The most magnificent and perfect remains in the country are those of
Uxmal, about fifty miles south of Merida, the principal city of Yucatan.
Here, amid the dense forest, are found walls of considerable elevation,
with very extensive buildings,--the walls still standing to their full
height, and even the roofs, in some places, perfect. The largest
building--supposed to be the palace of the sovereign--stands on the
uppermost of three terraces, each walled with cut stone. It is 322 feet
in length, 39 broad, and 24 high. The front has thirteen doorways; the
centre of which is 8 feet, 6 inches wide, and 8 feet, 10 inches high.
The upper part is ornamented with sculpture in great profusion, of rich
and curious workmanship. The walls are covered with cement; and the
floors are of square stones, smoothly polished, and laid with as much
regularity as that of the best modern masonry. The roof forms a
triangular arch, constructed with stones overlapping, and covered by a
layer of flat stones. It is remarkable that the lintels of the doorways
are of wood, known as Sapote wood. Many of them are still hard and
sound, and in their places; but others have been perforated by
wormholes, their decay causing the fall of the walls.
Two other large buildings, facing each other, are embellished with
sculpture, the most remarkable features of which are two colossal
serpents, which once extended the whole length of the walls. Further on
are four great ranges of edifices, placed on the uppermost of three
terraces. The plan of these buildings is quadrangular, with a courtyard
in the centre. The walls are, like the others, ornamented with rich and
intricate carving, presenting a scene of strange magnificence. One of
the buildings is 170 feet long, and is remarkable for the two colossal
entwined serpents which run round it, and encompass nearly all the
ornaments throughout its whole length. These serpents are sculptured
out of small blocks of stone, which are arranged in the wall with great
skill and precision. One of the serpents has its monstrous jaws
distended; and within them is a human head, the face of which is
distinctly visible in the carving.
The most tastefully ornamented edifice is know as the "House of the
Dwarf." It stands on the summit of a lofty mound, faced with stone,
nearly ninety feet high, the building itself being seventeen feet high.
Its purpose it is difficult to divine.
Scattered throughout the ruins are a number of dome-shaped subterraneous
chambers, from eight to ten feet deep, and from twelve to twenty in
diameter. The floor is of hard matter, and the walls and ceilings of
plaster. A circular hole at the summit of each, barely large enough to
admit a man, is the only opening into them. It is not known whether
they were used as cisterns, or for granaries, like those of Egypt.