The name -of this ruin, like those of the others, is doubtless of modern origin, -being Spanish, and there is little reason to believe that the native -names of some of the others are those originally applied to the -inhabited towns. The material of all the buildings is a fine hard gray -sandstone, to which in some instances exposure to the air has imparted -a reddish hue. The blocks are cut very thin, rarely exceeding three -inches in thickness. They are laid without mortar very carefully, so -as to break joints, and the chinks between the larger blocks are -filled with stone plates, sometimes not over one fourth of an inch -thick. In one instance, the Pueblo Peñasco Blanco, stones of different -thickness are laid, in alternate layers, producing the appearance of a -kind of mosaic work, executed with great care and skill, and forming a -very smooth surface. The backing and filling of the walls are of -irregular and various sized blocks laid in mud, no trace of lime being -discoverable. The wall of the Pueblo Pintado was found by excavation -to extend at least two feet below the surface of the ground. The walls -are between two and three feet thick at the base, but diminish towards -the top by a jog of a few inches on the inside at each successive -story. The walls of the Pueblo Pintado are still standing in some -parts to the height of twenty-five to thirty feet, and are shown by -the marks of floor timbers to have had at least three stories. The -flooring was supported by unhewn beams from six to eleven inches in -diameter--but uniform in the same room--stretching across from wall to -wall as in the Gila ruins. Over these beams were placed smaller -transverse sticks, which in the Pueblo Pintado seem to have been -placed some little distance apart; but in some other ruins where the -flooring remained perfect, the transverse sticks were laid close -together, the chinks were filled with small stones, and the whole -covered with cedar strips, although there was evidence that a coating -of mud or mortar was used in some instances; and there was one room -where the floor was of smooth cedar boards seven inches wide and three -fourths of an inch thick, squarely cut at the sides and ends, and -apparently worn smooth by the friction of flat stones. The beams -generally bore marks of having been cut off by the use of some blunt -instrument. The cut illustrates the manner in which the walls diminish -in thickness from story to story, _a_, _a_, _a_; the position of the -beams, _b_, _b_, _b_; the transverse poles, _c_, _c_, _c_; and the -flooring above, _d_, _d_, _d_. - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF THE CHACO CAÑON.] - - [Illustration: Ground Plan--Pueblo Hungo Pavie.] - - [Illustration: Ground Plan--Pueblo Bonito.] - - [Sidenote: THE PUEBLO BONITO.] - -The ground plan of the Chaco structures shows three tiers--but in one -case at least four tiers--of apartments built round three sides of a -courtyard, which is generally rectangular, in some cases has curved -corners, and in one building--the Peñasco Blanco--approximates to the -form of a circle. The fourth side of the court is in some ruins open, -and in others enclosed by a wall extending in a curve from one -extremity of the building to the other. The following cuts show the -ground plans of two of the ruins, the Pueblo Hungo Pavie, 'crooked -nose,' and Pueblo Bonito. The circumference of five of these buildings -is respectively eight hundred and seventy-two, seven hundred, -seventeen hundred, thirteen hundred, and thirteen hundred feet; the -number of rooms still traceable on the ground floor of the same -buildings is seventy-two, ninety-nine, one hundred and twelve, one -hundred and twenty-four, and one hundred and thirty-nine. These -apartments are from five feet square to eight by fourteen feet. A room -in the Pueblo Chettro Kettle was seven and a half by fourteen feet, -and ten feet high. The walls were plastered with a red mud, and -several square or rectangular niches of unknown use were noticed. The -supporting beams of the ceiling were two in number, and the transverse -poles were tied at their ends with some wooden fibre, and covered with -a kind of cedar lathing. Ropes hung from the timbers. A room in the -Pueblo Bonito is shown in the cut. - - [Illustration: Interior of Room--Pueblo Bonito.] - -This room is unplastered, and the sides are constructed in the same -style as the outer walls. The transverse poles are very small, about -an inch in diameter, laid close together, very regular, and resemble -barked willow. It was another room in this ruin which had the smooth -boards in connection with its ceiling.[XI-50] - -The doors by which the rooms communicate with each other and with the -courtyard are very small, many of them not exceeding two and a half -feet square. There are no doors whatever in the outer walls, and no -windows except in the upper stories. The larger size of the windows -and of the inner doors indicate that the rooms of the upper stories -were larger than below. In some cases the walls corresponding to the -second or third stories had no windows. In one case lower story -windows were found walled up. The tops, or lintels, of the doors and -windows were in some cases stone slabs, in others small timbers bound -together with withes, and in a few they are reported to have been -formed by overlapping stones very much like the Yucatan arch; a -specimen is shown in the cut. - - [Illustration: Arch of Overlapping Stones.] - -The highest walls still standing at the time of Simpson's visit had -floor-timbers, or their marks, for four stories, but it is not -impossible that some of the buildings may have had originally five or -six stories. The outer walls were in every case perpendicular to their -full height, showing that the houses were not built in receding -terraces, or stories, on the outside, as is the case with many of the -inhabited Pueblo towns, and with the Casa Grande on the Gila. There -can be no doubt that they were so terraced on the interior or court; -at least in no instance were the inner walls sufficiently high to -indicate a different arrangement, and it is hardly possible that all -the ranges were of the same height, leaving without light most of the -thousand rooms which they would contain if built on such a plan. There -were no traces of stairways or chimneys seen. The whole number of -apartments in the Pueblo Bonito, supposing it to have been built on -the terrace plan, must have been six hundred and forty-one. The cut on -the next page shows a restoration of one of the Chaco ruins, taken -from Mr Baldwin's work, and modeled after a similar one by Mr Kern, a -companion of Simpson, although Mr Kern made an error of one story in -the height. I have no doubt of the general accuracy of this -restoration, and it may be regarded as nearly certain that access to -the upper rooms was gained from the court by means of ladders, each -story forming a platform before the doors of the one next above. - -Each ruin has from one to seven circular structures, called estufas in -the inhabited Pueblo towns, sunk in the ground and walled with stone. -Several of these are shown in the two ground plans that have been -given. They occur both in the courtyards and underneath the rooms. -Some were divided into compartments, and one, in the Pueblo Bonito, -was sixty feet in diameter and twelve feet deep, being built in two, -and possibly three, stories. - - [Illustration: Restoration of Pueblo Hungo Pavie.] - - [Illustration: Pottery--Chaco Cañon.] - -Near some of the larger buildings are smaller detached ruins, of which -no particular description is given. In one place there is an -excavation in the side of a cliff, enclosed by a front wall of stone -and mortar. In another locality there is an isolated elliptical -enclosure of stone and mortar, eight by sixteen feet, and divided into -two compartments. Near one of the ruins, in the northern wall of the -cañon, about twelve feet from the base, are three circular holes two -feet in diameter, with smaller ones between them, all in a -horizontal line, with a vertical line of still smaller holes leading -up the cliff to one of the larger ones. Mr Simpson was unable to -explore this singular excavation, and its use is unknown; it may be a -room or fortress excavated from the solid rock. There are also some -hieroglyphics on the face of the cliff under the holes. The quarries -which furnished the stone for some of the buildings were found, but no -description of them is given. Hieroglyphics on boulders were found at -a few points. The pottery found among the Chaco ruins is illustrated -by the cut. Black and red seem to be the only colors employed. The -Chaco cañon, although wider than that of the Chelly, is bounded by -precipitous sides, and the ruins are generally near the base of the -cliff. The Pueblo Pintado is built on a knoll twenty or thirty feet -high, about three hundred yards from the river. The buildings do not -exactly face the cardinal points.[XI-51] - - [Sidenote: PUEBLO REMAINS ON THE RIO GRANDE.] - -I now come to the last division of the present group, the -perpendicular of our triangle, the Rio Grande del Norte and its -tributaries. This valley, the New Mexico proper of the Spaniards, when -first visited in the sixteenth century, was thickly inhabited by an -agricultural semi-civilized people, dwelling in towns of stone and mud -houses several stories in height. Respecting the number, names, and -exact locality of these towns the early accounts are somewhat vague, -but many of them can be accurately traced by means of an examination -of authorities which would be out of place here. From the first -discovery by Cabeza de Vaca, Marco de Niza, and Francisco Vasquez de -Coronado, the general history of the country is clear; and we still -find the same semi-civilized people living in similar towns under -similar institutions, although they, like the towns in which they -live, are greatly reduced in number. Some of the inhabited Pueblo -towns are known by name, location, and history, to be identical with -those which so excited the admiration of the Spaniards; and there is -every reason to believe that all are so, except a few that may have -been built during the Spanish domination. The inhabited Pueblo towns, -or those inhabited during the nineteenth century, are about twenty in -number, although authors disagree on this point, some calling Pueblos -what others say are merely Mexican towns; but the distinction is not -important for my present purpose.[XI-52] The important fact is, that -the Spaniard found no race of people in New Mexico which has since -become extinct, nor any class of towns or buildings that differed from -the Pueblo towns still inhabited. - -Besides the towns still inhabited there are many of precisely the same -materials and architecture, which are in ruins. Such are Pecos, -Quivira, Valverde, San Lázaro, San Marcos, San Cristóbal, Socorro, -Senacu, Abó, Quarra, Rita, Poblazon, old San Felipe, and old Zuñi. -Some of these were abandoned by the natives at a very recent date; -some have ruined Spanish buildings among the aboriginal structures; -some may be historically identified with the towns conquered by the -first European visitors. These facts, together with the absence of any -mention of ruins by the first explorers, and the well-known diminution -of the Pueblos in numbers and power, make it perfectly safe to affirm -that the ruins all belong to the same class, the same people, and -about the same epoch as the inhabited towns. This conclusion is of -some importance since it renders it useless to examine carefully each -ruin, and the documents bearing on its individual history, and enables -the reader to form a perfectly clear idea of all the many structures -by carefully studying a few. - -While the Pueblo towns cannot be regarded as objects of great -mystery, as the work of a race that has disappeared, or as a station -of the Aztecs while on their way southward, yet they are properly -treated as antiquities, since they were doubtless built by the native -races before they come in contact with the Spaniards. They occupy the -same position with respect to the subject of this volume as the -remains in Anáhuac, excepting perhaps Cholula and Teotihuacan; or -rather they have the same importance that the city of Tlacopan would -have, had the Spaniards permitted that city to stand in possession of -its native inhabitants. - - [Sidenote: PUEBLO TOWNS OF NEW MEXICO.] - -An account of the Pueblo buildings has been given in another volume of -this work,[XI-53] and I cannot do better here than to quote from good -authorities a description of the principal towns, both inhabited and -in ruins. Of Taos Mr Abert says, "One of the northern forks of the -Taos river, on issuing from the mountains, forms a delightful nook, -which the Indians early selected as a permanent residence. By gradual -improvement, from year to year, it has finally become one of the most -formidable of the artificial strongholds of New Mexico. On each side -of the little mountain stream is one of those immense 'adobe' -structures, which rises by successive steps until an irregular -pyramidal building, seven stories high, presents an almost impregnable -tower. These, with the church and some few scattering houses, make up -the village. The whole is surrounded by an adobe wall, strengthened in -some places by rough palisades, the different parts so arranged, for -mutual defence, as to have elicited much admiration for the skill of -the untaught engineers." Of the same town Davis says, "It is the best -sample of the ancient mode of building. Here there are two large -houses three hundred or four hundred feet in length, and about one -hundred and fifty feet wide at the base. They are situated upon -opposite sides of a small creek, and in ancient times are said to have -been connected by a bridge. They are five and six stories high, each -story receding from the one below it, and thus forming a structure -terraced from top to bottom. Each story is divided into numerous -little compartments, the outer tiers of rooms being lighted by small -windows in the sides, while those in the interior of the building are -dark, and are principally used as store-rooms.... The only means of -entrance is through a trap-door in the roof, and you ascend, from -story to story, by means of ladders upon the outside, which are drawn -up at night." The same writer gives the following cut of Taos.[XI-54] - - [Illustration: Pueblo of Taos.] - -The houses of Laguna are "built of stone, roughly laid in mortar, and, -on account of the color of the mortar, with which they are also faced, -they present a dirty yellowish clay aspect. They have windows in the -basement as well as upper stories; selenite, as usual, answers the -purpose of window-lights."[XI-55] - -"High on a lofty rock of sandstone ... sits the city of Acoma. On the -northern side of the rock, the rude boreas blasts have heaped up the -sand, so as to form a practical ascent for some distance; the rest of -the way is through solid rock. At one place a singular opening, or -narrow way, is formed between a huge square tower of rock and the -perpendicular face of the cliff. Then the road winds round like a -spiral stair way, and the Indians have, in some way, fixed logs of -wood in the rock, radiating from a vertical axis, like steps.... At -last we reached the top of the rock, which was nearly level, and -contains about sixty acres. Here we saw a large church, and several -continuous blocks of buildings, containing sixty or seventy houses in -each block, (the wall at the side that faced outwards was unbroken, -and had no windows until near the top: the houses were three stories -high). In front each story retreated back as it ascended, so as to -leave a platform along the whole front of the story: these platforms -are guarded by parapet walls about three feet high." Ladders are used -for first and second stories but there are steps in the wall to reach -the roof.[XI-56] Mr Gregg tells us that San Felipe is on "the very -verge of a precipice several hundred feet high," but Simpson states -that "neither it nor Sandia is as purely Indian in the style of its -buildings as the other pueblos."[XI-57] - -Santo Domingo "is laid out in streets running perpendicularly to the -Rio Grande. The houses are constructed of _adobes_, (blocks of mud, of -greater or less dimensions, sun-dried;) are two stories in height, the -upper one set retreatingly on the lower, so as to make the superior -covering of the lower answer for a terrace or platform for the upper; -and have roofs which are nearly flat. These roofs are made first of -transverse logs which pitch very slightly outward, and are sustained -at their ends by the side walls of the building; on these, a layer of -slabs or brush is laid; a layer of bark or straw is then laid on -these; and covering the whole is a layer of mud of six or more inches -in thickness. The height of the stories is about eight or nine -feet."[XI-58] - -"On my visit to the pueblo of Tesuque we entered a large square, -around which the dwellings are erected close together, so as to -present outwardly an unbroken line of wall to the height of three -stories. Viewed from the inner square it presents the appearance of a -succession of terraces with doors and windows opening upon them.... -This general description is applicable to all the Pueblo villages, -however they may differ in size, position, and nature of the -ground--some being on bluffs, some on mesas, and most of those in the -valley of the Rio Grande on level ground."[XI-59] - -Zuñi, "like Santo Domingo, is built terrace-shaped--each story, of -which there are generally three, being smaller, laterally, so that one -story answers in part for the platform of the one above it. It, -however, is far more compact than Santo Domingo--its streets being -narrow, and in places presenting the appearance of tunnels, or covered -ways, on account of the houses extending at these places over them. -The houses are generally built of stone, plastered with mud,"--has an -adobe Catholic church.[XI-60] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: THE MOQUI TOWNS.] - -The seven Moqui towns in Arizona, situated in an isolated mountainous -region about midway between the Colorado Chiquito and the Chelly -cañon, in latitude 35° 50´, and longitude 110° 30´, are very similar -to the Pueblo towns of the Rio Grande. They were probably visited by -the earliest Spanish explorers, and have a claim to as great an -antiquity as any in the whole region. Lieut. Ives visited the Moquis -in 1858, and his description is the best extant; from it I quote as -follows: "I discovered with a spy-glass two of the Moqui towns, eight -or ten miles distant, upon the summit of a high bluff overhanging the -opposite side of the valley. They were built close to the edge of the -precipice.... The outlines of the closely-packed structures looked in -the distance like the towers and battlements of a castle." "The face -of the bluff, upon the summit of which the town was perched, was cut -up and irregular. We were led through a passage that wound among some -low hillocks of sand and rock that extended half-way to the top.... A -small plateau, in the centre of which was a circular reservoir, fifty -feet in diameter, lined with masonry, and filled with pure cold water. -The basin was fed from a pipe connecting with some source of supply -upon the summit of the mesa.... Continuing to ascend we came to -another reservoir, smaller, but of more elaborate construction and -finish.... Between the two the face of the bluff had been ingeniously -converted into terraces. These were faced with neat masonry, and -contained gardens, each surrounded with a raised edge so as to retain -water upon the surface. Pipes from the reservoirs permitted them at -any time to be irrigated. Peach trees were growing upon the terraces -and in the hollows below. A long flight of stone steps, with sharp -turns that could easily be defended, was built into the face of the -precipice, and led from the upper reservoir to the foot of the town." -"The town is nearly square, and surrounded by a stone wall fifteen -feet high, the top of which forms a landing extending around the -whole. Flights of stone steps led from the first to a second landing, -upon which the doors of the house open." "The room was fifteen feet by -ten; the walls were made of adobes; the partitions of substantial -beams; the floor laid with clay. In one corner were a fireplace and -chimney. Everything was clean and tidy. Skins, bows and arrows, -quivers, antlers, blankets, articles of clothing and ornament, were -hanging from the walls or arranged upon shelves. Vases, flat dishes, -and gourds filled with meal or water were standing along one side of -the room. At the other end was a trough divided into compartments, in -each of which was a sloping stone slab two or three feet square for -grinding corn upon. In a recess of an inner room was piled a goodly -store of corn in the ear." - -"We learned that there were seven towns; that the name of that which -we were visiting was Mooshahneh. A second smaller town was half a mile -distant; two miles westward was a third.... Five or six miles to the -north-east a bluff was pointed out as the location of three others, -and we were informed that the last of the seven, Oraybe, was still -further distant, on the trail towards the great river." "Each pueblo -is built around a rectangular court, in which we suppose are the -springs that furnish the supply to the reservoirs. The exterior walls, -which are of stone, have no openings, and would have to be scaled or -battered down before access could be gained to the interior. The -successive stories are set back, one behind the other. The lower rooms -are reached through trap-doors from the first landing. The houses are -three rooms deep, and open upon the interior court." "He led the way -to the east of the bluff on which Oraybe stands. Eight or nine miles -brought the train to an angle formed by two faces of the precipice. At -the foot was a reservoir, and a broad road winding up the steep -ascent. On either side the bluffs were cut into terraces, and laid -out into gardens similar to those seen at Mooshahneh, and, like them, -irrigated from an upper reservoir. The whole reflected great credit -upon Moquis ingenuity and skill in the department of engineering. The -walls of the terraces and reservoirs were of partially dressed stone, -well and strongly built, and the irrigating pipes conveniently -arranged. The little gardens were neatly laid out."[XI-61] - - * * * * * - -Thus we see that a universal peculiarity of the Pueblo towns is that -the lower stories are entered by ladders by way of the roof. Their -location varies from the low valley to the elevated mesa and -precipitous cliff; their height from one to seven stories, two stories -and one terrace being a common form. Most of them recede in successive -terraces at each story from the outside, but Tesuque, and perhaps a -few others, are terraced from the interior court. The building -material is sometimes adobe, but generally stone plastered with mud. -The exact construction of the walls is nowhere stated, but they are -presumably built of roughly squared blocks of the stone most -accessible, laid in mud. With each town is connected an estufa, or -public council-chamber and place of worship. This is in some cases -partly subterranean, and its walls are covered with rude paintings in -bright colors.[XI-62] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: PUEBLO OF PECOS.] - - [Illustration: Ruins of Pecos.] - -Of the ruined Pueblo towns no extended description is necessary, -since they present no contrasts with those still inhabited which have -been described. Pecos was formerly one of the most important, and was -still inhabited in the early part of the present century. The cut -copied from Emory for Mr Baldwin's work, represents a portion of the -ruins, which include Spanish and aboriginal structures, both of adobe. -Emory noticed large well-hewn timbers. Davis says the ruins of the -village cover two or three hundred yards, and include large blocks of -stone, square and oblong, weighing over a ton, with marks of having -been laid in mortar. Hughes speaks of the traces of a stone wall eight -feet high, which once surrounded this Pueblo town. Kit Carson told Mr -Meline that he found the town still inhabited in 1826. It was here -that in former times was kept burning the everlasting fire which -formed part of the religious rites in honor of their deity, or, -according to the modern account, of Montezuma. There is no evidence, -however, that the aborigines in ancient times had any deity, or -monarch of that name; it is quite certain that they did not hear of -the Aztec monarch Montezuma many centuries before he began to reign; -just possible that they did hear of his fame a few years before the -Spaniards came to New Mexico; but altogether probable that they first -heard the name of Montezuma, of the Aztec people, and of their former -migration southward, from the Spaniards themselves, or their native -companions.[XI-63] - -With the Quivira located by Thomas Gage and other early writers and -map-makers, "on the most Western part of America just over against -Tartary," as with the great city of Quivira which Francisco Vasquez de -Coronado sought and has been popularly supposed to have found, I have -at present nothing to do. It should be noted, however, that the latter -Quivira was not one of the Pueblo towns of the Rio Grande, but a town -of wigwams on the plains in the far north-east. The ruined town of -Quivira or Gran Quivira, east of the Rio Grande, entirely distinct -from that of Coronado, includes, like Pecos, a Spanish church among -its ruins. The buildings are of hewn stone and of great extent. Gregg -speaks of an aqueduct leading to the mountains eight or ten miles -distant, the nearest water. This town was very likely, like many -others, ruined at the revolt of 1680. Abó, Quarra, Laguna, and the -rest, present no new features. There are, moreover, on the Puerco -River--a tributary of the Rio Grande, and not that of the Colorado -Chiquito already mentioned--many traces of Pueblo buildings which have -no definite names.[XI-64] - - [Sidenote: SEVEN CITIES OF CÍBOLA.] - - [Illustration: Rock-Inscriptions--Rio Grande.] - -The cut shows some rock-inscriptions copied by Froebel in the valley -of the Rio Grande. In the Sierra de los Mimbres, towards the source of -the Gila, are some old copper mines, and connected with them an adobe -fort with round towers at the corners, but I do not know that these -works have ever been considered of aboriginal origin. In a newspaper I -find the remarkable statement that "from the volcanic cones of the -Cerrillos was furnished, a great part, if not all, the Chalchiuite, so -much worn for ornament, and so highly prized by the ancient -Mexicans.... The ancient excavations made in search of it are now -distinctly visible, and seem to have been carried to the depth of two -hundred feet or more."[XI-65] - -The ruins of Old Zuñi have already been described, and there is no -reason to doubt that both these and the other remains on the Zuñi -River, represent towns that were inhabited when the Spaniards first -came northward. Indeed it is almost certain that they, together with -the Pueblo town of Zuñi, represent Coronado's famous 'seven cities' of -Cíbola. Most writers have so decided, as Gallatin, Squier, Whipple, -Turner, Kern, and Simpson.[XI-66] The course and distance of -Coronado's march from the Gila agrees more exactly with Zuñi than with -any other town; the location of the 'seven cities' within four leagues -together, in a very narrow valley between steep banks, as also their -position with respect to the Rio del Lino, Colorado Chiquito, -correspond very well with the Zuñi ruins; Coronado's Granada, on a -high bluff, with a "narrow winding way," was quite probably Old Zuñi; -Cíbola is said to have been the first town reached in coming across -the desert from the south-west, and the last left in returning; the -positions of Tusayan, a province of seven villages, five days' journey -north-west from Cíbola, and of Acuco, five days eastward, agree very -well with the location of the Moqui towns and of Acoma with respect to -Zuñi. Finally we have Espejo's statement that he visited the province -of Zuñi, twenty-five leagues west of Acoma; that it was called Zuñi by -the natives and Cíbola by the Spaniards; that Coronado had been there; -and that he found there not only crosses and other emblems of -Christianity, but three Christians even. Coronado left three men at -Cíbola, and their statements to Espejo respecting the identity of -Cíbola and Zuñi, must be regarded as conclusive.[XI-67] - - [Sidenote: GENERAL RÉSUMÉ.] - -New Mexican antiquities, divided as at the beginning of the chapter -into six classes, may be briefly considered, en résumé, as follows: -1st. "Remains of ancient stone and adobe buildings in all stages of -disintegration, from standing walls with roofs and floors, to -shapeless heaps of débris, or simple lines of foundation-stones." This -first class of remains has received most attention in the preceding -pages, and little need be said in addition. It has been noted that -adobe is the material used almost exclusively in the Gila and other -southern valleys, as in Chihuahua, while further north stone is -preferred. The most important fact to be noted is that all the ruins, -without exception, are precisely identical in plan, architecture, and -material with the Pueblo towns now inhabited or known to have been -inhabited since the coming of the Spaniards. Many of them, -particularly those of the Chaco cañon, may have been much grander -structures and have displayed a higher degree of art than the modern -towns, but they all belong to the same class of buildings. - -2d. "Anomalous structures of stone or earth, the purpose of which, -either by reason of their advanced state of ruin, or of the -comparatively slight attention given them by travelers, is not -apparent." Such remains, which have been described as far as possible -wherever they have appeared, are: I. Fortifications, like the stone -enclosures on the Pueblo Creek and head-waters of the Rio Verde; and -the battlements guarding the path of ascent to Old Zuñi. Many of the -ruined towns were, moreover, effectually fortified by the natural -position in which they were built. II. Mound-like structures and -elevations. These include the low terraced pyramid reported on the -Gila near the Casa Grande, and another of like nature on the north -side of the river; the shapeless heaps of earth and stones in the Gila -and Salinas valleys, most of which are doubtless the remains of -fallen walls, but some of which may possibly have a different origin -and design; and some small heaps of loose stones on the Gila at the -mouth of the Santo Domingo. It is noticeable that no burial mounds, of -so common occurrence in many parts of America, have been found here; -and no pyramids or mounds presumably connected in any way with -religious rites, indeed, nothing of the nature of temples or altars, -save the estufas still in common use. III. Excavations. These are, a -reservoir with stone walls measuring forty by sixty yards, reported by -the early writers near the Casa Grande on the Gila; a circular -depression forty paces in diameter on the north bank of the Gila, and -a similar one at Navajo Spring near the Rio Puerco of the West; a -triangular depression at the mouth of the Santo Domingo; quarries of -sandstone near some of the Chaco ruins, and pits in the Salinas, -whence the earth for building is supposed to have been taken; and the -circular holes that penetrate the cañon walls of the Chaco. IV. -Enclosures for various or unknown purposes. Such is the circular -enclosure a hundred yards in circumference near the Casa Grande, and -another north of the river; the structure indefinitely reported as a -labyrinth up the Gila from the Casa Grande; a small round enclosure on -the Salado; an elliptical enclosure of stone and mortar, eight by -sixteen feet, and divided into two compartments, in the Chaco cañon; -and the large and irregular lines of foundation-stones in the Gila -Valley above the San Pedro. It will be observed that there is very -little of the mysterious connected with these remains of the second -class, and a great part of that little would probably disappear as a -result of a more careful exploration. - -3d. "Traces of aboriginal agriculture, in the shape of acequias and -zanjas, or irrigating canals and ditches." Such remains have been -noticed in connection with many of the ruins, particularly in the -south, and require no further remarks. So far as described, they are -nothing but simple ditches dug in the surface of the ground, of -varying depth and length. The earlier reports of canals with walled -sides are very probably unfounded. - - [Illustration: New Mexican Stone Axes.] - -4th. "Implements and ornaments." These are not numerous, include no -articles of any metal whatever, and do not differ materially from -articles now in use among the Pueblo Indians. Such relics have been -found scattered among the débris of the fallen walls, and not taken -from regular excavations; consequently no absolute proof exists that -they are the work of the builders, though there can be little room for -doubt on that point. The wandering tribes that have occupied the -country in modern times are much more likely to have sought for and -carried away relics of the original inhabitants, than to have -deposited among the ruins articles made by the modern Pueblo Indians. -A detailed account of each relic would be useless, but among the -articles that have been found are included,--I. Implements of stone. -Metates, or corn-grinders, generally broken, were found at various -points on the Gila, Salado, and among the ruins near Pecos. Stone -axes, are shown in the cut from Whipple, of which No. 4 was found on -the Salado, where implements called hoes, and a stone pestle, are -also reported. A stone axe was also found on the Colorado Chiquito. -Arrow-heads of obsidian were picked up at Old Zuñi, on the Colorado -Chiquito, on the Rio Puerco of the west, and at Inscription Rock; of -carnelian on the Colorado Chiquito; of agate and jasper on the Rio -Puerco; and of quartz near Pecos and on Pueblo Creek. Ross Browne -heard of bone awls having been dug up at the Casa Grande. II. -Ornaments. Sea-shells were found at the Casa Grande, on the north bank -of the Gila, and in the Salado valley; also on the Gila, a bead of -blue marble finely turned, an inch and a quarter long; and another -bead of the size of a hen's egg; also a painted stone not described, -and a beaver's tooth. Several green stones, like amethysts, were found -on the Salado; fragments of quartz crystal at the Casa Grande; of -agate and obsidian among the Gila mines; and of obsidian on Pueblo -Creek. Clay balls from the size of bullets to grape-shot, many of them -stuck together, are reported on doubtful authority.[XI-68] - -5th. Pottery, the most abundant class of relics, found strewn over the -ground in the vicinity of every ruin in this group. It is always in -fragments, no whole article of undoubted antiquity having ever been -found. This is natural enough, perhaps, since only the surface has -been examined, and the roaming tribes of Indians would not be likely -to leave anything of use or value; excavation may in the future bring -to light whole specimens. But although the absence of whole vessels is -not strange, the presence of fragments in so great abundance is very -remarkable, since no such tendency to their accumulation is noticed -about the inhabited Pueblo towns. It would seem as if the inhabitants, -forced to abandon their houses in haste, had deliberately broken all -their very large stock of earthen ware, either to prevent its falling -into the hands of enemies, or from some superstitious custom. The -fragments are very like one to another in all parts of the New Mexican -region, and in quality and ornamentation nearly identical with the -ware still manufactured and used by the Pueblos. It has been noticed, -however, that the older pottery is superior generally in material and -workmanship to the modern; and also in the southern valleys it is -found painted on the inside as well as outside, contrary as is said to -the present usage. Very few fragments show anything like glazing. The -painted ornamentation consists in most instances of stripes or -angular, more rarely of curved, lines, in black, white, and red. -Painted representations of any definite objects, animate or inanimate, -are of very rare occurrence. Some specimens are, however, not painted, -but decorated with considerable skill by means of raised or indented -figures. I have given cuts of many specimens, and the thirty-five -figures on the next page from different localities will suffice to -explain the nature and uniformity of New Mexican pottery.[XI-69] - - [Illustration: New Mexican Pottery.] - -6th. "Painted or engraved figures on cliffs, boulders, and the sides -of natural caverns." These figures have been mentioned whenever they -occurred, and some of them illustrated. There are additional paintings -in a rocky pass between Albuquerque and Laguna, mentioned and copied -by Möllhausen, and both paintings and sculptures in Texas at Sierra -Waco, thirty miles east of El Paso, and at Rocky Dell Creek, in lat. -35°, 30´, long. 102°, 30´.[XI-70] In another volume of this -work,[XI-71] something has been said of hieroglyphic development, of -the different classes of picture-records, and their respective value. -The New Mexican rock-inscriptions and paintings, such of them as are -not mere idle sketches executed without purpose by the natives to -while away the time, belong to the lower classes of representative and -symbolic picture-writing, and are utterly inadequate to preserve any -definite record far beyond the generation that executed them. Most of -them had a meaning to the artist and his tribe at the time they were -made; it is safe to suppose that no living being to-day can interpret -their meaning, and that they never will be understood. The similar -figures painted on the walls of modern estufas,[XI-72] the natives -will not, probably cannot, explain. Mr Froebel, in opposition to Mr -Bartlett's theory that the figures are meaningless, very justly says: -"Many circumstances tend to disprove that these characters were -originally nothing but the results of an early attempt at art. In the -first place, the similarity of the style, in localities a thousand -miles apart, and its extreme peculiarity, preclude every idea of an -accidental similarity. One cannot imagine how the same recurring -figures should have been used over and over again, unless they had a -conventional character, and were intended to express something."[XI-73] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: CONCLUSIONS.] - -I conclude this division of my work by a few general remarks, -embodying such conclusions respecting the New Mexican ruins as may be -drawn from the ruins themselves, without reference to the mass of -speculation, tradition, and so-called history, that has confused the -whole subject since first the missionary padres visited and wrote of -this region, and sought diligently, and of course successfully, for -traditions respecting the Asiatic origin of the Americans, and the -southern migration of the Aztecs from the mysterious regions of the -Californias to Anáhuac. These conclusions are not lengthy or numerous, -and apply with equal force to the Casas Grandes of Chihuahua, outside -of the geographical limits of this chapter. - -1. The ruined structures offer but little internal evidence of their -age. There is not even the slight aid of forest growth found in nearly -all other parts of America. The different buildings show very -different degrees of dilapidation it is true, but to what extent in -each case the ravages of time have been assisted by the roaming -Apaches and other savages, it is impossible to decide. The Casas -Grandes of Chihuahua are much more dilapidated than the similar Casa -Grande of the Gila; but, although both are built of mud, a slight -difference in the quality of the mud employed, with the more abundant -rains of Chihuahua, would account for the better condition of the Gila -remains, and prevent us from assigning necessarily a greater antiquity -to those of Chihuahua. It is known as a historical fact that the -southern buildings were not only in ruins at the coming of the -Spaniards in the middle of the sixteenth century, but had been so long -in that condition that the native knowledge respecting them had passed -into the state of a tradition and a superstition. Certainly not less -than a century would suffice for this. Of the northern ruins very many -are known to have been inhabited and flourishing towns when the -Spaniards came. That any were at that time in ruins is not proven, -though possible. - -2. The material relics of the New Mexican group bear no resemblance -whatever to either Nahua or Maya relics in the south. It has been -constantly stated and repeated by most writers, that all American -aboriginal monuments, the works of the Mound-Builders of the -Mississippi, the ruins of New Mexico and Arizona, the Casas Grandes of -Chihuahua, the Edificios of Zacatecas, the pyramids of Anáhuac and the -central plateaux, Mitla, Palenque, the cities of Yucatan, and finally -Copan, all belong evidently to one class and present one type; that -all are such as might reasonably be attributed to the same people in -different periods of their civilization. It is even customary for -travelers and writers to speak without hesitation of Aztec ruins and -relics in Arizona, as if there were no longer any doubt on the -subject. So far as the New Mexican link in the chain is concerned, I -most emphatically deny the resemblance, on grounds which the reader of -the preceding pages already fully understands. I can hardly conceive -of structures reared by human hands differing more essentially than -the two classes in question. In the common use of adobes for -building-material; in the plain walls rising to a height of several -stories; in the terrace structure, absence of doors in the lower -story, and the entrance by ladders; in the absence of arched ceilings -of overlapping blocks, of all pyramidal structures, of sculptured -blocks, of all architectural decorations, of idols, temples, and every -trace of buildings evidently designed for religious rites, of burial -mounds and human remains; and in the character of the rock-inscriptions -and miscellaneous relics, not to go farther into details, the New -Mexican monuments present no analogies to any of the southern remains. -I do not mean to express a decided opinion that the Aztecs were not, -some hundreds or thousands of centuries ago, or even at a somewhat -less remote period, identical with the natives of New Mexico, for I -have great faith in the power of time and environment to work -unlimited changes in any people; I simply claim that it is a manifest -absurdity to suppose that the monuments described were the work of the -Aztecs during a migration southward, since the eleventh century, or of -any people nearly allied in blood and institutions to the Aztecs as -they were found in Anáhuac. - -3. Not only do the ruins of this group bear no resemblance to those of -the south, but they represent in all respects buildings like those -still inhabited by the Pueblo tribes and the Moquis, and do not differ -more among themselves than do the dwellings of the peoples mentioned. -Every one of them may be most reasonably regarded as the work of the -direct ancestors of the present inhabitants of the Pueblo towns, who -did not differ to any great extent in civilization or institutions -from their descendants, though they may very likely have been vastly -superior to them in power and wealth. Consequently there is not a -single relic in the whole region that requires the agency of any -extinct race of people, or any other nations--using the word in a -somewhat wider signification than has sometimes been given to it in -the preceding volumes--than those now living in the country. Not only -do the remains not point in themselves to any extinct race, but if -there were any traditional or other evidence indicating the past -agency of such a race, it would be impossible to reconcile the -traditional with the monumental evidence except by the supposition -that the Pueblos are a foreign people who took possession of the -abandoned dwellings of another race, whose institutions they imitated -to the best of their ability; but I do not know that such a theory has -ever been advanced. I am aware that this conclusion is sadly at -variance with the newspaper reports in constant circulation, of -marvelous cities, the remnants of an advanced but extinct -civilization, discovered by some trapper, miner, or exploring -expedition. I am also aware of the probability that many ruins in -addition to those I have been able to describe, have been found by -military officials, government explorers, and private individuals -during the past ten years; and I hope that the appearance of this -volume may cause the publication of much additional information on the -subject,--but that any of the newly discovered monuments differ in -type from those previously known, there is much reason to doubt. Very -many of the newspaper accounts referred to relate to discoveries made -by Lieut. Wheeler's exploring party during the past two or three -years. Lieut. Wheeler informs me that the reports, so far as they -refer to the remains of an extinct people, are without foundation, -and that his observations have led him to a conclusion practically the -same as my own respecting the builders of the ruined Pueblo towns. - - [Sidenote: THE ANCIENT PUEBLO TOWNS.] - -4. It follows that New Mexico, Arizona, and northern Chihuahua were -once inhabited by agricultural semi-civilized tribes, not differing -more among themselves than do the Pueblo tribes of the present time; -the most fertile valleys of the region were cultivated by them, and -were dotted by fine town-dwellings of stone and adobe, occupied in -common by many families, similar but superior to the present Pueblo -towns. At least a century, probably much longer, before the Spaniards -made their appearance, the decline of this numerous and powerful -people began, and it has continued uninterruptedly down to the present -time, until only a mere remnant in the Rio Grande and Moqui towns is -left. Before the Spaniards came all the southern towns, on the Gila -and its tributaries, had been abandoned; since that time the decline -of the northern nations, which the Spaniards found in a tolerably -flourishing condition, is a matter of history. The reason of the -decline this is hardly the place to consider, but it is doubtless to -the inroads of outside warlike and predatory tribes like the Apaches -that we must look for the chief cause. It is not impossible that -natural changes in the surface of the region, such as the drying-up of -springs, streams, or lakes, may have also contributed to the same -effect. These changes, however, if such took place, were probably -gradual in their operation; for the location of the ruins in what are -still in most cases among the most fertile valleys, either in the -vicinity of water, or at least of a dried-up stream, and their absence -in every instance in the absolutely desert tracts, show pretty -conclusively that the towns were not destroyed suddenly by any natural -convulsion which radically changed the face of the country. It is not -difficult to imagine how the agricultural Pueblo communities, -weakened perhaps at first by some international strife which forced -them to neglect the tillage of their land, and hard pressed by more -than usually persistent inroads from bands of Apaches who plundered -their crops and destroyed their irrigation-works, visited perchance by -pestilence, or by earthquakes sent by some irate deity to dry up their -springs, were forced year by year to yield their fair fields to the -drifting sands, to abandon their southern homes and unite their forces -with kindred northern tribes; till at last came the crowning blow of a -foreign invasion, which has well nigh extinguished an aboriginal -culture more interesting and admirable, if not in all respects more -advanced, than any other in North America. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[XI-1] _Cal., Past, Pres. and Future_, p. 145. - -[XI-2] _Bartlett's Pers. Nar._, vol. ii., pp. 195, 206; _Froebel_, -_Aus Amer._, tom. ii., p. 468; _Id._, _Cent. Amer._, pp. 519-24; -_Emory's Reconnoissance_, pp. 82, 89-91, with plate. - -[XI-3] _Castañeda_, in _Ternaux-Compans_, _Voy._, série i., tom. ix., -pp. 40-1, 161-2. Two other accounts of the trip were written--one by -Juan Jaramillo, which may be found in the same volume of -Ternaux-Compans' work; and the second by Coronado himself, an Italian -translation of which appeared in _Ramusio_, _Navigationi_, tom. iii., -fol. 359, et seq., and an English translation in _Hakluyt's Voy._, -vol. iii., p. 373, et seq. For an abstract of the trip and discussion -about the location of the route, see _Gallatin_, in _Amer. Ethno. -Soc., Transact._, vol. ii.; _Squier_, in _American Review_ for -November, 1848; _Whipple, et al._, in _Pac. R. R. Repts_, vol. iii.; -and _Simpson_, in _Smithsonian Rept._, 1859, p. 309, et seq. The last -is the best article on the subject, and is accompanied by a map. All -the accounts mention the fact that the expedition passed through -Chichilticale, but only the one quoted describes the building. - -[XI-4] "Lo apuntó en embrion por no haber ido yo á este -descubrimento." _Mange_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, série iv., tom. i., pp. -259, 253, 362-4. - -[XI-5] In _Doc. Hist. Mex._, série iv., tom. i., pp. 282-3. Mange's -description is as follows:--'One of them is a large edifice, the -principal room in the centre being four stories high, and those -adjoining it on its four sides, three stories; with walls two varas -thick, of strong _argamasa y barro_ [that is, the material of which -adobes are made] so smooth on the inside that they resemble planed -boards, and so polished that they shine like Puebla pottery. The -corners of the windows, which are square, are very straight and -without supports or crosspieces of wood, as if made with a mold; the -doors are the same, though, narrow, and by this it is known to be the -work of Indians; it is 36 paces long by 21 wide, and is well built. At -the distance of an arquebuse-shot are seen twelve other buildings half -fallen, also with thick walls; and all the roofs burned out except one -low room, which has round beams apparently of cedar, or sabino, small -and smooth, and over them _otates_ (reeds) of equal size, and a layer -of hard mud and mortar, forming a very curious roof or floor. In the -vicinity are seen many other ruins and stories, and heaps of rubbish -which cover the ground for two leagues; with much broken pottery, -plates, and _ollas_ of fine clay painted in various colors and -resembling the Guadalajara pottery of New Spain; hence it is inferred -that the city was very large and the work of a civilized people under -a government. This is verified by a canal which runs from the river -over the plain, encircling the settlement, which is in the centre, -three leagues in circumference, ten varas wide and four deep, carrying -perhaps half the river, and thus serving as a defensive ditch as well -as to supply water for the houses and to irrigate the surrounding -fields.' - -[XI-6] _Sedelmair_, _Relacion_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, série iii., tom. -iv., p. 847. Orozco y Berra, _Geografía_, pp. 108-10, takes this -description from Sedelmair's MS. in the Mexican archives, as being -written by one who was 'almost the discoverer,' but it is a literal -copy of Mange's diary. Mange's diary, so far as it relates to the Casa -Grande, is translated in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. iii., p. 301; and -_Bartlett's Pers. Nar._, vol. ii., pp. 281-2. - -[XI-7] 'Y vimos toda la vivienda del edificio que es muy grande de -quatro altos, cuadradas las paredes y muy gruesas como de dos varas de -ancho del dicho barro blanco, y aunque estos jentiles lo han quemado -distintas veces, se ven los quatro altos, con buenas salas, aposentos -y ventanas curiosamente embarradas por dentro y fuera de manera que -están las paredes encaladas y lisas con un barro algo colorado, las -puertas muy parejas. Tambien hay inmediatas por fuera once casas algo -menores fabricadas con la propia curiosidad de la grande y altas ... y -en largo distrito se ve mucha losa quebrada y pintada; tambien se vé -una sequia maestra de diez varas de ancho y quatro de alto, y un bordo -muy grueso hecho de la misma tierra que va á la casa por un llano.' -_Bernal_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, série iii., tom. iv., p. 804. - -[XI-8] Padre Garcés says, 'on this river is situated the house which -they call Moctezuma's, and many other ruins of other edifices with -very many fragments of pottery both painted and plain. From what I -afterwards saw of the Moqui, I have formed a very different idea from -that which I before entertained respecting these buildings,' referring -to Padre Font for more details. _Doc. Hist. Mex._, série ii., tom. i., -p. 242. Font's account is substantially as follows:--'We carefully -examined this edifice and its ruins; the echnographical plan of which -I here lay down [The plan does not accompany the translation, but I -have the same plan in another MS. which I shall presently mention] and -the better to understand it I give the following description and -explanation. [Here follows an account of the building of the Casa by -the Aztecs when the Devil led them through these regions on their way -to Anáhuac]. The site on which this house is built is flat on all -sides and at the distance of about one league from the river Gila, and -the ruins of the houses which composed the town extend more than a -league towards the East and the Cardinal points; and all this land is -partially covered with pieces of pots, jugs, plates, &c., some common -and others painted of different colours, white, blue, red,' &c., very -different from the work of the Pimas. A careful measurement made with -a lance showed that 'the house forms an oblong square, facing exactly -the four Cardinal points ... and round about it there are ruins -indicating a fence or wall which surrounded the house and other -buildings, particularly in the corners, where it appears that there -has been some edifice like an interior castle or watch-tower, for in -the angle which faces towards the S.W. there stands a ruin with its -divisions and an upper story. The exterior place [plaza] extends from -N. to S. 420 feet and from E. to W. 260 feet. The interior of the -house consists of five halls, the three middle ones being of one size -and the two extreme ones longer.' The three middle ones are 26 by 10 -feet, and the others 38 by 12 feet, and all 11 feet high. The inner -doors are of equal size, two by five feet, the outer ones being of -double width. The inner walls are four feet thick and well plastered, -and the outer walls six feet thick. The house is 70 by 50 feet, the -walls sloping somewhat on the outside. 'Before the Eastern doorway, -separate from the house there is another building,' 26 by 18 feet, -'without counting the thickness of the walls. The timber, it appears, -was of pine, and the nearest mountain bearing pine is at the distance -of 25 leagues; it likewise bears some mezquite. All the building is of -earth, and according to appearances the walls are built in boxes -[moldes] of different sizes. A trench leads from the river at a great -distance, by which the town was supplied with water; it is now nearly -buried up. Finally, it is perceptible that the Edifice had three -stories, and if it be true what the Indians say it had 4, the last -being a kind of subterranean vault. For the purpose of giving light to -the rooms, nothing is seen but the doors and some round holes in the -middle of the walls which face to the East and West, and the Indians -said that the Prince whom they call the "bitter man" used to salute -the sun through these holes (which are pretty large) at its rising and -setting. No signs of stairs remain, and we therefore suppose that they -must have been of wood, and that they were destroyed when the building -was burnt by the Apaches.' _Font's Journal_, MS., pp. 8-10; also -quoted in _Bartlett's Pers. Nar._, vol. ii., pp. 278-80; also French -translation in _Ternaux-Compans_, _Voy._, série i., tom. ix., pp. -383-6. - -[XI-9] _Beaumont_, _Crón. Mechoacan_, MS., pp. 504-8. See an abridged -account from the same source in _Padilla_, _Conq. N. Galicia_, MS., p. -125; _Arricivita_, _Crónica Seráfica_, pp. 462-3. - -[XI-10] _Sonora_, _Rudo Ensayo_, pp. 18-9; same also in _Doc. Hist. -Mex._, série iii., tom. iv., pp. 503-4; _Velarde_, _Descrip. de la -Pimería_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, série iv., tom. i., pp. 362-3. This -author speaks of 'algunas paredes de un gran estanque, hecho á mano de -cal y canto.' Similar account in _Alegre_, _Hist. Comp. de Jesus_, -tom. ii., pp. 211-12. - -[XI-11] _Emory's Reconnoissance_, pp. 81-3; _Johnston's Journal_, in -_Id._, pp. 567-600; _Browne's Apache Country_, pp. 114-24; _Bartlett's -Pers. Nar._, vol. ii., pp. 271-84. Other authorities, containing, I -believe, no original information, are as follows: _Humboldt_, _Essai -Pol._, pp. 297-8; _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, p. 82; _Mofras_, _Explor._, -tom. ii., p. 361; _Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. -iii., p. 19; _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 396, with cut; -_Id._, _Observations_, p. 15; _Id._, _Mex. as it Was_, p. 239; -_Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 197; -_Conder's Mex. Guat._, vol. ii., pp. 68-9; _Buschmann_, _Spuren der -Aztek. Spr._, p. 297; _Cutts' Conq. of Cal._, pp. 186-8; _Domenech's -Deserts_, vol. i., pp. 381-4; _Möllhausen_, _Tagebuch_, pp. 309-14; -_Lafond_, _Voyages_, tom. i., p. 135; _Larenaudière_, _Mex. et Guat._, -p. 12; _Long's Amer. and W. I._, pp. 180-1; _Malte-Brun_, _Précis de -la Géog._, tom. vi., pp. 453; _Mill's Hist. Mex._, pp. 192-3; -_Monglave_, _Résumé_, p. 176; _Mühlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. ii., pt. -ii., pp. 435-6; _Müller_, _Amerikanische Urreligionen_, p. 532; -_Gallatin_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1851, tom. cxxxi., pp. -284-6, 261; _Froebel_, _Aus Amer._, tom. ii., pp. 451-2; _Gordon's -Hist. and Geog. Mem._, pp. 86-7; _Id._, _Ancient Mex._, vol. i., p. -104; _Shuck's Cal. Scrap-Book_, p. 669; _Robinson's Cal._, pp. 93-4; -_Velasco_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. xi., p. 96; _Thümmel_, -_Mexiko_, p. 347; _DeBercy_, _L'Europe et L'Amér._, pp. 238-9; -_Ruxton_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1850, tom. cxxvi., pp. 40, -46, 52; _San Francisco Chronicle_, Jan. 15, 1875; _Schoolcraft's -Arch._, vol. iii., pp. 299-300; _Hughes' Doniphan's Ex._, p. 219. - -[XI-12] Adobes are properly sun-dried bricks without any particular -reference to the exact quality or proportions of the ingredients, many -varieties of earth or clay being employed, according to the locality -and the nature of the structure, with or without a mixture of straw or -pebbles. But adobe is a very convenient word to indicate the material -itself without reference to the form and size of its blocks or the -exact nature of its ingredients; and such a use of the word seems -allowable. - -[XI-13] _Smithsonian Rept._, 1869, p. 326; _Castañeda_, in -_Ternaux-Compans_, _Voy._, série i., tom. ix., pp. 41, 161-2. - -[XI-14] 36 by 21 paces, _Mange_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, série iv., tom. -i., p. 283; 70 by 50 feet, outer walls 6 feet thick, inner 4 feet, -_Font's Journal_, MS., pp. 8-9; walls between 4 and 5 feet thick, -_Bartlett's Pers. Nar._, vol. ii., p. 272; 60 feet square, _Emory's -Reconnoissance_, p. 81. - -[XI-15] Central rooms, 26 by 10 feet; the others 38 by 12 feet. -_Font's Journal_, MS., p. 9. - -[XI-16] It will be noticed that although Mr Bartlett speaks of an -entrance in the centre of each side, his plan shows none in the south. -'Il n'existe point de portes au rez-de-chaussée.' _Mofras_, _Explor._, -tom. ii., p. 361. - -[XI-17] _Mange_, _Itinerario_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, série iv., tom. -i., pp. 282-3. - -[XI-18] _Browne's Apache Country_, p. 118. - -[XI-19] _Johnston_, in _Emory's Reconnoissance_, p. 598. - -[XI-20] _Arricivita_, _Crónica Seráfica_, pp. 462-3; _Humboldt_, -_Essai Pol._, tom. i., p. 297. - -[XI-21] _Johnston_, in _Emory's Reconnoissance_, p. 598. - -[XI-22] 'Habia tambien seis leguas distante del rio hácia el Sur, un -algive de agua hecho á mano mas que cuadrado ó paralelo, grande de -sesenta varas de largo y cuarenta de ancho; sus bordos parecian -paredes ó pretil de argamasa ó cal y canto, segun lo fuerte y duro del -material, y por sus cuatro ángulos tiene sus puertas por donde se -conduce y se recoge el agua llovediza.' _Sedelmair_, _Relacion_, in -_Doc. Hist. Mex._, série iii., tom. iv., p. 848. 'Se ven algunas -paredes de un gran estanque, hecho á mano de cal y canto, y una -acequia de los mismos materiales.' _Velarde_, in _Id._, série iv., -tom. i., p. 362. - -[XI-23] 'Paredes muy altas y anchas de mas de una vara, de un género -de barro blanco muy fuerte, cuadrada, y muy grande.' _Bernal_, in -_Doc. Hist. Mex._, série iii., tom. iv., p. 801. 'Paredes de dos varas -de grueso, como un castillo y otras á sus contornos, pero todo de -fábrica antigua.' _Mange_, _Itinerario_, in _Id._, série iv., tom. i., -p. 282; _Sonora_, _Rudo Ensayo_, p. 19; _Emory's Reconnoissance_, p. -83. Whipple, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. iii., p. 73, speaks of a -circular depression in the earth at this point. - -[XI-24] _Johnston_, in _Emory's Reconnoissance_, p. 600. - -[XI-25] _Sedelmair_, _Relacion_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, série iii., -tom. iv., p. 847. There is no foundation whatever for the statement of -Mofras that in this region 'en faisant des fouilles on trouve encore -des idoles, des poteries, des armes, et des miroirs en pierre poli -nommées itzli.' _Explor._, tom. ii., p. 361. - -[XI-26] _Velarde_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, série iv., tom. i., p. 363. - -[XI-27] _Sedelmair_, _Relacion_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, série iii., -tom. iv. p. 847. - -[XI-28] _Velarde_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, série iv., tom. i., pp. 348, -363. 'De otros edificios de mas extencion, arte y simetria, he oido -referir al Padre Ygnacio Xavier Keller, aunque no tengo presente en -que paraje de sus Apostolicas carreras.' _Sonora_, _Rudo Ensayo_, pp. -19-20. - -[XI-29] _Emory's Reconnoissance_, pp. 87-8, 134; _Johnston_, in _Id._, -p. 600; _Cincinnatus' Travels_, p. 356. - -[XI-30] _Whipple, Ewbank, and Turner_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. -iii., pp. 45, 47. - -[XI-31] _Bartlett's Pers. Nar._, vol. ii., pp. 242-8, with a cut of -one of the heaps of ruins. _Möllhausen_, _Tagebuch_, pp. 308-9. Cuts -of many specimens of pottery from the Gila Valley, in _Johnston_, in -_Emory's Reconnoissance_, pp. 596, 600. - -[XI-32] _Whipple, Ewbank, and Turner_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. -iii., pp. 14-15. - -[XI-33] Mr Leroux also reported to Bartlett the existence in the Verde -valley of heaps of débris like those on the Salado. _Bartlett's Pers. -Nar._, vol. ii., p. 247. Mention of Verde remains. _Warden_, -_Recherches_, p. 79; _Möllhausen_, _Reisen in die Felsengeb._, tom. -ii., pp. 140-2; _Mühlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. ii., pt. ii., p. 538. -Pike, _Explor. Trav._, p. 336, says very absurdly, "Those walls are of -a black cement which encreases in stability with age, and bids -defiance to the war of time; the secret of its composition is now -entirely lost." - -[XI-34] _Whipple_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. iii., pp. 91-4; -_Möllhausen_, _Tagebuch_, pp. 348-9. Möllhausen was the artist -connected with Whipple's expedition. - -[XI-35] _Emory's Reconnoissance_, pp. 63-9, 80, 133-4, with cuts and -plates; _Johnston_, in _Id._, pp. 581-96; _Whipple, Ewbank, and -Turner_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. iii., p. 23, with cut -illustrating the lines of foundation-stones. _Froebel_, _Aus Amer._, -tom. ii., p. 421; _Id._, _Cent. Amer._, p. 488, with cut of -hieroglyphics. Two plates of colored fragments of pottery, in -_Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. iii., pp. 82-5, vol. vi., p. 68. -Respecting the builders of the ruined structures, see _Garcés_, -_Diario_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, série ii., tom. i., pp. 320, 329; -_Castañeda_, in _Ternaux-Compans_, _Voy._, série i., tom. ix., pp. -161-2; _Sedelmair_, _Relacion_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, série iii., tom. -iv., p. 847. Other references on Gila remains are: _Sonora_, _Rudo -Ensayo_, p. 19, with cut of labyrinth; _Villa-Señor y Sanchez_, -_Theatro_, tom. ii., pp. 375-6; _Fremont_, in _Cal., Past, Pres. and -Future_, p. 144; _Fremont and Emory's Notes of Trav._, p. 46; -_Prichard's Researches_, vol. v., pp. 422-3; _Id._, _Nat. Hist. Man_, -vol. ii., pp. 514-15, 568; _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., pp. 382-3; -_Cal. Farmer_, Feb. 28, 1862; _Cincinnatus' Travels_, pp. 355-7; -_Gallatin_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1851, tom. cxxxi., pp. -293-4. I find an account going the rounds of the newspapers of a -wonderful group of ruins 'on the Gila some miles east of Florence,' -discovered by Lieut. Ward. They consist of very extensive -fortifications, and other structures built of hewn stone, the walls -being yet twelve feet high, and two towers standing 26 and 31 feet -respectively. Copper and stone implements, golden ornaments and stone -vases were found here. Finally, the whole account is doubtless a hoax. - -[XI-36] A writer in the _N. Y. Tribune_,--see _Hist. Mag._, vol. x., -suppl., p. 95--describes a pyramid on the Colorado River, without -giving the locality. It is 104 feet square, 20 feet high, and has at -present a summit platform. It seems, however, to have been originally -pointed, judging from the débris. The material is hewn stone in blocks -from 18 to 36 inches thick, those of the outer facing being out at an -angle. This report is perhaps founded on some of the ruins on the -Colorado Chiquito yet to be mentioned, or quite as probably it has no -foundation whatever. 'Upon the lower part of the Rio Colorado no -traces of permanent dwellings have been discovered.' _Whipple, Ewbank, -and Turner_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. iii., p. 15. Arizona miners -occasionally refer to the ruins of old Indian buildings on the -Colorado, 40 miles above La Paz, on the eastern side, similar in -character to those of the Gila. On Ehrenberg's _Map of Arizona_, 1858, -they are so located, and that is all that is known of them. _San -Francisco Evening Bulletin_, July 14, 1864. - -[XI-37] _Cal. Farmer_, March 27, 1863. - -[XI-38] _Möllhausen_, _Tagebuch_, p. 376; _Whipple_, in _Pac. R. R. -Rept._, vol. iii., pp. 106-7. - -[XI-39] _Sitgreaves' Report, Zuñi and Colorado Rivers_, 1853, pp. 8-9; -_Whipple_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. iii., pp. 81, 46-50; _Ives' -Colorado Riv._, p. 117, no details; _Möllhausen_, _Tagebuch_, pp. -306-8; _Id._, _Reisen in die Felsengeb._, tom. ii., pp. 148-50, 164-5, -399-401; _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. iv., pp. 253, vol. vi., p. 68, -plates of inscriptions; _Hay_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da -época, tom. i., p. 29; _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. 146-7. A writer -in the _San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, July 3, 1868, says that the -most extensive ruins in Arizona or New Mexico are situated above the -high falls of the Little Colorado, 20 miles north of the San Francisco -Mountains. They extend for miles along the river, and include -well-made walls of hewn stone now standing to the height of six or -eight feet. Both streets and irrigating canals may be traced for -miles. This writer speaks of the Jesuit inscriptions. According to an -article in the _San Francisco Herald_ of 1853, quoted in the _Cal. -Farmer_ of June 22, 1860, Capt. Joseph Walker found some remarkable -ruins on the Colorado Chiquito in 1850. He speaks of 'a kind of a -citadel, around which lay the ruins of a city more than a mile in -length.' The streets were still traceable, running at right angles. -The buildings were all of stone 'reduced to ruins by the action of -some great heat which had evidently passed over the whole country.... -All the stones were burnt, some of them almost cindered, others glazed -as if melted. This appearance was visible in every ruin he met with. A -storm of fire seemed to have swept over the whole country and the -inhabitants must have fallen before it.' The central building with -walls 15 or 18 feet long and 10 feet high, of hewn stone, stood on a -rock 20 or 30 feet high, itself fused by the heat. The ruins seen by -Walker were in all probability similar to those described by -Sitgreaves, and the Captain, or the writer of this article, drew -heavily on his imagination for many of his facts. - -[XI-40] _Whipple_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. iii., p. 76. - -[XI-41] _Möllhausen's Journey_, vol. ii., p. 121. - -[XI-42] _Whipple_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. iii., pp. 73-4; -_Möllhausen_, _Tagebuch_, p. 255. - -[XI-43] _Sitgreaves' Zuñi Ex._, p. 6; _Whipple, Ewbank, and Turner_, -in _Pac. R. R. Repts_, vol. pp. 71, 39. - -[XI-44] _Whipple, et al._, in _Pac. R. R. Repts_, vol. iii., pp. 69, -39-41, 45-6, with view of ruins; _Möllhausen's Journey_, vol. ii., p. -96, cut of altar; _Id._, _Reisen_, tom. ii., pp. 196, 402; _Id._, -_Tagebuch_, pp. 283-4, 278, with cut of altar; _Simpson_, in -_Smithsonian Rept._, 1869, pp. 329-32; _Davis' El Gringo_, p. 128; -_Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., pp. 211-13; _Barber and Howe's Western -States_, p. 553; _Shuck's Cal. Scrap-Book_, pp. 310-12. - -[XI-45] _Whipple, Ewbank, and Turner_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. -iii., pp. 45-6. - -[XI-46] _Simpson's Jour. Mil. Recon._, pp. 95-7; _Möllhausen's -Journey_, vol. ii., p. 82; _Id._, _Tagebuch_, pp. 275-7; _Whipple, -Ewbank, and Turner_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. iii., p. 39. Col. -Doniphan found in 1846 on the head-waters of the Piscao (Pescado, -Zuñi?) the ruins of an ancient city, which formed a square surrounded -by double walls of stone 14 feet apart. The space between the walls -was divided into compartments 14 feet square, opening into the -interior. The houses were three stories high, the lower story being -partially subterranean. Large quantities of red cedar, apparently cut -for firewood, were found in connection with the buildings. _Hughes' -Doniphan's Ex._, pp. 197-8. Simpson explored the stream to its source, -and found no ruins except three at Ojo del Pescado, which were -probably the same on which Doniphan's report was founded, although -there is no resemblance in the descriptions. - -[XI-47] _Simpson's Jour. Mil. Recon._, pp. 93-109, pl. 60-1, views of -cliff; pl. 65-74, inscriptions; pl. 63, ground plan of building; pl. -64, pottery; cut p. 100, plan of rock. _Whipple, et al._, in _Pac. R. -R. Repts_, vol. iii., pp. 22, 52, 63-4, with plates; _Möllhausen_, -_Tagebuch_, pp. 266-72, pl. of plan and pottery; _Id._, _Journey_, -vol. ii., pp. 68-79, 52, pl.; _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., pp. -208-9, 415-18; _Davis' El Gringo_, pp. 422-3; _Foster's Pre-Hist. -Races_, p. 147; _Barber and Howe's Western States_, p. 561. - -[XI-48] _Dominguez and Escalante_, _Diario_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, -série ii., tom. i., pp. 400-2. A correspondent of the _San Francisco -Evening Bulletin_, July 8, 1864, says that the San Juan valley is -strewn with ruins for hundreds of miles, some buildings three stories -high of solid masonry still standing. Davis, _El Gringo_, p. 417, had -heard of some ruins on the northern bank of the San Juan, but none -further north. 'The valleys of the Rio de las Animas and San Juan are -strewn with the ruins of cities, many of them of solid masonry. Stone -buildings, three stories high, are yet standing, of Aztec -architecture.' _Baker_, in _Cal. Farmer_, June 19, 1863. - -[XI-49] _Simpson's Jour. Mil. Recon._, pp. 74-5, pl. 53-4. Other -slight accounts made up from Simpson: _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., -p. 201; _Annual Scien. Discov._, 1850, p. 362; _Barber and Howe's -Western States_, pp. 559-60, with cut. - -[XI-50] Dr Hammond, a companion of Simpson, describes this room as -follows: 'It was in the second of three ranges of rooms, on the north -side of the ruins. The door opened at the base of the wall, towards -the interior of the building; it had never been more than two feet and -a half high, and was filled two-thirds with rubbish. The lintels were -of natural sticks of wood, one and a half to two and a half inches in -diameter, deprived of the bark, and placed at distances of two or -three inches apart; yet their ends were attached to each other by -withes of oak with its bark well preserved. The room was in the form -of a parallelogram, about twelve feet in length, eight feet high, and -the walls, as they stood at the time of observation, seven feet high. -The floor was of earth, and the surface irregular. The walls were -about two feet thick, and plastered within with a layer of red mud one -fourth of an inch thick. The latter, having fallen off in places, -showed the material of the wall to be sandstone. The stone was ground -into pieces the size of our ordinary bricks, the angles not as -perfectly formed, though nearly so, and put up in break-joints, having -intervals between them, on every side, of about two inches. The -intervals were filled with laminæ of a dense sandstone, about three -lines in thickness, driven firmly in, and broken off even with the -general plane of the wall--the whole resembling mosaic work. Niches, -varying in size from two inches to two feet and a half square, and two -inches to one and a half feet in horizontal depth, were scattered -irregularly over the walls, at various heights above the floor. Near -the place of the ceiling, the walls were penetrated, and the surfaces -of them perpendicular to the length of the beam. They had the -appearance of having been sawed off originally, except that there were -no marks of the saw left on them; time had slightly disintegrated the -surfaces, rounding the edges somewhat here and there. Supporting the -floor above were six cylindrical beams, about seven inches in -diameter, passing transversely of the room, and at distances of less -than two feet apart--the branches of the trees having been hewn off by -means of a blunt-edged instrument. Above, and resting on these, -running longitudinally with the room, were poles of various lengths, -about two inches in diameter, irregularly straight, placed in contact -with each other, covering all the top of the room, bound together at -irregular and various distances, generally at their ends, by slips -apparently of palm-leaf or marquez, and the same material converted -into cords about one-fourth of an inch in diameter, formed of two -strands, hung from the poles at several points. Above, and resting -upon the poles, closing all above, passing transversely of the room, -were planks of about seven inches wide, and three-fourths of an inch -in thickness. The width of the plank was uniform, and so was the -thickness. They were in contact, or nearly so, admitting but little -more than the passage of a knife blade between them, by the edges, -through the whole of their lengths. They were not jointed; all their -surfaces were level, and as smooth as if planed, excepting the ends; -the angles as regular and perfect as could be retained by such -vegetable matter--they are probably of pine or cedar--exposed to the -atmosphere for as long a time as it is probable these have been. The -ends of the plank, several of which were in view, terminated in lines -perpendicular to the length of the plank, and the plank appears to -have been severed by a blunt instrument. The planks--I examined them -minutely by the eye and the touch, for the marks of the saw and other -instruments--were smooth, and colored brown by time or by smoke. -Beyond the plank nothing was distinguishable from within. The room was -redolent with the perfume of cedar. Externally, upon the top, was a -heap of stone and mud, ruins that have fallen from above, immovable by -the instruments that we had along. The beams were probably severed by -contusions from a dull instrument, and their surfaces ground plain and -smooth by a slab of rock; and the planks, split or hewn from the -trees, were, no doubt, rendered smooth by the same means.' _Hammond_, -in _Simpson's Jour. Mil. Recon._, pp. 131-3. - -[XI-51] Chaco ruins as discovered by Simpson: Pueblo Pintado, 403 feet -circumference, 3 stories, 54 rooms on ground floor, pp. 34-6, pl. 20, -22, 41; view, specimens of masonry, and of pottery. Rock-inscriptions -at Camp 9, p. 36, pl. 23-5. Pueblo Weje-gi, 13 miles from Pueblo -Pintado, 700 feet in circumference, 99 rooms, walls 25 feet high, pp. -36-7, pl. 26-7; view and ground plan. Pueblo Una Vida, 15½ miles from -Pueblo Pintado, circumference 994 feet, height 15 feet, 2 stories, 4 -estufas, pp. 37-8, pl. 28-9; view and ground plan. Pueblo Hungo Pavie, -872 feet circumference, 30 feet high, 4 stories, 72 rooms, 1 estufa, -p. 38, pl. 30-2; plan, pottery, and restoration (all copied above). -Pueblo Chettro Kettle, circumference 1300 feet, 4 stories, 124 rooms, -6 estufas, pp. 38-40, pl. 33-5; plan, interior, hieroglyphics. Pueblo -Bonito, circumference 1300 feet, 4 stories, 139 rooms traceable, 4 -estufas, pp. 40-2, 131-3, pl. 36-38, 40-41; view, plan, interior, -pottery, specimen of masonry. Pueblo Arroyo, 100 feet circumference, 2 -undescribed ruins near it, p. 42. Pueblo Peñasco Blanco, on south side -of river, 1700 feet circumference, 112 rooms, 3 stories, 7 estufas, -pp. 42-3, pl. 41, fig. 2; specimen of masonry. _Simpson's Jour. Mil. -Recon._, pp. 34-43, 131-3. Slight account from Simpson, in _Domenech's -Deserts_, vol. i., pp. 199-200, 379-81, 385; _Annual Scien. Discov._, -1850, pp. 362-3; _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, pp. 86-9, cut; _Barber and -Howe's Western States_, pp. 556-9, cuts; _Thümmel_, _Mexiko_, pp. -347-8. A newspaper report of a ruin discovered by one Roberts may be -as well mentioned here as elsewhere, although the locality given is 90 -miles within the Arizona line, while the Chaco remains are in New -Mexico. This city was built on a mesa with precipitous sides, and -covered an area of 3 square miles, being enclosed by a wall of hewn -sandstone, still standing in places 6 or 8 feet high. No remains of -timber were found in the city, which must have contained originally -20,000 inhabitants. It was laid out in plazas and streets, and the -walls bore sculptured hieroglyphics. _San Francisco Chronicle_, Dec. -12, 1872. See also _Alta California_, June 26, 1874. I give but few of -these newspaper reports as specimens; a volume might be filled with -them, without much profit. - -[XI-52] Davis' list of Pueblo towns is as follows:--Taos, Picoris, -Nambé, Tezuque, Pojuaque, San Juan, San Yldefonso, Santo Domingo, San -Felipe, Santa Ana, Cochiti, Isleta, Silla, Laguna, Acoma, Jemez, Zuñi, -Sandia, Santa Clara. _El Gringo_, p. 115. Barreiro, _Ojeada_, p. 15, -adds Pecos, and omits San Juan. Simpson, _Jour. Mil. Recon._, p. 114, -says that Cebolleta, Covero, and Moquino, are not properly Indian -pueblos, but ordinary Mexican towns. - -[XI-53] See vol. i., pp. 533-8. - -[XI-54] _Abert's New Mex._, in _Emory's Reconnoissance_, p. 457; -_Davis' El Gringo_, pp. 141-2. See also _Gregg's Com. Prairies_, vol. -i., pp. 276-7. This author says there is a similar edifice in the -pueblo of Picuris. _Edwards' Campaign_, pp. 43-4; _Domenech's -Deserts_, vol. i., pp. 191-2. On the Arroyo Hondo 10 miles north of -Taos, Mr Peters, _Life of Carson_, p. 437, speaks of the remains of -the largest Aztec settlement in New Mexico, consisting of small -cobble-stones in mud, pottery, arrow-heads, stone pipes, and rude -tools. - -[XI-55] _Simpson's Jour. Mil. Recon._, p. 114. - -[XI-56] _Abert's New Mex._, in _Emory's Reconnoissance_, p. 470-1, -with 3 views. The most ancient and extraordinary of all the Pueblos, -on a table of 60 acres, 360 feet above the plain. Identical with -Coronado's Acuco. _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., pp. 202-3; _Gregg's -Com. Prairies_, vol. i., pp. 277-8. - -[XI-57] _Gregg's Com. Prairies_, vol. i., p. 277; _Simpson's Jour. -Mil. Recon._, p. 121; view of San Felipe, in _Abert's New Mex._, in -_Emory's Reconnoissance_, p. 461. - -[XI-58] _Simpson's Jour. Mil. Recon._, pp. 13-4. 'The houses of this -town are built in blocks.' 'To enter, you ascend to this platform by -the means of ladders;' windows in the upper part of the lower story. -_Abert's New Mex._, in _Emory's Reconnoissance_, p. 462, with view; -_Möllhausen's Journey_, p. 231, with view; _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. -i., p. 197. - -[XI-59] _Meline's Two Thousand Miles_, pp. 206-7. - -[XI-60] _Simpson's Jour. Mil. Recon._, pp. 90-3. 'It is divided into -four solid squares, having but two streets, crossing its centre at -right angles. All the buildings are two stories high, composed of -sun-dried brick. The first story presents a solid wall to the street, -and is so constructed, that each house joins, until one fourth of the -city may be said to be one building. The second stories rise from this -vast, solid structure, so as to designate each house, leaving room to -walk upon the roof of the first story between each building.' _Hughes' -Doniphan's Ex._, p. 195; see also _Whipple_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, -vol. iii., pp. 67-8, with view; _Möllhausen's Journey_, p. 97. - -[XI-61] _Ives' Colorado Riv._, pp. 119-24, with plates. - -[XI-62] 'Each pueblo contains an _estufa_, which is used both as a -council-chamber and a place of worship, where they practice such of -their heathen rites as still exist among them. It is built partly -under ground, and is considered a consecrated and holy place. Here -they hold all their deliberations upon public affairs, and transact -the necessary business of the village.' _Davis' El Gringo_, p. 142. -'In the west end of the town [S. Domingo] is an _estuffa_, or public -building, in which the people hold their religious and political -meetings. The structure, which is built of _adobes_, is circular in -plan, about nine feet in elevation, and thirty-five feet in diameter, -and, with no doors or windows laterally, has a small trap-door in the -terrace or flat roof by which admission is gained.' _Simpson's Jour. -Mil. Recon._, p. 62. Estufa at Jemez, with plates of paintings. _Id._, -pp. 21-2, pl. 7-11. - -[XI-63] _Emory's Reconnoissance_, p. 30, with plate; _Abert's New -Mex._, in _Id._, pp. 446-7, 483, with plate; _Davis' El Gringo_, p. -55; _Hughes' Doniphan's Ex._, pp. 74-5; _Meline's Two Thousand Miles_, -pp. 255-8; _Gregg's Com. Prairies_, vol. i., pp. 270-3; _Möllhausen_, -_Reisen in die Felsengeb._, tom. ii., pp. 293-8; _Cutt's Conq. of -Cal._, p. 79; _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., pp. 164-5, _Baldwin's -Anc. Amer._, p. 79, with cut. - -[XI-64] _Gage's New Survey_, p. 162; _Gregg's Com. Prairies_, vol. i., -pp. 164-5; _Davis' El Gringo_, pp. 70, 123-7; _Abert's New Mex._, in -_Emory's Reconnoissance_, pp. 488-9; _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., -pp. 182-3; _Wizlizenus' Tour_, p. 25; _Carleton's Ruins of Abó_, in -_Smithsonian Rept._, 1854, pp. 300-15; _Möllhausen_, _Flüchtling_, -tom. i., pp. 718-25, 229, 239, 267-72; _Id._, _Reisen_, tom. ii., pp. -296, 405-6; _Froebel's Cent. Amer._, p. 301; _Id._, _Aus Amer._, tom. -ii., pp. 150-2; _Gallatin_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1851, -tom. cxxxi., pp. 298-9. Abert, in _Emory's Reconnoissance_, pp. 466-7, -484, tells us that at Tezique the ruins of the ancient Indian town are -partially covered with the buildings of the modern; also that at -Poblazon, on the Puerco River, the principal ruins of stone are -arranged in a square with sides of 200 yards, but other remains are -scattered in the vicinity, including a circular and one elliptical -enclosure. According to Gregg, _Com. Prairies_, vol. ii., p. 71, the -inhabitants were driven from Valverde, on the Rio Grande, by the -Navajos. Möllhausen, _Journey_, vol. ii., p. 55, speaks of ruins on -rocky heights two miles from Laguna. 'The ruins of what is usually -called _Old San Felipe_ are plainly visible, perched on the edge of -the mésa, about a mile above the present town, on the west side of the -river.' _Simpson's Jour. Mil. Recon._, p. 121. - -[XI-65] _Froebel_, _Aus Amer._, tom. ii., pp. 166, 469; _Johnston_, in -_Cutts' Conq. of Cal._, p. 183; _Newberry_, in _Cal. Farmer_, April -10, 1863. - -[XI-66] Abert, _New Mex._, in _Emory's Reconnoissance_, pp. 489-92, -identifies Cíbola with Acoma and the six adjoining Pueblo towns; and -Morgan, in _N. Amer. Review_, April, 1869, with the Chaco ruins. - -[XI-67] See _Castañeda_, in _Ternaux-Compans_, _Voy._, série i., tom. -ix., pp. 42, 69-71. 'Veynte y quatro leguas de aqui, hazia el -Poniente, dieron con vna Prouincia, que se nombra en lengua de los -naturales Zuny, y la llaman los Espannoles Cibola, ay en ella gran -cantidad de Indios, en la qual estuuo Francisco Vasquez Coronado, y -dexo muchas Cruzes puestas, y otras sennales de Christianidad que -siempre se estauan en pie. Hallaron ansi mesmo tres Indios Christianos -que se auian quedado de aquella jornada, cuyos nombres eran Andres de -Cuyoacan, Gaspar de Mexico, y Antonio de Guadalajara, los quales -tenian casi oluidada su mesma lengua, y sabian muy bien la delos -naturales, aunque a pocas bueltas que les hablaron se entendieron -facilmente.' _Espejo_, _Viaje_, in _Hakluyt's Voy._, vol. iii., p. -387. Hakluyt says the narrative is from _Mendoza_, _Hist. China_, -Madrid, 1586; but nothing of the kind appears in the Spanish edition -of that work, 1596, or in the Italian edition of 1586. - -[XI-68] _Emory's Reconnoissance_, pp. 82, 133; _Abert's New Mex._, in -_Id._, p. 484; _Whipple, Ewbank, and Turner_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, -vol. iii., pp. 45, 47; _Whipple_, in _Id._, pp. 64, 69, 73, 76, 91; -_Bartlett's Pers. Nar._, vol. ii., pp. 245-7; _Browne's Apache -Country_, p. 118; _Cal. Farmer_, June 22, 1860. - -[XI-69] _Whipple, Ewbank, and Turner_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. -iii., pp. 48-9; also _Whipple_, in _Id._, pp. 64-5, 69, 73, 76, 81. Of -the cut given above, fig. 2, 5, 8, 9, 11, 13-4, 17, 21, 24, 28, 31-2, -are from the Colorado Chiquito; fig. 22, 27, are from Zuñi, and -modern; fig. 34, from the Cosnino caves, the ornaments having been put -on after the vessel had hardened; fig. 25, 29, 30, 35, are not -painted, but incrusted or indented. 'It is a singular fact, that, -although some of the most time-worn carvings upon rocks are of animals -and men, ancient pottery contains no such representations. Upon one -fragment, indeed, found upon Rio Gila, was pictured a turtle and a -piece of pottery picked up near the same place was moulded into the -form of a monkey's head. These appeared to be ancient, and afforded -exceptions to the rule.' _Id._, p. 65. Cut of a fragment and -comparison with one found in Indiana. _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. -249-50. - -[XI-70] _Möllhausen's Journey_, vol. i., p. 264, vol. ii., p. 52, with -pl.; _Id._, _Tagebuch_, pp. 168-70; _Bartlett's Pers. Nar._, vol. i., -pp. 170-6; _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., pp. 161-2, 419-20. - -[XI-71] See vol. ii., p. 533, et seq. - -[XI-72] See _Simpson's Jour. Mil. Recon._, pp. 20-2, pl. 7-11. - -[XI-73] _Froebel's Cent. Amer._, p. 521. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -ANTIQUITIES OF THE NORTHWEST. - - GENERAL CHARACTER OF NORTH-WESTERN REMAINS -- NO TRACES OF - EXTINCT OR OF CIVILIZED RACES -- ANTIQUITIES OF CALIFORNIA - -- STONE IMPLEMENTS -- NEWSPAPER REPORTS -- TAYLOR'S WORK - -- COLORADO DESERT -- TRAIL AND ROCK-INSCRIPTIONS -- - BURIAL RELICS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA -- BONES OF GIANTS -- - MOUNDS IN THE SATICOY VALLEY -- NEW ALMADEN MINE -- - PRE-HISTORIC RELICS IN THE MINING SHAFTS -- STONE - IMPLEMENTS, HUMAN BONES, AND REMAINS OF EXTINCT ANIMAL - SPECIES -- VOY'S WORK -- SAN JOAQUIN RELICS -- MERCED - MOUNDS -- MARTINEZ -- SHELL MOUNDS ROUND SAN FRANCISCO - BAY, AND THEIR CONTENTS -- RELICS FROM A SAN FRANCISCO - MOUND -- ANTIQUITIES OF NEVADA -- UTAH -- MOUNDS OF SALT - LAKE VALLEY -- COLORADO -- REMAINS AT GOLDEN CITY -- - EXTENSIVE RUINS IN SOUTHERN COLORADO AND UTAH -- JACKSON'S - EXPEDITION -- MANCOS AND ST ELMO CAÑONS -- IDAHO AND - MONTANA -- OREGON -- WASHINGTON -- MOUNDS ON BUTE PRAIRIE - -- YAKIMA EARTH-WORK -- BRITISH COLUMBIA -- DEANS' - EXPLORATIONS -- MOUNDS AND EARTH-WORKS OF VANCOUVER ISLAND - -- ALASKA. - - -Ruins of the New Mexican Pueblo type, described in the preceding -chapter, extend across the boundary lines of New Mexico and Arizona, -and have been found by travelers in southern Utah and Colorado; stone -and bone implements similar to those used by the natives when the -first Europeans came and since that time, are frequently picked up on -the surface or taken from aboriginal graves in most parts of the -whole northern region; a few scattered rock-inscriptions are reported -in several of the states; burial mounds and other small earth-heaps of -unknown use are seen in many localities; shell mounds, some of them of -great size, occur at various points in the coast region, as about San -Francisco Bay and on Vancouver Island, and they probably might be -found along nearly the whole coast line; and the mining shafts of -California have brought to light human remains, implements wrought by -human hands, and bones of extinct animals, at great depths below the -surface, evidently of great age. With the preceding paragraph and a -short account of the ruins of Colorado, I might consistently dispose -of the antiquities of the Northwest. - -There has not been found and reported on good authority a single -monument or relic which is sufficient to prove that the country was -ever inhabited by any people whose claims to be regarded as civilized -were superior to those of the tribes found by Europeans within its -limits. It is true that some implements may not exactly agree with -those of the tribes now occupying the same particular locality, and -some graves indicate slight differences in the manner of burial, but -this could hardly be otherwise in a country inhabited by so many -nations whose boundaries were constantly changing. Yet I have often -heard the Aztec relics of California and Oregon very confidently -spoken of. It is a remarkable fact that to most men who find a piece -of stone bearing marks of having been formed by human hands, the very -first idea suggested is that it represents an extinct race, while the -last conclusion arrived at is that the relic may be the work of a -tribe still living in the vicinity where it was found. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: CALIFORNIAN RELICS.] - -California has within her limits large quantities of native utensils -and many burial deposits, some of which doubtless date back to the -time when no European had yet set foot in the country. A complete -description of such relics, illustrated with cuts of typical specimens -from different sections of the state, would be of great value in -connection with the account of the Californian tribes given in a -preceding volume; but unfortunately the material for such description -and cuts are utterly wanting, and will not be supplied for many years. -Officers and assistants connected with the U. S. Coast Survey and -other government exploring expeditions, are constantly, though slowly, -gathering relics for the national collection, and a few individuals -acting in an unofficial capacity have examined certain localities and -described the aboriginal implements found therein through trustworthy -mediums. But most of the discoveries in this direction are recorded -only in newspaper accounts, which, in a large majority of cases, offer -no guarantee of their authenticity or accuracy. Many are self-evident -hoaxes; many others are doubtless as reliable as if published in the -narrative of the most trust-worthy explorer or in the transactions of -any learned society; but to decide upon the relative merits of the -great bulk of these accounts is altogether impossible, to say nothing -of the absence of drawings, which, after all, are the only -satisfactory description of miscellaneous relics. I therefore deem it -not advisable to fill the pages of a long chapter with a compilation -of the almost innumerable newspaper items in my possession, useless -for the most part to antiquarians, and comparatively without interest -to the general reader. Dr Alex. S. Taylor has already made quite a -complete compilation of the earlier accounts in Californian newspapers, -which he published in the _California Farmer_ in 1860-3. Without, as a -rule, going into details, I shall present a brief résumé of what has -been written about Californian relics of aboriginal times, giving in -full only a few reports of undoubted authenticity.[XII-1] - -Brasseur de Bourbourg tells us that in the distant north "was found -anciently a city named Tula, the ruins of which are thought to have -been found in the valley, still so little explored, of Tulares. The -Americans have announced in their newspapers the discovery of these -Californian ruins, but can one credit the reports?" Brasseur possibly -alludes in the paragraph quoted to certain reports circulated about -1853, which announced the discovery, somewhere in the desert of the -Colorado on the California side, of a ruined bridge of stone, where no -river had run for ages, together with an immense pyramid, and other -grand remains. These reports seem to have originated in the -correspondence of a Placerville newspaper; but whether they were -manufactured in the office of the paper, or were actually sent in by -some roaming prospector of an inventive turn of mind, does not -appear.[XII-2] - - [Sidenote: COLORADO DESERT.] - -Mr Blake found in the Colorado desert "several long, path-like -discolorations of the surface, extending for miles in nearly straight -lines, which were Indian trails. The only change which was produced -appeared to be the removal or dimming of the polish on the pebbles. -There was no break in the hard surface, and no dust. That the -distinctness of the trail was made by the removing of the polish only, -became evident from the fact that figures and Indian hieroglyphics -were traced, or imprinted, on the surface adjoining the path, -apparently by pounding or bruising the surface layer of the pebbles. -These trails seemed very old, and may have endured for many -generations."[XII-3] A writer in the _Bulletin_ mentions a road which -extends from the mouth of the Coahuila Valley of San Gorgonio Pass, -beginning at Noble's ranch, eastwardly across the desert in almost a -straight line, to the mouth of the Colorado Cañon. The earth is worn -deep, and along its course the surface is strewn with broken pottery. -In many of the soft rocks the imprints of the feet of men and animals -are still plainly visible. The road is not much over a foot wide, and -from it branch off side paths leading to springs or other sources of -water.[XII-4] The only other remains in the desert of which I find any -record are some rock-inscriptions at Pah Ute Creek, located about -thirty miles west from the Mojave villages. Mr Whipple gives a drawing -of the inscriptions, which bear a strong resemblance in their general -character, as might be expected, to those which have been found in so -many localities in the New Mexican region.[XII-5] - -The vertical face of a granite cliff at San Francisquito Pass, near a -spring, was covered with carved characters, probably similar to those -last described. One of the characters resembled a long chain, with a -ball at one end, surrounded by rays like those employed in our -representations of the sun; another was like in form to an anchor. -Well-worn ancient foot-paths, old reservoirs, and other undescribed -relics are reported in the vicinity of Owen's lake and river.[XII-6] -Painted figures in blue, red, and white, are reported, together with -some Spanish inscriptions of a date preceding 1820, in Painted Rock -Valley, four days' journey east by south from Tejon Pass, also in the -cañada of the San Juan arroyo, which empties into the Salinas River -near the mission of San Miguel. In the former case the figures are -painted on a blue grayish rock, about twenty feet square and hollowed -out in bowl shape.[XII-7] - - [Sidenote: BURIAL RELICS IN THE SOUTH.] - - [Illustration: Relics from Southern California.] - -Mr Paul Schumacher, engaged in the service of the United States Coast -Survey, has taken great interest in Californian aboriginal relics, -which he has collected for the Smithsonian Institution at Washington. -In the vicinity of San Luis Obispo, between points Sal and San Luis, -he examined during the past year four graves or burial deposits, known -as _nipomo_, _walckhe_, _kesmali_, _temeteti_. These graves furnished -some three hundred human skeletons, or rather about that number were -examined, and also quite a large number of domestic utensils, weapons, -and ornaments. Among these relics great uniformity is observed, -indicating that all the graves belonged to the same tribe of natives. -Nine specimens are shown in the cut on the opposite page, made from Mr -Schumacher's drawings. Fig. 1, 2, and 9, represent large cooking-pots, -globular or pear-shaped, and hollowed out of magnesian mica. The -circular opening of fig. 9, having a small and narrow rim, measures -only five inches in diameter, while the greatest diameter of the pot -is eighteen inches. Near the edge of the opening this vessel is only a -quarter of an inch thick, but the thickness increases regularly -towards the bottom, where it is an inch and a quarter. Sandstone -mortars of different dimensions, but of similar forms, were found in -great abundance with the other utensils, one of the largest of which -is shown in fig. 8. This is sixteen inches in diameter and thirteen -in height. The smallest are only an inch and a half high, and three -inches in diameter. The pestles are of the same material, and their -form is shown in fig. 3. There was moreover, quite an assortment of -what seem to be cups, measuring from one and a quarter to six inches -in diameter, and neatly worked out of serpentine, the surface of which -was brightly polished. Specimens are shown in fig. 5 and 7. Another -similar one, the smallest found, was enclosed in three shells, in a -very curious manner, as shown in fig. 6. In this enclosed cup was a -quantity of what is described as paint; and traces of the same -material were found in all the cups, indicating that they were not -used to contain food. Fig. 4 represents a plate which is presumably of -stone, although the cut would seem to indicate a shell. These domestic -implements deposited by the aborigines with their dead were rarely -broken, and when they were so, the breakage was caused in every -instance by the pressure of the soil or other superimposed objects. -One peculiar circumstance in connection with these relics was that -some broken mortars and pestles were repaired by the use of asphaltum -as a cement. All the relics collected by Mr Schumacher, as well as -those which I have copied, are preserved in the National Museum at -Washington.[XII-8] The same explorer is now engaged in making an -examination of the islands of the Santa Barbara Channel, where it is -not improbable that many interesting relics may be discovered. Mr -Taylor heard from a resident of San Buenaventura that "in a recent -stay on Santa Rosa Island, in 1861, he often met with the entire -skeletons of Indians in the caves. The signs of their rancherías were -very frequent, and the remains of metates, mortars, earthen pots, and -other utensils very common. The metates were of a dark stone, and -made somewhat after the pattern of the Mexican. Extensive caves were -often met with which seemed to serve as burial places of the Indians, -as entire skeletons and numerous skulls were plentifully scattered -about in their recesses." Some very wonderful skulls are also reported -as having been found on the islands, furnished with double teeth all -the way round the jaw.[XII-9] - - [Sidenote: MISCELLANEOUS REMAINS.] - -Miscellaneous relics reported on authority varying from indifferent to -bad at different points in the southern part of the state, are as -follows: In 1819 an old lady saw a gigantic skeleton dug up by -soldiers at Purísima on the Lompock rancho. The natives deemed it a -god, and it was re-buried by direction of the padre. Taheechaypah pass -and the mission of San Buenaventura are other localities where -skeletons of extraordinary size have been found. The old natives at -San Luis Rey have seen in the mountain passes tracks of men and -animals in solid rock. These tracks were made, those of the men at -least, by their fathers fleeing from some convulsion of nature which -occurred not many generations back. Nine miles north of Santa Barbara -on the Dos Pueblos rancho, some small mounds only two or three feet -high have been seen on the point of the mesa overlooking the sea. Mr -Carvalho claims to have dug from a small mound near Los Angeles the -bones of a mastodon, including four perfect teeth, one of which -weighed six pounds. Miss Saxon speaks of high mounds in the vicinity -of rivers, said to have been once the site of villages so located for -protection against floods.[XII-10] - -In the plain at the mouth of the Saticoy River, twelve miles below San -Buenaventura, and five or six miles from the sea, are reported two -mounds, regular, rounded, and bare of trees. One of them is over a -mile long and two hundred feet high, and the other about half as -large. If the report of their existence is correct, there seems to be -no evidence that they are of artificial formation, except their -isolated position on the plain, and a native tradition that they are -burial-places. One writer suggests that they are the graves of a -people, or of their kings, whose cities are buried beneath the waters -of the Santa Barbara Channel. The site of the cities presents some -obstacles to exploration, and the details of their construction are -not fully known. Twenty miles farther up the Saticoy is a group of -small mounds, ten or twelve in number and five or six feet high. They -"seem to have been water-worn or worked out by running water all -around the mounds so as to isolate each one." Near these mounds, on -the Cayetano rancho, is a field of some five hundred acres, divided by -parallel ridges of earth, and having distinct traces of irrigating -ditches, supplied by a canal which extends two or three miles up the -Sespe arroyo. It is said that the present inhabitants of this region, -both native and Spanish, have no knowledge of the origin of these -agricultural works.[XII-11] - -It is said that the New Almaden quicksilver mines were worked by the -natives for the purpose of obtaining vermilion, long before the coming -of the Spaniards. The excavation made by the aboriginal miners was -long supposed to be a natural cavern, extending about one hundred feet -horizontally into the hill, until some skeletons, rude mining tools, -and other relics of human presence revealed the secret.[XII-12] - -In various localities about Monterey, in addition to the usual mortars -and arrow-heads, holes in the living rock, used probably as mortars -for pounding acorns and seeds, are reported by Taylor; and the Santa -Cruz 'skull cave' is spoken of as 'noted throughout the country' for -having furnished bones now preserved in the Smithsonian -Institution.[XII-13] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: REMAINS FROM THE MINES.] - -One of the most interesting classes of Californian antiquities is that -which includes aboriginal remains discovered in the mining counties, -at considerable depths below the surface of the ground. The stone -implements thus found are not in themselves particularly interesting, -or different from those which have been found under other -circumstances; nor do they include any specimens which indicate the -former existence of any race more advanced than that found in the -country by Europeans. But the chief importance of these antiquities -consists in the great depth at which some of them have been found, and -in the fact that they have been found in connection with the fossil -bones of animals belonging to species now no longer existing in the -country. The existence of the work of human hands buried hundreds of -feet beneath the many successive layers of different rocks and earths, -might not necessarily imply a greater age than one dating a few -centuries before the coming of the Spaniards; although few would be -willing to admit, probably, that natural convulsions so extensive have -taken place at so recent an epoch. But when the work of human hands is -shown to have been discovered in connection with the bones of -mastodons, elephants, horses, camels, and other animals long since -extinct, and that they have been so found there seems to be sufficient -proof, it is hardly possible with consistency to deny that these -implements date from a remote antiquity. Newspaper items describing -relics of this class are almost numberless; a few of the specimens -have fallen into the hands of scientific men, who have carefully -examined and described them; but a great majority, even of such -implements as have not been completely overlooked by the miner who dug -or washed them from their deep resting-places, have been lost after -exciting a momentary curiosity, and their important testimony lost to -science. Mr C. D. Voy of Oakland has shown much energy and interest in -the examination of stone implements and fossils from the mines. The -relics themselves have of course been found in almost every instance -by miners in their search for gold; but Mr Voy has personally visited -most of the localities where such discoveries were reported, and seems -to have taken all possible pains to verify the authenticity of the -discoveries, having in many cases obtained sworn statements from the -parties who made them. An unpublished manuscript written by this -gentleman is entitled _Relics of the Stone Age in California_, and is -illustrated with many photographs of specimens from his own and other -collections. This work, kindly furnished me by Mr Voy, is probably the -most complete extant on the subject, and from it I take the following -descriptions. The author proceeds by counties, first describing the -geology of each county, and then the relics of whose existence he has -been able to learn, and the localities where they were found. Except a -brief statement in a few cases of the depth at which stone remains -were found, and of the strata that covered them, I shall not touch -upon the geologic formation of the mining region. Nor does a -particular or scientific description of the fossil remains come within -the scope of my work. A brief account of the stone implements and the -positions in which they have been discovered will suffice. - - [Illustration: Stone Mortar--Kincaid Flat.] - - [Sidenote: TUOLUMNE COUNTY.] - -Of all the counties Tuolumne has apparently proved the richest in -antiquarian remains. From the mining tunnels which penetrate Table -Mountain there was taken in 1858 a stone mortar holding two quarts, at -a depth of three hundred feet from the surface, lying in auriferous -gravel under a thick strata of lava. In 1862 another mortar was found -at a depth of three hundred and forty feet, one hundred and four of -which were composed of lava, and eighteen hundred feet from the mouth -of the tunnel. This relic is in Mr Voy's collection, accompanied by a -sworn statement of the circumstances of its finding. Dr Snell is said -to have had in his possession in 1862 a pendant or shuttle of -silicious slate, similar to others of which I shall give a cut; -spear-heads six or eight inches long, and broken off at the hole where -they were attached to the shaft; and a scoop, or ladle, of steatite. -These relics were found under Table Mountain at the same depth as the -preceding, together with fossil bones of the mastodon and other -animals, and are preserved in the Smithsonian Institute and in the -museum of Yale College. The cut represents a stone mortar and pestle, -found at Kincaid Flat in clayey auriferous gravel, sixteen or twenty -feet below the surface, where many other stone implements, with bones -of the mastodon, elephant, horse, and camel, have been found at -different times. A bow handle, or shuttle, of micaceous slate found -here will be shown in another cut with similar relics from a different -locality.[XII-14] - -At Shaw's Flat, with bones of the mastodon, a stone bead of calc-spar, -two inches long and the same in circumference, was taken from under a -strata of lava at a point three hundred feet from the mouth of the -tunnel. The granite mortar shown in the cut, holding about a pint, -came from the same mining town. - - [Illustration: Granite Mortar--Shaw's Flat.] - - [Illustration: Granite Mortar--Gold Springs Gulch.] - - [Illustration: Granite Dish--Gold Springs Gulch.] - -At Blanket Creek, near Sonora, stone relics and bones of the mastodon -were found together in 1855.[XII-15] Wood's Creek was another locality -where stone relics with fossil bones, including those of the tapir, -are reported to have been dug out at a depth of twenty to forty feet. -The mortar and pestle shown in the cut is one of many stone implements -found, with fossil bones, at Gold Springs Gulch, in 1863, at a depth -of sixteen feet in auriferous gravel, like the most of such relics. It -is twelve and a half inches in diameter, weighs thirty pounds, and -holds about two quarts. The cross-lines pecked in on the sides with -some sharp instrument, are of rare occurrence if not unique. Among the -other implements found here, are what Mr Voy describes as "discoidal -stones, or perhaps spinal whorls. They are from three to four inches -in diameter, and about an inch and a half thick, both sides being -concave, with centre perforated. It has been suggested that these -stones were used in certain hurling games." They are of granite and -hard sandstone. The author has heard of similar relics in Ohio, -Denmark, and Chili. Another relic, found at the same place in 1862, -with the usual bones under twenty to thirty feet of calcareous tufa, -is a flat oval dish of granite, eighteen inches and a half in -diameter, two or three inches thick, and weighing forty pounds. It is -shown in the cut, and, like the preceding, is preserved in Mr Voy's -cabinet, now at the University of California. Texas Flat was another -locality where fossil bones were found with fresh-water -shells.[XII-16] - - [Sidenote: CALAVERAS COUNTY.] - -Calaveras County has also yielded many interesting relics of a past -age, of the same nature as those described in Tuolumne.[XII-17] The -famous 'Calaveras skull' was taken from a mining shaft at Altaville, -at a depth of one hundred and thirty feet beneath seven strata of lava -and gravel.[XII-18] The evidence was sufficient to convince Prof. -Whitney and other scientific men that this skull was actually found as -claimed, although on the other hand some doubt and not a little -ridicule have been expressed about the subject. Many stone mortars -and mastodon-bones have been found about Altaville and Murphy's, but -not under lava.[XII-19] - -At San Andrés, in 1864, according to sworn statements in Mr Voy's -possession, large stone mortars were taken from a layer of cemented -gravel six feet thick, lying under the following strata:--coarse -sedimentary volcanic material, five feet; sand and gravel, one hundred -feet; brownish volcanic ash, three feet; cemented sand, four feet; -blueish volcanic sand, fifteen feet. At the Chili Gulch, near -Mokelumne Hill, the skull of a rhinoceros is reported to have been -found in 1863.[XII-20] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: STONE HAMMERS.] - - [Illustration: Mortar from Shingle Springs.] - - [Illustration: Stone Hammer--Spanish Flat.] - -The mortar shown in the cut was found in gravel at a depth of ten -feet, at Shingle Springs in El Dorado County. At Georgetown and -vicinity there were found at different dates, large stone dishes very -similar to that at Gold Springs Gulch, shown in a preceding cut; -grooved stones like those at Spanish Flat, soon to be mentioned; and -mortars resembling that at Kincaid Flat. At Spanish Flat were found -several oval stones with grooves round their circumference, as shown -in the preceding cut, and weighing from a pound and a half to two -pounds. They were apparently used as hammers or weapons by fitting a -withe handle round them at the groove. Many other mortars and stone -implements were taken from the same locality, including two pendants, -shuttles, or bow-handles, very well worked from greenstone, five or -six inches long, and about one inch thick in the middle. These two -relics, together with a similar one from Table Mountain before alluded -to, are shown in the cut. At Diamond Spring mortars were found at a -depth of a hundred feet, and both fossil bones and stone relics have -been taken from time to time from the mines about Placerville.[XII-21] - - [Illustration: Stone Implements--Spanish Flat.] - -In Placer County, mastodon bones are reported at Rockland, and stone -mortars and other implements at Gold Hill and Forest Hill. One dish at -the latter place was much like that at Gold Springs Gulch, shown in a -preceding cut.[XII-22] - -In Nevada County stone implements have been found at different dates, -from ten to eighty feet below the surface, at Grass Valley, Buckeye -Hill, Myer's Ravine, Brush Creek, and Sweetland.[XII-23] - -Fossil bones of extinct animals and stone implements like those that -have been described, and which I do not deem it necessary to mention -particularly, since such mention would be but a repetition of what has -been said, with a list of depths and localities, have been found, -according to Mr Voy's explorations, in Butte County at New York Flat, -Oroville, Bidwell's Bar, and Cherokee Flat; in Stanislaus about -Knights Ferry; in Amador at Volcano, Little Grass Valley, Jackson, -Pokerville, Forest Home, and Fiddletown; in Siskiyou at Trench Bar, on -Scott River, at Yreka, and Cottonwood; in Trinity about Douglas City; -in Humboldt, at Ferndale and Humboldt Point; in Merced at Snelling on -Dry Creek; in Mariposa, at Horse Shoe Bend, Hornitos, Princetown,--a -mortar thirty-six inches in diameter--Buckeye Ravine, Indian Gulch, -and Bear Creek; in Fresno at Buchanan Hollow and Millerton; and at -several points not specified in Tulare and Fresno.[XII-24] - - * * * * * - - [Illustration: Relic from San Joaquin Valley.] - - [Sidenote: MISCELLANEOUS MINE RELICS.] - -The cut shows a stone relic discovered in digging a well in the San -Joaquin Valley, imbedded in the gravel thirty feet below the surface. -"The material is sienite and the instrument is ground and polished so -as to display in marked contrast the pure white of the feldspar and -the dark-green or black of the hornblende. It is in the form of a -double-cone, one end terminating in a point, while the other end is -blunted, where it is pierced with a hole which instead of being a -uniform gauge, is rimmed out, the rimming having been started from the -opposite sides. In examining this beautiful relic, one is led almost -instinctively to believe that it was used as a plummet for the purpose -of determining the perpendicular to the horizon. So highly-wrought a -stone would hardly have been used as a sinker for a fishing-net: it -may have been suspended from the neck as a personal ornament. When we -consider its symmetry of form, the contrast of colors brought out by -the process of grinding and polishing, and the delicate drilling of -the hole through a material so liable to fracture, we are free to say -it affords an exhibition of the lapidary's skill superior to anything -yet furnished by the Stone Age of either continent," at least such is -Mr Foster's conclusion. Prof. Whitney states that he has two or three -similar implements, and that they are generally regarded as sinkers -for use in fishing.[XII-25] Mr Taylor tells us that he saw in 1852, on -a high mesa, probably a league in circumference, on or near the Merced -River, thousands of small mounds, five or six feet high, and -apparently of earth only.[XII-26] Capron says that on the plains of -San Joaquin "are found immense mounds of earth, which present -evidences of their great antiquity. It is supposed that they were -thrown up, by the Indians, for observatories, from which to survey the -floods, or as places of resort for safety when the plains became -suddenly inundated, and the ranging hunters were caught far in the -interior."[XII-27] In the banks of a creek near Martinez, resting on -yellow clay, under five feet of surface soil, a mortar and pestle were -recently found by some boys, according to a local newspaper. The -mortar was about sixty inches in circumference, and weighed nearly two -hundred pounds. "It has the form of a slightly flattened well-rounded -duck egg; and has evidently been artificially shaped in exterior form, -as well as in the bowl, and looks as fresh as if it had but yesterday -been turned off from the Indian sculptor's hands, while the polish of -the pestle is smooth and lustrous, as if it had been in daily use for -the hundred or two years, at least, that it must have been lying under -the inverted mortar, as shown by the level of five-feet accumulations -of the valley-surface stratum of soil above the yellow clay upon which -it was found, together with the partially-decomposed remains of a -human frame."[XII-28] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: SHELL MOUNDS.] - - [Sidenote: SAN FRANCISCO RELICS.] - - [Illustration: Relics from a Shell-Mound--San Francisco.] - -Only one class of Californian antiquities remains to be mentioned--the -shell mounds. They are probably very numerous, and a thorough -examination of their contents could hardly fail to be here as it has -proved in Europe, a source of very important results in connection -with ethnological studies. Little or nothing has been done in the way -of such an examination, although a few mounds have been opened in -excavating for roads or foundations of buildings. These few have -yielded numerous stone, bone, and shell implements and ornaments, -together with human remains, as is reported, but the relics have been -for the most part lost or scattered, and submitted to no scientific -examination and comparison. Dr Yates sent to the Smithsonian -Institute, in 1869, a collection of relics taken from mounds in -Alameda County. It is not expressly stated that these were shell -mounds, although I have heard of the existence of several in that -county. This collection included, "stone pestles, perforators or awls, -sinkers, a phallus, spindles, a soapstone ladle, stone mortar and -pestle, pipe bowls, shell and perforated stone ornaments, an ancient -awl and serrated implements of bone."[XII-29] A very large shell mound -is reported near San Pablo, in Contra Costa County. It is said to be -almost a mile long and a half a mile wide, and its surface is covered -with shrubbery. The shells composing this mound are those of the -oyster, clam, and mussel, all having been exposed to the action of -fire, and nearly all broken. Fragments of pottery made of red clay are -found on the surface and near the top.[XII-30] Many smaller shell -mounds are reported in the vicinity of San Mateo, and one has been -opened in making a road at Saucelito during the present year, -furnishing many stone relics, of which I have no particular -description. Quite a number of mounds are known to exist on the -peninsula of San Francisco, several being in the vicinity of the silk -factory on the San Bruno road. One of them covered an area of two -acres, was at least twenty-five feet deep, and from it were taken -arrow-heads, hammers, and many other relics. One of these shell -mounds, near the old Bay View race track is being opened by Chinamen -engaged in preparation for some building, as I write this chapter. Mr -James Deans, of whose explorations I shall have more to say when -treating of the antiquities of British Columbia, has brought me a -large number of stone and bone relics taken from this deposit, the -different classes of which are illustrated in the accompanying cut. -Fig. 1 is an awl of deer-bone, and fig. 2 is another implement of the -same material, curiously grooved at the end. These bone implements -occur by thousands, being from three to eight inches in length. Fig. -3, 4, are perhaps stone sinkers, or as is thought by some, weights -used in weaving, symmetrically formed, the former from diorite, the -latter from sandstone, and not polished. Fig. 3 is four inches long, -and an inch and a half in its greatest diameter. Hundreds of these -pear-shaped weights are found in the mounds, but the end is usually -broken off, as is the case with fig. 4. Fig. 5 is an implement carved -from a black clayey slate, and has a brightly polished surface. It is -four inches long, one inch in diameter at the larger end, and three -quarters of an inch at the smaller. It is hollow, but the bore -diminishes in size regularly from each end, until at a point about an -inch and a half from the smaller end it is only a quarter of an inch -in diameter. I have no idea what purpose this implement was used for, -unless it served as a handle for a small knife or awl, or possibly as -a pipe. - - * * * * * - -Such is the rather fragmentary and unsatisfactory information I am -able to present respecting aboriginal relics in California. Doubtless -there are many relics, and valuable scraps of information respecting -the circumstances of their discovery, in the possession of -individuals, of which no mention is made in this chapter--indeed, I -expect to hear of a hundred such cases within a month after the -appearance of this volume; but many years must necessarily elapse -before a satisfactory and comprehensive account of the antiquities of -our state can be written, and in the meantime there is a promising -field for patient investigation. The difference, after all, between -this chapter and many of those that precede it, in respect to -thoroughness, is more apparent than real; that is, it results -naturally from the nature of north-western remains. For if there were -architectural monuments, pyramids, temples, and fortifications, or -grand sculptured idols and decorations, in California and her sister -states, there is no doubt that such monuments would have been ere this -more thoroughly explored than those of Palenque; and on the other -hand, respecting the only classes of antiquities found in the -Northwest, there yet remains as much or more to learn in Mexico and -Central America as in the Pacific United States. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: ANTIQUITIES OF NEVADA.] - -Respecting the antiquities of Nevada, I have only the following -account of a ruined city in the south-eastern part of the state, -discovered by what is spoken of as the 'Morgan Exploring Expedition,' -and described by a correspondent of the _New York Tribune_. "On -October fifteenth, in the centre of a large valley we discovered some -Indian salt works, but there were no signs of their having been lately -used. In the southern section of the same valley, was a curious -collection of rocks, mounds and pillars, covering several acres in -extent and resembling the ruins of an ancient city. We saw some -remnants of what had once been arches, with keystones still perfect, -and a number of small stone pillars constructed with a peculiar kind -of red mortar or cement, set upright about twenty feet apart, as if -they had been used to support an aqueduct for conveying water from a -large stream half a mile distant, into the outskirts of the city. In -some places the lines of streets were made distinctly visible by the -great regularity of the stones. These streets were now covered with -sand many feet deep, and seemed to run at right angles to each other. -Some of the stones had evidently been cut into squares with hard -tools, although their forms had been nearly destroyed by centuries of -time. The impression forced upon our minds was that the place had been -once inhabited by human beings somewhat advanced in civilization. Many -traders noticed the existence of similar ruins in other sections of -the country between the Rocky and Sierra Nevada Mountains. They may -probably be the sites of once flourishing fields and habitations of -the ancient Aztecs."[XII-31] It is just possible that the New Mexican -type of ruins extends across into Nevada as it is known to into Utah -and Colorado, and that a group of such remains was the foundation of -the report quoted. It is quite as likely, however, that the report is -groundless. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: SALT LAKE VALLEY.] - -Mr Rae examined a group of burial mounds in the Salt Lake Valley, -Utah, and took from them "flint spear heads, flint arrow-heads, stone -implements and fragments of rude pottery." These mounds had the -appearance of natural sand-hills, as the people in the vicinity -supposed them to be.[XII-32] An article in the _Salt Lake Telegraph_ -is the only other authority that I find on these mounds, and this does -not specify their locality. "The mounds, as they exist to-day, do not -exhibit much uniformity, but this can be accounted for by the -disintegrating action of rains and winds, to which they have been so -long subject. Immediately north, south and west of the largest barrow, -traces can be seen of others now all but obliterated, and the locality -bears unmistakable evidences of once being the site of very extensive -earthworks. In one mound or barrow only, the largest, were remains -found, and they were exposed on or very near the surface of the sandy -soil, in one or two large hollows near the centre. The other barrows -were destitute, at least on the surface, but what there may be below -it is hard to say. Of all the relics, except those of charred bone, -which are comparatively plentiful, and some in a state of -petrifaction, that of pottery is the most abundant, and to this day -some of it retains a very perfect glaze. Much of it, however, is -rough, and from the specimens we saw, the art does not appear to have -attained to so high a degree of perfection as among the ancient -nations that inhabited the Mississippi and Ohio valleys. The largest -piece of pottery seen was not above three inches square, and it -appeared, as did all the other pieces, to have formed a portion of -some rounded vessel, probably a cinerary urn or something of that -kind. Other articles were seen, such as a fragment of pearly shell, -several other shells, a white cylindrical bead, a small ring probably -a bead also, and a stone knife." There were also several nicely shaped -arrow-heads, of obsidian, agate, rock-crystal, carnelian, and flint. -Granite mills are mentioned in addition to the other relics.[XII-33] -The same authority speaks of an extensive fortification or entrenched -camp at the head of Coon's Cañon, about twenty miles south-west of -Salt Lake City. The works are now from four to eight feet high, and -the places of entrance are distinctly marked. - - [Illustration: Rock-Inscriptions--Utah.] - - [Sidenote: ROCK-INSCRIPTIONS.] - -Remy and Brenchley note the finding of colored pottery at Cedar City, -indicating "that the Mormon city is built on the site of a -considerable city belonging to the Aztecs," for there is no state -anywhere in the north where the Aztecs did not live at some time or -other. Whole specimens of pottery are not found, but the fragments are -said to show a high degree of perfection; the same authors claim that -furnaces for the manufacture of pottery are still seen, and further -say: "At some miles to the north as well as to the south of Cedar,--to -the north near Little Salt Lake, to the south near Harmony,--are to be -seen great rocks covered over with glyphic inscriptions, some portions -of which, sketched at random, are accurately represented in our -engraving. These inscriptions or figures are coarsely executed; but -they all represent objects easy of recognition, and for the most part -copied from nature."[XII-34] From Carvalho I quote that "on Red Creek -cañon, six miles north of Parowan there are very massive, abrupt -granite rocks, which rise perpendicularly out of the valley to the -height of many hundred feet. On the surface of many of them, -apparently engraved with some steel instrument, to the depth of an -inch, are numerous hieroglyphics, representing the human hand and -foot, horses, dogs, rabbits, birds and also a sort of zodiac. These -engravings present the same time-worn appearance as the rest of the -rocks; the most elaborately engraved figures were thirty feet from the -ground. I had to clamber up the rocks to make a drawing of them. These -engravings evidently display prolonged and continued labor, and I -judge them to have been executed by a different class of persons than -the Indians, who now inhabit these valleys and mountains--ages seem to -have passed since they were done. When we take into consideration the -compact nature of the blue granite and the depth of the engravings, -years must have been spent in their execution. For what purpose were -they made? and by whom, and at what period of time? It seems -physically impossible that those I have mentioned as being thirty feet -from the valley, could have been worked in the present position of the -rocks. Some great convulsion of nature may have thrown them up as -they now are. Some of the figures are as large as life, many of them -about one-fourth size." The same author reports the remains of an -adobe town a mile further down the cañon, with implements--remains -said to have been found there by the first Mormons that came to the -valley.[XII-35] Mr Foster quotes from a Denver paper an item recording -the discovery of a mound in southern Utah, which yielded relics -displaying great artistic skill;[XII-36] and finally I take from Mr -Schoolcraft's work cuts showing inscriptions on a cliff in a locality -not clearly specified.[XII-37] Some remains in the south-eastern -corner of the state I shall mention in connection with those of -Colorado. - - [Illustration: Rock-Inscriptions--Utah.] - - * * * * * - -About half a mile west of Golden City, Jefferson County, Colorado, Mr -Berthoud reports to the Smithsonian Institution the existence of some -ancient remains, at the junction of two ravines. They consist of a -central mound of granitic sand not over twelve inches high, with -traces of five or six shallow pits about it; all surrounded by traces -of a wall consisting of a circle of moss-covered rough stones -partially imbedded in the soil. South of the central mound is also a -saucer-shaped pit, measuring twelve feet in width and from fifteen to -eighteen inches in depth. At this point buffalo-bones and fragments of -antlers are plentiful, and pieces of flint with plates of mica have -also been discovered.[XII-38] Mr Farnham speaks of a ruined city -covering an area of one mile by three fourths of a mile, with streets -crossing at right angles, buildings of rough trap rock in cement, a -mound in the centre, and much glazed pottery--all this on the north -bank of the Colorado, four hundred miles up the river, and as likely -to be in the territory of Colorado as anywhere.[XII-39] Mr Foster -quotes from a Denver newspaper a report of large granite blocks, of -the nature of 'dolmens' standing in an upright position, on the summit -of the Snowy Range;[XII-40] and Taylor had heard through the -newspapers of pyramids and bridges in this territory.[XII-41] - - * * * * * - -There remain to be described in this part of the country only the -remains of aboriginal structures in the south-western corner of -Colorado and the south-eastern corner of Utah, remains which, although -made known to the world only through a three or four days' exploration -by a party of three men, are of the greatest interest and importance. -They are found in the valleys or cañons of the rivers Mancos and -McElmo, northern tributaries of the San Juan, on the southern -tributaries of which river are the ruins, already described, of the -Chaco and Chelly cañons. - - [Sidenote: JACKSON'S EXPEDITION.] - -In September, 1874, Mr W. H. Jackson and Mr Ingersoll, connected with -the United States Geological and Geographical Survey party, guided by -Capt. John Moss, an old resident perfectly familiar with the country -and its natives, descended both the cañons referred to, for the -express purpose of examining ancient structures reported to exist -there. Notwithstanding the brief duration of their exploration, as -they understood their business and had a photographic apparatus along, -their accounts are extremely complete and satisfactory. Mr Ingersoll -published an account of the trip in the _New York Tribune_ of Nov. 3, -1874; and Mr Jackson in the Bulletin of the Survey, printed by -government.[XII-42] The latter account was accompanied by fourteen -illustrations, and Prof. J. V. Hayden, Geologist in charge of the -Survey, has had the kindness to furnish me also with the original -photographs made during the expedition. - -The Rio Mancos rises in the Sierra La Plata, and flows south-westward, -at first through a park-like valley, then cuts a deep cañon through -the Mesa Verde, and finally traverses an open plain to join the San -Juan. In the valley between the mountains and the mesa, there are -abundant shapeless mounds of débris, which on examination are found to -represent blocks of square buildings and circular enclosures all of -adobe, very similar apparently to what we have seen in the Salado -valley of Arizona. There is another resemblance to the southern -remains in the shape of indented and painted pottery, strewn in great -abundance about every mound, in fragments rarely larger than a -dollar,--not a greenback, but a silver dollar, the former being no -standard for archæological comparisons. I shall make no further -mention of pottery; the reader may understand that in this whole -region, as in Arizona and New Mexico, it is found in great quantities -about every ruin that is to be mentioned. - - [Sidenote: RIO DE LOS MANCOS.] - -The cañon through the Mesa Verde is on an average two hundred yards -wide, and from six hundred to a thousand feet deep, with sides -presenting, as Mr Jackson says, "a succession of benches, one above -the other, and connected by the steep slopes of the talus. Side-cañons -penetrate the mesa, and ramify it in every direction, always -presenting a perpendicular face, so that it is only at very rare -intervals that the top can be reached." Mr Ingersoll says: "Imagine -East River a thousand or twelve hundred feet deep, and drained dry, -the piers and slips on both sides made of red sandstone, and extending -down to that depth, and yourself at the bottom, gazing up for human -habitations far above you. In such a picture you would have a -tolerable idea of this Cañon of the Rio Mancos." For four or five -miles after entering the cañon, the shapeless heaps of adobe débris -were of frequent occurrence on the banks of the stream. The general -characteristic was "a central mass considerably higher and more -massive than the surrounding lines of subdivided squares. Small -buildings, not more than eight feet square, were often found standing -alone apparently." The high central portion suggests a terraced -structure like the Casa Grande of the Gila. One of the buildings on -the bottom, measuring eight by ten feet, was of sandstone blocks, -about seven by twelve inches, and four inches thick, laid in what -seemed to be adobe mortar. Somewhat further down the adobe ruins were -found often on projecting benches, or promontories of the cliff, some -fifty feet above the stream. Here they were circular, with a -depression in the centre, and generally in pairs. Cave-like crevices -along the seams were often walled up in front, so as to enclose a -space sometimes twelve feet long, but oftener forming "cupboard-like -inclosures of about the size of a bushel-basket." A small square, -formed by rough stone slabs, set up endways in the earth, was also -noticed. - - [Illustration: Cliff House--Mancos Cañon.] - -The first stone building particularly described, and one of the most -wonderful found during the trip, is that shown in the cut. The most -wonderful thing about it was its position in the face of the cliff -several hundred feet above the bottom, on a ledge ten feet wide and -twenty feet long, accessible only by hard climbing with fingers and -toes inserted in crevices, or during the upper part of the ascent by -steps cut in the steep slope by the aborigines. The cliff above -overhangs the ledge, leaving a vertical space of fifteen feet. The -building occupies only half the length of the ledge, and is now twelve -feet high in front, leaving it uncertain whether it originally -reached the overhanging cliff, or had an independent roof. The ground -plan shows a front room six by nine feet, and two rear rooms each five -by seven, projecting on one side so as to form an L. There were two -stories, as is shown by the holes in the walls and fragments of -floor-timbers. A doorway, twenty by thirty inches and two feet above -the floor, led from one side of the front room to the esplanade, and -there was also a window about a foot square in the lower story, and a -window or doorway in the second story corresponding to that below. -Opposite this upper opening was a smaller one opening into a reservoir -holding about two hogsheads and a half, and formed by a semicircular -wall joining the cliff and the main wall of the house. A line of -projecting wooden pegs led from the window down into the cistern. -Small doorways afforded communication between the apartments. The -front portion was built of square and smoothly faced sandstone blocks -of different sizes, up to fifteen inches long and eight inches thick, -laid in a hard grayish-white mortar, very compact and hard, but -cracked on the surface like adobe mortars. The rear portions were of -rough stones in mortar, and the partition walls were like the exterior -front ones, and seemed to have been rubbed smooth after they were -laid. - -The interior of the front rooms was plastered with a coating of a firm -cement an eighth of an inch thick, colored red, and having a white -band eight inches wide extending round the bottom like a base-board. -There were no other signs of decoration. The floor was the natural -rock of the ledge, evened up in some places with cement. The lintel of -the upper doorway or window was of small straight cedar sticks laid -close together, and supporting the masonry above; the other lintels -seem to be of stone. A very wonderful feature of this structure was -that the front wall rests on the rounded edge of the precipice, -sloping at an angle of forty-five degrees, and the esplanade, or -platform, at the side of the house was also leveled up by three -abutments resting on this slope, where "it would seem that a pound's -weight might slide them off." - - [Sidenote: TOWERS ON THE RIO MANCOS.] - - [Illustration: Ground Plan--Mancos Tower.] - - [Illustration: Round Tower--Mancos Cañon.] - -The cut shows the ground plan of a round stone tower of peculiar form. -The diameter is twenty-five feet, and that of the inner circle twelve -feet,[XII-43] the walls being eighteen and twelve inches thick, -standing in places fifteen feet high on the outside and eight feet on -the inside. This tower stands in the centre of a group of faintly -traced remains extending twenty rods in every direction. The stones of -which it was built are irregular in size, laid in mortar, and chinked -with small pieces. The cut presents a view of this tower. The next cut -illustrates the small cliff-houses very common in the walls of the -cañon. This and its companions are from fifty to a hundred feet above -the trail; it is five by fifteen feet and six feet high, the blocks -composing the walls being very regular and well laid. Some of these -houses were mere walls in front of crevices in the cliff. So strong -are the structures that in one place a part of the cliff had become -detached by some convulsion, and stood inclined at quite an angle, -taking with it a part of one of the walls, but without overthrowing -it. Small apertures are so placed in all these cliff-structures as to -afford a look-out far up and down the valley. Rude inscriptions are -scratched on the cliff in many places, bearing a general resemblance -to those farther south, of which I have given many illustrations. - - [Illustration: Cliff-Dwelling--Mancos Cañon.] - -One of the most inaccessible of the cliff-buildings is shown in the -cut. It is eight hundred feet high, and can only be reached by -climbing to the top of the mesa, and creeping on hands and knees down -a ledge only twenty inches wide. The masonry was very perfect, the -blocks sixteen by three inches, ground perfectly smooth on the inside -so as to require no plaster. The dimensions were about five by fifteen -feet, and seven feet high. The aperture serving as doorway and window -was twenty by thirty inches and had a stone lintel. Near by but higher -on the ledge was another ruder building. These raised structures were -invariably on the western side of the cañon, but those on the bottom -were scattered on both sides of the river. - - [Illustration: Cliff-Dwelling--Mancos Cañon.] - -On the bottom "the majority of the buildings were square, but many -round, and one sort of ruin always showed two square buildings with -very deep cellars under them and a round tower between them, seemingly -for watch and defence. In several cases a large part of this tower was -still standing." One of these typical structures is shown in the -following cut. It is twelve feet in diameter, twenty feet high, with -walls sixteen inches thick. The window facing northward is eighteen by -twenty-four inches. The two apartments adjoining the tower, the -remains of which are shown in the cut, are about fifteen feet square. -They seem to have been originally underground structures, or at least -partially so. - - [Illustration: Watch-Tower--Mancos Cañon.] - -At the outlet of the cañon the river turns westward, flowing for a -time nearly parallel with the San Juan, which it joins very nearly at -the corner of the four territories. Many groups of walls and heaps -were visible in the distance down the valley, but the explorers left -the river at this point and bore away to the right along the foot of -the mesa until they reached Aztec Spring, very near the boundary line. -"Immediately adjoining the spring, on the right, as we face it from -below, is the ruin of a great massive structure of some kind, about -one hundred feet square in exterior dimensions; a portion only of the -wall upon the northern face remaining in its original position. The -débris of the ruin now forms a great mound of crumbling rock, from -twelve to twenty feet in height, overgrown with artimisia, but showing -clearly, however, its rectangular structure, adjusted approximately to -the four points of the compass. Inside this square was a circle, about -sixty feet in diameter, deeply depressed in the centre, and walled. -The space between the square and the circle appeared, upon a hasty -examination, to have been filled in solidly with a sort of -rubble-masonry. Cross-walls were noticed in two places; but whether -they were to strengthen the walls or had divided apartments could only -be conjectured. That portion of the outer wall remaining standing was -some forty feet in length and fifteen in height. The stones were -dressed to a uniform size and finish. Upon the same level as this -ruin, and extending back, I should think, half a mile, were grouped -line after line of foundations and mounds, the great mass of which was -of stone, but not one remaining upon another. All the subdivisions -were plainly marked, so that one might, with a little care, count -every room or building in the settlement. Below the above group, some -two hundred yards distant, and communicating by indistinct lines of -débris, was another great wall, inclosing a space of about two hundred -feet square. Only a small portion was well enough preserved to enable -us to judge, with any accuracy, as to its character and dimensions; -the greater portion consisting of large ridges flattened down so much -as to measure some thirty or more feet across the base, and five or -six feet in height. This better preserved portion was some fifty feet -in length, seven or eight feet in height, and twenty feet thick, the -two exterior surfaces of well-dressed and evenly-laid courses, and the -centre packed in solidly with rubble-masonry, looking entirely -different from those rooms which had been filled with débris, though -it is difficult to assign any reason for its being so massively -constructed. It was only a portion of a system extending half a mile -out into the plains, of much less importance, however, and now only -indistinguishable mounds. The town built about this spring was nearly -a square mile in extent, the larger and more enduring buildings in the -centre, while all about were scattered and grouped the remnants of -smaller structures, comprising the suburbs." - - [Sidenote: CAÑON OF THE McELMO.] - - [Illustration: Tower on the McElmo, Colorado.] - - [Illustration: Round Tower on the McElmo.] - -Four miles from the spring is the McElmo, a small stream, dry during a -greater part of the year. At the point where the party struck this -stream, portions of walls, and heaps of débris in rectangular order -were scattered in every direction; among which two round towers were -noticed, one of them with double walls, like that on the Mancos, but -larger, being fifty feet in diameter. Following down the McElmo cañon -aboriginal vestiges continue abundant, including cliff-dwellings like -those that have been described, but only forty or fifty feet above -the valley, and also the square tower shown in first cut. It stands on -a square detached block of sandstone forty feet in height. The walls -of this building were still fifteen feet high in some places, and -there were also traces of walls about the base of the rock. Another -double-walled round tower fifty feet in diameter found near the one -last named is shown in the second cut. - - [Illustration: Building on the McElmo--Utah.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS ON THE McELMO.] - -Still further down the cañon, across the boundary line into Utah, -ruins continue abundant. A red sandstone butte standing in the middle -of the valley, one hundred feet high and three hundred long, has -traces of masonry on its summit, apparently intended to form a level -platform, and on one side, at mid-height, the structures shown in the -cut. The upper wall is eighteen feet long and twelve feet high, and -the blocks composing it are described as more regularly cut than any -before seen. The only access to the summit of the butte was by -climbing through the window of the building. Other remains, including -many circular depressions of considerable depth, and a square tower -with one round corner, are scattered about near the base of this -butte, or _cristone_. The next cut shows one of the cave-dwellings -near by, formed by walling up the front of a recess in the cliff. - - [Illustration: Cave-Dwelling on the McElmo.] - - [Sidenote: ABORIGINAL TRADITION] - -The tradition relating to the whole, and particularly to this -locality, obtained by Capt. Moss from one of the old men among the -Moquis, is rendered by Mr Ingersoll as follows:--"Formerly the -aborigines inhabited all this country we had been over as far west as -the head waters of the San Juan, as far north as the Rio Dolores, west -some distance into Utah, and south and south-west throughout Arizona, -and on down into Mexico. They had lived there from time -immemorial--since the earth was a small island, which augmented as its -inhabitants multiplied. They cultivated the valley, fashioned whatever -utensils and tools they needed, very neatly and handsomely out of clay -and wood and stone, not knowing any of the useful metals, built their -homes and kept their flocks and herds in the fertile river bottoms, -and worshiped the sun. They were an eminently peaceful and prosperous -people, living by agriculture rather than by the chase. About a -thousand years ago, however, they were visited by savage strangers from -the North, whom they treated hospitably. Soon these visits became more -frequent and annoying. Then their troublesome neighbors--ancestors of -the present Utes--began to forage upon them, and at last to massacre -them and devastate their farms; so, to save their lives at least, -they built houses high upon the cliffs, where they could store food -and hide away till the raiders left. But one Summer the invaders did -not go back to their mountains as the people expected, but brought -their families with them and settled down. So driven from their homes -and lands, starving in their little niches on the high cliffs, they -could only steal away during the night, and wander across the -cheerless uplands. To one who has traveled these steppes, such a -flight seems terrible, and the mind hesitates to picture the suffering -of the sad fugitives. - -"At the christone they halted and probably found friends, for the rocks -and caves are full of the nests of these human wrens and swallows. -Here they collected, erected stone fortifications and watch-towers, -dug reservoirs in the rocks to hold a supply of water, which in all -cases is precarious in this latitude, and once more stood at bay. -Their foes came, and for one long month fought and were beaten back, -and returned day after day to the attack as merciless and inevitable -as the tide. Meanwhile the families of the defenders were evacuating -and moving south, and bravely did their protectors shield them till -they were all safely a hundred miles away. The besiegers were beaten -back and went away. But the narrative tells us that the hollows of the -rocks were filled to the brim with the mingled blood of conquerors and -conquered, and red veins of it ran down into the cañon. It was such a -victory as they could not afford to gain again, and they were glad -when the long fight was over to follow their wives and little ones to -the South. There in the deserts of Arizona, on well-nigh -unapproachable isolated bluffs, they built new towns, and their few -descendants--the Moquis--live in them to this day, preserving more -carefully and purely the history and veneration of their forefathers, -than their skill or wisdom." One watch-tower in this region was built -on a block of sandstone that had rolled down and lodged on the very -brink of a precipice overlooking the whole valley. - - [Illustration: Ruined Pueblo on the Hovenweep.--Utah.] - - [Sidenote: HOVENWEEP RUINS.] - -From the McElmo Mr Jackson and his party struck off westward to a -small stream called the Hovenweep, eight or ten miles distant. Here -they found a ruined town, of which a general view is given in the cut. -Mr Jackson's description is as follows: "The stream referred to sweeps -the foot of a rocky sandstone ledge, some forty or fifty feet in -height, upon which is built the highest and better-preserved portions -of the settlement. Its semicircular sweep conforms to the ledge; each -little house of the outer circle being built close upon its edge. -Below the level of these upper houses, some ten or twelve feet, and -within the semicircular sweep, were seven distinctly-marked -depressions, each separated from the other by rocky débris, the lower -or first series probably of a small community-house. Upon either -flank, and founded upon rocks, were buildings similar in size and in -other respects to the large ones on the line above. As paced off, the -upper or convex surface measured one hundred yards in length. Each -little apartment was small and narrow, averaging six feet in width and -eight feet in length, the walls being eighteen inches in thickness. -The stones of which the entire group was built were dressed to nearly -uniform size and laid in mortar. A peculiar feature here was in the -round corners, one at least appearing upon nearly every little house. -They were turned with considerable care and skill; being two curves, -all the corners were solidly bound together and resisted the -destroying influences the longest." The following cut presents a -ground plan of this Hovenweep Pueblo town, and terminates the account -of one of the most interesting antiquarian explorations of modern -times. - - [Illustration: Ground Plan--Town on the Hovenweep.] - -I append a few brief quotations from the diary of Padres Dominguez and -Escalante, who penetrated probably as far as Utah Lake in early times, -referring to three places where ruins were seen, two of which cannot -readily be located. On the Dolores River "on the southern bank of the -river, on a height, there was anciently a small settlement of the same -plan as those of the Indians of New Mexico, as is shown by the ruins -which we examined." A ruin is also located on this river at the -southern bend, on the U. S. map of 1868. On the Rio de San Cosme, "we -saw near by a ruin of a very ancient town, in which were fragments of -metates, and pottery. The form of the town was circular as shown by -the ruins now almost entirely leveled to the ground." In the cañon of -Santa Delfina "towards the south, there is quite a high cliff, on -which we saw rudely painted three shields, and a spear-head. Lower -down on the north side we saw another painting which represented in a -confused manner two men fighting, for which reason we named it the -Cañon Pintado."[XII-44] - - * * * * * - -In Idaho and Montana I have no record of ancient remains, save a cliff -at Pend d'Oreille Lake, on which are painted in bright colors, images -of men, beasts, and pictures of unknown import. The natives are said -to regard the painted rock with feelings of great superstition and -dread, regarding the figures as the work of a race that preceded their -own in the country.[XII-45] - - * * * * * - - [Illustration: Rock-Carvings--Columbia River.] - -In Oregon aboriginal remains, so far as reported, are hardly more -abundant. The artist of the U. S. Exploring Expedition sketched three -specimens of cliff-inscriptions on the Columbia River, which are shown -in the cut. Mr Pickering thinks that the figures present some -analogies to the sculptures reported by Humboldt on the -Orinoco.[XII-46] Mr Abbot noted "a few rude pictures of men and -animals scratched on the rocks" of Mptolyas cañon.[XII-47] Lord speaks -of little piles of stones about natural pillars of conglomerate, on -Wychus Creek, but these were doubtless the work of modern Snake -Indians, who left the heaps in honor of the spirits represented by the -pillars.[XII-48] A gigantic human jaw is reported to have been dug up -near Jacksonville in 1862;[XII-49] and finally Lewis and Clarke found -a village of the Echeloots built "near a mound about thirty feet above -the common level, which has some remains of houses on it, and bears -every appearance of being artificial."[XII-50] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: ANTIQUITIES OF WASHINGTON.] - -In Washington, besides some shell ornaments and arrow-heads of flint -and other hard stone dug by Mr Lord from a gravel bank near the old -Fort Walla Walla, and some rude figures mostly representing men carved -and afterwards painted on a perpendicular rock between the Yakima and -Pisquouse, pointed out by a native to Mr Gibbs,[XII-51] there seem to -be remains of antiquity in only two localities. The first are the -mounds on Bute Prairie, south of Olympia. They were first found, or -mentioned, by Wilkes in the U. S. Exploring Expedition, in 1841, who -describes them as thousands in number arranged in fives like the 'five -spots' on a playing card, formed by scraping together the surface -earth, about thirty feet in diameter and six or seven feet high. Three -of them were opened, but proved to contain nothing but a pavement of -round stones in the centre and at the bottom, resting on the subsoil -of red gravel. The natives said that the medicine men in later times -were wont to gather herbs from their surface, as being more potent to -work their cures than those growing elsewhere. Since Wilkes' visit the -newspapers have reported the discovery of a large mound at the south -end of the prairie, twenty-five miles from Olympia, which is three -hundred feet high and nine hundred feet in diameter at the base. These -later reports state also that all the small mounds opened in recent -times have been found to contain remains of pottery and "other -curious relics, evidently the work of human hands."[XII-52] - -The second locality where remains are found is on the lower Yakima -River, where Mr Stephens saw an earth-work consisting of two -concentric circles of earth about three feet high with a ditch between -them. The outer circle is eighty yards in diameter, and within the -inner one are about twenty cellars, or excavations, thirty feet across -and three feet deep, like the cellars of modern native houses -scattered over the country without, however, any enclosing circles. -These works are located on a terrace about fifteen feet high, bounded -on either side by a gulley.[XII-53] - - * * * * * - -In British Columbia, some sculptured stones are reported to have been -found at Nootka Sound, in which a fancied resemblance to the Aztec -Calendar-Stone was noticed; also during the voyage of the 'Sutil y -Mexicana,' a wooden plank was found on the coast bearing painted -figures, which I have copied in the cut, although I do not know that -the plank has any claims to be considered a relic of antiquity.[XII-54] - - [Illustration: Painted Board--British Columbia.] - - [Sidenote: DEANS' EXPLORATIONS.] - -Other British Columbian antiquities consist of shell mounds, burial -mounds, and earth-works, chiefly confined to Vancouver Island, and -known to me through the investigations and writings of Mr James Deans. -Mr Deans has lived long in the country, is perfectly familiar with it -and its natives, and has given particular attention to the subject of -antiquities. He makes no great pretensions as a writer, but has made -notes of his discoveries from time to time, and has furnished his -manuscripts for my use under the title of _Ancient Remains in -Vancouver Island and British Columbia_. Like other explorers, he has -not been able to resist the temptation to theorize without sufficient -data on questions of ethnology and the origin of the American -aborigines, but his speculations do not diminish the value of his -explorations, and are far from being as absurd as those of many -authors who are much better known. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: VANCOUVER ISLAND.] - -Burial mounds on Vancouver Island are of two classes, according as -they are constructed chiefly of sand and gravel or of stones. One of -the first class opened by Mr Deans in 1871, will illustrate the -construction of all. It was located on the second terrace from the -sea, the terraces having nearly perpendicular banks of fifty and sixty -feet respectively. By a carefully cut drift through the centre, it was -ascertained to have been made in the following manner. First, a circle -sixteen feet in diameter was marked out, and the top soil cleared off -within the circle; then a basin-shaped hole, six feet in diameter, -smaller at the bottom than at the top, was dug in the centre, in which -the skull, face down, and the larger unburned bones were placed and -covered with six inches of earth. On the layer of earth rested a large -flat stone, on which were heaped up loose stones, the heap extending -about a foot beyond the circumference of the central hole. Outside of -this heap, on the surface, a space two feet wide extending round the -whole circumference was sprinkled with ashes, and contained a few -bones also. Outside of this space again, large stones two or three -feet long were set up in the ground like pillars, five feet apart, -round the circumference; and finally the earth dug from the central -hole, or receptacle for the bones, was thrown into the outer circle, -and gravel and sand added to the whole until the mound was five feet -high, having a rounded form. Four smaller mounds, six and ten feet in -diameter, were opened in the same group, showing the same mode of -construction, but somewhat less order. - -The second class, or stone mounds, which are much more numerous than -those of earth, differ but little from the others in their -construction, except that the final additions to the mound were of -stones instead of earth, and the stones about the circumference were -flat and set up close together. A piece of quartz sometimes -accompanies the bones, but no other relics are found. When the -skeleton is deposited face down, as is usually the case, the skull is -placed toward the south, or when in a sitting position, it faces the -south, seeming in some cases to have been burned where it sat. In a -few instances the skeleton, when it was but little burned, was lying -on the left side. The human bones invariably crumbled at a touch, and -the author states that this method of burial is altogether unknown to -the present inhabitants, who say their ancestors found them as they -are. - -The mounds are often overgrown with large pine, arbutus, or oak trees; -in one case an oak had forced its way up through the stones in its -growth, reached its full size, decayed, and the stones had fallen back -over the stump. They are often in groups, and in such cases the -central one is always most carefully constructed, and a remarkable -circumstance is that sometimes the surrounding heaps contain only -children's bones. Of course this suggests a sacrifice of children or -slaves at a chief's funeral, although there may be some other -explanation. Some stones weighing a ton are found over the human -remains. Traces of cedar bark or boards are found in some of the -cairns, in which the bones were apparently enclosed; and in a few -others a small empty chamber was formed over the flat covering stone. - -Near Comox, one hundred and thirty miles north-west of Victoria, a -group of mounds were examined in 1872-3, and found to be built of sea -sand and black mold, mixed with some shells. They were from five to -fifty yards in circumference. In one by the side of a very large skull -was deposited a piece of coal; and in another with a very peculiar -flattened skull was a child's tooth. Both these skulls are said to -have been covered with baked clay, and are now in the collection of -the Society of Natural History in Montreal. One mound in this vicinity -is fifty feet high and of oval shape. In its centre only a few feet -below the surface were found burnt skeletons of children not over -twelve years old, which seemed to have been enclosed in a box of -cedar--of which only a brown dust remains--and covered with two feet -of stones and one foot of shells. There is a spring of fine water some -fifty yards from this mound, of which, from superstitious motives no -Indian will drink. One rectangular cairn, ten by twelve feet, was -found, but even in this the central receptacle was circular. The body -in this mound showed no signs of burning, the head pointed northward, -and a pencil-shaped stone sharp at both ends was deposited with the -human remains. - - * * * * * - -Shell mounds are described as very abundant throughout Vancouver -Island, and also on the mainland, and all are composed of species of -shells still common in the coast waters. One at Comox covers three -acres, and is from two to fourteen feet deep. The relics discovered in -mounds of this class include stone hammers; arrow-points of flint, -slate, and of a hard green stone; spear-heads, knives, needles, and -awls, of stone and bone, one of the knives being sixteen inches long -and of whale-bone; bone wedges, sometimes grooved; and finally stone -mortars, comparatively few in number, since acorns and seeds were not -apparently a favorite article of food. Human skeletons also occur in -the shell mounds. At Comox a skeleton is said to have been found with -a bone knife broken off in one of the bones. A shell bracelet was -taken from a mound at Esquimalt; and from another was dug a stone dish -or paint-pot, carved to represent a man holding a mountain sheep. The -man was the handle on one side, the sheep's head on the other, and the -cup was hollowed out in the sheep's back. Mr Deans believes he can -distinguish two distinct types of skulls in Vancouver Island--the -'long-headed' in the older cairns, and the 'broad-headed' in the shell -mounds and modern graves: and this distinction is independent of -artificial flattening, which it seems was practiced in a majority of -cases on skulls of both types. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: EARTH-WORKS.] - -In addition to the mounds, Mr Deans states that earth-works very -similar to those found in the eastern states are found at many -localities in British Columbia. Indeed, he has sent me several plans, -cut from Squier's work on the antiquities of New York, which by a -simple change in the names of creeks and in the scale would represent -equally well the north-western works. At Beacon Hill, near Victoria, a -point one hundred feet high extends three hundred feet into the sea; -an embankment with a ditch still six feet deep, stretches across on -the land side and protects the approach; there are low mounds on the -enclosed area, the remnants of ancient dwellings, and down the steep -banks are heaps of shells, with ashes, bones of sea-fowl, deer, elk, -and bears, among which are some spear and arrow points, needles, etc. -On the summit of Beacon Hill, near by, are burial cairns of the usual -type. - -Another earth-work was examined by Mr Deans at Baines Sound and Deep -Bay. This was an oval embankment surrounded at the base by a ditch, -close to the water on the bay side, but now seventy yards from -high-water mark on the side next the sound, although originally at the -water edge. From the bottom of the ditch to the top of the embankment -or mound is forty feet, and at the summit a parapet bank now four feet -high encloses an area of over an acre. On the sound side is an opening -from which a road runs down the slope of the mound and across the -ditch by a kind of earthen bridge. Excavation showed a depth of nine -feet of shells, ashes, and black loam. Many burial mounds are -scattered about which have not been opened. - -I am inclined to regard Mr Deans' reports as trustworthy, although of -course additional authorities are required before the accuracy of his -observations respecting the burial mounds, and the existence of -earthworks bearing a strong resemblance, as he claims, to those of the -eastern states can be fully accepted. Respecting the mounds I quote in -a note from Mr Forbes, the only other authority I have been able to -find on the subject.[XII-55] - -In Alaska I find no record of any antiquities whatever, although many -curious specimens of aboriginal art, made by the natives still -inhabiting the country since the coming of Europeans, have been -brought away by travelers. Cook saw in the country several artificial -stone hillocks, which seemed to him of great antiquity, but he also -noted that each native added a stone to burial heaps on passing; and -Schewyrin and Durnew found on one of the Aleutian Islands three round -copper plates bearing letters and leaf-work, said to have been thrown -up by the sea; but I suppose there is no evidence that they were of -aboriginal origin.[XII-56] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: CONCLUSION.] - -Thus have I gone over the whole extent of the Pacific States from the -southern isthmus to Bering Strait, carefully examining, so far as -written records could enable me to do so, every foot of this broad -territory, in search for the handiwork of its aboriginal inhabitants. -Practically I have given in the preceding pages all that has been -written on the subject. Before a perfect account of all that the -Native Races have left can be written, before material relics can -reveal all they have to tell about the peoples whose work they are, a -long and patient work of exploration and study must be performed--a -work hardly commenced yet even in the thickly populated centres of old -world learning, and still less advanced naturally in the broad new -fields and forests of the Far West. In this volume the general reader -may find an accurate and comprehensive if not a very fascinating -picture of all that aboriginal art has produced; the student of -ethnological topics may found his theories on all that is known -respecting any particular monument here spread before him, rather than -on a partial knowledge derived by long study from the accounts in -works to which he has access, contradicted very likely in other works -not consulted,--and many a writer has subjected himself to ridicule by -resting an important part of his favorite theory on a discovery by -Smith, which has been proved an error or a hoax by Jones and Brown; -the antiquarian student may save himself some years of hard labor in -searching between five hundred and a thousand volumes for information -to which he is here guided directly, even if he be unwilling to take -his information at second hand; and finally, the explorer who proposes -to examine a certain section of the country, may acquaint himself by a -few hours' reading with all that previous explorers have done or -failed to do, and by having his attention specially called to their -work will be able to correct their errors and supply what they have -neglected. - -If the work in this volume shall prove to have been sufficiently well -done to serve, in the manner indicated above, as a safe foundation for -systematic antiquarian research in the future, the author's aim will -be realized and his labor amply repaid. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[XII-1] 'Since the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock, down to -the present moment, relics of a lost race have been exhumed from -beneath the surface of terra firma in various parts of the continent. -While every section of the United States has produced more or less of -these ancient remnants, California has, perhaps, yielded more in -proportion to the extent of territory, than any other part of the -Union.' _Carpenter_, in _Hesperian_, vol. v., p. 357. - -[XII-2] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 179; -_San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, Feb. 11, 1862; _Cal. Farmer_, Dec. -14, 1860. - -[XII-3] _Blake_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. v., p. 117. - -[XII-4] _San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, Feb. 11, 1862. - -[XII-5] _Whipple, Ewbank, and Turner_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. -iii., p. 42. - -[XII-6] _Blake_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. v., pp. 56-7; _Cal. -Farmer_, March 28, 1862, Dec. 21, 1860. Also pottery, painted and -carved cliff-inscriptions, and lines of large stones on the hill-tops. -_Alta California_, July, 1860. - -[XII-7] _San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, Feb. 11, 1862. 'On the South -Tule river, twelve miles from the valley, is what is called the -Painted Rock--a smooth flat rock horizontally supported by -perpendicular walls on either side about seven feet from the ground, -with a surface of 200 square feet smooth and level on the walled sides -on which is painted in no very artistic style, representations of -animals, reptiles, and birds, and rude paintings of men, women, and -children. The painting has without doubt been done by the present race -of Indians. None of the Indians now living, however, have any -knowledge or tradition by whom or when it was done. This rock and the -remains of their habitations in many localities on the different -streams, are the only indications of their long occupancy of this -valley.' _Maltby_ (Indian Agent at Tule River), letter of Aug. 10, -1872, MS. Painted figures in a large cave near the hot springs of -Tularcitos hills, east of Monterey; also on headwaters of the San Juan -or Estrella creek. _Cal. Farmer_, April 5, 1860. - -[XII-8] _Schumacher_, _Some Articles found in Ancient Graves of -California_, MSS., presented by the author. - -[XII-9] _Taylor's Indianology_, in _Cal. Farmer_, Jan. 17, 1862, March -9, 1860. - -[XII-10] _San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, Jan. 22, 1864; _Cal. -Farmer_, May 23, 1862, March 6, 1863; _Carvalho's Incid. of Trav._, p. -249; _Saxon's Golden Gate_, p. 126; _Wimmel_, _Californien_, p. 13. - -[XII-11] _San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, Feb. 11, 1862; _Cal. -Farmer_, March 28, 1862, March 6, 1863. - -[XII-12] _Lord's Nat._, vol. i., p. 209. 'A quantity of round stones, -evidently from the brook, was found in a passage with a number of -skeletons; the destruction of life having been caused undoubtedly by -the sudden caving in of the earth, burying the unskilled savages in -the midst of their labors.' _Pioneer_, vol. ii., p. 221. - -[XII-13] _Taylor_, in _Cal. Farmer_, April 20, 1860; _Wimmel_, -_Californien_, pp. 27-8. - -[XII-14] 'In 1857, Dr. C. F. Winslow sent to the Boston Natural -History Society, the fragment of a human cranium found in the "pay-dirt" -in connection with the bones of the mastodon and elephant, one hundred -and eighty feet below the surface of Table Mountain, California. Dr. -Winslow has described to me all the particulars in reference to this -"find," and there is no doubt in his mind, that the remains of man and -the great quadrupeds were deposited contemporaneously.' _Foster's -Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. 52-4. - -[XII-15] Elephant's tusk five or six feet long, found in 1860, ten -feet below the surface, and fifteen inches above the ledge in -auriferous sand; also, five years before, many human skeletons, one of -which was twice the usual size, with stone mortars and pestles. -_Sonora Democrat_, Dec. 1860; _Cal. Farmer_, Dec. 21, 1860; _San -Francisco Evening Bulletin_, Jan. 22, 1864. - -[XII-16] Other reported relics in Tuolumne county are as follows:--A -tooth of an animal of the elephant specie, twelve feet below surface, -under an oak three feet in diameter, at Twist's Ranch, near Mormon -Creek, found in 1851. _Hutchings' Cal. Mag._, vol. ii., p. 248, with -cut. 'A tolerably well executed representation of a deer's foot, about -six inches long, cut out of slate, and a tube about an inch in -diameter, and five inches in length, made of the same material, and a -small, flat, rounded piece of some very hard flinty rock, with a -square hole in the center. They are all highly polished, and perfectly -black with age. What gives a peculiar interest to these relics is the -fact that they were found thirty feet below the surface, and over the -spot where they were found a huge pine, the growth of centuries, has -reared its lofty head.' These relics were found at Don Pedro's Bar in -1861. _Cal. Farmer_, June 14, 1861, from _Columbia Times_, May, 1861. -'An Indian arrow-head, made of stone, as at the present day, was -lately picked up from the solid cement at Buckeye Hill, at a depth of -80 feet from the surface, and about one foot from the bed-rock.' -_Taylor_, in _Cal. Farmer_, Nov. 9, 1860; _Hist. Mag._, vol. v., p. -52; _San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, Oct. 6, 1864. - -[XII-17] 'An immense number of skulls were found by Captain Moraga in -the vicinity of a creek, which, from that circumstance, was called -Calaveras, or the river of skulls. The story was, that the tribes from -the Sierras came down to the valley to fish for Salmon. To this the -Valley Indians objected, and, as the conflict was irrepressible, a -bloody battle was fought, and three thousand dead bodies were left to -whiten the banks with their bones. The county in which the river rises -assumed its name.' _Tuthill's Hist. Cal._, p. 303. - -[XII-18] 1, Black lava, 40 feet; 2, gravel, 3 feet; 3, light lava, 30 -feet; 4, gravel, 5 feet; 5, light lava, 15 feet; 6, gravel, 25 feet; -7, dark brown lava, 9 feet; 8, (in which the skull was found) gravel, -5 feet; 9, red lava, 4 feet; 10, red gravel, 17 feet. _Cal. Acad. Nat. -Sciences_, vol. iii., pp. 277-8. 'This skull, admitting its -authenticity, carries back the advent of man to the Pliocene Epoch, -and is therefore older than the stone implements of the drift-gravel -of Abbeville and Amiens, or the relics furnished by the cave-dirt of -Belgium and France.' _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. 52-4. - -[XII-19] 'It was late in the month of August (the 19th), 1849, that -the gold diggers at one of the mountain diggings called Murphy's, were -surprised, in examining a high barren district of mountain, to find -the abandoned site of an antique mine. "It is evidently," says a -writer, "the work of ancient times." The shaft discovered is two -hundred and ten feet deep. Its mouth is situated on a high mountain. -It was several days before preparations could be completed to descend -and explore it. The bones of a human skeleton were found at the -bottom. There were also found an altar for worship and other evidences -of ancient labor.... No evidences have been discovered to denote the -era of this ancient work. There has been nothing to determine whether -it is to be regarded as the remains of the explorations of the first -Spanish adventurers, or of a still earlier period. The occurrence of -the remains of an altar, looks like the period of Indian worship.' -_Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. i., p. 105. - -[XII-20] Skulls obtained from a cave in Calaveras County, by Prof. -Whitney, and sent to the Smithsonian Institute. They showed no -differences from the present Indians, who probably used the cave as a -burial place. _Smithsonian Rept._, 1867, p. 406. Petrified mammoth -thigh-bone, three and a half feet long, two and a quarter feet in -circumference, weighing fifty-four pounds, found at a depth of -thirty-five feet, at Murphy's Flat. _Cal. Farmer_, May 23, 1862, from -_San Andrés Independent_. An arrastra or mill, such as is now used in -grinding quartz, with a quantity of crushed stone five feet below -surface near Porterfield. _Id._, Nov. 30, 1860, May 16, 1862. At -Calaveritas large mortars two or three feet in diameter, with pestles, -in the ancient bed of the river; at Vallecito human skulls in -post-diluvial strata over fifty feet deep; at Mokelumne Hill obsidian -spear-heads; at Murphy's mammoth bones forty feet deep. _Pioneer_, -vol. iii., p. 41; _San Francisco Herald_, Nov. 24, from _Calaveras -Chronicle_. - -[XII-21] _San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, Jan. 22, 1864; _Wimmel_, -_Californien_, p. 13. - -[XII-22] 'An ancient skillet, made of lava, hard as iron, circular, -with a spout and three legs, was washed out of a deep claim at Forest -Hill, a few days since. It will be sent to the State Fair, as a -specimen of crockery used in the mines several thousand years ago.' -_Grass Valley National_, Sept. 1861, in _San Francisco Evening -Bulletin_, Jan. 22, 1864. Same implement apparently found at Coloma in -1851, 15 feet below the surface, under an oak-tree not less than 1000 -years old. _Carpenter_, in _Hesperian_, vol. v., p. 358. - -[XII-23] 'J. E. Squire, informs me that a strange inscription is found -on the rocks a short distance below Meadow Lake. The rocks appear to -have been covered with a black coating, and the hieroglyphics or -characters cut through the layer and into the rock. This inscription -was, probably, not made by the present tribe inhabiting the lower part -of Nevada County. It may have been done by Indians from the other side -of the mountains, who came to the lake region near the summit to fish; -or it may have still a stranger origin.' _Directory Nevada_, 1857. A -human fore-arm bone with crystallized marrow, imbedded in a petrified -cedar 63 feet deep, at Red Dog. _Grass Valley National_, in _San -Francisco Evening Bulletin_, Jan. 22, 1864. - -[XII-24] Two hand mills (mortars) taken from the bank of the Yuba -River at a depth of 16 feet. 'They are all made from a peculiar kind -of stone, which has the appearance of a combination of granite and -burr-stone.' The pestles are usually of gneiss. _Taylor_, in _Cal. -Farmer_, Dec. 14, 1860, May 9, 1862. At McGilvary's, Trinity Co., was -discovered in 1856, 10 feet below the surface, 'an Indian skull -encased in a sea shell, five by eight inches, inside of which were -worked figures and representations, both singular and beautiful, -inlaid with a material imperishable, resembling gold, which would not, -in nice, ingenious workmanship, disgrace the sculptor's art of the -present day.' _San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, Jan. 22, 1864, from -_Trinity Democrat_, 1856. Slate tubes dug up near Oroville. _Taylor_, -in _Cal. Farmer_, Nov. 2, 1860. A collar-bone taken from the gravel of -the 'great blue lead' not less than 1000 feet below the forest-covered -surface, in 1857. _Hutchings' Cal. Mag._, vol. ii., p. 417. Mammoth -bones at Columbia, Stanislaus Co., 35 feet deep; and a hyena's tooth -at Volcano, Amador Co., at a depth of 60 feet. _Pioneer_, vol. iii., -p. 41. Some 30 different instances of the discovery of fossil remains -by miners have been noted in the California papers since 1851. _Cal. -Farmer_, May 23, 1862; also four well-known cases of giant human -remains. _Id._, March 20, 1863. An immense block of porphyry whose -sides and top are carved with rude mystic figures, in the Truckee -Valley. 'I noticed one cluster of figures in a circle, having in its -centre a rude representation of the sun, surrounded by about a dozen -other figures, one of which exhibited a quite truthful representation -of a crab, another like an anchor with a large ring, and still another -representing an arrow passing through a ring.' _Marysville Democrat_, -April, 1861, in _Cal. Farmer_, June 14, 1861. - -[XII-25] _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. 54-6. - -[XII-26] In _Cal. Farmer_, March 6, 1863. - -[XII-27] _Capron's Hist. Cal._, p. 75. - -[XII-28] _Martinez Contra Costa Gazette._ - -[XII-29] _Smithsonian Rept._, 1869, p. 36. - -[XII-30] _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. 163-4. - -[XII-31] _San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, Oct. 19, 1869. - -[XII-32] _Rae's Westward by Rail_, pp. 162-4. - -[XII-33] _Salt Lake Telegraph_, quoted in _San Francisco Evening -Bulletin_, Oct. 9, 1868. - -[XII-34] _Remy and Brenchley's Journey_, vol. ii., pp. 364-5. - -[XII-35] _Carvalho's Incid. of Trav._, pp. 206-7. - -[XII-36] _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, p. 152. - -[XII-37] _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. iii., p. 493. - -[XII-38] _Smithsonian Rept._, 1867, p. 403. - -[XII-39] _Farnham's Life in Cal._, pp. 316-17. - -[XII-40] _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, p. 152. - -[XII-41] _Taylor_, in _Cal. Farmer_, June 22, 1860. - -[XII-42] _Bulletin of the U. S. Geol. and Geog. Survey of the -Territories_, 2d series, No. 1., Washington, 1875. - -[XII-43] Ingersoll gives these dimensions as 33 and 22 feet -respectively, and speaks of three equi-distant doorways, apparently -alluding to the same structure. - -[XII-44] _Doc. Hist. Mex._, série ii., tom. i., pp. 391-2, 434-5, -444-5. - -[XII-45] _Stevens_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. xii., p. 150; _Id._, -in _Ind. Aff. Rept._, 1854, p. 222. - -[XII-46] _Pickering's Races_, in _U. S. Ex. Ex._, vol. ix., pp. 41-2. - -[XII-47] _Abbot_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. vi., p. 94. - -[XII-48] _Lord's Nat._, vol. i., p. 296. - -[XII-49] _Taylor_, in _Cal. Farmer_, March 20, 1863; _San Francisco -Evening Bulletin_, Jan. 22, 1864. - -[XII-50] _Lewis and Clarke's Trav._, p. 369. - -[XII-51] _Lord's Nat._, vol. ii., pp. 102-3, 260; _Gibbs_, in _Pac. R. -R. Rept._, vol. i., p. 411. - -[XII-52] _U. S. Ex. Ex._, vol. iv., pp. 334, 441-2; _Foster's -Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. 151-2; _Portland Herald_, Sept. 27, 1872; _San -Francisco Morning Call_, Sept. 28, 1872. - -[XII-53] _Stevens_, in _Ind. Aff. Rept._, 1854, pp. 232-3; _Id._, in -_Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. vi., pp. 612-13; _Gibbs_, in _Pac. R. R. -Rept._, vol. i., pp. 408-9; _Taylor_, in _Cal. Farmer_, May 8, 1863. - -[XII-54] _Buschmann_, _Spr. N. Mex. u. der Westseite des b. -Nordamer._, p. 333; _Sutil y Mexicana_, _Viage_, p. 73. - -[XII-55] 'In such localities, the general feature of the landscape is -very similar to many parts of Devonshire, more especially to that on -the eastern escarpment of Dartmoor, and the resemblance is rendered -the more striking by the numerous stone circles, which lie scattered -around.... These stone circles point to a period in ethnological -history, which has no longer a place in the memory of man. Scattered -in irregular groups of from three or four, to fifty or more, these -stone circles are found, crowning the rounded promontories over all -the South Eastern end of the Island. Their dimensions vary in diameter -from three to eighteen feet; of some, only a simple ring of stones -marking the outline now remains. In other instances the circle is not -only complete in outline, but is filled in, built up as it were, to a -height of three to four feet, with masses of rock and loose stones, -collected from amongst the numerous erratic boulders, which cover the -surface of the country, and from the gravel of the boulder drift which -fills up many of the hollows. These structures are of considerable -antiquity, and whatever they may have been intended for, have been -long disused, for, through the centre of many, the pine, the oak, and -the arbutus have shot up and attained considerable dimensions--a full -growth. The Indians when questioned, can give no further account of -the matter, than that, "it belonged to the old people," and an -examination, by taking some of the largest circles to pieces, and -digging beneath, throws no light on the subject. The only explanation -to be found, is in the hypothesis, that these were the dwellings of -former tribes, who have either entirely disappeared, or whose -descendants have changed their mode of living, and this supposition is -strengthened by the fact that a certain tribe on the Fraser River, -did, till very recently live, in circular beehive shaped houses, built -of loose stones, having an aperture in the arched roof for entrance -and exit, and that in some localities in upper California the same -remains are found, and the same origin assigned to them.' _Forbes' -Vanc. Isl._, p. 3. - -[XII-56] _Cook's Voy. to Pac._, vol. ii., p. 521; _Neue Nachrichten_, -p. 33. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -WORKS OF THE MOUND-BUILDERS. - - AMERICAN MONUMENTS BEYOND THE LIMITS OF THE PACIFIC STATES - -- EASTERN ATLANTIC STATES -- REMAINS IN THE MISSISSIPPI - VALLEY -- THREE GEOGRAPHICAL DIVISIONS -- CLASSIFICATION - OF MONUMENTS -- EMBANKMENTS AND DITCHES -- FORTIFICATIONS - -- SACRED ENCLOSURES -- MOUNDS -- TEMPLE-MOUNDS, - ANIMAL-MOUNDS, AND CONICAL MOUNDS -- ALTAR-MOUNDS, BURIAL - MOUNDS, AND ANOMALOUS MOUNDS -- CONTENTS OF THE MOUNDS -- - HUMAN REMAINS -- RELICS OF ABORIGINAL ART -- IMPLEMENTS - AND ORNAMENTS OF METAL, STONE, BONE, AND SHELL -- ANCIENT - COPPER MINES -- ROCK-INSCRIPTIONS -- ANTIQUITY OF THE - MISSISSIPPI REMAINS -- COMPARISONS -- CONCLUSIONS. - - - [Sidenote: TREATMENT OF FOREIGN REMAINS.] - -I announced in an introductory chapter my intention to go in this -volume beyond the geographical limits of my field of labor proper, the -Pacific States, and to include a sketch of eastern and southern -antiquities. I am not sure that this departure from my territory is -strictly more necessary or appropriate in this than in the other -departments of this work;--that is, that the material relics of the -Mississippi Valley and South America have a more direct bearing on the -institutions and history of the Native Races of the Pacific, than do -the manners and customs, mythology, and language of the South American -and eastern tribes. Yet there is this difference, that to have -included the whole American continent in the preceding volumes would -have required a new collection of material, additional time and -research, and an increase of bulk in printed pages, each equal at -least to what has been done; and I believe that the original scope of -my work, and the bulk of that part of it devoted to the Native Races, -is already sufficiently extensive. But in the department of -antiquities, making the present volume of uniform size with others of -the work, I have, I think, sufficient space and material to justify me -in extending my researches beyond the Pacific States; and this seems -to me especially desirable by reason of the fact that all the -important archæological remains outside of what I term the Pacific -States, may be included in the two groups to which my closing chapters -are devoted, and the present volume may consequently present some -claim to be considered a comprehensive work on American Antiquities. - - * * * * * - -My treatment of the subject in this and the following chapter will, -however, differ considerably from that in those preceding. I have -hitherto proceeded geographically from south to north, placing before -the reader all the information extant, be it more or less complete, -respecting every relic in each locality, and giving besides in every -case the source whence the information was obtained. In this manner -the notes become a complete bibliographical index to the whole -subject, not an unimportant feature, I believe, of this work. In the -broad eastern region bordering on the Mississippi and its tributaries, -a region thickly inhabited, and thoroughly explored by antiquarians, -or at least comparatively so, so numerous are the relics and the -localities where they have been found, that to take them up one after -another for detailed description would require at least a volume; and -these relics, although of great importance, present so little variety -in the absence of all architectural monuments, that such a detailed -account could hardly fail to become monotonous to a degree -unparalleled even in the pages of the present volume. Moreover, the -books and other material in my possession, while amply sufficient, I -think, to furnish a clear idea of the Mississippi and South American -monuments, are of course inadequate to a continuation of the -bibliographical feature referred to. For these reasons I deem it best -to abandon the elaborate note-system hitherto followed, and shall -present a general rather than a detailed view of material relics -outside the Pacific States, formed from a careful study of what I -believe to be the best authorities, and illustrated by the cuts given -in Mr Baldwin's work.[XIII-1] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY.] - -Material relics of the aboriginal tribes are found in greater or less -abundance throughout the Eastern United States and the Canadas. But -those found in New England and the region east of the Alleghanies, -extending southward to the Carolinas, may be dismissed in an account -so general as the present with the remark that all are evidently the -work of the Indian tribes found in possession of the country, many of -them evidently and others probably having originated at a time -subsequent to the coming of Europeans. But whatever may be decided -respecting their antiquity, it may be regarded as absolutely certain -that none of them point to the existence of any people of more -advanced culture than the red race that came in contact with -Europeans. They consist for the most part of traces of Indian villages -or camps, burial grounds, small stone-heaps, scattered arrow-heads, -and some other rude stone implements. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: CLASSIFICATION OF REMAINS.] - -The great Mississippi Valley system of ancient works, consisting of -mounds and embankments of earth and stone, erected by the race known -as the Mound-builders, extends over a territory bounded in general -terms as follows: on the north by the great lakes; on the east by -western New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia in the north, but farther -south extending to the Atlantic coast and including Florida, Georgia, -and part of South Carolina; on the south by the Gulf of Mexico, -including Texas according to the general statements of most writers, -although I find no definite account of any remains in that state; on -the west by an indefinite line extending from the head of Lake -Superior through the states of Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Indian -Territory, although there are reported some remains farther west, -particularly on the upper Missouri, which have not been thoroughly -explored. The map in the accompanying cut is intended only to show the -reader at a glance the relative position of the states in the -territory of the Mound-builders. - - [Illustration: Map of the Territory of the Mound-Builders.] - -Throughout this broad extent of territory, but chiefly on the fertile -river-terraces of the Mississippi and its tributaries, the works of -the ancient inhabitants are found in great abundance, and may be -classified for convenience in description as follows:--I. Embankments -of earth or stone, and ditches, often forming enclosures, which are -subdivided by their location into, 1st, fortifications, and 2d, sacred -enclosures, or such as are supposed to have been connected with -religious rites. - -II. Mounds of earth or stone, of varying location, size, form, -material, and contents; divided by their form into, 1st, 'temple -mounds,' of regular outline and large dimensions, having flat summit -platforms, and often terraced sides with graded ascents; 2d, -'animal-mounds,' or those resembling in their ground plan the forms of -animals, birds, or even human beings; and 3d, conical mounds, which -are again subdivided according to their contents into 'altar-mounds' -or 'sacrificial mounds,' 'burial mounds,' and 'anomalous mounds,' or -such as are of mixed or undetermined character. - -III. Minor relics of aboriginal art, for the most part taken from the -mounds, including implements and ornaments of metal, stone, shell, and -bone. - -IV. Ancient mines, and perhaps a few salt-wells which bear marks of -having been worked by the aborigines. - -V. Rock-inscriptions. - -These different classes of remains, although sufficiently uniform in -their general character to indicate that the Mound-builders were of -one race, living under one grand system of institutions, still show -certain variations in the relative predominance of each class in -different sections of the territory. The Ohio River and its -tributaries would seem to have been in a certain sense the centre of -the Mound-builders' power, for here the various forms of enclosures -and mounds are most abundant and extensive, and their contents show -the highest advancement of aboriginal art. This section, including -chiefly the state of Ohio, but also parts of Kentucky, Indiana, -Tennessee, Illinois, and Missouri, was the ground embraced in the -explorations of Squier and Davis, by far the best authorities on -eastern antiquities. In the northern region, on the great lakes, on -which Lapham and Pidgeon are the prominent authorities, chiefly in -Wisconsin, but also in Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, and -Minnesota, animal-mounds are the prominent feature, the other classes -of mounds, and the enclosures, being of comparatively rare occurrence. -The animal-mounds occur in the central Ohio region only in a very few -instances, and never, so far as is known, in the south. In the -southern or gulf states the temple-mounds are more numerous in -proportion to other classes than in the north, and enclosures -disappear almost altogether. The southern antiquities have, however, -been comparatively little explored, Mr Jones' late work referring for -the most part only to the state of Georgia. - -Throughout the whole region traces of the tribes found by Europeans in -possession of the country are found; and besides the three territorial -divisions already indicated, it is noted that in the north-east, in -western New York and Pennsylvania, the works of the Mound-builders -merge so gradually into those of the later tribes, the only relics -farther east, that it becomes well-nigh impossible to fix accurately -the dividing line. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: REMAINS IN NEW YORK.] - -In many parts of western New York traces are found of Indian fortified -camps, surrounded by rows of holes in the ground, which once supported -palisades, and in all respects similar to those in use among the -Indians of the state in their wars against the whites. There are also -found low embankments of earth, or very rarely of small stones, which -form enclosures or cut off the approach to the weaker side of some -naturally strong position. Such embankments are always on hills, lake -or river terraces, or other high places, and are often protected on -one or more sides by morasses or by streams with steep banks. Their -strong natural position, with due regard to the water supply, -carefully planned means of exit, and in many instances graded roads to -the water, leaves no doubt of their original design as fortifications, -places of refuge and of protection against enemies. The slight height -of the embankments would suggest that they were thrown up to support -palisades; indeed, traces of these palisades have been found in some -cases. The practice of throwing up an embankment at the foot of -palisades, although seemingly a very natural one, does not, however, -seem to have been noticed among the Indian tribes of New York. In -nearly all the enclosures remains of the typical Indian _caches_ are -found, with carbonized maize, and traces of wood and bark; and in and -around them the sites of Indian lodges or towns are seen, indicated by -the presence of decomposed and carbonaceous matter, together with -burned stones, charcoal, ashes, bones, pottery, and Indian implements. -These circumstances go far to prove that all the New York works, if -not built by the Indians, were at least occupied by them after their -abandonment by the Mound-builders, from some of whose works they do -not differ much except in dimensions and regularity of form. - -The enclosures vary in extent from three to four acres, the largest -being sixteen acres. The embankments are from one to four feet high, -generally accompanied by an exterior ditch;--the highest is seven or -eight feet from bottom of ditch to top of embankment. Many such works -in a country so long under cultivation have of course disappeared. Mr -Squier ascertained the locality of one hundred of them in New York, -and estimates the original number at not less than two hundred and -fifty. - - * * * * * - -The works of the Mound-builders are almost exclusively confined to the -fertile valleys still best fitted to support a dense population. The -Mississippi and its tributaries have during the progress of the -centuries worn down their valleys in three or four successive -terraces, which, except the lowest, or latest formed, the ancient -peoples chose as the site of their structures, giving the preference -in rearing their grandest cities--for cities there must have been--to -the terrace plains near the junction of the larger streams. On these -plains and their surrounding heights, are found the ancient monuments, -generally in groups which include all or many of the classes named -above; for it is only for convenience in description that the -classification is made; that is, the classification is by no means to -any great extent a geographical one. I have already said that Ohio -was the centre, apparently, of the Mound-builders' power. Northward, -eastward, and perhaps westward from this centre, the works diminish in -extent, fortifications become a more prominent feature, and the -remaining monuments approximate perceptibly to those of the more -barbarous and later peoples. In fact, we find the modifications that -might naturally be expected in a frontier country. Southward from the -Ohio region down the Mississippi Valley, it is a common remark in the -various writings on the subject, that the monuments increase gradually -in magnitude and numbers. This statement seems to have originated, -partially at least, in the old attempt to trace the path of Aztec -migration southward. The only foundation for it is the fact that the -class of mounds called temple-mounds are in the south more numerous in -proportion to those of the other classes. The largest mound and the -most extensive groups are in the north; while the complicated -arrangement of sacred enclosures appears but rarely if at all towards -the gulf. It is not impossible that more extensive explorations may -show that the comparative numbers and size of the large temple-mounds -have been somewhat exaggerated. Yet the claims in behalf of Nahua -traces in the Mississippi region are much better founded than those -that have been urged in other parts of the country; although we have -seen that the chain is interrupted in the New Mexican country, and I -can find no definite record of temple-mounds in Texas. The total -number of mounds in the state of Ohio is estimated by the best -authority at ten thousand, while the enclosures were at least fifteen -hundred. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: FORTIFICATIONS.] - -I begin with the embankments and enclosures. They are found, almost -always in connection with mounds of some class, on the hills -overlooking the valleys, and on the ravine-bounded terraces left by -the current of rapid streams. The first, or oldest, terraces, with -bold banks from fifty to a hundred feet high, furnish the sites of -most of the works; on the lower intermediate terraces, whose banks -range from ten to thirty feet in height, they are also found, though -less frequently than above; while on the last-formed terrace below no -monuments whatever have ever been discovered. - -The embankments are simply earth, stones, or a mixture of the two, in -their natural condition, thrown up from the material which is nearest -at hand. There is no instance of walls built of stone that has been -hewn or otherwise artificially prepared, of the use of mortar, of even -rough stones laid with regularity, of adobes or earth otherwise -prepared, or of material brought from any great distance. The material -was taken from a ditch that often accompanies the embankment, from -excavations or pits in the immediate vicinity, or is scraped up from -the surface of the surrounding soil. There is nothing in the present -appearance of these works to indicate any difference in their original -form from that naturally given to earth-works thrown up from a ditch, -with sides as nearly perpendicular as the nature of the material will -permit. Of course, any attempt on the part of the builders to give a -symmetrical superficial contour to the works would have been long -since obliterated by the action of the elements; but nothing now -remains to show that they attached any importance whatever to either -material or contour. Stone embankments are rarely found, and only in -localities where the abundance of the material would naturally suggest -its use. In a few instances clay has been obtained at a little -distance, or dug from beneath the surface. - - [Sidenote: FORTIFIED HILLS.] - -Accordingly as they are found on the level plain, or on hill-tops or -other strong positions, enclosures are divided into fortifications and -sacred enclosures. Of the design of the first class there can be no -doubt, and very little respecting many of the second class, although -it is very probable that some of the latter had a different purpose, -not now understood. Naturally some works occur which have some of the -features of both classes. The fortifications are always of irregular -form as determined by the nature of the ground. - - [Illustration: Fortification--Butler Hill.] - -A fortification at Butler Hill, near Hamilton, Ohio, is shown in the -cut. The summit of the hill is two hundred and fifty feet above the -river, the enclosing wall is of earth and stones, five feet high, -thirty-five feet thick at the base, and unaccompanied by a ditch, -although there are some pits which furnished the material of the wall. -Two mounds or heaps of rough stones are seen within the enclosure and -one without, the stones of all showing marks of fire. - - [Illustration: Fort Hill, Ohio.] - -The next cut shows a work at Fort Hill, Ohio, which seems to unite the -characters of the two classes of enclosures. It measures twenty-eight -hundred by eighteen hundred feet, and is on the second terrace. The -wall along the creek side is of stones and clay, four feet high: the -other main walls are six feet high and thirty-five feet thick, with an -exterior ditch. The walls of the square enclosure at the side are of -clay, present some marks of fire, and have no ditch. Mr Squier -concludes that this was a fortified town rather than a fort like many -others. The walls of the enclosure shown in the following cut, on -Paint Creek, Ohio, are of stone, thirteen hundred feet in -circumference, and have no ditch. The heaps of stones connected with -this work have been exposed to excessive heat, either perhaps by being -used as fire signals, or by the burning of wooden structures which -they supported. In the works at Fort Ancient, on a mesa two hundred -and thirty feet above the Miami River, the embankment is four miles -long in an irregular line round the circumference, and in some parts -eighteen or twenty feet high. There are also some signs of artificial -terraces on the river side of the hill. A line of these defensive -works is found in northern Ohio, with which very few regular mounds or -sacred enclosures are connected. Pidgeon states that a single line of -embankment may be traced for seventeen miles, and that there are three -hundred and six miles of embankment fortifications in the state. It is -quite probable that these embankments originally bore palisades. They -vary in height from three to thirty feet, reckoning from the bottom of -the ditch; but this gives only a very imperfect idea of their original -dimensions, since in some localities the height has been much more -reduced by time than in others, owing to the nature of the material. -In hill fortifications the ditch is usually inside the wall, but when -the defences guard the approach to a terrace-point, the ditch is -always on the outside. The entrances to this class of enclosures are -governed by convenience of exit, accessibility of water, and -facilities for defence. They are usually guarded by overlapping walls -as shown in the cuts that have been presented. Several of the larger -fortifications, however, have a large number of entrances, generally -at regular intervals, which it is very difficult to account for. - - [Illustration: Fort near Bourneville.] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: SACRED ENCLOSURES.] - -Other enclosures are classed as sacred, or pertaining in some way to -religious rites, because no other equally satisfactory explanation of -their use can be given. That they were in no sense works of defence is -evident from their position, almost invariably on the most level spot -that could be selected and often overlooked by neighboring elevations. -Unlike the fortifications they are regular in form, the square and -circle predominating and generally found in conjunction, but the -ellipse, rectangle, crescent, and a great variety of other forms being -frequent, and several different forms usually occurring together. A -square with one or more circles is a frequent combination. The angles -and curves are usually if not always perfectly accurate, and the -regular, or sacred, enclosures probably outnumber by many the -irregular ones, although they are of lesser extent. Enclosed areas of -one to fifty acres are common. The groups are of great extent; one at -Newark, Ohio, covers an area of nearly four square miles. A remarkable -coincidence was noticed by Mr Squier in the dimensions of the square -enclosures, five or six of these having been found at long distances -from each other, which measured exactly ten hundred and eighty feet -square. Circles are, as a rule, smaller than the squares with which -they are connected, two hundred to two hundred and fifty feet being a -common size. The largest of the enclosures, with an area of some six -hundred acres, are those reported in the far west and north-west by -early travelers whose reports are not confirmed. - -The embankment itself differs from those already described only in -being, as a rule, somewhat lower and narrower, although at Newark one -is thirty feet high, and in being constructed with less exceptions -without the use of stones. The material as before was taken from the -surface, ditches, or from pits, which latter are often described as -wells, and may in some instances have served as such. - -The following cut represents a group at Liberty, Ohio, typical of a -large class in the Scioto Valley. The location is on the third -terrace, the embankments of earth are not over four feet high, there -is no ditch, and the earth seems to have been taken exclusively from -pits, which, contrary to the usual custom, are within the enclosure. -The square is one of those already spoken of as agreeing exactly in -dimensions with others at a distance. Additional dimensions are shown -in the cut. The enclosures, both square and round, usually include -several mounds. One at Mound City, square with rounded corners, -covering thirteen acres, has twenty-four sacrificial mounds within its -walls. At Portsmouth, there are four concentric circles, cut by four -broad avenues facing, with slight variation, the cardinal points, and -having a large terraced and truncated mound in the centre. The banks -of one enclosure near Newark measure thirty feet in height from the -bottom of the ditch; the usual height is from three to seven feet. - - [Illustration: Sacred Enclosures--Liberty.] - - [Illustration: Enclosure at Bourneville.] - - [Illustration: Works at Hopeton.] - -The circles often have an interior ditch; in some cases, as at -Circleville and Salem, there are two circular embankments one within -the other with a ditch between them; but there is only one instance of -an exterior ditch, in the work at Bourneville, Ohio, shown in the -first cut. The wall is from eight to ten feet high, and the ditch is -shallow. The larger circles have generally a single entrance, which is -usually, but not always, on the east. There are numerous small circles -from thirty to fifty feet in diameter, found in connection with groups -of large enclosures, which have very light embankments and no -entrances. These may very likely be the remains of lodges or camps. -The larger circles are almost invariably connected with squares or -rectangles, which have similar embankments but no ditches. These have -very commonly an entrance at each angle and one in the middle of each -side, but the larger squares have often many more entrances. - - [Illustration: View of Earth-works at Hopeton.] - -The second cut shows a group of sacred enclosures at Hopeton, Ohio, -located on the third terrace. The walls of the rectangle are of a -clayey loam, fifty feet thick and twelve feet high, without a ditch. -The summit is wide enough for a wagon road. The walls of the circle -are somewhat lower and composed of clay differing in color from that -found in the vicinity. The two smaller circles have interior ditches. -The cut gives a view of the same works as they appear from the east. -The parallel embankments in the south are one hundred and fifty feet -apart and extend half a mile to the bank of an old river bed. Two -hundred paces north of the large circle, and not shown in the cuts, is -another circle two hundred and fifty feet in diameter. - - [Illustration: Cedar Bank Enclosures.] - -The enclosure shown in the next cut is that at Cedar Bank, near -Chillicothe, Ohio, and seems to partake somewhat of the nature of a -fortification. The west side is naturally protected by the river bank, -and the other sides are enclosed by a wall and ditch, each forty feet -wide and five to six feet high or deep. The bed of a small stream -forms a natural ditch for one half of the eastern side. Within the -enclosure in a line with the entrances is a raised platform four feet -high, measuring one hundred and fifty by two hundred and fifty feet, -with graded ways thirty feet wide, leading to the summit. The -parallels outside the enclosure are three or four feet high. The -earth-work in Randolph County, Indiana, is sufficiently explained by -the cut. This work, like the preceding, would seem to have been -constructed partially with a view to defence. The work shown in the -next cut is part of a group in Pike County, Ohio. The circle is three -hundred feet in diameter. - - [Illustration: Parallel Embankments--Piketon.] - - [Illustration: Fortified Square--Indiana.] - - [Illustration: Earth-work in Pike County, Ohio.] - - [Sidenote: EARTH-WORKS.] - -The different enclosures of a group are often connected by parallel -embankments. Similar embankments protect the roads leading from -fortified works to the river bank or other source of water. Many are -not connected with any enclosures, though in their vicinity; and in -such cases they are very slight, from seven hundred to eight hundred -feet long, and sixty to eighty feet apart. Some of these parallels -were very likely raised roads instead of enclosed ones, as on the -Little Miami River, where the embankments extend about a quarter of a -mile from two mounds, forming a semicircle round a third, being a rod -wide and only three feet high. At Madison, Louisiana, there is a -raised way three feet high, seventy-five feet wide, and two thousand -seven hundred feet long, with broad excavations three feet in depth -extending on both sides for about two thirds its length. Two parallel -banks at Piketon, Ohio, are shown in the cut. They are ten hundred and -eighty feet long, two hundred and three feet apart at one end, and -two hundred and fifteen at the other; the height on the outside being -from five to eleven feet, but on the inside twenty-two feet at one -end. A modern carriage road now runs between the mounds. From the end -of one of them a slight embankment extends twenty-five hundred and -eighty feet to a group of mounds. - - [Sidenote: DITCHES AND MOUNDS.] - -In the north ditches seem never to occur, except with embankments; but -in the south, where embankments are rarely if ever found, ditches, or -moats, are sometimes employed to enclose other works, especially in -Georgia. Such a moat at Carterville communicates with the river, -extends to a pond perhaps artificial, and has two reservoirs, each of -an acre, connected with it. The mounds and other monuments are located -between the river and the moat. I have already spoken of the pits -which furnished earth for the various works, sometimes called wells; -some wells of another class, found in the bed of streams and supplied -with round covers, were found by Mr Squier to be the natural casts of -septaria, or imbedded nodules of hard clay. - - * * * * * - -The mound or heap form is the one most common in American antiquities -as in those of nearly the whole world. Mounds are found throughout the -Mississippi region as before bounded, and beyond its limits in many -directions they merge into the small stone heaps which are known to -have been thrown up by the Indians at road-crossings and over graves. -They are most numerous in the upper Mississippi and Ohio valleys, in -the same region where the embankments also most abound. As I have -said, the number in Ohio alone is estimated at more than ten thousand. -They are almost always found in connection with embankments and other -works of the different classes described, but they are also very -numerous in regions where enclosures rarely or never occur, as in -Wisconsin and in the gulf states. From the central region about the -junction of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio, they gradually -diminish in numbers in every direction, and also in size except -perhaps towards the south. They are found in valley and plain, on -hill-side and hill-top; isolated and in groups; within and without -enclosures; and at long distances from other works. By their location -alone no satisfactory classification could possibly be made; still, -when considered in connection with their contents and other -circumstances, their location assumes importance. By their forms the -tumuli are classified as temple-mounds, animal-mounds, and conical -mounds. - - [Sidenote: TEMPLE-MOUNDS.] - -Temple-mounds always have level summit platforms, and are supposed to -have once supported wooden structures, although no traces of such -temples remain. A graded road straight or winding, of gentler slope -than the sides of the mound, often leads to the top; and in many cases -the sides have one or more terraces. One in Tennessee, four hundred -and fifty feet in diameter and fifty feet high, has ten clearly marked -terraces, except on the east. The bases assume a variety of forms, -square, rectangular, octagonal, round, oval, etc., but the curves and -angles are always extremely regular. In the north they are usually -within enclosures, but in the south, where they are most numerous, -they have no embankments and are often arranged in groups, the smaller -about a larger central mound. In size the temple-mounds vary from a -height of five feet and a diameter of forty feet to ninety feet in -altitude and a base-area of eight acres. In respect to form, material, -structure, contents, and probable use they admit of no subdivision. -Like the embankments they are made of earth, or rarely of stones, -simply heaped up, with little care in the choice of material and none -at all in the order of deposit. - -The largest mound of this, or in fact of any, class is that at -Cahokia, Illinois. Its base measures seven hundred by five hundred -feet. The height is ninety feet. On one end above mid-height is a -terrace platform one hundred and sixty by three hundred and fifty -feet, and the summit area is two hundred by four hundred and fifty -feet, or nearly two acres, the base covering over eight acres. On the -top a small conical mound was found, with some human bones, a deposit -of doubtful antiquity. A mound is described at Lovedale, Kentucky, as -being of octagonal base, five feet high, with sides of a hundred and -fifty feet, three graded ascents, and two conical mounds on its -summit. Mr Jones states that parapet embankments, round the edge of -the summit, sometimes occur on the southern temple-mounds. - - [Illustration: Temple-Mound--Marietta, Ohio.] - -At Marietta, Ohio, are four mounds like that shown in the cut, within -a square enclosure. The height of this one is ten feet. The mound at -Seltzerton, Mississippi, forty feet in height, covers nearly six -acres, and has a summit area of four acres, on which are two conical -mounds, also forty feet high and thirty feet in diameter. The base is -surrounded with a ditch ten feet deep, an unusual feature. There are -said to be large adobe blocks in the northern slope of this pyramid, -and the same material is reported in other southern structures. These -reports require additional confirmation. - -The Messier Mound, in Early County, Georgia, differs in its location -from most temple-mounds, standing on the summit of a natural hill -which overlooks a broad extent of country. The artificial height is -fifty-five feet, and the summit area sixty-six by one hundred and -fifty-six feet. There are no traces of any means of ascent, and the -slopes are very steep. A ditch extends in a semicircle from corner to -corner at the southern end, and thence down the slope of the hill. An -excavation of two acres, twenty-five feet deep on an average, seems to -have furnished the earth for the mound. A round well, sixty feet in -diameter and forty feet deep is found at one end of the excavation. A -temple-mound in the Nacooche Valley, Georgia, is elliptical in form, -and has a summit area of sixty by ninety feet. - -An octagonal mound, forty-five feet high and one hundred and eighty -feet in diameter at the top, is located on a hill-top opposite the -city of Macon; it was formed of earth carried from the valley below. A -temple-mound at Mason's Plantation, on the Savannah River, has been -partly washed away by the water, which reveals along the natural -surface of the ground a stratum a foot thick of charcoal, baked earth, -ashes, broken pottery, shells, and bones of animals and birds, with a -few human bones. The mound, which is of the surrounding alluvial soil, -would seem to have been erected over a spot long occupied as an -encampment. This mound, and another near it, were originally enclosed -by a moat which communicated with the river, and widened on one side -into a broad lagoon. - -On Plunkett Creek, Georgia, is a mound of stones which has the -appearance of a temple-mound, having a summit area forty feet in -diameter. Stone is rarely used in structures of this class; perhaps -this was originally a conical mound. There seem to be few large mounds -in the south unaccompanied by ditches, which seem here to have been -introduced where embankments would have been preferred in the north. - -In a late number of the _Cincinnati Quarterly Journal of Science_ I -find described, unfortunately only on newspaper authority, a -remarkable temple-mound, near Springfield, Missouri, on a hill three -hundred feet high. It is of earth and stones, sixty two feet high, -five hundred feet in diameter at the base and one hundred and thirty -at the summit. A ditch, two hundred feet wide and five feet deep, -surrounds the base, and is crossed by a causeway, opposite which a -stairway of roughly hewn stones leads up the northern slope. The top -is covered by a platform of stone, in the centre of which lies a stone -ten by twelve feet, and eleven inches thick, hollowed in the middle. -This report without further confirmation must be considered a hoax--at -least so far as the stone steps, pavement, and altar are concerned. - - [Illustration: Mississippi Temple-Mounds.] - -The group of temple-mounds shown in the cut is in Washington County, -Mississippi. Others similar in many respects to these are found at -Madison, Louisiana. - -Temple-mounds are homogeneous and never stratified in their -construction, and contain no relics; that is, the object in their -erection was simply to afford a raised platform, with convenient means -of ascent. - - * * * * * - -Animal-mounds, the second class, are those that assume in their ground -plan various irregular forms, sometimes those of living creatures, -including quadrupeds, birds, reptiles, fishes, and in a few cases men. -Mounds of this class are very numerous in the north-west, particularly -in Wisconsin, and rarely occur further south, although there are a few -excellent specimens in Ohio. They are most abundant in fertile valleys -and rarely occur on the lake shore. Nine tenths of them are simple -straight, curved, or crooked embankments of irregular form, slightly -raised above the surface, bearing no likeness to any natural object. -In many, fancied to be like certain animals, the resemblance is -imaginary. Those shaped like a tapering club, with two knobs on one -side near the larger end--a very common figure--are called -'lizard-mounds;' add two other protuberances on the opposite side and -we have the 'turtle-mounds.' Yet a few bear a clear resemblance to -quadrupeds, birds, and serpents, and all evidently belong to the same -class and were connected with the religious ideas of the builders. -They are not burial mounds, contain no relics, are but a few feet at -the most above the ground, and are always composed of whitish clay, or -the subsoil of the country. Their dimensions on the ground are -considerable; rude effigies of human form are in some cases over one -hundred feet long; quadrupeds have bodies and tails each from fifty to -two hundred feet long; birds have wings of a hundred feet; -'lizard-mounds' are two and even four hundred feet in length; -straight and curved lines of embankment reach over a thousand feet; -and serpents are equally extensive. They are grouped without any -apparent order together with conical mounds, occasional embankments, -and few enclosures. They often form a line extending over a large -tract. In some cases the animal form is an excavation instead of a -mound, the earth being thrown up on the banks. An embankment in Adams -County, Ohio, on the summit of a hill much like those often occupied -by fortifications, is thought to resemble a monster serpent with -curved body and coiled tail, five feet high, thirty feet wide in the -middle, and over one thousand feet long if uncoiled. The jaws are wide -open and apparently in the act of swallowing an oval mound measuring -one hundred and sixty by eighty feet. On a hill overlooking Granville, -Ohio, is a mound six feet high and a hundred and fifty feet long, -thought to resemble the form of an alligator. Stones are rarely used -with the earth in the construction of animal-mounds, and only in a few -cases has the presence of ashes or other traces of fire been reported. - - * * * * * - -The third class of tumuli includes the conical mounds, mere heaps of -earth and stones, so far as outward appearance is concerned, generally -round, often oval, sometimes square with rounded corners, or even -hexagonal and triangular, in their base-forms, and varying in height -from a few inches to seventy feet, in diameter from three or four to -three hundred feet. A height of from six to thirty feet and a diameter -of forty to one hundred feet would probably include a larger part of -them. Of course the height has been reduced and the base increased by -the action of rains more or less in different localities according to -the material employed. Mounds of this class never have summit -platforms or any means of ascent. They are here as elsewhere in -America much more numerous than other mounds. Although so like one to -another in form, they differ widely in location and contents. They are -found on hill-tops and in the level plain. In the former case they are -either isolated, grouped round fortifications, or extend in long lines -at irregular intervals for many miles, suggesting boundary lines or -fire signals. In the valleys they stand alone, in groups, or in -connection with sacred enclosures. The groups are sometimes -symmetrical, as when a number of mounds are regularly arranged about a -larger central one, or are so placed as to form squares, circles, and -other regular figures; but often no systematic plan is observable. -Also in connection with the enclosures part of them are symmetrically -located with respect to entrances, angles, or temple-mounds; while -others are scattered apparently without fixed order. There are few -enclosures that do not have a mound opposite each entrance on the -inside. A complete survey and restoration would probably show many -mounds to belong to some regular system, that now appear isolated. - -The material of the mounds requires no remark in addition to what has -been said of other works. A large majority are simply heaps of the -earth nearest at hand. Stone mounds, or those of mixed materials, are -rare, and are chiefly confined to the hill-top structures. Most of the -earth mounds are homogeneous in structure, but some are regularly and -doubtless intentionally stratified. Some of them in the gulf states -are composed of shells, in addition to the shell-mounds proper formed -by the gradual deposit of refuse shells, the contents of which served -as food. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: CONTENTS OF THE MOUNDS.] - -The contents of the mounds should be divided into two great classes; -those deposited by the Mound-builders, and those of modern Indian or -European origin. The distinction is important, but difficult; and in -this difficulty is to be found the origin of many of the extraordinary -reports and theories. The Indians have always felt a kind of -veneration for the mounds as for something of mysterious origin and -purpose, and have used them as burial places. The Indian habit of -burying with their dead such articles as were prized by them when -living, is well known; as is also the value attached by them to -trinkets obtained by purchase or theft from Europeans. Consequently -articles of European manufacture, such as must have been obtained long -before the country was to any great extent occupied by the whites, are -often dug from the mounds and found elsewhere. The discovery of silver -crosses, gun-barrels, and French dials, does not, however, as Mr -Squier remarks, justify the conclusion that the Mound-builders "were -Catholics, used fire-arms, or spoke French." The mounds are usually -opened by injudicious explorers or by treasure-seekers, who have paid -little attention to the location of the relics found or the condition -of the surrounding soil. Museums and private collections are full of -spurious relics thus obtained. It is certain in some cases, and -probable in many more, that the mounds have been 'salted' with -specimens with a view to their early investigation. Yet many mounds -have been opened by scientific men, who have brought to light curious -relics, surely the work of the Mound-builders. Such relics are found -in the centre of the mounds, on or near the original surface of the -ground, with the surrounding material undisturbed. In the stratified -mounds any disturbance in the soil is easily detected, but with -difficulty in the others. Reports of unusual relics should be regarded -as not authentic unless accompanied by most positive proof. - - * * * * * - -Neither the embankments of sacred enclosures, the temple-mounds, nor -the animal-mounds, have been proved to contain any relics that may be -attributed to the original builders. Many of the conical mounds do -contain such relics, and by their contents or the lack of them, are -divided into altar-mounds, burial mounds, and anomalous mounds. - -Altar-mounds are always found within or near enclosures, and each one -is found to contain something like an altar, made of burned clay or -stone. The altars are generally of fine clay brought from some -distance, burned hard sometimes to a depth of twenty inches. They were -not burned before being put in place, but by the action of fires built -upon or round them. Such as were very slightly burned had no relics. -The stone altars are very rare, and are formed of rough slabs, and not -hewn from a single block. They are square, rectangular, round, and -oval; vary in size from two feet in diameter to fifteen by fifty feet, -but are generally from five to eight feet; are rarely over twenty -inches high; rest on or near the surface of the ground, in the centre -of the mound; and have a basin-shaped concavity on the top. The basin -is almost always filled with ashes, in which are the relics deposited -by the Mound-builders. Relics are much more numerous in the altar than -in the burial mounds, but as they are of the same class, both may best -be spoken of together. These altars are probably the structures spoken -of by early explorers and writers as hearths; there are reports that -some of them were made of burnt bricks. - -A peculiarity of the altar-mounds is that they are formed of regular -strata of earth, gravel, sand, clay, etc., which are not horizontal, -but follow the curve of the surface. The outer layer is commonly of -gravel. This stratification renders it easy to detect any modern -disturbance of the mounds, and makes the altar relics especially -interesting and valuable for scientific purposes. Over the ashes in -one altar-mound, were found plates of mica and some human bones. -Skeletons are often found near the surface of these mounds, the strata -above them being disturbed; in one case the Indians had penetrated to -the centre and deposited a body on the altar itself. Sir John Lubbock -inclines to the opinion that these were really sepulchral rather than -sacrificial mounds, although he had not personally examined them. -Whatever their use, they certainly constitute a clearly defined class -distinct from all others, and the name altar-mounds is as appropriate -as any other. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: BURIAL MOUNDS.] - -Unstratified mounds, never within enclosures and generally at some -little distance from them, containing human remains in their centres -and undoubtedly erected as places of sepulture, constitute the second -class, and are called burial mounds. The custom of heaping up a mound -over the dead was probably imitated for a long time by the tribes that -followed the Mound-builders, so that the relics from these mounds are -less satisfactory than those found on the altars. In the burial mounds -that may be most confidently ascribed to the Mound-builders, the human -remains are found in a situation corresponding to that of the altars. -They are usually enclosed in a frame-work of logs, a covering of bark -or coarse matting, or a combination of these, which have left only -faint traces. Of the skeleton only small fragments remain, which -crumble on exposure to the air. In some cases there are indications -that the body was burned before burial. Each mound contains, as a -rule, a single skeleton, generally but not always placed east and -west. Where several skeletons are found together, they are sometimes -placed in a circle with the heads towards the centre. The mounds never -contain large numbers of skeletons, and cannot be regarded as -cemeteries, but only as monuments reared over the remains of -personages high in rank. Very few skulls or bones are recovered -sufficiently entire to give any idea of the Mound-builders' physique, -and these few show no clearly defined differences from the modern -Indian tribes. Four or five burial mounds are often found in a group, -the smaller ones in such cases being grouped round a larger central -one, generally in contact with its base. Mr Lapham sketched mounds in -Wisconsin where the body is deposited in a central basin-shaped -excavation in the ground very much like those in Vancouver Island -already described. - -Of the eastern burial deposits not connected with the mounds I shall -say very little. It has already been stated that the mounds were in no -sense cemeteries. Only a favored few of what must have been a dense -population were honored by these sepulchral monuments. Obliged to seek -elsewhere the general depositories of the dead, we find them of -various classes in large numbers; but as yet very little has been done -towards identifying any of them as the resting-places of the -Mound-builders. There are many bone-pits, or trenches filled with -human bones, in the mound region; but some of the modern Indians are -well known to have periodically collected and deposited in pits the -bones of their dead. Large numbers of bodies have been found in the -caves of Kentucky and Tennessee, well preserved by the natural -deposits of saltpetre, and wrapped in skins, bark, or feather-cloth; -but the fact that such cloths were made and used by the southern -tribes, renders the origin of these bodies uncertain. Besides the -caves and trenches there are regular cemeteries, some of them very -extensive. Seven of these are reported about Nashville, Tennessee, -within a radius of ten miles, each being about a mile in extent. The -graves are of flat stones, lie in ranges, and contain skeletons much -decayed, with some relics. The coffins, or graves, vary from two to -six feet in length, and the smallest have sometimes been mentioned as -indicating a race of pigmies; it is evident, however, that in such -graves bones were not deposited until the flesh had been removed. -Sometimes there are traces of wooden coffins, in other cases there are -only stones at the head and feet, and often there is no trace of any -coffin. A few graves contain relics similar to those in the -altar-mounds, and were covered with large forest trees when first -seen by Europeans. Yet the comparatively well-preserved skeletons, and -the presence in many cases of iron and relics clearly modern, render -it well-nigh impossible to decide which, if any, of these cemeteries -contain the remains of the Mound-builders. - - [Illustration: Mound at Miamisburg.] - - [Sidenote: ANOMALOUS MOUNDS.] - -Mounds of the third class are called anomalous, and include all that -are not evidently either altar or burial mounds, or which have some -of the peculiarities of both classes; for instance, in an elliptical -mound an altar was found in one centre, and a skeleton in the other. -Most prominent among them are the hill-top heaps of earth, or--oftener -than in the plains below--of stone. These have as a rule few original -burial deposits, and no relics; are often near fortifications; and in -many cases bear the marks of fire. Their use cannot be accurately -determined, but they are generally regarded as watch-towers and fire -signal stations. Of course, comparatively few of the whole number of -conical mounds have been explored, but so far as examined they seem to -be about equally divided between the three classes. The mound shown -in the cut is at Miamisburg, Ohio, and its class is not stated. It is -sixty-eight feet high and eight hundred and fifty feet in -circumference. Shell-mounds abounding in relics of aboriginal work are -very numerous in the gulf states. - - * * * * * - -I shall pass briefly over the minor relics of aboriginal art since it -is impossible in this volume to present illustrative cuts of the -thousands of objects that have been found, or even of typical -specimens. Such relics as are incontestably the work of the -Mound-builders include articles of metal, stone, earthen ware, bone, -and shell. They include implements and ornaments, besides which many -are of unknown use. Most of the smaller specimens, whose use is -unknown, are called by Mr Dickeson and others aboriginal coins; -perhaps some of them did serve such a purpose. - -The only metals found in the mounds are copper and silver, the latter -only in very small quantities. A few gold trinkets have been reported, -but the evidence is not conclusive that such were deposited by the -Mound-builders. Iron ore and galena occur, but no iron or lead. - -Copper is found in native masses, and also hammered into implements -and ornaments. There is no evidence that this metal was ever obtained -from ore by smelting; it was all doubtless worked cold from native -masses by hammering. Concerning the locality where it was procured, -there is little or no uncertainty. The abundant deposits of native -copper about Lake Superior naturally suggest that region as the source -of the copper supply; the discovery of anciently worked mines -strengthens the supposition; and the finding among the mounds of -copper mixed with silver in a manner only found at Lake Superior, -makes the matter a certainty. The modern tribes also obtained some -copper from the same localities. The Mound-builders were ignorant of -the arts of casting, welding, and alloying. They had no means of -hardening their copper tools, being in this respect less advanced than -the Nahuas and Mayas. In fact copper implements are much more rare -than ornaments of the same metal. The implements include axes, -hatchets, adzes, knives, spear-heads, chisels, drills, etc. Ornaments -are in the form of rings, gorgets, medals, bracelets, and beads, with -a large variety of small articles of unknown use, some of them -probably used as money. Very small models of larger implements like -axes are often found, and were doubtless worn as ornaments. - -Silver is of much rarer occurrence than copper, was obtained probably -from the same region, and is almost invariably found in the form of -sheets hammered out very thin and closely wrapped about small -ornaments of copper or shell. So nicely is the wrapping done that it -often resembles plating. The gold whose discovery has been reported -has been in the form of beads and so-called coins. Mr Dickeson speaks -confidently of gold, silver, copper, and galena money left by the -Mound-builders. There is no evidence that the use of iron was known, -except the extreme difficulty of clearing forests and carving stone -with implements of stone and soft copper. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: ABORIGINAL POTTERY.] - - [Illustration: Earthen Vases from the Mounds.] - -Specimens of aboriginal pottery are very abundant, although much less -so within the mounds than elsewhere near the surface. Mr Squier says, -"various though not abundant specimens of their skill have been -recorded, which in elegance of model, delicacy, and finish, as also in -fineness of material, come fully up to the best Peruvian specimens, to -which they bear, in many respects, a close resemblance. They far -exceed anything of which the existing tribes of Indians are known to -have been capable." The specimens in the mound-deposits are, with very -few exceptions, broken. The material is usually a pure clay, -sometimes with a slight admixture of pulverized quartz or colored -flakes of mica, but such admixtures are much rarer than in modern -specimens. Notwithstanding their great regularity of form and beauty -of finish, none bear signs that the potter's wheel was used in their -construction, and no vessels are glazed by vitrification. They are -decorated with various graceful figures, including those of living -animals, cut in with sharp instruments. A few crucibles, capable of -withstanding intense heat, have been found, also terra-cotta images of -animals and men, and ornaments or coins in small quantities. -Pottery-kilns are found in the south, but that they were the work of -the Mound-builders has not been satisfactorily proven. Specimens of -the finer class of vases are shown in the cut. The first is of pure -clay with a slight silicious mixture. It is five and a half inches -high and six and a half in diameter, not over one sixth of an inch in -uniform thickness, pierced with four holes in the line round the rim, -dark brown or umber in color, and highly polished. The decorative -lines are cut in with a sharp instrument which left no ragged edges. -The second vase is of somewhat smaller size and coarser material; but -more elaborately ornamented and only one eighth of an inch in -thickness. - - [Sidenote: STONE IMPLEMENTS.] - -Stone implements are more abundant than those of any other material in -the altar-mounds and elsewhere. They include arrow and spear heads, -knives, axes, hatchets, chisels, and other variously formed cutting -instruments, with hammers and pestles. These are made of quartz and -other hard varieties of stone, all belonging to the mound region -except the obsidian. There is no doubt that obsidian implements were -used by the Mound-builders, and as this material is said not to be -found nearer than Mexico and California, it is perhaps as likely that -the implements were obtained by trade as that they were manufactured -in the country. Neither the obsidian knives, nor other stone weapons, -show any marked differences from those found in Mexico, Central -America, and most other parts of the world. Lance and arrow heads, -finished and in the rough, entire or more frequently broken by the -action of fire, are taken by hundreds and thousands from the -altar-mounds; several bushels of lance-heads of milky quartz were -found in one mound. It is a remarkable fact, however, that no weapons -whatever are found in burial mounds. Beads, rings, and other ornaments -of stone are often found, with a variety of anomalous articles whose -use is more or less imperfectly understood. Besides weapons and -knives, pipes are the articles most abundant, and on which the -Mound-builders expended most lavishly their skill, carving the bowls -into a great variety of beautiful forms, at what must have been an -immense outlay of labor. A remarkable peculiarity of their -pipe-carvings is that accurate representations are given of different -natural objects instead of the rude caricatures and monstrosities in -which savage art usually delights. Nearly every beast, bird, and -reptile indigenous to the country is truthfully represented, together -with some creatures now only found in tropical climates, such as the -lamantin and toucan. The pipes generally consist of a bowl rising from -the centre of the convex side of a curved base, one end of which -serves as a handle and the other is pierced for a stem. They are -always cut from a single piece, the material being generally a hard -porphyry, oftenest red, and strongly resembling in some cases the red -pipe-stone of the Coteau des Prairies. The locality where this pipe -material was obtained is unknown. Many of the sculptured figures show -skillful workmanship and a high polish; I think that many of them are -not inferior to the products of Nahua and Maya skill. Some rude stone -images of unknown use have been found at various points, but I am not -aware that any relics have been authentically reported from the -altar-mounds which indicate that the ancient people were worshipers of -idols. Mica is the mineral most common in both altar and burial -mounds, where it occurs in plates cut into a great variety of forms. -Some of them have been conjectured to have served as mirrors. Bushels -are sometimes deposited in a single mound. Pieces of coal artificially -formed are included by Dickeson among his aboriginal coins. - - * * * * * - -Bones of indigenous animals are found worked into daggers, awls, and -similar implements; or as ornaments in the form of beads. Similar use -was made of the teeth and talons of beasts and birds. Teeth of the -bear, wolf, panther, alligator, and shark, have been found, some of -the latter being fossils, together with large quantities of teeth -resembling those of the whale, but not fully identified. - -Five varieties of marine shells, all from the gulf shores, have been -examined, with pearls whose size and numbers prove that they are not -of fresh-water origin. Both are used for ornaments, chiefly in the -form of beads. Pearls are also found in a few instances serving as -eyes for animal and bird sculptures. Some articles of bone and shell -have been mistaken for ivory and accredited with an Asiatic origin, -through ignorance that their material is found on the shores of the -gulf. Many articles found in the mounds, and not perhaps included in -the preceding general description, are interesting, but could only be -described in a detailed account, for which I have no space; but most -relics not thus included are of doubtful authenticity, and a doubtful -monument of antiquity should always be attributed to modern times. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: ANCIENT MINES.] - -The ancient miners have left numerous traces of their work in the -region of Lake Superior. At one place a piece of pure copper weighing -over five tons was found fifteen feet below the surface, under trees -at least four hundred years old. It had been raised on skids, bore -marks of fire, and some stone implements were scattered about. There -is no evidence that the tribes found in possession of the country by -the first French missionaries ever worked these mines, or had any -tradition of a people that had worked them, although both they and -their ancestors had copper knives hammered from lumps of the metal, -which are very commonly found on the surface. All the traditions and -Indian stories of 'mines' may most consistently be referred to these -natural superficial deposits. The ancient mines were for the most part -in the same localities where the best modern mines are worked. Most of -them have left as traces only slight depressions in the surface, the -finding of which is regarded by prospectors as a tolerably sure -indication of a rich vein of copper. The cut represents a section of -one of the veins of copper-bearing rock worked by the ancient miners. -The mass of copper at _a_ weighed about six tons. At the top a portion -of the stone had been left across the vein as a support. Copper -implements, including wedges used in mining as 'gads,' are found in -and about the old mines; with hammers of stone, mostly grooved for -withe handles. Some weigh from thirty to forty pounds and have two -grooves; others again are not grooved at all. In one case remains of a -handle of twisted cedar-roots were found, and much-worn wooden shovels -often occur. There are no enclosures, mounds, or other traces of a -permanent settlement of the Mound-builders in the mining region. It is -probable that the miners came each summer from the south; in fact, it -would have been impossible to work the mines in winter by their -methods. - - [Illustration: Section of an old Copper Mine.] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: ROCK-INSCRIPTIONS.] - -Nearly all the coins, medals, stone tablets, etc., that have been -discovered within the region occupied by the Mound-builders, bearing -inscriptions in regular apparently alphabetic characters, may be -proved to be of European origin; and the few specimens that do not -admit of such proof should of course be attributed to such an origin -in the absence of conclusive evidence to the contrary. Rude -delineations of men, animals, and other recognizable objects, -together with many arbitrary, perhaps conventional, characters, are of -frequent occurrence on the walls of caves, on perpendicular -river-cliffs, and on detached stones. They are sometimes incised, but -usually painted. Most bear a strong resemblance to the artistic -efforts of modern tribes; and those which seem to bear marks of a -greater antiquity, have by no means been identified as the work of the -Mound-builders. These eastern rock-inscriptions do not call for -additional remarks, after what has been said of similar carvings in -other regions. Many of the figures have a meaning to those who make -them, but that meaning, as in all writings of this class, perishes -with the artist and his immediate times. Attempts by zealous -antiquaries to penetrate the signification of particular -inscriptions--as that on Dighton Rock, Massachusetts, and other -well-known examples--have failed to convince any but the determined -advocate of such theories as seem to derive support from the so-called -translation. My father saw a stone tablet taken from a stone mound -near Newark, covered with carved characters, which the clergyman of -the town pronounced to be the ten commandments in ancient Hebrew. I -have no doubt that the figures did closely resemble the ancient Hebrew -in one respect at least--that is, in being equally unfamiliar to the -clergyman. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: CONCLUSIONS.] - -Without taking up here the various theories respecting the origin, -history, and disappearance of the Mound-builders, it may be well to -express in a few brief conclusions what may be learned of this people -by an examination of the monuments which they have left. - -They were a numerous people, as is sufficiently proved by the -magnitude and geographical extent of their works. They were probably -_one_ people, that is, composed of tribes living under similar laws, -religion, and other institutions. Such variations as are observed in -the monuments are only those that would naturally occur between -central and frontier regions, although the animals-mounds of the -north-west present some difficulties. The Mound-builders were an -agricultural people. Tribes that live by hunting never build extensive -public works, neither would the chase support a sufficiently large -population for the erection of such works. Moreover, the location of -the monuments in the most fertile sections goes far to confirm this -conclusion. Some of the larger enclosures have been supposed,--only by -reason of their size, however,--to have been cultivated fields; and -evident traces of an ancient cultivation are found, although not -clearly referable to the Mound-builders. - -There is nothing to show an advanced civilization in the modern sense -of the word, but they were civilized in comparison with the roving -hunter-tribes of later times. They knew nothing of the use of metals -beyond the mere hammering of native masses of copper and silver; they -built no stone structures; they had seemingly made no approach to the -higher grades of hieroglyphic writing. Their civilization as recorded -by its material relics consisted of a knowledge of agriculture; -considerable skill in the art of fortification; much greater skill -than that of the Indians in the manufacture of pottery and the carving -of stone pipes; the mathematical knowledge displayed in the laying-out -of perfect circles and accurate angles, and in the correspondence in -size between different works. Their earth-works show more perseverance -than skill; no one of them necessarily implies the use of mechanical -aids to labor; there is none that a large number of men might not -construct by carrying earth in simple baskets. - -All traces of their architecture have disappeared. It has been -suggested that were the temples yet standing on their pyramidal -foundations, they might compare favorably with those of Central -America and Mexico. But the construction of wooden edifices with any -pretensions to grandeur and symmetry, by means of stone and soft -copper tools, seems absolutely impossible; at least such structures -would require infinitely greater skill than that displayed by the -Nahuas and Mayas, and it is more reasonable to suppose that the -temples of the Mound-builders were rude wooden buildings. - -The monuments imply a wide-spread religious system under a powerful -priesthood; private devotion manifests itself on a scale less -magnificent, and one involving less hard work. Of their rites we know -nothing. The altar-mounds suggest sacrifice; burned human bones, human -sacrifice. Gateways on the east, and the east and west direction of -embankments and skeletons may connect worship with the sun; but all is -conjecture. No idols, known to be such, have been found; the -cemeteries, if any of them belong to the Mound-builders, show no -uniform usage in burial. The ancient people lived under a system of -government considerably advanced, more than likely in the hands of the -priesthood, but of its details we know nothing. A social condition -involving some form of slavery would be most favorable for the -construction of such works. - -The monuments described are not the work of the Indian tribes found in -the country, nor of any tribes resembling them in institutions. Those -tribes had no definite tradition even of past contact with a superior -people, and it is only in the south among the little-known Natchez, -that slight traces of a descent from, or imitation of, the -Mound-builders appear. Most and the best authorities deem it -impossible that the Mound-builders were even the remote ancestors of -the Indian tribes; and while inclined to be less positive than most -who have written on the subject respecting the possible changes that -may have been effected by a long course of centuries, I think that the -evidence of a race locally extinct is much stronger here than in any -other part of the continent. - -The monuments are not sufficient in themselves to absolutely prove or -disprove the truth of any one of the following theories: 1st. An -indigenous culture springing up among the Mississippi tribes, founded -on agriculture, fostered by climate and other unknown circumstances, -constantly growing through long ages, driving back the surrounding -walls of savagism, but afterwards weakened by unknown causes, yielding -gradually to savage hordes, and finally annihilated or driven in -remnants from their homes southward. 2d. A colony from the southern -peoples already started in the path of civilization, growing as before -in power, but at last forced to yield their homes into the possession -of savages. 3d. A migrating colony from the north, dwelling long in -the land, gradually increasing in power and culture, constantly -extending their dominion southward, and finally abandoning voluntarily -or against their will, the north for the more favored south, where -they modified or originated the southern civilization. - -The last theory, long a very popular one, is in itself less consistent -and receives less support from the relics than the others. The second, -which has some points in common with the first, is most reasonable and -best supported by monumental and traditional evidence. The -temple-mounds strongly resemble in their principal features the -southern pyramids; at least they imply a likeness of religious ideas -in the builders. The use of obsidian implements shows a connection, -either through origin, war, or commerce, with the Mexican nations, or -at least with nations who came in contact with the Nahuas. There are, -moreover, several Nahua traditions respecting the arrival on their -coasts from the north-east, of civilized strangers. There is very -little evidence that the Mound-builders introduced in the south the -Nahua civilization, and none whatever that the Aztec migration started -from the Mississippi Valley, but I am inclined to believe that there -was actually a connection between the two peoples; that the -Mound-builders, or those that introduced their culture, were -originally a Nahua colony, and that these people may be referred to in -some of the traditions mentioned. Without claiming to be able to -determine exactly the relation between the Mound-builders and Nahuas, -I shall have something further to say on this subject in another -volume. - - [Sidenote: ANTIQUITY OF THE MONUMENTS.] - -The works were not built by a migrating people, but by a race that -lived long in the land. It seems unlikely that the results attained -could have been accomplished in less than four or five centuries. -Nothing indicates that the time did not extend to thousands of years, -but it is only respecting the minimum time that there can be any -grounds for reasonable conjecture. If we suppose the civilization -indigenous, of course a much longer period must be assigned to its -development than if it was introduced by a migration--or rather a -colonization, for civilized and semi-civilized peoples do not migrate -en masse. Moreover a northern origin would imply a longer duration of -time than one from the south, where a degree of civilization is known -to have existed. - -How long a time has elapsed since the Mound-builders abandoned their -works? Here again a minimum estimate only can be sought. No work is -more enduring than an embankment of earth. There is no positive -internal proof that they were not standing one, five, or ten thousand -years ago. The evidences of an ancient abandonment of the works, or -serious decline of the builders' power, are as follows:--1st, the fact -that none of them stand on the last-formed terrace of the rivers, most -on the oldest terrace, and that those on the second bear in some cases -marks of having been invaded by water. The rate of terrace-forming -varies on different streams, and there are no sufficient data for -estimating in years the time required for the formation of any one of -the terraces, at least scientific men are careful not to give a -definite opinion in the matter; but it is evident that each required -a very long period, and the last one a much longer time than any of -the others, on account of the gradual longitudinal leveling of the -river-beds. 2d. The complete disappearance of all wooden structures, -which must have been of great solidity. 3d. The advanced state of -decomposition of human bones in a soil well calculated for their -preservation. Skeletons are found in Europe well preserved at a known -age of eighteen hundred years. 4th. The absence of the Mound-builders -from the traditions of modern tribes. Nothing would seem more likely -to be preserved in mythic or historic traditions than contact with a -superior people, and the mounds would serve to keep the traditions -alive. 5th. The fact that the monuments were covered in the -seventeenth century with primitive forests, uniform with those which -covered the other parts of the country. In this latitude the age of a -forest tree may be much more accurately determined than in tropical -climates; and trees from four to five hundred years old have been -examined in many well-authenticated cases over mounds and embankments. -Equally large trees in all stages of decomposition were found at their -feet on and under the ground, so that the abandonment of the works -must be dated back at least twice the actual age of the standing -trees. It is a fact well known to woodsmen that when cultivated land -is abandoned the first growth is very unlike the original forest, both -in the species and size of the trees, and that several generations -would be required to restore the primitive timber. Consequently a -thousand years must have passed since some of the works were -abandoned. The monuments of the Mississippi present stronger internal -evidence of great antiquity than any others in America, although it by -no means follows that they are older than Palenque and Copan. The -height of the Mound-builders' power should not, without very positive -external evidence, be placed at a later date than the fifth or sixth -century of our era. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[XIII-1] The chief authorities consulted for this chapter on the -remains of the Mississippi Valley, are the following: - - _Squier and Davis_, _Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi - Valley_. Washington, 1848. _Squier's Antiquities of the - State of New York_. _Id._, _Observations on Aboriginal - Monuments of the Mississippi Valley_. New York, 1847. - _Id._, _Serpent Symbol_. - - _Atwater's Antiquities of Ohio_, and other accounts in the - _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transactions_. - - _Schoolcraft's Archives of Aboriginal Knowledge._ - - _Warden_, _Recherches sur les Antiquités de l'Amérique du - Nord_. - - _Jones' Antiquities of the Southern Indians._ - - _Pidgeon's Traditions of Decoodah._ - - _Lapham's Antiquities of Wisconsin._ Washington, 1853. - - _Whittlesey's Ancient Mining on the Shores of Lake - Superior._ - - _Bradford's American Antiquities._ - - _Foster's Pre-Historic Races._ - - _Id._, _Mississippi Valley_. - - _Smithsonian Institution, Reports._ - - _Tylor's Researches._ - - _American Ethnological Soc., Transactions._ - - _Dickeson's Amer. Numismatic Manual._ - - _Bancroft, A. A._, _Antiquities of Licking County, Ohio_. - MS. The writer of this manuscript, my father, was for - fifty years a resident of Licking County, where he has - examined more or less carefully about forty enclosures and - two hundred mounds. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -PERUVIAN ANTIQUITIES. - - TWO EPOCHS OF PERUVIAN CIVILIZATION -- ABORIGINAL - GOVERNMENT, RELIGION, AND ARTS -- CONTRASTS -- THE HUACAS - -- HUMAN REMAINS -- ARTICLES OF METAL -- COPPER IMPLEMENTS - -- GOLD AND SILVER VASES AND ORNAMENTS -- USE OF IRON - UNKNOWN -- ABORIGINAL ENGINEERING -- PAVED ROADS -- - PERUVIAN POTTERY -- RUINS OF PACHACAMAC -- MAUSOLEUM OF - CUELAP -- GRAN-CHIMÚ -- HUACA OF MISA -- TEMPLE OF THE SUN - -- REMAINS ON THE ISLAND OF TITICACA -- CHAVIN DE HUANTA - -- HUANUCO EL VIEJO -- CUZCO -- MONUMENTS OF TIAHUANACO -- - ISLAND OF COATI. - - -I conclude with a short chapter on Peruvian antiquities, made up for -the most part from the work of Rivero and Tschudi, and illustrated -with the cuts copied from that work for Mr Baldwin's account.[XIV-1] -Ancient Peru included also modern Ecuador, Bolivia, and a large part -of Chili; and the most remarkable monuments of antiquity are -considered the works of a people preceding that found by Pizarro in -possession of the country, and bearing very much the same relation to -the subjects of the Incas as the ancient Mayas bore to the Quichés of -Guatemala, or perhaps the Toltecs to the Aztecs. The Peruvians that -came into contact with the Spaniards were superior in some respects to -the Aztecs. At least equally advanced in the various mechanical and -fine arts, except sculpture and architectural decoration, they lived -under as perfect a system of government, and rendered homage to less -bloodthirsty gods. They kept their records by means of _quipus_, or -knotted strings, a method probably as useful practically as the Aztec -picture-writing, but not so near an approach to an alphabet; while the -more ancient nations have left nothing to compare with the -hieroglyphic tablets of Central America, and the evidence is far from -satisfactory that they possessed any advanced art in writing. It will -be seen from the specimens to be presented that their architecture, -though perhaps more massive than that of Mayas or Nahuas, is not on -the whole of a superior character. The most marked contrasts are found -in the occurrence in Peru of cyclopean structures, the use of larger -blocks of stone, the comparative absence of the pyramidal foundations, -of architectural and hieroglyphic sculpture, and the more extensive -use of adobes as a building-material. - - [Sidenote: METALLIC RELICS.] - - [Illustration: Peruvian Copper Implements.] - - [Illustration: Golden Vase from Peru.] - -_Huaca_ is the Peruvian name for any venerated or holy structure, but -is usually applied to the conical mounds of the country, mostly mounds -of sepulture. Thousands of these have been opened and from them have -been taken a great variety of relics, together with preserved mummies -wrapped in native cloth. The relics include implements and ornaments -of metal, stone, bone, shell, and wood. The Peruvians seem to have had -a more abundant supply of metals than the civilized nations of North -America, and to have been at least equally skillful in working them. -The cuts show specimens of copper cutting implements, of which a great -variety are found. Besides copper, they had gold and silver in much -greater abundance than the northern artisans, and the arts of melting, -casting, soldering, beating, inlaying, and carving these metals, were -carried to a high degree of perfection. Every one has read the -marvelous accounts, naturally exaggerated, but still with much -foundation in truth, of the immense quantities of gold obtained by the -Spaniards in Peru; of the room filled with golden utensils by the -natives as a ransom for the Inca Atahuallpa. A golden vase is shown in -the cut. Large quantities of gold have been taken in more modern times -from the huacas, where it was doubtless placed in many cases to keep -it from the hands of the conquerors. Most of the articles have of -course gone to the melting-pot, but sufficient specimens have been -preserved or sketched to show the degree of excellence to which the -Peruvian smiths had attained. The following cut shows a silver vase. -The search for treasure in the huacas still goes on, and is not always -unrewarded. Tin, lead, and quicksilver are said to have been worked by -the natives. Iron ore is very abundant in Peru, but the only evidence -that iron was used is the difficulty of executing the native works of -excavation and cutting stone without it, and the fact that the metal -had a name in the native language. No traces of it have ever been -found. The cut shows two copper tweezers. - - [Illustration: Silver Vase from Peru.] - - [Illustration: Copper Implements from Peru.] - - [Sidenote: ABORIGINAL ROADS.] - -Among the most remarkable Peruvian remains are the paved roads which -crossed the country in every direction, especially from north to -south. Two of the grandest highways extended from the region north of -Quito southward to Cuzco, and according to some authors still farther -to Chili. One runs over the mountains, the other chiefly through the -plains. Their length is at least twelve hundred miles, and the grading -of the mountain road presented, as Mr Baldwin believes, far greater -difficulties than the Pacific Railroad. These roads are from eighteen -to twenty-six feet wide, protected at the sides by a thick wall, and -paved generally with stone blocks, but sometimes with a mixture of -cement and fine stone--an aboriginal infringement on the 'Macadam' -process. The highways followed a straight course, and turned aside for -no obstacle. Ravines and marshes were filled up with masonry, and the -solid rock of the mountains was cut away for many miles. But when -rivers were encountered, light suspension bridges seem to have been -resorted to instead of massive stone bridges. It is true that the most -glowing accounts of these roads are found in the writings of the -Conquistadores, and that only ruined portions now remain; but the -reports of Humboldt and others, respecting the remains, leave little -doubt of their former imposing character. - - [Illustration: Peruvian Pottery.] - -Articles of pottery, of which three specimens are shown in the cuts, -are at least equal in material and finish to those produced by Nahua -and Maya potters. The finest specimens are vases found in sepulchral -deposits, and many utensils designed for more common use are preserved -by the present inhabitants, and are preferred for their solidity to -the work of modern potters. Small images of human and animal forms in -terra cotta, as in gold and silver, are of even more frequent -occurrence than utensils. There is no evidence that the images were -fashioned with a different purpose here and in the north; some were -simply ornaments, a few probably portraits, others miniature deities, -deposited from superstitious motives with the dead. - - [Illustration: Peruvian Pottery.] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: CITY OF THE INCAS.] - -About twenty miles south of Lima, in the valley of Lurin, and -overlooking the sea, are the ruins of Pachacamac, shown in the cut. -This was a city of the Incas, that is, it belonged to the later period -of Peruvian civilization. All the structures were built of adobes, and -are much dilapidated. The Temple of the Sun stands on a hill six -hundred feet high, the upper portion of which shows traces of having -been divided into terraces over thirty feet high and five to eight -feet wide. The adobe wall which surrounds the temple is from eight to -eleven feet thick, and is only standing to the height of four to five -feet. The ruined structures are very numerous, and on one of the inner -walls some traces of red and yellow paint are visible. - - [Illustration: Ruins of Pachacamac.] - -In the district of Santo Tomas in the north, at Cuelap, a grand and -peculiar ruin is described by Sr Nieto in an official government -report. A mass--of earth, probably, although not fully examined in the -interior--is faced with a solid wall of hewn stone, and is thirty-six -hundred feet long, five hundred and seventy feet wide, and one hundred -and fifty feet in perpendicular height. On the summit stands another -similar structure six hundred by five hundred feet and also one -hundred and fifty feet high. The lower wall is pierced with three -entrances to an inclined plane leading in a curved line to the summit, -with sentry-boxes at intervals and on the summit. These passages are -six feet wide at the base but only two at the top, and those of the -second story are similar. In both stories there are chambers, in the -walls of which and in the outer walls there are small niches -containing skeletons. Some of the upper chambers are paved with large -flat stones, on each of which lies a skeleton. The report of this -immense structure is probably founded on fact but greatly exaggerated. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF GRAN-CHIMÚ.] - - [Illustration: Adobe Walls at Gran-Chimú.] - - [Illustration: Decorations at Gran-Chimú.] - -The ruins of Gran-Chimú, in the vicinity of Truxillo, cover an area of -three quarters of a league, and beyond these limits are seven or eight -great enclosures with adobe walls, in some of which are conical -mounds, or huacas, and some traces of buildings. The two principal -structures, called palaces, are surrounded by walls one hundred and -forty feet high, sixteen feet thick at the base, but tapering to three -or four feet at the top. Round one of the palaces the wall is double, -as shown by the section in the cut. The English translation of Rivero, -instead of surrounding one of the palaces with a double wall like the -original, represents one wall as being twice as high and thick as the -other. These walls, like all the structures of Gran-Chimú, are of -adobes nine by eighteen inches, resting on a foundation of rough -stones laid in clay. In connection with the larger palace is a square -containing apartments, the walls of which are a conglomerate of gravel -and clay, smooth, and whitewashed on the interior. There are also -plazas and streets regularly laid out, and a reservoir which by a -subterranean aqueduct was supplied with water from the Rio Moche two -miles distant. This palace--and by palace, a group of edifices within -an enclosure, rather than a single edifice, seems to be meant--has two -entrances, one in the middle of each long side. The second palace is -one hundred and twenty five yards further east, and is also divided by -squares and narrow streets. At one end is the huaca of Misa, -surrounded by a low wall, pierced by galleries and rooms in which have -been found mummies, cloths, gold and silver, implements, and a wooden -idol with pieces of pearl-shell. All the inner walls are built of a -mass of clay and gravel or of adobes. The cut shows specimens of the -ornamentation, which seem to bear outwardly a slight resemblance to -the mosaic work of Mitla, although the method of their construction is -not explained. "Outside of these notable edifices, there is an -infinite number of squares and small houses, some round and others -square, which were certainly dwellings of the lower classes, and -whose great extent indicates that the population must have been very -large." Among the ruins are many truncated conical mounds, or huacas, -of fine gravel, from some of which interesting relics and large -quantities of gold have been taken. The so-called Temple of the Sun is -three quarters of a league east of the city near Moche, in connection -with which are several adobe structures, one of them, perhaps the -temple itself, so far as may be determined by Rivero's vague account, -made worse than vague in the English translation, is a regular pyramid -of adobes. It is four hundred and fourteen by four hundred and thirty -feet at the base, three hundred and forty-five feet wide on the -summit, and over eighty feet high, built in terraces, pierced with a -gallery through the centre, and affording a fine view of the sea and -the city of Truxillo. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF HUANUCO.] - - [Illustration: Ruin at Titicaca.] - -The cut represents a ruin on the Island of Titicaca in the lake of -the same name. These island remains are among the oldest of Peruvian -antiquities, and all the structures are built of hewn stone. -Respecting these ruins we only learn from the explorers that "though -not very imposing" they are well preserved, "with windows and doors, -with posts and thresholds of hewn stone also, these being wider below -than above." Another ruin on the same island is shown in the cut on -the following page. - -At Chavin de Huanta the structures are built of hewn stone very -accurately joined without any mortar in sight on the outside, and a -rubble of rough stones and clay on the inside. In a building spoken of -as a fortress there is a covered way with rooms at its sides, all -covered with sandstone blocks about twelve feet long. The walls are -six feet thick, and in the interior is the opening to a subterranean -passage which is said to lead under the river to another building. In -the gallery human bones and some relics were found. The modern town is -built mostly over the ruins of an ancient aqueduct, and a bridge over -the stream is built of three immense stones, each over twenty feet -long, taken from the fort. The ancient people were especially skillful -in the construction of aqueducts, some of which were reported by the -early writers as several hundred miles in length, and a few of which -of less extent are still in actual use. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF HUANUCO.] - - [Illustration: El Mirador--Huanuco.] - - [Illustration: Ruins at Titicaca.] - -The cut represents the Mirador, or look-out, at Huanuco el Viejo. -This structure measures about one hundred by one hundred and sixty -feet at the base, and is about fifteen feet high, in a pyramidal form -without terraces and furnished with a parapet wall enclosing the -summit platform. The foundation is of rough stones, which form two -steps projecting four or five feet, not clearly indicated in the cut. -The walls or facings are of hewn blocks of limestone about four feet -and a half long by a foot and a half thick. The blocks are very -accurately cut and laid in cement. The interior is filled with gravel -and clay, with a concavity in the centre popularly supposed to -communicate by means of a subterranean gallery with the palace some -half a mile distant. From a doorway in the parapet wall on the south -an inclined plane--which seems often to have taken the place of a -stairway in Peru--leads down to the ground. On the wall at each side -of the entrance crouches an animal in stone, so much damaged that its -kind cannot be determined. - - [Illustration: Gateway at Huanuco.] - -Another noted ruin at Huanuco is that whose entrance is shown in the -cut. The walls are of round stones irregularly laid in mortar, a kind -of rubble called by the Peruvians _pirca_, but the gateway, shown in -the cut, is built of hewn blocks three varas--as Rivero says, probably -meaning feet--by one and a half. The lintel is one stone block eleven -feet long, and the inclined posts are said to be of one piece, -although the cut indicates that each is composed of four. The animals -sculptured over the gateway at the sides are called monkeys by Rivero. -Within the structure there are five similar gateways shown in the -preceding cut and in the following ground plan. In the interior are -rooms of cut stone, with niches in the walls, an aqueduct, and a -reservoir. The quarries that supplied the stone for the Huanuco -structures are still seen about half a mile away. Many traces of -buildings of round stones in clay are found in the same vicinity. - - [Illustration: Ground Plan--Huanuco.] - -Near Chupan, a tower is mentioned on the verge of a precipice -overhanging the Rio Marañon. In the district of Junin there is a line -or system of fortifications on the precipitous cliffs of a ravine, -built mostly of micaceous slate. At Cuzco are some remains of the city -of the Incas, and there is said to be some evidence that this city was -founded on the ruins of another of an earlier epoch; the latter -including part of the fortification of Ollantaytambo, built of stones -cut in irregular forms, some of them of great size, and very neatly -joined. - - [Sidenote: MONUMENTS OF TIAHUANACO.] - -The ruins at Tiahuanaco, ten or twelve miles from Lake Titicaca, are -considered among the most ancient in Peru. They include stones from -fifteen to twenty feet high, some cut, others rough, standing in rows. -All the structures were in a very dilapidated condition when the -Spaniards came, and some very large stone statues in human form were -found, with stone columns. One of the most interesting monuments is -the monolithic doorway shown in the cut. The opening is seventy-six -inches high and thirty-eight wide. Rivero and Tschudi represent the -sculptured figures in the small squares as being profiles of the human -face instead of those shown in Baldwin's cut. There were several of -these doorways. Several idols and some very large blocks of cut stone -were dug up in 1846, and the latter used for mill-stones. The blocks -are described as thirty feet long, eighteen feet wide, and six feet -thick, being shaped so as to form a channel when one was placed upon -another. - - [Illustration: Doorway at Tiahuanaco.] - -A building on the Island of Coati, in Lake Titicaca, is shown in the -cut. Rivero gives a view and plan of another large palace, consisting -for the most part of a single line of low apartments built round three -sides of a rectangular court, and bearing some resemblance, as Mr -Baldwin remarks, to the Central American structures, except that it -does not rest on a pyramidal foundation. Rock-inscriptions of the same -rude class so often mentioned in the northern continent, occur also in -Peru, although somewhat less frequently, so far as may be judged by -the reports of explorers. - - [Illustration: Ruin on the Island of Coati.] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: CONCLUSION.] - -The contents of the preceding pages may be sufficient to show the -reader that the resemblance between the southern and northern -monuments, if any resemblance exists, is very faint. The Maya and -Peruvian peoples may have been one in remote antiquity; if so, the -separation took place at a period long preceding any to which we are -carried by the material relics of the Votanic empire, and of the most -ancient epoch of the southern civilization, or even by traditional -annals and the vaguest myths. There seems to be a natural tendency -even among antiquarians to attribute all American civilizations to a -common origin, constantly moving back the date as investigation -progresses. This tendency has much in common with that which so -persistently traces American civilization to the old world, old-world -culture to one centre, the human race to one pair, and the first pair -to a special creation, performed at a definite time and point in Asia. -Be the results of the tendency referred to true or false, it is -evident that superstition has contributed more than science to the -zeal that has supported them. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[XIV-1] _Rivero and Tschudi_, _Antigüedades Peruanas_, Viena, 1851, -with atlas; _Rivero_, _Antigüedades Peruanas_, Lima, 1841; _Rivero and -Tschudi's Peruvian Antiquities_, N. Y., 1855; this translation is in -many instances very faulty; _Baldwin's Ancient America_, pp. 226-56. - - -END OF THE FOURTH VOLUME. - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have -been preserved. Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. - -Italics in the footnote citations were inconsistently applied by the -typesetter. - -Footnote IV-31: p. 379 is a possible typographical error. - -Footnote IV-36 refers to Nebak and Nebah. One of them may be a -typographical error. - -Footnote V-39: linteux should possibly be linteaux. - -Footnote VII-57: pp. 53, 16 is a possible typographical error. - -Footnote XI-43 is missing a volume number. - -Footnote XII-24: "McGilvary's" is a possible typographical error. - -Footnotes V-23 and IX-64 are repeated in the text. - -Page 294: to fall the trees should possibly be to fell the trees. - -The text refers to both Medellin and Medelin, Vera Cruz. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WORKS OF HUBERT HOWE BANCROFT, -VOLUME IV*** - - -******* This file should be named 44104-8.txt or 44104-8.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/4/1/0/44104 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition.</p> - -<p>Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: -<a href="http://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></p> - -<p>This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.</p> - +<div>*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 44104 ***</div> </body> </html> diff --git a/44104.txt b/44104.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 196c454..0000000 --- a/44104.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,26235 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume IV, -by Hubert Howe Bancroft - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume IV - The Native Races, Volume IV, Antiquities - - -Author: Hubert Howe Bancroft - - - -Release Date: November 4, 2013 [eBook #44104] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WORKS OF HUBERT HOWE BANCROFT, -VOLUME IV*** - - -E-text prepared by Melissa McDaniel and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made -available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file - which includes the more than 300 original illustrations. - See 44104-h.htm or 44104-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/44104/44104-h/44104-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/44104/44104-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/worksofhubertho04banc - - -Transcriber's note: - - Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - - A reversed lower case "c" has been replaced with =c=. - - A "T" symbol in the text has been replaced with "T". - - - - - -THE WORKS OF HUBERT HOWE BANCROFT. - -VOLUME IV. - -THE NATIVE RACES. - -VOL. IV. ANTIQUITIES. - - - - - - - -San Francisco: -A. L. Bancroft & Company, Publishers. -1883. - -Entered according to Act of Congress in the Year 1882, by -Hubert H. Bancroft. -In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. - -All Rights Reserved. - - - - -CONTENTS OF THIS VOLUME. - - - CHAPTER I. - - ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTRODUCTION. - - PAGE. - - Monumental Archaeology -- Scope of the Volume -- Treatment - of the Subject -- Sources of Information -- Tangibility of - Material Relics --Vagueness of Traditional and Written - Archaeology -- Value of Monumental Relics, as conveying - Positive Information respecting their Builders, as - Corroborative or Corrective Witnesses, as Incentives to - Research --Counterfeit Antiquities -- Egyptian, Assyrian - and Persian monuments --Relics proving the Antiquity of - Man -- Exploration of American Ruins -- Key to Central - American Hieroglyphics -- No more Unwritten History 1 - - - CHAPTER II. - - ANTIQUITIES OF THE ISTHMUS, COSTA RICA, MOSQUITO COAST, - AND NICARAGUA. - - The Isthmus -- Roman Coin and Galley -- Huacas of Chiriqui - -- Incised Stone-carvings -- Sculptured Columns -- Human - Remains -- Golden Ornaments -- Weapons -- Implements -- - Pottery -- Musical Instruments -- Costa Rica -- Stone - Hammers -- Ancient Plantations -- Images of Gold -- - Terra-Cottas -- Axe of Quartz -- Wonderful Hill -- Paved - Road -- Stone Frog -- Mosquito Coast -- Granite Vases -- - Remarkable Reports -- Animal Group -- Rock-Paintings -- - Golden Figure -- Home of the Sukia -- Nicaragua -- - Authorities -- Mounds -- Sepulchres --Excavations -- - Weapons -- Implements -- Ornaments -- Statues -- Idols -- - Pottery -- Metals 15 - - - CHAPTER III. - - ANTIQUITIES OF SALVADOR AND HONDURAS, RUINS OF COPAN. - - Salvador -- Opico Remains -- Mounds of Jiboa -- Relics of - Lake Guijar -- Honduras -- Guanaja -- Wall -- Stone Chairs - -- Roatan -- Pottery --Olancho Relics -- Mounds of Agalta - and Abajo -- Hacienda of Labranza -- Comayagua -- Stone - Dog-idol -- Terraced Mounds of Calamulla --Tumuli on Rio - Chiquinquare -- Earthen Vases of Yarumela -- Fortified - Plateau of Tenampua -- Pyramids, Enclosures, and - Excavations -- Stone Walls -- Parallel Mounds -- - Cliff-Carvings at Aramacina -- Copan --History and - Bibliography -- Palacio, Fuentes, Galindo, Stephens, Daly, - Ellery, Hardcastle, Brasseur de Bourbourg -- Plan of Ruins - Restored --Quarry and Cave -- Outside Monuments -- - Enclosing Walls -- The Temple -- Courts -- Vaults -- - Pyramid -- Idols -- Altars -- Miscellaneous Relics -- - Human Remains -- Lime -- Colossal Heads -- Remarkable - Altars -- General Remarks 68 - - - CHAPTER IV. - - ANTIQUITIES OF GUATEMALA AND BELIZE. - - The State of Guatemala -- A Land of Mystery -- Wonderful - Reports --Discoveries Comparatively Unimportant -- Ruins - of Quirigua -- History and Bibliography -- Pyramid, - Altars, and Statues -- Comparison with Copan -- Pyramid of - Chapulco -- Relics at Chinamita -- Temples of Micla -- - Cinaca-Mecallo -- Cave of Penol -- Cyclopean Debris at - Carrizal -- Copper Medals at Guatemala -- Esquimatha -- - Fortification of Mixco -- Pancacoya Columns -- Cave of - Santa Maria -- Mammoth Bones at Petapa -- Rosario Aqueduct - -- Ruins of Patinamit, or Tecpan Guatemala -- - Quezaltenango, or Xelahuh -- Utatlan, near Santa Cruz del - Quiche -- Zakuleu, near Huehuetenango -- Cakchiquel Ruins - in the Region of Rabinal -- Cawinal -- Marvelous Ruins - Reported -- Stephens' Inhabited City -- Antiquities of - Peten -- Flores -- San Jose -- Casas Grandes -- Tower of - Yaxhaa -- Tikal Palaces and Statues -- Dolores - --Antiquities of Belize 106 - - - CHAPTER V. - - ANTIQUITIES OF YUCATAN. - - Yucatan, the Country and the People -- Abundance of Ruined - Cities --Antiquarian Exploration of the State -- Central - Group -- Uxmal --History and Bibliography -- Waldeck, - Stephens, Catherwood, Norman, Friederichsthal, and Charnay - -- Casa del Gobernador, Las Monjas, El Adivino, Pyramid, - and Gymnasium -- Kabah, Nohpat, Labna, and nineteen other - Ruined Cities -- Eastern Group; Chichen Itza and vicinity - --Northern Group, Mayapan, Merida, and Izamal -- Southern - Group; Labphak, Iturbide, and Macoba -- Eastern Coast; - Tuloom and Cozumel --Western Coast; Maxcanu, Jaina, and - Campeche -- General Features of the Yucatan Relics -- - Pyramids and Stone Buildings -- Limestone, Mortar, Stucco, - and Wood -- The Triangular Arch -- Sculpture, Painting, - and Hieroglyphics -- Roads and Wells -- Comparisons -- - Antiquity of the Monuments -- Conclusions 140 - - - CHAPTER VI. - - ANTIQUITIES OF TABASCO AND CHIAPAS, RUINS OF PALENQUE. - - Geographical Limits -- Physical Geography -- No Relics in - Tabasco --Ruins of Palenque -- Exploration and - Bibliography -- Name; Nachan, Culhuacan, Otolum, Xibalba - -- Extent, Location, and Plan -- The Palace -- The - Pyramidal Structure -- Walls, Corridors, and Courts -- - Stucco Bas-Reliefs -- Tower -- Interior Buildings -- - Sculptured Tablet --Subterranean Galleries -- Temple of - the Three Tablets -- Temple of the Beau Relief -- Temple - of the Cross -- Statue -- Temple of the Sun - --Miscellaneous Ruins and Relics -- Ruins of Ococingo -- - Winged Globe --Wooden Lintel -- Terraced Pyramid -- - Miscellaneous Ruins of Chiapas --Custepeques, Xiquipilas, - Laguna Mora, Copanabastla, and Zitala --Huehuetan -- San - Cristoval -- Remains on the Usumacinta -- Comparison - between Palenque and the Cities of Yucatan -- Antiquity of - Palenque --Conclusion 286 - - - CHAPTER VII. - - ANTIQUITIES OF OAJACA AND GUERRERO. - - Nahua Antiquities -- Home of the Zapotecs and Miztecs -- - Remains in Tehuantepec -- Fortified Hill of Guiengola -- - Petapa, Magdalena, and Laollaga -- Bridge at Chihuitlan -- - Cross of Guatulco -- Tutepec --City of Oajaca and Vicinity - -- Tlacolula -- Etla -- Penoles --Quilapan -- Ruins of - Monte Alban -- Relics at Zachila -- Cuilapa --Palaces of - Mitla -- Mosaic Work -- Stone Columns -- Subterranean - Galleries -- Pyramids -- Fortifications -- Comparison with - Central American Ruins -- Northern Monuments -- Quiotepec - -- Cerro de las Juntas -- Tuxtepec -- Huahuapan -- - Yanguitlan -- Antiquities of Guerrero 366 - - - CHAPTER VIII. - - ANTIQUITIES OF VERA CRUZ. - - Physical Features of the State -- Exploration and Reports - -- Caxapa and Tuxtla -- Negro Head -- Relics from Island - of Sacrificios --Eastern Slope Remains -- Medelin -- - Xicalanco -- Rio Blanco -- Amatlan -- Orizava -- Cempoala - -- Puente Nacional -- Paso de Ovejas --Huatusco -- - Fortifications and Pyramids of Centla -- El Castillo - --Fortress of Tlacotepec -- Palmillas -- Zacuapan -- - Inscription at Atliaca -- Consoquitla Fort and Tomb -- - Calcahualco -- Ruins of Misantla or Monte Real -- District - of Jalancingo -- Pyramid of Papantla -- Mapilca -- Pyramid - and Fountain at Tusapan -- Ruins of Metlaltoyuca -- Relics - near Panuco -- Calondras, San Nicolas, and Trinidad 425 - - - CHAPTER IX. - - ANTIQUITIES OF THE CENTRAL PLATEAUX. - - Anahuac -- Monuments of Puebla -- Chila, Teopantepec, - Tepexe, Tepeaca, San Antonio, Quauhquelchula, and Santa - Catalina -- Pyramid of Cholula -- Sierra de Malinche -- - San Pablo -- Natividad -- Monuments of Tlascala -- Los - Reyes -- Monuments of Mexico -- Cuernavaca, Xochicalco, - Casasano, Ozumba, Tlachialco, Ahuehuepa, and Mecamecan - --Xochimilco, Tlahuac, Xico, Misquique, Tlalmanalco, and - Culhuacan --Chapultepec, Remedios, Tacuba, and Malinalco - -- City of Mexico --Tezcuco -- Tezcocingo -- Teotihuacan - -- Obsidian Mines -- Tula --Monuments of Queretaro -- - Pueblito, Canoas, and Ranas -- Nahua Monuments 464 - - - CHAPTER X. - - ANTIQUITIES OF THE NORTHERN MEXICAN STATES. - - The Home of the Chichimecs -- Michoacan -- Tzintzuntzan, - Lake Patzcuaro, Teremendo, Aniche, and Jiquilpan -- Colima - -- Armeria and Cuyutlan -- Jalisco -- Tonala, Guadalajara, - Chacala, Sayula, Tepatitlan, Nayarit, Tepic, Santiago - Ixcuintla, and Bolanos --Guanajuato -- San Gregorio and - Santa Catarina -- Zacatecas -- La Quemada and Teul -- - Tamaulipas -- Encarnacion, Santa Barbara, Carmelote, - Topila, Tampico, and Burrita -- Nuevo Leon and Texas - --Coahuila -- Bolson de Mapimi, San Martero, Durango, - Zape, San Agustin, and La Brena -- Sinaloa and Lower - California -- Cerro de las Trincheras in Sonora -- Casas - Grandes in Chihuahua 568 - - - CHAPTER XI. - - ANTIQUITIES OF ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO. - - Area enclosed by the Gila, Rio Grande del Norte, and - Colorado -- A Land of Mystery -- Wonderful Reports and - Adventures of Missionaries, Soldiers, Hunters, Miners, and - Pioneers -- Exploration -- Railroad Surveys -- - Classification of Remains -- Monuments of the Gila Valley - -- Boulder-Inscriptions -- The Casa Grande of Arizona -- - Early Accounts and Modern Exploration -- Adobe Buildings - -- View and Plans -- Miscellaneous remains, Acequias, and - Pottery -- Other Ruins on the Gila -- Valley of the Rio - Salado -- Rio Verde -- Pueblo Creek -- Upper Gila -- - Tributaries of the Colorado -- Rock-Inscriptions, Bill - Williams' Fork -- Ruined Cities of the Colorado Chiquito - -- Rio Puerco -- Lithodendron Creek -- Navarro Spring -- - Zuni Valley -- Arch Spring -- Zuni -- Ojo del Pescado -- - Inscription Rock -- Rio San Juan --Ruins of the Chelly and - Chaco Canyons -- Valley of the Rio Grande --Pueblo Towns, - Inhabited and in Ruins -- The Moqui Towns -- The Seven - Cities of Cibola -- Resume, Comparisons, and Conclusions 615 - - - CHAPTER XII. - - ANTIQUITIES OF THE NORTHWEST. - - General Character of North-western Remains -- No Traces of - Extinct or of Civilized Races -- Antiquities of California - -- Stone Implements --Newspaper Reports -- Taylor's Work - -- Colorado Desert -- Trail and Rock-Inscriptions -- - Burial Relics of Southern California -- Bones of Giants - -- Mounds in the Saticoy Valley -- New Almaden Mine - --Pre-Historic Relics in the Mining Shafts -- Stone - Implements, Human Bones, and Remains of Extinct Animal - Species -- Voy's Work -- San Joaquin Relics -- Merced - Mounds -- Martinez -- Shell-Mounds round San Francisco - Bay, and their Contents -- Relics from a San Francisco - Mound -- Antiquities of Nevada -- Utah -- Mounds of Salt - Lake Valley --Colorado -- Remains at Golden City -- - Extensive Ruins in Southern Colorado and Utah -- Jackson's - Expedition -- Mancos and McElmo Canyons -- Idaho and - Montana -- Oregon -- Washington -- Mounds on Bute Prairie, - and Yakima Earth-work -- British Columbia -- Deans' - Explorations -- Mounds and Earth-works of Vancouver Island - -- Alaska 687 - - - CHAPTER XIII. - - WORKS OF THE MOUND-BUILDERS. - - American Monuments beyond the Limits of the Pacific States - -- Eastern Atlantic States -- Remains in the Mississippi - Valley -- Three Geographical Divisions -- Classification - of Monuments -- Embankments and Ditches -- Fortifications - -- Sacred Enclosures -- Mounds --Temple-Mounds, - Animal-Mounds, and Conical Mounds -- Altar-Mounds, Burial - Mounds, and Anomalous Mounds -- Contents of the Mounds -- - Human Remains -- Remains of Aboriginal Art -- Implements - and Ornaments of Metal, Stone, Bone, and Shell -- Ancient - Copper Mines --Rock-Inscriptions -- Antiquity of the - Mississippi Remains --Comparisons -- Conclusions 744 - - - CHAPTER XIV. - - PERUVIAN ANTIQUITIES. - - Two Epochs of Peruvian Civilization -- Aboriginal - Government, Religion, and Arts -- Contrasts -- The Huacas - -- Human Remains --Articles of Metal -- Copper Implements - -- Gold and Silver Vases and Ornaments -- Use of Iron - unknown -- Aboriginal Engineering -- Paved Roads -- - Peruvian Pottery -- Ruins of Pachacamac -- Mausoleum of - Cuelap -- Gran-Chimu -- Huaca of Misa -- Temple of the Sun - -- Remains on the Island of Titicaca -- Chavin de Huanta - -- Huanuco el Viejo --Cuzco -- Monuments of Tiahuanaco -- - Island of Coati 791 - - - - - [Illustration: NATIVE RACE OF THE PACIFIC STATES SHOWING THE - LOCATION OF ANCIENT MONUMENTS] - - - - - THE NATIVE RACES - OF THE - PACIFIC STATES. - - ANTIQUITIES. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -ARCHAEOLOGICAL INTRODUCTION. - - MONUMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY -- SCOPE OF THE VOLUME -- TREATMENT - OF THE SUBJECT -- SOURCES OF INFORMATION -- TANGIBILITY OF - MATERIAL RELICS -- VAGUENESS OF TRADITIONAL AND WRITTEN - ARCHAEOLOGY -- VALUE OF MONUMENTAL RELICS, AS CONVEYING - POSITIVE INFORMATION RESPECTING THEIR BUILDERS, AS - CORROBORATIVE OR CORRECTIVE WITNESSES, AS INCENTIVES TO - RESEARCH -- COUNTERFEIT ANTIQUITIES -- EGYPTIAN, ASSYRIAN, - AND PERSIAN MONUMENTS -- RELICS PROVING THE ANTIQUITY OF - MAN -- EXPLORATION OF AMERICAN RUINS -- KEY TO CENTRAL - AMERICAN HIEROGLYPHICS -- NO MORE UNWRITTEN HISTORY. - - - [Sidenote: TREATMENT OF THE SUBJECT.] - -The present volume of the NATIVE RACES OF THE PACIFIC STATES treats of -monumental archaeology, and is intended to present a detailed -description of all material relics of the past discovered within the -territory under consideration. Two chapters, however, are devoted to a -more general view of remains outside the limits of this -territory--those of South America and of the eastern United States--as -being illustrative of, and of inseparable interest in connection with, -my subject proper. Since monumental remains in the western continent -without the broad limits thus included are comparatively few and -unimportant, I may without exaggeration, if the execution of the work -be in any degree commensurate with its aim, claim for this treatise a -place among the most complete ever published on American antiquities -as a whole. Indeed, Mr Baldwin's most excellent little book on Ancient -America is the only comprehensive work treating of this subject now -before the public. As a popular treatise, compressing within a small -duodecimo volume the whole subject of archaeology, including, besides -material relics, tradition, and speculation concerning origin and -history as well, this book cannot be too highly praised; I propose, -however, by devoting a large octavo volume to one half or less of Mr -Baldwin's subject-matter, to add at least encyclopedic value to this -division of my work. - -There are some departments of the present subject in which I can -hardly hope to improve upon or even to equal descriptions already -extant. Such are the ruins of Yucatan, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, so -ably treated by Messrs Stephens, Catherwood, and Squier. Indeed, not a -few relics of great importance are known to the world only through the -pen or pencil of one or another of these gentlemen, in which cases I -am forced to draw somewhat largely upon the result of their -investigations. Yet even within the territory mentioned, concerning -Uxmal and Chichen Itza we have most valuable details in the works of -M. M. Waldeck and Charnay; at Quirigua, Dr Scherzer's labors are no -less satisfactory than those of Mr Catherwood; and Mr Squier's careful -observations in Nicaragua are supplemented, to the advantage of the -antiquarian public, by the scarcely less extensive investigations of -Mr Boyle. In the case of Palenque, in some respects the most -remarkable American ruin, we have, besides the exhaustive delineations -of Waldeck and Stephens, several others scarcely less satisfactory or -interesting from the pens of competent observers; and in a large -majority of instances each locality, if not each separate relic, has -been described from personal examination by several parties, each -noting some particulars by the others neglected. By a careful study -and comparison of information drawn from all available sources -respecting the several points, the witnesses mutually corroborating or -correcting one another's statements, I expect to arrive in each case -practically at the truth, and thus to compensate in a measure for that -loss of interest inevitably incurred by the necessary omission of that -personal experience and adventure by which antiquarian travelers are -wont to impart a charm to their otherwise dry details. - -Although necessarily to a great extent a compilation, this volume is -none the less the result of hard and long-continued study. It embodies -the researches of some five hundred travelers, stated not merely en -resume, but reproduced, so far as facts and results are concerned, in -full. Very few of the many works studied are devoted exclusively or -even chiefly to my subject; indeed most of them have but an occasional -reference to antiquarian relics, which are described more or less -fully among other objects of interest that come under the traveler's -eye; hence the possibility of condensing satisfactorily the contents -of so many volumes in one, and of making this one fill on the shelves -of the antiquary's library the place of all, excepting, of course, the -large plates of the folio works. Full references to, and quotations -from, the authorities consulted are given in the notes, which thus -become a complete index to all that has been written on the subject. -These notes contain also bibliographical notices and historical -details of the discovery and successive explorations of each ruin, and -other information not without interest and value. That some few books -containing archaeological information may have escaped my notice, is -quite possible, but none I believe of sufficient importance to -seriously impair the value of the material here presented. In order to -give a clear idea of the great variety of articles preserved from the -past for our examination, the use of numerous illustrations becomes -absolutely essential. Of the cuts employed many are the originals -taken from the published works of explorers, particularly of Messrs -Stephens and Squier, with their permission. As I make no claim to -personal archaeological research, save among the tomes on the shelves -of my library, and as the imparting of accurate information is my only -aim, the advantage of the original cuts over any copies that could be -made, will be manifest to the reader. Where such originals could not -be obtained I have made accurate copies of drawings carefully selected -from what I have deemed the best authorities, always with a view to -give the clearest possible idea of the objects described, and with no -attempt at mere pictorial embellishment. - -Confining myself strictly to the description of material remains, I -have omitted, or reserved for another volume, all traditions and -speculations of a general nature respecting their origin and the -people whose handiwork they are, giving, however, in some instances, -such definite traditions as seem unlikely to come up in connection -with ancient history. This is in accordance with the general plan -which I adopt in treating of the Native Races of this western half of -North America, proceeding from the known to the unknown, from the near -to the remote; dealing first with the observed phenomena of aboriginal -savagism and civilization when first brought within the knowledge of -Europeans, as I have done in the three volumes already before the -public; then entering the labyrinthine field of antiquity from its -least obstructed side, I devote this volume to material relics -exclusively, thus preparing the way for a final volume on traditional -and written archaeology, to terminate with what most authors have given -at the start,--the vaguest and most hopelessly complicated department -of the whole subject,--speculations respecting the origin of the -American people and of the western civilization. - -In the descriptions which follow I proceed geographically from south -to north for no reason more cogent than that of convenience. From the -same motive, much more weighty however in this case, I follow the same -order in my comparisons between remains in different parts of the -continent, comparing invariably each ruin with others farther south -and consequently familiar to the reader, rather than with more -northern structures to be described later. It is claimed by some -writers that the term antiquities is properly used only to designate -the works of a people extinct or only traditionally known. This -restriction of the term would exclude most of the monumental remains -of the Pacific States, since a large majority of the objects described -in the following pages are known to have been the work of the peoples -found by Europeans in possession of the country, or of their immediate -ancestors. I employ the term, however, in its more common application, -including in it all the works of aboriginal hands presumably executed -before native intercourse with Europeans, at dates varying -consequently with that of the discovery of different localities. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: REALITY OF MATERIAL RELICS.] - -Monumental archaeology, as distinguished from written and traditional -archaeology, owes its interest largely to its reality and tangibility. -The teachings of material relics, so far as they go, are irrefutable. -Real in themselves they impart an air of reality to the study of the -past. They stand before us as the actual work of human hands, -affording no foothold for scepticism; they are the balance-wheels of -tradition, resting-places for the mind wearied with the study of -aboriginal fable, stepping-stones on which to cross the miry sloughs -of mythic history. The ruins of a great city represent and recall -vividly its original state and the populace that once thronged its -streets; the towering mound or pyramid brings before the observer's -mind toiling bands of slaves driven to their unwelcome task by strong -progressive masters; temples and idols are but remnants of religious -systems, native fear, superstition, and faith; altars imply victims -and sacrificial ceremonies; sculpture, the existence of art; kingly -palaces are the result of a strong government, wars, and conquest; -sepulchral deposits reveal thoughts of another life; and hieroglyphic -inscriptions, even if their key be lost, imply events deemed worthy of -record, and a degree of progress toward letters. - -What the personal souvenir is to the memory of dead friends, what the -ancestral mansion with its portraits and other relics is to family -memories and pride of descent, what the ancient battle-ground with the -monument commemorating early struggles for liberty is to national -patriotism, what the familiar hill, valley, stream, and tree to -recollection and love of home,--all this and more are material relics -to the study of ages gone by. Destroy such relics in the case of the -individual, the family, and the nation, and imagine the effect on our -interest in a past, which is, however, in nearly every instance -clearly recorded. What would be the consequence of blotting from -existence the ruins that stand as monuments of a past but vaguely -known even in the most favorable circumstances through the medium of -traditionary and written annals? Traditional archaeology, fascinating -as its study is and important in its results, leaves always in the -mind a feeling of uncertainty, a fear that any particular tradition -may be in its present form, modified willfully or involuntarily in -passing through many hands, a distortion of the original, or perhaps a -pure invention; or if intact in form its primary signification may be -altogether misunderstood. And even in the case of written annals, more -definite and reliable of course than oral traditions, we cannot forget -that back beyond a certain time impossible to locate in the distant -past, history founds its statements of events on no more substantial -basis than popular fable. - - [Sidenote: COUNTERFEIT ANTIQUITIES.] - -It is true that false reports may be made respecting the discovery or -nature of ruined cities and other monuments; and relics may be -collected and exhibited which have no claim whatever to antiquity. -Indeed it is said that in some parts of Spanish America, Aztec, -Chichimec, or Toltec relics, of any desired era since the creation, -are manufactured to order by the ingenious natives and sold to the -enthusiastic but unwary antiquarian. To similar imposition and like -enthusiasm may be referred the long list of Roman, Greek, -Scandinavian, Tyrian, and other old-world coins, medals, and -inscriptions, whose discovery in the New World from time to time has -been reported, and used in support of some pet origin-theory. Yet -practically these counterfeit or fabulous antiquities do little harm; -their falsity may in most cases be without difficulty detected, as -will be apparent from several instances of the kind noted in the -following pages. There are, as I have said, few ruins of any -importance that have not been described by more than one competent and -reliable explorer. The discovery of wonderful cities and palaces, or -of movable relics which differ essentially from the well-authenticated -antiquities of the same region, is not accepted by archaeologists, or -by the public generally, without more positive proof of genuineness -than the representations of a single traveler whose reliability has -not been fully proved. - - * * * * * - -The study of ancient monuments, in addition to its high degree of -interest, is moreover of great practical value in the development of -historical science, as a source of positive information, as a -corroboration of annals otherwise recorded, and as an incentive to -continued research. It contributes to actual knowledge by indicating -the various arts that flourished among the peoples of antiquity, the -germs of the corresponding arts of modern times. The monuments show -not alone the precise degree of excellence in architecture and -sculpture attained by the particular people whose work they are, but -by an examination of their differences they throw much light on the -origin and growth of these and other arts, while by comparison with -the works of other peoples better known they serve to establish more -or less clearly national affinities. And not only do they illustrate -the state of the fine and useful arts, but also to a great extent -public institutions and private customs. Temples, idols, and altars -reveal much of religious rites and priestly power; weapons, of -warfare; implements, of household habits; ornaments, of dress; tombs -and sepulchral relics, of burial ceremonies, regard for the dead, and -ideas respecting another life. When, in addition to their indirect -teachings respecting the arts and institutions of their builders, -antique monuments bear also inscriptions in written or legible -hieroglyphic characters, their value is of course greatly increased; -indeed under such circumstances they become the very highest historic -authority. - -It is, however, in connection with the other branches of the science, -written and traditional, that material relics accomplish their most -satisfactory results, their corroborative evidence being even more -valuable than the positive information they convey. For instance, -tradition relates wondrous tales of the wealth, power, and mighty -deeds of a people that long ago occupied what is now a barren desert -or a dense forest. These tales are classed with other aboriginal -fables, interesting but comparatively valueless; but some wandering -explorer, by chance or as the result of an apparently absurd and -profitless research, discovers in the shade of the tangled thicket, or -lays bare under the drifting desert-sands, the ruins of a great city -with magnificent palace and temple; at once the mythic fable is -transformed into authentic history, especially if the traditional -statements of that people's arts and institutions are confirmed by -their relics. - -Again, the written record of biblical tradition, unsatisfactory to -some, when not supported by corroborative evidence, narrates with -minute detail the history of an ancient city, including its conquest -at a given date by a foreign king. The discovery in another land of -that monarch's statue or triumphal arch, inscribed with his name, -title, and a list of his deeds, confirms or invalidates the scriptural -account not only of that particular event but indirectly of other -details of the city's annals not recorded in stone. In America -material relics acquire increased importance as corroborative and -corrective witnesses, in comparison with those of the old world, from -the absence of contemporary written annals. Beside constituting the -only tangible supports of the more ancient triumphs of American -civilization, they are the best illustrations of comparatively modern -stages of art whose products have disappeared, and by no means -superfluous in support of Spanish chroniclers in later times, "very -many, or perhaps most of whose statements respecting the wonderful -phenomena of the New World culture," as I have remarked in a preceding -volume, "without this incontrovertible material proof would find few -believers among the sceptical students of the present day." - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: IMPORTANCE OF MATERIAL RELICS.] - -The importance of monumental remains as incentives to historical study -and research results directly from the interest and curiosity which -their examination invariably excites. Gibbon relates that he was first -prompted to write the annals of Rome's decline and fall by the -contemplation of her ruined structures. Few even of the most prosaic -and matter-of-fact travelers can resist the impulse to reason and -speculate on the origin of ruins that come under their notice, and the -civilization to which they owe their existence; and there are probably -few eminent archaeologists but may trace the first development of a -taste for antiquarian pursuits to the curiosity excited at the sight -of some mysterious relic. - -This irresistible desire to follow back remains of art to the artist's -hand and genius, prompted the oft-repeated and so long fruitless -attempts to decipher the Egyptian hieroglyphics and the cuneiform -inscriptions of Persia and Assyria. These efforts were at last crowned -with success; the key to the mysterious wedges, and the Rosetta-stone -were found, by which the tablets of Babylon, Ninevah, and the -pyramids--the Palenque, Copan, and Teotihuacan of the old world--may -be read. The palaces, monuments, and statues of ancient kings bear -legible records of their lives, dominions, and succession. By the aid -of these records definite dates are established for events in the -history of these countries as early as two thousand years before the -Christian era, and thus corroborations and checks are placed on the -statements of biblical and profane history. But the art of -interpreting these hieroglyphics is yet in its infancy, and the -results thus far accomplished are infinitesimal in comparison with -what may be reasonably anticipated in the future. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: THE ANTIQUITY OF THE HUMAN RACE.] - -So much for antique monuments and their teachings--alone and in -connection with history and tradition--respecting the peoples to whom -they owe their existence. Another and not less important value they -have, in connection with geology and paleontology, in what they tell -us about the age of the human race on the earth. Biblical tradition, -as interpreted in former times, asserts the earth and its inhabitants -to be about six thousand years old. Geology has enforced a new -interpretation, which, so far as the age of the earth is concerned, is -accepted by all latter-day scholars; and geology now lends a helping -hand to her sister sciences in their effort to prove, what is not yet -universally accepted as truth, that man's antiquity far exceeds the -limit which scripture is thought to establish. - -Throughout the successive geologic strata of earthy matter that -overlie the solid rocky foundations below, traces of man's presence are -found. It is in deposits of peat and alluvium that these traces are -most clearly defined and with greatest facility studied. The extremely -slow accumulation of these deposits and the great depth at which human -remains appear, impress the mind of the observer with a vivid idea of -their antiquity. Calculations based on the known rate of increase for -a definite period fix the age of the lowest relics at from six -thousand to one hundred thousand years according to the locality. But -geology tells yet no definite tale in years, her chronology being on a -grander scale, and these calculations are to scientific men the -weakest proofs of man's antiquity. As we penetrate, however, this -superficial geologic formation, we find in the upper layers weapons -and implements of iron; then, at a greater depth, of bronze; and -lowest of all stone is the only durable material employed. In all -parts of the world, so far as explorations have been made, this order -of the ages, stone, bronze, iron, is observed; although they were -certainly not contemporaneous in all regions. With the products of -human skill, in its varying stages of development, are mingled the -fossil trees and plants of different species which flourished and -became locally extinct as the centuries passed away. So animal -remains, no less abundant than the others, indicate successive changes -in the fauna and its relations to human life, the animals pursued at -different epochs for food, the introduction of domestic animals, and -the transition from the chase to agriculture as a means of -subsistence. - -From a study of all these various relics of the past--human, animal, -and vegetable--in connection with geologic changes, the student seeks -to estimate approximately the date at which man first appeared upon -the earth. He observes the slow accumulation of surface deposits and -speculates on the time requisite to bury the works of man hundreds of -feet deep in dilluvium. He studies savagism in its different phases as -portrayed in a previous volume; notes how tenaciously the primitive -man clings to old customs, how averse he is to change and improvement; -and then reflects upon the centuries that would probably suffice for -beings only a little above the beast to pass successively from the use -of the shapeless stone and club to the polished stone spear and arrow -and knife, to the partial displacement of stone by the fragment of -crude metal, to the smelting of the less refractory ores and the -mixture of metals to form bronze, and to a final triumph in the use of -iron. He reflects farther that all this slow process of development -precedes in nearly every part of the world the historic period; that -its relics are found in the alluvial plains of the Nile, buried far -below the monuments of Egyptian civilization, a civilization, -moreover, which dates back at least two thousand years before Christ. -Searching the peat-beds of Denmark, he brings to light fossil Scotch -firs in the lower strata mingled with relics of the stone age; -oak-trees above with implements of bronze; and beech-trunks in the -upper deposits, corresponding with the iron age and also with the -present forest-growth of the country. He tries to fix upon a period of -years adequate to effect two complete changes in Danish forest-trees, -bringing to his aid the fact that about the Christian era the Romans -found that country covered as now with a luxurious growth of beech, -and that consequently eighteen hundred years have wrought no change. -Having thus established in his mind the epoch to which he must be -carried by the relics of the alluvial deposits, he remarks that during -all this period climate has not essentially changed, for the animal -remains thus far discovered are all of species still existing in the -same climatic zone. - -But at the same time he finds in southern Europe abundant remains of -polar animals which could only have lived when the everlasting snow -and ice of a frigid clime covered the surface of those now sunny -lands. Still finding rude stone implements, the work of human hands, -mingled with these polar skeletons, he adds to the result of previous -computations the time deemed necessary for so essential a climatic -transformation, and, finally, he is driven to make still another -addition, when he learns that in geologic strata much older than any -yet considered, the bones and works of man have been discovered in -several apparently well-authenticated instances lying side by side -with the bones of mastodons and other ancient species which have long -since disappeared from the face of the earth. With the innumerable -data of which the foregoing is only an outline before him, the student -of man's antiquity is left to decide for himself whether or not he can -satisfactorily compress within the term of sixty centuries all the -successive periods of man's development. - -In our examination of relics in the thinly peopled Pacific States we -shall find comparatively few works of human hands bearing directly on -this branch of archaeology; yet in the north-west regions, newest to -modern civilization, the Californian miner's deep-sunk shafts have -brought to light implements and fossils of great antiquity and -interest to the scientific world. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: AMERICAN RELICS AND HIEROGLYPHICS.] - -In America many years must elapse before explorations equaling in -extent and thoroughness those already made in the old world can be -hoped for. The ruins from whose examination the grandest results are -to be anticipated lie in a hot malarious climate within the tropics, -enveloped in a dense thicket of exuberant vegetation, presenting an -almost impenetrable barrier to an exploration by foreigners of -monuments in which the natives as a rule take no interest. It must be -admitted, however, that even the most exhaustive examination of our -relics cannot be expected to yield results as definite and -satisfactory as those reached in the eastern continent. We have -practically no written record, and our monuments must tell the tale of -the distant past unaided. - -Our hieroglyphic inscriptions are comparatively few and brief, and -those found on the stones of the more ancient class of ruins as yet -convey no meaning. By reason of the absence of a contemporary written -language, the difficulties in the way of their interpretation are -clearly much greater than those so brilliantly overcome in Assyria and -Egypt. Only one systematic attempt has yet been made to decipher their -signification, and that has thus far proved a signal failure; it is -believed almost universally that future efforts will be equally -unsuccessful, and that our annals as written in stone will forever -remain wrapped in darkness. Yet not only was the interpretation of the -cuneiform inscriptions long deemed an impossibility, but the very -theory that any meaning was hidden in that complicated arrangement of -wedges was pronounced absurd by many wise antiquaries. Let not -therefore our New World task be abandoned in despair till the list of -failures shall be swollen from one to seventy times seven. - -It is believed that the antiquary's zeal for all coming time will be -brought to bear on no other objects than those which now claim our -attention and search; that is, although new monuments will be brought -to light from their present hiding-places, no additions will be made -to their actual number. With the invention of printing and the -consequent wide diffusion of national annals, the era of unwritten -history ceased, and with it all future necessity of searching tangled -forest and desert plain for monumental records of the present -civilization. That the key of our written history can ever be lost, -our civilization blotted out, ruined structures and vague traditions -called anew into requisition for historic use, we believe impossible. -Yet who can tell; for so doubtless thought the learned men and -high-priests of Palenque, when with imposing pageant and sacrificial -invocation to the gods in the presence of the assembled populace, the -inscribed tablets had been set up in the niches of the temple; and -proudly exclaimed the orator of the day, as the last tablet settled -into its place, "Great are our gods, and goodly the inheritance they -have bequeathed to their chosen people. Mighty is Votan, world-wide -the fame of his empire, the great Xibalba; and the annals and the -glory thereof shall endure through all the coming ages; for are they -not here imperishably inscribed in characters of everlasting stone -that all may read and wonder?" - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -ANTIQUITIES OF THE ISTHMUS, COSTA RICA, MOSQUITO COAST, AND NICARAGUA. - - THE ISTHMUS -- ROMAN COIN AND GALLEY -- HUACAS OF CHIRIQUI - -- INCISED STONE-CARVINGS -- SCULPTURED COLUMNS -- HUMAN - REMAINS -- GOLDEN ORNAMENTS -- WEAPONS -- IMPLEMENTS -- - POTTERY -- MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS -- COSTA RICA -- STONE - HAMMERS -- ANCIENT PLANTATIONS -- IMAGES OF GOLD -- TERRA - COTTAS -- AXE OF QUARTZ -- WONDERFUL HILL -- PAVED ROAD -- - STONE FROG -- MOSQUITO COAST -- GRANITE VASES -- - REMARKABLE REPORTS -- ANIMAL GROUP -- ROCK-PAINTINGS -- - GOLDEN FIGURE -- HOME OF THE SUKIA -- NICARAGUA -- - AUTHORITIES -- MOUNDS -- SEPULCHRES -- EXCAVATIONS -- - WEAPONS -- IMPLEMENTS -- ORNAMENTS -- STATUES -- IDOLS -- - POTTERY -- METALS. - - -The ancient Muiscas of Colombia, or New Granada, have left interesting -relics of their antiquity, which, with some points of resemblance, -present marked contrasts to the monuments of Peruvian civilization -farther south, and of Maya, Quiche, and Aztec civilizations in North -America.[II-1] In that part of Colombia, however, which is included -within the limits of the Pacific States, extending from the gulf of -Darien westward to Costa Rica, no such relics have yet come to light, -except in the western provinces of Chiriqui and Veragua, -notwithstanding the extensive explorations that have been made in -various parts of the Isthmus in the interests of interoceanic -communication.[II-2] - - [Sidenote: CHIRIQUI ROCK-SCULPTURES.] - -The province of Chiriqui lies on the Pacific side of the Isthmus, and -it is in its central region about the town of David, that monuments of -a past age have been unearthed.[II-3] These monuments are of three -classes; the first consisting of rude figures cut on the surface of -large boulders. The best known of this class, and in fact the only one -definitely described, is the Piedra Pintal at Caldera, a few leagues -from David, which is fifteen feet high, about sixteen in diameter, and -somewhat flattened at the top. Top and sides are covered with curves, -ovals, and concentric rings; while on the eastern side there are also -fantastic figures, with others supposed to represent the sun, a series -of varying heads, and scorpions. The figures are cut to a depth of -about one inch, but on the parts most exposed to the weather are -nearly effaced. - - [Illustration: Incised Figures on the Rocks of Chiriqui.] - -Another lava boulder similarly incised found in the parish of San -Miguel is pronounced by Mr Squier, from the examination of a drawing, -to resemble stones seen by him in other parts of Central America. I -copy Seemann's cuts of several of the characters.[II-4] The second -class includes a few stone columns, some of them ten or twelve feet -high, found at David and in Veragua as well. These seem never to have -been seen in situ, but scattered and sometimes used for building -purposes by the present inhabitants. Their peculiarity is that the -characters engraved on their surface are entirely different from those -of the Piedra Pintal, being smaller and cut in low relief. Drawings of -these possibly hieroglyphic signs, by which to compare them with those -of Copan, Palenque, and Yucatan, are not extant. The third class -comprises the _huacas_, or tombs, a large number of which have been -opened, and a variety of deposited articles brought to light. The -tombs themselves are of two kinds. Those of the first kind are mere -pebble-heaps, or mounds, three or four feet high, and the only -articles taken from them are three-legged stones for grinding corn, -known in all Spanish America as _metates_. The other graves have rude -boxes or coffins of flat stones, with, in a few instances, rude stone -posts several feet in height. Graves of this class are found to -contain golden ornaments, with trinkets and implements of stone and -burned clay. In most of them no traces of human remains are met; and -when human bones do occur, they usually crumble to dust on exposure to -the air, one skull, however, described as broad in the middle and flat -behind, having been secured, and a plaster cast exhibited to the -American Ethnological Society.[II-5] - - [Sidenote: POTTERY OF CHIRIQUI.] - -The golden ornaments taken from the huacas of Chiriqui amount to many -thousands of dollars in value. They are of small size, never exceeding -a few inches in either dimension, are all cast and never soldered, and -take the shape of men, animals, or birds. One represents a man holding -a bird in each hand, with another on his forehead. The gold is -described by Dr Davis as being from ten to twenty carats fine, with -some copper alloy; but by another party the alloy is pronounced -silver.[II-6] Of stone are found ornaments, such as round agates -pierced in the middle; weapons, including axes, chisel-heads, and -arrow-heads, the latter of peculiar make, being pyramidal in form, -with four cutting edges converging to a point, and in some instances -apparently intended to fit loosely into a socket on the shaft; images, -perhaps idols, in the shape of animals or men, but these are of -comparatively rare occurrence;[II-7] and various articles of unknown -use. One of the latter dug up at Bugabita is described as a -"horizontal tablet, supported on ornamented legs, and terminating in -the head of a monster--all neatly carved from a single stone," being -twenty inches long, eight inches high, and weighing twenty-five -pounds. Another was conjectured to have served for grinding -paints.[II-8] Articles of burned clay are more numerous in the huacas -than those of other material. Small vases, jars, and tripods, some of -the latter having their three legs hollow and containing small earthen -balls which rattle when the vessels are moved, with musical -instruments, compose this class of relics. The earthen ware has no -indication of the use of the potter's wheel; is found both glazed and -unglazed; is painted in various colors, which, however, are not burned -in, but are easily rubbed off when moist; and many of the articles are -wholly uninjured by time. The specimens, or some part of each, are -almost invariably molded to imitate some natural object, and the -fashioning is often graceful and true to nature. Perhaps the most -remarkable of these earthen specimens, and indeed of all the Chiriqui -antiquities, are the musical wind-instruments, or whistles. These are -of small dimensions, rarely exceeding four inches in length or -diameter, with generally two but sometimes three or four finger-holes, -producing from two to six notes of the octave. No two are exactly -alike in form, but most take the shape of an animal or man, the -mouth-hole being in the tail of the tiger and bird, in the foot of the -peccary, in the elbow of the human figure. Some have several -air-cavities with corresponding holes to produce the different notes, -but in most, the holes lead to one cavity. One had a loose ball in its -interior, whose motion varied the sounds. Several are blown like -fifes, and nearly all have a hole apparently intended for suspending -the instrument by a string.[II-9] Other antiquities are reported to -exist at various points of the Isthmus, which white men have never -seen; instance a rocking stone in the mountains of Veragua.[II-10] - -I close my somewhat scanty information concerning the antiquities of -Chiriqui with the general remarks which their examination has elicited -from different writers. Whiting and Shuman speak of the sculptured -columns of Muerto Island as being similar to those in Yucatan -described by Stephens;[II-11] but it is hardly probable that this -opinion rests on an actual comparison of the hieroglyphics. Dr Merritt -deems the axe or chisel heads almost identical in form as well as -material with specimens dug up in Suffolk County, England; some of the -same implements resemble those seen by Mr Squier in actual use among -the natives of other parts of Central America; while the arrow-heads -and musical instruments are pronounced different in some respects from -any others known, either ancient or modern. The incised characters -represented in the cut on page 17, together with many others, if we -may believe Mr Seemann, have a striking resemblance to those of -Northumberland, England, as shown by Mr Tate.[II-12] In some of the -terra cottas, a likeness to vessels of Roman, Grecian, and Etruscan -origin has been noted; the golden figures, in the opinion of Messrs -Squier and May, being like those found further south in the country of -the ancient Muiscas.[II-13] - -One point bearing on the antiquity of the Chiriqui relics is the -wearing away by the weather of the incised sculptures, which appear to -Mr Seemann to belong to a more ancient, less advanced civilization -than those in low relief.[II-14] Another is the disappearance as a -rule of human remains, which, however, as Dr Torrey remarks,[II-15] -cannot in this climate and soil be regarded as an indication of great -age; and, moreover, against the theory of a remote origin of these -relics, and in favor of the supposition that all may be the work of -the not distant ancestors of the people found by the Spaniards in -possession of the country, we have the fact that gold figures similar -to those found in the huacas were made, worn, and traded by the -natives of the Isthmus at the time of its discovery and -conquest;[II-16] that the animals so universally imitated in all -objects whether of gold, stone, or clay, are all native to the -country, with no trace of any effort to copy anything foreign; and -that similar clay is still employed in the manufacture of rude -pottery.[II-17] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: COSTA RICAN RELICS.] - -Costa Rica, adjoining Chiriqui on the west, is the first or most -southern of the states which belong politically to North America, all -the Isthmus provinces forming a part of Colombia, a state of the -southern continent. Stretching from ocean to ocean with an average -width of ninety miles, it extends north-westward in general terms some -two hundred miles from the Boca del Drago and Golfo Dulce to the Rio -de San Juan and the southern shores of Lake Nicaragua in 11 deg. north -latitude. Few as are the aboriginal monuments reported to exist within -these limits, still fewer are those actually examined by travelers. - - [Illustration: Terra Cottas from the Graves of Costa Rica.] - - [Sidenote: IMPLEMENTS AND ORNAMENTS.] - -Drs Wagner and Scherzer, who traveled extensively in this region in -1853-4, found in all parts of the state, but more particularly in the -Turialba Valley, which is in the vicinity of Cartago, traces of old -plantations of bananas, cacao, and palms, indicating a more systematic -tillage of the soil, and consequently a higher general type of culture -among the former than are found among the modern native Costa Ricans. -The only other antiquities seen by these intelligent explorers were a -few stone hammers thought to resemble implements which have been -brought to light in connection with the ancient mines about Lake -Superior; but the locality of these implements is not stated. Cabo -Blanco, reported by Molina[II-18] as containing the richest deposit of -ancient relics, yielded nothing whatever to the diligent search of the -German travelers; nor did their failure here leave them sufficient -faith to continue their researches on the island of Chira, where, -according to the same authority, there are to be found ruined -aboriginal towns and tombs. At San Jose they were told of figures of -gold alloyed with copper which had been melted at the government mint, -and they briefly mention hieroglyphics on a few ancient ornaments -nowhere described.[II-19] Mr Squier describes five vessels of earthen -ware or terra cotta obtained, in localities not mentioned, from Costa -Rican graves. Four of these are shown in the accompanying cut. Fig. 1, -symmetrically shaped, is entirely without decoration; Fig. 2 is a -grotesque image supposed to have done duty originally as a rattle; -Fig. 3 has hollow legs, each containing a small earthen ball, which -rattles at each motion of the vase; and the top of Fig. 4 is -artistically moulded, apparently after the model of a tortoise's back. -An axe of green quartz is also described, which to Mr Squier seemed to -indicate a higher grade of skill in workmanship than any relic of the -kind seen in Central America. The cutting edge is slightly curved, -showing the instrument to have been used as an adze; the surface shown -in the cut is highly polished, and the whole is penetrated by a small -hole drilled from side to side parallel to the face where the notches -appear. This implement seems to present a rude representation of a -human figure whose arms are folded across its breast. Other implements -similar in material but larger and of ruder execution, are said to be -of not unusual occurrence in the sepulchres of this state.[II-20] - - [Illustration: Axe of Green Quartz.] - -Mr Boyle makes the general statement that gold ornaments and idols are -constantly found, and that the ancient mines which supplied the -precious metal are often seen by modern prospectors. Dr Merritt also -exhibited specimens of gold, both wrought and unwrought, from the -(ancient?) mines of Costa Rica, at a meeting of the American -Ethnological Society in February, 1862.[II-21] While voyaging on the -Colorado, the southern mouth of the Rio de San Juan, Mr Boyle was told -by a German doctor, his traveling companion, of a wonderful artificial -hill in that vicinity, but of whose exact locality the doctor's ideas -appeared somewhat vague. On this hill, according to his statement, was -to be seen a pavement of slate tiles laid in copper; but the -interesting specimens which he claimed to have collected in this -neighborhood had been generously presented by him to museums in -various parts of the world, and therefore he was unable to show any -of them.[II-22] Father Acuna, an enthusiastic antiquary of the Rich -Coast, living at Paraiso near Cartago, reports an ancient road which -he believes to have originally connected Cartago with the port of -Matina, and to have formed part of a grand aboriginal system of -highways from the Nicaraguan frontier to the Isthmus, with branches to -various points along the Atlantic coast. The road is described as -thirty-six feet wide, paved with rounded blocks of lava, and guarded -at the sides with sloping walls three feet in height. Where the line -of the road crossed deep ravines, bridges were not employed, but in -their stead the ascent and descent were effected by means of massive -steps cut in the rocky sides. Some relics found near this road were -given to New York gentlemen. The priest also speaks of tumuli -abounding in the products of a past age, which dot the plains of -Terraba, once the centre, as he believes, of a populous American -empire.[II-23] A channel which connects the Rio Matina with Moin Bay -has been sometimes considered artificial, but Mr Reichardt pronounces -it probably nothing more than a natural lagoon.[II-24] In the -department of Guanacaste, near the gulf of Nicoya, was found the -little frog in grey stone shown, full-sized, in the cut. The hole near -the fore feet would seem to indicate that it was worn suspended on a -string as an ornament.[II-25] - - [Illustration: Frog in Grey Stone.] - -Such is the meagre account I am able to give of Costa Rican monuments. -True, neither this nor any others of the Central American states have -been thoroughly explored, nor are they likely to be for many years, -except at the few points where the world's commerce shall seek new -passages from sea to sea. The difficulties are such as would yield -only to a denser population of a more energetic race than that now -occupying the land. The only monuments of the aboriginal natives -likely to be found are those buried in the ancient graves. The -probability of bringing to light ruined cities or temples south of -Honduras is extremely slight. It is my purpose, however, to confine -myself to the most complete account possible of such remains as have -been seen or reported, with very little speculation on probable -discoveries in the future. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: THE MOSQUITO COAST.] - -Our next move northward carries us to Cape Gracias a Dios on the -Atlantic, and to the gulf of Fonseca on the Pacific, the inclosed -territory of Nicaragua stretching some two hundred and fifty miles -north-westward to the Wanks River and Rio Negro, widening in this -distance from one hundred and fifty to about three hundred miles. -Dividing this territory by a line along the central mountain ranges, -or water-shed, into two nearly equal portions, the western or Pacific -slope is the state of Nicaragua proper, while the eastern or Atlantic -side is known as the Mosquito Coast. This latter region is almost -entirely unexplored except along the low marshy shore, and the natives -of the interior have always been independent of any foreign control. - -In respect of ancient remains the Mosquito Coast has proved even more -barren of results than Costa Rica. A pair of remarkable granite vases -preserved in an English museum are said to have come from this region, -but as no particulars of their discovery are given, it is of course -possible, considering the former unsettled condition of all Central -American boundary lines, not altogether remedied in later times, that -there may be an error in locality. It is from ten to twelve inches in -diameter and height, as nearly as can be ascertained from the drawing, -and Humboldt remarks the similarity of its ornamentation to that found -on some parts of the ruins of Mitla in Oajaca, described in a future -chapter. One of the vases as represented in Humboldt's drawing, is -shown in the cut. The second vase is somewhat larger, more nearly -uniform in size at top and bottom, with plain legs, only -diamond-shaped ornaments on the body of the vessel, and handles which -take the form of a head and tail instead of two heads as in the first -specimen.[II-26] - - [Illustration: Granite Vase from the Mosquito Coast.] - -Christopher Columbus in a letter speaks of having seen on this coast, -which he calls Cariay, a sculptured tomb in the forest as large as a -house; and Mr Helps imagines the Spanish conquerors sailing up the coast -and beholding amidst the trees white structures "bearing some likeness -to truncated pyramids, and, in the setting sun, dark figures would be -seen against the horizon on the tops of these pyramids;"[II-27] but as -he is describing no particular voyage, some allowance may be made for -the play of his imagination. Mr Boyle is enthusiastic over "the vast -remains of a civilization long since passed away," but far superior to -that of Spain, including rocks cut down to human and animal shapes, -artificial hills encased in masonry, streams turned from their -courses, and hieroglyphic sculptures on the cliffs,--all in the -Mosquito wilds. As a foundation for this, three men who descended the -Rio Mico and Blewfields River from Libertad, Nicaragua, to the sea, -claim to have beheld extraordinary ancient works. These took the form -of a cliff cut away where the river passed through a narrow canyon, -leaving a group of stone animals, among which was a colossal bear, -standing erect on the brink of the precipice as if to guard the -passage. The natives reported also to Mr Pim the existence of grand -temples of the antiguos, with an immense image of the aboriginal god -Mico (a monkey) on the banks of this river; but when subjected to -cross-questioning, their wonderful stories dwindled to certain rude -figures painted on the face of a cliff, which Mr Pim was unable to -examine, but which seemed from the native description similar to the -cliff-paintings at Nijapa Lake in Nicaragua, to be described on a -future page.[II-28] - - [Illustration: Golden Image.] - - [Sidenote: COLOSSAL BEAR AND GOLDEN IMAGE.] - -From a mound of earth fifteen feet in diameter, and five or six feet -high, on an island in Duckwarra Lagoon, south of Cape Gracias a Dios, -Mr Squier unearthed a crumbling human skeleton, at whose head was a -rude burial vase containing chalcedony beads, two arrow-heads of the -same material, and the human figure shown full-sized in the cut, -fashioned from a piece of gold plate. Antonio, an intelligent Maya -servant, could see no resemblance in this figure to any relics of his -race in Yucatan. Two additional vases of coarse earthen ware were -discovered, but contained no relics. On another occasion, during a -moonlight visit to the 'Mother of Tigers,' a famed native _sukia_, or -sorceress, on the Bocay, which is a branch of the Wanks, about fifty -miles south-westward from Cape Gracias, Mr Squier claims to have seen -a ruined structure, part of which is shown in the cut. The building -was of two stories, but the upper walls had fallen, covering the -ground with fragments. It is described as "built of large stones, laid -with the greatest regularity, and sculptured all over with strange -figures, having a close resemblance, if not an absolute identity" with -those drawn by Catherwood. A short distance from the building stood an -erect stone rudely sculptured in human form, facing east, as in the -cut. There are, however, some reasons for doubting the accuracy of -these Bocay discoveries, notwithstanding the author's well-known skill -and reliability as an antiquarian, since they were published under a -nom de plume, and in a work perhaps intended by the writer as a -fictitious narrative of adventures.[II-29] - - [Illustration: Home of the Sukia.] - - [Illustration: Mosquito Statue.] - - * * * * * - -Across the dividing sierras, the Pacific slope, or Nicaragua proper, -has yielded plentiful monuments of her former occupants, chiefly to -the researches of two men, Messrs Squier and Boyle. The former -confined his explorations chiefly to the region between the lakes and -ocean, while the latter has also made known the existence of remains -on the north-east of Lake Nicaragua, in the province of -Chontales.[II-30] - - [Sidenote: CLASSIFICATION OF RELICS.] - -Although nothing like a thorough exploration of the state has ever -been made, yet the uniformity of the remains discovered at different -points enables us to form a clear idea of the character, if not of the -full extent, of her antiquities, which for convenience in description -may be classified as follows: I. Mounds, sepulchres, excavations, and -other comparatively permanent works; II. Figures painted or cut on -rocks or cliffs; III. Statues or idols of stone; IV. Stone weapons, -implements, and ornaments; V. Pottery; VI. Articles of metal. -Remarking that nowhere in Nicaragua have traces of ruined cities been -found, nor even what may be regarded positively as the ruins of -temples or other buildings, I proceed to describe the first class, or -permanent monuments, beginning in the south-west, following the coast -region and lake islands northward, and then returning to the -south-eastern province of Chontales. - -First on the south are the cemeteries of Ometepec Island, which is by -some supposed to have been the general burial place of all the -surrounding country. These cemeteries, according to Woeniger, are -found in high and dry places, enclosed by a row of rough flat stones -placed a few inches apart and projecting only slightly above the -surface of the ground. Friederichsthal represents the sepulchres as -three feet deep and scattered at irregular intervals over a plain. -Boyle found both fixed cemeteries fenced with a line of heavy stones -and also separate graves.[II-31] Thus no burial mounds proper seem to -exist on the island. The ashes or unburned bones of the dead are found -enclosed in large earthen vases, together with what may be considered -as the most valued property of the deceased, or the most appropriate -gifts of friends, in the shape of weapons, ornaments, vessels, and -implements of stone, clay, and perhaps metal, all of which will be -described in their turn. When the burial urn is found to contain -unburned bones, its mouth is sometimes closed with the skull; in other -cases one or more inverted earthen pans are used for that purpose. - - [Sidenote: EL BANO AT MASAYA.] - -On Zapatero, an island which lies just north of Ometepec, distributed -over a level space covered with a dense growth of trees, are eight -irregular heaps of loose unhewn stones, showing no signs of system -either in the construction of each individual mound or in their -arrangement with reference to each other.[II-32] An attempt to open -one of the largest of the number led to no results beyond the -discovery of an intermixture of broken pottery in the mass of stones. -They are surrounded, as we shall see, by statues, and are believed by -Mr Squier to be remains of the teocallis known to have served the -Nicaraguans as temples at the time of the conquest.[II-33] At the foot -of Mt Mombacho, a volcano south of Granada, was found a ruined cairn, -or sepulchre, about twenty feet square, not particularly described, -but similar to those which will be mentioned as occurring in the -department of Chontales; others were said by the inhabitants to have -been found in the same vicinity.[II-34] In a steep-banked ravine near -Masaya, the rocky sides of which present numerous sculptured figures, -or hieroglyphics, a shelf some nine feet wide is cut in the -perpendicular cliff which towers one hundred feet in height at its -back. On this shelf is a rectangular excavation eight by four feet and -eighteen inches deep, with regularly sloping and smoothly cut sides, -surrounded by a shallow groove which leads to the edge of the -precipice, presumably designed to carry off rain-water. This strange -excavation is popularly known as El Bano, although hardly of -sufficient size to have served as a bath; a rudely cut flight of steps -leads up the cliff to the shelf, and two pentagonal holes penetrate -the face of the cliff at its back horizontally to a great depth, but -these may be of natural formation. Some kettle-shaped excavations are -reported also along the shore of the lake, now and possibly of old -used in tanning leather.[II-35] Mr Boyle speaks of the road by which -water is brought up from the lake to the city by the women of Masaya, -a deep cut in the solid rock, a mile long and descending to a depth of -over three hundred feet, as a reputed work of aboriginal engineering, -but as he seems himself somewhat doubtful of the fact, and as others -do not so mention it, this may not properly be included in our list of -ancient monuments.[II-36] In the cliff at Nijapa, an old crater-lake -near Managua, is what has been regarded by the natives as a wonderful -temple excavated from the solid rock by the labors of the Antiguos, -their ancestors. Indeed its entrance bears a strong resemblance, when -viewed from the opposite side of the lake, to the arched portals of a -heathen temple, but, explored by both Squier and Boyle, it proved to -be nothing more than a natural cavern.[II-37] - -Across the lake northward from Managua the volcano of Momotombo, -projecting into the waters, forms a bay in a locality once occupied -traditionally by a rich and populous city. If we may credit the Abbe -Brasseur de Bourbourg, its ruins are yet to be seen beneath the waters -of the bay.[II-38] Captain Belcher visited the country in 1838, and -was told that a causeway formerly extended across from the main to the -island of Momotombita, probably for the use of the priests of ancient -faith, since the island is rich in idols. He even was able to see the -remains of the causeway extending in the dry season some three hundred -and sixty yards from the shore; but a closer examination convinced Mr -Squier that the supposed ruins were simply a natural formation whose -extreme hardness had resisted better than the surrounding strata the -action of the waves.[II-39] - -On the slope of a small bowl-shaped valley near Leon is what the -natives call the Capilla de la Piedra, a natural niche artificially -enlarged in the face of a large rock facing the amphitheatre. It is -spacious enough to accommodate four or five persons, and a large flat -stone like an altar stands just at the entrance. At Subtiava, an -Indian pueblo near Leon, is a stone mound, sixty by two hundred feet, -and ten feet high, very like those at Zapatero, except that in this -case the stones about the edges present some signs of regularity in -their arrangement. It is very probably the ruin of some old -temple-mound, and even in modern days the natives are known to have -secretly assembled to worship round this stone-heap the gods of their -antiquity. Several low rectangular mounds were also seen but not -examined at the base of the volcano of Orota, north-east of -Leon.[II-40] - - [Sidenote: CHONTAL BURIAL MOUNDS.] - -Returning to the south-eastern Chontal province, the only -well-attested permanent monuments are burial mounds or cairns of -stone, although the Chevalier Friederichsthal claims to have found -here "remains of ancient towns and temples," which, nevertheless, he -does not attempt to describe, and Mr Squier mentions a traditionary -ruined city near Juigalpa.[II-41] The cairns are found in the regions -about the towns of Juigalpa and Libertad, although exploration would -doubtless reveal their existence elsewhere in the province. At both -the places named they occur in great numbers over a large area. "At -Libertad," says Mr Boyle, "graves were so plentiful we had only the -embarrassment of choice. Every hill round was topped with a vine-bound -thicket, springing, we knew, from the cairn of rough stone reverently -piled above some old-world chieftain." No farther description can be -given of them than that they are rectangular embankments of unhewn -stone, built, in some cases at least, with regularly sloping sides, -and of varying dimensions, the largest reported being one hundred and -twenty by one hundred and seventy-five feet, and five feet high. Being -opened they disclose earthen burial urns containing, as at Ometepec, -human remains, both burned and unburned, and a great variety of stone -and earthen relics both within and without the cinerary vase. The -burial deposit is oftenest found above, but sometimes also below, the -original surface of the ground. These cairns appear to have somewhat -more regularity, on the exterior at least, than the stone tumuli of -Ometepec. A more thorough examination of both is necessary before it -can be determined whether or not the Ometepec mounds are, as Mr Squier -believes, the ruins of teocallis and not tombs, and whether some of -the Chontal cairns may not be the ruins or foundations of ancient -structures. There can be little doubt that the Nicaraguans employed -the mound-temple in their worship, and it is somewhat remarkable if -modern fanaticism has left no traces of them; yet it is probable that -wood entered more largely into their construction than in more -northern climes. Mr Boyle found one grave near Juigalpa differing from -the usual Chontal method of interment, and agreeing more nearly with -that practiced in Mexico and Ometepec; and Mr Pim mentions the -occurrence of numerous graves in the province, of much smaller size -and of different proportions, the largest being twenty by twelve feet, -and eight feet high.[II-42] - -Near Juigalpa was seen a hill whose surface was covered with stones -arranged in circles, squares, diamonds, and rays about a central -stone;[II-43] also a hill of terrace-formation which from a distance -seemed to be an aboriginal fortification.[II-44] In the same -neighborhood is reported a series of trenches stretching across the -country, one of them traced for over a mile, nine to twelve feet wide, -widening at intervals into oval spaces from fifty to eighty feet in -diameter, and these enlargements containing alternately two and four -small mounds arranged in lines perpendicular to the general direction -of the trench.[II-45] "Several rectangular parallelograms outlined in -loose stone," in the vicinity of Libertad, are supposed by Mr Boyle to -be Carib works, not connected with the Chontal burial system.[II-46] - - [Illustration: Trench near Juigalpa.] - -I come secondly to the hieroglyphic figures cut or painted on -Nicaraguan cliffs. These appear to belong for the most part to that -lowest class of picture-writing common throughout the whole length of -the North American continent, even in the territory of the most savage -tribes. Doubtless many of these figures were executed in commemoration -of events, and thus served temporarily as written records; but it is -doubtful if the meaning of any of these inscriptions ever survived the -generation which originated them, and certain that they are not -understood by native or by antiquarian at the present day. It is not -unlikely that some of them in Nicaragua may be rude representations of -deities, and thus identified with the same gods preserved in stone, -and with characters in the Aztec picture-writings; but the -picture-writing of the Nicaraguan Nahuas, unlike that of their -brethren of Anahuac, was not committed to paper during the first years -of the conquest, and has consequently been lost. - - [Sidenote: CLIFF-CARVINGS AT MASAYA.] - -At Guaximala a cave is mentioned having sculptures on the rocks at its -entrance. The natives dared not cross the figured portal.[II-47] In -the ravine near Masaya, already spoken of as the locality of the -excavation known as El Bano, the steep side-cliffs are covered with -figures roughly cut in outline, and often nearly obliterated by the -ravages of time. They are shown in Squier's drawings on the following -page, the order in which the groups occur being preserved. - -Mr Squier detects among the objects thus rudely delineated, the sun -twice represented, a shield, arrows or spears, the _Xiuhatlatli_ of -the Aztec paintings, which is an instrument for hurling spears, and a -monkey. Besides the regular groups, isolated single figures are seen, -among which the two characters shown in the accompanying cut are most -frequently repeated. The same vicinity is reported to contain figures -both painted and cut in other localities.[II-48] - - [Illustration] - - [Illustration: Rock-Sculptures at Masaya.] - - [Sidenote: CLIFF-PAINTINGS AT NIJAPA.] - -On the old crater-walls, five hundred feet in height at the lowest -point, which inclose Lake Nijapa, a few miles south-west of Managua, -are numerous figures painted in red. Portions of the walls have been -thrown down by an earthquake, the debris at the water's edge being -covered with intricate and curious red lines; and most of those still -in place have been so defaced by the action of wind and water that -their original appearance or connection cannot be distinguished. - - [Illustration: Feathered Serpent at Lake Nijapa.] - -Among the clearest of the paintings is the coiled feathered serpent -shown in the cut. It is three feet in diameter, across the coil, and -is painted forty feet up the perpendicular side of the precipice. This -would seem to be identical with the Aztec Quetzalcoatl, or the Quiche -Gucumatz, both of which names signify 'plumed serpent.' Of the -remaining figures, shown in the cut on the following page, the red -hand is of frequent occurrence here, and we shall meet it again -farther north, especially in Yucatan. The central upper figure is -thought by Mr Squier to resemble a character in the Aztec paintings; -and among those thrown down the sun and moon are said to have been -prominent.[II-49] - - [Illustration: Rock-paintings of Nijapa.] - -In the Chontal province none of these pictorial remains are reported, -yet Mr Boyle believes that many of the ornamental figures on pottery -and stone vessels are hieroglyphic in their nature; founding this -opinion on the frequent repetition of complicated groups, as for -instance that in the cut, which is repeated four times on the -circumference of a bowl.[II-50] - - [Illustration: Chontal Hieroglyphic.] - - [Sidenote: STONE STATUES OR IDOLS.] - -Statues in stone, representing human beings generally, but in some -cases animals and monsters also, have been found and described to the -number of about sixty, constituting our third and the most interesting -class of Nicaraguan relics. Ometepec, rich in pottery and other -relics, and reported also to contain idols, has yielded to actual -observation only the small animal couchant represented in the cut. It -was secretly worshiped by the natives for many years, even in modern -times, until this unorthodox practice was discovered and checked by -zealous priests. This animal idol was about fourteen inches long and -eight inches in height.[II-51] - - [Illustration: Ometepec Idol.] - - [Illustration: Idols of Zapatero.--Fig. 1, 2.] - - [Sidenote: IDOLS ON ZAPATERO ISLAND.] - -The island of Zapatero has furnished some seventeen idols, which are -found in connection with the stone-heaps already described, lying for -the most part wholly or partially buried in the sand and enveloped in -a dense shrubbery. It is not probable that any one of them has been -found in its original position, yet such is their size and weight that -they are not likely to have been moved far from their primitive -locality. Indeed Mr Squier, with a large force of natives, transformed -into zealous antiquarians by a copious dispensation of brandy, had the -greatest difficulty in placing them in an upright position. An -ancient crater-lake conveniently near at hand accounts satisfactorily -for the almost entire absence of smaller idols, and would doubtless -have been the receptacle of their larger fellow-deities, had the -strength of the priestly iconoclasts been in proportion to their godly -spirit, as was the case with Mr Squier's natives. As it was they were -obliged to content their religious zeal with overthrowing and defacing -as far as possible these stone gods of the natives. There seems to be -no regularity or system in the arrangement of the statues with respect -to each other, and very little with respect to the stone mounds. It is -probable, however, that, if the latter are indeed ruined teocallis, -the statues stood originally round their base rather than on their -summit. The idols of Zapatero, which is within the limits of the -Niquiran or Aztec province, are larger and somewhat more elaborate in -workmanship than those found elsewhere; and the genital organs appear -on many of their number, indicating perhaps the presence here of the -wide-spread phallic worship. The cuts show ten of the most remarkable -of these monuments. - -Fig. 1 is nine feet high and about three feet in diameter, cut from a -solid block of black basalt. The head of the human figure crouching on -its immense cylindrical pedestal forms a cross, a symbol not uncommon -here or elsewhere in America. All the work, particularly the -ornamental bands and the niches of unknown use or import in front, is -gracefully and cleanly cut. Fig. 2 is a huge tiger eight feet high -seated on a pedestal. The heads and other parts of different animals -are often used in the adornment of partially human shapes both in -stone work and pottery, but purely animal statues, intended as this -apparently is, for idols, are rare. Fig. 3, an idol "of mild and -benignant aspect" is shown in the leaning position in which it was -found. Fig. 4, standing in the background, was raised from its fallen -position to be sketched. - - [Illustration: Idols of Zapatero.--Fig. 3, 4.] - - [Illustration: Idols of Zapatero.--Fig. 5.] - - [Illustration: Idols of Zapatero.--Fig. 6.] - -Fig. 5 represents a statue which, with its pedestal, is over twelve -feet high. The well-carved head of a monster, two feet eight inches -broad, surmounts the head of a seated human form, a common device in -the fashioning of Nicaraguan gods. A peculiarity of this monument is -that the arms are detached from the sides at the elbows; -free-sculptured limbs being of rare occurrence in American aboriginal -carvings. Fig. 6 is a slab three by five feet, bearing a human figure -cut in high relief, the only sculpture of this kind discovered in -Nicaragua. The tongue appears to hang upon the breast, and the eyes -are merely two round holes. Fig. 7, on the following page, represents -a crouching human form, on whose back is a tiger or other wild beast -grasping the head in its jaws, a favorite method among these southern -Nahua nations of representing in stone and clay the characteristics of -what are presumably intended as beings to be worshiped. The expression -of the features in the human face is described by Mr Squier as -differing from any of the others found in this group. This idol and -the following, with many other curious monuments of antiquity -obtained by the same explorer, are now in the museum of the -Smithsonian Institution at Washington. - - [Illustration: Idols of Zapatero.--Fig. 7.] - -Fig. 8 is carved on a slab five feet long and eighteen inches wide, -representing a person who holds to his abdomen what seems to be a mask -or a human face. - -Fig. 9 is of very rude execution and seemingly represents a human -figure wearing an animal mask, which is itself surmounted by another -human face. Two small cup-shaped smoothly cut holes are also noted in -the head-dress. Fig. 10 is a stone three feet and a half high, but -slightly modified by the sculptor's art, which gave some semblance of -the human form. - - [Illustration: Idols of Zapatero.--Fig. 8, 9.] - -From the cuts given a good general idea of the Zapatero monuments may -be obtained; of the others described, one is a man with a calm, mild -expression of countenance, seated with knees at chin and hands on -feet on a round-topped square pedestal which tapers towards the -bottom. - - [Illustration: Idols of Zapatero.--Fig. 10.] - - [Sidenote: IDOLS AT GRANADA.] - -Two statues from Zapatero stand at the street-corners of Granada; one, -known as the Chiflador, is much broken; the other has the crouching -animal on the human head. Another from the same island stands by the -roadside at Dirioma, near Granada, where it serves as a boundary mark. -According to Mr Boyle this statue is of red granite, and it seemed to -Mr Squier more delicately carved than those at Zapatero.[II-52] - -In the vicinity of the cairn already spoken of at the foot of Mount -Mombacho, were found six statues with abundant fragments. One had what -seemed a monkey's head, with three female breasts and a phallus among -the complicated sculptures below; a rudely cut animal bore some -resemblance to a bear; a broken figure is said by the natives to have -represented, when whole, a woman with a child on her back. One female -figure, of which there is no drawing, is pronounced by Mr Boyle "very -far the best-drawn statue we found in Nicaragua." A sleeping figure -with large ears, a natural face, absurd arms, and a phallus, with the -life-sized corpse or sleeper of the cut complete the list. - - [Illustration: Sleeping Statue of Mombacho.] - -Mr Boyle believes the statues of Mombacho, like other relics there -found, to unite the styles of art of the Chontales and the Aztec -natives of Ometepec; showing, besides the cairns, the simplicity of -sculpture peculiar to the former, together with the superior skill in -workmanship and the distinction of sex noticeable in the monuments of -the latter.[II-53] - - [Sidenote: IDOLS OF PENSACOLA ISLAND.] - -Pensacola is one of the group of islands lying at the foot of Mt -Mombacho in Lake Nicaragua. On this island the three statues shown in -the following cuts have been dug up, having been buried there -purposely by order of the catholic authorities in behalf of the -supposed spiritual interests of the natives. Fig. 1 is cut from hard -red sandstone; the human face is surmounted by a monster head, and by -its side the open mouth and the fangs of a serpent appear. The limbs -of this statue, unlike those of most Nicaraguan idols, are freely -sculptured and detached so far as is consistent with safety. - - [Illustration: Pensacola Idols.--Fig. 1.] - - [Illustration: Pensacola Idols.--Fig. 2.] - -Fig. 2 is an animal clinging to the back of a human being, concerning -which Mr Squier remarks: "I never have seen a statue which conveyed so -forcibly the idea of power and strength." The back is ribbed or -carved to represent overlapping plates like a rude coat of mail, and -the whole is nine feet high and ten feet in circumference. Fig. 3 is -the head and bust--the lower portion having been broken off--of a -hideous monster, with hanging tongue and large staring eyes, large -ears, and distended mouth, "like some gray monster just emerging from -the depths of the earth at the bidding of the wizard-priest of an -unholy religion," not inappropriately termed 'el diablo' by the -natives, when first it met their view.[II-54] - - [Illustration: Pensacola Idols.--Fig. 3.] - - [Sidenote: MOMOTOMBITA RELICS.] - -Momotombita Island formerly contained some fifty statues standing -round a square, and facing inward, if, as Mr Squier believes, we may -credit the native report. All are of black basalt, and have the sex -clearly marked, a large majority representing males. - - [Illustration: Idols of Momotombita.--Fig. 1 and 2.] - -Fig. 1 is a statue noticeable for its bold and severe cast of -features, and for what is conjectured to be a human heart held in the -mouth, as is shown in the front view, Fig. 2. Fig. 3 was found at a -street-corner at Managua, but had been brought originally from the -island. Another, also from Momotombita, was found at Leon and -afterwards deposited in the Smithsonian Institution. It evidently -served as a support for some other object; the back is square and -ribbed like the one at Pensacola, the eyes closed, and "the whole -expression grave and serene." The colossal head shown in the cut on -the preceding page was among the other fragments found on the island, -where two groups of relics are said to exist, only one of which has -been explored.[II-55] - - [Illustration: Idols of Momotombita.--Fig. 3.] - - [Illustration: Colossal Head from Momotombita.] - - [Illustration: Piedra de la Boca.] - -The Piedra de la Boca is a small statue, or fragment, with a large -mouth, standing at a street-corner in Granada, having been brought -from one of the lake islands. The natives still have some feelings of -dependence on this idol in times of danger. Several rudely carved, -well-worn images stood also at the street-corners of Managua in -1838.[II-56] - - [Sidenote: IDOLS OF SUBTIAVA.] - - [Illustration: Idols of Subtiava.--Fig. 1.] - -At the Indian pueblo of Subtiava near Leon many idols were dug up by -the natives for Mr Squier, eight of them ranging from five and a half -to eight feet in height and from four to five feet in circumference. -The natives have always been in the habit of making offerings secretly -to these gods of stone, and only a few months before Mr Squier's visit -a stone bull had been broken up by the priests. About the large stone -mound before described are numerous fragments, but only one statue -entire, which is shown in Fig. 1. It projects six feet four inches -above ground and is cut from sandstone. At the lower extremity of the -flap which hangs from the belt in front is noted a cup-like hole large -enough to contain about a quart. Fig. 2, of the same material, is two -feet six inches in height, and represents a female either holding a -mask over her abdomen, or holding open the abdomen for the face to -look out. Fig. 3 and 4 show a front and rear view of another statue, -in which the human face, instead of being surmounted by, looks out -from the jaws of some animal. The features of the face had been -defaced apparently by blows with a hammer; the ornamentation was -thought to resemble somewhat that of the Copan statues. Others -mentioned and sketched at Subtiava have a general resemblance to -these.[II-57] - - [Illustration: Idols of Subtiava.--Fig. 2.] - - [Sidenote: IDOLS OF CHONTALES.] - -The Chontal statues are divided by Mr Boyle into two classes; the -first of which includes idols, with fierce and distorted features, -never found on the graves, but often near them; while the second is -composed of portrait-statues, always distinguished by closed eyes and -a calm, "simple, human air about their features, however irregularly -modeled." The latter are always found on or in the cairns under which -bodies are interred, and are much more numerous than the idols proper. -Unfortunately we have but few drawings in support of this theory. It -is true that the two classes of features are noticeable elsewhere, as -well as here, but the position of the statues does not seem to justify -any such division into portraits and idols. Mr Boyle also believes the -Chontal sculptures better modeled though less elaborate than those of -the south-west.[II-58] - - [Illustration: Idols of Subtiava.--Fig. 3 and 4.] - - [Illustration: Chontal Statues.--Fig. 1 and 2.] - - [Illustration: Fig. 3.] - -Fig. 1 is one of several statues found near Juigalpa; it is of the -portrait class, and is remarkable for the wen over the eye and a cross -on the breast. Fig. 2 is the head of another taken from a cairn near -Libertad, and since used to prop up a modern wall. Fig. 3 is what Mr -Pim terms a head-stone of one of the graves in the same locality. Many -of the images have holes drilled through them; there is no distinction -of sex, and here, as elsewhere, there is no attempt at drapery. Entire -statues seem to be rare, but fragments very abundant. Mr Squier notes -in all the Nicaraguan statues a general resemblance, but at the same -time marked individuality, and deems it possible to identify many of -them with the gods of the Mexican Pantheon.[II-59] - - [Sidenote: NICARAGUAN WEAPONS.] - -My fourth class includes weapons, implements, ornaments, and other -miscellaneous articles of stone. There is a mention without -description of arrow-heads and flint flakes dug up from the graves of -Ometepec. Celts, much like those extant in European collections, are -reported as of frequent occurrence; two of granite and one of basalt -at Ometepec, and one of chipped flint at Zapatero, the latter being -regular in outline, with a smooth sharp edge, believed by Mr Boyle to -be of very rare form, and unique in America. Axes are also said to be -numerous, there being specially mentioned one of basalt, broad and -thin, from Ometepec; and a similar one, three or four inches wide, six -inches long, and of a uniform thickness, not exceeding one third of an -inch, from Zapatero. - - [Illustration: Nicaraguan Weapons.--Fig. 1 and 2.] - - [Illustration: Nicaraguan Weapons.--Fig. 3 and 4.] - -Fig. 1 is a rude aboriginal weapon from a cairn near Libertad, called -by Mr Pim a hatchet. Fig. 2 is an axe of syenite found by Mr Squier -at Granada, where he states that similar relics are not uncommon. Fig. -3 is one of two very beautiful double-edged battle-axes from the -Chontal cairns. It is of volcanic stone, twelve and a half inches long -by seven and three fourths inches wide. Fig. 4 represents a flint axe -from Zapatero Island as sketched by Mr Boyle. A knife ten inches long -was also found by Pim in a Chontal grave.[II-60] - - [Illustration: Granite Vase from Brita.] - - [Sidenote: STONE IMPLEMENTS AND ORNAMENTS.] - -Stone vessels are rare, though a granite vase, eighteen inches high, -as shown in the cut, was dug up at Brita, near Rivas; and two marble -vases of very superior workmanship were found in a Libertad mound. One -was of the tripod form and badly broken; the other was shaped like a -can resting on a stand, with ornamental handles, and having its sides, -not thicker than card-board, covered with grecs and arabesques.[II-61] - -Metates occur often on both sides the lakes. The cut on the following -page shows one dug up at Leon, being very similar to those still in -use in the country, but more elaborate in its ornamentation. Those -east of the lakes are flat instead of curved, but still superior to -any now made, and in connection with them have been found the pestles -with which maize was crushed.[II-62] - - [Illustration: Nicaraguan Metate.] - -Broken pedestals and sculptured fragments whose original purpose is -unknown occur frequently, and stone rattles were formerly found about -Juigalpa. Beads of lava, basalt, and chalcedony, in collections -suggestive of small necklaces, are numerous, particularly at Ometepec. -Those of lava are often wonderfully wrought, about an inch long, -ringed or grooved on the surface, pierced lengthwise with a hole only -large enough to admit a fine thread, and yet the whole, of the most -brittle material, not thicker than twine. Those of chalcedony are of -larger size.[II-63] - -The niche near Leon, known as the Capilla de la Piedra, had before its -entrance a flat stone resembling an altar. At Zapatero Mr Squier found -four stones also apparently intended for sacrificial purposes. One of -these, an oval stone imbedded in the earth, and covered on its upper -surface with inscribed characters, is shown in the cut. Near the Simon -mine in Nueva Segovia, the north-eastern province of the state, was -found by Mr Pim a broken font, the only relic of this region, on the -exterior of which the following figure is carved, supposed to -represent the sun. It has also the peculiarity of what seem intended -for long moustaches.[II-64] - - [Illustration: Altar from Zapatero.] - - [Illustration: Sun-sculpture in Nueva Segovia.] - - [Illustration: Burial Urns from Ometepec.] - - [Sidenote: NICARAGUAN POTTERY.] - -The fifth class embraces all articles of pottery, abundant throughout -the whole extent of the state, but especially so on the lake islands, -where the natives actually dig them from the earth to supply their -present needs. None of the localities which have yielded other relics -is without its deposit of earthen ware, either whole or in fragments. -The fact that vessels unearthed by the natives, when unbroken, are -wholly uninjured by their long rest under a damp tropical soil, -indicates their excellence in material and construction. It is not -indeed probable that in material or methods of manufacture the ancient -differed essentially from the modern pottery; but in skill and taste -the former was unquestionably far superior. Mr Squier pronounces the -work equal to the best specimens of the Mexican and Peruvian potters. -He finds no evidence of the use of the wheel; Mr Boyle, however, -thinks it was employed, but rarely. The clay varies from brown to -black, and the glazing, often sufficiently thick to be chipped off -with a knife, is usually of a whitish or yellowish hue. The colors -with which most articles are painted are both brilliant and durable, -red being a favorite. In some cases the paint seems to have penetrated -the substance of the pottery, as if applied before the clay was dry. -The figures of the cut illustrate the two most common forms of the -cinerary, or burial, urns, both from Ometepec, the former sketched by -Mr Boyle and the latter by Mr Squier. The urns contain a black sticky -earth supposed to represent traces of burned flesh, and often -unburned bones, skull, or teeth, together with a collection of the -smaller relics which have been described. The bones of animals, -deer-horns, and boar-tusks, and bone implements rarely or never occur. -Earthen basins of different material and color from the urns are -often--always in the Chontal graves--found inverted one over another -to close the mouth. The burial vases are sometimes thirty-six inches -long by twenty inches high, painted usually on the outside with -alternate streaks of black and scarlet, while serpents or other -ornaments are frequently relieved on the surface. One or two handles -are in most cases attached to each. Mr Squier believes a human skull -to have been the model of the urns. Five of them at Libertad are -noticed as lying uniformly east and west. It appears evident that many -of the articles found in or about the graves had no connection with -burial rites, some of them having undoubtedly been buried to keep them -from the hands of the Spaniards. The figures of the cuts, from Mr -Boyle, show two forms of vessels which are frequently repeated among -an infinite variety of other shapes. The tripod vase with hollow legs -is a common form, of which Fig. 1 is a fine specimen from Ometepec, -five and three fourths inches high, and six inches in diameter, with a -different face on each leg. Fig. 2 is a bowl from Zapatero which -occurs in great numbers, of uniform shape and decoration, but of -varying size, being ordinarily, however, ten inches in diameter and -four and one fourth inches high. Both inside and outside are painted -with figures which from their uniformity in different specimens are -deemed by Mr Boyle to have some hidden hieroglyphic meaning. It is -also remarked that vessels intended to be of the same size are exactly -equal in every respect. Another common vessel is a black jar, glazed -and polished, about four inches high and five and one fourth inches in -diameter, made of light clay, and having a simple wavy ornament round -the rim. Animals or parts of animals, particularly alligators, often -form a part of the ornamentation of pottery, but complete animals in -clay are rare, a rude clay stag being the only relic of the kind -reported. The device of a beast springing on the back of a human form, -so frequent among the statues or idols, also occurs in terra cotta. -The four figures of the cut show additional specimens in terra cotta -from Mr Squier, of which Fig. 2 is from Ometepec.[II-64] - - [Illustration: Ometepec Tripod Vase.--Fig. 1.] - - [Illustration: Bowl from Zapatero.--Fig. 2.] - - [Illustration: Nicaraguan Figures in Terra Cotta.] - - [Sidenote: RELICS OF THE USE OF METALS.] - -It only remains to speak of the sixth and last class of Nicaraguan -relics; viz., articles of metal, which may be very briefly disposed -of. The only gold seen by any of our authorities was "a drop of pure -gold, one inch long, precisely like the rattles worn by Malay girls," -taken by Mr Boyle from a cinerary vase at Juigalpa. But all others -mention small gold idols and ornaments which are reported to have been -found, one of them weighing twenty-four ounces; so that there can be -but little doubt that the ancient people understood to a limited -extent the use of this precious metal, which the territory has never -produced in large quantities. Copper, on the contrary, is said to be -abundant and of a variety easily worked, and yet the only relic of -this metal discovered is the copper mask, which Mr Squier supposes to -represent a tiger's face, shown in the cut. It was presented to him by -a man who claimed to have obtained it from Ometepec. Mr Boyle -believes, with reason as I think, that in a country abounding in the -metal, the skill and knowledge requisite to produce the mask would -most certainly have left other evidences of its possession. The -authenticity of this mask, when considered as a Nicaraguan relic, may -be regarded as extremely problematical.[II-65] - - [Illustration: Copper Mask.] - -Nicaraguan antiquities, concerning which I have now given all the -information in my possession, give rise to but little discussion or -visionary speculation. Indeed there is little of the mysterious -connected with them, as they do not necessarily carry us farther back -into the past than the partially civilized people that occupied the -country in the sixteenth century. Not one relic has appeared which may -not reasonably be deemed their work, or which requires the agency of -an unknown nation of antiquity. Yet supposing Nicaragua to have been -long inhabited by a people of only slightly varying stages of -civilization, any one of the idols described may have been worshiped -thousands of years before the Spanish conquest. The relics are over -three hundred years old; nothing in themselves proves them to be less -than three thousand. Comparison with more northern relics and history -may fix their age within narrower limits. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[II-1] A general view of South American antiquities is given in -another chapter of this volume. - -[II-2] I might except a Roman coin of the time of Caesar Augustus, and -a buried ship, or galley, of antique model, said to have been -discovered in early times by the Spaniards in the vicinity of Panama, -and which figured somewhat largely in early speculations on the -question of American origin. I need not say that the evidence for the -authenticity of such a discovery is extremely unsatisfactory. See: -_Garcia_, _Origen de los Ind._, p. 174, with quotation from _Marineo_, -_Sumario_, (Toledo, 1546,) fol. 19--apparently the original authority -in the matter--and a reference to other editions and works; _Solorzano -Pereyra_, _De Ind. Jure_, tom. i., p. 93; _Id._ _Politica Ind._, tom. -i., p. 22; _Horn_, _Orig. Amer._, p. 13; _Simon_, _Noticias -Historiales_, (Cuenca, 1626,) lib. i., cap. x. - -[II-3] Authorities on the Isthmian antiquities are not numerous. Mr -Berthold Seemann claims to have been the first to discover stone -sculptures near David in 1848, and he read a paper on them before the -Archaeological Institute of London in 1851. He also briefly mentions -them in his _Voy. Herald_, vol. i., pp. 312-13, for which work -drawings were prepared but not published. Some of the drawings were, -however, afterwards printed in _Bollaert's Antiq. Researches in N. -Granada_, (Lond., 1860,) and a few cuts of inscribed figures also -inserted with farther description by Seemann in _Pim and Seemann's -Dottings_, pp. 25-32. It is stated in the last-named work that M. -Zeltner, French Consul at Panama, whose private collection contained -specimens from Chiriqui, published photographs of some of them with -descriptive letter-press. Bollaert also wrote a paper on 'The Ancient -Tombs of Chiriqui,' in _Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., pp. -151, 159. On various occasions from 1859 to 1865, travelers or -residents on the Isthmus, chiefly parties connected with the Panama -railway, sent specimens, drawings, and descriptions to New York, where -they were presented to the American Ethnological Society, or exhibited -before and discussed by that body at its monthly meetings, an account -of which may be found in the _Hist. Mag._, vol. iii., p. 240, vol. -iv., pp. 47-8, 113, 144, 176-7, 239-41, 274, 338, vol. v., pp. 50-2, -vol. vi., pp. 119, 154, vol. ix., p. 158. A report on the Chiriqui -antiquities by Dr Merritt was printed by the same society. The above, -with slight mentions in _Cullen's Darien_, p. 38, from _Whiting and -Shuman's Report on Coal Formations_, April 1, 1851, and in _Bidwell's -Isthmus_, pp. 37-8, from _Hay's Report_, in _Powles' N. Granada_, are -the only sources of information on the subject with which I am -acquainted. - -[II-4] _Pim and Seemann's Dottings_, pp. 25, 28-31; _Seemann's Voy. -Herald_, vol. i., pp. 312-13; _Hist. Mag._, vol. iv., p. 338. - -[II-5] _Hist. Mag._, vol. ix., p. 158. - -[II-6] _Id._, vol. iii., p. 240, vol. iv., pp. 47-8, 239-40. - -[II-7] Three statues presented by Messrs Totten and Center in 1860 -were about two feet high, of a dark, hard stone, in human form with -features and limbs distorted. Two of them had square tapering -pedestals apparently intended to support the figures upright in the -ground. _Id._, vol. iv., p. 144. - -[II-8] _Id._, vol. iv., pp. 239-40, 274. - -[II-9] _Hist. Mag._, vol. iv., pp. 144, 177, 240-1, 274. - -[II-10] _Seemann's Voy. Herald_, vol. i., p. 314. - -[II-11] _Cullen's Darien_, p. 38. - -[II-12] _Pim and Seemann's Dottings_, pp. 25-32; _Tate's Ancient -British Sculptured Rocks_. - -[II-13] _Bidwell's Isthmus_, p. 37; _Hist. Mag._, vol. iv., p. 176. - -[II-14] 'A much higher antiquity must be assigned to these -hieroglyphics than to the other monuments of America.' _Voy. Herald_, -vol. i., p. 313. - -[II-15] _Hist. Mag._, vol. v., p. 50. - -[II-16] Vol. i., chap. vii. of this work. - -[II-17] _Merritt and Davis_, in _Hist. Mag._, vol. iv., pp. 176, 274. - -[II-18] In a work which I have not seen. That author's _Coup d'Oeuil -sur la Republique de Costa Rica_, and _Memoir on the Boundary -Question_, furnish no information on the subject. - -[II-19] _Wagner and Scherzer_, _Costa Rica_, pp. 465-6, 471, 522-4, -561. - -[II-20] _Squier's Nicaragua_, (Ed. 1856,) vol. ii., pp. 338-9, and -plate. - -[II-21] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. ii., p. 86; _Hist. Mag._, vol. vi., p. -119. - -[II-22] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. i., pp. 25-6. - -[II-23] _Meagher_, in _Harper's Mag._, vol. xx., p. 317. - -[II-24] _Reichardt_, _Cent. Amer._, pp. 121-2. - -[II-25] _Squier's Nicaragua_, p. 511. - -[II-26] _Pownal_, in _Archaeologia_, vol. v., p. 318, pl. xxvi.; -_Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. ii., p. 205, pl. xiii.; (Ed. in folio, pl. -xxxix.); _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., pp. 27-8, tom. -ii., suppl. pl. vii., fig. xi. - -[II-27] _Colon_, _Carta_, in _Navarrete_, _Col. de Viages_, tom. i., -p. 307; _Helps' Span. Conq._, vol. ii., p. 138. - -[II-28] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. i., pp. 296-9; _Pim and Seemann's -Dottings_, p. 401. - -[II-29] _Bard's (E. G. Squier) Waikna, or Adventures on the Mosquito -Shore_, pp. 216-17, 254, 258-60. The 'King of the Mosquitos' somewhat -severely criticised the work, in which, by the way, His Royal Highness -is not very reverently spoken of, as 'a pack of lies, especially when -it was notorious that the author had never visited the Mosquito -Coast.' _Pim and Seemann's Dottings_, p. 271. 'Le desert qui s'etend -le long de la cote de la mer des Antilles, depuis le golfe Dulce -jusqu'a l'isthme de Darien, n'a pas offert jusqu'a present de vestiges -indiquant que le peuple auquel on doit les monuments de Palenque, de -Quiragua, de Copan, ait emigre au sud de l'isthme.' _Friederichsthal_, -in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., p. 301. - -[II-30] _Squier's Nicaragua_; _Boyle's Ride Across a Continent_. Mr E. -G. Squier resided in Nicaragua as Charge d'Affaires of the United -States during the year 1849-50. On account of his position he was -afforded facilities for research not enjoyed by other foreigners, and -which his well-known antiquarian tastes and abilities prompted and -enabled him to use to the best advantage during the limited time left -from official duties. Besides the several editions of the work -mentioned, Mr Squier's accounts or fragments thereof have been -published in periodicals in different languages; while other authors -have made up almost wholly from his writings their brief descriptions -of Nicaraguan antiquities. See _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 341; -_Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, pp. 128-35; _Tiedemann_, in _Heidelberger -Yahrb._, 1851, pp. 81, 91, 170; _Mueller_, _Amerikanische -Urreligionen_, pp. 463, 484, 498, 544; _Andree_, in _Westland_, tom. -ii., pp. 3, 251; _Heine_, _Wanderbilder_, p. 181; _Holinski_, _La -Californie_, p. 252; _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, p. 124. Frederick Boyle, -F.R.G.S., visited the country in 1865-6, with the examination of -antiquities as his main object. Both works are illustrated with plates -and cuts; and both authors brought away interesting specimens which -were deposited by the American in the Smithsonian Institution, and by -the Englishman in the British Museum. 'J'avoue n'avoir rien rencontre -d'important dans mes lectures, en ce qui touche les etats de Costa -Rica et de Nicaragua.' _Dally_, _Races Indig._, p. 12. - -[II-31] 'Nicht ... von abgesonderten Steinen umgeben, sondern fanden -sich, in einer Tiefe von drei Fuss, unregelmaessig ueber die Ebene -zerstreut.' _Friederichsthal_, in _Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, p. 128; -'Les iles du lac, notamment Ometepe semblent avoir servi de -sepultures a la population des villes environnantes, ... car on y -rencontre de vastes necropoles ou villes des morts, ressemblant par -leur caractere a celles des anciens Mexicains.' _Id._ in _Nouvelles -Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., p. 297; in _Lond. Geog. Soc., -Jour._, vol. xi., p. 100; _Woeniger_, in _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. -509-10; _Boyle's Ride_, vol. ii., p. 86. - -[II-32] Plan showing their relative position, in _Squier's Nicaragua_, -p. 477. - -[II-33] 'On y trouve (sur les iles du lac) encore un grand nombre de -debris de constructions antiques.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, in -_Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1855, tom. cxlvii., p. 135. - -[II-34] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. ii., p. 42. - -[II-35] _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 439-41. - -[II-36] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. ii., pp. 10-11. - -[II-37] _Id._, vol. ii., pp. 161-2; _Squier's Nicaragua_, p. 396. - -[II-38] 'Ils montrent avec effroi les debris de la cite maudite, -encore visibles sous la surface des eaux.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, in -_Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1855, tom. cxlvii., p. 149. - -[II-39] _Belcher's Voyage_, vol. i., p. 171; _Squier's Nicaragua_, p. -299. - -[II-40] _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 306-8; _Id._, (Ed. 1856,) vol. ii., -p. 335. - -[II-41] _Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour._, vol. xi., p. 100; _Nouvelles -Annales des Voy._, 1811, tom. xcii., p. 297; _Squier's Nicaragua_, -(Ed. 1856,) vol. ii., p. 335. - -[II-42] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. i., pp. 159-61, 195-212, 291; _Pim and -Seemann's Dottings_, p. 126; On the buildings of the ancient -Nicaraguans, see vols. ii. and iii. of this work; also _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 114; _Peter Martyr_, dec. -vi., lib. v.; _Squier's Nicaragua_, (Ed. 1856,) vol. ii., pp. 335-6. - -[II-43] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. i., pp. 154-5. - -[II-44] _Froebel_, _Aus Amer._, tom. i., pp. 379-80; _Id._, _Cent. -Amer._, pp. 119-20. - -[II-45] _Livingston_, in _Squier's Nicaragua_, (Ed. 1856,) vol. ii., -pp. 334-5. - -[II-46] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. i., p. 212. - -[II-47] _Heine_, _Wanderbilder_, p. 181. - -[II-48] _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 435-41; 'Sur les parois du rocher on -voit encore des dessins bizarres graves et peints en rouge, tels que -les donne M. Squier.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, in _Nouvelles Annales -des Voy._, 1855, tom. cxlvii., p. 147. - -[II-49] Mr Boyle found the cliff-paintings to have suffered much since -Mr Squier's visit, thirteen years before; so much so that none could -be made out except the winged snake and red hand. He also states that -yellow as well as red pictures are here to be seen. _Boyle's Ride_, -vol. ii., pp. 160-1; _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 391-6. In a letter, a -fragment of which is published in the _Annual of Scientific -Discovery_, 1850, p. 364, Mr Squier declares the paintings precisely -in the style of the Mexican and Guatemalan MSS., closely resembling, -some of the figures indeed identical with, those of the Dresden MS. -Pim and Seemann, _Dottings_, p. 401, also noted the 'coiled-up lizard' -and other pictures, calling the locality Asososca Lake. Scherzer, -_Wanderungen_, p. 72, and _Trav._, vol. i., p. 77, mentions also -sculptured figures on this crater-wall. - -[II-50] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. ii., pp. 142-3. - -[II-51] _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 510-17. There were formerly many -idols resembling those of Zapatero, but they have been buried or -broken up. A group is reported still to be found near the foot of Mt -Madeira, but not seen. _Woeniger_, in _Id._, p. 509. _Froebel_, _Aus -Amer._, tom. i., p. 261. - -[II-52] _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 180, 470-90, 496; _Id._, (_ed._ -1856,) vol. ii., p. 336; _Id._, in _Annual Scien. Discov._, 1851, p. -388. 'L'ile de Zapatero a fourni des idoles qui sont comme des -imitations grossieres du fameux colosse de Memnon, type connu de cette -impassibilite reflechie que les Egyptiens donnaient a leurs dieux.' -_Holinski_, _La Californie_, p. 252. 'There still exist on its surface -some large stone idols.' _Scherzer's Trav._, vol. i., p. 31. 'Statues -d'hommes et d'animaux d'un effet grandiose, mais d'un travail qui -annonce une civilisation moins avancee que celle de l'Yucatan ou du -Guatemala.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, -1855, tom. cxlvii., p. 135; _Boyle's Ride_, vol. ii., p. 122. - -[II-53] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. ii., pp. 42-7; _Friederichsthal_, in -_Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour._, vol. xi., p. 100; _Id._, in _Nouvelles -Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., p. 297. - -[II-54] _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 448-57. The head of fig. 1 is the -Mexican sign tochtli. The animal in fig. 2 may be intended for an -alligator. _Id._, in _Annual Scien. Discov._, 1851, p. 387. - -[II-55] _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 285-7, 295-301, 402; _Id._, in -_Annual Scien. Discov._, 1850, p. 363; _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. -341. - -[II-56] _Belcher's Voyage_, vol. i., p. 172; _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. -179, 402. - -[II-57] _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 264-5, 301-7: 'Some of the statues -have the same elaborate head-dresses with others of Copan; one bears a -shield upon his arm; another has a girdle, to which is suspended a -head.' _Id._, in _Annual Scien. Discov._, 1850, p. 363. - -[II-58] If idols, to Mr Boyle they indicate a worship of ancestors, of -which, however, there seems to be no historical evidence. Mr Pim -suggests that the idols of mild expression may be those worshiped -before, and those of more ferocious aspect after, the coming of the -Aztecs. - -[II-59] The other Chontal statues more or less fully described are the -following: A huge monolith, of which twelve feet six inches were -unearthed, having a cross on the breast with two triangles, and the -arms and legs doubled back; a head four feet eight inches in -circumference, and one foot ten inches high; an idol four feet eight -inches high, wearing on its head an ornamented coronet, resembling a -circlet of overlapping oyster-shells, with a cross on the left -shoulder and a richly carved belt; a stone woman thirty-seven inches -high, having the left corner of the mouth drawn up so as to leave a -round hole between the lips, and the arms crossed at right angles from -the elbows; a very rude idol with pointed cap, holes for eyes, and a -slit for a mouth, whose modern use is to grind corn; and lastly, a -statue with beard and whiskers. _Boyle's Ride_, vol. i., pp. 147-9, -158-64, 210-12, 242, 290-5; _Pim and Seemann's Dottings_, pp. 126-8. - -[II-60] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. i., pp. 290-1, vol. ii., pp. 97, 144-5; -_Squier's Nicaragua_, (Ed. 1856,) vol. ii., p. 339; _Pim and Seemann's -Dottings_, pp. 126-7. - -[II-61] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. i., pp. 200-2, 209, vol. ii., pp. 45-6; -_Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 515, 521; cut of the leg of a stone vase, -_Id._, (Ed. 1856,) vol. ii., p. 339. - -[II-62] _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 256-7. - -[II-63] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. i., pp. 150-2, 159, vol. ii., pp. 43, 98; -_Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 521-2; _Pim and Seemann's Dottings_, pp. -126-7. - -[II-64] _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 307-8, 476, 488; _Pim and Seemann's -Dottings_, p. 128. - -[II-64] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. i., pp. 150-1, 201, 209, vol. ii., pp. -45, 86, 90-7; _Squier's Nicaragua_, pp. 299, 490, 509-10; _Id._, (Ed. -1856,) vol. ii., pp. 335-8, 362; _Pim and Seemann's Dottings_, p. 126; -_Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, pp. 128-9. - -[II-65] _Boyle's Ride_, vol. i., pp. 150-1, vol. ii., p. 87; _Squier's -Nicaragua_, pp. 509-11. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -ANTIQUITIES OF SALVADOR AND HONDURAS. RUINS OF COPAN. - - SALVADOR -- OPICO REMAINS -- MOUNDS OF JIBOA -- RELICS OF - LAKE GUIJAR -- HONDURAS -- GUANAJA -- WALL -- STONE CHAIRS - -- ROATAN -- POTTERY -- OLANCHO RELICS -- MOUNDS OF AGALTA - AND ABAJO -- HACIENDA OF LABRANZA -- COMAYAGUA -- STONE - DOG-IDOL -- TERRACED MOUNDS OF CALAMULLA -- TUMULI ON RIO - CHIQUINQUARE -- EARTHEN VASES OF YARUMELA -- FORTIFIED - PLATEAU OF TENAMPUA -- PYRAMIDS, ENCLOSURES, AND - EXCAVATIONS -- STONE WALLS -- PARALLEL MOUNDS -- - CLIFF-CARVINGS AT ARAMACINA -- COPAN -- HISTORY AND - BIBLIOGRAPHY -- PALACIO, FUENTES, GALINDO, STEPHENS, DALY, - ELLERY, HARDCASTLE, BRASSEUR DE BOURBOURG -- PLAN OF RUINS - RESTORED -- QUARRY AND CAVE -- OUTSIDE MONUMENTS -- - ENCLOSING WALLS -- THE TEMPLE -- COURTS -- VAULTS -- - PYRAMID -- IDOLS -- ALTARS -- MISCELLANEOUS RELICS -- - HUMAN REMAINS -- LIME -- COLOSSAL HEADS -- REMARKABLE - ALTARS -- GENERAL REMARKS. - - - [Sidenote: ANTIQUITIES OF SALVADOR.] - -Following the continent westward from Nicaragua, we have the state of -Salvador on the Pacific side, stretching some one hundred and eighty -miles from the gulf of Fonseca to the Rio de Paza, the Guatemalan -boundary, and extending inland about eighty miles. Here, in the -central province of San Vicente, a few miles southward from the -capital city of the same name, I find the first well-authenticated -instance in our progress northward of the occurrence of ruined -edifices. But of these ruins we only know that they are the most -imposing monuments in the state, covering nearly two square miles at -the foot of the volcano of Opico, and that they consist of "vast -terraces, ruins of edifices, and circular and square towers, and -subterranean galleries, all built of cut stones. A single carving has -been found here, on a block of stone eight feet long by four broad. It -is in the true Mexican style, representing probably a prince or great -warrior."[III-1] Several mounds, considerable in size and regular in -outline, were noted on the plain of Jiboa west of San Vicente; also -similar ones near Sonsonato in the south-western portion of the state. -In the north-west on the Guatemalan boundary, aboriginal relics are -vaguely reported on the islands of Lake Guijar, but of them nothing is -known.[III-2] And concerning Salvador monuments nothing further is to -be said, although Mr Squier heard of ruins in that state rivaling in -extent and interest the famous Copan.[III-3] - - * * * * * - -On the other side of the continent, reaching also across to the -Pacific at the gulf of Fonseca, north of Nicaragua, the Mosquito -coast, and Salvador, is the state of Honduras. It extends over three -hundred and fifty miles westward along the Atlantic shore, from Cape -Gracias a Dios nearly to the narrowest point of the isthmus where -America is a second time so nearly cut in twain by the gulfs of -Honduras and Dulce. The mountain chains which skirt the valley of the -Motagua on the south, known as the sierras of Grita, Espiritu Santo, -Merendon, Copan, etc., form the boundary line between Honduras and -Guatemala. The northern coast, closely resembling in its general -character the Mosquito shore, has preserved along its marshy lagoons, -so far as they have been explored, no traces of its early occupants. -Yet on the coast islands some relics appear. On that of Guanaja, -whence in 1502 Columbus first beheld the continent of North America, -is reported a wall of considerable extent, only a few feet high, with -three-legged stone chairs fixed at intervals in rude niches or -fissures along its sides. Chair-shaped excavations in solid rock occur -at several other points on the island, together with rudely molded but -fantastically decorated vessels of earthen ware. The Guanaja remains -are chiefly found in the vicinity of the Savanna Bight Kay.[III-4] On -the neighboring island of Roatan fragments of aboriginal pottery and -small stone idols are found scattered through the forest.[III-5] - -The eastern interior of Honduras, by reason of its gold mines, has -been more extensively explored than the Mosquito region farther south; -yet with respect to the departments of Olancho and Tegucigalpa I only -find the statement by Mr Wells that "mounds containing specimens of -ancient pottery are often met with by the _vaqueros_ while exploring -the gloomy depths of the forest, but these seldom survive the -destructive curiosity of the natives;" this chiefly in the valleys of -Agalta and Abajo, and on the hacienda of Labranza. The pottery takes -the form of pans and jars to the number of ten to thirty in each -mound; no idols or human remains having been reported.[III-6] - - [Sidenote: COMAYAGUA RELICS.] - -Still farther west, in the valley of Comayagua, midway between the -oceans, about the head-waters of the rivers, to which the names Ulua, -Goascoran, and Choluteca are applied as often as any others on the -maps, there are abundant works of the former natives, made known, but -unfortunately only described in part, by Mr Squier. These works -chiefly occur on the terraces of the small branch valleys which -radiate from that of Comayagua as a centre, in localities named as -follows: Chapulistagua, Jamalteca, Guasistagua, Chapuluca, Tenampua, -Maniani, Tambla, Yarumela, Calamulla, Lajamini, and Cururu. The ruins -are spoken of in general terms as consisting of "large pyramidal, -terraced structures, often faced with stones, conical mounds of earth, -and walls of stone. In these, and in their vicinity, are found -carvings in stone, and painted vases of great beauty." Concerning most -of the localities mentioned we have no further details, and must form -an idea of their nature from the few that are partially described, -since a similarity is apparent between all the monuments of the -region. - - [Illustration: Mastodon's Tooth.] - - [Illustration: Earthen Vase of Yarumela.] - -About Comayagua, or Nueva Valladolid, we are informed that "hardly a -step can be taken in any direction without encountering evidences of -aboriginal occupation," the only relic specified, however, being a -stone idol of canine form now occupying a position in the walls of the -church of Our Lady of Dolores. At Tambla, some leagues south-east of -Comayagua, was found the fossil skeleton of a mastodon, whose tooth is -shown in the cut, imbedded in a sandstone formation.[III-7] One of the -stratified sandstone terraces of the sierra south-west of Comayagua -forms a fertile table over three thousand feet above the level of the -sea; and on its surface, in an area of ten or twelve acres inclosed by -a spring-fed mountain stream, are the ruins of Calamulla, consisting -simply of mounds. Of these, two are large, one about one hundred feet -long, with two stages, having a flight of steps on the western slope. -It shows clear traces of having been originally faced with flat -stones, now for the most part removed. Most of the mounds are of earth -in terraces, and some of rectangular outline have a small conical -mound raised a few feet above the surface of their upper platform. -Stone-heaps of irregular form also occur; perhaps places of sepulture; -at least differing in their use from the tumuli of more regular -outlines which may readily be imagined once to have supported -superimposed structures of more perishable materials. The natives have -traditions, probably unfounded, of subterranean chambers and galleries -beneath this spot. In the same vicinity, near the banks of the Rio -Chiquinguare, and about a league from the pueblo of Yarumela, is -another group of mounds, lying partly in the forest and partly in -lands now under native cultivation. These remains, although in a more -advanced state of ruin, are very similar to those of the Calamulla -group. It is noted, however, that the tumuli are carefully oriented, -and that some have stone steps in the centre of each side. In one or -two cases there even remained standing portions of cut-stone walls. -Local tradition, which as a rule amounts to nothing in such cases, -seems to indicate that these structures were already in a ruined state -before the Spanish conquest. At the town of Yarumela, and presumably -taken from the group described, were seen, besides a few curiously -carved stones, six earthen vases of superior workmanship and design, -one of which is represented in the cut, together with separate and -enlarged portions of its ornamentation, which is both carved and -painted. The flying deity painted in outline on one of its faces is -pronounced by Mr Squier identical with one of the characters of the -Dresden Codex.[III-8] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF TENAMPUA.] - -At Tenampua, or Pueblo Viejo, twenty miles south-east of Comayagua, -near Flores, is a hill of white stratified sandstone, whose sides rise -precipitously to a height of sixteen hundred feet above the level of -the surrounding plain. The summit forms a level plateau one half a -mile wide and one mile and a half long from east to west. On the -eastern half chiefly, but also spreading over the whole surface of -this lofty plateau, is the most extensive group of ancient works in -the whole region, and in fact the only one of which we have a -description at all in detail. As in the other localities of this part -of the state, the group is made up for the most part of rectangular -oriented mounds, some of stone, but most of earth, with a stone -facing. The smaller mounds are apparently arranged in groups according -to some system; they vary in size from twenty to thirty feet in -height, having from two to four stages. The larger pyramidal tumuli -are from sixty to one hundred feet long and of proportionate width and -altitude, with in many cases a flight of steps in the centre of the -side facing the west. - - [Illustration: Enclosure at Tenampua.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF TENAMPUA.] - -The structures that have been described are as follows, it being -understood that they are but a part of the whole: A mound located on -the very edge of the southern precipice commands a broad view over the -whole plain of Comayagua, and its position suggests its possible -aboriginal use as a station for fire-signals. Just north of this is an -excavation, or perhaps a small natural valley, whose sides are faced -with stone in steps leading up the slope on all four sides. In the -centre of the eastern half of the plain, and consequently in the -midst of the principal ruins, is what may be regarded as the chief -structure of the group, commanding a view of all the rest. The annexed -cut, made up from the description, will aid in giving a clear idea of -the work. Two stone walls, an outer and an inner, about ten feet -apart, each two feet thick, of which only a few feet in height remain -standing, enclose a rectangular area of one hundred and eighty by -three hundred feet. Cross-walls at regular intervals divide the space -between the two into rectangular apartments now filled with earth to a -depth of two feet. The walls terminate on the western side in two -oblong terraced mounds between which is the only entrance to the -enclosure; while on the opposite side in a corresponding position on -the eastern wall is a mound equal in bulk to both the western ones -combined. Within the inclosure is a large pyramidal mound in three -stages, with a flight of steps on the west, situated just south of a -central east and west line. From its south-west corner a line of -imbedded stones runs to the southern wall; and between the pyramid and -the gateway is a small square of stones. A similar mound, also -provided with a stairway, is found in the north-east corner of the -enclosure. The stones of which the walls and facings are made, indeed -of all the stone work at Tenampua, are not hewn, but very carefully -laid, no mention being made of mortar. All the structures are -carefully oriented. At the south-east corner of the plateau is a -second enclosure which has a gateway in the centre of each of its four -equal sides, but whose dimensions are not given. This has in its area -two mounds, each with a stairway. Elsewhere, its location on the -plateau not being stated, is a raised terrace, or platform, three -hundred and sixty feet long, containing one of the most remarkable -features of the place, in the form of two parallel mounds one hundred -and forty feet long, thirty-six feet wide at the base, ten feet high, -and forty feet apart at their inner and lower edges. The outer sides -have double walls like those of the chief enclosure, divided into -three compartments, and having served apparently as the foundations of -three separate buildings. The inner side of each mound slopes in three -terraces, the lower ones being faced with large flat stones set -upright. In a line with the centre between these parallels and at a -distance of one hundred and twenty paces is a mound with a stairway on -its southern slope, and at a distance of twenty-four paces on the same -line, but in a direction not stated, are two large stones carefully -placed with a space of one foot between them. The conjectural use of -these parallels, like that of somewhat similar ones which we shall -meet elsewhere, is for the accommodation of the ancient nobility or -priesthood in their games or processions. On the west end of the -plateau are two perpendicular excavations in the rock, twenty feet -square and twelve feet deep, with a gallery three feet square leading -northward from the bottom of each. The natives have an idea that these -passages lead to the ruins of Chapulistagua, but they are probably of -natural formation with artificial improvements, and of no great -extent. The remains of a pyramid are found in the vicinity of the -holes. Near the centre of the plateau, in a spot naturally low and -marshy, are two large square excavations which may have been -reservoirs. In addition to the works described are over three hundred -mounds or truncated pyramids of different sizes, scattered over the -surface of the plateau, to the location and arrangement of which, in -the absence of a plan, we have no guide. They are covered with a heavy -growth of timber, some of them supporting pine-trees two feet in -diameter. Only one was opened and its interior found to consist simply -of earth, except the upper terrace which was ashes and burned matter, -containing fragments of pottery and of obsidian knives. The pottery is -chiefly in the form of small flat pans and vases, all decorated with -simple painted figures; and one small gourd-shaped vase, nearly -entire, was filled with some black indurated matter so hard as not to -be removable. As to the original purposes to which the structures of -Tenampua were devoted, speculation points with much plausibility to -religious ceremonies and temples in the case of the enclosures and -larger pyramids; to sepulchral rites in that of the smaller mounds; -while the strong natural position of the works on a plateau with high, -precipitous, and at nearly every point inaccessible sides, indicates -that defense was an important consideration with the builders. The -supposed reservoirs favor this theory, which is rendered a certainty -by the fortifications which protect the approach to the plateau at the -only accessible points, on three narrow ridges connecting this hill -with others of the range. These fortifications are walls of rough -stone, from six to fifteen feet high and ten to twenty feet thick at -the base, according to the weakness or strength of the location. -Gullies on the slopes which might afford a cover for approaching foes -are carefully filled with stones; and the walls themselves, which also -have traces of towers at intervals, while presenting a perpendicular -exterior, are terraced on the inside for the convenience of the -defenders. Yet the poor thin soil, incapable of supporting a large -number of people, indicates that it was not probably a fortified town, -but that it must be regarded as a place sacred to the gods, to be -defended to the last, and possibly a refuge for the people of the -towns below in cases of extreme danger.[III-9] - - [Sidenote: CLIFF-CARVINGS OF ARAMACINA.] - -Southward from Comayagua, toward the Pacific shore, we find relics of -former times near Aramacina, in the Goascoran region. Here the smooth -vertical face of a sandstone ledge forms one side of a natural -amphitheatre, and is covered, for a space of one hundred by fifteen -feet, with engraved figures cut to a depth of two and a half inches, -the incisions serving as convenient steps by which to mount the cliff. -Some of the engravings have been destroyed by modern quarry-men; of -those remaining some seem to be ornamental and arbitrary, while in -others the forms of men and animals may be distinguished. They are -pronounced by the observer identical in style with the inscriptions of -Nicaragua and Salvador, of whose existence in the latter state we have -no other intimation.[III-10] - - * * * * * - -But one group of antiquities in Honduras remains to be -described,--Copan, the most wonderful of all, and one of the most -famous of American ruins. The location is in a most fertile -tobacco-producing region near the Guatemalan boundary, on the eastern -bank of the Rio Copan, which flows northward to join the Motagua some -fifty miles below the ruins, at a point something more than one -hundred miles above its mouth in the bay of Honduras.[III-11] - -Some rapids occur in the Copan River below the ruins, but in the -season of high water it is navigable for canoes for a greater part of -its course. The name Copan, so far as can be known, was applied to the -ruins simply from their vicinity to an adjacent hamlet or Indian -pueblo so named, which is located at the mouth of a small stream, -called Sesesmil by Col. Galindo, which empties into the Copan a little -higher up. This pueblo has greatly deteriorated in later times; -formerly both town and province were rich and prosperous. Indeed, in -the sixteenth century, in the revolt which broke out soon after the -first conquest, the cacique of Copan resisted the Spanish forces long -after the neighboring provinces had been subdued. Driven eventually to -his chief town, he opposed barricades and ditches to the advancing -foe, but was at last forced after a desperate struggle to yield to -Hernando de Chaves in 1530. It was formerly supposed that the place -where he made his brave stand against Chaves was identical with the -ancient city since called Copan, its ruin dating from its fall in -1530. It is now believed, however, that there was no connection -whatever between the two, and that, so far as the ruined city of -antiquity is concerned, history is absolutely silent. This conclusion -is based on the facts that Cortes in his famous march through Honduras -in 1524, although passing within a few leagues of this place, heard -nothing of so wonderful a city, as he could hardly have failed to do -had it been inhabited at the time; that there is not the slightest -resemblance between the ruined structures to be described in these -pages and the town besieged by Chaves as reported in the chronicles of -the period; and above all that the ruins are described by Palacio as -being very nearly in their present state, with nothing but the vaguest -traditions respecting their origin, only about forty years after the -fall of the brave cacique, the latter fact, however, not having been -known to those authors who have stated that Copan was inhabited at the -conquest.[III-12] - - [Sidenote: EXPLORATION OF THE RUINS.] - -This region has never been really explored with a view to the -discovery of ancient relics. The few visitors, of whose explorations I -give the history and bibliography in full in the annexed note,[III-13] -have found enough of the wonderful in the monuments known to exist -since the sixteenth century, without pushing their investigations back -into the dense and almost impenetrable forest away from the immediate -banks of the river. The difficulty attending antiquarian research in a -country where the whole surface is covered with so dense a growth that -progress in any direction is possible only foot by foot with the aid -of the native machete, may be imagined. A hot climate, a moist and -malarious atmosphere, venomous serpents and reptiles, myriads of -diminutive demons in the form of insects, all do most vigorous battle -against the advances of the foreign explorer, while the apathetic -natives, whether of American or Spanish blood, feel not the slightest -enthusiasm to unveil the mysterious works of the antiguos. - -For what is known of Copan the world is indebted almost entirely to -the works of the American traveler, Mr John L. Stephens, and of his -most skilful artist-companion, Mr F. Catherwood;[III-14] and from the -works of these gentlemen, with the slight notes to be gleaned from -other sources, I proceed to give all that is known of what is commonly -termed the oldest city on the American continent. I will begin by -giving Juarros' description in full, since few or none of the objects -mentioned by him can be identified with any of those met in the -following pages. "In the year 1700, the Great Circus of Copan, still -remained entire. This was a circular space, surrounded by stone -pyramids about six yards high, and very well constructed; at the bases -of these pyramids were figures, both male and female, of very -excellent sculpture, which then retained the colours they had been -enamelled with; and, what was not less remarkable, the whole of them -were habited in the Castilian costume. In the middle of this area, -elevated above a flight of steps, was the place of sacrifice. The same -author (Fuentes) relates that, at a short distance from the Circus, -there was a portal constructed of stone, on the columns of which were -the figures of men, likewise represented in Spanish habits, with hose, -ruff round the neck, sword, cap, and short cloak. On entering the -gateway there are two fine stone pyramids, moderately large and lofty, -from which is suspended a hammock that contains two human figures, one -of each sex, clothed in the Indian style. Astonishment is forcibly -excited on viewing this structure, because, large as it is, there is -no appearance of the component parts being joined together; and, -although entirely of stone, and of an enormous weight, it may be put -in motion by the slightest impulse of the hand. Not far from this -hammock is the cave of Tibulca; this appears like a temple of great -size, hollowed out of the base of a hill, and adorned with columns -having bases, pedestals, capitals and crowns, all accurately adjusted -according to architectural principles; at the sides are numerous -windows faced with stone exquisitely wrought. All these circumstances -lead to a belief that there must have been some intercourse between -the inhabitants of the old and new world at very remote -periods."[III-15] - - [Sidenote: EXTENT OF THE RUINS.] - -The ruins are always spoken of as extending two miles along the bank -of the river; yet all the structures described or definitely located -by any visitor, are included in the much smaller area shown on Mr -Stephens' plan, with, however, the following exceptions: "A stone wall -with a circular building and a pit, apparently for a reservoir," is -found about a mile up the river; the quarry which supplied material -for all the structures and statues,--a soft grit interspersed with -hard flinty lumps,--is in a range of hills two miles north of the -river, where are scattered many blocks rejected by the ancient -workers, one being seen on the very top of the range, and another, the -largest noted, half-way between the quarry and its destination at the -ruins; Fuentes' wonderful cave of Tibulca is in the same range of -hills, and may be identical with the quarry, or, as Col. Galindo -thinks, with a natural cave in a mountain two leagues distant; one -monument is mentioned at a distance of a mile across the river on the -summit of a mountain two thousand feet high, but this does not appear -to have been visited; and finally, the natives reported to Mr -Hardcastle a causeway in the forest, several leagues in length. Yet -although so very little is known of outside monuments, there can be no -doubt that such exist, not improbably of great extent and interest; -since, although heaps of ruins and fragments are vaguely reported in -every direction, no attempt at a thorough examination has ever been -made or indeed could be, except by removing the whole forest by a -conflagration during the dry season.[III-16] - - [Illustration: Temple of Copan.] - - [Illustration: RUINS OF COPAN RESTORED] - -The plan on the opposite page shows the ruins in their actual state, -according to Mr Stephens' survey, together with a restoration to what -seems to have been something like their original condition. The union -of the two effects in one plate is, I believe, a sufficient reason for -indulging to this extent in a fancy for restoration, justly condemned -by antiquarians as a rule.[III-17] - -Returning then to the limits of the plan, we find portions of a wall, -_a_, _a_, _a_, which when entire, as indicated by the dotted lines, -seems to have enclosed a nearly rectangular area, measuring in general -terms 900 by 1600 feet. Whatever treasures of antiquity may be hid in -the depths of the forest, there can be but little doubt that this -enclosure embraced the leading structures or sacred edifices of the -ancient town. These walls would seem at least twenty-five feet thick -at the base, and are built, like all the Copan structures, of large -blocks of cut stone, of varying but not expressly stated dimensions. -They are built, in parts at least, in terraces or steps, and -painted. Only one authority speaks of the use of mortar.[III-18] - - [Sidenote: THE GREAT TEMPLE.] - -In the north-west corner of the enclosure, nearly filling its northern -half, is the chief structure which has been called the Temple. Its -dimensions are 624 feet north and south by 809 feet east and -west.[III-19] From the remains the Temple in its original state is -seen to have been an immense terrace, with sides sloped toward the -land but perpendicular on the river, on the platform of which were -both pyramidal elevations and sunken courts of regular rectangular -outlines. The river wall, _b_, _c_, rises perpendicularly to a -height, in its present ruined state, of from sixty to ninety feet, and -the annexed cut gives its appearance from the opposite side of the -river; but the original elevation of the terrace overlooking the -river, judging from portions still intact, was about a hundred feet, -some twenty-five or thirty feet of this elevation, at least at the -northern end, being, however, the height of the original bank above -the water; so that the terrace-platform of the whole Temple, _d_, _d_, -_d_, must have been about seventy feet above the surface of the -ground. The whole is built of cut stone in blocks a foot and a half -wide by three to six feet long, and, without taking into account the -excess of superimposed pyramids over sunken courts, must have required -in round numbers over twenty-six million cubic feet of stone in its -construction.[III-20] - -The land sides on the north, east, and south, slope by steps of about -eighteen inches each to a height of from thirty to 140 feet according -as they are more or less fallen, extending also in some parts to the -general level of the terrace-platform, and in others reaching in one -incline to the top of the upper pyramids, E, E.[III-21] On the main -platform are two sunken rectangular courts, marked on the plan A and -B, whose floors or pavements seem to be about forty feet above the -surface of the ground, and thirty feet below the level of the terrace. -The court A is ninety by 144 feet, and ascends on all sides in regular -steps like a Roman amphitheatre. The west side ascends in two flights -each of fifteen steps, separated by a terrace twelve feet wide, to the -platform overlooking the river, on which, at _i_, are the ruins of -what were apparently two circular towers. From a point half-way up the -steps a passage or gallery _m_, _n_, just large enough to afford -passage to a crawling man, leads horizontally through to the face of -the river-wall, the opening in which, visible from the opposite bank, -has given to the ruins the name among the natives of Las Ventanas. -Just below the entrance to this gallery, at _o_, is a pit five feet -square, and seventeen feet deep, from the bottom of which a passage -leads into a vault five feet wide, ten feet long, and four feet high, -which, according to Col. Galindo's measurement, is twelve feet below -the pavement of the court; the opening into this pit, at _o_, seems -however to have been made by Galindo by excavation. The entrance to -the court A is by the passage-way, C, C, from the north, the floor of -which is on a level with that of the court. Similar steps lead up to -the river-terrace on the west, while the pyramid D on the east rises -to a height of 122 feet on the slope in steps or stages each six feet -high and nine feet wide. The passage-way is thirty feet wide and over -300 feet long, and it seems probable that a flight of steps originally -led up to the level of its entrance at _p_. The Court B is larger, but -its steps are nearly all fallen, and it is now only remarkable for its -altar, which will be described elsewhere.[III-22] - -As I have said, all the steps and sides bear evident traces of having -been originally painted. The whole structure is enveloped in a dense -growth of shrubs and trees, which have been the chief agents in its -ruin, penetrating every crevice with their roots and thus forcing -apart the carefully laid superficial stones. Two immense ceiba-trees -over six feet in diameter, with roots spreading from fifty to one -hundred feet, are found on the summit of the lofty pyramid D. - - [Sidenote: PYRAMIDS AT COPAN.] - -Besides the temple, there are three small detached pyramids, I, F, G, -the former fifty feet square and thirty feet high, between the last -two of which there seems to have been a gateway, or entrance, to the -enclosure. There are moreover the terraced walls _v_, _v_, of the -plan, which require no additional description, but which extend for an -unknown distance eastward into the forest. There are also shapeless -heaps of fallen ruins scattered in every direction.[III-23] - - [Illustration: Sandaled feet at Copan.] - - [Sidenote: STATUES OR IDOLS.] - - [Sidenote: SCULPTURED OBELISK.] - -Next to the ruined Temple in importance, or even before it as an -indication of the artistic skill of its builders, are the carved -obelisks, statues, or idols, which are peculiar to this region, but -remarkably similar to each other. Fourteen of these are more or less -fully described, most of them standing and in good preservation, but -several of this number, and probably many besides, fallen and broken. -Their positions are shown on the plan by the numbers 1 to 14. It will -be noticed that only one is actually within the structure known as the -Temple, three standing at the foot of its outer terrace within the -quadrangle H, and the remainder in a group at the southern part of the -enclosure, two of the latter being at the foot of terraced walls. -These statues are remarkable for their size and for their complicated -and well-executed sculpture. Of the eight whose dimensions are given, -the smallest, No. 13, is eleven feet eight inches high, three feet -four inches wide and thick; and the largest, Nos. 2 and 3, are -thirteen feet high, four feet wide, and three feet thick. The material -is the same soft stone taken from the quarry which furnished the -blocks for building the walls. As to their position, Nos. 3, 11, and -13 face toward the east; Nos. 1, 5, and 9, toward the west; and No. 10 -toward the north; the others are either fallen or their position is -not given. No. 1 is smaller at the bottom than at the top, and Col. -Galindo mentions two others, on hills east and west of the city, which -have a similar form; all the rest are of nearly uniform dimensions -throughout their length. Several rest on pedestals from six to seven -feet square, and No. 13 has also a circular stone foundation sixteen -feet in diameter. In each a human face occupies a central position on -the front, having in some instances something that may be intended to -represent a beard and moustache. The faces are remarkably uniform in -the expression of their features, generally calm and pleasant; but in -the case of No. 11 the partially open lips, and eye-balls starting -from their sockets, indicate a design on the part of the artist to -inspire terror in the beholder of his work. The hands rest in nearly -every instance back to back on the breast. The dress and decoration -seem to indicate that some were intended for males, others for -females; this and the presence or absence of beard are the only -indications of sex observable. The feet are mostly dressed in sandals, -as shown clearly in the cut from No. 7. Above and round the head is a -complicated mass of the most elaborate ornamentation, which utterly -defies verbal description. Mr Stephens notes something like an -elephant's trunk among the decorations of No. 8. The sides and usually -the backs are covered with hieroglyphics arranged in square tablets, -which probably contain, as all observers are impelled to believe, the -names, titles, and perhaps history of the beings whose images in stone -they serve to decorate. The backs of several, however, have other -figures in addition to the supposed hieroglyphics, as in No. 8, where -is a human form sitting cross-legged; and in No. 10, in which the -characters seem to be human in a variety of strange contortions, -although arranged in tablets like the rest; and No. 13 has a human -face in the centre of the back as well as front. The sculpture is all -in high relief, and was originally painted red, traces of the color -being well preserved in places protected from the action of the -weather. I give cuts of two of these carved obelisks, Nos. 3, and 6, -to illustrate as fully as possible the general appearance of these -most wonderful creations of American art, the details and full -beauties of which can only be appreciated in the large and finely -engraved plates of Catherwood. - - [Illustration: Copan Statues.--No. 3.] - - [Illustration: Copan Statues.--No. 6.] - - [Illustration: Copan Altar.--No. 10.] - - [Sidenote: SACRIFICIAL ALTARS.] - -Standing from six to twelve feet in front of nine of the fourteen -statues, and probably of all in their primitive state, are found -blocks of stone which, apparently, can only have been employed for -making offerings or sacrifices in honor of the statues, whose use as -idols is rendered nearly certain by the uniform proximity of the -altars. The altars are six or seven feet square and four feet high, -taking a variety of forms, and being covered with sculpture somewhat -less elaborate than the statues themselves, often buried and much -defaced. Two of them, belonging to Nos. 10 and 7, are shown in the -accompanying cuts. The former is five and a half feet in diameter, and -three feet high, with two grooves in the top; the latter seven feet -square and four feet high, supposed to represent a death's head. The -top of the altar accompanying No. 9 is carved to represent the back of -a tortoise; that of No. 13 consists of three heads strangely grouped. -The grooves cut in the altars' upper surface are strongly suggestive -of flowing blood, and of slaughtered victims.[III-24] - - [Illustration: Copan Altar.--No. 7.] - -I will next mention the miscellaneous relics found in connection with -the ruins, beginning with the court A. The vault already spoken of, -whose entrance is at _o_, was undoubtedly intended for burial -purposes. Both on the floor of the vault and in two small niches at -its sides were found human bones, chiefly in vessels of red pottery, -which were over fifty in number. Lime was found spread over the floor -and mixed with human remains in the burial vases; also scattered on -the floor were oyster and periwinkle shells, cave stalactites, -sharp-edged and pointed knives of chaya stone, and three heads, one of -them "apparently representing death, its eyes being nearly shut, and -the lower features distorted; the back of the head symmetrically -perforated by holes; the whole of most exquisite workmanship, and cut -out or cast from a fine stone covered with green enamel." Another -head, very likely one of the other two found in this vault, its -locality, not, however, being specified, is two inches high, cut from -green and white jade, hollow behind, and pierced in several places, -probably for the introduction of a cord for its suspension. Its -individual character and artistic workmanship created in Col. -Galindo's mind the impression that it was customary with this people -to wear as ornaments the portraits of deceased friends.[III-25] - - [Illustration: Colossal Head.] - -Two thirds of the distance up the eastern steps at _u_, is the -colossal head of the cut, which is about six feet high. Two other -immense heads are overturned at the foot of the same slope; another is -half-way up the southern steps at w; while numerous fragments of -sculpture are scattered over the steps and pavement in every -direction. There are no idols or altars here, but six circular stones -from one foot and a half to three feet in diameter, found at the foot -of the western stairway of the passage C, C, may have supported idols -or columns originally.[III-26] - - [Illustration: Altar in the Temple of Copan.] - - [Sidenote: ALTAR OF THE TEMPLE.] - -In the court B, the only relic beside the statue No. 1 is a remarkable -stone monument, generally termed an altar, at _x_. This is a solid -block of stone six feet square and four feet high, resting on four -globular stones, one under each corner. On the sides are carved -sixteen human figures in profile, four on each side. Each figure is -seated cross-legged on a kind of cushion which is apparently a -hieroglyphic, among whose characters in two or three cases the serpent -is observable. Each wears a breastplate, a head-dress like a -turban,--no two being, however, exactly alike--and holds in one hand -some object of unknown significance. The cut shows the north front of -the altar. The two central figures on this side sit facing each other, -with a tablet of hieroglyphics between them, and may readily be -imagined to represent two kings or chiefs engaged in a consultation on -important matters of state. According to Mr Stephens' text the other -fourteen figures are divided into two equal parties, each following -its leader. But the plates represent all those on the east and west -as facing the south, while those on the south look toward the west. -The top is covered with hieroglyphics in thirty-six squares, as shown -the cut on the preceding page. A peculiarity of this altar is that its -sculpture, unlike that of all the other monuments of Copan, is in low -relief.[III-27] - - [Illustration: Hieroglyphics on the Copan Altar.] - - [Illustration: Decorated Head at Copan.] - - [Illustration: Death's Head at Copan.] - - [Sidenote: MISCELLANEOUS RELICS.] - -The head shown in the cut is one of the fragments lying on the ground -at the foot of the terraces that inclose the quadrangle H. On the -slopes of these terraces, particularly of the eastern slope of the -pyramid _e_, half-way from top to bottom, are rows of death's heads in -stone. It is suggested that they represent the skulls of apes rather -than of human beings, and that this animal, abundant in the country, -may have been an object of veneration among the ancient people. One of -the skulls is shown in the cut. The next cut pictures the head of an -alligator carved in stone, found among the group of idols towards the -south. Another is mentioned by Col. Galindo, as holding in its open -jaws a figure, half human, half beast. A gigantic toad, standing -erect, with human arms and tiger's claws, was another of the relics -discovered by the same explorer, together with round plain stones -pierced by a hole in the centre. Mr Davis talks of an architrave of -black granite finely cut; and M. Waldeck corrects a statement, in a -work by Balbi, that marble beds are to be found here. The portrait in -the cut is from the fragments found at the north-west corner of the -temple near _b_.[III-28] - - [Illustration: Alligator's Head at Copan.] - - [Illustration: Copan Portrait.] - - [Sidenote: GENERAL CONCLUSIONS.] - -Most of the general reflections and speculations on Copan indulged in -by observers and students refer to other ruined cities in connection -with this, and will be noted in a future chapter. It is to be remarked -that besides pyramids and terraced walls, no traces whatever of -buildings, public or private, remain to guide us in determining the -material or style of architecture affected by the former people of -this region. The absence of all traces of private dwellings we shall -find universal throughout America, such structures having evidently -been constructed of perishable materials; but among the more notable -ruins of the Pacific States, Copan stands almost alone in its total -lack of covered edifices. There would seem to be much reason for the -belief that here grand temples of wood once covered these mighty -mounds, which, decaying, have left no trace of their former grandeur. - -Col. Galindo states that the method of forming a roof here was by -means of large inclined stones. If this be a fact, it must have been -ascertained from the sepulchral vault in the temple court, concerning -the construction of which both he and Stephens are silent. The top of -the gallery leading through the river-wall would indicate a method of -construction by means of over-lapping blocks, which we shall find -employed exclusively in Yucatan and Chiapas. No article of any metal -whatever has been found; yet as only one burial deposit has been -opened, it is by no means certain that gold or copper ornaments were -not employed. That iron and steel were not used for cutting -implements, is clearly proved by the fact that hard flinty spots in -the soft stone of the statues are left uncut, in some instances where -they interfere with the details of the sculpture. Indeed, the -chay-stone points found among the ruins are sufficiently hard to work -the soft material, and although in some cases they seem to have -required the use of metal in their own making, yet when we consider -the well-known skill of even the most savage tribes in the manufacture -of flint weapons and implements, the difficulty becomes of little -weight. How the immense blocks of stone of which the obelisks were -formed, were transported from the quarry, several miles distant, -without the mechanical aids that would not be likely to exist prior to -the use of iron, can only be conjectured. - -The absence of all implements of a warlike nature, extending even to -the sculptured decorations of idol and altar, would seem to indicate a -population quiet and peaceable rather than warlike and aggressive; for -though it has been suggested that implements of war are not found here -simply because it is a place sacred to religion, yet it does not -appear that any ancient people has ever drawn so closely the line -between the gods of war and the other divinities of the -pantheon.[III-29] - -Of the great artistic merit of the sculpture, particularly if executed -without tools of metal, there can be no question. Mr Stephens, well -qualified by personal observation to make the comparison, pronounces -some of the specimens "equal to the finest Egyptian sculpture."[III-30] -Mr Foster believes the flattened forehead of the human profile on the -altar-sides to indicate a similar cranial conformation in the builders -of the city.[III-31] - -With respect to the hieroglyphics all that can be said is mere -conjecture, since no living person even claims the ability to decipher -their meaning. They have nothing in common with the Aztec -picture-writing, which, consequently, affords no aid in their study. -The characters do, however, appear similar to, if not identical with, -some of those found at Palenque, in Yucatan, in the Dresden Codex, and -in the Manuscript Troano. When the disciples of Brasseur de Bourbourg -shall succeed in realizing his expectations respecting the latter -document, by means of the Landa alphabet, we may expect the mystery to -be partially lifted from Copan. It is hard to resist the belief that -these tablets hold locked up in their mystic characters the history of -the ruined city and its people, or the hope that the key to their -significance may yet be brought to light; still, in the absence of a -contemporary written language, the hope must be allowed to rest on a -very unsubstantial basis.[III-32] - - [Sidenote: ORIGIN OF THE RUINS.] - -Concerning the age and origin of the Copan monuments, as distinguished -from other American antiquities, there are few or no facts on which to -base an opinion. The growth of trees on the works, and the -accumulation of vegetable material can in this tropical climate yield -but very unsatisfactory results in this direction. Copan is, however, -generally considered the oldest of American cities; but I leave for -the present the matter of comparison with more northern relics. -Palacio claims to have found among the people a tradition of a great -lord who came from Yucatan, built the city of Copan, and after some -years returned and left the newly built town desolate; a tradition -which he inclines to believe, because he says the same language is -understood in both regions, and he had heard of similar monuments in -Yucatan and Tabasco. Among the inhabitants of the region in later -times, there is no difference of opinion whatever with respect to the -origin of the ruins or their builders; they are unanimous in their -adherence to the 'quien sabe' theory. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[III-1] _Squier's Cent. Amer._, p. 341; _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, pp. -123-4. - -[III-2] 'Hier sollen sich gleichfalls noch ununtersuchte interessante -indianische Monumente finden.' _Reichardt_, _Cent. Amer._, p. 83. -'Nothing positive is known concerning them.' _Squier's Cent. Amer._, -p. 341. Hassel says they are the remains of the old Indian town of -Zacualpa. _Mex. Guat._, p. 368. - -[III-3] _Squier's Nicaragua_, (Ed. 1856,) vol. ii., p. 335. - -[III-4] _Young's Narrative_, p. 48. Mr Young also saw, but does not -describe, several 'curious things' besides these chairs where once the -antiguos seated, perhaps, their gods of stone. - -[III-5] _Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, p. 182. 'I understand the adjacent -island, Roatan, exhibits yet more proofs of having been inhabited by -an uncivilized race.' _Young's Narrative_, p. 48. 'Jusqu'a ce jour on -n'y a decouvert aucune ruine importante; mais les debris de poterie et -de pierre sculptee qu'on a trouves ensevelis dans ses forets, -suffisent pour prouver qu'elle n'etait pas plus que les autres regions -environnantes privee des bienfaits de la civilisation.' _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iv., pp. 612-3. - -[III-6] _Wells' Explor. Hond._, p. 553. Sivers, _Mittelamerika_, pp. -166-7, without reference to any particular locality, mentions pottery -as frequently found in graves and among ruins, including pipe-heads, -cigar-holders, drinking-cups, sacrificial vessels, and jugs. - -[III-7] _Squier's Cent. Amer._, pp. 132-3; _Scherzer's Trav._, vol. -ii., p. 95; _Id._, _Wanderungen_, p. 371; _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, -p. 310; _Harper's Mag._, vol. xix., p. 610, with a cut of the -mastodon's tooth. - -[III-8] _Visit to the Guajiquero Ind._, in _Harper's Mag._, vol. xix., -pp. 608-11. For account of the Dresden _MS._, see vol. ii. of this -work. - -[III-9] _Squier's Cent. Amer._, pp. 134-9; _Scherzer's Trav._, vol. -ii., pp. 95; _Id._, _Wanderungen_, p. 371; _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. -Stat._, p. 310. - -[III-10] _Atlantic Monthly_, vol. vi., p. 49. Las Casas has the -following on the province of Honduras at the time of the conquest: -'Tenia Pueblos innumerables, y una vega de treinta leguas y mas, toda -muy poblada ... la ciudad de Naco que tenia sobre dos cientas mil -animas, y muchos edificios de piedra, en especial los templos en que -adoraban.' _Hist. Apologetica_, _MS._, cap. lii. - -[III-11] On the north bank of the Copan, in latitude 14 deg. 45', -longitude 90 deg. 52', four leagues east of the Guatemalan line, twenty -leagues above the junction of the Motagua, which is sixty-five leagues -from the bay. _Galindo_, in _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., -pp. 547-50. Latitude 14 deg. 39', longitude 91 deg. 13' west of Paris; -six hundred and forty metres above the sea level; forty-five leagues -from San Salvador, fifty-eight leagues from Guatemala. _Id._, in _Antiq. -Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 76. 'Thirty miles east of Chiquimula.' -_Cyclopedia._ Three hundred miles from the sea, (perhaps by the -windings of the stream). By reason of accidental injury to the -instruments the latitude and longitude could not be obtained. Situated -on the east bank of the stream according to plan. _Stephens' Cent. -Amer._, vol. i., p. 132. 'Until lately erroneously located in -Guatemala, are many miles within the boundaries of Honduras, and but a -few days' travel from the original landing-place of the Spanish -discoverers.' _Wells' Explor. Hond._, p. 552. Not to be confounded -with Coban, metropolis of Vera Paz, one hundred and fifty miles west -of Copan. _Gallatin_, in _Amer. Ethnol. Soc., Transact._, vol. i., p. -5. - -[III-12] 'Copan was a colony of Tultecos.' 'The Spaniards found Copan -inhabited, and in the summit of its perfection.' _Galindo_, in _Amer. -Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., pp. 546, 549. On the expedition of -Cortes referred to, see _Alaman_, _Disertaciones_, tom. i., pp. -203-25; _Cogolludo_, _Hist. Yucathan_, pp. 45-58; _Cortes_, _Cartas_, -pp. 396-492; _Gomara_, _Conq. Mex._, fol. 245-74; _Herrera_, _Hist. -Gen._, dec. iii., lib. vii., cap. viii., to lib. viii., cap. vii.; -_Peter Martyr_, dec. viii., lib. x.; _Prescott's Mex._, vol. iii., pp. -278-99; _Torquemada_, _Monarq. Ind._, tom. i., p. 588; _Villagutierre_, -_Hist. Conq. Itza_, pp. 39-50; _Helps' Span. Conq._, vol. iii., pp. -33-57. Stephens seems to be in some doubt as to the identity of -ancient and modern Copan, there being 'circumstances which seem to -indicate that the city referred to was inferior in strength and -solidity of construction, and of more modern origin.' _Cent. Amer._, -vol. i., pp. 99-101. 'The ruins of the city of that name and their -position do not at all agree with the localities of the severe battle -which decided the contest.' 'There is every appearance of these places -(Copan and Quirigua) having been abandoned long before the Spanish -conquest.' _Gallatin_, in _Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact._, vol. i., p. -171. 'Whatever doubts may have existed on the Subject, and as regards -the high antiquity of the Ruins of Copan ... they are set at Rest by -this Account of Palacio. They were evidently very nearly in their -present Condition, at the Time he wrote, three hundred Years ago.' -_Squier's Pref._ to _Palacio_, _Carta_, p. 9. 'Certain it is that the -latter was a ruin long before the arrival of the Spaniards.' _Squier's -Cent. Amer._, p. 345. - -[III-13] The Licenciado Diego Garcia de Palacio, Oidor (Justice, not -Auditor) of the Real Audiencia of Guatemala, in accordance with the -duties of his office, traveled extensively in Guatemala and adjoining -provinces, embodying the results of his observations on countries and -peoples visited in a relation to King Felipe II. of Spain, dated March -8, 1576, which document is preserved in the celebrated Munoz -collection of MSS. It contains a description of the ruins of Copan -which exists in print as follows; _Palacio_, _Relacion_, in _Pacheco_, -_Col. Doc. Ined._, tom. vi., pp. 37-9; _Palacio_, _Carta dirijida al -Rey_, Albany, 1860, pp. 88-96, including an English translation by E. -G. Squier; _Palacios_, _Description_, in _Ternaux-Compans_, _Recueil -de Doc._, pp. 42-4, which is a somewhat faulty French translation; -_Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1843, tom. xcvii., pp. 38-40; _Squier's -Cent. Amer._, pp. 242-4; and it is mentioned by Senor J. B. Munoz in a -report on American antiquities, written as early as 1785, of which a -translation is given in _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Palenque_, pp. 7-8; -Herrera, _Hist. Gen._, quotes, or rather takes from, Palacio's -relation extensively, but omits the portion touching Copan. This first -account of the ruins is by no means the worst that has been written. -Although naturally incomplete, it is evidently a bona-fide description -by an actual visitor, written at a time when the ruins were very -nearly in their present condition, and their origin wrapped in -mystery, although the stirring events of 1530 were yet comparatively -fresh in the memory of the natives. The next account is that in -_Fuentes y Guzman_, _Recopilacion Florida de la Historia del Reino de -Guatemala_, _MS._, 1689. This work was never printed, although said to -be in preparation for the press in 1856. _Ximenez_, _Hist. Ind. -Guat._, p. vii. Fuentes' description of Copan was, however, given to -the public in 1808, in _Juarros_, _Compendio de la Hist. de la Ciudad -de Guatemala_, a work translated into English in 1823, under the title -of _A Statistical and Commercial Hist. of the Kingdom of Guatemala_. -From Juarros the account is taken by many writers, none, so far as I -know, having quoted Fuentes in the original. Where the latter obtained -his information is not known. His account is brief, and justly termed -by Brasseur de Bourbourg, _Palenque_, p. 14., 'la description menteuse -de Fuentes,' since nothing like the relics therein mentioned have been -found in later times. Yet it is possible that the original was -mutilated in passing through Juarros' hands. This description, given -in full in my text, is repeated more or less fully in _Stephens' Cent. -Amer._, vol. i., p. 131; _Warden_, _Recherches_, p. 71; _Conder's Mex. -Guat._, vol. ii., pp. 299-300; _Malte-Brun_, _Precis de la Geog._, -tom. vi., pp. 470-1; _Humboldt_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, -1827, tom. xxxv., p. 329; _Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, pp. 385-6; _Cortes_, -_Adventuras_, p. 321, and in many other works mentioned in connection -with matter from later sources. Next we have the exploration of -Colonel Juan Galindo, an officer in the Central American service, -sometime governor of the province of Peten, made in April, 1835. An -account of his observations was forwarded to the Societe de Geographie -of Paris, and published in the _Bulletin_ of that Society, and also in -the _Literary Gazette_ of London. A communication on the subject was -also published in _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., pp. -545-50; and the information furnished to the French Geographical -Society was published en resume in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., -pp. 73, 76. Ten drawings accompanied Galindo's report, but have never -been published, although the author announced the intention of the -Central American government to publish his report in full with plates. -He says, 'je suis le seul qui ait examine les ruines de Copan, et qui -en ait fait la relation,' but he knew nothing of Palacio's visit. 'Not -being an artist, his account is necessarily unsatisfactory and -imperfect, but it is not exaggerated.' _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. -i., p. 132. 'Had an enquiring mind, but a very superficial Education.' -_Squier's Pref._ to _Palacio_, _Carta_, p. 8. Most of Galindo's -account is also given with that of Juarros, in _Bradford's Amer. -Antiq._, pp. 96-9; also some information from the same source in -_Brownell's Ind. Races_, p. 52, and in _Larenaudiere_, _Mex. et -Guat._, p. 267. In 1839 Messrs Stephens and Catherwood visited Copan. -Mr Stephens, as I find by a careful examination of his book, spent -thirteen days in his survey, namely, from November 17 to 30; while Mr -Catherwood spent the larger part of another month in completing his -drawings. The results of their labors appeared in 1841 and 1844 under -the titles:--_Stephens' Incidents of Travel in Central America_, vol. -i., pp. 95-160, with twenty-one plates and seven cuts; _Catherwood's -Views of Ancient Monuments in Central America_, in folio, with large -lithographic plates. Slight descriptions of the ruins, made up chiefly -from Stephens, may be found as follows:--_Helps' Span. Conq._, vol. -iii., pp. 54-5; _Willson's Amer. Hist._, pp. 76-9, with plan and cut; -_Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., pp. 64-74, 57, with -plan and plates; _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, pp. 57-69, 116; _Davis' -Antiq. Amer._, pp. 4-5; _Id._, (Ed. 1847,) p. 30; _Dally_, _Races -Indig._, pp. 12-13; _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, pp. 111-14, with cut; -_Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 308; _Tiedemann_, _Heidelb. Yahrb._, -1851, p. 85; _Larenaudiere_, _Mex. et Guat._, pl. 9-12, the text being -from Galindo and Juarros; _Reichardt_, _Cent. Amer._, pp. 91-2; -_Amerique Centrale_, _Colonization_, pt. ii., p. 68; _Mueller_, -_Amerikanische Urreligionen_, pp. 462-4, 483; _Macgregor's Progress of -Amer._, pp. 877-8; _Frost's Great Cities of the World_, pp. 279-82, -with cut. Dr Scherzer in 1856 started to explore Copan, but, owing to -the political state of the country at the time, was unable to get -nearer than Santa Rosa, where the padre said moreover that recent -land-slides had much injured the effect of the ruins. This author -gives, however, a brief account made up from Stephens, Galindo, and -Juarros. _Scherzer's Trav._, vol. ii., pp. 41, 86-7, 94-5. _Id._, -_Wanderungen_, pp. 332, 366, 371. In September, 1856, the Jesuit Padre -Cornette is said to have visited the ruins; M. Cesar Daly, at a date -not mentioned, prepared on the spot plans and drawings of the -different structures which he intended to publish in the _Revue -Generale de l'Architecture_, but whether or not they have ever -appeared, I know not; the Abbe Brasseur de Bourbourg made two visits -to Copan in 1863 and 1866; some slight additional information on the -subject was communicated by Mr Center, on authority not given, at a -meeting of the American Ethnological Society in February, 1860; and Mr -Hardcastle, who had spent several weeks in exploring the ruins, -furnished some farther notes at a meeting of the same society in -April, 1862; and, finally, photographs were made of the ruins by M. -Ellerly, director of the Alotepeque silver-mines. But these later -explorations have not as yet afforded the public much information, -except that the photographs mentioned, when compared by Brasseur de -Bourbourg with Catherwood's plates, show the latter as well as -Stephens' descriptions to be strictly accurate. _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 96, tom. ii., p. 493; -_Id._, _Palenque_, pp. 8, 17; _Hist. Mag._, vol. v., p. 114, vol. vi., -p. 154. - -[III-14] The only unfavorable criticism of Mr Stephens' work within my -knowledge, is that 'the Soul of History is wanting!' 'The Promethean -spark by which the flame of historic truth should illuminate his work, -and be viewed as a gleaming beacon from afar, to direct wanderers -through the dark night of wonders, has found no spot to rest upon and -to vivify!' _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 55. And we may thank heaven -for the fault when we consider the effects of the said 'Promethean -spark' in the work of the immortal Jones. - -[III-15] _Juarros' Hist. Guat._, pp. 56-7. That any such structure as -the rocking hammock ever existed here is in the highest degree -improbable; yet the padre at Gualan told Stephens that he had seen it, -and an Indian had heard it spoken of by his grandfather. _Stephens' -Cent. Amer._, vol. i., p. 144. - -[III-16] 'The extent along the river, ascertained by monuments still -found, is more than two miles.' 'Beyond the wall of enclosure were -walls, terraces, and pyramidal elevations running off into the -forest.' _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. i., pp. 133, 139, 146-7. -'Extended along the bank of its river a length of two miles, as -evidenced by the remains of its fallen edifices.' 'Mounts of stone, -formed by fallen edifices, are found throughout the neighbouring -country.' _Galindo_, in _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., pp. -547, 549-50. 'La carriere ... est a 2000 metres au nord.' 'La se -trouve beaucoup de bois de sapin petrifie.' _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, -tom. i., div. ii., p. 76. 'The ground, being covered with ruins for -many square miles, and much overgrown by a rank vegetation, would -require months for a thorough examination.' 'No remains whatever on -the opposite side of the river.' _Hardcastle_, in _Hist. Mag._, vol. -vi., p. 154. 'Les plaines de Chapulco s'etendent entre Copan et le -pied des montagnes de Chiquimula. Elles sont couvertes de magnifiques -ruines.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 105. - -[III-17] Plan in _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. i., p. 133, reproduced -in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., p. 57; and in -_Willson's Amer. Hist._, p. 76. Galindo's drawings also included a -plan. By reason of the disagreement between Stephens' plan and text in -the matter of dimensions, I have omitted the scale as useless. The -southern wall of the enclosure, to accommodate the size of my page, I -have placed some two hundred feet north of its true position. Those -portions of the temple shaded by cross-lines are the portions still -standing according to the survey. - -[III-18] The southern wall in one place rises 30 or 40 feet in steps. -_Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. i., p. 134. 'One wall eighty feet high -and fifty feet thick for half its height, or more, and then sloping -like a roof, was formed of stones often six feet by three or four, -with mortar in the interstices.' _Hardcastle_, in _Hist. Mag._, vol. -vi., p. 154. Mr Center 'mentioned a Cyclopean wall ... undescribed in -any publication, but reported to him by most credible witnesses, about -800 feet long, 40 feet high, ---- feet thick, formed of immense hewn -stone.' _Hist. Mag._, vol. v., p. 114. Stones 'cut into blocks.' -_Galindo_, in _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., p. 549. Before -reaching the ruins 'esta senal de paredes gruesas.' _Palacio_, in -_Pacheco_, _Col. Doc. Ined._, tom. vi., p. 37. - -[III-19] According to Stephens' text, which states that the river or -west side is 624 feet, and the whole line of survey, which cannot in -this case mean anything but the circumference, is 2866 feet, thus -leaving 809 feet each for the northern and southern sides. His plan, -and consequently my own, makes the dimensions about 790 feet north and -south by 600 east and west, the circuit being thus 2780 feet. 'Not so -large as the base of the great Pyramid of Ghizeh.' _Stephens' Cent. -Amer._, vol. i., pp. 133. Galindo, _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, -vol. ii., p. 547, makes the dimensions 750 feet east and west (He -calls it north and south, but on the supposition that the ruins are on -the north bank of the river instead of the east) by 600 feet north and -south, a circumference of 2700 feet; or if his measurements be -understood to be Spanish, their English equivalent would be about 690 -by 552 feet, circuit 2484 feet. The same author, _Antiq. Mex._, tom. -i., div. ii., p. 76, gives 653 by 524, and 2354 feet; or if French -measure be understood, its equivalent is 696 by 588, and 2568 feet. As -large as Saint Peter's at Rome. _Davis' Antiq. of Amer._, pp. 4-5. - -[III-20] 'Broad terrace one hundred feet high, overlooking the river, -and supported by the wall which we had seen from the opposite bank,' -cut showing a view of this wall from across the river. _Stephens' -Cent. Amer._, vol. i., pp. 104, 95-6, 139. Same cut in _Baldwin's Anc. -Amer._, p. 112. 'Built perpendicularly from the bank of the river, to -a height, as it at present exists, of more than forty yards.' -_Galindo_, in _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., p. 547. 'Una -torre o terrapleno alto, que cae sobre el rio que por alle pasa.' 'Hay -una escalera que baja hasta el rio por muchas gradas.' _Palacio_, in -_Pacheco_, _Col. Doc. Ined._, tom. vi., p. 38. 'The city-wall on the -river-side, with its raised bank, ... must then have ranged from one -hundred and thirty to one hundred and fifty feet in height' in -imitation of ancient Tyre, the only city of antiquity with so high a -wall on a river-bank. _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, pp. 63, 161-2. - -[III-21] At the south-west corner a recess is mentioned which Mr -Stephens believes to have been occupied by some large monument now -fallen and washed away. _Cent. Amer._, vol. i., p. 134. - -[III-22] This court may have been Fuentes' circus, although the latter -is represented as having been circular. The terrace between it and the -river is stated by Stephens to be only 20 feet wide; according to the -plan it is at least 50 feet. _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. i., pp. -142-4, 133, 140. The pavement of the court is 20 yards above the -river; the gallery through the terrace is 4 feet high and 2-1/2 feet -wide; the vault below the court is 5-1/2 by 10 by 6 feet, its length -running north and south with 9 deg. variation of the compass. _Galindo_, -in _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., p. 547. 'Una plaza muy -bien fecha, con sus gradas a la forma que escriben del Coliseo romano, -y por algunas partes tiene ochenta gradas, enlosada, y labrada por -cierto en partes de muy buena piedra e con harto primor.' The -river-wall 'hase caido y derrumbado un gran pedazo, y en lo caido se -descubrieron dos cuevas debajo del dicho edificio,' a statement that -may possibly refer to the gallery and vault. _Palacio_, in _Pacheco_, -_Col. Doc. Ined._, tom. vi., pp. 37-8. - -[III-23] 'There was no entire pyramid, but, at most, two or three -pyramidal sides, and these joined on to terraces or other structures -of the same kind.' _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. i., p. 139. The -author intends to speak perhaps of the Temple only, but Mr Jones -applies the words to Copan in general, and considers them a flat -contradiction of the statement respecting the three detached pyramids. -_Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 63. 'Les edifices sont tous tombes et ne -montrent plus que des monceaux de pierres.' _Galindo_, in _Antiq. -Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 73. 'Several hills, thirty or forty feet -in height, and supporting ruins, appeared to have been themselves -entirely built of stone.' _Hardcastle_, in _Hist. Mag._, vol. vi., p. -154. 'Unas ruinas y vestigios de gran poblazon, y de soberbios -edificios.' 'Hay montes que parecen haber sido fechos a manos.' -_Palacio_, in _Pacheco_, _Col. Doc. Ined._, tom. vi., p. 37. The -latter sentence is incorrectly translated by M. Ternaux-Compans, 'il y -a des arbres que paraissent avoir ete plantes de main d'homme.' -_Recueil de Doc._, p. 42. Mr Squier makes the same error: 'Trees which -appear to have been planted by the hands of men.' Translation of -_Palacio_, _Carta_, p. 91. - -[III-24] See _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. i., pp. 140, 138, 136-7, -134, 149, 158, 157, 156, 155, 153, 152, 150, 151, for description of -the statues in their order from 1 to 14, with plates of all but 4, 6, -and 12, showing the altars of 7, 10, and 13. Plates of 3, 5, 10, and -13 are copied from Stephens in _Larenaudiere_, _Mex. et Guat._, pl. -ix-xi.; and of No. 13, from the same source, in _Nouvelles Annales des -Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., p. 57. We have already seen the idea of -Fuentes respecting these statues, clad in Spanish habits; that of the -Licenciado Palacio is as follows: 'Una estatua grande, de mas que -quatro varas de alto, labrada como un obispo vestido de pontificial, -con su mitra bien labrada y anillos en las manos.' In the plaza, which -would seem to be the court A, where no statues were found by Stephens, -were 'seis estatuas grandisimas, las tres de hombres armados a lo -mosaico, con liga gambas, e sembradas muchas labores por las armas; y -las otras dos de mujeres con buen ropaje largo y tocaduras a lo -romano; la otra, es de obispo, que parece tener en las manos un bulto, -como cofrecito; decian ser de idolos, porque delante de cada una -dellas habia una piedra grande, que tenia fecha una pileta con su -sumidero, donde degollaban los sacrificados y corria la sangre.' -_Palacio_, in _Pacheco_, _Col. Doc. Ined._, tom. vi., pp. 37-8. -Galindo says 'there are seven obelisks still standing and entire, in -the temple and its immediate vicinity; and there are numerous others, -fallen and destroyed, throughout the ruins of the city. These stone -columns are ten or eleven feet high, and about three broad, with a -less thickness; on one side were worked, in _basso-relievo_, (Stephens -states, on the contrary, that all are cut in _alto-relievo_) human -figures, standing square to the front, with their hands resting on -their breast; they are dressed with caps on their heads, and sandals -on their feet, and clothed in highly adorned garments, generally -reaching half way down the thigh, but sometimes in long pantaloons. -Opposite this figure, at a distance of three or four yards, was -commonly placed a stone table or altar. The back and sides of the -obelisk generally contain phonetic hieroglyphics in squares. Hard and -fine stones are inserted (naturally?) in many obelisks, as they, as -well as the rest of the works in the ruins, are of a species of soft -stone, which is found in a neighbouring and most extensive quarry.' -_Galindo_, in _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., p. 548; and in -_Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, p. 97. A bust 1m., 68 high, belonging to a -statue fifteen to twenty feet high. _Galindo_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. -i., div. ii., p. 76. Pillars so loaded with attributes that some -scrutiny is required to discover from the head in the centre that they -represent a human form. An altar not infrequently found beside them -would, if necessary, show their use. They are sun-pillars, such as are -found everywhere in connection with an ancient sun-religion. _Mueller_, -_Amerikanische Urreligionen_, p. 464. - -[III-25] _Galindo_, in _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., pp. -547-8; _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 73, -supplementary pl. vii., fig. 14. This head bears a remarkable -resemblance to one given by Humboldt as coming from New Granada, shown -in fig. 13, of the same plate. Stephens, _Cent. Amer._, vol. i., p. -144, gives the dimensions of the two niches as 1 foot 8 in. by 1 foot -9 in. by 2 feet 5 in.; the relics having been removed before his -visit. - -[III-26] _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. i., pp. 103-4, 142-3, with cut. -Cut also in _Larenaudiere_, _Mex. et Guat._, pl. x. - -[III-27] _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. i., pp. 140-2, with plates; -_Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., pp. 57, 67-8. Plate. -Mention of the altar with a comparison of the cross-legged chiefs to -certain ornaments of Xochicalco. _Tylor's Anahuac_, p. 190. The altar -is described by Galindo as a very remarkable stone table in the -temple, 'two feet four inches high, and four feet ten inches square; -its top contains forty-nine square tablets of hieroglyphics; and its -four sides are occupied by sixteen human figures in _basso-relievo_, -sitting cross-legged, on cushions carved in the stone, and bearing -each in their hands something like a fan or flapper.' _Amer. Antiq. -Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., p. 548. To Mr Jones, possessed as that -gentleman is with the 'Soul of History,' this altar is the -'Rosetta-stone' of American antiquity. The four supporting stones are -eggs; serpents occur in the ornaments; the objects held in the hands -of the lesser personages of the sides are spiral shells; the figures -are seated cross-legged, or in the oriental style; one chief holds a -sceptre, the other none. Now these interpretations are important to -the author, since he claims that the _serpent_ was the good demon of -the Tyrians; a serpent entwining an _egg_ is seen on Tyrian coins; the -_spiral shell_ was also put on Tyrian medals in honor of the discovery -of the famous purple; the style of sitting is one practiced in Tyre; -the chief representing Tyre holds no sceptre, because Tyre had ceased -to be a nation at the time of the event designed to commemorate. The -conclusion is clear: the altar was built in commemoration of an act of -friendship between Tyre and Sidon, by which act the people of the -former nation were enabled to migrate to America! _Jones' Hist. Anc. -Amer._, pp. 65-6, 156-62. More of this in a future treatise on origin. - -[III-28] _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. i., pp. 134-9, 156; _Galindo_, -in _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., pp. 548-9; _Id._, in -_Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 76; _Davis' Antiq. Amer._, pp. -4-5; _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 68-9. Palacio's miscellaneous relics -are, a large stone in the form of an eagle with a tablet of -hieroglyphics a vara long on its breast; a stone cross three palms -high, with a broken arm; and a supposed baptismal font in the plaza. -_Relacion_, in _Pacheco_, _Col. Doc. Ined._, tom. vi., p. 38. - -[III-29] _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 67; _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, -vol. i., p. 142; _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, p. 197. - -[III-30] _Cent. Amer._, vol. i., pp. 102-3, 151. 'La sculpture -monumentale des ruines de Copan peut rivaliser avec quelques produits -similaires de l'Orient et de l'Occident europeens. Mais la conception -de ces monuments, l'originalite de leur ornementation suffit a plus -d'un esprit pour eloigner toute idee d'origine commune.' _Dally_, -_Races Indig._, p. 13. - -[III-31] 'We have this type of skull delineated by artists who had the -skill to portray the features of their race. These artists would not -select the most holy of places as the groundwork of their caricatures. -This form, then, pertained to the most exalted personages.' _Foster's -Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. 302, 338-9. - -[III-32] 'The hieroglyphics displayed upon the walls of Copan, in -horizontal or perpendicular rows, would indicate a written language in -which the pictorial significance had largely disappeared, and a kind -of word-writing had become predominant. Intermingled with the -pictorial devices are apparently purely arbitrary characters which may -be alphabetic.' _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, p. 322. They are -conjectured to recount the adventures of Topiltzin-Acxitl, a Toltec -king who came from Anahuac and founded an empire in Honduras, or -Tlapallan, at the end of the eleventh century. _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., pp. 101-2. Like those of -Palenque, and some characters of the Dresden MS. _Squier's Pref._ to -_Palacio_, _Carta_, p. 10. 'No he hallado libros de sus antiguedades, -ni creo que en todo este distrito hay mas que uno, que yo tengo.' -_Palacio_, in _Pacheco_, _Col. Doc. Ined._, tom. vi., p. 39. I have no -idea what this one book spoken of may have been. The characters are -apparently hieroglyphics, 'but to us they are altogether -unintelligible.' _Gallatin_, in _Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact._, vol. -i., pp. 55-6, 66. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -ANTIQUITIES OF GUATEMALA AND BELIZE. - - THE STATE OF GUATEMALA -- A LAND OF MYSTERY -- WONDERFUL - REPORTS -- DISCOVERIES COMPARATIVELY UNIMPORTANT -- RUINS - OF QUIRIGUA -- HISTORY AND BIBLIOGRAPHY -- PYRAMID, - ALTARS, AND STATUES -- COMPARISON WITH COPAN -- PYRAMID OF - CHAPULCO -- RELICS AT CHINAMITA -- TEMPLES OF MICLA -- - CINACA-MECALLO -- CAVE OF PENOL -- CYCLOPEAN DEBRIS AT - CARRIZAL -- COPPER MEDALS AT GUATEMALA -- ESQUIMATHA -- - FORTIFICATION OF MIXCO -- PANCACOYA COLUMNS -- CAVE OF - SANTA MARIA -- MAMMOTH BONES AT PETAPA -- ROSARIO AQUEDUCT - -- RUINS OF PATINAMIT, OR TECPAN GUATEMALA -- - QUEZALTENANGO, OR XELAHUH -- UTATLAN, NEAR SANTA CRUZ DEL - QUICHE -- ZAKULEU NEAR HUEHUETENANGO -- CAKCHIQUEL RUINS - IN THE REGION OF RABINAL -- CAWINAL -- MARVELOUS RUINS - REPORTED -- STEPHENS' INHABITED CITY -- ANTIQUITIES OF - PETEN -- FLORES -- SAN JOSE -- CASAS GRANDES -- TOWER OF - YAXHAA -- TIKAL PALACES AND STATUES -- DOLORES -- - ANTIQUITIES OF BELIZE. - - - [Sidenote: GUATEMALA.] - -Above the isthmus of Honduras the continent widens abruptly, forming -between the Rio Motagua and Laguna de Terminos on the Atlantic, the -Rio Paza and bar of Ayutla on the Pacific, a territory which stretches -some five hundred and fifty miles from north to south, with a nearly -uniform width of two hundred miles from east to west. Dividing this -territory into two nearly equal portions by a line drawn near the -eighteenth parallel of latitude, the northern part, between the bay of -Chetumal and Laguna de Terminos, is the peninsula of Yucatan; while -that portion lying south of the dividing line constitutes the -republic of Guatemala and the English province of Belize, which latter -occupies a strip along the Atlantic from the gulf of Amatique -northward. The Pacific coast of Guatemala for an average width of -seventy miles is low and unhealthy, with few inhabitants in modern, -as, judging from the absence of material relics, in ancient times. -Then comes a highland tract which contains the chief towns and most of -the white population of the modern republic; succeeded by the yet -wilder and more mountainous regions of Totonicapan and Vera Paz, -chiefly inhabited by comparatively savage and unsubdued aboriginal -tribes; from which we descend, still going northward towards Yucatan, -into the little-explored lake region of Peten. At the time of its -conquest by the Spaniards, Guatemala was the seat of several powerful -aboriginal kingdoms, chief among which were those of the Quiches and -Cakchiquels. They fought long and desperately in defence of their -homes and liberty, and when forced to yield before Spanish discipline -and arms, the few survivors of the struggle either retired to the -inaccessible fastnesses of the northern highlands, or remained in -sullen forced submission to their conquerors in the homes of their -past greatness--the aboriginal spirit still unbroken, and the native -superstitious faith yielding only nominally to Catholic power and -persuasion. Here and in the adjoining state of Chiapas the natives -probably retain to the present day their original character with fewer -modifications than elsewhere in the Pacific States. - -By reason of the peculiar nature of the country, the grandeur of its -mountain scenery, the existence of large tracts almost unknown to -white men, the desperate struggles of its people for independence, -their wild and haughty disposition, and their strange and -superstitious traditions, Guatemala has always been a land of mystery, -particularly to those who delight in antiquarian speculations. A -residence at Rabinal in close contact with the native character in -its purest state first started in the mind of the Abbe Brasseur de -Bourbourg the train of thought that has since developed into his most -startling and complicated theories respecting American antiquity; and -Guatemala has furnished also many of the documents on which these -theories rest. Few visitors have resisted the temptation to indulge in -speculative fancies or to frame far-reaching theories respecting -ancient ruins or possibly flourishing cities hidden from the explorer's -gaze in the depths of Guatemalan forests and mountains. - -And yet this mysterious land, promising so much, has yielded to actual -exploration only comparatively trifling results in the form of -material relics of antiquity. The ruins scattered throughout the -country are indeed numerous, but with very few exceptions, besides -being in an advanced state of dilapidation, they are manifestly the -remains of structures destroyed during the Spanish conquest. Important -as proving the accuracy of the reported power and civilization of the -Quiches and Cakchiquels, and indirectly of the Aztecs in Anahuac, -where few traces of aboriginal structures remain for our study, they -are still unsatisfactory to the student who desires to push his -researches back into the more remote American past. - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF QUIRIGUA.] - -Beginning with the province of Chiquimula, bordering on Honduras and -composed for the most part of the valley of the Motagua and its -tributaries, the first ruin of importance, one of the exceptions noted -above to the general character of Guatemalan antiquities, is found at -Quirigua, fifty miles north-east of Copan, on the north side of the -Motagua, about sixty miles above its mouth, and ten miles below -Encuentros where the royal road, so called, from Yzabal to Guatemala -crosses the river. The stream is navigable for small boats to a point -opposite the ruins, which are in a cedar-forest on low moist ground -nearly a mile from the bank.[IV-1] Our only knowledge respecting this -ancient city comes through Mr Catherwood and Dr Scherzer. The former, -traveling with Mr Stephens, visited the locality in 1840 in company -with the Senores Payes, proprietors of the estate on which the ruins -stand, and by his description Quirigua first was made known to the -world. Mr Stephens, on hearing Catherwood's report, entered into -negotiations with the owners of the land for its purchase, with a view -to shipping the monuments to New York, their location on the banks of -a navigable stream being favorable for the execution of such a -purpose; but the interference of a European official so raised the -market value of ancient real estate that it was found necessary to -abandon the scheme. Dr Karl Scherzer's visit was in 1854, and his -account, published in the Transactions of the Royal Austrian Academy -of Science, and also reprinted in pamphlet form, is the most extensive -and complete extant.[IV-2] Nothing like a thorough exploration has -been made even in comparison with those of Copan and other Central -American ruins; but monuments and fragments thus far brought to light -are found scattered over a space of some three thousand square feet, -on the banks of a small creek which empties into the Motagua. The site -is only very slightly elevated above the level of the river, and is -consequently often flooded in times of high water; indeed, during a -more than ordinary freshet in 1852, after Mr Catherwood's visit, -several idols were undermined and overthrown. No aboriginal name is -known for the locality, Quirigua being merely that of a small village -at the foot of Mount Mico, not far distant. There being no plan extant -by which to locate the different objects to be mentioned in this old -centre of civilization, I will give the slight descriptions -obtainable, with very slight reference to their arrangement, beginning -with the pyramid which seems to occupy a somewhat central position -round which the other relics are grouped. Catherwood's description of -this structure is limited to the statement that it is "like those at -Copan, with the steps in some places perfect," and twenty-five feet -high. Scherzer's account only adds that it is constructed of neatly -cut sandstone in regular oblong blocks, and is very much ruined, -hardly more, in fact, than a confused mass of fragments, among which -were found some pieces of fine white marble. But under this structure -there is, it seems, a foundation, an artificial hill, or mound, of -rough stones without mortar. The base is an irregular square, the -dimensions of which are not stated, with a spur extending toward the -south. The steps which lead up the sides to the super-imposed -structure are only eight or nine inches high and six or seven inches -in width, remaining intact only at a few points. In the upper part of -the mound are two or three terraces, on the first of which several -recesses, or niches, of no great extent are noticed; they are lined -with small rough stones, plastered, and in a good state of -preservation, details which indicated to the observer that these -niches may be of more modern origin than the rest of the ruin. There -are no traces of openings to show that the hill contained underground -apartments; neither are there any sculptures on the hewn stones of the -pyramid itself, nor any idols or carved fragments found on the surface -of the mound. - -Very near the foot of the mound Mr Catherwood found a moss-covered -colossal head six feet in diameter, and a large altar, both relics -being within an enclosure.[IV-3] Scherzer also describes several -monuments near the pyramid, some of which may be identical with the -ones mentioned by Catherwood, although he says nothing of an -enclosure. The first is a stone of a long oval form like a human head, -six feet high and thirty-five feet in circumference, the surface being -covered with carved figures in demi-relief, which for some reason have -been better preserved and present clearer outlines than other carvings -at Quirigua. One of the most clearly defined of these sculptures -represents a sitting female, whose legs and hands are wanting, but -whose arms hang down to the ground. A prominent feature is her -head-dress, sixteen inches high, the upper part of which is an idol's -head crowned with a diadem. The forehead is described as narrow, -depressed above and projecting below. The features are indistinct, but -the form of the head is of what Scherzer terms the Indian type. On -the south side of this block, or altar, is the rude figure of a turtle -five feet high. The top is covered with ornamental figures -representing plants and fruits, all the varieties there delineated -being such as still flourish in this region. The sides bear also faint -indications of hieroglyphics. Dr Scherzer believes that the stone used -in the construction of this altar must have been found on the spot, -since by reason of its great size it could not have been brought from -a distance with the aid of any mechanical appliances known to native -art.[IV-4] The second of these monuments is like a mill-stone, four -feet in diameter and two feet thick, cut from harder material than the -other objects. A tiger's head nearly covers one side of the disk, and -the rest of the surface, including the rim, is covered with -hieroglyphics, several of these mysterious signs appearing on the -animal's forehead. The third of the relics found near the pyramid is a -fragment eighteen feet long and five feet wide, the upper portion -having disappeared. The human face appears at different points among -its hieroglyphics and ornaments. - - [Sidenote: STATUES OF QUIRIGUA.] - -Three or four hundred yards northward from the mound, and at the foot -of a 'pyramidal wall,' concerning which we have no information beyond -the mention of its existence, is a group of sculptured idols, pillars, -or obelisks, standing in the forest like those in the sacred enclosure -at Copan. Indeed, they bear a strong resemblance to the latter, except -in their greater height and less elaborate sculpture, which is also in -lower relief. Twelve of them are definitely mentioned, the smallest of -which is nine feet high, and the largest twenty-six feet above ground, -increasing in size toward the top, leaning twelve feet out of the -perpendicular, and requiring, of course, some six or eight feet below -the surface to sustain its weight in such a position.[IV-5] They are -from two to three feet thick and four to six feet wide. In most -instances a human face, male or female, appears on the front or back -or both; while the sides are covered for the most part with -hieroglyphics, which are also seen on various parts of the dress and -ornaments. One statue is, however, mentioned, which, although crowded -with ornaments, has no character, apparently, of hieroglyphic nature. -One of the idols, twenty-three feet high, stands on a stone foundation -projecting some fifteen feet; and another, circular instead of -rectangular in form, rests on a small mound, within a wall of stones -enclosing a small circular area.[IV-6] In one the human figure has a -head-dress of which an animal's head forms a prominent part, while in -yet another the head is half human and half animal. In both cases the -aim of the artist would seem to have been to inspire terror, as in the -case of some Nicaraguan idols already noticed. Mr Catherwood made -sketches of two of the obelisks, including the leaning one, the -largest of all; but as he could not clean them of moss in the limited -time at his disposal, he makes no attempt to give the details of -sculpture, and a reproduction of the plates is therefore not deemed -necessary. The two monuments sketched by him could not be found at all -by Dr Scherzer. The Quirigua idols have not, like those at Copan, -altars in front of them, but several altars, or apparently such, were -found buried in moss and earth, and not carefully examined by either -of the explorers. They are usually of round or oval form, with -hieroglyphically inscribed sides; and one of them, within the circular -wall with steps, already mentioned as enclosing one of the -statues,[IV-7] is described as supported by two colossal heads. Many -fragments were noticed which are not described; and here as elsewhere -monuments superior to any seen were reported to exist by enthusiastic -guides and natives; in which latter class of antiquities are eleven -square columns higher than those mentioned, and also a female holding -a child, and an alligator's head in stone.[IV-8] The material of all -the stone work of Quirigua is a soft coarse-grained sandstone, not -differing materially, so far as I can judge, from that employed at -Copan. It is the prevalent formation at both localities, and may be -quarried readily at almost any point in the vicinity. - -Absolutely no traditions have been preserved respecting Quirigua in -the days when its monuments were yet intact, when a large town, which -has left no traces, must have stood in the immediate vicinity.[IV-9] -The idols scattered over the surface of the ground, instead of being -located on the pyramids, may indicate here as at Copan that the -elevations served as seats for spectators during the religious -ceremonies, rather than as temples or altars on which sacrifice was -made. Both observers agree on the general similarity between the -monuments of Quirigua and Copan,[IV-10] and the hieroglyphics are -pronounced identical. Indeed, it seems altogether probable that they -owe their existence to the same era and the same people. Mr Stephens -notes, besides the greater size and lower relief of the Quirigua -monuments, that they are "less rich in design, and more faded and -worn, probably being of a much older date." Dr Scherzer speaks of the -greater plumpness of the sculptured figures, and has no faith in their -great antiquity, believing that the low-relief carvings on so soft a -material, would, when exposed in an atmosphere so moist, have been -utterly obliterated in a thousand years.[IV-11] - - [Sidenote: CHAPULCO AND CHINAMITA.] - -At Chapulco, a few leagues below Quirigua, on the opposite side of the -Motagua, one traveler speaks of a quadrilateral pyramid with terraced -sides, up which steps lead to the summit platform, where debris of -hewn stone are enveloped in a dense vegetation. Also at Chinamita, -some sixteen miles above Quirigua on the same side of the river, the -same authority reports a large area covered with aboriginal relics, in -the form of ruined stone structures, vases and idols of burned clay, -and monoliths buried for the most part in the earth. Of course, with -this meagre information, it is impossible to form any definite idea of -what these ruins really are, and whether they should be classed with -Quirigua and Copan, or with a more modern class of Guatemalan -antiquities. The same remark will apply also to many of the localities -of this state, of whose relics we have no description in -detail.[IV-12] - -At Micla, or Mimilla, some three leagues north of lake Guijar, or -Uxaca, which is on the boundary between Guatemala and Salvador, traces -of a sacred town with its cues and temples are spoken of as visible in -1576. They are represented as of the class erected by the Pipiles who -occupied the region at the time of the conquest.[IV-13] - - [Sidenote: CINACA-MECALLO.] - -Still farther south-west towards the coast, a few miles south, of -Comapa, are the ruins of Cinaca-Mecallo, a name said to mean 'knotted -rope.' The Rio Paza here forms the boundary line between the two -states, and from its northern bank rises abruptly a mountain chain. On -the summit, at a point commanding a broad view over a large portion of -Salvador, is a plain of considerable extent, watered by several small -mountain streams, which unite and fall over a precipice on the way to -the river below. On the highest portion of this summit plain -interesting works of the former inhabitants have been discovered by D. -Jose Antonio Urrutia, padre in charge of the church at Jutiapa.[IV-14] -The remains of Cinaca-Mecallo cover an oval area formerly surrounded -by a wall, of which fragments yet remain sufficient to mark the line -originally followed. Within this space are vestiges of streets, ruined -buildings, and subterranean passages. Padre Urrutia makes special -mention of four monuments. The first is what he terms a temple of the -sun, an excavation in the solid rock opening towards the rising sun, -and having at its entrance an archway known to the natives as 'stone -of the sun,' formed of stone slabs closely joined. On these slabs are -carved in low relief figures of the sun and moon, to which are added -hieroglyphics painted on the stone with a very durable kind of red -varnish. There are also some sculptured hieroglyphic signs on the -interior walls of this artificial cavern. The second monument is a -great slab covered with carved inscriptions, among which were noted a -tree and a skull, emblematic, according to the padre's views, of life -and death. Next is mentioned the representation of a tiger or other -wild animal cut on the side of a large rock. This monument is, it -appears, some distance from the other ruins, and is conjectured by -Urrutia to be a commemoration of some historical event, from the fact -that the natives still celebrate past deeds of valor by dances, or -scenic representations, in which they dress in imitation of different -animals. Mr Squier suggests farther that the event thus commemorated -may have been a conflict between the Pipiles and the Cakchiquels, in -which the latter were driven permanently from this district. The -fourth and last of these monuments is one of the subterranean passages -which the explorer penetrated until he reached a kind of chamber where -were some sculptured blocks. This underground apartment is celebrated -among the natives as having been in modern times the resort of a -famous robber chief, who was at last brought to bay and captured here -in his stronghold. The material employed in all the Cinaca-Mecallo -structures is a slate-like stone in thin blocks, joined by a cement -which resembles in color and consistence molten lead. Some of the -carved blocks were sent by the discoverer as specimens to the city of -Guatemala. Outside the walls are tumuli of earth and small stones, -with no sculptured fragments. These are supposed to be burial mounds, -and to vary in size according to the rank and importance of the -personages whose resting-places they mark. - -Proceeding now north-eastward to the region lying within a circle of -fifty miles about the city of Guatemala as a centre, we have a -reported cave on the hacienda of Penol, perhaps twenty-five miles east -of Guatemala, which is said to have been explored for at least a -distance of one mile, and is believed by the credulous natives to -extend eleven leagues through the mountain to the Rio de los Esclavos. -In this cavern, or at least on the same hacienda, if we may credit -Fuentes, human bones of extraordinary size were found, including -shin-bones about five feet in length. These human relics crumbled on -being touched, but fragments were carefully gathered up and sent to -Guatemala, since which time nothing is known of them.[IV-15] On the -hacienda of Carrizal, some twenty miles north of Guatemala, we hear of -cyclopean debris, or masses of great unhewn stones heaped one on -another without cement, and forming gigantic walls, which cover a -considerable extent of territory on the lofty heights that guard the -approaches to the Motagua Valley.[IV-16] - - [Illustration: Copper Medal at Guatemala.] - - [Sidenote: COPPER MEDALS AND FORTIFICATIONS.] - -The immediate vicinity of Guatemala seems not to have yielded any -antiquarian relics of importance. M. Valois reports the plain to be -studded with mounds which the natives regard as the tombs of their -ancestors, which others have searched for treasure, but which he -believes to be ant-hills.[IV-17] Ordonez claims to have found here two -pure copper medals, fac-similes one of the other, two inches in -diameter and three lines thick, a little heavier than a Mexican peso -fuerte, engraved on both sides, as shown in the cut, which I give -herewith notwithstanding the fact that this must be regarded as a -relic of doubtful authenticity. M. Dupaix noticed an indication of -the use of the compass in the centre of one of the sides, the figures -on the same side representing a kneeling, bearded, turbaned man, -between two fierce heads, perhaps of crocodiles, which appear to -defend the entrance to a mountainous and wooded country. The reverse -presents a serpent coiled round a fruit-tree, and an eagle--quite as -much like a dove or crow or other bird--on a hill. There are, besides, -some ornamental figures on the rim, said to resemble those of -Palenque, and, indeed, Ordonez refers the origin of these medals to -the founders of that city. He kept one of them and sent the other to -the king of Spain in 1794.[IV-18] - -About 1860, a stone idol forty inches high was dug up in a yard of the -city, where it had been buried fifty years before, having been brought -by the natives from a point one hundred and fifty miles distant. Its -discovery was mentioned at a meeting of the American Ethnological -Society in 1861, by Mr Hicks. The same gentleman also spoke of the -reported discovery of a great city in ruins in the province of -Esquimatha, buried in a dense forest about fifty-six miles from the -city.[IV-19] - -A few leagues west of the city are the ruins of Mixco, a fortified -town of the natives down to the time of the conquest, mentioned by -several authorities but described by none. Fuentes, however, as -quoted by Juarros, speaks of a cavern on a small ridge by the side of -the ruins. The entrance was a Doric portico of clay about three feet -wide and high. A flight of thirty-six stone steps leads down to a room -one hundred and twenty feet square, followed by another flight still -leading downward. This latter stairway no one has had the courage to -fully explore, on account of the tremulous and insecure condition of -the ground. Eighteen steps down this second flight, however, is an -arched entrance on the right side, to a passage which, after a descent -of six steps, has been explored for a distance of one hundred and -forty feet. Furthermore, the author tells us there are some -extravagant (!) accounts not worthy of implicit belief, and -consequently not repeated by him. Hassel states that gigantic bones -have been found here, and that the cave is natural, without any -artificial improvements whatever.[IV-20] - -In this same valley, where the Pancacoya River enters the Xilotepec, -Juarros speaks of "a range of columns curiously wrought, with -capitals, mouldings, etc.; and a little farther on there are several -round cisterns formed in the rock." The cisterns are about four feet -in diameter and three feet deep, and may have served originally, as -the author remarks, for washing auriferous earths in the search for -gold.[IV-21] The Santa Maria River, near its junction with the -Motagua, is said to flow for a long distance underground, and at the -entrance to its subterranean channel are reported some carvings, the -work of human hands, but from superstitious fears the interior of this -bewitched cave has never been explored.[IV-22] - - [Sidenote: PETAPA, ROSARIO, AND PATINAMIT.] - -Petapa, twelve or fifteen miles southward from Guatemala on Lake -Amatitlan is another of the localities where the old authors report -the discovery of mammoth human bones, including a tooth as large as a -man's two fists. Such reports, where they have any other than an -imaginary foundation, may probably result from the finding of animal -bones, by which the good padres were deceived into the belief that -they had come upon traces of the ancient giants reported in all the -native traditions, which did not seem to them unworthy of belief, -since they were told elsewhere that "there were giants on the earth in -those days."[IV-23] - -At Rosario, eight or ten miles south of the same lake, we have a bare -mention of a beautiful aqueduct in ruins.[IV-24] Twenty-five or thirty -miles west of the lake, at the western foot of the volcano of Fuego, -Don Jose Maria Asmitia, a Guatemalan official of antiquarian -tendencies, reports the discovery on his estate of a well-preserved -aqueduct, constructed of hewn stone and mortar, together with nine -stone idols each six feet in height. He proposed to make, at an early -date, more thorough explorations in that vicinity. Like other -explorers he had his theory, although he had not personally seen even -the relics on his own estate; deriving the American culture from a -Carthaginian source.[IV-25] Farther south on the Pacific lowlands, at -a point called Calche, between Escuintla and Suchiltepeques, the Abbe -Brasseur speaks of a pyramid cut from solid stone, which had been seen -by many Guatemalans.[IV-26] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF PATINAMIT.] - -Passing now north-westward to the region lying about Lake Atitlan, and -noting that the town of Solola on the northern lake-shore is said to -be built on the ruins of the aboriginal Tecpan Atitlan,[IV-27] we come -to the ruins of the ancient Patinamit, 'the city', the Cakchiquel -capital. It is near[IV-28] the modern town of Tecpan Guatemala, -fifteen miles south-east of the lake, and forty miles north-west of -Guatemala. The aboriginal town, to which Brasseur de Bourbourg would -assign a very ancient, pre-Toltec origin, was inhabited down to the -time when the conquistadores came, and was by them destroyed. With the -state of the city as found and described by them, I have, of course, -nothing to do in this volume, having simply to record the condition of -the ruins as observed at subsequent periods, although in the -descriptions extant the two phases of the city's condition are -considerably confounded. The remains are found on a level plateau -having an area of several square miles, and surrounded by a ravine -from one hundred to four hundred feet in depth, with precipitous -sides. The plateau is accessible at one point only by a path -artificially cut in the side of the barranca, twenty to thirty feet -deep, and only wide enough to permit the passage of a single horseman. -At the time of Mr Stephens' visit nothing was visible but confused -irregular masses, or mounds, of fallen walls, among which, however, -could still be made out the foundations of two buildings, one of them -fifty by one hundred feet. Two sculptured figures were pointed out by -the natives, lying on the ground, on one of which the nose and eyes of -some animal were discernible. Fuentes, who wrote in the century -following the conquest, observed, during his examination of the city, -more definite traces of its former grandeur. Two gates of chay-stone -afforded entrance to the narrow passage which led up to the plateau; a -coating, or layer, of clay covered the soil to a depth of two feet; -and a trench six or eight feet deep, faced with stone and having also -a breastwork of masonry three feet high, running north and south -across the table, divided the city's site into two portions, -inhabited, as is suggested, respectively by the plebeian and -aristocratic classes of its original citizens. The street-lines, -crossing each other at right angles, were traceable, indicating that -the city was regularly laid out in blocks. One of the structures whose -foundations were then to be seen was a hundred yards square, besides -which there remained the ruins of what is described as a palace, and -of several houses. West of the city, on a mound six feet high, was "a -pedestal formed of a shining substance, resembling glass." Brasseur -also mentions 'vastes souterrains,' which, as usual, he does not deign -farther to describe. The modern town is built to a considerable -extent, and its streets are paved, with fragments of the hewn stone -from Patinamit, which have been carried piece by piece on the backs of -natives up and down the sides of the barranca. The aborigines still -look with feelings of superstitious respect on this memorial of their -ancestral glory, and at times their faithful ears detect the chimes of -bells proceeding from beneath the hill. A famous black stone was, in -the days of aboriginal independence, an object of great veneration in -the Cakchiquel religious rites connected with the fate of prisoners, -its shrine being in the depths of a dark ravine near at hand. In -Fuentes' time it had been consecrated by the Catholic bishop and -placed on the altar of the church. He describes it as of singular -beauty and about eighteen inches square. Stephens found it still on -the altar, the object of the people's jealous veneration; and when his -Spanish companion had, with sacrilegious hand, to the infinite terror -of the parish priest, ripped open the cotton sack in which the relic -was enveloped, there appeared only a plain piece of ordinary slate -measuring ten by fourteen inches. Brasseur de Bourbourg, however, -believes that the former visitors were both in error, and that the -original black stone was never permitted to fall into the hands of the -Spanish unbelievers.[IV-29] At Patzun, a native pueblo near Tecpan -Guatemala, two mounds were noticed, but not opened.[IV-30] - -Quezaltenango, the aboriginal Xelahuh, is some twenty-five or thirty -miles westward from Lake Atitlan. In the days of Quiche power this -city was one of the largest and most powerful in the land. I find no -evidence that any remains of the town itself are to be seen, though -Wappaeus speaks of such remains, even classing them with the most -ancient type of Guatemalan antiquities. Two fortresses in this -vicinity, however, Olintepec and Parrazquin, supposed to have guarded -the approaches to Xelahuh, are said to have left some traces of their -former strength.[IV-31] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF UTATLAN.] - - [Illustration: El Sacrificatorio at Utatlan.] - -Thirty miles farther back in the mountains north-eastward from -Quezaltenango, toward the confines of Vera Paz, was Utatlan, 'road of -the waters,' in the native language Gumarcaah, the Quiche capital and -stronghold, at the modern town of Santa Cruz del Quiche. This city was -the richest and most magnificent found by the Spaniards south of -Mexico, and at the time of its destruction by them was, unlike most -aboriginal American towns, in its highest state of prosperity. Slight -as are the ruins that remain, they are sufficient to show that the -Spanish accounts of the city's original splendor were not greatly -exaggerated; this, with the contrasts which these ruins present in the -absence of statues, sculpture, and hieroglyphics, and in other -respects, when compared with those of Quirigua and Copan, constitutes -their chief importance in archaeological investigations. Like -Patinamit, Utatlan stood on a plateau, or mesa, bounded by a deep -ravine on every side, a part of which ravine is believed to be of -artificial construction. The barranca can only be crossed and the site -of the city reached at one point, from the south-east. Guarding this -single approach, at the distance of about half a mile from the village -of Santa Cruz, are the ruins of a long line of structures of carefully -laid hewn stone, evidently intended as fortifications and connected -one with another by a ditch. Within this line and more immediately -guarding the passage, is an immense fortress, El Resguardo, one -hundred and twenty feet high, in the form of a square-based pyramidal -structure, with three ranges of terraces, and steps leading up from -one to another. A stone wall, plastered with a hard cement, incloses -the area of the summit platform, in the centre of which rises a tower -furnished with steps, which were also originally covered with cement. -Crossing the barranca from the fort Resguardo, we find the table which -was the site of the ancient city covered throughout its whole extent -with shapeless masses of ruins, among which the foundations of a few -structures only can be definitely made out. The chief edifice, known -as the grand castle, or palace, of the Quiche kings, and said to have -been in round numbers eleven hundred by twenty-two hundred feet, -occupied a central position. Its upper portions have been carried away -and used in the construction of the modern town, but in 1810, if we -may trust the cura of the parish, the building was still entire. The -floors remain, covered with a hard and durable cement, and also -fragments of the partition walls sufficient to indicate something of -the original ground plan. A plaster of finer quality than that -employed on the floors and pyramids, covers the inner walls, with -evident traces of having been colored or painted. The ruins of a -fountain appear in an open court-yard, also paved with cement. Another -structure, El Sacrificatorio, still visible, is a pyramid of stone -sixty-six feet square at the base and, in its present state, -thirty-three feet high, the plan and elevation of which are shown in -the cuts. Each side except the western is ascended by a flight of -nineteen steps, each step eight inches wide and seventeen inches high. -The western side is covered with stucco, laid on, as is ascertained by -careful examination, in several successive coatings, each painted with -ornamental figures, among which the body of a leopard only could be -distinguished. The pyramid is supported by a buttress in each of the -four corners, diminishing in size toward the top. The summit is in -ruins, but our knowledge of the Quiche religious ceremonies, as set -forth in the preceding volume of this work, leaves little doubt that -this was a place of sacrifice and supported an altar. No sculpture has -been found in connection with the ruins of Utatlan. Its absence is -certainly remarkable; but it is to be noted that the natives of this -region have always been of a haughty, unsubdued spirit, ardently -attached to the memory of their ancestors; and the destruction or -concealment of their idols with a view to keep them from the -sacrilegious touch and gaze of the white man, would be in accordance -with their well-known character. They have the greatest respect for -the holy pyramid on the plateau, and at one time when the reported -discovery of a golden image prompted the destruction of the palace in -search of treasure, the popular indignation on the part of the natives -presaged a serious revolt and compelled the abandonment of the scheme, -not, however, until the walls had been razed. Flint arrow-heads are -mentioned as of frequent occurrence among the debris of fortifications -outside the barranca, and a Spanish explorer in 1834 found a sitting -figure twelve inches high, and two heads of terra cotta exceedingly -hard, smooth, and of good workmanship. One of the heads was solid, the -other and the idol were hollow. The annexed cut shows the sitting -figure. Under one of the buildings is an opening to what the natives -represented as a subterranean passage leading by an hour's journey to -Mexico, but which only revealed to Mr Stephens, who entered it, the -presence of a roof formed by overlapping stones. This form of arch -will be described in detail when I come to speak of more northern -ruins, where it is of frequent occurrence. That a long time must have -passed between the erection of Copan and Utatlan, the civilization of -the builders meantime undergoing great modifications, involving -probably the introduction of new elements from foreign sources, is a -theory supported by a careful study of the two classes of remains. For -an account of Utatlan and other Guatemalan cities as they were in the -time of their aboriginal glory, I refer the reader to Volume II. of -this work.[IV-32] The cura at Santa Cruz del Quiche said he had seen -human skulls of more than natural size, from a cave in a neighboring -town.[IV-33] - - [Illustration: Utatlan Terra Cotta.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF HUEHUETENANGO OR ZAKULEU.] - - [Illustration: Sepulchral Urn from Huehuetenango.] - -North-westward from Utatlan, thirty or forty miles distant, in the -province of Totonicapan, is the town of Huehuetenango, and near it, -located like Utatlan on a ravine-guarded plain, are the ruins of -Zakuleu, the ancient capital of the Mams, now known popularly as Las -Cuevas. These remains are in an advanced state of dilapidation, hardly -more than confused heaps of rubbish scattered over the plain, and -overgrown with grass and shrubs. Two pyramidal structures of rough -stones in mortar, formerly covered with stucco, can, however, still be -made out. One of them is one hundred and two feet square and -twenty-eight high, with steps, each four feet in height and seven feet -wide. The top is small and square, and a long rough slab found at the -base may, as Mr Stephens suggests, have been the altar thrown down -from its former position on the platform. There are also several small -mounds, supposed to be sepulchral, one of which was opened, and -disclosed within an enclosure of rough stones and lime some fragments -of bone and two vases of fine workmanship, whose material is not -stated but is probably earthen ware. One of them is shown in the cut, -and bears a striking resemblance to some of the burial vases of -Nicaragua.[IV-34] Another burial vault, not long enough, however, to -contain a human being at full length, at the foot of one of the -pyramids, was faced with cut stone, and from it the proprietor of the -estate took a quantity of bones and the terra-cotta tripod shown in -the cut. It has a polished surface and is one foot in diameter. At a -point on the river where the banks had been washed away at the time of -high water, some animal skeletons of extraordinary size were brought -to light. Mr Stephens saw in the bank the imprint of one of these -measuring twenty-five or thirty feet in length, and others were said -to be yet larger.[IV-35] - - [Illustration: Tripod from Huehuetenango.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS IN RABINAL VALLEY.] - -Extending eastward from the region of Huehuetenango to that of Salama -in the province of Vera Paz, a distance of nearly one hundred miles, -there seems to be a line of ruins, occurring at frequent intervals, -particularly in the valley of the Rabinal and about the town of that -name. A map of Guatemala now before me locates seventeen of these -ruins, and M. Brasseur de Bourbourg incidentally mentions many of them -by name, none of them, however, being anywhere described in detail. It -is much to be regretted that the last-named author, during a residence -at Rabinal, did not more fully improve his opportunities for the -examination of these remains, or, at least, that he has never made -known to the world the result of his investigations. All the ruins -along this line would seem to belong to the class of those occupied -by the natives, chiefly Cakchiquels, at the time of the conquest, most -of them being the remains of fortresses or fortified towns, built on -strong natural positions at the river-mouths, guarding the entrance to -fertile valleys. - -Opposite the mouth of the River Rabinal, where the Pacalah empties -into the Chixoy, or Usumacinta, are the ruins of Cawinal, visited by -the Abbe Brasseur in 1856, and by him pronounced the finest in Vera -Paz. They are situated on both sides of the stream in a fine -mountain-girt valley, the approach to which was guarded by a long line -of fortifications, pyramidal mounds, and watch-towers, whose remains -may yet be seen. Among these structures is a pyramid of two terraces, -forty feet high, ascended by a stairway of three flights, with the -ruined walls of three small buildings on its summit. Near many of the -old towns, especially in the Rabinal district, tumuli--_cakhay_, 'red -houses'--very like in form and material to those of the Mississippi -Valley are said to be numerous.[IV-36] - -Besides the ruins actually seen and vaguely described, there are -reports of others. The province is large and comparatively unexplored, -its people wild and independent, and both have ever been to travelers -the object of much mysterious conjecture, increasing in intensity as -the northern region of Peten is approached. In 1850 Mr Squier wrote, -"there has lately been discovered, in the province of Vera Paz, 150 -miles north-east of Guatemala, buried in a dense forest, and far from -any settlements, a ruined city, surpassing Copan or Palenque in extent -and magnificence, and displaying a degree of art to which none of the -structures of Yucatan can lay claim."[IV-37] The cura of Santa Cruz -had once lived in Coban, some forty miles north of Rabinal, and four -leagues from there he claimed to have seen an ancient city as large as -Utatlan, its palace being still entire at the time of his -visit.[IV-38] One Leon de Pontelli claims to have traveled extensively -in these parts in 1859, and to have discovered many ancient and -remarkable ruins of great cities, at points impossible to locate, -somewhere about the confines of Vera Paz and Peten. Pontelli is not -regarded as a trustworthy explorer, and no positive information -whatever is to be obtained from his account.[IV-39] - -Not only are cities in ruins reported to exist, but also somewhere in -this region, four days' journey from Utatlan towards Mexico, an -inhabited city in all its aboriginal magnificence is said to be -visible, far out on the plain, from the summit of a lofty sierra. The -cura of Santa Cruz before mentioned had gazed upon its glittering -turrets and had heard from the natives traditions of its splendor, and -the failure of all attempts on the part of white men to approach its -walls for the purpose of a closer examination. One other man had the -courage to climb the sierra, but on the day chosen for the ascent the -city was rendered invisible by mists. The intelligence and general -reliability of the good cura inclined Mr Stephens to put some faith in -the accuracy of his report; others, however, not without reason, are -sceptical about the matter.[IV-40] - - [Sidenote: PROVINCE OF PETEN.] - -Leaving the lofty highlands of Vera Paz, we descend northward to the -province of Peten, a comparatively low region whose central portion is -occupied by several large lakes. It is in this lake region chiefly -that antiquities have been brought to light by the few travelers who -have penetrated this far-off country, less known, perhaps, than any -other portion of Central America. The Spaniards found the Itzas, a -Maya branch from Yucatan, established here, their capital, Tayasal, a -city of no small pretensions to magnificence, being on an island now -known as Remedios, in Lake Itza, or Peten, where the town of Flores is -now situated. Flores is built indeed on the ruins of the aboriginal -city, which, however, has left no relics of sculpture or architecture -to substantiate the Spanish accounts of its magnificent structures, -which included twenty-one adoratorios. Rude earthen figures and -vessels are, however, occasionally exhumed; and M. Morelet heard of -one vase of some hard transparent material, very beautifully formed -and ornamented. This relic had passed into the hands of a Tabascan -merchant. Sr Fajardo, commissioner to establish the boundary between -Mexico and Guatemala, furnished to Sr I. R. Gondra drawings of some -_nacas_, or small idols, found in the Peten graves. Sr Gondra -pronounces them similar to those of Yucatan as represented by -Stephens.[IV-41] - -On the north side of the lake is the small town of San Jose, and a -spot two days' journey south-eastward from here--although this would, -according to the maps, carry us back across the lake--is given as the -locality of three large edifices buried in the forest, called by the -natives Casas Grandes. All we know of them rests on the report of an -Indian chief, who was induced by M. Morelet to depart from the -characteristic reserve and secrecy of his race respecting the works of -the antiguos; consequently the statement that the buildings are -covered with sculptures in high relief, closely analogous to those of -Palenque, must be accepted with some allowance.[IV-42] - -Two days eastward of Lake Peten, on the route to Belize, is the lake -of Yaxhaa, Yacha, or Yasja, one of the isles in which is said to be -covered with debris of former structures. Col. Galindo, who visited -the locality in 1831, is the only one who has written of the ruins -from personal observation, and he only describes one structure, which -he terms the most remarkable of all. This is a tower of five stories, -each nine feet high, each of less length and breadth than the one -below it, and the lower one sixty-six feet square. No doors or windows -appear in the four lower stories, although Galindo, from the hollow -sound emitted under blows, supposed them not to be solid. A stairway -seven feet wide, of steps each four inches high, leads up to the base -of the fifth story on the west, at which point, as on the opposite -eastern side, is an entrance only high enough for a man to crawl -through on hands and knees. This upper story is divided into three -apartments communicating with each other by means of low doors, and -now roofless, but presenting signs of having been originally covered -with the overlapping arch. The whole structure is of hewn stone laid -in mortar, and no traces of wood remain. It is evident that this -building is entirely different from any other monuments which we have -thus far met in our progress northward, and further north we shall -meet few if any of a similar nature. So far as the data are sufficient -to justify conclusions, this may safely be classed with the older -remains at Copan and Quirigua, rather than with the more modern -Quiche-Cakchiquel structures. There are no means of determining with -any degree of accuracy whether these buildings of Yaxhaa were the work -of the Itzas or of a more ancient branch of the Maya people.[IV-43] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF TIKAL.] - -About forty miles north-east from the eastern end of Lake Peten, in -the foothills of the mountains, but in a locality inaccessible from -the direction of the lake except in the dry season, from January to -June, are the ruins of Tikal, a name signifying in the Maya language -'destroyed palaces.' So dry is the locality, however, during this dry -season, that water must be carried in casks, or thirst quenched with -the juice of a peculiar variety of reed that grows in the region. A -more thorough search might reveal natural wells, which supplied water -to the ancient inhabitants, as was the case further north in Yucatan. -The ruined structures of Tikal are reported to extend over a space of -at least a league, and they were discovered, although their existence -had been previously reported by the natives, in 1848, by Governor -Ambrosio Tut and Colonel Modesto Mendez. From the pen of the latter we -have a written description accompanied by drawings.[IV-44] -Unfortunately I have not been able to examine the drawings made by Sr -Mendez, whose text is brief and, in some respects, unsatisfactory. - - [Sidenote: TIKAL PALACES.] - -The chief feature at Tikal is the occurrence of many palaces or -temples of hewn stone in mortar, on the summit of hills usually of -slight elevation. Five of these are specially mentioned, of which -three are to some extent described. The first is on a hill about one -hundred and forty feet high, natural like all the rest so far as -known, but covered in many places with masonry. A stairway about -seventy feet wide leads up to the summit, on which stands a lofty -stone palace, or tower, seventy-two by twenty-four feet at the base -and eighty-six feet high, facing the east. The walls of the lower -portion, or what may be regarded as the first story, are plain and -coated with a hard cement. There is a niche five or six feet deep in -the front, covered on the interior with paintings and hieroglyphics, -and furnished with wooden rings at the top, as if for the suspension -of curtains. At this point an attempt to penetrate to the interior of -the structure showed the lower story to be solid, filled with earth -and stones. The upper story has an ornamented and sculptured front, -and there are ruins of a fallen balcony, or more probably a staircase -which formerly led up to the entrance. Nothing is said of the -interior of the upper portion. The second structure is of the same -dimensions as the first, and is built on a hill opposite, or eastward, -which seems, however, to have no steps upon its sides. It is much -damaged and fallen, but several of its rooms are well preserved, -having the triangular-arched roof of overlapping stones, walls -decorated with paintings and hieroglyphics, and corridors six and a -half feet wide and over one hundred feet long, with windows, or -air-holes, two and a half by four feet. The walls are nearly seven -feet thick, and the top of the doorway at the entrance is of rough -zapote beams. The third palace differs in no respect from the others, -except that the zapote architrave of the chief entrance is carved in -ornamental and hieroglyphic figures. In a kind of a court at the foot -of the hill in front of the first palace were found eleven stone idols -from five to six feet high. Three of the number stood on large round -stone disks, or pedestals. About twenty of these disks, without idols, -were also found, seven or eight of which bore indistinct medallion -figures sculptured in low relief, and the rest were rough and -apparently unfinished. Three oval stone disks were also dug out, as -implied by Mendez' text, from the excavation under the first palace, -although it is difficult to explain the presence of sculptured relics -in such a situation. One of the stones measured five and a half by -four by five and a half feet, and bore on one side the figure of a -woman with decorated robe. The second bore the outlines of a supposed -god, and the third a figure which the explorer profoundly concludes to -have represented an eagle or a snake, but which may perhaps be taken -for some other insect. On the road, just before reaching the ruins, -fragments of pottery were noticed, and Governor Tut had also seen the -figure of a bull well cut from stone lying on the bank of a lagoon -some eight miles distant. It is evident that at or near Tikal was -formerly a large city, and when we consider the extent and importance -of the ruins, the preceding description unaccompanied by plates may -seem meagre and unsatisfactory. But after a perusal of the following -chapter on the ruins of Yucatan, the reader will not fail to form a -clear idea of those at Tikal; since all that we know of the latter -indicates clearly their identity in style and in hieroglyphics with -numerous monuments of the peninsula further north. It is therefore -very probable that both groups are the work of the same people, -executed at approximately the same epoch. - -Colonel Mendez, while on his way to visit Tikal for the second time in -1852, accidentally discovered two other groups of ruins in the -neighborhood of Dolores, south-eastward from Lake Peten and at about -the same distance from the lake as Tikal. One group is south-east and -eight miles distant from Dolores, and the other the same distance -north-west. The former is called by the natives Yxtutz, and the latter -Yxcum. There seem to have been made a description and some drawings of -the Dolores remains, which I have not seen. Traces of walls are -mentioned and monoliths sculptured in high relief, with figures -resembling those at Copan and Quirigua rather than those at Tikal, -although the hieroglyphics are pronounced identical with those of the -latter monuments. Other relics are the figure of a woman dressed in a -short nagua of feathers about the waist, fitting closely and showing -the form of the leg; and a collection of sculptured blocks upon a -round disk, on which are carved hieroglyphics and figures of the sun -and moon with a prostrate human form before them. - - [Sidenote: RELICS IN BELIZE.] - -Near by on the Belize River is a cave in which several idols were -discovered, probably brought here by the natives for concealment.[IV-45] -There are found in the early Spanish annals of this region some -accounts of inhabited towns in this vicinity when the conquerors -first came, of which these ruins may be the remains. I close the -chapter on Guatemalan antiquities with two short quotations, embodying -all I have been able to find respecting the ancient monuments of the -English province of Belize, on the Atlantic coast eastward from Peten. -"About thirty miles up the Balize River, contiguous to its banks are -found, what in this country are denominated the Indian-hills. These -are small eminences, which are supposed to have been raised by the -aborigines over their dead; human bones, and fragments of a coarse -kind of earthen-ware, being frequently dug from them. These -Indian-hills are seldom discovered but in the immediate vicinity of -rivers or creeks," and were therefore, perhaps, built for refuge in -time of floods. "The foot of these hills is regularly planted round -with large stones, and the whole may perhaps be thought to bear a very -strong resemblance to the ancient barrows, or tumuli, so commonly -found in various parts of England."[IV-46] "I learned from a young -Frenchman that on this plantation (New Boston) are Indian ruins of the -same character as those of Yucatan, and that idols and other -antiquities have often been found there."[IV-47] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[IV-1] About five miles down the river from El Pozo de los Amates on -the main road from Guatemala to Yzabal, in a forest of cedar and -mahogany, about a mile from the left bank of the river, on the estate -of the Senores Payes. _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., pp. 118-23. -Stephens' map locates Quirigua, however, on the south bank of the -river. 'Quirigua, village guatemalien, situe sur la route et a huit -lieues environ du port de l'Isabal; les ruines qui en portent le nom -existent a deux lieues de la sur la rive gauche du fleuve Motagua.' -_Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Palenque_, introd., p. 22. 'Sur la rive -gauche de la riviere de Motagua, a milles vares environ de cette -riviere.' _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1840, tom. lxxxviii., pp. -376-7. 'Liegen in der Naehe des kleinen Dorfes Los Amates, 2 Stunden -unterhalb Encuentros, am linken Ufer des Motagua, 3/4 Stunde vom -Flusse entfernt, mitten im Walde. Der Weg von Yzabal fuehrt in einer -Entfernung von 3 Stunden an dem Orte vorbei.' _Reichardt_, _Cent. -Amer._, p. 69. 'Eine der unbekanntesten und merkwuerdigsten -Ruinenstaetten Central-Amerika's, nahe dem See von Isabal, in einer -schwer zugaenglichen Wildniss.' _Wagner and Scherzer_, _Costa Rica_, p. -x. 'Quirigua, c'est le nom d'une ville considerable, batie par les -Azteques a l'epoque ou florissait la magnifique Anahuac. Ses ruines -mysterieuses sont aujourd'hui ensevelies a environ trois lieues du -triste village qui porte son nom.' _Sue_, _Henri le Chancelier_, pp. -110-11. Nearly two English miles from the river-bank. _Scherzer_, -_Quirigua_, p. 5. Mention in _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 276; -_Hesse_, in _Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, p. 256. - -[IV-2] _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., pp. 118-24, with two plates. -An account made up from Catherwood's notes was, however, inserted in -the Guatemalan newspaper _El Tiempo_ by the proprietors of the -Quirigua estate, and translated into French in _Le Moniteur Parisien_, -from which it was reprinted in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1840, -tom. lxxxviii., pp. 376-7; and in _Amerique Cent._, pt. ii., pp. 68-9, -both French and Spanish text is given. The same description is also -given in _Valois_, _Mexique_, pp. 202-3. Scherzer's pamphlet on the -subject bears the title _Ein Besuch bei den Ruinen von Quirigua im -Staate Guatemala in Central-Amerika_, (Wien, 1855,) and I have not -found it quoted elsewhere. _Baily's Cent. Amer._, pp. 65-6, also -contains a brief account from a source not stated, and this is quoted -nearly in full in _Helps' Span. Conq._, vol. ii., pp. 138-9. The ruins -are slightly mentioned in _Macgregor's Progress of Amer._, vol. i., -pp. 878-9, and in _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, pp. 114-17, where it is -incorrectly stated that Mr Stephens personally visited Quirigua. -Brasseur de Bourbourg says: 'Nous les avons visitees en 1863, et nous -possedons les dessins des plusieurs des monolithes qu'on y voit, faits -par M. William Baily, d'Izabal.' _Palenque_, introd., p. 22. See also -the additional references in Note 1. - -[IV-3] The French version of Catherwood's notes has it, 'Au centre du -cirque, dans lequel on descend par des degres tres-etroits, il y a une -grande pierre arrondie, dont le contour presente beaucoup -d'hieroglyphes et d'inscriptions; deux tetes d'homme, de proportion -plus grande que nature, parraissent soutenir cette table, laquelle est -couverte de vegetation dans la plus grande partie.' _Nouvelles Annales -des Voy._, 1840, tom. lxxxviii., p. 377. - -[IV-4] 'Wahrscheinlich benutzten die Erbauer einen hier schon -vorhandenen grossen Felsblock zu ihren Zwecken, denn der Transport -eines Steines von solcher Groesse und Umfang mit den bewegenden Kraeften -welche diesen Voelkern muthmasslich zu Gebote standen, waere sonst kaum -begreiflich.' _Scherzer_, _Quirigua_, p. 7. - -[IV-5] 'Plus inclinee que la tour de Pise.' _Nouvelles Annales des -Voy._, 1840, tom. lxxxviii., p. 376. - -[IV-6] Stephens' text, _Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 122, leaves it -uncertain whether it is the statue or the altar afterwards mentioned -which rests on the elevation. The French text, however, indicates that -it is the former. - -[IV-7] See Notes 6 and 3. - -[IV-8] Baily, _Cent. Amer._, pp. 65-6, sums up all the relics at -Quirigua as follows: seven quadrilateral columns, twelve to -twenty-five feet high, three to five feet at base; four pieces of an -irregular oval shape, twelve by ten or eleven feet, not unlike -sarcophagi; two large square slabs seven and a half by three feet and -over three feet thick; all except the slabs being covered on all sides -with elaborately wrought and well-defined sculptured figures of men, -women, animals, foliage, and fanciful representations. All the columns -are moreover of a single piece of stone. - -[IV-9] Yet Scherzer thinks that 'es ist nicht ganz unwahrscheinlich, -dass die Monumente von Quirigua noch zur Zeit der spanischen Invasion -ihrer religioesen Bestimmung dienten, und dass auch eine Stadt in der -Naehe noch bewohnt war.' _Quirigua_, p. 15, although there is no record -of such a place in the annals of the conquest. - -[IV-10] Although Baily, _Cent. Amer._, p. 66, says 'they do not -resemble in sculpture those of Palenque ... nor are they similar to -those of Copan.... They suggest the idea of having been designed for -historical records rather than mere ornament.' - -[IV-11] The sculpture presents no old-world affinities whatever. A -certain coarseness of execution, implying inferior tools, -distinguishes them from the coarsest Egyptian carvings. Both grouping -and execution indicate a still "barbaric state of art, with no -advanced idea of beauty, the patience and industry of the workmen -being more remarkable than their ideas or skill." _Scherzer_, -_Quirigua_, p. 11-12. - -[IV-12] _Hesse_, in _Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, p. 256. - -[IV-13] _Palacio_, _Carta_, pp. 62. - -[IV-14] Padre Urrutia published an account of his investigations at -Cinaca-Mecallo in the _Gaceta de Guatemala_, according to _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 81. The most complete -description, however, he gave in a letter to E. G. Squier, who -published the same in his _Cent. Amer._, pp. 342-4. The substance of -the letter may be found in _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, p. 124; and a -French version in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1857, tom. cliii., pp. -182-6. - -[IV-15] _Juarros' Hist. Guat._, pp. 45, 308-9, taking the information -from _Fuentes_, _Recopilacion Florida_, MS., tom. ii., lib. iv., cap. -ii. Of course no importance is to be attached to these and similar -reports. - -[IV-16] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., pp. 43-4. - -[IV-17] _Valois_, _Mexique_, pp. 430-1. - -[IV-18] _Dupaix_, _Rel. 3me Exped._, p. 9, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. -i., div. i., tom. iii., pl. vii., fig. 12, and in _Kingsborough's Mex. -Antiq._, vol. v., p. 290, vol. vi., p. 470, vol. iv., pl. viii., fig. -12. Kingsborough's translation incorrectly represents this relic as -having been found at Palenque, although the original reads 'lo -encontro en Guatemala' and the French 'l'a trouvee a Guatemala.' M. -Lenoir, _Parallele_, p. 72, thinks the engraved device may show some -analogy with the astronomical traditions of the ancients, the serpent -of the pole, the dragon, the constellation Ophis, the apples of the -Hesperides, etc.; and the reverse may be the Mexican tradition of the -creation, the Python, or the serpent killed by Cadmus!! Cabrera, -_Teatro Critico_, pp. 53-5, pl. i., who was the bearer of one of the -medals to the king of Spain, speaks of it as made of brass, and -pronounces it to be 'a concise history of the primitive population of -this part of North America.' The bird, in his opinion, is an eagle -with a serpent in its beak and claws. His application of this relic to -history will be more appropriate when I come to treat of the origin of -the Americans. - -[IV-19] _Hist. Mag._, vol. vi., pp. 57-8. - -[IV-20] _Juarros' Hist. Guat._, pp. 488-9. The ruins are situated on a -rock commanding the junction of the rivers Pixcayatl and Motagua. -_Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 524. Ruins of -the ancient capital of the Cakchiquel kings. _Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, -pp. 333, 335. 'Remarquable par les ruines de l'ancienne forteresse du -meme nom.' _Larenaudiere_, _Mex. et Guat._, p. 266; _Malte-Brun_, -_Precis de la Geog._, tom. vi., p. 470. - -[IV-21] _Juarros' Hist. Guat._, pp. 487-8; _Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, p. -333. - -[IV-22] _Hesse_, in _Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, p. 257. - -[IV-23] _Fuentes_, in _Juarros' Hist. Guat._, p. 492; _Hassel_, _Mex. -Guat._, p. 327. - -[IV-24] _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 281. - -[IV-25] _Hesse_, in _Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, p. 257. - -[IV-26] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 507. - -[IV-27] _Reichardt_, _Cent. Amer._, p. 72. - -[IV-28] The distance is stated to be one fourth of a mile, one mile -and a half, one league, and one league and a half by different -writers. - -[IV-29] _Juarros' Hist. Guat._, pp. 382-4; his authority being -_Fuentes_, _Recopilacion_, MS., tom. i., lib. iii., cap. i., and lib. -xv., cap. v.; _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., pp. 147, 149-53. -Juarros' account is also given in _Conder's Mex. Guat._, vol. ii., pp. -270-1, in _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, p. 90, and in _Stephens' Cent. -Amer._, loc. cit. It is also used with that of Stephens to make up the -description in _Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, pp. 199-200. Slight mention -also in _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 284; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, -_Palenque_, p. 33; _Id._, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., pp. 152, 493, -526. According to Brasseur's statement, M. Daly made drawings at -Patinamit, seen by the Abbe, and to be published. - -[IV-30] _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 146. - -[IV-31] 'In the province of Quezaltenango, there are still to be met -with the vestiges and foundations of many large fortresses, among -which is the celebrated one of Parrazquin, situated on the confines of -Totonicapan and Quezaltenango; and the citadel of Olintepeque, formed -with all the intricacies of a labyrinth, and which was the chief -defence of the important city of Xelahuh.' _Juarros' Hist. Guat._, pp. -485, 379. Slight mention also, probably resting on no other authority -than the paragraph above quoted, in _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. -247; _Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, p. 341. - -[IV-32] _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., pp. 171, 182-8. Mr Stephens -gives, besides the engravings I have copied, and one of the other -terra-cotta heads mentioned, a view of El Sacrificatorio, a ground -plan showing the relative positions of the plateau, the barranca, and -the projecting fortress, together with a view of El Resguardo and the -other ruins in the distance. I do not reproduce them because they show -no details not included in the description, which, moreover, is easily -comprehended without the aid of cuts. A thorough exploration of -Utatlan was made by Don Miguel Rivera y Maestre, a commissioner sent -for the purpose by the Guatemalan government in 1834. His MS. report -to the state authorities was seen by Mr Stephens and is described as -being very full and accurate, but not containing any details outside -of Stephens' account. He does not state that his plans and views were -obtained from Rivera y Maestre. Juarros, _Hist. Guat._, pp. 86-8, 487, -follows Fuentes, who described the city chiefly from historical -accounts of its original condition, although it seems that he also -visited the ruins. Las Casas, _Hist. Apologetica_, MS., cap. lii., -speaks of Utatlan's 'maravillosos edificios de cal y canto, de los -cuales yo vide muchos.' Brasseur de Bourbourg, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. -ii., pp. 493, 120, tom. i., p. 124, speaks of Rivera y Maestre's plans -in Stephens' work as incorrect, but rejoices in the prospect that M. -Cesar Daly will publish correct drawings. 'Un des palais des rois de -Quiche a 728 pas geometriques de longueur et 376 de largeur.' -_Humboldt_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1827, tom. xxxv., p. 329. -'En Utlatan habia muchos y muy grandes _cues_ o templos de sus Idolos, -de maravillosos edificios, y yo vi algunos aunque muy arruinados.' -_Zurita_, in _Palacio_, _Carta_, pp. 123-4. See also accounts of these -ruins made up from Stephens and Juarros, in _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. -Stat._, p. 286, and _Reichardt_, _Cent. Amer._, p. 72; also mention in -_Malte-Brun_, _Precis de la Geog._, tom. vi., p. 470; _Larenaudiere_, -_Mex. et Guat._, pp. 266, 274; _Galindo_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., -div. ii., pp. 73-8; _Revue Amer._, 1826, tom. i., pp. 353-5; _Mueller_, -_Amerikanische Urreligionen_, p. 462. - -[IV-33] _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 192. - -[IV-34] See p. 63 of this volume. - -[IV-35] _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., pp. 228-32, with figures of -two vases found at Huehuetenango in addition to those represented -above. 'On trouve un plan des plus incorrects dans le MS. de Fuentes.' -_Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., pp. 119, 504. -Mention of the ruins in _Id._, _Palenque_, p. 34. Huehuetenango, in -Lat. 15 deg. 28' 15'', Long. 91 deg. 36' 50''. _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. -Stat._, p. 288. Engravings of four vases copied from Stephens, in -_Larenaudiere_, _Mex. et Guat._, p. 379, pl. 14. - -[IV-36] 'J'ai moi-meme visite les ruines d'un grande nombre de ces -villes et chateaux, dont les positions sont admirablement choisies -pour la defense; il en existe sur presque toutes les hauteurs qui -environnent la plaine de Rabinal. Elles sont, du reste, -tres-nombreuses dans toutes les provinces guatemaliennes et sont une -preuve de l'etendue de leur antique population.' The chief one is one -league west of Rabinal. _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, -tom. ii., p. 125. Ruins of Cawinal, _Id._, p. 149. Mention of tumuli, -_Id._, tom. i., p. 15. Mention of ruins of Tzuruya, Tzutum, Nimpokom, -Cakyug, Zamaneb, and Salama. _Id._, tom. ii., pp. 479, 505-6. Mention -of Nebah, Uspantan, Rabinal, Cavinal, Xeocok, and Nimpokom. _Wappaeus_, -_Geog. u. Stat._, pp. 288, 291. The ruins located by Sonnenstern, -_Mapa de Guat._, 1859, proceeding from west to east, are as follows: -Xolacul, Nebak, Hatzal, Suizul, Balbitz, Cavinal, Pacalay, Xokoc, -Beleh Trak, Pikek, Xozintun, Trak Pocoma, Cakyug, Chocotoy, Chotocoy, -Talam, Xubabal. - -[IV-37] _Annual Scien. Discov._, 1850, pp. 363-4. - -[IV-38] _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 193. - -[IV-39] Pontelli's account with some plates was published in the -_Correo de Ultramar_, Paris, 1860. I have not seen the original, but -what purports to be a translation of it in the _California Farmer_, -Nov. 7, 1862, is the veriest trash, containing nothing definite -respecting the location or description of the pretended discoveries. - -[IV-40] _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., pp. 195-7; _Id._, _Yuc._, -vol. ii., p. 201. 'Quant a l'existence d'une cite mysterieuse, habitue -par des indigenes, qui vivraient au centre du Peten dans les memes -conditions d'autrefois, c'est une croyance qu'il faut releguer parmi -les fantaisies de l'imagination. Ce conte a pris naissance au Yucatan, -et les voyageurs en le recueillant, lui ont donne trop d'importance.' -_Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. ii., p. 68. Mr Otis, on the authority of a -late English explorer, believes the city to be a limestone formation -which has misled. _Hist. Mag._, vol. vi., p. 120. 'We must reject the -notion of great cities existing here.' _Squier_, in _Id._, vol. iv., -p. 67. Its existence not improbable. _Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, p. 263. -Such reports unfounded. _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, -tom. i., p. 37. - -[IV-41] _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. ii., pp. 65-8, 26. M. Morelet, by -reason of sickness, was unable to make any personal explorations in -Peten beyond the island. He has preserved, however, some native -reports respecting the antiquities of the region. 'On trouve dans tout -ce pays des ruines d'anciens edifices, comme dans le Yucathan, et des -idoles en pierre.' _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1843, tom. xcvii., p. -51. 'Por aquellos montes ay muchos edificios antiguos grandiosos (como -lo que oy se ven en Yucathan) y en ellos muy grandes Idolos de -piedra.' _Cogolludo_, _Hist. Yuc._, p. 700. 'It is doubtful if any -monuments of note exist in the district, except on the islands, or in -the immediate neighborhood of the lakes.' _Squier's Cent. Amer._, pp. -543-5. Mention in _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 295; _Humboldt_, in -_Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1827, tom. xxxv., p. 329. 'Il n'existe -dans cette ile aucuns vestiges d'idoles ni de temples.' _Waldeck_, -_Voy. Pitt._, pp. 69-70. Many relics and remains of idols still to be -found on the island. _Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, p. 359; _Malte-Brun_, -_Precis de la Geog._, tom. vi., p. 470; _Morelet's Trav._, pp. 240-2; -_Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Mex._, tom. iii., p. 98. - -[IV-42] 'Les Indiens, on le sait, se montrent tres reserves sur tout -ce qui touche a leur ancienne nationalite: quoique ces ruines fussent -connues d'un grand nombre d'entre eux, pas un n'avait trahi le secret -de leur existence.' _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. ii., pp. 66-7; _Id._, -_Trav._, pp. 241-2; _Squier_, in _Hist. Mag._, vol. iv., p. 66; -_Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 295. - -[IV-43] _Galindo_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 68; -_Squier_, in _Hist. Mag._, vol. iv., p. 66. Mr Squier says the tower -is 22 feet square at the base, instead of 22 paces as Galindo gives -it. He does not state the authority on which his description rests; it -seems, however, in other respects to be simply a reproduction of -Galindo's account, which is also repeated in _Squier's Cent. Amer._, -pp. 544-5. Slight mention in _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. ii., p. 66; -_Id._, _Trav._, p. 240; _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 295. - -[IV-44] Col. Mendez, whom Gov. Tut preceded at Tikal by a day or two -only, visited the ruins as commissioner of the Guatemalan government, -to which, after a stay of four days, he made a report. This report, so -far as I know, was never published in the original Spanish; but the -MS. fell into the hands of Mr Hesse, Prussian envoy to the Central -American governments, and was by him translated into German and -published with the plates in the _Zeitschrift fuer Allgemeine -Erdkunde_, 1853, tom. i., pt. iii., pp. 162-8. This translation, -without the plates, and with some slight omissions of unimportant -details respecting the journey, was also published in _Sivers_, -_Mittelamerika_, pp. 247-54, 304-8, with notes by Messrs Hesse and -Sivers. This is the source of my information. Mendez revisited Tikal -in 1852, without obtaining any additional information of value so far -as I know. The ruins are mentioned and more or less fully described, -always from the same source, in _Mueller_, _Amerikanische -Urreligionen_, pp. 460-2; _Buschmann_, _Ortsnamen_, pp. 115-17; -_Ritter_, in _Gumprecht_, tom. i., p. 3; _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, -pp. 247, 295. - -[IV-45] Hesse, in _Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, pp. 254-5, 308-9; -_Buschmann_, _Ortsnamen_, pp. 115-16; _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. -295; _Mueller_, _Amerikanische Urreligionen_, p. 460. - -[IV-46] _Henderson's Honduras_, pp. 52-3; repeated in _Squier's Cent. -Amer._, pp. 596-7. - -[IV-47] _Froebel's Cent. Amer._, p. 167. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -ANTIQUITIES OF YUCATAN. - - YUCATAN, THE COUNTRY AND THE PEOPLE -- ABUNDANCE OF RUINED - CITIES -- ANTIQUARIAN EXPLORATION OF THE STATE -- CENTRAL - GROUP -- UXMAL -- HISTORY AND BIBLIOGRAPHY -- WALDECK, - STEPHENS, CATHERWOOD, NORMAN, FRIEDERICHSTHAL, AND CHARNAY - -- CASA DEL GOBERNADOR, LAS MONJAS, EL ADIVINO, PYRAMID, - AND GYMNASIUM -- KABAH, NOHPAT, LABNA, AND NINETEEN OTHER - RUINED CITIES -- EASTERN GROUP; CHICHEN ITZA AND VICINITY - -- NORTHERN GROUP; MAYAPAN, MERIDA, AND IZAMAL -- SOUTHERN - GROUP; LABPHAK, ITURBIDE, AND MACOBA -- EASTERN COAST; - TULOOM AND COZUMEL -- WESTERN COAST; MAXCANU, JAINA, AND - CAMPECHE -- GENERAL FEATURES OF THE YUCATAN RELICS -- - PYRAMIDS AND STONE BUILDINGS -- LIMESTONE, MORTAR, STUCCO, - AND WOOD -- THE TRIANGULAR ARCH -- SCULPTURE, PAINTING, - AND HIEROGLYPHICS -- ROADS AND WELLS -- COMPARISONS -- - ANTIQUITY OF THE MONUMENTS -- CONCLUSIONS. - - - [Sidenote: PHYSICAL FEATURES OF YUCATAN.] - -North of the bay of Chetumal on the Atlantic, the Laguna de Terminos -on the gulf of Mexico, and latitude 17 deg. 50' in the interior, lies -the peninsula of Yucatan, one of the few exceptions to the general -direction of the world's peninsulas, projecting north-eastwardly from -the continent, its form approximately a parallelogram whose sides -measure two hundred and fifty miles from north to south and two -hundred from east to west. Its whole surface, so far as known to -geographers, may be termed practically a level plain only slightly -elevated above the level of the sea. The coast for the most part, and -especially in the north, is low, sandy, and barren, with few -indentations affording harbors, and correspondingly few towns and -cities of any importance. Crossing the narrow coast region, however, -we find the interior fertile and heavily wooded. While there are no -mountains that deserve the name, yet there are not entirely wanting -ranges of hills to break up and diversify by their elevation of from -two hundred to five hundred feet the monotony of a dead level. Chief -among these is the Sierra de Yucatan, so called, an offshoot of the -southern Peten heights, branching out from the great central -Cordillera. It stretches north-eastward nearly parallel with the -eastern coast to within some twenty-five miles of Cape Catoche. -Another line of hills on the opposite gulf coast extends from the -mouth of the River Champoton, also north-eastward, toward Merida, the -capital of the state, about thirty miles south-west of which place it -deflects abruptly at right angles from its former direction, and with -one or two parallel minor ranges extends south-eastward at least -half-way across the state. At some period geologically recent the -waves of ocean and gulf doubtless beat against this elbow-shaped -sierra, then the coast barrier of the peninsula; since the country -lying to the north and west presents everywhere in its limestone -formation traces of its comparatively late emergence from beneath the -sea. The lack of water on the surface is a remarkable feature in the -physical geography of Yucatan. There are no rivers, and the few small -streams along the coast extend but few miles inland and disappear as a -rule in the dry season. One small lake, whose waters are strongly -impregnated with salt, is the only body of water in the broad -interior, which is absolutely destitute of streams. From June to -October of each year rain falls in torrents, and the sandy, calcareous -soil seems to possess a wonderful property of retaining the stored-up -moisture, since the ardent rays of the tropical sun beating down -through the long rainless summer months, rarely succeed in parching -any portion of the surface into any approach to the sterility of a -desert. The summer temperature, although high, is modified by -sea-breezes from the east and west; consequently the heat is less -oppressive and the climate on the whole more healthful than in any -other state of the American tierra caliente. The inhabitants, -something over half a million in number, of whom a very large -proportion are full-blooded natives of the Maya race, are a quiet and -peaceful though brave people, living simply on the products of the -soil and of the forest, and each community taking but little interest -in the affairs of the world away from their own immediate -neighborhood. They made a brave but vain resistance to the progress of -foreign conquerors, and have since lived for the most part in quiet -subjection to the power of a dominant race and the priests of a -foreign faith, having lost almost completely the ambitious and haughty -spirit for which they were once noted, and forgotten practically the -greatness of their civilized ancestors. Since throwing off the power -of Spain, they have passed through four or five revolutions,--a -noteworthy record when compared with that of other Spanish American -states--by which Yucatan has passed successively to and fro from the -condition of an independent republic to that of a state in the Mexican -Republic, to which it now belongs. Except the northern central -portion, which contains the capital and principal towns, and which -itself, outside of Merida and the route to the coast, is only -comparatively well known through the writings of a few travelers, and -except also some of the ports along the coast visited occasionally by -trading vessels of various nations, Yucatan is still essentially a -terra incognita. It was more thoroughly explored by the Spanish -soldiers and priests in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries than -at any subsequent time. The eastern interior and the southern -bordering on the Guatemalan province of Peten are especially -unexplored, little or nothing being known of the latter district away -from the trails that lead southward, one to Bacalar, the other to Lake -Peten, trodden by the feet of few but natives during the last two -centuries. - - [Sidenote: A RICH ANTIQUARIAN FIELD.] - -Yucatan presents a rich field for antiquarian exploration, furnishing -perhaps finer, and certainly more numerous, specimens of ancient -aboriginal architecture, sculpture, and painting than have been -discovered in any other section of America. The state is literally -dotted, at least in the northern central, or best known, portions with -ruined edifices and cities. I shall have occasion to mention, and -describe more or less fully, in this chapter, such ruins in between -fifty and sixty different localities.[V-1] While these monuments, -however, are the most extensive and among the best preserved within -the limits of the Pacific States, they were yet among the last to be -brought to the knowledge of the modern world. In the voyages, made -early in the sixteenth century, which immediately preceded the -conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards, Cordova, Grijalva, and Cortes -touched at various points along the Yucatan coast, and were amazed to -find there on the borders of a new world which they had supposed to be -occupied exclusively by barbarians, a civilized people who served -their gods and kept their idols in lofty stone temples. But their stay -was brief and they pursued their way northward, bent on the conquest -of the richer realms of Montezuma. The excitement of the conquest and -the new wonders beheld in Anahuac blotted practically from the popular -mind all memory of the southern tower-temples, although their -discovery was recorded in the diaries of the expeditions, from which -and from verbal descriptions accounts were inserted in the works of -the standard historians of the Indies. Later, in the middle of the -century, when the turn came for Yucatan to be overrun with soldiers, -stone temples had become too familiar sights to excite much attention; -yet the chroniclers of the time included in their annals some brief -descriptions of the heathen temples destroyed by the Spanish invaders; -and the Yucatan historians of the following century, Landa, Cogolludo, -and Villagutierre Soto-Mayor, described and personally visited some of -the ruins. These earlier accounts have been utilized in delineating -the state of architectural art among the Mayas in a preceding volume, -and they will also be used somewhat extensively as illustrative -material in the following pages. Since these early times the ruins, -shrouded by a dense tropical vegetation, have lain untenanted and -unknown, save to the peaceful inhabitants of the northern and more -thickly settled portions of the state, who have from time to time -become aware of their existence accidentally while in search of water -or a favorable locality for a milpa, or cornfield. Only a few of the -forty-four ruined towns explored by Mr Stephens were known to exist by -the people of Merida, the state capital. - - [Sidenote: EXPLORATION OF MAYA RUINS.] - - [Sidenote: STEPHENS AND CATHERWOOD.] - -Since 1830 the veil has been lifted from the principal ruins of -ancient Maya works by the researches of Zavala, Waldeck, Stephens, -Catherwood, Norman, Friederichsthal, and Charnay. A general account of -the antiquarian explorations and writings of these gentlemen is given -in the appended note,[V-2] details and notices of additional visitors -to particular localities being reserved until I come to speak of those -localities. It will be noticed that all the authors mentioned who -write from actual observation, have confined their observations to -from one to four of the principal ruins, whose existence was known -previous to their visits, excepting Messrs Stephens and Catherwood. -These gentlemen boldly left the beaten track and brought to the -knowledge of the world about forty ruined cities whose very existence -had been previously unknown even to the residents of the larger -cities of the very state in whose territory they lie. With a force of -natives to aid in clearing away the forest, Mr Stephens spent ten -months in surveying, and Mr Catherwood in sketching with the aid of a -daguerrean camera, the various groups of ruined structures. The -accuracy of both survey and drawings is unquestioned. The visit of -these explorers was the first, and has thus far proved in most cases -the last. The wrecks of Maya architecture have been left to slumber -undisturbed in their forest winding-sheet. "For a brief space the -stillness that reigned around them was broken, and they were again -left to solitude and silence. Time and the elements are hastening them -to utter destruction. It has been the fortune of the author to step -between them and the entire destruction to which they are destined; -and it is his hope to snatch from oblivion these perishing, but still -gigantic memorials of a mysterious people." His hope has been fully -realized, and his book may be regarded as a model, both as a journal -of travel and personal adventure and as a record of antiquarian -research. Mr Stephens is one of the very few travelers who have been -able to gaze upon the noble monuments of a past civilization without -being drawn into a maze of absurd reasoning and conjecture respecting -their builders. His conclusions, if sometimes incorrect in the opinion -of other antiquarians entitled to a hearing in the matter, are never -groundless or rashly formed. - -Notwithstanding the extent of Mr Stephens' explorations, a very large -part of Yucatan remains yet untrodden by the antiquary's foot. This is -especially true in the east, except on the immediate coast, and in the -south toward Guatemala. That extensive ruins yet lie hidden in these -unexplored regions, can hardly be doubted; indeed, it is by no means -certain that the grandest cities, even in the settled and partially -explored part of the peninsula, have yet been described; but the -uniformity of such as have been brought to our knowledge does not lead -us to expect new developments with respect to the nature, whatever may -be proved of the extent, of the Maya antiquities. - -By reason of the level surface of the peninsula, uncut by rivers, and -unbroken by mountain ranges, the determination of the geographical -position of its ruins is reduced to a statement of distances and -bearings. The location of the chief cities is moreover indicated on -the map which accompanies this volume.[V-3] With respect to the order -in which they are to be described there would be little ground for -preference in favor of any particular arrangement, were they all -equally well known. But this is not the case. Two or three of the -principal cities have been carefully examined, described, and -sketched, and as for the rest, only their points of contrast with the -preceding have been pointed out. All that is known of most of the -ruins would be wholly unintelligible at the commencement of my -description, but will be found comparatively satisfactory further on. -Thus I am not only obliged to describe the best-known ruins first, but -fortunately these are also among the grandest and most typical of the -whole, being, in fact, the very ones that would be selected for the -purpose. To fully describe a few and point out contrasts in the rest -is the only method of avoiding a very tiresome monotony in attempting -to make known some hundreds of structures very like one to another in -most of their details as well as in their general features. The -similarity observed among the different monuments is a very great -advantage to the antiquarian student, since it will enable me, if I -mistake not, to give the reader in this chapter as clear an idea of -the antiquities of Yucatan, notwithstanding their great number, as of -any portion of the Pacific States. - - [Sidenote: GROUPS OF RUINS.] - -For convenience in description, then, I divide the ruins in the -interior of the state into four groups; the central group,--placed -first that I may begin my account with Uxmal--which, besides the -extensive ruins of Uxmal, Kabah, and Labna, embraces relics of the -past in at least nineteen other localities; the eastern group, -including little besides the famous ruins at Chichen Itza; the -northern group, in which I mention Izamal, Ake, Merida, and Mayapan; -and the southern group, comprising five or six ruined towns in the -region of Iturbide. I shall finally treat of the antiquities -discovered at various points on the eastern and western coasts. - -The parallel ranges of hills already spoken of as extending half-way -across the peninsula from north-west to south-east contain within -their enclosed valleys the ruins of the first group, more numerous -than in any other section of the state, and all comprised within a -parallelogram whose sides would measure about thirty and forty miles -respectively. - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF UXMAL.] - -Uxmal is the most north-western of the group, in latitude 20 deg. 27' -30'', thirty-five miles south of Merida, on a hacienda belonging, by -a deed running back one hundred and forty years, thirty-five years -ago,--and very likely still, as real estate rarely changes hands in -Spanish American countries,--to the Peon family, and at one time -cultivated by its owners as a cornfield.[V-4] The derivation and -meaning of the name Uxmal,[V-5] like that of so many American cities -of the past, is unknown; it is even uncertain whether this was the -name of the city at all in the days of its original greatness, or only -an appellation derived from that of the hacienda on which it stands, -in comparatively modern times. Waldeck and some other writers take the -latter view, identifying the ruins themselves with the city of -Itzalane, ancient capital of the Itzas, although the authorities -indicate only very vaguely that a city named Itzalane ever existed. -Brasseur de Bourbourg, on the contrary, believes it to have been, -under its present name of Uxmal, the capital of the Tutul Xius in the -ninth century; Mr Stephens also believes that Uxmal was an inhabited -city down to the days of the conquest.[V-6] The ruins are situated in -the foothills of one of the ranges mentioned, notwithstanding which -fact the locality seems to be one of the most unhealthy in the state. -Fever and ague, especially during the rainy season, and ravenous -mosquitos have ever been the chief obstacles encountered by travelers. -The vegetation, although dense and of the usual rapid growth, has been -a lesser hindrance here than in many other localities, by reason of -the ruins' proximity to a hacienda and the frequent clearings -made.[V-7] - -The exact extent of the ruins it is of course impossible to determine, -since the whole region abounds with mounds and heaps of debris -scattered in every direction through the adjoining forest,[V-8] and -belonging originally to Uxmal or to some city in its immediate -vicinity. A rectangular space, however, measuring in general terms -something over one third of a mile from north to south and one fourth -of a mile from east to west would include all the principal -structures. The annexed plan will show their arrangement within the -rectangle, as well as their ground forms and dimensions more clearly -than many pages of descriptive text. Except in a few instances I have -not attempted on the plan to represent the grades of the various -terraces, which will be made clear in the text, but have indicated the -extent of their bases by dotted lines and by the omission of the -foliage which covers their sides and platforms as well as the -surrounding country.[V-9] It will be seen at a glance by the reader -that none of the structures face exactly the cardinal points, and that -no two of them face exactly in the same direction. It is customary for -writers on American antiquities to speak of all the principal ruined -palaces and temples as exactly oriented, and all the visitors to -Uxmal, except Stephens, make the same statement respecting its -structures, or so represent them on their plans. But in this case we -are left in no uncertainty in the matter, for a photographic view of -the southern ruins from the courtyard of the building C, agrees -exactly with Stephens' plan, and proves beyond question that the -structures A and C, at least, cannot lie in the same direction.[V-10] -To prove that any of them face the cardinal points will require more -careful examination than has yet been made. - - [Illustration] - - [Sidenote: PLAN OF UXMAL] - - [Sidenote: UXMAL--CASA DEL GOBERNADOR.] - -In the southern central portion of the space comprised in the plan is -the edifice at A, known as the Casa del Gobernador, or Governor's -House. It may be remarked here that the names by which the different -structures are known have been given them, generally by the natives, -but sometimes by visitors, in accordance with what they have fancied -to have been their original use. There is only a very slight -probability that in a few cases they may have hit upon a correct -designation, although many of the names, like that of this building, -are certainly sufficiently appropriate.[V-11] The terraced mound that -supports the Governor's house demands our first attention. Its base, -with its irregularities in form on the west and south, is shown on the -plan by the dotted lines _a_, _b_, _c_, _d_: and measures on its -perfect sides, _ab_, and _bc_, about six hundred feet. At a height of -three feet from the ground a terrace, or promenade, mostly destroyed -at the time of observation and not indicated on the plan, extends -round the mound. From this rises the second terrace to a height of -twenty feet, supporting a platform whose sides measure five hundred -and forty-five feet. Somewhat west of the centre of this platform -rises the third terrace, nineteen feet high and supporting the summit -platform _e_, _f_, _g_, _h_, whose dimensions are about one hundred by -three hundred and sixty feet, and whose height above the original -surface of the ground is something over forty feet.[V-12] The material -of the body of this mound is rough fragments of limestone thrown -together without any order; the terraces are supported, however, at -the sides by solid walls built of regular blocks of hewn limestone -carefully laid in mortar nearly as hard as the rock. So far as can be -determined from the drawings, these walls are not perpendicular, but -incline slightly inward towards the top, and the corners are not -square but carefully rounded. It is not improbable that the platforms -were also paved originally with square blocks, as M. Charnay believes, -although now covered with soil and vegetation. By means of an -excavation, solid stone was found in the interior above the surface -level, showing that the builders had taken advantage of a natural -elevation as a labor-saving expedient in heaping up this massive -artificial stone mound. There are no traces of stairways by which -access was had to the second platform,[V-13] but a long inclined plane -without steps, one hundred feet wide, on the southern side, apparently -furnished the only means of ascent. From the second platform, however, -a regular stairway of thirty-five steps, one hundred and thirty feet -wide, leads up to the summit at _i_, being in the centre of the -eastern side, or front. - - [Illustration: Ground Plan of the Casa del Gobernador.] - - [Illustration: Section of the Casa del Gobernador.] - -The upper platform supports, and forms a promenade thirty feet wide -round the Casa del Gobernador, which is a building three hundred and -twenty-two feet long, thirty-nine feet wide, and twenty-six feet -high,[V-14] built of stone and mortar. A central wall divides the -interior longitudinally into two nearly equal corridors, which, -divided again by transverse partition walls, form two parallel rows of -rooms extending the whole length of the building. The arrangement of -these rooms will be best understood by a reference to the accompanying -ground plan from Mr Stephens.[V-15] The two central apartments are -about sixty feet long and twelve feet wide; the others, except the -two in the recesses, are twelve by twenty-five feet. Those of the -front corridor are twenty-three feet high, while in the rear they are -only twenty-two, authorities differing somewhat, however, on this -point. There are two doorways in the rear, one on each end, and -thirteen on the front; with nine interior doorways exactly opposite -the same number on the exterior. The rear, or western wall, except for -a short distance at each end, is nine feet thick and perfectly solid, -as was proved by an excavation; the transverse walls corresponding -with the two recesses are of about the same thickness; and all the -other walls are between two and three feet thick. The stone for the -facings of the whole building is cut in smooth blocks nearly cubic in -form and of varying but nowhere exactly stated dimensions; but the -mass of the structure, as is proven by M. Charnay's photograph, is an -agglomeration of rough, irregular fragments of stone in mortar. The -construction of the whole will be understood by a glance at the cut, -which represents a section of the building at the central doorway in -very nearly its true proportions, although the proper size and cubical -form of the blocks are not observed.[V-16] At about mid-height of each -room the side walls begin to approach each other, one layer of stones -overlapping the one below it, until they are only one foot apart, when -a number of blocks, longer than usual, are laid across the top, -serving by means of the mortar which holds them in place and the -weight of the superimposed masonry, as key-stones to this arch of the -true American type. The projecting corners of the overlapping blocks -are beveled off so that the ceiling presents two plane stone surfaces -nearly forming an acute angle at the top. Above and between these -arches all is solid masonry to the flat roof, giving to the apartments -the air of galleries excavated in the solid mass, rather than enclosed -by walls. The top of each doorway is formed by a stout beam of -zapote-wood which has to bear the weight of the stone-work above. One -of these lintels in the southern apartment, ten feet long, twenty-one -inches wide, and ten inches thick, is elaborately carved; the rest, -not only in this building, but in all at Uxmal, are plain.[V-17] Many -of them are broken and fallen. It is to the breaking of these wooden -lintels that is to be attributed nearly all the dilapidation -observable about this ruin, especially over the outer doorways. Some -special motive must have influenced the builders to use wood in -preference to the more durable stone, and this motive may be supposed -to have been the rarity and value of the zapote, which is said not to -grow in this part of the state. The only traces preserved of the means -by which these doorways were originally closed are the remains, on the -inside of some of them near the top, of rings, or hooks, which may -have served as hinges, or more probably for the support of a bar from -which to suspend curtains. The dimensions of the doorways are not -stated, but they are about ten feet high and seven feet wide. They are -the only openings into or between the apartments, there being -absolutely no windows, chimneys, or air-holes. Across the ceilings -from side to side at about mid-height stretch small wooden beams, -whose ends are built into the stone-work. The only suggestions -respecting their use are that they served to support the ceilings -while in process of construction, and that they served for the -suspension of hammocks.[V-18] The inner surface of the rooms is that -of the plain smooth stone blocks, except in one or two of them where a -very thin coating of fine white plaster is noticed. There is no trace -of painting, sculpture, or other attempt at decoration. The floors and -roof are covered with a hard cement. Nothing further worthy of -particular notice demands our attention in the interior of the -Governor's House, except the small apartments corresponding with the -recesses near each end of the building. In these the sides of the -ceiling instead of beginning to approach each other by means of -overlapping blocks at mid-height of the room, begin at or near the -floor, thus leaving no perpendicular walls whatever. The explanation -of this seems to be, so far as can be judged from Catherwood's drawing -and Charnay's photograph, that originally an open passage about twenty -feet wide at the bottom, narrowing to two or three feet at the top, -and twenty-four feet high, extended completely through the building -from front to rear at each of the recesses, and that afterwards this -passage was divided into two small apartments by three partition -walls, a small door being left in the front and rear.[V-19] - - [Illustration: South End of the Governor's House.] - - [Illustration: Ornament of the Casa del Gobernador.--Fig. 1.] - - [Illustration: Ornament of the Casa del Gobernador.--Fig. 2.] - - [Illustration: The Elephant's Trunk.--Fig. 3.] - -It now only remains to notice the exterior of the walls. A cornice -just above the doorway, at something over one third of the height of -the building, surrounds the entire structure, and another cornice is -found near the top. Below the lower cornice the walls present the -plain surface of the smoothly cut cubes of limestone, no traces of -plaster or paint appearing. Above the cornice the walls are covered -with elegant and complicated sculpture. The preceding cut[V-20] -presents a view of the south end, and gives an idea of the sculptured -portion of the wall, although it must be remembered that both the ends -and rear are much less elaborately decorated than the front. The whole -surface is divided into squares, or panels, filled alternately with -frets, or grecques, and diamond lattice-work, with specially elaborate -ornaments over each doorway, in connection with some of which are -characters presumably hieroglyphic. The three cuts[V-21] show the -ornamentation over the central front doorway. The first represents -what seems to have been a human figure seated and surmounted by a -lofty plumed head-dress. These human statues occurred in several -places along the front, probably over each door, but few fragments -remained to be seen by Europeans, and most of these have long since -entirely disappeared. The second cut represents that part of the -decoration extending above that before pictured to the upper cornice -along the top of the wall. The central portion of this ornament is a -curved projection, supposed, by more than one traveler, to be modeled -after the trunk of an elephant, of which a profile view is shown in -the third cut. It projects nineteen inches from the surface of the -wall. This protruding curve occurs more frequently on this and other -buildings at Uxmal than any other decoration, and usually with the -same or similar accompaniments, which may be fancied to represent the -features of a monster, of which this forms the nose. It occurs -especially on the ornamented and rounded corners; being sometimes -reversed in its position, and having, with few exceptions, the point -broken off, probably by the natives, from superstitious motives, to -prevent the long-nosed monster from walking abroad at night.[V-22] The -ornaments are cut on square blocks, which are inserted in the wall, -one block containing only a part of the ornamental design. Of course, -a verbal description fails utterly in conveying any proper idea of -this front, whose sculptured decorations, if less elaborate and -complicated than some others in Yucatan, are surpassed by none in -elegant grandeur. I append however, in a note, some quotations -respecting this facade, and take leave of the Casa del Gobernador with -a mention of the 'red hand,' whose imprint is found on stones in all -parts of the building. Mr Stephens believes that it was made by the -pressure of a small human hand, smeared with red paint, upon the -surface of the wall.[V-23] - -This magnificent palace, whose description I have given, may be -regarded as a representative, in its general features and many of its -details, of the ancient Maya structures, very few of which, however, -are so well preserved as this. Consequently, over this type of -ruins--long, low, narrow buildings, with flat roofs, divided into a -double line of small rooms, with triangular-arched ceilings, plain -interior walls, and cement floors; the whole supported by a stone -mound, ascended by a broad stairway--I shall be able in future to pass -more briefly, simply noting such points of contrast with the Casa del -Gobernador as may occur. Still some of the other buildings of Uxmal -have received more attention from visitors, and consequently will -afford better illustrations of some of the common features than the -one already described. - - [Sidenote: UXMAL--CASA DE TORTUGAS.] - -On the north-west corner of the second platform of the same mound that -supports the Governor's House, and lying in a direction perpendicular -to that building, is the small structure marked B on the plan, and -known as the Casa de Tortugas, or Turtle House. It is ninety-four feet -long, thirty-four feet wide, and, as nearly as can be estimated by -Charnay's photograph, about twenty feet high. The roof, in an insecure -condition at the time of Mr Stephens' first visit, had fallen in -before the second, filling up the interior, concerning which -consequently nothing is known. The central portion of the southern -wall, corresponding with the three doorways on that side, had also -fallen, and on the northern side was ready to fall, the wooden lintel -of the only doorway being broken. At the time of Charnay's visit -neither the centre nor western end of the northern wall remained -standing. The exterior walls below the lower cornice are plain, as in -the Casa del Gobernador, but between the cornices, instead of the -complicated sculpture of the former building, there appears a simple -and elegant line of round columns standing close together and -encircling the whole edifice. Each of these columns is composed of two -or three pieces of stone one upon another, and although presenting -outwardly a half-round surface, they are undoubtedly square on the -side that is built into the wall. Above the upper cornice is a row of -turtles, occurring at regular intervals, sculptured each on a square -block which projects from the wall; hence the name of the building. It -is noted as a remarkable circumstance that no stairway leads up the -terrace to this building from the surface below, or from it to the -Governor's House above.[V-23] - -At different points on the second, or grand, platform of the mound -supporting the Casa del Gobernador are traces of structures which once -stood there, but insufficient in every case, except in that of the -Tortugas, to give any idea of their original nature. Standing at the -foot of one of these old foundation walls three hundred feet long, -fifteen feet wide, and three feet high, on the south side of the -platform, at _j_, is a range of broken round columns, each five feet -high and eighteen inches in diameter.[V-24] - -On the same platform, about eighty feet eastward of the central -stairway, at _k_, is a round stone standing eight feet above the -ground in a leaning position. It is rudely formed, has no sculpture on -its surface, and is surrounded by a small square enclosure two stones -high. The natives call it _picote_, 'stone of punishment,' or -'whipping-post.' Its prominent and central position in front of the -magnificent palace, indicates its great importance in the eyes of the -ancient Mayas, and Mr Stephens thinks it may be a phallus, not without -reason, since apparent traces of an ancient phallic worship will be -found not unfrequently among the Yucatan ruins.[V-25] - - [Sidenote: UXMAL--PICOTE AND IDOL.] - -Sixty feet further eastward, at _l_, was a circular mound of earth and -stones about sixty feet in height, opened by Mr Stephens, who brought -to light a double-headed stone animal, three feet long and two feet -high, which had been buried there, very probably for the purpose of -concealment. Being too heavy for convenient removal, it was left -standing in the same position as when buried, and has there been -noticed by several subsequent observers. Its sculpture is rude, and -but slightly damaged by time. It is shown in the cut on the next page, -with the picote, the stairway, and the front of the Governor's House -in the distance.[V-26] One hundred and thirty feet from this -two-headed idol, in a direction not stated, Mr Stephens found a -structure twenty feet square at the base, from which were dug out two -sculptured heads, apparently portraits. The only objects of interest -which remain to be noticed in connection with this platform, or the -mound-structure of which it forms a part, are two excavations, -supposed to have been originally cisterns. The entrance, or mouth, to -each is a circular opening, eighteen inches in diameter, lined with -regular blocks of cut stone, and descending three feet, vertically, -from the surface of the platform, before it begins to widen into a -dome-shaped chamber. The dimensions of the chambers could not be -ascertained because they were nearly filled with rubbish, but similar -chambers are of frequent occurrence throughout the city of Uxmal and -vicinity, several of which were found unencumbered with debris, and in -perfect preservation. They were all dome-shaped, or rather of the -shape of a well-formed hay-stack, as Mr Stevens expresses it, the -bottoms being somewhat contracted. The walls and floor were carefully -plastered. One of these cisterns measured ten and a half feet deep and -seventeen and a half feet in diameter.[V-27] - - [Illustration: Two-headed Idol at Uxmal.] - - [Sidenote: UXMAL--CISTERNS AND PYRAMID.] - -At the south-west corner of the Casa del Gobernador, and even -intrenching on the terraces that support it, is the pyramid E, to -which strangely enough no name has been given. It has in fact received -but very slight attention; one short visit by Mr Stephens, during -which he mounted to the summit with a force of Indians, being the only -one recorded, although it is barely mentioned by others. This pyramid -measures two hundred by three hundred feet at the base, and its height -is sixty-five feet. At the top is a square platform, whose sides are -each seventy-five feet. The area of this platform is flat, composed of -rough stones, and has no traces whatever of ever having supported any -building. Its sides, however, three feet high perpendicularly, are of -hewn blocks of stone, and smooth with ornamented corners. Below this -summit platform, for a distance of ten or twelve feet, the sides of -the pyramid are faced with sculptured stone, the ornaments being -chiefly grecques, like those on the Governor's House, having one of -the immense faces with projecting teeth at the centre of the western -side. At this point Mr Stephens attempted an excavation in the hope of -discovering interior apartments, but the only result was to prostrate -himself with an attack of fever, which obliged him to quit Uxmal. Just -below this sculptured upper border, some fifteen feet below the top, a -narrow terrace extends round the four sides of the pyramid. Concerning -the surface below this terrace, we only know that it is encased in -stone, and would very probably reveal additional ornamentation if -subjected to a more minute examination.[V-28] The pyramid F, still -farther south-west, is two hundred feet long and one hundred and -twenty feet wide at the base, being about fifty feet high. These -particulars, together with the fact that a stairway leads up the -northern slope, to one of the typical Yucatan buildings, twenty by one -hundred feet and divided into three apartments, are absolutely all -that has been recorded of this structure, which, like its more -imposing companion pyramid, has not been thought worthy of a name. The -reader will be able to form a more consistent conjecture respecting -its original appearance after reading a description in the following -pages of the structure at D, which presents some points of apparent -similarity to its more modest southern neighbor.[V-29] - - [Sidenote: UXMAL--CASA DE PALOMAS.] - -Northward from the last pyramid, and connected with it by a courtyard -one hundred feet long and eighty-five feet wide, with ranges of -undescribed ruins on the east and west, are the buildings at G, built -round and enclosing a courtyard one hundred and eighty feet long and -one hundred and fifty feet wide, entered through an archway in the -centre of the northern and southern buildings. This courtyard has a -picote in the centre, like that before the Governor's House, but -fallen. These buildings are in an advanced state of ruin and no -details are given respecting any of them except the northern one, -which presents one remarkable feature. Along the centre of the roof -from east to west throughout the whole length of two hundred and forty -feet, is a peculiar wall rising in peaks like saw-teeth. These are -nine in number, each about twenty-seven feet long at the base, between -fifteen and twenty feet high, and three feet thick. Each is pierced -with many oblong openings arranged in five or six horizontal rows, one -above another like the windows in the successive stories of a modern -building, or like those of a pigeon house, or Casa de Palomas, by -which name it is known. Traces yet remain which show that originally -these strange elevations were covered with stucco ornaments, the only -instance of stucco decorations in Uxmal. Of this group of structures, -including the two courtyards and the pyramid beyond, notwithstanding -their ruined condition, Mr Stephens remarks that "they give a stronger -impression of departed greatness than anything else in this desolate -city."[V-30] - -Respecting the remains marked 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15, on -the plan, north of the Pyramid and Casa de Palomas, and west of the -Casa del Gobernador, all that can be said is embodied in the following -quotation: "A vast range of high, ruined terraces, facing east and -west, nearly eight hundred feet long at the base, and called the Campo -Santo. On one of these is a building of two stories, with some remains -of sculpture, and in a deep and overgrown valley at the foot, the -Indians say, was the burial-place of this ancient city; but, though -searching for it ourselves, and offering a reward to them for the -discovery, we never found in it a sepulchre."[V-31] - -Crossing over now to the eastward of the Governor's House, we find a -small group of ruins in the south-eastern corner of the rectangle. The -one marked 6 on the plan is known as the Casa de la Vieja, or Old -Woman's House, so named from a statue that was found lying near its -front. The building stands on the summit of a small pyramid and its -walls were just ready to fall at the time of the survey. Of the other -structures of the group, 5 and 7, no further information is given than -that which may be gathered from the plan. Along the line marked 4, 4, -4, are slight traces of a continuous wall, indicating that Uxmal may -have been a walled city, since no careful search has ever been made -for such traces in other portions of the city's circumference.[V-32] - - [Sidenote: UXMAL GYMNASIUM.] - -To go from the Casa del Gobernador northward to the buildings at C and -D, yet to be described, we pass between two parallel walls at H. These -two parallel structures are solid masses of rough stones faced on all -four sides with smoothly cut blocks, and were, so far as can be -determined in their present condition, exactly alike. Each measures -thirty by one hundred and twenty-eight feet on the ground, and they -are seventy feet apart, their height not being given. The fronts which -face each other were covered with sculptured decorations, now mostly -fallen, including two entwined serpents; while from the centre of each -of these facades projected originally a stone ring about four feet in -diameter, fixed in the wall by means of a tenon. Both are broken, and -the fragments for the most part lost. A similar building in a better -state of preservation will be noticed among the ruins of Chichen Itza, -in describing which a cut of one of the stone rings will be given. It -is easy to imagine that the grand promenade between the northern and -southern palaces, or temples, was along a line that passed between -these walls, and that these sculptured fronts and rings were important -in connection with religious rites and processions of priests. The -chief entrance to the northern buildings is in a line with this -passage, and it seems strange that we find no corresponding stairway -leading up the southern terrace to the front of the Casa de -Tortugas.[V-33] - - [Sidenote: UXMAL--CASA DE MONJAS.] - -Between two and three hundred yards north from the Casa del -Gobernador, is the Casa de Monjas, or Nunnery, marked C on the plan. -This is perhaps the most wonderful edifice, or collection of edifices, -in Yucatan, if not the finest specimen of aboriginal architecture and -sculpture in America. The supporting mound, whose base is indicated by -the dotted lines _m_, _n_, _o_, _p_ is in general terms three hundred -and fifty feet square, and nineteen feet high, its sides very nearly -facing the cardinal points. The southern, or front, slope of the -mound, about seventy feet wide, rises in three grades, or terraces, -three, twelve, and four feet high, and twenty, forty-five, and five -feet wide, respectively, from the base. There are some traces of a -wide central stairway leading up to the second terrace on this side, -but none of the steps remain in place. - -On this platform stand four of the typical Yucatan edifices built -round a courtyard, with unequal intervals between them at the corners. -The southern building is two hundred and seventy-nine feet long, -twenty-eight feet wide, and eighteen feet high; the northern building, -two hundred and sixty-four feet long, twenty-eight feet wide, and -twenty-five feet high; the eastern, one hundred and fifty-eight by -thirty-five feet, and twenty-two feet high; the western, one hundred -and seventy-three by thirty-five feet, and twenty feet high.[V-34] The -northern building stands on a terrace of its own, which rises about -twenty feet above the general level of the main platform on which the -others stand. The court formed by the four edifices measures two -hundred and fifty-eight by two hundred and fourteen feet. It is two -feet and a half lower than the foundations of the eastern, western, -and southern buildings, and traces of low steps may yet be seen -running the whole length of the sides. Its area is paved with stone, -much worn by long usage. M. Waldeck, by diligent research or by an -effort of his imagination, found that each of the forty-three thousand -six hundred and sixty blocks composing the pavement was six inches -square, and had the figure of a turtle sculptured on its upper -surface. Stephens could find no traces of the turtles, and believes -that the pavement was originally covered with cement.[V-35] In the -centre are the fragments of a rude column, picote, or phallus, like -those found in connection with the Casa del Gobernador and Casa de -Palomas. M. Charnay also found traces of a straight path with raised -borders leading north and south across the centre, and also two of the -dome-shaped cisterns already described.[V-36] - - | SOUTH || NORTH || EAST - +----+----+----++----+----+----++----+----+---- - |Long|Wide|High||Long|Wide|High||Long|Wide|High - +----+----+----++----+----+----++----+----+---- - Stephens, Text |279 | | ||264 | | 25 ||158 | | - Stephens, 1st Plan |300 | 30 | ||300 | 25 | ||162 | 35 | - Stephens, 2d Plan |279 | 25 | ||260 | 25 | ||160 | 35 | - Waldeck, Text |227 | 27 | ||227 | 27 | ||176 | 34 | - Waldeck, 1st Plan |235 | 27 | ||235 | 25 | ||210 | 40 | - Waldeck, 2d Plan |264 | 28 | ||225 | 27 | ||174 | 34 | - Charnay, Text | | | ||351 | | ||210 | | - Charnay, Plan |360 | 33 | ||393 | 33 | ||262 | 33 | - Norman |200 | 25 | 16 ||246 | 25 | 26 ||140 | 34 | 25 - Heller | | | ||260 | 24 | 25 ||150 | | - - | WEST || COURT || TERRACE - +----+----+----++----+-----++----+------ - |Long|Wide|High||Long| Wide||High|Circum - +----+----+----++----+-----++----+------ - Stephens, Text |173 | | ||258 | 214 || 19 | - Stephens, 1st Plan |165 | 35 | ||240 | 185 || | 1520 - Stephens, 2d Plan |165 | 35 | ||220 | 195 || | 1430 - Waldeck, Text |176 | 34 | ||227 | 172 || 15 | 1116 - Waldeck, 1st Plan |210 | 40 | ||222 | 205 || | 1360 - Waldeck, 2d Plan |174 | 34 | ||234 | 180 || | - Charnay, Text | | | ||262 | 262 || | - Charnay, Plan |262 | 33 | ||262 | 265 || | - Norman |140 | 34 | 25 || | || 15 | 1100 - Heller |170 | 34 | 25 || | || 18 | 1000 - -The situation of the four structures forming the quadrangle, and the -division of each into apartments, are shown in the accompanying ground -plan.[V-37] - - [Illustration: Ground Plan of the Nunnery.] - - [Illustration: Interior of Room--Casa de Monjas.] - -It will be noticed that the northern building of the Nunnery does not -stand exactly in the same direction as the sides of the platform or of -the other edifices, an arrangement which detracts somewhat from the -symmetry of the group. Each of the four buildings is divided -longitudinally into two parallel ranges of apartments, arranged very -much like those of the Governor's House, with doorways opening on the -interior court. The only exterior doorways are on the front of the -southern building and on the ends of the northern; these, however, -only afford access to the outer range of rooms, which do not -communicate with the interior. In only one instance do more than two -rooms communicate with each other, and that is in the centre of the -eastern building, where are two communicating apartments, the largest -in the Nunnery, each thirteen by thirty-three feet, with an ante-room -at each end measuring nine by thirteen feet. All the doorways of this -suite are decorated with sculpture, the only instance of interior -stone-carving in Uxmal. The cut on the next page shows the inside of -one of the larger rooms of this suite, and also gives an excellent -idea of the interior of all the structures of Yucatan.[V-38] The rooms -of the Casa de Monjas, eighty-eight in number, like some in the Casa -del Gobernador, are plastered with a thin coat of hard white material -like plaster of Paris. Those of the southern building average -twenty-four feet long, ten feet wide, and seventeen feet high. They -all present the same general features of construction--angular-arched -ceilings, wooden lintels, stone rings, or hinges, on the inside of the -doorways, holes in the sloping ceilings for hammock-timbers, entire -absence of any openings except the doors--that have been previously -described.[V-39] The platform on which the buildings stand forms a -narrow promenade, only five or six feet in width, round each, both -on the exterior and on the court. The entrance to the court is by a -gateway, at _v_ on the general plan, in the centre of the southern -building. It is ten feet and eight inches wide and about fourteen feet -high, the top being formed by the usual triangular arch, and the whole -being similar to the passages through the Casa del Gobernador before -the latter were walled up. Opposite this gateway, at _w_, a stairway -ninety-five feet wide leads up to the upper terrace which supports the -northern building. On each side of this stairway, at _x_, _y_, on the -slope of the terrace, is a ruin of the usual construction, in which -six small apartments may be traced. The dilapidation of these -buildings is so great that it is impossible to ascertain whether they -were independent structures or formed a part of the terrace itself, a -mode of construction of which we shall find some specimens in Yucatan, -and even at Uxmal. A noticeable peculiarity in the northern building -is that, wherever the outer walls are fallen, the sculptured surface -of an inner wall is disclosed, showing that the edifice in its present -form was built over an older structure. - -Nothing remains to be said respecting the general plan and -construction of the Nunnery, or of the interior of the apartments -which compose it: and I now come to the exterior walls. The sides and -ends of each building are, like those already described, plain and -unplastered below the cornice, which extends round the whole -circumference just above the doorways. Above this cornice the whole -surface, over twenty-four thousand square feet for the four buildings, -is covered with elegant and elaborate sculptured decorations. The four -interior facades fronting on the court are pronounced by all beholders -the chef-d'oeuvres of aboriginal decorative art in America, being -more chaste and artistic, and at the same time less complicated and -grotesque, than any other fronts in Yucatan. All have been carefully -studied, sketched, or photographed. No two of them are alike, or even -similar. The outer fronts received somewhat less care at the hands of -the native builders, and consequently less attention from modern -visitors, being moreover much more seriously affected by the ravages -of time and the elements. - - [Illustration: Southern Court Facade--Casa de Monjas.] - - [Illustration: Detail of Southern Court Facade.] - -I begin with the southern building, showing in the accompanying -engraving the eastern third of its court facade, the other portions -being precisely like that which is represented. Except over the -doorways the space between the cornices is occupied by diamond -lattice-work and vertical columns, small portions being left, however, -entirely plain. Some of the columns have central moldings -corresponding nearly in form to the cornices.[V-40] The central -gateway is not shown in the engraving, but there is no special -ornamentation in connection with it, its border being of lattice-work, -according to Waldeck, or of plain blocks, according to Charnay, -contrary to what might be expected over the only entrance to so grand -a court. The next engraving shows a portion of the same facade on a -larger scale, including the ornament which is repeated over each door. -This ornament seems to represent a small house with a roof of thatch -or tiles, having a human figure seated in a niche in the wall, which -corresponds with the doorway of the house. This seated statue had -disappeared before the visits of later explorers. That a statue once -occupied the niche there can be no doubt. Whether M. Waldeck sketched -it from actual observation or from the report of the natives, is not -quite so clear. The last-named writer advances two original and -somewhat remarkable theories respecting these small houses; first, -that they may be taken as a representation of the houses actually -occupied by the common people at the time Uxmal was built; and second, -that they are identical with the Aztec sign _calli_, 'house,' from -which he derives an argument respecting the probable age of the -building, which will be noticed in its place. M. Charnay calls this -front the Facade des Abeilles, or Bee front, while M. Waldeck terms -the building the Temple of the Asterisms. The exterior, or southern, -front of this building is similar to the northern, but somewhat -plainer, having, however, the same houses and niches over the -doorways.[V-41] - - [Illustration: Eastern Court Facade--Casa de Monjas.] - - [Illustration: Detail of Eastern Court Facade.] - -The court facade of the eastern building, which has been called the -Sun front, and also the Egyptian front, is perhaps more tasteful in -its sculptured ornaments than either of the other three. The southern -half of this facade is represented in the engraving. The ornaments -over the central doorway and at the corners consist of the immense -grotesque masks, with the curved projecting tusks noticed on the Casa -del Gobernador; but the remaining surface is covered with regular -diamond lattice-work, while in connection with each of the cornices is -a line of stone blocks with rounded faces, resembling short columns. -Over this lattice-work, but not entirely concealing it, are six -peculiar and graceful ornaments, placed at regular intervals, four of -them surmounting doorways. One of these, precisely like all the rest, -is shown on an enlarged scale in the engraving. It consists of eight -parallel horizontal bars, increasing in length as they approach the -upper cornice, and each terminating at either end in a serpent's or -monster's head with open jaws. A human face with a peculiar -head-dress, large ear-pendants, and tongue hanging from the mouth, -looks down from the centre of the upper bars. This face is fancied by -Waldeck to represent the sun, and something in its surroundings -strikes Charnay as partaking of the Egyptian style; hence the names -that have been applied to this facade. M. Viollet-le-Duc attempts to -prove the development of the architectural ideas embodied in the Maya -edifices from an original structure of wood. His use of this claimed -peculiarity will be more appropriately spoken of hereafter, but his -illustration of the idea in connection with this eastern front, is -certainly striking as shown in the annexed cut.[V-42] The southern end -of this building is shown in one of Charnay's photographs, and, -together with a small portion of the western front, in a drawing by -Catherwood. These views show that the ends, and probably all of the -rear, are made up of plain wall and lattice-work, with elaborate -ornaments at each of the corners.[V-43] - - [Illustration: Trace of Original Structure in Wood.] - - [Illustration: Western Court Facade--Casa de Monjas.] - -I now pass on to the opposite, or western building, known as the -Serpent Temple, whose court facade is shown in the engraving. At the -time of the visits of Catherwood and Charnay a large portion of this -front had fallen, and the standing portions only were represented in -their drawings and photographs, no attempt being made in the former at -restoration. In 1835, however, according to the testimony of both M. -Waldeck and Sr Peon, proprietor of Uxmal, it was standing nearly -intact; I have consequently preferred to reproduce Waldeck's drawing -of a portion of this facade, especially as the portions shown by -Catherwood and Charnay agree almost exactly with this drawing and -prove its accuracy. But slight justice can be done to this, the most -magnificent and beautiful front in America, by an engraving on so -small a scale as I am obliged to employ. Two serpents, each with a -monster's head between the open jaws of which a human face appears, -and the tail of a rattlesnake placed near and above the head at either -end of the building, almost entirely surround the front above the -lower cornice, dividing the surface by the folds and interlacing of -their bodies into square panels. That is, it seems to have been the -aim of the builders to form these panels by the folds of these two -mighty serpents, and the work is so described by all visitors, but it -appears from an examination of the folds, as shown in the engraving, -that the serpent whose head and tail are shown on the right only -encloses really the first panel, and that each other panel is -surrounded by the endless body of a serpent without head or tail. The -scales or feathers on the serpent's body are somewhat more clearly -defined than is indicated in the engraving, as is proved by Charnay's -photograph. The surface of this wall is filled with grecques and -lattice-work similar to those of the Governor's House, but much more -complicated; and each panel has one or more human faces among its -decorations, while several of them have full-sized standing human -figures. Over each doorway and on the rounded corners of the building, -are the usual grotesque decorations, bearing some likeness to three -distorted faces or masks placed one above another, and all furnished -with the projecting curves, or hooks, previously compared to -elephants' trunks.[V-44] Respecting the ends and rear of this building -nothing whatever has been recorded. - -The northern building, standing on a terrace twenty feet above the -platform which supports the other structures, and consequently -overlooking them all, was very probably intended by the builders as -the crowning feature of the Casa de Monjas. Its court facade was -crowded with sculptured designs, grander, perhaps, and more imposing, -but at the same time much less elegant and refined than those of the -fronts already described. Apparently from no other motive than to -obtain more space on which to exercise their talent for decorative -art, and thus to render this front more striking, the builders -extended the front wall at regular intervals above the upper cornice, -forming thirteen turrets seventeen feet high and ten feet wide, -placed generally above the doorways. These turrets, towering about -eighty feet above the site of the city, and loaded with elaborate -sculpture, must have been a prominent feature of the aboriginal Uxmal. -Only four of the turrets remained standing at the time of Stephens' -visit, and the wall was otherwise much dilapidated. The only view is -that given in Charnay's photographs, none of the turrets being -complete at the time of his visit. The background of the sculpture is -divided into panels filled with grecques and ornamented lattice-work -very similar to that of the Serpent front. Half the doorways are -surmounted by niches like those in the southern facade; while over the -alternate doorways and on all the corners are seen the immense mask -ornaments with the elephant-trunk projection.[V-45] A peculiarity of -this building not noticed by any authority, but clearly shown in -Charnay's photograph, is that not only are the corners rounded as in -the other buildings, but the walls at the corners are not -perpendicular either above or below the cornice, inclining inward -toward the top at an angle of about seven degrees. Several human -figures are noted among the decorations, of ruder execution than -others at Uxmal, two of which seem to be playing on musical -instruments resembling somewhat a guitar and harp; while a third is -sitting with his hands crossed on his breast, and bound by -cords.[V-46] All that is known of the exterior front of this northern -building is that among its decorations, which are comparatively plain -and simple, are two naked male figures, the condition of whose genital -organs indicates the existence of the same phallic rites of which -traces have been already noted. With the additional remark that traces -of bright-colored paint are still visible in sheltered portions of the -sculptured facades, I conclude my description of the so-called -Nunnery.[V-47] - - [Illustration: House of Birds at Uxmal.] - - [Sidenote: UXMAL ARCH.] - - [Illustration: Arch at Uxmal.] - -Immediately eastward of the Casa de Monjas are several ruined -structures shown in the plan, standing on terraces somewhat lower than -those last mentioned. Only one of these, and which one of the four or -five shown on the plan is not stated, has been more than mentioned by -any visitor. This one exception is the House of Birds. A portion of -its front is shown in the preceding cut, which sufficiently explains -the origin of the appellation. The interior is remarkable for -containing two rooms which are larger than any others at Uxmal, -measuring fourteen by fifty-two feet, and about twenty feet in height. -One of these apartments has well-preserved traces of the paint which -formerly covered walls and ceiling; and the other has an arch which -differs somewhat from all others in this ancient city. Its peculiarity -is that the overlapping blocks of stone, instead of lying horizontally -as in other cases, are slightly inclined, as is shown in the cut, -forming a nearer approach to the principle of the true arch with a -key-stone than has been found elsewhere in Yucatan. It will also be -noticed in the cut that the blocks, instead of being all in regular -cubical form, are some of them cut elbow-shaped. This is a feature, -which, if it exists in other buildings, has not been particularly -noticed.[V-48] - - [Sidenote: UXMAL--CASA DEL ADIVINO.] - -Still further eastward are the pyramid and building at D, on the plan, -which have been called the Casa del Adivino, or Prophet's House; the -Casa del Enano, or Dwarf's House; Tolokh-eis, or Holy Mountain, and -Kingsborough's Pyramid; the first three names originating from -traditions among the natives respecting the former occupants of the -buildings: the latter having been applied by M. Waldeck in honor of -the Irish lord who aided in his explorations. Connecting the Casa del -Adivino with the Nunnery are lines of low mounds, or terraces, -possibly occupied in former times by buildings, forming a courtyard -which measures eighty-five by one hundred and thirty-five feet, and in -the centre of which, at _z_, is the usual rude column, or picote. - -The supporting mound, or pyramid, in this case, from a base of one -hundred and fifty-five by two hundred and thirty-five feet, rounded at -the corners so as to form an oval rather than a rectangular -figure,[V-49] rises with very steep sides to a height of eighty-eight -feet, forming at the summit a platform twenty-two by eighty-two feet. -The surface of this pyramid is faced with blocks of hewn stone laid in -mortar. The interior is presumably of rough stones in mortar, although -little or nothing is said on this point.[V-50] Excavations prove that -the structure is solid without interior galleries. The surface blocks -are cubical, about two feet in dimensions at the base, if we may trust -M. Waldeck's drawing, but diminishing toward the top. They are not -laid so as to break joints, yet so solid is the structure that the -powerful leverage of growing roots has caused comparatively little -damage. The eastern front is shown on the following page. A stairway -one hundred and two feet on the slope, seventy feet wide at the base, -but narrowing toward the summit, composed of ninety steps, each step -being about a foot high and five or six inches wide, leads up this -side. The slope of this stairway is so steep, being inclined at an -angle of about eighty degrees, that visitors have found it very -difficult to ascend and descend. Padre Cogolludo was the first to -complain of the steep grade. He says: 'I once did go up that of -Uxumual, and when I would come down, I did repent me; because so -narrow are the steps, and so many in number, that the edifice goes up -exceeding straight, and being of no small height, the head swims, and -there is even some peril in its descent.'[V-51] - - [Illustration: Casa del Adivino at Uxmal.] - -In the centre of the western slope of the Prophets Pyramid, toward the -Nunnery, are certain structures, which M. Waldeck represents as -projecting portions of the pyramid, or piers, the lower one forming a -platform fifteen by forty feet, sixty feet up the slope; and the upper -rising from this platform and forming a second, twenty by twenty-five -feet, continuous with the main summit platform of the pyramid. The -upper projection, or pier, has since proved to be a distinct building, -with richly sculptured front,[V-52] one central door, and two plain -rooms in the interior; the outer one seven by fifteen feet, and -nineteen feet high; the inner, four by twelve feet, and eleven feet -high. The lower pier may have been a similar structure, but it is -completely in ruins below the central platform, except a few slight -traces of rooms near the base. Mr Stephens is disposed to believe that -a broad staircase of peculiar construction, supported by a triangular -arch-like stairways that will be mentioned later in a few instances in -connection with other Yucatan ruins--originally led up to the front of -the building on the slope; otherwise it is difficult to imagine by -what means these apartments could have been reached. The stones of -these projecting portions are longer than elsewhere, and laid so as to -break joints. On the summit platform stands a small building, twelve -feet wide, seventy-two feet long, and about sixteen feet high, leaving -a promenade five feet wide at its base. This building presents no -feature with which the reader is not already perfectly familiar, -except that it contains only one range of rooms, having no dividing -interior wall. The interior is divided into three rooms, which do not -communicate with each other, and are not plastered. The central room -is seven by twenty-four feet, and its door is on the west, just -opposite the platform formed by the projecting pier. The end rooms are -seven by nineteen feet, and open on the promenade at either side of -the eastern stairway.[V-53] - -Cut on the interior walls of the end rooms, seventy-two circular -figures, two or three inches in diameter, have been observed. M. -Waldeck, as usual, has a theory respecting these circles, or rather he -has two in case one should prove unsatisfactory. He thinks they may -have been made by prisoners to kill time, or they may have been a -record of sacrifices consummated in this cu. The sculptured -decorations of the exterior walls are described as elegant but simple. -We have here the back-ground of ornamental lattice-work, and besides -this the prominent feature is four full-length human figures standing -on the west front, two on each side of the doorway, and overlooking -the courtyard of the Casa de Monjas. They are the figures of males, -and are naked, except a sort of helmet on the head, a scarf round the -shoulders, and a belt round the waist. The arms are crossed high on -the breast, and each hand holds something resembling a hammer. The -genital organs are represented in their proper proportions, and were -evidently intended by the sculptor as the prominent feature of the -statues. All four had fallen from their places, even at the time of M. -Waldeck's visit, but this explorer by careful search collected -sufficient fragments of the four, which are precisely alike, to -reconstruct one. He intended to bring these fragments away with him, -but his intentions being thwarted by the emissaries of the Mexican -government, he buried the statue in a locality only known to -himself.[V-54] It remains to be stated that the decorations of this -Prophet's House, like that of the Nunnery, were originally painted in -bright colors. Blue, red, yellow, and white, were found by M. Waldeck -on the least exposed portions. There can be but little doubt that this -pyramid was a temple where the sacrifices described in a preceding -volume were celebrated. It has been customary with many writers to -speak of it, as of all similar structures in America, as a Teocalli, -the name of such temples in Anahuac; but thus to apply an Aztec name -to monuments in regions inhabited by people whose relation to the -Aztecs or their ancestors is yet far from proved, is at least -injudicious, since it tends to cause confusion when we come to -consider the subject of aboriginal history.[V-55] - - [Sidenote: UXMAL--MISCELLANEOUS RELICS.] - -All the principal structures of Uxmal have now been fully described, -and as all conclusions and general remarks respecting this city will -be deferred until I can include in such remarks all the ruins of the -state, I take leave of Uxmal with a mention of a very few -miscellaneous relics spoken of by different travelers. - -No water has been found in the immediate vicinity of the city, the -dependence having probably been on artificial reservoirs and -_aguadas_, possibly also on subterranean springs, or _senotes_, whose -locality is not known. There are several of these aguadas within a -radius of a few miles of Uxmal. They resemble, in their present -abandoned condition, small natural ponds, and their stagnant waters -are thought to have much to do with the unhealthiness of the locality. -They have no appearance of being artificial, but the inhabitants -universally believe them to be so, and Mr Stephens, from his -observations in other parts of the country, is inclined to agree with -the general belief. I have already noticed the dome-shaped underground -apartments which occur frequently among the ruins, and were probably -used as cisterns, or reservoirs, for the storing up of water for the -use of the city. Mr Norman states also that one of the numerous -mounds, that occur in all directions, westward of the Nunnery, "is -found to be an immense reservoir or cistern, having a double curb; the -interior of which was beautifully finished with stucco, and in good -preservation." He further states that some of these mounds have been -opened and "seemed to have been intended originally for sepulchres," -although Mr Stephens could find no traces of sepulchral relics. - -M. Waldeck barely mentions the discovery of small fragments of flint -artificially shaped, but beyond this there is no record of relics in -the shape of implements. Traces of pottery are nearly as rare. Mr -Norman says he found fragments of broken vases on the pyramid E of the -plan; and Mr Stephens found similar fragments in one of the reservoirs -on the platform of the Governor's House, together with a nearly -complete tripod vase, one foot in diameter, with enameled surface. - -Mr Friederichsthal found on a low mound five stones lying, as he -states, from north-west to south-west (_?_), the middle one of which -was over twelve feet long and covered with carved figures. - -A native reported to Sr Zavala that he had seen a stone table, painted -red, located in a cellar, and indicating a place of sacrifice. This -report would not be worth recording were it not for the fact that -similar tables are of frequent occurrence in Chiapas, as will be seen -in the following chapter. - -The Abbe Domenech has something to say of Uxmal antiquities; he says -that "carved figures representing Boudha of Java, seated on a Siva's -head, were found at Uxmal, in Yucatan."[V-54] - -One and a half hour's ride westward from Uxmal a mound surmounted with -ruins, called Senuisacal, was seen at a distance; and about the same -distance north-westward, not far from Muna, was found one of the -typical buildings on a mound. This building was nearly entire, except -that the outer walls above the cornice had fallen. Between this place -and Uxmal, about five miles from the latter, is a mound with two -buildings, to which the same description will apply. These ruins were -seen by Mr Stephens during a hasty trip from Uxmal, unaccompanied by -his artist companion. Ruins observed still further westward will be -included in another group.[V-55] - -In describing the ruins outside of Uxmal which compose the central -group, and which may for the most part be passed over rapidly from -their similarity to each other and to those already described, I shall -locate each by bearing and distance as accurately as possible, and all -the principal localities are also laid down on the map. This matter of -location is not, however, very important. The whole central region is -strewn with mounds bearing ruined buildings; some of these have -received particular attention from the natives and from travelers, and -have consequently been named. I shall describe them by the names that -have been so applied, but it must be noted that very few of these -names are in any way connected with the aboriginal cities; they were -mostly applied at first to particular structures, and later to the -ruins in their immediate vicinity; consequently several of the small -groups which have been honored with distinct names, may, in many -instances, have formed a part of the same city. - -At Sacbe,--meaning a 'paved road of white stone,' a name derived from -such a paved way in the vicinity, which will be mentioned later,--four -or five miles south-east of Uxmal, besides other 'old walls' is a -group of three buildings. One of them is twelve and a half by -fifty-three feet; none, however, present any peculiar feature, save -that in one of the doorways two columns appear.[V-56] - - [Illustration: Pyramid of Xcoch.] - - [Illustration: Nohpat Sculpture.] - - [Sidenote: THE PYRAMID OF XCOCH.] - - [Sidenote: SKULLS AND CROSSBONES AT NOHPAT.] - -Somewhat less than ten miles eastward of Uxmal is the town of -Nohcacab, 'the great place of good land,' preserving the name of an -aboriginal town which formerly existed somewhere in this vicinity. In -this village are several mounds; and a sculptured head, with specimens -of pottery, has been dug up in the plaza. The surrounding country -within a radius of a few miles abounds in ruins, two of which are -particularly mentioned. The first is known as Xcoch, and consists of -the pyramid shown in the cut. It is between eighty and ninety feet -high, plainly visible from the Prophet's House at Uxmal, but the -buildings on its summit, like its sides, are almost completely in -ruins, although traces of steps yet remain. Great and marvelous -stories were told by the natives concerning a senote, or well, in this -vicinity; and it proved indeed to be a most wonderful cavern with -branching subterranean galleries, worn by the feet of ancient carriers -of water; but it was entirely of natural formation, a single block of -sculptured stone, with the worn paths being the only traces of man's -presence. The second of the ruins is that of Nohpat, 'great lord,' -three miles from Nohcacab toward Uxmal, whose buildings are plainly -visible from it, and of which it may, not improbably, have been a -continuation or dependency. A mound, or pyramid, two hundred and fifty -feet long at the base, and one hundred and fifty feet high on the -slope, with a nearly perfect stairway on the southern side, supports a -portion of a dilapidated building, which overlooks the numerous ruins -scattered over the plain at its foot. A single corridor, or room, is -left intact, and is only three feet and five inches wide. At the foot -of the stairway is a platform with a picote, as at Uxmal, in its -centre. There was also lying at the foot of the steps, the flat stone -represented in the cut, measuring eleven and one third feet in length -by three feet ten inches in width. The human figure in low relief on -its surface is very rudely carved, and was moreover much defaced by -the rains to which for many years it had been exposed. Near the -pyramid another platform, two hundred feet square, and raised about -twenty feet, supports buildings at right angles with each other, one -of which has two stories built after a method which will be made clear -in describing other ruins. The only others of the many monuments of -Nohpat which throw any additional light on Yucatan antiquities, are -those found on a level spot, whose shape is that of a right-angled -triangle with a mound at each angle. Here are many scattered blocks -and fragments, two of which united formed the statue shown in the cut -on the next page. It is four and a quarter feet high and a foot and a -half in diameter. The face seems to be represented as looking sideways -or backward over the shoulder, and is surmounted by a head-dress in -which the head of a wild beast may be made out, recalling slightly the -idols which we have already seen in Nicaragua. Other statues might -doubtless be reconstructed by means of a thorough search, but only the -stone blocks shown in the cut are particularly mentioned. They are -twenty-seven inches high and from sixteen to twenty-two inches wide, -bearing alternately sculptured on their fronts the skull and -cross-bones, symbols in later times--perhaps also when these carvings -were made--of death. In its original condition Nohpat may not unlikely -have been as grand a city as Uxmal, but it is almost completely in -ruins.[V-57] - - [Illustration: Statues at Nohpat.] - - [Illustration: Skull and Crossbones.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF KABAH.] - - [Illustration: Interior Steps at Kabah.] - -In the same region, some five or six miles southward from Nohcacab, -and perhaps ten or twelve miles south-eastward from Uxmal, is a most -extensive group of ruins, probably the remains of an ancient city, -known as Kabah. Sixteen different structures are located in a space -about two thousand by three thousand feet, on Mr Stephens' plan, -which, however, was not formed by measurements, but by observation -from the top of a pyramid. Norman is the only visitor, except Stephens -and Catherwood, and his description amounts to nothing. I proceed to -describe such of Kabah monuments as differ in construction and -sculpture from those we have previously examined, and consequently -throw additional light on Maya architecture. - -A mound forms a summit platform, raised twenty feet, and measuring one -hundred and forty-two by two hundred feet. Ascending the terrace from -its south-western side, buildings of the ordinary type appear on the -right and left; the former resting on the slope instead of on the -summit of the terrace,--that is, the rear wall, of great thickness, -rises perpendicularly from the base. In the centre of the platform is -an enclosure seven feet high and twenty-seven feet square, formed of -hewn stones, the lower tier of which was sculptured with a continuous -line of hieroglyphics extending round the circumference. No picote, -however, was found within the enclosure. Directly in front, or on the -north-east side of the platform, a stairway of twenty steps, forty -feet wide, leads up to a higher terrace, the arrangement being much -like that of the northern building of the Casa de Monjas at Uxmal. -But in this case the upper platform, instead of being long and narrow -as usual, is nearly square, and supports a building of the same shape, -whose front at the top of the stairway measures one hundred and -fifty-one feet. The advanced state of ruin in which the whole -structure was found, made it difficult to form an idea of its original -plan, and Mr Stephens' description in this case fails to present -clearly the idea which he formed on the subject. The front portion of -the edifice, however, which is the best preserved of all, has two -double ranges of apartments, separated by a very thick wall, and all -under the same roof. Two peculiarities were noted in these rooms. The -inner rooms of the front range have their floors two feet and eight -inches higher than the outer, and are entered from the latter by two -stone steps; while in one case at least these steps are cut from a -single block of stone, the lower step taking the form of a scroll, and -the walls at the sides are covered with carvings, as shown in the cut. -Over the rear wall of the front range rises a structure of hewn stone -four feet thick and fifteen feet high, which, like the turrets over -the northern building of the Nunnery and the Casa de Palomas at Uxmal, -could only have been intended as an ornament, but which from the -ground beneath presents every appearance of a second story. The -exterior sculpture of this front, except a small portion at the -northern end, has fallen, but enough remains to indicate that the -decorations were most rich and elaborate, though uniform; and, unlike -those of any structure yet met with, they covered the whole surface of -the front, both above and below the central cornice. The cut shows the -general appearance of these decorations.[V-58] This building is called -by the natives _Xco=c=poop_, or 'straw hat doubled up.' - - [Illustration: Sculptured Front at Kabah.] - -At a short distance from the ruin just described, in a north-easterly -direction, is another group, the details of whose arrangement, in the -absence of a carefully prepared plan, it is useless to attempt to -describe, but three new features presented by these ruins require -notice. First, one of them, from a base of one hundred and six by one -hundred and forty-seven feet, is built in three receding stories. That -is, the roof of each story, or range, forms a platform, or promenade, -before the doors of the one above; or, in other words, the stories are -built one above another on the slope of a pyramid. Second, an exterior -staircase leads up from story to story. These staircases are -supported by half of one of the regular triangular arches resting -against the top of the wall of the buildings. The accompanying cut, -although not representing this or any other particular building, is -intended as a half section to illustrate the construction of the Maya -structures in several stories, and that of the stairways which afford -access to the upper stories; _a_ being the solid mound, or terrace; -_bb_, the apartments or corridors; _d_, the staircase; and _c_, an -open passage under the half arch of overlapping stones that supports -the stairway. In this Kabah building the stairway leading to the foot -of the third story is not immediately over the lower one, but in -another part of the edifice. The third peculiarity is a double one, -and is noticed in some of the doorways; since here for the first time -we find lintels of stone, supported each by a central column, about -six feet high, of rude workmanship, with square blocks serving as -pedestal and capital.[V-59] - - [Illustration: Yucatan Structure in Three Stories.] - -The Casa de Justicia, or Court House, is one hundred and thirteen feet -long, divided into five rooms, each nine by twenty feet. The outer -wall of this building is plain, except groups of three pillars each -between the doorways, and four rows of short pilasters that surround -it above the cornice, standing close together like the similar -ornaments on the Casa de Tortugas at Uxmal. - - [Illustration: Arch at Kabah.] - -The solitary arch shown in the cut stands on a mound by itself. Its -span is fourteen feet, and its top fallen. "Darkness rests upon its -history, but in that desolation and solitude, among the ruins around, -it stood like the proud memorial of a Roman triumph."[V-60] Kabah is -not without its pyramid, which is one hundred and eighty feet square -at the base, and eighty feet high, with traces of ruined apartments at -the foot. In one of the buildings the two principal doorways are under -the stairway which leads up to the second story, and over one of them -was a wooden lintel ten feet long, composed of two beams and covered -with carving that seemed to represent a human figure standing on a -serpent. Mr Stephens carried these carved beams, which were in almost -a perfect state of preservation, to New York, where they were burned. -He considered them the most important relics in the country, although -his drawing does not indicate them to be anything very remarkable, -except as bearing a clearly cut and complicated carving, executed on -exceedingly hard wood without implements of iron or steel. The -building with the sculptured lintel, and another, stand on an immense -terrace, measuring one hundred by eight hundred feet. One of the -apartments has the red hand in bright colors imprinted in many places -on its walls. A stucco ornament, painted in bright colors, much -dilapidated, but apparently having represented two large birds facing -each other, was found in a room of another building. In still another -edifice, a room is described as constructed on a new and curious plan, -having "a raised platform about four feet high, and in each of the -inner corners was a rounded vacant place, about large enough for a man -to stand in." Another new feature was a doorway--the only one in the -building to which it belonged--with sculptured stone jambs, each five -feet eleven inches high, two feet three inches wide, and composed of -two blocks one above the other. The sculptured designs are similar one -to the other, each consisting of a standing and kneeling figure over a -line of hieroglyphics. One of these decorated jambs is shown in the -cut given on the following page. The weapon in the hands of the -kneeling figure corresponds almost exactly with the flint-edged swords -used by the natives of the country at the time of the conquest. This -group of ruins, representing an aboriginal city probably larger and -more magnificent even than Uxmal, was discovered by the workmen who -made the road, or camino real, on which the ruins stand; but so little -interest did the discovery excite in the minds of travelers over the -road, that the knowledge of it did not reach Merida.[V-61] - - [Illustration: Sculptured Door-Jamb at Kabah.] - -In this immediate vicinity, located on the road to Equelchacan, a -place not to be found on any map that I have seen, some artificial -caverns are reported, probably without any sufficient authority.[V-62] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF SANACTE.] - - [Illustration: Front of Building at Sanacte.] - -Southward and south-eastward of Kabah, all included within a radius of -eight or ten miles, are ruins at Sanacte, Xampon, Chack, Sabacche, -Zayi, and Labna, the last two being extensive and important. At -Sanacte are two buildings, which stand in a milpa, or cornfield. One -has a high ornamental wall on its top, and the front of another -appears as represented in the cut. It will be noticed that in this, -as in most of the structures in this region, the doorways have stone -jambs, or posts, each of two pieces, instead of being formed simply by -the blocks that compose the walls; the lintels are also generally of -stone. At Xampon are the remains of a building that was built -continuously round a rectangle eighty by one hundred and five feet; it -is mostly fallen. In the immediate vicinity ruins of the ordinary type -are mentioned under the names of Hiokowitz, Kuepak, and Zekilna. At -Chack a two-storied building stands on a terrace, which is itself -built on the summit of a natural stony hill. A very remarkable feature -at Chack is the natural senote which supplies water to the modern as -it did undoubtedly to the ancient inhabitants. It is a narrow passage, -or succession of passages and small caverns, penetrating the earth for -over fifteen hundred feet, much of the distance the descent being -nearly vertical. At Sabacche is a building of a single apartment, -whose front presents the peculiarity of four cornices, dividing the -surface into four nearly equal portions, the lower cornice being as -usual at the height of the top of the doorway. The first space above -the doorway is plain, like that below; but the two upper spaces are -divided by pilasters into panels, which are filled with diamond -lattice-work. Three other buildings were visited, and one of them -sketched by Catherwood, but they present no new features except that -the red hand, common here as elsewhere, is larger than usual.[V-63] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF ZAYI.] - - [Illustration: Casa Grande at Zayi.] - -At Zayi, situated in the midst of a beautiful landscape of rolling -hills, the principal edifice, called the Casa Grande, is built in -three receding stories, as already explained, extending round the four -sides of the supporting mound, which rests on a slight natural -elevation. The lower story is one hundred and twenty by two hundred -and sixty-five feet; the second, sixty by two hundred and twenty feet; -and the third, standing on the summit of the mound, is eighteen by one -hundred and fifty feet. The cut shows the ground plan of the Casa -Grande, much of which is fallen. A stairway thirty-two feet wide leads -up to the third story on the front, and a narrower stairway to the -second platform on the rear. Ten of the northern rooms in the second -story are completely filled with stone and mortar, which for some -unimaginable reason must have been put in while the structure was -being built. This part of the building is known among the natives as -the Casa Cerrada, or closed house. It will be noticed from the plan -that the front and rear platforms are not exactly of the same width. -With respect to the exterior walls, those of the lower range are -nearly all fallen. The western portion of the front of the second -range is shown in the cut on the following page. Ranges of pillars, or -pilasters, compose the bulk of the ornamentation, both above and below -the cornice. A strange if not very artistic and delicate decoration -found elsewhere on this building, is the figure of a man standing on -his hands with his legs spread apart. The lintels are of stone, and -many of the doorways are of triple width, in which cases the lintel is -supported by two rudely-formed columns, about six and a half-feet -high, with square capitals, as shown in the following cut. The front -of the third range appears to have been entirely plain. In another -building near by "a high projection running along the wall" in the -interior of an apartment is mentioned. Some five hundred yards -directly south of the Casa Grande is a low, small, flat-roofed -building, with a wide archway extending completely through it. It is -much dilapidated, and hardly noticeable in itself, but from the centre -of its flat roof rises the extraordinary structure shown in the cut, -which is a perpendicular wall, two feet thick and thirty feet high, -pierced with ranges of openings, or windows, which give it, as the -discoverer remarks, the appearance of a New England factory. The stone -of which it is constructed is rough, and it was originally covered -with ornaments in stucco, a few of which still remain on the rear. The -only other Zayi monument mentioned is an immense terrace about fifteen -hundred feet square. Most of its surface was not explored, but one -building was noticed and sketched in which the floor of the inner -range of rooms is raised two feet and a half above that of the front -range, being reached by steps, as was the case in the building at -Kabah, already described. The interior wall was also decorated with a -row of pilasters. The superstitious natives, like those I have spoken -of at Utatlan in Guatemala, hear mysterious music every Good Friday, -proceeding from among the ruins.[V-64] - - [Illustration: Front of Casa Grande at Zayi.] - - [Illustration: Wall at Zayi.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF LABNA.] - -The ruins of Labna comprise some buildings equal in extent and -magnificence to any in Yucatan, but all far gone in decay. In one case -a mound forty-five feet in height supports a building twenty by -forty-three feet, of the ordinary type, except that its southern front -is a perpendicular wall, thirty feet high above the cornice over the -doorways. This front has no openings like other similar walls already -noticed, but was originally covered throughout its whole surface with -colossal ornaments in stucco, of which but a few small fragments -remained, the whole structure being, when examined, on the point of -falling. Among the figures of which sufficient portions remain to -identify their original form, are: a row of death's heads, two lines -of human figures in high relief, an immense seated human figure, a -ball, or globe, supported by a man kneeling on one knee and by -another standing at its side. All the figures were painted in bright -colors still visible, and the whole structure appeared to its only -visitors "the most curious and extraordinary" seen in the country. -Another building, surrounding a courtyard, which was entered through a -gateway, differed in its plan from those seen elsewhere, but the plan -unfortunately is not given. Over each of the interior, or court, -doorways, on one side at least, is a niche occupied by a painted -stucco ornament supposed to represent the sun. Near by, a terrace four -hundred feet long and one hundred and fifty feet wide supports a -building of two receding stories with a front of two hundred and -eighty-two feet. The upper story consists of a single line of -apartments and its walls are perfectly plain. The lower story has a -double line of rooms, and its front is elaborately sculptured, the -chief peculiarity in this front being that it presents three distinct -styles in as many portions of the wall. The opposite cut shows a -corner of this wall in which the open mouth of an alligator or -monster, from which looks out a human face, is a new and remarkable -feature in Maya decoration. On the roof of the lower range is a narrow -opening which leads vertically to a chamber like those found so -frequently at Uxmal, except that this, instead of being dome-shaped, -is like the ordinary rooms, with triangular-arched ceiling, being -seven by eleven feet and ten feet high. Both sides and bottom are -covered with cement, and there is nothing but its position in the mass -of masonry, between the arches and over the interior apartments, to -indicate that it was not originally used as a cistern for storing -water. There is also in connection with the ruins of Labna an entrance -to what may well be supposed to have been a subterranean senote like -those noticed at Xcoch and Chack, but it could not be explored. It was -noted that the natives about Labna, had much less superstitious fear -respecting the spirits of the antiguos haunting the ruins than those -of most other localities, although even they had no desire to explore -the various apartments. - - [Illustration: Corner at Labna.] - -At Tabi, a few leagues distant, is a heap of ruins, from which -material had been taken for the construction of a modern church, and -many sculptured fragments had been inserted in the walls of the -hacienda buildings. A stream of water was pouring from the open mouth -of a stone idol, possibly worshiped by the ancient inhabitants; "to -such base uses," etc. A cave near by was the subject of much marvelous -report, but its exploration led to nothing in an antiquarian point of -view.[V-65] - -At Kewick, seven or eight miles southward of Labna, a large space is -strewn with the remains of a ruined city, the casa real itself being -built on the terrace of an ancient mound. One single stone, however, -among these ruins demands the attention of the reader, familiar as he -now is with the general features of ancient Maya art. This stone is -one of those which compose the top layer, joining the sides of the -ceiling in one of the apartments. Singled out for some inexplicable -reason from its fellows, it bore a painting in bright colors, chiefly -red and green, representing a grotesquely adorned human form -surrounded by a line of hieroglyphics. The painting measured eighteen -by thirty inches and was taken out from its place by Mr Stephens for -the purpose of removal, but proved too heavy for that purpose. Two -fronts were sketched by Mr Catherwood at Kewick; one had a line of -pillars separated by diamond-shaped ornaments on each side of the -doorway; the other was decorated also with a line of pillars, or -pilasters, standing close together, as on the Casa de Tortugas at -Uxmal.[V-66] - - [Sidenote: XUL, SACACAL, AND CHACCHOB.] - -Xul, a modern village near by, stands also on the site of an -aboriginal town, and the cura's residence is built of material from an -ancient mound, many sculptured stones occupying prominent places in -the walls; the church moreover contains sixteen columns from the -neighboring ruins of Nohcacab. Two leagues from Xul where some ruins -were seen, two apartments had red paintings on the plastered walls and -ceilings. A row of legs, suggesting a procession, heads decorated with -plumes, and human figures standing on their hands, all well-drawn and -natural to the life, were still visible, and interesting even in their -mutilated state. The rancho buildings at Nohcacab--a second place of -the same name as the one already mentioned towards Uxmal--are also -decorated with relics from the 'old walls,' but nothing of interest -was seen in connection with the ruins themselves, except one room in -which the ceiling formed an acute angle at the top instead of being -united by a layer of horizontal stones as in other places.[V-67] - -Some leagues further eastward, in the neighborhood of the town of -Tekax, ruins are mentioned at Sacacal, Ticum, Santa Maria, and -Chacchob. At Sacacal is a chamber with an opening at the top, as at -Labna, only much larger; and this one has also three recesses, about -two feet deep, in the sides. An apartment here has a painted stone in -the top layer as at Kewick; and one building has its wall rounded -instead of straight, although this is only on the exterior, the inner -surface being straight as usual. The remains at Ticum were only -reported to exist by the Cura of San Jose. At Santa Maria a high mound -only was seen.[V-68] At Chacchob ruins of the usual type are -represented, by a Spanish writer in a Yucatan magazine, to be enclosed -within a wall, straight from north to south, the rest of the -circumference of over six thousand feet being semi-circular. The only -entrance is in the centre of the straight side. A well occupies the -centre of the enclosure, the chief pyramid is on the summit of a -natural elevation, and in one room a door was noticed which was much -wider at the top than at the bottom. On the edge of a wall eight -hundred varas distant, grooves worn by the ropes formerly used in -drawing water are still to be seen.[V-69] - -Further north, in the north-eastern corner of the rectangle which -contains our central group of ruins, are Akil and Mani, the relics of -the former locality, so far as known, being chiefly built into the -walls of modern buildings. Mani was a prominent city at the time of -the conquest, and the modern village stands on the remains of the -aboriginal town, mounds and other relics not described being yet -visible. Mr Stephens here found some documents, dating back to the -coming of the Spaniards, which are of great importance in connection -with the question of the antiquity of the Yucatan ruins, and will be -noticed when I come to speak of that point. The only monuments of the -central group remaining to be mentioned are those of Chunhuhu, in the -extreme south-western corner of the rectangle. These are very -extensive, evidently the remains of a large city, and several of the -buildings were sketched by Mr Catherwood, being of one story, and -having grotesque human figures as a prominent feature in their -exterior decoration. One is plastered on the outside, as Mr Stephens -thinks all the Yucatan buildings may have been originally--that is, on -the plain portions of their walls. One front has the frequently -noticed line of close-standing pilasters, with full-length human -figures at intervals, which stand with uplifted hands, as if -supporting the weight of the upper cornice.[V-70] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF CHICHEN ITZA.] - -The next, or eastern, group of Yucatan antiquities includes little -beside the ruined city of Chichen Itza,[V-71] a city which was famous -in the ancient traditionary annals of the Mayas, whose structures -served both natives and Spaniards as fortifications at the time of the -conquest, and whose ruins have been more or less known to the -inhabitants of the country since that epoch. The ruins lie twenty -miles west of Valladolid, the chief town of the eastern portion of the -state, on a public road in plain view of all travelers by that route. -In this case the original Maya name has been retained, Chichen meaning -'mouth of wells,' and Itza being the name of a branch of the Maya -people, or of a royal family, which played a most prominent part in -Yucatan history. The name Chichen comes probably from two great -senotes which supplied the ancient city with water, and which differ -from the complicated underground passages noted in other parts of the -state, being immense natural pits of great depth, with nearly -perpendicular sides, the only traces of artificial improvement being -in the winding steps that lead down to the water's surface, and slight -remains of a wall about the edge of the precipice. So far as explored, -the remains may be included in a rectangle measuring two thousand by -three thousand feet, and their arrangement is shown in the plan on the -next page, made by Mr Catherwood.[V-72] - - [Illustration: PLAN OF CHICHEN-ITZA] - - [Sidenote: CHICHEN--NUNNERY.] - -Perhaps the most remarkable of the Chichen edifices is that known as -the Nunnery, marked H on the plan.[V-73] Of course in this and other -buildings I shall confine my description chiefly to points of contrast -with ruins already mentioned, and well known to the reader. Supporting -the Nunnery, instead of a pyramid, we have for the first time a solid -mass of masonry one hundred and twelve by one hundred and sixty feet -rising with perpendicular sides to a height of about thirty-two feet. -On the summit, with a base one hundred and four feet long, is a -building in two receding stories, of which the upper, whose summit was -sixty-five feet above the ground, is almost entirely in ruins. The -first story is better preserved, and its front was decorated with -sculpture of which no drawings have been made. In the centre of the -northern side a stairway fifty-six feet wide leads up, with -thirty-nine steps, to the top of the solid basement, which forms a -broad promenade round the superimposed building, and continues with -fifteen additional steps to the roof of the first story. One room in -this first story is forty-seven feet long; several contain niches in -their walls, extending from floor to ceiling and bearing traces of -having been covered with painted figures, some of them human with -plumed heads; and some of the apparent doorways are false, or walled -up, evidently from the date of their first construction. Attached to -the eastern end of the solid structure is a projecting wing, shown in -the plan, sixty feet long, thirty-five feet wide, and twenty-five feet -high, consisting of only a single story, and divided into nine -apartments, several of which are filled up with solid masonry. The -lintels throughout the Nunnery are of stone, and the interior walls of -the rooms are plastered. The exterior walls of this eastern wing are -covered with rich sculpture, both above and below the cornice, but -this sculpture presents no contrasts with that of Uxmal, or other -cities, sufficiently striking to be verbally described. Only a few -feet from the eastern end of the Nunnery, and indeed described by -Charnay as wings of that edifice, are the two small buildings _a_ and -_b_ of the plan. The former is thirteen by thirty-eight feet, and -twenty feet high; the latter, sometimes known as the Iglesia, or -Church, is fourteen by twenty-six feet, and thirty-one feet high, -containing only one room. These structures present a most imposing -appearance by reason of their great height in proportion to their -ground dimensions.[V-74] - - [Sidenote: CHICHEN--AKAB-TZIB.] - -The building G of the plan, instead of standing on an artificial -mound, rests on the level plain, but the usual effect is produced by -excavating the surface about it, thus giving it the appearance of -resting on a raised foundation. It measures forty-eight by one hundred -and forty-nine feet, and its outer walls are perfectly plain. The roof -is reached by a stairway forty-five feet wide in the centre of the -eastern front, while, corresponding with the stairway, on the western -front is a solid projection thirty-four by forty-four feet, of unknown -use. The floor of the inner range of rooms is one foot higher than -that of the outer, and on the under surface of a lintel in one of the -interior doorways is the sculptured design shown in the cut on the -following page, surrounded by a row of hieroglyphics, of which only a -small portion are included in the cut, but which are of the same type -as those we have seen at Copan. The subject seems to be some -mysterious incantation or other sacrificial rite, and the -hieroglyphics, known as the 'writing in the dark,' in Maya -_akab-tzib_, have given their name to the building.[V-75] - - [Illustration: Sculptured Lintel at Chichen.] - - [Sidenote: CHICHEN--THE CASTLE.] - - [Illustration: Serpent Balustrade at Chichen.] - - [Illustration: Carved Door-Jamb in the Castle.] - -In the northern part of the city, at B, is the Pyramid, or Castle, of -Chichen. Its base is one hundred and ninety-seven by two hundred and -two feet; its height about seventy-five feet; and its summit platform -sixty-one by sixty-four feet. A stairway thirty-seven feet wide leads -up the western slope to the platform, and on the north is another -stairway of ninety steps forty-four feet wide, having solid -balustrades which terminate at the bottom in two immense serpent's -heads ten feet long, with open mouths and protruding tongues as in the -opposite cut. On the platform stands a building forty-three by -forty-nine feet, and about twenty feet high, having only a single -doorway in the centre of each front. These doorways have all wooden -lintels elaborately carved, and the jambs,--probably of stone, -although Norman says they are of wood--are also covered with -sculpture. The upper portion of one of these sculptured jambs is -represented in the cut, and the designs on the others are of a similar -general character. The northern doorway, which seems to have been the -principal entrance, is twenty feet wide and its lintel is supported by -two columns, each eight feet and eight inches high, with projecting -bases, and having their entire surface decorated, like the jambs at -the sides, with sculptured figures. The interior plan of this building -differs materially from any we have met; since the doorways on the -east, west, and south open into a corridor six feet wide, which -extends without partition walls round the three corresponding sides of -the edifice; while the northern doorway gives access also to a -corridor forty feet long and six and a third feet wide. Through the -centre of the rear wall of this corridor a doorway leads into a room -twelve feet nine inches by nineteen feet eight inches, and seventeen -feet high. This room also differs widely from any before described, -for its ceiling, instead of being formed by a single triangular arch -running lengthways, has two transverse arches supported by immense -carved zapote-beams stretched across the room, and which rest, each at -its centre, on two square pillars whose dimensions are twenty-two -inches on each side and nine feet in height. The cut shows the ground -plan of this remarkable structure, the squares at _a_ representing the -feet of the interior pillars, and the circles at _b_, the pillars that -support the lintel of the northern doorway.[V-76] - - [Illustration: Ground Plan of the Castle.] - - [Illustration: Stone Ring at Chichen.] - - [Illustration: Painted Boat in the Gymnasium.] - - [Sidenote: CHICHEN--THE GYMNASIUM.] - -The building at A of the plan is called by the natives the Iglesia, by -Norman the Temple, by Charnay the Cirque, and by Stephens the -Gymnasium. The latter names were applied from the supposition that the -structure served for a peculiar game of ball to which the Aztec kings, -at least, if not the Mayas, were much addicted. Landa seems, however, -entitled to the honor of having invented this theory, since he speaks -of buildings in this part of Chichen devoted to amusements.[V-77] This -structure is very similar to the one marked H on the plan of Uxmal. It -consists of two parallel walls, thirty by two hundred and seventy-four -feet, twenty-six feet high, and one hundred and twenty feet apart. The -inner walls facing each other present a plain undecorated surface, but -in the centre of each, about twenty feet from the ground, is fixed by -means of a tenon, a stone ring four feet in diameter and thirteen -inches thick, with a hole nineteen inches in diameter through the -centre, surrounded by two sculptured serpents intertwined as in the -following cut. M. Charnay found only one of these rings in place at -the time of his visit. The south end of the eastern wall served as a -base to superimposed buildings or ranges of apartments erected on it -after the manner of all the Yucatan structures of more than one story. -The upper range has a part of its exterior wall still standing, -covered with sculpture, which includes, among other devices, a -procession of tigers or lynxes. In the interior, massive sculptured -pillars and door-posts, with carved zapote lintels appear, but what -seemed to Mr Stephens "the greatest gem of aboriginal art which on the -whole Continent of America now survives," was the series of paintings -in bright colors which cover the wall and ceiling of one of the -chambers. The paintings are so much damaged and the plaster so -scratched and fallen, that the connection of the whole cannot be made -out, but detached subjects were copied, one of which is the boat -represented in the cut, inserted here because of the rarity of all -species of watercraft in our surviving relics of aboriginal -decoration. The other paintings represent human figures in various -postures and occupations, battles, processions, houses, trees, and -other objects. Blue, red, yellow, and green are the colors employed, -all the human figures moreover being tinted a reddish brown. It is, -however, the supposed resemblance of these figures to some of the -Aztec sculpture and picture-writings that gave this room and the one -below it in the same building their great importance in Mr. Stephens' -eyes. We shall be better qualified to appreciate this resemblance -after our study of Mexican antiquities in a future chapter. The lower -room referred to has its inner surface exposed to the open air, the -outer wall having fallen. It is covered with figures sculptured in -bas-relief, also originally painted, of which a specimen is shown in -the cut, consisting of human forms, each with plumed head-dress, and -bearing in his hand what seems to be a bunch of spears or arrows, -marching in a procession, or as the natives say, engaged in a dance. -One hundred feet from the northern and southern ends of the parallel -walls, and very probably connected with them in the uses to which they -were by their builders applied, are the two small buildings at _c_ and -_d_ of the plan. The southern building is eighty-one feet long, the -northern only thirty-five, containing a single apartment. Both are -much ruined, but each presents the remains of two sculptured columns, -and one of them has carvings on the walls and ceilings of its chamber -besides. A horizontal row of circular holes in the exterior walls are -conjectured by M. Viollet-le-Duc to have held timbers which supported -a kind of outer balcony or sun-shade.[V-78] - - [Illustration: Sculptured Design in the Gymnasium.] - - [Illustration: Red House at Chichen.] - -The building at E on the plan is called by the natives Chichanchob, or -Red House; Charnay terms it the Prison. It's front is shown in the -cut, the whole being in an excellent state of preservation. The three -doorways lead into a corridor extending the whole length of the -building, forty-three feet, through which three corresponding doorways -give access to three small apartments in the rear. Over these -doorways, and running the whole length of the corridor, is a narrow -stone tablet on which is sculptured a row of hieroglyphics, of which -the first and best preserved portion is shown in the cut. Their -similarity to, if not identity with, the characters at Copan, will be -seen at a glance. There are traces of painting on the walls of the -three rear rooms.[V-79] The building D presents nothing of particular -interest. - - [Illustration: Hieroglyphic Tablet at Chichen.] - - [Sidenote: CHICHEN--THE CARACOL.] - -At F is the Caracol, or winding staircase, called also by Norman the -Dome, a building entirely different in form and plan from any we have -seen. Of the two supporting rectangular terraces, the lower is one -hundred and fifty by two hundred and twenty-three feet, and the upper -is fifty-five by eighty feet. A stairway of twenty steps, forty-five -feet wide, leads up to the former, and another of sixteen steps, -forty-two feet wide, to the latter. The lower stairway had a -balustrade formed of two intertwined serpents. On the upper platform -is the Caracol, a circular building twenty-two feet in diameter and -about twenty-four feet high, its roof being dome-shaped instead of -flat. The annexed section and ground plan illustrate its peculiar -construction. Two narrow corridors, with plastered and painted walls, -extend entirely round the circumference, and the centre is apparently -a solid mass of masonry.[V-80] - - [Illustration: The Caracol at Chichen.] - -The only remaining monument at Chichen which demands particular -mention is that at C on the plan. Here occur large numbers, three -hundred and eighty having been counted, of small square columns from -three to six feet high, each composed of several separate pieces, one -placed on another, standing in rows of from three to five abreast, -round an open space some four hundred feet square, and also extending -irregularly in other directions in connection with various mounds. The -use of these columns is entirely unknown; but any structure which they -may have supported must have been of wood, since absolutely no -vestiges remain.[V-81] Besides the monuments described, there are the -usual heaps of ruins, mounds, fallen walls, and sculptured blocks, -scattered over the plain for miles in every direction. Chichen was -evidently a great capital and religious centre, and its ruins present, -as the reader has doubtless noticed, very many points of contrast with -those of the central or Uxmal group.[V-82] - -Ruins are mentioned by Mr Wappaeus as existing at Tinum, a short -distance north-west of Chichen; and are also indicated, on -Malte-Brun's map already referred to, at Espita, still farther north, -and at Xocen, a few miles south of Valladolid. At Sitax, near Tinum, a -vase, 'something of the Etruscan shape,' from some of the ruined -cities, was seen by Mr Norman. At Coba, eastward from Valladolid, the -curate of Chemax, in a report of his district prepared for the -government, described slightly ranges of buildings in two stories. -They are said to be built of stones, each of which measures six square -yards; this is very likely an error, and no other peculiarities were -spoken of worthy of mention. The same cura discovered on the hacienda -of Kantunile far north-eastward toward the coast several mounds, and -in one of them three skeletons, at whose head were two earthen vases. -One of these was filled with the relics shown in the cuts on the -following page, consisting of implements, ornaments, and two carved -shells. The shell carvings are in low relief, and the arrow-heads, -with which the other vase was nearly filled, were of obsidian, a -material not known to exist in Yucatan, and which must consequently be -supposed to have been brought from more northern volcanic states of -Mexico, where it formed the usual material of knives and many other -aboriginal implements and weapons. Besides these different articles, -was a horn-handled penknife in the same vase, proving that this burial -deposit was made subsequently to the coming of Europeans.[V-83] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: NORTHERN GROUP.] - - [Sidenote: RELICS AT TICUL.] - -I now come to the northern group of Yucatan Antiquities, which is -separated from the Uxmal group by the low sierra before mentioned as -running from north-west to south-east across this portion of the -state. First in this group are the ruins of the ancient Ticul, on the -hacienda of San Francisco close to the modern town of Ticul, and just -across the sierra from Nohcacab. Here are thirty-six mounds, or -pyramids, all visible from one of the highest when the trees are free -from foliage. Most of the elevations support buildings, but these are -so completely ruined that nothing can be known of the original city, -save that it must have been of great extent. These ruined piles have -served as quarries to supply building material at Ticul, which is -almost entirely built of stone. Many relics are preserved in the -town, but the only one particularly noticed is the earthen vase shown -in the cut. It is five inches in diameter and four and a half inches -high, and the reader will notice a similarity of style between the -figures on its front and those carved on the burial relics of -Kantunile previously shown. Between two of the mounds of San -Francisco, a square stone wall filled with earth and stones was -opened, and in it, under a large flat stone, was found a skeleton -sitting with knees against the stomach and hands clasping the neck, -facing the west. In connection with this skeleton were found a large -earthen vase, or water-jar, empty, and a deer's-horn needle, sharp at -one end and having an eye at the other. Mr Norman calls this group of -mounds Ichmul, supposes them all to be sepulchres, and says that -several have been opened and disclosed sitting skeletons, with pots at -their feet, and even interior rooms. M. Waldeck briefly mentions in -many parts of his work the ruins of Tixualajtun, which may possibly be -identical with Ticul, and which bear carved stones, indicating by -their number and position in the walls an age of at least three -thousand years.[V-84] - - [Illustration: Sepulchral Relics from Kantunile.] - - [Illustration: Earthen Vase from Ticul.] - - [Illustration: Mound at Mayapan.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF MAYAPAN] - - [Illustration: Circular Structure at Mayapan.] - -About ten miles northward of Ticul, and twenty-five miles southward of -Merida is the rancho of San Joaquin, included in the hacienda of -Xcanchakan, on which are the remains of Mayapan, the ancient Maya -capital. According to the traditional annals of the country Mayapan -was destroyed by an enemy, in one of the many civil conflicts that -desolated Yucatan, not much more than a century before the Spanish -conquest. Numerous mounds, scattered blocks, and a few ruined -buildings are all that remain to recall the city's ancient splendor. -The best preserved mound is that shown in the preceding cut, one -hundred feet square at the base, and sixty feet high, with a stairway -twenty-five feet wide in the centre of each side. The top is a plain -stone platform, with no signs of its ever having supported any -building. Most of the sculptured fragments contain only parts of -ornamental designs and are fitted with tenons by which they were -probably secured on the front walls, as at Uxmal. One building of the -ordinary type was sufficiently entire to show the triangular ceiling. -A circular building similar to that described at Chichen was also -noticed. It is twenty-five feet in diameter, and twenty-four feet -high, with only a single doorway facing the west. A single corridor -only three feet wide runs entirely round the edifice, the outer wall -being five feet thick, and the inner wall is a solid circular mass of -stone and mortar nine feet in thickness. The interior walls of the -corridor are plastered with several coats of stucco, and yet retain -vestiges of yellow, blue, red, and white paint. The preceding cut -shows the exterior of this structure, and also gives a good idea of -the similar one at Chichen. On a terrace of the mound which supports -this dome, are eight round columns, two and a half feet in diameter, -and each composed of five stones placed one upon another. Among the -sculptured blocks with which the country for miles around is strewn, -are some which differ from those mentioned as parts of facade -decorations. They are rudely carved, and each represents a subject -complete in itself. Two of these, one four and the other three feet -high, together with some of the decorative fragments alluded to, are -shown in the cut on the opposite page. An idol was also found in one -of the subterranean passages of a senote. The inhabitants of the -locality report that the ruins extend over the plain within a -circumference of three miles, and that the foundations yet remain of -a wall that once surrounded the city.[V-85] - - [Illustration: Mayapan--Sculptured Fragments.] - - [Sidenote: RELICS OF TIHOO AT MERIDA.] - -Merida, the capital of Yucatan, was built by the Spanish conquerors on -the ruins of the aboriginal city of Tihoo, the ancient mounds -furnishing material to the builders of the modern town. Only very -slight vestiges of Tihoo remain; yet in the lower cloisters of the -Franciscan convent, which is known to have been erected over an -ancient mound and building, the Spanish architects left one of the -peculiar aboriginal arches intact, unless we suppose that they -imitated such an arch in their own work, which is most unlikely. -Bishop Landa describes and illustrates with a ground plan one of the -largest and finest of the Tihoo structures, as it was in the sixteenth -century. In most respects his description agrees exactly with the -ruins of the grander class already mentioned. The supporting mound has -two retreating terraces on all sides except the western, which side -seems to have been perpendicular to its full height. Stairways running -the whole length of the mound lead up to the eastern slopes, and on -the summit platform is a courtyard surrounded by four buildings, like -the Casa de Monjas at Uxmal. A gateway leads through the centre of -both eastern and western buildings, and one of these gateways is -represented by Landa as having a round arch, the other being of the -ordinary form. The buildings are divided into a single range of small -apartments opening on the court, except the southern, which has two -large rooms, and in front of which was a gallery supported by a row of -square pillars. A round building or room is also mentioned in -connection with the western range. Landa also mentions several other -structures, including the one over whose ruins the Franciscan convent -was built. M. Waldeck mentions an excavation in a garden of the city, -which is twenty-three by thirty feet, and fifteen feet deep, with -double walls three and six feet thick, where the bones of a tapir and -other bones were dug up. He also saw here several idols collected from -different parts.[V-86] - - [Sidenote: PYRAMID AND COLUMNS OF AKE.] - -Some twenty-five miles east of Merida, at a place called Ake, barely -mentioned in the annals of the conquest as the locality where a battle -was fought between the Spaniards and Mayas, are the ruins of an -aboriginal city; ruins which, according to Mr Stephens, their only -visitor, have a ruder, older, and more cyclopean air than any others -seen. Some of the stones here employed are seven feet long. One -remarkable feature is a pyramid, whose summit platform is fifty by two -hundred and twenty-five feet, and supports thirty-six columns, each -four feet square, and from fourteen to sixteen feet high. These -columns are arranged in three parallel rows, ten feet apart from north -to south, and fifteen feet from east to west. Each column is composed -of several square stones. A stairway one hundred and thirty-seven feet -wide, with steps seventeen inches high, and four feet five inches -deep, leads up the southern slope. Of this mound Mr Stephens says: "It -was a new and extraordinary feature, entirely different from any we -had seen, and at the very end of our journey, when we supposed -ourselves familiar with the character of American ruins, threw over -them a new air of mystery." Between Merida and Mayapan is mentioned a -stone wall, which crosses the road and extends far on either side into -the forest. Near by is also an aguada, said by the inhabitants to be -of artificial formation.[V-87] - - [Illustration: Cara Gigantesca at Izamal.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF IZAMAL.] - -Izamal, something more than twenty miles further eastward, was a city -of great importance in aboriginal times, as we shall see in the -following volume. Two or three immense pyramids are all the vestiges -that remain of its former greatness. The largest mound is between -seven and eight hundred feet long, and between fifty and sixty feet -high, and Mr Stephens "ascertained beyond all doubt" that it has -interior chambers, concerning which he very strangely gives no further -information. M. Charnay's photograph shows that this mound was in two -receding stages, on the slopes of the upper of which steps are still -to be seen. The modern town is built on the site of the ancient city, -and the mounds as elsewhere have furnished the material of the later -structures. The upper portion of a pyramid facing the one already -mentioned was leveled down, and on the lower platform was erected the -Franciscan church and convent. Another smaller mound is in the -courtyards of two private houses, and on its side near the base is the -cara gigantesca, or gigantic face, shown in the cut. It is seven feet -wide and seven feet eight inches high. The features were first rudely -formed by small rough stones, fixed in the side of the mound by means -of mortar, and afterward perfected with a stucco so hard that it has -successfully resisted for centuries the action of air and water. There -were signs of a row of similar stucco ornaments extending along the -side of the mound; and either on this mound or another near by, M. -Charnay photographed a similarly formed face, which is twelve feet -high. These colossal stucco faces are the distinctive features of the -ruins of Izamal, nothing of the kind appearing elsewhere in Yucatan, -although a slight resemblance may be traced to the gigantic faces in -stone at Copan. Bishop Landa describes one of the Izamal structures as -it appeared in his time, and adds a plan to his description. He -represents the supporting pyramid as being over one hundred feet high, -with a very steep stairway and very high steps, being built in a -semi-circular form on one side. According to his statement the -edifices were eleven or twelve in number, standing near together. -Lizana, another of the early writers on Yucatan, mentions five of the -sacred mounds supporting buildings which were already in ruins in his -time, and he also gives the Maya name of each temple with its meaning. -It should be noted, moreover, that Izamal is, according to the annals -of Yucatan, the burial place of Zamna, the great semi-divine founder -of the ancient Maya power.[V-88] - - [Sidenote: SENOTE OF BOLONCHEN.] - -I now come to the southern group of Maya antiquities, over which I may -pass rapidly, beginning with the ruins of Ytsimpte near the village of -Bolonchen, some fifteen miles south of Chunhuhu, the most -south-western ruin of the central group. By the kindness of the cura -and the industry of the natives this ruined city was cleared of all -obstacles in the shape of vegetation, and its thorough exploration was -thus rendered easy; but unfortunately no corresponding results -followed, since no new features whatever were discovered. Here are -undoubtedly the remains of a great city, but most of the walls, and -all of the sculptured decorations have fallen. Bolonchen means 'nine -wells,' so named from a group of natural wells in the plaza. These -fail for several months in the dry season, and then the inhabitants -resort to a senote in the neighborhood, which, as one of the most -wonderful in the peninsula, is shown, or rather one of its several -passages is shown, in the cut. By a series of rude ladders water is -brought from springs over fifteen hundred feet from the opening at the -surface, and at a perpendicular depth of over four hundred feet. - - [Illustration: Senote at Bolonchen.] - - [Illustration: Ground Plan of Labphak Structure.] - - [Illustration: Sculptured Tablet at Labphak.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF LABPHAK.] - -Labphak is about twenty miles further south, and is one of the -grandest of the Maya ruins, although the single brief exploration by -Mr Stephens, its only visitor, is barely sufficient to excite our -curiosity respecting its unknown wonders. Only one building was -examined with care; this has three receding stories. The western front -was carefully cleared, and, sketched by Mr Catherwood, resembling very -closely the other three-storied structures before described. But at -the last moment it was discovered that this was only the rear wall, -and that the eastern front "presented the tottering remains of the -grandest structure that now rears its ruined head in the forests of -Yucatan." The dimensions and arrangement of rooms of the lower story, -differing from any that have been met further north, are shown in the -accompanying ground plan, together with the stairways that lead up to -the second story. Besides the grand central eastern staircase, there -are two interior stairways, each in two flights, leading up to the -platform of the second and third stories from the rooms of the western -range. This is the first instance of interior stairs, but the method -of their construction is not explained. The western wall of the third -story has no doorways. On the platform of the second story stand two -high buildings like towers, ornamented with stucco, and on the third -platform two similar structures at the head of the stairway before the -central entrance. These upper rooms have plain walls and ceilings. The -lower ones present numerous imprints of the ever-present red hand, and -one of them has a painted stone in the tier over the arch, as at -Kewick. At the points marked _a_ in the plan, are sculptured tablets -of stone fixed in the exterior walls, one of which is shown in the -cut. Each tablet is composed of several pieces of stone, and the -sculptured figures are naturally much worn by exposure to the air and -rain. Two circular openings to _chultunes_, or cisterns, like those at -Uxmal and elsewhere, were found near by. Another Labphak structure -formed a parallelogram, surrounding a courtyard, and presenting two -peculiarities; the entrance to the court was by stairways leading over -the flat roof of one of the ranges of buildings; and the ornamentation -of the court facades was in stucco instead of sculptured stone. With -this slight description I am obliged to leave this most interesting -city, whose solitude, so far as I know, has remained undisturbed for -thirty years and more since Messrs Stephens and Catherwood spent two -days in the halls of its departed greatness. Now as then, "it remains -a rich and almost unbroken field for the future explorer." - -At Iturbide, the south-western frontier town of modern Yucatan, there -is a mound of ruins in the plaza, and also a well some four feet in -diameter, and twenty-five feet deep, stoned with hewn blocks without -mortar; its sides polished by long usage, and grooved by the ropes -employed in drawing water. This well is considered the work of the -antiguos, and another similar one was seen near by. In the outskirts -of Iturbide the plain is dotted with the mounds and stone buildings of -the ancient town of Zibilnocac. Thirty-three mounds were counted, but -the walls of the buildings had all fallen except one, which presented -the peculiarity of square elevations, or towers, with sculptured -facades, at each end and in the middle. Its rooms also preserved -traces of interesting paintings, representing processions of human -figures whose flesh was colored red. - - [Sidenote: AGUADAS OF THE SOUTH.] - -At the rancho of Noyaxche, a few miles distant, is a seemingly natural -pond, which, being explored by the proprietor during a very dry -season, proved to have an artificial bottom of flat stones many layers -thick, pierced in the centre with four wells, and round the -circumference with over four hundred small pits, or cisterns. At -Macoba, twelve or fifteen miles eastward is another similar aguada, -and ruined buildings are also found, actually occupied by the natives -as dwellings. Mankeesh is another locality in this region where -extensive ruins are reported to exist. At the rancho of Jalal is an -aguada similar to the one mentioned at Noyaxche, the forms of the -wells and cisterns, pierced in its paved bottom being illustrated by -the cut. Upwards of forty deep wells were discovered by the natives in -the immediate neighborhood. Yakatzib is another place near by, where -ruined buildings were seen. Becanchen is a town of six thousand -inhabitants, and owes its existence to the discovery of a group of -ancient wells, partially artificial, and a stream of running water. -Fragments of ancient structures are built into the walls of the -town.[V-89] - - [Illustration: Aguada at Jalal.] - - * * * * * - -Only the monuments found on or near the coast of the peninsula remain -to be noticed, and in describing them I shall begin in the south-east -and follow the coast northward, then westward, and again southward to -Lake Terminos. For a description of Maya structures, as found by the -earliest Spanish voyagers on the eastern coast, I refer the reader to -the chapter on Central American buildings in volume II. of this -work.[V-90] M. Waldeck, giving no authority for his statement, -mentions the existence of ruined buildings at Espiritu Santo Bay, and -at Soliman Point, but no description is given.[V-91] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF TULOOM.] - - [Illustration: Plan of Tuloom.] - -Tuloom is the most important city of antiquity on the eastern coast, -standing in about 20 deg. 10'. It is undoubtedly one of the many -aboriginal towns whose 'towers' excited so much wonder in the minds of -the first European voyagers along this coast. It presents several -marked contrasts with the other monuments that have been described, -not only in the construction and arrangement of its edifices, but in -its site, since it is built on a high bluff on the very border of the -sea, commanding a view of wild and diversified natural scenery, -differing widely from the somewhat monotonous plain that constitutes -for the most part the surface of the peninsula. Tuloom has only been -visited by Mr Stephens, and his exploration was nearly at the end of -his long journey, when the keen edge of his antiquarian zeal was -naturally somewhat blunted by fatigue, sickness, and a desire to -return home. Moreover, countless hordes of mosquitos, with a -persistent malignity unsurpassed in the annals of their race, scorning -the aid even of their natural allies in the defense of Central -American ruins, the garrapatas and fleas, proved victorious over -antiquarian heroism, and drove the foreign invaders from their -stronghold. The annexed cut is a ground plan of the ruins so far as -explored, and we notice at once a novel feature in the wall A, A, that -bounds them on three sides--the first well-authenticated instance -which we have met of a walled Maya town. A precipitous cliff rising -from the waters of the ocean makes a wall unnecessary on the eastern -side, but on the other sides the wall is in excellent preservation, -stretching six hundred and fifty feet from east to west, and fifteen -hundred feet from north to south, from eight to thirteen feet thick, -and built of rough flat stones without mortar. The height is not -stated. On each of the inland corners at C, C, is a small structure, -twelve feet square, with two doors, which may be considered a -watch-tower, and which is shown in the cut on the next page. Five -gateways, each five feet wide, at B, B, B, give access to the city. -Within the walls the largest and most imposing structure is that at D, -known as the Castle, which stands on the cliff overlooking the sea. A -solid mass of masonry thirty feet square and about thirty feet in -height, ascended on the western side by a massive stairway of the -same width with solid balustrades, supports on its summit a building -of the same size as the foundation, and about fifteen feet high. The -doorway at the head of the stairway is wide, and its lintel is -supported by two pillars. Over the doorway are niches in the wall, one -of which contains fragments of a statue. The interior is divided into -two corridors connected by a single doorway, the front one having what -are described as 'stone benches' at the ends, and the rear range -having a similar bench along one of its sides. The rear, or sea, wall -is very thick and has no doorways, but several small openings of -oblong shape form the nearest approach to windows found in Yucatan. -The corridors have ceilings of the usual type, the doorways are -furnished with stone rings for the support of doors, and the imprint -of the red hand appears on the interior walls. Against each end of the -solid foundation is built a wing in two stories, thirty-five feet -long, making the whole length of the Castle one hundred feet. The -upper story of each wing consists of two apartments, one of which is -twenty by twenty-four feet. Two columns, ornamented with stucco, stand -in the centre of the room, of which the ceiling has fallen, although a -succession of holes along the top of the walls indicate that it had -been flat and supported by timbers. The building north of the Castle, -at E, contains a single room seven by twelve feet, with a raised step -or bench at each end, and much defaced painted ornaments in stucco on -its walls. Over the doorway on the outside is the figure we have met -before, standing on the hands with legs spread apart. The building -close to the Castle on the south has four columns in the centre of a -room nineteen by forty feet, and also in another room are fragments of -a sculptured tablet. A senote with artificial steps, which supplied -water to the ancient inhabitants, is included within the enclosure at -K. At H is a building remarkable for its roof, which differs radically -from the usual Maya type. Four timbers fifteen feet long and six -inches thick stretch across the room from wall to wall, and crossways -on these timbers are placed smaller timbers ten feet long and three -inches thick close together, and the whole covered with a thick layer -of coarse pebbles in mortar. Several other buildings evidently had -similar roofs originally, else it might be suspected that this one had -undergone modern improvements, especially as an altar was found in it -with traces of use at no very remote period. In this building also -sea-shells take the place of stone rings at the sides of the doorways. -One of the structures marked G on the plan has two stories. The front -is decorated with stucco, and the doorway of the lower story occupies -nearly the whole front, its top being supported by four pillars. The -interior plan is similar to that of the Castle at Chichen Itza, since -a corridor extends round three sides of a central apartment. The -interior walls of both room and corridor are painted, and in the -latter is an altar on which copal is supposed to have been burned. The -second story, which has no stairway or other visible means of -approach, differs from all other upper stories in Yucatan, in standing -directly over the central lower room, instead of over a solid mass of -masonry as elsewhere. Among other ruins near this, two stone tablets -with indistinct traces of sculpture were noticed. The cut shows one -of several small structures found at Tuloom outside the walls, and -probably intended as altars or adoratorios. This building is twelve by -fifteen feet and contains a single room where a copal altar appears. -Tuloom was undoubtedly one of the cities seen by the early voyagers -along this coast, and from the perfect state of preservation of many -of the monuments, especially of the stucco ornament resembling a -pine-apple shown in the last cut, Mr Stephens believes that the city -was occupied long after the conquest of other parts of the peninsula. -At Tancar, a few miles north of Tuloom, are many remains of small -ancient edifices, much dilapidated and not described.[V-92] - - [Illustration: Watch-Tower at Tuloom.] - - [Illustration: Tuloom Relics.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS ON THE EASTERN COAST.] - - [Illustration: Building at Cozumel.] - -The island of Cozumel has not been explored, by reason of the dense -growth which covers its surface, but in a small clearing on the shore -two buildings were discovered. One of them is shown in the preceding -cut. It is sixteen feet square, with plain exterior walls formerly -plastered and painted. A doorway in the centre of each side opens into -a corridor only twenty inches wide, extending round a central chamber -five by eight and a half feet, with one doorway. The other is similar -but larger. One of the dome-shaped cisterns was also found on the -island. Here is also a ruined Spanish church, which very probably -furnished the cross with a crucified Christ, preserved in Merida as an -aboriginal relic, and much talked of by enthusiasts who formerly -believed that Christianity was introduced into America long before the -Spaniards came. On the main land opposite the island ruined stone -buildings are also visible from the sea, as they were to Grijalva and -Cordova in the sixteenth century. Pole, or Popole, is one of the -localities somewhat further north where ruins are located on the -maps.[V-93] - -At Point Nisuc Mr Stephens locates ruins on his map, as does -Malte-Brun at the mouth of the River Petampich a little further south, -and the former also mentions stone buildings as visible on the barren -island of Kancune. On the northern point of Mugeres Island, known to -the early voyagers as Point, or Cape, Mugeres, are two small buildings -of the usual type. One of them, fifteen by twenty-eight feet, resting -on a solid foundation with perpendicular sides in which a narrow -stairway was cut, is located on a cliff at the extreme point of the -island.[V-94] - -At Cayo Ratones is a ruin according to Malte-Brun's map; and Cape -Catoche was the location of one of the cities seen by the Spaniards in -the sixteenth century, this early discovery being perhaps the only -authority for M. Waldeck's statement that a ruined city may there be -found.[V-95] - - [Sidenote: NORTHERN COAST RELICS.] - -Following the coast westward, an ancient mound is seen at Yalahao, the -map shows another at Emal, and Monte Cuyo is a lofty mound, reported -to have no traces of buildings, visible from far out at sea. This -latter may perhaps be identical with "a small Hill by the Sea, call'd -the _Mount_," mentioned by the old English voyager Dampier, who says: -"I was never ashore here, but have met with some well acquainted with -the Place, who are all of opinion that this Mount was not natural, but -the Work of Men."[V-96] Two pyramids are reported further east, near -the Rio Lagartos, but their existence rests on no very reliable -authority.[V-97] Two mounds, once covered with buildings, at the port -of Silan, are the only other monuments to be mentioned on the northern -coast. One of these latter is of great size, being four hundred feet -long and fifty feet high. The padre could remember when the building -on the other, known as the Castle, was still standing.[V-98] - -On or near the western coast are few monuments of antiquity worthy of -note. At Maxcanu, some twenty-five miles north-west from Uxmal, a -locality visited by Stephens during his trip toward the coast, are -several mounds covered with ruins, which present no peculiarities. But -in the interior of one of these mounds was found a gallery four feet -wide and seven feet high, with triangular-arched ceiling, extending -several hundred feet with many branches and angles. Before Mr -Stephens' visit this was supposed by the inhabitants of the region to -be a subterranean passage, or cave, known as Satun Sat, or the -Labyrinth. The presence of this gallery of course suggests the idea -that others of the Yucatan pyramids may contain similar ones, and that -their exploration might lead to important results. On the hacienda of -Sijoh, a few leagues nearer the coast, is a large group of ruined -mounds and buildings, presenting nothing new, except that the stones -of one of them were much larger than usual, one being noticed that was -three by six feet. In a kind of courtyard in the midst of these mounds -are standing many huge stones, resembling in their situation and size -the monoliths of Copan, but they bear no marks of sculpture, being -rough and unhewn as if just taken from the quarry. The largest is -fourteen feet high, four feet wide and a foot and a half thick. At -Tankuche one apartment of a ruined building has its walls and ceiling -decorated with paintings in bright colors, but the room was filled up -with rubbish, and nothing definite could be made out respecting the -designs, except in the case of one ornament which seemed to resemble a -mask found at Palenque. Ruins are reported also at Becal, in the same -region.[V-99] At the mouth of the Rio Jaina a tumulus, with pottery -and spear-heads on its surface, is mentioned by Waldeck and Norman, -and perhaps at the same place under the name of Chuncana, ruins are -indicated on Malte-Brun's map. - - [Illustration: Campeche Idol in Terra Cotta.] - - [Sidenote: MONUMENTS OF CAMPECHE.] - - [Sidenote: RELICS AT CAMPECHE.] - - [Illustration: Campeche Idols in Terra Cotta.] - -Further south, in the region extending from Campeche to Laguna de -Terminos there is only the vaguest information respecting antiquities. -The city of Campeche itself is said to be built over extensive -artificial galleries, or catacombs, supposed to have been devoted by -the ancient people to sepulchral uses; but I find no satisfactory -description of these excavations. On the Rio Champoton, some leagues -from the coast, ruins are reported concerning which nothing definite -is known. From the tumulus mentioned, "and other places contiguous to -ruins of immense cities, in the vicinity of Campeachy," Mr Norman -claims to have obtained "some skeletons and bones that have evidently -been interred for ages, also a collection of idols, fragments, flint -spear-heads, and axes; besides sundry articles of pottery-ware, well -wrought, glazed, and burnt." The cuts on the preceding pages show five -of these idols, which are hollow and have small balls within to rattle -at every movement. Padre Camacho is also said to have collected at -Campeche a museum composed of many relics from different localities, -many of them interesting but not particularly described.[V-100] - - [Sidenote: MAYA CALZADAS.] - -Besides the monuments that have been described, the remains of -ancient paved roads, or calzadas, have been found in several different -parts of the state. The traditionary history of the country represents -the great cities and religious centres as connected, in the time of -their original splendor and prosperity, by broad smooth paved ways, -constructed for the convenience of the rulers in sending dispatches -from place to place. These roads are even reported to have stretched -beyond the limits of the peninsula, affording access to the -neighboring kingdoms of Guatemala, Chiapas, and Tabasco. Modern -discoveries lend some probability to these reports. Cozumel was one of -these great religious centres from which roads led in every direction, -and Cogolludo says that in his time "were to be seen vestiges of -calzadas which cross the whole kingdom, said to end at its eastern -border on the sea-shore." The cura of Chemax, speaking of Coba, far -eastward of Chichen toward the coast, says "there is a calzada, or -paved road, of ten or twelve yards in width, running to the south-east -to a limit that has not been discovered with certainty, but some aver -that it goes in the direction of Chichen Itza." Bishop Landa mentions -"a fine broad calzada extending about two stone's throw to a well" -from one of the Chichen structures. Izamal was another much-frequented -shrine, from which Lizana tells us "they had constructed four roads, -or calzadas, towards the four winds, which reached the ends of the -county, and even extended to Tabasco, Guatemala, and Chiapas; and even -now are seen in many places portions and traces of these roads." Landa -also states that between Izamal and Merida, "there are to-day signs of -there having existed a very beautiful paved way." In the same -locality, running parallel to the modern road for several miles, M. -Charnay found "a magnificent road, from seven to eight metres wide, -whose foundation is of immense stones surmounted by a concrete -perfectly preserved, which is covered with a coating of cement two -inches thick. This road is everywhere about a metre and a half above -the surface of the ground. The coating of cement seems as if put on -yesterday;" the whole being buried, however, some sixteen inches deep -in soil and vegetable accumulations. The Cura Carillo and party found -in 1845 one of these paved roads four and a half varas wide, running -parallel with the modern road south-eastward from Uxmal, and said by -the natives to connect the latter city with Nohpat. It is perhaps the -same calzada, in Maya _Sacbe_, 'a road of white stone,' that has given -a name to the Sacbe ruins, and is described by Mr Stephens as "a -broken platform or roadway of stone, about eight feet wide and eight -or ten inches high, crossing the road, and running off into the woods -on both sides," reported to extend from Uxmal to Kabah.[V-101] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: GENERAL RESUME.] - -Having now completed my detailed description of Maya antiquities in -all parts of the peninsula where aboriginal relics have been seen or -reported, I have thought it best to give in conclusion a general view -of these antiquities, their peculiarities, the contrasts and -similarities which they present among themselves and when compared -with more southern monuments, together with such general remarks and -conclusions as their examination may seem to warrant. - -The comparatively level and uniform surface of the peninsula left the -aboriginal builders little choice in the location of their cities and -temples, yet a preference for a broken hilly region may be traced in -the fact that the central, or Uxmal, group, the most crowded with -ancient monuments, corresponds with the principal transverse ranges of -the peninsula; likewise the eastern coast cities rest generally on -elevated bluffs overlooking the sea. In the selection of sites, -however, as in the construction of their cities, security against -enemies seems to have been not at all, or at best very slightly, -considered. None of the cities on the plains are located with any view -to defence, or have any traces of fortifications to guard their -approaches. Tuloom, on the eastern coast, was indeed surrounded by a -strong wall on which watch-towers were placed; but of all the Yucatan -cities this is best guarded by its natural position and would seem to -have least need of artificial defences. Some slight remains of walls -are seen at Uxmal and Mayapan, but insufficient to prove that these -were walled cities. A wall more or less perfect is also reported at -Chacchob. No structure has been found which partakes in any way of the -nature of a fort, or which appears to have been erected with a view to -military defense. It is true the numerous pyramids and their -superimposed buildings would serve as a refuge for non-combattants, as -well as property, and would afford facilities for defense in a -hand-to-hand conflict, or perhaps against any attack by men armed with -aboriginal weapons; but would in nowise serve as a protection to the -dwellings or fields of the populace which must be supposed to have -dotted the plains for a wide extent about the palaces of the nobility -and temples of the gods. - -In the laying out both of cities and of individual structures, no -fixed plan was followed that can now be ascertained, except that a -majority of the edifices face in general terms the cardinal points; -that is, as nearly as these points would naturally be determined by -observation of the rising and setting sun. The oft-repeated statement -that all the temples and palaces were exactly oriented is altogether -unsupported by facts. - -The materials employed by the Maya builders were limestone, mortar, -and wood. The limestone used is that which, covered with a few feet of -sand or soil, forms the substratum of the whole peninsula. It is soft -and easily worked, and may be readily quarried in any part of the -state. Somewhat strangely, none of the quarries which supplied the -stone for building, or for sculptured decorations and idols, have ever -been found;--at least none such have been reported by any -explorer.[V-102] With very few exceptions, such as in the case of the -city wall at Tuloom, the stone employed, whether rough or hewn, was -laid in mortar. Cement was also used on roofs and floors; plaster on -interior walls; and stucco in exterior decorations. Mortar, cement, -plaster, and stucco were presumably composed of the same materials, -lime and sand, mixed in different proportions according to the use for -which it was designed. No satisfactory analysis seems to have been -made of the mortar, nor is anything definite known respecting the -method of its manufacture, or the source from which lime was obtained. -That the material was of excellent quality is proved by the resistance -it has offered for at least three centuries to tropical rains and the -inroads of tropical vegetation. It is nearly as hard as the stone -blocks which it holds together, and to its excellence the preservation -of the Yucatan monuments is in great measure due.[V-103] - -Wood was employed by the Maya builders only for lintels, for timbers -of unknown use stretched across the rooms from side to side of the -ceilings, in one case at Chichen for beams to support the regular -stone arches of the roof, and, at Tuloom only, for the support of a -flat cement roof. The only wood mentioned is the zapote, native to -some parts of the peninsula, extremely hard and heavy, but not -resinous or particularly well fitted to resist decay or the ravages of -worms. It seems remarkable that any portion of this woodwork should -have survived even their three or four centuries of unquestioned -age;--and, indeed, few or none of the lintels of outer doorways -exposed to the weather have remained unbroken. - -Having fixed upon a site for a proposed edifice, the Maya builder -invariably erected an artificial elevation on which it might rest. And -this peculiarity is observed, not only in Yucatan, but, as we shall -see in many other portions of the Pacific States, no less universally -in regions where natural hills abound than on level plains. In several -places, however, the artificial structure rests on a natural hill of -slight elevation, as at Chack and Zayi; in other cases advantage is -taken of a small hill to save labor in the accumulation of material, -as at Uxmal; and in one instance at Chichen the appearance of a mound -is gained by excavating the surrounding earth. Buildings resting on -the natural surface of the earth are unknown, as are also subterranean -apartments or galleries of artificial construction, excepting only the -reported catacombs under the city of Campeche. The bases of the -foundation structures, or pyramids, are usually rectangular, the -largest dimensions being fifteen hundred feet square at Zayi, while -many have sides of three to eight hundred feet. They diminish in size -towards the summit, from twenty to fifty feet high in the case of the -larger mounds, and from sixty to ninety feet in some of the smaller -ones. Most of the larger mounds have two or more terrace-platforms on -their slope. The mass of the mound is composed of rough stones and -fragments generally in mortar, making a coarse concrete; the outer -surface is faced with hewn stones, not generally laid so as to form -steps, as seems to have been the case at Copan, but so as to present a -smooth surface on the slope. It is uncertain whether some of the -larger terrace-platforms were paved with regular blocks or not. The -corners are often rounded. Sculptured decorations occur in a few -instances, as on the Pyramid at Uxmal; and at Izamal a row of faces in -stucco adorn the base. A stairway always occupies the centre of one -side, often of more than one side. Some of these stairways are over a -hundred feet wide, and their steps are rarely arranged with any -reference to convenience in mounting. Balustrades remain on some -stairways, ornamented in a few instances by sculptured monsters' -heads. There is nothing to show that the surface of the slopes or the -steps were covered with cement. The supporting stone structure of one -building at Chichen and also of one at Tuloom has perpendicular -instead of sloping sides. All the pyramids are truncated, none forming -a point at the top, although there is one or more in every group of -ruins whose summit platform presents no traces of ever having -supported buildings of any kind. Interior galleries were explored in a -mound at Maxcanu, and chambers in the body of that at Izamal were -reported; others are solid so far as known, except that a few small -chambers have been mentioned with a vertical entrance at the top, -which may have been cisterns. - -The edifices supported by the mounds are built either on the summit -platform, or in receding ranges, one above another, on the slope. In -the latter case these receding ranges form the nearest approach on the -part of the Mayas to buildings of several stories, except in one -instance at Tuloom, where one room is directly over another. In one -building at Kabah the outer wall rises from the foot of the mound, and -the inner from the summit. One building usually occupies the summit; -but in several cases four of them enclose an interior courtyard. The -buildings are long, low, and narrow. Thirty-one feet is the greatest -height, thirty-nine the greatest width, and three hundred and -twenty-two the greatest length. The roofs are flat and, like the -floors, covered with cement. The walls are, in proportion to the -dimensions of the buildings, very thick, usually from three to six -feet, but sometimes nine feet. Like the pyramids, the buildings -consist of a mass of concrete, stones and mortar, faced with hewn -blocks of nearly cubical form, and of varying dimensions rarely -exceeding eighteen inches, but found at Sijoh and Ake as large as -three by six and seven feet. Only one building has been noted whose -exterior walls are not perpendicular, but the corners are in most -cases rounded. - -The interior has generally two, often one, and rarely four parallel -ranges of rooms, while in a few of the smaller buildings an -uninterrupted corridor extends the whole length. Neither rooms nor -corridors ever exceed twenty feet in width or height, while the -ordinary width is eight to ten feet and the height fifteen to eighteen -feet. Sixty feet is the greatest length noted. The walls of each room -rise perpendicularly for one half their height, and then approach each -other, by the stone blocks overlapping horizontally, to within about -one foot, the intervening space being covered with a layer of wide -flat stones, and the projecting corners being beveled off to form a -straight, or rarely a curved, surface. In a few instances, as at -Nohcacab, the sides of the ceiling form an acute angle at the top; and -once, at Uxmal, the overlapping stones are inclined instead of lying -horizontally, forming a slight, but the nearest, Maya approach to the -true arch. This is the only kind of ceiling found in Yucatan, except -one at Tuloom which is flat and supported by timbers stretched across -from wall to wall. I have followed Stephens and applied the name of -'triangular arch' to this structure of overlapping stones, although -the term may by a strict interpretation be liable to some -criticism.[V-104] - -The tops of the few gateways discovered are constructed by means of -the same arch as that employed in the ceilings. One solitary arch -unconnected with any other structure has been noted at Kabah; and in -the Castle at Chichen two interior arches rest on beams supported by -stone columns instead of the usual perpendicular walls. In some of the -buildings at Kabah and Chichen the floor of the inner range of rooms -is higher than that of the outer, being reached by stone steps. Small -round timbers extend from side to side of the ceiling in nearly all -rooms, and at Tuloom stone benches are found along the sides and ends. - -Rarely do more than two rooms communicate with each other. The -doorways are on an average perhaps four feet wide and eight feet high, -with square tops formed by zapote beams or stone lintels, which rest -on stone jambs composed of two or three pieces, or are built into the -regular wall of the building. At Chacchob a doorway is reported wider -at the top than at the bottom. Many exterior doorways are wide and -divided into two or more entrances by stone pillars supporting the -lintels. Stone rings, or hooks, replaced at Tuloom by shells, near the -top on the inside, and in a few cases at both top and bottom, are the -only traces of the means by which the entrances were originally -closed. Wooden lintels are almost exclusively employed at Uxmal, but -elsewhere stone is more common; a few both of wood and stone are -covered with carved devices, as are also some of the door-posts. -Besides the doorways the rooms have no openings whatever, no chimneys, -windows, or ventilators being found, if we except the oblong openings -in the rear wall of the Castle at Tuloom.[V-105] - -Respecting the rooms, aside from their decoration, nothing remains to -be noticed except the casas cerradas, or rooms filled with solid -masonry, and the interior stairways of unexplained construction at -Labphak. Exterior stairways supported by a half arch lead up to the -top of such of the buildings as have more than one story, and also to -the summit of the few mounds that have perpendicular sides; in one -case the entrance to the courtyard is by stairways leading over the -roof of one of the enclosing edifices. The only important exceptions -to the usual type of Yucatan buildings are the circular structures -with conical roofs, at Chichen and Mayapan, and the gigantic walls -composing the so-called gymnasiums at Chichen and Uxmal. - -It will be noticed that the strength of these structures depended to a -great extent on the excellence of the mortar by which the blocks were -united, since the latter are not usually laid so as to break joints, -although carefully placed so that the plummet line applied to such -walls as are uninjured, rarely detects any departure from perfect -regularity. A Maya custom of inserting projecting stones, or -_katunes_, in the walls of their buildings as a record of time and in -commemoration of great events is spoken of by many authors; and by -certain stones which he identifies with the katunes, M. Waldeck -computes the age of some of the ruins, but I am unable to tell which -are the stones meant, unless they be those already mentioned as -elephants' trunks. - -Besides the columns mentioned in connection with doorways, many others -are found whose use in most cases is not understood. They are both -round and square, and usually, if not always, composed of several -pieces placed one upon another. Among them may be mentioned the row -of round columns on the terrace of the Governor's House at Uxmal, -sixteen columns at Xul from the ruins of Nohcacab, thirty-six square -columns on the summit platform of the pyramid at Ake, three hundred -and eighty short pillars, also square, arranged round a square at -Chichen, eight round pillars on the terrace of the round house at -Mayapan, the reported line of square columns originally supporting a -gallery at Merida, and finally the monoliths of Sijoh, which latter may -have been idols. - -I now come to the interior and exterior decorations of the Yucatan -buildings. In some apartments, particularly at Uxmal, the walls and -ceilings present only the plain surface of the hewn blocks of stone. -Most, however, are covered with a coating of fine white plaster, and -in many this plastered surface is wholly or partially covered with -paintings in bright colors. The paintings are much damaged in every -case, but seem to have been executed with much care and skill. They -are, apparently, never purely ornamental, but represent some definite -objects, oftener than otherwise human beings in various attitudes and -employments, battles, processions, and dances. In one or two -localities, as at Kewick, a single stone is decorated with painting, -while the rest of the surface is left plain. Niches in the walls of a -room at Chichen, benches along the sides and ends at Tuloom, and a -reported inner cornice at Zayi vary the usual interior monotony of the -Maya apartments. - -Interior sculptured decorations are of comparatively rare occurrence. -A few of the lintels and jambs in each of the cities are covered with -carvings; the steps leading up to the raised inner room at Kabah, -together with the base of the walls at their sides, are sculptured; -small circles are cut on the walls of the Casa del Adivino at Uxmal; a -tablet of hieroglyphics stretches over the inner doorways of a -corridor at Chichen; and a sculptured procession covers the wall and -ceiling of a room on the Gymnasium wall at the same city. -Hieroglyphic inscriptions are not very numerous, but are apparently -identical in character with those we have seen at Copan. The only -instance noted of interior decoration in stucco is that of the stucco -birds in a room at Kabah, and a few stuccoed columns. - -The exterior walls have almost invariably a cornice extending over the -doorways round the whole circumference, and another near the roof. -Several buildings have one or two additional cornices. Besides the -cornices a very few fronts are plain; most are so below the lower -cornice, but are decorated in their upper portions, as several are -from top to bottom, with a mass of complicated sculptured designs, of -which the reader has formed a clear idea by the drawings that have -been presented. These ornaments, or the separate parts of each, are -carved on the faces of cubical or rectangular blocks which are built -into the face of the wall, each carved piece fitting most accurately -into its place as part of a most elaborate whole. Some parts of the -decoration are also joined to the walls by means of long tenons. In -the human faces represented in profile among the ornamental carvings -the flattened forehead, or contracted facial angle, is the most -important feature noticed, and this is not as strongly marked as in -many other regions of America. Excepting the phallus, which is -prominent in many of the decorations, and which was probably a -religious symbol, no ornaments of an obscene nature are noticed. -Instead of stone, stucco is employed at Labphak in exterior -decorations, and to a slight extent at Tuloom also. Over the front -wall of some buildings, and from the centre of the roof of others, -rises a lofty wall, sometimes in peaks, or turrets, apparently -intended only as a basis for ornamentation. At Kabah this -supplementary wall is plain and resembles from a distance a second -story; on the Nunnery at Uxmal the ornamentation is in stone; but in -other cases stucco is employed. Only one exterior wall, at Chunhuhu, -is plastered; but all the exterior decorations are supposed to have -been originally painted, traces of bright colors still remaining in -sheltered positions.[V-106] - - [Sidenote: MAYA IDOLS.] - -The scarcity of idols among the Maya antiquities must be regarded as -extraordinary. The double-headed animal and the statue of the Old -Woman at Uxmal; the nude figure carved on a long flat stone and the -small statue in two pieces, at Nohpat; the idol at Zayi reported as in -use for a fountain; the rude unsculptured monoliths of Sijoh; the -scattered and vaguely mentioned idols on the plains of Mayapan; and -the figures in terra cotta collected by Norman at Campeche, complete -the list; and many of these may have been originally merely -decorations for buildings. That the inhabitants of Yucatan were -idolators there is no possible doubt, and in connection with the -magnificent shrines and temples erected by them, stone representatives -of their deities carved with all their aboriginal art and rivaling or -excelling the grand obelisks of Copan, might naturally be sought for. -But in view of the facts it must be concluded that the Maya idols were -small, and that such as escaped the destructive hands of the Spanish -ecclesiastics, were buried by the natives, as the only means of -preventing their desecration. Altars are as rare as idols; indeed, -only at Tuloom are such relics definitely reported, and then they are -of small size and of simple construction, merely hewn blocks on which -copal was burned. - -The almost complete lack of pottery, implements, and weapons is no -less remarkable. Earthen relics, so abundant over nearly the whole -surface of the Pacific States, even in the territory of the wildest -tribes, where no ruined edifices are to be seen, are rarely met with -in Yucatan and Chiapa, where the grandest ruins indicate the highest -civilization. No trace of any metal has been found in Yucatan, -although there is some historical evidence that copper implements were -used by the Mayas to a slight extent in the sixteenth century, the -material for which must have been brought from other parts of the -country. Besides spear and arrow heads of flint or obsidian which have -been found in small numbers in different parts of the state, and the -implements included in the Camacho collection at Campeche already -mentioned, there remains to be noticed "a collection of stone -implements, gathered by Dr. J. W. Veile, in Yucatan," spoken of by Mr -Foster as resembling in many respects similar relics from the -Mississippi Valley. "The material employed is porphyry. Some of them -are less than two inches in length, and the edges are polished as if -from use. At the first glance it would be said that many of these -implements were too small for practical purposes, but when we reflect -that the material out of which the ancient inhabitants of that region -cut their basso-relievos, was a soft coralline limestone, I find, by -experiment, that such a tool is almost as effective as one of steel. -Some of the implements, however, are cylindrical in shape, with the -convex surface brought to an edge, and the opposite side ground out -like a gouge."[V-107] There can be little doubt that the Maya -sculpture was executed with tools of stone, although with such -implements the complicated carvings on hard zapote lintels must have -presented great difficulties even to aboriginal patience and skill. - - [Sidenote: THE MAYAS AS ARTISTS.] - -With respect to the artistic merit of the monuments of Yucatan, and -the degree of civilization which they imply on the behalf of their -builders, I leave the reader to form his own conclusion from the -information which I have collected and presented as clearly as -possible in the preceding pages. That they bear, as a whole, no -favorable comparison with the works of the ancient Greeks, Romans, -Egyptians, Assyrians, and perhaps other old-world peoples must, I -believe, be granted. Yet they are most wonderful when considered as -the handiwork of a people since lapsed into a condition little above -savagism. I append in a note some quotations designed to show the -impression these monuments have made on explorers and students.[V-108] - - [Sidenote: ANTIQUITY OF THE MAYA MONUMENTS.] - -Finally I have to consider the antiquity of the Yucatan monuments. As -in the case of all ruined cities and edifices, the questions, when and -by whom were they built? are of the most absorbing interest. In -Yucatan the latter question presents no difficulties, and the former -few, compared with those connected with other American ruins. It was -formerly a favorite theory that the great American palaces and temples -of ancient times, whose remains have astonished the modern world, were -the work of civilized peoples that have become extinct, probably of -some old-world people which long centuries ago settled on our coasts -and flourished for a long period, but was at last forced to succumb to -the native races whose descendants occupied the land at the coming of -Europeans in the sixteenth century. The discussion of the origin of -the American people and of the American civilization, as well as of -the possible agency of old-world elements in the development of the -latter, belongs to another part of my work; still it may be -appropriately stated here that the theory of extinct civilized races -in America, to which our ruined cities may be attributed, rests upon -only the very vaguest and most unsubstantial foundation, while so far -as the Yucatan cities are concerned it rests on no foundation at all. - -The traditional history of the peninsula, which will be given in the -following volume, represents Yucatan as constituting the mighty Maya -empire, whose rulers, secular and religious, reared magnificent -cities, palaces, and temples, and which flourished in great, if not -its greatest, power down to within a little more than a century of the -Spaniards' coming. Then the empire was more or less broken up by civil -wars, an era of dissension and comparative weakness ensued, some of -the great cities were abandoned in ruins, but the edifices of most, -and especially the temples, were still occupied by the disunited -factions of the original empire. In this condition the Spaniards found -and conquered the Maya people. They found the immense stone pyramids -and buildings of most of the cities still used by the natives for -religious services, although not for dwellings, as they had probably -never been so used even by their builders. The conquerors established -their own towns generally in the immediate vicinity of the aboriginal -cities, procuring all the building material they needed from the -native structures, destroying so far as possible all the idols, -altars, and other paraphernalia of the Maya worship, and forcing the -discontinuance of all ceremonies in honor of the heathen gods. A few -cities escaped the damning blight of European towns in their vicinity, -and kept up their rites in secret for some years later; such were -Uxmal, Tuloom, and probably others of the best preserved ruins. All -the early voyagers, conquistadores, and writers speak of the wonderful -stone edifices found by them in the country, partly abandoned and -partly occupied by the natives. To suppose that the buildings they saw -and described were not identical with the ruins that have been -described in these pages, that every trace of the former has -disappeared, and that the latter entirely escaped the notice of the -early visitors to Yucatan, is too absurd to deserve a moment's -consideration. That the Mayas were found worshiping in the temples of -an extinct race is a position almost equally untenable. The Spaniards -forced the Mayas to accept a new faith, utterly crushed out their -ancient spirit by a long course of oppression, and then together with -other Europeans resorted to the theory of an extinct old-world race to -account for the wonderful structures which the ancestors of the -degraded Mayas could not have reared. The Mayas are not, however, the -only illustrations of a deteriorated race to be seen in Yucatan, as -will be understood by comparing the present Spanish population of the -peninsula with the proud Castilian conquerors of the sixteenth -century. - -Mr Stephens, to whom many of the Spanish and Maya documents relating -to Yucatan history were unknown, sought carefully for proofs in -support of his belief that the cities were constructed by "the same -races who inhabited the country at the time of the Spanish conquest, -or by some not very distant progenitors." He was entirely successful -in establishing the truth of his position, which rested on the -statements of the historians with whose works he was acquainted, and -on the following points, many of them discovered by himself, and whose -only weakness is the fact that they were not really needed to justify -his conclusions. 1st. The Maya arch in the foundations of the -Franciscan convent at Merida, built in 1547, with the historical -statement that Merida was built on the mounds of ancient Tihoo. 2d. -The traditional destruction of Mayapan in 1420. 3d. The custom of the -Spaniards to locate their towns near those of the natives, together -with the almost uniform location of the ruins, near the modern towns. -4th. The skeletons and skulls dug up at Ticul were pronounced by Dr -Morton to belong to the universal American type. 5th. Sr Peon's deed -to the Uxmal estate, dated in 1673, states that the natives still -worshiped in the stone buildings; that a native then claimed the -estate as having belonged to his ancestors; that at that time there -were doors in the ruins which were opened and shut; and that water was -then drawn from the aguadas. 6th. The sword in the hands of the -kneeling sculptured figure at Kabah, which has already been mentioned -as almost identical with an aboriginal Maya weapon. 7th. A map dated -1557 was found at Mani, on which Uxmal is designated by a different -character from all the other surrounding towns, being the only one -that is not surmounted by a cross. 8th. With the map was found a -document in the Maya language, also dated 1557, announcing the arrival -of certain officials with interpreters at, and their departure from, -Uxmal. Now there never was a Spanish town of Uxmal, and the hacienda -was not established until one hundred and forty-five years later. 9th. -The gymnasiums at Chichen and Uxmal, agreeing with those traditionally -described in connection with certain aboriginal games of ball. 10th. -Many scattered resemblances to Aztec relics and customs. 11th. The -European penknife discovered in a grave with aboriginal relics at -Kantunile. 12th. The comparatively fresh appearance of the altars and -other relics at Tuloom.[V-109] - -It may then be accepted as a fact susceptible of no doubt that the -Yucatan structures were built by the Mayas, the direct ancestors of -the people found in the peninsula at the conquest and of the present -native population. Respecting their age we only know the date of their -abandonment--that is the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Nothing in -the ruins themselves gives any clue to the date of their construction, -and this is not the place to discuss the few vague historical -traditions bearing on the subject. The data on which different writers -have based their speculations, and claimed for these monuments greater -or less antiquity are the following. 1st. The immense trees that are -found growing on the ruins, and the accumulation of soil and vegetable -matter on the roofs and terrace platforms; but to persons acquainted -with the rapid growth of trees in tropical countries, these constitute -no evidence of antiquity. 2d. The ignorance of the natives respecting -the builders of the monuments; the investigations of Indian character -in the preceding volumes of this work, however, show conclusively -enough that two generations, to say nothing of three centuries, are -amply sufficient to blot from the native mind everything definite -concerning the past. 3d. Comparisons of the Yucatan ruins with -different old-world remains; the argument being that if an American -monument is more dilapidated than an Egyptian one, it must be older. -4th. And on the other hand, against a great antiquity, the -destructiveness of the tropical vegetation and tropical rains. 5th. -The softness of the building material. 6th. The perfect preservation -in many places of wood and paint. 7th. The rapid decay of the ruins -between the periods of the earliest and latest visits. - -It will be at once noted that the preceding points all bear on the -date of abandonment and not at all on the date of construction. -Explorers may marvel, according to the view they take of the matter, -either that the buildings have resisted for three or four hundred -years the destructive agencies to which they have been exposed; or, -that three or four short centuries have wrought so great ravages in -structures so strongly built; still the fact remains that the -buildings were abandoned three or four hundred years ago. M. Waldeck's -theory, by which he computes the antiquity of some of the ruins by -certain stones peculiarly placed in the walls, or by the small -houses--_calli_, or house, being one of the signs of the Aztec -calendar--over the doorways of the Nunnery at Uxmal, like Mr Jones' -argument that the structures must have been reared before the -invention of the arch, is mere idle speculation, utterly unfounded in -fact or probability. The history of the Mayas indicates the building -of some of the cities at various dates from the third to the tenth -centuries. As I have said before, there is nothing in the buildings to -indicate the date of their erection,--that they were or were not -standing at the commencement of the Christian Era. We may see how, -abandoned and uncared for, they have resisted the ravages of the -elements for three or four centuries. How many centuries they may have -stood guarded and kept in repair by the builders and their descendants -we can only conjecture.[V-110] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[V-1] 'Le sol de l'Yucatan est encore, aujourd'hui, parseme -d'innombrables ruines, dont la magnificence et l'etendue frappent -d'etonnement les voyageurs; de toutes parts, ce ne sont que collines -pyramidales, surmontees d'edifices superbes, des villes dont la -grandeur eblouit l'imagination, tant elles sont multipliees et se -touchent de pres, sur les chemins publics: enfin on ne saurait faire -un pas sans rencontrer des debris qui attestent a la fois l'immensite -de la population antique du Maya et la longue prosperite dont cette -contree jouit sous ses rois.' 'Nulle terre au monde ne presente -aujourd'hui un champ si fecond aux recherches de l'archeologue et du -voyageur.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., pp. -20, 24. 'A peine y a-t-il dans l'Yucatan une ville, une bourgade, une -maison de campagne qui n'offre dans ses constructions des restes de -pierres sculptees qui ont ete enlevees d'un ancien edifice. On peut -compter plus de douze emplacements couverts de vastes ruines.' -_Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., -pp. 300-1. 'Elle est, pour ainsi dire, jonchee de ruines. Partout, -dans cette partie de l'Amerique, la poesie des souvenirs parle a -l'imagination.' _Larenaudiere_, _Mex. et Guat._, p. 320. - -[V-2] The earliest modern account of Yucatan Antiquities with which I -am acquainted is that written by Sr Lorenzo de Zavala, Ambassador of -the Mexican Government in France, and published in _Antiquites -Mexicaines_, tom. i., div. ii., pp. 33-5. Sr Zavala visited Uxmal -several years before 1834. His communication gives a tolerably good -general idea of the ruins, but it is brief, unaccompanied by drawings, -and relates only to one city. It is, therefore, of little value when -compared with later and more extensive works on the subject, and is -mentioned in this note only as being the earliest account extant. Yet -long before Zavala's visit, Padre Thomas de Soza, a Franciscan friar -of the convent of Merida, had observed the ruins during his frequent -trips through the province, and he gave a slight account of them to -Antonio del Rio, who mentioned it in his _Descrip. of an Ancient -City_, pp. 6-8. - -M. Frederic de Waldeck, a French artist, visited Uxmal in 1835 during -a short tour in the peninsula, and published the result of his labors -in his _Voyage Pittoresque et Archeologique dans la Province -d'Yucatan_, Paris, 1838, large folio, with 22 steel plates and -lithographic illustrations. M. de Waldeck became in some way obnoxious -to the Mexican Government, which threw some obstacles in his way, and -finally confiscated his drawings, of which he had fortunately made -copies. Waldeck in his turn abuses the government and the people, and -has consequently been unfavorably criticised. His drawings and -descriptions, however, tested by the work of later visitors under -better auspices, are remarkable for their accuracy so far as they -relate to antiquities. The few errors discoverable in his work may be -attributed to the difficulty of exploring alone and unaided ruins -enveloped in a dense tropical forest. 'Supplied with pecuniary aid by -a munificent and learned Irish peer.' (Lord Kingsborough.) _Foreign -Quar. Rev._, vol. xviii., p. 251. 'Waldeck, aumentando o disminuyendo -antojadiza y caprichosamente sus obras, las hace participar, en todos -sentidos, de las no muy acreditadas cualidades de veridico, imparcial -y concienzudo que aqui le conocieron.' _M. F. P._, in _Registro -Yucateco_, tom. i., p. 362. - -Mr. John L. Stephens, accompanied by Fred. Catherwood, artist, at the -end of an antiquarian expedition through Central America, arrived at -Uxmal in 1840, and began the work of surveying the city, but the -sickness of Mr Catherwood compelled them to abandon the survey when -but little progress had been made and return abruptly to New York. The -results of their incomplete work were published in _Stephens' Cent. -Amer._, N. Y., 1841, vol. ii. - -Mr B. M. Norman, a resident of New Orleans, made a flying visit to -Yucatan from December to March, 1841-2, and published as a result -_Rambles in Yucatan_, N. Y., 1843, illustrated with cuts and -lithographs. According to the _Registro Yucateco_, tom. i., p. 372, -this trip was merely a successful speculation on the part of Norman, -who collected his material in haste from all available sources, in -order to take advantage of the public interest excited by Stephens' -travels. However this may be, the work is not without value in -connection with the other authorities. 'The result of a hasty visit.' -_Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 172. The work 'n'est qu'une -compilation sans merite et sans interet.' _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. -i., p. 150. 'A valuable work.' _Davis' Antiq. Amer._, p. 12. 'By which -the public were again astonished and delighted.' _Frost's Pict. Hist. -Mex._, p. 77. Norman's work is very highly spoken of and reviewed at -length, with numerous quotations and two plates, in the _Democratic -Review_, vol. xi., pp. 529-38. - -Mr Stephens arrived in New York on his return from his Central -American tour in July, 1840, having left Yucatan in June. 'About a -year' after his return he again sailed for Yucatan on October 9th and -remained until the following June. This is all the information the -author vouchsafes touching the date of his voyage, which was probably -in 1841-2, Stephens and Norman being therefore in the country at the -same time; the latter states, indeed, that they were only a month -apart at Zayi. Stephens' work is called _Incidents of Travel in -Yucatan_, N. Y., 1843. (?) (Ed. quoted in this work, N. Y., 1858.) The -drawings of this and of the previous expedition were published, with a -descriptive text by Stephens, under the title of _Catherwood's Views -of Ancient Monuments in Central America_, N. Y., 1844, large folio, -with 25 colored lithographic plates. Stephens' account was noticed, -with quotations, by nearly all the reviews at the time of its -appearance, and has been the chief source from which all subsequent -writers, including myself, have drawn their information. His -collection of movable Yucatan relics was unfortunately destroyed by -fire with Mr Catherwood's panorama in New York. Critics are almost -unanimous in praise of the work. 'Malgre quelques imperfections, le -livre restera toujours un ouvrage de premier ordre pour les voyageurs -et les savants.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Esquisses_, p. 7. 'Stephens -y Catherwood, por ejemplo, sin separarse de la verdad de los -originales, los copia el uno, y los describe el otro con exactitud, -criterio y buena fe,' _M. F. P._, in _Registro Yucateco_, tom. i., p. -362. 'Ce que M. Stephens a montre talent, de science et de modestie -dans ses narrations est au-dessus de toute appreciation.' _Dally_, -_Races Indig._, p. 14. Jones, _Hist. Anc. Amer._, criticises Stephens' -conclusions, and his criticisms will be somewhat noticed in their -proper place. See also p. 82, note 14, of this volume. - -The Baron von Friederichsthal, an attache of the Austrian Legation, -spent several months in an examination of Yucatan ruins, confining his -attention to Chichen Itza and Uxmal. He had with him a daguerreotype -apparatus, and with its aid prepared many careful drawings. As to the -date of his visit it probably preceded those of Norman and Stephens, -since a letter by him, written while on his return to Europe, is dated -April 21, 1841. This letter is printed in the _Registro Yucateco_, -tom. ii., pp. 437-43, and in the _Dicc. Univ._, tom. x., pp. 290-3. It -contains a very slight general account of the ruins, which are spoken -of as 'hasta hoy desconocidas,' with much rambling speculation on -their origin. On his arrival in Europe Friederichsthal was introduced -by Humboldt to the Academie Royale des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, -before which society he read a paper on his discoveries on October 1, -1841, which paper was furnished by the author for the _Nouvelles -Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., pp. 297-314, where it was -published under the title of _Les Monuments de l'Yucatan_. The author -proceeded to Vienna where he intended to publish a large work with his -drawings, a work that so far as I know has never seen the light. 'M. -de Friederichsthal a souvent ete inquiete dans ses recherches; les -ignorants, les superstitieux, les niais les regardaient comme -dangereuses au pays.' _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., -p. 304. - -In 1858 M. Desire Charnay visited Izamal, Chichen Itza, and Uxmal, -taking with him a photographic apparatus. He succeeded in obtaining -perfect views of many of the buildings, which were published under the -title _Cites et Ruines Americaines_, Paris, 1863, in large folio. The -text of the work is in octavo form and includes a long introduction by -M. Viollet-le-Duc, French Government Architect, occupied chiefly with -speculation and theories rather than descriptions. Charnay's part of -the text, although a most interesting journal of travels, is very -brief in its descriptions, the author wisely referring the reader to -the photographs, which are invaluable as tests of the correctness of -drawings made by other artists both in Yucatan and elsewhere. - -See also a general notice of the ruins in _Cogolludo_, _Hist. Yuc._, -pp. 176-7, and in _Gottfriedt_, _Newe Welt_, p. 611; full account in -_Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, pp. 125-50, from Stephens; and brief accounts, -made up from the modern explorers, in _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. -ii., pp. 171-3, with cut of an idol from Catherwood; _Prichard's -Researches_, vol. v., pp. 346-8; _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., pp. -147, 191-5, 269-72; _Dally_, _Races Indig._, pp. 14-15; _Warden_, -_Recherches_, pp. 68-9; _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1843, tom. -xcvii., pp. 36-50, from old Spanish authorities; _Mueller_, -_Amerikanische Urreligionen_, pp. 460, 462; _Muehlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, -tom. ii., pt. i., p. 12; _Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, p. 267; _Wappaeus_, -_Geog. u. Stat._, pp. 144, 247; _Baril_, _Mexique_, pp. 128-30; -_Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., pp. 20-31; -_Davis' Antiq. Amer._, pp. 512-30; _Id._, Ed. 1847, p. 31; -_Larenaudiere_, _Mex. et Guat._, pp. 320-8; _Mex. in 1842_, p. 75; -_Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, pp. 227, 242-7, 303-4. - -[V-3] The best map of Yucatan, showing not only the country's -geographical features, but the location of all its ruins, is the -_Carte du Yucatan et des regions voisines_, compiled by M. Malte-Brun -from the works of Owen, Barnett, Lawrence, Kiepert, Garcia y Cubas, -Stephens, and Waldeck, and published in _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, -_Palenque_, Paris, 1866, pl. i., ii. - -[V-4] Fray Diego Lopez Cogolludo visited Uxmal at some time before the -middle of the seventeenth century, and describes the ruins to some -extent in his _Historia de Yucathan_, Mad., 1688, pp. 176-7, 193-4, -197-8. Padre Thomas de Soza, about 1786, reported to Antonio del Rio -stone edifices covered with stucco ornaments, known by the natives as -Oxmutal, with statues of men beating drums and dancing with palms in -their hands, which he had seen in his travels in Yucatan, and which -are thought to be perhaps identical with Uxmal, although the monuments -are reported as being located twenty leagues south of Merida and may -be quite as reasonably identified with some other group. _Rio's -Description_, pp. 6-7. Zavala's visit to Uxmal at some date previous -to 1834 has already been spoken of in note 2. His account is called -_Notice sur les Monuments d'Ushmal_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. -ii., pp. 33-5. M. de Waldeck left Merida for Uxmal on May 6, 1835, -arrived at the ruins on May 12, where he spent some eight days, and -was interrupted in his work by the rainy season. _Waldeck_, _Voy. -Pitt._, pp. 67-74, 93-104, and plates. Mr Stephens had Waldeck's work -with him at the time of his second visit. He says, _Yucatan_, vol. i., -p. 297, 'It will be found that our plans and drawings differ -materially from his, but Mr Waldeck was not an architectural -draughtsman;' yet the difference is only to be noted in a few plates, -and is not so material as Mr Stephens' words would imply. Still, where -differences exist, I give Mr Stephens the preference, because, having -his predecessor's drawings, his attention would naturally be called to -all the points of Waldeck's survey. Mr Stephens says further, 'It is -proper to say, moreover, that Mr Waldeck had much greater difficulties -to encounter than we, ... besides, he is justly entitled to the full -credit of being the first stranger who visited these ruins and brought -them to the notice of the public.' Mr Stephens' first visit was in -June, 1840, during which he visited the ruins from the hacienda three -times, on June 20, 21, and 22, while Mr Catherwood spent one day, the -21st, in making sketches. It was unfortunate that he was forced by Mr -Catherwood's illness to leave Uxmal, for at this time the ground had -been cleared of the forest and was planted with corn; the occasion was -therefore most favorable for a thorough examination. _Stephens' Cent. -Amer._, vol. ii., pp. 413-35, with 3 plates. Mr Norman, according to -his journal, reached the ruins, where he took up his abode, on -February 25, 1842, and remained until March 4, devoting thus seven -days or thereabouts to his survey. His account is accompanied by -several lithographic illustrations. _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. -154-67. Messrs Stephens and Catherwood arrived on their second visit -on November 15, 1841, and remained until January 1, 1842, Mr Stephens -meanwhile making two short trips away, one in search of ruins, the -other to get rid of fever and ague. It is remarkable that they found -no traces of Mr Friederichsthal's visit, (_Nouvelles Annales des -Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., pp. 306-9,) which was probably in the same -year. _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 163-325, vol. ii., pp. 264-73, -with many plates and cuts. Padre Carrillo, cura of Ticul, with D. -Vicente Garcia Rejon, and D. Jose Maria Fajardo, visited the ruins in -March, 1845, and an account of the visit, embodying but little -information, was published by _L. G._, in _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., -pp. 275-9. Another account of a visit in the same year was published -by _M. F. P._, in _Id._, pp. 361-70. Mr Carl Bartholomaeus Heller -spent two or three days at Uxmal, April 6 to 9, 1847. His account is -found in _Heller_, _Reisen_, pp. 256-65. M. Charnay's visit was in -1858, and his efforts to obtain photographic negatives and to fight -the insects which finally drove him away, lasted eight days. -_Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, pp. 362-80, pl. xxxv-xlix. M. Brasseur de -Bourbourg was at Uxmal in 1865, and made a report, accompanied by a -plan, which was published in the _Archives de la Com. Scien. du Mex._, -tom. ii., pp. 234, 254, as the author states in his _Palenque_, -Introd., p. 24. See further on Uxmal: Description quoted from Stephens -with unlimited criticisms, italics, capitals, and exclamation points, -in _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, pp. 86-105, 120; description from -Waldeck and Stephens, with remarks on the city's original state, in -_Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., pp. 21-3, 585; -and also slight accounts made up from one or more of the authorities -already cited as follows: _Mueller_, _Amerikanische Urreligionen_, pp. -462, 483; _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 99-103, from Waldeck; -_Baril_, _Mexique_, pp. 129-30, from Del Rio; _Sivers_, -_Mittelamerika_, pp. 237-41; _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., pp. 149-50, -193; _Frost's Great Cities_, pp. 268-81; _Id._, _Pict. Hist. Mex._, p. -80; _Album_, _Mex._, tom. i., pp. 203-4, the last three including a -moonlight view of the ruins, from Norman; _Larenaudiere_, _Mex. et -Guat._, pp. 321-8, with plates from Waldeck; _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, -pp. 131-7, with cuts, from Stephens; _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. -208, 212-13, 302, 330, 398-9, from Stephens; _Willson's Amer. Hist._, -pp. 82-6, with cuts, from Stephens; _Armin_, _Das Heutige Mex._, pp. -91-6, with cuts, from Stephens; _Id._, _Das Alte Mex._, p. 97; -_Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 144; _Muehlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. -ii., pt. i., p. 12; _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., p. 51; _Hermosa_, -_Enciclopedia_, Paris, 1857, pp. 176-7; _Prescott's Mex._, vol. iii., -pp. 412-13; _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1843, tom. xcvii., pp. 36-7, -44. - -[V-5] Pronounced _ooshmahl_. - -[V-6] Cogolludo sometimes writes the name Uxumual. 'Il nous a ete -impossible de trouver une etymologie raisonnable a ce nom.' _Brasseur -de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 21. 'Le nom d'_Uxmal_ -signifie _du temps passe_. Il ne s'applique aux ruines que parce que -celles-ci sont situees sur le terrain de la hacienda d'Uxmal.' -_Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 68; _Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, p. 237. -Possibly derived from _ox_ and _mal_, meaning 'three passages' in -Maya. _Heller_, _Reisen_, p. 255. 'It was an existing inhabited -aboriginal town' in 1556. _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., p. 272. -Called _Oxmutal_ by Soza, in _Rio's Description_, p. 7. - -[V-7] Lat. 30 deg. 22' 86'' (!), Long. 4' 33'' west of Merida. 'Une -couche tres mince d'une terre ferrugineuse recouvre le sol, mais -disparait dans les environs ou l'on n'apercoit que du sable.' -_Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., -p. 306. 2 miles (German) west of Jalacho, which lies near Maxcanu, -on the road from Merida to Campeche. _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. -144. 20 leagues from Merida, occupying an extent of several leagues. -_Muehlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. ii., pt. i., p. 12. 'A huit lieues de -Mayapan ... dans une plaine legerement ondulee.' _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 21. 'Le terrain d'Uxmal -est plat dans toute l'etendue du plateau.' 'Sur le plateau d'une -haute montagne.' _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 68, 70. - -[V-8] 'Sur un diametre d'une lieue, le sol est couvert de debris, dont -quelques-uns recouvrent des interieurs fort bien conserves.' -_Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, p. 363. - -[V-9] In the plan I have followed Stephens, _Yucatan_, vol. i., p. -165, who determined the position of all the structures by actual -measurement, cutting roads through the undergrowth for this express -purpose, and the accuracy of whose survey cannot be called in -question. His plan is reproduced on a reduced scale in _Willson's -Amer. Hist._, p. 83. Plans are also given in _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, -pl. viii.; _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, p. 155; and _Charnay_, _Ruines -Amer._, introd. by Viollet-le-Duc, p. 62. These all differ very -materially both from that of Stephens, and from each other; they are -moreover very incomplete, and bear marks of having been carelessly or -hastily prepared. 'Disposee en echiquier, ou se deployaient, a la -suite les uns des autres, les palais et les temples.' _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 21. Besides the plans, -general views of the ruins from nearly the same point (_q_ on the plan -looking southward) are given by Stephens, _Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 305, -and by Charnay, _Ruines Amer._, phot. 49. Norman, _Rambles in Yuc._, -frontispiece, gives a general view of the ruins by moonlight from a -point and in a direction impossible to fix, which is copied in the -_Album Mex._, tom. i., p. 203, in _Frost's Great Cities_, p. 269, and -in _Id._, _Pict. Hist. Mex._, p. 80. It makes a very pretty -frontispiece, which is about all that can be said in its favor, except -that it might serve equally well to illustrate any other group of -American or old-world antiquities. - -[V-10] _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, phot. 49. - -[V-11] 'No habiendo tradicion alguna que testifique los nombres -propios, que en un principio tuvieron los diferentes edificios que -denuncian estas ruinas, es preciso creer que los que hoy llevan, son -enteramente gratuitos.' _L. G._, in _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., p. 275. -Mr Jones is positive this must have been a temple rather than a -palace. 'Mr Stephens appears to be so strict a Spartan Republican, -that every large, or magnificent building in the Ruined Cities, he -considers to be a _Palace_,--he seems to have thought less of mind, -than of matter.' _Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 96; Waldeck, _Voy. Pitt._, p. -97, calls it the Temple of Fire. - -[V-12] In stating the dimensions of this mound, as I shall generally -do in describing Uxmal, I have followed Stephens' text. His plan and -both plans and text of all the other visitors vary more or less -respecting each dimension. I had prepared tables of dimensions for -each building from all the authorities, but upon reflection have -thought it not worth while to insert them. Such tables would not -enable the reader to ascertain the exact measurements, and moreover -differences of a few feet cannot be considered practically important -in this and similar cases. All the authorities agree on the general -form and extent of this pyramidal mound. Most of them, however, refer -only to the eastern front, and no one but Stephens notes the western -irregularities. In giving the dimensions of the respective terraces -some also refer to their bases, and others probably to their summits. -Norman, _Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 156-7, states that the second and third -terraces are each thirty feet high, while Charnay, _Ruines Amer._, pp. -372-3, makes the same fifteen and ten feet respectively. Waldeck's -plan makes the summit platform about 240 feet long. - -[V-13] Jones, _Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 120, says there was a stairway in -the centre of each side. - -[V-14] Norman's dimensions are 36x272 feet; Heller's, 40x320 feet; -Friederichsthal's, 38x407 feet; and Waldeck's, about 65x195 feet. - -[V-15] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 175, reproduced in _Baldwin's -Anc. Amer._, p. 132, and _Willson's Amer. Hist._, p. 84. The author -speaks of the number of rooms as being 18, although the plan shows 24. -He probably does not count the four small rooms corresponding with the -recesses on the front and rear, as he also does not include their -doors in his count. How he gets rid of the other two does not appear. -Norman says 24 rooms, Charnay 21, and Stephens indicates 22 in the -plan in _Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 428. - -[V-16] Friederichsthal, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. -xcii., p. 309, speaking of the Uxmal structures in general, says the -blocks are usually 5x12 inches; Zavala, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., -div. ii., p. 34, pronounces them from 25 to 28 centimetres in length, -width, and thickness. - -[V-17] This beam was taken to N. Y., where it shared the fate of -Stephens' other relics. - -[V-18] Stephens favors the former theory, Waldeck and Charnay the -latter, insisting that the hammock is consequently an American -invention. Norman goes so far as to say that the grooves worn by the -hammock-ropes are still to be seen on some of these timbers. - -[V-19] Waldeck, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 97, speaks of real or false doors -made of a single stone in connection with this building, but his -examination of it was very slight. Cogolludo, _Hist. Yuc._, p. 177, -speaks of interior decorations as follows: 'Ay vn lienco en lo -interior de la fabrica, que (aunque es muy dilatado) a poco mas de -medio estado de vn hombre, corre por todo el vna cornisa de piedra muy -tersa, que haze vna esquina delicadissima, igual, y muy perfecta, -donde (me acuerdo) avia sacado de la misma piedra, y quedado en ella -vn anillo tan delgado, y vistoso, como puede ser vno de oro obrado con -todo primor.' - -[V-20] From _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 174; also in _Baldwin's -Anc. Amer._, p. 132. Charnay's photograph 48 shows the opposite or -northern end in connection with another building. - -[V-21] From Stephens; one of them also in _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._ - -[V-22] A cut of this hook is also given by Norman, and by Waldeck, -who, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 74, attempts to prove its identity with an -elephant's trunk, and that it was not molded from a tapir's snout. - -[V-23] Charnay, _Ruines Amer._, phot. 46, shows the whole eastern -facade. Photograph 47 gives a view on a larger scale of the portion -over the principal doorway. Stephens, _Yucatan_, vol. i., -frontispiece, represents the same front in a large plate, and in his -_Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 434, is a plate showing a part of the -same. Norman gives a lithograph of the front. _Rambles in Yuc._, p. -158. His enlarged portion of the front from Waldeck does not belong to -the Governor's House at all. 'Couvert de bas-reliefs, executes avec -une rare perfection, formant une suite de meandres et arabesques d'un -travail non moins capricieux que bizarre.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, -_Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 23. Decorated with 'gros serpents -entrelaces et d'anneaux en pierre.' _Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles -Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., p. 308. 'Chiefly the meander, or -the Grecian square border, used in the embroidery of the mantles and -robes of Attica.' _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 98. 'The length of the -upper platform (in English feet!!) is seen to correspond nearly with -the number of days in the year, and the mysterious emblem of eternity, -the serpent, is found extending its portentous length around the -building.' _Frost's Great Cities_, p. 271. 'Du haut de ses trois -etages de pyramides, il se dresse comme un roi, dans un isolement -plein de majestueuse grandeur.' 'L'ornementation se compose d'une -guirlande en forme de trapezes reguliers, de ces enormes tetes deja -decrites, courant du haut en bas de la facade, et servant de ligne -enveloppante a des grecques d'un relief tres-saillant, reliees entre -elles par une ligne de petites pierres en carre diversement sculptees; -le tout sur un fond plat de treillis de pierre. Le dessus des -ouvertures etait enrichi de pieces importantes, que divers voyageurs -ont eu le soin d'enlever. Quatre niches, placees regulierement, -contenaient des statues, absentes aujourd'hui.' _Charnay_, _Ruines -Amer._, pp. 372-3. 'One solid mass of rich, complicated elaborately -sculptured ornaments forming a sort of arabesque.' 'Perhaps it may -with propriety be called a species of sculptured mosaic; and I have no -doubt that all these ornaments have a symbolical meaning; that each -stone is part of a history, allegory, or fable.' _Stephens' Yucatan_, -vol. i., pp. 166, 173. 'The ornaments were composed of small square -pieces of stone, shaped with infinite skill, and inserted between the -mortar and stone with the greatest care and precision. About -two-thirds of the ornaments are still remaining upon the facade.... -The ground-work of the ornaments is chiefly composed of raised lines, -running diagonally, forming diamond or lattice-work, over which are -rosettes and stars; and, in bold relief, the beautiful Chinese -border.' _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 158-9. 'A travers ces grands -meandres formes par l'appareil se montrent, ici encore, la tradition -des constructions de bois par empilages, en encorbellement et le -treillis. Cette construction est une des plus soignees parmi celles -d'Uxmal.' _Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, p. 70. - -[V-23] 'La decoration du parement de cet edifice ne consiste -qu'en une imitation de palissade formee de rondins de bois. Sur la -frise superieure, des tortues saillantes rompent seules les lignes -horizontales.' _Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, p. 69. -Photograph 48 shows the north front of the Casa de Tortugas. Stephens, -_Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 184, gives a plate showing the southern front. -Waldeck's plan would make this building's dimensions about 60x185 -feet. The column structure will be illustrated by engravings in -connection with the ruins of Zayi and others. - -[V-24] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 181; _Norman's Rambles in -Yuc._, p. 156. From this rather meagre information Mr Jones proves, in -a manner entirely satisfactory to himself, that the whole platform was -surrounded in its original condition by a double row of columns, 230 -in number, placed 10 feet apart, each 18 inches in diameter and 12 -feet high, with a grand central column, 6 feet in diameter, and 60 -feet high. _Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 119. - -[V-25] 'A shaft of gray limestone in an inclined position, measuring -twelve feet in circumference and eight in height; bearing upon its -surface no marks of form or ornament by which it might be -distinguished from a natural piece.' _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, p. -156. 'Une espece de colonne dite _pierre du chatiment_, ou les -coupables devaient recevoir la punition de leurs fautes.' _Charnay_, -_Ruines Amer._, p. 372. 'Una enorme columna de piedra, cuya forma -semiconica le da el aire de un obelisco, aunque de base circular y sin -adornos.' _M. F. P._, in _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., p. 364. - -[V-26] 'Double-headed cat or lynx,' cut from _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. -i., p. 183; and _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, p. 133. 'Un autel, au centre, -soutenait un tigre a deux tetes, dont les corps relies au ventre -figurent une double chimere.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, p. 372. 'Rude -carving of a tiger with two heads.' _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, p. -156. 'En un mismo cuerpo contiene dos cabezas de tigre de tamano -regular, vueltas hacia fuera: su actitud es la misma que la en que -generalmente se representa la esfinge de la fabula; y si su excavacion -no fuera tan reciente, probablemente habria corrido la suerte de otras -estatuas y objetos preciosos, que a nuestra vista y paciencia han sido -sacados del pais para figurar en los museos extranjeros.' _M. F. P._, -in _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., pp. 364-5. Mr Heller, _Reisen_, p. 259, -confounds this monument with the picote. - -[V-27] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i. pp. 229-32. Sr Peon, proprietor of -Uxmal, believed that these excavations were originally used as -granaries, not deeming the plaster sufficiently hard to resist water. -'Excavations ... with level curbings and smoothly finished inside.' -_Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, p. 156. - -[V-28] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 253-6, with a view in the -frontispiece. Although Stephens says the pyramid is only sixty-five -feet high, it is noticeable that in Catherwood's drawing it towers -high above the roof of the Casa del Gobernador, which is at least -sixty-eight feet in height. Norman, _Rambles in Yuc._, p. 157, calls -this a pile of loose stones, about two hundred feet square at the -base, and one hundred feet high, and covered on the sides and top with -debris of edifices. Friederichsthal, _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, -1841, tom. xcii., p. 308, says the summit platform is seventy-seven -feet square. - -[V-29] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 319. A distant view of this -pyramid is included in Stephens' general view, p. 305, and in -Charnay's photograph 49. Norman, in both plan and text, unites this -pyramid at the base with that at E, and makes its height eighty feet. -_Rambles in Yuc._, p. 157. - -[V-30] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 318-19, with view of the Casa -de Palomas; cut also in _Id._, _Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 426. 'Une -muraille dentelee de pignons assez eleves, perces d'une multitude de -petites ouvertures, qui donnent a chacun la physionomie d'un -colombier.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, pp. 371-2, phot. 49. 'A wall of -two hundred feet remains standing upon a foundation of ten feet. Its -width is twenty-five feet; having ranges of rooms in both sides, only -parts of which remain. This wall has an acute-angled arch doorway -through the centre.... The top of this wall has numerous square -apertures through it, which give it the appearance of pigeon-holes; -and its edge is formed like the gable-end of a house, uniformly -notched.' _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, p. 165, with plate showing one -of the peaks of the wall. - -[V-31] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 320; Norman, _Rambles in -Yuc._, p. 165, speaks of this part of the ruin as 'an immense court or -square, enclosed by stone walls, leading to the Nun's House,' C of the -plan. He says, also, that some of the scattered mounds in this -direction have been excavated and seem to have been intended -originally for sepulchres. - -[V-32] Mr Stephens, _Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 320, refers to his appendix -for a mention of some of the relics found in this group. The reference -is probably to a note on vestiges of the phallic worship on p. 434, -which from motives of modesty the author gives in Latin. - -[V-33] Mr Norman's statements, _Rambles in Yuc._, p. 166, differ -materially from those of Stephens, _Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 298-9. He -states that the walls are only twelve feet apart, that the eastern -facade only has the entwined serpents, that the western is covered -with hieroglyphics, that the structure contains rooms on a level with -the ground, and implies that the western ring was still perfect at the -time of his visit. This building is called by Charnay the Carcel, or -Prison. - -[V-34] In these dimensions I have followed Mr Stephens' text, as usual -in Uxmal, as far as possible. Although the Casa de Monjas has received -more attention than any of the other structures, yet, strangely -enough, no visitor gives all the dimensions of the buildings and -terraces; hardly any two authors agree on any one dimension; and no -author's text agrees exactly with his plans. Yet the figures of my -text may be considered approximately correct. I append, however, in -this instance a table of variations as a curiosity. - -Respecting the height of the buildings, except the northern, we have -no figures from any reliable authority; but we know that both eastern -and western are lower than the northern building and higher than the -southern, whose rooms are 17 feet high on the inside, and moreover -that the eastern is higher than the western. - -[V-35] M. Waldeck, _Voy. Pitt._, pl. xii., presents a drawing of four -of these turtles. 'Covered with square blocks of stone.' _Norman's -Rambles in Yuc._, p. 163. '_Each tortoise_ is in a square, and in the -two external angles of each square is an _Egg_. The _tortoise_ and the -_egg_, are both National emblems.' _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 94. - -[V-36] _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, pp. 364, 368; _Stephens' Yucatan_, -vol. i., pp. 301, 308. - -[V-37] Plan in _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 301; reproduced in -_Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, p. 136. Waldeck, _Voy. Pitt._, pl. xii., also -gives a ground plan, which, so far as the arrangement of rooms and -doorways is concerned, differs very widely from that of Stephens, and -must be regarded as very incorrect. M. Waldeck, during his short stay -in Yucatan, seems to have devoted his chief attention to sketching the -sculptured facades, a work which he accomplished accurately, but to -have constructed his plans from memory and imagination after leaving -the country. In the preparation of the present plan he had, to aid his -fancy, the supposed occupation of these buildings in former times by -nuns, and he has arranged the rooms with an eye to the convenience of -the priests in keeping a proper watch and guard over the movements of -those erratic demoiselles. - -[V-38] Cut from _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 309. For some reason -the sculpture is not shown. Waldeck's pl. xii. contains also a section -showing the form of the arches and ceilings. - -[V-39] 'Les linteux des portes sont en bois, comme partout a Uxmal.' -'Les interieurs, de dimensions variees suivant la grandeur des -edifices ... deux murailles paralleles, puis obliquant, pour se relier -par une dalle.' 'Les salles etaient enduites d'une couche de platre -fin qui existe encore.' 'On remarque de chaque cote de l'ouverture, a -egale distance du sol et du linteau de la porte, plantes dans la -muraille de chaque cote des supports, quatre crochets en pierre.' -_Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, pp. 364-6. M. Waldeck speaks of the -door-tops of the western building as being composed of nine pieces of -stone, perpendicular on the outside, or visible, portions, but beveled -and secured by a keystone within. 'Fait de neuf pierres a coupe -perpendiculaire, et point du tout a clef: je parle ici de l'aspect de -cette partie du monument a l'exterieur; mais a l'interieur, ces neuf -pierres sont a clef, ce que l'absence d'enduit m'a permis de -constater.' _Voy. Pitt._, p. 100. 'The height of the ceiling is -uniform throughout.' _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, p. 161. Heller, -_Reisen_, p. 257, gives the botanical name of the zapote-wood used for -lintels as _cavanilla_, _achras sapota_. Waldeck calls the wood -_jovillo_. _Voy. Pitt._, p. 97. Norman spells it _zuporte_. - -[V-40] 'J'ai parle, dans le texte du present ouvrage, des pretendues -colonnes trouvees dans l'Yucatan. Les trois balustres qu'on voit dans -cette planche peuvent, deplaces comme ils l'etaient, avoir donne lieu -a cette erreur. En effet, en divisant ces ornements en plusieurs -morceaux, on y trouvera un fut droit et une espece de chapiteau que, -d'apres des idees relatives assurement fort naturelles, on place -volontiers a l'extremite superieure du fut, au lieu de le mettre au -milieu.' _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 103. 'C'est un ensemble de -colonnettes nouees dans le milieu trois par trois, separees par des -parties de pierres plates et les treillis qu'on rencontre si souvent; -ce batiment est d'une simplicite relative, compare a la richesse des -trois autres.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, p. 368. - -[V-41] My engravings are taken from _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pl. xv., -xvii. They are reproduced in _Larenaudiere_, _Mex. et Guat._, p. 323, -pl. 3, 6. The perfect accuracy of the engravings--except the seated -statues--is proved by Charnay's photographs 42, 49, which show the -same front, as does the view in _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 305. -The southern front of this building is only shown in general views in -_Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 420; repeated in _Armin_, _Das -Heutige Mex._, p. 92; and in _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, p. 160, which -give no details. - -[V-42] 'La decoration se compose d'une espece de trophee en forme -d'eventail, qui part du bas de la frise en s'elargissant jusqu'au -sommet du batiment. Ce trophee est un ensemble de barres paralleles -terminees par des tetes de monstres. Au milieu de la partie -superieure, et touchant a la corniche, se trouve une enorme tete -humaine, encadree a l'egyptienne, avec une corne de chaque cote. Ces -trophees sont separes par des treillis de pierre qui donnent a -l'edifice une grande richesse d'effet. Les coins ont toujours cette -ornementation bizarre, composee de grandes figures d'idoles -superposees, avec un nez disproportionne, tordu et releve, qui fait -songer a la maniere chinoise.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, pp. 366-7. -The first of my engravings I take from _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., -p. 306; the same front being shown also in Charnay's photograph 38, in -Waldeck's pl. xv., and in _Larenaudiere_, _Mex. et Guat._, pl. 3. The -second engraving is from Waldeck's pl. xvi., given also in -_Larenaudiere_, _Mex. et Guat._, pl. 5, in _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, -p. 156--where it is incorrectly stated to represent a portion of the -Casa del Gobernador,--and corresponding with Charnay's photograph 39. -The third cut is from _Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, -p. 65. M. Viollet-le-Duc explains the cut as follows: 'Supposons des -piles ou murs de refend A; si l'on pose a la tete des piles les -premiers patins B, sur lesquels, a angle droit, on embrevera les -traverses C, puis les secondes pieces B', les deuxiemes traverses C' -en encorbellement egalemente embervees, et ainsi de suite, on obtient, -au droit des tetes de piles ou murs de refend, des parois verticales, -et, dans le sens des ouvertures, des parois inclinees arrivant a -porter les filieres D avec potelets intercales. Si, d'une pile a -l'autre, on pose les linteaux E en arriere du nu des pieces BB', et -que sur ces linteaux on etablisse des treillis, on obtiendra une -construction de bois primitive, qui est evidemment le principe de la -decoration de la facade de pierre du batiment.' This facade is 'the -most chaste and simple in design and ornament, and it was always -refreshing to turn from the gorgeous and elaborate masses on the other -facades to this curious and pleasing combination.' _Stephens' -Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 306. 'The eastern facade is filled with -elaborate ornaments, differing entirely from the others, and better -finished.' _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 161-2. 'Les huit echelons -dont la serie forme un cone renverse, sont ornes, a chacune de leurs -extremites, d'une tete symbolique de serpent ou de dragon. La tete du -Soleil qui touche a la corniche et repose sur le troisieme echelon, -offre deux rayons ascendants, independemment de ceux qui flamboient -autour du masque, dont je n'ai pu deviner la signification. Les trois -rayons qui se voient au dessus de la tete ont peut-etre quelques -rapports avec le meridien, celui du milieu indiquant le parfait -equilibre.' 'Des sept masques solaires, un seul etait intact.' -'L'ensemble de cette facade offre a l'heure de midi un caractere de -grandeur dont il serait difficile de donner une idee.' _Waldeck_, -_Voy. Pitt._, pp. 102-3. - -[V-43] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 307, with plate; _Charnay_, -_Ruines Amer._, phot. 43. - -[V-44] The illustrations of the Serpent front are in _Waldeck_, _Voy. -Pitt._, pl. xiii., xviii., which latter shows some of the detached -faces, or masks; _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, phot. 40, 41, 44; and -_Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 302-3. Rattlesnakes are common in -this region. The proprietor proposed to build this serpent's head into -a house in Merida as a memorial of Uxmal. 'Toward the south end the -head and tail of the serpents corresponded in design and position with -the portion still existing at the other.' _Id._, vol. i., pp. 302-3. -'The remains of two great serpents, however, are still quite perfect; -their heads turned back, and entwining each other, they extend the -whole length of the facade, through a chaste ground-work of ornamental -lines, interspersed with various rosettes. They are put together by -small blocks of stone, exquisitely worked, and arranged with the -nicest skill and precision. The heads of the serpents are adorned with -pluming feathers and tassels.' _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, p. 162. -'Son nom lui vient d'un immense serpent a sonnettes courant sur toute -la facade, dont le corps, se roulant en entrelacs, va servir de cadre -a des panneaux divers. Il n'existe plus qu'un seul de ces panneaux: -c'est une grecque, que surmontent six croisillons, avec rosace a -l'interieur; une statue d'Indien s'avance en relief de la facade, il -tient a la main un sceptre; on remarque au-dessus de sa tete un -ornement figurant une couronne.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, p. 367. -'Un ornement, imite d'une sorte de pompon en passementerie termine par -une frange, se voit au-dessus de la queue du reptile. On decouvre -egalement dans la frise ces rosettes frangees comme celles signalees -dans le batiment de l'est.' _Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Id._, p. 69. 'En -voyant pour la premiere fois ce superbe edifice, je ne pus retenir un -cri de surprise et d'admiration, tant les choses originales et -nouvelles emeuvent l'imagination et les sens de l'artiste. J'ai -cherche a rendre, dans ce qu'on vient de lire, mes premieres -impressions. Pourquoi n'avouerais-je pas qu'il s'y mele un peu de -vanite? Un pareil sentiment n'est-il pas excusable chez le voyageur -qui revele au monde civilise des tresors archeologiques si longtemps -ignores, un style nouveau d'architecture, et une source abondante ou -d'autres, plus savants que lui, iront puiser un jour?' _Waldeck_, -_Voy. Pitt._, p. 100. - -[V-45] Cut of one of these projecting curves in _Norman's Rambles in -Yuc._, p. 162. - -[V-46] 'The whole, loaded as it is with ornament, conveys the idea of -vastness and magnificence rather than that of taste and refinement.' -_Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 304. 'The northern front, no doubt, -was the principal one, as I judge from the remains, as well as from -the fact, that it is more elevated than the others.' _Norman's Rambles -in Yuc._, p. 161. Norman's general view of the Nunnery includes a view -of this northern front, but the decorations are omitted and the -turrets also. 'Chaque porte, de deux en deux, est surmontee d'une -niche merveilleusement ouvragee que devaient occuper des statues -diverses. Quant a la frise elle-meme, c'est un ensemble extraordinaire -de pavillons, ou de curieuses figures d'idoles superposees ressortent -comme par hasard de l'arrangement des pierres, et rappellent les tetes -enormes sculptees sur les palais de Chichen-Itza. Des meandres de -pierres finement travaillees leur servent de cadre et donnent une -vague idee de caracteres hieroglyphiques: puis viennent une succession -de grecques de grande dimension, alternees, aux angles, de carres et -de petites rosaces d'un fini admirable. Le caprice de l'architecte -avait jete ca et la, comme des dementis a la parfaite regularite du -dessin, des statues dans les positions les plus diverses. La plupart -ont disparu, et les tetes ont ete enlevees a celles qui restent -encore.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, pp. 364-5, phot. 36-7. 'Les -grosses tetes forment la principale decoration des dessus de portes; -les treillis sont histories, les encorbellements empiles supprimes.' -_Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Id._, p. 67. - -[V-47] I append a few general quotations concerning the Nunnery: The -court facades 'ornamented from one end to the other with the richest -and most intricate carving known in the art of the builders of Uxmal; -presenting a scene of strange magnificence, surpassing any that is now -to be seen among its ruins.' _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 300. -'All these facades were painted; the traces of the colour are still -visible, and the reader may imagine what the effect must have been -when all this building was entire, and according to its supposed -design, in its now desolate doorways stood noble Maya maidens, like -the vestal virgins of the Romans, to cherish and keep alive the sacred -fire burning in the temples.' _Id._, p. 307. The bottoms of the -caissons of the diamond lattice-work are painted red. The paint is -believed to be a mixture in equal parts of carmine and vermilion, -probably vegetable colors. _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 200-1; Zavala, -in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., pp. 33-4, describes a building -supposed to be the Nunnery on account of the serpent ornament, which, -however, is stated to be on the exterior front of the building. -Cogolludo, _Hist. Yuc._, p. 177, describes the court and surrounding -edifices, stating that the serpent surrounds all four sides. 'Vn gran -patio con muchos aposentos separados en forma de claustro donde viuian -estas doncellas. Es fabrica digna de admiracion, porque lo exterior de -las paredes es todo de piedra labrada, donde estan sacadas de medio -relieue figuras de hombres armados, diuersidad de animales, pajaros, y -otras cosas.' 'Todos los quatro liencos de aquel gran patio (que se -puede llamar placa) los cine vna culebra labrada en la misma piedra de -las paredes, que termina la cola por debaxo de la cabeca, y tiene toda -ella en circuito quatrocientos pies.' Jones, _Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. -93, accounts for the superiority of the sculpture on the court facades -by supposing that it was executed at a later date; its protection from -the weather would also tend to its better preservation. - -[V-48] Although Zavala says, speaking of the Uxmal ruins in general: -'Celles qui forment l'arete a partir de laquelle les plans des murs -convergent pour determiner la voute prismatique dont j'ai deja parle, -sont taillees en forme de coude dont l'angle est obtus.' _Antiq. -Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 34. 'In the rear of, and within a few -feet of the eastern range, are the remains of a similar range, which -is now almost in total ruins. There appear to have been connecting -walls, or walks, from this range to the Pyramid near by, as I judged -from the rubbish and stones that can be traced from one to the other.' -_Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, p. 162. Cuts from _Stephens' Yucatan_, -vol. i., pp. 311, 430; one of them reproduced in _Baldwin's Anc. -Amer._ - -[V-49] So say Stephens' text and plan, Viollet-le-Duc, and Charnay's -plan; but Stephens' views, except that in _Cent. Amer._, Charnay's -photographs, and Waldeck's plan and drawings, do not indicate an oval -form. I am inclined to believe that the corners are simply rounded -somewhat more than in the other Uxmal structures, and that the oval -form indicated in the plan is not correct. - -[V-50] M. Viollet-le-Duc says it is 'entierement compose d'un blocage -de maconnerie revetu de gros moellons parementes,' in _Charnay_, -_Ruines Amer._, p. 70. - -[V-51] _Cogolludo_, _Hist. Yuc._, p. 193. 'La subida principal esta a -la parte del oriente y se practica por medio de una grada, que a la -altura referida, guarda, segun mi calculo, el muy escaso declive de -treinta pies a lo mas: esta circunstancia, como se deja entender, la -hace en extremo pendiente y peligrosa. Si no me engano, la grada a que -me refiero, tiene de 95 a 100 escaloncitos de piedra labrada, pero tan -angostos, que apenas pueden recibir la mitad del pie: la cubren muchos -troncos de arboles, espinos, y, lo que es peor, una multitud de yerba, -resbaladiza.' The author, however, climbed the stairway barefooted. -_L. G._, in _Registro de Yuc._, tom. i., p. 278. 'Les cotes de la -pyramide sont tellement lisses qu'on ne peut y monter meme a l'aide -des arbres et des broussailles qui poussent dans les interstices des -pierres.' _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 95. The eastern slope 70 deg., and -the western 80 deg. _Heller_, _Reisen_, p. 256. Stairway has 180 steps, -each 12 to 15 centimetres wide and high. _Zavala_, in _Antiq. Mex._, -tom. i., div. ii., p. 33. 100 steps, each 5 inches wide. _Waldeck_, -_Voy. Pitt._, p. 71. 100 steps, each 6 inches wide. _Norman's Rambles -in Yuc._, p. 163. About 130 steps, 8 or 9 inches high. _Stephens' -Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 421. - -[V-52] 'Une espece de petite chapelle en contre-bas tournee a l'ouest; -ce petit morceau est fouille comme un bijou; une inscription parait -avoir ete gravee, formant ceinture au-dessus de la porte.' _Charnay_, -_Ruines Amer._, p. 368. 'Loaded with ornaments more rich, elaborate, -and carefully executed, than those of any other edifice in Uxmal.' -_Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. 313. - -[V-53] In the matter of dimensions, the Casa del Adivino presents the -same variations as the other structures--Stephens, _Yucatan_, being -the authority followed. Waldeck makes the platform 45 by 91 feet 8 -inches, and the building 81 feet 8 inches by 14 feet 8 inches. Zavala -calls the building 8 metres square. According to Norman the pyramid -measures 500 feet at the base, and is 100 feet high, the platform -being 21 by 72 feet, and the building 12 by 60, and 20 feet high. -Charnay pronounces the pyramid 75 to 80 feet high. Stephens, _Cent. -Amer._, vol. ii., pp. 421-2, gives the dimensions as follows: Pyramid, -120 by 240 feet at base; platform, 4-1/2 feet wide outside the building; -building, 68 feet long; rooms, 9 feet wide, 18, 18, and 34 feet long. -Friederichsthal's dimensions: Pyramid, 120 by 192 feet and 25-1/2 feet -high; platform, 23-1/3 by 89 feet; building, 12 by 73 feet, and 19-1/4 -feet high. _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., p. 307. -Heller's dimensions: Pyramid, 135 by 225 feet, and 105 feet high; -platform, 20 by 70 feet; building, 12 by 60 feet, and 20 feet high. - -[V-54] 'Il est a remarquer que le penis des statues etait en erection, -et que toutes ces figures etaient plus particulierement mutilees dans -cette partie du corps.' _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 95-6. Plate xi. -shows the statue and accompanying portion of the wall. 'The emblems of -life and death appear on the wall in close juxtaposition, confirming -the belief in the existence of that worship practiced by the -Egyptians, and all other eastern nations, and before referred to as -prevalent among the people of Uxmal.' _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. -314. 'The western facade is ornamented with human figures similar to -_caryatides_, finely sculptured in stone with great art.' _Norman's -Rambles in Yuc._, p. 164. It is astonishing how easy the meaning of -these sculptures may be deciphered when the right person undertakes -the task. For instance: 'The translation of the above Sculpture seems -as easy as if a DANIEL had already read the handwriting on the wall! -as thus--The human figure, in full life and maturity, together with -the sex, presents mortality; over the figure the _cross-bones_ are -placed, portraying the figure's earthly death; while the skull -supported by expanding wings (and this Sculpture being placed above -those of life and death,) presents the immortal Soul ascending on the -wings of Time, above all earthly life, or the corruption of the -grave!' _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 103. - -[V-55] Stephens, _Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 312, 316, gives views of the -east and west fronts, the former of which I have inserted in my -description; and in _Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 420, a view from the -south, which is copied in _Armin_, _Das Heutige Mex._, p. 92, which -last authority also gives what seems to be a restoration of the -pyramid from Waldeck. Waldeck's plates, ix., x., xi., relate to this -structure; plate ix. is a view from a point above the whole and -directly over the centre, including a ground plan of the summit -building; plate x. is the western elevation of the pyramid and -building with the eastern elevation of the latter; and plate xi. is a -view of one of the statues as already mentioned. Charnay's photograph -35 gives a western view of the whole, which is also included in -photograph 38; it is to be noted that his plan places the Casa del -Adivino considerably south of the Nunnery. Norman, _Rambles in Yuc._, -p. 162, gives an altogether imaginary view of the pyramid and -building, perhaps intended for the western front. 'La base de la -colline factice est revetue d'un parement vertical avec une frise dans -laquelle on retrouve l'imitation des rondins de bois, surmontes d'une -sorte de balustrade presque entierement detruite.' _Viollet-le-Duc_, -in _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, p. 70. On the east front of the building -are 'deux portes carrees et deux petits pavillons couverts d'une -espece de toit reposant sur des pilastres.' 'Tel est ce monument, -chef-d'oeuvre d'art et d'elegance. Si j'etais arrive un an plus tard -a Uxmal, je n'aurais pas pu en donner un dessin complet; le centre -avait ete degrade par suite de l'extraction de quelques pierres -necessaires a la solidite de cette partie de l'edifice.' _Waldeck_, -_Voy. Pitt._, p. 96. Yet if the structure was as perfect and his -examination as complete as he claims, it is very strange, to say the -least, that he did not discover the apartments in the western -projections. Zavala, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 33, says -that the interior walls of this building are plastered. Stephens, -Charnay, and Brasseur, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., pp. 578-88, give -the tradition of the Dwarf, which gives this temple one of its names. -'The construction of these ornaments is not less peculiar and striking -than the general effect. There were no tablets or single stones, each -representing separately and by itself an entire subject; but every -ornament or combination is made up of separate stones, on each of -which part of the subject was carved, and which was then set in its -place in the wall.' 'Perhaps it may, with propriety, be called a -species of sculptured mosaic.' _Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. -422. - -[V-54] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 248-51, 227-8; _Norman's -Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 166, 157; _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 74; -_Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., -pp. 307-8; _Zavala_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 35; -_Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., p. 51. - -[V-55] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 188, 221-2. - -[V-56] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., p. 122, with plate showing front -of one building. - -[V-57] On Xcoch and Nohpat see _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. -348-58, 362-8, with cut of the pyramid, beside those given in the -text. Cut of former ruin reproduced in _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, pp. -144-5. 'Una infinita multitud de edificios enteramente arruinados, -esparcidos sobre toda la extension del terreno que puede abrazar la -vista. Esta como cadena de ruinas que desde Uxmal se prolonga con -direccion al S.E. por mas de 4 millas, induce a creer que es la -continuacion de esa inmensa ciudad.' 'Muchos edificios colosales -enteramente arruinados, que, aunque compartidos casi del mismo modo -que en Uxmal, indican, sin embargo, mayor antiguedad; porque siendo -construidos con iguales materias, y con no menor solidez, las injurias -del tiempo son mas evidentes sobre cuantos objetos se presentan a la -vista. Aun se nota la configuracion y trazo de las rampas, atrios y -plazas, donde andan, como diseminados en grupos, restos de altares, -multitud de piedras escuadradas talladas en medios relievos -representando calaveras y canillas, trozos de columnas, y cornizas y -estatuas caprichosas o simbolicas.' This visitor describes most of the -monuments mentioned by Stephens. The picote, or phallus, together with -a sculptured head, he brought away with him. _M. F. P._, in _Registro -Yuc._, tom. i., pp. 365-7. - -[V-58] 'The cornice running over the doorways, tried by the severest -rules of art recognised among us, would embellish the architecture of -any known era, and amid a mass of barbarism, of rude and uncouth -conceptions, it stands as an offering by American builders worthy of -the acceptance of a polished people.' _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., -pp. 387-95, with plates of the whole front, an enlarged portion of the -same, and the interior of the room mentioned. Norman, _Rambles in -Yuc._, p. 149, devotes a few lines to this building, but furnishes no -details. - -[V-59] The front is as usual decorated with sculpture, but it is much -fallen. Plate showing the front in _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., p. -397. - -[V-60] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 398-400, with cuts of the -Casa de Justicia and of the Arch; the latter being also in _Baldwin's -Anc. Amer._, p. 139. - -[V-61] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 386-7, 402-14, with cuts and -plates. Norman, _Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 148-9, thus describes these -sculptured jambs, which he found where Stephens left them placed -against the walls of the room: 'They are about six feet high and two -wide; the front facings of which are deeply cut, representing a -cacique, or other dignitary, in full dress, (apparently a rich Indian -costume,) with a profusion of feathers in his head-dress. He is -represented with his arms uplifted, holding a whip; a boy before him -in a kneeling position, with his hands extended in supplication; -underneath are hieroglyphics. The room is small, with the ceiling -slightly curved.' - -[V-62] _Larenaudiere_, _Mex. et Guat._, p. 321; _Baril_, _Mexique_, p. -129; _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 144. 'Autour de cette grande -ville (Uxmal), dans un rayon de plusieurs lieues, l'oeil admirait les -cites puissantes de Nohcacab, de Chetulul, de Kabah, de Tanchi, de -Bokal et plus tard de Nohpat, dont les nobles omules se decoupaient -dans l'azur fonce du ciel, comme autant de fleurons dans la couronne -d'Uxmal.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 21. - -[V-63] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 30-8, 41-6, 124-6. - -[V-64] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 16-28, with two plates in -addition to the cuts I have given. _Armin_, _Das Heutige Mex._, pp. -79-80, with two cuts, from Stephens. 'The summits of the neighboring -hills are capped with gray broken walls for many miles around.' -_Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 150-3, with view of front, copied in -_Democratic Review_, vol. xi., pp. 536-7; _Frost's Pict. Hist. Mex._, -pp. 78-9; and _Id._, _Great Cities_, pp. 291-5. - -[V-65] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 40-65, with plates. The cut -given in the text is also given by Baldwin, _Anc. Amer._, as a -frontispiece. _Willson's Amer. Hist._, p. 86. - -[V-66] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 72-8, with two plates, and -cut of painting. _Willson's Amer. Hist._, pp. 86-7. - -[V-67] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 83-4, 87-94. - -[V-68] _Id._, vol. ii., pp. 235-43. - -[V-69] _Un Curioso_, in _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., pp. 207-8, 351. - -[V-70] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 249, 258-61, 130-5, with -four plates illustrating the ruins of Chunhuhu. At Mani 'a pillory of -a conical shape, built of stones, and to the southward rises a very -ancient palace.' _Soza_, in _Rio's Description_, p. 7. 'On voit encore -pres de Mani les restes d'un edifice construit sur une colline. On -appelle cette ruine le temple _de las monjas del fuego_.' _Waldeck_, -_Voy. Pitt._, p. 48. - -[V-71] Authorities on Chichen Itza. _Landa_, _Relacion_, pp. -340-7,--Landa describing the ruins from personal observation, having -been bishop of Merida for several years, and died in the country in -1579; _Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. -xcii., pp. 300, 302, 304-6,--this author having visited Chichen in -1840, directed thereto by the advice of Mr Stephens, who had heard -rumors of the existence of extensive remains; _Stephens' Yucatan_, -vol. ii., pp. 282-324,--whose visit was from March 11 to 29, 1842, and -whose description, as usual, is much more complete than that of other -explorers; _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 104-28,--the corresponding -survey having lasted from February 10 to 14, 1842; _Charnay_, _Ruines -Amer._, pp. 339-46, phot. 26-34,--from an exploration in 1858. Thomas -Lopez Medel is also mentioned in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1843, -tom. xcvii., pp. 38, 43, as having visited Chichen by authority of the -Guatemalan government. Other authors who publish accounts of Chichen, -made up from the works of the preceding actual explorers, are as -follows: _Armin_, _Das Heutige Mex._, pp. 80-3; _Baldwin's Anc. -Amer._, pp. 140-4; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. -ii., p. 15; _Frost's Great Cities_, pp. 282-91; _Morelet_, _Voyage_, -tom. i., pp. 186, 193; _Willson's Amer. Hist._, pp. 79-82; _Davis' -Antiq. Amer._, p. 6; _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 144; _Mayer's -Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 179, cut; _Democratic Review_, vol. -xi., pp. 534-6; _Gallatin_, in _Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact._, vol. -i., p. 174; _Schott_, in _Smithsonian Rept._, 1871, pp. 423-4. - -[V-72] Plan from Stephens. The only other plan is that given by -Norman, which, in distances and the arrangement of the buildings with -respect to each other, presents not the slightest similarity with the -probably accurate drawings of Stephens and Catherwood. 'The ruins of -Chichen lie on a hacienda, called by the name of the ancient city.' -'The first stranger who ever visited them was a native of New-York,' -Mr John Burke. First brought to the notice of the world by -Friederichsthal. 'The plan is made from bearings taken with the -compass, and the distances were all measured with a line. The -buildings are laid down on the plan according to their exterior form. -All now standing are comprehended, and the whole circumference -occupied by them is about two miles ... though ruined buildings appear -beyond these limits.' 'In all the buildings, from some cause not -easily accounted for, while one varies ten degrees one way, that -immediately adjoining varies twelve or thirteen degrees in another;' -still the plan shows no such arrangement. _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. -ii., pp. 282-3, 290, 312. The modern church 'entierement composee de -pierres enlevees aux temples et aux palais dont j'allais etudier les -ruines.' The proprietor 'me proposa la cession de sa propriete et des -ruines pour la somme de deux mille piastres.' _Charnay_, _Ruines -Amer._, pp. 336, 344-5. 'A city which, I hazard little in saying, must -have been one of the largest the world has ever seen. I beheld before -me, for a circuit of many miles in diameter, the walls of palaces and -temples and pyramids, more or less dilapidated.' 'No marks of human -footsteps, no signs of previous visitors, were discernible; nor is -there good reason to believe that any person, whose testimony of the -fact has been given to the world, had ever before broken the silence -which reigns over these sacred tombs of a departed civilization.' -_Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 108-9. Thirty-three leagues from -Valladolid, and twenty-five from Merida. 'Une grotte offre, a une -profondeur de 52 pieds, un petit etang d'eau douce, auquel on descend -par des degres tailles dans le roc, et se prolongeant au-dessous de la -surface de l'eau.' _Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, -1841, tom. xcii., pp. 304-6. - -[V-73] 'Le bijou de Chichen pour la richesse des sculptures.' -_Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, p. 342. 'The most strange and -incomprehensible pile of architecture that my eyes ever -beheld--elaborate, elegant, stupendous.' _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, -p. 119. Norman calls the building House of the Caciques. - -[V-74] 'L'edifice appele _la casa de las Monjas_ (la maison des -nonnes) est long de 157 pieds, large de 86, haut de 47. Dans la partie -inferieure, il n'y a pas de trace d'ouverture. L'etage superieur a des -chambres nombreuses; les linteaux des portes sont ornes -d'hieroglyphes.' _Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, -1841, tom. xcii., p. 305. 'La porte (east front), surmontee de -l'inscription du palais, possede en outre une ornementation de -clochetons de pierre qui rappellent, comme ceux des coins de plusieurs -edifices, la maniere chinoise ou japonaise. Au-dessus, se trouve un -magnifique medaillon representant un chef la tete ceinte d'un diademe -de plumes; quant a la vaste frise qui entoure le palais, elle est -composee d'une foule de tetes enormes representant des idoles, dont le -nez est lui-meme enrichi d'une figure parfaitement dessinee. Ces tetes -sont separees par des panneaux de mosaique en croix, assez communs -dans le Yucatan.' 'Le developpement du palais et de la pyramide est -d'environ soixante-quinze metres.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, pp. -342-3. Photograph 30 shows the eastern front, and 29 the northern, of -the wing; 26 the north side of the building _a_; 27 the eastern, and -28 the southern front of the Iglesia, _b_. 'La facade (eastern) est -meme d'un beau caractere, et la composition de la porte avec le -bas-relief qui la surmonte est pleine d'une grandeur sauvage, d'un -effet saisissant. Mieux traites que dans les exemples precedents, -l'appareil des parements est plus regulier, et il presente cette -particularite tres-remarquable, qu'il s'accorde exactement avec la -decoration.' _Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Id._, p. 60. East wing 32 by 50 -feet, and 20 feet high. 'Over the door-way ... is a heavy lintel of -stone, containing two double rows of hieroglyphics, with a sculptured -ornament intervening. Above these are the remains of hooks carved in -stone, with raised lines of drapery running through them ... over -which, surrounded by a variety of chaste and beautifully executed -borders, encircled within a wreath, is a female figure in a sitting -posture, in basso-relievo, having a head-dress of feathers, cords, and -tassels, and the neck ornamented.' Building _a_, 10x35x20 feet; -building _b_, 13x22x36 feet. Main platform 75x100 feet. 'On the -eastern end of these rooms (in 1st story over the solid basement) is a -hall running transversely, four feet wide ... one side of which is -filled with a variety of sculptured work, principally rosettes and -borders, with rows of small pilasters; having three square recesses.' -_Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 169-73, with view of eastern front of -wing, and of north front of the whole structure. 'Over the doorway -(eastern front) are twenty small cartouches of hieroglyphics in four -rows, five in a row.' _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., p. 293, with -plates of eastern front, northern front, and the Iglesia. - -[V-75] _Akab-Tzib_ and not _Akatzeeb_, as Stephens spells it. -_Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 12; -_Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 291-2, with plate of front and of -the sculptured lintel. 'Those (rooms) fronting the south are the most -remarkable, the inner doorways having each a stone lintel of an -unusually large size, measuring thirty-two inches wide, forty-eight -long, and twelve deep; having on its inner side a sculptured figure of -an Indian in full dress, with cap and feathers, sitting upon a -cushioned seat, finely worked; having before him a vase containing -flowers, with his right hand extended over it, his left resting upon -the side of the cushion--the whole bordered with hieroglyphics. The -front part of this lintel contains two rows of hieroglyphics. 43x150x20 -feet, walls 3 feet thick. _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 123-4. -'Un enorme batiment pres des Nonnes, mais totalemente denue de -sculptures.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, p. 344. - -[V-76] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 311-17, with plates of north -front of the castle and its pyramid, and the interior of the room, -besides the cut of the monsters' heads given in my text. Bishop Landa -gives a description probably intended for this edifice and even gives -a plan of it. His account, except in mentioning four stairways, agrees -very well with that of later visitors, and is as follows: 'This -edifice has four stairways facing the four parts of the world; they -are 33 feet wide, each having 91 steps, very difficult of ascent. The -steps have the same height and width as ours. Each stairway has two -low balustrades, two feet wide, of good stonework like all the -building. The edifice is not sharp-cornered, because from the ground -upward between the balustrades the cubic blocks are rounded, ascending -by degrees and elegantly narrowing the building. There was, when I saw -it, at the foot of each balustrade a fierce serpent's mouth very -strangely worked. Above the stairways there is on the summit a small -level platform in which is an edifice of four rooms. Three of them -extend round without interruption, each having a door in the middle -and being covered with an arch. The northern room is of peculiar form, -and has a corridor of great pillars. The middle one, which must have -been a kind of little court between the rooms, has a door which leads -to the northern corridor and is closed with wood at the top, and -served for burning perfumes. In the entrance of this door or corridor -is a kind of coat of arms sculptured in stone, which I could not well -understand.' _Landa_, _Relacion_, pp. 342-4. 550 feet in circumference -at the base, its sides facing the cardinal points. 'The angles and -sides were beautifully laid with stones of an immense size, gradually -lessening, as the work approached the summit.' Stairways on north and -east 30 feet wide and narrowing toward the top. The south and west -slopes also mount in steps, each four feet high. Monsters' heads at -foot of eastern stairway. Slope 100 feet; building 42 feet square; -stone door-jambs have holes drilled through their inner angles; -interior walls are plastered and painted with figures now very dim; -roof perfectly flat and covered with soil. This author in his whole -description evidently confounds the north with the east front. -_Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 115-17, with view of pyramid. -Charnay's phot. 32 gives a view of the Chateau. 120 feet high, 159 -feet square at base; platform 60 feet square; 80 steps in the -stairway. _Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, -tom. xcii., p. 304. - -[V-77] 'Tenia delante la escalera del corte (of the castle) algo -aparte dos teatros de canteria pequenos de a quatro escaleras, y -enlosados por arriba en que dizen representavan las farsas y comedias -para solaz del pueblo.' _Landa_, _Relacion_, p. 344. - -[V-78] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 303-11. Plates giving a -general view of the Gymnasium, the front of the building on the -eastern wall, and the painted and sculptured figures. 'Le monument se -composait autrefois de deux pyramides perpendiculaires et paralleles, -d'un developpement de cent dix metres environ, avec plate-forme -disposee pour les spectateurs. Aux extremites deux petits edifices -semblables, sur une esplanade de six metres de hauteur, devaient -servir aux juges, ou d'habitation aux guardiens du gymnase.' Of the -two chambers on the eastern wall, 'la seconde, entiere aujourd'hui, -est couverte de peintures. Ce sont des guerriers et des pretres, -quelques-uns avec barbe noire et drapes dans de vastes tuniques, la -tete ornee de coiffures diverses. Les couleurs employees sont le noir, -le jaune, le rouge, et le blanc.... Dans le bas et en dehors du -monument se trouve la salle dont nous donnons les bas-reliefs, qui -sont certainement ce qu'il y a de plus curieux a Chichen-Itza. Toutes -les figures en bas-relief, sculptees sur les murailles de cette salle, -ont conserve le type de la race indienne existante.' _Charnay_, -_Ruines Amer._, pp. 140-1. Phot. 33 and 34 show the sculptured -procession of tigers and that of human figures, of which I have given -a portion in my text. 'On observera que les joints des pierres ne sont -pas _coupes_ conformement a l'habitude des constructeurs -d'_appareils_, mais que les pierres, ne formant pas _liaison_, -presentent plusieurs joints les uns au-dessus des autres, et ne -tiennent que par l'adherence des mortiers, qui les reunit au blocage -interieur. Par le fait, ces parements ne sont autre chose qu'une -decoration, un revetement colle devant un massif.' _Viollet-le-Duc_, -in _Id._, pp. 48-9. Walls stand on foundations about 16 feet high; -columns two feet in diameter; walls 250x16x26 feet and 130 feet -apart; building of southern wall (eastern, Norman having completely -lost his reckoning at Chichen in the points of the compass) 24 feet -high; rings two feet thick; line of rubbish in form of a curve -connecting main and end walls (_c_ and _d_). General view of the -Temple and cut of the ring. _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 111-15. -Walls 262x18x27 feet. _Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles Annales des -Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., p. 305. - -[V-79] Cuts from _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 300-1. Terrace 55 -by 62 feet; stairway 20 feet wide; building 23 by 43. _Ib._ -'Foundations of about twenty feet in height, which were surrounded and -sustained by well-cemented walls of hewn stone with curved angles' 240 -feet in circumference. Building 21 by 40 feet. 'Across these halls -were beams of wood, creased as if they had been worn by -hammock-ropes.' _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 124-5. Foundation only -two metres high, but photograph 31 shows this to be an error. -_Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, p. 344. 'Deux petits temples (E and D), -ayant leur facade au sud et a l'est; le vestibule du premier est orne -d'hieroglyphes.' _Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, -1841, tom. xcii., p. 305. - -[V-80] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 298-300, with view of the -building. This author is at fault so far as dimensions are concerned, -since 4 and 5 feet, the width of the corridors, and 3-3/4 feet, half the -diameter of the solid central mass, exceed 11 feet, half the diameter -of the whole building, to say nothing of the two walls. 'Bati en -maniere de mur a limacon.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, p. 344. Top of -first terrace, 30 feet high, 125 feet square; second terrace 50 feet -square and 12 feet high; on this terrace is a pyramidical square 50 -feet high, divided into rooms; on the centre of this square is the -Dome--'three conic structures, one within the other, a space of six -feet intervening; each cone communicating with the others by doorways, -the inner one forming the shaft. At the height of about ten feet, the -cones are united by means of transoms of zuporte. Around these cones -are evidences of spiral stairs, leading to the summit.' It is clear -that either Stephens' description or that of Norman is very incorrect. -Norman compares this Dome to a 'Greenan Temple' in Donegal, Ireland. -_Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 118-19, with a cut which agrees with Stephens' -cut and text. Tower 50 feet high, 36 feet in diameter; surrounding -wall 756 feet in circumference and twenty-five feet high. -_Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., -p. 305. - -[V-81] Four hundred and eighty bases of overthrown columns. 'Des -colonnades qui, bien que d'une construction lourde, surprennent par -leur etendue.' _Friederichsthal_, loc. cit., pp. 302, 300; _Stephens' -Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 317-18, and view. - -[V-82] 'Had the Spaniards selected this for the site of their city of -Valladolid, a few leagues distant, it is highly probable that not a -vestige of the ancient edifices would now be seen.' _Gallatin_, in -_Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact._, vol. i., p. 174. 'Lieu qui offre -beaucoup l'apparence d'une ville sainte.' _Friederichsthal_, loc. -cit., p. 300. Dr Arthur Schott discourses, in the _Smithsonian Rept._, -1871, pp. 423-5, on a face, or mask, of 'semiagatized xyolite, still -bearing the marks of silicified coniferous wood, a fossil probably -foreign to the soil of the peninsula.' It was found at Chichen, and -the Doctor thinks it may have some deep mythologic meaning, which he -generously leaves to some other ethnologist to decipher. Norman, -_Rambles in Yuc._, p. 127, states that the hewn blocks of stone at -Chichen are uniformly 12 by 6 inches. M. Waldeck, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 47, -speaks of a reported silver collar bearing an inscription in Greek, -Hebrew, and Phoenician letters, found in the 'grottes cristallines -de Chixhen.' But even this enthusiastic antiquarian looks at this -report with much distrust. - -[V-83] _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 144; _Norman's Rambles in -Yuc._, p. 87; _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 340-4. - -[V-84] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 272-85; _Norman's Rambles in -Yuc._, pp. 146-7; _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 22, 70, 73, 102-3, 111; -_Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, p. 103; _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. -144. - -[V-85] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 130-9, with cuts; _Baldwin's -Anc. Amer._, pp. 127-9, with cuts. Near the village of Telchaquillo. -_Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 144. Surrounded by a ditch that can be -traced for three miles. _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., pp. 194-5. 'Se -dice que Mayapan ... estaba murada, pero fue demolida hasta sus -cimientos, y unicamente los grandes montones de piedras indican que -fue una gran poblacion.' _Un Curioso_, in _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., p. -206. - -[V-86] 'Los espanoles poblaron aqui una ciudad, y llamaronla Merida, -por la estraneza y grandeza de los edificios.' As to the size of the -pyramid mentioned it is 'mas de dos carreras de caballo'--that is -twice as far as a horse can run without taking breath--in extent. The -cement is made with the juice of the bark of a certain tree, 'El -primero edificio de los quatro quartos nos dio el adelantado Montejo a -nosotros hecho un monte aspero, limpiamosle y emos hecho en el con su -propria piedra un razonable monesterio todo de piedra y una buena -yglesia que llamamos la Madre de Dios.' _Landa_, _Relacion_, pp. -330-8, with cut. 'Entre aquel cerro, y otro como el hecho a mano, que -esta a la parte Oriental de la Ciudad; se determino fuesse fundada, y -eran tan grandes, que con la piedra que auia en el que estaban, se -obraron quantos edificios ay en la Ciudad, con que quedo todo el sitio -llano, que es la Placa mayor oy, y sus quadras en contorno, y con la -del de la parte Oriental, se edifico nuestro Conuento por caerle -cercano, despues se han hecho muchas casas, y todo el Conuento, y -Iglesia de la Mejorada, que tambien es nuestro, y tiene material para -otros muy muchos.' _Cogolludo_, _Hist. Yuc._, p. 138. 'Auia junto -adonde esta aora la Placa entre otros cerros, vno que llamaban el -grande de los Kues, adoratorio que era de Idolos lleno de arboleda.' -_Id._, p. 149. Tihoo was built by the Tutul-Xius, and had a celebrated -temple to Baklum-Chaam, the Maya Priapus. _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, -_Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., pp. 8-9. 'En el patio del convento de S. -Francisco esta una cruz.... En la huerta del mismo convento se ven aun -algunas piedras curiosamente labradas con cotas y morreones a la -antigua romana, y punica.' _Alegre_, _Hist. Comp. de Jesus_, tom. ii., -p. 112. The buildings were 'construits en pierres de taille fort -grandes. On ignore qui les a batis; il parait que ce fut avant la -naissance de Jesus-Christ, car il y avait au-dessus des arbres aussi -gros que ceux qui croissaient au pied. Ces batiments ont cinq toises -de hauteur, et sont construits en pierres seches; au sommet de ces -edifices sont quatre appartements divises en cellules comme celles des -moines; ils ont vingt pieds de long et dix de large; les jambages des -portes sont d'un seul morceau, et le haut est voute.' _Bienvenida_, -_Lettre_, in _Ternaux-Compans_, _Voy._, serie i., tom. x., pp. 310-11. -'In different parts of the city are the remains of Indian buildings.' -_Stephens' Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 398. Montanus, _Nieuwe Weereld_, -p. 259, says that Merida is built on the ruins of Mayapan. Malte-Brun, -_Precis de la Geog._, tom. vi., p. 465, confounds Merida with the -ruins farther south, mentioned by Padre Soza. See mention in _Norman's -Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 45-8; _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 23, 55-6; -_Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1843, tom. xcvii., p. 37; _Gallatin_, in -_Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact._, vol. i., p. 174; _Sivers_, -_Mittelamerika_, pp. 243-4; _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., p. 269; -_Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 94-8. - -[V-87] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., p. 440-4, vol. i., p. 127, with -plate; _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 144. 'Les monuments les plus -anciens, dont les restes sont composes d'enormes blocs de pierres -brutes, poses quelquefois les uns sur les autres, sans aucun ciment -qui les unisse. Tels sont les edifices d'un lieu voisin de l'hacienda -d'Ake, situee a 27 milles a l'est-sud-est de Merida.' _Friederichsthal_, -in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., p. 300. - -[V-88] Stephens speaks of the 'sternness and harshness of expression' -of the cara gigantesca. 'A stone one foot six inches long protrudes -from the chin, intended, perhaps, for burning copal on, as a sort of -altar.' _Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 434-6, with plate. 'Les alentours -sont parsemes de pyramides artificielles, et deux, entre autres, sont -les plus considerables de la peninsule.' M. Charnay finds fault with -Catherwood for representing the colossal head as in a desert with a -raging tiger and savages armed with bows and arrows in the foreground. -'A force de vouloir faire de la couleur locale, on fausse l'histoire, -et on deroute la science.' He pronounces the face 'd'un genre -cyclopeen. Ce sont de vastes entailles, especes de modelages en -ciment.' _Ruines Amer._, pp. 319-22, phot. 23-5. 'C'est une sorte de -gros blocage dont les moellons, poses avec art par le sculpteur au -milieu d'un mortier tres-dur, ont forme les joues, la bouche, le nez, -les yeux. Cette tete colossale est reellement une batisse enduite.' -'Les traits sont beaux, la bouche est bien faite, les yeux grands sans -etre saillants, le front, couvert d'un ornement, ne semble point -fuyant. Cette tete etait peinte comme toute l'architecture mexicaine.' -_Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Id._, pp. 46-7. Dr Schott pronounces Mr -Stephens' description unsatisfactory, especially his calling the face -harsh and stern in expression. The features are feminine in their -cast, and of the narrow rather than of the broad type. 'The whole face -exhibits a very remarkable regularity and conforms strictly to the -universally accepted principles of beauty.' 'The head-dress in the -shape of a mitre is encircled just above the forehead by a band, which -is fastened in front by a triple locket or tassel.' This author -identities the face as that of Itzamatul, the semi-divine founder of -Izamal, and explains the signification of each particular feature. His -treatise is perhaps as intelligible and rational as most speculation -on such topics, but it is to be noted that the Dr founds his -conclusions on Clavigero's description of the Toltecs! It would be -hard to prove that the cara gigantesca does not represent this -particular hero, and that the large ears are not emblems of wisdom. Dr -Schott pronounces it 'hazardous' to attempt to connect this face with -any other than Itzamatul, and I prefer to run no risks. _Smithsonian -Rept._, 1869, pp. 389-93. Norman, _Rambles in Yuc._, p. 79, speaks of -a well on the platform of one of the pyramids. 'Dans ses flancs, la -colline sacree recelait de vastes appartements, des galeries et un -temple souterrain, destines, dit-on, aux mysteres de la religion et a -servir de necropole aux cadavres des pretres et des princes.' The -grave of Zamna was here, and his followers erected the pyramid. -_Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 79. History of -the pyramids, see _Id._, tom. ii., pp. 47-8. 'On trouva dans un -edifice en demolition une grande urne a trois anses, recouverte -d'ornements argentes exterieurement, au fond duquel il y avait des -cendres provenant d'un corps brule, parmi lesquelles nous trouvames -des objets d'art en pierre.' 'Statues en demi-bosse, modelees en -ciment que je dis se trouver dans les contreforts, et qui sont -d'hommes de haute taille.' _Landa_, _Relacion_, pp. 326-30, with plan. -'Ay en este pueblo de Ytzamal cinco cuyos o cerros muy altos, todos -levantados de piedra seca, con sus fuercas y reparos, que ayudan a -levantar la piedra en alto, y no se ven edificios enteros oy, mas los -senales y vestigios estan patentes en uno dellos de la parte de -mediodia.' One altar was in honor of their king or false god -Ytzmat-ul, and had on it the figure of a hand, being called _Kab-ul_, -or 'working hand.' Another mound and temple in the northern part of -the city, the highest now standing, was called _Kinich-Kakmo_, or 'sun -with fiery rayed face.' Another, on which the convent is founded, is -_Ppapp-Hol-Chac_, 'house of heads and lightnings.' Another in the -south called _Hunpictok_, 'captain with an army of 8000 flints.' -_Lizana_, _Devocionario_, 1663, in _Landa_, _Relacion_, pp. 348-64. - -[V-89] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 137-232, with plates and -cuts; _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 144; _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, pp. -101, 146-7; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., pp. -20-3. - -[V-90] On these east coast buildings seen by Cordova, Grijalva, and -Cortes, see _Diaz_, _Itineraire_, in _Ternaux-Compans_, _Voy._, serie -i., tom. x., pp. 5-9; and in _Icazbalceta_, _Col. de Doc._, tom. i., -pp. 282-6; _Cortes_, _Vida_, in _Id._, p. 339; _Oviedo_, _Hist. Gen._, -tom. i., pp. 497, 505-7; _Torquemada_, _Monarq. Ind._, tom. i., p. -352; _Herrera_, _Hist. Gen._, dec. ii., lib. iii., cap. i.; _Gomara_, -_Conq. Mex._, fol. 22-4; _Id._, _Hist. Ind._, fol. 60; _Peter Martyr_, -dec. iv., lib. iii.; _Cogolludo_, _Hist. Yuc._, p. 4; _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iv., p. 41; _Morelet_, _Voyage_, -tom. i., p. 181; _Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, pp. 241-4; _Folsom_, in -_Cortes_, _Despatches_, p. 20. - -[V-91] _Voy. Pitt._, p. 102. - -[V-92] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 387-409, with plates and -cuts. - -[V-93] 'They founde auncient towers there, and the ruines of such as -hadde beene broken downe and destroyed, seeming very auncient: but one -aboue the rest, whereto they ascended by 18 steppes or staires, as -they ascende to famous, and renowned temples.' _Peter Martyr_, dec. -iv., lib. iii. Grijalva found a tower 'xviii gradi de altura et tutta -massiza al pede et tenia a torno clxxx piedi, et incima de essa era -una torre piccola la quale era de statura de homini doi uno sopra -laltro.' _Diaz_, _Itinerario_, in _Icazbalceta_, _Col. de Doc._, tom. -i., pp. 284, 287. See also the authorities referred to in note 89. -_Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 362-80, with cut; _Larenaudiere_, -_Mex. et Guat._, p. 321; _Gondra_, in _Album Mex._, tom. i., p. 239; -_Mayer's Mex., Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 169; _Baril_, _Mexique_, p. -129; _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 145. - -[V-94] Cordova found here in 1517 'torres de piedra con grados y -capillas cubiertas de madera y paja en que por gentil orden estauan -puestos muchos idolos, que parecian mugeres.' _Gomara_, _Hist. Ind._, -fol. 60; _Cortes_, _Vida_, in _Icazbalceta_, _Col. de Doc._, tom. i., -p. 339; _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 415-17, with plate. - -[V-95] _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 102. 'Une ville entiere offre ses -ruines aux investigations des archeologues.' _Baril_, _Mexique_, p. -129; _Larenaudiere_, _Mex. et Guat._, p. 321. - -[V-96] _Dampier's Voyages_, vol. ii., pt. ii., pp. 10-11; _Stephens' -Yucatan_, vol. ii., p. 418. - -[V-97] 'Tout pres du rio Lagarto se voient deux pyramides, au sommet -desquelles croissent maintenant des arbres eleves et touffus.' -_Baril_, _Mexique_, p. 129; _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 102. - -[V-98] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., pp. 427-30, with plate. - -[V-99] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 189, 199-220; _Wappaeus_, -_Geog. u. Stat._, p. 144. - -[V-100] 'The whole of Campeachy rests upon a subterraneous cavern of -the ancient Mayas. It is now difficult to ascertain whether these -quarries or galleries, which, according to the traditions of the -country, are understood to be immense, served for the abode of the -people who executed the work. Nothing reveals the marks of man's -sojournings here; not even the traces of smoke upon the vaults were -visible. It is more probable that the greater part of this excavation -was used as a depository for their dead. This supposition has been -strengthened by the discovery of many openings of seven feet deep by -twenty inches in breadth, dug horizontally in the walls of the -caverns. These excavations, however, are few; and the galleries have -been but little investigated and less understood.' Mr Norman sent some -of the skeletons discovered here to Dr Morton, who pronounced them to -present many of the characteristics of the natives at the present -time. _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 211-18, with plates. Sr Gondra, -in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._ (Mex. 1846) tom. iii., pp. 95-8, pl. -xviii., gives engravings of four of these idols in Norman's -collection, erroneously stating that they are from Stephens' work. 'I -have seen some of his (Norman's) remarkable antiquities, as Penates, -hieroglyphics,' etc. _Davis' Antiq. Amer._, p. 12. The above notice, -given by Mr Norman is an almost literal translation of _Waldeck_, -_Voy. Pitt._, p. 10; as is also the account by _I. R. Gondra_, in -_Album Mex._, tom. i., p. 162. Mention of the Champoton ruins in -_Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 102; _Larenaudiere_, _Mex. et Guat._, p. -321; _Baril_, _Mexique_, p. 128. Cordova in 1517 saw at Campeche 'vn -torrejoncillo de piedra quadrado y gradado, en lo alto del qual estaua -vn ydolo con dos fieros animales alas hijadas, como que lo comian. Y -vna sierpe de quarenta y siete pies larga, y gorda quanto vn buey, -hecha de piedra como el ydolo.' _Gomara_, _Hist. Ind._, fol. 61. 'On -ne rencontre ni dans l'ile de Carmen ni sur les bords de la Lagune -aucun tumulus, aucune ruine, aucun vestige enfin de l'industrie des -temps passes.' Description of the Camacho collection in Campeche, -consisting of 'figurines et des vases d'argile portant encore des -traces de peinture et de vernis, des instruments de musique, de menus -objets de parure, des haches, des fers de lance en silex ou en -obsidienne.' _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., pp. 226, 167-8. The Camacho -Museum contains 'Una numerosa colleccion de idolos de barro y -piedra.... Una urna cineraria que contiene los restos de un hombre.... -Una coleccion de vasos, jarros, cantaros y fuentes de piedra y barro, -adornados, muchos de ellos, con geroglificos y con pinturas vivas, -frescas y bien conservadas. Una colleccion de lanzas, flechas, dardos -y demas instrumentos de guerra.... Casi todos estos instrumentos son -de pedernal. Otra coleccion de flautas y otros instrumentos musicos, -de barro. Otra id. de zarcillos, cuentas y adornos de piedra.... Otra -id. de lozas sepulcrales.... Una multitud de fragmentos -arquitectonicos.' _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., pp. 373-4. 'Le canton qui -s'etend de la cote de la lagune de Jerm, vers le nord-est, offre -sur-tout une suite presque continue de monticules et de villes, -jusqu'au point ou il atteint le sanctuaire de l'ile de Cozumel.' -_Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., -pp. 299-300. 'Une foule de ruines d'une grande importance.' _Brasseur -de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 67. - -[V-101] _Cogolludo_, _Hist. Yuc._, p. 193; _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. -ii., pp. 341, 122, vol. i., p. 415; _Landa_, _Relacion_, pp. 344, 330; -_Lizana_, in _Id._, p. 358; _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, pp. 321-2; -_Registro Yuc._, tom. i., p. 366. - -[V-102] 'La piedra _margosa_ de que estan formados tales edificios, es -ademas generalmente considerada como un material muy inferior para la -construccion.' _Friederichsthal_, in _Dicc. Univ._, tom. x., p. 292. -The blocks 'ont une transparence troublee comme celle du gypse. Il est -probable ... que c'est du veritable carbonate calcaire.' _Zavala_, in -_Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 34. 'A soft coralline limestone -of a comparatively recent geological formation, probably of the -Tertiary period.' _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, p. 398. - -[V-103] 'La poca mezcla que se advierte en ellos, es fina, tersa y tan -compacta por su particular beneficio, que tomada entre los dedos una -pastilla, cuyo grueso es poco mayor que el de un peso fuerte, da sumo -trabajo quebrantarla.' _L. G._, in _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., p. 277. -'Ces mortiers sont faits avec une chaux hydraulique presque pure, et -ont une si complete adherence, soit dans les massifs, soit meme -lorsqu'ils sont appliques comme enduits, comme a Palenque, qu'a peine -si le marteau peut les entamer.' _Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Charnay_, -_Ruines Amer._, pp. 59-60. - -[V-104] Jones says 'The term "triangular _Arch_" cannot be admitted by -the language of Architecture; he (Mr Stephens) might as well have -written _triangular semicircle_, terms distinctly opposed to each -other.' _Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 100. 'Los techos, sin variacion alguna -entre si, representan una figura ojiva, muy conocida de los arabes, y -repetidamente citada por el recomendable Victor Hugo en su obra de -Nuestra Sra. de Paris.' _L. G._, in _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., p. 277. -'On dit en espagnol de _boveda_, qui n'exprime aucunement cette -architecture toute particuliere; _boveda_ veut dire voute, et ces -interieurs n'y ressemblent nullement; ce sont deux murs paralleles -jusqu'a une hauteur de trois metres, obliquant alors l'un vers -l'autre, et termines par une dalle de trente centimetres.' _Charnay_, -_Ruines Amer._, pp. 342-3. - -[V-105] Friederichsthal erroneously says the wooden lintels are always -sculptured, and that each room has air-holes above the cornice, both -square and round, from 3 to 5 inches in diameter. _Nouvelles Annales -des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., p. 311. - -[V-106] Mr Jones believes that the ornaments on the Maya facades must -have been sculptured after the stones in a rough state had been put in -place, and not before, as Mr Stephens thinks. _Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. -92. The following is Mr Waldeck's not very clear explanation of the -mode of decorating these facades. 'Voulaient-ils couvrir une facade -d'ornements ou de figures symboliques, ils commencaient par peindre la -muraille toute entiere de la couleur qu'ils avaient choisie; presque -toujours c'etait le rouge qui formait le fond.... Cette premiere -operation terminee, on posait sur le mur peint la marqueterie en -pierre qui devait servir d'ornement et on la badigeonnait avec plus de -soin que le fond. Le bleu etait employe dans ce travail.' _Voy. -Pitt._, pp. 72-3. 'In the Mayan delineations of the human countenance -the contracted facial angle is as remarkable as in the paintings of -the Aztecs.' _Prichard's Researches_, vol. v., p. 346. See _Foster's -Pre-Hist. Races_, p. 302. 'On retrouve chez quelques-uns de ces -Indiens les traits bien accentues de la race au front fuyant et au nez -busque, qui construisit les palais d'Uxmal, de Palenque, et de -Chichen-Itza. Je fus frappe de cette analogie, quoique la similitude -soit loin d'etre parfaite, les artistes nationaux ayant exagere -vraisemblablement certains caracteres qui constituaient alors l'ideal -de la beaute.' _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., p. 147. - -[V-107] _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. 212-13. - -[V-108] 'Depuis le cap Catoche jusqu'au pied de la Cordillere -centrale, analogie frappante dans le caractere, l'ensemble et les -proportions des diverses parties des ouvrages.' 'Quant a l'impression -que fait eprouver l'examen de l'architecture de tous ces edifices, je -dois ajouter que les idees fines de l'artiste ont evidemment ete -executees d'une maniere qui ne les rend nullement.' 'Toutefois on -rencontre, notamment a Uxmal, des preuves suffisantes qu'ils etaient -parvenus a plus de dexterite dans quelques-unes de leurs sculptures. -On reconnait leur addresse a representer les formes humaines, dans les -idoles et les figures en argile.... Ces ouvrages sont superieurs, sous -tous les rapports de l'art, a tout ce que cette nation a produit.' -_Friederichsthal_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1841, tom. xcii., -pp. 303, 312. 'Esa bella y elegante arquitectura, esos soberbios e -imponentes adornos, superiores a todo lo que hasta hoy ha podido verse -y concebirse.' 'Ruinas soberbias, que agobian la imaginacion y oprimen -el entendimiento.' _Id._, in _Dicc. Univ._, tom. x., p. 291. 'The -splendid temples and palaces still standing attest the power of the -priests and of the nobles; no trace remains of the huts in which dwelt -the mass of the nation.' _Gallatin_, in _Amer. Ethno. Soc., -Transact._, vol. i., p. 174. Uxmal 'the American Palmyra.' _Wappaeus_, -_Geog. u. Stat._, p. 144. 'El primer golpe de vista de su conjunto, es -grandioso, es imponente. Examinandolos luego en detall, causa -admiracion el distinto orden de arquitectura que se nota en cada -edificio, la elegancia caprichosa de sus formas, la abundancia y -riqueza del material que interior y exteriormente es todo de piedra de -silleria, el lujo prodigioso de los adornos variados hasta lo infinito -de un modo raro, original y nunca visto, y la perfeccion y maestria -con que todo ha sido ejecutado.' 'Notase en Uxmal ... la infancia del -arte en punto a estatuaria.' _M. F. P._, in _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., -pp. 363, 365. 'En somme, les ruines d'Uxmal nous paraissent etre la -derniere expression de la civilisation americaine; nulle part un tel -assemblage de ruines, maisons particulieres, temples et palais.' -_Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, p. 374. 'La arquitectura de Uxmal brillante -en su perspectiva, es complicada y simetrica en sus dibujos, robusta -en sus cimientos y terraplenes, simbolica en sus geroglificos y -figuras humanas ... y bastante delicada en sus cornizas y molduras.' -_L. G._, in _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., p. 277. 'The sculpture at Uxmal -is not only as fine, but distinctly of a Grecian character.' _Jones' -Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 107. 'Plusieurs de ces constructions ne laissent -rien a desirer au point de vue du bon gout et des regles de l'art.' -_Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., p. 193. M. Viollet-le-Duc's conclusions -and speculations are mostly directed to prove that the builders were -of mixed race, white and yellow, Aryan and Turanian. He supports his -theory by a study of the faces among the sculptured decorations, and -by pointing out in the buildings traditions of structures in wood, and -also the use of mortar, the use of wood and mortar being peculiar, as -he claims, to different races. _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, introd. -'These antiquities show that this section of the continent was -anciently occupied by a people admirably skilled in the arts of -masonry, building, and architectural decoration.' _Baldwin's Anc. -Amer._, p. 101. 'The builders of the ruins of the city of Chi-Chen and -Uxmal excelled in the mechanic and fine arts. It is obvious that they -were a cultivated, and doubtless a very numerous people.' _Norman's -Rambles in Yuc._, p. 175. 'Ohne Zweifel zu den herrlichsten Amerikas -gehoeren.--Welch riesenhafte Bauten fuer eine Nation, die alles mit -steinernen Instrumenten arbeitete!' _Heller_, _Reisen_, p. 260. - -[V-109] _Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. i., pp. 93-9, 140, 274, 322-5, 413, -vol. ii., pp. 264-73, 306, 343, 406. - -[V-110] 'Dilato la fundacion de Uxmal a 150 o 200 anos antes del de -1535, en que tuvo efecto la conquista del pais por los espanoles.' _L. -G._, in _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., p. 276. 'Aunque el mar de conjeturas -que las cubre sea muy ancho, y de libre navegacion para todo el mundo, -creo, sin embargo, que lo menos ridiculo y mas acertado es no -engolfarse en el.' _M. F. P._, in _Id._, p. 363. Cogolludo found in -the Casa del Adivino at Uxmal traces of recent sacrificial offerings. -_Hist. Yuc._, p. 193. 'Fassen wir nun diess alles zusammmen, so haben -wir in den Ruinen Uxmals echte Denkmaeler tultekischer Kunst von einem -Alter von ungefaehr 800 Jahren.' _Heller_, _Reisen_, p. 264. 'Elles -paraissent, en majeure partie, appartenir a l'architecture tolteque et -dater d'au moins mille ans.' _Baril_, _Mexique_, p. 128,. -Friederichsthal, in _Registro Yuc._, tom. ii., pp. 437-43, and many -others regard the Yucatan and other Central American ruins as the work -of the Toltecs. See vol. ii., cap. ii., and vol. v. of this work on -this point. Uxmal generally regarded as having been founded by -Ahcuitok Tutul-Xiu between 870 and 894 A. D. _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, -_Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 22. Chichen seems older than the other -ruins. The Maya MS. places its discovery between 360 and 432 A. D. -_Stephens' Yucatan_, vol. ii., p. 323. 'Uxmal is placed by us as the -last built of all the Ancient Cities as yet discovered on the Western -Continent.' _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, pp. 104, 101. 'Evidently the -city of Chi-Chen was an antiquity when the foundations of the -Parthenon at Athens, and the Cloaca Maxima at Rome, were being laid.' -The ruins of Yucatan 'belong to the remotest antiquity. Their age is -not to be measured by hundreds, but by thousands of years.' _Norman's -Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 177-8. See _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 71, -97-8; _Prescott's Mex._, vol. iii., pp. 412-13; _Foster's Pre-Hist. -Races_, p. 398. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -ANTIQUITIES OF TABASCO AND CHIAPAS, RUINS OF PALENQUE. - - GEOGRAPHICAL LIMITS -- PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY -- NO RELICS IN - TABASCO -- RUINS OF PALENQUE -- EXPLORATION AND - BIBLIOGRAPHY -- NAME; NACHAN, CULHUACAN, OTOLUM, XIBALBA - -- EXTENT, LOCATION, AND PLAN -- THE PALACE -- THE - PYRAMIDAL STRUCTURE -- WALLS, CORRIDORS, AND COURTS -- - STUCCO BAS-RELIEFS -- TOWER -- INTERIOR BUILDINGS -- - SCULPTURED TABLET -- SUBTERRANEAN GALLERIES -- TEMPLE OF - THE THREE TABLETS -- TEMPLE OF THE BEAU RELIEF -- TEMPLE - OF THE CROSS -- STATUE -- TEMPLE OF THE SUN -- - MISCELLANEOUS RUINS AND RELICS -- RUINS OF OCOCINGO -- - WINGED GLOBE -- WOODEN LINTEL -- TERRACED PYRAMID -- - MISCELLANEOUS RUINS OF CHIAPAS -- CUSTEPEQUES, XIQUIPILAS, - LAGUNA MORA, COPANABASTLA, AND ZITALA -- HUEHUETAN -- SAN - CRISTOVAL -- REMAINS ON THE USUMACINTA -- COMPARISON - BETWEEN PALENQUE AND THE CITIES OF YUCATAN -- ANTIQUITY OF - PALENQUE -- CONCLUSION. - - - [Sidenote: NO RELICS IN TABASCO.] - -The next step, as antiquarian investigation is pushed westward along -the continental line, will lead us from the boundaries of Guatemala -and Yucatan to the isthmus of Tehuantepec. The included territory, -constituting the geographical basis of the present chapter, stretches -on the Atlantic shore from the Laguna de Terminos to Laguna de Santa -Ana, about one hundred and fifty miles, and on the Pacific a somewhat -less distance from the bar of Ayutla to the bar of Tonala The northern -and smaller portion--all in the low and flat tierra caliente--is -comprised in the state of Tabasco, with a part of El Carmen, a -province belonging politically, I believe, to Yucatan; while in the -south--a high and mountainous region, except a very narrow strip along -the Pacific border--we have the state of Chiapas, with its -south-eastern province of Soconusco, to the political possession of -which Guatemala, no less than her neighbor, has always laid claim. -Tabasco and Chiapas, like Yucatan, are states of the Mexican Republic, -although they are situated in what it is more convenient to term -Central America, and in a region treated in a preceding volume of this -work as a part of the Maya territory. This chapter will consequently -complete the description of southern, or Maya, antiquities, and bring -us to the study of Nahua monuments in the north. - -Tabasco, a part of the aboriginal Anahuac Xicalanco, extends inland -seventy-five miles on an average throughout its whole length. It is -for the most part a low marshy plain--the American tierra caliente par -excellence--of the usual tropical fertility, covered with an exuberant -growth, but extremely unhealthy to all but natives, except while the -winter winds render the navigation of the coast waters dangerous. This -tract is traversed by two large rivers, flowing from the hilly country -farther inland, the Tabasco and Usumacinta, under several different -names, communicating with each other by many branches, and pouring, or -rather creeping, into the gulf through many mouths. In the annual -season of inundation from June to October, the whole country is -involved in a labyrinth of streams and sloughs, and travel by land -becomes impossible. The luxuriant tropical vegetation includes a -variety of valuable dye-woods, the export of which constitutes the -leading industry of the few towns located on the banks of the larger -streams. On the immediate coast some large towns and temples were seen -by the early voyagers, but I have no information that relics of any -kind have been discovered in modern times. It is true that no careful -explorations have been made, but the character of the country is not -promising, so far as ruined cities and other architectural monuments -are concerned. Indeed, it is not improbable that a large part of this -region was covered by a body of water similar to the Laguna de -Terminos, at a time when the great aboriginal Central American cities, -now far inland, were founded. Moreover, as state boundaries are not -very accurately laid down in the maps, and as the location of relics -by travelers is in many cases vague, it is quite possible that some of -the few miscellaneous monuments which I shall describe in this -chapter, are really within the limits of Tabasco instead of Chiapas. - -As we go southward from the gulf coast, and reach the boundary of -Chiapas the face of the country changes rapidly from marshy flat to -undulating hills of gradually increasing height toward the Pacific, -retaining all the wonderful fertility and density of tropical forest -growth without the pestilential malaria and oppressive heat of the -plain below. Here is an earthly paradise, the charms of which have -been enjoyed with enthusiastic delight by the few lovers of nature who -have penetrated its solitudes.[VI-1] - - [Sidenote: EXPLORATION OF PALENQUE.] - - [Sidenote: BIBLIOGRAPHY OF PALENQUE.] - -The natural advantages of this region seem to have been fully -appreciated by aboriginal Americans, for here they reared the temples -and palaces of one of their grandest cities, or religious centres, -which as a ruin under the name of Palenque has become famous -throughout the world, as it was doubtless throughout America in the -days of its pristine glory many centuries ago. Built on the heights -just mentioned, which may be appropriately termed foothills of the -lofty sierras beyond, its high places afforded a broad view over the -forest-covered plain below to the waters of the gulf. A detailed -account of the explorations by which the ruins of this city have been -brought to light, and of the numerous books and reports resulting -from such explorations, is given in the appended note.[VI-2] About -the year 1564 a Dominican missionary, with a few Tzendal natives who -had been converted to the true faith by his labors in their behalf, -chose what he deemed a suitable location for future evangelical -efforts, and founded the little town of Santo Domingo del Palenque, -some seventy miles north-east of San Cristoval, the state capital, on -a tributary of the Usumacinta, not over twenty miles, perhaps less, -from the head of navigation for canoes. Nearly two centuries later a -group of magnificent ruins, whose existence had been before utterly -unknown, at least to any but natives, was accidentally discovered -only a few leagues from the town in the midst of a dense forest. Since -their discovery in the middle of the eighteenth century the ruins have -been several times carefully explored both by public and private -enterprise, and all their prominent features have been clearly brought -to the knowledge of the world by means of illustrative plates and -descriptive text. Waldeck and Stephens are the best and most complete -authorities, but the reports of Antonio del Rio, Guillaume Dupaix, -Juan Galindo, and Desire Charnay afford also much valuable -information, especially in connection with the two standard -authorities mentioned. After a most careful study of all that has been -written on the subject, I shall endeavor to give the reader a clear -idea of ruined structures which have given rise to more faithful -investigation and absurd speculation than any others on the continent. - - [Sidenote: NAME OF THE ANCIENT CITY.] - -The aboriginal name of the city represented by this group of ruins is -absolutely unknown. Palenque, the name by which it is known, is, as we -have seen, simply that of a modern village near by. The word -_palenque_ is of Spanish origin and means a stockade or enclosure of -palisades. How it came to be applied to the village of Santo Domingo -is not explained, but there is not the slightest reason to suppose -that it has any connection with the ruins.[VI-3] Sr Ordonez, already -mentioned, applies in his unpublished writings the name Nachan, 'city -of the Serpents,' the same as the Aztec Culhuacan, to Palenque, but so -far as can be known, without any authority whatever. This name has -been adopted without question by several writers, and it is quite -common to read of "the ruins of Culhuacan, improperly termed -Palenque."[VI-4] The old traditions of the primitive times when -Votan's great empire flourished, apply the name Xibalba not only to -the empire but to a great city which was its capital. Palenque, as the -greatest city of ancient times in this region which has left traces of -its existence, may have been identical with Xibalba; the difficulty of -disproving the identity is equaled only by that of proving it.[VI-5] -The natives, here as elsewhere, have often applied to the city a name -which simply indicates its ruined condition, calling it Otolum, 'place -of falling stones,' a name also borne by the small stream on which the -buildings stand. Waldeck writes it Ototiun, 'stone house,' which he -derives from the native words _otote_ and _tinnich_. Stephens calls -the stream Otula. If there were any good reasons for abandoning the -designation Palenque, and there certainly are none, Otolum would -perhaps be the most appropriate name to take its place.[VI-6] The name -Xhembobel-Moyos, from that of another modern village of this region, -seems sometimes to have been used by the natives in connection with -Palenque; and in a Tzendal manuscript the name Ghocan, 'sculptured -serpent,' is said to be used in the same connection; while one -author, drawing heavily on his imagination, speaks of the "immense -city of Culhuacan or Huehuetlapallan," thus identifying Palenque with -the famous city whence the Toltecs started in their traditional -migration to Anahuac.[VI-7] By the Spanish inhabitants and most of the -native population of Santo Domingo, the ruins are commonly spoken of -as the Casas de Piedra. - - [Sidenote: LOCATION OF THE RUINS.] - -The structures that have attracted the attention of and been described -by all the successive explorers, are generally the same, and in their -descriptions less exaggeration is found in the earlier reports than -might naturally be expected. In extent, however, the city has -gradually dwindled in the successive reports from two hundred -buildings stretching over a space of twenty miles, to less than the -area of a modern town of humble pretensions. A few scattered mounds or -fragments in the surrounding country, which very probably exist, but -which have escaped the attention of modern travelers, eager to -investigate the more wonderful central structures, are probably the -only basis of the statements by the first explorers. The earlier -visitors doubtless counted each isolated fragment of hewn stone, or -other trace of the antiguos' work, as representing an aboriginal -edifice.[VI-8] Doubtless the condition of Palenque has changed -materially for the worse since its discovery. The rapidity with which -structures of solid stone are destroyed by the growth of a tropical -forest, when once the roots have gained a hold, is noted with surprise -by every traveler. In the work of destruction, moreover, nature has -not been unaided by man, and few visitors have been content to depart -without some relic broken from the walls. Del Rio, if we may credit -his own words, seems to have attempted a wholesale destruction of the -city; he says: "By dint of perseverance I effected all that was -necessary to be done, so that ultimately there remained neither a -window nor a doorway blocked up, a partition that was not thrown down, -nor a room, corridor, court, tower, nor subterranean passage in which -excavations were not effected from two to three varas in depth."[VI-9] - -Palenque,--for I shall hereafter apply this name exclusively to the -ruins,--is situated about six or seven miles[VI-10] south-west of -Santo Domingo, and some sixty-five miles north-east of San Cristoval. -The topography of the region is not definitely marked out on the maps, -and the nomenclature of the streams and mountains is hopelessly -confused; but many parallel streams flow north-westward from the -hills, and unite to form a branch of the Usumacinta sometimes called -the Tulija. The Otolum on which the ruins stand seems to be a -tributary from the north of one of the parallel streams. The location -is consequently in a small valley high in the foothills, through which -runs a mountain stream of small size during the dry season, but -becoming a torrent when swollen by the rains.[VI-11] - -The present extent of the ruins, their distribution, and their -relative size are shown in the accompanying plan, taken with slight -changes to be mentioned in their proper place, from Waldeck.[VI-12] -The structures that have been described or definitely located by any -author are numbered on the plan, the unnumbered ones being heaps of -ruins whose existence is mentioned by all, and the exact location of -which M. Waldeck in his long stay was able to fix. It will be seen -that the buildings all face the cardinal points with a very slight -variation. So thick is the forest on the site and over the very -buildings that no one of the latter can be seen from its neighbor or -from the adjoining hills. M. Morelet, on one occasion, lost his -bearings in the immediate vicinity, and although he did not perhaps go -a half-mile from the ruins, yet he had the greatest difficulty in -returning, and coming from a contrary direction thought at first he -had discovered new monuments of antiquity. When the trees are cut -down, as they have been several times, only a few years are necessary -to restore the forest to its original density, and each explorer has -to begin anew the work of clearing.[VI-13] - - [Illustration: PLAN OF PALENQUE. - Zinco A L Bancroft & Co S F] - -I begin with the largest of the structures, marked 1 on the plan, and -commonly known as the Palace, although of course nothing is known of -its original use. From a narrow level on the left bank of the stream -rises an artificial elevation of pyramidal form, with quadrangular -base measuring about two hundred and sixty by three hundred and ten -feet, and something over forty feet in height, with sloping sides -and traces of broad central stairways on the east and north.[VI-14] -The sides were faced with regular blocks of hewn stone, but this -facing has been so broken up and forced out of place by the roots of -trees that the original outline is hardly distinguishable. Dupaix, -both in text and drawings, divides the pyramid into three sections or -stories by two projections of a few feet running horizontally round -the sides; he puts a similar projection, or cornice, at the summit, -and covers the whole surface of the sides with a polished coating of -cement. That this state of things existed at the time of his -exploration is possible, although not very probable; yet it is not -unlikely that the slopes were originally covered with plaster, or even -painted. - - [Illustration: Mode of constructing Pyramid.] - - [Sidenote: ORIGIN OF PYRAMIDAL STRUCTURES.] - -The material of which the bulk of the mound is composed is not very -definitely stated by any visitor. I believe, however, that I have -discovered a peculiarity in the construction of this pyramid, which -may possibly throw some light on the origin of the pyramidal structure -so universal among the civilized nations of the continent. I think -that, perhaps with a view to raise this palace or temple above the -waters of the stream, four thick walls, possibly more, were built up -perpendicularly from the ground to the desired height; then, after -the completion of the walls to strengthen them, or during the progress -of the work to facilitate the raising of the stones, the interior was -filled with earth, and the exterior graded with the same material, the -whole being subsequently faced with hewn stone. My reasons for this -opinion may be illustrated by the annexed cut. All the authorities by -text and plates represent the pyramid with sloping stone-faced sides, -much damaged by the trees. Two of them, Stephens and Waldeck, making -excavations from the summit at different points, clearly imply that -the interior, D, is of earth. The height is given by all the visitors -down to Stephens, as from forty to sixty feet. Now Charnay, coming -nearly twenty years later, found the eastern side a perpendicular -wall, only fifteen feet high, and proves the accuracy of his statement -by his photograph, which, as he says, cannot lie. I cannot -satisfactorily account for the condition of the structure as found by -him, except by supposing that the stone facing, loosened by the trees, -had fallen from B to F, and that the earth which filled the sides at -EE, had been washed away by the rain, leaving the perpendicular wall -at B. We shall see later that it is utterly impossible to fix any -definite date for the founding of Palenque; but it is doubtless to be -referred to the earliest period of American civilization which has -left definite architectural traces; and its claims are perhaps as -strong as those of any other to be considered the oldest American -city. If this pyramid was the first erected and took its shape as -above indicated, its adoption as a type throughout the region -penetrated by the religion and civilization of its builders, would be -very natural, although the form would afterwards be more readily -attained by means of a solid structure. I offer this as a conjectural -theory to take its place by the side of many others on the subject, -and at the least not more devoid of foundation than several of its -companions.[VI-15] It is not improbable that the builders may have -taken advantage of a slight natural elevation as a foundation for -their work. - - [Sidenote: EXTERIOR OF THE PALACE.] - - [Sidenote: BAS-RELIEFS OF THE PALACE.] - -The summit platform of the pyramid supports the Palace, which covers -its whole extent save a narrow passage round the edge, and the -exterior dimensions of which are about one hundred and eighty by two -hundred and twenty-eight feet and thirty feet high.[VI-16] The outer -wall, a large portion of which has fallen, was pierced with about -forty doorways, which were generally wider than the portions of the -wall that separated them, giving the whole the appearance of a portico -with wide piers. The doorways are eight and a half feet high and nine -feet wide. The tops seem to have been originally flat, but the lintels -have in every case fallen and disappeared, having been perhaps of -wood; indeed, Charnay claims to have found the marks of one of these -wooden lintels composed of two pieces, while Del Rio found a plain -rectangular block of stone five by six feet, extending from one of the -piers to another. The whole exterior was covered with a coat of hard -plaster, and there are some traces of a projecting cornice which -surrounded the building above the doorways, pierced at regular -intervals with small circular holes, such as I have noticed in -Yucatan, conjectured with much reason to have originally held poles -which supported a kind of awning. Later visitors have found no part of -the roof remaining in place; but Castaneda, who may have found some -portion standing, represents it as sloping, plain, and plastered. From -the interior construction and from the roofs of other Palenque -buildings, it is probable that his drawing gives a correct idea of the -Palace in this respect. Dupaix often speaks of the roofs at Palenque -as being covered with large stone flags (lajas) carefully joined; -other authors are silent respecting the arrangement of the stones in -the roofs. Judging from the position of the grand stairway that leads -up the side of the pyramid, and from the arrangement of the interior -doorways, the chief entrance, or front, of the Palace, was on the -east, towards the stream. It is from this side, although not so well -preserved as some other portions, that general views have been -taken.[VI-17] Of the piers that separated the doorways in this outer -wall, only fifteen have been found standing, eight on the east and -seven on the west, although their foundations may be readily traced -throughout nearly the whole circumference. Each of the remaining -piers, and probably of all in their original condition, contained on -its external surface a bas-relief in stucco, and these reliefs with -their borders occupied the whole space between the doorways. The cuts, -fig. 1, 2, and 3, represent three of the best preserved of the -reliefs, drawings of six only of them having been published. Most of -the designs, like those shown in the cuts, were of human figures in -various attitudes, and having a variety of dress, ornaments, and -insignia. It will be noticed that the faces are all in profile, and -the foreheads invariably flattened. This cranial form was doubtless -the highest type of beauty or nobility in the eyes of the ancient -artists; and of course the natural inference is that it was -artificially produced by methods similar to those employed by the -Mayas of more modern times. Yet many have believed that the builders -of Palenque or the priests and leaders that directed the work were of -a now extinct race, the peculiar natural conformation of whose -forehead was artificially imitated by the descendants of their -disciples. The many far-fetched explanations of these strange -figures, which fertile imaginations have devised, would not, I -believe, be instructive to the reader, who will derive more amusement -and profit from his own conjectures. The resemblance of the head-dress -in fig. 2 to an elephant's trunk is, however, somewhat striking. We -may be very sure that these figures placed in so prominent a position -on the exterior walls of the grandest edifice in the city, were not -merely ornamental and without significance; and it is almost equally -certain that the three hieroglyphic signs over the top of each group -would, if they could be read, explain their meaning. Some of the piers -seem to have been covered entirely with hieroglyphics in stucco, but -better preserved specimens of these inscriptions will be shown in -connection with other buildings at Palenque. The stucco, or cement, -from which the figures are molded, is the same as that with which the -whole building was covered, and is nearly as hard as the stone itself. -M. Charnay found evidence to convince him that the reliefs were put on -after the regular coating of cement had become hardened; Dupaix -believes that some of them were molded over a skeleton of small -stones, in the same way perhaps as the gigantic faces at Izamal in -Yucatan. Traces of color in sheltered portions make it evident that -the piers were originally painted.[VI-18] - - [Illustration: Bas-Relief in Stucco.--Fig. 1.] - - [Illustration: Bas-Relief in Stucco.--Fig. 2.] - - [Illustration: Bas-Relief in Stucco.--Fig. 3.] - - [Illustration: Ground Plan of the Palace.] - - [Sidenote: PLAN OF THE PALACE.] - -Nothing further remains to be said of the exterior of the Palace; let -us therefore enter the doorway at the head of the eastern stairway. -The main building is found to consist of two corridors, formed by -three parallel walls and covered by one roof, which extend entirely -round the circumference of the platform, and enclose a quadrangular -court measuring about one hundred and fifty by two hundred feet. This -court also contains five or six buildings, some of them connected with -the main edifice, others separate, which divide the court into four -smaller ones. The whole arrangement of buildings and courts is clearly -shown in the preceding ground plan. At _b_, is the chief entrance at -the head of the eastern stairway; _a_, _a_, _a_, etc., are the -standing piers with stucco bas-reliefs, which have been noticed -already; A, A, B, B, etc., are the main corridors; C, D, E, F, G, the -smaller enclosed buildings; 1, 2, 3, 4, the courts.[VI-19] - - [Sidenote: THE PALACE CORRIDORS.] - -Entering at _b_, we find that the corridors extend uninterruptedly on -the east and north, but are divided on the other sides, especially on -the south, into compartments. In the inner as in the outer wall -doorways are frequent, while the central wall has but few. The -corridors are each nine feet wide and twenty feet high, the -perpendicular walls being ten feet, and the sides of the ceiling -inclining inward from that height until they nearly form an acute -angle at the top. The cut represents a section of the two corridors in -nearly their true proportions. The walls are from two to three feet -thick, and so far as can be determined from the authorities, they are -built entirely of hewn blocks of stone, without the interior filling -of rubble which I have noticed in the Yucatan ruins. Indeed, with a -thickness of three feet or less the use of rubble would have been -almost impracticable. Floor, walls, and ceiling are covered with a -coating of the same hard cement found on the exterior walls. The cut -on the following page is a view from a point somewhat southward from -_b_, and looking northward into the corridor; it gives an excellent -idea of the present appearance of this portion of the Palace. The -construction of the ceiling, both in the Palace and in other Palenque -structures, is by means of the triangular arch of overlapping stones, -as in Yucatan. A remarkable difference, however, is that the -projecting corners of the blocks, instead of being beveled so as to -leave a smooth stone surface, are left, and the smooth surface is -obtained by filling the notches with cement. - - [Illustration: Section of the Palace Corridors.] - - [Illustration: Palace Corridor at Palenque.] - - [Illustration: Elevation of Palace Corridor.] - -The doorway through the central wall at _c_, is eighteen feet high, -and its top, instead of being flat like those in the outer wall, -takes the form of a trefoil arch; depressions, or niches, of the same -trefoil form, extend at regular intervals right and left from the -doorway along the inclined face of the ceiling. The last cut gives a -clear idea of the doorway and trefoil niches, but the artist who -copied it from Catherwood's plate for _Morelet's Travels_, from which -I take it, has erred in representing the niches as continuing downward -on the perpendicular wall. Near the top of the perpendicular wall was -a line of what seem to have been circular stucco medallions, perhaps -portraits, at _d_, _d_, _d_, of the plan, which have for the most part -fallen. Small circular holes, apparently left by the decay of beams -that once stretched across the arch, occur at regular intervals -between the niches of the ceiling. The cut shows a front elevation of -the corridor from _e_ of the plan looking eastward, and includes all -the peculiarities found in any part of the corridors. The position of -the medallions is shown, though they are really on the opposite side -of the wall, and the shaded figures on the left of the cut are -introduced from other parts of the Palace, to illustrate the different -forms of niches which occur in the walls. The niches on the right are -in their proper place. The three which are symmetrically placed at -each side of this and some other doorways, are from eight to ten -inches square, and have a cylinder two inches in diameter fixed -upright within each. They would seem to have served in some way to -support the doors. The "T" shaped niches are of very frequent -occurrence throughout the ruins, and have caused much speculation by -reason of their resemblance to the Egyptian _tau_ and to the cross. -Some of them extend quite through the walls, and served probably for -ventilation and the admission of light. Others of the same shape are -of varying depths and of unknown use; they may have been niches for -the reception of small idols, or possibly designed to hold the -torches which lit up the corridors, since M. Waldeck claims to have -found the marks of lamp-black on the tops of some of them.[VI-20] -Nothing remains to be said of the corridors of the main building, -save that the interior like the exterior surface of the walls bears -traces of red paint over the coating of plaster in certain sheltered -portions.[VI-21] - - [Sidenote: COURT OF THE PALACE.] - -Passing through the doorway _e_ we enter the court 1, the dimensions -of which are about seventy by eighty feet, its pavement, like that of -the other courts, being eight or ten feet below that of the corridors. -This pavement is covered to a depth of several feet with debris, which -has never been entirely cleared away by any explorer. The court is -bounded on the north and east by the walls, or piers, of the inner -corridor, and on the south and west by those of the interior buildings -C and D. The piers, whose position and number are clearly indicated on -the plan, are, except those on the north, yet standing, and each has -its stucco bas-relief as on the eastern front. These reliefs are, -however, much damaged, and no drawings of them have been made, or, at -least, published. Broad stairways of five or six steps lead down to -the level of the court pavement, at _g_, _g_, _g_, _g_, and a narrow -stairway, _h_, affords access through an end door to the building -E.[VI-22] - - [Illustration: Sculptured Group in the Palace Court.] - -The eastern stairway is thirty feet wide, and on each side of it, at -_i_, _i_, on a surface about fifteen feet long by eleven feet high, -formed by immense stone slabs inclined at about the same angle as the -stairway itself, is sculptured in low relief a group of human figures -in peculiar attitudes. The northern group is shown in the accompanying -cut. Stephens pronounces the attitude of the figures one of pain and -trouble. "The design and anatomical proportions of the figures are -faulty, but there is a force of expression about them which shows the -skill and conceptive power of the artist."[VI-23] Stephens' plate of -this side of the court shows remains of stucco ornamentation and also -a line of small circular holes over the doorways of the inner -corridor. The opposite or western stairway is narrower than the -eastern, and at its sides, at _j, j_, are two colossal human figures -sculptured in a hard whitish stone, as shown in the cut, in which, -however, the stairway is shown somewhat narrower than its true -proportions. Waldeck sees in these figures a male and female whose -features are of the Caucasian type. At the sides of the stairway, at -_k, k, k_, stand three figures of smaller dimensions, sculptured on -pilasters which occur at regular intervals. On the basement wall -between the pilasters are found small squares of hieroglyphics.[VI-24] -In the centre of the court Waldeck found some traces of a circular -basin. - - [Illustration: Sculptured Figures in Palace Court.] - - [Sidenote: COURTS OF THE PALACE.] - -The western court, 2, measuring about thirty by eighty feet, has a -narrow stairway of three steps at _l_, leading up to the central -building C. At the ends of this stairway, at _o_, _o_, are two large -blocks similar in position to those at _j_, _j_, but their sloping -fronts bear no sculptured figures. As in the other court, however, -there are some squares of hieroglyphics on the basement walls. The -piers round this court, such as remain standing, bear each a stucco -bas-relief.[VI-25] - -In the southern court, 3, stands the structure known as the Tower, -marked G on the plan. Its base is about thirty feet square, and rests -like the other buildings on the platform of the pyramid some eight or -ten feet above the pavement of the courts. This base is solid, but has -niches, or false doorways, on the sides. Above the base two slightly -receding stories are still standing, with portions of a third, each -with a doorway--whose lintel has fallen--in the centre of each side, -and surrounded by two plain cornices. The walls are plain and -plastered. The whole structure is of solid masonry, and the fact that -large trees have grown from the top, presenting a broad surface to the -winter winds, which have not been able to overturn the Tower, shows -the remarkable strength of its construction. The height of the -standing portion is about fifty feet above the platform of the -pyramid. Respecting the interior arrangement of the Tower, I am unable -to form a clear idea from the descriptions and drawings of the -different visitors, notwithstanding the fact that Waldeck gives an -elevation, section, and ground plan of each story. Stephens describes -the structure as consisting of a smaller tower within the larger, and -a very narrow staircase leading up from story to story. Waldeck deemed -the Tower a chef d'oeuvre, while to Stephens' eyes it appeared -unsatisfactory and uninteresting. Dupaix, without doubt erroneously, -represents the doors as surmounted by regular arches with -keystones.[VI-26] - -Respecting the other interior buildings of the Palace, the -construction of which is precisely the same as that of the main -corridors, very little remains to be said, especially since their -location and division into apartments are shown clearly in the plan. -According to Waldeck, the central room of the building D had traces of -rich ornamentation in stucco on its walls; and he also claims to have -found here an acoustic tube of terra cotta, the mouth of which was -concealed by an ornament of the same material, but of this -extraordinary relic he gives no description. Stephens found in one of -the holes in the ceiling the worm-eaten remains of a wooden pole, -about a foot in length, the only piece of wood found in Palenque, and -very likely not a part of the original building at all. Except this -chamber, the building is mostly in ruins, although, as we have seen, -the northern piers remain standing.[VI-27] - -The roofs of some of the interior buildings seem to have been somewhat -better preserved than those of the main corridors, so that the sloping -roof, double cornice, and remains of stucco ornamentation were -observable. In the western apartment of the building C, the walls have -several, in one place as many as six, distinct coatings of plaster, -each hardened and painted before the next was applied. There was also -noticed a line of what appeared to be written characters in black, -covered by a thin translucent coating.[VI-28] - - [Illustration: Sculptured Tablet in the Palace.--Fig. 1.] - - [Illustration: Sculptured Tablet in the Palace.--Fig. 2.] - - [Sidenote: SCULPTURED TABLET.] - -The building E has the interior walls of its two northern apartments -decorated with painted and stucco figures in a very mutilated -condition. In the wall of one of them, at the point _p_, is fixed an -elliptical stone tablet, three feet wide and four feet high, the -surface of which is covered by the sculptured device shown in the -cut. With the exception of the figures in the court 1, already -mentioned, this is the only instance of stone-carving in the Palace. -It is cut in low relief, and is surrounded by an ornamental border of -stucco. A table consisting of a plain rectangular stone slab resting -on four blocks which served as legs, stood formerly on the pavement -immediately under the sculptured tablet. Tables of varying dimensions, -but of like construction, were found in several apartments of the -Palace and its subterranean galleries, as shown in the plan at v, v, -v. They are called tables, beds, or altars, by different writers. -Waldeck says that this one was of green jasper; and Del Rio, that its -edges and legs were sculptured, one of the latter having been carried -away by him and sent to Spain. The first cut which I have given is -taken from Waldeck's drawing. The second cut, representing a portion -of the same tablet, taken from Catherwood's plate, for _Morelet's -Travels_, differs slightly in some respects--notably in the ornament -suspended from the neck, represented by one artist as a face, and by -the other as a cross. Of the subject Mr Stephens says: "The principal -figure sits cross-legged on a couch ornamented with two leopards' -heads; the attitude is easy, the physiognomy the same as that of the -other personages, and the expression calm and benevolent. The figure -wears around its neck a necklace of pearls, to which is suspended a -small medallion containing a face; perhaps intended as an image of the -sun. Like every other subject of sculpture we had seen in the country, -the personage had earrings, bracelets on the wrists, and a girdle -round the loins. The head-dress differs from most of the others at -Palenque in that it wants the plumes of feathers.... The other figure, -which seems that of a woman, is sitting cross-legged on the ground, -richly dressed, and apparently in the act of making an offering. In -this supposed offering is seen a plume of feathers, in which the -headdress of the principal person is deficient." Waldeck deems the -left-hand figure to be black, and recognizes in the profile an -Ethiopian type. Del Rio sees in the subject homage paid to a river -god; and Galindo believes the object offered to be a human head. -Somebody imagines that the two animal heads are those of the -seal.[VI-29] - -The stucco ornaments on the walls of the building F seem to have been -richer and more numerous than elsewhere, but were found in a very -dilapidated condition. In the room _q_, Stephens found traces of a -stone tablet in the wall, and he also gives a sketch of a stucco -bas-relief from the side of a doorway, representing a standing human -figure in a very damaged state. A peculiar stucco ornament sketched by -Castaneda is probably from the same room, and is perhaps identical -with what Waldeck describes as a sanctuary with two birds perched on -an elephant's head, the latter, however, not appearing in the -drawing.[VI-30] - - [Sidenote: SUBTERRANEAN GALLERIES.] - - [Illustration: Ornament over a Doorway.] - -Within the pyramid itself, and above the surface of the ground, -although frequently spoken of as subterranean, are found apartments, -or galleries, with walls of stone plastered but without ornament, of -the same form and construction as the corridors above. Such as have -been explored are at the south end of the pyramid and for the most -part without the line of the Palace walls, with lateral galleries, -however, extending under the corridors and affording communication -with the upper apartments by means of stairways. The arrangement of -the galleries and their entrances is made sufficiently clear by the -fine lines at the bottom of the plan, yet perhaps very little is known -of their original extent. The southernmost gallery receives a dim -light by three holes or windows leading out to the surface of the -pyramid; the other galleries are dark and damp, with water running -over their pavements in the rainy season. The walls are much fallen -and the galleries blocked up at several points. At the south-western -corner an opening affords a means of egress near the surface of the -ground; but this, as well as the windows mentioned, may be accidental -or of modern origin and have formed no part of the original plan. -These rooms are variously regarded as sleeping-rooms, dungeons, or -sepulchres, according to the temperament of the observer. Whatever -their use, they contain several of the low tables mentioned before, -one of which is said to have been richly decorated with sculpture. M. -Morelet occupied one of these lower rooms during his visit, as being -more comfortable than the others, at least in the dry season. The -chief entrance to the vaults seems to have been from one of the -southern rooms of the building E, at the point _r_, through an opening -in the floor. A narrow stairway by which the descent was made, is -divided into two flights by a platform and doorway, surmounting which -was the stucco device shown in the cut. Waldeck states that when he -found this decoration it was partially covered with stalactites formed -by trickling water. His explanation, by which he connects the figures -with aboriginal astronomical signs and the division of time, is too -long and too extremely conjectural to be repeated here. Stephens -noticed this ornament but gives no drawing of it. It was sketched by -Castaneda together with another somewhat similar one. Dupaix speaks of -two doors in this stairway; Del Rio speaks of several landings, and -says that he brought away a fragment of one of the ornamented steps. I -suspect the visitors may have confounded this stairway with another at -_w_, concerning which nothing is particularly said. Somewhere in -connection with these stairways Dupaix found a tablet of hieroglyphics -which he brought away with him, and concerning which he states the -remarkable fact that on the reverse side of the tablet, built into the -wall, were the same characters painted that were sculptured on the -face. Openings through the pavement were found at several points, as -in the court 1, and the building C, which led to no regular galleries, -but to simple and small excavations in the earth, very likely the work -of some early explorer or searcher for hidden treasure.[VI-31] - - [Sidenote: THE PALACE RESTORED.] - -Having now given all the information in my possession respecting the -Palace, I present in the accompanying cut a restoration of the -structure made by a German artist, but which I have taken the liberty -to change in several respects. The reader will notice a few points in -which the cut does not exactly agree with my description; such as the -curved surface of the roofs, the height of the tower and its spire, -the width of the western stairway in court 1, etc., yet it may be -regarded as giving an excellent idea of what the Palace was in the -days when its halls and courts were thronged with the nobility or -priesthood of a great people. The view is from the north-east on the -bank of the stream, and besides the palace includes the edifice No. 2 -of the general plan.[VI-32] - - [Illustration: Restoration of the Palace.] - -The structure No. 2 shown in the last cut stands a short distance -south-west from the Palace, and may be known as the Temple of the -Three Tablets. The pyramid supporting it, of the same construction as -the former so far as may be judged from outward examination, is said -by Stephens to measure one hundred and ten feet on the slope, and -seems to have had continuous steps all round its sides, now much -displaced by the forest. The cut on the following page presents a view -of this temple from the north-east as it appeared at the time of -Catherwood's visit, and illustrates very vividly the manner in which -the ruins are enveloped in a tropical vegetation. - - [Illustration: Temple of the Three Tablets.] - - [Sidenote: TEMPLE OF THE THREE TABLETS.] - - [Illustration: Temple and Pyramid.--Fig. 1.] - - [Illustration: Temple of the Three Tablets.--Fig. 2.] - -The building, which stands on the summit platform but does not like -the Palace cover its whole surface, is seventy-six feet long, -twenty-five feet wide, and about thirty-five feet high. The front, or -northern, elevation is shown in the cuts. Fig. 1 includes the temple -with the supporting pyramid, and fig. 2 presents the building on a -larger scale. Each of the four central piers on this front has its -bas-relief in stucco, while the two lateral piers have each ninety-six -small squares of hieroglyphics, also in stucco. The bas-reliefs -represent single human figures, standing, and each bearing in its arms -an infant, or in one instance some unknown object. They are all very -much mutilated, and although drawings have been published, I do not -think it necessary to reproduce them. The roof is divided into two -sections, sloping at different angles; the lower slope was covered -with painted stucco decorations, and had also five square solid -projections, one over each doorway. The dividing line between the two -slopes marks the height of the apartments in the interior, the upper -portion being solid masonry. Along the ridge of the roof was a line of -pillars, of stone and mortar, eighteen inches high and twelve inches -apart, probably square, although nothing is said of their shape, and -surmounted by a layer of projecting flat stones. Similar constructions -may possibly have existed originally on some of the Palace roofs, -since they would naturally be among the first to fall. Waldeck's plate -represents a small platform in front of the doorways, ascended by four -lateral stairways. Respecting the two square projections below the -piers at the side of the central doorway there is no information -except their representation by Catherwood in the cut, fig. 2. - - [Illustration: Ground plan--Temple of the Three Tablets.] - - [Illustration: Section--Temple of the Three Tablets.] - -The arrangement of the interior is shown in the accompanying ground -plan. The central wall is four or five feet thick, and is pierced by -three doorways, which afford access to three apartments in the rear. -The front corridor has a small window at each end; Stephens speaks of -two slight openings about three inches wide in each of the lateral -apartments of the rear; and the plan indicates two similar openings in -the central room, although he speaks of them as dark and gloomy. -Castaneda's drawing shows only one window at the end; it also -represents the building as having a roof like the Palace, and as -standing on a natural rocky hill in which some steps are cut, no -bas-reliefs or other decorations appearing on the front. The interior -walls are perfectly plain, and it is not even definitely stated that -they are plastered. In the walls, however, at _a_, _b_, and _c_, of -the ground plan, are fixed stone tablets one foot thick, each composed -of several blocks, neatly joined and covered with sculptured -hieroglyphics. Those in the central wall, at _a_ and _b_, measure -eight by thirteen feet, and contain each two hundred and forty squares -of hieroglyphics in a very good state of preservation, while the one -hundred and forty squares of the tablet in the rear apartment, three -and a half by four feet, are much damaged by trickling water. Drawings -of the hieroglyphics have been made by Waldeck and Catherwood only, -although other visitors speak of them. I do not copy the drawings -here, because, in the absence of any key to their meaning, the -specimen which I shall present from another part of the ruins is as -useful to the reader as the whole would be. The cut is a longitudinal -section of this temple at the central wall, and shows the position of -the tablets. Waldeck's drawing represents the two lateral doorways as -having flat tops. Brasseur tells us that, according to the statements -of the natives, the tablets were used originally for educational -purposes. M. Charnay found them still undisturbed in 1859.[VI-33] - - [Illustration: Ground plan--Temple of the Beau Relief.] - - [Sidenote: THE BEAU RELIEF.] - - [Illustration: Beau Relief in Stucco.] - -Some four hundred yards south of the Palace is a pyramid, only partly -artificial if we may credit Dupaix, and rising with a steep slope of -one hundred feet from the bank of the stream according to Stephens, on -which is a small building, No. 3 of the plan, which we may call, with -Waldeck, the Temple of the Beau Relief. This edifice was found by -later visitors in an advanced state of ruin, and Catherwood's drawings -of it are much less satisfactory than in the case of other Palenque -ruins; but both Dupaix and Waldeck found it in a tolerably good state -of preservation, and were enabled to sketch and describe its principal -features. This temple measured eighteen by twenty feet, apparently -fronting the east, and is twenty-five feet high. It presents the -peculiarity of an apartment in the pyramid, immediately under the -upper rooms. The cut gives ground plans--No. 1 of the upper, and No. 2 -of the lower rooms. The stairway which afforded communication between -the two, is also shown. Catherwood's drawing, however, represents the -upper and lower apartments as alike in everything but height. On the -rear, or western, wall, at _a_, was the Beau Relief in stucco, which -gives a name to the temple, the finest specimen of stucco work in -America, shown in the accompanying cut. It was sketched by Castaneda -and Waldeck, in whose drawings some differences of detail appear. At -the time of Stephens' visit only the lower portions remained for -study; yet he pronounced this "superior in execution to any other -stucco relief in Palenque." At the time of Charnay's visit the last -vestige of this beautiful relic had disappeared. Waldeck speaks of a -tomb found in connection with this pyramid, which he had no time to -explore, having made the discovery just before leaving the -ruins.[VI-34] - - [Illustration: Temple of the Cross.] - - [Sidenote: TEMPLE OF THE CROSS.] - -Standing about one hundred and fifty yards a little south of east from -the Palace, and on the opposite bank of the stream Otolum, is the -building No. 4 of the plan, known as the Temple of the Cross, standing -on a pyramid which measures one hundred and thirty-four feet on the -slope. Mr Stephens locates this temple several hundred feet further -south than I have placed it on the plan. Charnay describes the pyramid -as partly natural but faced with stone. The temple is fifty feet long, -thirty-one feet wide, and about forty feet high. The cut shows the -front, or southern elevation. The construction of the lower portion is -precisely like that of the other buildings which have been described. -The two lateral piers were covered with hieroglyphics, and the central -ones bore human figures, all in stucco. The lower slope of the roof -was also covered with stucco decorations, among which were fragments -of a head and two bodies, pronounced by Stephens to approach the Greek -models in justness of proportion and symmetry. On the top, the roof -formed a platform thirty-five feet long and about three feet wide, -which supported the peculiar two-storied structure shown in the -preceding cut, fifteen feet and ten inches high. This is a kind of -frame, or open lattice, of stone blocks covered with a great variety -of stucco ornaments. A layer of projecting flat stones caps the whole, -and from the summit, one hundred feet perhaps above the ground, a -magnificent view is afforded, which stretches over the whole -forest-covered plain to Laguna de Terminos and the Mexican gulf. This -superstructure, like some that I have described at Uxmal and elsewhere -in Yucatan, would seem to have been added to the temple solely to give -it a more imposing appearance. It could hardly have served as an -observatory, since there are no facilities for mounting to the -summit.[VI-35] - - [Illustration: Ground plan--Temple of the Cross.] - -The interior arrangement is made clear by the adjoined plan. Within -the central apartment of the rear, or northern, corridor, and directly -opposite to the main doorway is an enclosure measuring seven by -thirteen feet. From its being mentioned as an enclosure rather than a -regular room by Stephens, it would seem probable that it does not -reach the full height of the chamber, but has a ceiling, or covering, -of its own. At any rate, it receives light only by the doorway. -Besides a heavy cornice round the enclosure, the doorway was -surmounted by massive and graceful stucco decorations, and at its -sides on the exterior were originally two stone tablets bearing each a -human figure sculptured in low relief, resembling in their general -characteristics the more common stucco designs, but somewhat more -elaborately draped and decorated. One of them wears a leopard-skin as -a cloak. These tablets were sketched by both Waldeck and Catherwood in -the village of Santo Domingo, whither they had been carried and set up -in a modern house. Stephens understood them to come from another of -the ruins yet to be mentioned, but the evidence indicates strongly -that he was misinformed. Both Waldeck and Stephens entered into some -negotiations with a view to remove these tablets; at the time of the -former's visit the condition of obtaining them was to marry one of the -proprietresses; in Stephens' time a purchase of the house in which -they stood would suffice. Neither removed them.[VI-36] - - [Illustration: Tablet of the Cross.] - - [Sidenote: TABLET OF THE CROSS.] - -Fixed in the wall at the back of the enclosure, and covering nearly -its whole surface, was the tablet of the cross, six feet four inches -high, ten feet eight inches wide, and formed of three stones. The -central stone, and part of the western, bear the sculptured figures -shown in the cut. The rest of the western, and all of the eastern -stone, were covered with hieroglyphics. This cut is a photographic -reduction of Waldeck's drawing, the accuracy of which is proved by a -careful comparison with Charnay's photograph. The subject doubtless -possessed a religious signification, and the location of the tablet -may be considered a sacred altar, or most holy place, of the ancient -Maya or Tzendal priesthood. Two men, probably priests, clad in the -robes and insignia of their office, are making an offering to the -cross or to a bird perched on its summit. This tablet has been perhaps -the most fruitful theme for antiquarian speculation yet discovered in -America, but a fictitious importance has doubtless been attached to it -by reason of some fancied connection between the sculptured cross and -the Christian emblem. All agree respecting the excellence of the -sculpture. Of the two priests, Stephens says: "They are well drawn, -and in symmetry of proportion are perhaps equal to many that are -carved on the walls of the ruined temples in Egypt. Their costume is -in a style different from any heretofore given, and the folds would -seem to indicate that they were of a soft and pliable texture like -cotton." Stephens and other writers discover a possible likeness in -the object offered to a new-born child. Of the hieroglyphics which -cover the two lateral stones, the cut on the opposite page shows, as a -specimen, the upper portion of the western stone, or what may be -considered, perhaps, the beginning of the inscription. The large -initial character, like an aboriginal capital letter, is a remarkable -feature. In Dupaix's time all parts of the tablet were probably in -their place, and in good condition, but his artist only sketched, and -that somewhat imperfectly, the cross and human figures, omitting the -hieroglyphics. Waldeck and Stephens found and sketched the central -stone in the forest on the bank of the stream, to which point it had -been removed, according to the former, with a view to its removal to -the United States, but according to the latter its intended -destination had been the village of Santo Domingo. Stephens says he -found the eastern stone entirely destroyed, though Charnay speaks of -it as still in place nearly twenty years later; why Waldeck made no -drawing of it does not appear.[VI-37] - - [Sidenote: MAYA HIEROGLYPHICS.] - - [Illustration: Hieroglyphics--Tablet of the Cross.] - - [Sidenote: THE ONLY STATUE AT PALENQUE.] - -This temple is paved with large flags, through which is an opening -made by Del Rio and noticed by later visitors. From this place Del Rio -took a variety of articles which will be mentioned hereafter. On the -southern slope of this pyramid Waldeck found two statues, exactly -alike, one of which is represented in the cut on the opposite page, -from Catherwood's drawings in Stephens' work. They are ten and one -half feet high, of which two and a half feet, not shown in the cut, -formed the tenon by which they were imbedded in the ground or in a -wall. The figure stands on a hieroglyph which perhaps expresses the -name of the individual or god represented. These statues are -remarkable as being the only ones ever found in connection with the -Palenque ruins; and even these are not statues proper, sculptured 'in -the round,' since the back is of rough stone and was very likely -imbedded originally in a wall. Waldeck believes they were designed to -support a platform before the central doorway. One of them was broken -in two pieces. After sketching the best preserved of them, Waldeck -turned them face downward that they might escape the eye of parties -who might have better facilities than he for removing them; but -Catherwood afterwards discovered and sketched the one which remained -entire. The resemblance of this figure to some Egyptian statues is -remarked by all, though Stephens notes in the lower part of the dress -"an unfortunate resemblance to modern pantaloons." The space at the -western base of the pyramid where various undescribed ruins are -indicated on the plan, is described by Stephens as a level esplanade -one hundred and ten feet wide and supported by a stone terrace wall -which rises sixty feet on the slope from the bank of the -stream.[VI-38] - - [Illustration: Statue from Temple of the Cross.] - - [Illustration: Temple of the Sun.] - - [Sidenote: TEMPLE OF THE SUN.] - - [Sidenote: PECULIAR ROOF STRUCTURES] - -At the south-western base of the pyramid of the Cross, and almost in -contact with it, rises another of smaller base, but nearly as high, -with a still smaller companion on the north, respecting which latter -no information is given. These pyramids, Nos. 5 and 6 of the plan, are -located by Stephens directly south from the Temple of the Cross, as -indicated by the dotted lines. The building No. 5, sometimes called, -without any sufficient reason, the Temple of the Sun, is one of the -best preserved and most remarkable for variety of ornamentation of all -the Palenque structures, but is very similar in most respects to its -neighbor of the cross, having the same stuccoed piers and roof. Its -front elevation is shown in the cut, from Catherwood. Waldeck's plate -differs chiefly in representing the stucco ornaments in a more perfect -state; but both are confessedly restorations to a certain extent. Here -again we have stucco reliefs of human figures on the central, and -hieroglyphics of the same material on the lateral piers. The roof -bears a superstructure similar to that already described, composed of -a frame of hewn stone blocks, supporting complicated decorations in -cement, several of which are modeled to represent human figures -looking from openings in the lattice-work. The stone frame-work -entirely freed from its ornamentation, is shown in the cut from -Waldeck, which presents both a front and end view. Brasseur believes -that these roof structures were erected by some people that succeeded -the original builders of the temples. It will be remembered that in -Yucatan similar superimposed structures were found by Stephens and -others, and are for the most part the only ones on which traces of -stucco work are observable. - - [Illustration: Roof Structure--Temple of the Sun.] - -The dimensions of this temple are twenty-eight by thirty-eight feet, -and its ground plan, identical with the exception of an additional -doorway with that of the Temple of the Cross, is shown in the cut. The -central enclosure in the rear, as is clearly shown by the plates and -description in this case, has a roof of its own. Its interior -dimensions are, nine feet long, five feet wide, and eight feet high. -It has on the exterior a double cornice and graceful ornaments, now -mostly fallen, over the doorways, while at the sides stood two -sculptured reliefs representing human figures, which although broken -in many fragments, were sketched by Waldeck. The tablets in the -village of Santo Domingo were understood by Stephens to have come from -this apartment. - - [Illustration: Ground plan--Temple of the Sun.] - -Fixed in the rear wall, occupying its whole extent, and receiving -light only through the doorway, is the Tablet of the Sun, which -measures eight by nine feet and is made of three slabs of stone. In -1842 it was still unbroken and in place, and was considered by -Stephens to be the most perfect and interesting monument in Palenque. -As in the Tablet of the Cross the sides are covered with squares of -hieroglyphics; and in the central portion is an object to which two -priests are in the act of making human offerings. This central object -is a hideous face, or mask, with protruding tongue, standing on a kind -of altar which is supported on the backs of two crouching human -figures. Two other stooping men support the priests, who stand on -their backs. The name Tablet of the Sun comes from the face with -protruding tongue, which was sometimes regarded by the Aztecs as a -symbol of the sun;--a very far-fetched derivation for the name.[VI-39] - -The stream on whose banks the ruins stand flows for a short distance -through an artificial covered stone channel, or aqueduct, about six -feet wide, and ten feet high, covered like all the corridors by an -arch of overlapping blocks. It extends fifty-seven feet from north to -south, and one hundred and sixty feet further south-eastward toward -the Temple of the Cross, where the fallen roof blocks up the passage -and renders further exploration impracticable. Such is the information -obtained from the works of Waldeck and Stephens. The position of this -structure is indicated on the plan by the dotted lines numbered 7, -although Stephens locates it considerably further north. There is -great confusion in the accounts of this so-called aqueduct. Bernasconi -included in his report a description and drawing of a vault seven feet -wide, twelve feet high, and two hundred and twenty-seven feet long, -extending in a curved line from the Palace to the stream. Del Rio -speaks of a "subterranean stone aqueduct of great solidity and -durability, which passes under the largest building." Dupaix states -that a rapid stream, a few paces--Kingsborough's edition has it over a -league--west of the ruins, runs through a subterranean aqueduct five -and one half feet wide, eleven feet high, and one hundred and -sixty-seven feet long, built of stone blocks without mortar. The -drawings of this structure, however, in Dupaix and Kingsborough's -works do not bear the slightest resemblance to each other, one -picturing it as a bridge, and the other as a corridor, or possibly -aqueduct, built above the surface of the ground. Galindo tells us that -a stream rises two hundred paces east of the Palace and is covered for -one hundred paces by a gallery, with traces of buildings, probably -baths, extending fifty paces further. Waldeck describes the mouth of a -subterranean passage as concealed by a small cataract in the stream. -There seems to be little reason to doubt that all these conflicting -accounts refer to the same structure. Charnay tells us that the -conduit is two metres high and wide, and that it is covered with -immense stones.[VI-40] - -Not far from the Temple of the Sun a small building eight feet square -was found by Waldeck lifted bodily from the ground by the branches of -a large tree.[VI-41] On an eminence north of the Palace, at 9 of the -plan, are the foundations of several buildings,--eleven in number, -according to Dupaix, in whose time some of the arches were still -standing. They extend in a line from east to west, and all front the -south.[VI-42] On the summit of a high steep hill, or mountain, the -slope of which begins immediately to the east of the Temple of the -Cross, are the foundation stones of a building twenty-one feet square, -at 8 of the plan. So thick is the forest that from this point none of -the ruins below are visible, although the site of the village of -Santo Domingo may be seen by climbing a lofty tree.[VI-43] - - [Illustration: Conduit of a Bridge near Palenque.] - -Two bridges are indefinitely located in the vicinity of Palenque. One -of them, said by Dupaix to be north of the Palace, is fifty-six feet -long, forty-two feet wide, and eleven feet high, built of large hewn -blocks without mortar. The conduit is nine feet wide, having a flat -top constructed with a layer of wide blocks, and convex sides, as -illustrated in the cut. The second bridge was found on the Tulija -River some leagues west of the ruins, and only extends, according to -Galindo, partly across the river, which is now about five hundred -paces wide at that point.[VI-44] The Abbe Brasseur, during his visit -to the ruins in 1871, claims to have discovered an additional temple, -that of the Mystic Tree, containing hieroglyphic tablets.[VI-45] Three -thousand five hundred paces southward from the last house of Santo -Domingo, on a stream supposed to be a branch of the Usumacinta, -Waldeck found two pyramids. They are described as having been at the -time in a perfect state of preservation, square at the base, pointed -at the top, and thirty-one feet high, their sides forming equilateral -triangles. Pyramids of this type rarely, if ever, occur in America, -and it is unfortunate that the existence of these monuments is not -confirmed by other explorers, since without such confirmation it must -be considered very doubtful.[VI-46] Seven leagues north from the -ruins, Galindo found a circular cistern twenty feet in diameter, two -feet high on the outside, and eight feet on the inside, occupied at -the time of his visit by alligators.[VI-47] According to Ordonez, one -of Del Rio's companions discovered on the Rio Catasaha, two leagues -from Palenque, a subterranean stone structure, which contained large -quantities of valuable woods, stored as if for export.[VI-48] - - [Illustration: Palenque Altar for burning Copal.] - - [Sidenote: MISCELLANEOUS RELICS.] - -A few miscellaneous relics, found by visitors at different points in -connection with the ruins of Palenque, and more or less fully -described, remain to be noticed. Del Rio made an excavation under the -pavement of the central chamber in the Temple of the Cross, and says: -"at about half a yard deep, I found a small round earthen vessel, -about one foot in diameter, fitted horizontally with a mixture of lime -to another of the same quality and dimensions; these were removed, and -the digging being continued, a quarter of a yard beneath, we -discovered a circular stone, of rather larger diameter than the first -articles, and on removing this from its position, a cylindrical cavity -presented itself, about a foot wide and the third of a foot deep, -containing a flint lance, two small conical pyramids with the figure -of a heart in dark crystallized stone; ... there were also two small -earthen jars or ewers with covers containing small stones and a ball -of vermilion.... The situation of the subterranean depository -coincides with the centre of the oratory, and in each of the inner -angles, near the entrance, is a cavity like the one before described," -containing two little jars. The same author also speaks of burnt -bricks which seem to have been used sparingly.[VI-49] Waldeck, having -made a similar excavation in what he calls the temple of the Palace, -perhaps the building C, found a gallery containing hewn blocks of -stone, and earthen cups and vases with many little earthen balls of -different colors. He also speaks of a fine fragment of terra cotta -which he found in the court 1 where he also discovered just before -leaving Palenque the entrance to other galleries of the pyramid. -Waldeck also gives drawings of two images of human form in terra -cotta, from Dr Corroy's collection; also a face, or mask, in stucco -from the cornice of the Temple of Death, whatever that building may -have been.[VI-50] Galindo found stones apparently for grinding maize, -similar to the Mexican _metate_; also artificially shaped pebbles, -similar, as he says, to those used by the modern Lacandones but -smaller. Both Galindo and Dupaix speak of a circular granite stone, -like a mill-stone, six feet in diameter and one foot thick, found on -the side or at the foot of the Palace pyramid. Dupaix found at a -distance of a league westward from the ruins, a square pillar -fourteen feet in circumference, and about the same in height, with two -short round pillars standing at its eastern foot. He also speaks of -finding many small altars probably used originally for burning copal. -One of them, four feet in circumference and sixteen inches high, is -represented in the preceding cut.[VI-51] At the sale of a collection -of antiquities in London, 1859, two of the objects sold are, -erroneously in all probability, mentioned as relics from Palenque; one -was "a mask, with open mouth, in hard red stone, the concave surface -sculptured with a sitting figure of a Mexican chief, surrounded by -various emblems," price thirteen pounds; the other, "a Mexican deity, -with grotesque human face sculptured out of a very large and massive -piece of greenstone," price twenty-five pounds. Mr Davis talks about -"an idol of pure gold about six inches long."[VI-52] The two copper or -bronze medals which I have already noticed as probably not authentic -relics in my account of Guatemalan antiquities, have been considered -by various writers, following Ordonez without any apparent reason, as -belonging to Palenque. The speculations to which they have given rise, -and their attempted interpretations are splendid specimens of the -trash, pure and simple, which has been written in unlimited quantities -about primitive America.[VI-53] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF OCOCINGO.] - -Some thirty-five or forty miles southward from Palenque, on another of -the parallel streams which unite to form a branch of the Usumacinta, -is another important group of ruins, which may be called Ococingo, -from the name of a modern village, five or six miles distant toward -the west. The same traditions that tell us of Votan's great Maya -empire, and of Xibalba, allude also somewhat vaguely to another great -capital called Tulha. Juarros, perhaps following Ordonez, applied this -name to the ruins of Ococingo, and most authors have followed him in -this respect. I need not say, however, that the only authority for -this use of the name is the traditional existence in the shadowy past, -of a Tulha in this region. The natives call the ruins Tonila, which in -the Tzendal tongue signifies 'stone houses.' Notwithstanding the -importance of the ruins, very little is known of them. Stephens and -Catherwood spent about half a day here just before their visit to -Palenque; and Dupaix and Castaneda also visited this point. The -accounts by these explorers are about all there is extant on the -subject, but they are necessarily brief, and unfortunately neither in -text nor drawings do they agree at all with each other. Both Waldeck -and Brasseur visited Ococingo, but neither gives any description of -the monuments.[VI-54] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF OCOCINGO.] - -At the village of Ococingo Stephens noticed two sculptured figures -brought from the ruins, which he pronounced "somewhat in the same -style as those at Copan." Castaneda also saw and sketched here two -tablets, which may be the same. One of them measured forty-five by -thirty-six by four inches, was of a grayish stone, and contained a -single human figure, whose arms were bound behind the back with what -resembles a modern rope. The other measuring thirty-six by -twenty-seven inches, was of a yellow stone, and contained a standing -and a squatting figure, surrounded by a border in which hieroglyphics -appear. On the way from the village, Stephens noticed two well-carved -figures lying on the ground; while Dupaix found several of them thrown -down and broken, two of which were sketched. One of them represents a -human bust with arms crossed on the breast, the lower portion of which -seems to be a kind of tenon originally fixed in the ground; the other -bears a slight resemblance to the only statue found at Palenque. This -statue must have been removed by Dupaix, since it was afterwards seen -by Waldeck in Vera Cruz. Both statues had lost their heads.[VI-55] - - [Illustration: Terra-Cottas from Ococingo.] - - [Illustration: Engraved Chalchiuite from Ococingo.] - - [Illustration: Hieroglyphics from Ococingo.] - -In the possession of some French citizens of Vera Cruz, Waldeck found -a collection of seven or eight terra-cottas of very fine workmanship -and very curious form, which had been brought from Ococingo. Two of -them are shown in the accompanying cuts.[VI-56] The figure shown in -the cut was carved in bas-relief on a hard and polished chalchiuite -which was found in this vicinity. The design is represented -full-sized, and its resemblance to one of the figures on the stone -tablet in the Palace at Palenque will be apparent to the reader. -Another similar stone bore the hieroglyphics shown in the preceding -cut, which was also given in the second volume of this work as an -illustration of the Maya system of writing. M. Warden speaks -indefinitely of ancient monuments in this vicinity, in connection with -which were stone figures representing warriors of great size.[VI-57] - -This brings us to the ruins proper. They are situated a little north -of east from the village, at a distance of five or six miles. Dupaix -describes them as located on the slope of a hill, on the sides of -which are some stone steps, and as consisting of five structures. The -central building is nearly square, built of hewn stone, and covered -with plaster, without exterior decorations. The drawing represents a -double cornice, and a sloping roof, very similar to those of the -interior Palace buildings at Palenque. There is only one door, on the -west, and two square windows appear on each side. A few rods in front -of this building, at the sides of the broad stairway leading up to it, -and facing each other, are two other buildings of similar -construction, but so small that the roof is pointed, its slopes -forming four triangular surfaces. In the rear of the central -structure, in positions corresponding to those of the buildings in -front but at a greater distance, are two conical mounds of masonry -covered with cement. Each is sixty feet high and two hundred feet in -diameter, being pointed at the top; indeed, the only specimen of -pointed stone pyramids seen by Dupaix in his explorations.[VI-58] - - [Illustration: Winged Globe from Ococingo.] - -Stephens also describes the ruins, or the principal ones at least, as -located "on a high elevation," but the elevation is an immense -artificial pyramidal structure, built in five terraces. The surface -was originally faced with stone and plastered, but was so broken up in -places that Stephens was able to ascend to the third terrace on -horseback. On the summit of this terraced hill is a pyramid, high and -steep, which supports a stone building measuring thirty-five by fifty -feet on the ground, built of hewn stone, and covered with stucco. This -is perhaps identical with the central building sketched by Dupaix. The -only exterior doorway is in the centre of the front, and is ten feet -wide. The ground plan is very similar to those of the temples of the -Cross and Sun at Palenque, except that the front corridor is divided -by partition walls, while the rear corridor is uninterrupted except by -an oblong enclosure, which, as at Palenque, seems to have been a kind -of sanctuary. The dimensions of this enclosure are eleven by eighteen -feet, and over the doorway on the outside is a stucco ornament which -arrested Mr Stephens' attention from its resemblance to the 'winged -globe' of the Egyptian temples. A portion which was yet in place was -sketched by Catherwood; the rest, which had fallen face downward, was -too heavy for four men and a boy to overturn. Waldeck, however, either -succeeded in raising the fragments, or, what is more likely, copied -the standing part and restored the rest from his imagination, -producing the drawing, a part of which is copied in the cut. The -lintel of this inner doorway is of zapote-wood, and in perfect -preservation. The entrance to this sanctuary was much obstructed by -fallen fragments, and the natives, who had never dared to penetrate -the mysterious recess, believed the passage to lead by a subterranean -course to Palenque. Stephens succeeded in entering the room, and found -its walls covered with stucco decorations, including two life-sized -human figures and a monkey. - -From the top of the first building was seen another of similar plan -and construction, but in a more damaged condition. It probably stands -on the same terraced foundation, although no definite information is -given on this point. Two other buildings supported by pyramids were -seen. Stephens also speaks of an open table, probably the former site -of the city, protected on all sides by the terraced structures which -overlook the country far around. There is also a high narrow causeway, -partially artificial, extending from the ruins to a mountain range, -and bearing on its summit a mound and the foundations of a building, -or tower. Of these ruins Mr Stephens says "there was no place we had -seen which gave us such an idea of the vastness of the works erected -by the aboriginal inhabitants."[VI-59] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: MISCELLANEOUS RUINS.] - -I have found no very definite information about the antiquities of -Chiapas, except the ruins of Palenque and Ococingo. In a statistical -work on Chiapas and Soconusco by Emilio Pineda there are the following -brief mentions of scattered monuments: In one of the hills near -Comitan is a stone table; and a sun, sculptured in stone, serves as a -boundary mark on the frontier. Remains are still visible of the cities -which formerly stood in the valleys of Custepeques and Xiquipilas, -including remains of giants; also of those at Laguna Mora, five -leagues from the left bank of the river Chiapas, between the pueblo of -Acala, and the valley of Custepeques, believed to have been the towns -of Tizapetlan and Teotilac, where Cortes hung the Aztec king -Guatimozin and others; also those of Copanabastla, where columns are -mentioned. There are, besides, some sepulchres of the Tzendal nobles, -two of which are especially worthy of note. The first is between the -pueblo of Zitala and the hacienda of Boxtic, twenty-two leagues -north-west of San Cristoval. "Its base is a parallelogram formed from -a hill cut down on three sides, so that at the entrance one seems to -be ascending an inclined plain; but further along is seen an elevation -with grades, or terraces, chiefly on the sides which are cut away. On -the summit plane is found an enormous cone, built of hewn blocks of -slate, whose base is about two hundred varas in circumference. In the -centre are the sepulchres, and in some of them human bones. The ascent -to them is by steps, and the whole seems like a vast winding stairway, -for which reason it is called Bololchun, meaning in the Tzendal tongue -a 'coiled snake.' Similar to this, is another at the hacienda of San -Gregorio, near the pueblo of Huistan, eight leagues east of the city -of San Cristoval; but the latter has no supporting mound, but stands -on the level of the ground. Here are two Egyptian pyramids, -considering their form and purpose." Walls of masonry are mentioned on -the hill of Colmena, four leagues from Ocosucoautla; being nine feet -thick, seven feet high, and enclosing a circular space forty-five feet -in diameter. There is also a wall on the hill of Petapa, south of -Ocosucoautla; but the most notable is that of Santoton, near Teopisca, -seven leagues south-west of San Cristoval. Two parallel walls extend -a long distance, having at one end a ditch, and at the other a high -steep mound; within the walls was a town.[VI-60] - -Among the relics found at Huehuetan in Soconusco at the end of the -seventeenth century, and publicly destroyed, are said to have been -some sculptured stones; and we have a statement that the shapeless -ruins of the city itself are still visible on a hill near the Pacific, -at the modern town of Tlazoaloyan.[VI-61] The ruins of the aboriginal -Tonala, a town captured by Pedro de Alvarado, are said to be still -seen on the banks of a laguna communicating with the sea, near the -Tehuantepec frontier. The ancient Ghowel, or Huey Zacatlan, is -supposed to have stood on the present site of San Cristoval, where -some traces are reported. Dupaix mentions a human head, wearing a kind -of helmet, cut from green porphyry. This relic was in the possession -of Sr Ordonez.[VI-62] - -Brasseur states that the town of Chiapa de Indios, twelve leagues from -San Cristoval, is "full of ruins;" and he thinks that obelisks, on one -of which there is a tradition of an old king having inscribed his -name, and other ruins like those at Copan and Quirigua will some time -be brought to light in the forests about Comitan. Hermosa mentions two -stones cut in the form of tongues, nine feet long and two feet wide, -at Quixte, the location of which I am unable to find. Galindo speaks -of some extraordinary and magnificent ruins in a cave somewhere on the -left bank of the Usumacinta near the falls; and somewhat lower down, -about three miles from Tenosique, a remarkable monumental stone, with -inscribed characters. And finally, among the wonderful pretended -discoveries of Leon de Pontelli, were the ruined cities of Ostuta and -Copanahuaxtla, southward of Palenque, and in the vicinity of San -Bartolome.[VI-63] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: COMPARISONS.] - -I have now presented to the reader all that is known of Palenque, and -the few other relics of antiquity that have been found in Chiapas. -Since the monuments described are nearly all found in one locality, a -general resume seems less necessary than in the chapter on Yucatan -antiquities, where the remains of many cities, with numerous -variations in detail, were described. Yet a brief consideration of the -leading points of resemblance and contrast between the two groups is -important. In Palenque, as in Yucatan, we have low, narrow buildings -of stone and mortar, standing on the summit platforms of artificial -pyramidal elevations faced with masonry. There are no traces of city -walls or other fortifications. Galleries are found within the Palace -pyramid, and that of the Beau Relief; they were also found in Yucatan -at Maxcanu, reported at Izamal, and may very likely exist in other -pyramids. The building-material, stone, mortar, and wood, were -apparently the same in both groups of ruins, although at Palenque the -wood has disappeared. Respecting the form and dimensions of the hewn -blocks, our information is less complete than is desirable, especially -in the case of Palenque. I believe, however, that no importance can be -attached to Galindo's remark that the blocks at Palenque are only two -inches thick, and it is probable that the blocks used in both groups -are of varying forms and dimensions, as indeed I am informed by a -gentleman residing in San Francisco, who visited the ruins in 1860. -Mortar, plaster, or stucco was used in greater profusion at Palenque, -but there is no reason to suppose that it differed in composition or -excellence; the bright-colored paints also, although better preserved -in Yucatan, were, so far as can be known, everywhere the same in the -Maya ruins.[VI-64] - -Interiors here as before consist for the most part of two narrow -parallel corridors, with perpendicular walls for half their height, -and covered by triangular arches of overlapping blocks of stone. Both -walls and ceilings are covered with plaster, and both painted and -stucco decorations occur on their surface. Poles originally stretched -across from ceiling to ceiling, the poles themselves remaining in -Yucatan, and the holes in which they were placed at Palenque. At the -sides of many doorways on the interior are simple contrivances for -supporting doors or curtains.[VI-65] The Palace, like those of the -Yucatan structures which seem to have been intended partially for the -residence of priests or lords, is built about an enclosed courtyard, -but at Palenque the building is continuous instead of being composed -of four separate structures as at Uxmal; and the court, unlike those -in Yucatan, contains other structures. The strongest bond connecting -Palenque to Uxmal, Kabah, and their sister cities, together with -Copan, is the evident identity of the hieroglyphic characters -inscribed on their tablets. Respecting this identity all writers are -agreed, but the reader, with the specimens given in the preceding -pages, will require no other authority on the subject.[VI-66] Both -Palenque and Yucatan are also alike remarkable for the comparative -absence of idols, statues, implements, and pottery; and, except in the -matter of statues, Copan may be classed with them. The human faces -sculptured or molded in profile in Yucatan and Chiapas exhibit the -same flattened forehead, although the type is much more strongly -marked at Palenque. The absence of all warlike subjects is remarkable -in the stucco and sculptured figures at Palenque as in all the more -ancient remains of Central America. - -Together with the resemblances pointed out and others that will occur -to the student of this and the preceding chapters, there are also -strongly marked contrasts to be noted. In nearly every city of Yucatan -there are one or more pyramids on the summits of which no traces of -buildings appear, apparently designed for the performance of religious -rites in sight of the assembled people, but possibly having served -originally to support wooden structures; while at Palenque each -pyramid seems to have borne its edifice of stone. The number of -buildings apparently intended as temples, in comparison with those -which may have served also as residences for priests or rulers, seems -much greater at Palenque. Many of the pyramids in Yucatan had broad -terraces on their sides; at Palenque none appear, although a terraced -elevation has been noticed at Ococingo. Some of the Yucatan pyramids -are built of a concrete of rough stones and mortar; some of those at -Palenque are chiefly composed of earth, but our information is not -sufficiently full on this point to warrant the conclusion that there -is any uniform difference in the structure of the pyramids. The sides -of the pyramids have in Chiapas no decorations either in stone or -stucco, but such decorations in stucco may have existed and have left -no trace. Coming now to the superimposed edifices we note that none -are found of more than one story at Palenque, while in Yucatan two or -three stories are of common occurrence. The walls at Palenque are much -thinner, are built entirely of hewn stone, and lack, so far as the -authorities go, the filling of rubble found in Yucatan. While the arch -of overlapping stones is constructed in precisely the same manner, -yet, as I have said, the projecting corners are beveled in Yucatan, -while at Palenque a plain surface is produced by the aid of mortar. -Doorways in the ruins of Yucatan have for the most part, except at -Uxmal, stone lintels; in those of Palenque there is no very positive -evidence of their use. In the former the principal exterior entrances -have arched tops; in the latter no such structure appears. In the -former the roof seems to have been flat, cemented, and plain; in the -latter they were sloping, and decorated with stucco. In Yucatan -columns occur occasionally both in doorways and elsewhere, but there -are no windows; while in Chiapas small windows appear in most -buildings, but no columns. Traces of a phallic worship are apparent in -the Yucatan sculptured figures; at Palenque no such traces have been -pointed out, and there is not among the many tablets or decorations in -stucco, a single figure which would be offensive to the most prudish -modesty. It is not necessary to speak of the exterior stairways, the -isolated arch, the round buildings, the flat wooden roof, and other -peculiar edifices which were found in Yucatan and have no counterpart -at Palenque. The most marked contrast is in the use of stone and -stucco for exterior ornamentation. No stone sculpture is seen on the -outer walls of any Palenque building; while in Yucatan, except in -superimposed ornamental roof-structures, stucco very rarely -appears.[VI-67] - -The resemblances in the different groups of ruins in Chiapas, Yucatan, -and Honduras, are more than sufficient to prove intimate connection -between the builders and artists. The differences pointed out prove -just as conclusively that the edifices were not all erected and -decorated by the same people, under the same laws and religious -control, at the same epoch. - - [Sidenote: ANTIQUITY OF PALENQUE.] - -And this brings me to the question of the age of Palenque, the date of -its foundation and abandonment. It has already been shown that the -Yucatan structures were built by the direct ancestors of the Mayas who -occupied the peninsula at the time of the conquest; that they were not -abandoned wholly until the coming of the Spaniards, although partially -so during the two centuries preceding that event; that the reasons -adduced for and against the great antiquity of the ruins by different -authors, bear almost exclusively on the date of their abandonment -rather than that of their erection; and that the latter date, so far -as anything can be known of it, depends chiefly on traditional -history, which indicates that the cities were built at different dates -from the third to the tenth century. It is chiefly by comparison with -the ruined cities of Yucatan that the age of Palenque must be -determined, since there is no traditional history that relates -definitely to this city, and it was doubtless abandoned before the -Spaniards came; for it is hardly possible that a great inhabited city -could have remained utterly unknown during the conquest of this part -of the country, especially as Cortes is known to have passed within -thirty miles of its site. In favor of great antiquity for Palenque, -the growth of large trees on the ruins, the accumulation of vegetable -mold in the courtyards, and the disappearance of all traces of wood, -have been considered strong arguments; but they all bear on the date -of abandonment rather than of building, as do the rapid crumbling of -the ruins since their discovery, the remains of bright-colored paint, -the destructiveness of tropical climate and vegetation, and the -comparison with some European ruins of known age. The size of trees -and accumulation of earth are known to be very uncertain tests of age -in this region; indeed the clearings and excavations of the earlier -explorers seem to have left few signs visible to those who came a few -years later. The utter disappearance of wooden lintels is, however, a -very strong argument that Palenque was abandoned some centuries -earlier than the cities of the peninsula, where the lintels were found -often in perfect preservation, although it cannot be conclusively -shown that the same kind of wood was employed. When we add to this the -more advanced state of ruin of the Palenque structures, and the utter -silence of all later traditions respecting any great city or religious -centre in this region, it seems safe to conclude that Palenque was -abandoned, or left without repairs, as early as the twelfth or -thirteenth century, and possibly earlier. - - [Sidenote: FOUNDATION OF PALENQUE.] - -Respecting the date when the city was built, we have the resemblances -to Yucatan ruins already noticed, which show beyond doubt that it was -built--under different conditions, such as religion and government -possibly--by a people of the same race and language, and not by an -extinct race as has been sometimes imagined. The present deteriorated -condition of the natives, and the flattened foreheads of the -sculptured figures have been the strongest reasons for believing in an -extinct race; but the former has been shown, I believe, in the three -preceding volumes of this work to have no weight, and the peculiar -cranial conformation may be much more simply and as satisfactorily -explained by supposing that in ancient as in modern times the forehead -was artificially flattened. Then we have the strong differences -noticeable between Uxmal and Palenque, which lead us to conclude that -these cities must have been built either at widely different epochs, -or by branches of the Maya race which had long been separated, or by -branches, which through the influence of foreign tribes lived under -greatly modified institutions. It cannot be accurately determined to -what extent the last two conditions prevailed, but from what is known -of Maya history, and the uniformity of Maya institutions, I am -inclined to attribute most of the architectural and sculptural -differences noted to the lapse of time, and to allow a difference of a -few centuries between the dates of building. I must confess my -inability to judge from the degree of art displayed respectively in -the peninsular ruins and those of Palenque, which are the older; I -will go further, and while in a confessional mood, confess to a shade -of skepticism respecting the ability of other writers to form a -well-founded judgment in the matter. Authors are, however, unanimous -in the opinion that Palenque was founded before any of the cities of -Yucatan, an opinion which is supported to a certain extent by -traditional history, which represents Votan's empire in Chiapas and -Tabasco as preceding chronologically the allied Maya empire in the -peninsula. If the Yucatan cities flourished, as I have conjectured, -between the third and tenth centuries, Palenque may be conjecturally -referred to a period between the first and eighth centuries. I regard -the theory that Palenque was built by the Toltecs after their -expulsion from Anahuac in the tenth century as wholly without -foundation; and I believe that it would be equally impossible to prove -or disprove that the Palace was standing at the birth of Christ. It -must be added that Brasseur and some others regard the stucco -decorations and especially the peculiar roof-structures as the work of -a later people than the original builders, or at least, of a later -epoch and grade of culture.[VI-68] - - [Sidenote: OLD WORLD RESEMBLANCES.] - -Respecting the vague resemblances in the Palenque monuments to -old-world ruins, there is very little to be said. The earlier -observers were not permitted by their religious faith to doubt that -the builders must be connected with some race of the old world; they -were, however, allowed to use their judgment to a certain extent in -determining which should have the credit, and most of them discovered -the strongest similarities to Egyptian antiquities, although Dupaix -could find no likeness in the hieroglyphics. Later authorities are not -disposed to admit a marked likeness to the monuments of any particular -nation of Europe, Asia, or Africa, although finding vague and perhaps -accidental similarities to those of many of the older nations. My -acquaintance with old-world antiquities is not sufficiently thorough -to give any weight to my individual opinion in the matter, and I have -no space for the introduction of descriptive text and illustrative -plates. I give in a note the opinions of some writers on the -subject.[VI-69] - - [Sidenote: ART DISPLAYED AT PALENQUE.] - -I close my account of Maya antiquities with the following brief -quotations respecting Palenque, and the degree of art exhibited in her -ruined monuments. "These sculptured figures are not caricatures, but -display an ability on the part of the artists to represent the human -form in every posture, and with anatomical fidelity. Nor are the -people in humble life here delineated. The figures are royal or -priestly; some are engaged in offering up sacrifices, or are in an -attitude of devotion; many hold a scepter, or other baton of -authority; their apparel is gorgeous; their head-dresses are -elaborately arrayed, and decorated with long feathers."[VI-70] "Many -of the reliefs exhibit the finest and most beautiful outlines, and the -neatest combinations, which remind one of the best Indian works of -art."[VI-71] "The ruins of Palenque have been perhaps overrated; these -remains are fine, doubtless, in their antique rudeness; they breathe -out in the midst of their solitude a certain imposing grandeur; but it -must be affirmed, without disputing their architectural importance, -that they do not justify in their details the enthusiasm of -archaeologists. The lines which make up the ornamentation are faulty in -rectitude; the designs in symmetry; the sculpture in finish; I -except, however, the symbolic tablets, the sculpture of which seemed -to me very correct." "I admire the bas-reliefs of Palenque on the -facades of her old palaces; they interest me, move me, and fill my -imagination; but let them be taken to the Louvre, and I see nothing -but rude sketches which leave me cold and indifferent."[VI-72] "The -most remarkable remains of an advanced ancient civilization hitherto -discovered on our continent." "Their general characteristics are -simplicity, gravity, and solidity."[VI-73] "While superior in the -execution of the details, the Palenque artist was far inferior to the -Egyptian in the number and variety of the objects displayed by -him."[VI-74] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[VI-1] The physical features and natural beauties of this region are -perhaps more vividly and eloquently described by the French traveler -Morelet than by any other visitor. _Voyage_, tom. i., pp. 245-85; -_Travels_, pp. 65-111. M. Morelet visited Palenque from the Laguna de -Terminos, passing up the Usumacinta and its branches, while other -visitors approached for the most part from the opposite direction. He -gives, moreover, much closer attention to nature in its varied aspects -than to artificial monuments of the past. 'L'esprit est frappe par le -reve biblique de l'Eden, et l'oeil cherche vainement l'Eve et l'Adam -de ce jardin des merveilles: nul etre humain n'y planta sa tente; sept -lieues durant ces perspectives delicieuses se succedent, sept lieues -de ces magnifiques solitudes que bornent de trois cotes les horizons -bleus de la Cordillere.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, p. 412. 'La nature -toujours prodigue de ses dons, dans ce climat enchanteur, lui assurait -en profusion, avec une eternelle fertilite, et une salubrite eprouvee -durant une longue suite de siecles, tout ce qu'un sol fecond, sous un -ciel admirable, peut fournir spontanement de productions necessaires a -l'entretien et au repos de la vie.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. -Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 82. - -[VI-2] In 1746, while Padre Antonio de Solis was temporarily residing -at Santo Domingo, a part of his curacy, the ruins were accidentally -found by his nephews; although Stephens, _Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. -294, gives a report without naming his authority--probably _Antiq. -Mex._, tom. i., div. i., p. v., or _Juarros_, _Hist. Guat._, p. 18., -where the date is given as the middle of the century--which he does -not credit, that they were found by a party of Spaniards in 1750. From -one of the nephews, Ramon Ordonez, then a schoolboy at San Cristoval, -first heard of the ruins in which he took so deep an interest in later -years. In 1773 Ordonez sent his brother with one Gutierrez de la Torre -and others to make explorations, and from their report wrote an -account--probably the _Memoria relativa a las ruinas de la Ciudad -descubierta en las inmediaciones del pueblo de Palenque_, a MS. in -Brasseur's collection, (_Bib. Mex. Guat._, p. 113,) from which these -facts were gathered--which was forwarded in 1784 to Estacheria, -President of the Guatemalan Audiencia Real. President Estacheria, by -an order dated Nov. 28, 1784,--_Expediente sobre el descubrimiento de -una gran ciudad, etc._, MS., in the Archives of the Royal Hist. Acad. -of Madrid,--instructed Jose Antonio Calderon, Lieut. Alcalde Mayor of -Santo Domingo, to make further explorations. Calderon's -report,--_Informe de D. J. A. Calderon, etc._, translated in substance -in _Brasseur_, _Palenque_, Introd., pp. 5-7,--is dated Dec. 15, 1764, -so that the survey must have been very actively pushed, to bring to -light as was claimed, over 200 ruined edifices in so short a time. -Some drawings accompanied this report, but they have never been -published. In Jan. 1785 Antonio Bernasconi, royal architect in -Guatemala, was ordered to continue the survey, which he did between -Feb. 25 and June 13, when he handed in his report, accompanied by -drawings never published so far as I know. Bernasconi's report with -all those preceding it was sent to Spain, and from the information -thus given, J. B. Munoz, Royal Historiographer, made a report on -American antiquities by order of the king. - -In accordance with a royal cedula of March 15, 1786, Antonio del Rio -was ordered by Estacheria to complete the investigations. With the aid -of seventy-nine natives Del Rio proceeded to fall the trees and to -clear the site of the ancient city by a general conflagration. His -examination lasted from May 18 to June 2, and his report with many -drawings was sent to Spain. Copies were, however, retained in -Guatemala and Mexico, and one of these copies was in Brasseur's -collection under the title of _Descripcion del terreno y poblacion -antigua, etc._ Another copy was found, part in Guatemala and the rest -in Mexico, by a Dr M'Quy. It was taken to England, translated, and -published by Henry Berthoud, together with a commentary by Paul Felix -Cabrera, entitled _Teatro Critico Americano_, all under the general -title of _Description of an Ancient City, etc._, London, 1822. The -work was illustrated with eighteen lithographic plates, by M. Fred. -Waldeck, ostensibly from Del Rio's drawings; but it is elsewhere -stated, _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. i., p. vi., that Del Rio's -drawings did not accompany the work at all. If this be true, the -published plates must probably have been taken from the Latour-Allard -copies of Castaneda's drawings, of which I shall speak presently, and -indeed a comparison with Kingsborough's plates shows almost -conclusively that such was in some cases at least their origin. -Humboldt speaks of the Latour-Allard plate of the cross as differing -entirely from that of Del Rio. This difference does not appear in my -copies. It is possible that the plates in my copy of Del Rio's work, -the only one I have ever seen, are not the ones which originally -appeared with the book. A French translation by M. Warden was -published by the Societe de Geographie, with a part of the plates; and -a German translation by J. H. von Minutoli, with an additional -commentary by the translator, appeared in Berlin, 1832, as -_Beschreibung einer alten Stadt_, etc. This contained the plates, -together with many additional ones illustrating Mexican antiquities -from various sources. The German editor says that the whole English -edition, except two copies of proof-sheets, was destroyed; but this -would seem an error, since the work is often referred to by different -writers, and the price paid for the copy consulted by me does not -indicate great rarity. Stephens, _Cent. Amer._, vol. ii., p. 296, -speaks of this as 'the first notice in Europe of the discovery of -these ruins,'--incorrectly, unless we understand _printed_ notice, and -even then it must be noticed that Juarros, _Hist. Guat._, 1808-18, pp. -18-19, gave a brief account of Palenque. Del Rio, in Brasseur's -opinion, was neither artist nor architect, and his exploration was -less complete than those of Calderon and Bernasconi, whose reports he -probably saw, notwithstanding the greater force at his disposal. 'Sin -embargo de sus distinguidas circunstancias, carecia de noticias -historiales para lo que pedia la materia, y de actividad para lograr -un perfecto descubrimiento.' _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., p. 320. The -original Spanish of Del Rio's report, dated June 24, 1787 -(?),--_Informe dado par D. Antonio del Rio al brigadier D. Jose -Estacheria, etc._--was published in 1855, in the _Diccionario Univ. de -Geog. etc._, tom. viii., pp. 528-33. See also an extract from the same -in _Mosaico Mex._, tom. ii., pp. 330-4. In _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., -div. ii., p. 76, it is stated that Julio Garrido wrote a work on -Palenque about 1805, which was not published. That is all I know of -it. - -From 1805 to 1808 Capt. Guillaume Dupaix, in company with Luciano -Castaneda, draughtsman, and a company of Mexican soldiers, by order of -Carlos IV., King of Spain, made three expeditions to explore the -antiquities of southern Mexico. Dupaix's MS. report, and 145 drawings -by Castaneda, were deposited in the Mexican archives to be sent to -Spain; but the revolution breaking out soon after, they were for some -years forgotten. Copies of most of the drawings were obtained by M. -Latour-Allard of Paris, passed through the hands of Humboldt, who did -not publish them, and later into English hands. They were engraved in -London, 1823, without any accompanying explanation, and M. Warden -reproduced a part of them in a memoire to the French Geographical -Society. These are certainly the plates in my copy of Del Rio, and I -have but little doubt that they are the only ones that ever -accompanied his published work. Bullock, _Six Months' Residence in -Mex._, p. 330, says he copied Castaneda's drawings in Mexico, 1823, -but he published none of them. In 1831, copies of the Latour-Allard -copies, made by the artist Aglio, were published by Lord Kingsborough, -in vol. iv. of his _Mexican Antiquities_, together with the Spanish -text of Dupaix's report, obtained from I know not what source, in vol. -v., and a carelessly made English translation of the same in vol. vi. -of the same work. In 1828, the original text and drawings were -delivered by the Mexican authorities to M. Baradere--at least Sr -Icaza, curator of the Mexican Museum, certified them to be the -originals; but Sr Gondra, afterwards curator of the same institution, -assured Brasseur that these also were only copies,--and were -published--the text in Spanish and French--in 1843, in _Antiquites -Mexicaines_. The faithfulness with which the descriptions and drawings -of Dupaix and Castaneda were made, has never been called in question; -but Castaneda was not a very skilful artist, as is admitted by M. -Farcy in his introduction to _Antiq. Mex._, and many of his faults of -perspective were corrected in the plates of that work. M. Farcy states -that all previous copies of the plates were very faulty, including -those of Kingsborough, although Humboldt, in a letter to M. -Latour-Allard, testifies to the accuracy of the latter. A comparison -of the two sets of plates shows much difference in the details of a -few of them, and those of the official edition are doubtless superior. -The French editors, while criticising Kingsborough's plates more -severely, as it seems, than they deserve, say nothing whatever of his -text; yet both in the Spanish and translation it varies widely from -the other, showing numerous omissions and not a few evident blunders. -Stephens, seconded by Brasseur, objects to the slighting tone with -which Dupaix's editors speak of Del Rio's report; also to their claim -that only by government aid can such explorations be carried on. M. -Waldeck says, _Palenque_, p. vii., that he tried to prevent the -publication of the plates in Kingsborough's work on account of their -inaccuracy, although how he could at that date pretend to be a judge -in the matter does not appear. It is true that Castaneda's drawings -are not equal to those of Waldeck and Stephens, but they nevertheless -give an excellent idea of the general features of all ruins visited. -Morelet says of Dupaix's report: 'Ce document est encore aujourd'hui -le plus curieux et le plus interessant que nous possedons sur les -ruines de Palenque.' _Voyage_, tom. i., p. 268; _Travels_, p. 90. It -was during the third expedition, begun in December, 1807, that Dupaix -visited Palenque with a force of natives. His survey lasted several -months. The results may be found as follows: _Dupaix_, _3eme exped._, -in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. i., pp. 13-36, tom. iii., pl. -xi.-xlvi., with an explanation by M. Lenoir, tom. ii., div. i., pp. -73-81; _Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol. v., pp. 294-339, vol. vi., -pp. 473-83, vol. iv., pl. xii.-xlv. To economize space I shall refer -to these works by the simple names of _Dupaix_, and _Kingsborough_, -with the number of page or plate; and I shall, moreover, refer -directly to Kingsborough only when differences may appear in text or -plates. - -Dr F. Corroy, a French physician of Tabasco, lived 20 years in the -country and made several visits to Palenque, claiming to know more -about the ruins than anyone else. An inscription on one of the -entrances of the Palace, shown in _Waldeck_, pl. ix., reads 'Francois -Corroy de tercer viage en estas ruinas los dias 25 de Agosto. Unico -historiador de hellos. Con su Esposa y Ija.' He furnished some -information from 1829 to 1832 to the French Geographical Society, and -speaks of 14 drawings and a MS. history in his possession. _Soc. -Geog., Bulletin_, tom. ix., No. 60, 1828, p. 198; _Antiq. Mex._, tom. -i., div. ii., p. 76. Col. Juan Galindo, at one time connected with the -British Central American service, also Governor of Peten, and -corresponding member of the London Geographical Society, sent much -information, with maps, plans, and sketches to the French Societe de -Geographie. His letter dated April 27, 1831, describing the Palenque -ruins, is printed in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., pp. 67-72, also -an English translation in the _Literary Gazette_, No. 769, London, -1831, which was reprinted in the _Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour._, vol. iii., -pp. 60-2. Lafond, _Voyages_, tom. i., p. 142, states that Nebel -visited Palenque, and Mueller, _Urreligionen_, p. 459-60, also implies -that this traveler explored the ruins; but this is probably erroneous. - -On April 12, 1832, M. Frederic de Waldeck, the most indefatigable and -successful explorer of Palenque, arrived at the ruined city, -illustrative plates of which he had engraved ten years before for Del -Rio's work. This veteran artist--64 years of age at that time, -according to Brasseur's statement, _Palenque_, p. vi., but 67 if we -may credit the current report in the newspapers that he celebrated his -109th birthday in Paris on Dec. 7, 1874, being still hale and -hearty--built a cabin among the ruins and spent two whole years in -their examination,--Brasseur, _Palenque_, p. vi., incorrectly says -_three_ years. 'Deux ans de sejour sur les lieux,' _Waldeck_, _Voy. -Pitt._, p. 68, translated 'in a sojourn of twelve years,' _Bradford's -Amer. Antiq._, p. 86,--his expenses being paid by a subscription which -was headed by the Mexican Government. More than 200 drawings in water -and oil colors were the result of his labors, and these drawings, more -fortunate than those made the next year in Yucatan--see p. 145 of this -volume--escaped confiscation, although Stephens erroneously states the -contrary, and were brought to France. _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, p. vi. -For various reasons Waldeck was unable to publish his proposed work, -and over 30 years elapsed before the result of his labors was made -public, except through communications dated Aug. 28, and Nov. 1, 1832, -sent to the Geographical Society at Paris. _Lafond_, _Voyages_, tom. -i., p. 142. I shall speak again of his work. Mr Friederichsthal -visited Palenque in his Central American travels before 1841, but -neither his text nor plates, so far as I know, have ever been -published. _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Palenque_, introd., p. 14. See -pp. 146-7 of this vol. - -In 1840, Messrs Stephens and Catherwood, after their exploration of -the antiquities of Honduras and Guatemala, reached Palenque on May 9, -remaining until June 4. Such are the dates given by Brasseur,--the -only antiquarian except myself who has ever had the hardihood to -explore Stephens' writings for dates,--but the actual examination of -the ruins lasted only from May 11 to June 1. The results are found in -_Stephens' Yuc._, vol. ii., pp. 280-365, with 31 plates and cuts from -Catherwood's drawings; and in _Catherwood's Views of Anc. Mon._, N. -York, 1844, 25 colored lithographs, with text by Mr Stephens. A French -translation of Stephens' description of Palenque is given in _Brasseur -de Bourbourg_, _Palenque_, pp. 14-27. Respecting the ability of these -explorers, and the faithfulness of their text and drawings, there can -be but one opinion. Their work in Chiapas is excelled only by that of -the same gentlemen in Yucatan.--See p. 146 of this vol.--Without aid -from any government, they accomplished in 20 days, at the height of -the rainy season, the most unfavorable for such work, more -satisfactory results, as Stephens justly claims, _Cent. Amer._, vol. -ii., p. 299, than any of their predecessors--except Waldeck, whose -drawings had not then been published. - -An anonymous account of the ruins appeared in 1845 in the _Registro -Yucateco_, tom. i., pp. 318-22. M. Morelet, of whom I have already -spoken, spent a fortnight here in 1846. _Voyages_, tom. i., pp. -264-84; _Travels_, pp. 64-111, with cuts from other sources. In 1858, -M. Desire Charnay, 'Charge d'une mission par le ministre d'Etat, a -l'effet d'explorer les ruines americaines,' visited Palenque; but his -photographic efforts were less successful here than elsewhere, and of -the four views published in his Atlas, only one, that of the tablet of -the cross, is of great value in testing the accuracy of preceding -artists. His description, however, is interesting and valuable as -showing the effects of time on the ruins since Stephens' visit. -_Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, Paris, 1863, pp. 411-41, phot. 19-22; -Remarks by M. Viollet-le-Duc, pp. 72-3. - -In 1860, a commission appointed by the French government examined and -reported upon Waldeck's collection, which was found to contain -ninety-one drawings relating exclusively to Palenque, and ninety-seven -representing objects from other localities. The Palenque drawings were -reported to be far superior to any others in existence, a somewhat too -decided _penchant aux restaurations_ being the only defect;--a defect, -however, which is to a greater or less extent observable in the works -of all antiquarians, several of Catherwood's plates being confessedly -restorations. In accordance with the report of the commission, the -whole collection was purchased, and a sub-commission appointed to -select a portion of the plates for publication. It was decided, -however, to substitute for M. Waldeck's proposed text some -introductory matter to be written by the Abbe Brasseur, a man -eminently qualified for the task, although at the time he had never -personally visited Palenque. He afterwards, however, passed a part of -the month of January, 1871, among the ruins. The work finally appeared -in 1866, under the general title _Monuments Anciens du Mexique_, in -large folio, with complicated sub-titles. It is made up as -follows:--I. _Avant Propos_, pp. i.-xxiii., containing a brief notice -of some of the writers on American Antiquities, and a complete account -of the circumstances which led to the publication of this work; II. -_Introduction aux Ruines de Palenque_, pp. 1-27, a historical sketch -of explorations, with translations of different reports, including -that of Stephens nearly in full; III. _Recherches sur les Ruines, -etc._, pp. 29-83, being for the most part speculations on the origin -of American civilization, with which I have nothing to do at present; -IV. _Description des Ruines, etc._, by M. Waldeck, pp. i.-viii; V. -Fifty-six large lithographic plates, of which Nos. i., v.-xlii., and -l., relate to Palenque, including a fine map of Yucatan and Chiapas. I -shall refer to the plates simply by the name _Waldeck_ and the number -of the plate. By the preceding list of contents it will be seen that -this is by far the most important and complete work on the subject -ever published. The publishers probably acted wisely in rejecting -Waldeck's text as a whole, since his archaeological speculations are -always more or less absurd; but it would have been better to give his -descriptive matter more in full; and fault may be justly found with -the confused arrangement of the matter, the constant references to -numbers not found in the plates, and with the absence of scales of -measurement; the latter, although generally useless in the -illustrations of an octavo volume, are always valuable in larger -plates. In addition to the preceding standard authorities on Palenque, -there are brief accounts, made up from one or more of those mentioned, -and which I shall have little or no occasion to refer to in my -description, as follows: _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, pp. 104-11; _Priest's -Amer. Antiq._, pp. 246-7; _Conder's Mex. Guat._, vol. ii., pp. 157-69; -_McCulloh's Researches in Amer._, pp. 294-303; _Klemm_, -_Cultur-Geschichte_, tom. v., pp. 160-3; _Armin_, _Das Heutige Mex._, -pp. 73, 85-91; _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 148; _Nott and -Gliddon's Indig. Races_, pp. 184-5; _D'Orbigny_, _Voyage_, pp. 354, -356, plate, restoration from Dupaix; _Fossey_, _Mexique_, pp. 373, -564-6; same account in _Escalera_ and _Llana_, _Mej. Hist. Descrip._, -pp. 332-6; _Lafond_, _Voyages_, tom. i., pp. 139-44; _Bradford's Amer. -Antiq._, pp. 86-9; _Democratic Review_, vol. i., p. 38; _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., pp. 82-94; _Davis' Anc. -Amer._, pp. 4-8; _Malte-Brun_, _Precis de la Geog._, tom. vi., pp. -464-5; _Frost's Pict. Hist._, pp. 71-7; _Willson's Amer. Hist._, pp. -74-6; _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, pp. 69-86, 127; _Mueller_, -_Amerikanische Urreligionen_, pp. 462, 498; _Mosaico Mex._, tom. ii., -p. 330, cut, restoration from Dupaix; _Muehlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. -ii., p. 21; _Revista Mex._, tom. i., p. 498; _Buschmann_, _Ortsnamen_, -pp. 117-20, 181; _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 180, cut, -erroneously said to be a Yucatan altar; _Littera_, _Taschenbuch der -Deutschen_, in _Russland_, pp. 54-5; _Foreign Quar. Review_, vol. -xviii., pp. 250-51; _Larenaudiere_, _Mex. Guat._, pp. 308-20, with -plates from Stephens; _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 284-92. - -[VI-3] 'Une enceinte de bois et de pallisades.' _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Palenque_, p. 32; see also the Spanish dictionaries. 'Tal -vez es corrupcion de la palabra (aztec) _palanqui_, cosa podrida,' -_Orozco y Berra_, _Geografia_, p. 84. 'Means lists for fighting.' -_Davis' Anc. Amer._, p. 5. I remember also to have seen it stated -somewhere that palenque is the name applied to the poles by which -boatmen propel their boats on the waters of the tierra caliente. - -[VI-4] _Humboldt_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, tom. xxxv., p. -327; _Fossey_, _Mexique_, p. 373; _Malte-Brun_, _Precis de la Geog._, -tom. vi., p. 464; _Juarros_, _Hist. Guat._, p. 19; _D'Orbigny_, -_Voyage_, p. 354; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., -p. 69. Brasseur, however, changed his mind about the name in later -works. _Palenque_, p. 32. Domenech, _Deserts_, vol. i., p. 18, calls -the name Pachan, probably by a typographical error. - -[VI-5] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 111; -_Id._, _Popol Vuh_, and _Ximenez_, _Hist. Ind. Guat._, passim. - -[VI-6] 'Je prouve, en effet, dans mon ouvrage sur ces celebres ruines, -que ce sont les debris de la ville d'Ototiun.' _Waldeck_, _Voy. -Pitt._, p. 111. 'Otolum, c'est a dire Terre des pierres qui -s'ecroulent. C'est le nom de la petite riviere qui traverse les -ruines. M. Waldeck, lisant ce nom de travers, en fait Ototiun, qui ne -signifie rien.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., -p. 69. 'I have restored to them the true name of Otolum, which is yet -the name of the stream running through the ruins.' _Raffinesque_, -quoted in _Priest's Amer. Antiq._, p. 246. - -[VI-7] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Palenque_, p. 32; _Baril_, _Mexique_, -p. 27. - -[VI-8] Calderon gives a list of 206 buildings more or less in ruins. -Bernasconi gives the city a circumference of 6 leagues and 1000 varas. -Del Rio, _Descrip._, p. 4, gives the ruins an extent of 7 or 8 leagues -from east to west, along the foot of a mountain range, but speaks of -only 14 buildings in which traces of rooms were yet visible. According -to Galindo the city extends 20 miles on the summit of the chain. -_Lond. Geog. Soc._, vol. iii., p. 60. Waldeck, p. iii., says that the -area is less than one square league. Mr Stephens, vol. ii., p. 355, -pronounces the site not larger than the Park in New York city. - -[VI-9] _Descrip._, p. 3. - -[VI-10] Stephens says eight miles, vol. ii., p. 287; Dupaix, a little -over two leagues, p. 14; Morelet, _Voyage_, tom. i., p. 245, two and a -half leagues--_Travels_, p. 64, two leagues; Charnay, p. 416, twelve -kilometres. The maps represent the distance as somewhat less than -eight miles. - -[VI-11] 'Built on the slope of the hills at the entrance of the steep -mountains of the chain of Tumbala,' on the Otolum, which flows into -the Michol, and that into the Catasaha, or Chacamal, and that into the -Usumacinta three or four leagues from Las Playas, which was formerly -the shore of the great lake that covered the plain. 'Les rues -suivaient irregulierement le cours des ruisseaux qui en descendant, -fournissaient en abondance de l'eau a toutes les habitations.' -_Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., pp. 82-84. 'Mide -al suroeste del pueblo dos leguas largas de extension.' _Dupaix_, p. -14, translated in _Kingsborough_, vol. vi., p. 473, 'occupied a space -of ground seven miles and a half in extent.' 'Au nord-ouest du village -indien de Santo Domingo de Palenque, dans la ci-devant province de -Tzendales.' _Humboldt_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, tom. xxxv., -pp. 327-8. Galindo, _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 69, describes -the location as on the summit of the range, and reached by stairways -from the valley below. On a plain eight leagues long, which extends -along the foot of the highest mountain chain. _Muehlenpfordt_, -_Mejico_, tom. ii., p. 21. Petrifactions of marine shells from the -ruins preserved in the Mexican Museum. _Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. -Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., p. 6. - -[VI-12] _Waldeck_, pl. vi. Stephens' plan, vol. ii., p. 337, agrees in -the main with this but is much less complete. Dupaix, p. 18, found -only confused and scattered ruins, and declared it impossible to make -a correct plan. - -[VI-13] 'Tous les monuments de Palenque sont orientes aux quatre -points cardinaux, avec une variation de 12 deg.' _Waldeck_, p. iii. -'Oriente comme toutes les ruines que nous avons visitees.' _Charnay_, -_Ruines Amer._, p. 424. Others, without having made any accurate -observations, speak of them as facing the cardinal points. See -_Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., p. 276, etc., for the experience of that -traveler in getting lost near the ruins. - -[VI-14] Dimensions from _Stephens_, vol. ii., p. 310. It is not likely -that they are to be regarded as anything more than approximations to -the original extent; the state of the pyramid rendering strictly -accurate measurements impracticable. The authorities differ -considerably. 273 feet long, 60 feet high. _Waldeck_, p. ii. 1080 feet -in circumference, 60 feet high. _Dupaix_, p. 14. 20 yards high. _Del -Rio_, _Descrip._, p. 4. 100x70 metres and not over 15 feet high. -_Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, p. 424. Circumference 1080 feet, height 60 -feet, steps one foot high. _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, -tom. i., p. 85. 20 metres high, area 3840 sq. metres. _Morelet_, -_Voyage_, tom. i., p. 267; 20 _feet_ high. _Id._ _Travels_, p. 88. -Over 340 metres long. _Lafond_, _Voyages_, tom. i., pp. 143-4. -Waldeck, p. iii., is the only one who found traces of a northern -stairway, and none of the general views show such traces. Charnay, p. -425, thought the eastern stairway was double, being divided by a -perpendicular wall. Brasseur, _Palenque_, p. 17, in a note to his -translation of Stephens, says that author represents a stairway in his -plate but does not speak of it in his text--an error, as may be seen -on the following page of the translation or on p. 312 of the original. -The translation 'qui y montent _de_ la terasse' for 'leading up to it -_on_ the terrace' may account for the error. - -[VI-15] _Stephens_, vol. ii., p. 316; _Waldeck_, p. vi.; _Charnay_, p. -425, phot. 22. Dupaix's plate xiii., fig. 20, showing a section of the -whole, indicates that the interior may be filled with earth and small -stones. - -[VI-16] _Stephens_, vol. ii., p. 310, except the height, which he -gives at 25 feet. 144x240x36 feet. _Dupaix_, p. 15. 324 varas in -circumference and 30 varas high. _Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 296. -145x240x36 feet. _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., -p. 86. - -[VI-17] Waldeck thinks, on the contrary, that the principal entrance -was originally on the north. General views are found in _Stephens_, -vol. ii., p. 309; _Dupaix_, pl. xii., fig. 19; _Kingsborough_, pl. -xii.; _Waldeck_, pl. viii.; _Charnay_, phot. 22. All but the last two -are, more or less, restorations, but not--except Castaneda's in a few -respects--calculated to mislead. Stephens says that this cut is less -accurate than others in his work, and Charnay calls his photograph a -failure, although I have already made important use of the latter. -Concerning the lintels, see _Charnay_, p. 427, and _Del Rio_, -_Descrip._, pp. 9-11. Brasseur, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 86, -says the outside doors are 6 feet high. Doorways 4-1/2 to 12 ft high, -1-1/2 to 15 ft wide. _Dupaix_, p. 15. - -[VI-18] Descriptions and drawings of the bas-reliefs. _Dupaix_, pp. -20, 37, 75-6, pl. xix-xxii. Kingsborough, vol. iv., pl. xxvi., shows -one damaged group not given in _Antiq. Mex._; _Del Rio_, _Descrip._, -pp. 9-11, pl. viii., x., xi., xv., xvi. (as they are arranged in my -copy--they are not numbered); _Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 311, 316-17; -_Waldeck_, p. v., pl. xii., xiii. See _Charnay_, p. 426, and this -vol., p. 246. Morelet, _Voyage_, tom. i., pp. 274, 282, implies that -all the stucco work had disappeared at the time of his visit; and he -mentions a shell-fish common in the region which furnishes good lime -and was probably used by the ancients. Waldeck concludes that the -supposed elephant's head may be that of a tapir, 'quoiqu'il existe -parmi ces memes ruines des figures de tapir bien plus ressemblantes.' -_Voy. Pitt._, p. 37. - -[VI-19] The plan is reduced from _Waldeck_, pl. vii. Ground plans are -also given in _Stephens_, vol. ii., p. 310, copied in _Willson's Amer. -Hist._, p. 75; _Dupaix_, pl. xi.; _Kingsborough_, vol. iv., pl. xiii.; -and in _Del Rio_, _Descrip._, the latter being only a rough imperfect -sketch. It is understood that a large portion of the outer and -southern walls have fallen, so that the visitors differ somewhat in -their location of doorways and some other unimportant details. -Stephens' plan makes the whole number of exterior doorways 50 instead -of 40, and many doorways in the fallen walls he does not attempt to -locate. I give the preference to Waldeck simply on account of his -superior facilities. - -[VI-20] Plates illustrating the corridors may be found as follows: -_Waldeck_, pl. ix., view of doorway _c_ from _b_, showing two of the -medallions, one of which is filled up with a portrait in stucco, and -is probably a restoration; the view extends through the doorways _c_ -and _d_, across the court to the building C. The same plate gives also -a view of the outer corridor lengthwise looking northward. Pl. x. -gives an elevation of the east side of the inner corridor, and a -section of both corridors. Pl. xi., fig. 1, shows the details of one -of the "T" shaped niches. _Stephens_, vol. ii., p. 313--sketch -corresponding to Waldeck's pl. ix., copied in _Morelet's Travels_, and -taken from the latter for my work. _Dupaix_, pl. xviii., fig. 25, -shows the different forms of niches and windows found in the Palace, -all of which are given in my cut. 'A double gallery of eighty yards in -length, sustained by massive pillars, opened before us.' _Morelet_, -_Voyage_, tom. i., pp. 265-6; _Travels_, p. 87. The square niches with -their cylinders are spoken of by Waldeck, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 71-2, as -'gonds de pierre.' 'Quant aux ouvertures servant de fenetres, elles -sont petites et generalement d'une forme capricieuse, environnees, a -l'interieur des edifices, d'arabesques et de dessins en bas-relief, -parfois fort gracieux.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, -tom. i., p. 92. Principal walls 4 feet thick, others less. _Dupaix_, -p. 15. - -[VI-21] Paint the same as at Uxmal. Some was taken for analysis, but -lost. Probably a mixture in equal parts of carmine and vermilion. -Probably extracted from a fungus found on dead trees in this region, -and which gives the same color. _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 100-1. - -[VI-22] Waldeck is the only authority for this narrow stairway, and -his plan for the northern broad stairway. - -[VI-23] Dupaix, p. 21, says that the stone is granite, the figures 11 -feet high, and the sculpture in high relief. 'Peuplee de simulacres -gigantesques a demi voiles par la vegetation sauvage.' _Morelet_, -_Voyage_, tom. i., p. 266. These figures, with the eastern side of the -court, are represented in _Dupaix_, pl. xxiii-iv., fig. 29; _Waldeck_, -pl. xiv-xvi. (according to a seated native on the steps, each step is -at least 2 feet high); _Stephens_, pp. 314-15; _Charnay_, phot. xix., -xx. My cut is a reduction from Waldeck. - -[VI-24] _Waldeck_, pl. xiv-v.; _Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 314-15. One -of the small sculptured pilasters in _Dupaix_, pl. xxv., fig. 32. - -[VI-25] The only plate that shows any portion of the court 2, is -_Waldeck_, pl. xviii., a view from the point _n_ looking -south-eastward. Two of the reliefs are shown, representing each a -human figure sitting cross-legged on a low stool. - -[VI-26] Del Rio, p. 11, calls the height 16 yards in four stories, -also plate in frontispiece. Galindo, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. -ii., p. 70, says it is somewhat fallen, but still 100 feet high. -_Id._, in _Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour._, vol. iii., p. 61. Dupaix, p. 16, -says 75 feet in four stories, and his pl. xv-vi., fig. 22, make it 93 -feet in three stories. Kingsborough's text mentions no height, but his -plates xvii-xviii., fig. 24, make it 108 feet in four stories. The -other authorities mention no height, but from their plates the height -would seem not far from 50 feet. See _Waldeck_, pl. xviii-xix., and -all the general views of the Palace. Waldeck, p. iii., severely -criticises Dupaix's drawings. 'Une tour de huit etages, dont -l'escalier, en plusieurs endroits est soutenu sur des voutes -cintrees.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., pp. -86-7. 'En el patio occidental esta la torre de tres cuerpos y medio: -en el primero tiene cuatro puertas cerradas, y una que se abrio cuando -el desmonte del capitan Rio, y se hallo ser un retrete de poco mas de -tres cuartas y lumbreras que se abrieron entonces.' _Registro -Yucateco_, tom. i., pp. 319-20. 'Dominee par une tour quadrangulaire, -dont il subsistait trois etages, separes l'un de l'autre par autant -de corniches.' _Morelet_, _Voy._, tom. i., p. 266. 'It would seem to -have been used as a modern oriental minaret, from which the priests -summoned the people to prayer.' _Jones_, p. 83. - -[VI-27] _Waldeck_, p. iii. One of the figures in pl. xi. purports to -be a cornice of this room, but may probably belong to the outer walls, -since no other author speaks of interior cornices. _Stephens_, vol. -ii., p. 315. - -[VI-28] _Stephens_, vol. ii., p. 316; _Waldeck_, pl. xv., fig. 2, a -cross-section of this building, showing a "T" shaped niche in the end -wall. - -[VI-29] View of the building from the south-west, representing it as a -detached structure, in _Dupaix_, pl. xiv., fig. 21. This author speaks -of a peculiar method of construction in this building: 'Su -construccion varia algo del primero, pues el miembro que llamaremos -arquitrabe es de una hechura muy particular, se forma de unas lajas -grandisimas de un grueso proporcionado e inclinadas, formando con la -muralla un angulo agudo.' The plate indicates a high steep roof, or -rather second story. It also shows a "T" shaped window and -two steps on this side. For plates and descriptions of the tablet see -_Stephens_, vol. ii., p. 318; _Waldeck_, pp. iv., vi., pl. xvii.; -_Dupaix_, pp. 16, 23, pl. xviii., fig. 26, pl. xxvi., fig. 33; _Del -Rio_, p. 13, pl. xv.-xvii.; _Galindo_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. -ii., p. 70. Waldeck's pl. xvi., fig. 3, is a ground plan showing more -detail than the general plan; and pl. xi., fig. 3, is a study of the -cornices (?) in the interior. The sculptured tablet probably -represents Cuculkan, or Quetzalcoatl. _Morelet's Travels_, p. 97. No -doubt the medallion represented a sun, and the table beneath was an -altar to the sun. _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 83. - -[VI-30] _Stephens_, vol. ii., p. 319; _Dupaix_, pl. xxvii., fig. 34; -_Del Rio_, pl. iv. - -[VI-31] _Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 316, 318-19. Plan of galleries in -_Dupaix_, pl. xvii., fig. 24. Stucco ornaments, pl. xxv., fig. 30, 31. -Hieroglyphic tablet, pl. xxxix., fig. 41. Description, p. 28. Niche in -the wall of the gallery, _Waldeck_, p. iv., pl. xi., fig. 2. -Decoration over doorway (copied above), _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, p. -105, pl. xxii.; also in _Del Rio_, pl. xiv. - -[VI-32] Cut from _Armin_, _Das Heutige Mex._, p. 73. - -[VI-33] _Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 339-43, with the cuts which I have -given, and also plates of the four stucco reliefs, and the -hieroglyphic tablets. _Waldeck_, pl. xxxiii.-xl., illustrating the -same subjects as Catherwood's plates, and giving also a transverse -section of the building in pl. xxiii., fig. 4. Waldeck's ground plan -represents the building as fronting the north. _Dupaix_, pp. 24-5, pl. -xxviii.-xxxii., including view of north front, ground plan, and the -stucco reliefs, which latter M. Lenoir, _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. -i., p. 78, incorrectly states to be sculptured in stone. Castaneda did -not attempt to sketch the hieroglyphics, through want of ability and -patience, as Stephens suggests. See _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, p. 424; -_Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 89; _Baldwin_, -_Anc. Amer._, p. 107; _Del Rio_, _Descrip._, p. 16; _Galindo_, in -_Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 71. It is to be noticed that -Stephens' plan locates this temple nearer the Palace than the one I -have copied. Dupaix states the distance to be 200 paces. - -[VI-34] _Stephens_, vol. ii., p. 355, giving view, section, ground -plan, and what remained of the Beau Relief. _Waldeck_, p. iii., pl. -xli.-ii., with ground plans, sections, and Beau Relief as given above, -and which the artist pronounces 'digne d'etre comparee aux plus beaux -ouvrages du siecle d'Auguste.' Drawings of the relief also in -_Dupaix_, pl. xxxiii., fig. 37; _Del Rio_, _Descrip._, pl. ii.; -_Kingsborough_, pl. xxxvi., fig. 37. - -[VI-35] Del Rio, _Descrip._, p. 17, says this pyramid is one of three -which form a triangle, each supporting a square building 11x18 -yards. Charnay locates this temple 300 metres to the right of the -Palace. _Ruines Amer._, p. 417. _Waldeck_, pl. xx., is a fine view of -this temple and its pyramid as seen from the main entrance of the -Palace. But according to this plate the structure on the roof is at -least 10 feet wide instead of 2 feet 10 inches as Stephens gives it, -and narrows slightly towards the top. This plate also shows two -"T" shaped windows in the west end. _Stephens_, vol. ii., -pp. 344-8, elevation and ground plan as given in my text from -_Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, p. 106, and some rough sketches of parts of -the interior. _Dupaix_, pl. xxxv., fig. 39, exterior view and ground -plan. The view omits altogether the superstructure and locates the -temple on a natural rocky cliff. Galindo, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., -div. ii., p. 71, speaks of the top walls as 80 feet from the ground -and pierced with square openings. - -[VI-36] _Waldeck_, p. vii., pl. xxiii-iv.; _Stephens_, vol. ii., p. -352; _Dupaix_, pp. 24-5, pl. xxxvii-viii.; _Galindo_, in _Antiq. -Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 71. - -[VI-37] _Dupaix_, pp. 25-6, pl. xxxvi., fig. 40; _Waldeck_, p. vii., -pl. xxi.-ii.; _Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 345-7; _Charnay_, p. 419, -phot. xxi., showing only the central stone. 'Upon the top of the cross -is seated a sacred bird, which has two strings of beads around its -neck, from which is suspended something in the shape of a hand, -probably intended to denote the manitas. This curious flower was the -production of the tree called by the Mexicans macphalxochitl, or -"flower of the hand."' _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, p. 89. 'Une grande -croix latine, surmontee d'un coq, et portant au milieu une croix plus -petite, dont les trois branches superieures sont ornees d'une fleur de -lotus.' _Baril_, _Mex._, pp. 28-9. 'Un examen approfondi de cette -question m'a conduit a penser avec certitude que la croix n'etait, -chez les Palenqueens, qu'un signe astronomique.' _Waldeck_, _Voy. -Pitt._, p. 24. - -[VI-38] _Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 344, 349; _Waldeck_, pl. xxv. 'From -the engraving, Egypt, or her Tyrian neighbour, would instantly claim -it.' _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 127. Copy of the statue from -Stephens, in _Squier's Nicaragua_, (Ed. 1856,) vol. ii., p. 337. - -[VI-39] Waldeck's plate xx. shows the pyramid No. 6 and indicates that -his location of it on the plan is correct. Charnay, _Ruines Amer._, -pp. 420-1, places No. 5 'a quelque distance de ce premier (Palace) -edifice, presque sur la meme ligne.' _Waldeck_, pl. xxvi., front -elevation; pl. xxvii., elevation of central chamber; pl. xxviii., -central wall, roof structure (as given above), ground plan, sections; -pl. xxix-xxx, Tablet of the Sun; pl. xxxi-ii, lateral stone tablets. -Stephens, vol. ii., pp. 351-4, and frontispiece, gives elevation and -ground plan as above, and also elevation of central chamber, a view of -a corridor, and the Tablet of the Sun. Dupaix, p. 25, pl. xxxiv., fig. -38, describes a two storied building 10 by 19 varas, 12 varas high, -standing on a low pyramid, which may probably be identical with this -temple. - -[VI-40] _Stephens_, vol. ii., p. 321; _Waldeck_, p. ii.; _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Palenque_, introd., p. 7; _Del Rio_, _Descrip._, p. 5; -_Dupaix_, p. 29, pl. xlvi., fig. 48; _Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 310, -pl. xlv., fig. 45; _Galindo_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. -71; _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, p. 429. - -[VI-41] _Waldeck_, p. ii. - -[VI-42] _Dupaix_, p. 18; _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, p. 424. - -[VI-43] _Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 320-1; _Waldeck_, p. iii. Plate xx. -also gives a view of the mountain from the Palace. A 'monument qui -paraitrait avoir servi de temple et de citadelle, et dont les -constructions altieres commandaient au loin la contree jusqu'aux -rivages de l'Atlantique.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, -tom. i., p. 84. - -[VI-44] _Dupaix_, p. 28, pl. xliv., fig. 46; _Kingsborough_, p. 310, -pl. xliv., fig. 43. The latter plate does not show any curve in the -sides. _Galindo_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 68; _Id._, -in _Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour._, vol. iii., p. 64. - -[VI-45] _Bibliotheque Mexico-Guatemalienne_, p. xxvii. - -[VI-46] _Waldeck_, p. ii. - -[VI-47] _Galindo_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 68. - -[VI-48] _Ordonez_, _MS._, in _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. -Civ._, tom. i., p. 92. - -[VI-49] _Del Rio_, _Descrip._, pp. 18-20. - -[VI-50] _Waldeck_, _Palenque_, p. iv., pl. l.; _Id._, _Voy. Pitt._, p. -104, pl. xviii., fig. 3. - -[VI-51] _Galindo_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., pp. 70-2; -_Dupaix_, pp. 28-9, pl. xlii-iii., xlv., fig. 44-5, 47. - -[VI-52] _Hist. Mag._, vol. iii., p. 100, quoted from _Athenaeum_; -_Davis' Anc. Amer._, p. 5. - -[VI-53] See this vol. p. 118; _Melgar_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, -2da epoca, tom. iii., pp. 109-18. - -[VI-54] _Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 255-61; _Dupaix_, pp. 10-13, pl. -viii.-x.; _Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 291-4, vol. vi., pp. 470-2, -vol. iv., pl. ix.-x.; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., -pp. 23, 72-3; _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 46-7, 104, pl. xix.-xxi.; -_Id._, _Palenque_, p. viii., pl. liv.; _Brasseur_, _Palenque_, -introd., pp. 2, 14, 15--he writes the name Tonina. _Juarros_, _Hist. -Guat._, pp. 18-19, mere mention. Other authorities, containing no -original information, are as follows: _Muehlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. -ii., p. 21; _Malte-Brun_, _Precis de la Geog._, tom. vi., p. 465; -_Baril_, _Mexique_, p. 27; _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., p. 20; -_Wappaeus_, _Mex. Guat._, p. 147; _Mueller_, _Amerikanische -Urreligionen_, p. 461; _Larenaudiere_, _Mex. Guat._, p. 320; -_Morelet's Trav._, pp. 97-8; _Warden_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., p. -71. - -[VI-55] _Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 256, 258; _Dupaix_, pp. 10-12, pl. -viii.-ix., fig. 13-16; _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 46-7. - -[VI-56] _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 46, 104, pl. xix-xxi. 'Les -figures de terre cuite qu'on trouve de temps a autre dans les champs -voisins de ces ruines, sont bien modelees, et d'un style qui revele un -sentiment artistique assez eleve.' - -[VI-57] _Morelet's Travels_, pp. 97-8, cuts probably from Catherwood's -drawings. _Warden_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., p. 71. - -[VI-58] _Dupaix_, pp. 12-13, pl. x., fig. 17. - -[VI-59] _Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 258-62. Elevation, section, and -ground plan, with fragment of the stucco ornament. The latter copied -in _Brasseur_, _Palenque_, introd., pp. 14-15. _Waldeck_, _Palenque_, -p. viii., pl. liv. 'Dans l'interieur de ses monuments, un caractere -d'architecture assez semblable a celui des doubles galeries de -Palenque; seulement, j'ai remarque que les combles etaient coniques et -a angles saillants, comme des assises renversees.' _Id._, _Voy. -Pitt._, p. 46. Shows higher degree of art than Palenque. _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 88. - -[VI-60] _Pineda_, _Descrip. Geog._, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, -tom. iii., pp. 346, 406-7. - -[VI-61] _Pineda_, ubi sup.; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. -Civ._, tom. i., p. 74; _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., p. 21. - -[VI-62] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iv., p. 633, -tom. i., p. 75; _Wappaeus_, _Mex. Guat._, p. 147; _Muehlenpfordt_, -_Mejico_, tom. ii., p. 20; _Dupaix_, 3d Exped., p. 8, pl. vii. - -[VI-63] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 96; -_Id._, _Palenque_, p. 33; _Hermosa_, _Manual Geog._, pp. 88-9; -_Galindo_, in _Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour._, vol. iii., p. 60; _Id._, in -_Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 68; _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, -1857, tom. clv., pp. 221-2. - -[VI-64] _Galindo_, in _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. ii., p. -549. The stones that cover the arches in the Palace corridors, are -three feet long; those of the court stairways are one and a half feet -high and wide. Oxide of iron is mixed with the mortar. 'No es decible -la excelencia de este yeso que yo llamo estuco natural, pues no se -indaga visiblemente en su composicion o masa, arena o marmol molido. A -mas de su dureza y finura tiene un blanco hermoso.' Quarries were seen -one and a half leagues west of ruins. _Dupaix_, pp. 15-17, 20. Red, -blue, yellow, black, and white, the colors used. _Stephens_, vol. ii., -p. 311. - -[VI-65] Brasseur de Bourbourg, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 87, -following Castaneda, speaks of regular semi-circular arches at -Palenque, and states that he has himself seen several such arches in -other American ruins. It is very certain that no such arches exist at -Palenque. Indeed, Dupaix himself, notwithstanding Castaneda's -drawings, says, p. 17, that semi-circular arches were not used, and -Lenoir, _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 74, repeats the -statement; although the latter on the same page speaks of the 'voutes -cintrees' as appearing among the ruins. Brasseur's statement about -arches in other ruins would be more satisfactory if he had seen fit to -give further particulars. 'This original mode of construction, which -discloses the principle of the arch, was not wanting in grandeur or -boldness of design, although the architects did not understand the -science of curves, and stopped short, so to speak, on the verge of the -discovery.' _Morelet's Travels_, p. 88; _Id._, _Voyage_, tom. i., pp. -265-6. - -[VI-66] Hieroglyphics at Palenque are the same as those at Copan and -Quirigua, although the intermediate country is now occupied by races -of many different languages. _Stephens_, vol. ii., p. 343; but, as -Brasseur says, _Palenque_, introd., p. 22, 'Toutes les langues qui se -parlent dans les regions existant entre Copan et Palenque ont la meme -origine; ... a l'aide du maya et du quiche, je crois qu'on les -entendrait toutes, avec quelque travail.' _Id._, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, -tom. i., p. 89; _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, p. 102. See also this work, -vol. ii., chap, xxiv., vol. iii., Languages, chap. xi. - -[VI-67] 'Il serait facile de demontrer, par une comparaison raisonnee -des ruines du Yucatan et de celles de Palenque, que les monuments dont -elles perpetuent le souvenir avaient un meme caractere architectonique; -qu'ils etaient ordonnes selon les memes principes et construits -d'apres les memes regles de l'art.' _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., p. -270. Brasseur, _Palenque_, introd., pp. 20, 24, notes a striking -similarity between the arrangement of buildings at Palenque and -Yucatan. He also speaks of a remarkable inferiority in the ruins of -Palenque, compared to Chichen, Zayi, and Uxmal. _Hist. Nat. Civ._, -tom. i., p. 88. Viollet-le-Duc, in _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, pp. -72-3, says the ruins do not resemble those of Yucatan, either in plan, -construction, or decoration; and that the face of the priest in the -Temple of the Cross is of a different race from the sculptured heads -in Yucatan. 'La sculpture ... indique un art plus savant qu'au -Yucatan; si les proportions du corps humain sont observees avec plus -de soin et d'exactitude, on s'apercoit que le _faire_ est mou, rond, -et qu'il accuse plutot une periode de decadence que l'aprete des -premiers temps d'un art.' _Id._, p. 74, 'Le caractere de la sculpture -a Palenque est loin d'avoir l'energie de celle que nous voyons dans -des edifices de l'Yucatan.' _Id._, p. 97. 'A pesar de tanta desnudez, -no hemos reparado una postura, un gesto, o algunas de aquellas del -cuerpo, al descubierto que el pudor procura ocultar,' _Dupaix_, p. 21. -Waldeck, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 72, thinks the tau-shaped figures may have -been symbols of the phallic worship. Friederichsthal, in _Nouvelles -Annales des Voy._, tom. xcii., pp. 300-3, says of the Yucatan ruins -that 'elles portent indubitablement des traces d'une identite -d'origine avec les ruines de Palenque,' but remarks a difference in -the sculptured and molded heads. Sivers, _Mittelamerika_, p. 238, says -that the stone reliefs of Uxmal belong to a ruder primitive art; and -that stucco was used at Palenque for want of suitable stone, and for -the same reason greater attention was paid to the stone tablets at the -latter ruins. See also _Reichardt_, _Centro-Amerika_, pp. 26-9; -_Prichard's Researches_, vol. v., pp. 345-6; _Foster's Pre-Hist. -Races_, p. 197. - -[VI-68] M. Viollet-le-Duc, judging from the nature and degree of art -displayed in the ruins, concludes that the civilized nations of -America were of a mixed race, Turanian or yellow from the north-west, -and Aryan or white from the north-east, the former being the larger -and the earlier element. Stucco work implies a predominance of -Turanian blood in the artists; traces of wooden structures in -architecture belong rather to the white races. Therefore he believes -that Palenque was built during the continuance of the Empire of -Xibalba, probably some centuries before Christ, by a people in which -yellow blood predominated, although with some Aryan intermixture; but -that the Yucatan cities owe their foundation to the same people at a -later epoch and under a much stronger influence of the white races. In -_Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, pp. 32, 45, 97, 103, etc. 'Here were the -remains of a cultivated, polished, and peculiar people, who had passed -through all the stages incident to the rise and fall of nations; -reached their golden age, and perished, entirely unknown. The links -which connected them with the human family were severed and lost, and -these were the only memorials of their footsteps upon earth.' -Arguments against an extinct race and Egyptian resemblances. -_Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 356-7, 436-57. Dupaix believes in a -flat-headed race that has become extinct, p. 29. After writing his -narrative he made up his mind that Palenque was antediluvian, or at -least that a flood had covered it. _Lenoir_, p. 76. M. Lenoir says -that according to all voyagers and students the ruins are not less -than 3000 years old. _Id._, p. 73. 'Catlin, _Revue des Deux Mondes_, -March, 1867, p. 154, asserts that the ruined cities of Palenque and -Uxmal have within themselves the evidences that the ocean has been -their bed for thousands of years,' but the material is soft limestone -and presents no water lines. _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. 398-9. -The work of an extinct race. _Escalera_ and _Llana_, _Mej. Hist. -Descrip._, p. 333; _Valois_, _Mexique_, p. 197; _Wappaeus_, _Mex. -Guat._, p. 247. Judging by decay since discovery, bright paint, -comparison with German ruins, etc., they cannot date back of the -Conquest. _Sivers_, _Mittelamerika_, pp. 237-47. 'All of them were the -Work of the same People, or of Nations of the same Race, dating from a -high antiquity, and in blood and language precisely the same Race, ... -that was found in Occupation of the Country by the Spaniards, and who -still constitute the great Bulk of the Population.' _Squier_, in -_Palacio_, _Carta_, pp. 9-10. Copan and Quirigua preceded Palenque and -Ococingo as the latter preceded the cities of Yucatan. _Ib._ 'The -sculptures and temples of Central America are the work of the -ancestors of the present Indians,' _Tylor's Researches_, pp. 189, 184. -In age the ruins rank as follows: Copan, Utatlan, Uxmal, Mitla, -Palenque. _Edinburgh Review_, July, 1867. 'Una antiguedad no menos que -antediluviana.' _Registro Yuc._, tom. i., p. 322, 'Approximative -calculations, amounting to all but certainty ... would carry its -origin as far back as twenty centuries at least.' _Dem. Review_, vol. -i., p. 38. 'Ces ruines etaient deja fort anciennes avant meme que les -Tolteques songeassent a quitter Tula.' _Fossey_, _Mexique_, p. 566. -Founded by the Toltecs after they left Anahuac in the 11th century. -They afterwards went to Yucatan. _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., pp. -269-70. Palenque much older than Yucatan according to the Katunes. -_Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, pp. 22-3, 103. Waldeck found a tree whose -rings indicated an age of nearly 2000 years. _Id._, _Palenque_, p. v. -'Il est probable qu'elles appartiennent a la premiere periode de la -civilization americaine.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, -tom. i., pp. 85, 87, 89. Copan built first, Palenque second, and Uxmal -third. _Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer._, pp. 80, 72, 76. Humboldt, _Vues_, -tom. ii., p. 284, thinks it improbable that the foundation of Palenque -dates back further than the 13th or 14th century; but he never saw the -ruins and does not pretend to have any means of accurately determining -their age. - -[VI-69] 'Palenque, dans quelques bas-reliefs, a des intentions -assyriennes.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, p. iii. 'The writing of the -inscriptions ... has no more relatedness to the Phoenician than to -the Chinese writing;' nor is there any resemblance in the -architecture. _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, p. 174. Long arguments against -any resemblance of the Central American cities to Egyptian monuments. -_Stephens_, vol. ii., pp. 436-57; which Jones, _Hist. Anc. Amer._, pp. -106-37, labors to refute. No resemblance to Egyptian pyramids, except -in being used as sepulchres. _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. 186-7. -'The Palenque architecture has little to remind us of the Egyptian, or -of the Oriental. It is, indeed, more conformable, in the perpendicular -elevation of the walls, the moderate size of the stones, and the -general arrangement of the parts, to the European. It must be -admitted, however, to have a character of originality peculiar to -itself.' _Prescott's Mex._, vol. iii., pp. 407-8. 'Un bas-relief -representant un enfant consacre a une croix, les tetes singulieres a -grands nez et a fronts rejetes en arriere, les bottines ou _caligulae_ -a la romaine servant de chaussure; la ressemblance frappante des -figures avec les divinites indiennes assises, les jambes croisees, et -ces figures un peu roides, mais dessinees dans des proportions -exactes, doivent inspirer un vif interet a quiconque s'occupe de -l'histoire primitive du genre humain.' _Humboldt_, in _Nouvelles -Annales des Voy._, tom. xxxv., p. 328. See also _Juarros_, _Hist. -Guat._, p. 19; _Dupaix_, p. 32, and elsewhere; _Larenaudiere_, _Mex. -Guat._, pp. 326-9; _Scherzer_, _Quirigua_, p. 11. - -[VI-70] _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. 338-9, 302. - -[VI-71] _Klemm_, _Cultur-Geschichte_, tom. v., pp. 161-3. - -[VI-72] _Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., pp. 273, 264. - -[VI-73] _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 172; _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 85. - -[VI-74] _Prescott's Mex._, vol. iii., pp. 408-9. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -ANTIQUITIES OF OAJACA AND GUERRERO. - - NAHUA ANTIQUITIES -- HOME OF THE ZAPOTECS AND MIZTECS -- - REMAINS IN TEHUANTEPEC -- FORTIFIED HILL OF GUIENGOLA -- - PETAPA, MAGDALENA, AND LAOLLAGA -- BRIDGE AT CHIHUITLAN -- - CROSS OF GUATULCO -- TUTEPEC -- CITY OF OAJACA AND - VICINITY -- TLACOLULA -- ETLA -- PENOLES -- QUILAPAN -- - RUINS OF MONTE ALBAN -- RELICS AT ZACHILA -- CUILAPA -- - PALACES OF MITLA -- MOSAIC WORK -- STONE COLUMNS -- - SUBTERRANEAN GALLERIES -- PYRAMIDS -- FORTIFICATIONS -- - COMPARISON WITH CENTRAL AMERICAN RUINS -- NORTHERN - MONUMENTS -- QUIOTEPEC -- CERRO DE LAS JUNTAS -- TUXTEPEC - -- HUAHUAPAN -- YANGUITLAN -- ANTIQUITIES OF GUERRERO. - - - [Sidenote: NAHUA MONUMENTS.] - -I now enter what has been classified in a preceding volume of this -work as the home of the Nahua nations,--nations, most of which were at -the time of the Spanish conquest, and during the preceding century, -subjected to the allied powers of Anahuac, and were more or less -closely related to the nations of the central valley, in blood, -language, or institutions. It has been seen, in what has been said on -the subject,[VII-1] that the dividing line between the Nahuas and -Mayas, drawn across the isthmus of Tehuantepec, is not a very sharply -defined one. Many analogies, linguistic, institutionary, and -mythologic, were found between nations dwelling on different sides of -the line; so in monumental relics, and in traditional history, we -shall find many points of similarity; but on the whole, the -resemblances will be so far outweighed by the differences, as "to -indicate either a separate culture from the beginning, or what is more -probable, and for us practically the same thing, a progress in -different paths for a long time prior to the coming of the Europeans," -to repeat the words of a preceding chapter. - -The relics to be described in the present chapter are those of the -isthmus proper, and of that portion of the Mexican Republic above the -isthmus which lies in general terms south of the eighteenth parallel -of latitude, including the states of Oajaca and Guerrero, and -stretching on the Pacific from Tonala to the mouth of the Rio -Zacatula, a distance of between five and six hundred miles. The -province of Tehuantepec, belonging politically to the state of Oajaca, -includes the central continental mountain chain, with the plains on -the Pacific at its southern base, a region somewhat less fertile and -attractive than those in which many of the ruins already described are -situated. The two chief mountain ranges of the Mexican Republic, one -skirting the Atlantic, the other the Pacific shore, draw near each -other as the continent narrows, and meet in Tehuantepec. The southern -portions of these two converging ranges, the broad mountain-girt -valleys in the angle formed by their junction, and a narrow strip of -tierra caliente on the southern coast, constitute the state of Oajaca, -the home of the Miztecs, Zapotecs, and other tribes somewhat less -civilized, powerful, and celebrated. The interior valleys are for the -most part in the tierra templada, and include some of the best -agricultural land in the country, with all the larger towns grouped -round the capital as a centre. Guerrero is made up of the very narrow -lowlands of the coast, the southern mountain range extending through -its whole length from north-west to south-east, and the valley of the -Zacatula further north. It is a region but little known to travelers, -except along the great national highway, or trail, which leads from -Acapulco, the most important port of the state, to the city of Mexico. - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF GUIENGOLA.] - -Five or six leagues from the city of Tehuantepec, the capital of the -province of the same name, and in the south-western corner of the -province, have been found the remains of an aboriginal fortification -or fortified town, which, according to the traditional annals of the -country, was built by the Zapotecs, not very long before the Conquest, -to resist the advance of the Aztec forces. The principal remains are -on a lofty hill, the cerro of Guiengola, but the fortified territory -is said to extend over an area measuring one and a half by over four -leagues, the outer walls being visible throughout the entire -circumference at every naturally accessible point. Besides the -protecting walls there are remains of dwellings, all of stone without -mortar, except a cornice on the larger walls. Three fortresses covered -with a coating of hard plaster are mentioned. Ditches accompany the -walls and add to the strength of the works. From a subterranean -sepulchre were taken about two hundred pieces of pottery, including -vases and imitations of various animals. The tombs had a coating of -compact cement, and the skeletons found in them were lying face down. -The preceding information I take from a very vague account written by -Sr Arias and published in the _Museo Mexicano_. Arias visited the -locality in 1833; he claims to have sent some very interesting relics, -found at Guiengola and other localities in the vicinity of -Tehuantepec, to the museum at Oajaca; but the man to whom they were -entrusted probably disposed of them in a manner more profitable to -himself, if less advantageous to the museum. Several natural caves are -spoken of by Arias, and one of them, seventy feet deep, showed traces, -according to the German traveler Mueller, of having been formerly -inhabited. The latter also found vestiges of dwellings scattered -throughout the vicinity, and speaks of a well-preserved tumulus -standing not long before his visit in a valley close by. It was -thirty-three feet high, with a base of ninety by one hundred and five -feet, and a summit platform sixty by seventy-five feet, reached by a -stairway of twenty-five wide steps. At the side of this tumulus was a -quadrilateral elevation covering an area of about two acres, and -enclosed by a wall eight feet high and twelve feet thick. Whether -these structures are identical with the 'castles' of Arias is -uncertain. A correspondent of _Hutchings' Magazine_ in 1858 describes -a wall of rough stones four feet thick and thirty feet high, said to -extend nine miles. This writer speaks also of buildings with pillars -in their centre, and of quarries from which the stone was originally -taken. Some plans accompanied Arias' report but were not published. -Unsatisfactory as it certainly is, the preceding is all the -information extant respecting these remains,[VII-2] or at least -referred definitely to Guiengola by name; but some remains were -described by Dupaix and sketched by Castaneda, at a point three -leagues west of Tehuantepec, which undoubtedly belonged to this group, -and were probably the same ruins which the other writers so vaguely -mention. On the top of a high hill, surrounded by other grand ruins, -are two pyramids of hewn stone and mortar. The first is fifty-five by -one hundred and twenty feet at the base, and thirty by sixty-six feet -at the summit. The main stairway, thirty feet wide, of forty steps, -leads up the centre of the western slope; there are also narrower -stairways on the north and south. The pyramid is built in four -terraces, the walls of the lower one being perpendicular; and of all -the rest sloping. The whole surface was covered with a brilliant -cement of lime, sand, and red ochre. No remains whatever were found on -the summit. A remarkable feature is noticed on the surface of the -second story, from which project throughout the whole circumference, -except where interrupted by the stairways, four ranges of flat stones, -forming hundreds of small shelves. The only suggestions made -respecting the possible use to which these shelves were devoted are -that they supported torches or human skulls. - - [Illustration: Pyramid near Tehuantepec.] - -The second pyramid is shown in the accompanying cut. The dimensions of -the base and summit platform are about the same as those of the former -pyramid, but the height is over fifty feet. The chief stairway, shown -in the cut, is on the east, and narrower stairways also afford access -to the summit on the north and south. The curved slope of the lower -story constitutes a feature not found in American pyramids farther -south, and rarely if at all in the north. The upper story has three -projections, or cornices, on its perpendicular sides; and between them -is set a row of blocks, said to be white marble, bearing sculptured -designs in bas-relief. Three of these blocks with their sculptured -figures, found by Castaneda at the foot of the pyramid, are shown in -the cut. Of the building which appears on the summit nothing is known -further than may be gathered from the cut. The sides of the pyramid -were covered with cement, which was doubtless in a much more -dilapidated condition than is indicated in the drawing. - - [Illustration: Marble Tablets from Tehuantepec.] - -Near the pyramids, and perhaps used in connection with them as an -altar, is a structure comprised of eight circular masses of stone and -mortar, like mill-stones in shape, placed one above another, and -diminishing in size towards the top. The base is ten feet and a half -in diameter, and the summit about four feet and a half, the height -being about twelve feet. Kingsborough's translation, without any -apparent authority, represents this monument as standing on a base -sixty-six feet long and twelve feet high. - -About a hundred paces in front of the second pyramid, stands a -structure precisely similar to the lower story of that just described, -twelve feet in diameter and three feet high. Both of these altar-like -pyramids were built of regular blocks of stone, and covered with a -hard white plaster. Dupaix suggests that the latter was a gladiatorial -stone, or possibly intended for theatrical representations.[VII-3] - - [Sidenote: MONUMENTS OF TEHUANTEPEC.] - -In the city of Tehuantepec, or in its immediate vicinity, Dupaix -found a flint lance-head of peculiar shape, having three cutting -edges, like a bayonet. Its dimensions were one and a half by six -inches, and the end was evidently intended to be fixed in a socket on -the shaft. Cuts of four terra-cotta idols, sent to the Mexican Museum -probably by Arias, already mentioned, are given in a Mexican magazine, -and also in a Spanish edition of Prescott's work. Two of them wear -horrible masks, the main feature of which is the projection from the -mouth of six large tusks, like those of some fierce animal or monster. -The same Arias speaks of a statue representing a naked woman, but -broken in pieces; also a stone tablet covered with hieroglyphics. A -small earthen bowl or censer, with a long handle, was presented to the -American Ethnological Society, as coming from some point on the -Tehuantepec interoceanic route.[VII-4] - -In the region of Petapa, a town forty or fifty miles north of -Tehuantepec, a stalactite cave is mentioned by Brasseur, on the walls -of which figures painted in black are seen, including the imprint of -human hands like those on the Yucatan ruins except in color. A -labyrinth of caves, with some artificial improvements, is also -reported, where the remains of princes and nobles were formerly -deposited, and where an arriero claims to have seen over one hundred -burial urns, painted and ranged in order round the sides of the -cave.[VII-5] Only four leagues from Tehuantepec, near Magdalena, -Burgoa speaks of a statue of Wixepecocha, the white-haired reformer -and prophet of the Zapotecs, which Brasseur, without naming his -authority, states to have been still visible a few years before he -wrote.[VII-6] Lafond briefly mentions three pyramids on the isthmus -without definitely locating them;--that of Tehuantepec, seventy-two -feet high, that of San Cristoval near the former, and that of Altamia -in a broad plain.[VII-7] At Laollaga, seven leagues from Tehuantepec -in a direction not stated, Arias--very vaguely, as is the custom of -Mexican and Central American explorers of local antiquities--describes -a group of mounds, some of which are seventy or eighty varas square, -built of stones--or stone adobes, as the author calls them--three feet -long and half as thick. In connection with these mounds, flint and -copper hatchets have been found, together with many anchor-shaped -objects of what is spoken of as brass. A cave containing some relics -was reported to exist in the same vicinity; and at another point, some -fourteen leagues from the city, is a mound seventy-five feet high, on -the side of which was discovered a black rock, covered with -hieroglyphic characters.[VII-8] At Chihuitlan, a day's journey from -the city, a bridge of aboriginal construction, stretches across a -stream. The bridge is twelve feet long, six feet wide, and nine feet -high above the water, having low parapets guarding the sides. The -conduit is nine feet wide, and is formed by two immense stones, which -meet in the centre. According to Castaneda's drawing these two stones -have curved surfaces, so that the whole approaches in form a regular -arch. The whole structure is of the class known as cyclopean, built of -large irregular stones, without mortar.[VII-9] - -Respecting Tehuantepec antiquities, I have in addition to what has -been said only brief mention by Garay of the following reported -relics: On a cliff of the Cerro del Venado, is the sculptured figure -of a deer, whence comes the name of the hill. Nine miles east of the -same hill the Indians pointed out the location of a valley where they -said were the remains of a large town of stone buildings. The Cerro de -Coscomate, near Zanatepec, is said to have a sculptured image of the -sun, with an inscription in unknown characters. And finally, relics -have been found on the islands of Monapostiac, Tilema, and -Arrianjianbaj; those on the first being in the form of earthen idols, -while in the latter were the foundations of an aboriginal -town.[VII-10] - -At the port of Guatulco, south-west from Tehuantepec on the Oajacan -coast, there may yet be seen, if Brasseur's statement is to be -credited, traces of the roads and buildings of the ancient city that -stood in this locality, and transmitted its name to the modern town. -Guatulco was likewise one of the many localities described by the -early Catholic writers as containing a wonderful cross, left here -probably by Saint Thomas during his sojourn in America. We are not -very clearly informed as to the material of this relic, but we know, -from the same authorities, that all the powers of darkness could not -destroy it, not even the famous Englishman, Sir Francis Drake, who -subjected it for three days to the fiercest flames without affecting -its condition. Brasseur also tells us that the remains of Tututepec, a -great aboriginal south-coast capital, are still to be seen three or -four leagues from the sea, between the Rio Verde and Lake -Chicahua.[VII-11] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: MISCELLANEOUS REMAINS.] - -Passing now to the interior valleys about the capital city of Oajaca, -where the chief remains of aboriginal works are found, I shall mention -first a few miscellaneous relics of minor importance, or at least -only slightly known to explorers,[VII-12] beginning with the city of -Oajaca, where Dupaix found two ancient ornaments of great beauty. The -first was a pentagon of polished transparent agate, about two inches -in diameter and an inch and a half thick. The surface bore no marks of -the instruments by which it was polished, and a hole was bored through -the stone presumably for the insertion of a string. The second was a -hexagonal piece of black touch-stone, of about the same dimensions, -sprinkled with grains of gold or copper, and like the former -brilliantly polished. The hole in this stone was bored in the form of -a curve, by an unknown process which must have been accompanied by no -little difficulty.[VII-13] - -At Tlacolula, some twenty miles south-east of Oajaca, Mr Mueller -reports the opening of a mound twelve feet high and eight feet in -diameter at the base. It was simply a heap of earth, and the only -artificially wrought objects found in the excavations were an earthen -tube two inches in diameter and nearly two feet long, closed at each -end with a stone plug, found in a horizontal position somewhat above -the natural surface of the ground, and a bowl-shaped ring of the same -material lying in a vertical position over the tube near the centre of -the mound, but separated from the first relic by a layer of -earth.[VII-14] Remains of the ruined fortress of Quiyechapa are said -to have been seen by travelers at a point some twenty-five leagues -east of Oajaca.[VII-15] At Etla, two leagues northward from the -capital, two subterranean tombs were opened, and found to contain -what are supposed to have been earthen torch-bearers, or images in -distorted human form, with a socket in the head which indicates their -former use. Similar images found at Zachila will be noticed later in -this chapter. A wooden fac-simile of the tomb is mentioned by Sr -Gondra as preserved in the Mexican Museum.[VII-16] At Penoles, seven -leagues from Oajaca, a skull covered and preserved by a coating of -limestone was found.[VII-17] On the western boundary of this state, -perhaps across the line in Guerrero, at Quilapan, formerly a great -city of the Miztecs, an axe cast from red copper was found, one fourth -of an inch thick, four inches long, and three and a half inches wide. -From a mound opened in the same vicinity some fragments of statues and -of pottery were taken.[VII-18] Fossey tells us that conical mounds in -great numbers are scattered over the whole country between Oajaca, -Zachila, and Cuilapa. The mounds are from fifteen to fifty feet high, -and are formed in some cases of simple earth, in others of clay and -stones. Human remains are found often in the centre together with -stone and earthen figures. Those figures which are molded in human -form agree in features with the Zapotec features of modern times. -Copper mirrors and hatchets have also been found, according to this -author, as well as golden ornaments and necklaces of gilded -beads.[VII-19] M. Charnay saw in the second valley of Oajaca as he -came from Mexico the ruins of a temple, the building of which was -begun by the Spaniards in the time of Cortes, on the site of an -aboriginal temple. The ruined walls of the latter were of adobes, and -served for scaffolding in the erection of the former, and both ruins -now stand together. The whole valley was covered with tumuli, -probably tombs, as the author thinks; but the natives would neither -help to make excavations nor permit strangers to make them.[VII-20] - -In addition to the relics described in the few and unsatisfactory -notes of the preceding pages, three important groups of antiquities in -central Oajaca remain to be noticed: Monte Alban, Zachila, and Mitla; -our information respecting the two former being also far from -satisfactory. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF MONTE ALBAN.] - -Monte Alban is located immediately west of the city of Oajaca, or -Antequera, at a distance of from half a mile to five miles according -to different authorities. These differences in the statements of the -distance perhaps result from the fact that some visitors estimate it -in an air line, while others include the windings of the road which -must be traveled over a mountainous country in order to reach the -ruins, which seem to be located on a high hill or on a range of hills -overlooking the town. Dupaix and Castaneda visited this place during -their second expedition. Juan B. Carriedo made in 1833 a manuscript -atlas of plans and drawings of the remains, which has never been -published, but which is said to be preserved in the Mexican Museum. -Jose Maria Garcia explored Monte Alban in 1855, and his report with -some drawings was published in the bulletin of the Mexican -Geographical Society. Mueller, the German traveler, visited the place -in 1857 with one Ortega, and published a plan in his work. Finally we -have Charnay's description from an exploration in 1858 or 1859, -unaccompanied, however, by photographic views.[VII-21] - - [Illustration: Plan of Ruins--Monte Alban.] - -Notwithstanding this array of authorities, which ought to give a clear -idea of a single group of remains, the reader will find the following -description very imperfect, since each of the visitors, as a rule, -describes a different part of the ruins, and they do not often agree -in their remarks on any one structure. The plan in the annexed cut is -copied from that in Mueller's work, and shows all the remains marked on -the original, except four small structures on a northern continuation -of the hill, or spur, _a_, shown in the north-eastern part of the -plan. As the plan indicates, the ruins are situated on a plateau of -some three hundred by nine hundred yards along the summit of a range -of high hills with precipitous ascent, rising from the banks of a -stream which Mueller calls the Rio Xoxo. The works mentioned as not -included in the plan, are described by Mueller as the remains of four -walls which form a parallelogram. All he tells us of the works at _d_ -and _f_, is that the terraces are covered with walls and embankments -parallel or at right angles to each other. The structure at _c_ is -described as a pyramidal elevation fifty feet high and two hundred and -fifty varas square at the base, from the summit platform of which rise -a smaller terrace, or mound, at the north-west corner, and various -other embankments and ruined walls not particularly described, but -indicated on the plan. The structures in the central portion of the -main plateau, at _h_, are spoken of as parallel embankments about -thirty feet high. - -To the ruins thus far mentioned no one but Mueller refers definitely, -although others speak somewhat vaguely of the ruined embankments and -walls that cover the whole surface of the plateau. Only the southern -remains at _e_ seem to have attracted the attention of all. These -Mueller briefly represents as an embankment fifty feet high, enclosing -a quadrilateral space, on which embankment were two pyramids or -mounds. One of the latter was proved by excavating to have no interior -apartments or galleries; the other was penetrated at the base by -galleries at right angles with each other, and leading to a central -dome-shaped room, the top of which had fallen. Garcia represents the -square court as enclosed, not by a continuous embankment, but by four -long mounds, having a slight space between them at the ends. The -southern mound is the largest of the four, being about forty-five feet -high, and, according to Garcia's plan, about twelve hundred feet long -and three hundred feet wide. It seems, from the drawings, to be -nothing but a simple heap of earth and rough stones, although the -slopes of the sides and ends were doubtless regular originally, -perhaps even faced with masonry, and there are traces of a stairway -leading up to the summit platform from the court. On the summit of the -mounds, and also in the court, are many conical mounds, four of which -were particularly noticed. These mounds were the only remains on the -plateau of Monte Alban which attracted the attention of Dupaix and -Castaneda, and are represented by them as heaps of rough stones, in -some cases with mortar, covered on the exterior with cement, and -traversed at the base by galleries, the sides of which are faced with -hewn blocks. Garcia says the mounds are about twenty-four feet high; -but Dupaix calls one forty feet, another sixty, and a third still -higher. - -One of the mounds stands at the head of the stairway from the court, -and the gallery through it at the base is described by Garcia as -having a bend in the centre, being six feet high, wide enough for two -persons, and according to the plate, surmounted by large inclined -blocks of stone resting against each other and forming an angle at the -summit. Dupaix describes one of the mounds as traversed from north to -south by a gallery nine feet high and six feet wide, which makes a -turn, or elbow, near the centre, thus forming a room about twelve feet -square and of the same height. The two mounds may very likely be -identical, for although Castaneda's plate represents a regular curved -arch, Kingsborough's copy has the pointed arch of large stones. -Another of these artificial stone hills, according to Dupaix, has in -the centre a room eighteen feet square, and thirty feet high, with a -semicircular or dome-like top, the surface being formed of hewn stone. -From the centre of each side a gallery thirty feet long, seven and a -half feet high, and four feet and a half wide, with a regular arch, -leads to the open air. The whole is said to be built on a large -rectangular base of masonry, the dimensions of which are not given. -Garcia mentions a similar mound, but speaks of the central room as -being circular. - - [Illustration: Sculptured Profile from Monte Alban.] - -Another of these structures, resembling at the time of Dupaix's visit -a natural hill covered with trees, is sixty feet high, and has a -gallery seven and a half feet high and six feet wide, with arched top, -extending seventy-eight feet, or nearly the whole diameter from south -to north. The left hand, or western, wall of the gallery is composed -of granite blocks, generally about twenty-eight by thirty-six inches -and eighteen inches thick, on the surface of which are sculptured -naked human figures in profile facing northward toward the interior of -the mound. Four of these figures were sketched by Castaneda, and one -of them, from whose head hangs something very like a Chinese queue, is -shown in the cut. Garcia locates this mound or another very similar -one in the court, and he also sketched some of the figures, but very -slight if any resemblance can be discovered between his drawings and -those of Castaneda. Mueller speaks of one of the tablets the sculptured -design of which represents a woman giving birth to a ball. Garcia -states that human bones and fragments of pottery have been dug from -these ruins, Dupaix found some bones, and M. Lenoir suggests that the -figures in bas-relief were portraits of persons buried in the tombs. -Dupaix mentions a fourth mound similar to the others, having an -angular ceiling, and a pavement of lime and sand. - -Charnay describes the plateau as being partially artificial, and as -covering about one half a square league, covered with masses of stone -and mortar, forts, esplanades, narrow subterranean passages, and -immense sculptured blocks. The arches of the galleries, contrary to -Dupaix's statements, are formed by large inclined blocks. The grandest -ruins are at the south end of the plateau; they are mostly square -truncated pyramids, about twenty-five feet high, and having steep -sides. Enormous masses of masonry represent what once were palaces, -temples, and forts.[VII-22] - - [Illustration: Aboriginal Coin from Monte Alban.] - - [Sidenote: RELICS AT MONTE ALBAN.] - -Three smooth cubical stones, seven and a half feet high, four and a -half feet wide, and eighteen inches thick, of granite, according to -Garcia, but of red porphyry, in the opinion of Mueller, were found -during the ascent of the hill, perhaps at _b_, or _g_, of the plan. -Two of the stones were standing close together, while the third had -fallen; all are supposed to have formed an altar or pedestal.[VII-23] -At the southern brink of the plateau Mueller found a crumbling stone -covered with hieroglyphics. On the slope of the hill, stones covered -with sculptured hieroglyphics were noticed by Dupaix, also at the -western base long cubes, some plain and others sculptured. One of the -latter six feet long, four feet and a half wide, and eighteen inches -thick, was sketched by Castaneda, together with a circular stone three -varas and a half in circumference. His plates also include a -semi-spherical mirror of copper-covered lava, three and a half inches -in diameter, with beautifully polished surface and a hole drilled -through the back; a copper chisel, seven inches long and one inch in -diameter; and finally, the cast copper implement shown in the -preceding cut, one of two hundred and seventy-six of the same form, -but of slightly varying dimensions, which were found in an earthen jar -dug up in this vicinity. The dimensions of the one shown in the cut -are about eight by ten inches. Pieces of copper of this form were used -by the Nahua peoples for money, and such was doubtless the purpose of -these Oajacan relics. A precisely similar article from one of the -Mexican ruins lies before me as I write. Charnay states that the -plateau is covered with fragments of very fine pottery, on which a -brilliant red glazing is observable. He states further, that an -Italian explorer, opening some of the mounds, found necklaces of -agate, fragments of worked obsidian, and even golden ornaments of fine -workmanship. - -Respecting these ruins Charnay says: "Monte Alban, in our opinion, is -one of the most precious remains, and very surely the most ancient, of -the American civilizations. Nowhere else have we found these strange -profiles so strikingly original." He pronounces the arch similar to -that employed in Yucatan, but this opinion does not agree with his -description on another page, where he represents the ceilings of the -galleries as formed of large inclined blocks of stone. Viollet-le-Duc -gives a cut indicating the latter form of arch; and I think there can -be no doubt that Dupaix and Castaneda are wrong in representing -semicircular arches. M. Viollet-le-Duc deems the sculpture different -in type from that at Palenque but very similar to the Egyptian. He -regards the works as fortifications and speaks of the galleries as -penetrating the ramparts. Mueller and Garcia also deem the remains -those of fortifications, while Ortega seeks to form them into a -stately capital full of royal palaces, temples, and fine edifices. -Garcia tells us that these works were erected by a Zapotec king, with -a view to resist the advance of the Miztecs; while Brasseur believes -that here was the fortress of Huaxyacac built by the Aztecs about the -year 1486, and garrisoned to keep the country in subjection.[VII-24] - -It seems to me that the preceding description, imperfect as it is, is -yet more than sufficient to prove that the structures on Monte Alban -were never erected by any people as temporary works of defense. The -choice of location shows, however, that facility of defense was one of -the objects sought by the builders, and renders it very improbable -that a city proper ever stood here, where, at least in modern times, -there are no springs of water. On the other hand, the conical mounds -as represented by Castaneda's drawings seem in no way fitted for -defensive works, and were almost certainly erected as tombs of Zapotec -nobles or priests. The plateau was probably in aboriginal times a -strongly fortified holy place, sacred to the rites of the native -worship, but serving perhaps as a place of refuge to the dwellers in -the surrounding country when threatened by an advancing foe. It is -moreover very likely that in the period of civil strifes and foreign -invasions which preceded the Spanish Conquest, these works were -strengthened and occupied by the Zapotecs, and possibly by the Aztecs -also in their turn, as a fortress. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RELICS AT ZACHILA.] - -Zachila, ten or twelve miles, according to the maps, southward from -Oajaca, was the site of a great Zapotec capital. A writer in a Mexican -magazine mentions the base of an ancient pyramid as still visible near -the church of the modern town. With the exception of this brief -mention all our information respecting the antiquities of Zachila -comes from the work of Dupaix; and this writer, so far as permanent -monuments are concerned, only speaks generally of an immense group of -mounds in conical form, built of earth and a few stones, and of the -imprint of a gigantic foot probably marking the meridian somewhat -south of the mounds. From excavations in these tumuli, stone and clay -statues, or idols, were obtained, together with pottery, burnt bricks, -pieces of human bones, and fragments of ruined walls. Of the objects -taken from the tumuli or found in the vicinity, over twenty were -described and sketched by Dupaix and Castaneda. - - [Illustration: Stone Statue from Zachila.] - -1. A seated human figure with arms and legs crossed as shown in the -cut. It is carved from a grayish yellow grindstone-like material, and -is about a foot in height. It was found in a tomb together with some -human bones. The rear view in the original shows the hair falling down -the back and cut square across; while the belt about the waist is -passed between the legs and is tied in a knot behind. 2. A seated -human figure in granite, eighteen inches high. The arms, from elbow to -wrist, are free from the body, and the hands rest on the knees. A -string of beads or pearls is suspended from the neck, and a mask with -fantastic figures in relief covers the face. In the top of the head -is a hollow, and the image seems to have been designed, like many -others in the same locality, for a vase or, perhaps, a torch-bearer. -3. A seated human figure, twenty-seven inches high, cut from white -marble and painted red. The arms and body are concealed by a kind of -semicircular cape. The hands appear below the cape, holding some -indescribable object. A necklace of beads or pearls surrounds the -neck, the face is apparently masked or at least the features are -ideally fantastic, and an immense headdress, as large as all the rest -of the figure, surmounts the whole in semicircular form. A serpent -appears among the emblems of the head-dress.[VII-25] 4. A stone -twenty-seven inches long, twelve inches high, and three inches thick, -of very hard and heavy material. On one side, within a plain border, -are four human figures in low relief, two on each side facing a kind -of altar in the middle. All are squatting cross-legged, one has -clearly a beard, and another has a bird--called by Dupaix an eagle, as -is his custom respecting every bird-like sculpture--forming a part of -his head-dress. The stone was badly broken, but seems to have been -carried by the finder to Mexico.[VII-26] 5. A bird bearing -considerable likeness to an eagle, holding a serpent in its beak and -claws. This figure was sculptured in low relief on a block of hard -sandstone three feet square, built into a modern wall. 6. A human -face, much like what is in modern times drawn to represent the full -moon, three feet in diameter, and also built into a wall. The material -is a brilliant gray marble. 7. Three fragments with sculptured -surfaces, one of which has among other figures several that seem to -represent flowers. 8, 9. Two masked images, similar in some respects -to No. 2, but of terra-cotta instead of stone. One of them is shown in -the cut. They are about a foot and a half high, hollow, and present -some indications, in the form of a socket at the back of the head, of -having been intended to hold torches.[VII-27] 10. A terra-cotta -figure, about nine inches high, apparently representing a female clad -in a very peculiar dress, as shown in the cut.[VII-28] 11. An earthen -cylinder, five inches in diameter and nine inches high, on the top of -which is a head, possibly the caricature of a dog, from whose open -jaws looks out a tolerably well-formed human face. 12-17. Six heads of -animals or monsters in terra cotta. 18-23. Six earthen dishes of -various forms, one of which, in the form of a platter, has within it a -representation in clay of a human skull. - - [Illustration: Terra-Cotta Image--Zachila.] - - [Illustration: Terra-Cotta Image--Zachila.] - -A tomb is said to have been opened at Zachila in which were several -tiers of earthen platters, each containing a skull. Some of the -vessels have hollow legs with small balls, which rattle when they are -moved.[VII-29] At Cuilapa, some distance north-east of Zachila, the -existence of tumuli is mentioned, but a German explorer, who visited -the locality with a view to open some of them, is said to have been -stoned and driven away by the infuriated natives, notwithstanding the -fact that he was provided with authority from the local -authorities.[VII-30] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: MITLA--HOME OF THE DEAD.] - -The finest and most celebrated group of ruins in Oajaca, probably the -finest in the whole Nahua territory, is that at Mitla, about thirty -miles slightly south of east from the capital, and eight or nine -miles north-east of Tlacolula. Here was a great religious centre often -mentioned in the traditional annals of the Zapotecs. The original name -seems to have been Liobaa, or Yobaa, 'the place of tombs,' called by -the Aztecs Miquitlan, Mictlan, or Mitla, 'place of sadness,' 'dwelling -of the dead,' often used in the sense of 'hell.'[VII-31] The buildings -at Mitla were at least partially in ruins when the Spaniards came, but -their dilapidation probably dated only from the fierce contests waged -by the Zapotec kings against the Aztec powers in Anahuac, during one -or two centuries preceding the Conquest; and as we shall see later -there is no reason whatever to doubt that the place was occupied by -the Zapotec priesthood during the long period of that nation's -supremacy in Oajaca and the southern Anahuac.[VII-32] - -The gloomy aspect of the locality accords well with the dread -signification of its name. The ruins stand in the most desolate -portion of central Oajaca, in a high, narrow valley, surrounded by -bare and barren hills. The soil is a powdery sand, which supports no -vegetation save a few scattered pitahayas, and is borne through the -air in clouds of dust by the cold dry wind which is almost continually -blowing. A stream with parched and shadeless banks flows through the -valley, becoming a torrent in the rainy season, when the adjoining -country is often flooded. No birds sing or flowers bloom over the -remains of the Zapotec heroes, but venomous spiders and scorpions are -abundant. Yet a modern village with few inhabitants stands amid the -ruins, and the natives go through forms of worship in honor of a -foreign deity in a modern church over the tombs of their ancestors' -kings and priests, whose faith they were long since forced to -abandon.[VII-33] - - [Sidenote: EXPLORATION OF MITLA.] - -Most of the early Spanish chroniclers speak of Mitla and of the -traditions connected with the place, but what may be called the modern -exploration of the structures, as relics of antiquity, dates from the -year 1802, when Don Luis Martin and Col. de la Laguna from Mexico -visited and sketched the ruins. It was from Martin and from his -drawings in the hands of the Marquis of Branciforte, that Humboldt -obtained his information. In August 1806, Dupaix and Castaneda reached -Mitla in their second exploring tour. In 1830, the German traveler -Muehlenpfordt, during a residence in the country, made plans and -drawings of the remains, copies of which were retained by Juan B. -Carriedo and afterwards published in a Mexican periodical. Drawings -were also made by one Sawkins in 1837, and published by Mr Brantz -Mayer in a work on Zapotec antiquities. M. de Fossey was at Mitla in -1838, but his description is made up chiefly from other sources. Sr -Carriedo, already mentioned, wrote for the _Ilustracion Mejicana_, a -statement of the condition of the ruins in 1852, with measures which -had been, or ought to be, taken by the government for their -preservation. Mr Arthur von Tempsky spent part of a day at the ruins -in February, 1854, publishing a description with several plates in the -account of his Mexican travels which he named _Mitla_. Jose Maria -Garcia saw the ruins in October, 1855, as is stated in the bulletin -of the Mexican Geographical Society, but no description resulted from -his exploration. Finally Charnay came in 1859, and succeeded after -many difficulties in obtaining a series of most valuable and -interesting photographs.[VII-34] - - [Illustration: General Plan of Mitla.] - -The number of ruined edifices at Mitla is variously stated by -different authors, according to their methods of counting; for -instance, one explorer reckons four buildings enclosing a court as -one palace, another as four. The only general plan ever published is -that made by Muehlenpfordt, and published by Carriedo, from which the -annexed cut was prepared.[VII-35] Most of the visitors, however, say -something of the bearing of some of the buildings from the others, and -there are only very few instances where such remarks seem to differ -from the plan I have given. The structures usually spoken of as -palaces or temples, are four in number, marked 1, 2, 3, and 4; 5 and 7 -are pyramids, mounds, or altars; and 6 shows the position of the -houses in the modern village. - - [Illustration: Ground Plan of Palace No. 1.] - - [Sidenote: GRAND PALACE.] - -I begin with the best preserved of all, palace No. 1 of the -plan.[VII-36] The arrangement of its three buildings is shown in the -accompanying ground plan, a reduction from Castaneda's drawing. Three -low oblong mounds, probably of rough stones, only five or six feet -high, enclose on the east, north, and west, a court, E, whose -dimensions are in general terms one hundred and twenty by one hundred -and thirty feet, and each of the mounds supports a stone building. The -walls of the northern building are still in a tolerable state of -preservation; the eastern one has mostly fallen, and of that on the -west only slight traces of the foundations remain. It is possible that -originally there was a fourth mound, with or without its building, on -the south.[VII-37] - -The lateral buildings, _d_, _j_, are about nineteen by ninety-six feet -on the ground. Of the northern building, the southern portion, A, is -about thirty-six by a hundred and thirty feet, the northern portion, -C, sixty-one feet square, and the whole not far from eighteen feet -high, the walls being from four to nine feet in thickness.[VII-38] -Other details will be readily learned from the plan. Three doorways -open on the court from each building, and a broad stairway of few -steps leads up to the doorways, at least on the north. - -The southern wing of the northern building, A of the plan, may be -first described, being the best known and one of the best preserved of -all; and the structure of the walls naturally claims attention first. -In Yucatan we have found a filling of rough stones and cement, faced -on both exterior and interior with hewn blocks; at Palenque the walls -are built entirely of hewn stone; at Mitla the mode of construction -somewhat resembles that in Yucatan, but the filling seems to be clay, -instead of cement, with an admixture of irregular stones, varying in -quantity in different parts of the walls.[VII-39] - - [Sidenote: CONSTRUCTION OF WALLS.] - -The exterior facing of the wall is shown very clearly by the two -following cuts, which represent the southern facade of the building, -A, as seen from the court. The first cut I have reduced -photographically from Charnay's original photograph; the second, -showing the rest of the facade, was taken from the same photograph for -Mr Baldwin's work. The facing is of stone blocks cut in different -forms and sizes, placed against or in some cases slightly penetrating -the inner filling. First, a double tier of very large blocks are -placed as a base along the surface of the supporting mound, projecting -two or three feet from the line of the wall, the stones of the upper -tier sloping inward. On this base is erected a kind of frame-work of -large hewn blocks with perfectly plain unsculptured fronts, which -divide the surface of the wall into oblong panels of different -dimensions. These panels are then filled with a peculiar mosaic work -of small brick-shaped blocks of stone of different sizes, set in -different positions, so as to form a great variety of regular -patterns, usually spoken of as grecques.[VII-40] No mortar seems to -have been employed in this facing of stone; at least its use is not -mentioned by any author, and Dupaix states expressly that it is not -found. Some of the blocks used in the base, frame-work of the panels, -and lintels of the doorways, are very large. One of the latter is -described by different writers as from sixteen to nineteen feet long, -and is said by Dupaix to be of granite. The only sculpture on the -facade is found on these lintels, the surface of which is represented -as carved into regular figures in low relief, corresponding with the -mosaic in the panels. The doorways are about seven feet wide and eight -feet high, and in the upper part of the piers that separate them are -noticed four round holes, which may be supposed, as in other -aboriginal structures, to have served for the support of an awning, -although the natives have a tradition that they were originally -occupied by stone heads of native deities.[VII-41] The only other -peculiarity to be noticed in this front is, that instead of being -perpendicular, it inclines slightly outward from the base, as do many -of the walls at Mitla.[VII-42] - - [Illustration: Facade of First Palace--Mitla.] - - [Illustration: Facade of First Palace--Mitla.] - - [Sidenote: STONE COLUMNS.] - -The interior of the building, A, has a pavement of flat stones covered -with cement, which latter has mostly disappeared. The inner surface of -the walls is of rough stones and earth, probably the same as the -interior filling, and covered with a coat of plaster, a greater part -of which remained in 1859, and is shown in Charnay's photograph; there -were also traces of red paint on these walls in Dupaix's time. There -are no windows, or other openings except the doorways; but on the -northern wall, at mid-height, there is a niche, perhaps more than one, -one or two feet deep, square in form, and enclosed by four blocks of -stone. Extending in a line along the centre of this apartment, are six -round stone pillars, _g_, _g_, of the plan, each about fourteen feet -high, three feet in diameter, and cut from a single block of porphyry -or granite. The tops are slightly smaller than the bases, and five or -six feet of each stone, in addition to the height mentioned, are -buried in the ground.[VII-43] - - [Illustration: Interior--South wing of the First Palace.] - -The following cut I take from Baldwin's work, for which it was copied -from one of Tempsky's plates. It is very faulty, as is proved by -Charnay's photograph taken from the same point of view, in -representing the walls as if built of large rough stones without -mortar, in putting a doorway in the central part of the northern wall, -and in making the columns diminish in size towards the top much more -than is actually the case.[VII-44] - - [Sidenote: MOSAIC GRECQUES AT MITLA.] - -Passing now to the northern wing of this building, C, the exterior -walls are the same in style and construction as those of the southern -wing just described, as is proved by the photographic views.[VII-45] -The court, C, is about thirty-one feet square, and its pavement was -covered with cement, as that of the larger court, E, may have been -originally. The ground plan shows the arrangement of the four -apartments, b, b, b, b, although it is to be noted that other plans -differ slightly from this in the northern and western rooms. The only -entrance to the northern court and rooms is from the southern wing -through the passage _f, f_, which is barely wide enough to admit one -person. The interior facades, fronting on the court, are precisely -like the southern facade of the southern wing, A, being made up of -mosaic work in panels.[VII-46] The interior walls of the small -apartments, b, b, b, b, unlike those of the southern apartment, A, are -formed of mosaic work in regular and graceful patterns, except a space -of four or five feet at the bottom, which is covered with plaster and -bears traces of a kind of fresco painting in bright colors. The mosaic -grecques or arabesques of the upper portions are arranged, not in -panels as on the exterior, but in three parallel bands of uniform and -nearly equal width, extending round the whole circumference of each -room. The cut is a fac-simile from Charnay's photograph of one of -these interiors, and gives an excellent idea of the three mosaic bands -that extend entirely round each room.[VII-47] - - [Illustration: Grecques on Interior of Room at Mitla.] - - [Sidenote: ROOF STRUCTURES.] - -I now have to speak of the roof which originally covered this -building, since in the other buildings and palaces nothing will be -found to throw any additional light on the subject. It seems evident -that the columns in the southern wing were intended to support the -roof, and if there were no contradictory evidence, the natural -conclusion would be that the covering was of wooden beams stretching -completely across the narrow apartments, and resting on the pillars of -the wider ones, as we have seen to be the case at Tuloom, on the -eastern coast of Yucatan.[VII-48] Burgoa, in whose time it is not -impossible that some of the roofs may have been yet in place, tells us -that they were formed of large stone blocks, resting on the columns, -and joined without mortar.[VII-49] Humboldt states that the roof was -supported by large _sabino_ beams, and that three of these beams still -remained in place (1802). According to Dupaix, both the roofs and -floors in the northern wing were formed by a row of beams, or rather -logs, of the _ahuehuete_, a kind of pine, a foot and a half in -diameter, built into the top of the wall, and stretching from side to -side. He does not inform us what traces he found to support his -opinion. Muehlenpfordt[VII-50] found traces of a roof in one of the -northern rooms sufficient to convince him that the original "consisted -of round oak timbers, eight inches in diameter, placed across the room -at a distance of eight inches one from another; these were first -covered with mats, on which were placed stone flags, and over the -latter a coat of lime; forming thus a solid and water-proof covering." -Fossey speaks of one worm-eaten beam, but probably obtained his -information from Humboldt. Tempsky, notwithstanding the shortness of -his exploration, made the remarkable discovery that one of the -northern rooms was still covered by a flat roof of stone. He also -found windows in some of the buildings. What would he not have found -had he been able to remain a few hours longer at Mitla? Viollet-le-Duc -judges from the quantity and quality of the debris in the south wing, -that the roof could not have been of stone in large blocks, but was -formed by large beams extending longitudinally from pillar to pillar, -and supporting two transverse ranges of smaller timbers, laid close -together from the centre to either wall, the whole being surmounted by -a mass of concrete like that which constitutes the bulk of the walls; -and finally covered with a coating of cement. I have no doubt that -this author has given a correct idea of the original roof structure, -although in attempting to explain in detail the exact position -which--'il y a tout lieu de croire'--each timber occupied, it is -possible that the distinguished architect has gone somewhat beyond his -data.[VII-51] - - * * * * * - - [Illustration: View from Court of Palace No. 1.] - -As I have said before, the western building of the palace No. 1--like -the southern building, if any ever stood on the south of the -court--has entirely fallen. Of the eastern building, _d_, there remain -standing a small portion of the wall fronting on the court, including -a doorway and its lintel, and also two of the five columns which -occupied the centre of the building. The condition of this side -structure seems not to have changed materially between Dupaix's and -Charnay's visits, a period of over fifty years. The preceding cut, -taken by Baldwin from Tempsky's work, gives a tolerably correct idea -of what remains of it, except that the lintel had a sculptured front. -It is a view from the south side of the court, and includes an -imperfect representation also of the northern facade.[VII-52] - -The palaces of Mitla are differently numbered by different writers, -and much that has been written of them is so vague or confused that is -difficult to determine in many cases what particular structure is -referred to; I believe, however, that the preceding pages include all -that is known of the palace numbered 1 on my general plan. I close my -account of this palace by presenting on the opposite page a cut copied -for Baldwin's work from one of Charnay's photographs, a general view -of the ruins. The cut is a distant view of the palace No. 1 from the -south-west, and cannot be said to add very materially to our -knowledge respecting this building.[VII-53] - - [Sidenote: VIEW OF PALACE.] - - [Illustration: Distant View of Palace No. 1.] - - [Sidenote: THE SECOND PALACE.] - -The remaining palaces of Mitla, Nos. 2, 3, and 4, may be more briefly -disposed of, since in the construction of their walls they are -precisely the same as No. 1, but are not in so good a state of -preservation. No. 2 is located south-west of No. 1, and almost in -contact with it, so that both groups have been by some visitors -described together under the name of First Palace. It consists of four -buildings, built on low mounds like those of No. 1, from seven to nine -feet high, about a square court. All four are precisely the same in -their ground plan, which is identical with that of the western -building in palace No. 1. The dimensions of the four buildings are -also the same, according to Castaneda's plan, being about eighteen by -ninety-two English feet;[VII-54] but Muehlenpfordt's plan, so far as it -can be understood, makes the eastern and western buildings about one -hundred and forty feet long, the northern and southern being about -twenty by one hundred feet, and the former somewhat larger than the -latter. - -The western building is the best preserved, being, so far as can be -judged by human figures in Charnay's photographs, about seventeen feet -high. The eastern building has fallen, and only its foundation stones -remain by which to trace its plan. Three doorways open on the court -from each building, and in the rear wall opposite the doors square -niches are seen. There are no traces of columns in any of the -apartments; nor was any part of the roofs in place in 1806. The outer -walls are composed, as in palace No. 1, of oblong panels of mosaic; -whether any mosaic work is found in the interior, is not stated. The -court is said by Muehlenpfordt to be covered with a coating of cement -five or six inches in thickness, painted red as was also the exterior -of the buildings. The same writer, and Mueller, noted that the -supporting mounds were double, or terraced, on the exterior;[VII-55] -and the latter, that one of the central doorways diminishes in width -towards the top. If this, latter statement be true, it must be one of -the doorways in the southern building, of which no photographic view -was taken.[VII-56] Views of the southern facade of the northern -building are given by Charnay, Dupaix, Muehlenpfordt, and Tempsky; of -the court facade of the western building, by Charnay and Muehlenpfordt; -and Charnay also took photographs of the western and southern facades -of the latter building.[VII-57] - - * * * * * - -Under the northern building of this palace there is a subterranean -gallery in the form of a cross. The entrance to this gallery is said -by several writers to have been originally in the centre of the -court, but this seems to rest on no very good authority, and it is not -unlikely that the entrance was always where it is now, at the base of -the northern mound, as shown in the photograph and in other views. The -centre of the cross may be supposed to be nearly under the centre of -the apartment above, and the northern, eastern, and western arms are -each, according to Castaneda's drawings, about twelve feet long, five -and a half feet wide, and six and a half feet high. The southern arm, -leading out into the court is something over twenty feet long, and for -most of its length only a little over four feet high; its floor is -also several feet lower than that of the other arms, to the level of -which latter four steps lead up. Nearly the whole depth of this -gallery is probably in the body of the supporting mound rather than -really subterranean. The top is formed of large blocks of stone, -stretching across from side to side, and, according to Muehlenpfordt, -plastered and polished. The floor was also covered, if we may credit -Mueller, with a polished coat of cement. The walls are panels of mosaic -work like that found on the exterior walls above. Muehlenpfordt noticed -that the mosaic work was less skillfully executed than on the upper -walls, and therefore probably much older. The large dall that covers -the crossing of the two galleries is supported by a circular pillar -resting on a square base. According to Tempsky the natives call this -the 'pillar of death,' believing that whoever embraces it must die -shortly. The whole interior surface, sides, floor, and ceiling, are -painted red. No relics of any kind have been found here. Fossey says -that this gallery, or at least _a_ gallery, leads from the palace to -the eastern pyramid--meaning probably the western pyramid, No. 5 of -the plan--and from that point still further westward, where it may be -traced for a league to the farm of Saga, and extends, as the natives -believe, some three hundred leagues. Tradition relates that the -Zapotecs originally had their temples in natural caverns, which they -gradually improved to meet their requirements, and over which they -finally built these palaces. There are consequently many absurd rumors -afloat respecting the extent of the subterranean passages, but nothing -has ever been discovered to indicate the existence of natural caves or -extensive artificial excavations at this point. At the time of -Charnay's visit the opening to the gallery had been closed up, and the -natives would allow no one to remove the obstructions, on the ground -that hidden treasure was the object sought.[VII-58] - - * * * * * - - [Illustration: Ground Plan--Palace No. 3.] - - [Sidenote: THIRD PALACE.] - -Palace No. 3 of the plan is said to have no supporting mound, but to -stand on the level of the ground. Its ground plan, according to -Castaneda, the only authority, is shown in the cut. The whole -structure, divided into three courts, is about two hundred and -eighty-four feet long and one hundred and eight feet wide, the -thickness of the walls, not shown in the plan, being five or six feet. -Nearly all the walls have fallen except those of the buildings about -the central court, B, which have been repaired, covered with a roof of -tiles, and are occupied by the curate of the parish as a residence. In -the western front a doorway has been cut, before which, supporting a -balcony, or awning, stand two stone columns which were evidently -brought from some other part of the ruins. Both on the exterior and -court walls, the regular panels of mosaic work are seen in the upper -portions; the lower parts have been repaired with adobes, and newly -plastered in many places. The modern church, quite a large and -imposing structure, stands either upon or adjacent to a part of this -ancient palace.[VII-59] - - [Illustration: Ground Plan--Palace No. 4.] - - [Sidenote: FOURTH PALACE, AND PYRAMIDS.] - -The cut is a ground plan of palace No. 4, which is also said to stand -on the original level of the ground. The walls are spoken of by all -visitors as almost entirely in ruins, and as presenting no -peculiarities of construction when compared with the other palaces. -From one of the portions still standing, however, Muehlenpfordt copied -some fragmentary paintings, representing processions of rudely -pictured human figures, as shown in the accompanying cut. The same -author speaks of similar paintings, very likely not the work of the -original builders of Mitla, on the walls of some of the other -buildings.[VII-60] - - [Illustration: Painting on Doorway--Palace No. 4.] - - * * * * * - -Two mounds, or groups of mounds, stand west and south of the other -ruins at 5 and 7 of the plan. No. 5 was photographed by Charnay, and -is described as built of adobes, ascended by a stone stairway, and -bearing now a modern chapel. According to Castaneda's drawing probably -representing these pyramids, the principal structure had four stories, -or terraces, and was about seventy-five feet high, measuring at the -base about one hundred and twenty feet on its shortest sides from east -to west. The stairway faces westward towards the court formed by the -smaller mounds which have only two stories. Group No. 7 is -represented by Castaneda as consisting like No. 5 of a large mound and -three small ones, of two and one stories respectively, surrounding a -court in whose centre is a block, or altar, which Dupaix thinks may -conceal the entrance to a subterranean passage. Muehlenpfordt -represents the arrangement of the mounds as on my plan, and thinks the -smaller elevations may have borne originally buildings like the -northern palaces. In one of these mounds, according to the -last-mentioned author, a tomb was found. Dupaix also describes two -tombs found under mounds, the locality of which is not specified. One -of these tombs was in the form of a cross, with arms about three by -nine feet, six feet high, covered with a roof of flat stones, and in -its construction like the gallery under palace No. 2, except that the -small brick-shaped blocks of which its sides are formed are not -arranged in grecques, but laid so as to present a plain surface. The -second tomb was of rectangular form, about four by eight feet in -dimensions. In one of them some human remains, with fragments of fine -blue stone were discovered.[VII-61] - - [Sidenote: FORTIFIED HILL.] - -At a distance of a league and a half eastward of the village, Dupaix -described and Castaneda sketched a small plain square stone building, -divided into four apartments, standing on the slope of a high rocky -hill. On the plate there is also shown the entrance to a subterranean -gallery not mentioned in Dupaix's text.[VII-62] Three fourths of a -league westward from the village is a hill some six hundred feet in -height, with precipitous sides naturally inaccessible save on one -side, toward Mitla. The summit platform, probably leveled by -artificial means, is enclosed by a wall of stone about six feet thick, -eighteen feet high, and over a mile in circumference, forming many -angles, as is shown in the annexed plan. On the eastern and accessible -side, the wall is double, the inner wall being higher than the outer; -and the entrances are not only not opposite each other, but penetrate -the walls obliquely. Heaps of loose stones, _c_, _c_, _c_, were found -at various points in the enclosure, doubtless for use as weapons in a -hand-to-hand conflict. Outside of the walls, moreover, large rocks, -some three feet in diameter, were carefully poised where they might be -easily started down the sides against the advancing foe. Within the -fortress, at several places, _d_, _e_, _f_, _g_, are slight remains of -adobe buildings, probably erected for the accommodation of the -aboriginal garrison. All we know of this fortress is derived from the -work of Dupaix and Castaneda.[VII-63] - - [Illustration: Plan of Fortress near Mitla.] - -Dupaix claims to have found the quarries which furnished material for -the Mitla structures, in a hill three-fourths of a league eastward -from the ruins, called by the Zapotecs Aguilosoe, by the Spaniards -Mirador. The stone is described as of such a nature that large blocks -may be easily split off by means of wedges and levers, and many such -blocks were scattered about the place; the removal of the stone to the -site of the palaces, here as in the case of many other American ruins, -must have been the chief difficulty overcome by the builders. Stone -wedges, together with axes and chisels of hard copper, are said to -have been found at Mitla, but are not particularly described.[VII-64] - - [Illustration: Head in Terra Cotta--Mitla.] - -A head in terra cotta, wearing a peculiar helmet, was sketched here by -Castaneda, and is shown in the cut. Another terra-cotta image -represented a masked human figure, squatting cross-legged with hands -on knees. A large semicircular cape reaches from the neck to the -ground, showing only the hands and feet in front. The whole is very -similar to some of the figures at Zachila, already described, but the -tube which may be supposed to have held a torch originally, projects -above the head, and is an inch and a half in diameter. The only -specimen of stone images or idols found in connection with the ruins, -is shown in the cut. It represents a seated figure, carved from a hard -red stone, and brilliantly polished. Its height is about four inches. -Tempsky tells us that the children at Mitla offered for sale small -idols of clay and sandstone, which had been taken from the inner -palace walls.[VII-65] - - [Illustration: Stone Image from Mitla.] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: GENERAL REMARKS.] - - [Sidenote: COMPARISONS.] - -The ruins of Mitla resemble Palenque only in the long low narrow form -of the buildings, since the low supporting mounds can hardly be said -to resemble the lofty stone-faced pyramids of Chiapas. A stronger -likeness may be discovered when they are compared with the structures -of Yucatan; since in both cases we find long narrow windowless -buildings, raised on low mounds, and enclosing a rectangular -courtyard, walls of rubble, and facings of hewn stone. The contrasts -are also strong, as seen in the mosaic grecques, the absence of -sculpture, and the flat roofs, in some cases supported by columns; -although in one city on the east coast of Yucatan flat roofs of wooden -beams were found. Whether the mosaic work of Mitla indicates in -itself an earlier or later development of aboriginal art than the -elaborately sculptured facades of Uxmal, I am unable to decide; but -the flat roof supported by pillars would seem to indicate a later -architectural development than the overlapping arch. The influence of -the builders of Palenque and the cities of Yucatan, was doubtless felt -by the builders of Mitla. How the influence was exerted it is very -difficult to determine; Viollet-le-Duc attributes these northern -structures to a branch of the southern civilization separated from the -parent stock after the foundation of the Maya cities in Yucatan. Most -antiquarians have concluded that Mitla is less ancient than the -southern ruins, and the condition of the remains, so far as it throws -any light on the subject, confirms the conclusion. This is the last -ruin that will be found in our progress northward, which shows any -marked analogy with the Maya monuments, save in the almost universal -use of supporting mounds or pyramids, of various forms and dimensions. -It has already been shown that the Zapotec language has no likeness -whatever to the Aztec, or to the Maya, and that so far as institutions -are concerned, this people might almost as properly be classed with -the Maya as with the Nahua nations. The Abbe Brasseur in one part of -his writings expresses the opinion that Mitla was built by the Toltecs -from Cholula, who introduced their religion in Oajaca in the ninth or -tenth century. Mitla is also frequently spoken of as a connecting link -between the Central American and Mexican remains; this, however, is -merely a part of the old favorite theory of one civilized people -originating in the far north, moving gradually southward, and leaving -at each stopping-place traces of their constantly improving and -developing culture. There seems to have been no tradition among the -natives at the Conquest, indicating that Mitla was built by a people -preceding the Zapotecs. On the contrary, Burgoa and other early -Oajacan chroniclers mention the place frequently as a Zapotec holy -place, devoted to the burial of kings, the residence of a certain -order of the priesthood, who lived here to make expiatory sacrifices -for the dead, and a place of royal mourning, whither the king retired -on the death of a relative. Subterranean caverns were used for the -celebration of religious rites before the upper temples were built. -Charnay fancies that the palaces were built by a people that -afterwards migrated southward. He noticed that the walls in sheltered -places were covered with very rude paintings--a sample of which has -been given--and suggests that these were executed by occupants who -succeeded the original builders. It will be apparent to the reader -that the ruins at Mitla bear no resemblance whatever to other Oajacan -monuments, such as those at Guiengola, Monte Alban, and Quiotepec; and -that they are either the work of a different nation, or what is much -more probable, for a different purpose. I am inclined to believe that -Mitla was built by the Zapotecs at a very early period of their -civilization, at a time when the builders were strongly influenced by -the Maya priesthood, if they were not themselves a branch of the Maya -people.[VII-66] - -The mosaic work undoubtedly bears a strong resemblance to the -ornamentation observed on Grecian vases and other old-world relics; -but this analogy is far from indicating any communication between the -artists or their ancestors, for, as Humboldt says, "in all zones men -have been pleased with a rhythmic repetition of the same forms, a -repetition which constitutes the leading characteristic of what we -vaguely call grecques, meandres, and Arabesques."[VII-67] - -In the northern part of Oajaca, towards the boundary line of Puebla, -remains have been found in several localities. Those near Quiotepec -are extensive and important, but are only known by the description of -one explorer, Juan N. Lovato, who visited the ruins as a commissioner -from the government in January, 1844.[VII-68] Lovato's account -contains many details, but the drawings which originally accompanied -it were, with two exceptions, not published, and from the text only a -general idea can be formed respecting the nature of the ruins. The -following are such items of information as I have been able to extract -from the report in question. - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF QUIOTEPEC.] - -A hill about a mile long and a quarter of a mile wide at its base, and -over a thousand feet high, known as the Cerro de las Juntas, stands at -the junction of the rivers Quiotepec and Salado. At the eastern end, -where the streams meet, the ascent is precipitous and inaccessible, -but the other sides and the summit are covered with ruins. The slopes -are formed into level platforms with perpendicular terrace walls of -stone, of height and thickness varying according to the nature of the -ground. In ascending the western slope, thirty-five of these terrace -walls were encountered; on the southern slope there were fifty-seven, -and on the northern eighty-eight, counting only those that were still -standing. One of the walls at the summit is about three hundred and -twenty feet long, sixty feet high, and five and a half feet thick. - -Scattered over the hill on the terrace platforms, the foundations of -small buildings, supposed to have been dwellings, were found in at -least a hundred and thirty places. In connection with these buildings -some tombs were found underground, box-shaped with walls of stone, -containing human remains and some fragments of pottery. Tumuli in -great numbers are found in all directions, probably burial mounds, -although nothing but a few stone beads has been found in them. Other -mounds were apparently designed for the support of buildings. At -different points towards the summit of the hill are three tanks, or -reservoirs, one of which is sixty feet long, twenty-four feet wide, -and six feet deep, with traces of steps leading down into it. In the -walls traces of beams are seen, supposed by the explorer to have -supported the scaffolding used in their construction. - - [Illustration: Temple Pyramid--Cerro de las Juntas.] - -Besides the terrace walls, foundations of dwellings, and the remains -that have been mentioned, there are also many ruins of statelier -edifices, presumably palaces and temples. Of these, the only ones -described are situated at the summit on a small level plateau, of a -hundred and twenty-two by two hundred and forty-eight feet. These -consist of what are spoken of as a palace and a temple, facing each -other, a hundred and sixty-six feet apart. Between the two are the -bases of what was formerly a line of circular pillars, leading from -one edifice to the other. The bases, or pedestals, are fourteen inches -in diameter, five inches high, and about fourteen feet apart. The -Temple faces north-east, and its front is shown in the accompanying -cut. This is a form of the pyramidal structure very different from any -that has been met before. Its dimensions on the ground are fifty by -fifty-five feet. The Palace is described as thirty-nine feet high in -front and thirty-three feet in the rear, and has a stairway of twenty -steps about twenty-eight feet wide, leading up to the summit on the -front. Judging by the plate, this so-called palace is a solid -elevation with perpendicular sides, ornamented with three plain -cornices, one end of which is occupied throughout nearly its whole -width by the stairway mentioned. The material of the two structures is -the stone of the hill itself cut in thin regular blocks, laid in what -is described as mud, and covered, as is shown by traces still left in -a few parts, with a coating of plaster. Both the structures, according -to the plates, have a rather modern appearance, and differ widely from -any other American monuments, but there seems to be no reason to doubt -the reliability of Sr Lovato's account, considering its official -nature, and I cannot suppose that the Spaniards ever erected such -edifices. The foundations and arches of three small apartments are -vaguely spoken of as having been discovered by excavation in -connection with the Palace, but whether they were on its summit or in -the interior of the apparently solid mass, does not clearly appear, -although Mueller states that the latter was the case. On the summit of -the Palace a copal-tree, one foot in diameter, was found. Five -sculptured slabs were sketched by Mueller at Quiotepec, but he does not -state in what part of the ruins they were found. Each slab has a human -figure in profile, surrounded by a variety of inexplicable attributes. -The foreheads seem to be flattened, and four of the five have an -immense curved tongue, possibly the well-known Aztec symbol of speech, -protruding from the mouth. Somewhere in this vicinity, on the -perpendicular banks of rock that form the channel of the Rio Tecomava, -painted figures of a sun, moon, and hand, are reported, at a great -height from the water.[VII-69] - - [Sidenote: TUXTEPEC AND HUAHUAPAN.] - -Near the town of Tuxtepec, some fifty miles eastward from Quiotepec, -near the Vera Cruz boundary, there is said to be an artificial mound -eighty-three feet high, known as the Castillo de Montezuma. A passage -leads toward the centre, but nothing further is known of it, except -that some stone idols are mentioned by another writer as having been -dug from a mound in a town of the same name.[VII-70] - - [Illustration: Sculptured Block from Huahuapan.] - -At Huahuapan, about fifty miles westward of Quiotepec, Dupaix found -the sculptured block shown in the cut. It is four and a half feet -long, and a foot and a half high; the material is a hard blue stone, -and the sculpture in low relief seems to represent a kind of coat of -arms, from which projects a hand grasping an object, a part of which -bears a strong resemblance to the Aztec symbol of water. This relic -was found in a hill called Tallesto, about a league east of the -town.[VII-71] - -In another hill, called Sombrerito, only half a league from the town, -a laborer in 1831 plowed up an ancient grave, said to have contained -human bones, fine pottery, with gold beads and rings. All the relics -were buried again by the finder, except four of the rings, which came -into the possession of the Bishop of Puebla, and two of which are -shown in the cut. With some doubts respecting the authenticity of -these relics I give the cuts for what they are worth. There are -accounts and drawings of several rudely carved stone images from the -same region.[VII-72] - - [Illustration: Gold Rings from Huahuapan.] - -At Yanguitlan, ten or fifteen miles south-east of Huahuapan, several -relics were found, including a human head of natural size carved from -red stone; two idols of green jasper, slightly carved in human -likeness; three cutting implements of hard stone; and the two objects -shown in the cuts on the opposite page. The first is a spear-head of -gray flint, and the second a very curious relic of unknown use, and -whose material and dimensions the finder has neglected to mention. It -is of a red color, and is very beautifully wrought in two pieces, one -serving as a cover for the other, apparently intended to be joined by -a cord as represented in the cut. Among the uses suggested are those -of a censer and a lantern.[VII-73] - - [Illustration: Relics from Yanguitlan.] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: ANTIQUITIES OF GUERRERO.] - -Respecting the relics of the state of Guerrero, my only information is -derived from a statistical work by Sr Celso Munoz, contained in the -report of Gov. Francisco O. Arce to the legislature of the state in -1872. This author mentions such relics in the district of Hidalgo, -north of the Rio Zacatula towards the Mexican boundary, as follows: -1st. "The _momoxtles_, or tombs of the ancient Indians, which are -found in almost all the towns, although they are constantly -disappearing, and abound especially in the municipality of Cocula." -2d. "Traces of ancient settlements of the aborigines, who either -became extinct or migrated to other localities: such are seen on the -hill of Huizteco, in the municipality of Tasco, in that of Tetipac el -Viejo and of Coatlan el Viejo, of Tetipac, of Coculatepil, of Piedra -Grande or San Gaspar, region of Iglesia Vieja, Cocula, and many -others." 3d. At Tepecoacuilco "there are traces very clearly defined -of many foundations of houses; and in excavations that have been made -there have been found many idols and flint weapons, especially lances, -very well preserved, and other curious relics of Aztec times." 4th. At -Chontalcuatlan, there are traces of the ancient town on a hill called -Coatlan el Viejo, where there is also said to be a block of porphyry -one or two metres in diameter, on the surface of which is sculptured a -coiled serpent.[VII-74] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[VII-1] See vol. ii., chap. ii., of this work. - -[VII-2] _Arias_, _Antiguedades Zapotecas_, in _Museo Mex._, tom. i., -pp. 246-8, _Mueller_, _Reisen_, tom. ii., pp. 356-7; _Hutchings' Cal. -Mag._, vol. ii., pp. 395; 539-41; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. -Civ._, tom. iii., p. 359, with reference to _Carriedo_, _Estudios -hist. y estad. del Estado Oaxaqueno_, tom. ii., append. i.; _Garay_, -_Reconocimiento_, p. 110; _Id._, _Survey_, pp. 112-13; _Id._, _Acct._, -pp. 79-81. - -[VII-3] _Dupaix_, 3d exped., pp. 6-7, pl. iii.-v., fig. 6-9; -_Kingsborough_, vol. vi., p. 469, vol. iv., pl. iii.-v., fig. 6-9; -_Larenaudiere_, _Mex. Guat._, pl. viii., from Dupaix, showing second -pyramid; _Mayer's Observations_, pp. 25-6, with cut of the first altar -representing its successive platforms as forming a spiral ascent. - -[VII-4] _Dupaix_, 3d exped., p. 6, pl. ii., fig. 5; cut of same -lance-head in _Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., -p. 85, pl. xiv.; _Museo Mexicano_, tom. i., pp. 248-9, tom. iii., pp. -135-7; _Hist. Mag._, vol. iii., p. 240. - -[VII-5] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Voy. Tehuan._, pp. 122-5. - -[VII-6] _Burgoa_, _Geog. Descrip._, tom. ii., cap. lxxii.; _Brasseur -de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iii., pp. 9-10. - -[VII-7] _Lafond_, _Voyage_, tom. i., p. 139. - -[VII-8] _Museo Mex._, tom. i., p. 248. - -[VII-9] _Dupaix_, 3d exped., p. 8, pl. vi., fig. 10; _Kingsborough_, -vol. v., p. 289, vol. vi., p. 469, vol. iv., pl. vi., fig. 10; -_Lenoir_, pp. 16, 71. Kingsborough calls the name of the locality of -these remains Chilmitlan. His plate shows regular quadrilateral -openings in the parapets, while in Castaneda's plate they appear of -irregular form, as if made by the removal of stones. - -[VII-10] _Garay_, _Reconocimiento_, pp. 110-12; _Id._, _Survey_, pp. -113-15; _Id._, _Acct._, pp. 79-81. - -[VII-11] _Burgoa_, _Geog. Descrip._, tom. ii., p. 298; _Florencia_, -_Hist. Comp. Jesus_, pp. 233-6, _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. -Civ._, tom. iii., pp. 39, 286, tom. i., p. 146. - -[VII-12] Besides remains attributed to particular localities, see -_Museo Mex._, tom. iii., p. 135, cuts and descriptions of four earthen -idols found in this state; _Burgoa_, _Geog. Descrip._, tom. i., fol. -160, 166, 170, 197, tom. ii., fol. 275, 298, 319-21, 330, 344-5, 363, -mention and slight description of burial places, caves, temples, etc., -of the natives, some of them seen by the author; _Muehlenpfordt_, -_Mej._, tom. ii., pp. 186, 195, 200, 206, 212, 215, slight mention of -scattered relics; _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 218, cuts -of three heads in Penasco collection, said to have come from Oajaca. - -[VII-13] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 28-9. - -[VII-14] _Mueller_, _Reisen_, tom. ii., p. 282, with cut of the ring. - -[VII-15] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iii., p. 47. - -[VII-16] _Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., p. -91. - -[VII-17] _Museo Mex._, tom. i., p. 249. - -[VII-18] _Dupaix_, 3d exped., p. 6, pl. ii., 2d exped., p. 51. - -[VII-19] _Fossey_, _Mexique_, pp. 375-6. No authority is given, and M. -Fossey was not himself an antiquarian explorer. - -[VII-20] _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, pp. 249-51. - -[VII-21] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 17-23, pl. xxi-viii., fig. 64-77; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 247-51, vol. vi., pp. 444-6, vol. iv., -pl. xix-xxv., fig. 64-77; _Lenoir_, pp. 16, 22, 49-51. Carriedo's -_Atlas de una Fortaleza Zapoteca, etc._, mentioned by _Gondra_, in -_Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., p. 94, and in _Museo Mex._, -tom. i., p. 246. The editors of the latter magazine announced their -intention to publish the drawings as soon as the plates could be -engraved, but I have not seen the volume in which their purpose was -carried out, if indeed it was ever carried out. Garcia's report in -_Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. vii., pp. 270-1, with plates; -_Mueller_, _Reisen_, tom. ii., pp. 270-1, with plates; _Charnay_, -_Ruines Amer._, pp. 250-3; _Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Id._, pp. 25-6, with -cut. Other references to slight notices of Monte Alban, containing no -original information are;--_Larenaudiere_, _Mex. Guat._, pl. i., from -Dupaix; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iii., p. 340; -_Fossey_, _Mexique_, pp. 370-1. This writer locates the ruins 1/4 of a -league from the city. _Escalera_ and _Llana_, _Mej._, p. 332; -_Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, p. 91. - -[VII-22] See authorities in preceding note. - -[VII-23] Plate showing the stones in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. -vii., p. 270. - -[VII-24] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iii., pp. -339-40. - -[VII-25] 'Elle represente un dieu dont les attributs caracterisent le -principe actif de la nature qui produit les grains et les fruits. -C'est le dieu qui cree, conserve et est en hostilite permanente avec -le Genie destructeur qui gouverne aussi le monde. Son casque ou son -diademe, ombrage d'un panache considerable et qui atteste son -importance, est orne de la Grande couleuvre, nommee aussi par les -astronomes modernes le _serpent d'Eve_, dont la presence dans le ciel -annonce la saison des recoltes.' _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., -div. i., pp. 57-8. Cut also in _Mayer's Obs._, p. 32, pl. iii., from -the original which is preserved in Mexico. - -[VII-26] Plate also in _Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, -tom. iii., pp. 64-5, pl. xi. - -[VII-27] Copies of plates in _Mayer's Obs._, p. 32, pl. iii.; _Id._, -_Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., pp. 218-19. - -[VII-28] Dupaix says of this image: 'Elle participe un peu du style -egyptien. Elle est couverte de trois vetements qui croisent l'un sur -l'autre symetriquement, et qui sont bordes de franges. La tete est -ornee de tresses qui font deviner le sexe; les oreilles et le cou sont -pares de bijoux; enfin toute cette figure est etrange.' 2d exped., p. -49. This image in the opinion of M. Lenoir, _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., -div. i., pp. 60-1, represents the Mexican goddess Toci, and the -preceding one the god of war, Huitzilopochtli. These images are now in -the Mexican Museum, and plates of them were published by Sr Gondra, in -_Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., pp. 90-5, pl. xvii., who by -no means agrees with Lenoir's conclusions identifying them with Aztec -deities, although he agrees with Dupaix respecting their probable use -as chandeliers. - -[VII-29] Authorities on antiquities of Zachila. _Dupaix_, 2d exped., -pp. 44-51, pl. xlvii., fig. 95-116; _Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. -269-78, vol. vi., pp. 458-63, vol. iv., pl. xlvii.-li., fig. 96-117. -Kingsborough also attributes fig. 118-19 to Zachila, but according to -the official edition the relics represented by those numbers came from -Tizatlan in Tlascala. _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., -pp. 57-63. The aboriginal name of the place was Zaachillatloo. -_Dupaix_, pp. 44-5. Brasseur, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iii., p. 47, -speaks of a fortress visited by several travelers, built by Zaachila, -the great Zapotec conqueror, on the top of a lofty rock 25 leagues -east of Oajaca. Mention of ruins and two cuts of figures in -_Ilustracion Mej._, tom. iii., pp. 367-8, 480; _Escalera_ and _Llana_, -_Mej. Hist. Descrip._, p. 226. - -[VII-30] _Escalera_ and _Llana_, _Mej. Hist. Descrip._, p. 226; -_Fossey_, _Mex._, p. 376. - -[VII-31] Liuba, 'Sepultura;' Miquitlan, 'infierno o lugar de -tristeza.' _Dupaix_, 2d exped., p. 30. Leoba, or Luiva, '_sepulture_;' -_Miguitlan_, 'lieu de desolation, lieu de tristesse.' _Humboldt_, -_Vues_, tom. ii., pp. 278-9. Yopaa, Lyoba, or Yobaa, 'terre des -tombes;' Mictlan, 'sejour des Morts.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. -Nat. Civ._, tom. i., pp. 304-5, tom. iii., p. 9. Liobaa, 'place of -rest.' _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. vii., p. 170. - -[VII-32] 'Uno, llamado Mictlan, que quiere decir infierno o lugar de -muertos, a do hubo en tiempos pasados, (segun hallaron las muestras) -edificios mas notables y de ver que en otra parte de la Nueva Espana. -Hubo un templo del demonio y aposentos de sus ministros, maravillosa -cosa a la vista, en especial una sala como de artesones, y la obra era -labrada de piedra de muchos lazos y labores.' _Mendieta_, _Hist. -Ecles._, pp. 395-6; _Burgoa_, _Descrip. Geog._, tom. ii., fol. 259, -etc. - -[VII-33] 'Du haut de la forteresse de Mitla, la vue plonge dans la -vallee et se repose avec tristesse sur des roches pelees et des -solitudes arides, image de destruction propre a relever l'effet des -palais de Liobaa. Un torrent d'eau salee (?), qui se gonfle avec la -tempete, coule au milieu des sables poudreux qu'il entraine avec lui. -Les rives sont seches et sans ombrages; a peine voit-on de distance en -distance quelques nopals nains, ou quelques poivriers du Perou, aussi -maigres que le terrain ou ils ont pris racine. Seulement, du cote du -village, la verdure sombre des magueys et des cactus donne au tableau -l'aspect d'un jardin d'hiver plante de buis et de sapins.' _Fossey_, -_Mexique_, p. 371. - -[VII-34] _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. ii., pp. 278-85, pl. xvii-viii., -fol. ed., pl. xlix-l; _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., pp. -28-30, supl. pl. viii.; _Id._, _Essai Pol._, pp. 263-5. Humboldt -speaks of Martin as 'un architecte mexicain tres-distingue.' _Dupaix_, -2d exped., pp. 30-44, pl. xxix-xlvi., fig. 78-93; _Kingsborough_, vol. -v., pp. 255-68, vol. vi., pp. 447-56, vol. iv., pl. xxvii-xli., fig. -81-95; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., pp. 16, 23-4, -52-7. Muehlenpfordt, _Mejico_, tom. i., pref., p. 5, claims to have -been for some time Director of road-construction in the state of -Oajaca, and states his intention of publishing at some future time 18 -or 20 large copper-plate engravings illustrating the antiquities of -Mitla and others. These plates, so far as I know, have never been -given to the public. Carriedo accompanied Muehlenpfordt, or -Mihelenpforott as he writes the name, and published some of the -drawings, perhaps all, in the _Ilustracion Mejicana_, tom. ii., pp. -493-8. Some of the German artists' descriptive text is also quoted -from I know not what source. _Tempsky's Mitla_, pp. 250-3, with plates -which must have been made up for the most part from other sources than -the author's own observations. Garcia's visit, _Soc. Mex. Geog., -Boletin_, tom. vii., pp. 271-2. Sawkin's exploration, in _Mayer's -Observations_, p. 28, et seq., with plates. It will be shown later -that Mr Sawkins' drawings are without value to the archaeological -student. Fossey's account, _Mexique_, pp. 365-70; _Charnay_, _Ruines -Amer._, pp. 261-9, phot. ii-xviii.; _Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Id._, pp. -74-104, with cuts. After Charnay had completed, as he thought, the -work of photographing the ruins, all his negatives were spoiled for -want of proper varnish. He was therefore compelled to return alone, -since he had exhausted the somewhat limited patience of his native -assistants, and to work day and night to take a new set of pictures. -Mueller, _Reisen_, tom. ii., pp. 279-81, seems also to have made a -personal exploration. Other references for Mitla containing no -original information are as follows:--_Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, pp. -117-22, with two cuts from Charnay and two from Tempsky, all given in -my text. _Gallatin_, in _Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact._, vol. i., p. -173; _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 85-6; _Larenaudiere_, in -_Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, tom. xxxiv., pp. 121-2; _Gondra_, in -_Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., pp. 90-5, pl. xvii.; -_Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, pp. 251-3; _Id._, _Mex. Aztec_, vol. ii., -pp. 213-16; _Klemm_, _Cultur-Geschichte_, tom. v., pp. 157-60; -_Morelet_, _Voyage_, tom. i., pp. 270-1; _Id._, _Travels_, p. 92; -_Mueller_, _Amerikanische Urreligionen_, p. 462; _Prescott's Mex._, -vol. i., p. 14, vol. iii., pp. 404-6; _Malte-Brun_, _Precis de la -Geog._, tom. vi., p. 463; _Mexicanische Zustaende_, tom. i., pp. 403-4; -_Wappaeus_, _Mex. Guat._, p. 162; _Lempriere_, _Mexique_, p. 144; -_Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, p. 255; _Hermosa_, _Manual Geog._, p. 135; -_Escalera_ and _Llana_, _Mex._, pp. 327-32, 225, same as in _Fossey_; -_Lafond_, _Voyages_, tom. i., p. 139; _Bonnycastle's Span. Amer._, -vol. i., p. 154, vol. ii., p. 233; _D'Orbigny_, _Voyage_, p. 356; -_Conder's Mex. Guat._, vol. ii., pp. 130-4; _Dally_, _Races Indig._, -pp. 16-17; _Macgillivray's Life Humboldt_, pp. 314-15; _Mills' Hist. -Mex._, p. 158; _Mexico in 1842_, p. 77; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, -_Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 105; _Larenaudiere_, _Mex. Guat._, pl. -ii-vi., from Dupaix; _Delafield's Antiq. Amer._, pp. 55, 59-60. - -[VII-35] Charnay, phot. xvii., gives a general view of the ruins, from -which, however, no clear idea can be formed of the arrangement of the -structures. The buildings are named or numbered as follows by the -different authors; Dupaix numbers them as they are marked on my plan; -Carriedo and Muehlenpfordt unite Nos. 1 and 2 under the name of 1st -Palace, making No. 3 No. 2, and No. 4 No. 3; Charnay's 1st or grand -palace is the northern building of No. 1; his 2d is the eastern -building of the same; his 3d and 4th are the northern and western -buildings respectively of No. 2. My No. 3 is called by him the House -of the Curate, and No. 4 is only mentioned by him without name or -number. - -[VII-36] At the Conquest the ruins covered an immense area, but they -now consist of six palaces and three ruined pyramids. _Charnay_, -_Ruines Amer._, p. 261. - -[VII-37] Dupaix's ground plan, pl. xxix., fig. 78, represents such a -southern building and mound, although very slight, if any, traces -remained of the former at the time of his visit. Martin's plan, given -by Humboldt, shows two shorter mounds without buildings; while -Carriedo's plan locates no structure whatever south of the court, and -I have omitted it in my plan. - -[VII-38] The dimensions are very nearly those of the plans of Martin -and Castaneda, who differ only very slightly. The dimensions given by -the different authorities are as follows: A. 12-1/2 x 47-1/2 varas, -_Castaneda_; 13-1/4 x 46-1/2 varas, _Martin_, in _Humboldt_; 40 metres -long, _Charnay_; 180 feet long, _Tempsky_; 132 feet long, _Fossey_. C. -22x22 varas, _Castaneda_ and _Martin_; _d_, 7x35-1/2 varas, _Castaneda_; -7-1/2 x 34-1/2 varas, _Martin_. Walls 1-1/2 to 3-1/2 varas thick, -_Castaneda_; 1-1/2 varas, _Martin_. Height 5 to 6 metres, _Humboldt_; -14 feet, _Fossey_. The height of the inner columns, to be spoken of -later, shows something respecting the original height of the walls. - -[VII-39] Charnay, p. 264, describes the material of this filling as -'terre battue, melee de gros cailloux.' His photographs of walls where -the facing has fallen show in some places a mass of large irregular -stones, even laid with some regularity in a few instances; in other -parts of the ruins there seem to be very few stones, but only a mass -of earth or clay; and in still other parts the wall has every -appearance of regular adobes. Dupaix, p. 35, says that sand and lime -are mixed with the earth. 'El macizo, o grueso de las paredes se -compone de una tierra mezclada y beneficiada con arena y cal.' 'De -tierra preparada, hollada o beneficiada cuando fresca y pastosa.' -Tempsky, p. 251, declares the material to be rough boulders in cement. -Humboldt, _Vues_, tom. ii., p. 283, speaks of 'une masse d'argile qui -paroit remplir l'interieur des murs.' - -[VII-40] 'Los compartimientos divididos por unos tableros -cuadrilongos, terminados por unas molduras cuadradas que sobresalen a -la linea de la muralla, contienen en sus planos unas grecas de alto -relieve de una bella invencion, pues sus dibujos presentan unos -enlaces complicados arreglados a una exactisima geometria, con una -grande union entre las piedras que los componen, las que son de varios -gruesos, y configuraciones; ademas se advierte una perfecta nivelacion -en toda esta admirable ensambladura.' _Dupaix_, 2d exped., p. 31. A -mosaic of soft sandstone cut in blocks 7x2-1/8 x1 inches, and all -forming a smooth exterior surface. _Tempsky's Mitla_, pp. 251-2, with -a very faulty cut. The statement about the smooth surface is certainly -erroneous, as is probably that respecting the size of the blocks. 'Ces -arabesques forment une sorte de mosaique, composee de petites pierres -carrees, qui sont placees avec beaucoup d'art, les unes a cote des -autres.' _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. ii., p. 283; with cuts of three -styles of this mosaic from Martin. 'Briquettes de differentes -grandeurs.' The modern church is built of stone from the ruins. The -natives carry away the blocks of mosaic in the belief that they will -turn to gold. _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, p. 252, 263-5. Phot. v-vi., -view of southern facade. 22 different styles of grecques on this -front. _Fossey_, _Mexique_, pp. 367-8. Cuts of 16 different styles in -_Ilustracion Mej._, tom. ii., p. 501. - -[VII-41] An Indian woman was reported to have one of the heads from -these holes, built into the walls of her house, but it could not be -found. _Dupaix_, 2d exped., p. 31. - -[VII-42] Besides the photograph copied above, Charnay's photographs, -vii.-viii., present views from the east and west, showing that the -same style of construction and ornamentation extends completely round -the building. Dupaix's plate xxx. represents this facade, but shows -only a small portion of the stone-work. Kingsborough gives in its -place a magnificent plate, 1x5 feet, showing the whole front restored -in all its details; he gives also the plate from _Antiq. Mex._, but -refers it to the palace No. 2. pl. xxxi., fig. 85. See description of -the walls quoted from Burgoa, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. -vii., pp. 170-3. - -[VII-43] 5.8 metres high; one third of the height buried in the -ground. _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. ii., p. 282. 4 varas above surface, 2 -varas below, 1 vara diameter. _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, suppl. pl. -viii. Of the material, Humboldt says: 'Quelques personnes, -tres-instruites en mineralogie, m'ont dit que la pierre est un beau -porphyre amphibolique; d'autres m'ont assure que c'est un granite -porphyritique.' 12 feet high, 9-1/2 feet in circumference. _Fossey_, -_Mex._, pp. 367-8. About 14 feet high, _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, p. -263; 5-1/2 varas high, 1 vara in diameter, material granite, _Dupaix_, -p. 31. Over 5 varas high. _Burgoa_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. -vii., p. 171. 12 feet high, 4 feet diameter. _Tempsky's Mitla_, p. -253. 10 feet 10-1/2 inches above ground, over 6 feet below, 3-1/3 varas -in circumference; material porphyry. _Ilustracion Mej._, tom. ii., pp. -495-6. So large that two men can hardly reach round them, 5 fathoms -high. _Mendieta_, _Hist. Ecles._, pp. 395-6. Material a porous -limestone. _Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, p. 78. - -[VII-44] See _Charnay_, phot. x. - -[VII-45] _Charnay_, phot. vii.-viii. - -[VII-46] _Charnay_, phot. xi. Plate in _Tempsky's Mitla_, pp. 252-3, -very incorrect, as are nearly all of this author's illustrations. - -[VII-47] _Charnay_, phot. ix. - -[VII-48] See p. 257 of this volume. - -[VII-49] _Murguia_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. vii., pp. -170-3. 'De grandes dalles, de plus de deux pieds d'epaisseur, reposant -sur des piliers d'une hauteur de trois metres, formaient le plafond de -ces palais: au-dessus on voyait une corniche saillante ornee de -sculptures capricieuses, dont l'ensemble formait comme une sorte de -diademe pose sur le sommet de l'edifice.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, -_Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iii., p. 26, Burgoa. - -[VII-50] As quoted in _Ilustracion Mej._, tom. ii., p. 496. - -[VII-51] _Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, pp. 78-9. - -[VII-52] _Charnay_, phot. xii., p. 264; _Dupaix_, pp. 31-2, pl. xxxi., -fig. 80. - -[VII-53] In the preceding pages it will be noticed that I have paid no -attention to the plates and description by Mr J. G. Sawkins, from an -exploration in 1837, as given by Col. Brantz Mayer in his -_Observations on Mexican History and Archaeology_, published among the -_Smithsonian Contributions to Knowledge_. My reasons for disregarding -Sawkins' authority are, that the said descriptions and plates are just -sufficiently accurate to identify palace No. 1 with the one referred -to, but otherwise constitute one of the most bare-faced frauds -recorded in the annals of antiquarian exploration in America. The -following points are more than sufficient to substantiate what I have -said:--1st. Sawkins reverses the cardinal points, respecting which the -other authorities agree, placing the principal building on the east of -the court instead of the north, etc. To avoid repetition and -confusion, I shall in the following remarks, however, correct this -error and speak of each building in its proper location. 2d. Sawkins -found five standing columns in the eastern building, _d_, four of -which supported parts of a wall, while the other standing apart was -taller than the rest; now the columns supporting the wall may have -been the piers between the doorways--but only _three_ of these were -standing in 1806 (see _Dupaix_, pl. xxxi.); and the taller column -standing apart agrees well enough with the truth, except that there -were _two_ of them standing in 1859. (See _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, -phot. xii.) On the west our explorer correctly found everything -obliterated, and the 'crumbling and indistinct walls' which he found -on the south may have been part of palace No. 2. 3d. Coming now to the -northern building, Sawkins found in the front 4 doorways, so narrow -and low that only one person at a time could enter, and that only by -stooping; during the next 20 years these doorways grew remarkably in -size, and decreased in number, since Charnay's photograph shows 3 -doorways with standing human figures in two of them, not obliged to -stoop or much pressed for elbow room, as may be seen in the copy I -have given. 4th. Sawkins found all the adornments removed from this -facade; they were perhaps replaced before Charnay's visit. 5th. In the -interior, A of the plan, Sawkins found niches in the end walls not -seen by any other visitor. 6th. The six columns represented by Martin -and Dupaix as standing in the centre of this apartment, had all been -removed (!) at the time of Sawkins' visit. It was a strange freak of -the camera to picture them all in place 20 years later. 7th. But -Charnay's photographic apparatus had yet other repairs to make, for in -the northern wing, C, the walls of the interior apartments had all -disappeared, and even the interior surface of the outer walls, which -enclosed the quadrangle, had no mosaic work, but the panels presented -only 9 long recesses in three tiers on each side. Mr Sawkins' plates -are two in number; one of them presents a general view of this palace -from the west, and although faulty, indicates that the artist may have -actually visited Mitla; the other is a rear view of the northern -building, gives a tolerably correct idea of the construction of the -walls, and may possibly have been made up from the large plate in -Kingsborough's work. I have no more space to devote to Sawkins. He may -have been already 'shown up' by some critic whose writings have -escaped my notice. It is proper to add that as Col. Mayer apparently -consulted only Humboldt's description of Mitla, it is not at all -strange that this zealous investigator and usually correct writer was -deceived by a pretended explorer. - -[VII-54] _Dupaix_, pl. xxxii., fig. 81, where the dimensions are -6-1/2 x 33-1/2 varas. Carriedo's, or Muehlenpfordt's, plan, pl. ii., -makes the court 114x135 feet, and the western building 128.9 feet on -the inside; on page 495, and on another plan, it is implied that the -eastern mound never bore any building. - -[VII-55] _Ilustracion Mej._, tom. ii., p. 495. - -[VII-56] _Mueller_, _Reisen_, tom. ii., p. 280. - -[VII-57] _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, phot. xiii.-xvi.; _Dupaix_, p. 33, -pl. xxxiii., fig. 82-3; _Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 258-9, vol. vi., -pp. 450-1, vol. iv., pl. xxx., fig. 84; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, -tom. ii., div. i., pp. 53, 16; _Muehlenpfordt_, in _Ilustracion Mej._, -p. 500, pl. vi.; _Tempsky's Mitla_, pp. 250-1. - -[VII-58] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 32-3, pl. xxxiv.-v., fig. 82; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 259, vol. vi., p. 451, vol. iv., pl. -xxxii.-iii., fig. 86-7, ground plan, and section showing mosaic work; -_Ilustracion Mej._, tom. ii., pp. 495-500, pl. iv., v., ix. Humboldt, -_Vues_, tom. ii., pp. 278-82, places the gallery erroneously under the -northern wing of palace No. 1, with an entrance in the floor of the -column chamber. _Murguia_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. vii., -pp. 170-3, from Burgoa, about the caves on which the palaces were -built. _Mueller_, _Reisen_, tom. ii., p. 280; _Tempsky's Mitla_, pp. -250-1; _Fossey_, _Mex._, p. 369; _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, pp. 264-5; -_Mayer's Observations_, p. 30, with cuts from Dupaix. _Lenoir_, in -_Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., p. 53. 'Un appartement souterrain -qui a 27 metres de long, et 8 de large.' _Humboldt_, _Essai Pol._, p. -264. - -[VII-59] _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, p. 263, phot. iii.-iv.; _Dupaix_, -2d exped., pp. 33, 35-6, pl. xxxvi., fig. 83; _Kingsborough_, vol. v., -p. 259, vol. vi., p. 451, vol. iv., pl. xxxiv., fig. 88, this plan -differs from the one given above in making the passage _d_ straight. -_Ilustracion Mej._, tom. ii., p. 496. - -[VII-60] _Dupaix_, pl. xxxvii., fig. 84; _Kingsborough_, vol. iv., pl. -xxxv., fig. 89. The latter plan represents three doorways in each of -the buildings fronting on the northern court, C. See also references -of preceding note. - -[VII-61] _Dupaix_, pp. 34, 39, pl. xxxlx-xl., xliii-iv., fig. 86-7, -91-2; _Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 260-1, vol. vi., pp. 451-3, vol. -iv., pl. xxxvii-ix., fig. 91-4; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., -div. i., pp. 55-6; _Charnay_, p. 263, phot. ii.; _Muehlenpfordt_, in -_Ilustracion Mej._, tom. ii., p. 496; Fossey, _Mexique_, pp. 368-9, -locates these pyramidal groups east and north, instead of south and -west of palace No. 1. He also mentions a granite block, or altar, 4-1/2 -feet long and one foot thick. - -[VII-62] _Dupaix_, p. 34, pl. xxxviii., fig. 85; _Kingsborough_, vol. -v., p. 259, vol. vi., p. 451, vol. iv., pl. xxxvi., fig. 90. -Kingsborough's plate represents the walls as mostly fallen. _Lenoir_, -in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., p. 53. - -[VII-63] _Dupaix_, pp. 40-1, pl. xliv.-v., fig. 93-4, view of hill, -and plan copied above. _Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 265, vol. vi., p. -455, vol. iv., pl. xl.-i., fig. 95; _Lenoir_, p. 56. Dupaix's plates -are copied in _Mosaico Mex._, tom. ii., pp. 281-4, and _Armin_, _Alte -Mex._, p. 290; _Fossey_, _Mex._, p. 370. Plate from Sawkins' drawing, -different from that of Castaneda, but of course unreliable, in -_Mayer's Observations_, p. 32, pl. iv. - -[VII-64] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 41-3; _Tylor's Anahuac_, p. 139. - -[VII-65] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 37-8, pl. xli.-ii., fig. 88-90; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 254, vol. vi., p. 447, vol. iv., pl. -xxvi., fig. 78-80; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, pp. 23-4, 55; -_Tempsky's Mitla_, p. 254. - -[VII-66] _Burgoa_, _Geog. Descrip._, fol. 257-60; _Id._, in _Soc. Mex. -Geog., Boletin_, tom. vii., p. 170, et seq., pp. 271-2; _Id._, in -_Ilustracion Mej._, tom. ii., p. 494; _Id._, in _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iii., pp. 21-30. Brasseur says -that the temple built over a subterranean labyrinth was called -Yohopehelichi Pezelao, 'supreme fortress of Pezelao.' Built under -Toltec influence. _Id._, tom. i., pp. 304-5, tom. iii., p. 9. Sacked -by the Aztecs about 1494, and the priests carried as captives to -Mexico. _Id._, tom. iii., p. 358; _Tylor's Anahuac_, p. 139. Buildings -of different age. _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 34-5; _Charnay_, _Ruines -Amer._, pp. 252-3, 265; _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. ii., p. 279. - -[VII-67] _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. ii., pp. 284-5. 'Les palais -funeraires de Mitla reproduisent en certains cas l'ordonnance des -demeures chinoises.' _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, p. iii. The ruins of -Mitla 'nous paraissent appartenir a la civilisation quichee, quoique -posterieurs a ceux de l'Yucatan. La perfection de l'appareil, les -parements verticaux des salles avec leurs epines de colonnes portant -la charpente du comple, l'absence complete d'imitation de la -construction de bois dans la decoration exterieure ou interieure, -l'ornementation obtenue seulement par l'assemblage des pierres sans -sculpture, donnent aux edifices de Mitla un caractere particulier qui -les distingue nettement de ceux de l'Yucatan et qui indiquerait aussi -une date plus recente.' _Viollet-le-Duc_, in _Id._, pp. 100-1. - -[VII-68] Lovato's report was published with two of the nine plates -which originally accompanied it in the _Museo Mex._, tom. iii., p. -329-35, and, without the plates in _Diccionario Univ._, tom. ix., pp. -697-700. Mueller, _Reisen_, tom. ii., pp. 251-4, gives an account which -seems to have been made up mostly from Lovato's report, although he -may have personally visited the ruins. A short description, also from -the _Museo Mex._, may be found in _Mayer's Mex. Aztec_, vol. ii., p. -217, and _Id._, _Observations_, pp. 25-6. - -[VII-69] _Museo Mex._, tom. i., p. 136. Lovato's exploration was made -by the order of Gen. Leon, and the account furnished for publication -by Sr J. M. Tornel. In describing the Temple, the three flights of -stairs are said to have 10, 8, and 6 steps, respectively, which does -not agree with the plate as copied above. Mueller gives the number of -small buildings, or dwellings, whose foundations are visible as 120 -instead of 130; he also gives in his dimensions metres instead of -varas, which would increase them in English feet in the proportion of -92 to 109. He further states that the structures face the cardinal -points. - -[VII-70] _Unda_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da epoca, tom. i., p. -30; _Museo Mex._, tom. i., p. 250. - -[VII-71] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., p. 14, pl. xix., fig. 55; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 244, vol. vi., p. 442, vol. iv., pl. -xvii., fig. 55; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., p. 47. - -[VII-72] _Museo Mex._, tom. i., pp. 249, 401, with plates of the rings -and 7 stone relics. - -[VII-73] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 15-16, pl. xix.-xx., fig. 56-63; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 244-5, vol. vi., pp. 442-3, vol. iv., pl. -xvii.-xviii., fig. 56-63. Respecting the jasper figures M. Dupaix -says: 'Le nombre de celles qu'on trouve dans les sepultures de la -nation zapoteque est infini. Elles ont deux a trois pouces de haut; -elles sont presque toutes de forme triangulaire, quadrangulaire, ou -prismatique, et sont sculptees en jaspe vert fonce, ayant -invariablement la meme attitude semblable a celle d'Iris ou d'Osiris, -dont les petites idoles etaient destinees a accompagner les momies -egyptiennes.' The hole in the back part of each is drilled in a curved -line. _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., pp. 47-8. - -[VII-74] _Munoz_, _Estadistica del Distrito de Hidalgo_, in -_Guerrero_, _Memoria presentada a la H. Legislatura, por el -Gobernador, Fran. O. Arce_, 1872, pp. 45, 150, 272. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -ANTIQUITIES OF VERA CRUZ. - - PHYSICAL FEATURES OF THE STATE -- EXPLORATION AND REPORTS - -- CAXAPA AND TUXTLA -- NEGRO HEAD -- RELICS FROM ISLAND - OF SACRIFICIOS -- EASTERN SLOPE REMAINS -- MEDELIN -- - XICALANCO -- RIO BLANCO -- AMATLAN -- ORIZAVA -- CEMPOALA - -- PUENTE NACIONAL -- PASO DE OVEJAS -- HUATUSCO -- - FORTIFICATIONS AND PYRAMIDS OF CENTLA -- EL CASTILLO -- - FORTRESS OF TLACOTEPEC -- PALMILLAS -- ZACUAPAN -- - INSCRIPTION AT ATLIACA -- CONSOQUITLA FORT AND TOMB -- - CALCAHUALCO -- RUINS OF MISANTLA OR MONTE REAL -- DISTRICT - OF JALANCINGO -- PYRAMID OF PAPANTLA -- MAPILCA -- PYRAMID - AND FOUNTAIN AT TUSAPAN -- RUINS OF METLALTOYUCA -- RELICS - NEAR PANUCO -- CALONDRAS, SAN NICOLAS, AND TRINIDAD. - - -Passing now to the eastern or gulf coast, I shall devote the present -chapter to the antiquities of Vera Cruz, the ancient home of the -Totonacs in the north, and the Xicalancas and Nonohualcos in the -south. Vera Cruz, with an average width of seventy miles, extends from -the Laguna de Santa Ana, the western boundary of Tabasco, to the mouth -of the River Panuco, a distance of about five hundred miles. Its -territory is about equally divided lengthwise between the low -malarious tierra caliente on the immediate gulf shore, and the eastern -slope of the lofty sierra that bounds the Mexican plateau. Two or -three much-traveled routes lead inland from the port of Vera Cruz -towards the city of Mexico, and travelers make haste to cross this -plague-belt, the lurking-place of the deadly vomito, turning neither -to the right nor left to investigate the past or present. A railroad -now completed renders the transit still more direct and rapid than -before. Away from these routes the territory of this state is less -known than almost any other portion of the Mexican Republic, although -a portion of the southern Goatzacoalco region has been pretty -thoroughly explored by surveyors of the Tehuantepec interoceanic -routes, and by an unfortunate French colonization company that settled -here early in the present century. The mountain slopes and plateaux -twenty-five or thirty miles inland are, however, fertile and not -unhealthy, having been crowded in ancient times with a dense -aboriginal population, traces of whose former presence are found in -every direction. Most of our information respecting the antiquities of -this state is derived from the reports of Mexican explorers, only one -or two of whom have in most cases visited each of the many groups of -ruins. These explorers have as a rule fallen into a very natural, -perhaps, but at the same time very unfortunate error in their -descriptions; for after having displayed great energy and skill in the -discovery and examination of a ruin, doubtless forming a clear idea of -all its details, they usually compress these details into the space of -a few paragraphs or a few pages, and devote the larger part of their -reports to essays on the Toltec, Chichimec, or Olmec history--subjects -on which they can throw no light. They neglect a topic of the deepest -interest, concerning which their authority would be of the very -greatest weight, for another respecting which their conclusions are -for the most part valueless. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RELICS AT SACRIFICIOS ISLAND.] - -The ruins of an aboriginal city are mentioned at Caxapa, between the -volcano of Tuxtla and the coast in the southern part of the -state.[VIII-1] In the vicinity of Tuxtla, at the south-western base -of the volcano, a colossal granite head, six feet high, was found by a -laborer in 1862, while making a clearing for a milpa. The head was -photographed, and a copy of the plate published by the Mexican -Geographical Society, together with an accompanying text prepared by -J. M. Melgar. A copy of the plate is given in the cut. The most -noticeable peculiarity in this head is the negro cast of the features, -and Senor Melgar devotes his article to the negro race, which as he -supposes lived in America before the coming of the Spaniards.[VIII-2] - - [Illustration: Ethiopian Head of Granite.] - - [Illustration: Earthen Vase--Isle of Sacrificios.] - - [Illustration: White Marble Vase--Vera Cruz.] - -On the island of Sacrificios, in the harbor of Vera Cruz, one -author[VIII-3] states that remains of the ancient temple are visible. -This is probably an error, but numerous small relics have been dug up -on the island. Many of the relics were articles of pottery, one of -which of very peculiar form is shown in the cut from Waldeck. This, -like most of the other articles found here, is preserved in the Museum -of Mexico, and was sketched by Mayer and by Waldeck. Mr Tylor -pronounces it not the work of the natives before the Conquest, in fact -a fraud, "one of the worst cases I ever noticed." There is no doubt of -the accuracy of the drawing, and Sr Gondra assured Col. Mayer, as the -latter informs me, that the relic is an authentic one.[VIII-4] Workmen -engaged in laying the foundations of the modern fort found, at a depth -of six feet, vases of hard material, which in the opinion of M. -Baradere resembled vases that have been brought from Japan.[VIII-5] -Col. Mayer gives cuts of thirteen relics dug from a subterranean -chamber or grave in 1828. Two of these were of white marble or -alabaster, and one of them is shown in the cut. M. Dumanoir made an -excavation also in 1841, finding a sepulchre containing well-preserved -human skeletons, earthen vases painted and etched, idols, images, -bracelets, teeth of dogs and wild beasts, and marble, or alabaster, -urns. Plates of many of the relics have been published.[VIII-6] - - [Sidenote: REMAINS ON THE EASTERN SLOPE.] - -From the city of Vera Cruz two main routes of travel lead inland -toward the city of Mexico. The first extends north-westward via -Jalapa, and the second south-westward via Orizava. After crossing the -first lofty mountain barrier which divides the coast from the interior -plateaux, the roads approach each other and meet near Puebla. On the -eastern slope, the roads with the mountain range, which at this point -extends nearly north and south, form a triangle with equal sides of -about eighty miles, at the angles of which are the cities of Vera -Cruz, Jalapa, and Orizava, or more accurately points ten or fifteen -miles above the two latter. This comparatively small triangular area, -round which so many travelers have passed in their journey to Anahuac, -is literally covered with traces of its aboriginal population, in the -shape of pottery, implements, foundation stones of dwellings, -fortifications, pyramids, and graves. I quote the following from an -article on the antiquities of Vera Cruz, written in 1869, for the -Mexican Geographical Society, by Carlos Sartorius: - -"On the eastern slope of the lofty volcanic range, from the Peak of -Orizava to the Cofre de Perote, at an average elevation of two to five -thousand feet above the level of the gulf, there exist innumerable -traces of a very numerous indigenous population before the Conquest. -History tells us nothing respecting this part of the country, -distinguished for its abundant supply of water, its fertility, and its -delightful and healthy climate." "For an extent of fifteen to twenty -leagues, from east to west, there was not a span of earth that was not -cultivated, as is proved by numberless remains.... The whole country -is formed into terraces by stone walls, which follow all the -variations of the surface with the evident object of preventing the -washing away of the soil. Sometimes the terraces are ten or twelve -yards wide, at others hardly one yard. The small ravines called -_rayas_ served for innumerable water-tanks, built of rocks and clay, -or of stone and mortar, these dams being also covered with a coating -of hard cement. It is evident that a numerous population took -advantage of every inch of land for cultivation, using the water -gathered in the tanks during the rainy season for irrigation, possibly -effected by hand by means of earthern vessels. In the more sterile -portions of the land, on the top of hills which have no soil are seen -the foundations of dwellings, all of stone without mortar, arranged in -streets or in groups. They always form an oblong rectangle and face -the cardinal points. They are found in clearing heavy forests as well -as on open tracts, and the fact that oaks a metre in diameter are -found within the enclosure of the walls, proves that many centuries -have passed since the population disappeared. In many parts are found -groups of pyramids, of various sizes and degrees of preservation. The -largest, of stone, are fifty feet and over in height, while the -smallest are not over ten or twelve. The last seem to be tombs; at -least several that we opened contained skeletons in a very decomposed -state, with earthen utensils like those now made by the natives, -arrow-heads of obsidian and bird-bone, doubtless the supplies given to -the dead for their journey." One contained an elegant burial urn, -bearing ornamental figures in relief, containing ashes and fragments -of human bones, and covered first with small pebbles, and then with -stone flags. "The region which we subjected to our investigation -comprehends the slope of the sierra to the coast between Orizava and -Jalapa. At an elevation of four or five thousand feet there are many -springs, which at a short distance form ravines in a soil composed of -conglomerates or, further south, of lime. In their course the ravines -unite and form points sometimes with vertical walls of considerable -height. As the water-courses do not follow a straight line, but wind -about, the erosion of the current above the meeting of the ravines -destroys a great portion of the dividing ridge, so that above there -remains only a narrow pass, the ridge afterwards assuming greater -width until the end is reached. This play of nature occurs in the -region of which we are speaking, at many points and with great -uniformity, almost always at the same level of two thousand to -twenty-five hundred feet. The natives selected these points, strong by -nature, fortifying them by art so ingeniously as to leave no doubt as -to their progress in military art.... Some of them are almost -inaccessible, and can be reached only by means of ladders and ropes. -They all have this peculiarity in common, that, besides serving for -defense, they enclose a number of edifices destined for -worship,--teocallis and traces of very large structures, such as -residences, quarters, or perhaps palaces of the priests and rulers. In -some of them there are springs and remains of large artificial tanks; -in others, aqueducts of stone and mortar, to bring water from distant -springs." Sr Sartorius then proceeds to the description of particular -ruins, of which more hereafter.[VIII-7] - - [Sidenote: TRACES OF ABORIGINAL POPULATION.] - -Mr Hugo Finck, a resident for twenty-eight years in the region under -consideration, in which he traveled extensively to collect botanical -specimens, contributed the following general remarks to the -Smithsonian Report for 1870: "There is hardly a foot of ground in the -whole state of Vera Cruz [the author refers particularly to the region -about Cordova, Huatusco, and Mirador] in which, by excavation, either -a broken obsidian knife, or a broken piece of pottery is not found. -The whole country is intersected with parallel lines of stones, which -were intended during the heavy showers of the rainy season to keep the -earth from washing away. The number of those lines of stones shows -clearly that even the poorest land, which nobody in our days would -cultivate, was put under requisition by them.... In this part of the -country no trace of iron or copper tools has ever come under my -notice. Their implements of husbandry and war were of hard stone, but -generally of obsidian and of wood. The small mounds of stones near -their habitations have the form of a parallelogram, and are not over -twenty-seven inches high. Their length is from five to twelve yards, -their width from two to four. On searching into them nothing is found. -A second class of mounds is round, in the form of a cone, always -standing singly. They are built of loose stones and earth, and of -various sizes; some as high as five yards, with a diameter of from -five to twenty yards. Excavation made in them brought to light a large -pot of burned clay filled with ashes, but in general nothing is found. -The third class of mounds, also built of loose stones and earth, have -the form of a parallelogram, whose smaller sides look east and west, -and are from five to six yards high, terminating at the top in a level -space of from three to five yards in width, the base being from eight -to twelve yards. They are found from fifteen to two hundred yards -long. Sometimes several are united, forming a hollow square, which -must have been used as a fortress. Others again have their outer -surface made of masonry, but still the inside is filled up with loose -stones and earth. Near river-beds, where stones are very abundant, -these tumuli are largest. Principally in this latter class, idols, -implements of husbandry and war are discovered, sometimes lying quite -loose, and at others imbedded in hollow square boxes made of masonry. -The last-described mounds form the transition to those constructions -which are altogether built of solid masonry.... One peculiarity of the -last-mentioned ruins is, that they are all constructed at the junction -of two ravines, and used as fortresses, on account of their -impregnability. Most of the larger barrancas have precipitous sides -from three hundred to one thousand feet deep, which guarded the -inhabitants on their flank, so that nothing more was required than to -build a wall, leaving a small entrance in the middle, as a passage, -which could be barricaded in time of war.... Such constructions can be -seen to this day in tolerable good condition. The interior of these -fortified inclosures is in general large, sometimes holding from four -to five square miles, and could be put under cultivation in case of a -siege. The wall is in general from four to five yards high, and has on -the inside terraces with steps to lead to the top. At other places -there is a series of semicircular walls, the front one lower than the -following, and a passage between each to permit one person at a time -to pass from one to the other. The innermost wall is sometimes -perforated with loopholes through which arrows could be thrown. Quite -a number of ruins are found inside the fortification, as mounds, -altars, good level roads with a foundation of mortar. Most of these -monuments have good preserved steps leading to the top. In some very -small pots of burning clay are found filled with ashes."[VIII-8] - -The preceding quotations are sufficient to give a clear idea of the -ruins in their general features, and leave only such particular -remains as have been made known through the labors of different -explorers to be described. Some ten or twelve of the peculiar -fortified places alluded to above have been more or less fully -described, but as there is no even tolerably accurate topographical -map of this region, it is utterly impossible to locate them. Each -stream, ravine, bluff, hill, and mountain of all the labyrinth, has -its local name; indeed, some of them seem to have two or three, but -most of them have no place on the maps. It is consequently quite -possible that the same ruins have been described under more than one -name. I shall present each group as it is described by the explorer, -giving when possible the distance and bearing from some point laid -down on the map which accompanies this volume. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: AMATLAN AND ORIZAVA.] - -Before treating of these ruins, however, I shall mention some -miscellaneous relics, from the region under consideration, found at -well-known towns, or in their vicinity. Colonel Albert S. Evans dug -two terra-cotta images from a grave at Medellin, about eight miles -south-west of Vera Cruz, in 1869. They seem to represent a male and -female, and are now in the collection of Mr C. D. Voy, of Oakland, -California. Near the same town, on the Rio Jamapa, are to be seen, -Brasseur tells us, the ruins of one of the two ancient cities called -Xicalanco; and also that the traces of an ancient city may yet be seen -under the water between the city of Vera Cruz and the fort of San Juan -de Ulloa.[VIII-9] About forty-five miles south-east of Cordova, -between that town and the bridge over the Rio Blanco, Dupaix found a -hard stone of dark blue color, artificially worked into an irregular -spherical form, about six feet in diameter, and so carefully balanced -that it could be made to vibrate by a slight touch. A number of small -shallow holes were formed on the surface. A similar stone is placed -two leagues to the eastward, and they are supposed by Dupaix to have -served as boundary marks. Teololinga is the name by which the natives -call them.[VIII-10] Also in the neighborhood of Cordova, at Amatlan -de los Reyes, certain traces of a temple are vaguely mentioned by the -same traveler; and on a wooded hillside near by is a cave, in which -have been found fragments of carved stone and pottery, including a -squatting trunk and legs, and a head carved from the same kind of -stone that constitutes the walls of the cave. The latter relic is -shown in the cut. The form of the head seems to have nothing in common -with the ordinary aboriginal type.[VIII-11] - - [Illustration: Stone head from Amatlan.] - - [Illustration: Sacrificial Yoke from Orizava.] - -At Orizava two relics were seen, one of them a triangular stone five -feet thick and ninety feet in circumference, used in modern times as -the floor of a native's cabin. On one of the triangular surfaces was -incised in rude outline a colossal human figure twenty-seven feet -high, standing with legs spread apart and arms outstretched. A girdle -appears at the waist, plumes decorate the head, and the mouth is wide -open. On one side a fish stands on its tail; on the other is a rabbit -with ten small circles, very likely expressing some date after the -Aztec manner,--ten tochtli. Some carvings not described were noticed -on the edges also. The other relic was a kind of yoke carved from -green jasper and supposed to have been used in connection with the -Aztec sacrifices. It is shown in the cut according to Castaneda's -drawing. The original yoke was carried by Dupaix to Mexico and -deposited in one of the antiquarian collections there, where it was -afterwards sketched by Mayer and Gondra.[VIII-12] Near Jalapa, Rivera -states that a serpent fifteen feet long and nine feet broad, may be -seen carved in the rock.[VIII-13] Half a day's journey from Vera Cruz -towards Mexico, at a point which he calls Rinconado, Robert Tomson saw -"a great pinacle made of lime and stone, fast by a riuer side, where -the Indians were wont to doe their sacrifices vnto their -gods."[VIII-14] About the location of Cempoala, a famous city in the -time of the Conquest, there has been much discussion. Lorenzana says -that the place "still retains the same name; it is situated four -leagues from Vera Cruz, and the extent of its ruins indicates its -former greatness." Rivera tells us, however, that "to-day not even the -ruins of this capital of the Totonac power remain," although some -human bones have been dug up about its site.[VIII-15] - - * * * * * - - [Illustration: Pyramid near Puente Nacional.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS AT PUENTE NACIONAL.] - -Passing now to the labyrinth of ruins within the triangular area -extending from the peaks of Orizava and Perote to the coast, I begin -with those in the vicinity of the Puente Nacional, where the road from -Vera Cruz to Jalapa crosses the Rio de la Antigua. These remains are -located on the summit of a forest-covered hill over a hundred feet -high, on the bank of the river some two leagues from the bridge. They -were discovered in 1819 or 1820 by a priest named Cabeza de Vaca, and -in November, 1843, J. M. Esteva, to whom the priest related his -discovery, made an exploration, and as a result published a -description with two plates in the _Museo Mexicano_. On the uneven -surface of the hill-top stands a pyramid of very peculiar form, shown -in the cut, which is an ichnographic plan of the structure. It is -built of stone and mortar, the former probably in hewn blocks, -although the text is not clear on this point. The height varies from -thirty-three to forty-two feet, according to the inequalities of the -ground. The circumference is not far from three hundred English feet, -while the summit platform measures about fifty-five by forty-four -feet. On all sides except the eastern the slope is divided into six -stories, or steps, about one foot wide and seven feet high at the base -but diminishing towards the top, making the ascent much steeper than -that of most aboriginal pyramids that we have met hitherto. The -eastern side is all taken up by a stairway about sixty-three feet -wide, consisting of thirty-four steps. This stairway, as is more -clearly shown in Esteva's view of this side than in my cut, is -arranged in the form of a cross. - -On the western base is the entrance to a gallery which penetrates the -body of the pyramid; it was obstructed by fallen stones, but Esteva -succeeded in exploring the passage far enough to convince himself that -the interior was divided into several apartments. At some distance -from the pyramid were noticed the foundations of a wall.[VIII-16] - -Mr Lyon mentions the existence of ruins--which he did not visit--in -this vicinity on the edge of a plateau, at the north side of the -valley, about a mile and a half to the right of the road, and only a -short distance from Paso de Ovejas. "All that remains are the traces -of streets and inclosures, and an assemblage of pyramidical elevations -of earth and stones of various sizes, some of them forty feet in -height." Sr Sartorius reports very extensive ruins on the right bank -of the Antigua, some leagues west of Consoquitla, near Tuzamapa, from -the material of which the 'puente nacional' was constructed. An old -native also reported that a spiral stairway formerly led down to the -bottom of the barranca. Whether the two groups of ruins last mentioned -are identical with that described by Esteva, it is impossible to -determine; quite likely they are distinct remains.[VIII-17] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: FORTIFICATIONS OF CENTLA.] - -Some twenty-five or thirty miles northward from Cordova, in the -vicinity of Huatusco, and stretching northward from that town, is a -line of fortified places, nearly every junction of two ravines bearing -more or less extensive remains. One of the most extensive of these -works is that known as Centla, a few leagues north-east of Huatusco. -The ruins are said to have been discovered by rancheros in 1821. -Ignacio Iberri saw them in 1826, but published no description. An -explorer whose name is not given visited the locality in 1832, and -furnished information from which Sr Gondra published an account, -illustrated with plates, in 1837. Sr Sartorius made an exploration of -Centla in 1833, but his description, also accompanied with plates, -was not published until 1869.[VIII-18] - - [Sidenote: FORTRESS OF CENTLA.] - -Two ravines, running from east to west, with precipitous sides from -three hundred to a thousand feet high, approach so near to each other -as to leave only space for a passage about three feet wide, and this -narrow pass is made still stronger by protecting walls not -particularly described. The barrancas then diverge and again converge, -forming an oval table of about four hundred acres, across which, from -east to west is excavated a ditch, or protected road, about seventeen -feet wide and from eight to eleven feet deep, leading to the second -narrow pass, where the ravines again approach each other.[VIII-19] - -This second pass is about twenty-eight feet wide from the brink of the -northern to that of the southern precipice.[VIII-20] This pass is -fortified by defensive works of the strongest character, the plan of -which is shown in the cut on the following page. The only entrance is -through the narrow passage only three feet wide, shown by the arrows, -beginning at the southern brink, passing between two stone pyramids, -A, and E, D, C, and then along the northern brink to the plateau -beyond, the issue into the latter being guarded additionally by three -smaller pyramids. The chief pyramid on the right of the entrance is -built of stone and mortar in three stories, or terraces, C, D and E, -respecting the arrangement of which the plan[VIII-21] is not -altogether satisfactory; but each story is reached by a stairway on -the east, and on the summit are parapets pierced with loopholes for -the discharge of weapons. This structure is also flanked on the south, -where the descent for a short distance is less precipitous than -elsewhere, by a terraced wall at B. The left hand fortification, A, is -described by Gondra as a simple wall, but according to Sartorius and -the plan it is also a pyramid, with stairway on the east and parapets -on the summit. It has apparently only one story, and is lower than its -companion, but its front has an additional protection in the form of a -ditch eleven feet wide and five and a half feet deep, excavated in the -solid rock, the position of which is shown by the dotted line _a_, -_a_.[VIII-22] - - [Illustration: Fortifications of Centla.] - -Beyond the narrow fortified pass that has been described, the -southern ravine again diverges and forms a semicircle before joining -that on the north, forming thus a peninsular plateau a mile and a half -long, and somewhat less than three quarters of a mile wide, covered -with soil of great fertility, and divided in two parts by the waters -of a spring, whose waters flow through the centre. Since its discovery -this fertile table has been settled and cultivated by modern farmers, -some twenty families of whom--whether native or Spanish is not -stated--were living here in 1832. The whole surface was covered with -traces of its former inhabitants, but most of the monuments in the -cultivated portions have been destroyed by the settlers, who used the -stones for buildings and fences. In other parts, covered with a forest -at the time of exploration, extensive remains were found in good -preservation, besides the fortresses at the entrance. Pyramids of -different dimensions, standing singly and in groups, together with -foundations of houses and sculptured fragments, were scattered in -every direction enveloped in the forest growth. - - [Illustration: Type of Pyramids at Centla.] - -The pyramids are all built of rough stones, clay, and earth, faced on -the outside with hewn blocks from eighteen inches to two feet long, -laid in mortar. The stone seems to have been brought from the bottom -of the ravines, and it is said that no lime is procurable within a -distance of fifteen or twenty miles. Sartorius gives a plate -representing one of the pyramids, which he states to be a type of all -those at Centla, and indeed of all in this region, and which is -copied in the cut. The stairways are generally on the west, and the -niches at the sides are represented as having arched tops and as -occupied by idols. Some of the smaller mounds have been found to -contain human skeletons lying north and south, and from one of them a -farmer claimed to have dug a number of green stone beads. Sartorius -claims to have found in connection with one of the pyramids an altar -having a concavity on the top, and a canal leading to a receptacle at -the foot of the mound; he also mentions a very elegant vase, six by -four inches, found under a stone flag, near the altar. Gondra speaks -of a large square or court, level and covered with a coat of hard -polished cement; he also claims that six columns of stone and mortar -were seen, twelve feet high, standing at the bottom of a ravine. - - [Illustration: El Castillo at Huatusco.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS AT HUATUSCO.] - -Dupaix in his first exploring tour visited Huatusco, and states that -at a distance of half a league down the river from the modern town was -found a group of ruins known as the Pueblo Viejo. These ruins were on -the slope of a hill, and on the summit stood the pyramid shown in the -cut, known as El Castillo. The height of this Castle is about -sixty-six feet, and according to Dupaix's text the base is two -hundred and twenty-one feet square, but, according to Castaneda's -drawing, copied above, each side is not over seventy-five -feet.[VIII-23] The foundation, or pyramid proper, is built in three -stories, being about thirty-seven feet high. A broad stairway, with -solid balustrade, leads up the western front. On the summit platform -stands a building in three stories, with walls about eight feet thick, -which, at least on the exterior, are not perpendicular but slope -inward. The lower story has but one doorway, that at the head of the -stairway; it forms a single hall, in the centre of which are three -pillars, which sustained the beams of the floor above, pieces of the -beams being yet visible. The two upper stories seem to have had no -doors or windows. Dupaix says that on the summit was a platform three -feet thick, yet as the roof was fallen, he probably had little or no -authority for the statement. The interior of the whole structure was a -rubble of stone and mortar, and the facing of hewn blocks regularly -laid. The whole exterior surface, at least of the superimposed -structure, was covered with a polished coating of plaster, and a -peculiar ornament is seen in each side of the second story, in the -form of a large panel, containing regular rows of round stones -imbedded in the wall. El Castillo, if we may credit Dupaix's account -of it, must be regarded as a very important monument of Nahua -antiquity, by reason of the edifice, in a tolerable state of -preservation, found on the summit of the pyramid. These upper -structures with interior apartments have in most instances entirely -disappeared. In connection with these ruins Dupaix found a coiled -serpent carved from hard stone; a fragment of terra-cotta with -decorations in relief; and a fancifully modeled skull, the material of -which is not stated.[VIII-24] - - [Sidenote: FORTRESS OF TLACOTEPEC.] - -Sartorius mentions a 'castle,' with towers and teocallis, situated on -a frightful cliff between two barrancas, three leagues from Huatusco, -distinct from Centla, and some leagues further southward.[VIII-25] -Clavigero says that in his time the ancient fortress of Quauhtochco, -or Guatusco, was still standing, surrounded with lofty walls of solid -stone, which could only be entered by means of many high and narrow -steps.[VIII-26] Sr Iberri applies the name El Castillo to the ruins -visited by him in 1826, but it is evident from his slight description -that he refers to Centla.[VIII-27] It is clear that at least two and -probably more groups of remains are indicated by the different -authorities cited. - - * * * * * - -The following are mentioned as the localities of undescribed ruins, -several of them belonging to what seems to be a line of ancient -fortifications extending northward from the vicinity of Huatusco: -Cotastla, Matlaluca, Capulapa, Tlapala, Poxtla, Xicuintla, and -Chistla.[VIII-28] The fortress of Tlacotepec is located four leagues -east of Jolutla, between the Rio de la Antigua and Paso de Ovejas, six -thousand varas west of and a quarter of a league above the houses of -the hacienda of Mirador, separated by a deep ravine from San Martin on -the south--a location which might possibly be clear enough with the -aid of a good map, or to a person perfectly familiar with the -topography of the country. The position of the fortified plateau is -similar to that of Centla, and a ditch, generally fourteen feet deep -and from sixteen to eighteen feet wide, leads over the hills for -several leagues to the entrance of the plateau. This ditch, however, -seems only to be excavated in the earth, and disappears in several -places where the solid rock is encountered.[VIII-29] At the terminus, -towards the fortifications, the ditch widens into a rectangular -excavation, one hundred and eight by two hundred and seventy-six feet, -surrounded with an embankment formed of the earth thrown out. The -defensive works which guard the passage between the ravines, and the -extensive ruins of temples and dwellings on the plateau beyond, are -described only by Sartorius, and his text, plan, and sketch, all fail -to convey any clear notion respecting the arrangement and details of -these remains. The following, however, are the principal features -noted:--A wall twenty-eight feet high across the entrance to the -plateau; two small towers in pyramidal form on the narrow pass; a -building called the castle, apparently somewhat similar to the -fortifications at Centla; a line of pyramids, serving as a second line -of defense; a ditch excavated in the solid rock; another group of -pyramids protected by a semicircular wall; an excavation apparently -intended as a reservoir for water, covering two thousand square yards, -the bottom of which is literally covered with fragments of pottery, -and on the banks of which are the foundations of many dwellings; a -number of temple pyramids, like the type at Centla shown in a -preceding cut, one of them having the so-called blood-canal; an -earthen receptacle at the foot of the altar, filled with earth, in -which were found two human skulls; the foundations of an edifice two -hundred yards long, having along its whole length "a corridor of -cement with hewn stone at its sides, forming one or two steps;" a -small pyramid formed from the living rock of the cliff, at the very -edge of the precipice where the ravines meet; and finally, -arrow-heads, lance-heads, and knives of obsidian, which are found at -every step, and are even dug up from under the roots of large -trees.[VIII-30] - - * * * * * - - [Illustration: Rock Inscription at Atliaca.] - - [Sidenote: REMAINS ABOUT MIRADOR.] - -A few leagues eastward from Tlacotepec on the same barranca, are two -forts known as Palmillas, separated by a deep ravine. One of them was -used by the Mexican forces under General Victoria in the war of -independence; the other has the remains of an aqueduct which brought -water from a point over a league distant.[VIII-31] At Zacuapan, near -Mirador, and five leagues from Huatusco, according to Heller, are -remains of the ordinary type, including terraced walls, parapets with -loopholes, a plaza with plastered pavement in the centre of which -stands a pyramid, a cubical structure or altar on the very verge of -the precipice, and the usual scattered pottery and implements. Six -miles south of Mirador the same traveler mentions some baths, on a -rock near which is the inscription shown in the cut.[VIII-32] Also in -the vicinity of Mirador, at the junction of two tributaries of the -Santa Maria, is the fortress of Consoquitla, similar to the others. A -line of plastered pyramidal structures is mentioned, in one of the -smallest of which was a tomb three by six feet lying north and south -and covered with large stone flags. Within the tomb was a skeleton, -together with earthen boxes filled with arrow-heads and bird-bones. -Some large idols are also said to have been found here, and on the -summit platform of some of the pyramids were the marks of upright -beams, which seem to have supported wooden buildings.[VIII-33] -Calcahualco, 'ruined houses,' is also on one of the tributaries of the -Santa Maria. A parapeted wall fifty-five feet long protects the -entrance, and could only be crossed by the aid of ropes or ladders. -The wall seems to stand in an excavation, so that its top is about on -a level with the original surface of the plateau. Within the -fortifications is a large pyramid surrounded by smaller ones and by -the foundations of houses; and another excavation, a hundred yards -long and twenty-five in width, is vaguely mentioned as of unknown use. -A mile and a half further south-east are some ruins in the bottom of a -ravine. A wall nine feet high rises from the water's edge, and on it -stand a row of round monolithic columns, which seem to have supported -a stone architrave.[VIII-34] Mr Tylor noticed some remains by the -roadside, at the eastern foot of Orizava, as he was traveling towards -San Antonio de Abajo.[VIII-35] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF MISANTLA.] - -Northward from the triangular area, the remains of which I have -described, ruins seem to be no less abundant, and accounts of them no -less unsatisfactory. The remains known by the name of Misantla, from a -modern pueblo near by, are located some twenty-five or thirty miles -north-eastward of Jalapa, near the headwaters of the Rio Bobos. They -are sometimes called Monte Real, from the name of one of the hills in -the vicinity. They were discovered accidentally by men searching for -lost goats, and visited by Mariano Jaimes in 1836; in October of the -same year, I. R. Gondra, from information furnished by the discoverers -and Jaimes, and from certain newspaper accounts, wrote and published a -very perplexing description, illustrated with a plan and two views. In -the same or the following year J. I. Iberri made an official -exploration of Misantla, or Monte Real, and his report, also -illustrated with many plates, and rivaling that of Gondra in its -unsatisfactory nature, was published in 1844. Not only are the two -accounts individually to a great extent unintelligible, but neither -they nor their accompanying illustrations seem to have any -well-defined resemblance to each other.[VIII-36] - -The site of the ruins seems to be a ravine-bounded plateau, somewhat -similar to those already described, the approach to which is guarded -by a wall. This wall extends not only across the pass, but down one of -the slopes, which is not so steep as to be naturally inaccessible to -an enemy. According to Iberri the wall is a natural vein of porphyry, -artificially cut down in some parts, and built up by the addition of -blocks of stone in others, measuring three yards high and two in -width. The same explorer, after passing the wall and climbing with -much difficulty to a point about two hundred and fifty feet higher, -found a pyramid standing on a terraced hill, on the terraces of which -were various traces of houses and fortifications. The pyramid was -built of porphyry and basalt in blocks of different sizes, laid in -mortar, was thirty-three feet square at the base and seventeen feet -high, and had a narrow stairway on one side at least. On the summit -platform were traces of apartments of rough stones and mortar; also a -canal nine inches square, leading to the exterior. The first wall -mentioned by Gondra in the approach to the ruins, was one of large -stones in poor mortar, mostly fallen; it seemed to form a part of -walls that bounded a plaza of nearly circular form, in the centre of -which stood the pyramid. This edifice was forty-seven by forty-one -feet at the base, twenty-eight feet high, and was built in three -stories; the lower story had a central stairway on the front, the -second had stairways on the sides, while on the third story the steps -were in the rear. There are also some traces of a stairway on the -front of the second story. The whole surface is covered with trees, -one of which is described as being about fourteen feet high, and over -eight feet in diameter. The only resemblance in the two views of this -pyramid, is the representation of a tree on the summit in each; -between the two plans there is not the slightest likeness; and so far -as Iberri's third figure is concerned, it seems to resemble nothing in -heaven above, the earth beneath, or the waters under the earth. Both -authors agree on the existence of many house-foundations of stone -without mortar, extending the whole length of the plateau. According -to Iberri these houses were eleven by twenty-two feet, some of them -divided in several apartments, standing on the terraces of the hill, -only a foot and a half apart, along regular streets about six feet -wide. The walls are of hewn stone without mortar, and none remained -standing over three feet high. Gondra represents the houses as -extending in three and four straight and parallel rows for over two -miles on the plateau, with a wall of masonry running the whole length -on the south. At various points on the summit and slopes of the hill -tombs are found, containing seated skeletons and relics of obsidian -and pottery. One of these tombs, as represented by Gondra, is shown in -the cut, in which the arched doorway has a very suspicious look. - - [Illustration: Tomb at Misantla.] - -The miscellaneous relics found in connection with the ruins and in the -tombs include pottery, metates, slabs with sculptured grecques, -hieroglyphics, and human figures in relief, stone images of different -sizes up to eighteen inches, representing human figures seated with -elbows on the knees, and head raised; and finally an obsidian tube, a -foot in diameter and eighteen inches long, very perfectly turned, -together with similar earthen tubes with interior compartments. Such -is all the information I am able to glean from the published accounts -and plates respecting Misantla, in the vicinity of which town other -groups of ruins are very vaguely mentioned. - -In the same range of mountains, in the district of Jalancingo, walls -of hewn stone, with well-preserved subterranean structures containing -household idols, are mentioned as existing at Mescalteco; also some -remains at Pueblo Viejo and Jorse, those of the latter including a -remarkable stone statue of marble. This reported relic is said to -have represented a naked woman clasping a bird in her arms. The lower -parts of the woman are missing, and the bird much mutilated, but the -prefect of Jalancingo says in his report, "it would be easy to -complete the figure into Jupiter-swan fondling Leda."[VIII-37] - - * * * * * - - [Illustration: Pyramid of Papantla.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF PAPANTLA.] - -About a hundred and fifty miles north-westward from Vera Cruz, fifty -miles in the same direction from the ruins of Misantla, forty-five -miles from the coast, and four or five miles south-west from the -pueblo of Papantla, stands the pyramid shown in the cut, known to the -world by the name of the pueblo, Papantla, but called by the Totonac -natives of the region, El Tajin, the 'thunderbolt.' It was -accidentally discovered in March, 1785, by one Diego Ruiz, who was -exploring this part of the county in an official capacity, with a view -to prevent the illegal raising of tobacco; and from his report a -description and copper-plate engraving were prepared and published in -the _Gaceta de Mexico_.[VIII-38] Humboldt described but did not visit -the pyramid. He states that Dupaix and Castaneda explored and made -drawings of it, but neither description nor plates appear in the work -of these travelers.[VIII-39] The German artist Nebel visited Papantla -about 1831, and made a fine and doubtless perfectly accurate drawing, -from which the cut which I have given has been copied.[VIII-40] - -The pyramid stands in a dense forest, apparently not on a naturally or -artificially fortified plateau like the remains further south. Its -base is square, measuring a little over ninety feet on each side, and -the height is about fifty-four feet; the whole structure was built in -seven stories, the upper story being partially in ruins.[VIII-41] -Except the upper story, which seems to have contained interior -compartments, the whole structure was, so far as known, solid. The -material of which it was built is sandstone, in regularly cut blocks -laid in mortar--although Humboldt, perhaps on the authority of Dupaix, -says the material is porphyry in immense blocks covered with -hieroglyphic sculpture--the whole covered on the exterior surface with -a hard cement three inches thick, which also bears traces of having -been painted. According to the account in the _Gaceta_, the stones -that form the tops of the many niches shown in the cut are from five -and a half to seven feet long, four to five and a half wide, and four -to nine inches thick. Respecting the stairway nothing can be said in -addition to what is shown in the cut. It leads up the eastern slope, -and is the only means of ascent to the summit. It is divided by solid -balustrades into five divisions, only two of which extend -uninterruptedly to the upper story, while the central division can -hardly have been used at all as a stairway.[VIII-42] - -The niches shown in my cut extend entirely round the circumference of -each story, except where interrupted on the east by the stairways. -Each niche is about three feet square and two feet deep, except those -in the centre of the eastern front, which are smaller. Their whole -number seems to have been three hundred and twenty-one, according to -Nebel's plate, without including those that may have occurred on the -seventh story.[VIII-43] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF MAPILCA.] - -Only slight mention is made of any scattered or movable relics at -Papantla. It is said that fragments of ruins are scattered over an -area of half a league from the pyramid, but no exploration has been -made. A small golden idol is reported by Gondra to have been found -here, very like a terra-cotta image of Quetzalcoatl, from Culhuacan, -of which a cut will be given in the next chapter. Bausa speaks of a -stone trough found on the summit of the pyramid, ruins of houses in -regular streets in the vicinity, and immense sculptured blocks of -stone. - - [Illustration: Sculptured Granite Block--Mapilca.] - -Mr Nebel also visited another locality where remains were discovered, -south-eastward from Papantla towards the Tecolutla river, near the -rancho of Mapilca. Here in a thick forest were several pyramids in a -very advanced stage of dilapidation and not described. There were also -seen immense blocks of granite scattered in the forest. The one -sketched by Nebel and shown in the cut is twenty-one feet long, and -covered with ornamental sculpture in low relief: it rested on a kind -of pavement of irregular narrow stones. Another explorer, who saw the -ruins in 1828, found the remains of twenty houses, one of them seventy -paces long, with walls still standing to the height of ten feet. Most -of them were only six feet high, and the small amount of debris -indicated that only part of the original height was of stone.[VIII-44] - - * * * * * - - [Illustration: Pyramid of Tusapan.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF TUSAPAN.] - -On a low hill some forty miles west of Papantla, at the foot of the -cordillera, enveloped in an almost impenetrable forest, is another -group of ruins, called Tusapan, known only from the drawings and -slight description of Nebel. The only structure which remains standing -is shown in the cut. It consists of a pyramid thirty feet square at -the base, and bearing a building in a tolerable state of preservation. -Except the doorposts, lintels, and cornices, the whole structure is -said to be built of irregular fragments of limestone; but if this be -true, it is evident from the drawing that the whole was covered with a -smooth coat of plaster. The building on the summit contains a single -apartment twelve feet square, with a door at the head of the stairway. -The apartment contains a block, or pedestal, which may have served for -an altar, or to support an idol; and it has a pointed ceiling similar -in form to the exterior. It is unfortunate that we have no further -details respecting this ceiling, since it would be interesting to know -if it was formed by overlapping stones as in the Maya ruins, -particularly as this is one of the very few remaining specimens of the -aboriginal arch in Nahua territory. From the large number of stone -blocks and other debris found in the vicinity it is supposed that the -pyramid represented in the cut was not the grandest at Tusapan. -Several filled-up wells, and numerous fragments of stone images of -human and animal forms much mutilated were also noticed. - - [Illustration: Fountain in the Living Rock--Tusapan.] - -The water which supplied the aboriginal inhabitants of the place, -seems to have come from a spring located on the side of a precipitous -mountain; and at the base of the cliff, where the water reached the -plain, was the very remarkable fountain shown in the cut, artificially -shaped from the living rock. The cut is an exact fac-simile of Nebel's -plate, except that the surroundings, which add much to its interest, -are necessarily omitted. I quote Nebel's brief description in full. -"Among the ruins of Tusapan is found the grotesque fountain here -represented. The whole monument consists of a statue nineteen feet -high, sculptured in the living rock. The clothing indicates clearly a -woman, seated, resting her head on the left arm, which is supported by -her knee. The head seems to be adorned with feathers and precious -stones. Among the plumes behind is a hollow intended to receive the -waters of a neighboring spring (which no longer exists). The water ran -through the whole figure and out under the petticoats in the most -natural manner, whence it was conducted in a canal of hewn stone to -the town near by."[VIII-45] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF METLALTOYUCA.] - -The Mesa de Metlaltoyuca is on the Tuxpan River, about twelve leagues -south-west from the port of Tuxpan, twenty-two leagues north-east of -Tulancingo, and probably in the state of Vera Cruz, although very near -the boundary. The table-land is very extensive, and is covered -throughout most of its extent by a thick forest. Juan B. Campo, -Sub-Prefect of Huauchinango, discovered a group of ruins here, and -gave a description of his discoveries in a report dated June 27, -1865.[VIII-46] His account is very general, alluding to the ruins of a -great city, whose streets were paved with polished stones, a fine -stone palace plastered and painted, all surrounded by a wall fifteen -feet thick and ten feet high, with a great gate, covered way, stone -bastions, etc., etc. Immediately after the publication of Campo's -report, Ramon Almaraz, chief of a Mexican scientific commission, -engaged with other engineers in surveying for a road in this region, -spent five days in the exploration of the ruined city, preparing -plans and other drawings, and also taking some photographic views. His -report, very far from being full and satisfactory, illustrated with -several plates, was published in the government reports for the year -mentioned.[VIII-47] - - [Illustration: Plan--Ruins of Metlaltoyuca.] - -The name, Metlaltoyuca, according to Galicia Chimalpopoca, signifies -'place fortified with solid stones,' but Sr Linares attributes to the -word a different derivation, and makes it mean 'land of the -maguey.'[VIII-48] Almaraz says: "A succinct account of the ruins might -be given by saying that they consist of pyramids built of hewn blocks -of sandstone, partially covered with a good hydraulic cement, as will -be seen by the chemical analysis which will be given,[VIII-49] and of -some tumuli, and remains of edifices of slight elevation." The -arrangement of the remains is shown in the plan; only a few of the -structures indicated on the plan are mentioned in the description, and -of those few very little is said. The space covered by the ruins is in -rectangular form, about two hundred and fifty by five hundred yards, -and is located in the south-western portion of the mesa. The chief -structure, _a_ of the plan, stands at the north-west corner, and its -northern and western walls, four hundred and eighty-five and one -hundred and ninety-four feet respectively, meet at an angle of 87 deg. -30'; on the other sides the walls are irregular, forming many angles, -and in the interior there are walls which divided the enclosed area -into several compartments. There are, according to the text, traces of -walls, in some places five or six feet high, extending from the ends -of the main structure and inclosing the other works, but not shown in -the plan. Some steps and also water-tanks were found in connection -with the corner walls. Campo also found two doors blocked up with -stone slabs. There are several truncated pyramids, the largest of -which, at _b_, is thirty-six feet high, and one hundred and thirty-one -feet square at the base. It is built in six stories, and has traces of -the buildings which formerly occupied its summit. All the structures -are built of brick-shaped blocks of sandstone, very nicely cut, and -laid in mud.[VIII-50] On the surface of the cement, which covers all -the buildings to a thickness of over an inch, painted figures are -seen. - - [Illustration: Section of a Mound--Metlaltoyuca.] - -A remarkable feature at Metlaltoyuca is the existence of the parallel -mounds at _c_, of the plan. As nearly as can be ascertained from the -drawings and text, they are about one hundred and forty feet long, -twenty feet wide, and ten or twelve feet high. The interior is filled -with loose stones and earth, and the surface is covered with somewhat -irregular brick-shaped blocks, laid in mud or clay, and apparently -covered with cement. The cut shows a transverse section of one of the -mounds, and indicates a near approach to the principle of the regular -key-stone arch, although as the interior was filled to the top, there -is no evidence that the arch was intentionally self-supporting. Some -traces of hieroglyphic paintings were found on the mortar which -covered a part of these mounds.[VIII-51] - -Something over two miles north-west of the ruins described, at the -only point where the mesa is accessible on the northern side, is a -double stone wall guarding the passage. The outer wall is three or -four hundred yards long, thirteen feet high, and fifty feet thick at -the base, diminishing towards the top. The inner wall is of smaller -dimensions. The same system of defensive works is repeated on the -opposite side of the mesa. The only movable relics found were, the -figure of a female bearing a sculptured cross, a representation of a -mummy closely wrapped as if for burial and having features of a -different type from those ordinarily found in Aztec idols, and the -form of a man with arms crossed and legs bent, sculptured on a slab, -all of the same sandstone of which the buildings were constructed. -According to Campo, another smaller group of remains has been seen -farther south, towards the Mesa de Amistlan. Two idols of porous -basalt and numerous arrow-heads of obsidian are reported at Guautla, -twenty-five or thirty miles north-west of Metlaltoyuca.[VIII-52] - - [Illustration: Limestone Statue from Panuco.] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RELICS AT PANUCO] - -In the northern extremity of the state, in the region about Panuco, -small relics are said to be very abundant. A list of thirty specimens -collected by Mr Francis Vecelli during a survey of the Panuco River, -some of them doubtless belonging to the state of Tamaulipas, across -the river, is given by Mr Vetch in the Journal of the London -Geographical Society. They are mostly of limestone and represent human -figures, for the most part females, rudely sculptured and wearing -peculiar head-dresses. The foreheads are represented as high and -broad, the lips thick, and the cheek-bones high. The sculpture is -rude, and nearly every one of the images has a long unshaped base or -tenon, as if intended to be fixed in a wall. A front and rear view of -one of these images are shown in the cut.[VIII-53] In the town itself, -idols, heads, obsidian arrow-heads, and fragments of ancient pottery, -some of it glazed, are often washed out by the heavy rains. Mr Lyon -speaks of "several curious ancient toys and whistles, with one small -terra cotta vase very beautifully carved with those peculiar -flourishes introduced in the Mexican manuscripts," also "an antique -flute of a very compact red clay, which had once been polished and -painted. It had four holes, and the mouth part was in the form of a -grotesque head." Flutes occur both single and double, with two, three, -and four holes. Earthen representations of birds, toads, and other -animals are frequently found either whole or in fragments. West of the -town five or six mounds from thirty to forty feet high are vaguely -mentioned.[VIII-54] Buried in the ground in a ravine near the town, -and resting on the stone walls of a dilapidated sepulchre, Mr Norman -claims to have found a stone slab seven feet long, wider at one end -than the other, but two feet and a half in average width, one foot -thick, and bearing on one side the sculptured figure of a man. Dressed -in a flowing robe, with girdle, sandal-ties on his feet, and a -close-fitting cap on his head, he lies with crossed arms. The face is -Caucasian in feature, and the work is very perfectly executed. For the -authenticity of so remarkable a relic Mr Norman is hardly a sufficient -authority. Two small images, probably of terra cotta, were presented -by Mr Norman to the New York Historical Society.[VIII-55] - -At the Calondras Rancho, some twenty-five miles from Panuco, a large -oven-like chamber is reported on the slope of a hill, which contains -large flat stones used for grinding maize. The ruins at Chacuaco, -three leagues south of the town, are said to cover about three square -leagues. Mr Norman also gives cuts of two clay vases from the same -locality, one of them having a negro face, very likely of modern -origin. San Nicolas, five leagues, and Trinidad six leagues south-west -of Panuco, are other places where ruins are reported to -exist.[VIII-56] - -FOOTNOTES: - -[VIII-1] _Muehlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. ii., p. 32; _Mexikanische -Zustaende_, tom. i., p. 31. - -[VIII-2] _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da epoca, tom. i., pp. 292-7, -tom. iii., pp. 104-9, with two plates representing the colossal head, -and several other relics from some locality not mentioned. - -[VIII-3] _Ottavio_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1833, tom. lix., -p. 64. - -[VIII-4] _Waldeck_, _Palenque_, pl. xlix.; _Tylor's Anahuac_, pp. -230-1. - -[VIII-5] _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 35. - -[VIII-6] _Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, pp. 93-7; _Id._, _Mex. Aztec, -etc._, vol. ii., p. 272, with 3 cuts; _Id._, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, -vol. vi., p. 588, pl. vi., fig. 5, 6, 8, 11, 12; _Gondra_, in -_Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., pp. 82-4, pl. xv., plate of -a vase. - -[VIII-7] _Sartorius_, _Fortificaciones Antiguas_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., -Boletin_, 2da epoca, tom. i., pp. 818-27. - -[VIII-8] _Finck_, in _Smithsonian Rept._, 1870, pp. 373-5. Mr Tylor, -in traveling northward towards Jalapa, speaks of 'numerous remains of -ancient Indian mound-forts or temples which we passed on the road.' -_Anahuac_, p. 312. - -[VIII-9] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Palenque_, p. 33. -'_Chalchiuhcuecan_, ou le pays des coquilles vertes. On voit encore -des debris de la ville de ce nom, sous les eaux qui s'etendent de la -ville de la Vera Cruz au chateau de San-Juan-de-Ulloa.' _Id._, _Hist. -Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 143. Ruins of the ordinary type are reported -outside the triangular area, in the Sierra de Matlaquiahuitl or del -Gallego, running south from the Rio Jamapa to San Juan de la Punta. -_Sartorius_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da epoca, tom. i., p. -820. - -[VIII-10] _Dupaix_, 1st exped., pp. 7-8, pl. viii., fig. 8; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 214, vol. vi., p. 425, vol. iv., pl. iv., -fig. 10; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, p. 28. Kingsborough's text -represents this relic as 16 leagues from Orizava instead of Cordova. - -[VIII-11] _Dupaix_, 1st exped., p. 7, pl. vi., vii., fig. 6, 7; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 213-14, vol. vi., pp. 424-5, vol. iv., -pl. iv., fig. 8, 9; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., pp. -22, 27-8. - -[VIII-12] _Dupaix_, 1st exped., p. 5, pl. iv-v., fig. 4-5; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 212-13, vol. vi., pp. 423-4; vol. iv., -pl. iii., fig. 6-7; _Lenoir_, pp. 18, 22, 26-7. - -[VIII-13] _Historia de Jalapa_, Mex. 1869, tom. i., p. 7. - -[VIII-14] _Hakluyt's Voy._, vol. iii., p. 453. - -[VIII-15] Note in _Cortes_, _Despatches_, p. 39; _Rivera_, _Hist. -Jalapa_, Mex., 1869, tom. i., p. 39. Cempoala is located on some maps -on the coast a few leagues north of Vera Cruz; there is also a town of -the name in Mexico. - -[VIII-16] _Esteva_, in _Museo Mex._, tom. ii., pp. 465-7, with plan -and view. Respecting the circumference of the structure, Esteva's text -says: 'la media circunferencia de la base, tomada desde el escalon o -cuerpo A. B. C., (letters which do not appear in his plate) pues mas -abajo no se podia tomar con esactitud, es de ciento cincuenta y seis -pies castellanos.' I have taken the circumference from the plan. The -material Esteva states to be 'cal, arena, y piedras grandes del rio,' -but the view indicates that hewn stone is employed, or at least that -the whole structure is covered with a smooth coating of cement in -perfect preservation. Esteva's account is also published in the -_Diccionario Univ. de Geog._, tom. x., pp. 166-8, and a slight -description from the same source in _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. -ii., pp. 203-4. - -[VIII-17] _Lyon's Journal_, vol. ii., p. 209; _Sartorius_, in _Soc. -Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da epoca, tom. i., p. 826. Muehlenpfordt, -_Mej._, tom. ii., p. 89, also mentions the Paso de Ovejas remains. - -[VIII-18] _Iberri_, in _Museo Mex._, tom. iii., p. 23. Gondra's -account in _Mosaico Mex._, tom. ii., pp. 368-72, with two views and a -plan. Sartorius' description in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da epoca, -tom. i., pp. 821-2, tom. ii., p. 148, with two views apparently the -same as by Gondra, an additional side and front view of a pyramid, and -a plan which bears no likeness to Gondra's, representing perhaps a -different part of the ruins. According to this author the ruins were -first made known in 1829 or 1830. The two accounts are very perplexing -to the student, sometimes resembling each other so closely that one is -ready to believe that Sartorius was the explorer from whom Gondra -obtained his information and drawings, in other parts so different as -to indicate that different ruins are referred to. I am inclined to -believe that Gondra's information did in part refer to some other ruin -in the same region. Gondra's account is also printed in _Diccionario -Univ. Geog._, tom. ix., pp. 565-8. Brief mention in _Rivera_, _Hist. -Jalapa_, Mex. 1869, tom. i., pp. 389-90. - -[VIII-19] Respecting the first narrow pass, the oval table, and the -ditch, Sartorius says nothing. He mentions such a ditch, however, in -connection with the ruins of Tlacotepec, as we shall see. It is quite -possible that the features mentioned do not belong to Centla at all. - -[VIII-20] 10 varas according to Sartorius; Gondra says 15. - -[VIII-21] Copied from Sartorius, with the addition of the shading -only. - -[VIII-22] The views given by Gondra and Sartorius are of the pyramid -A, from the east, and of the terrace walls at B, from the west. The -latter also gives a view of the small pyramid _b_, from the north. The -plan given by Gondra bears no resemblance to the other. It may -represent ruins in other parts of the plateau; it may be a faulty -representation made up from the explorer's description of the works -that have been described; or, what is, I think, more probable, it may -refer to some other group of ruins in the vicinity. It represents a -collection of pyramids and buildings, bounded on both the east and -west by walls, one of which has an entrance close to the brink of the -precipice, while the other had no opening till one was made by the -modern settlers. - -[VIII-23] 'Ochenta varas en cuadro.' Perhaps it should read _feet_ -instead of varas. The plate makes the front slightly over 24 varas. - -[VIII-24] _Dupaix_, 1st exped., pp. 8-9, pl. ix-xi., fig. 9-12; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 215-16, vol. vi., pp. 425-6, vol. iv., -pl. v-vi., fig. 11-15. The skull is mentioned and sketched only in -Kingsborough's edition. _Lenoir_, pp. 23, 29. Slight mention of these -ruins from Dupaix, in _Mosaico Mex._, tom. ii., pp. 373-4; _Klemm_, -_Cultur-Geschichte_, tom. v., p. 157; _Warden_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. -ii., pp. 67-8. - -[VIII-25] _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da epoca, tom. i., p. 821. - -[VIII-26] _Storia Ant. del Messico_, tom. ii., p. 150; _Bradford's -Amer. Antiq._, p. 104. - -[VIII-27] _Museo Mex._, tom. iii., p. 23. - -[VIII-28] _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da epoca, tom. i., p. 822; -_Mosaico Mex._, tom. ii., pp. 368, 372; _Smithsonian Rept._, 1870, p. -374. - -[VIII-29] This may possibly be the ditch referred to by Gondra in his -account of Centla. - -[VIII-30] _Sartorius_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da epoca, tom. -i., pp. 822-4, with plan and view, the latter giving no information. - -[VIII-31] _Id._, p. 824. - -[VIII-32] _Heller_, _Reisen_, pp. 61, 72-3, 76-7, with cut. - -[VIII-33] _Sartorius_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da epoca, tom. -i., pp. 825-6. - -[VIII-34] _Id._, pp. 821, 824-5, with a sketch which amounts to -nothing. - -[VIII-35] _Anahuac_, p. 297. - -[VIII-36] _Mosaico Mex._, tom. i., pp. 102-5. Gondra's account of the -location is as follows: 'En la serrania al Norte de Jalapa, y distante -de aquella ciudad de diez a once leguas, se encuentra en el canton de -Misantla el cerro llamado del Estillero, a cuya falda se descubre una -montana terminada por una meseta muy angosta, de cerca de legua y -media de largo, y aislada por barrancos profundos y acantilados, y por -despenaderos inaccessibles; rodeada por los cerros del Estillero, -Magdalenilla, el Chamuscado, el Camaron y el Conejo por la parte del -Oeste; por el Monte Real acia el Este, y lo restante por la elevada -cuesta de Misantla.... La unica parte algo accesible para subir a la -meseta de la montana donde se hallan las ruinas, esta acia la falda -del Estillero.... Al comenzar la meseta, bajando por la falda del -cerro del Estillero, lo primero que se observa es un paredon demolido -hecho de gruesas piedras,' etc. Gondra's account was reprinted in the -_Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. ii., p. 220-3. Iberri's account is -found in the _Museo Mex._, tom. iii., pp. 21-4. Respecting the -location he says:--'El cerro conocido de la Magdalena, degradando su -altura en picos porfiriticos que afectan figuras conicas o -piramidales, ... forma un grupo de montanas sumamente escabrosas, que -se dividen como radios en ramas estrechadas por barrancas profundas y -escarpadas de porfido.... En una de estas ramas se hallan las -referidas ruinas, cuya entrada esta cerrada por un muro,' etc. Account -made up from Gondra, with cut probably from same source in _Mayer's -Mex. Aztec_, vol. ii., pp. 200-3; _Id._, _Mex. as it Was_, pp. 250-1. -Slight mention by Muehlenpfordt, _Mej._, tom. ii., p. 88, who thinks -the ruin may be identical with that of Tusapan. Same account in -_Mexicanische Zustaende_, tom. i., p. 142. - -[VIII-37] _Muehlenpfordt_, _Mej._, tom. ii., pp. 88-9; _Mexikanische -Zustaende_, tom. i., pp. 142-3. - -[VIII-38] _Gaceta de Mexico_, July 12, 1785, tom. i., pp. 349-51. -Location 'por el rumbo del Poniente de este pueblo, a dos leguas de -distancia, entre un espeso bosque.' This original account was printed -later in _Diccionario Univ. Geog._, tom. x., pp. 120-1; it was also -translated into Italian, and printed in _Marquez_, _Due Antichi -Monumenti_, Rome, 1804, p. 3, also accompanied by the plate. - -[VIII-39] _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. i., pp. 102-3; _Id._, _Essai Pol._, -p. 274; _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 12. Humboldt's -account translated by Gondra, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. -iii., pp. 39-40, says it is the forest that is called Tajin, that the -ruin was discovered by hunters, and pronounces the plate in the -_Gaceta_ very faulty. - -[VIII-40] _Nebel_, _Viage Pintoresco_. The drawing is geometric rather -than in perspective, and the author's descriptive text in a few -details fails to agree exactly with it. Jose M. Bausa gives a slight -description in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. v., p. 411, without -stating the source of his information. He locates the ruin 2-1/2 leagues -south-west of the pueblo. This author states that Carlos M. Bustamante -published a good account of the ruin in 1828, in his _Revoltijo de -Nopalitos_. Other accounts of Papantla made up from the preceding -sources, are as follows:--_Mayer's Mex. Aztec_, vol. ii., pp. 196-7, -with cut after Nebel; _Id._, _Mex. as it Was_, pp. 248-9; _Id._, in -_Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. vi., p. 583, pl. xi.; _Baldwin's Anc. -Amer._, pp. 91-2; _Conder's Mex. Guat._, tom. i., p. 227; _Fossey_, -_Mex._, pp. 317-18; _Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, pp. 238-9; _Larenaudiere_, -_Mex. Guat._, p. 45; _De Bercy_, _Travels_, tom. ii., p. 237; -_Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 79-80; _Muehlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. -ii., p. 88; _Mexicanische Zustaende_, p. 142; _Bingley's Trav._, pp. -259-60; _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. i., p. 256; _Armin_, -_Heutige Mex._, pp. 96-7, with cut; _Malte-Brun_, _Precis de la -Geog._, tom. vi., p. 462; _Mueller_, _Amerikanische Urreligionen_, p. -459; _Priest's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 276-8; _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, -p. 154; _Wilson's Mex. and its Religion_, pp. 246-7. - -[VIII-41] The dimensions in Nebel's text are, 120 feet square and 85 -feet high, which must be an error, since the author says that the -stairway in the plate may be used as a scale, each step being a foot; -and measuring the structure by that scale it would be something over -90 feet square at the base and about 54 feet high. The _Gaceta_ says -that the base is 30 varas (83 English feet) square, and the steps in -sight were 57 in number. Humboldt calls the pyramid 25 metres (82 -feet) square and 18 metres (59 feet) high, or, in _Essai Pol._, 16 to -20 metres. Bausa, _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. v., p. 411, calls -the height 93 feet, with 53 steps. - -[VIII-42] Bausa says the pyramid faces the north. The _Gaceta_ account -represents the stairway as 10 or 12 varas wide. The plate represents -the lateral narrow stairways as single instead of double, and the -niches as not extending entirely across the wide central stairway. -Only six stories are shown in the plate, terminating in a summit -platform on which stand two small altar-like structures at the head of -the lateral stairways. Nebel speaks simply of a 'double stairway.' -Humboldt agrees with the plate in the _Gaceta_. - -[VIII-43] The _Gaceta's_ text says 342, but its own figures correctly -added make the number 378 as is pointed out by Marquez; and the plate -accompanying the same account makes the number 309. Fossey says 360 -niches. Humboldt made the number 378, which he supposed to relate to -the signs of the Toltec civil calendar. - -[VIII-44] _Nebel_, _Viage Pintoresco_; _Cassel_, in _Nouvelles Annales -des Voy._, 1830, tom. xlv., pp. 336-7; _Mayer's Mex. Aztec_, vol. ii., -p. 198; _Id._, _Mex. as it Was_, pp. 246-7. - -[VIII-45] _Nebel_, _Viage Pintoresco_; _Mayer's Mex. Aztec_, vol. ii., -pp. 199-200; _Id._, _Mex. as it Was_, pp. 247-8; _Armin_, _Alte Mex._, -p. 43; Bausa, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. v., pp. 411-12, -locates Tusapan 14 leagues south-west of Papantla. - -[VIII-46] The original of this report I have not seen; a translation, -however, was published in the _San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, of Feb. -20, 1866. - -[VIII-47] _Mex., Mem. del Ministro del Fomento_, 1865, p. 234, etc. It -was also published in a separate pamphlet. _Almaraz_, _Mem. acerca de -los Terrenos de Metlaltoyuca_, pp. 28-33. Mention by Garcia y Cubas, a -companion of Almaraz, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da epoca, tom. -i., p. 37. - -[VIII-48] _Chimalpopoca_, in _Almaraz_, _Mem._, p. 28; _Linares_, in -_Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 3ra epoca, tom. i., p. 103. - -[VIII-49] The analysis is as follows:--quartzy sand, 31.00; silex, -13.00; aluminia and iron, 2.60; carbonate of lime, 48.00; magnesia, -2.50; moisture, 2.00; loss, 0.90. _Almaraz_, _Mem._, p. 30. - -[VIII-50] 'De las dimensiones que usan hoy para hacer los arboles de -tierra.' I am unable to say what such dimensions amount to in English -measurement. - -[VIII-51] A plate showing these paintings is given by Almaraz. - -[VIII-52] _Burkart_, _Mexiko_, tom. i., p. 51. - -[VIII-53] _Vetch_, in _Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour._, vol. vii., pp. 1-11, -with plate. - -[VIII-54] _Lyon's Journal_, vol. i., pp. 57-61. - -[VIII-55] _Norman's Rambles by Land and Water_, pp. 145-51, 164; -_Mayer's Mex. Aztec_, tom. i., pp. 193-6. - -[VIII-56] _Lyon's Journal_, vol. i., pp. 61-2; _Norman's Rambles_, pp. -149-50. Slight mention of relics in this region, in _Muehlenpfordt_, -_Mejico_, tom. ii., p. 72; _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 112-13. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -ANTIQUITIES OF THE CENTRAL PLATEAUX. - - ANAHUAC -- MONUMENTS OF PUEBLA -- CHILA, TEOPANTEPEC, - TEPEXE, TEPEACA, SAN ANTONIO, QUAUHQUELCHULA, AND SANTA - CATALINA -- PYRAMID OF CHOLULA -- SIERRA DE MALINCHE -- - SAN PABLO -- NATIVIDAD -- MONUMENTS OF TLASCALA -- LOS - REYES -- MONUMENTS OF MEXICO -- CUERNAVACA, XOCHICALCO, - CASASANO, OZUMBA, TLACHIALCO, AHUEHUEPA, AND MECAMECAN -- - XOCHIMILCO, TLAHUAC, XICO, MISQUIQUE, TLALMANALCO, AND - CULHUACAN -- CHAPULTEPEC, REMEDIOS, TACUBA, AND MALINALCO - -- CITY OF MEXICO -- TEZCUCO -- TEZCOCINGO -- TEOTIHUACAN - -- OBSIDIAN MINES -- TULA -- MONUMENTS OF QUERETARO -- - PUEBLITO, CANOAS, AND RANAS -- NAHUA MONUMENTS. - - -The monuments of the Mexican tierra templada, of Anahuac and the -adjoining plateaux, next claim our attention. The territory in -question is bounded on the south and east by that treated in the two -preceding chapters--Oajaca and Guerrero on the south toward the -Pacific, and Vera Cruz on the east toward the gulf. The present -chapter will carry my antiquarian survey to a line drawn across the -continent from Tampico to the mouth of the Zacatula river, completing -what has been regarded as the home of the Nahua civilized nations, -with the exception of the Tarascos in Michoacan, and leaving only a -few scattered monuments to be described in the broad extent of the -northern states of the republic. On most of the maps extant the -territory whose monuments I have now to describe, is divided into the -states of Mexico, Puebla, Tlascala, and Queretaro, to which have been -added in later years Morelos and Hidalgo, formed chiefly, I believe, -from the old state of Mexico. In my description, however, I shall pay -but little attention to state lines, locating each group of -antiquities by its distance and bearing from some well-known point. -Respecting the physical features of this central Nahua region, enough -has been said in the preceding volumes; I consequently begin at once -the description of antiquarian relics, dealing first with those found -in Puebla and Tlascala, starting in the south and proceeding -northward. - - * * * * * - - [Illustration: Section of Chila Tomb.] - - [Sidenote: REMAINS AT CHILA.] - -At Chila, in the extreme southern part of Puebla, is a hill known as -La Tortuga, on which is built an unterraced pyramid eighty-eight feet -square at the base, fifty-five feet high, with a summit platform fifty -feet square. It is built of hewn stone and covered, as it appears from -Castaneda's drawing, with cement. The exterior surface is much broken -up by the trees that have taken root there. A stairway leads up the -western front. Near the north-eastern corner of the mound is an -entrance leading down by seven stone steps to a small tomb about -eleven feet below the surface of the ground and not under the mound. -At the foot of the steps is an apartment measuring five and a half -feet long and high, and four feet wide, with a branch, or gallery, -four feet long and a little less than three feet wide and high, in the -centre of each of the three sides, thus giving the whole tomb in its -ground plan the form of a cross. Its vertical section is shown in the -cut. There is certainly a general resemblance to be noted in this -tomb-structure to those at Mitla; the interior is lined with hewn -blocks laid in lime mortar and covered with a fine white plaster, the -plaster on the ceiling being eight or nine inches thick. The discovery -of human bones in the lateral galleries leaves no doubt respecting the -use to which the subterranean structure was devoted.[IX-1] - -At Tehuacan el Viejo, two leagues eastward of the modern town of -Tehuacan, in the south-eastern part of the state, were found ruins of -stone structures not particularly described.[IX-2] At San Cristoval -Teopantepec, a little native settlement north-westward of the remains -last mentioned, is another hill which bears a pyramid on its top. A -road cut in the rocky sides leads up the hill, and on the summit, -beside the pyramid, traces of smooth cement pavements and other -undescribed remains were noticed. The pyramid itself from a base fifty -feet square rises about sixty-seven feet in four receding stories with -sides apparently sloping very slightly inward toward the top, the -fourth story being moreover for the most part in ruins. The most -remarkable feature of this structure is its stairway, which is -different from any yet noticed, and similar to that of the grand -teocalli of Mexico-Tenochtitlan as reported by the conquerors. It -leads up diagonally from bottom to top of each story on the west, not, -however, making it necessary to pass four times round the pyramid in -order to reach the summit, as was the case in Mexico, since in this -ruin the head of each flight corresponds with the foot of the one -above, instead of being on the opposite side of the pyramid. The -whole is built of stone and mortar, only the exterior facing being of -regular blocks, and no covering of cement is indicated in Castaneda's -drawing.[IX-3] - - [Sidenote: TEPEXE AND TEPEACA.] - -At Tepexe el Viejo, on the Zacatula River, some sixteen leagues -south-east of the city of Puebla, Dupaix discovered, in 1808, a -structure which he calls a fortification. It was located on a rocky -height, surrounded by deep ravines, and the rough nature of the -ground, together with the serpents that infest the rocks, prevented -him from making exact measurements. There are traces of exterior -enclosing walls, and within the enclosed area stands a pyramid of hewn -stone and lime mortar, in eight receding stories. A fragment of a -circular stone was also found at Tepexe, bearing sculptured figures in -low relief, which indicate that the monument may have borne originally -some resemblance to the Aztec calendar-stone, to be mentioned -hereafter. Another round stone bore marks of having been used for -sharpening weapons.[IX-4] - -At Tepeaca and vicinity four relics were found:--1st. A bird's, -perhaps an eagle's, head sculptured in low relief within a triple -circle, together with other figures, on a slab about a foot square; -apparently an aboriginal coat of arms. 2d. A stone head eighteen -inches high, of a hard, reddish material; the features are very -regular down to the mouth, below which all is deformed. 3d. A -sculptured slab, built into a wall, shown only in Kingsborough's -plate. 4th. A feathered serpent coiled into a ball-like form, six feet -in diameter. It was carved from a red stone, and also painted red, -resting on a cubical pedestal of a light-colored stone.[IX-5] - -At San Antonio, near San Andres Chalchicomula, on the eastern boundary -of the state, a pyramid stands on the summit of a rocky hill. The -pyramid consists of three stories, with sides sloping at an angle of -about forty-five degrees, is about twenty-five feet in height, and has -a base fifty-five feet square. A stairway about ten feet wide, with -solid balustrades, leads up the centre of the western front; and on -the top, parts of the walls of a building still remained in 1805. This -summit building was said to have been in a good state of preservation -only twelve years before. The material is basalt, in blocks about two -by five feet, according to Dupaix's plate, laid in mortar, and all but -the lower story covered with cement.[IX-6] - - [Illustration: Stone Monster's Head.] - -At Quauhquelchula, near Atlixco, in the western part of the state, -Dupaix noticed four relics of antiquity. 1st. A rattlesnake eight feet -and a half long, and about eight inches in diameter, sculptured in -high relief on the flat surface of a hard brown stone. 2d. A hard -veined stone of various colors, four feet high and ten feet and a half -in circumference, carved into a representation of a monster's head -with protruding tusks, a front view of which is given in the cut. The -rear is flat and bears a coat of arms, made up of four arrows or -spears crossing a circle, with other inexplicable figures. 3d. Another -coat of arms, three lances across a barred circle, carved in low -relief on the face of a boulder. 4th. A human face, larger than the -natural size, on the side of another boulder, and looking towards the -town.[IX-7] At the town of Atlixco a very beautifully worked and -polished almond-shaped agate was seen.[IX-8] - - [Illustration: Serpent-Cup--Santa Catalina.] - -On the hacienda of Santa Catalina, westward from Atlixco, was found -the coiled serpent shown in the cut. The material is a black porous -volcanic stone, and the whole seems to form a cup, to which the head -of the serpent served as a handle. Another relic from this locality -was a masked human figure of the same stone.[IX-9] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: PYRAMID OF CHOLULA.] - -About ten miles west of the city of Puebla de los Angeles, and in the -eastern outskirts of the pueblo of Cholula, is the famous pyramid -known throughout the world by the name of Cholula. The town at its -base was in aboriginal times a large and flourishing city, and a great -religious centre. The day of its glory was in the Toltec period, -before the tenth century of our era, and tradition points for the -building of the pyramid to a yet more remote epoch, when the Olmecs -were the masters of the central plateaux. Several times during the -religious contests that raged between the devotees of rival deities, -the temple of Cholula was destroyed and rebuilt. Its final destruction -dates from the coming of the Spaniards, who, under Hernan Cortes, -after a fierce hand-to-hand conflict on the slopes of the pyramid, -maddened by the desperate resistance of the natives, elated by -victory, or incited by fanatical religious zeal and avarice, sacked -and burned the magnificent structure on the top of the mound. Since -the time of the Conquistador, after the fierce spirit of the Spaniards -had expended its fury on this and other monuments reared in honor of -heathen gods, the mound was allowed to remain in peace, save the -construction of a winding road leading up to a modern chapel on the -summit, where services are performed in which the great Quetzalcoatl -has no share.[IX-10] - -Since 1744, when the historian Clavigero rode up its side on -horseback, this pyramid has been visited by hundreds of travelers, few -tourists having left Anahuac without having seen so famous a monument -of antiquity, so easily accessible from the cities of Mexico and -Puebla. Humboldt's description, made from a personal exploration in -1803, is perhaps the most complete that was ever published, and most -succeeding visitors have deemed it best to quote his account as being -better than any they could write from their own observations. Dupaix -and Castaneda, and in later times Nebel, also examined and made -drawings of Cholula. The four or five views of the mound that have -been published differ greatly from each other, accordingly as the -artist pictured the monument as he saw it or attempted to restore it -more or less to its original form. Humboldt's drawing, which has been -more extensively copied than any other, contrary to what might be -expected from his text, was altogether a restoration, and bore not the -slightest resemblance to the original as he saw it, since Clavigero -found it in 1744, "so covered with earth and shrubs that it seems -rather a natural hill than an edifice," and there is no reason to -suppose that at a later date it assumed a more regular form.[IX-11] - -For the past two centuries, at least, the condition and appearance of -the mound has been that of a natural conical hill, rising from the -level of a broad valley, and covering with its circular base an area -of over forty acres.[IX-12] On closer examination, however, traces of -artificial terraces are noted on the slopes, and excavations have -proven that the whole mound, or at least a very large portion of -it--for no excavation has ever been made reaching to its centre--is of -artificial construction. By the careful surveys of Humboldt and others -the original form and dimensions have been clearly made known. From a -base about fourteen hundred and forty feet square, whose sides face -the cardinal points, it rose in four equal stories to a height of -nearly two hundred feet, having a summit platform of about two hundred -feet square.[IX-13] Humboldt in 1803 found the four terraces tolerably -distinct, especially on the western slope; Evans in 1870 found the -lower terrace quite perfect, but the others traceable only in a few -places without excavation. - -The material of which the mound was constructed is adobes, or -sun-dried bricks, generally about fifteen inches long, laid very -regularly with alternate layers of clay. From its material comes the -name Tlalchihualtepec, 'mountain of unburnt bricks,' which has been -sometimes applied to Cholula. An old tradition relates that the adobes -were manufactured at Tlalmanalco, and brought several leagues to their -destination by a long line of men, who handed them along singly from -one to another. Humboldt thought some of the bricks might have been -slightly burned. Respecting the material which constitutes the -alternate layers between the bricks, called clay by Humboldt, there -seems to be some difference of opinion between different explorers. -Col. Brantz Mayer, a careful investigator, says the adobes are -interspersed with small fragments of porphyry and limestone; and Mr -Tylor speaks of them as cemented with mortar containing small stones -and pottery. Evans tells us that the material is adobe bricks and -layers of lava, still perfect in many places. The historian Veytia by -a personal examination ascertained the material to be "small stones of -the kind called _guijarros_, and a kind of bricks of clay and straw," -in alternate layers.[IX-14] Beaufoy claims to have found the pyramid -faced with small thin hewn stones, one of which he carried away as a -relic--a very wonderful discovery certainly, when we consider that -other very trustworthy explorers, both preceding and following -Beaufoy, found nothing of the kind. Mr Heller could not find the stone -facing, but, as he says, he did find a coating of mortar as hard as -stone, composed of lime, sand, and water.[IX-15] Many visitors have -believed that the pyramid is only partially artificial, the -adobe-work having been added to a smaller natural hill. This is, -however, a mere conjecture, and there are absolutely no arguments to -be adduced for or against it. The truth can be ascertained only by the -excavation of a tunnel through the mound at its base, or, at least, -penetrating to the centre. It is very remarkable that such an -excavation has never been made, either in the interests of scientific -exploration or of treasure-seeking. - -Bernal Diaz, at the time of the Conquest, counted a hundred and twenty -steps in a stairway which led up the slope to the temple, but no -traces of such a stairway have been visible in more modern times. -There are traditions among the natives, as is usually the case in -connection with every work of the antiguos, of interior galleries and -apartments of great extent within the mound; such rumors are doubtless -without foundation. The Puebla road cuts off a corner of the lower -terrace, and the excavation made in building the road not only showed -clearly the regular interior construction of the pyramid, but also -laid bare a tomb, which contained two skeletons with two idols in -basalt, a collection of pottery, and other relics not preserved or -particularly described, although the remains of the tomb itself were -examined by Humboldt. The sepulchre was square, with stone walls -supported by cypress beams. The dimensions are not given, but the -apartment is said to have had no traces of any outlet. Humboldt claims -to have discovered a peculiar arrangement of the adobes about this -tomb, by which the pressure on its roof was diminished. - -It is very evident that the pyramid of Cholula contains nothing in -itself to indicate its age, but from well-defined and doubtless -reliable traditions, we may feel very sure that its erection dates -back to an epoch preceding the tenth century, and probably preceding -the seventh. Humboldt shows that it is larger at the base than any of -the old-world pyramids, over twice as large as that of Cheops, but -only slightly higher than that of Mycerinus. "The construction of the -teocalli recalls the oldest monuments to which the history of the -civilization of our race reaches. The temple of Jupiter Belus, which -the mythology of the Hindus seems to designate by the name of Bali, -the pyramids of Meidoum and Dahchour, and several of the group of -Sakharah in Egypt, were also immense heaps of bricks, the remains of -which have been preserved during a period of thirty centuries down to -our day."[IX-16] - -The historical annals of aboriginal times, confirmed by the Spanish -records of the Conquest, leave no doubt that the chief object of the -pyramid was to support a temple; the discovery of the tomb with human -remains may indicate that it served also for burial purposes. It is by -no means certain, however, that the mound was in any sense a monument -reared over the two bodies whose skeletons were found; for besides the -position of the skeletons in a corner of the pyramid, indicating in -itself the contrary, there is the possibility that the bodies were -those of slaves sacrificed during the process of building, and -deposited here from some superstitious motive. It will require the -discovery of tombs near the centre of this immense mound to prove that -it was erected with any view to use as the burial place of kings or -priests.[IX-17] Wilson, always a sceptic on matters connected with -Mexican aboriginal civilization, pronounces the pyramid of Cholula -"the finest Indian mound on this continent; where the Indians buried -the bravest of their braves, with bows and arrows, and a drinking cup, -that they might not be unprovided for when they should arrive at the -hunting-grounds of the great spirit." "It is sufficiently wasted by -time to give full scope to the imagination to fill out or restore it -to almost any form. One hundred years ago, some rich citizen constructed -steps up its side, and protected the sides of his steps from falling -earth by walls of adobe, or mud-brick; and on the west side some adobe -buttresses have been placed to keep the loose earth out of the village -street. This is all of mans labor that is visible, except the work of -the Indians in shaving away the hill which constitutes this pyramid. -As for the great city of Cholula, it never had an existence."[IX-18] -At a short distance from the foot of the large pyramid, two smaller -ones are mentioned by several visitors; one of which is doubtless a -portion of the chief mound separated by the road that has been already -mentioned. One of them is described by Beaufoy as having perpendicular -sides, and built of adobes nine inches square and one inch thick; the -second was much smaller and had a corn-patch on its summit. Cuts of -the two small mounds are given by the same explorer. Bullock claims to -have found on the top of one of the detached masses a ditch and wall -forming a kind of figure-eight-formed enclosure one hundred feet long, -in which were many human bones. Evans has a theory that the small -mounds were formed of the material taken from the larger one in -shaping its terraces. Latrobe says that many ruined mounds may be seen -from the summit; in fact, that the whole surface of the surrounding -plain is broken by both natural and artificial elevations. Ampere was -led by his native guide, through a misunderstanding, to a flat-topped -terraced hill, still bearing traces of a pavement, at a locality -called Zapotecas.[IX-19] - -The only miscellaneous Cholulan relics of which I find a mention, are -three described by Dupaix and sketched by Castaneda. They were, a -stone head, said to have originally been the top of a column; a -quadrangular block, with incised hieroglyphics on one of its faces; -and a mask of green jasper, reported to have been dug from the -pyramid.[IX-20] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: REMAINS AT NATIVIDAD.] - -On the summit of the Sierra de Malinche, which forms the boundary -between Puebla and Tlascala, the existence of ruined walls and -pyramids, with fragments of stone images, is mentioned without -description.[IX-21] At San Pablo del Monte two kneeling naked females -in stone, modestly covering the breasts with the hands, were sketched -by Castaneda.[IX-22] Of an important group of remains in the vicinity -of Natividad, between Puebla de los Angeles and Tlascala, a very -unintelligible account has been written by Cabrera, for the Mexican -Geographical Society. The ruins seem to cover a hill, different -localities on the slopes of which are called Mixco, Xochitecatl, -Tenexotzin, Hueyxotzin, and Cacaxtlan. The western slope has gigantic -terraces, and among other relics five vertical stones called -_huitzocteme_, supposed to have been used for sacrificial purposes. -They are two varas high and three fourths of a vara wide. On the -northern slope a concavity of stone and mud is mentioned, whose bottom -is strewn with pottery and obsidian weapons. At Cacaxtlan, the site of -the principal fortress in the wars between Tlascala and Mexico, are -ditches and subterranean passages running in all directions. The chief -ditch extends from north to south across the hill; it is about -twenty-eight feet wide and eleven or twelve feet deep, with -embankments formed of the earth thrown out. The subterranean passages -are believed to penetrate the heights of Cacaxtlan. One has an opening -among the rocks on the north, beginning at the cave of Ostotl; another -begins on the east at San Miguel del Milagro, having for an entrance a -square hole five or six yards deep, from the bottom of which it -extends horizontally in a semicircular course; the third opening is on -the south, and its top is supported by columns left in the volcanic -stone; and finally, the fourth subterranean passage sends out vapor -when it is about to rain. This is all I can glean from Cabrera's -account--in fact, rather more than I can fully understand.[IX-23] -Dupaix found at Natividad two wooden teponastles, or aboriginal -musical instruments, similar to the one found at Tlascala by the same -explorer and shown in the accompanying cut. The former were, however, -less elaborately carved; the latter was three feet long and five -inches in diameter, the cut showing a side and end view. Other relics -found by Dupaix in the city of Tlascala and vicinity, are the -following:--a lance-head, nine inches long, of green flint; a small -stone statue, nine or ten inches in height, representing a seated -female, whose head bears a strong resemblance to some of the Palenque -profiles; a mask of green agate a little smaller than the natural size -of the face, pronounced by Dupaix the finest specimen of sculpture -seen in America; an earthen vase called _popocaxtli_, used in -ceremonies in honor of the dead, found in connection with some human -bones; two mutilated human heads carved from a gray stone; and a -masked, bow-legged idol of stone, twenty-four inches high, standing on -a small pedestal, covering the breasts with the hands.[IX-24] - - [Illustration: Teponastle from Tlascala.] - - [Sidenote: ABORIGINAL BRIDGES.] - -At Pueblo de los Reyes, northward from Tlascala, on the road to San -Francisco, two aboriginal bridges over a mountain stream were sketched -by Castaneda. One is eleven feet high and thirty-seven feet wide; the -other fifty-five feet high and thirty-three feet wide; each being over -a hundred feet in length. They are built of large irregular stones in -mortar. The conduits through which the stream passes are from four to -six feet wide and high, one of them having a flat top, while in the -other two large blocks meet and form an obtuse angle. On the top of -the bridges at the sides are parapets of brick four or five feet high, -pierced at intervals to allow water to run from the road; and at each -of the four corners stands a circular, symmetrical, ornamental -obelisk, or pillar, over forty feet high, of stone and mortar, covered -with burned bricks. It is quite probable that the brick-work of these -bridges, if not the whole structure, is to be referred to Spanish -rather than to aboriginal times. Sr Almaraz sketched at Xicotepec, in -the north, some fifty miles west of Papantla, a teponastle of -iron-wood, gracefully carved and brilliantly polished.[IX-25] - -The famous wall that was found by Cortes, extending along the -frontier of Tlascala, has been spoken of in another part of this work. -Brasseur de Bourbourg tells us that many remains of this wall are still -visible, and some other authors vaguely speak to the same effect; but -as no modern traveler describes or locates these remains, I think it -altogether likely that the statements referred to may be simply echoes -of those made by the early writers, who represented the ruins of the -wall as visible in the years immediately following the Conquest.[IX-26] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RELICS AT CUERNAVACA.] - -Passing westward into the state of Mexico, and beginning again in the -south, I find a notice in a Mexican government report, of ruins at -Tejupilco, in the south-west, about sixty miles westward of -Cuernavaca. The remains are noticed especially on the hill of -Nanchititla, consisting of buildings standing on regular streets yet -traceable, and built of very thin blocks, or slates, of stone without -mortar. In the valley of San Martin Luvianos, in the same region, a -subterranean apartment with polished sides of cement, discovered in -1841, contained quantities of carbonized maize.[IX-27] At Zacualpan, -midway between Cuernavaca and Tejupilco, and some leagues further -south, flint spear-heads, stone masks, and other relics not specified -are said by the same authority to have been found in a cave.[IX-28] A -peculiarity of the aboriginal relics found by Dupaix at Cuernavaca and -vicinity was that all consisted of sculptured figures on the surface -of large naturally shaped boulders. The first was an immense lizard -over eight feet long and a foot and a half thick, carved in high -relief on the top of a rough block. Four small circular projections -are seen on the side of the rock below the animal. On the southern -face of another isolated boulder was sculptured in low relief the coat -of arms shown in the cut, which, in its principal features of a circle -on parallel arrows or lances, is very similar to others that have been -mentioned.[IX-29] On the flag that projects from the upper part of the -circle, a Maltese cross is seen, and the bird's head above is -pronounced of course by Dupaix to be that of an eagle.[IX-30] On the -opposite, or northern, side of the same boulder are sculptured the -figures shown in the cut. The left hand figure, thirteen inches high, -may in connection with the small circles be a record of a -date--thirteen calli. M. Lenoir, however, on account of the column -shown within the building, believes the whole may be an emblem of -phallic worship, the column being a phallus and the building its -shrine or temple. The sculpture on both sides of this rock is -described as having been executed with great care and clearness. -Somewhat less than a league south of the city is another isolated -rock, said to have served as a boundary mark to the ancient -Quauhnahuac, 'place of the eagle,' of which the modern name Cuernavaca -is a corruption. On the face of this rock is carved in rather high -relief the figure represented in the cut, which, in consideration of -the aboriginal meaning of the name, and the purpose served by the -stone, may be regarded as an eagle. The material is a fine gray stone, -the bird is thirty-five inches high, and the boulder, or its locality, -is called by the natives Quauhtetl, 'stone eagle.'[IX-31] - - [Illustration: Coat of Arms--Cuernavaca.] - - [Illustration: Boulder-Sculptures at Cuernavaca.] - - [Illustration: Eagle of Cuernavaca.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF XOCHICALCO.] - -The ruins of Xochicalco, doubtless the finest in Mexico, are about -fifteen miles 13 deg. west of south from Cuernavaca, and about -seventy-five miles south-west from the city of Mexico. The first -published description was written by Alzate y Ramirez, who visited the -locality in 1777, and published his account with illustrative plates -as a supplement to his Literary Gazette in November, 1791.[IX-32] -Humboldt made up his account from that of Alzate; Dupaix and Castaneda -included Xochicalco in their first exploration; Nebel visited and -sketched the ruins in 1831; and finally an account, perhaps the most -complete extant, written from an exploration in 1835 by order of the -Mexican government, was published in the _Revista Mexicana_.[IX-33] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF XOCHICALCO.] - -Xochicalco, the 'hill of flowers,'[IX-34] is a natural elevation of -conical form, with an oval base over two miles in circumference, -rising from the plain to a height of nearly four hundred feet.[IX-35] -Mr Latrobe claims to have found traces of paved roads, of large stones -tightly wedged together, one of them eight feet wide, leading in -straight lines towards the hill from different directions. The account -in the _Revista_ mentions only one such causeway running towards the -east. A ditch, more or less filled up and overgrown with shrubbery, is -said to extend entirely round the base of the hill, but its depth and -width are not stated; perhaps in the absence of more complete -information its existence should be considered doubtful. - - [Illustration: Subterranean Galleries--Xochicalco.] - -Very near the foot of the northern slope are the entrances to two -tunnels or galleries, one of which terminates at a distance of -eighty-two feet; at least, it was obstructed and could not be explored -beyond that point. The second gallery, cut in the solid limestone of -the hill, about nine feet and a half wide and high, has several -branches running in different directions, some of them terminated by -fallen debris, others apparently walled up intentionally. The floors -are paved to the thickness of a foot and a half with brick-shaped -blocks of stone, the walls are also in many places supported by -masonry, and both pavement, walls, and ceiling are covered with lime -cement, which retains its polish and shows traces in some parts of -having had originally a coating of red ochre. The principal gallery, -after turning once at a right angle, terminates at a distance of -several hundred feet in a large apartment about eighty feet long, in -which two circular pillars are left in the living rock to support the -roof. The accompanying cut is Castaneda's ground plan of the galleries -and subterranean apartment, _a_ being the entrance on the north; _b_ -the termination of main gallery; _c_, _k_, the branch gallery; _e_ and -_d_, obstructed passages; _g_, _g_, the room and _f_, _f_, the -pillars. The scale of the plan is about fifty feet to the inch, but -the dimensions, according to the scale, are doubtless inaccurate. -According to the plan the galleries are only a little over four feet -wide; and the apartment thirty-three by thirty-nine feet. Alzate's -plan agrees with it so far as it goes; the _Revista_ gives no plan, -and its description differs in some respects, so far as the -arrangement of the galleries is concerned, from the cut.[IX-36] In the -top of the room at the south-east corner, at _h_, is a dome-like -structure, a vertical section of which is shown at _j_ of the -preceding cut, six feet in diameter and six feet high, lined with -stone hewn in curved blocks, with a round hole about ten inches in -diameter extending vertically upward from the top. It has been -generally believed that this passage leads up to the pyramid on the -top of the hill, to be described later; but it will be seen that if -the hill be two miles in circumference, or even half that size, the -galleries are not nearly long enough to reach the centre under the -pyramid. Nebel fancied that the hole in the cupola was so situated -that the rays of the sun twice a year would penetrate from above and -strike an altar in the subterranean hall. The natives report other -passages in the hill besides the one described, and believe that one -of them leads to Chapultepec, near the city of Mexico. - - [Sidenote: THE HILL OF FLOWERS.] - -Passing now from the interior to the outer surface of the 'hill of -flowers,' we find it covered from top to bottom with masonry. Five -terraces, paved with stone and mortar, and supported by perpendicular -walls of the same material, extend in oval form entirely round the -whole circumference of the hill, one above the other. Neither the -width of the paved platforms nor the height of the supporting walls -has been given by any explorer, but each terrace, with the -corresponding intermediate slope, constitutes something over seventy -feet of the height of the hill. The terrace platforms have sometimes -been described, without any authority, as a paved way leading round -and round the hill in a spiral course to the summit. Dupaix speaks of -a road about eight feet wide, which leads to the summit, but no other -explorer mentions any traces of the original means of ascent. Each -terrace wall, while forming in general terms an ellipse, does not -present a regular line, but is broken into various angles like the -bastions of a fortification. The pavements all slope slightly towards -the south-west, thus permitting the water to run off readily. -According to the plans of Alzate and Castaneda there are two -additional terraces where a spur projects from the hill at the -north-eastern base. Latrobe is the only authority on the intermediate -slopes between the terraces, which he says are occupied with -platforms, bastions, and stages one above another. It is evident from -all accounts that the whole surface of the hill, very likely shaped to -some extent artificially, was covered with stone work, and that -defense was one object aimed at by the builders. The _Revista_ -represents the terrace platforms as additionally fortified by the -perpendicular supporting walls projecting upward above their level, -forming what may perhaps be termed a kind of parapet. - -On the summit is a level platform measuring two hundred and -eighty-five by three hundred and twenty-eight feet.[IX-37] According -to Alzate, Humboldt, Dupaix, and other early authorities--except -Nebel, who is silent on the subject--this plaza is surrounded by a -wall. Dupaix says the wall is built of stones without mortar, is five -feet and a half high, and two feet and nine inches thick. Alzate -represents the wall as perpendicular only on the inner side, being in -fact a projection of the upper terrace slope, forming a kind of -parapet, and making the plaza a sunken area. Latrobe also speaks of -the plaza as a hollow square, and Alzate's representation is probably -a correct one; for the author of the account in the _Revista_ says -that the wall described by previous visitors could not be found; and -moreover, that there was no room for it on the north between the -central pyramid and "one of the solid stone masses, or _caballeros_, -that surround the platform," the _caballeros_, which may perhaps in -this connection be translated 'parapets,' being doubtless the same -structures that the others describe as a wall. - - [Sidenote: PYRAMID OF XOCHICALCO.] - -In this plaza, cultivated in later years as a cornfield, there are -several mounds and heaps of stones not particularly described; and -near the centre is a pyramid, or rather the lower story of one, with -rectangular base, the sides of which, exactly or very nearly facing -the cardinal points, measure sixty-five feet from east to west, and -fifty-eight feet from north to south. The lower story, which in some -parts is still standing to its full height, is divided into what may -be termed plinth, frieze, and cornice, and is about sixteen feet -high.[IX-38] - - [Illustration: Pyramid of Xochicalco.] - -In the centre of one of the facades is an open space, something over -twenty feet wide, bounded by solid balustrades, and probably occupied -originally by a stairway, although it is said that no traces of steps -have been found among the debris. The cut, from Nebel, shows the front -of the pyramid on one side of the opening, being the eastern portion -of the northern front, according to Nebel, who locates the stairway on -the north, or the northern part of the western front, according to the -_Revista_, which speaks of the opening as being on the west. - -The pyramid, or at least its facing, is built of large blocks of -granite or porphyry,[IX-39] a kind of stone not found within a -distance of many leagues. The blocks are of different sizes, the -largest being about eleven feet long and three feet high, and few -being less than five feet in length. They are laid without mortar, and -so nicely is the work done that the joints are scarcely perceptible. -The cut shows one of the facades, probably the northern, from -Castaneda's drawing, which corresponds almost exactly to that given by -Alzate. So far as the details of the sculpture are concerned it is -probably not very trustworthy. The preceding cut, from Nebel, is -perhaps the only reliable drawing in this respect that has been -published. The whole exterior surface seems to have been covered with -sculptured figures in low relief, apparently executed after the stones -were put in place, since one figure extends, with the greatest -exactitude at the joints, over several blocks of stone.[IX-40] - - [Illustration: Pyramid of Xochicalco.] - -I translate from the _Revista_ the following remarks about the -sculptured figures: "At each angle, and on each side, is seen a -colossal dragon's head, from whose great mouth, armed with enormous -teeth, projects a forked tongue; but in some the tongue is horizontal, -while in others it falls vertically; in the first it points towards a -sign which is believed to be that of water, and in the others towards -different signs or emblems.... Some have pretended to see in these -dragons images of crocodiles; but nothing certain can be known of -these fantastic figures which have no model in nature.... On the two -sides still standing there are two figures of men larger than the -natural size, seated cross-legged in the eastern fashion, wearing -necklaces of enormous pearls, rich ornaments, and a head-dress out of -all proportion, with long flowing plumes. In one hand they hold a kind -of sceptre, and the other is placed on the breast; a hieroglyphic of -great size, placed in the middle of each side, separates the two -figures, whose heads are turned, on the east side, one north and the -other south, while on the north side both face the west. The frieze -which surrounds this story presents a series of small human figures, -also seated in the eastern manner, with the right hand crossed on the -breast, and the left resting on a curved sword, whose hilt reminds us -of ancient swords; a thing the more worthy of attention since no -people descended from the Toltecs or Aztecs has made use of this kind -of arms. The head-dress of these small figures, which closely resemble -those mentioned before, is always disproportionately large, and this -circumstance, which is found in all the Egyptian mythologic fables, is -considered in the latter an emblem of power or divinity. With the -human figures are seen various signs, some of which seem allegorical -and others chronologic, so far as may be judged from their conformity -with those employed in the Aztec paintings.... Another sign, -apparently of a different nature, is often repeated among the figures; -it is a dragon's mouth, open and armed with teeth, as in the large -reliefs, from which projects instead of a tongue a disk divided by a -cross.... It has also been thought (Alzate) that dances are -represented on the frieze of Xochicalco, but its perfect preservation -makes such an error inexcusable, and figures seated with legs crossed -and hands on a sword, exclude any idea of sacred or warlike dances, -and suggest only mythologic or historical scenes. Over the frieze was -a cornice adorned with very delicate designs in the form of _oalmetas_ -or meandres in the Greek style." The cut shows one of the bas-reliefs -on a larger scale than in the preceding illustrations. There is, as -Nebel observes, a certain likeness between these sculptured designs -and the stucco reliefs of Palenque, although in the architectural -features of the monument, and of the base on which it rests, there -seems to be no analogy whatever with any of the southern ruins. - - [Illustration: Bas-Relief from Xochicalco.] - -On the summit of this lower structure a few sculptured foundation -stones of a second story were found yet in place, the walls being two -feet and three inches from the edge of the lower, except on the west, -where the space is four feet and a half. According to the report of -the inhabitants of the vicinity, the structure had originally five -receding stories, similar to the first in outward appearance, which -were all standing as late as 1755, making the whole edifice probably -about sixty-five feet high. It is said to have terminated in a -platform, on the eastern side of which stood a large block, forming a -kind of throne, covered with hieroglyphic sculpture. The proprietors -of neighboring sugar-works were the authors of the monument's -destruction, the stone being of a nature suitable for their furnaces, -and none other being obtainable except at a great distance. Alzate -puts on record the name of one Estrada as the inaugurator of this -disgraceful work of devastation.[IX-41] Several restorations of the -pyramid of Xochicalco have been attempted on paper, that by the artist -Nebel being probably the only one that bears any likeness to the -original; and even his sketch, so far as the sculptured designs are -concerned, must be regarded as extremely conjectural, having as a -foundation only a few scattered blocks and the reports of the 'oldest -inhabitant.' At the Paris international exhibition in 1867 a structure -was built and exhibited in the Champs de Mars, purporting to be a -fac-simile of this monument; but judging from a cut published in a -London paper, it might with equal propriety have been exhibited as a -model of any other ruin in the new or old world.[IX-42] - -The second story seems to have had interior apartments, with three -doorways at the head of the grand stairway. On the summit of the lower -story, according to the _Revista_, is a pit, perhaps a covered -apartment originally, measuring twenty-two feet square, and nearly -filled with fragments of stone, some of them sculptured, which were -not removed. It is of course possible that there exists some means of -communication between this apartment and the subterranean galleries of -the hill below. - -East of the hill of Xochicalco, on the road to Miacatlan, an immense -stone was said to have been found serving as a kind of cover to a -hole, perhaps the entrance to a subterranean gallery, on the face of -which was sculptured an eagle tearing a prostrate native Prometheus. -It was broken up and most of the pieces carried away, but Alzate saw -one fragment containing a part of the sculptured thigh, from which -perhaps with the aid of his imagination and his knowledge of Grecian -mythology the good padre prepared a drawing of the whole, which he -published. Later visitors have not even seen a fragment of so -wonderful a relic. Mr Tylor speaks of a small paved oval space -somewhere in connection with the ruin, in which he found fragments of -a clay idol. There are no springs of water on or near the hill. - -The _Revista_ says, "adjoining this hill is another higher one, also -covered with terraces of stone-work in form of steps. A causeway of -large marble flags led to the top, where there are still some -excavations and among them a mound of large size. Nothing further in -the way of monuments is to be seen on the lower (part of the?) hill -except a granite block, which may be the great square stone mentioned -by Alzate, which served to close the entrance to a subterranean -gallery, situated east of the principal monument." There are also some -traces of one terrace indicated on Castaneda's view of the larger -hill. On the sculptured facades of the pyramid, all have found traces -of color in sheltered places, and have concluded that the whole -surface was originally painted red, except the author of the account -in the _Revista_, who thinks that the groundwork of the reliefs only -was covered with a colored varnish, as was the usage in Egypt. -Loewenstern claims to have found in the vicinity of Xochicalco the -foundation of many aboriginal dwellings. - -A slight resemblance has been noted in some of the sculptured human -figures, seated cross-legged, to the Maya sculptures and stucco -reliefs of Central America; a few figures, like that of the rabbit, -may present some analogies to Aztec sculptures, many specimens of -which will be shown in the present chapter; the very fact of its -being a pyramid in several stories, gives to Xochicalco a general -likeness to all the more important American ruins; the terraces on the -hill-slopes have their counterparts at Quiotepec and elsewhere; the -absence of mortar between the facade-stones is a feature also of -Mitla; still as a whole the monument of Xochicalco stands alone; both -in architecture and sculpture it presents strong contrasts with Copan, -Uxmal, Palenque, Mitla, Cholula, Teotihuacan, or the many pyramids of -Vera Cruz. There is no definite tradition referring the origin of this -monument to any particular pre-Aztec period, save the universal modern -tradition among the natives referring everything wonderful to the -Toltecs. It is not, moreover, improbable that the pyramid was built by -a Nahua people during the Aztec period; for it must be remembered -first that all the grand temples in Anahuac--the Aztec territory -proper--have disappeared since the Conquest, so that a comparison of -such buildings with that of Xochicalco is impossible; and second, that -the Aztecs were superior to the nations immediately surrounding them -in war rather than art, so that it would be by no means surprising to -find a grander temple in Cuernavaca than in the valley of Mexico. The -Aztec sculpture on such monuments as have been found in the city of -Mexico if different from, is not inferior to that at Xochicalco, and -there is no reason whatever to doubt the ability of the Aztecs to -build such a pyramid. Still there remains of course the possibility of -a pre-Aztec antiquity for the building on the hill of flowers, and of -Maya influence exerted upon its builders.[IX-43] - - [Sidenote: REMAINS IN THE SOUTH-EAST.] - - [Illustration: Sculptured stone--Casasano.] - -In the south-eastern part of the state from Yahualica northward to -Mecamecan, relics have been discovered, mostly by Dupaix, in several -localities. At Yahualica, near Huautla, there are tombs, with stone -images, human remains, pottery, and metates, also some metallic relics -not described.[IX-44] At Xonacatepec was seen a mask of about the -natural size, carved very neatly from a whitish translucent -stone.[IX-45] At the sugar plantation of Casasano, in the same region, -a somewhat remarkable relic was a stone chest, of rectangular base, -larger at the bottom than at the top, with a cover fitting like that -of a modern chest. It was cut from a grayish stone, and when found by -laborers engaged in digging a ditch, is said to have been filled with -stone ornaments. At the same place was seen a circular stone, three -feet in diameter and nine inches thick, sculptured in geometric -figures on one side, as shown in the preceding cut.[IX-46] - -Another similar stone of the same thickness, and about three feet and -a half in diameter, was built into a modern wall at Ozumba. These -geometrically carved circular blocks are of not infrequent occurrence -on the Mexican plateaux; of their use nothing is known, but they seem -to bear a vague resemblance to the Aztec calendar and sacrificial -stones to be described later. Another class of circular blocks, from -two to three feet in diameter, with curves and various ornamental -figures sculptured on one face, are also of frequent occurrence. -Several of this class will be mentioned and illustrated in connection -with the relics of Xochimilco. Two of them were seen by Dupaix at -Chimalhuacan Tlachialco, near Ozumba, together with two small idols of -stone. At Ahuehuepa, in the same region, was a statue which had lost -the head and the legs below the knees; a hieroglyphic device is seen -on the breast, and a small cord passes round the waist, and is tied in -a bow-knot in front. Two fragments of head-dresses carved in red stone -were found at the same place. A few miles east of the village of -Mecamecan is an isolated rock of gray granite, artificially formed -into pyramidal shape as shown in the cut. It is about twelve feet high -and fifty-five feet in circumference, having rudely cut steps, which -lead up the eastern slope. Dupaix conjectures that this monument was -intended for some astronomic use, and that the man sculptured on the -side is engaged in making astronomical observations, the results of -which are expressed by the other figures on the rock. The only -possible foundation for the opinion is the resemblance of some of the -signs to those by which the Aztecs expressed dates.[IX-47] - - [Illustration: Pyramidal stone--Mecamecan.] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: REMAINS IN ANAHUAC.] - - [Sidenote: REMAINS AN XOCHIMILCO.] - -Entering now the valley of Mexico, we find many localities on the -banks, and islands of Lake Chalco where relics of the ancient -inhabitants have been brought to light. At Xochimilco on the western -shore of the lake, Dupaix mentions the following:--1st. A stone block -with regular sides, on one of which about three feet square are -sculptured two concentric circles, as large as the space permits, with -smaller circles outside of the larger, at each corner of the block. -2d. A crouching monster of stone thirty inches high, which apparently -served originally for a fountain or aqueduct, the water flowing -through the mouth. 3d. A semi-spherical pedestal of limestone, broken -in two pieces, three feet high, and decorated on the curved surface -with oval figures radiating from the centre. 4th. A lizard thirty -inches long, sculptured on a block which is built into a modern wall. -5th. A coat of arms, also on a block in a wall, consisting of a circle -on parallel lances like some already described. Within the circle is a -very perfect Maltese cross, hanging from the lower part is a fan-like -plume, and elsewhere on the smooth faces of the stone are nine very -peculiar knots or tassels. 6th. A kind of flat-fish three feet eight -inches long, carved from a bluish gray stone. 7th. A coiled serpent in -red porphyry, a foot and a half in diameter, and nine feet long if -uncoiled. This relic is shown in the cut. 8th. Two death's heads in -stone. 9th. A rabbit in low relief on a fragment of stone. 10th. An -animal in red stone on a cubic pedestal of the same material. 11th. A -stone image of a seated female. 12th. An idol with a man's head and -woman's breasts. 13th. Ten sculptured blocks, the faces of which are -shown in the following cut, and which would seem to have served only -for decorative purposes. Most of them have rough backs, evidently -having been taken from ancient walls; and many of these and other -similar blocks found in this region had tenons like that shown in fig. -9 of the cut. Fig. 7 shows one of the several death's heads found at -Xochimilco. - - [Illustration: Coiled Serpent--Xochimilco.] - - [Illustration: Sculptured Stones--Xochimilco.] - - [Illustration: Sculptured Vase--Tlahuac.] - -At Tlahuac, or Cuitlahuac, were seen two circular stones something -over three feet in diameter and half as thick, of black porous -volcanic material. Each had a circular hole in the centre, rude -incised figures on the faces, and a tenon at one point of the -circumference. They strongly remind me of the rings in the walls of -the so-called gymnasium at Chichen in Yucatan. Another relic was a -cylindrical stone of a hard gray material, of the same dimensions as -the preceding, but without a supporting tenon. The circular faces were -plain, but the sides, or rim, were decorated with circles, bands, and -points symmetrically arranged and sculptured in low relief. And -finally there was found at Tlahuac the very beautiful vase of hard -iron-gray stone shown in the cut. It is eight feet four inches in -circumference on the outside, one foot nine inches in diameter on the -inside, and elaborately sculptured in low relief on both the exterior -and interior surface. In Kingsborough's edition of Dupaix's work it is -stated that the two causeways which led to the town across the waters -of Lake Chalco are still in good preservation, five or six yards wide -and of varying height, according to the depth of the water. In the -report of the Ministro de Fomento in 1854 there is also a mention of a -dike built to keep the waters of the lake from Mexico. Another dike, -serving also as a causeway at Tulyahualco is mentioned in the same -report. - -At Xico, on an island in Lake Chalco, there are some traces of an -aboriginal city, in the shape of foundation walls of masonry, stone -terraces, and what is very important if authentic, well-burned bricks -of different forms and dimensions. In the Mexican government report -referred to, the foundations of a palace are alluded to. - -At Misquique, on another of the lake islands Dupaix found the -following objects left by the antiguos:--1st. A sculptured monster's -head, with a tenon for insertion in a wall. 2d. A large granite vase, -circular in form, four feet and a half in diameter, three feet and a -half high, sculptured on the upper rim, painted on the inside, and -polished on the outer surface. It rests on a cylindrical base, smaller -than the vase itself, and is used in modern times as a baptismal font. -3d. A mill-stone shaped block, with a tenon, very similar to those -found at Tlahuac, except that the sculptures on the face are evidently -in low relief in this case. 4th. An animal called by Dupaix a coyote, -sculptured on the face of a block. 5th. A cylindrical stone twenty-one -inches in diameter and twenty-eight in height, round the circumference -of which is sculptured, or apparently merely incised, a serpent. 6th. -A square block with concentric circles and other figures, similar to -those at Xochimilco. 7th. Another block with a spiral figure. 8th. A -very finely formed head of gray veined stone, furnished with a tenon -at the back of the neck. 9th. Three small and rudely formed images, -one of green jasper and two of a red stone. - - [Illustration: Animal in Stone--Tlalmanalco.] - - [Sidenote: TLALMANALCO AND CULHUACAN.] - -At Tlalmanalco were four small idols in human form, three of which -were built into a modern wall; two heads, one of which is of -chalchiuite; three of the ornamental blocks, one bearing clearly -defined cross-bones; and the nondescript animal in gray stone shown in -the cut. Also at Tlalmanalco, in the official report already several -times cited, mention is made of three fallen pyramids, one of which -was penetrated by a gallery, supposed to have been intended for burial -purposes. - - [Illustration: Terra-Cotta Idol--Culhuacan.] - -Culhuacan, on the north-eastern bank of the same lake, is a small -village which retains the name of the city which once occupied the -site, famous in the annals of Toltec times. Veytia tells us that in -his time some vestiges of the ancient capital were still visible; and -Gondra describes a clay idol found at Culhuacan, and shown in the cut, -as an image of Quetzalcoatl, giving, however, no very clear reasons -for his belief. This relic is fourteen inches high, thirteen inches -wide, and is preserved in the Mexican Museum.[IX-48] - -The relics discovered in Anahuac at points westward from the lakes, I -shall describe without specifying in my text the exact locality of -each place referred to. At Chapultepec there is a tradition that -statues representing Montezuma and Axayacatl were carved in the living -rock of the cliff; and these rock portraits are said to have remained -many years after the Conquest, having been seen by the distinguished -Mexican scientist Leon y Gama. Brasseur de Bourbourg even claims to -have seen traces of them, but this may perhaps be doubted. One was -destroyed at the beginning of the eighteenth century by order of the -over-religious authorities; but the other remained in perfect -preservation until the year 1753, when it also fell a victim to -anti-pagan barbarism. The immense cypresses or _ahuehuetes_ that still -stand at the foot of Chapultepec, 'hill of the grasshopper,' are said -to have been large and flourishing trees before the coming of the -Spaniards.[IX-49] - - [Sidenote: HILL OF OTONCAPOLCO.] - -A few miles from the celebrated church of Nuestra Senora de los -Remedios, is a terraced stone-faced hill, similar perhaps in its -original condition to Xochicalco, except that the terraces are more -numerous and only three or four feet high. Although, only a short -distance from the capital in an easily accessible locality, only two -writers have mentioned its existence--Alzate y Ramirez in 1792 and -Loewenstern in 1838. The former calls the hill Otoncapolco, and his -article in the _Gaceta de Literatura_ is mainly devoted to proving -that this was the point where Cortes fortified himself after the -'noche triste,' instead of the hill on which the church of Remedios -stands, as others in Alzate's time believed. The author, who visited -the place with an artist, says, "I saw ruins, and hewn stones of great -magnitude, all of which proves to the eye that this was a -fortification, or as the historians say, a temple, because they -thought that everything made by the Indians had some connection with -idolatry; it is sure that in the place where the celebrated sanctuary -stands, there is not found the slightest vestige of fortress or -temple, while on the contrary, all this is observed at Otoncapolco." -This with the remark that this monument, although not comparable to -Xochicalco, yet merits examination, is all the information Padre -Alzate gives us; and Loewenstern adds but little to our knowledge of -the monument. He found debris of sculptured stone, obsidian, vases, -and pottery; also the ruins of a castle two-thirds up the slope, in -connection with which was found a flat stone over six feet long, -bearing a sculptured five-branched cross--a kind of coat of arms. The -hill is from two hundred and sixty to three hundred and twenty-five -feet high, has a square summit platform, and the whole surface of its -slopes was covered with stone-work, now much displaced, in the shape -of steps, or terraces, between three and four feet high. At one point -the explorer found, as he believed, the entrance to a subterranean -passage, into which he did not enter but inserted a pole about nine -feet.[IX-50] - -At Tacuba, the ancient Tlacopan, Bradford mentions the "ruins of an -ancient pyramid, constructed with layers of unburnt brick," and -Loewenstern speaks of broken pottery and fragments of obsidian. The -latter author also claims to have seen near the church of Guadalupe -the foundations of many small dwellings which constituted an -aboriginal city.[IX-51] At Malinalco, near Toluca, two musical -instruments, _tlamalhuilili_, are mentioned. They were carved from -hard wood and had skin stretched across one end, being three feet long -and eighteen inches in diameter.[IX-52] Mr Foster gives a cut of a -tripod vase in the Chicago Academy of Sciences, which was dug up near -San Jose. "It is very symmetrically moulded, and is ornamented by a -series of _chevrons_ or small triangles. This chevron mode of -ornamentation appears to have been widely prevalent."[IX-53] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: CITY OF MEXICO.] - -In describing the relics which have been discovered from time to time -in the city of Mexico, the ancient Aztec capital, I shall make no -mention for the present of such objects, preserved in public and -private antiquarian collections in that city, as have been brought -from other parts of the state or republic. When the locality is known -where any one of this class of relics was found I shall describe it -when treating of antiquities in that locality. The many relics whose -origin is unknown will be alluded to at the end of this chapter. Since -all who have visited Mexico or written books about that country, -almost without exception, have had something to say of antiquities and -of the collections in the National Museum, as well as of the relics -belonging strictly to the city, I shall economize space and avoid a -useless repetition by deferring a list of such authorities to my -account of the miscellaneous relics of the Mexican Republic at the end -of the chapter, referring for my present purpose only to the more -important authorities, or such as contain original information or -illustrations. - -No architectural monuments whatever remain within the city limits. -The grand palaces of the Aztec monarchs, the palatial residences of -the nobility, the abodes of wealth and fashion, like the humbler -dwellings of the masses, have utterly disappeared; monuments reared in -honor of the gods have not outlasted the structures devoted to trade; -the lofty teocalli of the blood-thirsty Huitzilopochtli, like the -shrines of lesser and gentler deities, has left no trace. - -Movable relics in the shape of idols and sculptured stones are not -numerous, although some of them are very important. No systematic -search for such monuments has ever been made, and those that have been -brought to light were accidentally discovered. Some sculptured blocks -of the greatest antiquarian value have been actually seen in making -excavations for modern improvements, and have been allowed to remain -undisturbed under the pavements and public squares of a great city! -There can be no doubt that thousands of interesting monuments are -buried beneath the town. The treasures of the Plaza Mayor will perhaps -be some day brought out of their retirement to tell their story of -aboriginal times, but hundreds of Aztec divinities in stone will sleep -on till doomsday. It is unfortunate that these gods of other days -cannot regain for a time the power they used to wield, turn at least -once in their graves, and shake the drowsy populace above into a -realization of the fact that they live in the nineteenth century. - -The three principal monuments of Mexico Tenochtitlan are the -Calendar-Stone, the so-called Sacrificial Stone, and the idol called -Teoyaomiqui. They were all dug up in the Plaza Mayor where the great -teocalli is supposed to have stood, and where they were doubtless -thrown down and buried from the sight of the natives at the time of -the Conquest. In the years 1790 to 1792 the plaza was leveled and -paved by order of the government, and in the excavations for this -purpose and for drainage the three monuments were discovered, the -Calendar-Stone and the idol very near the surface, and the third relic -at a depth of twenty-five or thirty feet. - -The Calendar-Stone was a rectangular parallelopipedon of porphyry, -thirteen feet one inch and a half square, three feet three inches and -a half thick, and weighing in its present mutilated state twenty-four -tons. The sculptured portion on one side is enclosed in a circle -eleven feet one and four-fifths inches in diameter. These are the -dimensions given by Humboldt, who personally examined the stone, and -agree almost exactly with those given by Leon y Gama, who examined and -made drawings of the monument immediately after its discovery. Gama -pronounced the material to be limestone, which provoked a sharp -controversy between him and Padre Alzate, the latter calling the -material, which he tested by means of acids, a volcanic rock. -Humboldt's opinion is of course decisive in such a matter. The centre -of the circle does not exactly correspond with that of the square, and -Gama concludes from this circumstance that the stone had a companion -block which might be found near the place where this was found.[IX-54] - - [Sidenote: THE CALENDAR-STONE.] - - [Illustration: Aztec Calendar-Stone.] - -The stone has been for many years built into the wall of the cathedral -at the base, where it is exposed to the view of all passers-by, and to -the action of the elements. While lying uncovered in the plaza it was -considerably mutilated by the natives, who took the opportunity of -manifesting their horror of the ancient gods, by pelting with stones -this relic of their paganism. Parts of the stone were also broken off -when it was thrown down and buried by the conquistadores. Fortunately -the sculptured portions have been but slightly injured, and are shown -in the cut. The plates published by Gama, Humboldt, Nebel, Mayer, and -others, are all tolerably accurate; except that they were drawn to -represent the stone correctly on the plate or block, and of course -reversed in printing. The origin of this error is probably to be found -in the fact that nearly all have copied Gama's plate. In my cut the -error is corrected and the sculptured figures agree exactly with -Charnay's photograph.[IX-55] These figures are the symbols of the -Aztec calendar, many of which are well understood, while others are of -unknown or disputed signification. The calendar has been sufficiently -explained in a preceding volume, and I shall not enter upon its -elucidation here. The sculpture is in low relief, very accurately -worked, and the circle which encloses it projects, according to Mayer, -seven inches and a half, according to Gama and Nebel about three -inches, and the rim of the circle is also adorned with sculptures not -shown in the cut. Respecting the excellence of the sculpture Humboldt -says: "the concentric circles, the divisions, and the subdivisions -without number are traced with mathematical exactitude; the more we -examine the details of this sculpture, the more we discover this taste -for repetitions of the same forms, this spirit of order, this -sentiment of symmetry, which, among half-civilized peoples, take the -place of the sentiment of the beautiful." - -No stone like that from which the Calendar-Stone is hewn, is found -within a radius of twenty-five or thirty miles of Mexico, and this may -be regarded as the largest block which the natives are known to have -moved over a long distance. Prescott tells us that the stone was -brought from the mountains beyond Lake Chalco, and was dropped into -the water while being transported across one of the causeways. There -is no reason to attribute this monument to any nation preceding the -Aztecs, although the calendar itself was the invention of an older -people. Wax models of this and other relics, described by Mr Tylor as -very inaccurate, are sold in Mexico; and a plaster cast, taken by Mr -Bullock in 1823, was exhibited in London.[IX-56] - - [Illustration: Sacrificial Stone--Mexico.] - - [Sidenote: THE SACRIFICIAL STONE.] - -The Sacrificial Stone, so called, is a cylindrical block of porphyry, -nine feet and ten inches in diameter, three feet seven and one fourth -inches thick. This also was dug from the Plaza Mayor, was carried to -the courtyard of the University, where it has lain ever since, much of -the time half covered in the ground, and where different visitors have -examined it. The cut, which I have copied from Col. Mayer's drawing, -shows the sculpture which covers one side of the stone, the other side -being plain. The name of Sacrificial Stone, by which it is generally -known, probably originated from the canal which leads from the centre -to the edge, and which was imagined to have carried off the blood of -sacrifices; but the reader will notice at once that this stone bears -not the slightest resemblance to the altars on which the priests cut -out the hearts of their human victims, as described in a preceding -volume. Some authors, among whom is Humboldt, believe this to be the -_temalacatl_, or gladiatorial stone, on which captives were doomed to -fight against great odds until overcome and put to death. The -bas-relief sculptures, the central concavity, the canal, and the -absence of any means of securing the foot of the captive, are very -strong arguments against this use of the cylinder. A smooth surface -would certainly be desirable for so desperate a conflict, and the -sculptured figures on the rim, or circumference, soon to be noticed, -show that the plain side of the stone was not in its original position -uppermost. Gama, the first to write about the monument, pointed out -very clearly the objections to the prevailing ideas of its aboriginal -purpose. He claimed that the stone was, like the one already -described, a calendar-stone, on which was inscribed the system of -feast-days. The strongest objection to this theory was the existence -of the central concavity and canal, which, however, Gama considers not -to have belonged to the monument at all, but to have been added by the -ruder hands of those who wished to blot out the face of the sun which -originally occupied the centre. Latrobe also says, "I have but little -hesitation in asserting that the groove in the upper surface formed no -part of the original design;" but Col. Mayer, who has carefully -examined this relic, tells me that the canal presents no signs -whatever of being more recent than the other carving, and it must be -admitted that the Spaniards would hardly have adopted this method of -mutilation. Tylor suggests that this was a sacrificial altar, but used -for offerings of animals. Fossey speaks of it as a 'triumphal stone.' -But in alluding to these theories I am departing somewhat from my -purpose, which is to give all the information extant respecting each -relic as it exists. - - [Illustration: Sculpture on the Sacrificial Stone.] - -The whole circumference of the stone is covered with sculptured -figures, consisting of fifteen groups. Each group contains two human -figures, apparently warriors or kings, victor and vanquished, -differing but little in position or insignia in the different groups, -but accompanied by hieroglyphic signs, which may express their names -or those of their nations. Two groups as sketched by Nebel are shown -in the cut. According to Gama these sculptured figures represent by -the thirty dancers the festivities celebrated twice each year on the -occasion of the sun passing the zenith; and also commemorate, since -the festivals were in honor of the Sun and of Huitzilopochtli, the -battles and victories of the Aztecs, the hieroglyphics being the names -of conquered provinces, and most of them legible.[IX-57] - -The idol of which the cut on the opposite page shows the front, was -the first to be brought to light in grading the Plaza Mayor in August, -1790. It is an immense block of bluish-gray porphyry, about ten feet -high and six feet wide and thick, sculptured on front, rear, top, and -bottom, into a most complicated and horrible combination of human, -animal, and ideal forms. No verbal description could give the reader -any clearer idea of the details of this idol than he can gain from the -cuts which I present, following Nebel for the front, and Gama for the -other views. Gama first expressed the opinion, in which other authors -coincide, that the front shown in the opposite cut represents the -Aztec goddess of death, Teoyaomiqui, whose duty it was to bear the -souls of dead warriors to the House of the Sun--the Mexican -Elysion.[IX-58] - - [Illustration: Huitzilopochtli, God of War.] - - [Illustration: Teoyaomiqui, Goddess of Death.] - - [Illustration: Mictlantecutli, God of Hell.] - - [Sidenote: THE GODDESS OF DEATH.] - -The following cut is a rear view of the idol, and represents, -according to Gama, Huitzilopochtli, god of war and husband of the -divinity of gentler sex, whose emblems are carved on the front.[IX-59] -The bottom of this monument bears the sculptured design shown in the -following cut, which is thought to represent Mictlantecutli, god of -the infernal regions, the last of this cheerful trinity, goddess of -death, god of war, and god of hell, three distinct deities united in -one idol, according to the Aztec catechism. The sculptured base, -together with the side projections, _a_, _a_, of the cut showing the -front, prove pretty conclusively that this idol in the days when it -received the worship and sacrifices of a mighty people, was raised -from the ground or floor, and was supported by two pillars at the -sides; or possibly by the walls of some sacred enclosure, the space -left under the idol being the entrance. The next cut shows a profile -view of the idol, and also a representation of the top. This idol also -was removed to the University, and until 1821 was kept buried in the -courtyard, that it might not kindle anew the aboriginal -superstitions.[IX-60] - - [Sidenote: THE GODDESS TEOYAOMIQUI.] - - [Illustration: Profile of Teoyaomiqui.] - - [Illustration: Top of the Idol.] - -A monument similar in form and dimensions to the Sacrificial Stone, -was found in the Plaza Mayor during certain repairs that were being -made, and although it was again covered up and allowed to remain, Sr -Gondra made a drawing of the upper sculptured surface, which was -published by Col. Mayer, and is copied in the cut. The surface -presented the peculiarity of being painted in bright colors, yellow, -red, green, crimson, and black, still quite vivid at the time of its -discovery. Sr Gondra believed this to be the true gladiatorial stone, -but the sculptured surface would hardly agree with this theory. Mayer -notes as a peculiarity "the open hand which is sculptured on a shield -and between the legs of some of the figures of the groups at the -sides" not shown in the cut. Gama also speaks of a painted stone found -in June, 1792, in the cemetery of the Cathedral, which was left in the -ground, and which he says evidently formed the entrance to the temple -of Quetzalcoatl.[IX-61] - - [Illustration: Stone buried in Plaza of Mexico.] - -Another relic found during the excavations in January, 1791, was a -kind of tomb, six feet and a half long and three feet and a quarter -wide, built of slabs of _tetzontli_, a porous stone much used for -building-purposes in Mexico, filled with sand, which covered the -skeleton of some animal like a coyote, together with clay vases and -bells of cast bronze. It was perhaps the grave of some sacred animal. -Gama also mentions an image of the water god _Tlaloc_, of a common -black stone, three feet long and one foot wide; he also vaguely speaks -of several other relics not particularly described, and even found -some remains in digging the foundations of his own house.[IX-62] - - [Illustration: Burial Vase--Tlatelulco.] - - [Sidenote: TLATELULCAN VASE.] - -The plaza of Tlatelulco is nearly as prolific in ancient monuments as -the Plaza Mayor. Here was found the beautiful earthen burial vase -shown in the cut. It is twenty-two inches high, fifteen inches and a -half in diameter, covered with a circular lid, also shown in the cut, -and when found was full of human skulls. The beauty of this vase can -only be fully appreciated by a glance at the original, or at the -sketch in Col. Mayer's album made by himself from the original in the -Museum at Mexico, and showing the brilliant colors, blue, red, and -yellow, with which it is adorned. The author says, "in many respects, -it struck me as belonging to a higher grade of art than anything in -the Museum, except, perhaps, the obsidian carvings, and one or two of -the vases." Gondra mentions another burial casket, carved from basalt -and of rectangular form.[IX-63] - - [Illustration: Head of Goddess Centeotl.] - -The head shown in the cut, taken from the _Mosaico Mexicano_, measures -twenty-nine by thirty-six inches, and is carved from a block of -serpentine, a stone rarely found in Mexico. It was dug up near the -convent of Santa Teresa in 1830, and has been supposed to represent -the Aztec Goddess Centeotl. The bottom being covered with sculpture, -it seems that the monument is complete in its present state. Another -serpentine image of somewhat peculiar form, is shown in an original -sketch in the Album of Col. Mayer, who says, "it appears to have been -a charm or talisman, and in many respects resembles the bronze figures -which were found at Pompeii, and are preserved in the Secret Museum -at Naples." It was found at Tlatelulco, and is preserved in the -Mexican Museum.[IX-64] - - [Sidenote: MISCELLANEOUS RELICS.] - -Mr Bullock speaks of several relics not mentioned by any other -visitor:--"In the cloisters behind the Dominican convent is a noble -specimen of the great serpent-idol, almost perfect, and of fine -workmanship. This monstrous divinity is represented in the act of -swallowing a human victim, which is seen crushed and struggling in its -horrid jaws." The corner-stone of the Lottery Office he described as -"the head of the serpent-idol," not less than seventy feet long, when -entire. Under the gateway of a house opposite the mint was a fine -life-size recumbent statue found in digging a well. A house on a -street corner on the south-east side of the plaza rested on an altar -of black basalt, ornamented with the tail and claws of a -reptile.[IX-64] Mayer dug up in the courtyard of the University two -feathered serpents, of which he gives cuts, as well as of several -other relics found within the city limits, including the 'perro mudo,' -a stone image of one of the dumb dogs bred by the Aztecs, and a seated -human figure known as the 'indio triste.'[IX-65] - - [Illustration: Aztec Musical Instrument.] - -Mr Christy's London collection of American antiquities contains, as -we are told by Mr Tylor, a number of bronze hatchets, dug up in the -city of Mexico.[IX-66] Sr Gondra gives plates of nine Mexican musical -instruments, one of which of very peculiar construction was found in -the city, and is shown in the preceding cut. The top shaped like a -coiled serpent is of burned clay, resting on the image of a tortoise -carved from wood, and that on a base of tortoise-shell. The whole is -about twelve inches high.[IX-67] And finally I give a cut which -represents part of a block built into the wall of the Convent of -Concepcion, as sketched by Sr Chavero, who joins to his plate some -remarks on the meaning of the hieroglyphic sculpture.[IX-68] - - [Illustration: Sculptured Block in Convent Wall.] - - * * * * * - - [Illustration: Stone Basin from Tezcuco.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF TEZCUCO.] - -Tezcuco, the ancient rival of Mexico, across the lake eastward, -formerly on the lake shore, but now by the retirement of the water -left some miles inland, has, notwithstanding her ancient rank in all -that pertained to art, left no monuments to compare with those taken -from the Plaza Mayor of Mexico. But unlike the latter city Tezcuco yet -presents traces, and traces only, of her aboriginal architectural -structures. Fragments of building-material are found wherever -excavations are made, and the material of the old city is said to have -been extensively used in the construction of the modern, so that plain -or sculptured stone blocks, shaped by the aborigines, are often seen -in modern walls in different parts of the town. In the southern part -of the city are the foundations of several large pyramids, apparently -built of adobes, burnt bricks, and cement, since the materials named -all occur among the debris. The foundations show the structures to -have been originally about four hundred feet square, but of course -supply no further information respecting their form. These pyramids -were three in number at the time of Mayer's visit, standing in a line -from north to south, and strewn with fragments of pottery, idols, and -obsidian knives. Tylor found traces, barely visible, of two large -teocallis; he also speaks vaguely of some burial mounds, and states -that there is a Mexican calendar-stone built into the wall of one of -the churches. In the north-west part of the town Mayer found another -shapeless heap of bricks, adobes, and pottery, overgrown with magueys. -On the top were several large basaltic slabs, squared and lying north -and south. The rectangular stone basin with sculptured sides shown in -the cut, was found in connection with this heap and preserved in the -Penasco collection in Mexico. Also in this heap of debris, according -to Mayer, Mr Poinsett found in 1825 an arched sewer or aqueduct built -of small stone blocks laid in mortar, together with a 'flat arch' of -very large blocks over a doorway. I find no mention of these remains -in Mr Poinsett's book. Bradford states that, "lying neglected under a -gateway, an idol has been observed nearly perfect, and representing a -rattlesnake," painted in bright colors. Mr Latrobe found a stone idol, -perhaps the same, in 1834, and Nebel gives a sketch of a most -interesting relic, said to have come from Tezcuco, and shown in the -cut. It was the custom of the Aztec priests at certain times to wear -the skin of sacrificed victims.[IX-69] This figure seems to represent -a priest thus clad. It is carved from basalt, and was half the natural -size, the natural skin being painted a bright red, and the outer one -a dirty white. A collection of Tezcucan relics seen by Tylor in 1856, -contained, 1st. A nude female figure four or five feet high, well -formed from a block of alabaster. 2d. A man in hard stone, wearing a -mask which represents a jackals head. 3d. A beautiful alabaster box -containing spherical beads of green jade, as large as pigeons' eggs -and brilliantly polished.[IX-70] - - [Illustration: Skin-clad Aztec Priest.] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: HILL OF TEZCOCINGO.] - -About three miles eastward from Tezcuco is the isolated rocky hill -known as Tezcocingo, which rises with steep slopes in conical form to -the height of perhaps six hundred feet above the plain. A portion of -one side of the hill, beginning at a point probably on the -south-eastern slope, is graded very much as if intended for a modern -railroad, forming a level terrace round a part of the circumference. -From the termination of the grading, an embankment with level summit, -variously estimated at from sixty to two hundred feet high, connects -this hill with another three quarters of a mile distant, the side of -which is likewise graded into a terrace thirty feet wide and a mile -and a half long, extending two thirds round the circumference; and -then another embankment stretches away towards the mountains ten or -fifteen miles distant, although no one seems to have recorded any -attempt to explore its whole extent. The object of both grading and -embankments was to support an aqueduct or pipe ten inches in diameter, -which is still in very good preservation at several points. Waddy -Thompson brought away a piece of the water-pipe as a relic, and he -pronounces the material to be a very hard plaster made of lime and -small portions of a soft red stone. "It is about two feet wide, and -has a trough in the centre about ten inches wide. This trough is -covered with a convex piece of the same plaster, which being placed -upon it when the plaster was soft, seems to be all one piece, making -together a tube of ten inches in diameter, through which the water -flowed from the distant mountains to the basin, which it enters -through a round hole about the size of one made with a two-inch auger. -No plasterer of the present day can construct a more beautiful piece -of work; it is in its whole extent as smooth as the plastering on a -well-finished wall, and is as hard as stone." Mayer tells us that the -aqueduct was made of baked clay, the pipes being as perfect as when -they were first laid. He also seems to imply that along the graded -terraces the water was conducted in a ditch, or canal, instead of the -regular pipes. But Tylor, on the other hand, says "the channel of the -aqueduct was made principally of blocks of the same material -[porphyry], on which the smooth stucco that had once covered the -whole, inside and out, still remained very perfect." - - [Illustration: Montezuma's Bath.] - - [Sidenote: MONTEZUMA'S BATH.] - -At the termination of the aqueduct on the eastern slope of Tezcocingo, -on the brink of a precipitous descent of two hundred feet to the -plain, is the work shown in the cut, from Mayer, hewn from the living -rock of reddish porphyry, and popularly known as Montezuma's Bath. -There was of course no reason whatever to attach this name to it, for -although it is possible, if not probable, that it may have been used -for a bath, it is very certain that it never belonged to Montezuma, -but rather to Nezahualcoyotl or some other of the Tezcucan -kings.[IX-71] The circular basin in the centre is four feet and a half -in diameter, and three feet deep, and the circular aperture through -which it received water from the aqueduct, is shown in the cut, -together with what seem to be seats cut in the rock. Respecting this -monument Col. Mayer says: "Its true use, however, is perfectly evident -to those who are less fanciful or antiquarian than the generality of -visiters. The picturesque view from this spot, over a small plain set -in a frame of the surrounding mountains and glens which border the -eastern side of Tescocingo, undoubtedly made this recess a favorite -resort for the royal personages at whose expense these costly works -were made. From the surrounding seats, they enjoyed a delicious -prospect over the lovely but secluded scenery, while, in the basin, at -their feet, were gathered the waters of a neighboring spring, -[implying that the basin and aqueduct were not connected] which, -whilst refreshing them after their promenade on the mountain, gurgled -out of its stony channel and fell in a mimic cascade over the -precipitous cliff that terminated their path. It was to this shady -spot that they no doubt retired in the afternoon, when the sun was hot -on the west of the mountain, and here the sovereign and his court, in -all probability, enjoyed the repose and privacy which were denied them -amid the bustle of the city." - -Accounts of the other remains at Tezcocingo are somewhat confused. On -the northern slope is another recess, bordered by seats cut in the -living rock, and leading to a perpendicular cliff on which a calendar -is said to have been carved, but destroyed by the natives in later -days. Traces of a spiral road winding up to the summit were found by -Mayer. Tylor reports a terrace round the hill near the top, some -sculptured blocks on the summit, and a second circular bath. Bullock -speaks of "ruins of a very large building--the cemented stones -remaining in some places covered with stucco, and forming walks and -terraces, but much encumbered with earth fallen from above.... As we -descended our guide showed us in the rock a large reservoir for -supplying with water the palace, whose walls still remained eight feet -high; and as we examined farther, we found that the whole mountain had -been covered with palaces, temples, baths and hanging gardens." -Beaufoy saw a mass of porphyry on the summit, which had been fashioned -artificially and furnished with steps. The whole surface, overgrown -with nopal-bushes, abounds in fragments of pottery, obsidian, cement, -and stone.[IX-72] - - [Sidenote: BOSQUE DEL CONTADOR.] - -North-westward from Tezcuco on the level plain is the Bosque del -Contador, a grove of _ahuehuetes_, or cypresses, arranged in a double -row and enclosing a square area of about ten acres, whose sides face -the cardinal points. The trees are between five and six hundred in -number, some of them forty to fifty feet in circumference, and are -supposed to date from a time preceding the conquest. The ground on -which they stand is firm and somewhat raised above the level of the -surrounding plain, which itself is but little above the waters of the -lake. The enclosed area, however, is soft, miry, and impassable. It is -uncertain whether this area was originally an inland lake surrounded -by trees, or an island grove in the waters of the lake. From the -north-west corner of the square a double row of similar trees extends -some distance westward, and near its termination is a dyke and a -walled tank full of water; at the north-east corner, a rectangular -mass of porphyry is said to project above the surface and to be -surrounded by a ditch; and from this point some traces of a causeway -may be seen extending towards the east. Small stone idols, articles of -pottery, and various small relics have been dug up in and about this -grove, which was not improbably a favorite promenade of the Chichimec, -or Acolhuan monarchs.[IX-73] - -On the hacienda of Chapingo, about a league south of Tezcuco, an -ancient causeway was found in excavating, at a depth of four feet -below the surface, the cedar piles of which were in a good state of -preservation. Under the causeway was the skeleton of a mastodon, and -similar skeletons are said to have been found at other points in the -valley of Mexico.[IX-74] - - [Illustration: Bridge at Huejutla.] - -At Huejutla, also in the vicinity of Tezcuco, a wall was still -standing as late as 1834, which was nearly thirty feet high, between -five and six feet thick, and built of stone and mortar. From bottom to -top the wall was divided into five distinct divisions distinguished by -the arrangement of the stones. The widest of these divisions was built -of cylindrical and oval stones, the rounded ends of which projected -symmetrically. The wall terminates on the east at a ravine, which is -crossed by a bridge of a single span, twenty feet long and forty feet -high. The span is an arch of peculiar construction, being formed of -stone slabs, set on edge, and the interstices filled with mortar. The -irregularities of the stones and the firmness of the mortar support -the structure, forming a near approach to the regular arch as shown in -the cut from Tylor. Its antiquity has been doubted, but the near -approximation to the keystone arch seems to be the only argument -against the theory that it was built by the natives, and as we have -seen a very similar arch in the mounds of Metlaltoyuca, there seems to -be no good reason to attribute it to the Spaniards. This is probably -the bridge known as the Puente de los Bergantines, where Cortes is -said to have launched his brigantines which rendered so efficient -service in the siege of Mexico. The fact that it is set askew instead -of crossing the ravine at right angles with the banks adds greatly to -the difficulty of its construction. Near this place there are also -some heaps of debris, which according to Bullock could be identified -in 1823 as small adobe pyramids; and the foundations of a building and -two reservoirs, one of the latter in good preservation and covered -with rose-colored cement, were mentioned. Beaufoy tells us that in -1826 a serpent's head carved in stone protruded from the ground near -the modern church. A stone column, seven feet high, was among the -relics seen; it had a well-carved pyramidal piece of hornblende on its -top. Two idols of stone were brought away, one of them described by -Latrobe as "an ugly monster of an idol in a sitting posture, deftly -carved in a hard volcanic substance."[IX-75] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF TEOTIHUACAN.] - -Not quite two miles north-east from the little village of San Juan, -and about twenty-five miles in the same direction from Mexico, on the -road to Otumba, are the ruins of Teotihuacan, 'city of the gods,' to -which, according to Brasseur, the names Veitioacan, 'city of signals,' -and Toltecat are sometimes applied in the native traditional -annals.[IX-76] These monuments stand on a plain which slopes gently -towards the south, and are included in a rectangular space of about a -third of a mile from east to west and a mile and a half from north to -south, extending from the Tulancingo road on the north to the Otumba -road on the south, with, however, some small mounds outside of the -limits mentioned. By reason of its nearness to Mexico, Teotihuacan, -like Cholula, has naturally had hundreds of visitors in modern times, -and is more or less fully described by all the early chroniclers. -Humboldt, Bullock, Beaufoy, Ward, Latrobe, Mayer, Thompson, Tylor, and -many other actual visitors have written accounts, which still others -have quoted; but by far the most complete and reliable account, which -is also the latest, is that given in the report of a scientific -commission appointed by the Mexican government in 1864, accompanied by -plates prepared from careful measurements and photographic views. I -have used this report as my chief authority, carefully noting, -however, all points respecting which other authorities differ.[IX-77] - - [Illustration: Plan of Teotihuacan.] - -The annexed cut, reduced from that of Almaraz, shows clearly, on a -scale of about twenty-five hundred and fifty feet to an inch, the plan -of the different monuments. I shall describe them in the following -order:--1st. The Pyramid of the Moon, A of the plan; 2d. The Pyramid -of the Sun, B; 3d. The Road of the Dead, CD; 4th. The Citadel, E; 5th. -The scattered mounds and miscellaneous relics. - - [Sidenote: HOUSE OF THE MOON.] - -The first pyramid, Metztli Itzacual, 'house of the moon,' [I find no -word in Molina's Vocabulary corresponding at all to _Itzacual_ with -the meaning of 'house.' It may be a compound of _calli_ incorrectly -written] the most northern of the remains, measures four hundred and -twenty-six feet north and south, and five hundred and eleven feet east -and west at the base, has a summit platform of about thirty-six by -sixty feet, and is a hundred and thirty-seven feet high, the sides -facing almost exactly the cardinal points.[IX-78] The slope of the -sides, according to Beaufoy's observations, is at an angle of about -forty-five degrees. The pyramid, as seen from a little distance, bears -much resemblance to a natural hill, being overgrown with shrubbery; -still the regular original outlines and angles are much more apparent -here than in the case of Cholula, already described, as is proven by -the photographs taken by the Mexican commission. A terrace, three feet -wide, is plainly visible at a height of sixty-nine feet from the base, -but a close examination shows there were originally three of these -terraces, dividing the pyramid into four stories, except on the east, -which has no terrace, and where the commission mentioned claim to have -found traces of a zigzag road leading up the slope, as shown in the -plan. None but the authority referred to have discovered the zigzag -path, and no other explorers note that the terraces were interrupted -on one side of the pyramid. Humboldt states that the space between the -terraces was divided into smaller grades, or steps, about three feet -high, still visible, and also that there still remained parts of a -stairway of large blocks of hewn stone. Mr Tylor also says, not -referring to this pyramid particularly: "As we climbed up their sides, -we could trace the terraces without any difficulty, and even flights -of steps." There is hardly any other American monument respecting -which the best authorities differ so essentially.[IX-79] - - [Sidenote: HOUSE OF THE MOON.] - -The material of the structure has generally been described as a -conglomerate of small irregular stones and clay, encased, according to -Humboldt and most other writers, in a wall of the porous volcanic -rock, tetzontli; or this facing covered with a coating of stucco, -which is salmon-colored, light blue, streaked, and red, according to -the views of different observers. The Mexican commissioners disagree -with all previous explorers by doing away altogether with the facing -of hewn stone, and representing the facing to consist of different -conglomerates arranged in successive layers, as follows:--1st, small -stones from eight to twelve inches in diameter, with mud, forming a -layer of about thirty-two inches; 2d, fragments of volcanic tufa as -large as a man's fist, also in mud, to the thickness of sixteen -inches; 3d, small grains of tetzontli, of the size of peas, with mud, -twenty-eight inches thick; 4th, a very thin and smooth coat of pure -lime mortar. These layers are repeated in the same order nine times, -and are parallel to the slopes of the pyramid, which would make the -thickness of the superficial facing about sixty feet. There have been -no excavations sufficiently deep to show what may be the material in -the centre. Almaraz states that a somewhat different order and -thickness of the strata was observed in certain excavations, or -galleries, to be described later; but none of these galleries are -described as of sufficient depth to penetrate the facing of sixty -feet, and the exact meaning of the report in question it is very -difficult to determine. I give in a note, however, what others have -said of the building-material.[IX-80] - -The excavation, or gallery, already referred to, extends about -twenty-five feet on an incline into the pyramid from an entrance on -the southern slope, between the second and third terraces according to -Mayer, about sixty-nine feet above the base according to Almaraz. It -is large enough to permit the passage of a man on hands and knees, and -at its inner termination are two square wells, walled with blocks of -volcanic tufa three inches thick, or, as Mayer says, of adobes,--about -five feet square, and one of them fifteen feet deep. No relics -whatever have been found in connection with gallery or wells; Almaraz -speaks of the former as simply excavations by treasure-hunters, and -mentions only one well, without stating its location with respect to -the gallery. Mr Loewenstern states that the gallery is a hundred and -fifty-seven feet long, increasing in height to over six feet and a -half, as it penetrates the pyramid; that the well is over six feet -square, extending apparently down to the base and up to the summit; -and that other cross galleries are blocked up by debris. Still lower -on this slope, at the very base according to the plan, is a small -mound like those scattered over the plain to be described later. Mr -Bullock claims to have found on the summit, in 1823, walls of rough -stones, eight feet high and three feet thick, forming a square -enclosure fourteen by forty-seven feet, with a doorway on the south, -and three windows on each side. This author's unsupported statements -may be taken always with some allowance for the play of his -imagination. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: HOUSE OF THE SUN.] - -Some eight hundred and seventy-five yards south of the House of the -Moon, between it and the Rio San Juan, at B of the plan, stands the -Tonatiuh Itzacual, or 'house of the sun,' also called sometimes in -tradition, according to Brasseur and Veytia, Tonacatecuhtli, 'god of -subsistence.' In material, form, and construction, it is precisely the -same, so far as my authorities go, as its northern companion; indeed, -many of the remarks which I have quoted in the preceding description, -were applied by the authors to both pyramids alike. Its dimensions -are, however, considerably larger, and its sides vary about sixteen -degrees from the cardinal points. It measures at the base seven -hundred and thirty-five feet from east to west, and is two hundred and -three feet high. Beaufoy estimated the size of the summit platform at -sixty by ninety feet.[IX-81] - -This pyramid is in better condition than the other, and the three -terraces are plainly visible, although as before no one but Almaraz -has discovered that they do not extend completely round the four -sides, and the latter author states that the zigzag path on the -eastern slope is much more clearly defined and makes more angles than -that on the House of the Moon. Beaufoy found a path leading up the -slope at the north-west corner, and Humboldt's remarks about a -stairway of stone blocks may apply to this pyramid as well as to the -other. Bullock states that the second terrace is thirty-eight feet -wide. There are no traces of buildings on the summit or of galleries -in the interior, but this, like the other pyramid, has a small mound -on one of its sides near the base, and this mound seems to have -embankments connecting it with the road on the west. The House of the -Sun is also surrounded on the north, south, and east, according to the -report of the Mexican commission, by the embankment _a_, _b_, _c_, -_d_, which is a hundred and thirty feet wide on the summit, and twenty -feet high, with sloping sides, widening out at the extremities, _a_ -and _d_, into unequal rectangular platforms. It is certainly very -remarkable that among the many visitors to Teotihuacan no one had -found any traces of this embankment before 1864. - -Twelve hundred and fifty yards still further south across the stream -is the Texcalpa, 'citadel,' 'palace,' or 'stone house,' as it is -called, or defined, by different writers. The Citadel is a -quadrangular enclosure, whose sides measure twelve hundred and -forty-six and thirteen hundred and thirty-eight feet respectively, or -nine hundred and eighty-four feet square according to Linares, and are -exactly parallel with those of the Pyramid of the Sun. The enclosing -walls, or embankments, are two hundred and sixty-two feet thick and -thirty-three feet high, except on the west side, where it is but -sixteen feet high; their material not being mentioned, but presumably -the same as that of the pyramids. A cross-embankment of smaller -dimensions divides the square area into two unequal parts, and on its -centre stands a smaller pyramid, said by Linares to be ninety-two feet -high, in ruins, having traces of a stairway, or path, on its eastern -slope. Two small mounds stand at the western base of the small -pyramid, one is found in the western enclosure, and fourteen, -averaging twenty feet in height, are symmetrically arranged on the -summit of the main embankments, as shown in the plan. The Citadel in -some of its features seems to bear a slight resemblance to the works -at Tenampua, in Honduras, and at Monte Alban, in Oajaca.[IX-82] - - [Sidenote: PATH OF THE DEAD.] - -Just south of the House of the Moon a line of mounds, C D, forms -nearly a circular enclosure about six hundred feet in diameter, with a -small mound in the centre. From this area two parallel lines of mounds -extend south 15 deg. west, parallel also with the sides of the House of -the Sun and Citadel, for two hundred and fifty rods to the Rio San -Juan, forming an avenue two hundred and fifty feet wide, called by the -natives, as in the Toltec traditions, Micaotli, 'path of the -dead.'[IX-83] The mounds that form this avenue are of conical or -semispherical form, and of different dimensions, the largest being -over thirty feet in height. They are built of stone fragments, earth, -and clay, and stand close together, so as to resemble in some parts a -continuous embankment. Six cross-embankments divide the southern part -of the Path of the Dead into compartments, three of which have a mound -in their centre. Linares represents the avenue as extending four or -five miles beyond the House of the Moon, to the Cerro de Tlaginga; and -Mayer in his plan terminates it on the south at a point opposite the -House of the Sun, where it is crossed by the modern path. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: MOUNDS OF TEOTIHUACAN.] - -Besides the mounds, or _tlalteles_ that form the Path of the Dead, -there are numerous others of the same form and material--being, so far -as known, mere heaps of stone and earth--scattered over the plain, -some of them in lines or groups, with an approach to regularity, and -others with no apparent arrangement. They vary in height from four or -five to twenty-five or thirty feet. Respecting these tlalteles I quote -from Almaraz as follows: "In them many excavations have been made, -causing most of the dilapidation which is noted; some of them executed -for scientific purposes in search of archaeological objects; others -made by ignorant and rapacious persons, impelled by a hope of finding -falsely reported treasures: Neither have there been wanting, and this -is the cause of most of the destruction, persons of evil intentions -who undertake to demolish the ruins in order to obtain the hewn blocks -of porphyry which are used in the construction of their barbarous -dwellings; and they do not even preserve the blocks, but break and -destroy them; in this manner have perished relics truly precious. -Almost under my eyes there were taken from one of the tlalteles eight -hewn blocks four by three and a half feet; the outer faces were -sculptured, representing a strange and grotesque figure, with the head -of a serpent and of some other fierce animal, like a tiger or lion; -they were curved on the outside, and all must have formed a circular -monument seventeen feet in diameter; they were broken up without pity, -although I was able to make a drawing of one of them. In the same -tlaltel were other sculptured stones.... In the houses of San Juan de -Teotihuacan are seen some of these sculptures built into the walls, -and in the Ventilla, near the ruins, I have seen stones representing -in my opinion a serpent.... Of all the objects of this class the most -notable is a monolith found among the debris of a tlaltel, and of -which I give a drawing [see next page.] It is a parallelopipedon ten -feet and a half high, and five feet and a half wide and thick," -weighing, according to the author's calculations, over fifteen tons. -"I had an excavation made in one of the smallest, and found four walls -meeting at right angles and forming a square; they are inclined, and -within are found some steps which are parallel to it [the square]; in -the upper part of these, begin four other walls also inclined, -containing a little room:--I thought it was a tomb, although I have -some doubts about its true object."[IX-84] The people of the vicinity -said that in one of the mounds there had been found a stone box -containing a skull, beads, and various curious relics of beryl, -serpentine, heliotrope, and obsidian. They also claimed to have found -quantities of gold-dust and gold vases. - - [Illustration: Monolith from a Teotihuacan Mound.] - -Humboldt speaks of hundreds of these mounds arranged in streets -running exactly east and west and north and south from the pyramids. -Mayer's plan represents a square area partly enclosed by a line of -tlalteles north-east of the House of the Moon. According to Latrobe, -the mounds extend for miles towards Tezcuco; and Waddy Thompson is -confident that they are the ruins of an ancient city nearly as large -as Mexico. The Citadel he calls the public square of twenty acres with -a stone building in the centre, and he also finds traces of several -other smaller squares. The streets are marked by large piles of rock -resembling--except in size--potato-hills, formed by falling buildings. -In the opinion of this author it is simply absurd to suppose these -heaps to have been formed as separate mounds. Thompson also found a -number of circular niches two feet in diameter on the bank of a ravine -west of the other remains.[IX-85] - - [Illustration: The Fainting-Stone at Teotihuacan.] - -Mayer found, near _i_ of the plan--as nearly as can be determined by -his plan, which differs considerably in detail from the one I have -given--a globular mass of granite nineteen feet eight inches in -circumference; also, near _m_, the stone block shown in the cut. It is -ten feet and a half long, five feet wide, lies exactly east and west, -and is found in the centre of a group of small mounds. The cut shows -the sculpture on the face turned toward the south, that on the top and -north being very indistinct. At _b_ of the cut is a hollow described -as three inches deep at the sides, and six at top and bottom. -Notwithstanding Col. Mayer's opinion to the contrary, it is most -natural to regard this monument as an overturned pillar. The natives -believe that whoever sits or reclines on this stone will immediately -faint.[IX-86] - - [Sidenote: MISCELLANEOUS RELICS.] - -At the time of the Conquest statues of the sun and moon are reported -to have been found on the summits of their respective pyramids. The -gold plates which are said to have covered or decorated these idols -were of course immediately appropriated by the Spanish soldiers, and -the idols themselves broken by order of the priests. Gemelli Careri -claims to have seen fragments of their arms and legs at the base of -the pyramid, and Ramon del Moral assured Veytia that he had found the -colossal head of the statue of the moon, and that the pedestal still -remained in place; Veytia, however, could find no traces of such -relics in 1757, although Ixtlilxochitl and Boturini both claim to have -seen them.[IX-87] Mayer claims to have found well-defined traces of an -ancient road covered with cement, between the ruins and the village. -The whole surfaces of the pyramids, mounds, and much of the -surrounding plain, are literally strewn with the fragments of pottery -and obsidian; and small terra-cotta heads are offered to the visitor -in great quantities for sale, by the natives, who pick them up among -the ruins, or perhaps manufacture them when their search is not -sufficiently fruitful. Many of these heads have been brought away and -sketched, and they are very similar one to another. One of them, -sketched by Mr Vetch, is shown in the cut.[IX-88] - - [Illustration: Terra-Cotta Head--Teotihuacan.] - -The ruins of Teotihuacan, like the pyramid of Cholula, contain no -internal evidences of their age. Its building is attributed in -different records to the Toltecs, Olmecs, and Totonacs, in the very -earliest period of Nahua supremacy. The name Teotihuacan is one of the -very earliest preserved in Nahua annals, and there can be but little -doubt that the pyramids are older than that of Cholula, or that they -were built at least as early as the sixth century, the commencement of -what is regarded as the Toltec era in Anahuac. The pyramids themselves -served, according to tradition, as places of sepulture, but not -altogether for this purpose, for Teotihuacan is spoken of as a great -centre of religious worship and priestly rites, a position it would -not have held had it been simply a burial place. It is altogether -probable that the houses of the Sun and Moon served the double purpose -of tombs and shrines, although there is no proof that any temples -proper ever stood on the summit as at Cholula. These structures are -said to have served as models for the Aztec teocallis of later times. -Don Lucas Alaman, a distinguished Mexican statesman and author, -believed that the numerous terra-cotta heads already spoken of were -relics distributed by the priests to the crowds of pilgrims that -assembled at the shrines.[IX-89] - -At Otumba few relics of antiquity seem to have been discovered; Mayer, -however, gives a cut of a pillar ornamented with geometric sculptured -figures, which is said to have been found by Mr Poinsett. At Tizayuca, -a little north of the lake, a low hill is spoken of with a small hole -in the top, whence issues continually a current of air; I know not -whether there are evidences of anything artificial about this curious -phenomenon of more than doubtful authenticity. The same authority also -mentions some ruined buildings on the hacienda of San Miguel.[IX-90] -Brasseur de Bourbourg tells us that the ruins of Quetzalcoatl's temple -at Tulancingo were visible long after the Conquest, and also speaks of -a subterranean palace called Mictlancalco, and a stone cross -discovered on Mount Meztitlan. Veytia also speaks of the cross of -Meztitlan, sculptured together with a moon on a lofty and almost -inaccessible cliff; and Chaves barely mentions relics of antiquity not -described very definitely.[IX-91] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: OBSIDIAN MINES.] - -At the Cerro de las Navajas, near Monte Jacal, about midway between -Real del Monte and Tulancingo, are the mines or quarries from which -the natives of Anahuac are believed to have obtained the large -quantities of obsidian used by them in the manufacture of their -implements and weapons. The mines are described as openings three or -four feet in diameter and one hundred and ten to one hundred and forty -feet in extent, probably horizontal, with side drifts wherever the -obsidian is of a desirable quality and most abundant. Large quantities -of the material are found in fragments of different shapes and sizes, -which throw some light on the manner in which the Aztecs manufactured -their knives and other implements.[IX-92] In the vicinity of Actopan, -at Mixquiahuala, we are told in a Mexican government report already -often quoted, that clay relics are frequently discovered.[IX-93] At -Atotonilco el Grande, south of Guautla, Mr Burkart found pieces of -obsidian of many-sided pyramidal form, from which knives had -apparently been split off by the natives in ancient times. The art of -working this intractable material has been practically lost in modern -times.[IX-94] - -At Zacualtipan, in the north-eastern portion of Mexico, a very -peculiar monument is described, consisting of a house excavated from a -single stone. A doorway on the south, with columns at its sides, leads -to an apartment measuring about twelve by seven and a half feet, and -ten feet and a half high. The room contains the remains of a kind of -altar and a sculptured cross. A stone bench extends round the sides, -being two feet high and one foot wide. This main room is connected by -a doorway on the west with another very narrow one, in the south end -of which is what is described as a kind of stone bed measuring three -by six feet, all of the same stone. Another stone near by has a bath, -so-called, and still another, known as Caparrosa, has an inscription -painted in red. These remains are of so extraordinary a character, -that in the absence of confirmation the report must be considered -doubtful or erroneous. At Tecomal, north of Lolotla, a stone is -mentioned six feet high, which has six steps leading up to the summit, -where is an oval hole a yard and a half deep.[IX-95] At Monte Penulco -Mr Latrobe speaks of some remains probably of Spanish origin, like -many others that are attributed to the antiguos.[IX-96] - - * * * * * - -Near San Juan de los Llanos, in the extreme north-eastern part of the -state, some forty leagues from the city of Mexico, the existence of a -ruined city was reported late in the eighteenth century on apparently -good authority; but I find no later mention of it. The description -bears some resemblance to that of Metlaltoyuca, discovered in 1865, -just across the line in Vera Cruz, twenty-five or thirty miles -north-east from San Juan. The two groups of remains may be identical, -or the earlier report may refer to other monuments, many of which very -probably exist yet undiscovered in that densely wooded district. The -ruined city near San Juan was described in 1786, by Sr Canete, as -covering an area of one league by three fourths of a league, surrounded -by walls of hewn stone laid without mortar, five to eight feet high -and very thick. A street running from east to west was paved with -volcanic stone, worn smooth, and guarded by battlements, or side walls. -Several ruined temples, sculptured blocks of stone, stone metates and -other implements, stone statues of men and animals--including a -lion--were found here, but all of a rather coarse workmanship. A tall -pine was growing on the summit of one of the temples, and there seemed -to be some evidence that the town had been abandoned for want of a -supply of water.[IX-97] - - [Sidenote: REMAINS AT TULA.] - - [Illustration: Earthen Vase--Tula.] - -At Tula, north-west of the city of Mexico, the ancient Tollan, the -Toltec capital, we are told that extensive ruins remained at the time -of the Conquest,[IX-98] but very few relics have survived to the -present time, although some of the few that have been found here are -of a somewhat extraordinary character. The cut shows both sides of an -earthen vase from Tula, which, as Mayer says, is "of exquisitely -grained and tempered material, and ornamented with figures in -_intaglio_, resembling those found on the monuments in Yucatan."[IX-99] -Villa-Senor y Sanchez, one of the early Spanish writers, names Tula as -one of the many localities where giants' bones had been found.[IX-100] -A commission from the Mexican Geographical Society, composed of Drs -Manfred and Ord,--the latter an old resident of California, who takes -a deep interest in the antiquities and history of the Pacific -States--with Mr Porter C. Bliss,--whose large collection of Mexican -works, with some curious relics of antiquity, has been lately added to -my library--and Sr Garcia y Cubas, made an exploration of Tula and -vicinity in 1873, bringing to light some interesting monuments, of -which an illustrated account was published in the Boletin of the -society. The cut shows a very curious double column of basalt, -somewhat over eight feet high. The sculptured knots are interpreted by -the commissioners mentioned as the _tlalpilli_, or periods of thirteen -years. None of them occur on the reverse of the column. Other relics -discovered by this party included half of what seemed to be a kind of -calendar-stone, a large animal in basalt or monster idol, and some -hieroglyphic sculptures on the cliff of the Cerro de la Malinche. -There were also found the three fragments shown in the cut, which are -interesting as showing an aboriginal method of forming columns not -elsewhere met with in America, a round tenon on one part fitting -closely into a hole in the next. The largest of the three parts shown -is four feet long and two and three fourths feet in diameter. The -material is basalt and the sculpture is said to be well done. Most of -the Tula relics were found at the Cerro del Tesoro, west of the modern -village.[IX-101] - - [Illustration: Basaltic Column--Tula.] - - [Illustration: Parts of a Column--Tula.] - -Gondra speaks of fine pieces of basalt and other stone, about nine -feet long, recently discovered on the hacienda of Tlahuililpan near -Tula, leaving it to be inferred that the blocks were artificially -shaped if not sculptured.[IX-102] Another author says that on the same -hacienda an idol six feet high has been found,[IX-103] and mentions -some ruins of dwellings about Jacala in the Tula district, especially -at Santa Maria de los Alamos and Cerro Prieto, and also a pillar in -the middle of the Rio de Montezuma.[IX-104] Other remains vaguely -reported to exist in this part of the state include a subterranean -arch at Huehuetoca, between Mexico and Tula, built by the natives to -keep the water from the capital; and a group of ruins at Chilcuautla, -among which are those of a temple of stone and mortar, and a pyramid -fifty-five feet long and seven feet high, with steps in a good state -of preservation.[IX-105] - - * * * * * - -Still further north-west in the state of Queretaro, three groups of -antiquities are reported, but very inadequately described. At Pueblito -a league and a half south of the city of Queretaro, said to have been -a favorite resort for Mexican tourists and invalids in the last -century, there stood on a natural elevation, in 1777, the foundations -of a large rectangular building. The walls were built of stones laid -in clay, and were not, when visited, standing above the level of the -ground, one or two feet having been, however, brought to light by -excavation. On the east and west of the main building were two smaller -ones, from which many idols and other relics, including round polished -stones pierced through the centre, are said to have been taken. A -pavement of clay is also spoken of in connection with these ruins. On -the same elevation stood an artificial sugar-loaf-shaped mound, built -of alternate layers of loose stones and mud, having at its summit a -level mesa thirty-three feet in diameter. It is said that many idols, -sculptured fragments, pedestals, architectural decorations, and flint -arrow-heads from Pueblito, were sent to enrich collections in the city -of Mexico. The only writer on the subject, Sr Morfi, attempts some -descriptions of the sculpture, but as is usual with such accounts -unaccompanied by cuts, they convey no idea whatever of the subjects -treated. Certain adobe ruins of doubtful antiquity were also shown to -the author mentioned.[IX-106] - - [Sidenote: CANOAS AND RANAS.] - -In the Sierra de Canoas, between thirty and forty miles north-east of -Queretaro, is a steep hill known as Cerro de la Ciudad, the summit of -which is very strongly fortified. A lithographic plate showing a -general view of the hill is given in a Mexican government report, but -I do not copy it because the view is too distant to show anything -further than what has already been said; namely, that the hill is -steep, and the summit covered with strong stone fortifications. -Another plate shows simply the arrangement of the stones, which are -brick-shaped blocks, whose dimensions are not given, laid in a mortar -of reddish clay and lime. There are in all forty-five defensive works -on the hill, including a wall about forty feet in height, and a -rectangular platform with an area of five thousand square feet. Some -large trees, one of them three hundred years old by its rings, are -growing over the ruins. It is very unfortunate that we have no ground -plan of these fortifications.[IX-107] - -Two or three leagues north-west of the ruins last mentioned is the -rancheria of Ranas, situated in a small valley enclosed by hills on -every side, on the summits of most of which are still to be seen -traces of an ancient population. The fortifications on these hills -seem to resemble, so far as may be determined by the slight accounts -extant, those of the barranca-girt peninsular plateaux of Vera Cruz. -One hill-summit on the north has a pyramid sixty-five feet square at -the base, with four stairways leading to the top. Near the pyramid is -a burial mound, or _cuicillo_, in which with a human skeleton were -found marine shells, pottery, and beads. The cuicillos are numerous -throughout the whole region, and marine shells are of frequent -occurrence in them. From a mound in the vicinity of San Juan Del Rio -some idols were taken as well.[IX-108] - -From an article read before the Mexican Geographical Society by Sr -Ballesteros in 1872, I quote the following extracts: "What all down to -the present time called cities (Canoas and Ranas), are only the -fortified points which guarded the city proper, which was situated -between the two at the point called Ranas, where was the residence of -the monarch. In a region absolutely broken up and cut in all -directions by enormous barrancas, caused by the sinking of whole -mountains, the settlement could not be symmetrically laid out, but was -scattered, as it is still found, in the bottom of ravines, on the -slopes and tops of the hills for many leagues." A small lake, and a -perennial spring are supposed to have been the attractions of this -locality in the eyes of the ancient people. "On all the hills about -are still seen vestiges of their monuments, particularly what are -called cuicillos, scattered in every direction from the pueblo of El -Doctor to the banks of the streams that drain the valley opposite -Zimapan, and even to that of Estorax. Although beforehand I believed -that the capital was situated in the central part of Ranas, still this -idea was rather vague; but now I think I may be sure of it, since I -have found a place surrounded with little elevations, with all the -signs of a circular plaza, with many remains of monuments, which have -been destroyed through ignorance and greed. In my presence were -destroyed the last remains of a cuicillo to found a house, the work -not being checked by the presence of the bodies of a man and woman, -whose skulls, which I wished to remove, were reduced to dust by the -simple touch of the hand. This circumstance may serve to-day as a -proof that the cuicillos are nothing but mortuary monuments erected -over the sepulchres of persons of rank, more or less grand according -to the power of the pueblo, or of the relatives of the deceased." "The -idea of a remote antiquity is proved by the presence of the remains of -very large oaks which sprang up among the edifices, grew and died, and -from the ashes of which others equally large have grown up and cover -to-day the majestic remains with their shade." "The summit of the hill -on which it [the fortification] was founded is somewhat over a quarter -of a league long, and between wall and wall there is room for three -thousand men without crowding. The terrible sinking of the mountains -cut down the cliffs, which are perpendicular on the north to a height -of over eleven hundred feet. On the brow of the cliff was built the -superimposed wall of stone, of a very considerable thickness, and -terraced on the interior where the warriors were sheltered. On the -highest part of the wall there is a kind of tower, the height of which -from the bottom of the ravine is not less than sixteen hundred and -fifty feet. The hill has only one entrance, but at the same time it -has three projecting points which impeded the enemy from approaching -in sufficient numbers to make an assault. At this same point is the -tower which was perhaps the residence of the chief of the fortress, -the view from which commanded the only two roads by which the enemies -could approach." "The two fortifications (Canoas and Ranas) are about -two leagues distant one from the other, and throughout the whole -extent are seen the remains of the settlement, which territory the -natives still inhabit. That of Canoas guards the entrance of Zimapan -by way of Santo Domingo and Maconi; and that of Ranas protects the -approach to Cadereyta and Pinal de Amoles."[IX-109] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: MISCELLANEOUS REMAINS.] - -I have now mentioned all the relics of antiquity that have been found -in stated localities within the central Mexican region, which was to -constitute the geographical basis of this chapter. Besides these -relics, however, there are very many others in antiquarian -collections, public or private, in different parts of the world, -respecting which all that is known is that they are Mexican, that is, -were brought from some part of the Mexican Republic, or even from the -northern Central American states. Probably a larger part did actually -originate in that part of the Republic which has been treated of in -the present and the two preceding chapters. Very few, if any, came -from the broad northern regions, whose few scattered remains will form -the subject of the following chapter. Neither do the general remarks -of different writers on Mexican antiquities refer, except very -slightly, to any northern monuments; consequently I may introduce here -better than elsewhere such miscellaneous matter as would naturally -come at the close of my description of Nahua antiquities. - - [Sidenote: THE MEXICAN MUSEUM.] - -The collections in the city of Mexico, embracing relics of aboriginal -times gathered at different dates from all parts of the country, are -described by travelers as very rich, but little cared for. The public -collections were gradually united in the National Museum, where it is -to be supposed they are still preserved and cared for under government -auspices. M. de Waldeck at one time undertook the work of publishing -lithographic plates of the relics in the Museum, but never completed -it, and so far as I know no systematic catalogue has ever been given -to the public. Every visitor to the city has had something to say of -these monuments, but most have given their attention to the -calendar-stone, and a few other well-known and famous objects. Many -copies have been made by traveling artists, and such is the source -whence many of the cuts in the preceding pages have been taken. -Respecting the various private collections of Mexico, frequently -changing hands, and scattered more or less to foreign lands at every -succeeding revolution, I do not deem it important to notice them in -this place, especially as I have no information about their present -number and condition, or the effects of the French intervention. - -M. de Fossey represents the Museum as containing "a hundred masks of -obsidian, of serpentine, and of marble; a collection of vases of -marble and clay; implements in clay, in wood, and in stone; metallic -mirrors; amulets and ornaments in agate, coral, and shell," all in -great confusion.[IX-110] Mr Mayer gives perhaps the most complete -account of the monuments gathered in this and some other collections -in the city of Mexico, illustrated by many cuts besides those which I -have had occasion to copy or to mention in describing the monuments of -particular localities. I make some quotations from this author -respecting miscellaneous objects. "In the city of Mexico I constantly -saw serpents, carved in stone, in the various collections of -antiquities. One was presented to me by the Conde del Penasco, and the -drawings below represent the figures of two 'feathered serpents,' -which, after considerable labor I disinterred (I may say,) from a heap -of dirt and rubbish, old boxes, chicken-coops, and decayed fruit, in -the court-yard of the University." "The carving with which they are -covered is executed with a neatness and gracefulness that would make -them, as mere ornaments, worthy of the chisel of an ancient sculptor." -"On the benches around the walls, and scattered over the floor, are -numberless figures of dogs, monkeys, lizards, birds, serpents, all in -seemingly inextricable confusion and utter neglect." A mortar of -basalt with a coiled serpent round the rim, and a beautifully cut -human head of the same material. "In the adjoining cases [of the -Museum] are all the smaller Mexican antiquities, which have been -gathered together by the labor of many years, and arranged with some -attention to system. In one department you find the hatchets used by -the Indians; the ornaments of beads of obsidian and stone worn round -their necks; the mirrors of obsidian; the masks of the same material, -which they hung at different seasons before the faces of their idols; -their bows and arrows, and arrow-heads of obsidian, some of them so -small and beautifully cut, that the smallest birds might be killed -without injuring their plumage. In another department are the smaller -idols of the ancient Indians, in clay and stone, specimens of which, -together with the small domestic altars and vases for burning incense, -are exhibited in the following [IX-7] drawings. Many of these figures -were doubtless worn suspended around the neck, or hung on the walls of -houses, as several are pierced with holes, through which cords have -evidently passed. In the next place is a collection of Mexican vases -and cups, most of which were discovered ... in the Island of -Sacrificios," and have consequently been already mentioned. There -follow cuts of an axe and two pipes; nine small clay idols; and seven -musical instruments. Sixteen cuts of objects from the Penasco -collection are also given.[IX-111] - - [Illustration: Bronze Bells--Christy Collection.] - -Mr Tylor tells us that the Uhde collection at Heidelberg is a far -finer one than that in Mexico, except in the department of -picture-writings; it contains a large number of stone idols and -trinkets, pipes, and calendars. The Christy collection in London is -particularly rich in small sculptured figures, many of them from -Central America. It includes the squatting female figure carved from -hard black basalt, fifteen inches high and seven and a half inches -wide, described by Humboldt as an Aztec priestess;[IX-112] and also -bronze needles and the bronze bells shown in the cut, which I take -from Tylor. The same author also describes and illustrates various -other relics seen by him in Mexican and European collections. These -include stone and obsidian knives, spear-heads, and arrow-heads; heads -and small idols in terra cotta; pottery, consisting of vases, altars, -censers, rattles, flageolets, and whistles; and masks of obsidian, -stone, wood, and terra-cotta. Respecting obsidian relics Mr Tylor -says, "Anyone who does not know obsidian may imagine great masses of -bottle-glass, such as our orthodox ugly wine bottles are made of, very -hard, very brittle, and--if one breaks it with any ordinary -implement--going, as glass does, in every direction but the right -one." "Out of this rather unpromising stuff the Mexicans made knives, -razors, arrow- and spear-heads, and other things, some of great -beauty. I say nothing of the polished obsidian mirrors and ornaments, -nor even of the curious masks of the human face that are to be seen in -collections, for these were only laboriously cut and polished with -jewelers' sand, to us a common-place process." "We got several -obsidian maces or lance-heads--one about ten inches long--which were -taper from base to point, and covered with taper flutings; and there -are other things which present great difficulties." "The axes and -chisels of stone are so exactly like those found in Europe that it is -quite impossible to distinguish them. The bronze hatchet-blades are -thin and flat, slightly thickened at the sides to give them strength, -and mostly of a very peculiar shape, something like a "T", -but still more resembling the section of a mushroom cut vertically -through the middle of the stalk."[IX-113] These supposed hatchets -were, according to some authorities, coins. They are extremely light -to be used as hatchets. "Many specimens are to be seen of the red and -black ware of Cholula." "The terra-cotta rattles are very -characteristic. They have little balls in them which shake about, and -they puzzled us much as the apple-dumpling did good King George, for -we could not make out very easily how the balls got inside. They were -probably attached very slightly to the inside, and so baked and then -broken loose." A cut is given of a brown lava mask from the Christy -collection, which seems to have some sculptured figures on the -inside.[IX-114] - - [Illustration: Mosaic Knife--Christy Collection.] - - [Sidenote: MOSAIC WORK.] - -There are three very remarkable mosaic relics in the Christy -collection, one of which is the knife represented in the cut, which I -take from Waldeck's fine colored plate, although most of the -information respecting these relics comes from Tylor. The blade is of -a semi-translucent chalcedony found in the volcanic regions of Mexico. -The uncolored cut gives but a faint idea of the beauty of the handle, -which is covered with a complicated mosaic work of a bright green -turquoise, malachite, and both white and red shell. It is certainly -most extraordinary to find a people still in the stone age, as is -proved by the blade, able to execute so perfect a piece of work as the -handle exhibits. Two masks of the same style of workmanship are -preserved in the same collection. "The mask of wood is covered with -minute pieces of turquoise--cut and polished, accurately fitted, many -thousands in number, and set on a dark gum or cement. The eyes, -however, are acute-oval patches of mother-of-pearl; and there are two -small square patches of the same on the temples, through which a -string passed to suspend the mask; and the teeth are of hard white -shell. The eyes are perforated, and so are the nostrils, and the upper -and lower teeth are separated by a transverse chink.... The face, -which is well-proportioned, pleasing, and of great symmetry, is -studded also with numerous projecting pieces of turquoise, rounded and -polished." The wood is the fragrant cedar or cypress of Mexico. The -knife handle is "sculptured in the form of a crouching human figure, -covered with the skin of an eagle, and presenting the well-known and -distinctive Aztec type of the human head issuing from the mouth of an -animal." "The second mask is yet more distinctive. The incrustation of -turquoise-mosaic is placed on the forehead, face, and jaws of a human -skull.... The mosaic of turquoise is interrupted by three broad -transverse bands, on the forehead, face, and chin, of a mosaic of -obsidian similarly cut (but in larger pieces) and highly polished,--a -very unusual treatment of this difficult and intractable material, the -use of which in any artistic way, appears to have been confined to the -Aztecs (with the exception, perhaps, of the Egyptians). The eye-balls -are nodules of iron-pyrites, cut hemispherically and highly polished, -and are surrounded by circles of hard white shell, similar to that -forming the teeth of the wooden mask. The Aztecs made their mirrors of -iron-pyrites polished, and are the only people who are known to have -put this material to ornamental use." These mosaic relics, and two -similar but damaged masks at Copenhagen, are probably American, if not -Aztec; but this cannot be directly proved; for while something is -known of their European history, their origin cannot be definitely -ascertained.[IX-115] - - [Illustration: Image of Huitzilopochtli.] - - [Sidenote: THE AZTEC HUITZILOPOCHTLI.] - -The image shown in the following cut is given by Sr Gondra as -representing the Aztec deity Huitzilopochtli, although he gives no -reason for the opinion; nor does he name the material, or dimensions -of the relic. Sr Chavero also speaks of several images of the same -god, in his possession or seen by him. They are of sandstone, granite, -marble, quartz, and one of solid gold. Several had a well-defined -beard.[IX-116] Gondra gives plates of many weapons, implements of -sculpture and sacrifice, funeral urns, and musical instruments. The -_macana_, an Aztec aboriginal weapon, shown in the cut, is copied from -one of his plates. The material is probably a basaltic stone.[IX-117] - - [Illustration: An Aztec Macana.] - -In 1831 a report was made to the French Geographical Society on a -collection of drawings of Mexican antiquities executed by M. Franck. -This collection embraced drawings of about six hundred objects, most -of them from the National Museum in Mexico; eighty in the museum of -the Philosophical Society at Philadelphia; forty in the Penasco -collection in Mexico, and others belonging to Castaneda and other -private individuals. They were classified as follows: one hundred and -eighty figures of men and women; fifty-five human heads in stone or -clay; thirty masks and busts; twenty heads of different animals; -seventy-five vases; forty ornaments; six bas-reliefs; six fragments; -thirty-three flageolets and whistles; and a miscellaneous collection -of weapons, implements, and divers objects.[IX-118] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.] - - [Illustration: Aztec Flageolet.] - - [Illustration: Terra-Cotta Musical Instrument.] - -Sixteen specimens of Mexican relics, in the possession of M. -Latour-Allard in Paris, are represented by Kingsborough unaccompanied -by explanations. The objects are mostly sculptured heads, idols, and -animals. Bullock also gives plates of six Mexican idols, about which -nothing definite is said; Humboldt pictures an idol carried by him -from Mexico to Berlin; and Nebel's plates show about thirty -miscellaneous relics, in addition to those that have been already -mentioned. Humboldt also gives an Aztec hatchet of green feldspath or -jade, which has incised figures on its surface. He remarks that he -never has found this material 'in place' in Mexico, although axes made -of it are common enough.[IX-119] The two musical instruments shown in -the cuts are taken from Waldeck's plates. Their material is terra -cotta.[IX-120] Other miscellaneous cuts and descriptions are given in -the work of the German traveler Mueller, and in the appendix to the -German translation of Del Rio and Cabrera.[IX-121] Jose Maria -Bustamante told Mr Lyon of an obsidian ring, carried away by Humboldt, -which was perforated round the circumference so that a straw -introduced at one side would traverse the circle and come out again at -the same opening.[IX-122] The two idols shown in the cut were copied -by Kingsborough's artist in the British Museum. The figures of the cut -are one sixth of the original size.[IX-123] Prescott tells us that "a -great collection of ancient pottery, with various other specimens of -Aztec art, the gift of Messrs Poinsett and Keating, is deposited in -the cabinet of the American Philosophical Society, at Philadelphia," a -list of the relics having been printed in the _Transactions_ of that -Society.[IX-124] - - [Illustration: Aztec Idols--British Museum.] - - [Illustration: Phallic Relic in National Museum.] - - [Sidenote: HIEROGLYPHIC SCULPTURES.] - -The preceding cut represents a serpentine relic preserved in the -National Museum, and shown to Col. Mayer--from whose album I copy -it--by Sr Gondra as a 'cosa muy curiosa.' - - [Illustration: Serpentine Hieroglyphic Block.] - -Four interesting sculptured stones are represented and their -inscriptions interpreted by Sr Ramirez, in a Spanish edition of -Prescott's work. The first is a cylinder twenty-six inches long, -eleven inches in diameter, representing a bundle of straight sticks -bound with a double rope at each end. There are hieroglyphic -sculptures on one side and both ends, which are interpreted by Sr -Ramirez as a record of the feast which was celebrated at the last -'binding up of the years' in 1507. The second is a block of black lava -thirteen and a half by twelve and a half inches, bearing a serpent -carved in low relief. The third is a similar block somewhat larger, -with a sculptured inscription, supposed to represent the date of -November 28, 1456. The fourth monument is that shown in the cut. It is -a block of green serpentine, measuring thirty-eight by twenty-six -inches. According to the meaning attributed to the sculptures by -Ramirez, the lower inscription is the year 8 Acatl, or 1487; the upper -part shows the day 7 Acatl, or February 19. The left hand figure is -supposed to represent Ahuitzotl, and that on the right Tizoc. The -event commemorated by the whole sculpture is thought to be the -dedication of the great temple of Mexico, begun by Tizoc and completed -by Ahuitzotl. The same block is shown in one of Waldeck's -plates.[IX-125] I may also notice a small collection of Mexican relics -in my possession, obtained by Porter C. Bliss during his travels in -the country. This collection includes a grotesque mask of clay; a head -of terra-cotta, eight inches high and six inches wide, including -head-dress; a small head carved from limestone; a wooden teponaztli; a -copper coin or hatchet; five terra-cotta faces, whose dimensions are -generally about two inches; six fragments of pottery, mostly -ornamented with raised and indented figures--one with raised figures -added after the vessel was completed, one with painted figures, one -glazed, and one apparently engraved; and seven fragments, some of -which seem to have been handles or legs of large vessels. - -I close my description of Mexican Antiquities with the two following -quotations, somewhat at variance with the matter contained in the -preceding pages. "This, like other American countries, is of too -recent civilization to exhibit any monuments of antiquity."[IX-126] "I -am informed by a person who resided long in New Spain and visited -almost every province of it, that there is not, in all the extent of -that vast empire, any monument or vestige of any building more ancient -than the conquest, nor of any bridge or highway, except some remains -of the causeway from Guadaloupe to the gate of Mexico."[IX-127] I give -in a note a list of authorities which contain descriptions more or -less complete of Mexican relics, but no information in addition to -what has been presented.[IX-128] - - [Sidenote: NAHUA MONUMENTS.] - -No general view or resume of Nahua monuments seems necessary here, nor -are extensive concluding remarks called for, in addition to what has -been said in connection with particular groups of monuments, and to -the conclusions which the reader of the preceding pages will naturally -form. The most important bearing of the monuments as a whole is as a -confirmation of the Nahua civilization as it was found to exist in -the sixteenth century, reported in the pages of the conquerors and -early chroniclers, and as it has been exhibited in a preceding volume. -That there were exaggerations in the reports that have come down to us -is doubtless true, as it is very natural; but a people who could -execute the works that have been described and pictured in this and -the two preceding chapters, were surely far advanced in many of the -elements of what is termed civilization. And all this they did, it -must be remembered, while practically still in their 'stone age;' for -although copper was used by them, it has been seen that implements of -that metal but rarely occur in the list of relics described. It is -doubtful if any known people ever advanced so far under similar -circumstances--that is in their 'stone age,' or in the earlier stages -of their 'bronze age'--as did the Nahuas and Mayas of this continent. - -Not only do the northern monuments confirm the reported culture -existing at the Conquest, but they agree, so far as they go, with the -traditional annals of Anahuac during the centuries preceding the -coming of the Spaniards. Teotihuacan and Cholula differ from any works -of the later Nahua epochs; while Xochicalco and Mitla are far superior -to any known works of the Aztecs proper. All remains sustain the -traditions that the Aztecs were superior to their neighbors chiefly in -the arts of war, and that the older inhabitants were more devoted to -the arts of architecture and sculpture, if not more skillful in the -practice of them, than their successors. Still, this must not be -understood to indicate anything like a permanent deterioration, or the -beginning of a backward march of civilization, whose march is ever -onward, although making but little account of centuries or -generations. - - [Sidenote: NAHUA AND MAYA RELICS.] - -The comparison of Nahua with Maya monuments is a most interesting -subject, into the details of which I do not propose to enter. In the -use of the pyramidal structure, common to both branches of American -civilized nations, and in a few sculptured emblems there is doubtless -a resemblance; but this likeness is utterly insufficient to support -what has been in the past a favorite theory among writers on the -subject;--namely, that of a civilized people migrating slowly -southward, and leaving behind them traces of a gradually improving but -identical culture. The resemblances in question have in my opinion -been greatly exaggerated, and are altogether outnumbered and -outweighed by the marked contrasts, which, as they exist between the -monuments of Yucatan and Chiapas, and those of Mexico and Vera Cruz, -do not need to be pointed out to one who has studied the preceding -descriptions. It is true that the best architectural specimens of -Nahua art have been entirely destroyed, still there is no reason to -doubt that if they could be partially restored they would resemble the -structures of Vera Cruz, or at best, Xochicalco, rather than those of -Uxmal and Palenque. - -The differences between the northern and southern remains, while far -more clearly marked than the resemblances, and constituting a much -more forcible argument against than in favor of the theory that all -American peoples are identical, must yet not be regarded as in any way -conclusive in the matter; for it may be noticed that the likeness is -very vague between the Nicaraguan idols of stone and those carved by -the hands of the northern Aztecs. Yet the peoples were doubtless -identical in blood and language, as the divinities which the -respective artists attempted to symbolize in stone were the same. The -reader will probably agree with me in the conclusion that, while a -comparison of northern and southern monuments is far from proving or -disproving the original identity of the Civilized Races of the Pacific -States, yet it goes far to show, in connection with the evidence of -language, tradition, and institutions, a Nahua and a Maya culture, -progressing in separate paths,--though not without contact, friction, -and intermingling,--during a long course of centuries. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[IX-1] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., p. 14, pl. xviii., fig. 53-4; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 243, vol. vi., p. 442, vol. iv., pl. xvi., -fig. 53-4; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., p. 47. - -[IX-2] 'No subsisten de el sino unas grandes ruinas de templo y -caserias de cal y canto, situadas en ladera de unos cerritos.' -_Dupaix_, 1st exped., p. 5; _Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 211, vol. vi., -p. 423. - -[IX-3] _Dupaix_, 1st exped., p. 4, pl. iii., fig. 3; _Kingsborough_, -vol. v., p. 211, vol. vi., p. 422, vol. iv., pl. ii., fig. 5. 'On y -monte, du cote de l'ouest, par une rampe tracee de gauche a droite -pour le premier etage, de droite a gauche pour le second, et ainsi de -suite jusqu'au dernier.' _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. -i., p. 26; _Klemm_, _Cultur-Geschichte_, tom. v., p. 157. - -[IX-4] _Dupaix_, 3d exped., p. 5, pl. i., ii., fig. 1-3; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 285-6, vol. vi., p. 467, vol. iv., pl. -i., ii., fig. 1-3. According to Dupaix's plate the sides and summit -platform are covered with plaster. Kingsborough's plate omits the -coating of plaster and shows the remains of a ninth story. A scale -attached to the latter plate would indicate that the pyramid has a -base of 150 feet and is about 75 feet high. _Lenoir_, p. 69. - -[IX-5] _Dupaix_, 1st exped., pp. 3-4, pl. i.-ii., fig. 1, 2; 2d -exped., p. 51, pl. lxi., fig. 117; _Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. -209-10, vol. vi., pp. 421-2, vol. iv., pl. i., fig. 1-4; _Lenoir_, in -_Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., pp. 22, 25-6, 63. - -[IX-6] _Dupaix_, 1st exped., p. 10, pl. xii., fig. 13; _Kingsborough_, -vol. v., p. 217, vol. vi., p. 426, vol. iv., pl. vi., fig. 16; -_Lenoir_, p. 30. Kingsborough's plate makes the blocks of stone much -smaller than the other, shows no plaster, and represents the walls of -the summit building as still standing. Kingsborough also incorrectly -translates 'antes de San Andres,' 'formerly San Andres.' _Klemm_, -_Cultur-Geschichte_, tom. v., p. 157. - -[IX-7] _Dupaix_, 1st exped., pp. 12-13, pl. xvii-xxii., fig. 19-24; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 219-20, vol. vi., pp. 427-8, vol. iv., -pl. ix.-xi., fig. 21-4; _Lenoir_, pp. 31-3. - -[IX-8] _Dupaix_, p. 11, pl. xvii., fig. 18, not in Kingsborough. - -[IX-9] _Dupaix_, 1st exped., p. 13, pl. xxiii.-iv., fig. 25-6; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 220, vol. vi., p. 428, vol. iv., pl. xii., -fig. 25-6; _Lenoir_, p. 33. - -[IX-10] On the building and history of the pyramid, see, among many -others, _Veytia_, _Hist. Ant. Mej._, tom. i., pp. 18-19, 155-6, -199-205; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iv., pp. -182-3. - -[IX-11] _Clavigero_, _Storia Ant. del Messico_, tom. ii., pp. 33-4; -_Humboldt_, _Essai Pol._, pp. 239-40; _Id._, _Vues_, tom. i., pp. -96-124, pl. iii. (fol. ed. pl. vii., viii.); _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, -suppl. pl. ii.; _Dupaix_, 1st exped., p. ii., pl. xvi., fig. 17; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 218, vol. iv., pl. viii., fig. 20. It is -to be noted that there is not the slightest resemblance between the -two editions of Castaneda's drawing. _Nebel_, _Viage Pintoresco_, with -large colored plate. Other visitors to Cholula, whose accounts contain -more or less original information, are:--Poinsett, 1822, _Notes_, pp. -57-9; Bullock, 1823, _Mexico_, pp. 111-15--no plate, although the -author made a drawing; Ward, 1825, _Mexico_, vol. ii., p. 269; -Beaufoy, 1826, _Mexican Illustr._, pp. 193-5, with cuts; Latrobe, -1834, _Rambler in Mex._, p. 275; Mayer, 1841, _Mexico as it Was_, p. -26; _Mex. Aztec_, vol. ii., p. 228, with cut; _Id._, in _Schoolcraft's -Arch._, vol. vi., p. 582; Thompson, 1842, _Recollections of Mex._, p. -30; Tylor, 1856, _Anahuac_, pp. 274-7; Evans, 1869, _Our Sister -Republic_, pp. 428-32, with cut. Still other references on the -subject, containing for the most part nothing except what is gathered -from the preceding works, are:--_Robertson's Hist. Amer._ (8vo. ed. -1777), vol. i., p. 268; _Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, -tom. iii., pp. 37-45, pl. vi.; _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. -70; _Lafond_, _Voyages_, tom. i., pp. 137-8; _Armin_, _Heutige Mex._, -pp. 63, 68, 72; _Wilson's Mex. and her Religion_, pp. 95-9; _Amer. -Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. i., p. 256, etc., from _Humboldt_, with -cut; _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, p. 90; _Baril_, _Mex._, p. 193; -_Beltrami_, _Mexique_, tom. ii., pp. 283-8; _DeBercy_, _L'Europe et -L'Amer._, tom. ii., p. 235, etc.; _Brackett's Brigade in Mex._, pp. -154-5; _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 76-7; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, -_Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 301, et seq.; _Calderon de la Barca's -Life in Mex._, vol. ii., p. 97; _Chevalier_, _Mex._, pp. 55-6; _Id._, -_Mex. Ancien et Mod._, pp. 174-9; _Combier_, _Voyage_, pp. 385-6; -_Dally_, _Sur les Races Indig._, p. 17; _Davis' Anc. Amer._, p. 9; -_Donnavan's Adven._, p. 98; _D'Orbigny_, _Voyage_, p. 331; _Fossey_, -_Mex._, p. 111; _Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, p. 246; _Heller_, _Reisen_, -pp. 131-2; _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1835, tom. lxv., pp. 363-4; -_Delafield's Antiq. Amer._, p. 57; _Jourdanet_, _Mexique_, p. 20; -_Larenaudiere_, _Mex. Guat._, pp. 24, 45-6, plate from Dupaix; -_Loewenstern_, _Mexique_, pp. 48-9; _Malte-Brun_, _Precis de la Geog._, -tom. vi., pp. 461-2; _Marmier_, _Voyageurs_, tom. iii., pp. 328-9; -_Mexico, Country, etc._, p. 14; _Mex. in 1842_, pp. 80-1; _Mexico, A -Trip to_, pp. 59-60; _Mill's Hist. Mex._, p. 140; _Muehlenpfordt_, -_Mejico_, tom. ii., pp. 232-3, 236; _Mueller_, _Amerikanische -Urreligionen_, pp. 458-9, 581; _Pages_, _Nouveau Voy._, tom. ii., pp. -385-7; _Prescott's Mex._, vol. i., p. 60, vol. ii., pp. 6-8, 26, vol. -iii., p. 380; _Shepard's Land of the Aztecs_, p. 128; _Saturday Mag._, -vol. v., pp. 175-6; _Scherr_, _Trauerspiel_, pp. 29-30; _Stapp's -Prisoners of Perote_, pp. 107-8; _Thuemmel_, _Mexiko_, pp. 261-2; -_Tudor's Nar._, vol. ii., pp. 208-9; _Vigneaux_, _Souv. Mex._, p. 531; -_Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, pp. 32, 36, 180, 182; _Warden_, -_Recherches_, pp. 66-7; _Willson's Amer. Hist._, pp. 60-1, 73; -_Yonge's Mod. Hist._, p. 38; _Frost's Pict. Hist._, pp. 37-8; -_Hermosa_, _Manual Geog._, pp. 140-1; _Taylor's Eldorado_, vol. ii., -p. 181; _Wortley's Trav._, pp. 230-1, etc.; _McCulloh's Researches in -Amer._, p. 252; _Gemelli Careri_, in _Churchill_, _Col. Voy._, vol. -iv., p. 519; _Escalera_ and _Llana_, _Mej. Hist. Descrip._, pp. 205-6; -_Klemm_, _Cultur-Geschichte_, tom. v., p. 156; _Alcedo_, -_Diccionario_, tom. i., p. 550; _Democratic Review_, vol. xxvii., p. -425, vol. xxvi., pp. 546-7, vol. xi., p. 612; _Mansfield's Mex. War_, -p. 207; _Macgillivray's Life Humboldt_, pp. 292, 312-13; _Conder's -Mex. Guat._, vol. i., pp. 258-9, plate from Humboldt; _Prichard's Nat. -Hist. Man_, vol. ii., p. 509. - -[IX-12] 'The large mound of earth at Cholula which the Spaniards -dignified with the name of temple, still remains, but without any -steps by which to ascend, or any facing of stone. It appears now like -a natural mount, covered with grass and shrubs, and possibly it was -never anything more.' _Robertson's Hist. Amer._, vol. i., p. 269. 'A -le voir de loin, on seroit en effet tente de le prendre pour une -colline naturelle couverte de vegetation.' 'Elle est tres-bien -conservee du cote de l'ouest, et c'est la face occidentale que -presente la gravure que nous publions.' _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. i., -pp. 104-5. - -[IX-13] The dimensions of base, height, and summit platform -respectively, as given by different authorities, are as follows: -439x54x64-3/4 metres, _Humboldt_; 530x66 varas, _Nebel_; 1069x204x165 -feet, _Mayer_, according to a careful measurement by a U. S. official -in 1847; 40 varas square by actual measurement! _Dupaix_; 1423x177x208 -feet, _Prescott_; 1425x177x175 feet, _Latrobe_; 1301x162x177 feet, -_Poinsett_; About 200 feet high, _Tylor_; 1310x205 feet, _Wilson_; -1335x172 feet, _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, p. 345; 1355x170 feet, -_Ampere_, _Promenade_, tom. ii., pp. 374-80; 1388x170 feet, summit -13285 sq. feet, _Heller_, _Reisen_, pp. 131-2; said to cover an area -of over 43 acres and to be 179 feet high, but it seems much smaller -and higher. _Evans' Our Sister Rep._, pp. 428-32. - -[IX-14] _Veytia_, _Hist. Ant. Mej._, tom. i., pp. 155-6. - -[IX-15] _Heller_, _Reisen_, pp. 131-2. - -[IX-16] _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. i., pp. 127-8. - -[IX-17] Foster, _Pre-Hist. Races_, p. 345, believes, on the contrary, -that the pyramid was erected with the sole object of enshrining in an -interior chamber of stone two corpses, showing that 'the industry of -the great mass of the population was at the absolute command of the -few.' - -[IX-18] _Wilson's Mex. and its Relig._, pp. 95, 99. See a restoration -of Cholula, by Mothes, in _Armin_, _Heutige Mex._, pp. 63, 68, 72. - -[IX-19] _Ampere_, _Promenade_, tom. ii., pp. 373, 380. 'On decouvre -encore, du cote occidental, vis-a-vis du Cerro de Tecaxete et de -Zapoteca, deux masses parfaitement prismatiques. L'une de ces masses -porte aujourd'hui le nom d'Alcosac ou d'Istenenetl, l'autre celui du -Cerro de la Cruz; la derniere, construite en pise, n'est elevee que de -15 metres.' _Humboldt_, _Essai Pol._, pp. 240-1. - -[IX-20] _Dupaix_, 1st exped., pp. 10-11, pl. xiii.-v., fig. 14-16; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 218; vol. vi., p. 427, vol. iv., pl. -viii., fig. 17-18; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., pp. -23, 30. - -[IX-21] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., p. 52. - -[IX-22] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 52-3, pl. lx., lxii., fig. 118-19; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 279, vol. vi., p. 464, vol. iv., pl. lii., -fig. 120-1; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, p. 63. - -[IX-23] _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. ii., pp. 265-6. - -[IX-24] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 53-5, pl. lxii.-vii., fig. 120-8; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 279-81, vol. vi., pp. 464-5, vol. iv., -pl. lii.-liv., fig. 121-5; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. -i., pp. 64-6. - -[IX-25] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 55-56, pl. lxviii.-ix., fig. 129-30; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 282, vol. vi., p. 466, vol. iv., pl. lv., -fig. 129-30; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., pp. 66-7; -_Larenaudiere_, _Mex. Guat._, pl. vii., from Dupaix; _Almaraz_, _Mem. -Metlaltoyuca_, p. 33, lithograph without description. - -[IX-26] 'On voit encore beaucoup de restes de cette grande muraille, -conserves avec d'autant plus de soin qu'il s'y trouve des quartiers de -roc de plus de vingt pieds d'epaisseur.' _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, -_Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iv., p. 135; _Lorenzana_, in _Cortes_, _Hist. -N. Espana_, pp. vi.-vii.; _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 104-5. -Additional references to slight notices of ruins and relics in the -region about Tlascala, containing no available information, are as -follows: _Camargo_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1843, tom. -xcviii., pp. 135-7; _Helps' Span. Conq._, vol. ii., p. 423; -_Muehlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. ii., pp. 238, 240. The _Historical -Magazine_, vol. x., pp. 308-10, has an extract from a Mexican -newspaper, in which reference is made to an official report of a -prefect of the department, announcing the discovery of two magnificent -cities. They were probably identical with some of the ruins already -described in Vera Cruz. - -[IX-27] _Mex., Anales del Ministerio de Fomento_, 1854, tom. i., p. -691. - -[IX-28] _Id._, p. 694. - -[IX-29] Pp. 467-9 of this volume. - -[IX-30] Respecting the figures within the circle, Dupaix, 1st exped., -p. 14, says 'la parte derecha dividida en dos cuarteles. En el -superior aparece como un plano de ciudad a la orilla de un lago (cual -puede ser la de Chalco).' 'Au-dessus est une tete, que Dupaix designe -comme celle d'un aigle, mais que je crois etre une piece d'armure, -savoir, un casque ou morion.' _Lenoir_, _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. -i., p. 34. - -[IX-31] 'Il semble porter, a la partie anterieure de l'aile, le baton -augural, ce qui lui donnerait un caractere religieux. L'aigle, embleme -du Mexique, etait affecte a Vitzlipuztli, et cette seule circonstance -donne de l'importance a cette representation, qui a donne son nom au -lieu ou elle fut trouvee: _Quautetl_ ou _aigle de pierre_. Dans toute -l'Antiquite, l'aigle fut mis au rang des oiseaux sacres. Il etait -affecte, en Grece, a Jupiter, et en Egypte, a Osiris. C'etait -l'_accipiter_ ou epervier qui, selon Aelien, etait l'image, du dieu -_Horus_, ou d'Apollon. A Thebes, au solstice d'hiver, on placait cet -oiseau sur l'autel d'Osiris; il etait richement pare, mitre ou -courronne du _pschent_, et portant sur l'epaule le baton pastoral, -dans la meme position que l'aigle Mexicain que nous avons sous les -yeux. Ceci est digne de remarque.' _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. -ii., div. i., p. 35. On the Cuernavaca sculptures see _Dupaix_, 1st -exped., pp. 13-14, pl. xxvii-xxx., fig. 29-32; _Kingsborough_, vol. -v., pp. 221-2., vol. vi., p. 429, vol. iv., pl. xiii-v., fig. 29-31; -_Mex., Anales del Ministerio de Fomento_, 1854, tom. i., p. 549. - -[IX-32] _Descripcion de las Antiguedades de Xochicalco_, supplement to -_Gaceta de Literatura_, Nov. 1791, also reprint of _Id._, tom. ii.; -also preliminary mention in _Id._, February 8, 1791, tom. ii., p. 127. -Dr Gamarra made a compendium of the MS. before its publication, and -sent the same to Italy. An Italian translation of Alzate's account was -published with the original plates in _Marquez_, _Due Antichi -Monumenti_, pp. 14-29, and re-translated from Marquez, in _Dupaix_, -1st exped., pp. 18-20. - -[IX-33] _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. i., pp. 129-37, (fol. ed. pl. ix.); -_Id._, _Essai Pol._, pp. 189-90; _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., -div. ii., pp. 15-17. 'M. Humboldt, ... n'a-t-il pas suivi a la lettre -l'inexacte description de la pyramide de Xochicalco par le P. Alzate, -et n'a-t-il pas fait dans le dessin qu'il donne de ce monument, une -seconde edition des erreurs de son modele?' _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, -p. 69; _Nebel_, _Viage Pintoresco_, pl. ix.-x., xix.-xx.; _Revista -Mexicana_, tom. i., pp. 539-50, reprinted in _Diccionario Univ. -Geog._, tom. x., pp. 938-42; _Dupaix_, 1st exped., pp. 14-18, pl. -xxxi.-ii., fig. 33-6; _Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 222-4, vol. iv., -pl. xv.-vi.; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., pp. 35-6. -Tylor pronounces Castaneda's drawings grossly incorrect. Other -accounts by visitors, are found in _Latrobe's Rambler_, pp. 241-3; -_Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, pp. 180-7; _Id._, _Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. -ii., pp. 283-5, with cuts; _Id._, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. vi., -pp. 583-4, pl. xi.; _Tylor's Anahuac_, pp. 183-95; _Loewenstern_, -_Mexique_, pp. 208-12, 273-81. Other references to compiled accounts -are:--_Prescott's Mex._, vol. iii., pp. 403-4; _Carbajal_, _Hist. -Mex._, tom. i., pp. 203-4; _Armin_, _Das Heutige Mex._, pp. 98-9, cut; -_Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, pp. 89-90; _Hartmann_, _Californien_, tom. -ii., p. 86; _Fossey_, _Mex._, pp. 302-3; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, -_Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 329; _Larenaudiere_, _Mex. Guat._, pp. -46-9, plate; _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 78-9; _Malte-Brun_, -_Precis de la Geog._, tom. vi., p. 460; _Democratic Review_, vol. xi., -p. 612; _Baril_, _Mexique_, p. 70; _Cortes' Despatches_, p. 244; -_Priest's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 276-7; _Macgillivray's Life of Humboldt_, -p. 308; _Delafield's Antiq. Amer._, p. 58; _Frost's Pict. Hist. Mex._, -pp. 49-53, cut; _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, p. 171; _Frost's Great -Cities_, pp. 295-300, cut; _Conder's Mex. Guat._, vol. i., pp. 339-40; -_Illustrated London News_, June 1, 1867, cut. - -[IX-34] Xochicalco, 'castle of flowers,' according to _Diccionario -Univ. Geog._, tom. x., p. 938. - -[IX-35] Alzate's barometrical observations, as reckoned by himself, -made the height 289 feet; from the same observations Humboldt makes it -384; 279 feet, _Dupaix_; 369, _Nebel_; about 400, _Tylor_; about 333, -_Revista Mex._ - -[IX-36] According to the _Revista_, the gallery leads south 193 feet -(_a_, _b_, of plan 83 feet), then west 166 feet (not on plan), and -terminates in what seems and is said by the natives to be an -intentional obstruction. 83 feet from the entrance (_a_, _c_, of plan -16-1/2 feet) a branch leads east 138 feet (_c_, _k_, of plan 81 feet) to -the room. I have no doubt that these dimensions are more accurate than -Dupaix's. The _Revista_ account of the room, so far as it is -intelligible, agrees well enough with the plan. - -[IX-37] These are the dimensions given in the _Revista_, 100 by 87 -metres. Dupaix, 1st exped., p. 15, says 89 by 102 varas. - -[IX-38] Dimensions in English feet--length east and west, width north and -south, and height of 1st story, always in the same order--according to -different authorities:--64-1/2 by -- by 16 feet, _Nebel_, plate; 69 by 61 -by --, _Dupaix_; -- by 43 by 9-1/2, _Id._, plate; 58 by 69 by 11, -_Alzate_ and _Humboldt_; 63 by 58 by 19, _Revista Mex._ The side shown -in Dupaix's plate as 43 feet may be the northern or southern, instead -of the eastern or western, according as the stairway is on the north -or west. - -[IX-39] 'Porfido granitico,' _Revista Mex._, p. 548. 'Basalto -porfirico,' _Nebel_. Basalt, _Loewenstern_, _Mex._, pp. 209-10. 'La -calidad de piedra de esta magnifica arquitectura es de piedra -vitrificable, y por la mayor parte de aquella piedra con que forman -las muelas o piedras para moler trigo: tambien hay de color -blanquecino, siendo de notar, que en muchas leguas a la redonda no se -halla semejante calidad de piedra.' _Alzate_, p. 8. - -[IX-40] Kingsborough's edition of Castaneda's drawing bears not the -slightest likeness to that in the _Antiq. Mex._, copied above. It is -possible that the latter was made up at Paris from Alzate's plate. - -[IX-41] 'El primer destruidor, comparable al zapatero que quemo el -templo de Diana Efesina, fue un fulano Estrada; su atrevimiento -permanezca en oprobio para con los amantes de la antiguedad.' -_Alzate_, p. 8. Humboldt, _Vues_, tom. i., p. 132, gives 1750 as the -date when the five stories yet remained in place. - -[IX-42] _London Illustrated News_, June 1, 1867. Alzate and Mayer also -give restorations. - -[IX-43] 'A part ce monument, Mexico ne possede intact et debout aucun -vestige de constructions antiques.' _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, p. 72. -'No se puede poner en duda el destino absolutamente militar de estos -trabajos, ni rehusarse a creer que tuvieron por objeto especial la -defensa del monumento que encerraban, cuya importancia puede -apreciarse, atendiendo a los medios empleados para su seguridad.' -'Todos los viageros convienen en la nobleza de la estructura y en la -regularidad de proporciones del monumento. La inclinacion de las -paredes, la elegancia del friso y la cornisa, _son de un efecto -notable_.' In the sculptures 'se hallan proporciones regulares, y -mucha espresion en las cabezas y en el adorno de las figuras; mientras -que en las otras (Aztec) no se descubren sino vestigios de barbarie. -Las estatuas aztecas, informes y desproporcionadas, en nada -manifiestan la imitacion de la naturaleza; y si en ellas se observa -frecuentemente una ejecucion algo correcta, con mas frecuencia se ven -todavia cabezas desmedidas, narices ecsageradas y frentes deprimidas -hasta la estravagancia.' _Revista Mex._, tom. i., pp. 539, 542, 549. -'Les naturels du village voisin de Tetlama possedent une carte -geographique construite avant l'arrivee des Espagnols, et a laquelle -on a ajoute quelques noms depuis la conquete; sur cette carte, a -l'endroit ou est situe le monument de Xochicalco, on trouve la figure -de deux guerriers qui combattent avec des massues, et dont l'un est -nomme Xochicatli, et l'autre Xicatetli. Nous ne suivrons pas ici les -antiquaires mexicains dans leurs discussions etymologiques, pour -apprendre si l'un de ces guerriers a donne le nom a la colline de -Xochicalco, ou si l'image des deux combattans designe simplement une -bataille entre deux nations voisines, ou enfin si la denomination de -_Maison des fleurs_ a ete donnee au monument pyramidal, parce que les -Tolteques, comme les Peruviens, n'offroient a la divinite que des -fruits, des fleurs et de l'encens.' _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. i., pp. -135-6. - -[IX-44] _Mex._, _Anales del Ministerio de Fomento_, 1854, tom. i., p. -649. - -[IX-45] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., p. 13, pl. xvii., fig. 52; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 243, vol. vi., p. 442, vol. iv., pl. xv., -fig. 52; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., p. 46. - -[IX-46] _Dupaix_, 1st exped., p. 13, pl. xxv.-vi., fig. 27-8; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., p. 221, vol. vi., pp. 428-9, vol. iv., pl. -xii., fig. 27-8; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., pp. -33-4. - -[IX-47] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 11-13, pl. xv.-vii., fig. 44-51; -_Kingsborough_, vol. v., pp. 241-3, vol. vi., p. 441, vol. iv., pl. -xiii.-xv., fig. 44-51; _Lenoir_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. i., -pp. 45-6; _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, pp. 122-3--with a remark that -'telescopic tubes' have been found in Mississippi mounds and in Peru. - -[IX-48] _Dupaix_, 2d exped., pp. 3-11, pl. i.-xiv., fig. 1-43; -_Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol. v., pp. 228-40, vol. vi., pp. -432-40, vol. iv., pl. i.-xii., fig. 1-43; _Lenoir_, _Parallele_, pp. -37-45; _Mexico, Anales del Ministerio de Fomento_, 1854, tom. i., pp. -477, 486, 500, 502, 521; _Veytia_, _Hist. Ant. Mej._, tom. i., p. 21; -_Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., pp. 66-9, pl. -xii. - -[IX-49] _Leon y Gama_, _Dos Piedras_, pt. ii., p. 80; _Lyon's -Journal_, vol. ii., p. 113; _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. -Civ._, tom. iv., p. 11; _Montanus_, _Nieuwe Weereld_, p. 268; -_Prescott's Mex._, vol. i., p. 142; _Thuemmel_, _Mexiko_, pp. 124-5; -_Ward's Mexico_, vol. ii., pp. 230-1; _Latrobe's Rambler_, p. 176. - -[IX-50] _Alzate y Ramirez_, _Gacetas_, Oct. 2, 1792, reprint, tom. -ii., pp. 457-9; _Loewenstern_, _Mexique_, pp. 260-5, and scattered -remarks, pp. 273-81; _Id._, in _Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour._, vol. xi., p. -107. - -[IX-51] _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, p. 78, with reference to _Latrobe_; -_Loewenstern_, _Mexique_, pp. 258-60; _Baril_, _Mexique_, p. 70. - -[IX-52] _Mexico, Anales del Ministerio de Fomento_, 1854, tom. i., pp. -241-2. - -[IX-53] _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, p. 244. - -[IX-54] 4 by 4 by 1 metres, circle 3.4 metres in diameter. _Humboldt_, -_Vues_, tom. ii., p. 85, (or 3.04 metres, 9 feet 6-1/2 inches, according -to _Antiq. Mex._) 'La nature de cette pierre n'est pas calcaire, comme -l'affirme M. Gama, mais de porphyre trappen gris-noiratre, a base de -wacke basaltique. En examinant avec soin des fragments detaches, j'y -ai reconnu de l'amphibole, beaucoup de cristaux tres alonges de -feldspath vitreux, et, ce qui est assez remarquable, des paillettes de -mica. Cette roche, fendillee et remplie de petites cavites, est -depourvue de quarz, comme presque toutes les roches de la formation de -trapp. Comme son poids actuel est encore de plus de quatre cent -quatre-vingt-deux quintaux (24,400 kilogrammes).' _Id._, in _Antiq. -Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 22, supl. pl. v.; _Id._, _Vues_, tom. i., -p. 332, et seq., tom. ii., pp. 1, et seq., 84, pl. viii. (fol. ed., -pl. xxiii.). 4-1/2 by 4-1/2 by 1 varas, diameter of circle a little -over 4 varas. 'La figura de esta piedra debio ser en su origen un -paralelepipedo rectangulo, lo que manifiesta bien (aunque la faltan -algunos pedazos considerables, y en otros partes esta bastante -lastimada) por los angulos que aun mantiene, los que demuestran las -extremidades que permanecen menos maltratadas.' _Leon y Gama_, _Dos -Piedras_, pt. i., pp. 92, 2-3; _Id._, _Saggio Astron._, Rome, 1804. p. -130. Reply to Alzate's criticism, _Id._, pt. ii., pp. 24-5. See -_Alzate y Ramirez_, _Gacetas_, tom. ii., p. 421. Original weight as it -came from the quarry nearly 50 tons. _Prescott's Mex._, vol. i., p. -142. Dug up on Dec. 17, 1790. _Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. -Mex._, tom. iii., pp. 47-54, pl. viii. 11 feet 8 inches in diameter. -_Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, pp. 126-8. 12 feet in diameter, of porous -basalt. _Bullock's Mexico_, pp. 333-4. 'Basalto porfirico,' circle 9 -feet in diameter. _Nebel_, _Viaje_. 11 feet diameter. _Fossey_, -_Mexique_, p. 217. 27 feet in circumference. _Bradford's Amer. -Antiq._, p. 109. - -[IX-55] _Charnay_, _Ruines Amer._, phot. i. - -[IX-56] Additional references on the Calendar-Stone:--_Tylor's -Anahuac_, pp. 238-9; _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. i., p. 117, -cuts; Id., in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. vi., p. 590, with plate; -_Gallatin_, in _Amer. Ethno. Soc., Transact._, vol. i., pp. 70, -94-103, 114. - -[IX-57] _Leon y Gama_, _Dos Piedras_, pt. ii., pp. 46-73. Discovered -December 17, 1791; 3 varas, 1 pulgada, 4-1/2 lineas in diameter; 1 vara, -1 pulgada high; material a hard, dark-colored, fine grained stone, -which admits of a fine polish. Humboldt gives the dimensions 3 metres -diameter, 11 decimetres high; he also says the groups are 20 in -number. _Vues_, tom. i., pp. 315-24, (fol. ed. pl. xxi.); _Id._, in -_Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., pp. 20-1, suppl. pl. iv., showing -the rim. Nebel, _Viaje_, gives plates of upper surface,--showing, -however, no groove--all the groups on the rim, and one group on a -larger scale. He says the material is 'basalto porfirico,' and the -dimensions 9x3 feet. Bullock, _Mexico_, pp. 335-6, says, 25 feet in -circumference. He also took a plaster cast of this stone. A mass of -basalt 9 feet in diameter, and 3 feet high, believed by the author to -be in reality a sacrificial stone. _Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, pp. -119-22; _Id._, _Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. i., pp. 114-15; _Id._, in -_Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. vi., p. 586, with plates and cuts in each -work. According to Fossey, _Mexique_, p. 214, the sculptured figures -represent a warrior as victorious over 14 champions. 'I think that it -is the best specimen of sculpture which I have seen amongst the -antiquities of Mexico.' _Thompson's Mex._, p. 122; _Latrobe's -Rambler_, pp. 171-2; _Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol. v., p. 340, -vol. iv., pl. unnumbered; _Tylor's Anahuac_, p. 224; _Bradford's Amer. -Antiq._, p. 108; _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. i., p. 85, with -plate. - -[IX-58] See vol. iii., pp. 396-402, of this work, for a resume of -Gama's remarks on this idol. - -[IX-59] Respecting the god Huitzilopochtli, see vol. iii., pp. -288-324, of this work. - -[IX-60] 3.0625 by 2 by 1.83 varas; of sandstone: '156 de las piedras -arenarias que describe en su mineralogia el Senor Valmont de Bomare, -dura, compacta, y dificil de extraer fuego de ella con el acero; -semejante a la que se emplea en los molinos.' _Leon y Gama_, _Dos -Piedras_, pt. i., pp. 1-3, 9-10, 34-44, with 5 plates. Reply to -Alzate, _Gacetas_, tom. ii., p. 416, who pronounced the stone a kind -of granite. _Id._, pt. ii., pp. 8-10. 'Plus de trois metres de hauteur -et deux metres de largeur.' 'La pierre qui a servi a ce monument, est -une _wakke_ basaltique gris bleuatre, fendillee et remplie de -feldspath vitreux.' 'En jetant les yeux sur l'idole figuree ... telle -qu'elle se presente ... on pourrait d'abord etre tente de croire que -ce monument est un _teotetl_, _pierre divine_, une espece de betyle, -orne de sculptures, une roche sur laquelle sont graves des signes -hieroglyphiques. Mais, lorsqu'on examine de plus pres cette masse -informe, on distingue, a la partie superieure, les tetes de deux -monstres accoles; et l'on trouve, a chaque face, deux yeux et une -large gueule armee de quatre dents. Ces figures monstrueuses -n'indiquent peut-etre que des masques: car, chez les Mexicains, on -etoit dans l'usage de masquer les idoles a l'epoque de la maladie d'un -roi, et dans toute autre calamite publique. Les bras et les pieds sont -caches sous une draperie entouree d'enormes serpents, et que les -Mexicains designoient sous le nom de _cohuatlicuye_, _vetement de -serpent_. Tous ces accessoires, surtout les franges en forme de -plumes, sont sculptes avec le plus grand soin.' _Humboldt_, _Vues_, -tom. ii., pp. 148-61, (fol. ed., pl. xxix.); _Id._, _Antiq. Mex._, -tom. i., div. ii., pp. 25-7, suppl. pl. vi., fig. 9. 9 feet high. -_Nebel_, _Viaje_, with large plate. Dug up for Bullock, who made a -plaster cast in 1823. _Bullock's Mexico_, pp. 337-42. Description with -plates in _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. i., pp. 108-11; _Id._, -_Mex. as it Was_, pp. 109-14; _Id._, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. -vi., pp. 585-6, pl. viii. 5 feet wide and 3 feet thick. 'The most -hideous and deformed that the fancy can paint.' _Latrobe's Rambler_, -pp. 171, 175-6; _Tylor's Anahuac_, pp. 221-3; _Fossey_, _Mexique_, p. -214. - -[IX-61] _Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, pp. 123-4; _Leon y Gama_, _Dos -Piedras_, pt. ii., p. 73-4. - -[IX-62] _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. ii., p. 158; _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, -tom. i., div. ii., p. 27; _Leon y Gama_, _Dos Piedras_, pt. i., pp. -11-12, pt. ii., pp. 73-111. - -[IX-63] _Mayer_, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. vi., p. 589, pl. vi.; -_Id._, _Mex. as it Was_, pp. 100-1; _Id._, _Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. -ii., p. 274; _Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., -pp. 89-90, pl. xvi. - -[IX-64] _Mosaico Mex._, tom. iii., pp. 402-3, with plates; _Calderon -de la Barca's Life in Mex._, vol. i., p. 203; _Mayer's Mex. as it -Was_, pp. 85-8, 97; _Id._, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. vi., pl. v., -fig. 3. - -[IX-64] _Bullock's Mexico_, pp. 326-8. Plates of six other relics, -perhaps found in the city. - -[IX-65] _Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, pp. 31-2, 85-8. 'Indio triste' also -in _Mosaico Mex._, tom. iii., pp. 165-8. - -[IX-66] _Anahuac_, p. 138. - -[IX-67] _Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., pp. -103-8, pl. xxi-ii. - -[IX-68] _Chavero_, in _Gallo_, _Hombres Ilustres_, Mex. 1873, tom. i., -p. 151. - -[IX-69] See vol. iii., pp. 355-7, 413-15, of this work. - -[IX-70] Brasseur de Bourbourg, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iv., pp. 303-5, -speaks of 'les murs gigantesques de ses palais, les statues mutilees, -a demi enfonces dans le sol, les blocs enormes de basalte et de -porphyre sculptes, epars dans les champs de Tetzcuco.' Bullock, -_Mexico_, pp. 381-7, 399-400, says, 'you pass by the large aqueduct -for the supply of the town, still in use, and the ruins of several -stone buildings of great strength.... Foundations of ancient buildings -of great magnitude.... On entering the gates, to the right are seen -those artificial tumuli, the teocalli of unburnt brick so common in -most Indian towns.' The site of the palace of the kings of Tezcuco -extended 300 feet on sloping terraces with small steps; some terraces -are still entire and covered with cement. It must have occupied some -acres of ground, and was built of huge blocks of basalt 4 or 5 by 2-1/2 -or 3 feet. 'The raised mounds of brick are seen on all sides, mixed -with aqueducts, ruins of buildings of enormous strength, and many -large square structures nearly entire.... Fragments of sculptured -stones constantly occur near the church, the market-place, and -palace.' Both Brasseur and Bullock are somewhat given to exaggeration, -and they also refer, probably, to other remains in the vicinity yet to -be described. 'The ruins of tumuli, and other constructions of unbaked -bricks, intermingled with platforms and terraces of considerable -extent, are still to be traced; and it is asserted, that many of the -Spanish edifices are constructed out of the ruins of the Teocallis.' -_Latrobe's Rambler_, pp. 184-5. Other authorities on Tezcuco: _Nebel_, -_Viaje_; _Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, p. 221; _Id._, _Mex. Aztec, etc._, -vol. ii., pp. 274-6; _Id._, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. vi., pl. -v., fig. 7; _Tylor's Anahuac_, pp. 96, 150, 236, 262-3, with cuts; -_Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 76, 83, 110; _Beaufoy_, in _Antiq. -Mex._, tom. ii., div. ii., pp. 70-1; _Mexico_, _Anales del Ministerio -de Fomento_, 1854, tom. i., pp. 448-9, 719; _Willson's Amer. Hist._, -p. 73; _Conder's Mex. Guat._, vol. i., p. 332; _Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, -p. 132. - -[IX-71] On Nezahualcoyotl's country palace at Tezcocingo, see vol. -ii., pp. 168-73, of this work. - -[IX-72] Bath 12 by 8 feet, with well in centre 5 feet in diameter and -4 feet deep, surrounded by a parapet 2-1/2 feet high, 'with a throne or -chair, such as is represented in ancient pictures to have been used by -the kings.' _Bullock's Mexico_, pp. 390-3. 'His majesty used to spend -his afternoons here on the shady side of the hill, apparently sitting -up to his middle in water like a frog, if one may judge by the height -of the little seat in the bath.' _Tylor's Anahuac_, pp. 152-3; -_Beaufoy's Mex. Illustr._, pp. 194-5; _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. -ii., div. ii., p. 70. The aqueduct 'is a work very nearly or quite -equal in the labor required for its construction to the Croton -Aqueduct.' _Thompson's Mex._, pp. 143-6; _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, -vol. ii., pp. 276-8; _Id._, _Mex. as it Was_, pp. 86, 233-4, with the -cut copied, another of the aqueduct, and a third representing an idol -called the 'god of silence;' _Ward's Mexico_, vol. ii., pp. 296-7; -_Prescott's Mex._, vol. i., pp. 182-4; _Loewenstern_, _Mexique_, pp. -252-3; _Vigne's Travels_, vol. i., p. 27; _Frost's Pict. Hist. Mex._, -pp. 54-8; _Id._, _Great Cities_, pp. 302-4. - -[IX-73] _Tylor's Anahuac_, pp. 155-6; _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. -ii., pp. 278-9; _Latrobe's Rambler_, pp. 190-1. - -[IX-74] _Latrobe's Rambler_, p. 192. - -[IX-75] _Bullock's Mexico_, pp. 395-9. This author also speaks of a -'broad covered way between two huge walls which terminate near a -river,' on the road to Tezcuco. _Beaufoy's Mex. Illustr._, pp. 196-7, -cut of idol; _Latrobe's Rambler_, pp. 184-5; _Tylor's Anahuac_, pp. -153-4, with cut of bridge; _Ward's Mexico_, vol. ii., p. 296; _Mexico, -Anales del Ministerio de Fomento_, 1854, tom. i., p. 615; _Conder's -Mex. Guat._, vol. i., p. 335; _Aubin_, in _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, -_Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 355; _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 78, -85; _Beaufoy_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. ii., div. ii., pp. 69-70. - -[IX-76] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., pp. -148-51. - -[IX-77] _Almaraz_, _Apuntes sobre las Piramides de San Juan -Teotihuacan_, in _Id._, _Mem. de los Trabajos ejecutados por la -Comision de Pachuca_, 1864, pp. 349-58. Linares, _Soc. Mex. Geog., -Boletin_, 3ra epoca, tom. i., pp. 103-5, wrote an account which seems -to be made up from the preceding. See also: _Clavigero_, _Storia Ant. -del Messico_, tom. ii., pp. 34-5; _Humboldt_, _Essai Pol._, tom. i., -pp. 187-9; _Id._, _Vues_, tom. i., pp. 100-2; _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, -tom. i., div. ii., pp. 11-12; _Bullock's Mexico_, pp. 411-18, with -pl.; _Beaufoy's Mex. Illustr._, pp. 189-93, with cut; _Ward's Mexico_, -vol. ii., pp. 214-15, 295; _Latrobe's Rambler_, pp. 194-217; _Mayer's -Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 279; _Id._, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, -vol. vi., p. 583; _Thompson's Mex._, pp. 139-43; _Tylor's Anahuac_, -pp. 96, 141-4; _Garcia_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. viii., -pp. 198-200. The preceding authorities are arranged chronologically: -the following are additional references:--_Nouvelles Annales des -Voy._, 1831, tom. li., pp. 238-9; _Veytia_, _Hist. Ant. Mej._, tom. -i., pp. 239-40, 247-9; _Fossey_, _Mexique_, pp. 315-16; _Brasseur de -Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., pp. 15, 148-51, 197-8; -_Gemelli Careri_, in _Churchill's Col. Voyages_, vol. iv., p. 514; -_Bullock's Across Mex._, pp. 165-6; _Loewenstern_, _Mexique_, pp. -248-50, 272-81; _Heller_, _Reisen_, p. 157; _Tudor's Nar._, vol. ii., -pp. 277-9; _Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., pp. -38-41; _Chevalier_, _Mexique_, p. 51; _Nebel_, _Viaje_, plates of -terra-cotta heads; _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transact._, vol. i., pp. 254-5; -_Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 80-1; _Conder's Mex. Guat._, vol. i., -pp. 336-9; _Calderon de la Barca's Life in Mex._, vol. i., pp. 236-7; -_Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, p. 131; _Mueller_, _Amerikanische -Urreligionen_, p. 459; _Prichard's Nat. Hist. Man_, vol. ii., p. 509; -_Delafield's Antiq. Amer._, pp. 56-7; _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. -186; _McCulloh's Researches in Amer._, pp. 252-3; _Garcia y Cubas_, in -_Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da epoca, tom. i., p. 37; _Klemm_, -_Cultur-Geschichte_, tom. v., p. 155; _Frost's Pict. Hist. Mex._, pp. -53-4; _Id._, _Great Cities_, pp. 298-303; _Lafond_, _Voyages_, tom. -i., pp. 138-9; _Larenaudiere_, _Mex. et Guat._, pp. 24, 44-5; -_Malte-Brun_, _Precis de la Geog._, tom. vi., p. 460; _Willson's Amer. -Hist._, p. 598; _Mexico, Anales del Ministerio de Fomento_, 1854, tom. -i., pp. 530-1, 719; _Baril_, _Mexique_, p. 70; _Muehlenpfordt_, -_Mejico_, tom. ii., pt. ii., p. 269; _Beaufoy_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. -ii., div. ii., pp. 69-70; _Shepard's Land of the Aztecs_, pp. 103-5; -_Vigne's Travels_, vol. i., p. 28; _Album Mex._, tom. i., pp. 117-18. - -[IX-78] These are the dimensions given by Almaraz, except those of the -summit platform, which are only an estimate by Beaufoy. The following -are the dimensions as given by different authors: 130 by 156 by 42 -metres. _Almaraz_; 44 metres high. _Humboldt_, according to -measurements of Sr Oteyza; 360 by 480 by 150 feet. _Gemelli Careri_; ----- by 645 by 170 feet. _Heller_; 130 by 156 by 44 metres. _Linares_. -Others take the dimensions generally from Humboldt. - -[IX-79] 'On les prendrait pour ces turgescences terrestres qu'on -trouve dans les lieux jadis bouleverses par les feux souterrains.' -_Fossey_, _Mexique_, p. 315. Veytia, _Hist. Ant. Mej._, tom. i., pp. -247-9, says the pyramid was round instead of rectangular, and that it -had three terraces, although in Boturini's time no traces of them -remained. 'It required a particular position whence to behold them, -united with some little _faith_, in order to discover the pyramidal -form at all.' _Tudor's Nar._, vol. ii., p. 277. 'To say the truth, it -was nothing but a heap of earth made in steps like the pyramids of -Egypt; only that these are of stone.' _Gemelli Careri_, in -_Churchill's Col. Voyages_, vol. iv., p. 514. 'Ils formoient quatre -assises, dont on ne reconnoit aujourd'hui que trois.' 'Un escalier -construit en grandes pierres de taille, conduisoit jadis a leur cime.' -'Chacune des quatres assises principales etoit subdivisee en petits -gradins d'un metre de haut, dont on distingue encore les arretes.' -_Humboldt_, _Essai Pol._, tom. i., p. 188. Mayer, _Mex. as it Was_, p. -223, says that three stories are yet distinctly visible. 'The line -from base to summit was broken by three terraces, or perhaps four, -running completely round them.' _Tylor's Anahuac_, pp. 142-3. - -[IX-80] 'Leur noyau est d'argile melee de petites pierres: il est -revetu d'un mur epais de _tezontli_ ou amygdaloide poreuse.' -_Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. i., pp. 101-2. 'On y reconnoit, en outre, des -traces d'une couche de chaux qui enduit les pierres par dehors.' -_Id._, _Essai Pol._, tom. i., p. 157. 'In many places, I discovered -the remains of the coating of cement with which they were incrusted in -the days of their perfection.' _Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, p. 223. -'Arcilla y piedras,' covered with a conglomerate of tetzontli and mud, -and a coating of polished lime, which has a blue tint. _Linares_, in -_Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 3ra epoca, tom. i., pp. 103-5. 'En argile -... avec revetement en pierre.' _Chevalier_, _Mexique_, p. 50. 'No -trace of regular stone work or masonry of any kind.' _Bullock's Across -Mex._, p. 165. Originally covered with a white cement bearing -inscriptions. _Glennie_, according to _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, -1831, tom. li., pp. 238-9. Built of clay and stone. _Heller_, -_Reisen_, p. 157. Salmon-colored Stucco. _Latrobe._ Unhewn stones of -all shapes and sizes. _Thompson._ Stones and pebbles, faced with -porous stone. _Garcia._ Adobes, stones, clay, and mortar, with a -casing of hewn stone and smooth stucco. _Tylor._ A conglomerate of -common volcanic stones and mud mortar with the faces smoothed. -_Beaufoy._ Masses of falling stone and masonry, red cement, 8 or 10 -inches thick, of lime and pebbles. _Bullock._ 'It is true, that on -many parts of the ascent masses of stone and other materials, strongly -cemented together, announce the devices and workmanship of man; but on -penetrating this exterior coating nothing further was perceptible than -a natural structure of earth' like any natural hill with many loose -stones. An American engineer who had made excavations confirmed the -idea that the pyramids were natural, although artificially shaped. -_Tudor's Nar._, vol. ii., p. 278. - -[IX-81] Humboldt's dimensions, according to Oteyza's measurements are, -208 metres (682 feet) long and 55 metres (180 feet) high. 645 feet -square, _Bullock_; 480 by 600 feet, _Beaufoy_; 182 feet square, -_Garcia_; 221 feet high, _Mayer_; 221 feet high, _Thompson_. Round, -297 varas in diameter, 270 varas (745 feet!) high, _Veytia_, according -to Boturini's measurements; 60 metres high, _Loewenstern_; 720 by 480 -by 185 feet, _Gemelli Careri_. - -[IX-82] See pp. 74, 380, of this volume. - -[IX-83] Linares, _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 3ra epoca, tom. i., pp. -103-5, calls it Mijcahotle. Brasseur, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., pp. -148-51, applies the name to the whole plain, called by the Spaniards -Llano de los Cues. - -[IX-84] _Almaraz_, _Apuntes_, pp. 354-5, with plate. - -[IX-85] 'It is certain, that where they stand, there was formerly a -great city, as appears by the vast ruins about it, and by the grots or -dens, as well artificial as natural.' _Gemelli Careri_, in -_Churchill's Col. Voyages_, vol. iv., p. 514. Ruins of streets and -plazas. _Linares_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 3ra epoca, tom. i., -p. 104. - -[IX-86] _Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, pp. 222-5, with cut. Thompson, -_Mex._, p. 140, alluding probably to the same monument, locates it 'a -few hundred yards from the pyramids, in a secluded spot, shut closely -in by two small hillocks,' pronounces it undoubtedly a sacrificial -stone, and estimates the weight at 25 tons. Beaufoy also speaks of an -unsculptured sacrificial stone 11 by 4 by 4 feet. 'Une fort grande -pierre semblable a une tombe, couverte d'hieroglyphes.' _Fossey_, -_Mexique_, p. 316. 'A massive stone column half buried in the ground.' -_Bullock's Across Mex._, p. 166. - -[IX-87] _Veytia_, _Hist. Ant. Mej._, tom. i., pp. 239-40, 247-9; -_Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., p. 39; -_Gemelli Careri_, p. 514. Bullock, _Across Mex._, p. 165, says he saw -as late as 1864, on the summit of the House of the Moon, an altar of -two blocks, covered with white plaster evidently recent, with an -aperture in the centre of the upper block, supposed to have carried -off the blood of victims. - -[IX-88] _Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour._, vol. vii., p. 10. 'One may shut his -eyes and drop a dollar from his hand, and the chances are at least -equal that it will fall upon something of the kind.' _Thompson's -Mex._, p. 140. Plates of 12 terra-cotta heads in _Nebel_, _Viaje_. -Cuts of 8 heads, some the same as Nebel's, in _Mayer's Mex. as it -Was_, p. 227. - -[IX-89] Sr Antonio Garcia y Cubas, a member of the commission whose -description of Teotihuacan I have used as my chief authority, has -since published an _Ensayo de un Estudio comparativo entre las -Piramides Egipcias y Mexicanas_, Mexico, 1871, which I have received -since writing the preceding pages. He gives the same plan and view -that I have used, also a plan of the Egyptian pyramids in the plain of -Ghizeh, and a plate representing part of a human face in stone from -Teotihuacan. The author made some additional observations subsequently -to the exploration of the commission, and gives the following -dimensions, which vary somewhat from those I have given, especially -the height: Sun--232 by 220 by 66 metres; summit, 18 by 32 metres; -slope, north and south 31 deg. 3', east and west 36 deg.; direction, E. -to W. southern side, 83 deg. N.W.; direction, N. to S. eastern side, -7 deg. N.E. Direction, 'road of the dead' 8 deg. 45' N.E.; line through -centres of the two pyramids, 10 deg. N.W. Moon--156 by 130 by 46 metres; -eastern slope, 31 deg. 30, southern slope, 36 deg.; summit, 6 by 6 -metres; direction, north side, 88 deg. 30' N.W., east side, 1 deg. 30' -N.E. The author thinks the difference in height may result from the -fact that the ground on which the pyramids stand slopes towards the -south, and the altitude was taken in one case on the south, in the -other on the north. - -The following quotation contains the most important opinion advanced -in the essay in question:--'The pyramids of Teotihuacan, as they exist -to-day, are not in their primitive state. There is now a mass of loose -stones, whose interstices covered with vegetable earth, have caused to -spring up the multitude of plants and flowers with which the faces of -the pyramids are now covered. This mass of stones differs from the -plan of construction followed in the body of the monuments, and -besides, the falling of these stones, which has taken place chiefly on -the eastern face of the Moon, has laid bare an inclined plane -perfectly smooth, which seems to be the true face of the pyramid. This -isolated observation would not give so much force to my argument if it -were not accompanied by the same circumstances in all the monuments.' -The slope of these regular smooth surfaces of the Moon is 47 deg., -differing from the slope of the outer surface. The same inner smooth -faces the author claims to have found not only in the pyramids, but in -the tlalteles, or smaller mounds. Sr Garcia y Cubas thinks that the -Toltecs, the descendants of the civilized people that built the -pyramids, covered up these tombs and sanctuaries, in fear of the -depredations of the savage races that came after them. - -Respecting miscellaneous remains at Teotihuacan the author says, 'The -river empties into Lake Tezcuco, with great freshets in the rainy -season, its current becoming at such times very impetuous. Its waters -have laid bare throughout an immense extent of territory, foundations -of buildings and horizontal layers of a very fine mortar as hard as -rock, all of which indicates the remains of an immense town, perhaps -the Memphis of these regions. Throughout a great extent of territory -about the pyramids, for a radius of over a league are seen the -foundations of a multitude of edifices; at the banks of the river and -on both sides of the roads are found the horizontal layers of lime; -others of earth and mud, of tetzontli and of volcanic tufa, showing -the same method of construction; on the roads between the pyramids and -San Juan are distinctly seen traces of walls which cross each other at -right angles.' He also found excavations which seem to have furnished -the material for all the structures. - -As to the chief purpose for which the _ensayo_ was written, the author -claims the following analogies between Teotihuacan and the Egyptian -pyramids: 1. The site chosen is the same. 2. The structures are -oriented with slight variation. 3. The line through the centres of the -pyramids is in the 'astronomical meridian.' 4. The construction in -grades and steps is the same. 5. In both cases the larger pyramids are -dedicated to the sun. 6. The Nile has a 'valley of the dead,' as in -Teotihuacan there is a 'street of the dead.' 7. Some monuments of each -class have the nature of fortifications. 8. The smaller mounds are of -the same nature and for the same purpose. 9. Both pyramids have a -small mound joined to one of their faces. 10. The openings discovered -in the Moon are also found in some Egyptian pyramids. 11. The interior -arrangement of the pyramids is analogous. - -[IX-90] _Mexico, Anales del Ministerio de Fomento_, 1854, tom. i., pp. -382-3; _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 282. - -[IX-91] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 258; -_Veytia_, _Hist. Ant. Mej._, tom. i., pp. 171-5; _Chaves_, _Rapport_, -in _Ternaux-Compans_, _Voy._, serie ii., tom. v., p. 300. - -[IX-92] _Tylor's Anahuac_, pp. 96, 100, with cut of a knife or -spear-head; _Burkart_, _Mexico_, tom. i., pp. 124-5. Loewenstern speaks -of the obsidian mines of Guajolote, which he describes as ditches one -or two metres wide, and of varying depth; having only small fragments -of the mineral scattered about. _Mexique_, p. 244. - -[IX-93] _Mexico, Anales del Ministerio de Fomento_, 1854, tom. i., p. -277. - -[IX-94] _Burkart_, _Mexico_, tom. i., p. 51. - -[IX-95] _Mexico, Anales del Ministerio de Fomento_, 1854, tom. i., pp. -623-4, 719; _Huasteca_, _Noticias_, pp. 48-9, 69. - -[IX-96] _Latrobe's Rambler_, p. 75. - -[IX-97] _J. F. R. Canete_, in _Alzate y Ramirez_, _Gaceta de -Literatura_, Feb. 20, 1790; also in _Id._, reprint, tom. i., pp. -282-4. Sr Alzate y Ramirez, editor of the _Gaceta_, had also heard -from other sources of ruins in the same vicinity. - -[IX-98] _Prescott's Mex._, vol. i., p. 13. - -[IX-99] _Mayer_, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. vi., p. 588, pl. iii., -fig. 1, 2.; _Id._, _Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 268; _Id._, _Mex. -as it Was_, pp. 107-8. - -[IX-100] _Theatro_, tom. i., pp. 86-7. - -[IX-101] _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 3ra epoca, tom. i., pp. 185-7, -with 10 fig. - -[IX-102] _Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., p. -94. - -[IX-103] _Mexico_, _Anales del Ministerio de Fomento_, 1854, tom. i., -p. 263. - -[IX-104] _Id._, p. 334. - -[IX-105] _Id._, pp. 417, 299-300. - -[IX-106] _Morfi_, _Viage_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iii., tom. iv., -pp. 312-14. Alegre, _Hist. Comp. de Jesus_, tom. ii., p. 164, also -speaks of some small mounds at Pueblito. - -[IX-107] _Mexico_, _Mem. de la Sec. Justicia_, 1873, pp. 216-17, two -plates. - -[IX-108] _Id._, p. 217. - -[IX-109] _Ballesteros_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da epoca, tom. -iv., pp. 774-8. - -[IX-110] _Fossey_, _Mexique_, pp. 213-14. - -[IX-111] _Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, pp. 31-2, 84-5, 87-106, 272-9; -_Id._, _Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., pp. 265-74; _Id._, in -_Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. vi., pl. i.-vii. - -[IX-112] _Humboldt_, _Vues_, tom. i., pp. 51-6, plate of front and -rear; _Id._, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., pp. 9-10, suppl., -pl. i. Remarks on the statue by Visconti, in _Id._, p. 32; Plates in -_Larenaudiere_, _Mex. et Guat._, pl. xxviii., p. 48; _Prescott_, -_Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. i., p. 389; and _Delafield's Antiq. Amer._, -p. 61. - -[IX-113] See p. 382, for a cut of a similar article. - -[IX-114] _Tylor's Anahuac_, pp. 95-103, 110, 195, 225-6, 235-6. - -[IX-115] _Waldeck_, _Palenque_, p. viii., pl. xliv.; _Tylor's -Anahuac_, pp. 110, 337-9. Mr Tylor notes that in an old work, -_Aldrovandus_, _Musaeum Metallicum_, Bologna 1648, there were drawings -of a knife and wooden mask with mosaic ornamentation, but of a -different design. - -[IX-116] _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., p. 70, pl. xiii.; -_Chavero_, in _Gallo_, _Hombres Ilustres_, tom. i., pp. 146-7; -_Gilliam's Trav._, pp. 44-5. - -[IX-117] _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. iii., pp. 82, 87, 99, -101, pl. xv.-xx. - -[IX-118] _Soc. Geog., Bulletin_, tom. v., No. 95, p. 116, No. 98, p. -283, et seq.; _Warden_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., pp. -36-40. - -[IX-119] _Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol. iv., unnumbered plates -following those of Castaneda; _Bullock's Mexico_, p. 326; _Humboldt_, -_Vues_, tom. ii., pp. 207, 146, (fol. ed. pl. xl., xxviii.); _Id._, in -_Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., pp. 25-7, suppl., pl. vii., fig. 10, -pl. vi., fig. 8; _Nebel_, _Viaje_. - -[IX-120] _Waldeck_, _Palenque_, pl. lvi.; other miscellaneous relics, -pl. iii.-v., xliii., xlv.-vi., lv. - -[IX-121] _Mueller_, _Reisen_, tom. ii., p. 292, et seq.; _Cabrera_, -_Beschreibung einer alten Stadt_, appendix. - -[IX-122] _Lyon's Journal_, vol. ii., p. 119. - -[IX-123] _Kingsborough's Mex. Antiq._, vol. iv. - -[IX-124] _Prescott's Mex._, vol. i., p. 143; _Amer. Phil. Soc., -Transact._, vol. iii., p. 510. - -[IX-125] _Ramirez_, _Notas_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. -ii., suppl., pp. 106-24; _Waldeck_, _Palenque_, pl. liii. - -[IX-126] _Bigland's View of the World_, vol. v., p. 523. - -[IX-127] _Robertson's Hist. Amer._, vol. i., p. 269. - -[IX-128] _Ampere_, _Prom. en Amer._, tom. ii., pp. 266-7, 287-92; -_Armin_, _Das Alte Mex._, pp. 47-50; _Andrews' Illust. W. Ind._, pp. -73-4; _Beaufoy's Mex. Illustr._, pp. 198-9; _Bonnycastle's Span. -Amer._, vol. i., p. 52; _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 108-13; -_Brownell's Ind. Races_, pp. 50-4; _Calderon de la Barca's Life in -Mex._, vol. i., p. 93, vol. ii., p. 136; _Chambers' Jour._, 1834, vol. -ii., pp. 374-5, 1838, vol. vi., pp. 43-4; _Chevalier_, _Mexique_, p. -10; _Id._, _Mex. Ancien et Mod._, pp. 50-3, 453-4; _Conder's Mex. -Guat._, vol. i., p. 272; _Cortes' Despatches_, pp. 82-3, 265; -_Democratic Review_, vol. xi., pp. 611-13; _Davis' Anc. Amer._, pp. -6-7; _Delafield's Antiq. Amer._, pp. 30, 56, 61; _Domenech_, _Jour._, -pp. 289, 371; _D'Orbigny_, _Voyage_, p. 336; _Edinburgh Review_, July, -1867; _Elementos de Geog. Civil_, p. 29; _Evans' Our Sister Rep._, pp. -330-3; _Frost's Pict. Hist. Mex._, pp. 44-6; _Gilliam's Trav._, pp. -95-9; _Gordon's Hist. and Geog. Mem._, pp. 45-6; _Id._, _Ancient -Mex._, vol. i., pp. 201-8; _Gregory's Hist. Mex._, p. 17; _Grone_, -_Briefe_, pp. 91-2, 96-7; _Heller_, _Reisen_, pp. 148-50; _Helps' -Span. Conq._, vol. i., pp. 288-90, vol. ii., p. 141; _Hazart_, -_Kirchen-Geschichte_, tom. ii., p. 499; _Hill's Travels_, vol. ii., -pp. 238-42; _Hist. Mag._, vol. iv., p. 271; _Kendall's Nar._, vol. -ii., p. 328; _Klemm_, _Cultur-Geschichte_, tom. v., pp. 5-6, 8, 17-19, -137-43, 153-63; _Larenaudiere_, _Mex. et Guat._, pp. 30, 44, 46-50, -53, 264, 326-7; _Lang's Polynesian Nat._, pp. 218-24; _Latrobe's -Rambler_, pp. 168-76; _Lempriere's Notes in Mex._, pp. 88-9; _Linati_, -_Costumes_, pl. 29; _Loewenstern_, _Mexique_, p. 106, et seq., _Lyon's -Journal_, vol. ii., pp. 119-21; _Malte-Brun_, _Precis de la Geog._, -tom. vi., pp. 293, 295, 406, 446, 460; _McSherry's El Puchero_, pp. -154-5; _Mexique, Etudes Hist._, p. 7; _Mexico, Mem. de la Sec. -Estado_, 1835, pp. 42-4; _Mexikanische Zustaende_, pp. 372-6; _Mexico, -Trip to_, p. 66; _Mexico, Stories of_, pp. 87, 105; _Mexico in 1842_, -pp. 86-7; _Monglave_, _Resume_, pp. 5, 11-13, 57-8; _Morton's Crania -Amer._, p. 149; _Moxo_, _Cartas Mej._, pp. 86, 90-3, 132, 349-59; -_Montanus_, _Nieuwe Weereld_, p. 219; _Muehlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. -i., p. 229, tom. ii., pt. ii., pp. 295, 318-19, 352; _Mueller_, -_Amerikanische Urreligionen_, pp. 45, 457-9, 463-4, 466-8, 498-9, -543-5, 549-62, 642-6; _Norman's Rambles in Yuc._, pp. 277-80; _Id._, -_Rambles by Land and Water_, pp. 199-210; _Nott and Gliddon's Indig. -Races_, pp. 184-7; _Pimentel_, _Mem. sobre la Raza Indigena_, pp. -9-10, 54-5; _Prescott's Mex._, vol. iii., pp. 402-4; _Prichard's -Researches_, vol. v., pp. 345-8; _Poinsett's Notes Mex._, pp. 73-6, -111; _Priest's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 255-7; _Ranking's Hist. Researches_, -pp. 353-62, 401-3; _Ruxton's Adven. Mex._, p. 47; _Id._, in _Nouvelles -Annales des Voy._, 1850, tom. cxxvi., pp. 45-6; _Saturday Magazine_, -vol. vi., p. 42; _Simon's Ten Tribes_, pp. 155, 157, 196, 283; _Soc. -Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da epoca, tom. i., p. 37; _Shuck's Cal. -Scrap-Book_, p. 657; _Tayac_, in _Comite d'Arch. Amer._, 1866-7, p. -142; _Taylor's Eldorado_, vol. ii., pp. 159-60; _Thompson's Mex._, pp. -116-17, 213; _Thuemmel_, _Mexiko_, pp. 134-5, 182-3, 246-7, 330; -_Tudor's Nar._, vol. ii., pp. 239-40, 253-5; _Waldeck_, _Voy. Pitt._, -p. 72; _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, pp. 186, 188, 192, 196; _Wise's -Los Gringos_, pp. 255-6; _Willson's Amer. Hist._, pp. 73-4, 87-9; -_Wortley's Trav._, pp. 194-8; _Young's Hist. Mex._, p. 21. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -ANTIQUITIES OF THE NORTHERN MEXICAN STATES. - - THE HOME OF THE CHICHIMECS -- MICHOACAN -- TZINTZUNTZAN, - LAKE PATZCUARO, TEREMENDO -- ANICHE AND JIQUILPAN -- - COLIMA -- ARMERIA AND CUYUTLAN -- JALISCO -- TONALA, - GUADALAJARA, CHACALA, SAYULA, TEPATITLAN, ZAPOTLAN, - NAYARIT, TEPIC, SANTIAGO IXCUINTLA, AND BOLANOS -- - GUANAJUATO -- SAN GREGORIO AND SANTA CATARINA -- ZACATECAS - -- LA QUEMADA AND TEUL -- TAMAULIPAS -- ENCARNACION, SANTA - BARBARA, CARMELOTE, TOPILA, TAMPICO, AND BURRITA -- NUEVO - LEON AND TEXAS -- COAHUILA -- BOLSON DE MAPIMI, SAN - MARTERO -- DURANGO -- ZAPE, SAN AGUSTIN, AND LA BRENA -- - SINALOA AND LOWER CALIFORNIA -- CERRO DE LAS TRINCHERAS IN - SONORA -- CASAS GRANDES IN CHIHUAHUA. - - -A somewhat irregular line extending across the continent from -north-east to south-west, terminating at Tampico on the gulf and at -the bar of Zacatula on the Pacific, is the limit which the progress -northward of our antiquarian exploration has reached, the results -having been recorded in the preceding chapters. The region that now -remains to be traversed, excepting the single state of Michoacan, the -home of the Tarascos, is without the limits that have been assigned to -the Civilized Nations, and within the bounds of comparative savagism. -The northern states of what is now the Mexican Republic were inhabited -at the time of the Conquest by the hundreds of tribes, which, if not -all savages, had at least that reputation among their southern -brethren. To the proud resident of Anahuac and the southern plateaux, -the northern hordes were Chichimecs, 'dogs,' barbarians. Yet several -of these so-called barbarian tribes were probably as far advanced in -certain elements of civilization as some of the natives that have been -included among the Nahuas. They were tillers of the soil and lived -under systematic forms of government, although not apparently much -given to the arts of architecture and sculpture. Only one grand pile -of stone ruins is known to exist in the whole northern Chichimec -region, and the future discovery of others, though possible, is not, I -think, very likely to occur. Nor are smaller relics, idols and -implements, very numerous, except in a few localities; but this may be -attributed perhaps in great degree to the want of thorough -exploration. A short chapter will suffice for a description of all the -monuments south of United States territory, and in describing them I -shall treat of each state separately, proceeding in general terms from -south to north. A glance at the map accompanying this volume will show -the reader the position of each state, and each group of remains, more -clearly than any verbal location could do. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: TARASCAN MONUMENTS.] - -The civilized Tarascos of Michoacan have left but very few traces in -the shape of material relics. Their capital and the centre of their -civilization was on the shores and islands of Lake Patzcuaro, where -the Spaniards at the time of the Conquest found some temples described -by them as magnificent.[X-1] Beaumont tells us that the ruins of a -'plaza de armas' belonging traditionally to the Tarascos at -Tzintzuntzan, the ancient capital, were still visible in 1776, near -the pueblo of Ignatzio, two leagues distant. Five hundred paces west -of the pueblo a wall, mostly fallen, encloses a kind of plaza, -measuring four hundred and fourteen by nine hundred and thirty feet. -The wall was about sixteen feet thick and eighteen in height, with -terraces, or steps, on the inside. In the centre were the foundations -of what the author supposes to have been a tower, and west of the -enclosed area were three heaps of stones, supposed to be burial -mounds. Two idols, one in human form, lacking head and feet, the other -shaped like an alligator, were found here, carved from a stone called -_tanamo_, much like the tetzontli. The same author says, "respecting -the ruins of the palace of the Tarascan kings, according to the -examination which I lately made of these curiosities, I may say that -eastward of this city of Tzintzuntzan, on the slope of a great hill -called Yaguarato, a hundred paces from the settlement, are seen on the -surface of the ground some subterranean foundations, which extend from -north to south about a hundred and fifty paces, and about fifty from -east to west, where there is a tradition that the palace of the -ancient kings was situated. In the centre of the foundation-stones are -five small mounds, or cuicillos, which are called stone _yacatas_, and -hewn blocks, over which an Indian guardian is never wanting, for even -now the natives will not permit these stones to be removed." "On the -shores of Lake Siraguen are found ancient monuments of the things -which served for the pleasure of the kings and nobles, with other -ruined edifices, which occur in various places."[X-2] Tzintzuntzan is -on the south-eastern shore of the lake, some leagues northward from -the modern Patzcuaro. Lyon in later times was told that the royal -palace and other interesting remains were yet to be seen on the lake -shores, but he did not visit them.[X-3] - - [Sidenote: TEREMENDO AND ANICHE.] - -Another early writer, Villa-Senor y Sanchez, says that in 1712 he, -with a companion, entered what seemed a cavern in a deep barranca at -Teremendo, eight leagues south-west of Valladolid, or Morelia. "There -were discovered prodigious aboriginal vaults, bounded by very strong -walls, rendered solid by fire. In the centre of the second was a bench -like the foot of an altar, where there were many idols, and fresh -offerings of copal, and woolen stuffs, and various figures of men and -animals." It was found according to this author that the builders had -constructed walls of loose stones of a kind easily melted, and then by -fire had joined the blocks into a solid mass without the use of -mortar, continuing the process to the roof. The outside of the -structure was overgrown with shrubs and trees.[X-4] - - * * * * * - -At Aniche, an island in Lake Patzcuaro, Mr Beaufoy discovered some -hieroglyphic figures cut on a rock; and at Irimbo about fifty miles -east of Morelia, he was shown some small mounds which the natives -called fortifications, although there was nothing to indicate that -such had been their use.[X-5] In the mountains south-east of Lake -Chapala, in the region of Jiquilpan, Sr Garcia reports the remains of -an ancient town, and says further that opals and other precious stones -well worked have been obtained here.[X-6] Humboldt pictures a very -beautiful obsidian bracelet or ring, worked very thin and brilliantly -polished; and another writer mentions some giants' bones, all found -within the limits of Michoacan.[X-7] - - * * * * * - -At the time when official explorations were undertaken by Dupaix and -Castaneda in the southern parts of New Spain, it seems that officials -in some northern regions also were requested by the Spanish government -to report upon such remains of antiquity as might be known to exist. -The antiquarian genius to whom the matter was referred in Colima, then -a department of Michoacan, but now an independent state, made a -comprehensive report to the effect that he "had not been able to hear -of anything except an infinite number of edifices of ruined towns," -and some bones and other remains apparently of little importance, -which had been taken from excavations on the hacienda of Armeria and -Cuyutlan, and which seemed to have been destroyed and covered up by -volcanic eruptions. If this archaeologist had found more than 'an -infinite number' of ruins, it might possibly have occurred to him to -describe some of them.[X-8] Nothing more is known of Colima -antiquities. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: PYRAMID OF TEPATITLAN.] - -At Tonala, probably just across the Colima line northward in the state -of Jalisco, the report sent in reply to the inquiry just spoken of, -mentioned a hill which seemed to be for the most part artificial, and -in which excavations revealed walls, galleries, and rooms. Similar -works were said to be of frequent occurrence in that region. In -digging for the foundations of the Royal Hospital at Guadalajara, -"there was found a cavity, or subterranean vault, well painted, and -several statues, especially one which represents an Indian woman in -the act of grinding corn." It was hollow, and probably of clay. Near -Autlan, in the south-west, there were said to exist some traces of -feet sculptured in the rock, one at the ford called Zopilote, and -another on the road between Autlan and Tepanola. Near Chacala, still -further south, "there is a tank, and near it a cross well carved, and -on its foot certain ancient unknown letters, with points in five -lines. On it was seen a most devoted crucifix. Under it are other -lines of characters with the said points, which seemed Hebrew or -Syriac." This information comes from an old author, and is a specimen -of the absurd reports of the Christian gospel having been preached at -various points in these regions, which are still believed to a -considerable extent by a certain class of the people of Mexico.[X-9] - -An author who wrote in 1778 states that between Guadalajara and -Sayula, and four leagues north-east of the latter town, "there is a -causeway of stone and earth, about half a league long, across the -narrowest part of a marsh, or lagoon. There is a tradition that the -gentiles built it in ancient times. On most parts of its shores this -marsh has little heaps of pottery in fragments, very wide and thick, -and there can still be found figures of large vessels, and also -foundations and traces of small houses of stone. Tradition relates -that the antiguos of different nations came here to make salt, and -that they had several bloody fights, of which many traces appear in -the shape of black transparent flints worked into arrow-points."[X-10] - -Mr Loewenstern discovered near Tepatitlan, some fifty miles north-east -of Guadalajara, a pyramid described as somewhat similar to those of -Teotihuacan, but smaller, its exact dimensions not being given, but -the height being estimated at from ninety to a hundred and thirty -feet. It was built in three stories of earth, sand, and pebbles, and -bore on its summit a dome-shaped mound. The pyramid at the base was -encased with large stones; whether or not they were in hewn blocks is -not stated, but the stones lying about indicated that the whole -surface had originally borne a stone facing. The form of the base was -quadrangular, but time and the cultivation of the whole surface as a -cornfield, had modified the original form and given the structure an -octagonal conformation with not very clearly defined angles. It -requires additional evidence to prove that this supposed pyramid was -not a natural hill like Xochicalco with some artificial improvement. -The hill is called Cerrito de Montezuma, the custom of applying this -monarch's name to every relic of antiquity being even more common in -the northern regions than in other parts of the country. The author of -_Cincinnatus' Travels_, mentions a 'mound' at Zapotlan, about fifty -miles east of Guadalajara, which is five hundred feet high. He does -not expressly state that it is artificial, and a gentleman familiar -with the locality tells me that it is not generally so regarded, -having the appearance of a natural grass-covered hill.[X-11] - -In the northern part of the state, in the region of Tepic, the -Spaniards seem to have found grander temples, a more elaborate -religious system, and a civilization generally somewhat more advanced -than in most other parts of the north or north-west. Still no -well-defined architectural monuments are reported on good authority in -modern times. It is to the earlier writers that we must go for -accounts of any extensive remains, and such accounts in all cases -probably refer to the buildings which the Spaniards found still in use -among the natives; and the old writers were ready to seize upon every -scrap of rumor in this direction, that they might successfully trace -the favorite southward course of the Aztecs to Anahuac. Hervas says -that "there have been found and still exist in Nayarit ruins of -edifices which by their form seem to be Mexican, and the natives say -that the Mexicans built them when they were in Nayarit."[X-12] This -was another of the regions where some wandering apostle preached the -gospel in aboriginal times, and the 'cross of Tepic' was one of the -celebrated Christian relics. Some wonderful foot-prints in the stone -are also among the reported relics.[X-13] A temple of hewn stone, -situated on a rocky hill, ascended by a winding road, was found at -Xuchipiltepetl by the Spanish explorers in 1841; and Villa-Senor -describes a cave where the natives were wont to worship the skeleton -of an ancient king gaily appareled and seated in state upon a -throne.[X-14] Finally Prichard informs us that "near Nayarit are seen -earthen mounds and trenches."[X-15] - - [Sidenote: SANTIAGO IXCUINTLA.] - -A writer in the Boletin of the Mexican Geographical Society describes -the temple at Jalisco as it was found by the first Spaniards; and -another in the _Nouvelles Annales des Voyages_ states that the village -of Jalisco, about a league from Tepic, is built on the ruins of the -ancient city, and that "in making excavations there are found utensils -of every kind, weapons and idols of the Mexican divinities."[X-16] -After all, the only definite account extant of relics found in this -part of the state is that by Sr Retes. He says that the northern bank -of the Rio Grande, or Tololotlan, contains numerous remains for three -or four hundred miles, consisting chiefly of stone and clay images and -pottery, and occurring for the most part on the elevated spots out of -the reach of inundations. The part of this region that has been most -explored, is the vicinity of Santiago Ixcuintla, twenty-five or thirty -miles from the mouth of the river. On the slope of a hill four leagues -north-west of Santiago, at the foot of Lake San Juan, was found a -crocodile of natural size carved from stone, together with several -dogs or sphinxes, and some idols, which the author deems similar to -those of the Egyptians. Human remains have been found in connection -with the other relics, and most of the latter are said to have been -sent to enrich European collections by rich foreign residents of -Tepic. The objects consist of idols in human and animal forms, axes, -and lances, the pottery being in many cases brightly colored. The cut -shows six of the thirty-eight relics pictured in the plates given by -Retes. Fig. 1, 2, are the heads of small stone idols, the first head -being only two inches in height. Fig. 3 is a head of what the author -calls a sphinx. Fig. 4 is an earthen-ware mold for stamping designs on -cloth or pottery; there are several of these represented in the -collection. Fig. 5 is an earthen jar six inches high, of a material -nearly as hard as stone. Many of the jars found are very similar to -those now made and used in the same region. Fig. 6 is an earthen idol -four inches high. Among the other objects is a flint lance-head with -notches like saw-teeth on the sides.[X-17] Similar relics, but of -somewhat ruder style and coarser material, have been found at a -locality called Abrevadero, about eighteen miles south of Santiago -towards Tepic.[X-18] At Bolanos, some distance east from Santiago, on -a northern branch of the same river, Lyon obtained, by offering -rewards to the natives, "three very good stone wedges or axes of -basalt." Bones of giants were reported at a distance of a day's -journey. At the same distance southward "there is said to be a cave -containing several figures or idols in stone."[X-19] - - [Illustration: Relics from Santiago, Jalisco.] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: ANTIQUITIES OF GUANAJUATO.] - -Respecting the antiquities of Guanajuato Sr Bustamante states that the -only ones in the state are some natural caves artificially improved, -as in the Cerro de San Gregorio, on the hacienda of Tupataro; and some -earthen mounds in the plains of Bajio, proved to be burial mounds. -Under the earth and a layer of ashes the skeleton lies with its head -covered by a little brazier of baked clay, and accompanied by arrows, -fragments of double-edged knives, obsidian fragments, bird-bone -necklaces strung on twisted bird-gut, smooth stones, some small -semi-spheres of baked clay with a hole in the centre of each, and a -few grotesque idols.[X-20] - -Castillo describes a small human head, brought from the mines of -Guanajuato, the material of which was a "concretion of quartz and -chalcedony for the most part, sprinkled with fine grains of gold, and -a little pyrites, of a whitish color, but partly stained red by the -oxide of iron." This head, it seems, was claimed by some to be a -petrifaction, but the author is of a contrary opinion, although he -believes there is nothing artificial about it except the mouth.[X-21] -Finally Berlandier describes two pyramids near the pueblo of Santa -Catarina, in the vicinity of the city of Guanajuato. They are square -at the base, face the cardinal points, and are built of pieces of -porphyry laid in clayey earth. The eastern pyramid is twenty-three -feet high, thirty-seven feet square at the base, with a summit -platform fifteen feet square. The corresponding dimensions of the -western mound are eighteen, thirty-seven, and fifteen feet. They are -only fifteen or twenty feet apart, and are joined by an embankment -about five feet high.[X-22] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF QUEMADA.] - -The most important and famous ruins of the whole northern region are -those known to the world under the name of Quemada, in southern -Zacatecas. The ruins are barely mentioned by the early writers as one -of the probable stations of the migrating Aztecs; and the modern -explorations which have resulted in published descriptions were made -between 1826 and 1831, although Manuel Gutierrez, parish priest of the -locality in 1805, wrote a slight account which has been recently -published.[X-23] Capt. G. F. Lyon visited Quemada in 1826, and -published a full description, illustrated with three small cuts, in -his journal.[X-24] Gov. Garcia of Zacatecas ordered Sr Esparza in 1830 -to explore the ruins. The latter, however, by reason of other duties -and a fear of snakes, was not able to make a personal visit, but -obtained a report from Pedro Rivera who had made such a visit. The -report was published in the same year.[X-25] - -Mr Berghes, a German mining engineer, connected with the famous Veta -Grande silver mines, made a survey of the ruins in 1831, for Gov. -Garcia, and from the survey prepared a detailed and presumably -accurate plan of the works, which was afterwards published by Nebel, -and which I shall copy in this chapter. Mr Burkart, another engineer, -was the companion of Berghes, and also visited Quemada on several -other occasions. His published account is accompanied by a plan -agreeing very well with that of Berghes, but containing fewer -details.[X-26] Nebel visited Quemada about the same time.[X-27] His -plates are two in number, a general view of the ruins from the -south-west, and an interior view of one of the structures, besides -Berghes' plan. His views, so far as I know, are the only ones ever -published.[X-28] - -The location is about thirty miles southward of the capital city of -Zacatecas, and six miles northward of Villanueva. The stream on which -the ruins stand is spoken of by Burkart as Rio de Villanueva, and by -Lyon as the Rio del Partido. The name Quemada, 'burnt,' is that of a -neighboring hacienda, about a league distant towards the south-west. -I do not know the origin of the name as applied to the hacienda, but -there is no evidence that it has any connection with the ruins. The -local name of the latter is Los Edificios. The only other name which I -have found applied to the place is Tuitlan. Fr Tello, in an -unpublished history of Nueva Galicia written about 1650, tells us that -the Spaniards under Capt. Chirinos "found a great city in ruins and -abandoned; but it was known to have had most sumptuous edifices, with -grand streets and plazas well arranged, and within a distance of a -quarter of a league four towers, with causeways of stone leading from -one to another; and this city was the great Tuitlan, where the Mexican -Indians remained many years when they were journeying from the -north."[X-29] This ruined city was in the region of the modern town of -Jerez, and without much doubt was identical with Quemada. Sr Gil -applies the same name to the ruins. Others without any known authority -attempt to identify Quemada with Chicomoztoc, 'the seven caves' whence -the Aztecs set out on their migrations; or with Amaquemecan, the -ancient Chichimec capital of the traditions. Gil rather extravagantly -says, "these ruins are the grandest which exist among us after those -of Palenque; and on examining them, it is seen that they were the -fruit of a civilization more advanced than that which was found in -Peru at the time of the Incas, or in Mexico at the time of -Montezuma."[X-30] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: LOS EDIFICIOS OF QUEMADA.] - -The Cerro de los Edificios is a long narrow isolated hill, the summit -of which forms an irregular broken plateau over half a mile in length -from north to south, and from one hundred to two hundred yards wide, -except at the northern end, where it widens to about five hundred -yards. The height of the hill is given by Lyon as from two to three -hundred feet, but by Burkart at eight to nine hundred feet above the -level of the plain. In the central part is a cliff rising about thirty -feet above the rest of the plateau. From the brow the hill descends -more or less precipitously on different sides for about a hundred and -fifty feet, and then stretches in a gentler slope of from two to four -hundred yards to the surrounding plain. On the slope and skirting the -whole circumference of the hill, except on the north and north-east, -are traces of ancient roads crossing each other at different angles, -and connected by cross roads running up the slope with the works on -the summit. Berghes' plan of Quemada is given on the following page, -on which the roads spoken of are indicated by the dotted lines marked -H, H, H, etc. This plan and Burkart's plan and description are the -only authorities for the existence of the roads running round the -hill, Lyon and other visitors speaking only of those that diverge from -it; but it is probable that Berghes' survey was more careful and -thorough than that of the others, and his plan should be accepted as -good authority, especially as the other accounts agree with it so far -as they go.[X-31] - - [Illustration: Plan of the Ruins at Quemada.] - -One of the roads, which turns at a right angle round the south-western -slope, has traces of having been enclosed or raised by walls whose -foundations yet remain; and from it at a point near the angle a raised -causeway ninety-three feet wide extends straight up the slope -north-eastward to the foot of the bluff. The walls supposed to have -raised those south-western roads are not spoken of by Burkart or shown -on his plan; Lyon speaks of certain walls here which he considers -those of an enclosed area of some six acres. From a point near the -junction of the road and causeway three raised roads, paved with rough -stones extend, according to Lyon, in perfectly straight lines S.W., -S.S.W., and S.W. by S. The first terminates in an artificial mound -across the river towards the hacienda of Quemada;[X-32] the second -extends four miles to the Coyote Rancho; and the third is said by the -natives to terminate at a mountain six miles distant. Two similar -roads thirteen or fourteen feet wide extend from the eastern slope of -the hill, one of them crossing a stream and terminating at a distance -of two miles in a cuicillo, or heap of stones. Burkart found some -evidence that the heap constituted the ruins of a regular structure or -pyramid; and Rivera locates the cuicillo on the summit of the Sierra -de Palomas. He also speaks of a road running west from the -north-western part of the hill to the small hills of San Juan, on the -Zacatecas road. Of the other roads radiating from the hill I have no -farther information than the fact that they are laid down in the -plan.[X-33] - -At all points in the whole circumference where the natural condition -of the slope is not in itself a sufficient barrier to those seeking -access to the summit plateau, the brow of the hill is guarded by walls -of stone, marked B on the plan for the northern portions, and -indicated generally by the black lines in the south. Indeed the -northern end of the mesa, where the approach is somewhat less -precipitous than elsewhere, is continuously guarded by such a wall, -from nine to twelve feet thick and high, enclosing an irregular -triangular area with sides of about four hundred and fifty yards: this -area being divided by another wall into two unequal portions. - -The most numerous and extensive ruins are on the southern portion of -the hill, where a larger part of the uneven surface is formed into -platforms or terraces by means of walls of solid masonry. One of these -supporting walls is double--that is, composed of two walls placed in -contact side by side, one having been completed and plastered before -the other was begun, the whole structure being twenty-one feet high -and of the same thickness.[X-34] On the platforms thus formed are a -great number of edifices in different degrees of dilapidation. Any -attempt on my part to describe these edifices in detail from the -information afforded by the authorities available could not be -otherwise than confusing and unsatisfactory. There is probably no ruin -in our territory, the verbal description of which would present so -great difficulties, even if the accounts of the original explorers -were perfectly comprehensive, as they are not; for perhaps more than -three fourths of the structures shown on the plan are not definitely -spoken of by any author. I will, however, give as clear a description -as possible, referring the reader to the plan and to one view which I -shall copy, the only satisfactory one ever published. - -Near each end of the wide causeway already mentioned are two -comparatively small masses of ruins. One of them appears to have been -a square stone building thirty-one feet square at the base and of the -same height; the others, now completely in ruins, may perhaps have -been of similar dimensions, so far as may be judged by the debris. In -the centre of the causeway, perhaps at F of the plan, although -described as nearer the bluff, is a heap of stone over a star-shaped -border or pavement. On the lower part of the mesa, at the extreme -southern end and also near the head of the causeway, at A iv of the -plan, is a quadrangular space measuring two hundred by two hundred and -forty feet,[X-35] and bounded, at least on the north and east, by a -stone terrace or embankment four or five feet high and twenty feet -wide, the width of which is probably to be included in the dimensions -given.[X-36] Mr Burkart states that near the inner edge of this -terrace is a canal a foot deep and wide, covered with stone flags. On -the outer edge of the terrace, on the eastern side, stands a wall -eight feet thick and eighteen feet high. Mr Lyon thinks the other -sides were always open, but Burkart speaks of the wall as having -originally enclosed the square, and having been torn down on three -sides, which seems much more probable. At one point on the eastern -terrace stands a round pillar nineteen feet in circumference and of -the same height as the wall, or eighteen feet. There are visible -traces of nine other similar pillars, seemingly indicating the former -presence of a massive column-supported portico. - -Adjoining this enclosure on the east, with only a narrow passage -intervening, is another, R of the plan, measuring according to -Burkart's measurement, which agrees very nearly with that of Berghes, -one hundred by one hundred and thirty-eight feet,[X-37] with walls -still perfect, eighteen feet high and eight feet thick, in connection -with which no terraces are mentioned, although Rivera speaks of steps -on the west. Within the walls, twenty-three feet from the sides and -nineteen and a half from the ends, is a line of eleven pillars--Lyon -says fourteen, and Rivera ten--each seventeen feet in circumference -and of the same height as the walls. There can be little doubt that -these columns once sustained a roof. Mr Berghes in one of his -excavations in 1831 is said, by Nebel, to have found an ancient roof -supported by a column, and showing exactly the method followed by the -builders. The roof was made of large flat stones, covered with mortar -and supported by beams. It is not quite clear how an excavation on -the hill could show such a room, but there is little room to doubt -that the roof-structure was similar to that described. Near this -second enclosure--and west of it, as is said, but that would be hardly -possible--Rivera speaks of a circular ruin sixteen and a half feet in -diameter, with five steps leading up to the summit, on which some -apartments were still traceable. - -From the level platform in front of the two main structures described, -a causeway, beginning with a stairway and guarded at the sides by -walls for much of its length, leads northward up the slope. About -three hundred yards in this direction, possibly at the point marked F -on this causeway, is a pyramid in perfect preservation, about fifty -feet square at the base, also fifty feet high, with a flat summit. -Near this is another pyramid, only twelve feet square and eighteen -feet high, but standing on a terrace fifty by one hundred feet. Two -bowl-shaped circular pits, eight feet in diameter, with fragments of -pottery and traces of fire; a square building ten by eight feet on the -inside, with walls ten feet high; and a simple mound of stones eight -feet high, are the miscellaneous remains noted in this part of the -hill. - -The most extensive and complicated ruins are found between the steep -central height and the western brow of the hill, where there is a -perpendicular descent of a hundred and fifty feet. On this central -height itself there are no ruins, but passing nearly round its base -are terraced roads twenty-five feet wide, with perpendicular walls -only partially artificial. Of the extensive group of monuments on the -platform of the south-western base of the central height, only the -portion about A ii, of the plan, has been definitely described, and -the description, although clear enough in itself, does not altogether -agree with the plan. Here we have a square enclosure similar to the -one already described in the south at A iv. Its sides are one hundred -and fifty feet, bounded by a terrace three feet high and twelve feet -wide, with steps in the centre of each side. Back of the terrace on -the east, west, and south sides stand walls eight or nine feet in -thickness and twenty feet high. The north side of the square is -bounded by the steep side of the central cliff, in which steps or -seats are cut in some parts in the solid rock, and in others built up -with rough stones. In the centre of this side, and partially on the -terrace, is a truncated pyramid, with a base of thirty-eight by -thirty-five feet, and nineteen feet high, divided into several -stories--five according to Nebel's drawing, seven according to Lyon's -statement.[X-38] - -In front of the pyramid, and nearly in the centre of the square, -stands a kind of altar or small pyramid seven feet square and five -feet high. A very clear idea of this square is given in the following -cut from Nebel's drawing. It presents an interior view from a point on -the southern terrace. The pyramid in five stories, the central altar, -the eastern terrace with its steps, and standing portions of the walls -are all clearly portrayed. The view, however, disagrees very -essentially with the plan in representing extensive remains northward -from the enclosure on the upper slope, where, according to Berghes' -plan, no ruins exist. There is an entrance in the centre of the -eastern wall, another in the western, and two on the south. These -entrances do not seem to be in the form of doorways, but extend, -according to the drawing, to the full height of the walls. That on the -east is thirty feet wide and leads to an adjoining square with sides -of two hundred feet and walls still perfect. The arrangement of these -two adjoining squares is much like that of those at A iv in the south, -but in the northern structures there are no pillars to be seen. - - [Illustration: Interior of Los Edificios.] - -The opening through the western wall leads to the entrance to a cave, -reported to be of great extent, but not explored by any visitor on -account of the ruined condition of the passage leading to it--or, as -Gutierrez says, because the wind issues constantly from the entrance -with such force that no one can enter with lights. The mouth of the -subterranean passage is on the brink of the western precipice; the -walls were plastered, and the top supported by cedar beams. Strangely -enough the structure at A iii, so clearly defined on the plan, is not -described at all. It seems to be very similar to the enclosures -described. - -The ruins on the northern part of the plateau are similar in character -to those in the south, but fewer in number. Among them are square -terraced enclosures like those already mentioned; a pyramid with -sloping sides, and eighteen feet square at the summit; a square -building sixteen feet square at the base and sixteen feet high; and -two parallel stone mounds thirty feet long. - -On the lower southern slopes the foundation-stones of numerous -buildings are found, and many parts of the adjoining plain are strewn -with stones similar to those employed in the construction of the -edifices above. There is now no water on the hill, but there are -several tolerably perfect tanks, with a well, and what seem to be the -remains of aqueducts. - -The material of which all the works described are built is the gray -porphyry of this and the neighboring hills, and Burkart states that -the building-stone of Los Edificios was not quarried in the hill on -which they stand, but brought from another across the valley. The -nature of the stone permits it to be very easily fractured into slabs, -and those employed in the buildings are of different sizes, but rarely -exceeding two or three inches in thickness and not hewn. They are laid -in a mortar of reddish clay mixed with straw, in which one visitor -found a corn-husk. The mortar, according to Burkart, is of an inferior -quality,--although others represent it as very good--and on the outer -walls and in all exposed situations is almost entirely washed out. -Except this washing-out of the mortar, time and the elements have -committed but slight ravages at Quemada, the dilapidation of the -buildings being due for the most part to man's agency, since most of -the buildings of the neighboring hacienda have been constructed of -blocks taken from Los Edificios. Lyon found some evidence that the -walls were originally plastered and whitened. - -A large circular stone from ten to thirteen feet in diameter and from -one to three in thickness, according to different observers, on the -surface of which were sculptured representations of a hand and foot, -was found at the western base of the hill, or as Burkart says, at the -eastern base. The editor of the _Museo Mexicano_ also speaks of a -sculptured turtle bearing the figure of a reed, the Aztec _acatl_. No -other miscellaneous relics whatever have been found. Nothing -resembling inscriptions, hieroglyphics, or even architectural -decorations, is found in any part of the ruins. Obsidian fragments, -arrow and spear heads, knives, ornaments, heads and idols of terra -cotta and stone, pottery whole or in fragments, human remains and -burial deposits, some or all of which are strewn in so great abundance -in the vicinity of most other American ruins, are here utterly -wanting; or at least the only exceptions are a few bits of porphyry -somewhat resembling arrow-heads, and some small bits of pottery found -by Lyon in the circular pit on the summit. - - * * * * * - -The works which have been described naturally imply the existence in -this spot at some time in the past of a great city of the plain, of -which the Cerro de los Edificios was at once the fortified citadel and -temple. The paved causeways may be regarded as the principal streets -of the ancient city, on which the habitations of the people were built -of perishable material, or as constructed for some purely religious -purpose not now understood. Mr Burkart suggests that the land in the -vicinity was once swampy, and the causeways were raised to ensure a -dry road. An examination of their foundation should settle that -point, as a simple pavement of flat stones on the surface of a marsh -would not remain permanently in place. As simple roads, such -structures were hardly needed by barefooted or sandaled natives, -having no carriages or beasts of burden; and it seems most reasonable -to believe that they had a connection with religious rites and -processions, serving at the same time as main streets of a city. - -The ruins of Quemada show but few analogies to any of the southern -remains, and none whatever to any that we shall find further north. As -a strongly fortified hill, bearing also temples, Quemada bears -considerable resemblance to Quiotepec in Oajaca; and possibly the -likeness would be still stronger if a plan of the Quiotepec -fortifications were extant. The massive character, number, and extent -of the monuments show the builders to have been a powerful and in some -respects an advanced people, hardly less so, it would seem at first -thought, than the peoples of Central America; but the absence of -narrow buildings covered by arches of overlapping stones, and of all -decorative sculpture and painting, make the contrast very striking. -The pyramids, so far as they are described, do not differ very -materially from some in other parts of the country, but the location -of the pyramids shown in the drawing and plan within the enclosed and -terraced squares seems unique. The pillars recall the roof structures -of Mitla, but it is quite possible that the pillars at Quemada -supported balconies instead of roofs; indeed, it seems improbable that -these large squares were ever entirely covered. The walls of Los -Edificios are higher as a rule than those of other American ruins, and -the absence of windows and regular doorways is noticeable. The total -want of idols in structures so evidently built, at least partially, -for religious purposes, is also a remarkable feature, as is the -absence of the usual pottery, implements, and weapons. The peculiar -structure, several times repeated, of two adjoining quadrangular -spaces enclosed, or partially so, by high walls, and one of them -formed by a low terrace into a kind of square basin, containing -something like an altar in its centre, is a feature not elsewhere -noted. There can hardly be any doubt that these and other portions of -the Edificios were devoted to religious rites. - -While Quemada does not compare as a specimen of advanced art with -Uxmal and Palenque, and is inferior so far as sculpture and decoration -are concerned to most other Nahua architectural monuments, it is yet -one of the most remarkable of American ruins, presenting strong -contrasts to all the rest, and is well worthy of a more careful -examination than it has ever yet received. Such an examination is -rendered comparatively easy by the accessibility of the locality, and -would, I have no doubt, be far from unprofitable in an antiquarian -point of view. Los Edificios, like Copan and Palenque, have, so far as -has yet been ascertained, no place in the traditional annals of the -country, yet they bear no marks of very great antiquity; that is, -there is more reason to class them with Xochicalco, Quiotepec, Monte -Alban, and the fortified towns of Vera Cruz, than with the cities of -Yucatan and Chiapas, or even the pyramids of Teotihuacan and Cholula. - - * * * * * - -At San Juan Teul, nearly a hundred miles southward from Quemada, the -Spaniards found a grand aboriginal temple when they first came to this -part of the country; and Frejes, an early writer, says, "there are -ruins of a temple and of dwellings not far from the present pueblo." -There is, however, no later information respecting this group of -remains. At a place called Tabasco, about fifty miles from Quemada, -Esparza mentions the discovery of some stone axes. No other -antiquities have been definitely reported in the state of Zacatecas, -although Arlegui tells us that the early missionaries were much -troubled, and hindered in their work of conversion by the constant -discovery of idols and temples concealed in the mountains.[X-39] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: AGUASCALIENTES AND SAN LUIS POTOSI.] - -I have no record of any relics of antiquity in the state of -Aguascalientes: San Luis Potosi has hardly proved a more fruitful -field of archaeological research. Mayer gives a cut representing a -stone axe from this state; Cabrera reports some ancient tombs, or -cuicillos,--which he calls _cuiztillos_; the word being written -differently by different authors, and as applied to different -states--in the suburbs of the city of San Luis Potosi; and according -to a newspaper report two idols and a sacrificial basin, cut from a -concrete sandstone, were found in the sierra near the city and brought -to New Orleans. One of the idols was of life size, had two faces and a -hole for the insertion of a torch in its right hand; the basin was two -feet in diameter, and held by intertwined serpents.[X-40] - - * * * * * - -In southern Tamaulipas relics are quite abundant and of a nature very -much the same as that of those which have already been described south -of the Rio Panuco, the boundary line between Tamaulipas and Vera Cruz. -At Encarnacion, in the vicinity of Tampico, Mr Furber reports the -stone idol shown in front and profile view in the cut. The sculpture -is described as rude, and with the idol, three feet high, were dug up -several implements and utensils.[X-41] Near a small salt lake between -Tula and Santa Barbara, Mr Lyon found a ruined pyramidal mound of hard -earth or clay, faced with flat unhewn stones, with similar stones -projecting and forming steps leading up the slope on one side. This -pyramid is thirty paces in circumference at the base, and is divided -by a terrace into two stories, the lower of which is twenty feet high, -and the upper in its present state ten feet. Some stone and -terra-cotta images have been taken from this mound, and another much -smaller but similar structure is reported to exist somewhere in the -same vicinity.[X-42] - - [Illustration: Idol from Tamaulipas.] - -On the Tamissee River, which flows into Tampico Bay, traces of ancient -towns have been found in two localities near the Carmelote Creek. They -consist of scattered hewn blocks of stone, covered with vegetable mold -and overgrown with immense trees and rank vegetation. At one of these -localities the remains include seventeen large earthen mounds, with -traces of a layer of mortar at the bottom. In them have been found -broken pottery, rudely carved images of natural size in sandstone, and -idols and heads in terra cotta. Mr Norman gives cuts representing two -of these heads.[X-43] - - [Sidenote: TOPILA REMAINS.] - -In the south-western part of the state, in the Topila hills, near a -creek of the same name, is a large group of remains at a locality -known as Rancho de las Piedras. Mr Norman, who spent a week in their -examination, is the only authority for these remains, and as he was -obliged to work alone and unaided, his examination was necessarily -superficial. Over an area several miles square the ground is strewn -with hewn blocks of stone and fragments of pottery and obsidian. Many -of the blocks bear decorative sculptured figures. A female face carved -from a block of fine dark reddish sandstone, was brought away by Mr -Norman and presented to the New York Historical Society. It is shown -in the cut. The face is of life size, very symmetrical in its form, -and of a Grecian type. Another monument sketched by the explorer was a -stone turtle, six feet long, with a human head. The sculpture, -especially of the turtle's shell, is described as very fine; the whole -rests on a large block of concrete sandstone, and is called by the -finder the American Sphinx. This relic was somewhat damaged, but the -features of the human face seemed of a Caucasian rather than a native -type. - - [Illustration: Stone Face--Topila Ruins.] - - [Illustration: Colossal Head--Topila Ruins.] - -The Topila ruins include twenty mounds, both circular and square, from -six to twenty-five feet in height, built of earth and faced with -uniform blocks of sandstone, eighteen inches square and six inches -thick. The facings had for the most part fallen, and that invariably -inward in the smaller mounds, indicating perhaps their original use as -tombs. Many of the blocks are scattered through the forest in places -where the mounds had entirely disappeared. Of all the mounds only one -has any trace of a terrace, and in that one it is very faint; and -there is no evidence that mortar was employed in laying the stones. -The largest covered about two acres, and bore on its summit a wild -fig-tree one hundred feet high. At its base is a circular wall of -stone, the top of which is even with the surface of the -ground--perhaps a well--and which is filled with stones and broken -pottery. Its top is covered with a circular stone four feet and nine -inches in diameter and seven inches thick, with a hole in its centre -and some ornamental lines sculptured on its upper surface. Another -round stone, twelve feet in diameter and three feet thick, on the -front of which is carved a colossal human head, is shown in the cut. -The author speaks vaguely of "vast piles of broken and crumbling -stones, the ruins of dilapidated buildings, which were strewed over a -vast space;" and his cuts of the relics which I have copied show in -the background, not included in my copies, regular walls of hewn -stone. Mr Norman regards this group as the remains of a great city, -the site of which is now covered by a heavy forest. In another -locality, seven miles further north-west on the Topila Creek, and a -few miles from the Panuco River, is another group of circular mounds, -one of them twenty-five feet high, and the lower portions faced with -flat hewn stones. Hewn blocks of various forms and sizes are also -scattered about the locality, but none of them are sculptured.[X-44] -Lyon tells us that "remains of utensils, statues, weapons, and even -skeletons," have been often found in digging for the foundations of -new buildings in the vicinity of Tampico, or Tamaulipas. He made -drawings, which he did not publish, of two very perfect basalt idols, -and mentioned also some bone carvings and terra-cotta idols found in -this region.[X-45] In northern Tamaulipas I find only one mention of -aboriginal monuments, and that at Burrita, about twenty miles east -from Matamoras, respecting which locality Berlandier says, "on a small -hill which is seen two or three hundred paces from the rancho of -Burrita are found in abundance (as the rancheros say) the bones of -ancient peoples."[X-46] - - [Sidenote: BOLSON DE MAPIMI.] - - [Sidenote: BURIAL CAVES.] - -Nuevo Leon, adjoining Tamaulipas on the west, is another of the states -within whose limits no antiquities have been reported; and in Texas on -the north almost the same absence of aboriginal remains is to be -remarked, although one group of rock-inscriptions will be noted in a -future chapter at Rocky Dell creek, in the north-western part of the -state bordering on New Mexico. In the region bordering on the valley -known as the Bolson de Mapimi, comprising parts of the states of -Coahuila, Durango, and Chihuahua, the natives at some time in the past -seem to have deposited their dead in natural caves, and several of -these burial deposits of great extent have been discovered and -reported. None of them are accurately located by any traveler or -writer, nor is it possible to tell in which of the three states any -one of them should be described. As antiquities, however, these burial -caves do not require a long notice. The one of which most has been -written is that discovered by Juan Flores in 1838. The entrance to the -cave was at the foot of a hill, and within were seated round the walls -over a thousand mummies "dressed in fine blankets, made of the fibres -of lechuguilla, with sandals, made of a species of liana, on their -feet, and ornamented with colored scarfs, with beads of seeds of -fruits, polished bones, &c.," as Wizlizenus says. Muehlenpfordt tells -us that Flores to find this cave traveled eastward from the Rancho San -Juan de Casta, which is eighty-six leagues northward from Durango. -Another traveler heard of several of these caves, and that the remains -found were of gigantic size. Mayer gives a report that in latitude 27 -deg. 28' there are a multitude of caverns excavated from solid rock, -bearing inscribed figures of animals and men, the latter dressed like -the ancient Mexicans. Some of them were described by Fr Rotea as -fifteen by thirty feet, and identical probably with Chicomoztoc, the -famous 'seven caves.' A writer in _Silliman's Journal_, referring -perhaps to the same cave, extends the number of mummies from a -thousand to millions, and speaks of necklaces of marine shells. Mr -Wilson locates one of these mummy-deposits on the western slope of a -high mountain overlooking the ancient pueblo of Chiricahui, in -Chihuahua probably. Several rows of bodies, dried and shrunken but not -decayed, were exposed by an excavation for saltpetre. Each body sewn -up in a strong well-woven cloth, and covered again with sewn -palm-leaves, lay on its back on two sticks, with knees drawn up to -chin, and feet toward the mouth of the cavern. The cave was a hundred -feet in circumference and thirty or forty feet high, and the bottom -for a depth of twenty feet, at least, was composed of alternate -layers of bodies, and of earth and pebbles. The preservation is -thought to be attributable to the dryness of the air and the presence -of saltpetre. Parts of the mummies, of the wrapping-cloths, bone beads -and beads of blue stone, with parts of a belt and tassels, were -presented to the California Academy of Natural Sciences in July, 1864. -Sr Avila describes two of these caves situated in the vicinity of San -Lorenzo, about thirty-five leagues west of Parras, in Coahuila. One -had to be entered from the top by means of ropes, and the other had -some of its rocks artificially cut and painted. In both of these -deposits bones were found instead of mummies, but they were as in the -other cases wrapped in cloth and gaily decked with beads, sticks, and -tassels. Hair was found on some of the heads, and a white hand was -noticed frequently painted on the walls. Padre Alegre speaks of the -existence of caves in this region, with human remains, and painted -characters on the cliffs. Respecting the latter, Padre Ribas says "the -cliffs of that hill and of the caves were marked with characters and a -kind of letters, formed with blood, and in some places so high that -nobody but the devil could have put them there, and so permanent that -neither the rains nor winds had erased or diminished them."[X-47] - -Besides the burial caves, the only account I find of any antiquities -in the state of Coahuila, is contained in the following quotation, of -rather doubtful authenticity, perhaps, respecting some remains on the -hacienda of San Martero, about twenty-six miles from Monclova. "The -spot bears every appearance of having once been a populous city. -Stone foundations are to be seen, covering many acres. Innumerable -columns and walls rise up in every direction, composed of both -limestone and sandstone. The columns are built in a variety of shapes, -some round, others square, and bear every imprint of the work of human -hands.... For miles in the vicinity, the basin is covered with broken -pottery of burnt clay, fantastically painted and ornamented with a -variety of inexplicable designs."[X-48] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: REMAINS IN LA BRENA.] - -In Durango, besides the sepulchral deposits alluded to, Ribas in his -standard and very rare work on the 'triumphs of the faith' in the -northern regions, mentions the existence of idols, columns, and the -ruins of habitations at Zape, in the central part of the state; and -Larios tells us that in the vicinity of the church which was being -built in his time, there were found at every step burial vases, -containing ashes and human bones, stones of various colors, and, most -wonderful of all, statues or images of men and animals, one resembling -a priest.[X-49] At San Agustin, between the city of Durango and San -Juan del Rio, Arlegui notes the existence of some bones of giants. The -good padre did not rely in making his statement on mere reports, but -saw with his own eyes a jaw-tooth which measured over eight inches -square, and belonged to a jaw which must, according to his -calculations, have measured nine feet and a half in the -semicircle.[X-50] In the volcanic region extending south-eastward from -the city of Durango, known as La Brena, there are large numbers of -very curious natural caves, the bottoms of which are covered with a -thick layer of fine dust, containing much saltpetre. In this dust, Sr -Jose Fernando Ramirez discovered various antiquarian relics, which he -deposited in the National Museum of Mexico. The only one specially -mentioned was a very small stone turtle, not over half an inch in -diameter, very perfectly carved from a hard material. The region of La -Brena has always been a land of mystery popularly supposed to contain -immense concealed treasure, the localities of the deposits being -marked by small heaps of stones which occurred frequently in -out-of-the-way places not covered by the torrent of lava. Most of -these stone heaps, perhaps altars or burial places of the ancient -inhabitants, have been destroyed by the treasure-seekers, always -without yielding the sought-for deposits of gold or silver. The only -other relics of aboriginal times in La Brena are certain small -cup-shaped excavations in the living rock, supposed to have been used -originally for offerings to the deities worshiped by the -natives.[X-51] - - * * * * * - -I find no record of any ancient monuments in Sinaloa, and across the -gulf in the state of Lower California, with the exception of some -idols, said to have been brought to the priests by the natives they -were attempting to convert, and a smooth stone about six feet long, -bearing a kind of coat of arms and some inscribed characters,[X-52] -the only accounts of antiquities relate to cave and cliff paintings -and inscriptions, which have never been copied, and concerning which -consequently not much can be said. Clavigero says that the Jesuits -found, between latitude 27 deg. and 28 deg., "several great caves -excavated in living rock, and painted with figures of men and women -decently clad, and of several kinds of animals. These pictures, though -rude, represented distinctly the objects. The colors employed in them -were obtained, as may be plainly seen, from the mineral earths which -are found about the volcano of Virgenes." The paintings were not the -work of the natives found in possession of the country, at least so -the Spaniards decided, and it was considered remarkable that they had -remained through so many centuries fresh and uninjured by time. The -colors were yellow, red, green, and black, and many designs were -placed so high on cliffs that it seemed necessary to some of the -missionaries to suppose the agency of the giants that were in 'those -days.' Indeed, giants' bones were found on the peninsula, as in all -other parts of the country, and the natives are said to have had a -tradition that the paintings were the work of giants who came from the -north. Clavigero mentions one cave whose walls and roof formed an arch -resting on the floor. It was about fifteen by eighty feet, and the -pictures on its walls represented men and women dressed like Mexicans, -but barefooted. The men had their arms raised and spread apart, and -one woman wore her hair loose and flowing down her back, and also had -a plume. Some animals were noted both native and foreign. One author -says they bore no resemblance to Mexican paintings. A series of red -hands are reported on a cliff near Santiago mission in the south, and -also, towards the sea, some painted fishes, bows, arrows, and obscure -characters. A rock-inscription near Purmo, thirty leagues from -Santiago, seemed to the Spanish observer to contain Gothic, Hebrew, -and Chaldean letters. From all that is known of the Lower California -rock-paintings and inscriptions, there is no reason to suppose that -they differ much from, or at least are superior to, those in the New -Mexican region, of which we shall find so many specimens in the next -chapter. It is not improbable that these ruder inscriptions and -pictures exist in the southern country already passed over, to a much -greater extent than appears in the preceding pages, but have remained -comparatively unnoticed by travelers in search of more wonderful or -perfect relics of antiquity.[X-53] - - [Sidenote: CERRO DE LAS TRINCHERAS.] - -Only one monument is known in Sonora, and that only through newspaper -reports. It is known as the Cerro de las Trincheras, and is situated -about fifty miles south-east of Altar. An isolated conical hill has a -spring of water on its summit, also some heaps of loose stones. The -sides of the cerro are encircled by fifty or sixty walls of rough -stones; each about nine feet high and from three to six feet thick, -occurring at irregular intervals of fifty to a hundred feet. Each -wall, except that at the base of the hill, has a gateway, but these -entrances occur alternately on opposite sides of the hill, so that to -reach the summit an enemy would have to fight his way about -twenty-five times round the circumference. One writer tells us that -Las Trincheras were first found--probably by the Spaniards--in 1650; -according to another, the natives say that the fortifications existed -in their present state long before the Spaniards came; and finally Sr -C. M. Galan, ex-governor of Sinaloa and Lower California, a gentleman -well acquainted with all the north-western region, informs me that -there is much doubt among the inhabitants of the locality whether the -walls have not been built since the Spanish Conquest. Sonora also -furnished its quota of giants' bones.[X-54] - - * * * * * - -There are three or four localities in the state of Chihuahua where -miscellaneous remains are vaguely mentioned in addition to the burial -caves already referred to in the extreme south-east. Hardy reports a -cave near the presidio of San Buenaventura, from which saltpetre is -taken for the manufacture of powder, and in which some arrows have -been found, with some curious shoes intended for the hoof of an -animal, arranged to be tied on heel in front, with a view of -misleading pursuers. The cave is very large, and the natives have a -tradition of a subterranean passage leading northward to the Casas -Grandes, over twenty miles.[X-55] Lamberg mentions the existence of -some remains at Corralitos, and announces his intention to explore -them.[X-56] Garcia Conde says that ancient works are found at various -points in the state, specifying, however, only one of them, which -consists of a spiral parapet wall encircling the sides of a hill from -top to bottom, near the canyon of Bachimba.[X-57] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: CASAS GRANDES OF CHIHUAHUA.] - -One celebrated group of ruins remains to be described in this -chapter--the Casas Grandes of northern Chihuahua. These ruins are -situated on the Casas Grandes River,--which, flowing northward, -empties into a lake near the United States boundary,--about midway -between the towns of Janos and Galeana, and one hundred and fifty -miles north-west of the city of Chihuahua. They are frequently -mentioned by the early writers as a probable station of the migrating -Aztecs, but these early accounts are more than usually inaccurate in -this case. Robertson found in a manuscript work a mention of the Casas -Grandes as "the remains of a paltry building of turf and stone, -plastered over with white earth or lime."[X-58] Arlegui, in his -_Chronica_, speaks of them as "grand edifices all of stone well-hewn -and polished from time immemorial." So nicely joined were the blocks -of stone that they seemed to have been 'born so,' without the slightest -trace of mortar; but the author adds that they might have been joined -with the juice of some herbs or roots.[X-59] Clavigero, who claims to -have derived his information from parties who had visited the -ruins,--since the hostile attitude of the Apaches at the time of his -own residence in the country made a visit impracticable--was the first -to give any definite idea of these monuments, although he also falls -into several errors. He says: "This place is known by the name of -Casas Grandes on account of a vast edifice still standing, which -according to the universal tradition of the people was built by the -Mexicans in their pilgrimage. This edifice is constructed according to -the plan of those in New Mexico, that is composed of three stories and -a terrace above them, without doors in the lower story. The entrance -to the edifice is in the second story; so that a ladder is -required."[X-60] - -Sr Escudero examined the ruins in 1819, and describes them as "a group -of rooms built with mud walls, exactly oriented according to the four -cardinal points. The blocks of earth are of unequal size, but placed -with symmetry, and the perfection with which they have lasted during a -period which cannot be less than three hundred years shows great skill -in the art of building. It is seen that the edifice had three stories -and a roof, with exterior stairways probably of wood. The same class -of construction is found still in all the independent Indian towns of -Moqui, north-east from the state of Chihuahua. Most of the rooms are -very small with doors so small and narrow that they seem like the -cells of a prison."[X-61] A writer in the _Album Mexicano_, who -visited the Casas Grandes in 1842, wrote a description which is far -superior to anything that preceded it.[X-62] Mr Hardy visited the -place, but his account affords very little information;[X-63] and Mr -Wizlizenus gives a brief description evidently drawn from some of the -earlier authorities and consequently faulty.[X-64] Finally Mr Bartlett -explored the locality in 1851, and his description illustrated with -cuts is by far the most satisfactory extant. From his account and that -in the _Album_ most of the following information is derived.[X-65] - - [Illustration: Casas Grandes--Chihuahua.] - -The ruined casas are about half a mile from the modern Mexican town of -the same name, located in a finely chosen site, commanding a broad -view over the fertile valley of the Casas Grandes or San Miguel river, -which valley--or at least the river bottom--is here two miles wide. -This bottom is bounded by a plateau about twenty-five feet higher, and -the ruins are found partly on the bottom and partly on the more -sterile plateau above. They consist of walls, generally fallen and -crumbled into heaps of rubbish, but at some points, as at the corners -and where supported by partition walls, still standing to a height of -from five to thirty feet above the heaps of debris, and some of them -as high as fifty feet, if reckoned from the level of the ground. The -cuts on this and the opposite pages represent views of the ruins from -three different standpoints, as sketched by Mr Bartlett. - - [Sidenote: CASAS GRANDES.] - - [Illustration: Casas Grandes--Chihuahua.] - -The material of the walls is sun-dried blocks of mud and gravel, about -twenty-two inches thick, and of irregular length, generally about -three feet, probably formed and dried in situ. Of this material and -method of construction more details will be given in the following -chapter on the New Mexican region, where the buildings are of a -similar nature. The walls are in some parts five feet thick, but were -so much damaged at the time of Mr Bartlett's visit that nothing could -be ascertained, at least without excavation, respecting their finish -on either surface. The author of the account in the _Album_ states -that the plaster which covers the blocks is of powdered stone, but -this may be doubted. There is no doubt, however, that they were -plastered on both interior and exterior, with a composition much like -that of which the blocks were made; Escudero found some portions of -the plaster still in place, but does not state what was its -composition. The remains of the main structure, which was rectangular -in its plan, extend over an area measuring about eight hundred feet -from north to south, and two hundred and fifty from east to -west.[X-66] Within this area are three great heaps of ruined walls, -but low connecting lines of debris indicate that all formed one -edifice, or were at least connected by corridors. On the south the -wall, or the heaps indicating its existence, is continuous and -regular; of the northern side nothing is said; but on the east and -west the walls are very irregular, with many angles and projections. - - * * * * * - - [Illustration: Ground Plan--Casas Grandes.] - -The ground plan of the whole structure could not be made out, at least -in the limited time at Mr Bartlett's disposal. He found, however, one -row of apartments whose plan is shown in the cut. Each of the six -shown is ten by twenty feet, and the small structure in the corner of -each is a pen rather than a room, being only three or four feet high. -In the _Album_, the usual dimensions of the rooms are given as about -twelve and a half by sixteen and a half feet; one very perfect room, -however, being a little over four feet square. Bartlett found many -rooms altogether too small for sleeping apartments, some of great -size, whose dimensions are not given, and several enclosures too large -to have been covered by a roof, doubtless enclosed courtyards. One -portion of standing wall in the interior had a doorway narrower at the -top than at the bottom, and two circular openings or windows above it. -The explorer of 1842 speaks of doorways long, square, and round, some -of them being walled up at the bottom so as to form windows. - - * * * * * - -Not a fragment of wood or stone remained in 1851; nor could any holes -in the walls be found which seemed to have held the original -floor-timbers; and consequently there was no way of determining the -number of stories. In 1842, however, a piece of rotten wood was found, -over a window as it seems; and the people in the vicinity said they -had found many beams. No traces of any stairway was, however, visible. -No doubt the earlier accounts spoke of wooden stairways, or ladders, -because such means of entrance were commonly used in similar and more -modern buildings in New Mexico; later writers converted the -conjectures of the first visitors into actual fact; hence the -galleries of wood and exterior stairways spoken of by Wizlizenus and -others. - -It is difficult to determine where the idea originated that the -structure had three stories; for the walls still standing in places to -a height of fifty feet, notwithstanding the wear of three centuries at -least, would certainly indicate six or seven stories rather than -three. These high walls are always in the interior, and the outer -walls are in no part of a sufficient height to indicate more than one -story. The general idea of the structure in its original condition, -formed from the descriptions and views, is that of an immense central -pile--similar to some of the Pueblo towns of New Mexico, and -particularly that of Taos, of which a cut will be given in the -following chapter--rising to a height of six or seven stories, and -surrounded by lower houses built about several courtyards, and -presenting on the exterior a rectangular form. Notwithstanding the -imperfect exploration of this ruin and its advanced state of -dilapidation, the reader of the following chapter will not fail to -understand clearly what this Casa Grande was like when still -inhabited; for there is no doubt that this building was used for a -dwelling as well as for other purposes, and this may be regarded as -the first instance in the northward progress of our investigation -where any remains of authentic aboriginal dwellings have been met. - - [Illustration: Ground Plan--Casas Grandes.] - - [Sidenote: BROKEN POTTERY.] - -About one hundred and fifty yards west of the main building and -somewhat higher on the plateau, are seen the foundations of another -structure of similar nature and material, indicating a line of small -apartments built round an interior court, according to the ground plan -shown in the cut, the whole forming a square with sides of about one -hundred and fifty feet. There are some other heaps in the vicinity -which may very likely represent buildings, of whose original forms, -however, they convey no idea, besides some remains of what seemed to -Mr Bartlett to be very evidently those of modern Spanish buildings. -Between the two buildings described there are three mounds or heaps of -loose stones each about fifteen feet high, which have not been opened. -Escudero, followed by Garcia Conde, states that throughout an extent -of twenty leagues in length and ten leagues in width in the valleys of -the Casas Grandes and Janos, mounds are found in great numbers--over -two thousand, as estimated in the _Album_--and that such as have been -opened have furnished painted pottery, metates, stone axes, and other -utensils. One visitor thought that one of the mounds presented great -regularity in its form and had a summit platform. - - [Illustration: Pottery from Casas Grandes.] - - [Illustration: Pottery from Casas Grandes.] - - [Illustration: Pipe from Casas Grandes.] - -Escudero and Hardy report the existence of an aqueduct or canal which -formerly brought water from a spring to the town. The following cut -shows specimens of broken pottery found in connection with the ruins. -The ornamentation is in black, red, or brown, on a white or reddish -ground. The material is said to be superior in texture to any -manufactured in later times by the natives of this region. The whole -valley for miles around is strewn with such fragments. Unbroken -specimens of pottery are not abundant, as is naturally the case in a -country traversed continually by roving bands of natives to whom it is -easier to pick up or dig out earthen utensils than to manufacture or -buy them. Three specimens were however found by Mr Bartlett, and are -shown in the cut. Mr Hardy also sketched a vase very similar to the -first figure of the cut, and he speaks of "good specimens of earthen -images in the Egyptian style, which are, to me at least, so perfectly -uninteresting, that I was at no pains to procure any of them." -According to the _Album_, some idols had been found by the inhabitants -among other relics, and the women claimed to have discovered a -monument of antiquity which was of practical utility to themselves, as -well as of interest to archaeologists--namely, a jar filled with bear's -grease! The pipe shown in the cut, has a suspiciously modern look, -although included in Bartlett's plate of Chihuahuan antiquities. - - [Sidenote: FORTRESS AT CASAS GRANDES.] - -The inhabitants pointed out to Bartlett, on the top of a high -mountain, some ten miles south-west of the ruins described, what they -said was a stone fortress of two or three stories. Escudero describes -this monument, which he locates at a distance of only two leagues, as -a watch-tower or sentry-station on the top of a high cliff; and says -that the southern slope of the hill has many lines of stones at -irregular intervals, with heaps of loose stones at their extremities. -This is probably, in the absence of more definite information the more -credible account. The _Album_ represents this monument as a fortress -built of great stones very perfectly joined, though without the aid of -mortar. The wall is said to be eighteen or twenty feet thick, and a -road cut in the rock leads to the summit. At this time, 1842, the -works were being destroyed for the stone they contained. Clavigero -speaks of the hill works as "a fortress defended on one side by a high -mountain, and on other sides by a wall about seven feet thick, the -foundations of which yet remain. There are seen in this fortress -stones as large as millstones; the beams of the roofs are of pine, and -well worked. In the centre of the vast edifice is a mound, built as it -seems, for the purpose of keeping guard and watching the enemy." -Clavigero evidently confounds the two groups of ruins, and from his -error, and a similar one by others, come the accounts which represent -the Casas Grandes as built of stone. He mentions obsidian mirrors -among the relics dug up here, probably without any authority. The cut -from Bartlett shows a stone metate found among the ruins. - - [Illustration: Metate from Casas Grandes.] - -So far as any conclusions or comparisons suggested by this Chihuahuan -ruin are concerned, they may best be deferred to the end of the -following chapter. The Casas Grandes, and the ruins of the northern or -New Mexican group, should be classed together. They were the work of -the same people, at about the same epoch. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[X-1] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. iv., p. 58. - -[X-2] _Beaumont_, _Cron. Mechoacan_, MS., pp. 45-6. Ihuatzio, probably -the true name of the town called by Beaumont Ignatzio, 'recuerda por -sus antiguedades (la Piramide aun no destruida, que les servia de -plaza de armas: otras _Yacatas_, o sepulcros de sus Reyes: las -reliquias de una torre que fabrico su primer fundador antes venir los -Espanoles, y la _via_, calle o camino de _Querendaro_, que comunicaba -con la Capital) tristes memorias de la grandeza michuacana.' -_Michuacan_, _Analisis Estad., por J. J. L._, p. 166. - -[X-3] _Lyon's Journal_, vol. ii., pp. 71-2. 'Some relics of the -Tarascan architecture are said to be found at this place, but we do -not possess any authentic accounts or drawings of them.' _Mayer's Mex. -Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 291. Mention in _Muehlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, -tom. ii., pt. ii., p. 369; _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 167. - -[X-4] _Villa-Senor y Sanchez_, _Theatro_, tom. ii., pp. 70-1; mention -in _Hassel_, _Mex. Guat._, p. 154. - -[X-5] _Beaufoy's Mex. Illustr._, p. 199. - -[X-6] _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da epoca, tom. iv., p. 559. - -[X-7] _Humboldt_, in _Antiq. Mex._, tom. i., div. ii., p. 30, suppl., -pl. vii., fig. 13; _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. viii., p. 558. - -[X-8] _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da epoca, tom. iii., p. 277. - -[X-9] _Gutierrez_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da epoca, tom. -iii., pp. 277-80. - -[X-10] _Rico_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da epoca, tom. iii., p. -183. - -[X-11] _Loewenstern_, _Mexique_, pp. 265-7, 280, 344; _Id._, in -_Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1840, tom. lxxxvi., pp. 119-20; _Id._, -in _Lond. Geog. Soc., Jour._, vol. xi., p. 104; _Cincinnatus' -Travels_, p. 259. - -[X-12] _Hervas_, _Catalogo_, tom. i., p. 311. - -[X-13] _Florencia_, _Origen de los Santuarios_, p. 8; _Padilla_, -_Conq. N. Galicia_, MS., pp. 217-19. - -[X-14] _Acazitli_, in _Icazbalceta_, _Col. de Doc._, tom. ii., pp. -313-14; _Villa-Senor y Sanchez_, _Theatro_, tom. ii., pp. 269-70. - -[X-15] _Nat. Hist. Man_, vol. ii., p. 515. - -[X-16] _Gil_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. viii., p. 496; -_Ternaux-Compans_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1842, tom. xcv., -p. 295; same account in _Mofras_, _Explor._, tom. i., p. 161. - -[X-17] _Retes_, in _Museo Mex._, 2da epoca, tom. i., pp. 3-6. - -[X-18] _Id._, p. 6. - -[X-19] _Lyon's Journal_, vol. i., pp. 322-3. - -[X-20] _Bustamante_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. i., pp. 56-7. - -[X-21] _Castillo_, in _Id._, 2da epoca, tom. iv., pp. 107-8. - -[X-22] _Berlandier and Thovel_, _Diario_, p. 25. - -[X-23] _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da epoca, tom. iii., pp. 278-9, -preceded by an account quoted from Torquemada. - -[X-24] _Lyon's Journal_, vol. i., pp. 225-44. - -[X-25] _Esparza_, _Informe_, pp. 56-8. The same report also published -in 1843, in the _Museo Mex._, tom. i., p. 185, et seq., with some -remarks by the editor, who saw the ruins in 1831. The article also -includes a quotation from _Frejes_, _Conquista de Zacatecas_, an -attempt to clear up the origin and history of the ruined city, and a -plate reduced from Nebel. - -[X-26] _Burkart_, _Aufenthalt_, tom. ii., pp. 97-105. - -[X-27] _Viaje._ His Mexican trip began in 1831, _Soc. Geog., -Bulletin_, tom. xv., No. 95, p. 141, and Burkart met him in Zacatecas -some time before 1834. - -[X-28] Other accounts containing no additional information, and made -up, except one or two, from the authorities already mentioned:--_Gil_, -in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. viii., pp. 441-2; _Mayer's Mex. as -it Was_, pp. 240-6; _Id._, _Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., pp. 317-23, -Lyon's description and Nebel's plate; _Id._, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, -vol. vi., p. 581; _Bradford's Amer. Antiq._, pp. 90-5; _Muehlenpfordt_, -_Mejico_, tom. ii., pt. ii., p. 492; _Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. -204; _Frost's Pict. Hist. Mex._, pp. 58-66; _Id._, _Great Cities_, pp. -304-12, cuts; _Rio_, _Beschreib. einer alt. Stadt_, appendix, pp. -70-5. - -[X-29] _Tello_, _Fragmentos_, in _Icazbalceta_, _Col. de Doc._, tom. -ii., p. 344. - -[X-30] _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. viii., pp. 441-2, 496; -_Frejes_, in _Museo Mex._, tom. i., pp. 186-9; _Lyon's Journal_, vol. -i., p. 243. - -[X-31] The explanation of the plan by the lettering given in Nebel's -work is as follows: A i., A ii., A iii., A iv. Temples and structures -connected therewith. B. Enclosing walls. C. Walls supporting terraces. -D. Pyramids in the interior of temples. E. Isolated Pyramids. F. Ruins -of dwellings. G. Stairways. H. Ancient roads. J. Kind of a 'plaza de -armas.' K. Fortifications. L. Small stairways leading to the court of -the temple. M. A small altar. N. Ancient foundations. O. Batteries in -the form of flat roofs (azoteas). P. Modern cross on the summit of the -hill. Q. Well. R. Large hall with 11 columns to support the roof. S. -Two columns. T. Rock. U. Stream. - -[X-32] Rivera, pp. 56-8, says that the causeway leading toward the -hacienda runs S.E. - -[X-33] _Frejes_, in _Museo Mex._, tom. i., p. 186, speaks of 'tres -calzadas de seis varas de ancho que por lineas divergentes corren al -mediodia algunas leguas hasta perderse de vista.' - -[X-34] _Lyon._ According to the _Museo Mex._, tom. i., p. 187, it is 5 -or 6 varas high and 10 thick. - -[X-35] Burkart gives the dimensions as 194 by 232 Rhenish feet, -somewhat larger than English feet; Rivera says 35 or 40 varas square. -This author also noticed on the slope of the hill before reaching the -steepest part, a pyramid about 20 feet high and 11 feet square, now -truncated but apparently pointed in its original condition. This was -probably the heap of stones mentioned above. - -[X-36] Burkart implies that the terrace extends entirely round the -square, forming a sunken basin 4 or 5 feet deep; and this is probably -the case, as it agrees with the plan of some other structures on the -hill. - -[X-37] Lyon says 137 by 154 feet; Rivera, 50 to 60 varas, with walls 8 -to 9 varas high. - -[X-38] Burkart gives the dimensions of the pyramid as 30 feet square -and 30 feet high; and of the altar in front as 6 feet square and 6 -feet high. - -[X-39] 'Tiene este pueblo [Teul] por cabeza un cerro al principio -cuadrado como de pena tajada, y arriba otro cerro redondo, y encima -del primero hay tanta capacidad que caben mas de veinte mil indios.... -En este monte estaba una sala, en donde estaba su idolo, que llamaban -el Teotl ... tiene mas una pila de losas de junturas de cinco varas de -largo y tres de ancho, y mas ancha de arriba que de abajo.... Esta -pila tiene dos entradas; la una en la esquina que mira al Norte, con -cinco gradas, y la otra que mira en esquina al Sur, con otras cinco: -no lejos de esta pila, como dos tiros de arcabuz, estan dos -montecillos que eran los osarios de los indios que sacrificaban.' -_Tello_, in _Icazbalceta_, _Col. de Doc._, tom. ii., pp. 362-4; _Id._, -in _Beaumont_, _Cron. Mechoacan_, MS., p. 300; description of the -temple, _Gil_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. viii., p. 497; -mention of ruins, _Frejes_, in _Museo Mex._, tom. i., p. 186; stone -axes, _Esparza_, _Informe_, p. 7; concealed temples and idols, -_Arlegui_, _Chron. Zacatecas_, p. 95. - -[X-40] _Mayer's Mex. as it Was_, p. 98; _Cabrera_, in _Soc. Mex. -Geog., Boletin_, 2da epoca, tom. iv., p. 24; _Annual Scien. Discov._, -1850, p. 361. - -[X-41] _Furber's Twelve Months Volunteer_, pp. 387-8. - -[X-42] _Lyon's Journal_, vol. i., pp. 141-2. - -[X-43] _Norman's Rambles by Land and Water_, pp. 169-70. - -[X-44] _Norman's Rambles by Land and Water_, pp. 121-37. - -[X-45] _Lyon's Journal_, vol. i., pp. 21, 28, 114. Mention of -Tamaulipas antiquities from Norman and Lyon, in _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, -etc._, vol. ii., pp. 207-9; _Id._, in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. vi., -p. 581. Newspaper account of some relics of Christianity, in -_Cronise's California_, p. 30. - -[X-46] _Berlandier and Thovel_, _Diario_, p. 151. - -[X-47] _Wizlizenus' Tour_, pp. 69, 70. This author says the bodies are -supposed to belong to the Lipans. _Muehlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. ii., -pt. ii., p. 518; _Severn's Journal_, vol. xxx., p. 38; _Mayer's Mex. -as it Was_, pp. 239-40; _Id._, _Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 333; -_Silliman's Jour._, vol. xxxvi., p. 200; _Cal. Acad. Nat. Sciences_, -vol. iii., pp. 160-1; _Pac. Monthly_, vol. xi., p. 783; _Nouvelles -Annales des Voy._, 1839, tom. lxxxi., pp. 126-7; _Lempriere's Notes in -Mex._, p. 135; _Avila_, in _Album Mex._, tom. i., pp. 465-8; _Alegre_, -_Hist. Comp. de Jesus_, tom. i., p. 418; _Ribas_, _Hist. de los -Triumphos_, p. 685. - -[X-48] _Donnavan's Adven._, pp. 30-1. - -[X-49] _Larios_, in _Alegre_, _Hist. Comp. de Jesus_, tom. ii., pp. -54-5; _Ribas_, _Hist. de los Triumphos_, p. 583; _Orozco y Berra_, -_Geografia_, p. 318. - -[X-50] _Arlegui_, _Chron. Zacatecas_, pp. 6, 67. - -[X-51] _Ramirez_, _Noticias Hist. de Durango_, pp. 6-9; _Id._, in -_Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. v., pp. 10-11. - -[X-52] _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iv., tom. v., pp. 213, 254. - -[X-53] _Clavigero_, _Storia della Cal._, tom. i., pp. 107-9; _Doc. -Hist. Mex._, serie iv., tom. v., pp. 213, 254; _Taylor_, in _Cal. -Farmer_, Dec. 21, 1860, Nov. 22, 1861, Jan. 10, 1862; _Hesperian_, -vol. iii., p. 530. - -[X-54] _San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, July 16, 1864; _Cal. Farmer_, -March 20, 1863, April 4, 1862; _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iii., tom. -iv., pp. 626-7. - -[X-55] _Hardy's Trav._, p. 467. - -[X-56] _Lamberg_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. iii., p. 25. - -[X-57] _Garcia Conde_, _Ensayo sobre Chihuahua_, p. 74. - -[X-58] _Robertson's Hist. Amer._, vol. i., p. 269. - -[X-59] _Arlegui_, _Chron. Zacatecas_, pp. 104-5. Same in _Padilla_, -_Conq. N. Galicia_, MS., pp. 484-5. - -[X-60] _Clavigero_, _Storia Ant. del Messico_, tom. i., p. 159; -_Heredia y Sarmiento_, _Sermon_, pp. 89-90. - -[X-61] _Escudero_, _Noticias Estad. del Estado de Chihuahua_, pp. -234-5; repeated in _Garcia Conde_, _Ensayo sobre Chihuahua_, p. 74; -_Orozco y Berra_, _Geografia_, pp. 110-11. - -[X-62] _Album Mex._, tom. i., pp. 374-5. - -[X-63] _Hardy's Trav._, pp. 465-6. - -[X-64] _Wizlizenus' Tour_, pp. 59-60. - -[X-65] _Bartlett's Pers. Nar._, vol. ii., pp. 347-64. Other compiled -accounts may be found in _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 339; -_Armin_, _Das Heutige Mex._, pp. 269-70; _Moellhausen_, _Tagebuch_, pp. -312-13; _Muehlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. ii., pt. ii., p. 525; -_Thuemmel_, _Mexiko_, p. 347; _Ranking's Hist. Researches_, pp. 282-3; -_Wappaeus_, _Geog. u. Stat._, p. 216; _Willson's Amer. Hist._, p. 561; -_Gordon's Ancient Mex._, vol. i., p. 105; _Gregory's Hist. Mex._, p. -71. - -[X-66] Although the dimensions in the _Album_ are given as 414 by 1380 -feet, probably including some structures reckoned by Bartlett as -detached. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -ANTIQUITIES OF ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO. - - AREA ENCLOSED BY THE GILA, RIO GRANDE DEL NORTE, AND - COLORADO -- A LAND OF MYSTERY -- WONDERFUL REPORTS AND - ADVENTURES OF MISSIONARIES, SOLDIERS, HUNTERS, MINERS, AND - PIONEERS -- EXPLORATION -- RAILROAD SURVEYS -- - CLASSIFICATION OF REMAINS -- MONUMENTS OF THE GILA VALLEY - -- BOULDER-INSCRIPTIONS -- THE CASA GRANDE OF ARIZONA -- - EARLY ACCOUNTS AND MODERN EXPLORATION -- ADOBE BUILDINGS - -- VIEW AND PLANS -- MISCELLANEOUS REMAINS, ACEQUIAS, AND - POTTERY -- OTHER RUINS ON THE GILA -- VALLEY OF THE RIO - SALADO -- RIO VERDE -- PUEBLO CREEK -- UPPER GILA -- - TRIBUTARIES OF THE COLORADO -- ROCK-INSCRIPTIONS, BILL - WILLIAMS FORK -- RUINED CITIES OF THE COLORADO CHIQUITO -- - RIO PUERCO -- LITHODENDRON CREEK -- NAVARRO SPRING -- ZUNI - VALLEY -- ARCH SPRING -- ZUNI -- OJO DEL PESCADO -- - INSCRIPTION ROCK -- RIO SAN JUAN -- RUINS OF THE CHELLY - AND CHACO CANYONS -- VALLEY OF THE RIO GRANDE -- PUEBLO - TOWNS, INHABITED AND IN RUINS -- THE MOQUI TOWNS -- THE - SEVEN CITIES OF CIBOLA -- RESUME, COMPARISONS, AND - CONCLUSIONS. - - -Crossing the boundary line between the northern and southern -republics, and entering the territory of the Pacific United States, I -shall present in the present chapter all that is known of antiquities -in Arizona and New Mexico. An area approximating somewhat the form of -a right-angle triangle, with a base of four hundred miles and a -perpendicular of three hundred, includes all the remains in this -region. The valley of the Rio Gila, with those of its tributary -streams, is the southern boundary, or base, stretching along the -thirty-third parallel of latitude; the Rio Grande del Norte, flowing -southward between the one hundred and sixth and one hundred and -seventh meridians, forms with its valley the eastern limit or -perpendicular; while on the north and west the region is bounded by -the Rio Colorado as a hypothenuse, albeit a very winding one. The -latter river might, however, be straightened, thus improving -materially the geometrical symmetry of my triangle, without -interfering much with ancient remains, as will be seen when the relics -of the Colorado section are described. - - * * * * * - -The face of the country is made up of fertile valleys, precipitous -canyons, rugged mountains, and desert table-lands, the latter -predominating and constituting a very large portion of the area. -Arizona and New Mexico since first they became known to the outside -world, have always had, as they still have, more or less of the -mysterious connected with them. Here have been located for over three -hundred years the wonderful peoples, marvelous cities, extensive -ruins, mines of untold wealth, unparalleled natural phenomena, savages -of the most bloodthirsty and merciless character, and other marvels, -that from the narratives of adventurers and missionaries have found -their way into romance and history. This was in a certain sense the -last American stronghold of the mysterious as connected with the -aborigines, where the native races yet dispute the progress of a -foreign civilization. - -And the wondrous tales of this border land between civilization and -savagism, always exaggerated, had nevertheless much foundation in -fact. The Pueblo tribes of New Mexico and the Moquis of Arizona are a -wonderful people when we consider the wall of savagism which envelopes -them; their towns of many-storied structures are better foundations -than usually exist for travelers' tales of magnificent cities; ruins -are abundant, showing that the pueblo nations were in the past more -numerous, powerful, and cultured, than Europeans have found them; rich -mines are now worked, and yet richer ones are awaiting development; -few greater natural curiosities have been seen in America than the -canyon of the Colorado, with perpendicular sides in some places a mile -in height; and the Apaches are yet on the war-path, making a trip -through the country much more dangerous now than at the time when the -Spaniards first visited it. - -Although a large part of these states is still in the possession of -the natives, and no official or scientific commission has made -explorations which were especially directed to its antiquarian -treasures, yet the labors of the priest, hunter, immigrant, Indian -fighter, railroad surveyor, and prospector, have left few valleys, -hills, or canyons, mountain passes or desert plains unvisited. While it -is not probable that all even of the more important ruins have been -seen, or described, we may feel very sure, here as in Yucatan, from -the uniformity of such monuments as have been brought to light, that -no very important developments remain to be made respecting the -character, or type, of the New Mexican remains. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: EXPLORATION OF NEW MEXICO.] - -This country was first visited by the Spaniards in the middle of the -sixteenth century. The part known to them as New Mexico, and to which -their efforts as conquistadores and missionaries were particularly -directed, was the valley of the Rio Grande and its tributary streams, -but the whole district was frequently crossed and recrossed by the -padres down to the latter part of the seventeenth century. Reports of -large cities and powerful nations far in the north reached Mexico -through the natives as early as 1530; Cabeza de Vaca, ship-wrecked on -the coast of the Mexican gulf, wandered through the regions south of -and near New Mexico, in 1535-6; roused by the shipwrecked soldier's -tale, Fr Marco de Niza penetrated at least into Arizona from Sinaloa -in 1539, and was followed by Vasquez de Coronado, who reached the -Pueblo towns on the Rio Grande in 1540; Antonio de Espejo followed the -course of the great river northward to the Pueblos in 1583, and in -1598 New Mexico was brought altogether under Spanish rule by Juan de -Onate. In 1680 the natives threw off the yoke by revolt, but were -again subdued fifteen years later, and the Spaniards retained the -power, though not always without difficulty until 1848, when the -territory came into the possession of the United States. The archives -of the missions are said to have been for the most part destroyed in -the revolt of 1680, and consequently their history previous to that -date is only known in outline; since 1680 the annals are tolerably -clear and complete. The diaries of the Spanish pioneers have been, -most of them, preserved in one form or another, and show that the -authors visited many of the ruins that have attracted the attention of -later explorers, and also that they found many of the towns inhabited -that now exist only as ruins. Their accurate accounts of towns still -standing and inhabited attest, moreover, their general veracity as -explorers. - -It is, however, to the explorations undertaken under the authority of -the United States government, for the purpose of surveying a -practicable route for an interoceanic railroad, and also to establish -a boundary line between American and Mexican territory, that we owe -nearly all our accurate descriptions of the ancient monuments of this -group. These exploring parties, as well as the military expeditions -during the war with Mexico, were accompanied by scientific men and -artists, whose observations were made public in their official -reports, together with illustrative plates. They generally followed -the course of the larger rivers, but the ruins discovered by them show -a remarkable similarity one to another, and consequently the reports -of trappers and guides respecting remains of similar type on the -smaller streams, may be generally accepted as worthy of more implicit -confidence than can generally be accorded to such reports. - -In this division of Pacific States antiquities, which may be spoken of -as the New Mexican group, we shall find, 1st, the remains of ancient -stone and adobe buildings in all stages of disintegration, from -standing walls with roofs and floors to shapeless heaps of debris or -simple lines of foundation-stones; 2d, anomalous structures of stone -or earth, the purpose of which, either by reason of their advanced -state of ruin or of the slight attention given them by travelers, is -not apparent; 3d, traces of aboriginal agriculture in the shape of -_acequias_ and _zanjas_, or irrigating canals and ditches; 4th, -pottery, always in fragments; 5th, implements and ornaments of stone -and shell, not numerous; and 6th, painted or engraved figures on -cliffs, boulders, and the sides of natural caverns. - - [Sidenote: MOUTH OF THE COLORADO.] - -About the mouth of the Colorado there are no authentic remains of -aboriginal work dating back beyond the coming of the Spaniards, -although Mr Bartlett found just below the mouth of the Gila traces of -cultivation, which seemed to him, judging from the growth of trees -that covered them, not to be the work of the present tribes in the -vicinity. I find also an absurd newspaper report--and no part of the -Pacific States has been more prolific of such reports than that now -under consideration--of a wonderful ruined city of hewn stone -somewhere about the head of the Gulf of California. This city included -numerous dwellings, circular walls of granite, sculptured -hieroglyphics, and seven great pyramids, not unlike the famous Central -American cities of Palenque and Copan. Some rude figures scratched or -painted on the surface of a boulder, seen by a traveler, have been -proved by experience to be ample foundation for such a rumor.[XI-1] - - [Illustration: Boulder-Sculptures on the Gila.] - - [Sidenote: ROCK-INSCRIPTIONS OF THE GILA.] - -Ascending the Rio Gila eastward from its junction with the Colorado, -for some two hundred miles we find nothing that can be classed with -ancient monuments except natural heaps of large boulders at two -points, the flat sides of which are "covered with rude figures of men, -animals, and other objects of grotesque forms, all pecked in with a -sharp instrument." The accompanying cut shows some of these -boulder-sculptures as they were sketched by Bartlett in 1852. Some of -them seemed of recent origin, while many were much defaced by -exposure, and apparently of great age. The newer carvings in some -cases extend over the older ones, and many are found on the under -side of the rocks, where they must have been executed before they -fell to their present position. The locality of the sculptured rocks -is shown on the map; the first is about fifty miles east of Fort Yuma, -and the second twenty miles west of the big bend of the Gila, both on -the south bank. Two additional incised figures are given in the -following cut from Froebel's sketches, since the author thinks that -Bartlett may have selected his specimens with a view to strengthen his -theory that the figures are not hieroglyphics with a definite -meaning.[XI-2] - - [Illustration: Boulder-Sculptures on the Gila.] - -Between the Pima villages and the junction of the San Pedro with the -Gila, stands the most famous ruin of the whole region--the Casa -Grande, or Casa de Montezuma, which it is safe to say has been -mentioned by every writer on American antiquity. Coronado during his -trip from Culiacan to the 'seven cities' in 1540, visited a building -called Chichilticale, or 'red house,' which is supposed with much -reason to have been the Casa Grande. The only account of Coronado's -trip which gives any description of the building is that of Castaneda, -who says, "Chichilticale of which so much had been said [probably by -the guides or natives] proved to be a house in ruins and without a -roof; which seemed, however, to have been fortified. It was clear that -this house, built of red earth, was the work of civilized people who -had come from far away." "A house which had long been inhabited by a -people who came from Cibola. The earth in this country is red. The -house was large; it seemed to have served as a fortress."[XI-3] - -Father Kino heard of the ruin while visiting the northern missions of -Sonora in the early part of 1694. He was at first incredulous, but the -information having been confirmed by other reports of the natives, he -visited the Casa Grande later in the same year, and said mass within -its walls. Since Kino was not accompanied at the time by Padre Mange, -his secretary, who usually kept the diary of his expeditions, no -definite account resulted from this first visit.[XI-4] - -In 1697, however, Padre Kino revisited the place, in company this time -with Mange, who in his diary of the trip wrote what may be regarded as -the first definite description.[XI-5] - - [Sidenote: CASA GRANDE OF THE GILA.] - -Padre Jacobo Sedelmair visited the Casa Grande in 1744, but in his -narrative he copies Mange's account. He went further, however, and -discovered other ruins.[XI-6] - - [Sidenote: AUTHORITIES ON THE CASA GRANDE.] - -Lieut C. M. Bernal seems to have been military commandant in Kino's -expedition, and he also describes the ruin in his report.[XI-7] Padres -Garces and Font made a journey in 1775-6, under Capt. Anza, to the -Gila and Colorado valleys, and thence to the missions of Alta -California and the Moqui towns. Both mention the ruin in their -diaries, the latter giving quite a full account. I know not if Padre -Font's diary has ever been printed, but I have in my collection an -English manuscript translation from the original in the archives at -Guadalajara,--perhaps the same copy from which Mr Bartlett made the -extracts which he printed in his work.[XI-8] Font's plan is not given -with the translation, but in Beaumont's _Cronica de Mechoacan_, a very -important work never published, of which I have a copy made from the -original for the Mexican Imperial Library of Maximilian, I find a -description of the Casa Grande, which appears to have been quoted -literally from Font's diary, and which also contains the ground plan -of the ruined edifice. I shall notice hereafter its variations from -the plan which I shall copy.[XI-9] A brief account was given in the -_Rudo Ensayo_, written about 1761, and by Velarde in his notice of the -Pimeria, written probably toward the close of the eighteenth century; -but neither of these descriptions contained any additional -information, having been made up probably from the preceding.[XI-10] - -Finally the Casa Grande has been visited, sketched, and described by -Emory and Johnston, connected with Gen. Kearny's military expedition -to California in 1846; by Bartlett with the Mexican Boundary -Commission in 1852; and by Ross Browne in 1863.[XI-11] - -The descriptions of different writers do not differ very materially -one from another, Bartlett's among the later, and Font's of the -earlier accounts being the most complete. From all the authorities I -make up the following description, although the extracts which I have -already given include nearly all that can be said on the subject. The -Casa Grande stands about two miles and a half south of the bank of the -Gila;--that is all the early writers call the distance about a league; -Bartlett and Emory say nothing of the distance, and Ross Browne says -it is half an hour's ride. The Gila valley in this region is a level -bottom of varying width, with nearly perpendicular banks of earth. -Opposite the ruin the bottom is about a mile wide on the southern bank -of the river, and the ruin itself stands on the raised plateau beyond, -surrounded by a thick growth of mesquite with an occasional pitahaya. -The height and nature of the ascent from the bottom to the plateau at -this particular point are not stated; but from the fact that acequias -are reported leading from the river to the buildings, it would seem -that the ascent must be very slight and gradual. - -The appearance of the ruins in 1863 is shown in the cut as sketched by -Ross Browne. Other sketches by Bartlett, Emory, and Johnston, agree -very well with the one given, but none of them indicate the presence -of the mesquite forest mentioned in Mr Bartlett's text. The material -of the buildings is adobe,[XI-12] that is, the ordinary mud of the -locality mixed with gravel. Most writers say nothing of its color, -although Bernal in 1697 pronounced it 'white clay,' and Johnston also -says it is white, probably with an admixture of lime, which, as he -states, is abundant in the vicinity. Mr Hutton, a civil engineer well -acquainted with the ruins, assured Mr Simpson that the surrounding -earth is of a reddish color, although by reason of the pebbles the -Casa has a whitish appearance in certain reflections. This matter of -color is of no great importance except to prove the identity of the -building with Castaneda's Chichilticale, which he expressly states to -have been built of red earth.[XI-13] The material instead of being -formed into small rectangular or brick-shaped blocks, as is customary -in all Spanish American countries to this day, seems in this -aboriginal structure to have been molded--perhaps by means of wooden -boxes--and dried where it was to remain in the walls, in blocks of -varying size, but generally four feet long by two feet in width and -thickness. The outer surface of the walls was plastered with the same -material which constituted the blocks, and the inner walls were -hard-finished with a finer composition of the same nature, which in -many parts has retained its smooth and even polished surface. Adobe is -a very durable building-material, so long as a little attention is -given to repairs, but it is really wonderful that the walls of the -Casa Grande have resisted, uncared for, the ravages of time and the -elements for over three hundred years of known age, and of certainly a -century--perhaps much more--of pre-Spanish existence. - - [Illustration: Casa Grande of the Gila.] - -The buildings that still have upright walls are three in number, and -in the largest of these both the exterior and interior walls are so -nearly perfect as to show accurately not only the original form and -size, but the division of the interior into apartments. Its dimensions -on the ground are fifty feet from north to south, by forty feet from -east to west. The outer wall is about five feet thick at the base, -diminishing slightly towards the top, in a curved line on the -exterior, but perpendicular on the inside.[XI-14] The interior is -divided by partition walls, slightly thinner than the others, into -five apartments, as shown in the accompanying ground plan taken from -Bartlett. Font's plan given by Beaumont agrees with this, except that -additional doors are represented at the points marked with a dot, and -no doorway is indicated at _a_. The three central rooms are each about -eight by fourteen feet, and the others ten by thirty-two feet, as -nearly as may be estimated from Bartlett's plan and the statements of -other writers.[XI-15] The doors in the centre of each facade are three -feet wide and five feet high, and somewhat narrower at the top than at -the bottom, except that on the western front, which is two by seven or -eight feet. There are some small windows, both square and circular in -the outer and inner walls. The following cut shows an elevation of the -side and end, also from Bartlett.[XI-16] - - [Illustration: Ground Plan of the Casa Grande.] - - [Illustration: Elevations of the Casa Grande.] - -Remains of floor timbers show that the main walls were three stories -high, or, as the lower rooms are represented by Font as about ten -English feet high, about thirty feet in height; while the central -portion is eight or ten feet--probably one story--higher. Mr Bartlett -judged from the mass of debris within that the main building had -originally four stories; but as the earliest visitors speak of three -and four stories--some referring to the central, others apparently to -the outer portions--there would seem to be no satisfactory evidence -that the building was over forty feet high, although it is possible -that the outer and inner walls were originally of the same height. -Respecting the arrangement of apartments in the upper stories, there -is of course no means of judging, all the floors having fallen. There -may, however, have been additional partition walls resting on the -floors, and these may have helped to make up the debris noticed by Mr -Bartlett. The floors were evidently supported by round timbers four or -five inches in diameter, inserted in the walls and stretching across -the rooms at regular intervals. The holes where the beams were placed, -and in many cases the ends of the beams themselves are still visible. -At the time of Padre Kino's visit one floor in an adjoining ruin was -still perfect, and was formed by cross-sticks placed upon the round -floor-timbers and covered with a thick cake of mud, or adobe.[XI-17] -No marks of any cutting instrument were noticed by any visitor except -Mr Browne, who says "the ends show very plainly marks of the blunt -instrument with which they were cut--probably a stone hatchet."[XI-18] -The timbers, of cedar, or _sabino_, show by their charred ends that -the interior was ruined by fire; and Johnston found other evidences -that the walls had been exposed to great heat.[XI-19] Nothing seems -more natural than that the building should have been burned by some -band of Apaches. No traces of stairways have been found even by the -earliest visitors; so that the original means of communication with -the upper stories may be reasonably supposed to have been wooden -ladders, still used by the Pueblo natives in buildings not very unlike -what this must originally have been. Mr Bartlett and also Johnston -found and sketched some rude figures painted in red lines on the -smooth wall of one apartment, but which had disappeared at the time of -Mr Browne's visit. - -The descriptions of successive explorers show clearly the gradually -increasing effects of time and the elements on this ruin; from -Browne's sketch it would seem that the walls, undermined at the base -by the yearly rains, as is always the case with neglected adobe -structures, must soon fall; although I learned from a band of Arizona -natives who visited San Francisco in 1873 that the Casa was still -standing. When the adobe walls have once fallen, they will require but -one or two seasons to crumble and become reduced to a shapeless mound -of mud and gravel; as has been the case with most of the eleven other -buildings reported here by the first comers, and the existence of -which there is no reason to doubt. - -Of the additional casas seen by Kino and others no particular -description was given, save that Font describes one of them as -measuring twenty-six by eighteen feet on the ground. Only two of them -show any remains of standing walls, one on the south-west and the -other on the north-east of the Casa Grande. The standing portions of -the former seemed to indicate a structure similar in plan to the chief -edifice, although much smaller; the latter is of still smaller -dimensions and its remains convey no idea of its original form. "In -every direction," says Mr Bartlett, "as far as the eye can reach, are -seen heaps of ruined edifices, with no portions of their walls -standing," and Mange, Kino, and Font observed also shapeless heaps -covering the plain for a distance of two leagues. - -Father Font found "ruins indicating a fence or wall which surrounded -the house and other buildings," mentioning a ruin in the south-west -angle which had divisions and an upper story. This corner structure -may be the same that has been mentioned as standing south-west of the -Casa Grande, and Font very likely mistook the heaps of fallen houses -for the remains of a wall, since no such wall was seen by Kino and -Mange. The dimensions of this supposed wall, four hundred and twenty -feet from north to south, and two hundred and sixty feet from east to -west, were erroneously applied by Arricivita and Humboldt, followed by -others, to the Casa Grande itself, an error which has given a very -exaggerated idea of the size of that edifice.[XI-20] - -Traces of acequias are mentioned by all as occurring frequently in the -vicinity, especially in the Gila bottom between the ruins and the Pima -villages. No plan or accurate description of these irrigating works -has been given. Probably they were simple shallow ditches in the -ground, still traceable at some points. Mange describes the main canal -as twenty-seven feet wide, ten feet deep, capable of carrying half the -water of the Gila, and extending from the river for a circuit of three -leagues round the ruins. Considering the general conformation of the -bottom and plateau in this part of the Gila valley, it seems -impossible that a canal ten, or even twenty, feet deep could have -reached the level of the river, or that so grand an acequia should -have escaped the notice of later explorers. - - [Sidenote: MISCELLANEOUS REMAINS.] - -The miscellaneous remains near the Casa Grande, besides the mounds -formed by fallen houses, the irrigating ditches, and the fragments of -pottery strewn over the adjacent country in the greatest profusion, -are two in number. The first is a circular embankment, three hundred -feet in circumference, situated about six hundred feet north-west from -the chief ruin. Its height and material are not stated, but it is -undoubtedly of the surrounding earth. Johnston considers it a -filled-up well; while Bartlett pronounces the circle a simple corral, -or enclosure for stock, although of course it could not have been -built in aboriginal times for such a purpose. The second monument is -only a few yards north of the circle, and is described by Johnston, -the only one who mentions its existence, as a terrace measuring about -three hundred by two hundred feet and five feet high. Resting on the -terrace is a pyramid only eight feet high, but having a summit -platform seventy-five feet square, affording from the top a broad view -up and down the valley. A more complete survey of this pyramid would -be very desirable, not that there is any reason to question Mr -Johnston's reliability as an explorer, but because, as will be seen, -this mound, if it be not like the rest, formed by fallen adobe walls, -together with the circular embankment, present a marked contrast to -all other monuments of the New Mexican group.[XI-21] - -Sedelmair and Velarde speak rather vaguely of a reservoir, or tank, -six leagues southward of the Gila, which was one hundred and ten by -one hundred and sixty-five feet, with walls of adobe 'or of -masonry.'[XI-22] - -A few miles further up the river, westward from the Casa Grande, and -on the opposite or northern side Padre Kino's party saw a ruined -edifice, and three men were sent across to examine it. They found some -walls over three feet thick still standing, and other heaps of ruins -in the vicinity showing that a large town had once stood on the site. -Emory found there only a "pile of broken pottery and foundation -stones of the black basalt, making a mound about ten feet" -high.[XI-23] Still farther west, near the Pima villages, Johnston -found another circular enclosure, and also what he calls a mound, -ninety by a hundred and fifty feet, and six feet high, having a low -terrace of sixty by three hundred feet on the eastern side, all -covered with loose basaltic rocks, dirt, and pottery. I consider it -not impossible that this mound was formed by the walls of a building -which assumed a symmetrical shape in falling.[XI-24] Sedelmair speaks -of a group of ruins on the southern bank of the river, twelve leagues -below the Casa Grande; but no later writer mentions such -remains.[XI-25] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: REMAINS IN THE SALADO VALLEY.] - -The principal tributary of the Gila from the north is the Rio Salado, -or Salinas, the mouth of which is below the Casa Grande, and into -which, near its mouth, flows the Rio Verde, or San Francisco. The -Spaniards seem not to have ascended these streams; or at least not to -have discovered any ruins in their valleys. The guides, however, -reported to the missionaries the existence of ruins on the Rio Verde, -in the north, similar to those on the Gila.[XI-26] Sedelmair also -discovered in 1744, the ruins of a large edifice and several smaller -ones in the space between the Gila and Salado.[XI-27] Velarde speaks -of ruined buildings of three stories at the junction of the rivers -Salado and Gila, and other remains at the junction of the Salado and -Verde.[XI-28] - -A guide reported to Emory a casa in the Salado valley, complete except -the floors and roof, of large dimensions, with glazed walls, and the -imprint of a naked foot in the adobe.[XI-29] One of four stone axes -shown in a cut to be given later, was found in this valley and -sketched by Whipple.[XI-30] The Salado ruins between the Gila and -Verde, on the south bank, about thirty-five miles from the mouth, were -examined by Mr Bartlett. They are built on the plateau beyond the -river bottom, and are exclusively of adobe. They are very numerous, -but consist for the most part of shapeless heaps indicating the -location of buildings and long lines of walls. In only two instances -did portions of standing walls remain; being in one case the ruins of -an adobe building over two hundred feet long and from sixty to eighty -feet wide, facing the cardinal points, and, so far as could be judged -by the debris, three or four stories high; the others were about two -hundred yards distant, and represented a smaller structure. There are -traces of a wall which appears to have surrounded the larger building. -From the top of the principal pile, similar heaps of ruins may be seen -in all directions, including a range of them running north and south -at a distance of about a mile eastward. The latter were not visited, -but were said by the natives to be similar in every respect to the -others. A small circular enclosure, whose dimensions are not given, -was seen among the ruins, and there were also excavations along the -sides of some of the heaps, as if they had furnished the material for -the original structures. In the river bottom irrigating canals are of -frequent occurrence, one of them from twenty to twenty-five feet wide -and four to five feet deep, formed by cutting down the bank of the -plateau, along which it extends for many miles. The whole vicinity of -the ruins, as in the Gila Valley, is strewn with fragments of earthen -ware. These earthen ware fragments are of a very uniform character -throughout the New Mexican region, and will be illustrated in another -part of this chapter.[XI-31] - -Trappers and natives report that these remains continue indefinitely -up the valleys of both the Salado and Verde. Mr Leroux, who served as -guide to several of the United States military expeditions, passed up -the Verde valley in 1854 on his way from the Gila to the Colorado -Chiquito, keeping a diary, a part of which has been printed.[XI-32] He -claims to have found the river banks covered in many places with ruins -of stone buildings and broken pottery. The walls were of solid masonry -still standing from ten to twenty feet high in two stories, three feet -thick and from fifty to seventy-five feet long. Except in material the -structures were not unlike the Casa Grande of the Gila, and were -generally situated in the most fertile parts of the valley, surrounded -by traces of acequias; although in one instance the ruins of a town -were ten miles from the nearest water. A complete change of building -material within so short a distance is somewhat extraordinary, but -there is no other reason to doubt the accuracy of this report. These -ruins are not very far from Prescott in the north, and Fort McDowell -in the south, and I regret not having been able to obtain from -officers in the Arizona service the information which they must have -acquired respecting those remains, if they actually exist, during the -past ten or fifteen years.[XI-33] - - [Sidenote: PUEBLO CREEK AND THE UPPER GILA.] - -Whipple describes some ruins discovered by him in 1854 on Pueblo Creek -and other small streams which form the head waters of the Verde. They -consist of what seem to have been two fortified settlements, and a -third separate fortification. The first was an irregular stone -enclosure on the top of a hill three or four hundred feet high. The -walls were from eight to ten feet high, and the interior was divided -by partition walls five feet thick into different compartments. On the -slopes of the hill were traces of adobe walls with the usual abundance -of broken pottery. The second was located in a fertile spot on a fork -of the Pueblo Creek, and consisted of a mass of stones, six feet thick -and several feet high, forming a square enclosure "five paces in the -clear." The third work is situated about eight miles further west, and -commands what is known as Aztec Pass. It is an enclosure one hundred -feet long, twenty-five feet wide at one end and twenty at the other, -the walls being four feet thick and five feet in height. In the -absence of any definite statement on the subject these northern -fortifications are presumed to be of rough, or unhewn, stones without -mortar.[XI-34] - - [Illustration: Typical Plan of Gila Structures.] - - [Illustration: Plan of a Gila Structure.] - - [Sidenote: LABYRINTH ON THE GILA.] - - [Illustration: Plan of Labyrinth on the Gila.] - -From the mouth of the San Pedro, which joins the Gila about forty -miles eastward of the Casa Grande, up the Gila valley eastward, ruins -of ancient edifices are frequently found on both banks of the river. -Emory says "wherever the mountains did not impinge too close on the -river and shut out the valley, they were seen in great abundance, -enough, I should think, to indicate a former population of at least -one hundred thousand; and in one place there is a long wide valley, -twenty miles in length, much of which is covered with the ruins of -buildings and broken pottery." The remains consist uniformly of lines -of rough amygdaloid stones rounded by attrition, no one of which -remains upon another, apparently the foundations upon which were -erected adobe walls that have altogether disappeared. The plan of the -buildings as indicated by their foundations was generally rectangular; -many of them were very similar to the modern Spanish dwellings, as -shown in the accompanying cut; but a few were circular or of irregular -form. One of them just below the junction of the Santo Domingo, on an -isolated knoll, was shaped as in the following cut, with faces of from -ten to thirty feet. Besides the traces of what seem to be dwellings, -there were also observed, an enclosure or circular line of stones, -four hundred yards in circumference; a similar circle ninety yards in -circumference with a house in the centre; an estufa with an entrance -at the top; some well-preserved cedar posts; and some inscribed -figures on the cliffs of an arroyo, similar to those lower down the -river, of which cuts have been given. The native Pimas reported to the -Spaniards in early times the existence of a building far up the Gila, -the labyrinthine plan of which they traced on the sand, as shown in -the cut. Emory and Johnston found these traces of aboriginal towns in -at least twelve places on the Gila above the San Pedro, the largest -being at the mouth of a stream flowing from the south-east, probably -the Santo Domingo. I find no mention of ruins on any of the smaller -tributaries of the Gila above the Casa Grande, though it seems very -probable that such ruins may exist, similar to those on the main -stream. A painted stone, a beaver-tooth, and marine shells were the -miscellaneous relics found by Johnston among the ruins, besides the -usual large quantities of broken pottery. Emory speaks of a few -ornaments, principally immense well-turned beads of the size of hens' -eggs, also fragments of agate and obsidian. The latter explorer gives -a plate of rock-hieroglyphics of doubtful antiquity, and Froebel also -sketched certain inscriptions on an isolated rock. Six or eight -perfectly symmetrical and well-turned holes about ten inches deep and -six or eight inches wide at the top were noticed, and supposed to have -served for grinding corn.[XI-35] - -Having presented all that is known of antiquities upon the Gila and -its tributaries, I pass to the Colorado, the western and northern -boundary of the New Mexican territory. The banks of the Colorado -Canyon, for the river forms no valley proper, are for the most part -unexplored, and no relics of antiquity are reported by reliable -authorities; indeed, from the peculiar nature of this region, it is -not likely that any ruins ever, will be found in the immediate -vicinity of the river.[XI-36] - -On Bill Williams' Fork there is a newspaper report, resting on no -known authority, of walls enclosing an area some eight hundred feet in -circumference, still perfect to the height of six or eight -feet.[XI-37] The only other traces of the former inhabitants found on -this stream are painted cave and cliff pictures or hieroglyphics. Two -caves have their walls and the surrounding rocks thus decorated; they -are about a mile apart, near the junction of the Santa Maria, and one -of them is near a spring. Many of the inscriptions appear very -ancient, and some were painted on cliffs very difficult of access. The -cut shows a specimen from the sketches made by Moellhausen. The streak -which crosses the cut in the centre, extends to the left beyond the -other figures, and only half its length is shown. This streak is red -with white borders; the other figures are red, purple, and -white.[XI-38] - - [Illustration: Rock-Paintings--Bill Williams' Fork.] - - [Sidenote: TRIBUTARIES OF THE COLORADO.] - -Leaving Bill Williams' Fork, and passing the Pueblo Creek ruins -already described, which are not far distant, I follow the routes of -Sitgreaves, Ives, and Whipple, north-westward to the Colorado -Chiquito, a distance of about one hundred miles, striking the river at -a point a hundred miles above its supposed junction with the main -Colorado. In this region we again find numerous ruined buildings with -the usual scattered pottery, respecting which our knowledge is derived -from the explorers just named. The ruins occur at all prominent -points, both near the river and away from it towards the west, at -intervals of eight or nine miles, the exact location not being -definitely fixed. The material employed here is stone, and some of -the houses were three stories high. A view of one ruin as sketched by -Sitgreaves is shown in the cut. On a rocky eminence were found by -Whipple stone enclosures, apparently for defense. According to Mr -Sitgreaves the houses resembled in every particular, save that no -adobe was used, the inhabited Pueblo towns of New Mexico. His -description, like that of Moellhausen and Whipple, would doubtless be -much more complete and satisfactory, had they not previously seen the -Pueblo towns and other ruins further east. Some of the ruins are far -from water, and Sitgreaves suggests that the lava sand blown from the -neighboring mountains may have filled up the springs which originally -furnished a supply. - - [Illustration: Ruin on the Colorado Chiquito.] - - [Illustration: Vases from the Colorado Chiquito.] - -The cut from Whipple shows two vases found here, restored from -fragments. This is one of the rarest kinds of pottery found in the -region, and is said by Whipple not to be manufactured by any North -American Indians of modern times. It is seldom colored, the -ornamentation being raised or indented, somewhat like that on molded -glassware, and of excellent workmanship. The material is light-colored -and porous, and the vases are not glazed. The ordinary fragments of -earthen ware found on this river will be represented in another part -of this chapter. Some very rude and simple rock-inscriptions were -noticed, and a newspaper writer states that the names of Jesuit -priests who visited the place in the sixteenth century are inscribed -on the rocks. Some additional and not very well-founded reports of -antiquities are given in a note.[XI-39] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: REMAINS ON THE COLORADO CHIQUITO.] - -At a bend in the river, about forty miles above the ruins last -mentioned, are the remains of a rectangular stone building, measuring -one hundred and twenty by three hundred and sixty feet, and standing -on an isolated sandstone hill. The walls are mostly fallen, but some -of the standing portions are ten feet thick, and seem to contain -small apartments. Many pine timbers are scattered about in good -preservation, and two posts twelve feet in height still remain -standing.[XI-40] - -Some twenty-five miles still farther up the Rio Puerco flows into the -Colorado Chiquito from the north-east, and at the junction of the two -streams Moellhausen noticed some remains which he does not -describe.[XI-41] Twelve miles up the Puerco valley, on the banks of a -small tributary, called Lithodendron Creek, were scattered fragments -of pottery, and remains of stone houses, one of the walls extending -several feet below the present surface of the ground. Still farther up -the Puerco and five miles south of the river, at Navajo Spring, -scattered pottery and arrow-heads are the only remaining trace of an -aboriginal settlement, no walls being visible. On a neighboring hill, -however, was noticed a circular depression in the earth forty paces in -diameter. The cut from Moellhausen represents some of the aboriginal -inscriptions on Puerco River.[XI-42] - - [Illustration: Rock-Inscriptions on Rio Puerco.] - - [Sidenote: REMAINS ON THE RIO ZUNI.] - -Forty or fifty miles farther south-east, the Colorado Chiquito -receives the waters of the Rio Zuni, flowing from the north-east in a -course nearly parallel to that of the Puerco. Aboriginal inscriptions -and pictures are found on the sandstone cliffs which border on the -stream wherever a smooth surface is presented, but no buildings occur -for a distance of about fifty miles, until we come to within eight -miles of the Pueblo town of Zuni, where the table-lands about Arch -Spring are covered with ruins, which were seen, although not -described, by Sitgreaves and Whipple. All the ruins of the Zuni valley -seem, however, to be of the same nature--stone walls laid in mud -mortar, and in a very dilapidated condition. The cut from Whipple -shows also a sample of the rock-inscriptions about Arch Spring.[XI-43] -Zuni is a Pueblo town still inhabited, and I shall have something -further to say of it in connection with the Pueblo towns of the Rio -Grande and its tributaries, for the purpose of comparing the inhabited -with the ruined structures. - - [Illustration: Rock-Inscriptions at Arch Spring.] - - [Illustration: Zuni Vases.] - -Two or three miles south-east of Zuni, on the south side of the river, -is an elevated level mesa, about a mile in width, bounded on every -side by a precipitous descent of over a thousand feet to the plain -below. The mesa is covered with a growth of cedar, and in one part are -two sandstone pillars of natural formation, which from certain points -of view seem to assume human forms. Among the cedars on the mesa, -"crumbling walls, from two to twelve feet high, were crowded together -in confused heaps over several acres of ground." The walls were -constructed of small sandstone blocks laid in mud mortar, and were -about eighteen inches thick. They seemed, however, to rest on more -ancient ruins, the walls of which were six feet in thickness. At -various points on the winding path, by which only the top can be -reached, there are stone battlements which guard the passage. A -supposed altar was found in a secluded nook near the ruins, consisting -of an oval excavation seven feet long, with a vertical shaft two feet -high at one end, a flat rock, and a complicated arrangement of posts, -cords, feathers, marine shells, beads, and sticks, only to be -understood from a drawing, which I do not reproduce because the whole -altar so-called is so evidently of modern origin and use. These ruins -are commonly called Old Zuni, and were doubtless inhabited when the -Spaniards first came to the country.[XI-44] The cut from Whipple shows -two vases found at what is called a sacred spring near Zuni. Of the -first the discoverer says: "the material is a light-colored clay, -tolerably well burnt, and ornamented with lines and figures of a dark -brown or chocolate color. A vast amount of labor has been spent on -decorating the unique lip. A fine borderline has been drawn along the -edge and on both sides of the deep embattled rim. Horned frogs and -tadpoles alternate on the inner surface of the turrets, while one of -the latter is represented on the outside of each. Larger frogs or -toads are portrayed within the body of the vessel." One of these -figures is presented in the cut enlarged. The second vase is five -inches deep, ten inches in diameter at the widest part, and eight -inches at the lips. Both outer and inner surface bear a white glazing, -and there are four projections of unknown use, one on each side. The -decorations are in amber color, and the horned or tufted snakes, shown -above the vase, are said to be almost unique in America.[XI-45] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: OJO DEL PESCADO.] - -At and near some springs called Ojo del Pescado, on the head-waters of -this stream, some twelve miles above Zuni, there are at least four or -five ruined structures, or towns. They are similar in character to the -other ruins. Two of them near the spring have an elliptical shape, as -shown by the lines of foundation-stones, and are from eight hundred to -a thousand feet in circumference. The houses seem to have been built -around the periphery, forming a large interior court. These towns are -so completely in ruins that nothing can be ascertained of the details -of their construction, except their general form, and the fact that -they were built of stones and mud. About a thousand yards down the -river from the springs are ruins covering a space one hundred and -fifty by two hundred yards, and in much better preservation than those -mentioned, though of the same nature. The material was flat stones and -cement, and the walls are standing in places to the height of two -stories. Moellhausen tells us that the roofs and fire-places were still -standing at the time of his visit. Simpson describes a ruin as being -two miles below the spring, and which may possibly be the same last -mentioned. The buildings were originally two stories high and built -continuously about a rectangular area three hundred by four hundred -feet. In the interior of the enclosed court was seen a square estufa, -twelve by eighteen feet, and ten feet high, with the roof still -perfect. The cut shows some of the rock-inscriptions at Ojo del -Pescado.[XI-46] - - [Illustration: Rock-Inscriptions--Ojo del Pescado.] - - [Sidenote: EL MORO, OR INSCRIPTION ROCK.] - - [Illustration: Inscriptions--El Moro.] - - [Illustration: Plan of El Moro.] - -About eighteen miles south-east of the sources of the Zuni River, but -belonging as properly in this valley as any other, is a sandstone rock -known as Inscription Rock, or to the Spaniards as El Moro, from its -form. It is between two and three hundred feet high, with steep sides, -which on the north and east are perpendicular, smooth, white, and -covered near the base with both Spanish and native inscriptions. -Specimens of the latter, as copied by Simpson, are shown in the cut. -The former were all copied by the same explorer, but of course have no -connection with the subject of this volume: they date back to 1606, -but make no reference to any town or ruins upon or about the rock. The -ascent to the summit is on the south and is a difficult one. The cut -shows a plan of El Moro made by Moellhausen, the locality of the -inscriptions being at _a_ and _b_. The summit area is divided by a -deep ravine into two parts, on each of which are found ruins of large -edifices. Those on the southern--or, according to Simpson, on the -eastern--division, B of the plan, form a rectangle measuring two -hundred and six by three hundred and seven feet, standing in some -places from six to eight feet high. According to Simpson the walls -agree with the cardinal points, but Whipple states the contrary. The -walls are faced with sandstone blocks six by fourteen inches and from -three to eight inches thick, laid in mud-mortar so as to break joints; -but the bulk of the wall is a rubble of rough stones and mud. Two -ranges of rooms may be traced on the north and west sides, and the -rubbish indicates that there were also some apartments in the interior -court. Two rooms measured each about seven by eight feet. A circular -estufa thirty-one feet in diameter was also noticed, and there were -cedar timbers found in connection with the ruined walls; one piece, -fifteen inches long and four inches in diameter was found still in -place, and bore, according to Whipple, no signs of cutting tools. The -remains across the ravine, A of the plan, are of similar nature and -material, and the north wall stands directly on the brink of a -precipice, being complete to a height of eight feet. There is a spring -furnishing but a small amount of water at the foot of the cliff at -_d_. Fragments of pottery are abundant here as elsewhere.[XI-47] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF CHELLY CANYON.] - -This completes my account of remains on the Colorado Chiquito, and I -pass to the next and last tributary of the Colorado within the -territory covered by this chapter--the San Juan, which flows in an -eastwardly course along the boundary line between Arizona and New -Mexico on the south, and Utah and Colorado on the north. The valley of -the main San Juan has been but very slightly explored, but probably -contains extensive remains, judging from what have been found on some -of its tributaries. Padres Dominguez and Escalante went in 1776 from -Santa Fe north-westward to Utah Lake, and noticed several ruins which -it is impossible to locate, before crossing the Colorado. I shall have -occasion in the following chapter to notice some important ruins -lately discovered on the northern tributaries of the San Juan, in the -southern part of Colorado and Utah.[XI-48] - -The two chief tributaries of the San Juan from the south are the -Chelly and Chaco, flowing through deep canyons in the heart of the -Navajo country. On both of these streams, particularly the latter, -very important ruins have been discovered and described by Mr Simpson, -who explored this region in 1849. - -The Chelly canyon for a distance of about twenty-five miles is from one -hundred and fifty to nine hundred feet wide, from three hundred to -five hundred feet deep, and its sides are almost perpendicular. -Simpson explored the canyon for eight miles from its mouth, which does -not correspond with the mouth of the river. In a branch canyon of a -character similar to that of the main stream he found several small -habitations formed by building walls of stone and mortar in front of -overhanging rocks. Some four miles up the main canyon he saw on a shelf -fifty feet high and only accessible by means of ladders a small ruin -of stone, much like those on the Chaco yet to be described. Seven -miles from the mouth another ruin was discovered on the north side as -shown in the cut. It was built partly on the bottom of the canyon, and -partly like the one last mentioned, on a shelf fifty feet high with -perpendicular sides. The walls measure forty-five by a hundred and -forty-five feet, are about eighteen feet high in their present state, -and are built of sandstone and mortar, having square openings or -windows. A circular estufa was also found in connection with these -cliff-dwellings. Fragments of pottery were not lacking, and specimens -were sketched by Mr Simpson.[XI-49] - - [Illustration: Ruin in the Chelly Canyon.] - -Eastward from the Chelly, at a distance of about a hundred miles, is -the Chaco, a parallel tributary of the San Juan, on which are found -ruins perhaps the most remarkable in the New Mexican group. Lieut. -Simpson is the only one who has explored this valley, or at least who -has left a record of his exploration. The ruins are eleven in number, -situated with one exception on the north bank of the stream, within a -distance of twenty-five miles in latitude 36 deg. and longitude 108 deg. - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF THE CHACO.] - - [Illustration: Ruins of the Pueblo Pintado.] - - [Illustration: Section of Wall--Chaco Ruins.] - -The cut shows a general view of the ruin called by the guide Pueblo -Pintado, the first one discovered in coming from the south. The name -of this ruin, like those of the others, is doubtless of modern origin, -being Spanish, and there is little reason to believe that the native -names of some of the others are those originally applied to the -inhabited towns. The material of all the buildings is a fine hard gray -sandstone, to which in some instances exposure to the air has imparted -a reddish hue. The blocks are cut very thin, rarely exceeding three -inches in thickness. They are laid without mortar very carefully, so -as to break joints, and the chinks between the larger blocks are -filled with stone plates, sometimes not over one fourth of an inch -thick. In one instance, the Pueblo Penasco Blanco, stones of different -thickness are laid, in alternate layers, producing the appearance of a -kind of mosaic work, executed with great care and skill, and forming a -very smooth surface. The backing and filling of the walls are of -irregular and various sized blocks laid in mud, no trace of lime being -discoverable. The wall of the Pueblo Pintado was found by excavation -to extend at least two feet below the surface of the ground. The walls -are between two and three feet thick at the base, but diminish towards -the top by a jog of a few inches on the inside at each successive -story. The walls of the Pueblo Pintado are still standing in some -parts to the height of twenty-five to thirty feet, and are shown by -the marks of floor timbers to have had at least three stories. The -flooring was supported by unhewn beams from six to eleven inches in -diameter--but uniform in the same room--stretching across from wall to -wall as in the Gila ruins. Over these beams were placed smaller -transverse sticks, which in the Pueblo Pintado seem to have been -placed some little distance apart; but in some other ruins where the -flooring remained perfect, the transverse sticks were laid close -together, the chinks were filled with small stones, and the whole -covered with cedar strips, although there was evidence that a coating -of mud or mortar was used in some instances; and there was one room -where the floor was of smooth cedar boards seven inches wide and three -fourths of an inch thick, squarely cut at the sides and ends, and -apparently worn smooth by the friction of flat stones. The beams -generally bore marks of having been cut off by the use of some blunt -instrument. The cut illustrates the manner in which the walls diminish -in thickness from story to story, _a_, _a_, _a_; the position of the -beams, _b_, _b_, _b_; the transverse poles, _c_, _c_, _c_; and the -flooring above, _d_, _d_, _d_. - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF THE CHACO CANYON.] - - [Illustration: Ground Plan--Pueblo Hungo Pavie.] - - [Illustration: Ground Plan--Pueblo Bonito.] - - [Sidenote: THE PUEBLO BONITO.] - -The ground plan of the Chaco structures shows three tiers--but in one -case at least four tiers--of apartments built round three sides of a -courtyard, which is generally rectangular, in some cases has curved -corners, and in one building--the Penasco Blanco--approximates to the -form of a circle. The fourth side of the court is in some ruins open, -and in others enclosed by a wall extending in a curve from one -extremity of the building to the other. The following cuts show the -ground plans of two of the ruins, the Pueblo Hungo Pavie, 'crooked -nose,' and Pueblo Bonito. The circumference of five of these buildings -is respectively eight hundred and seventy-two, seven hundred, -seventeen hundred, thirteen hundred, and thirteen hundred feet; the -number of rooms still traceable on the ground floor of the same -buildings is seventy-two, ninety-nine, one hundred and twelve, one -hundred and twenty-four, and one hundred and thirty-nine. These -apartments are from five feet square to eight by fourteen feet. A room -in the Pueblo Chettro Kettle was seven and a half by fourteen feet, -and ten feet high. The walls were plastered with a red mud, and -several square or rectangular niches of unknown use were noticed. The -supporting beams of the ceiling were two in number, and the transverse -poles were tied at their ends with some wooden fibre, and covered with -a kind of cedar lathing. Ropes hung from the timbers. A room in the -Pueblo Bonito is shown in the cut. - - [Illustration: Interior of Room--Pueblo Bonito.] - -This room is unplastered, and the sides are constructed in the same -style as the outer walls. The transverse poles are very small, about -an inch in diameter, laid close together, very regular, and resemble -barked willow. It was another room in this ruin which had the smooth -boards in connection with its ceiling.[XI-50] - -The doors by which the rooms communicate with each other and with the -courtyard are very small, many of them not exceeding two and a half -feet square. There are no doors whatever in the outer walls, and no -windows except in the upper stories. The larger size of the windows -and of the inner doors indicate that the rooms of the upper stories -were larger than below. In some cases the walls corresponding to the -second or third stories had no windows. In one case lower story -windows were found walled up. The tops, or lintels, of the doors and -windows were in some cases stone slabs, in others small timbers bound -together with withes, and in a few they are reported to have been -formed by overlapping stones very much like the Yucatan arch; a -specimen is shown in the cut. - - [Illustration: Arch of Overlapping Stones.] - -The highest walls still standing at the time of Simpson's visit had -floor-timbers, or their marks, for four stories, but it is not -impossible that some of the buildings may have had originally five or -six stories. The outer walls were in every case perpendicular to their -full height, showing that the houses were not built in receding -terraces, or stories, on the outside, as is the case with many of the -inhabited Pueblo towns, and with the Casa Grande on the Gila. There -can be no doubt that they were so terraced on the interior or court; -at least in no instance were the inner walls sufficiently high to -indicate a different arrangement, and it is hardly possible that all -the ranges were of the same height, leaving without light most of the -thousand rooms which they would contain if built on such a plan. There -were no traces of stairways or chimneys seen. The whole number of -apartments in the Pueblo Bonito, supposing it to have been built on -the terrace plan, must have been six hundred and forty-one. The cut on -the next page shows a restoration of one of the Chaco ruins, taken -from Mr Baldwin's work, and modeled after a similar one by Mr Kern, a -companion of Simpson, although Mr Kern made an error of one story in -the height. I have no doubt of the general accuracy of this -restoration, and it may be regarded as nearly certain that access to -the upper rooms was gained from the court by means of ladders, each -story forming a platform before the doors of the one next above. - -Each ruin has from one to seven circular structures, called estufas in -the inhabited Pueblo towns, sunk in the ground and walled with stone. -Several of these are shown in the two ground plans that have been -given. They occur both in the courtyards and underneath the rooms. -Some were divided into compartments, and one, in the Pueblo Bonito, -was sixty feet in diameter and twelve feet deep, being built in two, -and possibly three, stories. - - [Illustration: Restoration of Pueblo Hungo Pavie.] - - [Illustration: Pottery--Chaco Canyon.] - -Near some of the larger buildings are smaller detached ruins, of which -no particular description is given. In one place there is an -excavation in the side of a cliff, enclosed by a front wall of stone -and mortar. In another locality there is an isolated elliptical -enclosure of stone and mortar, eight by sixteen feet, and divided into -two compartments. Near one of the ruins, in the northern wall of the -canyon, about twelve feet from the base, are three circular holes two -feet in diameter, with smaller ones between them, all in a -horizontal line, with a vertical line of still smaller holes leading -up the cliff to one of the larger ones. Mr Simpson was unable to -explore this singular excavation, and its use is unknown; it may be a -room or fortress excavated from the solid rock. There are also some -hieroglyphics on the face of the cliff under the holes. The quarries -which furnished the stone for some of the buildings were found, but no -description of them is given. Hieroglyphics on boulders were found at -a few points. The pottery found among the Chaco ruins is illustrated -by the cut. Black and red seem to be the only colors employed. The -Chaco canyon, although wider than that of the Chelly, is bounded by -precipitous sides, and the ruins are generally near the base of the -cliff. The Pueblo Pintado is built on a knoll twenty or thirty feet -high, about three hundred yards from the river. The buildings do not -exactly face the cardinal points.[XI-51] - - [Sidenote: PUEBLO REMAINS ON THE RIO GRANDE.] - -I now come to the last division of the present group, the -perpendicular of our triangle, the Rio Grande del Norte and its -tributaries. This valley, the New Mexico proper of the Spaniards, when -first visited in the sixteenth century, was thickly inhabited by an -agricultural semi-civilized people, dwelling in towns of stone and mud -houses several stories in height. Respecting the number, names, and -exact locality of these towns the early accounts are somewhat vague, -but many of them can be accurately traced by means of an examination -of authorities which would be out of place here. From the first -discovery by Cabeza de Vaca, Marco de Niza, and Francisco Vasquez de -Coronado, the general history of the country is clear; and we still -find the same semi-civilized people living in similar towns under -similar institutions, although they, like the towns in which they -live, are greatly reduced in number. Some of the inhabited Pueblo -towns are known by name, location, and history, to be identical with -those which so excited the admiration of the Spaniards; and there is -every reason to believe that all are so, except a few that may have -been built during the Spanish domination. The inhabited Pueblo towns, -or those inhabited during the nineteenth century, are about twenty in -number, although authors disagree on this point, some calling Pueblos -what others say are merely Mexican towns; but the distinction is not -important for my present purpose.[XI-52] The important fact is, that -the Spaniard found no race of people in New Mexico which has since -become extinct, nor any class of towns or buildings that differed from -the Pueblo towns still inhabited. - -Besides the towns still inhabited there are many of precisely the same -materials and architecture, which are in ruins. Such are Pecos, -Quivira, Valverde, San Lazaro, San Marcos, San Cristobal, Socorro, -Senacu, Abo, Quarra, Rita, Poblazon, old San Felipe, and old Zuni. -Some of these were abandoned by the natives at a very recent date; -some have ruined Spanish buildings among the aboriginal structures; -some may be historically identified with the towns conquered by the -first European visitors. These facts, together with the absence of any -mention of ruins by the first explorers, and the well-known diminution -of the Pueblos in numbers and power, make it perfectly safe to affirm -that the ruins all belong to the same class, the same people, and -about the same epoch as the inhabited towns. This conclusion is of -some importance since it renders it useless to examine carefully each -ruin, and the documents bearing on its individual history, and enables -the reader to form a perfectly clear idea of all the many structures -by carefully studying a few. - -While the Pueblo towns cannot be regarded as objects of great -mystery, as the work of a race that has disappeared, or as a station -of the Aztecs while on their way southward, yet they are properly -treated as antiquities, since they were doubtless built by the native -races before they come in contact with the Spaniards. They occupy the -same position with respect to the subject of this volume as the -remains in Anahuac, excepting perhaps Cholula and Teotihuacan; or -rather they have the same importance that the city of Tlacopan would -have, had the Spaniards permitted that city to stand in possession of -its native inhabitants. - - [Sidenote: PUEBLO TOWNS OF NEW MEXICO.] - -An account of the Pueblo buildings has been given in another volume of -this work,[XI-53] and I cannot do better here than to quote from good -authorities a description of the principal towns, both inhabited and -in ruins. Of Taos Mr Abert says, "One of the northern forks of the -Taos river, on issuing from the mountains, forms a delightful nook, -which the Indians early selected as a permanent residence. By gradual -improvement, from year to year, it has finally become one of the most -formidable of the artificial strongholds of New Mexico. On each side -of the little mountain stream is one of those immense 'adobe' -structures, which rises by successive steps until an irregular -pyramidal building, seven stories high, presents an almost impregnable -tower. These, with the church and some few scattering houses, make up -the village. The whole is surrounded by an adobe wall, strengthened in -some places by rough palisades, the different parts so arranged, for -mutual defence, as to have elicited much admiration for the skill of -the untaught engineers." Of the same town Davis says, "It is the best -sample of the ancient mode of building. Here there are two large -houses three hundred or four hundred feet in length, and about one -hundred and fifty feet wide at the base. They are situated upon -opposite sides of a small creek, and in ancient times are said to have -been connected by a bridge. They are five and six stories high, each -story receding from the one below it, and thus forming a structure -terraced from top to bottom. Each story is divided into numerous -little compartments, the outer tiers of rooms being lighted by small -windows in the sides, while those in the interior of the building are -dark, and are principally used as store-rooms.... The only means of -entrance is through a trap-door in the roof, and you ascend, from -story to story, by means of ladders upon the outside, which are drawn -up at night." The same writer gives the following cut of Taos.[XI-54] - - [Illustration: Pueblo of Taos.] - -The houses of Laguna are "built of stone, roughly laid in mortar, and, -on account of the color of the mortar, with which they are also faced, -they present a dirty yellowish clay aspect. They have windows in the -basement as well as upper stories; selenite, as usual, answers the -purpose of window-lights."[XI-55] - -"High on a lofty rock of sandstone ... sits the city of Acoma. On the -northern side of the rock, the rude boreas blasts have heaped up the -sand, so as to form a practical ascent for some distance; the rest of -the way is through solid rock. At one place a singular opening, or -narrow way, is formed between a huge square tower of rock and the -perpendicular face of the cliff. Then the road winds round like a -spiral stair way, and the Indians have, in some way, fixed logs of -wood in the rock, radiating from a vertical axis, like steps.... At -last we reached the top of the rock, which was nearly level, and -contains about sixty acres. Here we saw a large church, and several -continuous blocks of buildings, containing sixty or seventy houses in -each block, (the wall at the side that faced outwards was unbroken, -and had no windows until near the top: the houses were three stories -high). In front each story retreated back as it ascended, so as to -leave a platform along the whole front of the story: these platforms -are guarded by parapet walls about three feet high." Ladders are used -for first and second stories but there are steps in the wall to reach -the roof.[XI-56] Mr Gregg tells us that San Felipe is on "the very -verge of a precipice several hundred feet high," but Simpson states -that "neither it nor Sandia is as purely Indian in the style of its -buildings as the other pueblos."[XI-57] - -Santo Domingo "is laid out in streets running perpendicularly to the -Rio Grande. The houses are constructed of _adobes_, (blocks of mud, of -greater or less dimensions, sun-dried;) are two stories in height, the -upper one set retreatingly on the lower, so as to make the superior -covering of the lower answer for a terrace or platform for the upper; -and have roofs which are nearly flat. These roofs are made first of -transverse logs which pitch very slightly outward, and are sustained -at their ends by the side walls of the building; on these, a layer of -slabs or brush is laid; a layer of bark or straw is then laid on -these; and covering the whole is a layer of mud of six or more inches -in thickness. The height of the stories is about eight or nine -feet."[XI-58] - -"On my visit to the pueblo of Tesuque we entered a large square, -around which the dwellings are erected close together, so as to -present outwardly an unbroken line of wall to the height of three -stories. Viewed from the inner square it presents the appearance of a -succession of terraces with doors and windows opening upon them.... -This general description is applicable to all the Pueblo villages, -however they may differ in size, position, and nature of the -ground--some being on bluffs, some on mesas, and most of those in the -valley of the Rio Grande on level ground."[XI-59] - -Zuni, "like Santo Domingo, is built terrace-shaped--each story, of -which there are generally three, being smaller, laterally, so that one -story answers in part for the platform of the one above it. It, -however, is far more compact than Santo Domingo--its streets being -narrow, and in places presenting the appearance of tunnels, or covered -ways, on account of the houses extending at these places over them. -The houses are generally built of stone, plastered with mud,"--has an -adobe Catholic church.[XI-60] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: THE MOQUI TOWNS.] - -The seven Moqui towns in Arizona, situated in an isolated mountainous -region about midway between the Colorado Chiquito and the Chelly -canyon, in latitude 35 deg. 50', and longitude 110 deg. 30', are very -similar to the Pueblo towns of the Rio Grande. They were probably -visited by the earliest Spanish explorers, and have a claim to as -great an antiquity as any in the whole region. Lieut. Ives visited -the Moquis in 1858, and his description is the best extant; from it I -quote as follows: "I discovered with a spy-glass two of the Moqui -towns, eight or ten miles distant, upon the summit of a high bluff -overhanging the opposite side of the valley. They were built close to -the edge of the precipice.... The outlines of the closely-packed -structures looked in the distance like the towers and battlements of -a castle." "The face of the bluff, upon the summit of which the town -was perched, was cut up and irregular. We were led through a passage -that wound among some low hillocks of sand and rock that extended -half-way to the top.... A small plateau, in the centre of which was a -circular reservoir, fifty feet in diameter, lined with masonry, and -filled with pure cold water. The basin was fed from a pipe connecting -with some source of supply upon the summit of the mesa.... Continuing -to ascend we came to another reservoir, smaller, but of more elaborate -construction and finish.... Between the two the face of the bluff had -been ingeniously converted into terraces. These were faced with neat -masonry, and contained gardens, each surrounded with a raised edge so -as to retain water upon the surface. Pipes from the reservoirs -permitted them at any time to be irrigated. Peach trees were growing -upon the terraces and in the hollows below. A long flight of stone -steps, with sharp turns that could easily be defended, was built into -the face of the precipice, and led from the upper reservoir to the -foot of the town." "The town is nearly square, and surrounded by a -stone wall fifteen feet high, the top of which forms a landing -extending around the whole. Flights of stone steps led from the first -to a second landing, upon which the doors of the house open." "The -room was fifteen feet by ten; the walls were made of adobes; the -partitions of substantial beams; the floor laid with clay. In one -corner were a fireplace and chimney. Everything was clean and tidy. -Skins, bows and arrows, quivers, antlers, blankets, articles of -clothing and ornament, were hanging from the walls or arranged upon -shelves. Vases, flat dishes, and gourds filled with meal or water -were standing along one side of the room. At the other end was a -trough divided into compartments, in each of which was a sloping -stone slab two or three feet square for grinding corn upon. In a -recess of an inner room was piled a goodly store of corn in the ear." - -"We learned that there were seven towns; that the name of that which -we were visiting was Mooshahneh. A second smaller town was half a mile -distant; two miles westward was a third.... Five or six miles to the -north-east a bluff was pointed out as the location of three others, -and we were informed that the last of the seven, Oraybe, was still -further distant, on the trail towards the great river." "Each pueblo -is built around a rectangular court, in which we suppose are the -springs that furnish the supply to the reservoirs. The exterior walls, -which are of stone, have no openings, and would have to be scaled or -battered down before access could be gained to the interior. The -successive stories are set back, one behind the other. The lower rooms -are reached through trap-doors from the first landing. The houses are -three rooms deep, and open upon the interior court." "He led the way -to the east of the bluff on which Oraybe stands. Eight or nine miles -brought the train to an angle formed by two faces of the precipice. At -the foot was a reservoir, and a broad road winding up the steep -ascent. On either side the bluffs were cut into terraces, and laid -out into gardens similar to those seen at Mooshahneh, and, like them, -irrigated from an upper reservoir. The whole reflected great credit -upon Moquis ingenuity and skill in the department of engineering. The -walls of the terraces and reservoirs were of partially dressed stone, -well and strongly built, and the irrigating pipes conveniently -arranged. The little gardens were neatly laid out."[XI-61] - - * * * * * - -Thus we see that a universal peculiarity of the Pueblo towns is that -the lower stories are entered by ladders by way of the roof. Their -location varies from the low valley to the elevated mesa and -precipitous cliff; their height from one to seven stories, two stories -and one terrace being a common form. Most of them recede in successive -terraces at each story from the outside, but Tesuque, and perhaps a -few others, are terraced from the interior court. The building -material is sometimes adobe, but generally stone plastered with mud. -The exact construction of the walls is nowhere stated, but they are -presumably built of roughly squared blocks of the stone most -accessible, laid in mud. With each town is connected an estufa, or -public council-chamber and place of worship. This is in some cases -partly subterranean, and its walls are covered with rude paintings in -bright colors.[XI-62] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: PUEBLO OF PECOS.] - - [Illustration: Ruins of Pecos.] - -Of the ruined Pueblo towns no extended description is necessary, -since they present no contrasts with those still inhabited which have -been described. Pecos was formerly one of the most important, and was -still inhabited in the early part of the present century. The cut -copied from Emory for Mr Baldwin's work, represents a portion of the -ruins, which include Spanish and aboriginal structures, both of adobe. -Emory noticed large well-hewn timbers. Davis says the ruins of the -village cover two or three hundred yards, and include large blocks of -stone, square and oblong, weighing over a ton, with marks of having -been laid in mortar. Hughes speaks of the traces of a stone wall eight -feet high, which once surrounded this Pueblo town. Kit Carson told Mr -Meline that he found the town still inhabited in 1826. It was here -that in former times was kept burning the everlasting fire which -formed part of the religious rites in honor of their deity, or, -according to the modern account, of Montezuma. There is no evidence, -however, that the aborigines in ancient times had any deity, or -monarch of that name; it is quite certain that they did not hear of -the Aztec monarch Montezuma many centuries before he began to reign; -just possible that they did hear of his fame a few years before the -Spaniards came to New Mexico; but altogether probable that they first -heard the name of Montezuma, of the Aztec people, and of their former -migration southward, from the Spaniards themselves, or their native -companions.[XI-63] - -With the Quivira located by Thomas Gage and other early writers and -map-makers, "on the most Western part of America just over against -Tartary," as with the great city of Quivira which Francisco Vasquez de -Coronado sought and has been popularly supposed to have found, I have -at present nothing to do. It should be noted, however, that the latter -Quivira was not one of the Pueblo towns of the Rio Grande, but a town -of wigwams on the plains in the far north-east. The ruined town of -Quivira or Gran Quivira, east of the Rio Grande, entirely distinct -from that of Coronado, includes, like Pecos, a Spanish church among -its ruins. The buildings are of hewn stone and of great extent. Gregg -speaks of an aqueduct leading to the mountains eight or ten miles -distant, the nearest water. This town was very likely, like many -others, ruined at the revolt of 1680. Abo, Quarra, Laguna, and the -rest, present no new features. There are, moreover, on the Puerco -River--a tributary of the Rio Grande, and not that of the Colorado -Chiquito already mentioned--many traces of Pueblo buildings which have -no definite names.[XI-64] - - [Sidenote: SEVEN CITIES OF CIBOLA.] - - [Illustration: Rock-Inscriptions--Rio Grande.] - -The cut shows some rock-inscriptions copied by Froebel in the valley -of the Rio Grande. In the Sierra de los Mimbres, towards the source of -the Gila, are some old copper mines, and connected with them an adobe -fort with round towers at the corners, but I do not know that these -works have ever been considered of aboriginal origin. In a newspaper I -find the remarkable statement that "from the volcanic cones of the -Cerrillos was furnished, a great part, if not all, the Chalchiuite, so -much worn for ornament, and so highly prized by the ancient -Mexicans.... The ancient excavations made in search of it are now -distinctly visible, and seem to have been carried to the depth of two -hundred feet or more."[XI-65] - -The ruins of Old Zuni have already been described, and there is no -reason to doubt that both these and the other remains on the Zuni -River, represent towns that were inhabited when the Spaniards first -came northward. Indeed it is almost certain that they, together with -the Pueblo town of Zuni, represent Coronado's famous 'seven cities' of -Cibola. Most writers have so decided, as Gallatin, Squier, Whipple, -Turner, Kern, and Simpson.[XI-66] The course and distance of -Coronado's march from the Gila agrees more exactly with Zuni than with -any other town; the location of the 'seven cities' within four leagues -together, in a very narrow valley between steep banks, as also their -position with respect to the Rio del Lino, Colorado Chiquito, -correspond very well with the Zuni ruins; Coronado's Granada, on a -high bluff, with a "narrow winding way," was quite probably Old Zuni; -Cibola is said to have been the first town reached in coming across -the desert from the south-west, and the last left in returning; the -positions of Tusayan, a province of seven villages, five days' journey -north-west from Cibola, and of Acuco, five days eastward, agree very -well with the location of the Moqui towns and of Acoma with respect to -Zuni. Finally we have Espejo's statement that he visited the province -of Zuni, twenty-five leagues west of Acoma; that it was called Zuni by -the natives and Cibola by the Spaniards; that Coronado had been there; -and that he found there not only crosses and other emblems of -Christianity, but three Christians even. Coronado left three men at -Cibola, and their statements to Espejo respecting the identity of -Cibola and Zuni, must be regarded as conclusive.[XI-67] - - [Sidenote: GENERAL RESUME.] - -New Mexican antiquities, divided as at the beginning of the chapter -into six classes, may be briefly considered, en resume, as follows: -1st. "Remains of ancient stone and adobe buildings in all stages of -disintegration, from standing walls with roofs and floors, to -shapeless heaps of debris, or simple lines of foundation-stones." This -first class of remains has received most attention in the preceding -pages, and little need be said in addition. It has been noted that -adobe is the material used almost exclusively in the Gila and other -southern valleys, as in Chihuahua, while further north stone is -preferred. The most important fact to be noted is that all the ruins, -without exception, are precisely identical in plan, architecture, and -material with the Pueblo towns now inhabited or known to have been -inhabited since the coming of the Spaniards. Many of them, -particularly those of the Chaco canyon, may have been much grander -structures and have displayed a higher degree of art than the modern -towns, but they all belong to the same class of buildings. - -2d. "Anomalous structures of stone or earth, the purpose of which, -either by reason of their advanced state of ruin, or of the -comparatively slight attention given them by travelers, is not -apparent." Such remains, which have been described as far as possible -wherever they have appeared, are: I. Fortifications, like the stone -enclosures on the Pueblo Creek and head-waters of the Rio Verde; and -the battlements guarding the path of ascent to Old Zuni. Many of the -ruined towns were, moreover, effectually fortified by the natural -position in which they were built. II. Mound-like structures and -elevations. These include the low terraced pyramid reported on the -Gila near the Casa Grande, and another of like nature on the north -side of the river; the shapeless heaps of earth and stones in the Gila -and Salinas valleys, most of which are doubtless the remains of -fallen walls, but some of which may possibly have a different origin -and design; and some small heaps of loose stones on the Gila at the -mouth of the Santo Domingo. It is noticeable that no burial mounds, of -so common occurrence in many parts of America, have been found here; -and no pyramids or mounds presumably connected in any way with -religious rites, indeed, nothing of the nature of temples or altars, -save the estufas still in common use. III. Excavations. These are, a -reservoir with stone walls measuring forty by sixty yards, reported by -the early writers near the Casa Grande on the Gila; a circular -depression forty paces in diameter on the north bank of the Gila, and -a similar one at Navajo Spring near the Rio Puerco of the West; a -triangular depression at the mouth of the Santo Domingo; quarries of -sandstone near some of the Chaco ruins, and pits in the Salinas, -whence the earth for building is supposed to have been taken; and the -circular holes that penetrate the canyon walls of the Chaco. IV. -Enclosures for various or unknown purposes. Such is the circular -enclosure a hundred yards in circumference near the Casa Grande, and -another north of the river; the structure indefinitely reported as a -labyrinth up the Gila from the Casa Grande; a small round enclosure on -the Salado; an elliptical enclosure of stone and mortar, eight by -sixteen feet, and divided into two compartments, in the Chaco canyon; -and the large and irregular lines of foundation-stones in the Gila -Valley above the San Pedro. It will be observed that there is very -little of the mysterious connected with these remains of the second -class, and a great part of that little would probably disappear as a -result of a more careful exploration. - -3d. "Traces of aboriginal agriculture, in the shape of acequias and -zanjas, or irrigating canals and ditches." Such remains have been -noticed in connection with many of the ruins, particularly in the -south, and require no further remarks. So far as described, they are -nothing but simple ditches dug in the surface of the ground, of -varying depth and length. The earlier reports of canals with walled -sides are very probably unfounded. - - [Illustration: New Mexican Stone Axes.] - -4th. "Implements and ornaments." These are not numerous, include no -articles of any metal whatever, and do not differ materially from -articles now in use among the Pueblo Indians. Such relics have been -found scattered among the debris of the fallen walls, and not taken -from regular excavations; consequently no absolute proof exists that -they are the work of the builders, though there can be little room for -doubt on that point. The wandering tribes that have occupied the -country in modern times are much more likely to have sought for and -carried away relics of the original inhabitants, than to have -deposited among the ruins articles made by the modern Pueblo Indians. -A detailed account of each relic would be useless, but among the -articles that have been found are included,--I. Implements of stone. -Metates, or corn-grinders, generally broken, were found at various -points on the Gila, Salado, and among the ruins near Pecos. Stone -axes, are shown in the cut from Whipple, of which No. 4 was found on -the Salado, where implements called hoes, and a stone pestle, are -also reported. A stone axe was also found on the Colorado Chiquito. -Arrow-heads of obsidian were picked up at Old Zuni, on the Colorado -Chiquito, on the Rio Puerco of the west, and at Inscription Rock; of -carnelian on the Colorado Chiquito; of agate and jasper on the Rio -Puerco; and of quartz near Pecos and on Pueblo Creek. Ross Browne -heard of bone awls having been dug up at the Casa Grande. II. -Ornaments. Sea-shells were found at the Casa Grande, on the north bank -of the Gila, and in the Salado valley; also on the Gila, a bead of -blue marble finely turned, an inch and a quarter long; and another -bead of the size of a hen's egg; also a painted stone not described, -and a beaver's tooth. Several green stones, like amethysts, were found -on the Salado; fragments of quartz crystal at the Casa Grande; of -agate and obsidian among the Gila mines; and of obsidian on Pueblo -Creek. Clay balls from the size of bullets to grape-shot, many of them -stuck together, are reported on doubtful authority.[XI-68] - -5th. Pottery, the most abundant class of relics, found strewn over the -ground in the vicinity of every ruin in this group. It is always in -fragments, no whole article of undoubted antiquity having ever been -found. This is natural enough, perhaps, since only the surface has -been examined, and the roaming tribes of Indians would not be likely -to leave anything of use or value; excavation may in the future bring -to light whole specimens. But although the absence of whole vessels is -not strange, the presence of fragments in so great abundance is very -remarkable, since no such tendency to their accumulation is noticed -about the inhabited Pueblo towns. It would seem as if the inhabitants, -forced to abandon their houses in haste, had deliberately broken all -their very large stock of earthen ware, either to prevent its falling -into the hands of enemies, or from some superstitious custom. The -fragments are very like one to another in all parts of the New Mexican -region, and in quality and ornamentation nearly identical with the -ware still manufactured and used by the Pueblos. It has been noticed, -however, that the older pottery is superior generally in material and -workmanship to the modern; and also in the southern valleys it is -found painted on the inside as well as outside, contrary as is said to -the present usage. Very few fragments show anything like glazing. The -painted ornamentation consists in most instances of stripes or -angular, more rarely of curved, lines, in black, white, and red. -Painted representations of any definite objects, animate or inanimate, -are of very rare occurrence. Some specimens are, however, not painted, -but decorated with considerable skill by means of raised or indented -figures. I have given cuts of many specimens, and the thirty-five -figures on the next page from different localities will suffice to -explain the nature and uniformity of New Mexican pottery.[XI-69] - - [Illustration: New Mexican Pottery.] - -6th. "Painted or engraved figures on cliffs, boulders, and the sides -of natural caverns." These figures have been mentioned whenever they -occurred, and some of them illustrated. There are additional paintings -in a rocky pass between Albuquerque and Laguna, mentioned and copied -by Moellhausen, and both paintings and sculptures in Texas at Sierra -Waco, thirty miles east of El Paso, and at Rocky Dell Creek, in lat. -35 deg., 30', long. 102 deg., 30'.[XI-70] In another volume of this -work,[XI-71] something has been said of hieroglyphic development, of -the different classes of picture-records, and their respective value. -The New Mexican rock-inscriptions and paintings, such of them as are -not mere idle sketches executed without purpose by the natives to -while away the time, belong to the lower classes of representative and -symbolic picture-writing, and are utterly inadequate to preserve any -definite record far beyond the generation that executed them. Most of -them had a meaning to the artist and his tribe at the time they were -made; it is safe to suppose that no living being to-day can interpret -their meaning, and that they never will be understood. The similar -figures painted on the walls of modern estufas,[XI-72] the natives -will not, probably cannot, explain. Mr Froebel, in opposition to Mr -Bartlett's theory that the figures are meaningless, very justly says: -"Many circumstances tend to disprove that these characters were -originally nothing but the results of an early attempt at art. In the -first place, the similarity of the style, in localities a thousand -miles apart, and its extreme peculiarity, preclude every idea of an -accidental similarity. One cannot imagine how the same recurring -figures should have been used over and over again, unless they had a -conventional character, and were intended to express something."[XI-73] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: CONCLUSIONS.] - -I conclude this division of my work by a few general remarks, -embodying such conclusions respecting the New Mexican ruins as may be -drawn from the ruins themselves, without reference to the mass of -speculation, tradition, and so-called history, that has confused the -whole subject since first the missionary padres visited and wrote of -this region, and sought diligently, and of course successfully, for -traditions respecting the Asiatic origin of the Americans, and the -southern migration of the Aztecs from the mysterious regions of the -Californias to Anahuac. These conclusions are not lengthy or numerous, -and apply with equal force to the Casas Grandes of Chihuahua, outside -of the geographical limits of this chapter. - -1. The ruined structures offer but little internal evidence of their -age. There is not even the slight aid of forest growth found in nearly -all other parts of America. The different buildings show very -different degrees of dilapidation it is true, but to what extent in -each case the ravages of time have been assisted by the roaming -Apaches and other savages, it is impossible to decide. The Casas -Grandes of Chihuahua are much more dilapidated than the similar Casa -Grande of the Gila; but, although both are built of mud, a slight -difference in the quality of the mud employed, with the more abundant -rains of Chihuahua, would account for the better condition of the Gila -remains, and prevent us from assigning necessarily a greater antiquity -to those of Chihuahua. It is known as a historical fact that the -southern buildings were not only in ruins at the coming of the -Spaniards in the middle of the sixteenth century, but had been so long -in that condition that the native knowledge respecting them had passed -into the state of a tradition and a superstition. Certainly not less -than a century would suffice for this. Of the northern ruins very many -are known to have been inhabited and flourishing towns when the -Spaniards came. That any were at that time in ruins is not proven, -though possible. - -2. The material relics of the New Mexican group bear no resemblance -whatever to either Nahua or Maya relics in the south. It has been -constantly stated and repeated by most writers, that all American -aboriginal monuments, the works of the Mound-Builders of the -Mississippi, the ruins of New Mexico and Arizona, the Casas Grandes of -Chihuahua, the Edificios of Zacatecas, the pyramids of Anahuac and the -central plateaux, Mitla, Palenque, the cities of Yucatan, and finally -Copan, all belong evidently to one class and present one type; that -all are such as might reasonably be attributed to the same people in -different periods of their civilization. It is even customary for -travelers and writers to speak without hesitation of Aztec ruins and -relics in Arizona, as if there were no longer any doubt on the -subject. So far as the New Mexican link in the chain is concerned, I -most emphatically deny the resemblance, on grounds which the reader of -the preceding pages already fully understands. I can hardly conceive -of structures reared by human hands differing more essentially than -the two classes in question. In the common use of adobes for -building-material; in the plain walls rising to a height of several -stories; in the terrace structure, absence of doors in the lower -story, and the entrance by ladders; in the absence of arched ceilings -of overlapping blocks, of all pyramidal structures, of sculptured -blocks, of all architectural decorations, of idols, temples, and every -trace of buildings evidently designed for religious rites, of burial -mounds and human remains; and in the character of the rock-inscriptions -and miscellaneous relics, not to go farther into details, the New -Mexican monuments present no analogies to any of the southern remains. -I do not mean to express a decided opinion that the Aztecs were not, -some hundreds or thousands of centuries ago, or even at a somewhat -less remote period, identical with the natives of New Mexico, for I -have great faith in the power of time and environment to work -unlimited changes in any people; I simply claim that it is a manifest -absurdity to suppose that the monuments described were the work of the -Aztecs during a migration southward, since the eleventh century, or of -any people nearly allied in blood and institutions to the Aztecs as -they were found in Anahuac. - -3. Not only do the ruins of this group bear no resemblance to those of -the south, but they represent in all respects buildings like those -still inhabited by the Pueblo tribes and the Moquis, and do not differ -more among themselves than do the dwellings of the peoples mentioned. -Every one of them may be most reasonably regarded as the work of the -direct ancestors of the present inhabitants of the Pueblo towns, who -did not differ to any great extent in civilization or institutions -from their descendants, though they may very likely have been vastly -superior to them in power and wealth. Consequently there is not a -single relic in the whole region that requires the agency of any -extinct race of people, or any other nations--using the word in a -somewhat wider signification than has sometimes been given to it in -the preceding volumes--than those now living in the country. Not only -do the remains not point in themselves to any extinct race, but if -there were any traditional or other evidence indicating the past -agency of such a race, it would be impossible to reconcile the -traditional with the monumental evidence except by the supposition -that the Pueblos are a foreign people who took possession of the -abandoned dwellings of another race, whose institutions they imitated -to the best of their ability; but I do not know that such a theory has -ever been advanced. I am aware that this conclusion is sadly at -variance with the newspaper reports in constant circulation, of -marvelous cities, the remnants of an advanced but extinct -civilization, discovered by some trapper, miner, or exploring -expedition. I am also aware of the probability that many ruins in -addition to those I have been able to describe, have been found by -military officials, government explorers, and private individuals -during the past ten years; and I hope that the appearance of this -volume may cause the publication of much additional information on the -subject,--but that any of the newly discovered monuments differ in -type from those previously known, there is much reason to doubt. Very -many of the newspaper accounts referred to relate to discoveries made -by Lieut. Wheeler's exploring party during the past two or three -years. Lieut. Wheeler informs me that the reports, so far as they -refer to the remains of an extinct people, are without foundation, -and that his observations have led him to a conclusion practically the -same as my own respecting the builders of the ruined Pueblo towns. - - [Sidenote: THE ANCIENT PUEBLO TOWNS.] - -4. It follows that New Mexico, Arizona, and northern Chihuahua were -once inhabited by agricultural semi-civilized tribes, not differing -more among themselves than do the Pueblo tribes of the present time; -the most fertile valleys of the region were cultivated by them, and -were dotted by fine town-dwellings of stone and adobe, occupied in -common by many families, similar but superior to the present Pueblo -towns. At least a century, probably much longer, before the Spaniards -made their appearance, the decline of this numerous and powerful -people began, and it has continued uninterruptedly down to the present -time, until only a mere remnant in the Rio Grande and Moqui towns is -left. Before the Spaniards came all the southern towns, on the Gila -and its tributaries, had been abandoned; since that time the decline -of the northern nations, which the Spaniards found in a tolerably -flourishing condition, is a matter of history. The reason of the -decline this is hardly the place to consider, but it is doubtless to -the inroads of outside warlike and predatory tribes like the Apaches -that we must look for the chief cause. It is not impossible that -natural changes in the surface of the region, such as the drying-up of -springs, streams, or lakes, may have also contributed to the same -effect. These changes, however, if such took place, were probably -gradual in their operation; for the location of the ruins in what are -still in most cases among the most fertile valleys, either in the -vicinity of water, or at least of a dried-up stream, and their absence -in every instance in the absolutely desert tracts, show pretty -conclusively that the towns were not destroyed suddenly by any natural -convulsion which radically changed the face of the country. It is not -difficult to imagine how the agricultural Pueblo communities, -weakened perhaps at first by some international strife which forced -them to neglect the tillage of their land, and hard pressed by more -than usually persistent inroads from bands of Apaches who plundered -their crops and destroyed their irrigation-works, visited perchance by -pestilence, or by earthquakes sent by some irate deity to dry up their -springs, were forced year by year to yield their fair fields to the -drifting sands, to abandon their southern homes and unite their forces -with kindred northern tribes; till at last came the crowning blow of a -foreign invasion, which has well nigh extinguished an aboriginal -culture more interesting and admirable, if not in all respects more -advanced, than any other in North America. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[XI-1] _Cal., Past, Pres. and Future_, p. 145. - -[XI-2] _Bartlett's Pers. Nar._, vol. ii., pp. 195, 206; _Froebel_, -_Aus Amer._, tom. ii., p. 468; _Id._, _Cent. Amer._, pp. 519-24; -_Emory's Reconnoissance_, pp. 82, 89-91, with plate. - -[XI-3] _Castaneda_, in _Ternaux-Compans_, _Voy._, serie i., tom. ix., -pp. 40-1, 161-2. Two other accounts of the trip were written--one by -Juan Jaramillo, which may be found in the same volume of -Ternaux-Compans' work; and the second by Coronado himself, an Italian -translation of which appeared in _Ramusio_, _Navigationi_, tom. iii., -fol. 359, et seq., and an English translation in _Hakluyt's Voy._, -vol. iii., p. 373, et seq. For an abstract of the trip and discussion -about the location of the route, see _Gallatin_, in _Amer. Ethno. -Soc., Transact._, vol. ii.; _Squier_, in _American Review_ for -November, 1848; _Whipple, et al._, in _Pac. R. R. Repts_, vol. iii.; -and _Simpson_, in _Smithsonian Rept._, 1859, p. 309, et seq. The last -is the best article on the subject, and is accompanied by a map. All -the accounts mention the fact that the expedition passed through -Chichilticale, but only the one quoted describes the building. - -[XI-4] "Lo apunto en embrion por no haber ido yo a este -descubrimento." _Mange_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iv., tom. i., pp. -259, 253, 362-4. - -[XI-5] In _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iv., tom. i., pp. 282-3. Mange's -description is as follows:--'One of them is a large edifice, the -principal room in the centre being four stories high, and those -adjoining it on its four sides, three stories; with walls two varas -thick, of strong _argamasa y barro_ [that is, the material of which -adobes are made] so smooth on the inside that they resemble planed -boards, and so polished that they shine like Puebla pottery. The -corners of the windows, which are square, are very straight and -without supports or crosspieces of wood, as if made with a mold; the -doors are the same, though, narrow, and by this it is known to be the -work of Indians; it is 36 paces long by 21 wide, and is well built. At -the distance of an arquebuse-shot are seen twelve other buildings half -fallen, also with thick walls; and all the roofs burned out except one -low room, which has round beams apparently of cedar, or sabino, small -and smooth, and over them _otates_ (reeds) of equal size, and a layer -of hard mud and mortar, forming a very curious roof or floor. In the -vicinity are seen many other ruins and stories, and heaps of rubbish -which cover the ground for two leagues; with much broken pottery, -plates, and _ollas_ of fine clay painted in various colors and -resembling the Guadalajara pottery of New Spain; hence it is inferred -that the city was very large and the work of a civilized people under -a government. This is verified by a canal which runs from the river -over the plain, encircling the settlement, which is in the centre, -three leagues in circumference, ten varas wide and four deep, carrying -perhaps half the river, and thus serving as a defensive ditch as well -as to supply water for the houses and to irrigate the surrounding -fields.' - -[XI-6] _Sedelmair_, _Relacion_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iii., tom. -iv., p. 847. Orozco y Berra, _Geografia_, pp. 108-10, takes this -description from Sedelmair's MS. in the Mexican archives, as being -written by one who was 'almost the discoverer,' but it is a literal -copy of Mange's diary. Mange's diary, so far as it relates to the Casa -Grande, is translated in _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. iii., p. 301; and -_Bartlett's Pers. Nar._, vol. ii., pp. 281-2. - -[XI-7] 'Y vimos toda la vivienda del edificio que es muy grande de -quatro altos, cuadradas las paredes y muy gruesas como de dos varas de -ancho del dicho barro blanco, y aunque estos jentiles lo han quemado -distintas veces, se ven los quatro altos, con buenas salas, aposentos -y ventanas curiosamente embarradas por dentro y fuera de manera que -estan las paredes encaladas y lisas con un barro algo colorado, las -puertas muy parejas. Tambien hay inmediatas por fuera once casas algo -menores fabricadas con la propia curiosidad de la grande y altas ... y -en largo distrito se ve mucha losa quebrada y pintada; tambien se ve -una sequia maestra de diez varas de ancho y quatro de alto, y un bordo -muy grueso hecho de la misma tierra que va a la casa por un llano.' -_Bernal_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iii., tom. iv., p. 804. - -[XI-8] Padre Garces says, 'on this river is situated the house which -they call Moctezuma's, and many other ruins of other edifices with -very many fragments of pottery both painted and plain. From what I -afterwards saw of the Moqui, I have formed a very different idea from -that which I before entertained respecting these buildings,' referring -to Padre Font for more details. _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie ii., tom. i., -p. 242. Font's account is substantially as follows:--'We carefully -examined this edifice and its ruins; the echnographical plan of which -I here lay down [The plan does not accompany the translation, but I -have the same plan in another MS. which I shall presently mention] and -the better to understand it I give the following description and -explanation. [Here follows an account of the building of the Casa by -the Aztecs when the Devil led them through these regions on their way -to Anahuac]. The site on which this house is built is flat on all -sides and at the distance of about one league from the river Gila, and -the ruins of the houses which composed the town extend more than a -league towards the East and the Cardinal points; and all this land is -partially covered with pieces of pots, jugs, plates, &c., some common -and others painted of different colours, white, blue, red,' &c., very -different from the work of the Pimas. A careful measurement made with -a lance showed that 'the house forms an oblong square, facing exactly -the four Cardinal points ... and round about it there are ruins -indicating a fence or wall which surrounded the house and other -buildings, particularly in the corners, where it appears that there -has been some edifice like an interior castle or watch-tower, for in -the angle which faces towards the S.W. there stands a ruin with its -divisions and an upper story. The exterior place [plaza] extends from -N. to S. 420 feet and from E. to W. 260 feet. The interior of the -house consists of five halls, the three middle ones being of one size -and the two extreme ones longer.' The three middle ones are 26 by 10 -feet, and the others 38 by 12 feet, and all 11 feet high. The inner -doors are of equal size, two by five feet, the outer ones being of -double width. The inner walls are four feet thick and well plastered, -and the outer walls six feet thick. The house is 70 by 50 feet, the -walls sloping somewhat on the outside. 'Before the Eastern doorway, -separate from the house there is another building,' 26 by 18 feet, -'without counting the thickness of the walls. The timber, it appears, -was of pine, and the nearest mountain bearing pine is at the distance -of 25 leagues; it likewise bears some mezquite. All the building is of -earth, and according to appearances the walls are built in boxes -[moldes] of different sizes. A trench leads from the river at a great -distance, by which the town was supplied with water; it is now nearly -buried up. Finally, it is perceptible that the Edifice had three -stories, and if it be true what the Indians say it had 4, the last -being a kind of subterranean vault. For the purpose of giving light to -the rooms, nothing is seen but the doors and some round holes in the -middle of the walls which face to the East and West, and the Indians -said that the Prince whom they call the "bitter man" used to salute -the sun through these holes (which are pretty large) at its rising and -setting. No signs of stairs remain, and we therefore suppose that they -must have been of wood, and that they were destroyed when the building -was burnt by the Apaches.' _Font's Journal_, MS., pp. 8-10; also -quoted in _Bartlett's Pers. Nar._, vol. ii., pp. 278-80; also French -translation in _Ternaux-Compans_, _Voy._, serie i., tom. ix., pp. -383-6. - -[XI-9] _Beaumont_, _Cron. Mechoacan_, MS., pp. 504-8. See an abridged -account from the same source in _Padilla_, _Conq. N. Galicia_, MS., p. -125; _Arricivita_, _Cronica Serafica_, pp. 462-3. - -[XI-10] _Sonora_, _Rudo Ensayo_, pp. 18-9; same also in _Doc. Hist. -Mex._, serie iii., tom. iv., pp. 503-4; _Velarde_, _Descrip. de la -Pimeria_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iv., tom. i., pp. 362-3. This -author speaks of 'algunas paredes de un gran estanque, hecho a mano de -cal y canto.' Similar account in _Alegre_, _Hist. Comp. de Jesus_, -tom. ii., pp. 211-12. - -[XI-11] _Emory's Reconnoissance_, pp. 81-3; _Johnston's Journal_, in -_Id._, pp. 567-600; _Browne's Apache Country_, pp. 114-24; _Bartlett's -Pers. Nar._, vol. ii., pp. 271-84. Other authorities, containing, I -believe, no original information, are as follows: _Humboldt_, _Essai -Pol._, pp. 297-8; _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, p. 82; _Mofras_, _Explor._, -tom. ii., p. 361; _Gondra_, in _Prescott_, _Hist. Conq. Mex._, tom. -iii., p. 19; _Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc._, vol. ii., p. 396, with cut; -_Id._, _Observations_, p. 15; _Id._, _Mex. as it Was_, p. 239; -_Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. ii., p. 197; -_Conder's Mex. Guat._, vol. ii., pp. 68-9; _Buschmann_, _Spuren der -Aztek. Spr._, p. 297; _Cutts' Conq. of Cal._, pp. 186-8; _Domenech's -Deserts_, vol. i., pp. 381-4; _Moellhausen_, _Tagebuch_, pp. 309-14; -_Lafond_, _Voyages_, tom. i., p. 135; _Larenaudiere_, _Mex. et Guat._, -p. 12; _Long's Amer. and W. I._, pp. 180-1; _Malte-Brun_, _Precis de -la Geog._, tom. vi., pp. 453; _Mill's Hist. Mex._, pp. 192-3; -_Monglave_, _Resume_, p. 176; _Muehlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. ii., pt. -ii., pp. 435-6; _Mueller_, _Amerikanische Urreligionen_, p. 532; -_Gallatin_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1851, tom. cxxxi., pp. -284-6, 261; _Froebel_, _Aus Amer._, tom. ii., pp. 451-2; _Gordon's -Hist. and Geog. Mem._, pp. 86-7; _Id._, _Ancient Mex._, vol. i., p. -104; _Shuck's Cal. Scrap-Book_, p. 669; _Robinson's Cal._, pp. 93-4; -_Velasco_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, tom. xi., p. 96; _Thuemmel_, -_Mexiko_, p. 347; _DeBercy_, _L'Europe et L'Amer._, pp. 238-9; -_Ruxton_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1850, tom. cxxvi., pp. 40, -46, 52; _San Francisco Chronicle_, Jan. 15, 1875; _Schoolcraft's -Arch._, vol. iii., pp. 299-300; _Hughes' Doniphan's Ex._, p. 219. - -[XI-12] Adobes are properly sun-dried bricks without any particular -reference to the exact quality or proportions of the ingredients, many -varieties of earth or clay being employed, according to the locality -and the nature of the structure, with or without a mixture of straw or -pebbles. But adobe is a very convenient word to indicate the material -itself without reference to the form and size of its blocks or the -exact nature of its ingredients; and such a use of the word seems -allowable. - -[XI-13] _Smithsonian Rept._, 1869, p. 326; _Castaneda_, in -_Ternaux-Compans_, _Voy._, serie i., tom. ix., pp. 41, 161-2. - -[XI-14] 36 by 21 paces, _Mange_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iv., tom. -i., p. 283; 70 by 50 feet, outer walls 6 feet thick, inner 4 feet, -_Font's Journal_, MS., pp. 8-9; walls between 4 and 5 feet thick, -_Bartlett's Pers. Nar._, vol. ii., p. 272; 60 feet square, _Emory's -Reconnoissance_, p. 81. - -[XI-15] Central rooms, 26 by 10 feet; the others 38 by 12 feet. -_Font's Journal_, MS., p. 9. - -[XI-16] It will be noticed that although Mr Bartlett speaks of an -entrance in the centre of each side, his plan shows none in the south. -'Il n'existe point de portes au rez-de-chaussee.' _Mofras_, _Explor._, -tom. ii., p. 361. - -[XI-17] _Mange_, _Itinerario_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iv., tom. -i., pp. 282-3. - -[XI-18] _Browne's Apache Country_, p. 118. - -[XI-19] _Johnston_, in _Emory's Reconnoissance_, p. 598. - -[XI-20] _Arricivita_, _Cronica Serafica_, pp. 462-3; _Humboldt_, -_Essai Pol._, tom. i., p. 297. - -[XI-21] _Johnston_, in _Emory's Reconnoissance_, p. 598. - -[XI-22] 'Habia tambien seis leguas distante del rio hacia el Sur, un -algive de agua hecho a mano mas que cuadrado o paralelo, grande de -sesenta varas de largo y cuarenta de ancho; sus bordos parecian -paredes o pretil de argamasa o cal y canto, segun lo fuerte y duro del -material, y por sus cuatro angulos tiene sus puertas por donde se -conduce y se recoge el agua llovediza.' _Sedelmair_, _Relacion_, in -_Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iii., tom. iv., p. 848. 'Se ven algunas -paredes de un gran estanque, hecho a mano de cal y canto, y una -acequia de los mismos materiales.' _Velarde_, in _Id._, serie iv., -tom. i., p. 362. - -[XI-23] 'Paredes muy altas y anchas de mas de una vara, de un genero -de barro blanco muy fuerte, cuadrada, y muy grande.' _Bernal_, in -_Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iii., tom. iv., p. 801. 'Paredes de dos varas -de grueso, como un castillo y otras a sus contornos, pero todo de -fabrica antigua.' _Mange_, _Itinerario_, in _Id._, serie iv., tom. i., -p. 282; _Sonora_, _Rudo Ensayo_, p. 19; _Emory's Reconnoissance_, p. -83. Whipple, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. iii., p. 73, speaks of a -circular depression in the earth at this point. - -[XI-24] _Johnston_, in _Emory's Reconnoissance_, p. 600. - -[XI-25] _Sedelmair_, _Relacion_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iii., -tom. iv., p. 847. There is no foundation whatever for the statement of -Mofras that in this region 'en faisant des fouilles on trouve encore -des idoles, des poteries, des armes, et des miroirs en pierre poli -nommees itzli.' _Explor._, tom. ii., p. 361. - -[XI-26] _Velarde_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iv., tom. i., p. 363. - -[XI-27] _Sedelmair_, _Relacion_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iii., -tom. iv. p. 847. - -[XI-28] _Velarde_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iv., tom. i., pp. 348, -363. 'De otros edificios de mas extencion, arte y simetria, he oido -referir al Padre Ygnacio Xavier Keller, aunque no tengo presente en -que paraje de sus Apostolicas carreras.' _Sonora_, _Rudo Ensayo_, pp. -19-20. - -[XI-29] _Emory's Reconnoissance_, pp. 87-8, 134; _Johnston_, in _Id._, -p. 600; _Cincinnatus' Travels_, p. 356. - -[XI-30] _Whipple, Ewbank, and Turner_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. -iii., pp. 45, 47. - -[XI-31] _Bartlett's Pers. Nar._, vol. ii., pp. 242-8, with a cut of -one of the heaps of ruins. _Moellhausen_, _Tagebuch_, pp. 308-9. Cuts -of many specimens of pottery from the Gila Valley, in _Johnston_, in -_Emory's Reconnoissance_, pp. 596, 600. - -[XI-32] _Whipple, Ewbank, and Turner_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. -iii., pp. 14-15. - -[XI-33] Mr Leroux also reported to Bartlett the existence in the Verde -valley of heaps of debris like those on the Salado. _Bartlett's Pers. -Nar._, vol. ii., p. 247. Mention of Verde remains. _Warden_, -_Recherches_, p. 79; _Moellhausen_, _Reisen in die Felsengeb._, tom. -ii., pp. 140-2; _Muehlenpfordt_, _Mejico_, tom. ii., pt. ii., p. 538. -Pike, _Explor. Trav._, p. 336, says very absurdly, "Those walls are of -a black cement which encreases in stability with age, and bids -defiance to the war of time; the secret of its composition is now -entirely lost." - -[XI-34] _Whipple_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. iii., pp. 91-4; -_Moellhausen_, _Tagebuch_, pp. 348-9. Moellhausen was the artist -connected with Whipple's expedition. - -[XI-35] _Emory's Reconnoissance_, pp. 63-9, 80, 133-4, with cuts and -plates; _Johnston_, in _Id._, pp. 581-96; _Whipple, Ewbank, and -Turner_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. iii., p. 23, with cut -illustrating the lines of foundation-stones. _Froebel_, _Aus Amer._, -tom. ii., p. 421; _Id._, _Cent. Amer._, p. 488, with cut of -hieroglyphics. Two plates of colored fragments of pottery, in -_Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. iii., pp. 82-5, vol. vi., p. 68. -Respecting the builders of the ruined structures, see _Garces_, -_Diario_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie ii., tom. i., pp. 320, 329; -_Castaneda_, in _Ternaux-Compans_, _Voy._, serie i., tom. ix., pp. -161-2; _Sedelmair_, _Relacion_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie iii., tom. -iv., p. 847. Other references on Gila remains are: _Sonora_, _Rudo -Ensayo_, p. 19, with cut of labyrinth; _Villa-Senor y Sanchez_, -_Theatro_, tom. ii., pp. 375-6; _Fremont_, in _Cal., Past, Pres. and -Future_, p. 144; _Fremont and Emory's Notes of Trav._, p. 46; -_Prichard's Researches_, vol. v., pp. 422-3; _Id._, _Nat. Hist. Man_, -vol. ii., pp. 514-15, 568; _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., pp. 382-3; -_Cal. Farmer_, Feb. 28, 1862; _Cincinnatus' Travels_, pp. 355-7; -_Gallatin_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1851, tom. cxxxi., pp. -293-4. I find an account going the rounds of the newspapers of a -wonderful group of ruins 'on the Gila some miles east of Florence,' -discovered by Lieut. Ward. They consist of very extensive -fortifications, and other structures built of hewn stone, the walls -being yet twelve feet high, and two towers standing 26 and 31 feet -respectively. Copper and stone implements, golden ornaments and stone -vases were found here. Finally, the whole account is doubtless a hoax. - -[XI-36] A writer in the _N. Y. Tribune_,--see _Hist. Mag._, vol. x., -suppl., p. 95--describes a pyramid on the Colorado River, without -giving the locality. It is 104 feet square, 20 feet high, and has at -present a summit platform. It seems, however, to have been originally -pointed, judging from the debris. The material is hewn stone in blocks -from 18 to 36 inches thick, those of the outer facing being out at an -angle. This report is perhaps founded on some of the ruins on the -Colorado Chiquito yet to be mentioned, or quite as probably it has no -foundation whatever. 'Upon the lower part of the Rio Colorado no -traces of permanent dwellings have been discovered.' _Whipple, Ewbank, -and Turner_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. iii., p. 15. Arizona miners -occasionally refer to the ruins of old Indian buildings on the -Colorado, 40 miles above La Paz, on the eastern side, similar in -character to those of the Gila. On Ehrenberg's _Map of Arizona_, 1858, -they are so located, and that is all that is known of them. _San -Francisco Evening Bulletin_, July 14, 1864. - -[XI-37] _Cal. Farmer_, March 27, 1863. - -[XI-38] _Moellhausen_, _Tagebuch_, p. 376; _Whipple_, in _Pac. R. R. -Rept._, vol. iii., pp. 106-7. - -[XI-39] _Sitgreaves' Report, Zuni and Colorado Rivers_, 1853, pp. 8-9; -_Whipple_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. iii., pp. 81, 46-50; _Ives' -Colorado Riv._, p. 117, no details; _Moellhausen_, _Tagebuch_, pp. -306-8; _Id._, _Reisen in die Felsengeb._, tom. ii., pp. 148-50, 164-5, -399-401; _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. iv., pp. 253, vol. vi., p. 68, -plates of inscriptions; _Hay_, in _Soc. Mex. Geog., Boletin_, 2da -epoca, tom. i., p. 29; _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. 146-7. A writer -in the _San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, July 3, 1868, says that the -most extensive ruins in Arizona or New Mexico are situated above the -high falls of the Little Colorado, 20 miles north of the San Francisco -Mountains. They extend for miles along the river, and include -well-made walls of hewn stone now standing to the height of six or -eight feet. Both streets and irrigating canals may be traced for -miles. This writer speaks of the Jesuit inscriptions. According to an -article in the _San Francisco Herald_ of 1853, quoted in the _Cal. -Farmer_ of June 22, 1860, Capt. Joseph Walker found some remarkable -ruins on the Colorado Chiquito in 1850. He speaks of 'a kind of a -citadel, around which lay the ruins of a city more than a mile in -length.' The streets were still traceable, running at right angles. -The buildings were all of stone 'reduced to ruins by the action of -some great heat which had evidently passed over the whole country.... -All the stones were burnt, some of them almost cindered, others glazed -as if melted. This appearance was visible in every ruin he met with. A -storm of fire seemed to have swept over the whole country and the -inhabitants must have fallen before it.' The central building with -walls 15 or 18 feet long and 10 feet high, of hewn stone, stood on a -rock 20 or 30 feet high, itself fused by the heat. The ruins seen by -Walker were in all probability similar to those described by -Sitgreaves, and the Captain, or the writer of this article, drew -heavily on his imagination for many of his facts. - -[XI-40] _Whipple_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. iii., p. 76. - -[XI-41] _Moellhausen's Journey_, vol. ii., p. 121. - -[XI-42] _Whipple_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. iii., pp. 73-4; -_Moellhausen_, _Tagebuch_, p. 255. - -[XI-43] _Sitgreaves' Zuni Ex._, p. 6; _Whipple, Ewbank, and Turner_, -in _Pac. R. R. Repts_, vol. pp. 71, 39. - -[XI-44] _Whipple, et al._, in _Pac. R. R. Repts_, vol. iii., pp. 69, -39-41, 45-6, with view of ruins; _Moellhausen's Journey_, vol. ii., p. -96, cut of altar; _Id._, _Reisen_, tom. ii., pp. 196, 402; _Id._, -_Tagebuch_, pp. 283-4, 278, with cut of altar; _Simpson_, in -_Smithsonian Rept._, 1869, pp. 329-32; _Davis' El Gringo_, p. 128; -_Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., pp. 211-13; _Barber and Howe's Western -States_, p. 553; _Shuck's Cal. Scrap-Book_, pp. 310-12. - -[XI-45] _Whipple, Ewbank, and Turner_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. -iii., pp. 45-6. - -[XI-46] _Simpson's Jour. Mil. Recon._, pp. 95-7; _Moellhausen's -Journey_, vol. ii., p. 82; _Id._, _Tagebuch_, pp. 275-7; _Whipple, -Ewbank, and Turner_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. iii., p. 39. Col. -Doniphan found in 1846 on the head-waters of the Piscao (Pescado, -Zuni?) the ruins of an ancient city, which formed a square surrounded -by double walls of stone 14 feet apart. The space between the walls -was divided into compartments 14 feet square, opening into the -interior. The houses were three stories high, the lower story being -partially subterranean. Large quantities of red cedar, apparently cut -for firewood, were found in connection with the buildings. _Hughes' -Doniphan's Ex._, pp. 197-8. Simpson explored the stream to its source, -and found no ruins except three at Ojo del Pescado, which were -probably the same on which Doniphan's report was founded, although -there is no resemblance in the descriptions. - -[XI-47] _Simpson's Jour. Mil. Recon._, pp. 93-109, pl. 60-1, views of -cliff; pl. 65-74, inscriptions; pl. 63, ground plan of building; pl. -64, pottery; cut p. 100, plan of rock. _Whipple, et al._, in _Pac. R. -R. Repts_, vol. iii., pp. 22, 52, 63-4, with plates; _Moellhausen_, -_Tagebuch_, pp. 266-72, pl. of plan and pottery; _Id._, _Journey_, -vol. ii., pp. 68-79, 52, pl.; _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., pp. -208-9, 415-18; _Davis' El Gringo_, pp. 422-3; _Foster's Pre-Hist. -Races_, p. 147; _Barber and Howe's Western States_, p. 561. - -[XI-48] _Dominguez and Escalante_, _Diario_, in _Doc. Hist. Mex._, -serie ii., tom. i., pp. 400-2. A correspondent of the _San Francisco -Evening Bulletin_, July 8, 1864, says that the San Juan valley is -strewn with ruins for hundreds of miles, some buildings three stories -high of solid masonry still standing. Davis, _El Gringo_, p. 417, had -heard of some ruins on the northern bank of the San Juan, but none -further north. 'The valleys of the Rio de las Animas and San Juan are -strewn with the ruins of cities, many of them of solid masonry. Stone -buildings, three stories high, are yet standing, of Aztec -architecture.' _Baker_, in _Cal. Farmer_, June 19, 1863. - -[XI-49] _Simpson's Jour. Mil. Recon._, pp. 74-5, pl. 53-4. Other -slight accounts made up from Simpson: _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., -p. 201; _Annual Scien. Discov._, 1850, p. 362; _Barber and Howe's -Western States_, pp. 559-60, with cut. - -[XI-50] Dr Hammond, a companion of Simpson, describes this room as -follows: 'It was in the second of three ranges of rooms, on the north -side of the ruins. The door opened at the base of the wall, towards -the interior of the building; it had never been more than two feet and -a half high, and was filled two-thirds with rubbish. The lintels were -of natural sticks of wood, one and a half to two and a half inches in -diameter, deprived of the bark, and placed at distances of two or -three inches apart; yet their ends were attached to each other by -withes of oak with its bark well preserved. The room was in the form -of a parallelogram, about twelve feet in length, eight feet high, and -the walls, as they stood at the time of observation, seven feet high. -The floor was of earth, and the surface irregular. The walls were -about two feet thick, and plastered within with a layer of red mud one -fourth of an inch thick. The latter, having fallen off in places, -showed the material of the wall to be sandstone. The stone was ground -into pieces the size of our ordinary bricks, the angles not as -perfectly formed, though nearly so, and put up in break-joints, having -intervals between them, on every side, of about two inches. The -intervals were filled with laminae of a dense sandstone, about three -lines in thickness, driven firmly in, and broken off even with the -general plane of the wall--the whole resembling mosaic work. Niches, -varying in size from two inches to two feet and a half square, and two -inches to one and a half feet in horizontal depth, were scattered -irregularly over the walls, at various heights above the floor. Near -the place of the ceiling, the walls were penetrated, and the surfaces -of them perpendicular to the length of the beam. They had the -appearance of having been sawed off originally, except that there were -no marks of the saw left on them; time had slightly disintegrated the -surfaces, rounding the edges somewhat here and there. Supporting the -floor above were six cylindrical beams, about seven inches in -diameter, passing transversely of the room, and at distances of less -than two feet apart--the branches of the trees having been hewn off by -means of a blunt-edged instrument. Above, and resting on these, -running longitudinally with the room, were poles of various lengths, -about two inches in diameter, irregularly straight, placed in contact -with each other, covering all the top of the room, bound together at -irregular and various distances, generally at their ends, by slips -apparently of palm-leaf or marquez, and the same material converted -into cords about one-fourth of an inch in diameter, formed of two -strands, hung from the poles at several points. Above, and resting -upon the poles, closing all above, passing transversely of the room, -were planks of about seven inches wide, and three-fourths of an inch -in thickness. The width of the plank was uniform, and so was the -thickness. They were in contact, or nearly so, admitting but little -more than the passage of a knife blade between them, by the edges, -through the whole of their lengths. They were not jointed; all their -surfaces were level, and as smooth as if planed, excepting the ends; -the angles as regular and perfect as could be retained by such -vegetable matter--they are probably of pine or cedar--exposed to the -atmosphere for as long a time as it is probable these have been. The -ends of the plank, several of which were in view, terminated in lines -perpendicular to the length of the plank, and the plank appears to -have been severed by a blunt instrument. The planks--I examined them -minutely by the eye and the touch, for the marks of the saw and other -instruments--were smooth, and colored brown by time or by smoke. -Beyond the plank nothing was distinguishable from within. The room was -redolent with the perfume of cedar. Externally, upon the top, was a -heap of stone and mud, ruins that have fallen from above, immovable by -the instruments that we had along. The beams were probably severed by -contusions from a dull instrument, and their surfaces ground plain and -smooth by a slab of rock; and the planks, split or hewn from the -trees, were, no doubt, rendered smooth by the same means.' _Hammond_, -in _Simpson's Jour. Mil. Recon._, pp. 131-3. - -[XI-51] Chaco ruins as discovered by Simpson: Pueblo Pintado, 403 feet -circumference, 3 stories, 54 rooms on ground floor, pp. 34-6, pl. 20, -22, 41; view, specimens of masonry, and of pottery. Rock-inscriptions -at Camp 9, p. 36, pl. 23-5. Pueblo Weje-gi, 13 miles from Pueblo -Pintado, 700 feet in circumference, 99 rooms, walls 25 feet high, pp. -36-7, pl. 26-7; view and ground plan. Pueblo Una Vida, 15-1/2 miles from -Pueblo Pintado, circumference 994 feet, height 15 feet, 2 stories, 4 -estufas, pp. 37-8, pl. 28-9; view and ground plan. Pueblo Hungo Pavie, -872 feet circumference, 30 feet high, 4 stories, 72 rooms, 1 estufa, -p. 38, pl. 30-2; plan, pottery, and restoration (all copied above). -Pueblo Chettro Kettle, circumference 1300 feet, 4 stories, 124 rooms, -6 estufas, pp. 38-40, pl. 33-5; plan, interior, hieroglyphics. Pueblo -Bonito, circumference 1300 feet, 4 stories, 139 rooms traceable, 4 -estufas, pp. 40-2, 131-3, pl. 36-38, 40-41; view, plan, interior, -pottery, specimen of masonry. Pueblo Arroyo, 100 feet circumference, 2 -undescribed ruins near it, p. 42. Pueblo Penasco Blanco, on south side -of river, 1700 feet circumference, 112 rooms, 3 stories, 7 estufas, -pp. 42-3, pl. 41, fig. 2; specimen of masonry. _Simpson's Jour. Mil. -Recon._, pp. 34-43, 131-3. Slight account from Simpson, in _Domenech's -Deserts_, vol. i., pp. 199-200, 379-81, 385; _Annual Scien. Discov._, -1850, pp. 362-3; _Baldwin's Anc. Amer._, pp. 86-9, cut; _Barber and -Howe's Western States_, pp. 556-9, cuts; _Thuemmel_, _Mexiko_, pp. -347-8. A newspaper report of a ruin discovered by one Roberts may be -as well mentioned here as elsewhere, although the locality given is 90 -miles within the Arizona line, while the Chaco remains are in New -Mexico. This city was built on a mesa with precipitous sides, and -covered an area of 3 square miles, being enclosed by a wall of hewn -sandstone, still standing in places 6 or 8 feet high. No remains of -timber were found in the city, which must have contained originally -20,000 inhabitants. It was laid out in plazas and streets, and the -walls bore sculptured hieroglyphics. _San Francisco Chronicle_, Dec. -12, 1872. See also _Alta California_, June 26, 1874. I give but few of -these newspaper reports as specimens; a volume might be filled with -them, without much profit. - -[XI-52] Davis' list of Pueblo towns is as follows:--Taos, Picoris, -Nambe, Tezuque, Pojuaque, San Juan, San Yldefonso, Santo Domingo, San -Felipe, Santa Ana, Cochiti, Isleta, Silla, Laguna, Acoma, Jemez, Zuni, -Sandia, Santa Clara. _El Gringo_, p. 115. Barreiro, _Ojeada_, p. 15, -adds Pecos, and omits San Juan. Simpson, _Jour. Mil. Recon._, p. 114, -says that Cebolleta, Covero, and Moquino, are not properly Indian -pueblos, but ordinary Mexican towns. - -[XI-53] See vol. i., pp. 533-8. - -[XI-54] _Abert's New Mex._, in _Emory's Reconnoissance_, p. 457; -_Davis' El Gringo_, pp. 141-2. See also _Gregg's Com. Prairies_, vol. -i., pp. 276-7. This author says there is a similar edifice in the -pueblo of Picuris. _Edwards' Campaign_, pp. 43-4; _Domenech's -Deserts_, vol. i., pp. 191-2. On the Arroyo Hondo 10 miles north of -Taos, Mr Peters, _Life of Carson_, p. 437, speaks of the remains of -the largest Aztec settlement in New Mexico, consisting of small -cobble-stones in mud, pottery, arrow-heads, stone pipes, and rude -tools. - -[XI-55] _Simpson's Jour. Mil. Recon._, p. 114. - -[XI-56] _Abert's New Mex._, in _Emory's Reconnoissance_, p. 470-1, -with 3 views. The most ancient and extraordinary of all the Pueblos, -on a table of 60 acres, 360 feet above the plain. Identical with -Coronado's Acuco. _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., pp. 202-3; _Gregg's -Com. Prairies_, vol. i., pp. 277-8. - -[XI-57] _Gregg's Com. Prairies_, vol. i., p. 277; _Simpson's Jour. -Mil. Recon._, p. 121; view of San Felipe, in _Abert's New Mex._, in -_Emory's Reconnoissance_, p. 461. - -[XI-58] _Simpson's Jour. Mil. Recon._, pp. 13-4. 'The houses of this -town are built in blocks.' 'To enter, you ascend to this platform by -the means of ladders;' windows in the upper part of the lower story. -_Abert's New Mex._, in _Emory's Reconnoissance_, p. 462, with view; -_Moellhausen's Journey_, p. 231, with view; _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. -i., p. 197. - -[XI-59] _Meline's Two Thousand Miles_, pp. 206-7. - -[XI-60] _Simpson's Jour. Mil. Recon._, pp. 90-3. 'It is divided into -four solid squares, having but two streets, crossing its centre at -right angles. All the buildings are two stories high, composed of -sun-dried brick. The first story presents a solid wall to the street, -and is so constructed, that each house joins, until one fourth of the -city may be said to be one building. The second stories rise from this -vast, solid structure, so as to designate each house, leaving room to -walk upon the roof of the first story between each building.' _Hughes' -Doniphan's Ex._, p. 195; see also _Whipple_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, -vol. iii., pp. 67-8, with view; _Moellhausen's Journey_, p. 97. - -[XI-61] _Ives' Colorado Riv._, pp. 119-24, with plates. - -[XI-62] 'Each pueblo contains an _estufa_, which is used both as a -council-chamber and a place of worship, where they practice such of -their heathen rites as still exist among them. It is built partly -under ground, and is considered a consecrated and holy place. Here -they hold all their deliberations upon public affairs, and transact -the necessary business of the village.' _Davis' El Gringo_, p. 142. -'In the west end of the town [S. Domingo] is an _estuffa_, or public -building, in which the people hold their religious and political -meetings. The structure, which is built of _adobes_, is circular in -plan, about nine feet in elevation, and thirty-five feet in diameter, -and, with no doors or windows laterally, has a small trap-door in the -terrace or flat roof by which admission is gained.' _Simpson's Jour. -Mil. Recon._, p. 62. Estufa at Jemez, with plates of paintings. _Id._, -pp. 21-2, pl. 7-11. - -[XI-63] _Emory's Reconnoissance_, p. 30, with plate; _Abert's New -Mex._, in _Id._, pp. 446-7, 483, with plate; _Davis' El Gringo_, p. -55; _Hughes' Doniphan's Ex._, pp. 74-5; _Meline's Two Thousand Miles_, -pp. 255-8; _Gregg's Com. Prairies_, vol. i., pp. 270-3; _Moellhausen_, -_Reisen in die Felsengeb._, tom. ii., pp. 293-8; _Cutt's Conq. of -Cal._, p. 79; _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., pp. 164-5, _Baldwin's -Anc. Amer._, p. 79, with cut. - -[XI-64] _Gage's New Survey_, p. 162; _Gregg's Com. Prairies_, vol. i., -pp. 164-5; _Davis' El Gringo_, pp. 70, 123-7; _Abert's New Mex._, in -_Emory's Reconnoissance_, pp. 488-9; _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., -pp. 182-3; _Wizlizenus' Tour_, p. 25; _Carleton's Ruins of Abo_, in -_Smithsonian Rept._, 1854, pp. 300-15; _Moellhausen_, _Fluechtling_, -tom. i., pp. 718-25, 229, 239, 267-72; _Id._, _Reisen_, tom. ii., pp. -296, 405-6; _Froebel's Cent. Amer._, p. 301; _Id._, _Aus Amer._, tom. -ii., pp. 150-2; _Gallatin_, in _Nouvelles Annales des Voy._, 1851, -tom. cxxxi., pp. 298-9. Abert, in _Emory's Reconnoissance_, pp. 466-7, -484, tells us that at Tezique the ruins of the ancient Indian town are -partially covered with the buildings of the modern; also that at -Poblazon, on the Puerco River, the principal ruins of stone are -arranged in a square with sides of 200 yards, but other remains are -scattered in the vicinity, including a circular and one elliptical -enclosure. According to Gregg, _Com. Prairies_, vol. ii., p. 71, the -inhabitants were driven from Valverde, on the Rio Grande, by the -Navajos. Moellhausen, _Journey_, vol. ii., p. 55, speaks of ruins on -rocky heights two miles from Laguna. 'The ruins of what is usually -called _Old San Felipe_ are plainly visible, perched on the edge of -the mesa, about a mile above the present town, on the west side of the -river.' _Simpson's Jour. Mil. Recon._, p. 121. - -[XI-65] _Froebel_, _Aus Amer._, tom. ii., pp. 166, 469; _Johnston_, in -_Cutts' Conq. of Cal._, p. 183; _Newberry_, in _Cal. Farmer_, April -10, 1863. - -[XI-66] Abert, _New Mex._, in _Emory's Reconnoissance_, pp. 489-92, -identifies Cibola with Acoma and the six adjoining Pueblo towns; and -Morgan, in _N. Amer. Review_, April, 1869, with the Chaco ruins. - -[XI-67] See _Castaneda_, in _Ternaux-Compans_, _Voy._, serie i., tom. -ix., pp. 42, 69-71. 'Veynte y quatro leguas de aqui, hazia el -Poniente, dieron con vna Prouincia, que se nombra en lengua de los -naturales Zuny, y la llaman los Espannoles Cibola, ay en ella gran -cantidad de Indios, en la qual estuuo Francisco Vasquez Coronado, y -dexo muchas Cruzes puestas, y otras sennales de Christianidad que -siempre se estauan en pie. Hallaron ansi mesmo tres Indios Christianos -que se auian quedado de aquella jornada, cuyos nombres eran Andres de -Cuyoacan, Gaspar de Mexico, y Antonio de Guadalajara, los quales -tenian casi oluidada su mesma lengua, y sabian muy bien la delos -naturales, aunque a pocas bueltas que les hablaron se entendieron -facilmente.' _Espejo_, _Viaje_, in _Hakluyt's Voy._, vol. iii., p. -387. Hakluyt says the narrative is from _Mendoza_, _Hist. China_, -Madrid, 1586; but nothing of the kind appears in the Spanish edition -of that work, 1596, or in the Italian edition of 1586. - -[XI-68] _Emory's Reconnoissance_, pp. 82, 133; _Abert's New Mex._, in -_Id._, p. 484; _Whipple, Ewbank, and Turner_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, -vol. iii., pp. 45, 47; _Whipple_, in _Id._, pp. 64, 69, 73, 76, 91; -_Bartlett's Pers. Nar._, vol. ii., pp. 245-7; _Browne's Apache -Country_, p. 118; _Cal. Farmer_, June 22, 1860. - -[XI-69] _Whipple, Ewbank, and Turner_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. -iii., pp. 48-9; also _Whipple_, in _Id._, pp. 64-5, 69, 73, 76, 81. Of -the cut given above, fig. 2, 5, 8, 9, 11, 13-4, 17, 21, 24, 28, 31-2, -are from the Colorado Chiquito; fig. 22, 27, are from Zuni, and -modern; fig. 34, from the Cosnino caves, the ornaments having been put -on after the vessel had hardened; fig. 25, 29, 30, 35, are not -painted, but incrusted or indented. 'It is a singular fact, that, -although some of the most time-worn carvings upon rocks are of animals -and men, ancient pottery contains no such representations. Upon one -fragment, indeed, found upon Rio Gila, was pictured a turtle and a -piece of pottery picked up near the same place was moulded into the -form of a monkey's head. These appeared to be ancient, and afforded -exceptions to the rule.' _Id._, p. 65. Cut of a fragment and -comparison with one found in Indiana. _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. -249-50. - -[XI-70] _Moellhausen's Journey_, vol. i., p. 264, vol. ii., p. 52, with -pl.; _Id._, _Tagebuch_, pp. 168-70; _Bartlett's Pers. Nar._, vol. i., -pp. 170-6; _Domenech's Deserts_, vol. i., pp. 161-2, 419-20. - -[XI-71] See vol. ii., p. 533, et seq. - -[XI-72] See _Simpson's Jour. Mil. Recon._, pp. 20-2, pl. 7-11. - -[XI-73] _Froebel's Cent. Amer._, p. 521. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -ANTIQUITIES OF THE NORTHWEST. - - GENERAL CHARACTER OF NORTH-WESTERN REMAINS -- NO TRACES OF - EXTINCT OR OF CIVILIZED RACES -- ANTIQUITIES OF CALIFORNIA - -- STONE IMPLEMENTS -- NEWSPAPER REPORTS -- TAYLOR'S WORK - -- COLORADO DESERT -- TRAIL AND ROCK-INSCRIPTIONS -- - BURIAL RELICS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA -- BONES OF GIANTS -- - MOUNDS IN THE SATICOY VALLEY -- NEW ALMADEN MINE -- - PRE-HISTORIC RELICS IN THE MINING SHAFTS -- STONE - IMPLEMENTS, HUMAN BONES, AND REMAINS OF EXTINCT ANIMAL - SPECIES -- VOY'S WORK -- SAN JOAQUIN RELICS -- MERCED - MOUNDS -- MARTINEZ -- SHELL MOUNDS ROUND SAN FRANCISCO - BAY, AND THEIR CONTENTS -- RELICS FROM A SAN FRANCISCO - MOUND -- ANTIQUITIES OF NEVADA -- UTAH -- MOUNDS OF SALT - LAKE VALLEY -- COLORADO -- REMAINS AT GOLDEN CITY -- - EXTENSIVE RUINS IN SOUTHERN COLORADO AND UTAH -- JACKSON'S - EXPEDITION -- MANCOS AND ST ELMO CANYONS -- IDAHO AND - MONTANA -- OREGON -- WASHINGTON -- MOUNDS ON BUTE PRAIRIE - -- YAKIMA EARTH-WORK -- BRITISH COLUMBIA -- DEANS' - EXPLORATIONS -- MOUNDS AND EARTH-WORKS OF VANCOUVER ISLAND - -- ALASKA. - - -Ruins of the New Mexican Pueblo type, described in the preceding -chapter, extend across the boundary lines of New Mexico and Arizona, -and have been found by travelers in southern Utah and Colorado; stone -and bone implements similar to those used by the natives when the -first Europeans came and since that time, are frequently picked up on -the surface or taken from aboriginal graves in most parts of the -whole northern region; a few scattered rock-inscriptions are reported -in several of the states; burial mounds and other small earth-heaps of -unknown use are seen in many localities; shell mounds, some of them of -great size, occur at various points in the coast region, as about San -Francisco Bay and on Vancouver Island, and they probably might be -found along nearly the whole coast line; and the mining shafts of -California have brought to light human remains, implements wrought by -human hands, and bones of extinct animals, at great depths below the -surface, evidently of great age. With the preceding paragraph and a -short account of the ruins of Colorado, I might consistently dispose -of the antiquities of the Northwest. - -There has not been found and reported on good authority a single -monument or relic which is sufficient to prove that the country was -ever inhabited by any people whose claims to be regarded as civilized -were superior to those of the tribes found by Europeans within its -limits. It is true that some implements may not exactly agree with -those of the tribes now occupying the same particular locality, and -some graves indicate slight differences in the manner of burial, but -this could hardly be otherwise in a country inhabited by so many -nations whose boundaries were constantly changing. Yet I have often -heard the Aztec relics of California and Oregon very confidently -spoken of. It is a remarkable fact that to most men who find a piece -of stone bearing marks of having been formed by human hands, the very -first idea suggested is that it represents an extinct race, while the -last conclusion arrived at is that the relic may be the work of a -tribe still living in the vicinity where it was found. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: CALIFORNIAN RELICS.] - -California has within her limits large quantities of native utensils -and many burial deposits, some of which doubtless date back to the -time when no European had yet set foot in the country. A complete -description of such relics, illustrated with cuts of typical specimens -from different sections of the state, would be of great value in -connection with the account of the Californian tribes given in a -preceding volume; but unfortunately the material for such description -and cuts are utterly wanting, and will not be supplied for many years. -Officers and assistants connected with the U. S. Coast Survey and -other government exploring expeditions, are constantly, though slowly, -gathering relics for the national collection, and a few individuals -acting in an unofficial capacity have examined certain localities and -described the aboriginal implements found therein through trustworthy -mediums. But most of the discoveries in this direction are recorded -only in newspaper accounts, which, in a large majority of cases, offer -no guarantee of their authenticity or accuracy. Many are self-evident -hoaxes; many others are doubtless as reliable as if published in the -narrative of the most trust-worthy explorer or in the transactions of -any learned society; but to decide upon the relative merits of the -great bulk of these accounts is altogether impossible, to say nothing -of the absence of drawings, which, after all, are the only -satisfactory description of miscellaneous relics. I therefore deem it -not advisable to fill the pages of a long chapter with a compilation -of the almost innumerable newspaper items in my possession, useless -for the most part to antiquarians, and comparatively without interest -to the general reader. Dr Alex. S. Taylor has already made quite a -complete compilation of the earlier accounts in Californian newspapers, -which he published in the _California Farmer_ in 1860-3. Without, as a -rule, going into details, I shall present a brief resume of what has -been written about Californian relics of aboriginal times, giving in -full only a few reports of undoubted authenticity.[XII-1] - -Brasseur de Bourbourg tells us that in the distant north "was found -anciently a city named Tula, the ruins of which are thought to have -been found in the valley, still so little explored, of Tulares. The -Americans have announced in their newspapers the discovery of these -Californian ruins, but can one credit the reports?" Brasseur possibly -alludes in the paragraph quoted to certain reports circulated about -1853, which announced the discovery, somewhere in the desert of the -Colorado on the California side, of a ruined bridge of stone, where no -river had run for ages, together with an immense pyramid, and other -grand remains. These reports seem to have originated in the -correspondence of a Placerville newspaper; but whether they were -manufactured in the office of the paper, or were actually sent in by -some roaming prospector of an inventive turn of mind, does not -appear.[XII-2] - - [Sidenote: COLORADO DESERT.] - -Mr Blake found in the Colorado desert "several long, path-like -discolorations of the surface, extending for miles in nearly straight -lines, which were Indian trails. The only change which was produced -appeared to be the removal or dimming of the polish on the pebbles. -There was no break in the hard surface, and no dust. That the -distinctness of the trail was made by the removing of the polish only, -became evident from the fact that figures and Indian hieroglyphics -were traced, or imprinted, on the surface adjoining the path, -apparently by pounding or bruising the surface layer of the pebbles. -These trails seemed very old, and may have endured for many -generations."[XII-3] A writer in the _Bulletin_ mentions a road which -extends from the mouth of the Coahuila Valley of San Gorgonio Pass, -beginning at Noble's ranch, eastwardly across the desert in almost a -straight line, to the mouth of the Colorado Canyon. The earth is worn -deep, and along its course the surface is strewn with broken pottery. -In many of the soft rocks the imprints of the feet of men and animals -are still plainly visible. The road is not much over a foot wide, and -from it branch off side paths leading to springs or other sources of -water.[XII-4] The only other remains in the desert of which I find any -record are some rock-inscriptions at Pah Ute Creek, located about -thirty miles west from the Mojave villages. Mr Whipple gives a drawing -of the inscriptions, which bear a strong resemblance in their general -character, as might be expected, to those which have been found in so -many localities in the New Mexican region.[XII-5] - -The vertical face of a granite cliff at San Francisquito Pass, near a -spring, was covered with carved characters, probably similar to those -last described. One of the characters resembled a long chain, with a -ball at one end, surrounded by rays like those employed in our -representations of the sun; another was like in form to an anchor. -Well-worn ancient foot-paths, old reservoirs, and other undescribed -relics are reported in the vicinity of Owen's lake and river.[XII-6] -Painted figures in blue, red, and white, are reported, together with -some Spanish inscriptions of a date preceding 1820, in Painted Rock -Valley, four days' journey east by south from Tejon Pass, also in the -canada of the San Juan arroyo, which empties into the Salinas River -near the mission of San Miguel. In the former case the figures are -painted on a blue grayish rock, about twenty feet square and hollowed -out in bowl shape.[XII-7] - - [Sidenote: BURIAL RELICS IN THE SOUTH.] - - [Illustration: Relics from Southern California.] - -Mr Paul Schumacher, engaged in the service of the United States Coast -Survey, has taken great interest in Californian aboriginal relics, -which he has collected for the Smithsonian Institution at Washington. -In the vicinity of San Luis Obispo, between points Sal and San Luis, -he examined during the past year four graves or burial deposits, known -as _nipomo_, _walckhe_, _kesmali_, _temeteti_. These graves furnished -some three hundred human skeletons, or rather about that number were -examined, and also quite a large number of domestic utensils, weapons, -and ornaments. Among these relics great uniformity is observed, -indicating that all the graves belonged to the same tribe of natives. -Nine specimens are shown in the cut on the opposite page, made from Mr -Schumacher's drawings. Fig. 1, 2, and 9, represent large cooking-pots, -globular or pear-shaped, and hollowed out of magnesian mica. The -circular opening of fig. 9, having a small and narrow rim, measures -only five inches in diameter, while the greatest diameter of the pot -is eighteen inches. Near the edge of the opening this vessel is only a -quarter of an inch thick, but the thickness increases regularly -towards the bottom, where it is an inch and a quarter. Sandstone -mortars of different dimensions, but of similar forms, were found in -great abundance with the other utensils, one of the largest of which -is shown in fig. 8. This is sixteen inches in diameter and thirteen -in height. The smallest are only an inch and a half high, and three -inches in diameter. The pestles are of the same material, and their -form is shown in fig. 3. There was moreover, quite an assortment of -what seem to be cups, measuring from one and a quarter to six inches -in diameter, and neatly worked out of serpentine, the surface of which -was brightly polished. Specimens are shown in fig. 5 and 7. Another -similar one, the smallest found, was enclosed in three shells, in a -very curious manner, as shown in fig. 6. In this enclosed cup was a -quantity of what is described as paint; and traces of the same -material were found in all the cups, indicating that they were not -used to contain food. Fig. 4 represents a plate which is presumably of -stone, although the cut would seem to indicate a shell. These domestic -implements deposited by the aborigines with their dead were rarely -broken, and when they were so, the breakage was caused in every -instance by the pressure of the soil or other superimposed objects. -One peculiar circumstance in connection with these relics was that -some broken mortars and pestles were repaired by the use of asphaltum -as a cement. All the relics collected by Mr Schumacher, as well as -those which I have copied, are preserved in the National Museum at -Washington.[XII-8] The same explorer is now engaged in making an -examination of the islands of the Santa Barbara Channel, where it is -not improbable that many interesting relics may be discovered. Mr -Taylor heard from a resident of San Buenaventura that "in a recent -stay on Santa Rosa Island, in 1861, he often met with the entire -skeletons of Indians in the caves. The signs of their rancherias were -very frequent, and the remains of metates, mortars, earthen pots, and -other utensils very common. The metates were of a dark stone, and -made somewhat after the pattern of the Mexican. Extensive caves were -often met with which seemed to serve as burial places of the Indians, -as entire skeletons and numerous skulls were plentifully scattered -about in their recesses." Some very wonderful skulls are also reported -as having been found on the islands, furnished with double teeth all -the way round the jaw.[XII-9] - - [Sidenote: MISCELLANEOUS REMAINS.] - -Miscellaneous relics reported on authority varying from indifferent to -bad at different points in the southern part of the state, are as -follows: In 1819 an old lady saw a gigantic skeleton dug up by -soldiers at Purisima on the Lompock rancho. The natives deemed it a -god, and it was re-buried by direction of the padre. Taheechaypah pass -and the mission of San Buenaventura are other localities where -skeletons of extraordinary size have been found. The old natives at -San Luis Rey have seen in the mountain passes tracks of men and -animals in solid rock. These tracks were made, those of the men at -least, by their fathers fleeing from some convulsion of nature which -occurred not many generations back. Nine miles north of Santa Barbara -on the Dos Pueblos rancho, some small mounds only two or three feet -high have been seen on the point of the mesa overlooking the sea. Mr -Carvalho claims to have dug from a small mound near Los Angeles the -bones of a mastodon, including four perfect teeth, one of which -weighed six pounds. Miss Saxon speaks of high mounds in the vicinity -of rivers, said to have been once the site of villages so located for -protection against floods.[XII-10] - -In the plain at the mouth of the Saticoy River, twelve miles below San -Buenaventura, and five or six miles from the sea, are reported two -mounds, regular, rounded, and bare of trees. One of them is over a -mile long and two hundred feet high, and the other about half as -large. If the report of their existence is correct, there seems to be -no evidence that they are of artificial formation, except their -isolated position on the plain, and a native tradition that they are -burial-places. One writer suggests that they are the graves of a -people, or of their kings, whose cities are buried beneath the waters -of the Santa Barbara Channel. The site of the cities presents some -obstacles to exploration, and the details of their construction are -not fully known. Twenty miles farther up the Saticoy is a group of -small mounds, ten or twelve in number and five or six feet high. They -"seem to have been water-worn or worked out by running water all -around the mounds so as to isolate each one." Near these mounds, on -the Cayetano rancho, is a field of some five hundred acres, divided by -parallel ridges of earth, and having distinct traces of irrigating -ditches, supplied by a canal which extends two or three miles up the -Sespe arroyo. It is said that the present inhabitants of this region, -both native and Spanish, have no knowledge of the origin of these -agricultural works.[XII-11] - -It is said that the New Almaden quicksilver mines were worked by the -natives for the purpose of obtaining vermilion, long before the coming -of the Spaniards. The excavation made by the aboriginal miners was -long supposed to be a natural cavern, extending about one hundred feet -horizontally into the hill, until some skeletons, rude mining tools, -and other relics of human presence revealed the secret.[XII-12] - -In various localities about Monterey, in addition to the usual mortars -and arrow-heads, holes in the living rock, used probably as mortars -for pounding acorns and seeds, are reported by Taylor; and the Santa -Cruz 'skull cave' is spoken of as 'noted throughout the country' for -having furnished bones now preserved in the Smithsonian -Institution.[XII-13] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: REMAINS FROM THE MINES.] - -One of the most interesting classes of Californian antiquities is that -which includes aboriginal remains discovered in the mining counties, -at considerable depths below the surface of the ground. The stone -implements thus found are not in themselves particularly interesting, -or different from those which have been found under other -circumstances; nor do they include any specimens which indicate the -former existence of any race more advanced than that found in the -country by Europeans. But the chief importance of these antiquities -consists in the great depth at which some of them have been found, and -in the fact that they have been found in connection with the fossil -bones of animals belonging to species now no longer existing in the -country. The existence of the work of human hands buried hundreds of -feet beneath the many successive layers of different rocks and earths, -might not necessarily imply a greater age than one dating a few -centuries before the coming of the Spaniards; although few would be -willing to admit, probably, that natural convulsions so extensive have -taken place at so recent an epoch. But when the work of human hands is -shown to have been discovered in connection with the bones of -mastodons, elephants, horses, camels, and other animals long since -extinct, and that they have been so found there seems to be sufficient -proof, it is hardly possible with consistency to deny that these -implements date from a remote antiquity. Newspaper items describing -relics of this class are almost numberless; a few of the specimens -have fallen into the hands of scientific men, who have carefully -examined and described them; but a great majority, even of such -implements as have not been completely overlooked by the miner who dug -or washed them from their deep resting-places, have been lost after -exciting a momentary curiosity, and their important testimony lost to -science. Mr C. D. Voy of Oakland has shown much energy and interest in -the examination of stone implements and fossils from the mines. The -relics themselves have of course been found in almost every instance -by miners in their search for gold; but Mr Voy has personally visited -most of the localities where such discoveries were reported, and seems -to have taken all possible pains to verify the authenticity of the -discoveries, having in many cases obtained sworn statements from the -parties who made them. An unpublished manuscript written by this -gentleman is entitled _Relics of the Stone Age in California_, and is -illustrated with many photographs of specimens from his own and other -collections. This work, kindly furnished me by Mr Voy, is probably the -most complete extant on the subject, and from it I take the following -descriptions. The author proceeds by counties, first describing the -geology of each county, and then the relics of whose existence he has -been able to learn, and the localities where they were found. Except a -brief statement in a few cases of the depth at which stone remains -were found, and of the strata that covered them, I shall not touch -upon the geologic formation of the mining region. Nor does a -particular or scientific description of the fossil remains come within -the scope of my work. A brief account of the stone implements and the -positions in which they have been discovered will suffice. - - [Illustration: Stone Mortar--Kincaid Flat.] - - [Sidenote: TUOLUMNE COUNTY.] - -Of all the counties Tuolumne has apparently proved the richest in -antiquarian remains. From the mining tunnels which penetrate Table -Mountain there was taken in 1858 a stone mortar holding two quarts, at -a depth of three hundred feet from the surface, lying in auriferous -gravel under a thick strata of lava. In 1862 another mortar was found -at a depth of three hundred and forty feet, one hundred and four of -which were composed of lava, and eighteen hundred feet from the mouth -of the tunnel. This relic is in Mr Voy's collection, accompanied by a -sworn statement of the circumstances of its finding. Dr Snell is said -to have had in his possession in 1862 a pendant or shuttle of -silicious slate, similar to others of which I shall give a cut; -spear-heads six or eight inches long, and broken off at the hole where -they were attached to the shaft; and a scoop, or ladle, of steatite. -These relics were found under Table Mountain at the same depth as the -preceding, together with fossil bones of the mastodon and other -animals, and are preserved in the Smithsonian Institute and in the -museum of Yale College. The cut represents a stone mortar and pestle, -found at Kincaid Flat in clayey auriferous gravel, sixteen or twenty -feet below the surface, where many other stone implements, with bones -of the mastodon, elephant, horse, and camel, have been found at -different times. A bow handle, or shuttle, of micaceous slate found -here will be shown in another cut with similar relics from a different -locality.[XII-14] - -At Shaw's Flat, with bones of the mastodon, a stone bead of calc-spar, -two inches long and the same in circumference, was taken from under a -strata of lava at a point three hundred feet from the mouth of the -tunnel. The granite mortar shown in the cut, holding about a pint, -came from the same mining town. - - [Illustration: Granite Mortar--Shaw's Flat.] - - [Illustration: Granite Mortar--Gold Springs Gulch.] - - [Illustration: Granite Dish--Gold Springs Gulch.] - -At Blanket Creek, near Sonora, stone relics and bones of the mastodon -were found together in 1855.[XII-15] Wood's Creek was another locality -where stone relics with fossil bones, including those of the tapir, -are reported to have been dug out at a depth of twenty to forty feet. -The mortar and pestle shown in the cut is one of many stone implements -found, with fossil bones, at Gold Springs Gulch, in 1863, at a depth -of sixteen feet in auriferous gravel, like the most of such relics. It -is twelve and a half inches in diameter, weighs thirty pounds, and -holds about two quarts. The cross-lines pecked in on the sides with -some sharp instrument, are of rare occurrence if not unique. Among the -other implements found here, are what Mr Voy describes as "discoidal -stones, or perhaps spinal whorls. They are from three to four inches -in diameter, and about an inch and a half thick, both sides being -concave, with centre perforated. It has been suggested that these -stones were used in certain hurling games." They are of granite and -hard sandstone. The author has heard of similar relics in Ohio, -Denmark, and Chili. Another relic, found at the same place in 1862, -with the usual bones under twenty to thirty feet of calcareous tufa, -is a flat oval dish of granite, eighteen inches and a half in -diameter, two or three inches thick, and weighing forty pounds. It is -shown in the cut, and, like the preceding, is preserved in Mr Voy's -cabinet, now at the University of California. Texas Flat was another -locality where fossil bones were found with fresh-water -shells.[XII-16] - - [Sidenote: CALAVERAS COUNTY.] - -Calaveras County has also yielded many interesting relics of a past -age, of the same nature as those described in Tuolumne.[XII-17] The -famous 'Calaveras skull' was taken from a mining shaft at Altaville, -at a depth of one hundred and thirty feet beneath seven strata of lava -and gravel.[XII-18] The evidence was sufficient to convince Prof. -Whitney and other scientific men that this skull was actually found as -claimed, although on the other hand some doubt and not a little -ridicule have been expressed about the subject. Many stone mortars -and mastodon-bones have been found about Altaville and Murphy's, but -not under lava.[XII-19] - -At San Andres, in 1864, according to sworn statements in Mr Voy's -possession, large stone mortars were taken from a layer of cemented -gravel six feet thick, lying under the following strata:--coarse -sedimentary volcanic material, five feet; sand and gravel, one hundred -feet; brownish volcanic ash, three feet; cemented sand, four feet; -blueish volcanic sand, fifteen feet. At the Chili Gulch, near -Mokelumne Hill, the skull of a rhinoceros is reported to have been -found in 1863.[XII-20] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: STONE HAMMERS.] - - [Illustration: Mortar from Shingle Springs.] - - [Illustration: Stone Hammer--Spanish Flat.] - -The mortar shown in the cut was found in gravel at a depth of ten -feet, at Shingle Springs in El Dorado County. At Georgetown and -vicinity there were found at different dates, large stone dishes very -similar to that at Gold Springs Gulch, shown in a preceding cut; -grooved stones like those at Spanish Flat, soon to be mentioned; and -mortars resembling that at Kincaid Flat. At Spanish Flat were found -several oval stones with grooves round their circumference, as shown -in the preceding cut, and weighing from a pound and a half to two -pounds. They were apparently used as hammers or weapons by fitting a -withe handle round them at the groove. Many other mortars and stone -implements were taken from the same locality, including two pendants, -shuttles, or bow-handles, very well worked from greenstone, five or -six inches long, and about one inch thick in the middle. These two -relics, together with a similar one from Table Mountain before alluded -to, are shown in the cut. At Diamond Spring mortars were found at a -depth of a hundred feet, and both fossil bones and stone relics have -been taken from time to time from the mines about Placerville.[XII-21] - - [Illustration: Stone Implements--Spanish Flat.] - -In Placer County, mastodon bones are reported at Rockland, and stone -mortars and other implements at Gold Hill and Forest Hill. One dish at -the latter place was much like that at Gold Springs Gulch, shown in a -preceding cut.[XII-22] - -In Nevada County stone implements have been found at different dates, -from ten to eighty feet below the surface, at Grass Valley, Buckeye -Hill, Myer's Ravine, Brush Creek, and Sweetland.[XII-23] - -Fossil bones of extinct animals and stone implements like those that -have been described, and which I do not deem it necessary to mention -particularly, since such mention would be but a repetition of what has -been said, with a list of depths and localities, have been found, -according to Mr Voy's explorations, in Butte County at New York Flat, -Oroville, Bidwell's Bar, and Cherokee Flat; in Stanislaus about -Knights Ferry; in Amador at Volcano, Little Grass Valley, Jackson, -Pokerville, Forest Home, and Fiddletown; in Siskiyou at Trench Bar, on -Scott River, at Yreka, and Cottonwood; in Trinity about Douglas City; -in Humboldt, at Ferndale and Humboldt Point; in Merced at Snelling on -Dry Creek; in Mariposa, at Horse Shoe Bend, Hornitos, Princetown,--a -mortar thirty-six inches in diameter--Buckeye Ravine, Indian Gulch, -and Bear Creek; in Fresno at Buchanan Hollow and Millerton; and at -several points not specified in Tulare and Fresno.[XII-24] - - * * * * * - - [Illustration: Relic from San Joaquin Valley.] - - [Sidenote: MISCELLANEOUS MINE RELICS.] - -The cut shows a stone relic discovered in digging a well in the San -Joaquin Valley, imbedded in the gravel thirty feet below the surface. -"The material is sienite and the instrument is ground and polished so -as to display in marked contrast the pure white of the feldspar and -the dark-green or black of the hornblende. It is in the form of a -double-cone, one end terminating in a point, while the other end is -blunted, where it is pierced with a hole which instead of being a -uniform gauge, is rimmed out, the rimming having been started from the -opposite sides. In examining this beautiful relic, one is led almost -instinctively to believe that it was used as a plummet for the purpose -of determining the perpendicular to the horizon. So highly-wrought a -stone would hardly have been used as a sinker for a fishing-net: it -may have been suspended from the neck as a personal ornament. When we -consider its symmetry of form, the contrast of colors brought out by -the process of grinding and polishing, and the delicate drilling of -the hole through a material so liable to fracture, we are free to say -it affords an exhibition of the lapidary's skill superior to anything -yet furnished by the Stone Age of either continent," at least such is -Mr Foster's conclusion. Prof. Whitney states that he has two or three -similar implements, and that they are generally regarded as sinkers -for use in fishing.[XII-25] Mr Taylor tells us that he saw in 1852, on -a high mesa, probably a league in circumference, on or near the Merced -River, thousands of small mounds, five or six feet high, and -apparently of earth only.[XII-26] Capron says that on the plains of -San Joaquin "are found immense mounds of earth, which present -evidences of their great antiquity. It is supposed that they were -thrown up, by the Indians, for observatories, from which to survey the -floods, or as places of resort for safety when the plains became -suddenly inundated, and the ranging hunters were caught far in the -interior."[XII-27] In the banks of a creek near Martinez, resting on -yellow clay, under five feet of surface soil, a mortar and pestle were -recently found by some boys, according to a local newspaper. The -mortar was about sixty inches in circumference, and weighed nearly two -hundred pounds. "It has the form of a slightly flattened well-rounded -duck egg; and has evidently been artificially shaped in exterior form, -as well as in the bowl, and looks as fresh as if it had but yesterday -been turned off from the Indian sculptor's hands, while the polish of -the pestle is smooth and lustrous, as if it had been in daily use for -the hundred or two years, at least, that it must have been lying under -the inverted mortar, as shown by the level of five-feet accumulations -of the valley-surface stratum of soil above the yellow clay upon which -it was found, together with the partially-decomposed remains of a -human frame."[XII-28] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: SHELL MOUNDS.] - - [Sidenote: SAN FRANCISCO RELICS.] - - [Illustration: Relics from a Shell-Mound--San Francisco.] - -Only one class of Californian antiquities remains to be mentioned--the -shell mounds. They are probably very numerous, and a thorough -examination of their contents could hardly fail to be here as it has -proved in Europe, a source of very important results in connection -with ethnological studies. Little or nothing has been done in the way -of such an examination, although a few mounds have been opened in -excavating for roads or foundations of buildings. These few have -yielded numerous stone, bone, and shell implements and ornaments, -together with human remains, as is reported, but the relics have been -for the most part lost or scattered, and submitted to no scientific -examination and comparison. Dr Yates sent to the Smithsonian -Institute, in 1869, a collection of relics taken from mounds in -Alameda County. It is not expressly stated that these were shell -mounds, although I have heard of the existence of several in that -county. This collection included, "stone pestles, perforators or awls, -sinkers, a phallus, spindles, a soapstone ladle, stone mortar and -pestle, pipe bowls, shell and perforated stone ornaments, an ancient -awl and serrated implements of bone."[XII-29] A very large shell mound -is reported near San Pablo, in Contra Costa County. It is said to be -almost a mile long and a half a mile wide, and its surface is covered -with shrubbery. The shells composing this mound are those of the -oyster, clam, and mussel, all having been exposed to the action of -fire, and nearly all broken. Fragments of pottery made of red clay are -found on the surface and near the top.[XII-30] Many smaller shell -mounds are reported in the vicinity of San Mateo, and one has been -opened in making a road at Saucelito during the present year, -furnishing many stone relics, of which I have no particular -description. Quite a number of mounds are known to exist on the -peninsula of San Francisco, several being in the vicinity of the silk -factory on the San Bruno road. One of them covered an area of two -acres, was at least twenty-five feet deep, and from it were taken -arrow-heads, hammers, and many other relics. One of these shell -mounds, near the old Bay View race track is being opened by Chinamen -engaged in preparation for some building, as I write this chapter. Mr -James Deans, of whose explorations I shall have more to say when -treating of the antiquities of British Columbia, has brought me a -large number of stone and bone relics taken from this deposit, the -different classes of which are illustrated in the accompanying cut. -Fig. 1 is an awl of deer-bone, and fig. 2 is another implement of the -same material, curiously grooved at the end. These bone implements -occur by thousands, being from three to eight inches in length. Fig. -3, 4, are perhaps stone sinkers, or as is thought by some, weights -used in weaving, symmetrically formed, the former from diorite, the -latter from sandstone, and not polished. Fig. 3 is four inches long, -and an inch and a half in its greatest diameter. Hundreds of these -pear-shaped weights are found in the mounds, but the end is usually -broken off, as is the case with fig. 4. Fig. 5 is an implement carved -from a black clayey slate, and has a brightly polished surface. It is -four inches long, one inch in diameter at the larger end, and three -quarters of an inch at the smaller. It is hollow, but the bore -diminishes in size regularly from each end, until at a point about an -inch and a half from the smaller end it is only a quarter of an inch -in diameter. I have no idea what purpose this implement was used for, -unless it served as a handle for a small knife or awl, or possibly as -a pipe. - - * * * * * - -Such is the rather fragmentary and unsatisfactory information I am -able to present respecting aboriginal relics in California. Doubtless -there are many relics, and valuable scraps of information respecting -the circumstances of their discovery, in the possession of -individuals, of which no mention is made in this chapter--indeed, I -expect to hear of a hundred such cases within a month after the -appearance of this volume; but many years must necessarily elapse -before a satisfactory and comprehensive account of the antiquities of -our state can be written, and in the meantime there is a promising -field for patient investigation. The difference, after all, between -this chapter and many of those that precede it, in respect to -thoroughness, is more apparent than real; that is, it results -naturally from the nature of north-western remains. For if there were -architectural monuments, pyramids, temples, and fortifications, or -grand sculptured idols and decorations, in California and her sister -states, there is no doubt that such monuments would have been ere this -more thoroughly explored than those of Palenque; and on the other -hand, respecting the only classes of antiquities found in the -Northwest, there yet remains as much or more to learn in Mexico and -Central America as in the Pacific United States. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: ANTIQUITIES OF NEVADA.] - -Respecting the antiquities of Nevada, I have only the following -account of a ruined city in the south-eastern part of the state, -discovered by what is spoken of as the 'Morgan Exploring Expedition,' -and described by a correspondent of the _New York Tribune_. "On -October fifteenth, in the centre of a large valley we discovered some -Indian salt works, but there were no signs of their having been lately -used. In the southern section of the same valley, was a curious -collection of rocks, mounds and pillars, covering several acres in -extent and resembling the ruins of an ancient city. We saw some -remnants of what had once been arches, with keystones still perfect, -and a number of small stone pillars constructed with a peculiar kind -of red mortar or cement, set upright about twenty feet apart, as if -they had been used to support an aqueduct for conveying water from a -large stream half a mile distant, into the outskirts of the city. In -some places the lines of streets were made distinctly visible by the -great regularity of the stones. These streets were now covered with -sand many feet deep, and seemed to run at right angles to each other. -Some of the stones had evidently been cut into squares with hard -tools, although their forms had been nearly destroyed by centuries of -time. The impression forced upon our minds was that the place had been -once inhabited by human beings somewhat advanced in civilization. Many -traders noticed the existence of similar ruins in other sections of -the country between the Rocky and Sierra Nevada Mountains. They may -probably be the sites of once flourishing fields and habitations of -the ancient Aztecs."[XII-31] It is just possible that the New Mexican -type of ruins extends across into Nevada as it is known to into Utah -and Colorado, and that a group of such remains was the foundation of -the report quoted. It is quite as likely, however, that the report is -groundless. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: SALT LAKE VALLEY.] - -Mr Rae examined a group of burial mounds in the Salt Lake Valley, -Utah, and took from them "flint spear heads, flint arrow-heads, stone -implements and fragments of rude pottery." These mounds had the -appearance of natural sand-hills, as the people in the vicinity -supposed them to be.[XII-32] An article in the _Salt Lake Telegraph_ -is the only other authority that I find on these mounds, and this does -not specify their locality. "The mounds, as they exist to-day, do not -exhibit much uniformity, but this can be accounted for by the -disintegrating action of rains and winds, to which they have been so -long subject. Immediately north, south and west of the largest barrow, -traces can be seen of others now all but obliterated, and the locality -bears unmistakable evidences of once being the site of very extensive -earthworks. In one mound or barrow only, the largest, were remains -found, and they were exposed on or very near the surface of the sandy -soil, in one or two large hollows near the centre. The other barrows -were destitute, at least on the surface, but what there may be below -it is hard to say. Of all the relics, except those of charred bone, -which are comparatively plentiful, and some in a state of -petrifaction, that of pottery is the most abundant, and to this day -some of it retains a very perfect glaze. Much of it, however, is -rough, and from the specimens we saw, the art does not appear to have -attained to so high a degree of perfection as among the ancient -nations that inhabited the Mississippi and Ohio valleys. The largest -piece of pottery seen was not above three inches square, and it -appeared, as did all the other pieces, to have formed a portion of -some rounded vessel, probably a cinerary urn or something of that -kind. Other articles were seen, such as a fragment of pearly shell, -several other shells, a white cylindrical bead, a small ring probably -a bead also, and a stone knife." There were also several nicely shaped -arrow-heads, of obsidian, agate, rock-crystal, carnelian, and flint. -Granite mills are mentioned in addition to the other relics.[XII-33] -The same authority speaks of an extensive fortification or entrenched -camp at the head of Coon's Canyon, about twenty miles south-west of -Salt Lake City. The works are now from four to eight feet high, and -the places of entrance are distinctly marked. - - [Illustration: Rock-Inscriptions--Utah.] - - [Sidenote: ROCK-INSCRIPTIONS.] - -Remy and Brenchley note the finding of colored pottery at Cedar City, -indicating "that the Mormon city is built on the site of a -considerable city belonging to the Aztecs," for there is no state -anywhere in the north where the Aztecs did not live at some time or -other. Whole specimens of pottery are not found, but the fragments are -said to show a high degree of perfection; the same authors claim that -furnaces for the manufacture of pottery are still seen, and further -say: "At some miles to the north as well as to the south of Cedar,--to -the north near Little Salt Lake, to the south near Harmony,--are to be -seen great rocks covered over with glyphic inscriptions, some portions -of which, sketched at random, are accurately represented in our -engraving. These inscriptions or figures are coarsely executed; but -they all represent objects easy of recognition, and for the most part -copied from nature."[XII-34] From Carvalho I quote that "on Red Creek -canyon, six miles north of Parowan there are very massive, abrupt -granite rocks, which rise perpendicularly out of the valley to the -height of many hundred feet. On the surface of many of them, -apparently engraved with some steel instrument, to the depth of an -inch, are numerous hieroglyphics, representing the human hand and -foot, horses, dogs, rabbits, birds and also a sort of zodiac. These -engravings present the same time-worn appearance as the rest of the -rocks; the most elaborately engraved figures were thirty feet from the -ground. I had to clamber up the rocks to make a drawing of them. These -engravings evidently display prolonged and continued labor, and I -judge them to have been executed by a different class of persons than -the Indians, who now inhabit these valleys and mountains--ages seem to -have passed since they were done. When we take into consideration the -compact nature of the blue granite and the depth of the engravings, -years must have been spent in their execution. For what purpose were -they made? and by whom, and at what period of time? It seems -physically impossible that those I have mentioned as being thirty feet -from the valley, could have been worked in the present position of the -rocks. Some great convulsion of nature may have thrown them up as -they now are. Some of the figures are as large as life, many of them -about one-fourth size." The same author reports the remains of an -adobe town a mile further down the canyon, with implements--remains -said to have been found there by the first Mormons that came to the -valley.[XII-35] Mr Foster quotes from a Denver paper an item recording -the discovery of a mound in southern Utah, which yielded relics -displaying great artistic skill;[XII-36] and finally I take from Mr -Schoolcraft's work cuts showing inscriptions on a cliff in a locality -not clearly specified.[XII-37] Some remains in the south-eastern -corner of the state I shall mention in connection with those of -Colorado. - - [Illustration: Rock-Inscriptions--Utah.] - - * * * * * - -About half a mile west of Golden City, Jefferson County, Colorado, Mr -Berthoud reports to the Smithsonian Institution the existence of some -ancient remains, at the junction of two ravines. They consist of a -central mound of granitic sand not over twelve inches high, with -traces of five or six shallow pits about it; all surrounded by traces -of a wall consisting of a circle of moss-covered rough stones -partially imbedded in the soil. South of the central mound is also a -saucer-shaped pit, measuring twelve feet in width and from fifteen to -eighteen inches in depth. At this point buffalo-bones and fragments of -antlers are plentiful, and pieces of flint with plates of mica have -also been discovered.[XII-38] Mr Farnham speaks of a ruined city -covering an area of one mile by three fourths of a mile, with streets -crossing at right angles, buildings of rough trap rock in cement, a -mound in the centre, and much glazed pottery--all this on the north -bank of the Colorado, four hundred miles up the river, and as likely -to be in the territory of Colorado as anywhere.[XII-39] Mr Foster -quotes from a Denver newspaper a report of large granite blocks, of -the nature of 'dolmens' standing in an upright position, on the summit -of the Snowy Range;[XII-40] and Taylor had heard through the -newspapers of pyramids and bridges in this territory.[XII-41] - - * * * * * - -There remain to be described in this part of the country only the -remains of aboriginal structures in the south-western corner of -Colorado and the south-eastern corner of Utah, remains which, although -made known to the world only through a three or four days' exploration -by a party of three men, are of the greatest interest and importance. -They are found in the valleys or canyons of the rivers Mancos and -McElmo, northern tributaries of the San Juan, on the southern -tributaries of which river are the ruins, already described, of the -Chaco and Chelly canyons. - - [Sidenote: JACKSON'S EXPEDITION.] - -In September, 1874, Mr W. H. Jackson and Mr Ingersoll, connected with -the United States Geological and Geographical Survey party, guided by -Capt. John Moss, an old resident perfectly familiar with the country -and its natives, descended both the canyons referred to, for the -express purpose of examining ancient structures reported to exist -there. Notwithstanding the brief duration of their exploration, as -they understood their business and had a photographic apparatus along, -their accounts are extremely complete and satisfactory. Mr Ingersoll -published an account of the trip in the _New York Tribune_ of Nov. 3, -1874; and Mr Jackson in the Bulletin of the Survey, printed by -government.[XII-42] The latter account was accompanied by fourteen -illustrations, and Prof. J. V. Hayden, Geologist in charge of the -Survey, has had the kindness to furnish me also with the original -photographs made during the expedition. - -The Rio Mancos rises in the Sierra La Plata, and flows south-westward, -at first through a park-like valley, then cuts a deep canyon through -the Mesa Verde, and finally traverses an open plain to join the San -Juan. In the valley between the mountains and the mesa, there are -abundant shapeless mounds of debris, which on examination are found to -represent blocks of square buildings and circular enclosures all of -adobe, very similar apparently to what we have seen in the Salado -valley of Arizona. There is another resemblance to the southern -remains in the shape of indented and painted pottery, strewn in great -abundance about every mound, in fragments rarely larger than a -dollar,--not a greenback, but a silver dollar, the former being no -standard for archaeological comparisons. I shall make no further -mention of pottery; the reader may understand that in this whole -region, as in Arizona and New Mexico, it is found in great quantities -about every ruin that is to be mentioned. - - [Sidenote: RIO DE LOS MANCOS.] - -The canyon through the Mesa Verde is on an average two hundred yards -wide, and from six hundred to a thousand feet deep, with sides -presenting, as Mr Jackson says, "a succession of benches, one above -the other, and connected by the steep slopes of the talus. Side-canyons -penetrate the mesa, and ramify it in every direction, always -presenting a perpendicular face, so that it is only at very rare -intervals that the top can be reached." Mr Ingersoll says: "Imagine -East River a thousand or twelve hundred feet deep, and drained dry, -the piers and slips on both sides made of red sandstone, and extending -down to that depth, and yourself at the bottom, gazing up for human -habitations far above you. In such a picture you would have a -tolerable idea of this Canyon of the Rio Mancos." For four or five -miles after entering the canyon, the shapeless heaps of adobe debris -were of frequent occurrence on the banks of the stream. The general -characteristic was "a central mass considerably higher and more -massive than the surrounding lines of subdivided squares. Small -buildings, not more than eight feet square, were often found standing -alone apparently." The high central portion suggests a terraced -structure like the Casa Grande of the Gila. One of the buildings on -the bottom, measuring eight by ten feet, was of sandstone blocks, -about seven by twelve inches, and four inches thick, laid in what -seemed to be adobe mortar. Somewhat further down the adobe ruins were -found often on projecting benches, or promontories of the cliff, some -fifty feet above the stream. Here they were circular, with a -depression in the centre, and generally in pairs. Cave-like crevices -along the seams were often walled up in front, so as to enclose a -space sometimes twelve feet long, but oftener forming "cupboard-like -inclosures of about the size of a bushel-basket." A small square, -formed by rough stone slabs, set up endways in the earth, was also -noticed. - - [Illustration: Cliff House--Mancos Canyon.] - -The first stone building particularly described, and one of the most -wonderful found during the trip, is that shown in the cut. The most -wonderful thing about it was its position in the face of the cliff -several hundred feet above the bottom, on a ledge ten feet wide and -twenty feet long, accessible only by hard climbing with fingers and -toes inserted in crevices, or during the upper part of the ascent by -steps cut in the steep slope by the aborigines. The cliff above -overhangs the ledge, leaving a vertical space of fifteen feet. The -building occupies only half the length of the ledge, and is now twelve -feet high in front, leaving it uncertain whether it originally -reached the overhanging cliff, or had an independent roof. The ground -plan shows a front room six by nine feet, and two rear rooms each five -by seven, projecting on one side so as to form an L. There were two -stories, as is shown by the holes in the walls and fragments of -floor-timbers. A doorway, twenty by thirty inches and two feet above -the floor, led from one side of the front room to the esplanade, and -there was also a window about a foot square in the lower story, and a -window or doorway in the second story corresponding to that below. -Opposite this upper opening was a smaller one opening into a reservoir -holding about two hogsheads and a half, and formed by a semicircular -wall joining the cliff and the main wall of the house. A line of -projecting wooden pegs led from the window down into the cistern. -Small doorways afforded communication between the apartments. The -front portion was built of square and smoothly faced sandstone blocks -of different sizes, up to fifteen inches long and eight inches thick, -laid in a hard grayish-white mortar, very compact and hard, but -cracked on the surface like adobe mortars. The rear portions were of -rough stones in mortar, and the partition walls were like the exterior -front ones, and seemed to have been rubbed smooth after they were -laid. - -The interior of the front rooms was plastered with a coating of a firm -cement an eighth of an inch thick, colored red, and having a white -band eight inches wide extending round the bottom like a base-board. -There were no other signs of decoration. The floor was the natural -rock of the ledge, evened up in some places with cement. The lintel of -the upper doorway or window was of small straight cedar sticks laid -close together, and supporting the masonry above; the other lintels -seem to be of stone. A very wonderful feature of this structure was -that the front wall rests on the rounded edge of the precipice, -sloping at an angle of forty-five degrees, and the esplanade, or -platform, at the side of the house was also leveled up by three -abutments resting on this slope, where "it would seem that a pound's -weight might slide them off." - - [Sidenote: TOWERS ON THE RIO MANCOS.] - - [Illustration: Ground Plan--Mancos Tower.] - - [Illustration: Round Tower--Mancos Canyon.] - -The cut shows the ground plan of a round stone tower of peculiar form. -The diameter is twenty-five feet, and that of the inner circle twelve -feet,[XII-43] the walls being eighteen and twelve inches thick, -standing in places fifteen feet high on the outside and eight feet on -the inside. This tower stands in the centre of a group of faintly -traced remains extending twenty rods in every direction. The stones of -which it was built are irregular in size, laid in mortar, and chinked -with small pieces. The cut presents a view of this tower. The next cut -illustrates the small cliff-houses very common in the walls of the -canyon. This and its companions are from fifty to a hundred feet above -the trail; it is five by fifteen feet and six feet high, the blocks -composing the walls being very regular and well laid. Some of these -houses were mere walls in front of crevices in the cliff. So strong -are the structures that in one place a part of the cliff had become -detached by some convulsion, and stood inclined at quite an angle, -taking with it a part of one of the walls, but without overthrowing -it. Small apertures are so placed in all these cliff-structures as to -afford a look-out far up and down the valley. Rude inscriptions are -scratched on the cliff in many places, bearing a general resemblance -to those farther south, of which I have given many illustrations. - - [Illustration: Cliff-Dwelling--Mancos Canyon.] - -One of the most inaccessible of the cliff-buildings is shown in the -cut. It is eight hundred feet high, and can only be reached by -climbing to the top of the mesa, and creeping on hands and knees down -a ledge only twenty inches wide. The masonry was very perfect, the -blocks sixteen by three inches, ground perfectly smooth on the inside -so as to require no plaster. The dimensions were about five by fifteen -feet, and seven feet high. The aperture serving as doorway and window -was twenty by thirty inches and had a stone lintel. Near by but higher -on the ledge was another ruder building. These raised structures were -invariably on the western side of the canyon, but those on the bottom -were scattered on both sides of the river. - - [Illustration: Cliff-Dwelling--Mancos Canyon.] - -On the bottom "the majority of the buildings were square, but many -round, and one sort of ruin always showed two square buildings with -very deep cellars under them and a round tower between them, seemingly -for watch and defence. In several cases a large part of this tower was -still standing." One of these typical structures is shown in the -following cut. It is twelve feet in diameter, twenty feet high, with -walls sixteen inches thick. The window facing northward is eighteen by -twenty-four inches. The two apartments adjoining the tower, the -remains of which are shown in the cut, are about fifteen feet square. -They seem to have been originally underground structures, or at least -partially so. - - [Illustration: Watch-Tower--Mancos Canyon.] - -At the outlet of the canyon the river turns westward, flowing for a -time nearly parallel with the San Juan, which it joins very nearly at -the corner of the four territories. Many groups of walls and heaps -were visible in the distance down the valley, but the explorers left -the river at this point and bore away to the right along the foot of -the mesa until they reached Aztec Spring, very near the boundary line. -"Immediately adjoining the spring, on the right, as we face it from -below, is the ruin of a great massive structure of some kind, about -one hundred feet square in exterior dimensions; a portion only of the -wall upon the northern face remaining in its original position. The -debris of the ruin now forms a great mound of crumbling rock, from -twelve to twenty feet in height, overgrown with artimisia, but showing -clearly, however, its rectangular structure, adjusted approximately to -the four points of the compass. Inside this square was a circle, about -sixty feet in diameter, deeply depressed in the centre, and walled. -The space between the square and the circle appeared, upon a hasty -examination, to have been filled in solidly with a sort of -rubble-masonry. Cross-walls were noticed in two places; but whether -they were to strengthen the walls or had divided apartments could only -be conjectured. That portion of the outer wall remaining standing was -some forty feet in length and fifteen in height. The stones were -dressed to a uniform size and finish. Upon the same level as this -ruin, and extending back, I should think, half a mile, were grouped -line after line of foundations and mounds, the great mass of which was -of stone, but not one remaining upon another. All the subdivisions -were plainly marked, so that one might, with a little care, count -every room or building in the settlement. Below the above group, some -two hundred yards distant, and communicating by indistinct lines of -debris, was another great wall, inclosing a space of about two hundred -feet square. Only a small portion was well enough preserved to enable -us to judge, with any accuracy, as to its character and dimensions; -the greater portion consisting of large ridges flattened down so much -as to measure some thirty or more feet across the base, and five or -six feet in height. This better preserved portion was some fifty feet -in length, seven or eight feet in height, and twenty feet thick, the -two exterior surfaces of well-dressed and evenly-laid courses, and the -centre packed in solidly with rubble-masonry, looking entirely -different from those rooms which had been filled with debris, though -it is difficult to assign any reason for its being so massively -constructed. It was only a portion of a system extending half a mile -out into the plains, of much less importance, however, and now only -indistinguishable mounds. The town built about this spring was nearly -a square mile in extent, the larger and more enduring buildings in the -centre, while all about were scattered and grouped the remnants of -smaller structures, comprising the suburbs." - - [Sidenote: CANYON OF THE McELMO.] - - [Illustration: Tower on the McElmo, Colorado.] - - [Illustration: Round Tower on the McElmo.] - -Four miles from the spring is the McElmo, a small stream, dry during a -greater part of the year. At the point where the party struck this -stream, portions of walls, and heaps of debris in rectangular order -were scattered in every direction; among which two round towers were -noticed, one of them with double walls, like that on the Mancos, but -larger, being fifty feet in diameter. Following down the McElmo canyon -aboriginal vestiges continue abundant, including cliff-dwellings like -those that have been described, but only forty or fifty feet above -the valley, and also the square tower shown in first cut. It stands on -a square detached block of sandstone forty feet in height. The walls -of this building were still fifteen feet high in some places, and -there were also traces of walls about the base of the rock. Another -double-walled round tower fifty feet in diameter found near the one -last named is shown in the second cut. - - [Illustration: Building on the McElmo--Utah.] - - [Sidenote: RUINS ON THE McELMO.] - -Still further down the canyon, across the boundary line into Utah, -ruins continue abundant. A red sandstone butte standing in the middle -of the valley, one hundred feet high and three hundred long, has -traces of masonry on its summit, apparently intended to form a level -platform, and on one side, at mid-height, the structures shown in the -cut. The upper wall is eighteen feet long and twelve feet high, and -the blocks composing it are described as more regularly cut than any -before seen. The only access to the summit of the butte was by -climbing through the window of the building. Other remains, including -many circular depressions of considerable depth, and a square tower -with one round corner, are scattered about near the base of this -butte, or _cristone_. The next cut shows one of the cave-dwellings -near by, formed by walling up the front of a recess in the cliff. - - [Illustration: Cave-Dwelling on the McElmo.] - - [Sidenote: ABORIGINAL TRADITION] - -The tradition relating to the whole, and particularly to this -locality, obtained by Capt. Moss from one of the old men among the -Moquis, is rendered by Mr Ingersoll as follows:--"Formerly the -aborigines inhabited all this country we had been over as far west as -the head waters of the San Juan, as far north as the Rio Dolores, west -some distance into Utah, and south and south-west throughout Arizona, -and on down into Mexico. They had lived there from time -immemorial--since the earth was a small island, which augmented as its -inhabitants multiplied. They cultivated the valley, fashioned whatever -utensils and tools they needed, very neatly and handsomely out of clay -and wood and stone, not knowing any of the useful metals, built their -homes and kept their flocks and herds in the fertile river bottoms, -and worshiped the sun. They were an eminently peaceful and prosperous -people, living by agriculture rather than by the chase. About a -thousand years ago, however, they were visited by savage strangers from -the North, whom they treated hospitably. Soon these visits became more -frequent and annoying. Then their troublesome neighbors--ancestors of -the present Utes--began to forage upon them, and at last to massacre -them and devastate their farms; so, to save their lives at least, -they built houses high upon the cliffs, where they could store food -and hide away till the raiders left. But one Summer the invaders did -not go back to their mountains as the people expected, but brought -their families with them and settled down. So driven from their homes -and lands, starving in their little niches on the high cliffs, they -could only steal away during the night, and wander across the -cheerless uplands. To one who has traveled these steppes, such a -flight seems terrible, and the mind hesitates to picture the suffering -of the sad fugitives. - -"At the christone they halted and probably found friends, for the rocks -and caves are full of the nests of these human wrens and swallows. -Here they collected, erected stone fortifications and watch-towers, -dug reservoirs in the rocks to hold a supply of water, which in all -cases is precarious in this latitude, and once more stood at bay. -Their foes came, and for one long month fought and were beaten back, -and returned day after day to the attack as merciless and inevitable -as the tide. Meanwhile the families of the defenders were evacuating -and moving south, and bravely did their protectors shield them till -they were all safely a hundred miles away. The besiegers were beaten -back and went away. But the narrative tells us that the hollows of the -rocks were filled to the brim with the mingled blood of conquerors and -conquered, and red veins of it ran down into the canyon. It was such a -victory as they could not afford to gain again, and they were glad -when the long fight was over to follow their wives and little ones to -the South. There in the deserts of Arizona, on well-nigh -unapproachable isolated bluffs, they built new towns, and their few -descendants--the Moquis--live in them to this day, preserving more -carefully and purely the history and veneration of their forefathers, -than their skill or wisdom." One watch-tower in this region was built -on a block of sandstone that had rolled down and lodged on the very -brink of a precipice overlooking the whole valley. - - [Illustration: Ruined Pueblo on the Hovenweep.--Utah.] - - [Sidenote: HOVENWEEP RUINS.] - -From the McElmo Mr Jackson and his party struck off westward to a -small stream called the Hovenweep, eight or ten miles distant. Here -they found a ruined town, of which a general view is given in the cut. -Mr Jackson's description is as follows: "The stream referred to sweeps -the foot of a rocky sandstone ledge, some forty or fifty feet in -height, upon which is built the highest and better-preserved portions -of the settlement. Its semicircular sweep conforms to the ledge; each -little house of the outer circle being built close upon its edge. -Below the level of these upper houses, some ten or twelve feet, and -within the semicircular sweep, were seven distinctly-marked -depressions, each separated from the other by rocky debris, the lower -or first series probably of a small community-house. Upon either -flank, and founded upon rocks, were buildings similar in size and in -other respects to the large ones on the line above. As paced off, the -upper or convex surface measured one hundred yards in length. Each -little apartment was small and narrow, averaging six feet in width and -eight feet in length, the walls being eighteen inches in thickness. -The stones of which the entire group was built were dressed to nearly -uniform size and laid in mortar. A peculiar feature here was in the -round corners, one at least appearing upon nearly every little house. -They were turned with considerable care and skill; being two curves, -all the corners were solidly bound together and resisted the -destroying influences the longest." The following cut presents a -ground plan of this Hovenweep Pueblo town, and terminates the account -of one of the most interesting antiquarian explorations of modern -times. - - [Illustration: Ground Plan--Town on the Hovenweep.] - -I append a few brief quotations from the diary of Padres Dominguez and -Escalante, who penetrated probably as far as Utah Lake in early times, -referring to three places where ruins were seen, two of which cannot -readily be located. On the Dolores River "on the southern bank of the -river, on a height, there was anciently a small settlement of the same -plan as those of the Indians of New Mexico, as is shown by the ruins -which we examined." A ruin is also located on this river at the -southern bend, on the U. S. map of 1868. On the Rio de San Cosme, "we -saw near by a ruin of a very ancient town, in which were fragments of -metates, and pottery. The form of the town was circular as shown by -the ruins now almost entirely leveled to the ground." In the canyon of -Santa Delfina "towards the south, there is quite a high cliff, on -which we saw rudely painted three shields, and a spear-head. Lower -down on the north side we saw another painting which represented in a -confused manner two men fighting, for which reason we named it the -Canyon Pintado."[XII-44] - - * * * * * - -In Idaho and Montana I have no record of ancient remains, save a cliff -at Pend d'Oreille Lake, on which are painted in bright colors, images -of men, beasts, and pictures of unknown import. The natives are said -to regard the painted rock with feelings of great superstition and -dread, regarding the figures as the work of a race that preceded their -own in the country.[XII-45] - - * * * * * - - [Illustration: Rock-Carvings--Columbia River.] - -In Oregon aboriginal remains, so far as reported, are hardly more -abundant. The artist of the U. S. Exploring Expedition sketched three -specimens of cliff-inscriptions on the Columbia River, which are shown -in the cut. Mr Pickering thinks that the figures present some -analogies to the sculptures reported by Humboldt on the -Orinoco.[XII-46] Mr Abbot noted "a few rude pictures of men and -animals scratched on the rocks" of Mptolyas canyon.[XII-47] Lord speaks -of little piles of stones about natural pillars of conglomerate, on -Wychus Creek, but these were doubtless the work of modern Snake -Indians, who left the heaps in honor of the spirits represented by the -pillars.[XII-48] A gigantic human jaw is reported to have been dug up -near Jacksonville in 1862;[XII-49] and finally Lewis and Clarke found -a village of the Echeloots built "near a mound about thirty feet above -the common level, which has some remains of houses on it, and bears -every appearance of being artificial."[XII-50] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: ANTIQUITIES OF WASHINGTON.] - -In Washington, besides some shell ornaments and arrow-heads of flint -and other hard stone dug by Mr Lord from a gravel bank near the old -Fort Walla Walla, and some rude figures mostly representing men carved -and afterwards painted on a perpendicular rock between the Yakima and -Pisquouse, pointed out by a native to Mr Gibbs,[XII-51] there seem to -be remains of antiquity in only two localities. The first are the -mounds on Bute Prairie, south of Olympia. They were first found, or -mentioned, by Wilkes in the U. S. Exploring Expedition, in 1841, who -describes them as thousands in number arranged in fives like the 'five -spots' on a playing card, formed by scraping together the surface -earth, about thirty feet in diameter and six or seven feet high. Three -of them were opened, but proved to contain nothing but a pavement of -round stones in the centre and at the bottom, resting on the subsoil -of red gravel. The natives said that the medicine men in later times -were wont to gather herbs from their surface, as being more potent to -work their cures than those growing elsewhere. Since Wilkes' visit the -newspapers have reported the discovery of a large mound at the south -end of the prairie, twenty-five miles from Olympia, which is three -hundred feet high and nine hundred feet in diameter at the base. These -later reports state also that all the small mounds opened in recent -times have been found to contain remains of pottery and "other -curious relics, evidently the work of human hands."[XII-52] - -The second locality where remains are found is on the lower Yakima -River, where Mr Stephens saw an earth-work consisting of two -concentric circles of earth about three feet high with a ditch between -them. The outer circle is eighty yards in diameter, and within the -inner one are about twenty cellars, or excavations, thirty feet across -and three feet deep, like the cellars of modern native houses -scattered over the country without, however, any enclosing circles. -These works are located on a terrace about fifteen feet high, bounded -on either side by a gulley.[XII-53] - - * * * * * - -In British Columbia, some sculptured stones are reported to have been -found at Nootka Sound, in which a fancied resemblance to the Aztec -Calendar-Stone was noticed; also during the voyage of the 'Sutil y -Mexicana,' a wooden plank was found on the coast bearing painted -figures, which I have copied in the cut, although I do not know that -the plank has any claims to be considered a relic of antiquity.[XII-54] - - [Illustration: Painted Board--British Columbia.] - - [Sidenote: DEANS' EXPLORATIONS.] - -Other British Columbian antiquities consist of shell mounds, burial -mounds, and earth-works, chiefly confined to Vancouver Island, and -known to me through the investigations and writings of Mr James Deans. -Mr Deans has lived long in the country, is perfectly familiar with it -and its natives, and has given particular attention to the subject of -antiquities. He makes no great pretensions as a writer, but has made -notes of his discoveries from time to time, and has furnished his -manuscripts for my use under the title of _Ancient Remains in -Vancouver Island and British Columbia_. Like other explorers, he has -not been able to resist the temptation to theorize without sufficient -data on questions of ethnology and the origin of the American -aborigines, but his speculations do not diminish the value of his -explorations, and are far from being as absurd as those of many -authors who are much better known. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: VANCOUVER ISLAND.] - -Burial mounds on Vancouver Island are of two classes, according as -they are constructed chiefly of sand and gravel or of stones. One of -the first class opened by Mr Deans in 1871, will illustrate the -construction of all. It was located on the second terrace from the -sea, the terraces having nearly perpendicular banks of fifty and sixty -feet respectively. By a carefully cut drift through the centre, it was -ascertained to have been made in the following manner. First, a circle -sixteen feet in diameter was marked out, and the top soil cleared off -within the circle; then a basin-shaped hole, six feet in diameter, -smaller at the bottom than at the top, was dug in the centre, in which -the skull, face down, and the larger unburned bones were placed and -covered with six inches of earth. On the layer of earth rested a large -flat stone, on which were heaped up loose stones, the heap extending -about a foot beyond the circumference of the central hole. Outside of -this heap, on the surface, a space two feet wide extending round the -whole circumference was sprinkled with ashes, and contained a few -bones also. Outside of this space again, large stones two or three -feet long were set up in the ground like pillars, five feet apart, -round the circumference; and finally the earth dug from the central -hole, or receptacle for the bones, was thrown into the outer circle, -and gravel and sand added to the whole until the mound was five feet -high, having a rounded form. Four smaller mounds, six and ten feet in -diameter, were opened in the same group, showing the same mode of -construction, but somewhat less order. - -The second class, or stone mounds, which are much more numerous than -those of earth, differ but little from the others in their -construction, except that the final additions to the mound were of -stones instead of earth, and the stones about the circumference were -flat and set up close together. A piece of quartz sometimes -accompanies the bones, but no other relics are found. When the -skeleton is deposited face down, as is usually the case, the skull is -placed toward the south, or when in a sitting position, it faces the -south, seeming in some cases to have been burned where it sat. In a -few instances the skeleton, when it was but little burned, was lying -on the left side. The human bones invariably crumbled at a touch, and -the author states that this method of burial is altogether unknown to -the present inhabitants, who say their ancestors found them as they -are. - -The mounds are often overgrown with large pine, arbutus, or oak trees; -in one case an oak had forced its way up through the stones in its -growth, reached its full size, decayed, and the stones had fallen back -over the stump. They are often in groups, and in such cases the -central one is always most carefully constructed, and a remarkable -circumstance is that sometimes the surrounding heaps contain only -children's bones. Of course this suggests a sacrifice of children or -slaves at a chief's funeral, although there may be some other -explanation. Some stones weighing a ton are found over the human -remains. Traces of cedar bark or boards are found in some of the -cairns, in which the bones were apparently enclosed; and in a few -others a small empty chamber was formed over the flat covering stone. - -Near Comox, one hundred and thirty miles north-west of Victoria, a -group of mounds were examined in 1872-3, and found to be built of sea -sand and black mold, mixed with some shells. They were from five to -fifty yards in circumference. In one by the side of a very large skull -was deposited a piece of coal; and in another with a very peculiar -flattened skull was a child's tooth. Both these skulls are said to -have been covered with baked clay, and are now in the collection of -the Society of Natural History in Montreal. One mound in this vicinity -is fifty feet high and of oval shape. In its centre only a few feet -below the surface were found burnt skeletons of children not over -twelve years old, which seemed to have been enclosed in a box of -cedar--of which only a brown dust remains--and covered with two feet -of stones and one foot of shells. There is a spring of fine water some -fifty yards from this mound, of which, from superstitious motives no -Indian will drink. One rectangular cairn, ten by twelve feet, was -found, but even in this the central receptacle was circular. The body -in this mound showed no signs of burning, the head pointed northward, -and a pencil-shaped stone sharp at both ends was deposited with the -human remains. - - * * * * * - -Shell mounds are described as very abundant throughout Vancouver -Island, and also on the mainland, and all are composed of species of -shells still common in the coast waters. One at Comox covers three -acres, and is from two to fourteen feet deep. The relics discovered in -mounds of this class include stone hammers; arrow-points of flint, -slate, and of a hard green stone; spear-heads, knives, needles, and -awls, of stone and bone, one of the knives being sixteen inches long -and of whale-bone; bone wedges, sometimes grooved; and finally stone -mortars, comparatively few in number, since acorns and seeds were not -apparently a favorite article of food. Human skeletons also occur in -the shell mounds. At Comox a skeleton is said to have been found with -a bone knife broken off in one of the bones. A shell bracelet was -taken from a mound at Esquimalt; and from another was dug a stone dish -or paint-pot, carved to represent a man holding a mountain sheep. The -man was the handle on one side, the sheep's head on the other, and the -cup was hollowed out in the sheep's back. Mr Deans believes he can -distinguish two distinct types of skulls in Vancouver Island--the -'long-headed' in the older cairns, and the 'broad-headed' in the shell -mounds and modern graves: and this distinction is independent of -artificial flattening, which it seems was practiced in a majority of -cases on skulls of both types. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: EARTH-WORKS.] - -In addition to the mounds, Mr Deans states that earth-works very -similar to those found in the eastern states are found at many -localities in British Columbia. Indeed, he has sent me several plans, -cut from Squier's work on the antiquities of New York, which by a -simple change in the names of creeks and in the scale would represent -equally well the north-western works. At Beacon Hill, near Victoria, a -point one hundred feet high extends three hundred feet into the sea; -an embankment with a ditch still six feet deep, stretches across on -the land side and protects the approach; there are low mounds on the -enclosed area, the remnants of ancient dwellings, and down the steep -banks are heaps of shells, with ashes, bones of sea-fowl, deer, elk, -and bears, among which are some spear and arrow points, needles, etc. -On the summit of Beacon Hill, near by, are burial cairns of the usual -type. - -Another earth-work was examined by Mr Deans at Baines Sound and Deep -Bay. This was an oval embankment surrounded at the base by a ditch, -close to the water on the bay side, but now seventy yards from -high-water mark on the side next the sound, although originally at the -water edge. From the bottom of the ditch to the top of the embankment -or mound is forty feet, and at the summit a parapet bank now four feet -high encloses an area of over an acre. On the sound side is an opening -from which a road runs down the slope of the mound and across the -ditch by a kind of earthen bridge. Excavation showed a depth of nine -feet of shells, ashes, and black loam. Many burial mounds are -scattered about which have not been opened. - -I am inclined to regard Mr Deans' reports as trustworthy, although of -course additional authorities are required before the accuracy of his -observations respecting the burial mounds, and the existence of -earthworks bearing a strong resemblance, as he claims, to those of the -eastern states can be fully accepted. Respecting the mounds I quote in -a note from Mr Forbes, the only other authority I have been able to -find on the subject.[XII-55] - -In Alaska I find no record of any antiquities whatever, although many -curious specimens of aboriginal art, made by the natives still -inhabiting the country since the coming of Europeans, have been -brought away by travelers. Cook saw in the country several artificial -stone hillocks, which seemed to him of great antiquity, but he also -noted that each native added a stone to burial heaps on passing; and -Schewyrin and Durnew found on one of the Aleutian Islands three round -copper plates bearing letters and leaf-work, said to have been thrown -up by the sea; but I suppose there is no evidence that they were of -aboriginal origin.[XII-56] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: CONCLUSION.] - -Thus have I gone over the whole extent of the Pacific States from the -southern isthmus to Bering Strait, carefully examining, so far as -written records could enable me to do so, every foot of this broad -territory, in search for the handiwork of its aboriginal inhabitants. -Practically I have given in the preceding pages all that has been -written on the subject. Before a perfect account of all that the -Native Races have left can be written, before material relics can -reveal all they have to tell about the peoples whose work they are, a -long and patient work of exploration and study must be performed--a -work hardly commenced yet even in the thickly populated centres of old -world learning, and still less advanced naturally in the broad new -fields and forests of the Far West. In this volume the general reader -may find an accurate and comprehensive if not a very fascinating -picture of all that aboriginal art has produced; the student of -ethnological topics may found his theories on all that is known -respecting any particular monument here spread before him, rather than -on a partial knowledge derived by long study from the accounts in -works to which he has access, contradicted very likely in other works -not consulted,--and many a writer has subjected himself to ridicule by -resting an important part of his favorite theory on a discovery by -Smith, which has been proved an error or a hoax by Jones and Brown; -the antiquarian student may save himself some years of hard labor in -searching between five hundred and a thousand volumes for information -to which he is here guided directly, even if he be unwilling to take -his information at second hand; and finally, the explorer who proposes -to examine a certain section of the country, may acquaint himself by a -few hours' reading with all that previous explorers have done or -failed to do, and by having his attention specially called to their -work will be able to correct their errors and supply what they have -neglected. - -If the work in this volume shall prove to have been sufficiently well -done to serve, in the manner indicated above, as a safe foundation for -systematic antiquarian research in the future, the author's aim will -be realized and his labor amply repaid. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[XII-1] 'Since the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock, down to -the present moment, relics of a lost race have been exhumed from -beneath the surface of terra firma in various parts of the continent. -While every section of the United States has produced more or less of -these ancient remnants, California has, perhaps, yielded more in -proportion to the extent of territory, than any other part of the -Union.' _Carpenter_, in _Hesperian_, vol. v., p. 357. - -[XII-2] _Brasseur de Bourbourg_, _Hist. Nat. Civ._, tom. i., p. 179; -_San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, Feb. 11, 1862; _Cal. Farmer_, Dec. -14, 1860. - -[XII-3] _Blake_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. v., p. 117. - -[XII-4] _San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, Feb. 11, 1862. - -[XII-5] _Whipple, Ewbank, and Turner_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. -iii., p. 42. - -[XII-6] _Blake_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. v., pp. 56-7; _Cal. -Farmer_, March 28, 1862, Dec. 21, 1860. Also pottery, painted and -carved cliff-inscriptions, and lines of large stones on the hill-tops. -_Alta California_, July, 1860. - -[XII-7] _San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, Feb. 11, 1862. 'On the South -Tule river, twelve miles from the valley, is what is called the -Painted Rock--a smooth flat rock horizontally supported by -perpendicular walls on either side about seven feet from the ground, -with a surface of 200 square feet smooth and level on the walled sides -on which is painted in no very artistic style, representations of -animals, reptiles, and birds, and rude paintings of men, women, and -children. The painting has without doubt been done by the present race -of Indians. None of the Indians now living, however, have any -knowledge or tradition by whom or when it was done. This rock and the -remains of their habitations in many localities on the different -streams, are the only indications of their long occupancy of this -valley.' _Maltby_ (Indian Agent at Tule River), letter of Aug. 10, -1872, MS. Painted figures in a large cave near the hot springs of -Tularcitos hills, east of Monterey; also on headwaters of the San Juan -or Estrella creek. _Cal. Farmer_, April 5, 1860. - -[XII-8] _Schumacher_, _Some Articles found in Ancient Graves of -California_, MSS., presented by the author. - -[XII-9] _Taylor's Indianology_, in _Cal. Farmer_, Jan. 17, 1862, March -9, 1860. - -[XII-10] _San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, Jan. 22, 1864; _Cal. -Farmer_, May 23, 1862, March 6, 1863; _Carvalho's Incid. of Trav._, p. -249; _Saxon's Golden Gate_, p. 126; _Wimmel_, _Californien_, p. 13. - -[XII-11] _San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, Feb. 11, 1862; _Cal. -Farmer_, March 28, 1862, March 6, 1863. - -[XII-12] _Lord's Nat._, vol. i., p. 209. 'A quantity of round stones, -evidently from the brook, was found in a passage with a number of -skeletons; the destruction of life having been caused undoubtedly by -the sudden caving in of the earth, burying the unskilled savages in -the midst of their labors.' _Pioneer_, vol. ii., p. 221. - -[XII-13] _Taylor_, in _Cal. Farmer_, April 20, 1860; _Wimmel_, -_Californien_, pp. 27-8. - -[XII-14] 'In 1857, Dr. C. F. Winslow sent to the Boston Natural -History Society, the fragment of a human cranium found in the "pay-dirt" -in connection with the bones of the mastodon and elephant, one hundred -and eighty feet below the surface of Table Mountain, California. Dr. -Winslow has described to me all the particulars in reference to this -"find," and there is no doubt in his mind, that the remains of man and -the great quadrupeds were deposited contemporaneously.' _Foster's -Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. 52-4. - -[XII-15] Elephant's tusk five or six feet long, found in 1860, ten -feet below the surface, and fifteen inches above the ledge in -auriferous sand; also, five years before, many human skeletons, one of -which was twice the usual size, with stone mortars and pestles. -_Sonora Democrat_, Dec. 1860; _Cal. Farmer_, Dec. 21, 1860; _San -Francisco Evening Bulletin_, Jan. 22, 1864. - -[XII-16] Other reported relics in Tuolumne county are as follows:--A -tooth of an animal of the elephant specie, twelve feet below surface, -under an oak three feet in diameter, at Twist's Ranch, near Mormon -Creek, found in 1851. _Hutchings' Cal. Mag._, vol. ii., p. 248, with -cut. 'A tolerably well executed representation of a deer's foot, about -six inches long, cut out of slate, and a tube about an inch in -diameter, and five inches in length, made of the same material, and a -small, flat, rounded piece of some very hard flinty rock, with a -square hole in the center. They are all highly polished, and perfectly -black with age. What gives a peculiar interest to these relics is the -fact that they were found thirty feet below the surface, and over the -spot where they were found a huge pine, the growth of centuries, has -reared its lofty head.' These relics were found at Don Pedro's Bar in -1861. _Cal. Farmer_, June 14, 1861, from _Columbia Times_, May, 1861. -'An Indian arrow-head, made of stone, as at the present day, was -lately picked up from the solid cement at Buckeye Hill, at a depth of -80 feet from the surface, and about one foot from the bed-rock.' -_Taylor_, in _Cal. Farmer_, Nov. 9, 1860; _Hist. Mag._, vol. v., p. -52; _San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, Oct. 6, 1864. - -[XII-17] 'An immense number of skulls were found by Captain Moraga in -the vicinity of a creek, which, from that circumstance, was called -Calaveras, or the river of skulls. The story was, that the tribes from -the Sierras came down to the valley to fish for Salmon. To this the -Valley Indians objected, and, as the conflict was irrepressible, a -bloody battle was fought, and three thousand dead bodies were left to -whiten the banks with their bones. The county in which the river rises -assumed its name.' _Tuthill's Hist. Cal._, p. 303. - -[XII-18] 1, Black lava, 40 feet; 2, gravel, 3 feet; 3, light lava, 30 -feet; 4, gravel, 5 feet; 5, light lava, 15 feet; 6, gravel, 25 feet; -7, dark brown lava, 9 feet; 8, (in which the skull was found) gravel, -5 feet; 9, red lava, 4 feet; 10, red gravel, 17 feet. _Cal. Acad. Nat. -Sciences_, vol. iii., pp. 277-8. 'This skull, admitting its -authenticity, carries back the advent of man to the Pliocene Epoch, -and is therefore older than the stone implements of the drift-gravel -of Abbeville and Amiens, or the relics furnished by the cave-dirt of -Belgium and France.' _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. 52-4. - -[XII-19] 'It was late in the month of August (the 19th), 1849, that -the gold diggers at one of the mountain diggings called Murphy's, were -surprised, in examining a high barren district of mountain, to find -the abandoned site of an antique mine. "It is evidently," says a -writer, "the work of ancient times." The shaft discovered is two -hundred and ten feet deep. Its mouth is situated on a high mountain. -It was several days before preparations could be completed to descend -and explore it. The bones of a human skeleton were found at the -bottom. There were also found an altar for worship and other evidences -of ancient labor.... No evidences have been discovered to denote the -era of this ancient work. There has been nothing to determine whether -it is to be regarded as the remains of the explorations of the first -Spanish adventurers, or of a still earlier period. The occurrence of -the remains of an altar, looks like the period of Indian worship.' -_Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. i., p. 105. - -[XII-20] Skulls obtained from a cave in Calaveras County, by Prof. -Whitney, and sent to the Smithsonian Institute. They showed no -differences from the present Indians, who probably used the cave as a -burial place. _Smithsonian Rept._, 1867, p. 406. Petrified mammoth -thigh-bone, three and a half feet long, two and a quarter feet in -circumference, weighing fifty-four pounds, found at a depth of -thirty-five feet, at Murphy's Flat. _Cal. Farmer_, May 23, 1862, from -_San Andres Independent_. An arrastra or mill, such as is now used in -grinding quartz, with a quantity of crushed stone five feet below -surface near Porterfield. _Id._, Nov. 30, 1860, May 16, 1862. At -Calaveritas large mortars two or three feet in diameter, with pestles, -in the ancient bed of the river; at Vallecito human skulls in -post-diluvial strata over fifty feet deep; at Mokelumne Hill obsidian -spear-heads; at Murphy's mammoth bones forty feet deep. _Pioneer_, -vol. iii., p. 41; _San Francisco Herald_, Nov. 24, from _Calaveras -Chronicle_. - -[XII-21] _San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, Jan. 22, 1864; _Wimmel_, -_Californien_, p. 13. - -[XII-22] 'An ancient skillet, made of lava, hard as iron, circular, -with a spout and three legs, was washed out of a deep claim at Forest -Hill, a few days since. It will be sent to the State Fair, as a -specimen of crockery used in the mines several thousand years ago.' -_Grass Valley National_, Sept. 1861, in _San Francisco Evening -Bulletin_, Jan. 22, 1864. Same implement apparently found at Coloma in -1851, 15 feet below the surface, under an oak-tree not less than 1000 -years old. _Carpenter_, in _Hesperian_, vol. v., p. 358. - -[XII-23] 'J. E. Squire, informs me that a strange inscription is found -on the rocks a short distance below Meadow Lake. The rocks appear to -have been covered with a black coating, and the hieroglyphics or -characters cut through the layer and into the rock. This inscription -was, probably, not made by the present tribe inhabiting the lower part -of Nevada County. It may have been done by Indians from the other side -of the mountains, who came to the lake region near the summit to fish; -or it may have still a stranger origin.' _Directory Nevada_, 1857. A -human fore-arm bone with crystallized marrow, imbedded in a petrified -cedar 63 feet deep, at Red Dog. _Grass Valley National_, in _San -Francisco Evening Bulletin_, Jan. 22, 1864. - -[XII-24] Two hand mills (mortars) taken from the bank of the Yuba -River at a depth of 16 feet. 'They are all made from a peculiar kind -of stone, which has the appearance of a combination of granite and -burr-stone.' The pestles are usually of gneiss. _Taylor_, in _Cal. -Farmer_, Dec. 14, 1860, May 9, 1862. At McGilvary's, Trinity Co., was -discovered in 1856, 10 feet below the surface, 'an Indian skull -encased in a sea shell, five by eight inches, inside of which were -worked figures and representations, both singular and beautiful, -inlaid with a material imperishable, resembling gold, which would not, -in nice, ingenious workmanship, disgrace the sculptor's art of the -present day.' _San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, Jan. 22, 1864, from -_Trinity Democrat_, 1856. Slate tubes dug up near Oroville. _Taylor_, -in _Cal. Farmer_, Nov. 2, 1860. A collar-bone taken from the gravel of -the 'great blue lead' not less than 1000 feet below the forest-covered -surface, in 1857. _Hutchings' Cal. Mag._, vol. ii., p. 417. Mammoth -bones at Columbia, Stanislaus Co., 35 feet deep; and a hyena's tooth -at Volcano, Amador Co., at a depth of 60 feet. _Pioneer_, vol. iii., -p. 41. Some 30 different instances of the discovery of fossil remains -by miners have been noted in the California papers since 1851. _Cal. -Farmer_, May 23, 1862; also four well-known cases of giant human -remains. _Id._, March 20, 1863. An immense block of porphyry whose -sides and top are carved with rude mystic figures, in the Truckee -Valley. 'I noticed one cluster of figures in a circle, having in its -centre a rude representation of the sun, surrounded by about a dozen -other figures, one of which exhibited a quite truthful representation -of a crab, another like an anchor with a large ring, and still another -representing an arrow passing through a ring.' _Marysville Democrat_, -April, 1861, in _Cal. Farmer_, June 14, 1861. - -[XII-25] _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. 54-6. - -[XII-26] In _Cal. Farmer_, March 6, 1863. - -[XII-27] _Capron's Hist. Cal._, p. 75. - -[XII-28] _Martinez Contra Costa Gazette._ - -[XII-29] _Smithsonian Rept._, 1869, p. 36. - -[XII-30] _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. 163-4. - -[XII-31] _San Francisco Evening Bulletin_, Oct. 19, 1869. - -[XII-32] _Rae's Westward by Rail_, pp. 162-4. - -[XII-33] _Salt Lake Telegraph_, quoted in _San Francisco Evening -Bulletin_, Oct. 9, 1868. - -[XII-34] _Remy and Brenchley's Journey_, vol. ii., pp. 364-5. - -[XII-35] _Carvalho's Incid. of Trav._, pp. 206-7. - -[XII-36] _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, p. 152. - -[XII-37] _Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. iii., p. 493. - -[XII-38] _Smithsonian Rept._, 1867, p. 403. - -[XII-39] _Farnham's Life in Cal._, pp. 316-17. - -[XII-40] _Foster's Pre-Hist. Races_, p. 152. - -[XII-41] _Taylor_, in _Cal. Farmer_, June 22, 1860. - -[XII-42] _Bulletin of the U. S. Geol. and Geog. Survey of the -Territories_, 2d series, No. 1., Washington, 1875. - -[XII-43] Ingersoll gives these dimensions as 33 and 22 feet -respectively, and speaks of three equi-distant doorways, apparently -alluding to the same structure. - -[XII-44] _Doc. Hist. Mex._, serie ii., tom. i., pp. 391-2, 434-5, -444-5. - -[XII-45] _Stevens_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. xii., p. 150; _Id._, -in _Ind. Aff. Rept._, 1854, p. 222. - -[XII-46] _Pickering's Races_, in _U. S. Ex. Ex._, vol. ix., pp. 41-2. - -[XII-47] _Abbot_, in _Pac. R. R. Rept._, vol. vi., p. 94. - -[XII-48] _Lord's Nat._, vol. i., p. 296. - -[XII-49] _Taylor_, in _Cal. Farmer_, March 20, 1863; _San Francisco -Evening Bulletin_, Jan. 22, 1864. - -[XII-50] _Lewis and Clarke's Trav._, p. 369. - -[XII-51] _Lord's Nat._, vol. ii., pp. 102-3, 260; _Gibbs_, in _Pac. R. -R. Rept._, vol. i., p. 411. - -[XII-52] _U. S. Ex. Ex._, vol. iv., pp. 334, 441-2; _Foster's -Pre-Hist. Races_, pp. 151-2; _Portland Herald_, Sept. 27, 1872; _San -Francisco Morning Call_, Sept. 28, 1872. - -[XII-53] _Stevens_, in _Ind. Aff. Rept._, 1854, pp. 232-3; _Id._, in -_Schoolcraft's Arch._, vol. vi., pp. 612-13; _Gibbs_, in _Pac. R. R. -Rept._, vol. i., pp. 408-9; _Taylor_, in _Cal. Farmer_, May 8, 1863. - -[XII-54] _Buschmann_, _Spr. N. Mex. u. der Westseite des b. -Nordamer._, p. 333; _Sutil y Mexicana_, _Viage_, p. 73. - -[XII-55] 'In such localities, the general feature of the landscape is -very similar to many parts of Devonshire, more especially to that on -the eastern escarpment of Dartmoor, and the resemblance is rendered -the more striking by the numerous stone circles, which lie scattered -around.... These stone circles point to a period in ethnological -history, which has no longer a place in the memory of man. Scattered -in irregular groups of from three or four, to fifty or more, these -stone circles are found, crowning the rounded promontories over all -the South Eastern end of the Island. Their dimensions vary in diameter -from three to eighteen feet; of some, only a simple ring of stones -marking the outline now remains. In other instances the circle is not -only complete in outline, but is filled in, built up as it were, to a -height of three to four feet, with masses of rock and loose stones, -collected from amongst the numerous erratic boulders, which cover the -surface of the country, and from the gravel of the boulder drift which -fills up many of the hollows. These structures are of considerable -antiquity, and whatever they may have been intended for, have been -long disused, for, through the centre of many, the pine, the oak, and -the arbutus have shot up and attained considerable dimensions--a full -growth. The Indians when questioned, can give no further account of -the matter, than that, "it belonged to the old people," and an -examination, by taking some of the largest circles to pieces, and -digging beneath, throws no light on the subject. The only explanation -to be found, is in the hypothesis, that these were the dwellings of -former tribes, who have either entirely disappeared, or whose -descendants have changed their mode of living, and this supposition is -strengthened by the fact that a certain tribe on the Fraser River, -did, till very recently live, in circular beehive shaped houses, built -of loose stones, having an aperture in the arched roof for entrance -and exit, and that in some localities in upper California the same -remains are found, and the same origin assigned to them.' _Forbes' -Vanc. Isl._, p. 3. - -[XII-56] _Cook's Voy. to Pac._, vol. ii., p. 521; _Neue Nachrichten_, -p. 33. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -WORKS OF THE MOUND-BUILDERS. - - AMERICAN MONUMENTS BEYOND THE LIMITS OF THE PACIFIC STATES - -- EASTERN ATLANTIC STATES -- REMAINS IN THE MISSISSIPPI - VALLEY -- THREE GEOGRAPHICAL DIVISIONS -- CLASSIFICATION - OF MONUMENTS -- EMBANKMENTS AND DITCHES -- FORTIFICATIONS - -- SACRED ENCLOSURES -- MOUNDS -- TEMPLE-MOUNDS, - ANIMAL-MOUNDS, AND CONICAL MOUNDS -- ALTAR-MOUNDS, BURIAL - MOUNDS, AND ANOMALOUS MOUNDS -- CONTENTS OF THE MOUNDS -- - HUMAN REMAINS -- RELICS OF ABORIGINAL ART -- IMPLEMENTS - AND ORNAMENTS OF METAL, STONE, BONE, AND SHELL -- ANCIENT - COPPER MINES -- ROCK-INSCRIPTIONS -- ANTIQUITY OF THE - MISSISSIPPI REMAINS -- COMPARISONS -- CONCLUSIONS. - - - [Sidenote: TREATMENT OF FOREIGN REMAINS.] - -I announced in an introductory chapter my intention to go in this -volume beyond the geographical limits of my field of labor proper, the -Pacific States, and to include a sketch of eastern and southern -antiquities. I am not sure that this departure from my territory is -strictly more necessary or appropriate in this than in the other -departments of this work;--that is, that the material relics of the -Mississippi Valley and South America have a more direct bearing on the -institutions and history of the Native Races of the Pacific, than do -the manners and customs, mythology, and language of the South American -and eastern tribes. Yet there is this difference, that to have -included the whole American continent in the preceding volumes would -have required a new collection of material, additional time and -research, and an increase of bulk in printed pages, each equal at -least to what has been done; and I believe that the original scope of -my work, and the bulk of that part of it devoted to the Native Races, -is already sufficiently extensive. But in the department of -antiquities, making the present volume of uniform size with others of -the work, I have, I think, sufficient space and material to justify me -in extending my researches beyond the Pacific States; and this seems -to me especially desirable by reason of the fact that all the -important archaeological remains outside of what I term the Pacific -States, may be included in the two groups to which my closing chapters -are devoted, and the present volume may consequently present some -claim to be considered a comprehensive work on American Antiquities. - - * * * * * - -My treatment of the subject in this and the following chapter will, -however, differ considerably from that in those preceding. I have -hitherto proceeded geographically from south to north, placing before -the reader all the information extant, be it more or less complete, -respecting every relic in each locality, and giving besides in every -case the source whence the information was obtained. In this manner -the notes become a complete bibliographical index to the whole -subject, not an unimportant feature, I believe, of this work. In the -broad eastern region bordering on the Mississippi and its tributaries, -a region thickly inhabited, and thoroughly explored by antiquarians, -or at least comparatively so, so numerous are the relics and the -localities where they have been found, that to take them up one after -another for detailed description would require at least a volume; and -these relics, although of great importance, present so little variety -in the absence of all architectural monuments, that such a detailed -account could hardly fail to become monotonous to a degree -unparalleled even in the pages of the present volume. Moreover, the -books and other material in my possession, while amply sufficient, I -think, to furnish a clear idea of the Mississippi and South American -monuments, are of course inadequate to a continuation of the -bibliographical feature referred to. For these reasons I deem it best -to abandon the elaborate note-system hitherto followed, and shall -present a general rather than a detailed view of material relics -outside the Pacific States, formed from a careful study of what I -believe to be the best authorities, and illustrated by the cuts given -in Mr Baldwin's work.[XIII-1] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY.] - -Material relics of the aboriginal tribes are found in greater or less -abundance throughout the Eastern United States and the Canadas. But -those found in New England and the region east of the Alleghanies, -extending southward to the Carolinas, may be dismissed in an account -so general as the present with the remark that all are evidently the -work of the Indian tribes found in possession of the country, many of -them evidently and others probably having originated at a time -subsequent to the coming of Europeans. But whatever may be decided -respecting their antiquity, it may be regarded as absolutely certain -that none of them point to the existence of any people of more -advanced culture than the red race that came in contact with -Europeans. They consist for the most part of traces of Indian villages -or camps, burial grounds, small stone-heaps, scattered arrow-heads, -and some other rude stone implements. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: CLASSIFICATION OF REMAINS.] - -The great Mississippi Valley system of ancient works, consisting of -mounds and embankments of earth and stone, erected by the race known -as the Mound-builders, extends over a territory bounded in general -terms as follows: on the north by the great lakes; on the east by -western New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia in the north, but farther -south extending to the Atlantic coast and including Florida, Georgia, -and part of South Carolina; on the south by the Gulf of Mexico, -including Texas according to the general statements of most writers, -although I find no definite account of any remains in that state; on -the west by an indefinite line extending from the head of Lake -Superior through the states of Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Indian -Territory, although there are reported some remains farther west, -particularly on the upper Missouri, which have not been thoroughly -explored. The map in the accompanying cut is intended only to show the -reader at a glance the relative position of the states in the -territory of the Mound-builders. - - [Illustration: Map of the Territory of the Mound-Builders.] - -Throughout this broad extent of territory, but chiefly on the fertile -river-terraces of the Mississippi and its tributaries, the works of -the ancient inhabitants are found in great abundance, and may be -classified for convenience in description as follows:--I. Embankments -of earth or stone, and ditches, often forming enclosures, which are -subdivided by their location into, 1st, fortifications, and 2d, sacred -enclosures, or such as are supposed to have been connected with -religious rites. - -II. Mounds of earth or stone, of varying location, size, form, -material, and contents; divided by their form into, 1st, 'temple -mounds,' of regular outline and large dimensions, having flat summit -platforms, and often terraced sides with graded ascents; 2d, -'animal-mounds,' or those resembling in their ground plan the forms of -animals, birds, or even human beings; and 3d, conical mounds, which -are again subdivided according to their contents into 'altar-mounds' -or 'sacrificial mounds,' 'burial mounds,' and 'anomalous mounds,' or -such as are of mixed or undetermined character. - -III. Minor relics of aboriginal art, for the most part taken from the -mounds, including implements and ornaments of metal, stone, shell, and -bone. - -IV. Ancient mines, and perhaps a few salt-wells which bear marks of -having been worked by the aborigines. - -V. Rock-inscriptions. - -These different classes of remains, although sufficiently uniform in -their general character to indicate that the Mound-builders were of -one race, living under one grand system of institutions, still show -certain variations in the relative predominance of each class in -different sections of the territory. The Ohio River and its -tributaries would seem to have been in a certain sense the centre of -the Mound-builders' power, for here the various forms of enclosures -and mounds are most abundant and extensive, and their contents show -the highest advancement of aboriginal art. This section, including -chiefly the state of Ohio, but also parts of Kentucky, Indiana, -Tennessee, Illinois, and Missouri, was the ground embraced in the -explorations of Squier and Davis, by far the best authorities on -eastern antiquities. In the northern region, on the great lakes, on -which Lapham and Pidgeon are the prominent authorities, chiefly in -Wisconsin, but also in Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, and -Minnesota, animal-mounds are the prominent feature, the other classes -of mounds, and the enclosures, being of comparatively rare occurrence. -The animal-mounds occur in the central Ohio region only in a very few -instances, and never, so far as is known, in the south. In the -southern or gulf states the temple-mounds are more numerous in -proportion to other classes than in the north, and enclosures -disappear almost altogether. The southern antiquities have, however, -been comparatively little explored, Mr Jones' late work referring for -the most part only to the state of Georgia. - -Throughout the whole region traces of the tribes found by Europeans in -possession of the country are found; and besides the three territorial -divisions already indicated, it is noted that in the north-east, in -western New York and Pennsylvania, the works of the Mound-builders -merge so gradually into those of the later tribes, the only relics -farther east, that it becomes well-nigh impossible to fix accurately -the dividing line. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: REMAINS IN NEW YORK.] - -In many parts of western New York traces are found of Indian fortified -camps, surrounded by rows of holes in the ground, which once supported -palisades, and in all respects similar to those in use among the -Indians of the state in their wars against the whites. There are also -found low embankments of earth, or very rarely of small stones, which -form enclosures or cut off the approach to the weaker side of some -naturally strong position. Such embankments are always on hills, lake -or river terraces, or other high places, and are often protected on -one or more sides by morasses or by streams with steep banks. Their -strong natural position, with due regard to the water supply, -carefully planned means of exit, and in many instances graded roads to -the water, leaves no doubt of their original design as fortifications, -places of refuge and of protection against enemies. The slight height -of the embankments would suggest that they were thrown up to support -palisades; indeed, traces of these palisades have been found in some -cases. The practice of throwing up an embankment at the foot of -palisades, although seemingly a very natural one, does not, however, -seem to have been noticed among the Indian tribes of New York. In -nearly all the enclosures remains of the typical Indian _caches_ are -found, with carbonized maize, and traces of wood and bark; and in and -around them the sites of Indian lodges or towns are seen, indicated by -the presence of decomposed and carbonaceous matter, together with -burned stones, charcoal, ashes, bones, pottery, and Indian implements. -These circumstances go far to prove that all the New York works, if -not built by the Indians, were at least occupied by them after their -abandonment by the Mound-builders, from some of whose works they do -not differ much except in dimensions and regularity of form. - -The enclosures vary in extent from three to four acres, the largest -being sixteen acres. The embankments are from one to four feet high, -generally accompanied by an exterior ditch;--the highest is seven or -eight feet from bottom of ditch to top of embankment. Many such works -in a country so long under cultivation have of course disappeared. Mr -Squier ascertained the locality of one hundred of them in New York, -and estimates the original number at not less than two hundred and -fifty. - - * * * * * - -The works of the Mound-builders are almost exclusively confined to the -fertile valleys still best fitted to support a dense population. The -Mississippi and its tributaries have during the progress of the -centuries worn down their valleys in three or four successive -terraces, which, except the lowest, or latest formed, the ancient -peoples chose as the site of their structures, giving the preference -in rearing their grandest cities--for cities there must have been--to -the terrace plains near the junction of the larger streams. On these -plains and their surrounding heights, are found the ancient monuments, -generally in groups which include all or many of the classes named -above; for it is only for convenience in description that the -classification is made; that is, the classification is by no means to -any great extent a geographical one. I have already said that Ohio -was the centre, apparently, of the Mound-builders' power. Northward, -eastward, and perhaps westward from this centre, the works diminish in -extent, fortifications become a more prominent feature, and the -remaining monuments approximate perceptibly to those of the more -barbarous and later peoples. In fact, we find the modifications that -might naturally be expected in a frontier country. Southward from the -Ohio region down the Mississippi Valley, it is a common remark in the -various writings on the subject, that the monuments increase gradually -in magnitude and numbers. This statement seems to have originated, -partially at least, in the old attempt to trace the path of Aztec -migration southward. The only foundation for it is the fact that the -class of mounds called temple-mounds are in the south more numerous in -proportion to those of the other classes. The largest mound and the -most extensive groups are in the north; while the complicated -arrangement of sacred enclosures appears but rarely if at all towards -the gulf. It is not impossible that more extensive explorations may -show that the comparative numbers and size of the large temple-mounds -have been somewhat exaggerated. Yet the claims in behalf of Nahua -traces in the Mississippi region are much better founded than those -that have been urged in other parts of the country; although we have -seen that the chain is interrupted in the New Mexican country, and I -can find no definite record of temple-mounds in Texas. The total -number of mounds in the state of Ohio is estimated by the best -authority at ten thousand, while the enclosures were at least fifteen -hundred. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: FORTIFICATIONS.] - -I begin with the embankments and enclosures. They are found, almost -always in connection with mounds of some class, on the hills -overlooking the valleys, and on the ravine-bounded terraces left by -the current of rapid streams. The first, or oldest, terraces, with -bold banks from fifty to a hundred feet high, furnish the sites of -most of the works; on the lower intermediate terraces, whose banks -range from ten to thirty feet in height, they are also found, though -less frequently than above; while on the last-formed terrace below no -monuments whatever have ever been discovered. - -The embankments are simply earth, stones, or a mixture of the two, in -their natural condition, thrown up from the material which is nearest -at hand. There is no instance of walls built of stone that has been -hewn or otherwise artificially prepared, of the use of mortar, of even -rough stones laid with regularity, of adobes or earth otherwise -prepared, or of material brought from any great distance. The material -was taken from a ditch that often accompanies the embankment, from -excavations or pits in the immediate vicinity, or is scraped up from -the surface of the surrounding soil. There is nothing in the present -appearance of these works to indicate any difference in their original -form from that naturally given to earth-works thrown up from a ditch, -with sides as nearly perpendicular as the nature of the material will -permit. Of course, any attempt on the part of the builders to give a -symmetrical superficial contour to the works would have been long -since obliterated by the action of the elements; but nothing now -remains to show that they attached any importance whatever to either -material or contour. Stone embankments are rarely found, and only in -localities where the abundance of the material would naturally suggest -its use. In a few instances clay has been obtained at a little -distance, or dug from beneath the surface. - - [Sidenote: FORTIFIED HILLS.] - -Accordingly as they are found on the level plain, or on hill-tops or -other strong positions, enclosures are divided into fortifications and -sacred enclosures. Of the design of the first class there can be no -doubt, and very little respecting many of the second class, although -it is very probable that some of the latter had a different purpose, -not now understood. Naturally some works occur which have some of the -features of both classes. The fortifications are always of irregular -form as determined by the nature of the ground. - - [Illustration: Fortification--Butler Hill.] - -A fortification at Butler Hill, near Hamilton, Ohio, is shown in the -cut. The summit of the hill is two hundred and fifty feet above the -river, the enclosing wall is of earth and stones, five feet high, -thirty-five feet thick at the base, and unaccompanied by a ditch, -although there are some pits which furnished the material of the wall. -Two mounds or heaps of rough stones are seen within the enclosure and -one without, the stones of all showing marks of fire. - - [Illustration: Fort Hill, Ohio.] - -The next cut shows a work at Fort Hill, Ohio, which seems to unite the -characters of the two classes of enclosures. It measures twenty-eight -hundred by eighteen hundred feet, and is on the second terrace. The -wall along the creek side is of stones and clay, four feet high: the -other main walls are six feet high and thirty-five feet thick, with an -exterior ditch. The walls of the square enclosure at the side are of -clay, present some marks of fire, and have no ditch. Mr Squier -concludes that this was a fortified town rather than a fort like many -others. The walls of the enclosure shown in the following cut, on -Paint Creek, Ohio, are of stone, thirteen hundred feet in -circumference, and have no ditch. The heaps of stones connected with -this work have been exposed to excessive heat, either perhaps by being -used as fire signals, or by the burning of wooden structures which -they supported. In the works at Fort Ancient, on a mesa two hundred -and thirty feet above the Miami River, the embankment is four miles -long in an irregular line round the circumference, and in some parts -eighteen or twenty feet high. There are also some signs of artificial -terraces on the river side of the hill. A line of these defensive -works is found in northern Ohio, with which very few regular mounds or -sacred enclosures are connected. Pidgeon states that a single line of -embankment may be traced for seventeen miles, and that there are three -hundred and six miles of embankment fortifications in the state. It is -quite probable that these embankments originally bore palisades. They -vary in height from three to thirty feet, reckoning from the bottom of -the ditch; but this gives only a very imperfect idea of their original -dimensions, since in some localities the height has been much more -reduced by time than in others, owing to the nature of the material. -In hill fortifications the ditch is usually inside the wall, but when -the defences guard the approach to a terrace-point, the ditch is -always on the outside. The entrances to this class of enclosures are -governed by convenience of exit, accessibility of water, and -facilities for defence. They are usually guarded by overlapping walls -as shown in the cuts that have been presented. Several of the larger -fortifications, however, have a large number of entrances, generally -at regular intervals, which it is very difficult to account for. - - [Illustration: Fort near Bourneville.] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: SACRED ENCLOSURES.] - -Other enclosures are classed as sacred, or pertaining in some way to -religious rites, because no other equally satisfactory explanation of -their use can be given. That they were in no sense works of defence is -evident from their position, almost invariably on the most level spot -that could be selected and often overlooked by neighboring elevations. -Unlike the fortifications they are regular in form, the square and -circle predominating and generally found in conjunction, but the -ellipse, rectangle, crescent, and a great variety of other forms being -frequent, and several different forms usually occurring together. A -square with one or more circles is a frequent combination. The angles -and curves are usually if not always perfectly accurate, and the -regular, or sacred, enclosures probably outnumber by many the -irregular ones, although they are of lesser extent. Enclosed areas of -one to fifty acres are common. The groups are of great extent; one at -Newark, Ohio, covers an area of nearly four square miles. A remarkable -coincidence was noticed by Mr Squier in the dimensions of the square -enclosures, five or six of these having been found at long distances -from each other, which measured exactly ten hundred and eighty feet -square. Circles are, as a rule, smaller than the squares with which -they are connected, two hundred to two hundred and fifty feet being a -common size. The largest of the enclosures, with an area of some six -hundred acres, are those reported in the far west and north-west by -early travelers whose reports are not confirmed. - -The embankment itself differs from those already described only in -being, as a rule, somewhat lower and narrower, although at Newark one -is thirty feet high, and in being constructed with less exceptions -without the use of stones. The material as before was taken from the -surface, ditches, or from pits, which latter are often described as -wells, and may in some instances have served as such. - -The following cut represents a group at Liberty, Ohio, typical of a -large class in the Scioto Valley. The location is on the third -terrace, the embankments of earth are not over four feet high, there -is no ditch, and the earth seems to have been taken exclusively from -pits, which, contrary to the usual custom, are within the enclosure. -The square is one of those already spoken of as agreeing exactly in -dimensions with others at a distance. Additional dimensions are shown -in the cut. The enclosures, both square and round, usually include -several mounds. One at Mound City, square with rounded corners, -covering thirteen acres, has twenty-four sacrificial mounds within its -walls. At Portsmouth, there are four concentric circles, cut by four -broad avenues facing, with slight variation, the cardinal points, and -having a large terraced and truncated mound in the centre. The banks -of one enclosure near Newark measure thirty feet in height from the -bottom of the ditch; the usual height is from three to seven feet. - - [Illustration: Sacred Enclosures--Liberty.] - - [Illustration: Enclosure at Bourneville.] - - [Illustration: Works at Hopeton.] - -The circles often have an interior ditch; in some cases, as at -Circleville and Salem, there are two circular embankments one within -the other with a ditch between them; but there is only one instance of -an exterior ditch, in the work at Bourneville, Ohio, shown in the -first cut. The wall is from eight to ten feet high, and the ditch is -shallow. The larger circles have generally a single entrance, which is -usually, but not always, on the east. There are numerous small circles -from thirty to fifty feet in diameter, found in connection with groups -of large enclosures, which have very light embankments and no -entrances. These may very likely be the remains of lodges or camps. -The larger circles are almost invariably connected with squares or -rectangles, which have similar embankments but no ditches. These have -very commonly an entrance at each angle and one in the middle of each -side, but the larger squares have often many more entrances. - - [Illustration: View of Earth-works at Hopeton.] - -The second cut shows a group of sacred enclosures at Hopeton, Ohio, -located on the third terrace. The walls of the rectangle are of a -clayey loam, fifty feet thick and twelve feet high, without a ditch. -The summit is wide enough for a wagon road. The walls of the circle -are somewhat lower and composed of clay differing in color from that -found in the vicinity. The two smaller circles have interior ditches. -The cut gives a view of the same works as they appear from the east. -The parallel embankments in the south are one hundred and fifty feet -apart and extend half a mile to the bank of an old river bed. Two -hundred paces north of the large circle, and not shown in the cuts, is -another circle two hundred and fifty feet in diameter. - - [Illustration: Cedar Bank Enclosures.] - -The enclosure shown in the next cut is that at Cedar Bank, near -Chillicothe, Ohio, and seems to partake somewhat of the nature of a -fortification. The west side is naturally protected by the river bank, -and the other sides are enclosed by a wall and ditch, each forty feet -wide and five to six feet high or deep. The bed of a small stream -forms a natural ditch for one half of the eastern side. Within the -enclosure in a line with the entrances is a raised platform four feet -high, measuring one hundred and fifty by two hundred and fifty feet, -with graded ways thirty feet wide, leading to the summit. The -parallels outside the enclosure are three or four feet high. The -earth-work in Randolph County, Indiana, is sufficiently explained by -the cut. This work, like the preceding, would seem to have been -constructed partially with a view to defence. The work shown in the -next cut is part of a group in Pike County, Ohio. The circle is three -hundred feet in diameter. - - [Illustration: Parallel Embankments--Piketon.] - - [Illustration: Fortified Square--Indiana.] - - [Illustration: Earth-work in Pike County, Ohio.] - - [Sidenote: EARTH-WORKS.] - -The different enclosures of a group are often connected by parallel -embankments. Similar embankments protect the roads leading from -fortified works to the river bank or other source of water. Many are -not connected with any enclosures, though in their vicinity; and in -such cases they are very slight, from seven hundred to eight hundred -feet long, and sixty to eighty feet apart. Some of these parallels -were very likely raised roads instead of enclosed ones, as on the -Little Miami River, where the embankments extend about a quarter of a -mile from two mounds, forming a semicircle round a third, being a rod -wide and only three feet high. At Madison, Louisiana, there is a -raised way three feet high, seventy-five feet wide, and two thousand -seven hundred feet long, with broad excavations three feet in depth -extending on both sides for about two thirds its length. Two parallel -banks at Piketon, Ohio, are shown in the cut. They are ten hundred and -eighty feet long, two hundred and three feet apart at one end, and -two hundred and fifteen at the other; the height on the outside being -from five to eleven feet, but on the inside twenty-two feet at one -end. A modern carriage road now runs between the mounds. From the end -of one of them a slight embankment extends twenty-five hundred and -eighty feet to a group of mounds. - - [Sidenote: DITCHES AND MOUNDS.] - -In the north ditches seem never to occur, except with embankments; but -in the south, where embankments are rarely if ever found, ditches, or -moats, are sometimes employed to enclose other works, especially in -Georgia. Such a moat at Carterville communicates with the river, -extends to a pond perhaps artificial, and has two reservoirs, each of -an acre, connected with it. The mounds and other monuments are located -between the river and the moat. I have already spoken of the pits -which furnished earth for the various works, sometimes called wells; -some wells of another class, found in the bed of streams and supplied -with round covers, were found by Mr Squier to be the natural casts of -septaria, or imbedded nodules of hard clay. - - * * * * * - -The mound or heap form is the one most common in American antiquities -as in those of nearly the whole world. Mounds are found throughout the -Mississippi region as before bounded, and beyond its limits in many -directions they merge into the small stone heaps which are known to -have been thrown up by the Indians at road-crossings and over graves. -They are most numerous in the upper Mississippi and Ohio valleys, in -the same region where the embankments also most abound. As I have -said, the number in Ohio alone is estimated at more than ten thousand. -They are almost always found in connection with embankments and other -works of the different classes described, but they are also very -numerous in regions where enclosures rarely or never occur, as in -Wisconsin and in the gulf states. From the central region about the -junction of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio, they gradually -diminish in numbers in every direction, and also in size except -perhaps towards the south. They are found in valley and plain, on -hill-side and hill-top; isolated and in groups; within and without -enclosures; and at long distances from other works. By their location -alone no satisfactory classification could possibly be made; still, -when considered in connection with their contents and other -circumstances, their location assumes importance. By their forms the -tumuli are classified as temple-mounds, animal-mounds, and conical -mounds. - - [Sidenote: TEMPLE-MOUNDS.] - -Temple-mounds always have level summit platforms, and are supposed to -have once supported wooden structures, although no traces of such -temples remain. A graded road straight or winding, of gentler slope -than the sides of the mound, often leads to the top; and in many cases -the sides have one or more terraces. One in Tennessee, four hundred -and fifty feet in diameter and fifty feet high, has ten clearly marked -terraces, except on the east. The bases assume a variety of forms, -square, rectangular, octagonal, round, oval, etc., but the curves and -angles are always extremely regular. In the north they are usually -within enclosures, but in the south, where they are most numerous, -they have no embankments and are often arranged in groups, the smaller -about a larger central mound. In size the temple-mounds vary from a -height of five feet and a diameter of forty feet to ninety feet in -altitude and a base-area of eight acres. In respect to form, material, -structure, contents, and probable use they admit of no subdivision. -Like the embankments they are made of earth, or rarely of stones, -simply heaped up, with little care in the choice of material and none -at all in the order of deposit. - -The largest mound of this, or in fact of any, class is that at -Cahokia, Illinois. Its base measures seven hundred by five hundred -feet. The height is ninety feet. On one end above mid-height is a -terrace platform one hundred and sixty by three hundred and fifty -feet, and the summit area is two hundred by four hundred and fifty -feet, or nearly two acres, the base covering over eight acres. On the -top a small conical mound was found, with some human bones, a deposit -of doubtful antiquity. A mound is described at Lovedale, Kentucky, as -being of octagonal base, five feet high, with sides of a hundred and -fifty feet, three graded ascents, and two conical mounds on its -summit. Mr Jones states that parapet embankments, round the edge of -the summit, sometimes occur on the southern temple-mounds. - - [Illustration: Temple-Mound--Marietta, Ohio.] - -At Marietta, Ohio, are four mounds like that shown in the cut, within -a square enclosure. The height of this one is ten feet. The mound at -Seltzerton, Mississippi, forty feet in height, covers nearly six -acres, and has a summit area of four acres, on which are two conical -mounds, also forty feet high and thirty feet in diameter. The base is -surrounded with a ditch ten feet deep, an unusual feature. There are -said to be large adobe blocks in the northern slope of this pyramid, -and the same material is reported in other southern structures. These -reports require additional confirmation. - -The Messier Mound, in Early County, Georgia, differs in its location -from most temple-mounds, standing on the summit of a natural hill -which overlooks a broad extent of country. The artificial height is -fifty-five feet, and the summit area sixty-six by one hundred and -fifty-six feet. There are no traces of any means of ascent, and the -slopes are very steep. A ditch extends in a semicircle from corner to -corner at the southern end, and thence down the slope of the hill. An -excavation of two acres, twenty-five feet deep on an average, seems to -have furnished the earth for the mound. A round well, sixty feet in -diameter and forty feet deep is found at one end of the excavation. A -temple-mound in the Nacooche Valley, Georgia, is elliptical in form, -and has a summit area of sixty by ninety feet. - -An octagonal mound, forty-five feet high and one hundred and eighty -feet in diameter at the top, is located on a hill-top opposite the -city of Macon; it was formed of earth carried from the valley below. A -temple-mound at Mason's Plantation, on the Savannah River, has been -partly washed away by the water, which reveals along the natural -surface of the ground a stratum a foot thick of charcoal, baked earth, -ashes, broken pottery, shells, and bones of animals and birds, with a -few human bones. The mound, which is of the surrounding alluvial soil, -would seem to have been erected over a spot long occupied as an -encampment. This mound, and another near it, were originally enclosed -by a moat which communicated with the river, and widened on one side -into a broad lagoon. - -On Plunkett Creek, Georgia, is a mound of stones which has the -appearance of a temple-mound, having a summit area forty feet in -diameter. Stone is rarely used in structures of this class; perhaps -this was originally a conical mound. There seem to be few large mounds -in the south unaccompanied by ditches, which seem here to have been -introduced where embankments would have been preferred in the north. - -In a late number of the _Cincinnati Quarterly Journal of Science_ I -find described, unfortunately only on newspaper authority, a -remarkable temple-mound, near Springfield, Missouri, on a hill three -hundred feet high. It is of earth and stones, sixty two feet high, -five hundred feet in diameter at the base and one hundred and thirty -at the summit. A ditch, two hundred feet wide and five feet deep, -surrounds the base, and is crossed by a causeway, opposite which a -stairway of roughly hewn stones leads up the northern slope. The top -is covered by a platform of stone, in the centre of which lies a stone -ten by twelve feet, and eleven inches thick, hollowed in the middle. -This report without further confirmation must be considered a hoax--at -least so far as the stone steps, pavement, and altar are concerned. - - [Illustration: Mississippi Temple-Mounds.] - -The group of temple-mounds shown in the cut is in Washington County, -Mississippi. Others similar in many respects to these are found at -Madison, Louisiana. - -Temple-mounds are homogeneous and never stratified in their -construction, and contain no relics; that is, the object in their -erection was simply to afford a raised platform, with convenient means -of ascent. - - * * * * * - -Animal-mounds, the second class, are those that assume in their ground -plan various irregular forms, sometimes those of living creatures, -including quadrupeds, birds, reptiles, fishes, and in a few cases men. -Mounds of this class are very numerous in the north-west, particularly -in Wisconsin, and rarely occur further south, although there are a few -excellent specimens in Ohio. They are most abundant in fertile valleys -and rarely occur on the lake shore. Nine tenths of them are simple -straight, curved, or crooked embankments of irregular form, slightly -raised above the surface, bearing no likeness to any natural object. -In many, fancied to be like certain animals, the resemblance is -imaginary. Those shaped like a tapering club, with two knobs on one -side near the larger end--a very common figure--are called -'lizard-mounds;' add two other protuberances on the opposite side and -we have the 'turtle-mounds.' Yet a few bear a clear resemblance to -quadrupeds, birds, and serpents, and all evidently belong to the same -class and were connected with the religious ideas of the builders. -They are not burial mounds, contain no relics, are but a few feet at -the most above the ground, and are always composed of whitish clay, or -the subsoil of the country. Their dimensions on the ground are -considerable; rude effigies of human form are in some cases over one -hundred feet long; quadrupeds have bodies and tails each from fifty to -two hundred feet long; birds have wings of a hundred feet; -'lizard-mounds' are two and even four hundred feet in length; -straight and curved lines of embankment reach over a thousand feet; -and serpents are equally extensive. They are grouped without any -apparent order together with conical mounds, occasional embankments, -and few enclosures. They often form a line extending over a large -tract. In some cases the animal form is an excavation instead of a -mound, the earth being thrown up on the banks. An embankment in Adams -County, Ohio, on the summit of a hill much like those often occupied -by fortifications, is thought to resemble a monster serpent with -curved body and coiled tail, five feet high, thirty feet wide in the -middle, and over one thousand feet long if uncoiled. The jaws are wide -open and apparently in the act of swallowing an oval mound measuring -one hundred and sixty by eighty feet. On a hill overlooking Granville, -Ohio, is a mound six feet high and a hundred and fifty feet long, -thought to resemble the form of an alligator. Stones are rarely used -with the earth in the construction of animal-mounds, and only in a few -cases has the presence of ashes or other traces of fire been reported. - - * * * * * - -The third class of tumuli includes the conical mounds, mere heaps of -earth and stones, so far as outward appearance is concerned, generally -round, often oval, sometimes square with rounded corners, or even -hexagonal and triangular, in their base-forms, and varying in height -from a few inches to seventy feet, in diameter from three or four to -three hundred feet. A height of from six to thirty feet and a diameter -of forty to one hundred feet would probably include a larger part of -them. Of course the height has been reduced and the base increased by -the action of rains more or less in different localities according to -the material employed. Mounds of this class never have summit -platforms or any means of ascent. They are here as elsewhere in -America much more numerous than other mounds. Although so like one to -another in form, they differ widely in location and contents. They are -found on hill-tops and in the level plain. In the former case they are -either isolated, grouped round fortifications, or extend in long lines -at irregular intervals for many miles, suggesting boundary lines or -fire signals. In the valleys they stand alone, in groups, or in -connection with sacred enclosures. The groups are sometimes -symmetrical, as when a number of mounds are regularly arranged about a -larger central one, or are so placed as to form squares, circles, and -other regular figures; but often no systematic plan is observable. -Also in connection with the enclosures part of them are symmetrically -located with respect to entrances, angles, or temple-mounds; while -others are scattered apparently without fixed order. There are few -enclosures that do not have a mound opposite each entrance on the -inside. A complete survey and restoration would probably show many -mounds to belong to some regular system, that now appear isolated. - -The material of the mounds requires no remark in addition to what has -been said of other works. A large majority are simply heaps of the -earth nearest at hand. Stone mounds, or those of mixed materials, are -rare, and are chiefly confined to the hill-top structures. Most of the -earth mounds are homogeneous in structure, but some are regularly and -doubtless intentionally stratified. Some of them in the gulf states -are composed of shells, in addition to the shell-mounds proper formed -by the gradual deposit of refuse shells, the contents of which served -as food. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: CONTENTS OF THE MOUNDS.] - -The contents of the mounds should be divided into two great classes; -those deposited by the Mound-builders, and those of modern Indian or -European origin. The distinction is important, but difficult; and in -this difficulty is to be found the origin of many of the extraordinary -reports and theories. The Indians have always felt a kind of -veneration for the mounds as for something of mysterious origin and -purpose, and have used them as burial places. The Indian habit of -burying with their dead such articles as were prized by them when -living, is well known; as is also the value attached by them to -trinkets obtained by purchase or theft from Europeans. Consequently -articles of European manufacture, such as must have been obtained long -before the country was to any great extent occupied by the whites, are -often dug from the mounds and found elsewhere. The discovery of silver -crosses, gun-barrels, and French dials, does not, however, as Mr -Squier remarks, justify the conclusion that the Mound-builders "were -Catholics, used fire-arms, or spoke French." The mounds are usually -opened by injudicious explorers or by treasure-seekers, who have paid -little attention to the location of the relics found or the condition -of the surrounding soil. Museums and private collections are full of -spurious relics thus obtained. It is certain in some cases, and -probable in many more, that the mounds have been 'salted' with -specimens with a view to their early investigation. Yet many mounds -have been opened by scientific men, who have brought to light curious -relics, surely the work of the Mound-builders. Such relics are found -in the centre of the mounds, on or near the original surface of the -ground, with the surrounding material undisturbed. In the stratified -mounds any disturbance in the soil is easily detected, but with -difficulty in the others. Reports of unusual relics should be regarded -as not authentic unless accompanied by most positive proof. - - * * * * * - -Neither the embankments of sacred enclosures, the temple-mounds, nor -the animal-mounds, have been proved to contain any relics that may be -attributed to the original builders. Many of the conical mounds do -contain such relics, and by their contents or the lack of them, are -divided into altar-mounds, burial mounds, and anomalous mounds. - -Altar-mounds are always found within or near enclosures, and each one -is found to contain something like an altar, made of burned clay or -stone. The altars are generally of fine clay brought from some -distance, burned hard sometimes to a depth of twenty inches. They were -not burned before being put in place, but by the action of fires built -upon or round them. Such as were very slightly burned had no relics. -The stone altars are very rare, and are formed of rough slabs, and not -hewn from a single block. They are square, rectangular, round, and -oval; vary in size from two feet in diameter to fifteen by fifty feet, -but are generally from five to eight feet; are rarely over twenty -inches high; rest on or near the surface of the ground, in the centre -of the mound; and have a basin-shaped concavity on the top. The basin -is almost always filled with ashes, in which are the relics deposited -by the Mound-builders. Relics are much more numerous in the altar than -in the burial mounds, but as they are of the same class, both may best -be spoken of together. These altars are probably the structures spoken -of by early explorers and writers as hearths; there are reports that -some of them were made of burnt bricks. - -A peculiarity of the altar-mounds is that they are formed of regular -strata of earth, gravel, sand, clay, etc., which are not horizontal, -but follow the curve of the surface. The outer layer is commonly of -gravel. This stratification renders it easy to detect any modern -disturbance of the mounds, and makes the altar relics especially -interesting and valuable for scientific purposes. Over the ashes in -one altar-mound, were found plates of mica and some human bones. -Skeletons are often found near the surface of these mounds, the strata -above them being disturbed; in one case the Indians had penetrated to -the centre and deposited a body on the altar itself. Sir John Lubbock -inclines to the opinion that these were really sepulchral rather than -sacrificial mounds, although he had not personally examined them. -Whatever their use, they certainly constitute a clearly defined class -distinct from all others, and the name altar-mounds is as appropriate -as any other. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: BURIAL MOUNDS.] - -Unstratified mounds, never within enclosures and generally at some -little distance from them, containing human remains in their centres -and undoubtedly erected as places of sepulture, constitute the second -class, and are called burial mounds. The custom of heaping up a mound -over the dead was probably imitated for a long time by the tribes that -followed the Mound-builders, so that the relics from these mounds are -less satisfactory than those found on the altars. In the burial mounds -that may be most confidently ascribed to the Mound-builders, the human -remains are found in a situation corresponding to that of the altars. -They are usually enclosed in a frame-work of logs, a covering of bark -or coarse matting, or a combination of these, which have left only -faint traces. Of the skeleton only small fragments remain, which -crumble on exposure to the air. In some cases there are indications -that the body was burned before burial. Each mound contains, as a -rule, a single skeleton, generally but not always placed east and -west. Where several skeletons are found together, they are sometimes -placed in a circle with the heads towards the centre. The mounds never -contain large numbers of skeletons, and cannot be regarded as -cemeteries, but only as monuments reared over the remains of -personages high in rank. Very few skulls or bones are recovered -sufficiently entire to give any idea of the Mound-builders' physique, -and these few show no clearly defined differences from the modern -Indian tribes. Four or five burial mounds are often found in a group, -the smaller ones in such cases being grouped round a larger central -one, generally in contact with its base. Mr Lapham sketched mounds in -Wisconsin where the body is deposited in a central basin-shaped -excavation in the ground very much like those in Vancouver Island -already described. - -Of the eastern burial deposits not connected with the mounds I shall -say very little. It has already been stated that the mounds were in no -sense cemeteries. Only a favored few of what must have been a dense -population were honored by these sepulchral monuments. Obliged to seek -elsewhere the general depositories of the dead, we find them of -various classes in large numbers; but as yet very little has been done -towards identifying any of them as the resting-places of the -Mound-builders. There are many bone-pits, or trenches filled with -human bones, in the mound region; but some of the modern Indians are -well known to have periodically collected and deposited in pits the -bones of their dead. Large numbers of bodies have been found in the -caves of Kentucky and Tennessee, well preserved by the natural -deposits of saltpetre, and wrapped in skins, bark, or feather-cloth; -but the fact that such cloths were made and used by the southern -tribes, renders the origin of these bodies uncertain. Besides the -caves and trenches there are regular cemeteries, some of them very -extensive. Seven of these are reported about Nashville, Tennessee, -within a radius of ten miles, each being about a mile in extent. The -graves are of flat stones, lie in ranges, and contain skeletons much -decayed, with some relics. The coffins, or graves, vary from two to -six feet in length, and the smallest have sometimes been mentioned as -indicating a race of pigmies; it is evident, however, that in such -graves bones were not deposited until the flesh had been removed. -Sometimes there are traces of wooden coffins, in other cases there are -only stones at the head and feet, and often there is no trace of any -coffin. A few graves contain relics similar to those in the -altar-mounds, and were covered with large forest trees when first -seen by Europeans. Yet the comparatively well-preserved skeletons, and -the presence in many cases of iron and relics clearly modern, render -it well-nigh impossible to decide which, if any, of these cemeteries -contain the remains of the Mound-builders. - - [Illustration: Mound at Miamisburg.] - - [Sidenote: ANOMALOUS MOUNDS.] - -Mounds of the third class are called anomalous, and include all that -are not evidently either altar or burial mounds, or which have some -of the peculiarities of both classes; for instance, in an elliptical -mound an altar was found in one centre, and a skeleton in the other. -Most prominent among them are the hill-top heaps of earth, or--oftener -than in the plains below--of stone. These have as a rule few original -burial deposits, and no relics; are often near fortifications; and in -many cases bear the marks of fire. Their use cannot be accurately -determined, but they are generally regarded as watch-towers and fire -signal stations. Of course, comparatively few of the whole number of -conical mounds have been explored, but so far as examined they seem to -be about equally divided between the three classes. The mound shown -in the cut is at Miamisburg, Ohio, and its class is not stated. It is -sixty-eight feet high and eight hundred and fifty feet in -circumference. Shell-mounds abounding in relics of aboriginal work are -very numerous in the gulf states. - - * * * * * - -I shall pass briefly over the minor relics of aboriginal art since it -is impossible in this volume to present illustrative cuts of the -thousands of objects that have been found, or even of typical -specimens. Such relics as are incontestably the work of the -Mound-builders include articles of metal, stone, earthen ware, bone, -and shell. They include implements and ornaments, besides which many -are of unknown use. Most of the smaller specimens, whose use is -unknown, are called by Mr Dickeson and others aboriginal coins; -perhaps some of them did serve such a purpose. - -The only metals found in the mounds are copper and silver, the latter -only in very small quantities. A few gold trinkets have been reported, -but the evidence is not conclusive that such were deposited by the -Mound-builders. Iron ore and galena occur, but no iron or lead. - -Copper is found in native masses, and also hammered into implements -and ornaments. There is no evidence that this metal was ever obtained -from ore by smelting; it was all doubtless worked cold from native -masses by hammering. Concerning the locality where it was procured, -there is little or no uncertainty. The abundant deposits of native -copper about Lake Superior naturally suggest that region as the source -of the copper supply; the discovery of anciently worked mines -strengthens the supposition; and the finding among the mounds of -copper mixed with silver in a manner only found at Lake Superior, -makes the matter a certainty. The modern tribes also obtained some -copper from the same localities. The Mound-builders were ignorant of -the arts of casting, welding, and alloying. They had no means of -hardening their copper tools, being in this respect less advanced than -the Nahuas and Mayas. In fact copper implements are much more rare -than ornaments of the same metal. The implements include axes, -hatchets, adzes, knives, spear-heads, chisels, drills, etc. Ornaments -are in the form of rings, gorgets, medals, bracelets, and beads, with -a large variety of small articles of unknown use, some of them -probably used as money. Very small models of larger implements like -axes are often found, and were doubtless worn as ornaments. - -Silver is of much rarer occurrence than copper, was obtained probably -from the same region, and is almost invariably found in the form of -sheets hammered out very thin and closely wrapped about small -ornaments of copper or shell. So nicely is the wrapping done that it -often resembles plating. The gold whose discovery has been reported -has been in the form of beads and so-called coins. Mr Dickeson speaks -confidently of gold, silver, copper, and galena money left by the -Mound-builders. There is no evidence that the use of iron was known, -except the extreme difficulty of clearing forests and carving stone -with implements of stone and soft copper. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: ABORIGINAL POTTERY.] - - [Illustration: Earthen Vases from the Mounds.] - -Specimens of aboriginal pottery are very abundant, although much less -so within the mounds than elsewhere near the surface. Mr Squier says, -"various though not abundant specimens of their skill have been -recorded, which in elegance of model, delicacy, and finish, as also in -fineness of material, come fully up to the best Peruvian specimens, to -which they bear, in many respects, a close resemblance. They far -exceed anything of which the existing tribes of Indians are known to -have been capable." The specimens in the mound-deposits are, with very -few exceptions, broken. The material is usually a pure clay, -sometimes with a slight admixture of pulverized quartz or colored -flakes of mica, but such admixtures are much rarer than in modern -specimens. Notwithstanding their great regularity of form and beauty -of finish, none bear signs that the potter's wheel was used in their -construction, and no vessels are glazed by vitrification. They are -decorated with various graceful figures, including those of living -animals, cut in with sharp instruments. A few crucibles, capable of -withstanding intense heat, have been found, also terra-cotta images of -animals and men, and ornaments or coins in small quantities. -Pottery-kilns are found in the south, but that they were the work of -the Mound-builders has not been satisfactorily proven. Specimens of -the finer class of vases are shown in the cut. The first is of pure -clay with a slight silicious mixture. It is five and a half inches -high and six and a half in diameter, not over one sixth of an inch in -uniform thickness, pierced with four holes in the line round the rim, -dark brown or umber in color, and highly polished. The decorative -lines are cut in with a sharp instrument which left no ragged edges. -The second vase is of somewhat smaller size and coarser material; but -more elaborately ornamented and only one eighth of an inch in -thickness. - - [Sidenote: STONE IMPLEMENTS.] - -Stone implements are more abundant than those of any other material in -the altar-mounds and elsewhere. They include arrow and spear heads, -knives, axes, hatchets, chisels, and other variously formed cutting -instruments, with hammers and pestles. These are made of quartz and -other hard varieties of stone, all belonging to the mound region -except the obsidian. There is no doubt that obsidian implements were -used by the Mound-builders, and as this material is said not to be -found nearer than Mexico and California, it is perhaps as likely that -the implements were obtained by trade as that they were manufactured -in the country. Neither the obsidian knives, nor other stone weapons, -show any marked differences from those found in Mexico, Central -America, and most other parts of the world. Lance and arrow heads, -finished and in the rough, entire or more frequently broken by the -action of fire, are taken by hundreds and thousands from the -altar-mounds; several bushels of lance-heads of milky quartz were -found in one mound. It is a remarkable fact, however, that no weapons -whatever are found in burial mounds. Beads, rings, and other ornaments -of stone are often found, with a variety of anomalous articles whose -use is more or less imperfectly understood. Besides weapons and -knives, pipes are the articles most abundant, and on which the -Mound-builders expended most lavishly their skill, carving the bowls -into a great variety of beautiful forms, at what must have been an -immense outlay of labor. A remarkable peculiarity of their -pipe-carvings is that accurate representations are given of different -natural objects instead of the rude caricatures and monstrosities in -which savage art usually delights. Nearly every beast, bird, and -reptile indigenous to the country is truthfully represented, together -with some creatures now only found in tropical climates, such as the -lamantin and toucan. The pipes generally consist of a bowl rising from -the centre of the convex side of a curved base, one end of which -serves as a handle and the other is pierced for a stem. They are -always cut from a single piece, the material being generally a hard -porphyry, oftenest red, and strongly resembling in some cases the red -pipe-stone of the Coteau des Prairies. The locality where this pipe -material was obtained is unknown. Many of the sculptured figures show -skillful workmanship and a high polish; I think that many of them are -not inferior to the products of Nahua and Maya skill. Some rude stone -images of unknown use have been found at various points, but I am not -aware that any relics have been authentically reported from the -altar-mounds which indicate that the ancient people were worshipers of -idols. Mica is the mineral most common in both altar and burial -mounds, where it occurs in plates cut into a great variety of forms. -Some of them have been conjectured to have served as mirrors. Bushels -are sometimes deposited in a single mound. Pieces of coal artificially -formed are included by Dickeson among his aboriginal coins. - - * * * * * - -Bones of indigenous animals are found worked into daggers, awls, and -similar implements; or as ornaments in the form of beads. Similar use -was made of the teeth and talons of beasts and birds. Teeth of the -bear, wolf, panther, alligator, and shark, have been found, some of -the latter being fossils, together with large quantities of teeth -resembling those of the whale, but not fully identified. - -Five varieties of marine shells, all from the gulf shores, have been -examined, with pearls whose size and numbers prove that they are not -of fresh-water origin. Both are used for ornaments, chiefly in the -form of beads. Pearls are also found in a few instances serving as -eyes for animal and bird sculptures. Some articles of bone and shell -have been mistaken for ivory and accredited with an Asiatic origin, -through ignorance that their material is found on the shores of the -gulf. Many articles found in the mounds, and not perhaps included in -the preceding general description, are interesting, but could only be -described in a detailed account, for which I have no space; but most -relics not thus included are of doubtful authenticity, and a doubtful -monument of antiquity should always be attributed to modern times. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: ANCIENT MINES.] - -The ancient miners have left numerous traces of their work in the -region of Lake Superior. At one place a piece of pure copper weighing -over five tons was found fifteen feet below the surface, under trees -at least four hundred years old. It had been raised on skids, bore -marks of fire, and some stone implements were scattered about. There -is no evidence that the tribes found in possession of the country by -the first French missionaries ever worked these mines, or had any -tradition of a people that had worked them, although both they and -their ancestors had copper knives hammered from lumps of the metal, -which are very commonly found on the surface. All the traditions and -Indian stories of 'mines' may most consistently be referred to these -natural superficial deposits. The ancient mines were for the most part -in the same localities where the best modern mines are worked. Most of -them have left as traces only slight depressions in the surface, the -finding of which is regarded by prospectors as a tolerably sure -indication of a rich vein of copper. The cut represents a section of -one of the veins of copper-bearing rock worked by the ancient miners. -The mass of copper at _a_ weighed about six tons. At the top a portion -of the stone had been left across the vein as a support. Copper -implements, including wedges used in mining as 'gads,' are found in -and about the old mines; with hammers of stone, mostly grooved for -withe handles. Some weigh from thirty to forty pounds and have two -grooves; others again are not grooved at all. In one case remains of a -handle of twisted cedar-roots were found, and much-worn wooden shovels -often occur. There are no enclosures, mounds, or other traces of a -permanent settlement of the Mound-builders in the mining region. It is -probable that the miners came each summer from the south; in fact, it -would have been impossible to work the mines in winter by their -methods. - - [Illustration: Section of an old Copper Mine.] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: ROCK-INSCRIPTIONS.] - -Nearly all the coins, medals, stone tablets, etc., that have been -discovered within the region occupied by the Mound-builders, bearing -inscriptions in regular apparently alphabetic characters, may be -proved to be of European origin; and the few specimens that do not -admit of such proof should of course be attributed to such an origin -in the absence of conclusive evidence to the contrary. Rude -delineations of men, animals, and other recognizable objects, -together with many arbitrary, perhaps conventional, characters, are of -frequent occurrence on the walls of caves, on perpendicular -river-cliffs, and on detached stones. They are sometimes incised, but -usually painted. Most bear a strong resemblance to the artistic -efforts of modern tribes; and those which seem to bear marks of a -greater antiquity, have by no means been identified as the work of the -Mound-builders. These eastern rock-inscriptions do not call for -additional remarks, after what has been said of similar carvings in -other regions. Many of the figures have a meaning to those who make -them, but that meaning, as in all writings of this class, perishes -with the artist and his immediate times. Attempts by zealous -antiquaries to penetrate the signification of particular -inscriptions--as that on Dighton Rock, Massachusetts, and other -well-known examples--have failed to convince any but the determined -advocate of such theories as seem to derive support from the so-called -translation. My father saw a stone tablet taken from a stone mound -near Newark, covered with carved characters, which the clergyman of -the town pronounced to be the ten commandments in ancient Hebrew. I -have no doubt that the figures did closely resemble the ancient Hebrew -in one respect at least--that is, in being equally unfamiliar to the -clergyman. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: CONCLUSIONS.] - -Without taking up here the various theories respecting the origin, -history, and disappearance of the Mound-builders, it may be well to -express in a few brief conclusions what may be learned of this people -by an examination of the monuments which they have left. - -They were a numerous people, as is sufficiently proved by the -magnitude and geographical extent of their works. They were probably -_one_ people, that is, composed of tribes living under similar laws, -religion, and other institutions. Such variations as are observed in -the monuments are only those that would naturally occur between -central and frontier regions, although the animals-mounds of the -north-west present some difficulties. The Mound-builders were an -agricultural people. Tribes that live by hunting never build extensive -public works, neither would the chase support a sufficiently large -population for the erection of such works. Moreover, the location of -the monuments in the most fertile sections goes far to confirm this -conclusion. Some of the larger enclosures have been supposed,--only by -reason of their size, however,--to have been cultivated fields; and -evident traces of an ancient cultivation are found, although not -clearly referable to the Mound-builders. - -There is nothing to show an advanced civilization in the modern sense -of the word, but they were civilized in comparison with the roving -hunter-tribes of later times. They knew nothing of the use of metals -beyond the mere hammering of native masses of copper and silver; they -built no stone structures; they had seemingly made no approach to the -higher grades of hieroglyphic writing. Their civilization as recorded -by its material relics consisted of a knowledge of agriculture; -considerable skill in the art of fortification; much greater skill -than that of the Indians in the manufacture of pottery and the carving -of stone pipes; the mathematical knowledge displayed in the laying-out -of perfect circles and accurate angles, and in the correspondence in -size between different works. Their earth-works show more perseverance -than skill; no one of them necessarily implies the use of mechanical -aids to labor; there is none that a large number of men might not -construct by carrying earth in simple baskets. - -All traces of their architecture have disappeared. It has been -suggested that were the temples yet standing on their pyramidal -foundations, they might compare favorably with those of Central -America and Mexico. But the construction of wooden edifices with any -pretensions to grandeur and symmetry, by means of stone and soft -copper tools, seems absolutely impossible; at least such structures -would require infinitely greater skill than that displayed by the -Nahuas and Mayas, and it is more reasonable to suppose that the -temples of the Mound-builders were rude wooden buildings. - -The monuments imply a wide-spread religious system under a powerful -priesthood; private devotion manifests itself on a scale less -magnificent, and one involving less hard work. Of their rites we know -nothing. The altar-mounds suggest sacrifice; burned human bones, human -sacrifice. Gateways on the east, and the east and west direction of -embankments and skeletons may connect worship with the sun; but all is -conjecture. No idols, known to be such, have been found; the -cemeteries, if any of them belong to the Mound-builders, show no -uniform usage in burial. The ancient people lived under a system of -government considerably advanced, more than likely in the hands of the -priesthood, but of its details we know nothing. A social condition -involving some form of slavery would be most favorable for the -construction of such works. - -The monuments described are not the work of the Indian tribes found in -the country, nor of any tribes resembling them in institutions. Those -tribes had no definite tradition even of past contact with a superior -people, and it is only in the south among the little-known Natchez, -that slight traces of a descent from, or imitation of, the -Mound-builders appear. Most and the best authorities deem it -impossible that the Mound-builders were even the remote ancestors of -the Indian tribes; and while inclined to be less positive than most -who have written on the subject respecting the possible changes that -may have been effected by a long course of centuries, I think that the -evidence of a race locally extinct is much stronger here than in any -other part of the continent. - -The monuments are not sufficient in themselves to absolutely prove or -disprove the truth of any one of the following theories: 1st. An -indigenous culture springing up among the Mississippi tribes, founded -on agriculture, fostered by climate and other unknown circumstances, -constantly growing through long ages, driving back the surrounding -walls of savagism, but afterwards weakened by unknown causes, yielding -gradually to savage hordes, and finally annihilated or driven in -remnants from their homes southward. 2d. A colony from the southern -peoples already started in the path of civilization, growing as before -in power, but at last forced to yield their homes into the possession -of savages. 3d. A migrating colony from the north, dwelling long in -the land, gradually increasing in power and culture, constantly -extending their dominion southward, and finally abandoning voluntarily -or against their will, the north for the more favored south, where -they modified or originated the southern civilization. - -The last theory, long a very popular one, is in itself less consistent -and receives less support from the relics than the others. The second, -which has some points in common with the first, is most reasonable and -best supported by monumental and traditional evidence. The -temple-mounds strongly resemble in their principal features the -southern pyramids; at least they imply a likeness of religious ideas -in the builders. The use of obsidian implements shows a connection, -either through origin, war, or commerce, with the Mexican nations, or -at least with nations who came in contact with the Nahuas. There are, -moreover, several Nahua traditions respecting the arrival on their -coasts from the north-east, of civilized strangers. There is very -little evidence that the Mound-builders introduced in the south the -Nahua civilization, and none whatever that the Aztec migration started -from the Mississippi Valley, but I am inclined to believe that there -was actually a connection between the two peoples; that the -Mound-builders, or those that introduced their culture, were -originally a Nahua colony, and that these people may be referred to in -some of the traditions mentioned. Without claiming to be able to -determine exactly the relation between the Mound-builders and Nahuas, -I shall have something further to say on this subject in another -volume. - - [Sidenote: ANTIQUITY OF THE MONUMENTS.] - -The works were not built by a migrating people, but by a race that -lived long in the land. It seems unlikely that the results attained -could have been accomplished in less than four or five centuries. -Nothing indicates that the time did not extend to thousands of years, -but it is only respecting the minimum time that there can be any -grounds for reasonable conjecture. If we suppose the civilization -indigenous, of course a much longer period must be assigned to its -development than if it was introduced by a migration--or rather a -colonization, for civilized and semi-civilized peoples do not migrate -en masse. Moreover a northern origin would imply a longer duration of -time than one from the south, where a degree of civilization is known -to have existed. - -How long a time has elapsed since the Mound-builders abandoned their -works? Here again a minimum estimate only can be sought. No work is -more enduring than an embankment of earth. There is no positive -internal proof that they were not standing one, five, or ten thousand -years ago. The evidences of an ancient abandonment of the works, or -serious decline of the builders' power, are as follows:--1st, the fact -that none of them stand on the last-formed terrace of the rivers, most -on the oldest terrace, and that those on the second bear in some cases -marks of having been invaded by water. The rate of terrace-forming -varies on different streams, and there are no sufficient data for -estimating in years the time required for the formation of any one of -the terraces, at least scientific men are careful not to give a -definite opinion in the matter; but it is evident that each required -a very long period, and the last one a much longer time than any of -the others, on account of the gradual longitudinal leveling of the -river-beds. 2d. The complete disappearance of all wooden structures, -which must have been of great solidity. 3d. The advanced state of -decomposition of human bones in a soil well calculated for their -preservation. Skeletons are found in Europe well preserved at a known -age of eighteen hundred years. 4th. The absence of the Mound-builders -from the traditions of modern tribes. Nothing would seem more likely -to be preserved in mythic or historic traditions than contact with a -superior people, and the mounds would serve to keep the traditions -alive. 5th. The fact that the monuments were covered in the -seventeenth century with primitive forests, uniform with those which -covered the other parts of the country. In this latitude the age of a -forest tree may be much more accurately determined than in tropical -climates; and trees from four to five hundred years old have been -examined in many well-authenticated cases over mounds and embankments. -Equally large trees in all stages of decomposition were found at their -feet on and under the ground, so that the abandonment of the works -must be dated back at least twice the actual age of the standing -trees. It is a fact well known to woodsmen that when cultivated land -is abandoned the first growth is very unlike the original forest, both -in the species and size of the trees, and that several generations -would be required to restore the primitive timber. Consequently a -thousand years must have passed since some of the works were -abandoned. The monuments of the Mississippi present stronger internal -evidence of great antiquity than any others in America, although it by -no means follows that they are older than Palenque and Copan. The -height of the Mound-builders' power should not, without very positive -external evidence, be placed at a later date than the fifth or sixth -century of our era. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[XIII-1] The chief authorities consulted for this chapter on the -remains of the Mississippi Valley, are the following: - - _Squier and Davis_, _Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi - Valley_. Washington, 1848. _Squier's Antiquities of the - State of New York_. _Id._, _Observations on Aboriginal - Monuments of the Mississippi Valley_. New York, 1847. - _Id._, _Serpent Symbol_. - - _Atwater's Antiquities of Ohio_, and other accounts in the - _Amer. Antiq. Soc., Transactions_. - - _Schoolcraft's Archives of Aboriginal Knowledge._ - - _Warden_, _Recherches sur les Antiquites de l'Amerique du - Nord_. - - _Jones' Antiquities of the Southern Indians._ - - _Pidgeon's Traditions of Decoodah._ - - _Lapham's Antiquities of Wisconsin._ Washington, 1853. - - _Whittlesey's Ancient Mining on the Shores of Lake - Superior._ - - _Bradford's American Antiquities._ - - _Foster's Pre-Historic Races._ - - _Id._, _Mississippi Valley_. - - _Smithsonian Institution, Reports._ - - _Tylor's Researches._ - - _American Ethnological Soc., Transactions._ - - _Dickeson's Amer. Numismatic Manual._ - - _Bancroft, A. A._, _Antiquities of Licking County, Ohio_. - MS. The writer of this manuscript, my father, was for - fifty years a resident of Licking County, where he has - examined more or less carefully about forty enclosures and - two hundred mounds. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -PERUVIAN ANTIQUITIES. - - TWO EPOCHS OF PERUVIAN CIVILIZATION -- ABORIGINAL - GOVERNMENT, RELIGION, AND ARTS -- CONTRASTS -- THE HUACAS - -- HUMAN REMAINS -- ARTICLES OF METAL -- COPPER IMPLEMENTS - -- GOLD AND SILVER VASES AND ORNAMENTS -- USE OF IRON - UNKNOWN -- ABORIGINAL ENGINEERING -- PAVED ROADS -- - PERUVIAN POTTERY -- RUINS OF PACHACAMAC -- MAUSOLEUM OF - CUELAP -- GRAN-CHIMU -- HUACA OF MISA -- TEMPLE OF THE SUN - -- REMAINS ON THE ISLAND OF TITICACA -- CHAVIN DE HUANTA - -- HUANUCO EL VIEJO -- CUZCO -- MONUMENTS OF TIAHUANACO -- - ISLAND OF COATI. - - -I conclude with a short chapter on Peruvian antiquities, made up for -the most part from the work of Rivero and Tschudi, and illustrated -with the cuts copied from that work for Mr Baldwin's account.[XIV-1] -Ancient Peru included also modern Ecuador, Bolivia, and a large part -of Chili; and the most remarkable monuments of antiquity are -considered the works of a people preceding that found by Pizarro in -possession of the country, and bearing very much the same relation to -the subjects of the Incas as the ancient Mayas bore to the Quiches of -Guatemala, or perhaps the Toltecs to the Aztecs. The Peruvians that -came into contact with the Spaniards were superior in some respects to -the Aztecs. At least equally advanced in the various mechanical and -fine arts, except sculpture and architectural decoration, they lived -under as perfect a system of government, and rendered homage to less -bloodthirsty gods. They kept their records by means of _quipus_, or -knotted strings, a method probably as useful practically as the Aztec -picture-writing, but not so near an approach to an alphabet; while the -more ancient nations have left nothing to compare with the -hieroglyphic tablets of Central America, and the evidence is far from -satisfactory that they possessed any advanced art in writing. It will -be seen from the specimens to be presented that their architecture, -though perhaps more massive than that of Mayas or Nahuas, is not on -the whole of a superior character. The most marked contrasts are found -in the occurrence in Peru of cyclopean structures, the use of larger -blocks of stone, the comparative absence of the pyramidal foundations, -of architectural and hieroglyphic sculpture, and the more extensive -use of adobes as a building-material. - - [Sidenote: METALLIC RELICS.] - - [Illustration: Peruvian Copper Implements.] - - [Illustration: Golden Vase from Peru.] - -_Huaca_ is the Peruvian name for any venerated or holy structure, but -is usually applied to the conical mounds of the country, mostly mounds -of sepulture. Thousands of these have been opened and from them have -been taken a great variety of relics, together with preserved mummies -wrapped in native cloth. The relics include implements and ornaments -of metal, stone, bone, shell, and wood. The Peruvians seem to have had -a more abundant supply of metals than the civilized nations of North -America, and to have been at least equally skillful in working them. -The cuts show specimens of copper cutting implements, of which a great -variety are found. Besides copper, they had gold and silver in much -greater abundance than the northern artisans, and the arts of melting, -casting, soldering, beating, inlaying, and carving these metals, were -carried to a high degree of perfection. Every one has read the -marvelous accounts, naturally exaggerated, but still with much -foundation in truth, of the immense quantities of gold obtained by the -Spaniards in Peru; of the room filled with golden utensils by the -natives as a ransom for the Inca Atahuallpa. A golden vase is shown in -the cut. Large quantities of gold have been taken in more modern times -from the huacas, where it was doubtless placed in many cases to keep -it from the hands of the conquerors. Most of the articles have of -course gone to the melting-pot, but sufficient specimens have been -preserved or sketched to show the degree of excellence to which the -Peruvian smiths had attained. The following cut shows a silver vase. -The search for treasure in the huacas still goes on, and is not always -unrewarded. Tin, lead, and quicksilver are said to have been worked by -the natives. Iron ore is very abundant in Peru, but the only evidence -that iron was used is the difficulty of executing the native works of -excavation and cutting stone without it, and the fact that the metal -had a name in the native language. No traces of it have ever been -found. The cut shows two copper tweezers. - - [Illustration: Silver Vase from Peru.] - - [Illustration: Copper Implements from Peru.] - - [Sidenote: ABORIGINAL ROADS.] - -Among the most remarkable Peruvian remains are the paved roads which -crossed the country in every direction, especially from north to -south. Two of the grandest highways extended from the region north of -Quito southward to Cuzco, and according to some authors still farther -to Chili. One runs over the mountains, the other chiefly through the -plains. Their length is at least twelve hundred miles, and the grading -of the mountain road presented, as Mr Baldwin believes, far greater -difficulties than the Pacific Railroad. These roads are from eighteen -to twenty-six feet wide, protected at the sides by a thick wall, and -paved generally with stone blocks, but sometimes with a mixture of -cement and fine stone--an aboriginal infringement on the 'Macadam' -process. The highways followed a straight course, and turned aside for -no obstacle. Ravines and marshes were filled up with masonry, and the -solid rock of the mountains was cut away for many miles. But when -rivers were encountered, light suspension bridges seem to have been -resorted to instead of massive stone bridges. It is true that the most -glowing accounts of these roads are found in the writings of the -Conquistadores, and that only ruined portions now remain; but the -reports of Humboldt and others, respecting the remains, leave little -doubt of their former imposing character. - - [Illustration: Peruvian Pottery.] - -Articles of pottery, of which three specimens are shown in the cuts, -are at least equal in material and finish to those produced by Nahua -and Maya potters. The finest specimens are vases found in sepulchral -deposits, and many utensils designed for more common use are preserved -by the present inhabitants, and are preferred for their solidity to -the work of modern potters. Small images of human and animal forms in -terra cotta, as in gold and silver, are of even more frequent -occurrence than utensils. There is no evidence that the images were -fashioned with a different purpose here and in the north; some were -simply ornaments, a few probably portraits, others miniature deities, -deposited from superstitious motives with the dead. - - [Illustration: Peruvian Pottery.] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: CITY OF THE INCAS.] - -About twenty miles south of Lima, in the valley of Lurin, and -overlooking the sea, are the ruins of Pachacamac, shown in the cut. -This was a city of the Incas, that is, it belonged to the later period -of Peruvian civilization. All the structures were built of adobes, and -are much dilapidated. The Temple of the Sun stands on a hill six -hundred feet high, the upper portion of which shows traces of having -been divided into terraces over thirty feet high and five to eight -feet wide. The adobe wall which surrounds the temple is from eight to -eleven feet thick, and is only standing to the height of four to five -feet. The ruined structures are very numerous, and on one of the inner -walls some traces of red and yellow paint are visible. - - [Illustration: Ruins of Pachacamac.] - -In the district of Santo Tomas in the north, at Cuelap, a grand and -peculiar ruin is described by Sr Nieto in an official government -report. A mass--of earth, probably, although not fully examined in the -interior--is faced with a solid wall of hewn stone, and is thirty-six -hundred feet long, five hundred and seventy feet wide, and one hundred -and fifty feet in perpendicular height. On the summit stands another -similar structure six hundred by five hundred feet and also one -hundred and fifty feet high. The lower wall is pierced with three -entrances to an inclined plane leading in a curved line to the summit, -with sentry-boxes at intervals and on the summit. These passages are -six feet wide at the base but only two at the top, and those of the -second story are similar. In both stories there are chambers, in the -walls of which and in the outer walls there are small niches -containing skeletons. Some of the upper chambers are paved with large -flat stones, on each of which lies a skeleton. The report of this -immense structure is probably founded on fact but greatly exaggerated. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF GRAN-CHIMU.] - - [Illustration: Adobe Walls at Gran-Chimu.] - - [Illustration: Decorations at Gran-Chimu.] - -The ruins of Gran-Chimu, in the vicinity of Truxillo, cover an area of -three quarters of a league, and beyond these limits are seven or eight -great enclosures with adobe walls, in some of which are conical -mounds, or huacas, and some traces of buildings. The two principal -structures, called palaces, are surrounded by walls one hundred and -forty feet high, sixteen feet thick at the base, but tapering to three -or four feet at the top. Round one of the palaces the wall is double, -as shown by the section in the cut. The English translation of Rivero, -instead of surrounding one of the palaces with a double wall like the -original, represents one wall as being twice as high and thick as the -other. These walls, like all the structures of Gran-Chimu, are of -adobes nine by eighteen inches, resting on a foundation of rough -stones laid in clay. In connection with the larger palace is a square -containing apartments, the walls of which are a conglomerate of gravel -and clay, smooth, and whitewashed on the interior. There are also -plazas and streets regularly laid out, and a reservoir which by a -subterranean aqueduct was supplied with water from the Rio Moche two -miles distant. This palace--and by palace, a group of edifices within -an enclosure, rather than a single edifice, seems to be meant--has two -entrances, one in the middle of each long side. The second palace is -one hundred and twenty five yards further east, and is also divided by -squares and narrow streets. At one end is the huaca of Misa, -surrounded by a low wall, pierced by galleries and rooms in which have -been found mummies, cloths, gold and silver, implements, and a wooden -idol with pieces of pearl-shell. All the inner walls are built of a -mass of clay and gravel or of adobes. The cut shows specimens of the -ornamentation, which seem to bear outwardly a slight resemblance to -the mosaic work of Mitla, although the method of their construction is -not explained. "Outside of these notable edifices, there is an -infinite number of squares and small houses, some round and others -square, which were certainly dwellings of the lower classes, and -whose great extent indicates that the population must have been very -large." Among the ruins are many truncated conical mounds, or huacas, -of fine gravel, from some of which interesting relics and large -quantities of gold have been taken. The so-called Temple of the Sun is -three quarters of a league east of the city near Moche, in connection -with which are several adobe structures, one of them, perhaps the -temple itself, so far as may be determined by Rivero's vague account, -made worse than vague in the English translation, is a regular pyramid -of adobes. It is four hundred and fourteen by four hundred and thirty -feet at the base, three hundred and forty-five feet wide on the -summit, and over eighty feet high, built in terraces, pierced with a -gallery through the centre, and affording a fine view of the sea and -the city of Truxillo. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF HUANUCO.] - - [Illustration: Ruin at Titicaca.] - -The cut represents a ruin on the Island of Titicaca in the lake of -the same name. These island remains are among the oldest of Peruvian -antiquities, and all the structures are built of hewn stone. -Respecting these ruins we only learn from the explorers that "though -not very imposing" they are well preserved, "with windows and doors, -with posts and thresholds of hewn stone also, these being wider below -than above." Another ruin on the same island is shown in the cut on -the following page. - -At Chavin de Huanta the structures are built of hewn stone very -accurately joined without any mortar in sight on the outside, and a -rubble of rough stones and clay on the inside. In a building spoken of -as a fortress there is a covered way with rooms at its sides, all -covered with sandstone blocks about twelve feet long. The walls are -six feet thick, and in the interior is the opening to a subterranean -passage which is said to lead under the river to another building. In -the gallery human bones and some relics were found. The modern town is -built mostly over the ruins of an ancient aqueduct, and a bridge over -the stream is built of three immense stones, each over twenty feet -long, taken from the fort. The ancient people were especially skillful -in the construction of aqueducts, some of which were reported by the -early writers as several hundred miles in length, and a few of which -of less extent are still in actual use. - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: RUINS OF HUANUCO.] - - [Illustration: El Mirador--Huanuco.] - - [Illustration: Ruins at Titicaca.] - -The cut represents the Mirador, or look-out, at Huanuco el Viejo. -This structure measures about one hundred by one hundred and sixty -feet at the base, and is about fifteen feet high, in a pyramidal form -without terraces and furnished with a parapet wall enclosing the -summit platform. The foundation is of rough stones, which form two -steps projecting four or five feet, not clearly indicated in the cut. -The walls or facings are of hewn blocks of limestone about four feet -and a half long by a foot and a half thick. The blocks are very -accurately cut and laid in cement. The interior is filled with gravel -and clay, with a concavity in the centre popularly supposed to -communicate by means of a subterranean gallery with the palace some -half a mile distant. From a doorway in the parapet wall on the south -an inclined plane--which seems often to have taken the place of a -stairway in Peru--leads down to the ground. On the wall at each side -of the entrance crouches an animal in stone, so much damaged that its -kind cannot be determined. - - [Illustration: Gateway at Huanuco.] - -Another noted ruin at Huanuco is that whose entrance is shown in the -cut. The walls are of round stones irregularly laid in mortar, a kind -of rubble called by the Peruvians _pirca_, but the gateway, shown in -the cut, is built of hewn blocks three varas--as Rivero says, probably -meaning feet--by one and a half. The lintel is one stone block eleven -feet long, and the inclined posts are said to be of one piece, -although the cut indicates that each is composed of four. The animals -sculptured over the gateway at the sides are called monkeys by Rivero. -Within the structure there are five similar gateways shown in the -preceding cut and in the following ground plan. In the interior are -rooms of cut stone, with niches in the walls, an aqueduct, and a -reservoir. The quarries that supplied the stone for the Huanuco -structures are still seen about half a mile away. Many traces of -buildings of round stones in clay are found in the same vicinity. - - [Illustration: Ground Plan--Huanuco.] - -Near Chupan, a tower is mentioned on the verge of a precipice -overhanging the Rio Maranon. In the district of Junin there is a line -or system of fortifications on the precipitous cliffs of a ravine, -built mostly of micaceous slate. At Cuzco are some remains of the city -of the Incas, and there is said to be some evidence that this city was -founded on the ruins of another of an earlier epoch; the latter -including part of the fortification of Ollantaytambo, built of stones -cut in irregular forms, some of them of great size, and very neatly -joined. - - [Sidenote: MONUMENTS OF TIAHUANACO.] - -The ruins at Tiahuanaco, ten or twelve miles from Lake Titicaca, are -considered among the most ancient in Peru. They include stones from -fifteen to twenty feet high, some cut, others rough, standing in rows. -All the structures were in a very dilapidated condition when the -Spaniards came, and some very large stone statues in human form were -found, with stone columns. One of the most interesting monuments is -the monolithic doorway shown in the cut. The opening is seventy-six -inches high and thirty-eight wide. Rivero and Tschudi represent the -sculptured figures in the small squares as being profiles of the human -face instead of those shown in Baldwin's cut. There were several of -these doorways. Several idols and some very large blocks of cut stone -were dug up in 1846, and the latter used for mill-stones. The blocks -are described as thirty feet long, eighteen feet wide, and six feet -thick, being shaped so as to form a channel when one was placed upon -another. - - [Illustration: Doorway at Tiahuanaco.] - -A building on the Island of Coati, in Lake Titicaca, is shown in the -cut. Rivero gives a view and plan of another large palace, consisting -for the most part of a single line of low apartments built round three -sides of a rectangular court, and bearing some resemblance, as Mr -Baldwin remarks, to the Central American structures, except that it -does not rest on a pyramidal foundation. Rock-inscriptions of the same -rude class so often mentioned in the northern continent, occur also in -Peru, although somewhat less frequently, so far as may be judged by -the reports of explorers. - - [Illustration: Ruin on the Island of Coati.] - - * * * * * - - [Sidenote: CONCLUSION.] - -The contents of the preceding pages may be sufficient to show the -reader that the resemblance between the southern and northern -monuments, if any resemblance exists, is very faint. The Maya and -Peruvian peoples may have been one in remote antiquity; if so, the -separation took place at a period long preceding any to which we are -carried by the material relics of the Votanic empire, and of the most -ancient epoch of the southern civilization, or even by traditional -annals and the vaguest myths. There seems to be a natural tendency -even among antiquarians to attribute all American civilizations to a -common origin, constantly moving back the date as investigation -progresses. This tendency has much in common with that which so -persistently traces American civilization to the old world, old-world -culture to one centre, the human race to one pair, and the first pair -to a special creation, performed at a definite time and point in Asia. -Be the results of the tendency referred to true or false, it is -evident that superstition has contributed more than science to the -zeal that has supported them. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[XIV-1] _Rivero and Tschudi_, _Antiguedades Peruanas_, Viena, 1851, -with atlas; _Rivero_, _Antiguedades Peruanas_, Lima, 1841; _Rivero and -Tschudi's Peruvian Antiquities_, N. Y., 1855; this translation is in -many instances very faulty; _Baldwin's Ancient America_, pp. 226-56. - - -END OF THE FOURTH VOLUME. - - - - - * * * * * * - - - - -Transcriber's note: - -Inconsistent hyphenation and spelling in the original document have -been preserved. Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. - -Italics in the footnote citations were inconsistently applied by the -typesetter. - -Footnote IV-31: p. 379 is a possible typographical error. - -Footnote IV-36 refers to Nebak and Nebah. One of them may be a -typographical error. - -Footnote V-39: linteux should possibly be linteaux. - -Footnote VII-57: pp. 53, 16 is a possible typographical error. - -Footnote XI-43 is missing a volume number. - -Footnote XII-24: "McGilvary's" is a possible typographical error. - -Footnotes V-23 and IX-64 are repeated in the text. - -Page 294: to fall the trees should possibly be to fell the trees. - -The text refers to both Medellin and Medelin, Vera Cruz. - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE WORKS OF HUBERT HOWE BANCROFT, -VOLUME IV*** - - -******* This file should be named 44104.txt or 44104.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/4/1/0/44104 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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