Ruins of Kabah.--General Description.--Plan of the Ruins.--Great
Teocalis.--Ruined Apartments.--Grand View.--Terrace and
Buildings.--Ranges of Buildings.--Hieroglyphics.--A rich
Facade.--Wooden Lintels.--Singular Structures.--Apartments,
&c.--Rankness of Tropical Vegetation.--Edifice called the
Cocina.--Majestic pile of Buildings.--Apartments, &c.--A solitary
Arch.--A Succession of ruined Buildings.--Apartments, &c.--Prints of
the Red Hand.--Sculptured Lintel.--Instruments used by the Aboriginals
for Carving Wood.--Ruined Structure.--Ornament in Stucco.--Great ruined
Building.--Curious Chamber, &c.--Sculptured Jambs.--Another Witness for
these ruined Cities.--Last Visit to Kabah.--Its recent Discovery.--A
great Charnel House.--Funeral Procession.--A Ball by Daylight.--The
Procession of the Candles.--Closing Scene.
In the mean time we continued our work at Kabah, and, during all our
intercourse with the Indians, we were constantly inquiring for other
places of ruins. In this we were greatly assisted by the padrecito;
indeed, but for him, and the channels of information opened to us
through him, some places which are presented in these pages would
perhaps never have been discovered. He had always eight Indian sextons,
selected from the most respectable of the inhabitants, to take care of
the church, who, when not wanted to assist at masses, salves, or
funerals, were constantly lounging about our door, always tipsy, and
glad to be called in. These sextons knew every Indian in the village,
and the region in which he had his milpa, or cornfield; and through
them we were continually making inquiries. All the ruins scattered
about the country are known to the Indians under the general name of
"Xlap-pahk," which means in Spanish "paredes viejas," and in English
"old walls." The information we obtained was in general so confused
that we were unable to form any idea of the extent or character of the
ruins. We could establish no standard of comparison, as those who told
us of one place were, perhaps, not familiar with any other, so that it
was necessary to see all; and we had one perplexity, the magnitude of
which can hardly be conceived, in the extraordinary ignorance of all
the people, whites and Indians, in regard to the geography of their own
immediate neighbourhood. A place they had never visited, though but a
few leagues distant, they knew nothing about, and, from the extreme
difficulty of ascertaining the juxtaposition of places, it was hard to
arrange the plan of a route so as to embrace several. To some I made
preliminary visits; those from which I expected most turned out not
worth the trouble of going to, while others, from which I expected but
little, proved extremely interesting. Almost every evening, on
returning to the convent, the padrecito hurried into our room, with the
greeting, "buenas noticias! otras ruinas!" "good news! more ruins!" and
at one time these noticias came in so fast that I sent Albino on a two
days' excursion to "do" some preliminary visits, who returned with a
report justifying my opinion of his judgment, and a bruised leg from
climbing over a mound, which disabled him for some days.
As these pages will be sufficiently burdened, I shall omit all the
preliminary visits, and present the long line of ruined cities in the
order in which we visited them for the purposes of exploration. Chichen
was the only place we heard of in Merida, and the only place we knew of
with absolute certainty before we embarked for Yucatan; but we found
that a vast field of research lay between us and it, and, not to delay
the reader, I proceed at once to the ruins of Kabah.
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GENERAL PLAN |
of the |
RUINS OF KABAH. |
|
|
* * * |
_Note. This Plan was sketched by eye from the top of the principal |
Teocalis._ |
|
|
_3d Casa._ |
|
_Woody land._ |
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_Milpa._ |
|
|
_2d. Casa._ |
|
_Teocalis with a building |
on the summit._ |
|
_1st Casa._ |
|
|
<-- _Pathway to Milpa._ --> |
|
_Ruined Mounds._ |
|
|
_Principal Teocalis._ _Thick woods._ |
|
_Mound._ _Rancho. |
|
_Milpa._ |
_Arch._ |
|
|
<-- _Camino Real from NOhcacab to Bolonchen._ --> |
|
|
N.W.<--|----- |
_Ruined Casa._ |
_Casa._ _Woods._ |
|
_Grand Terraces._ |
_Casa from which the _Casa._ |
Sculpture Beams |
were taken._ |
|
_Three Buildings |
in ruins._ |
|
|
<--------_Rocky Ledge about 60 feet high._ -----> |
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------|
[Engraving 37: Plan of Kabah]
The engraving opposite represents the plan of the buildings of this
city. It is not made from actual measurements, for this would have
required clearings which, from the difficulty of procuring Indians, it
would have been impossible to make; but the bearings were taken with
the compass from the top of the great teocalis, and the distances are
laid down according to our best judgment with the eye.
[Engraving 38: Building (Casa No. 1)]
On this plan the reader will see a road marked "Camino Real to
Bolonchen," and on the left a path marked "Path to Milpa." Following
this path toward the field of ruins, the teocalis is the first object
that meets his eye, grand, picturesque, ruined, and covered with trees,
like the House of the Dwarf at Uxmal, towering above every other object
on the plain. It is about one hundred and eighty feet square at the
base, and rises in a pyramidal form to the height of eighty feet. At
the foot is a range of ruined apartments. The steps are all fallen, and
the sides present a surface of loose stones, difficult to climb, except
on one side, where the ascent is rendered practicable by the aid of
trees. The top presents a grand view. I ascended it for the first time
toward evening, when the sun was about setting, and the ruined
buildings were casting lengthened shadows over the plain. At the north,
south, and east the view was bounded by a range of hills. In part of
the field of ruins was a clearing, in which stood a deserted rancho,
and the only indication that we were in the vicinity of man was the
distant church in the village of Nohcacab.
Leaving this mound, again taking the milpa path, and following it to
the distance of three or four hundred yards, we reach the foot of a
terrace twenty feet high, the edge of which is overgrown with trees;
ascending this, we stand on a platform two hundred feet in width by one
hundred and forty-two feet deep, and facing us is the building
represented in the plate opposite. On the right of the platform, as we
approach this building, is a high range of structures, ruined and
overgrown with trees, with an immense back wall built on the outer line
of the platform, perpendicular to the bottom of the terrace. On the
left is another range of ruined buildings, not so grand as those on
the right, and in the centre of the platform is a stone enclosure
twenty-seven feet square and seven feet high, like that surrounding the
picote at Uxmal; but the layer of stones around the base was
sculptured, and, on examination, we found a continuous line of
hieroglyphics. Mr. Catherwood made drawings of these as they lay
scattered about, but, as I cannot present them in the order in which
they stood, they are omitted altogether.
In the centre of the platform is a range of stone steps forty feet wide
and twenty in number, leading to an upper terrace, on which stands the
building. This building is one hundred and fifty-one feet front, and
the moment we saw it we were struck with the extraordinary richness and
ornament of its facade. In all the buildings of Uxmal, without a single
exception, up to the cornice which runs over the doorway the facades
are of plain stone; but this was ornamented from the very foundation,
two layers under the lower cornice, to the top.
The reader will observe that a great part of this facade has fallen;
toward the north end, however, a portion of about twenty-five feet
remains, which, though not itself entire, shows the gorgeousness of
decoration with which this facade was once adorned. The plate opposite
represents this part, exactly as it stands, with the cornice over the
top fallen.
[Engraving 39: Portion of a richly-sculptured Facade]
The ornaments are of the same character with those at Uxmal, alike
complicated and incomprehensible, and from the fact that every part of
the facade was ornamented with sculpture, even to the portion now
buried under the lower cornice, the whole must have presented a greater
appearance of richness than any building at Uxmal. The cornice running
over the doorways (which is stamped on the cover of this work), 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.
The lintels of the doorways were of wood; these are all fallen, and of
all the ornaments which decorated them not one now remains. No doubt
they corresponded in beauty of sculpture with the rest of the facade.
The whole now lies a mass of rubbish and ruin at the foot of the wall.
On the top is a structure which, at a distance, as seen indistinctly
through the trees, had the appearance of a second story, and, as we
approached, it reminded us of the towering structures on the top of
some of the ruined buildings at Palenque.
The access to this structure was by no means easy. There was no
staircase or other visible means of communication, either within or
without the building, but in the rear the wall and roof had fallen, and
made in some places high mounds reaching nearly to the top. Climbing up
these tottering fabrics was not free from danger. Parts which appeared
substantial had not the security of buildings constructed according to
true principles of art; at times it was impossible to discover the
supporting power, and the disorderly masses seemed held up by an
invisible hand. While we were clearing off the trees upon the roof, a
shower came up suddenly, and, as we were hurrying to descend and take
refuge in one of the apartments below, a stone on the edge of the
cornice gave way and carried me down with it. By great good fortune,
underneath was a mound of ruins which reached nearly to the roof and
saved me from a fall that would have been most serious, if not fatal,
in its consequences. The expression on the face of an Indian attendant
as he saw me going was probably a faint reflection of my own.
The structure on the top of this building is about fifteen feet high
and four feet thick, and extends over the back wall of the front range
of apartments, the whole length of the edifice. In many places it has
fallen, but we were now more struck than when at a distance with its
general resemblance to the ruined structures on the top of some of the
buildings at Palenque. The latter were stuccoed; this was of cut stone,
and more chaste and simple. It could not have been intended for any use
as part of the edifice; the only purpose we could ascribe to it was
that of _ornament_, as it improved the appearance of the building seen
from a distance, and set it off with great effect on near approach.
[Engraving 40: Interior of an Apartment]
I have said that we were somewhat excited by the first view of the
facade of this building. Ascending the steps and standing in the
doorway of the centre apartment, we broke out into an exclamation of
surprise and admiration. At Uxmal there was no variety; the interiors
of all the apartments were the same. Here we were presented with a
scene entirely new. The plate opposite represents the interior of this
apartment. It consists of two parallel chambers, the one in front being
twenty-seven feet long and ten feet six inches wide, and the other of
the same length, but a few inches narrower, communicating by a door in
the centre. The inner room is raised two feet eight inches higher than
the front, and the ascent is by two stone steps carved out of a single
block of stone, the lower one being in the form of a scroll. The sides
of the steps are ornamented with sculpture, as is also the wall under
the doorway. The whole design is graceful and pretty, and, as a mere
matter of taste, the effect is extremely good. Here, on the first day
of our arrival, we spread out our provisions, and ate to the memory of
the former tenant. His own domains could not furnish us with water, and
we were supplied from the wells of Nohcacab.
In the engraving but one doorway appears on each side of the centre,
the front wall at the two ends having fallen. On both sides of this
centre doorway were two other doorways opening into apartments. Each
apartment contains two chambers, with the back one raised, but there
are no steps, and the only ornament is a row of small pilasters about
two feet high under the door, and running the whole length of the room.
Such is a brief description of the facade and front apartments, and
these formed not more than one third of the building. At the rear and
under the same roof were two ranges of apartments of the same
dimensions with those just described, and having a rectangular area in
front. The whole edifice formed nearly a square, and though having less
front, with a great solid mass nearly as thick as one of the corridors,
for the centre wall, it covered nearly as many square feet as the Casa
del Gobernador, and probably, from its lavishness of ornament,
contained more sculptured stone. The rest of the building, however, was
in a much more ruinous condition than that presented. At both ends the
wall had fallen, and the whole of the other front, with the roof, and
the ruins filled up the apartments so that it was extremely difficult
to make out the plan.
The whole of the terrace on this latter side is overgrown with trees,
some of which have taken root among the fragments, and are growing out
of the interior of the chambers.
[Engraving 41: Rankness of Tropical Vegetation]
The sketch opposite will give some idea of the manner in which the
rankness of tropical vegetation is hurrying to destruction these
interesting remains. The tree is called the alamo, or elm, the leaves
of which, with those of the ramon, form in that country the principal
fodder for horses. Springing up beside the front wall, its fibres crept
into cracks and crevices, and became shoots and branches, which, as the
trunk rose, in struggling to rise with it, unsettled and overturned the
wall, and still grew, carrying up large stones fast locked in their
embraces, which they now hold aloft in the air. At the same time, its
roots have girded the foundation wall, and form the only support of
what is left. The great branches overshadowing the whole cannot be
exhibited in the plate, and no sketch can convey a true idea of the
ruthless gripe in which these gnarled and twisted roots encircle
sculptured stones.
Such is a brief description of the first building at Kabah. To many of
these structures the Indians have given names stupid, senseless, and
unmeaning, having no reference to history or tradition. This one they
call Xcocpoop, which means in Spanish petato doblade, or a straw hat
doubled up; the name having reference to the crushed and flattened
condition of the facade and the prostration of the rear wall of the
building.
Descending the corner of the back terrace, at the distance of a few
paces rises a broken and overgrown mound, on which stands a ruined
building, called by the Indians the cocina, or kitchen, because, as
they said, it had chimneys to let out smoke. According to their
accounts, it must have contained something curious; and it was
peculiarly unfortunate that we had not reached it one year sooner, for
then it stood entire. During the last rainy season some muleteers from
Merida, scouring the country in search of maize, were overtaken by the
after noon's rain, and took shelter under its roof, turning their mules
out to graze among the ruins. During the night the building fell, but,
fortunately, the muleteers escaped unhurt, and, leaving their mules
behind them, in the darkness and rain made the best of their way to
Nohcacab, reporting that El Demonio was among the ruins of Kabah.
[Engraving 42: Building (Casa No. 2)]
On the left of this mound is a staircase leading down to the area of
Casa No. 2, and on the right is a grand and majestic pile of buildings,
having no name assigned to it, and which, perhaps, when entire, was the
most imposing structure at Kabah. It measured at the base one hundred
and forty-seven feet on one side and one hundred and six on the other,
and consisted of three distinct stories or ranges, one on the roof of
the other, the second smaller than the first, and the third smaller
than the second, having on each side a broad platform in front. Along
the base on all four of the sides was a continuous range of apartments,
with the doorways supported by pillars, and on the side fronting the
rear of Casa No. 1 was another new and interesting feature.
This was a gigantic stone staircase, rising to the roof, on which stood
the second range of apartments. This staircase was not a solid mass,
resting against the wall of the mound, but was supported by the half of
a triangular arch springing from the ground, and resting against the
wall so as to leave a passage under the staircase. This staircase was
interesting not only for its own grandeur and the novelty of its
construction, but as explaining what had before been unintelligible in
regard to the principal staircase in the House of the Dwarf at Uxmal.
The steps of this staircase are nearly all fallen, and the ascent is as
on an inclined plane. The buildings on the top are ruined, and many of
the doorways so encumbered that there was barely room to crawl into
them. On one occasion, while clearing around this so as to make a plan,
rain came on, and I was obliged to crawl into one with all the Indians,
and remain in the dark, breathing a damp and unwholesome atmosphere,
pent up and almost stifled, for more than an hour.
The doorways of the ranges on the north side of this mound opened upon
the area of Casa No 2. The platform of this area is one hundred and
seventy feet long, one hundred and ten broad, and is elevated ten feet
from the ground. It had been planted with corn, and required little
clearing. The plate opposite presents the front of this building, and
the picote, or great stone found thrown down in all the courtyards and
areas, is exhibited on one side in the engraving. The edifice stands
upon an upper terrace; forming a breastwork for which, and running the
whole length, one hundred and sixty-four feet, is a range of
apartments, with their doors opening upon the area. The front wall and
the roof of this range have nearly all fallen.
A ruined staircase rises from the centre of the platform to the roof of
this range, which forms the platform in front of the principal
building.
This staircase, like that last mentioned, is supported by the half of a
triangular arch, precisely like the other already mentioned. The whole
front was ornamented with sculpture, and the ornaments best preserved
are over the doorway of the centre apartment, which, being underneath
the staircase, cannot be exhibited in the engraving.
The principal building, it will be seen, has pillars in two of its
doorways. At this place, for the first time, we met with pillars used
legitimately, according to the rules of known architecture, as a
support, and they added greatly to the interest which the other
novelties here disclosed to us presented. These pillars, however, were
but six feet high, rude and unpolished, with square blocks of stone for
capitals and pedestals. They wanted the architectural majesty and
grandeur which in other styles is always connected with the presence of
pillars, but they were not out of proportion, and, in fact, were
adapted to the lowness of the building. The lintels over the doors are
of stone.
[Engraving 43: Building (Casa no. 3)]
Leaving this building, and crossing an overgrown and wooded plain, at
the distance of about three hundred and fifty yards we reach the
terrace of Casa No. 3. The platform of this terrace, too, had been
planted with corn, and was easily cleared. The plate opposite
represents the front of the edifice, which, when we first came upon it,
was so beautifully shrouded by trees that it was painful to be obliged
to disturb them, and we spared every branch that did not obstruct the
view. While Mr. Catherwood was making his drawing, rain came on, and,
as he might not be able to get his camera lucida in position again, he
continued his work, with the protection of an India-rubber cloak and an
Indian holding an umbrella over the stand. The rain was of that sudden
and violent character often met with in tropical climates, and in a few
minutes flooded the whole ground. The washing of the water from the
upper terrace appears in the engraving.
This building is called by the Indians la Casa de la Justicia. It is
one hundred and thirteen feet long. There are five apartments, each
twenty feet long and nine wide, and all perfectly plain. The front is
plain, except the pillars in the wall between the doorways indicated in
the engraving; and above, in front, at the end, and on the back are
rows of small pillars, forming a simple and not inelegant ornament.
[Engraving 44: Triumphal Arch]
Besides these, there are on this side of the camino real the remains of
other buildings, but all in a ruinous condition, and there is one
monument, perhaps more curious and interesting than any that has been
presented. It is a lonely arch, of the same form with all the rest,
having a span of fourteen feet. It stands on a ruined mound,
disconnected from every other structure, in solitary grandeur. 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.
Perhaps, like the arch of Titus, which at this day spans the Sacred Way
at Rome, it was erected to commemorate a victory over enemies.
These were all the principal remains on this side of the camino real;
they were all to which our Indian guides conducted us, and, excepting
two mentioned hereafter, they were all of which, up to that time, any
knowledge existed; but on the other side of the camino real, shrouded
by trees, were the trembling and tottering skeletons of buildings which
had once been grander than these.
From the top of the great teocalis we had out first glimpses of these
edifices. Following the camino real to a point about in a range with
the triumphal arch, there is a narrow path which leads to two buildings
enclosed by a fence for a milpa. They are small, and but little
ornamented. They stand at right angles to each other, and in front of
them is a patio, in which is a large broken orifice, like the mouth of
a cave, with a tree growing near the edge of it. My first visit to this
place was marked by a brilliant exploit on the part of my horse. On
dismounting, Mr. Catherwood found shade for his horse, Doctor Cabot got
his into one of the buildings, and I tied mine to this tree, giving him
fifteen or twenty feet of halter as a range for pasture. Here we left
them, but on our return in the evening my horse was missing, and, as we
supposed, stolen; but before we reached the tree I saw the baiter still
attached to it, and knew that an Indian would be much more likely to
steal the halter and leave the horse than vice versa. The halter was
drawn down into the mouth of the cave, and looking over the edge, I saw
the horse hanging at the other end, with just rope enough, by
stretching his head and neck, to keep a foothold at one side of the
cave. One of his sides was scratched and grimed with dirt, and it
seemed as if every bone in his body must be broken, but on getting him
out we found that, except some scarifications of the skin, he was not
at all hurt; in fact, he was quite the reverse, and never moved better
than on our return to the village.
Beyond these buildings, none of the Indians knew of any ruins. Striking
directly from them in a westerly direction through a thick piece of
woods, without being able to see anything, but from observation taken
from the top of the teocalis, and passing a small ruined building with
a staircase leading to the roof, we reached a great terrace, perhaps
eight hundred feet long and one hundred feet wide. This terrace,
besides being overgrown with trees, was covered with thorn-bushes, and
the maguey plant, or Agave Americana, with points as sharp as needles,
which made it impossible to move without cutting the way at every step.
Two buildings stood upon this overgrown terrace. The first was two
hundred and seventeen feet long, having seven doorways in front, all
opening to single apartments except the centre one, which had two
apartments, each thirty feet long. In the rear were other apartments,
with doorways opening upon a courtyard, and from the centre a range of
buildings ran at right angles, terminating in a large ruined mound. The
wall of the whole of this great pile had been more ornamented than
either of the buildings before presented except the first, but,
unfortunately, it was more dilapidated. The doorways had wooden
lintels, most of which have fallen.
To the north of this building is another, one hundred and forty-two
feet in front and thirty-one feet deep, with double corridors
communicating, and a gigantic staircase in the centre leading to the
roof, on which are the ruins of another building. The doors of two
centre apartments open under the arch of this great staircase. In that
on the right we again found the prints of the red hand; not a single
print, or two, or three, as in other places, but the whole wall was
covered with them, bright and distinct as if but newly made.
All the lintels over the doorways are of wood, and all are still in
their places, mostly sound and solid. The doorways were encumbered with
rubbish and ruins. That nearest the staircase was filled up to within
three feet of the lintel; and, in crawling under on his back, to
measure the apartment, Mr. Catherwood's eye was arrested by a
sculptured lintel, which, on examination, he considered the most
interesting memorial we had found in Yucatan. On my return that day
from a visit to three more ruined cities entirely unknown before, he
claimed this lintel as equal in interest and value to all of them
together. The next day I saw them, and determined immediately, at any
trouble or cost, to carry them home with me; but this was no easy
matter. Our operations created much discussion in the village. The
general belief was that we were searching for gold. No one could
believe that we were expending money in such a business without being
sure of getting it back again; and remembering the fate of my castings
at Palenque, I was afraid to have it known that there was anything
worth carrying away.
To get them out by our own efforts, however, was impossible; and, after
conferring with the padrecito, we procured a good set of men, and went
down with crowbars for the purpose of working them out of the wall.
Doctor Cabot, who had been confined to the village for several days by
illness, turned out on this great occasion.
The lintel consisted of two beams, and the outer one was split in two
lengthwise. They lapped over the doorway about a foot at each end, and
were as firmly secured as any stones in the building, having been built
in when the wall was constructed. Fortunately, we had two crowbars, and
the doorway being filled up with earth both inside and out, the men
were enabled to stand above the beam, and use the crowbars to
advantage. They began inside, and in about two hours cleared the lintel
directly over the doorway, but the ends were still firmly secured. The
beams were about ten feet long, and to keep the whole wall from falling
and crushing them, it was necessary to knock away the stones over the
centre, and make an arch in proportion to the base. The wall was four
feet thick over the doorway, increasing in thickness with the receding
of the inner arch, and the whole was a solid mass, the mortar being
nearly as hard as the stone. As the breach was enlarged it became
dangerous to stand near it; the crowbar had to be thrown aside, and the
men cut down small trees, which they used as a sort of battering-ram,
striking at the mortar and small stones used for filling up, on
loosening which the larger stones fell. To save the beams, we
constructed an inclined plane two or three feet above them, resting
against the inner wall, which caught the stones and carried them off.
As the breach increased it became really dangerous to work under it,
and one of the men refused to do so any longer. The beams were almost
within my grasp, but if the ragged mass above should fall, it would
certainly bury the beams and the men too, either of which would be
disagreeable. Fortunately, we had the best set of assistants that ever
came out to us from Nohcacab, and their pride was enlisted in the
cause. At length, almost against hope, having broken a rude arch almost
to the roof, the inner beam was got out uninjured. Still the others
were not safe, but, with great labour, anxiety, and good fortune, the
whole three at length lay before us, with their sculptured faces
uppermost. We did no more work that day; we had hardly changed our
positions, but, from the excitement and anxiety, it was one of the most
trying times we had in the country.
The next day, knowing the difficulty and risk that must attend their
transportation, we had the beams set up for Mr. Catherwood to draw.
[Engraving 45: Carved Wooden Beam]
The plate opposite represents this lintel, indicated in the engraving
as three pieces of wood, but originally consisting of only two, that on
which the figure is carved being split through the middle by some
unequal pressure of the great superincumbent wall. The top of the outer
part was worm-eaten and decayed, probably from the trickling of water,
which, following some channel in the ornaments, touched only this part;
all the rest was sound and solid.
The subject is a human figure standing upon a serpent. The face was
scratched, worn, and obliterated, the headdress was a plume of
feathers, and the general character of the figure and ornaments was the
same with that of the figures found on the walls at Palenque. It was
the first subject we had discovered bearing such a striking resemblance
in details, and connecting so closely together the builders of these
distant cities.
But the great interest of this lintel was the carving. The beam covered
with hieroglyphics at Uxmal was faded and worn. This was still in
excellent preservation; the lines were clear and distinct; and the
cutting, under any test, and without any reference to the people by
whom it was executed, would be considered as indicating great skill and
proficiency in the art of carving on wood. The consciousness that the
only way to give a true idea of the character of this carving was the
production of the beams themselves, determined me to spare neither
labour nor expense to have them transported to this city; and when we
had finished our whole exploration, we were satisfied that these were
the most interesting specimens the country afforded. I had the
sculptured sides packed in dry grass and covered with hemp bagging, and
intended to pass them through the village without stopping, but the
Indians engaged for that purpose left them two days on the ground
exposed to heavy rain, and I was obliged to have them brought to the
convent, where the grass was taken out and dried. The first morning one
or two hundred Indians at work at the noria came up in a body to look
at them. It was several days before I could get them away, but, to my
great relief, they at length left the village on the shoulders of
Indians, and I brought them with me safely to this city. The reader
anticipates my conclusion, and if he have but a shade of sympathy with
the writer, he mourns over the melancholy fate that overtook them but a
short time after their arrival.
The accidental discovery of these sculptured beams and in a position
where we had no reason to look for such things, induced us to be more
careful than ever in our examination of every part of the building. The
lintel over the corresponding doorway on the other side of the
staircase was still in its place, and in good condition, but perfectly
plain, and there was no other sculptured lintel among all the ruins of
Kabah. Why this particular doorway was so distinguished it is
impossible to say. The character of this sculpture added to the
interest and wonder of all that was connected with the exploration of
these American ruins. There is no account of the existence of iron
or steel among the aborigines on this continent. The general and
well-grounded belief is, that the inhabitants had no knowledge whatever
of these metals. How, then, could they carve wood, and that of the
hardest kind? In that large canoe which first made known to Columbus
the existence of this great continent, among other fabrics of the
country from which they came, the Spaniards remarked hatchets of
copper, as it is expressed, for "hewing wood." Bernal Dias, in his
account of the first voyage of the Spaniards along the coast of
Guacaulco, in the Empire of Mexico, says, "It was a Custom of the
Indians of this Province _invariably_ to carry small Hatchets of
Copper, very bright, and the wooden Handles of which were highly
painted, as intended both for Defence and Ornament. These were supposed
by us to be Gold, and were, of Course, eagerly purchased, _insomuch
that within three days we had amongst us procured above six hundred_,
and were, while under the Mistake, as well pleased with our Bargain as
the Indians with their green Beads." And in that collection of
interesting relics from Peru before referred to, in the possession of
Mr. Blake of Boston--the existence of which, by-the-way, from the
unobtrusive character of its owner, is hardly known to his neighbours
in his own city--in that collection are several copper knives, one of
which is alloyed with a small portion of tin, and sufficiently hard to
cut wood. In other cemeteries in the same district, Mr. Blake found
several other instruments resembling modern chisels, which, it is not
improbable, were designed for carving wood. In my opinion, the carving
of these beams was done with the copper instruments known to have
existed among the aboriginal inhabitants, and it is not necessary to
suppose, without and even against all evidence, that at some remote
period of time the use of iron and steel was known on this continent,
and that the knowledge had become lost among the later inhabitants.
From the great terrace a large structure is seen at a distance
indistinctly through the trees, and, pointing it out to an Indian, I
set out with him to examine it. Descending among the trees, we soon
lost sight of it entirely, but, pursuing the direction, the Indian
cutting a way with his machete, we came upon a building, which,
however, I discovered, was not the one we were in search of. It was
about ninety feet in front, the walls were cracked, and all along the
base the ground was strewed with sculptured stones, the carving of
which was equal to any we had seen. Before reaching the door I crawled
through a fissure in the wall into an apartment, at one end of which,
in the arch, I saw an enormous hornet's nest; and in turning to take a
hasty leave, saw at the opposite end a large ornament in stucco, having
also a hornet's nest attached to it, painted, the colours being still
bright and vivid, and surprising me as much as the sculptured beams. A
great part had fallen and it had the appearance of having been wantonly
destroyed. The engraving below represents this fragment. The ornament,
when entire, appears to have been intended to represent two large
eagles facing each other; on each side are seen drooping plumes of
feathers. The opposite end of the arch, where hung the hornet's nest,
had marks of stucco in the same form, and probably once contained a
corresponding ornament.
[Engraving 46: Stucco Ornament]
Beyond this was the great building which we had set out to find. The
front was still standing, in some places, particularly on the corner,
richly ornamented; but the back part was a heap of ruins. In the centre
was a gigantic staircase leading to the top, on which there was another
building with two ranges of apartments, the outer one fallen, the inner
one entire.
In descending on the other side over a mass of ruins, I found at one
corner a deep hole, which apparently led into a cave, but, crawling
down, I found that it conducted to the buried door of a chamber on a
new and curious plan. It had 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; part of the back wall was covered
with prints of the red hand. They seemed so fresh, and the seams and
creases were so distinct, that I made several attempts with the machete
to get one print off entire, but the plaster was so hard that every
effort failed.
Beyond this was another building, so unpretending in its appearance
compared with the first, that, but for the uncertainty in regard to
what might be found in every part of these ruins, I should hardly have
noticed it. This building had but one doorway, which was nearly choked
up; but on passing into it I noticed sculptured on the jambs, nearly
buried, a protruding corner of a plume of feathers. This I immediately
supposed to be a headdress, and that below was a sculptured human
figure. This, again, was entirely new. The jambs of all the doors we
had hitherto seen were plain. By closer inspection I found on the
opposite jamb a corresponding stone, but entirely buried. The top stone
of both was missing, but I found them near by, and determined
immediately to excavate the parts that were buried, and carry the whole
away; but it was a more difficult business than that of getting out the
beams. A solid mound of earth descended from the outside to the back
wall of the apartment choking the doorway to within a few feet of the
top. To clear the whole doorway was out of the question, for the
Indians had only their hands with which to scoop out the accumulated
mass. The only way was to dig down beside each stone, then separate it
from the wall with the crowbar, and pry it out I was engaged in this
work two entire days, and on the second the Indians wanted to abandon
it. They had dug down nearly to the bottom, and one man in the hole
refused to work any longer. To keep them together and not lose another
day, I was obliged to labour myself; and late in the afternoon we got
out the stones, with poles for levers, lifted them over the mound, and
set them up against the back wall.
[Engraving 47: Sculptured Stone Jamb]
[Engraving 48: Sculptured Stone Jamb]
The plates opposite represent these two jambs as they stood facing each
other in the doorway. Each consists of two separate stones, as
indicated in the engravings. In each the upper stone is one foot five
inches high, and the lower one four feet six inches, and both are two
feet three inch wide. The subject consists of two figures, one
standing, and the other kneeling before him. Both have unnatural and
grotesque faces, probably containing some symbolical meaning. The
headdress is a lofty plume of feathers, falling to the heels of the
standing figure; and under his feet is a row of hieroglyphics.
While toiling to bring to light these buried stones, I little thought
that I was raising up another witness to speak for the builders of
these ruined cities. The reader will notice in the first engraving a
weapon in the hands of the kneeling figure. In that same large canoe
before referred to, Herrera says, the Indians had "Swords made of Wood,
having a Gutter in the fore Part, in which were sharp-edged Flints,
strongly fixed with a sort of Bitumen and Thread." The same weapon is
described in every account of the aboriginal weapons; it is seen in
every museum of Indian curiosities, and it is in use at this day among
the Indians of the South Sea Islands. The sword borne by the figure
represented in the engraving is precisely of the kind described by
Herrera. I was not searching for testimony to establish any opinion or
theory. There was interest enough in exploring these ruins without
attempting to do so, and this witness rose unbidden.
In lifting these stones out of the holes and setting them up against
the walls, I had been obliged to assist myself, and almost the moment
it was finished I found that the fatigue and excitement had been too
much for me. My bones ached; a chill crept over me; I looked around for
a soft stone to lie down upon; but the place was cold and damp, and
rain was threatening. I saddled my horse, and when I mounted I could
barely keep my seat. I had no spurs; my horse seemed to know my
condition, and went on a slow walk, nibbling at every bush. The fever
came on, and I was obliged to dismount and lie down under a bush; but
the garrapatas drove me away. At length I reached the village, and this
was my last visit to Kabah; but I have already finished a description
of its ruins. Doubtless more lie buried in the woods, and the next
visiter, beginning where we left off, if he be at all imbued with
interest in this subject, will push his investigations much farther. We
were groping in the dark. Since the hour of their desolation and wo
came upon them, these buildings had remained unknown. Except the cura
Carillo, who first informed us of them, perhaps no white man had
wandered through their silent chambers. We were the first to throw open
the portals of their grave, and they are now for the first time
presented to the public.
But I can do little more than state the naked fact of their existence.
The cloud which hangs over their history is much darker than that
resting over the ruins of Uxmal. I can only say of them that they lie
on the common lands of the village of Nohcacab. Perhaps they have been
known to the Indians from time immemorial; but, as the padrecito told
us, until the opening of the camino real to Bolonchen they were utterly
unknown to the white inhabitants. This road passed through the ancient
city, and discovered the great buildings, overgrown, in some places
towering above the tops of the trees. The discovery, however, created
not the slightest sensation; the intelligence of it had never reached
the capital; and though, ever since the discovery, the great edifices
were visible to all who passed along the road, not a white man in the
village had ever turned aside to look at them, except the padrecito,
who, on the first day of our visit, rode in, but without dismounting,
in order to make a report to us. The Indians say of them, as of all the
other ruins, that they are the works of the antiguos; but the
traditionary character of the city is that of a great place, superior
to the other Xlap-pahk scattered over the country, coequal and
coexistent with Uxmal; and there is a tradition of a great paved way,
made of pure white stone, called in the Maya language Sacbe, leading
from Kabah to Uxmal, on which the lords of those places sent messengers
to and fro, bearing letters written on the leaves and bark of trees.
At the time of my attack, Mr. Catherwood, Doctor Cabot, and Albino were
all down with fever. I had a recurrence the next day, but on the third
I was able to move about. The spectacle around was gloomy for sick men.
From the long continuance of the rainy season our rooms in the convent
were damp, and corn which we kept in one corner for the horses had
swelled and sprouted.
[Engraving 49: Charnel House and Convent]
Death was all around us. Anciently this country was so healthy that
Torquemada says, "Men die of pure old age, for there are none of those
infirmities that exist in other lands; and if there are slight
infirmities, the heat destroys them, and so there is no need of a
physician there;" but the times are much better for physicians now, and
Doctor Cabot, if he had been able to attend to it, might have entered
into an extensive gratuitous practice. Adjoining the front of the
church, and connecting with the convent, was a great charnel-house,
along the wall of which was a row of skulls. At the top of a pillar
forming the abutment of the wall of the staircase was a large vase
piled full, and the cross was surmounted with them. Within the
enclosure was a promiscuous assemblage of skulls and bones several feet
deep. Along the wall, hanging by cords, were the bones and skulls of
individuals in boxes and baskets, or tied up in cloths, with names
written upon them, and, as at Ticul, there were the fragments of
dresses, while some of the skulls had still adhering to them the long
black hair of women.
The floor of the church was interspersed with long patches of cement,
which covered graves, and near one of the altars was a box with a glass
case, within which were the bones of a woman, the wife of a lively old
gentleman whom we were in the habit of seeing every day. They were
clean and bright as if polished, with the skull and cross-bones in
front, the legs and arms laid on the bottom, and the ribs disposed
regularly in order, one above the other, as in life, having been so
arranged by the husband himself; a strange attention, as it seemed, to
a deceased wife. At the side of the case was a black board, containing
a poetical inscription (in Spanish) written by him.
"Stop, mortal!
Look at yourself in this mirror,
And in its pale reflection
Behold your end!
This eclipsed crystal
Had splendour and brilliancy;
But the dreadful blow
Of a fatal destiny
Fell upon Manuela Carillo.
"Born in Nohcacab in the year 1789, married at the same village to
Victoriano Machado in 1808, and died on the first of August, 1833,
after a union of 25 years, and in the forty-fourth of her age.
He implores your pious prayers."
The widowed husband wrote several stanzas more, but could not get them
on the black board; and made copies for private distribution, one of
which is in my hands.
[Engraving 50: Skull]
Near this were the bones of a brother of our friend the cura of Ticul
and those of a child, and in the choir of the church, in the embrazure
of a large window, were rows of skulls, all labelled on the forehead,
and containing startling inscriptions. I took up one, and staring me in
the face were the words, "Soy Pedro Moreno: un Ave Maria y un Padre
nuestro por Dios, hermano." "I am Peter Moreno: an Ave Maria and
Paternoster for God's sake, brother." Another said, "I am Apolono
Balche: a Paternoster and an Ave Maria for God's sake, brother." This
was an old schoolmaster of the padrecito, who had died but two years
before.
The padrecito handed me another, which said, "I am Bartola Arana: a
Paternoster," &c. This was the skull of a Spanish lady whom he had
known, young and beautiful, but it could not be distinguished from that
of the oldest and ugliest Indian woman. "I am Anizetta Bib," was that
of a pretty young Indian girl whom he had married, and who died but a
year afterward. I took them all up one by one; the padrecito knew them
all; one was young, another old; one rich, another poor; one ugly, and
another beautiful; but here they were all alike. Every skull bore the
name of its owner, and all begged a prayer.
One said, "I am Richard Joseph de la Merced Truxeque and Arana, who
died the twenty-ninth of April of the year 1838, and I am enjoying the
kingdom of God forever." This was the skull of a child, which, dying
without sin, had ascended to heaven, and needed not the prayers of man.
In one corner was a mourning box, painted black, with a white border,
containing the skull of an uncle of the padrecito. On it was written in
Spanish, "In this box is enclosed the skull of Friar Vicente Ortigon,
who died in the village of Cohul in the year 1820. I beseech thee,
pious and charitable reader, to intercede with God for his soul,
repeating an Ave Maria and a Paternoster, that he may be released from
purgatory, if he should be there, and may go to enjoy the kingdom of
heaven. Whoever the reader may be, God will reward his charity. 26th of
July, 1837." The writing bore the name of Juana Hernandez, the mother
of the deceased, an old lady then living in the house of the mother of
the padrecito.
Accustomed as we were to hold sacred the bones of the dead, the
slightest memorial of a departed friend accidentally presented to view
bringing with it a shade of sadness, such an exhibition grated harshly
upon the feelings. I asked the padrecito why these skulls were not
permitted to rest in peace, and he answered, what is perhaps but too
true, that in the grave they are forgotten; but when dug up and placed
in sight with labels on them, they remind the living of their former
existence, of their uncertain state--that their souls may be in
purgatory--and appeal to their friends, as with voices from the grave,
to pray for them, and have masses said for their souls. It is for this
reason, and not from any feeling of wantonness or disrespect, that the
skulls of the dead are thus exposed all over the country. On the second
of November, at the celebration of the fete in commemoration _de los
fieles difuntos_ all these skulls are brought together and put into the
tumulo, a sort of bier hung with black and lighted by blessed candles,
and grand mass is said for their souls.
In the afternoon the padrecito passed our door in his robes, and,
looking in, as he usually did, said, "Voy a buscar un muerto," "I am
going for a corpse." The platform of the church was the campo santo;
every day the grave-digger was at his work, and soon after the
padrecito left us we heard the chant heralding the funeral procession.
I went out, and saw it coming up the steps, the padrecito leading it
and chanting the funeral service. The corpse was brought into the
church, and, the service over, it was borne to the grave. The
sacristans were so intoxicated that they let it fall in with its neck
twisted. The padrecito sprinkled it with holy water, and, the chant
over, went away. The Indians around the grave looked at me with an
expression of face I could not understand. They had told the padrecito
that we had brought death into the village. In a spirit of conciliation
I smiled at a woman near me, and she answered with a laugh. I carried
my smile slowly around the whole circle; as my eyes met theirs, all
burst into a laugh, and while the body lay uncovered and distorted in
the grave I went away. With these people death is merely one of the
accidents of life. "Voy a descansar," "I am going to rest," "Mis
trabajos son acabados," "My labours are ended," are the words of the
Indian as he lies down to die; but to the stranger in that country
death is the king of terrors.
In the mean time pleasure was treading lightly upon the heels of death.
The fiesta of Santo Cristo del Amor was still going on, and it was to
conclude the next day with a baile de dia, or ball by daylight, at the
place where it began, in the house of the patron. We were busy in
making preparations for our departure from Nohcacab, and, though
strongly solicited, I was the only one of our party able to attend.
Early in the morning the saint was in its place at one end of the room,
the altar was adorned with fresh flowers, and the arbour for dancing
was covered with palm leaves to protect it from the sun. Under a shed
in the yard was a crowd of Indian women making tortillas, and preparing
dishes of various kinds for a general village feast. At twelve o'clock
the ball began, a little before two the padrecito disappeared from my
side, and soon after the ball broke up, and all moved toward the house.
When I entered, the padrecito was in his robes before the image of the
saint, singing a salve. The Indian sexton was perfuming it with
incense, and the dancers were all on their knees before it, each with a
lighted candle in her hand. This over, came the procession de las
velas, or of the candles. The cross led the way; then the figure of the
saint, a drunken Indian sexton perfuming it with incense. The
padrecito, in taking his place behind it, took my arm and carried me
along; the patron of the saint supported me on the other side. We were
the only men in the procession. An irregular troop of women followed,
all in their ball dresses, and bearing long lighted candles. Moving on
to the church, we restored the saint to his altar, and set up the
candles in rough wooden tripods, to be ready for grand mass the next
morning. At this time a discharge of rockets was heard without, and
going out, I saw another strange procession. We had all the women; this
was composed entirely of men, and might have passed for a jubilee over
the downfall of temperance. Nearly all were more than half intoxicated;
and I noticed that some who had kept sober during the whole of the
fiesta were overtaken at last. The procession was preceded by files of
them in couples, each carrying two plates, for the purpose of receiving
some of the dishes provided by the bounty of the patron. Next came,
borne on barrows on the shoulders of Indians, two long, ugly boxes, the
emblems of the custody and property of the saint, one of them being
filled with wax received as offerings, ropes for the fireworks, and
other property belonging to the saint, which were about being carried
to the house of the person now entitled to their custody; and the other
had contained these things, and was to remain with its present keeper
as a sort of holy heirloom. Behind these, also on the shoulders of
Indians, were two men, sitting side by side in large arm-chairs, with
scarfs around their necks, and holding on desperately to the arms of
the chairs, with an expression of face that seemed to indicate a
consciousness that their elevation above their fellow-citizens was
precarious, and of uncertain duration, for their Indian carriers were
reeling and staggering under their load and agua ardiente. These were
the hermanos de la misa, or brothers of the mass, the last incumbent of
the office of the keeper of the box and his successor, to whom it was
to be delivered over. Moving on with uproarious noise and confusion,
they were set down under the corridor of the quartel.
In the mean time our procession of women from the church had arrived,
the musicians took their places under the corridor, and preparations
were immediately made for another dance. Cocom, who had acted as our
guide to Nohpat, and had repaired the locks and keys of our boxes, was
master of ceremonies; and the first dance over, two Mestiza girls
commenced a song. The whole village seemed given up to the pleasure of
the moment; there were features to offend the sight and taste, but
there were pretty women prettily dressed; in all there was an air of
abandonment and freedom from care that enlisted sympathetic feelings;
and as the padrecito and myself returned to the convent, the chorus
reached us on the steps, soft and sweet from the blending of women's
voices, and seeming to spring from the bottom of every heart,
"Que bonito es el mundo;
Lastima es que yo me muera."
"How beautiful is the world;
It is a pity that I must die."
APPENDIX. VOL. I.
THERMOMETRICAL OBSERVATIONS.
Temperature of Merida, according to observations taken by the cura Don
Eusebio Villamil, for one year, beginning on the 1st of September,
1841, and ending on the 31st of August, 1842. The observations were
taken with a Fahrenheit thermometer at six in the morning, midday, and
six in the evening. The thermometer stood in the shade, in an apartment
well ventilated.
SEPTEMBER, 1842. | OCTOBER.
Days. Morn. Noon. Even. | Days. Morn. Noon. Even.
1, 80 deg. 84 deg. 84 deg. | 1, 83 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg.
2, 80 deg. 84 deg. 83 deg. | 2, 83 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg.
3, 80 deg. 84 deg. 83 deg. | 3, 83 deg. 85 deg. 83 deg.
4, 80 deg. 84 deg. 82 deg. | 4, 81 deg. 84 deg. 82 deg.
5, 80 deg. 84 deg. 83 deg. | 5, 81 deg. 84 deg. 83 deg.
6, 81 deg. 85 deg. 84 deg. | 6, 81 deg. 84 deg. 82 deg.
7, 81 deg. 84 deg. 82 deg. | 7, 81 deg. 84 deg. 82 deg.
8, 81 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg. | 8, 81 deg. 84 deg. 82 deg.
9, 81 deg. 85 deg. 84 deg. | 9, 80 deg. 84 deg. 82 deg.
10, 82 deg. 85 deg. 85 deg. | 10, 80 deg. 84 deg. 83 deg.
11, 83 deg. 85 deg. 84 deg. | 11, 80 deg. 85 deg. 84 deg.
12, 82 deg. 85 deg. 84 deg. | 12, 82 deg. 85 deg. 84 deg.
13, 82 deg. 85 deg. 85 deg. | 13, 80 deg. 84 deg. 84 deg.
14, 82 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg. | 14, 80 deg. 84 deg. 84 deg.
15, 82 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg. | 15, 81 deg. 84 deg. 84 deg.
16, 83 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg. | 16, 81 deg. 84 deg. 83 deg.
17, 83 deg. 85 deg. 84 deg. | 17, 80 deg. 83 deg. 83 deg.
18, 83 deg. 85 deg. 84 deg. | 18, 81 deg. 83 deg. 83 deg.
19, 83 deg. 85 deg. 84 deg. | 19, 81 deg. 84 deg. 84 deg.
20, 84 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg. | 20, 82 deg. 83 deg. 81 deg.
21, 84 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg. | 21, 80 deg. 81 deg. 80 deg.
22, 84 deg. 86 deg. 84 deg. | 22, 78 deg. 80 deg. 78 deg.
23, 84 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg. | 23, 76 deg. 78 deg. 78 deg.
24, 84 deg. 85 deg. 83 deg. | 24, 76 deg. 78 deg. 78 deg.
25, 80 deg. 84 deg. 83 deg. | 25, 76 deg. 76 deg. 76 deg.
26, 80 deg. 85 deg. 83 deg. | 26, 74 deg. 76 deg. 76 deg.
27, 81 deg. 85 deg. 83 deg. | 27, 74 deg. 78 deg. 78 deg.
28, 82 deg. 85 deg. 84 deg. | 28, 76 deg. 80 deg. 79 deg.
29, 82 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg. | 29, 77 deg. 81 deg. 80 deg.
30, 83 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg. | 30, 78 deg. 81 deg. 81 deg.
| 31, 81 deg. 82 deg. 82 deg.
NOVEMBER | DECEMBER.
Days. Morn. Noon. Even. | Days. Morn. Noon. Even.
1, 82 deg. 83 deg. 82 deg. | 1, 72 deg. 74 deg. 74 deg.
2, 80 deg. 82 deg. 81 deg. | 2, 73 deg. 77 deg. 77 deg.
3, 78 deg. 80 deg. 80 deg. | 3, 73 deg. 79 deg. 79 deg.
4, 80 deg. 77 deg. 77 deg. | 4, 78 deg. 79 deg. 79 deg.
5, 77 deg. 78 deg. 78 deg. | 5, 75 deg. 76 deg. 75 deg.
6, 74 deg. 77 deg. 76 deg. | 6, 72 deg. 74 deg. 74 deg.
7, 74 deg. 76 deg. 76 deg. | 7, 72 deg. 74 deg. 74 deg.
8, 75 deg. 78 deg. 78 deg. | 8, 71 deg. 74 deg. 74 deg.
9, 75 deg. 78 deg. 78 deg. | 9, 70 deg. 74 deg. 74 deg.
10, 74 deg. 79 deg. 79 deg. | 10, 74 deg. 78 deg. 78 deg.
11, 76 deg. 79 deg. 79 deg. | 11, 76 deg. 78 deg. 78 deg.
12, 77 deg. 80 deg. 80 deg. | 12, 74 deg. 77 deg. 77 deg.
13, 77 deg. 80 deg. 80 deg. | 13, 74 deg. 78 deg. 77 deg.
14, 80 deg. 80 deg. 80 deg. | 14, 73 deg. 78 deg. 78 deg.
15, 78 deg. 79 deg. 79 deg. | 15, 75 deg. 79 deg. 79 deg.
16, 74 deg. 78 deg. 78 deg. | 16, 76 deg. 78 deg. 77 deg.
17, 74 deg. 78 deg. 78 deg. | 17, 75 deg. 75 deg. 75 deg.
18, 72 deg. 77 deg. 77 deg. | 18, 71 deg. 74 deg. 74 deg.
19, 73 deg. 79 deg. 79 deg. | 19, 65 deg. 73 deg. 75 deg.
20, 75 deg. 79 deg. 79 deg. | 20, 68 deg. 74 deg. 74 deg.
21, 78 deg. 82 deg. 82 deg. | 21, 70 deg. 76 deg. 76 deg.
22, 80 deg. 83 deg. 82 deg. | 22, 72 deg. 88 deg. 78 deg.
23, 80 deg. 84 deg. 83 deg. | 23, 74 deg. 78 deg. 78 deg.
24, 79 deg. 82 deg. 82 deg. | 24, 76 deg. 77 deg. 77 deg.
25, 80 deg. 83 deg. 83 deg. | 25, 75 deg. 77 deg. 76 deg.
26, 79 deg. 82 deg. 80 deg. | 26, 75 deg. 78 deg. 77 deg.
27, 79 deg. 78 deg. 78 deg. | 27, 74 deg. 79 deg. 78 deg.
28, 78 deg. 76 deg. 75 deg. | 28, 76 deg. 79 deg. 78 deg.
29, 73 deg. 73 deg. 74 deg. | 29, 76 deg. 78 deg. 78 deg.
30, 73 deg. 74 deg. 74 deg. | 30, 76 deg. 77 deg. 76 deg.
| 31, 76 deg. 78 deg. 78 deg.
JANUARY, 1842. | FEBRUARY.
Days. Morn. Noon. Even. | Days. Morn. Noon. Even.
1, 75 deg. 78 deg. 77 deg. | 1, 75 deg. 78 deg. 78 deg.
2, 75 deg. 77 deg. 77 deg. | 2, 74 deg. 80 deg. 80 deg.
3, 76 deg. 76 deg. 76 deg. | 3, 76 deg. 81 deg. 81 deg.
4, 74 deg. 78 deg. 77 deg. | 4, 76 deg. 80 deg. 79 deg.
5, 74 deg. 78 deg. 78 deg. | 5, 77 deg. 80 deg. 79 deg.
6, 74 deg. 78 deg. 78 deg. | 6, 76 deg. 80 deg. 80 deg.
7, 74 deg. 78 deg. 78 deg. | 7, 76 deg. 80 deg. 80 deg.
8, 74 deg. 78 deg. 77 deg. | 8, 76 deg. 74 deg. 74 deg.
9, 74 deg. 77 deg. 76 deg. | 9, 73 deg. 74 deg. 74 deg.
10, 74 deg. 77 deg. 76 deg. | 10, 71 deg. 76 deg. 76 deg.
11, 73 deg. 78 deg. 77 deg. | 11, 74 deg. 79 deg. 78 deg.
12, 74 deg. 78 deg. 77 deg. | 12, 74 deg. 80 deg. 79 deg.
13, 74 deg. 77 deg. 76 deg. | 13, 76 deg. 80 deg. 79 deg.
14, 73 deg. 78 deg. 77 deg. | 14, 77 deg. 80 deg. 79 deg.
15, 74 deg. 77 deg. 76 deg. | 15, 77 deg. 80 deg. 80 deg.
16, 74 deg. 76 deg. 76 deg. | 16, 78 deg. 76 deg. 76 deg.
17, 73 deg. 76 deg. 75 deg. | 17, 72 deg. 76 deg. 76 deg.
18, 73 deg. 76 deg. 75 deg. | 18, 75 deg. 79 deg. 79 deg.
19, 70 deg. 76 deg. 76 deg. | 19, 76 deg. 79 deg. 78 deg.
20, 73 deg. 76 deg. 76 deg. | 20, 77 deg. 80 deg. 80 deg.
21, 72 deg. 72 deg. 72 deg. | 21, 78 deg. 76 deg. 75 deg.
22, 70 deg. 72 deg. 72 deg. | 22, 73 deg. 74 deg. 74 deg.
23, 68 deg. 72 deg. 72 deg. | 23, 70 deg. 74 deg. 72 deg.
24, 68 deg. 73 deg. 72 deg. | 24, 69 deg. 78 deg. 76 deg.
25, 69 deg. 74 deg. 74 deg. | 25, 71 deg. 77 deg. 77 deg.
26, 72 deg. 78 deg. 77 deg. | 26, 74 deg. 78 deg. 78 deg.
27, 73 deg. 76 deg. 76 deg. | 27, 76 deg. 81 deg. 81 deg.
28, 73 deg. 76 deg. 77 deg. | 28, 77 deg. 81 deg. 81 deg.
29, 74 deg. 78 deg. 78 deg. |
30, 74 deg. 79 deg. 79 deg. |
31, 74 deg. 80 deg. 80 deg. |
MARCH. | APRIL.
Days. Morn. Noon. Even. | Days. Morn. Noon. Even.
1, 78 deg. 82 deg. 82 deg. | 1, 78 deg. 83 deg. 80 deg.
2, 78 deg. 83 deg. 82 deg. | 2, 76 deg. 80 deg. 82 deg.
3, 78 deg. 83 deg. 82 deg. | 3, 77 deg. 83 deg. 82 deg.
4, 78 deg. 83 deg. 82 deg. | 4, 78 deg. 84 deg. 84 deg.
5, 78 deg. 84 deg. 84 deg. | 5, 78 deg. 84 deg. 84 deg.
6, 78 deg. 84 deg. 84 deg. | 6, 79 deg. 86 deg. 84 deg.
7, 78 deg. 85 deg. 84 deg. | 7, 79 deg. 84 deg. 84 deg.
8, 78 deg. 84 deg. 82 deg. | 8, 79 deg. 84 deg. 84 deg.
9, 77 deg. 82 deg. 84 deg. | 9, 81 deg. 85 deg. 84 deg.
10, 76 deg. 84 deg. 84 deg. | 10, 77 deg. 84 deg. 83 deg.
11, 78 deg. 84 deg. 84 deg. | 11, 79 deg. 85 deg. 84 deg.
12, 78 deg. 84 deg. 83 deg. | 12, 78 deg. 85 deg. 83 deg.
13, 76 deg. 84 deg. 83 deg. | 13, 78 deg. 84 deg. 83 deg.
14, 79 deg. 84 deg. 81 deg. | 14, 77 deg. 84 deg. 83 deg.
15, 78 deg. 84 deg. 81 deg. | 15, 79 deg. 84 deg. 83 deg.
16, 78 deg. 81 deg. 80 deg. | 16, 80 deg. 85 deg. 84 deg.
17, 77 deg. 82 deg. 80 deg. | 17, 81 deg. 84 deg. 84 deg.
18, 76 deg. 83 deg. 82 deg. | 18, 80 deg. 84 deg. 84 deg.
19, 76 deg. 81 deg. 81 deg. | 19, 79 deg. 83 deg. 82 deg.
20, 76 deg. 81 deg. 80 deg. | 20, 78 deg. 84 deg. 82 deg.
21, 75 deg. 80 deg. 80 deg. | 21, 78 deg. 84 deg. 83 deg.
22, 76 deg. 81 deg. 80 deg. | 22, 79 deg. 83 deg. 82 deg.
23, 76 deg. 82 deg. 81 deg. | 23, 77 deg. 83 deg. 82 deg.
24, 76 deg. 82 deg. 81 deg. | 24, 78 deg. 84 deg. 84 deg.
25, 76 deg. 82 deg. 81 deg. | 25, 80 deg. 85 deg. 85 deg.
26, 76 deg. 84 deg. 80 deg. | 26, 81 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg.
27, 76 deg. 80 deg. 75 deg. | 27, 84 deg. 83 deg. 82 deg.
28, 76 deg. 82 deg. 80 deg. | 28, 80 deg. 83 deg. 82 deg.
29, 76 deg. 82 deg. 82 deg. | 29, 78 deg. 84 deg. 84 deg.
30, 78 deg. 83 deg. 82 deg. | 30, 78 deg. 83 deg. 83 deg.
31, 78 deg. 83 deg. 82 deg. |
MAY. | JUNE.
Days. Morn. Noon. Even. | Days. Morn. Noon. Even.
1, 79 deg. 84 deg. 84 deg. | 1, 79 deg. 84 deg. 84 deg.
2, 81 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg. | 2, 80 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg.
3, 82 deg. 87 deg. 86 deg. | 3, 81 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg.
4, 83 deg. 86 deg. 83 deg. | 4, 82 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg.
5, 82 deg. 84 deg. 84 deg. | 5, 83 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg.
6, 80 deg. 82 deg. 82 deg. | 6, 84 deg. 87 deg. 87 deg.
7, 79 deg. 81 deg. 80 deg. | 7, 82 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg.
8, 78 deg. 81 deg. 80 deg. | 8, 83 deg. 87 deg. 87 deg.
9, 78 deg. 81 deg. 81 deg. | 9, 87 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg.
10, 76 deg. 83 deg. 81 deg. | 10, 83 deg. 86 deg. 83 deg.
11, 78 deg. 84 deg. 82 deg. | 11, 81 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg.
12, 78 deg. 84 deg. 83 deg. | 12, 82 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg.
13, 80 deg. 85 deg. 83 deg. | 13, 84 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg.
14, 80 deg. 85 deg. 83 deg. | 14, 84 deg. 87 deg. 86 deg.
15, 79 deg. 85 deg. 84 deg. | 15, 85 deg. 88 deg. 88 deg.
16, 79 deg. 84 deg. 84 deg. | 16, 85 deg. 88 deg. 84 deg.
17, 79 deg. 85 deg. 85 deg. | 17, 84 deg. 87 deg. 86 deg.
18, 79 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg. | 18, 84 deg. 88 deg. 88 deg.
19, 80 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg. | 19, 84 deg. 88 deg. 88 deg.
20, 81 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg. | 20, 84 deg. 88 deg. 87 deg.
21, 82 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg. | 21, 84 deg. 88 deg. 87 deg.
22, 82 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg. | 22, 83 deg. 88 deg. 88 deg.
23, 82 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg. | 23, 82 deg. 88 deg. 86 deg.
24, 81 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg. | 24, 82 deg. 89 deg. 86 deg.
25, 82 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg. | 25, 83 deg. 88 deg. 86 deg.
26, 82 deg. 84 deg. 82 deg. | 26, 82 deg. 88 deg. 86 deg.
27, 82 deg. 83 deg. 81 deg. | 27, 82 deg. 88 deg. 86 deg.
28, 80 deg. 84 deg. 80 deg. | 28, 82 deg. 88 deg. 85 deg.
29, 80 deg. 83 deg. 80 deg. | 29, 82 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg.
30, 80 deg. 83 deg. 81 deg. | 30, 82 deg. 88 deg. 85 deg.
31, 80 deg. 84 deg. 83 deg. |
JULY. | AUGUST.
Days. Morn. Noon. Even. | Days. Morn. Noon. Even.
1, 83 deg. 86 deg. 84 deg. | 1, 83 deg. 88 deg. 86 deg.
2, 83 deg. 86 deg. 84 deg. | 2, 82 deg. 87 deg. 86 deg.
3, 82 deg. 86 deg. 84 deg. | 3, 84 deg. 87 deg. 86 deg.
4, 82 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg. | 4, 84 deg. 87 deg. 86 deg.
5, 82 deg. 86 deg. 83 deg. | 5, 83 deg. 87 deg. 86 deg.
6, 81 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg. | 6, 82 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg.
7, 82 deg. 88 deg. 86 deg. | 7, 82 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg.
8, 82 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg. | 8, 82 deg. 87 deg. 86 deg.
9, 81 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg. | 9, 83 deg. 88 deg. 86 deg.
10, 81 deg. 84 deg. 82 deg. | 10, 83 deg. 88 deg. 87 deg.
11, 80 deg. 82 deg. 81 deg. | 11, 84 deg. 88 deg. 82 deg.
12, 78 deg. 82 deg. 82 deg. | 12, 82 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg.
13, 80 deg. 84 deg. 83 deg. | 13, 83 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg.
14, 79 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg. | 14, 82 deg. 87 deg. 85 deg.
15, 82 deg. 87 deg. 85 deg. | 15, 83 deg. 86 deg. 83 deg.
16, 82 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg. | 16, 82 deg. 86 deg. 83 deg.
17, 82 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg. | 17, 81 deg. 85 deg. 84 deg.
18, 81 deg. 85 deg. 83 deg. | 18, 81 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg.
19, 81 deg. 85 deg. 83 deg. | 19, 80 deg. 86 deg. 84 deg.
20, 81 deg. 85 deg. 82 deg. | 20, 82 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg.
21, 80 deg. 85 deg. 82 deg. | 21, 82 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg.
22, 80 deg. 85 deg. 82 deg. | 22, 82 deg. 86 deg. 84 deg.
23, 80 deg. 85 deg. 82 deg. | 23, 81 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg.
24, 81 deg. 86 deg. 85 deg. | 24, 82 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg.
25, 82 deg. 87 deg. 85 deg. | 25, 83 deg. 87 deg. 86 deg.
26, 81 deg. 86 deg. 84 deg. | 26, 84 deg. 87 deg. 86 deg.
27, 82 deg. 87 deg. 86 deg. | 27, 82 deg. 87 deg. 86 deg.
28, 83 deg. 87 deg. 86 deg. | 28, 80 deg. 85 deg. 85 deg.
29, 83 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg. | 29, 80 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg.
30, 83 deg. 88 deg. 86 deg. | 30, 81 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg.
31, 83 deg. 87 deg. 86 deg. | 31, 82 deg. 86 deg. 86 deg.
TABLE OF STATISTICS OF YUCATAN.
-------------------------|--------------------------|---------|--------
Districts. | Principal Places |Parishes |Villages
| | |annexed
-------------------------|--------------------------|---------|--------
Capital | Merida | 4 | 5
Campeachy | City of Campeachy | 2 | "
Lerma | Village of Lerma | 3 | 8
Valladolid | City of Valladolid | 11 | 17
Coast | City of Izamal | 16 | 27
The Upper Highlands | City of Tekax | 9 | 7
The Lower Highlands | Village of Teabo | 8 | 5
The Upper Royal Road | Town of Jequelchakan | 6 | 11
The Lower Royal Road | Village of Maxcanu | 5 | 7
The Upper "Beneficios" | Village of Ichmul | 7 | 15
The Lower "Beneficios" | Village of Sotuta | 6 | 16
Tizimin | Village of Tizimin | 7 | 18
Island of Carmen | Town of Carmen | 2 | 1
Seiba-playa | Village of Seiba-playa | 3 | 6
Bacalar | Town of Bacalar | 2 | "
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Total | 15 | 91 | 143
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
TABLE OF STATISTICS OF YUCATAN. (CONT'D)
-------------------------|----------------|------------|
Districts. | Distance from | Population |
| the Capital-- | |
| Leagues | |
-------------------------|----------------|------------|
Capital | | 37,801 |
Campeachy | 36 | 19,600 |
Lerma | 37 | 10,567 |
Valladolid | 36 | 63,164 |
Coast | 15 | 78,846 |
The Upper Highlands | 25 | 60,776 |
The Lower Highlands | 17 | 42,188 |
The Upper Royal Road | 26 | 54,447 |
The Lower Royal Road | 14 | 41,726 |
The Upper "Beneficios" | 39 | 66,680 |
The Lower "Beneficios" | 22 | 49,443 |
Tizimin | 41 | 37,168 |
Island of Carmen | 80 | 4,364 |
Seiba-playa | 42 | 8,183 |
Bacalar | 88 | 3,986 |
--------------------------------------------------------
Total | 578,939 |
--------------------------------------------------------
TABLE OF STATISTICS OF YUCATAN. (CONCLUDED)
-------------------------|--------------------------------------------
Districts. | PRODUCTIONS
-------------------------|--------------------------------------------
Capital | Horned cattle horses, mules, tallow, jerked
| beef, leather, salt, gypsum, hemp, raw
| and manufactured, straw hats, guitars,
| and extract of logwood.
|
Campeachy | Salt, logwood, rice, sugar, and marble of
| good quality.
Lerma | Logwood, timber, rice, and fish oil.
|
Valladolid | Cotton, sugar, starch, gum copal, tobacco,
| cochineal, saffron, vanilla, cotton
| fabrics, yarns, &c., wax, honey, castor
| oil, horned cattle, hogs, and skins.
|
Coast | Horned cattle, horses, mules, tallow, jerked
| beef, castor oil, hides, wax, honey,
| timber, indigo, hemp, raw and
| manufactured, straw cigars, barilla, and
| salt.
|
The Upper Highlands | Horned cattle, horses, mules, hogs, sheep,
| skins, sugar, molasses, timber, rice,
| tobacco, in the leaf and manufactured,
| spirits, arrow-root, straw hats, cotton
| lace, ochre, flints, and grindstones.
|
The Lower Highlands | Horned cattle, horses, mules, hogs, sheep,
| skins, tallow, dried beef, hemp, raw and
| manufactured, and cotton lace.
|
The Upper Royal Road | Horned cattle, horses, mules, skins, tallow,
| dried beef, logwood, tobacco, sugar, and
| rum.
|
The Lower Royal Road | Horned cattle, horses, mules, oil of palma
| Cristi, tobacco, hemp, and fine straw
| hats.
|
The Upper "Beneficios" | Sugar, molasses, rum, tobacco of good
| quality, rice, laces, pepper, gum copal,
| sarsaparilla, hats, hammocks, ebony,
| barilla, gypsum, and skins.
The Lower "Beneficios" | Horned cattle, horses, mules, hogs, skins,
| tallow, and dried beef.
|
Tizimin | Tortoise-shell, skins, timber, logwood,
| India-rubber, incense, tobacco, achiote
| (a substitute for saffron, and a very rich
| dye), starch from the _yuca_, cotton, wax,
| honey, molasses, sugar, rum, castor oil,
| salt, amber, vanilla, hogs, cochineal.
|
Island of Carmen | Logwood.
|
Seiba-playa | Timber, rice, logwood, and salt.
|
Bacalar | Logwood, valuable timber, sugar of inferior
| quality, tobacco of the best description,
| rum, a fine species of hemp, known under
| the name of _pita_, resin, India-rubber,
| gum copal, pimento, sarsaparilla, vanilla,
| and gypsum.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
POPULATION OF YUCATAN.
Statement showing the number of inhabitants in the five departments
into which the state is divided, distinguishing the sexes; taken from
the census made by order of the government on the 8th of April, 1841.
|------------------|----------|----------|-----------|
|Departments | Men. | Women. | Total. |
|----------------------------------------|-----------|
|Merida | 48,606 | 58,663 | 107,269 |
|Izamal | 32,915 | 37,933 | 70,848 |
|Tekax | 58,127 | 64,697 | 122,824 |
|Valladolid | 45,353 | 46,926 | 92,279 |
|Campeachy | 39,017 | 40,639 | 79,656 |
| |----------|----------|-----------|
| | | | 472,876 |
|------------------|----------|----------|-----------|
NOTE.--"This census is probably not very exact, because, having
continually the fear of new contributions, and detesting military
service, every one reduces as far as possible the number of his family
in the lists prepared for the census. It appears to me that the total
population of Yucatan may be fixed at 525,000 souls."--P. De R.
"The best information I have been enabled to obtain goes to show that
the population of the state cannot fall short of 600,000 souls."--J. B.
Jr.
* * * * *
SYSTEM ADOPTED BY THE ANCIENT BUILDERS OF YUCATAN IN COVERING THEIR
ROOMS WITH STONE ROOFS.
The engraving No. 1 represents the arch referred to in the description
of the Monjas at Uxmal; and as the stones are not quite horizontal, but
stand nearly at right angles to the line of the arch, it shows how near
an approach was made to the real principle on which the arch is
constructed.
[Engraving 51: Triangular Arch]
Throughout every part of Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan, the
same method is to be traced with slight modifications. The stones
forming the side walls are made to overlap each other until the walls
almost meet above, and then the narrow ceilings are covered with a
layer of flat stones. In every case the stones were laid in horizontal
layers, the principle of constructing arches, as understood by us,
being unknown to the aboriginal builders. This readily accounts for the
extreme narrowness of all their rooms, the widest not exceeding twenty
feet, and the width more frequently being only from six to ten feet. In
a few cases the covering stone is wanting, and the two sides meet so as
to form a sharp angle. At Palenque the builders did not cut the edges
of the stones, so as to form an even surface, their practice differing
in this respect from that adopted in Yucatan, where in every instance
the sides of the arch are made perfectly straight, or have a slight
curve, with the inner surfaces smooth.
It may now be interesting to inquire if any similarity exists between
the American method and those observed among the nations of antiquity
in Europe and Asia. A true arch is formed of a series of wedge-like
stones or of bricks, supporting each other, and all bound firmly
together by the pressure of the centre one upon them, which latter is
therefore distinguished by the name of keystone.
It would seem that the arch, as thus defined, and as used by the
Romans, was not known to the Greeks in the early periods of their
history, otherwise a language so copious as theirs, and of such ready
application, would not have wanted a name properly Greek by which to
distinguish it. The use of both arches and vaults appears, however, to
have existed in Greece previous to the Roman conquest, though not to
have been in general practice. And the former made use of a
contrivance, even before the Trojan war, by which they were enabled to
gain all the advantages of our archway in making corridors or hollow
galleries, and which, in appearance, resembled the pointed arch, such
as is now termed Gothic. This was effected by cutting away the
superincumbent stones at an angle of about 45 deg. with the horizon.
Of the different forms and curves of arches now in use, the only one
adopted by the Romans was the semicircle; and the use of this
constitutes one leading distinction between Greek and Roman
architecture, for by its application the Romans were enabled to execute
works of far bolder construction than those of the Greeks: to erect
bridges and aquaeducts, and the most durable and massive structures of
brick. On the antiquity of the arch among the Egyptians, Mr. Wilkinson
has the following remarks: "There is reason to believe that some of the
chambers in the pavilion of Remeses III., at Medeenet Haboo, were
arched with stone, since the devices on the upper part of their walls
show that the fallen roofs had this form. At Saggara, a stone arch
still exists of the time of the second Psamaticus, and, consequently,
erected six hundred years before our era; nor can any one, who sees the
style of its construction, for one moment doubt that the Egyptians had
been long accustomed to the erection of stone vaults. It is highly
probable that the small quantity of wood in Egypt, and the consequent
expense of this kind of roofing, led to the invention of the arch. It
was evidently used in their tombs as early as the commencement of the
eighteenth dynasty, or about the year 1540 B.C.; and, judging from some
of the drawings at Beni Hassan, it seems to have been known in the time
of the first Osirtasen, whom I suppose to have been contemporary with
Joseph."--_Manners and Customs of the Anc. Egyptians_, vol. ii., p.
116, 117, 1st series.
The entrance to the great Pyramid at Gizeh is somewhat similar in form
to the arches found in Yucatan; it consists of two immense granite
stones of immense size, meeting in a point and forming a sharp angle.
[Figure: Stone Arch at Gizeh.]
Of the accompanying plates, No. 2 represents the arches in the walls of
Tiryns, copied from Sir W. Gell's Argolis; No. 3, an arch (called
Cyclopean) at Arpino, in the Neapolitan Territory; No. 4, the most
common form of arch used by the ancient American builders. A striking
resemblance will doubtless be observed, indeed, they may almost be
considered identical; and it may be added, that at Medeenet Haboo,
which forms a part of the ancient Egyptian Thebes, a similar
contrivance was observed by Mr. Catherwood. From this it will appear
that the true principles of the arch were not understood by the ancient
Egyptians, Greeks, or Etruscans, or by the American builders. It might
be supposed that a coincidence of this strongly-marked character would
go far to establish an ancient connexion between all these people; but,
without denying that such may have been the case, the probabilities are
greatly the other way.
[Engraving 52: Gothic Arch]
[Engraving 53: Cyclopean Arch]
This most simple mode of covering over a void space with stone, when
single blocks of sufficient size could not be employed, would suggest
itself to the most barbarous as well as to the most refined people.
Indeed, in a mound lately opened in the Ohio Valley, two circular
chambers were discovered, and are still preserved, the walls being made
of logs, and the roofs formed by overlapping stones rising to a point,
on precisely the same plan as the Treasury of Atreus at Mycenae, and the
chamber at Orchomenus, built by Minyas, king of B[oe]otia. No inference
as to common origin or international communication can with safety be
drawn from such coincidences, or from any supposed coincidence between
the pyramidal structures of this Continent and those of Egypt, for no
agreement exists, except that both are called pyramids.
[Engraving 54: Arch used by the ancient American Builders]
In the Egyptian Pyramids the sides are of equal lengths, and, with one
exception (Saccara), composed of straight lines, which is not the case
with any pyramid of the American Continent. The sides are never equal,
are frequently composed of curves and straight lines, and in no
instance form a sharp apex.
* * * * *
VESTIGIA PHALLICAE RELIGIONIS PROUT QUIBUSDAM MONUMENTIS AMERICANIS
INDICANTUR.--(_Vid. tom._ i., _pag._ 181.)
Haec monumenta ex undecim Phallis constant, omnibus plus minusve
fractis, undique dispersis, atque solo semiobrutis, duoram circiter vel
trium pedum mensuram habentibus. Non ea nosmetipsi reperimus neque
illis hanc Phallicam naturam attribuimus; nobis autem, has regiones
ante pererrantibus, haec eadem monumenta Indi ostenderunt, quodam nomine
appellantes lingua ipsorum eandem vim habente, ac supra dedimus. Quibus
auditis, haec Phallicae religionis, his etiam in terris, vestigia putanda
esse tunc primum judicavimus. Monumenta attamen de quibus huc usque
locuti sumus, non, ut bene sciunt eruditi, libidinem denotant, sed
potius, quod memoria dignissimum, nostra etiam continente vis genitalis
cultum, omnibus paene antiquis Europae Asiaeque nationibus communem, per
symbola nota olim viguisse. Quam autem cognationem hic Phalloram cultus
his populis cum Americae aboriginibus indicare videatur, non nostrum
est, qui visa tantum vel audita litteris mandamus, his paginis
exponere.
* * * * *
ANCIENT CHRONOLOGY OF YUCATAN; OR, A TRUE EXPOSITION OF THE METHOD
USED BY THE INDIANS FOR COMPUTING TIME.--_Translated from the
Manuscript of Dan Juan Pio Perez, Gefe Politico of Peto, Yucatan._
1 deg.. _Origin of the Period of_ 13 _Days_ (_triadecateridas_).
The inhabitants of this peninsula, which, at the time of the arrival of
the Spaniards, was called _Mayapan_, and by its first inhabitants or
settlers _Chacnouitan_, divided time by calculating it almost in the
same manner as their ancestors the Tulteques, differing only in the
particular arrangement of their great ages (siglos).
The period of 13 days, resulting from their first chronological
combinations, afterward became their sacred number, to which,
introducing it ingeniously in their reckonings, they made all those
divisions subordinate which they devised to adjust their calendar to
the solar course; so that the days, years, and ages were counted by
periods of thirteen numbers.
It is very probable that the Indians, before they had corrected their
computation, used the lunations (neomenias) to regulate the annual
course of the sun, counting (senalando) 26 days for each lunation;
which is a little more or less than the time during which the moon is
seen above the horizon in each of its revolutions; dividing this period
into two of 13 days, which served them as weeks, giving to the first
the first 13 days during which the new moon is seen till it is full;
and to the second, the other thirteen, during which the moon is
decreasing until it cannot be seen by the naked eye.
In the lapse of time, and by constant observations, they obtained a
better knowledge of the solar course, perceiving that the 26 days, or
two periods of 13 days, did not give a complete lunation, and that the
year could not be regulated exactly by lunations, inasmuch as the solar
revolutions do not coincide with those of the moon, except at long
intervals. Adding this knowledge to more correct principles and data,
they finally constructed their calendar in accordance with the course
of the principal luminary, preserving always their periods of 13 days,
not in order to make them agree with the apparent course of the moon,
but to use them as weeks, and for their chronological divisions.
2 deg.. _The Weeks._
It must not be supposed that the weeks of the ancient Indians were
similar to ours, that is to say, that they were the revolution of a
period of days, each having a particular name: they were only the
revolution or successive repetition of thirteen numbers applied in
arithmetical progression to the twenty days of the month. The year
being composed of 28 weeks and one additional day or number, the course
of the years, on account of that excess, followed the arithmetical
progression of the thirteen weekly numbers; so that if a year commenced
with the number 1, the next would commence with number 2, and so on to
the close of the 13 years, which formed an indiction, or week of years,
as will be explained hereafter.
3 deg.. _The Month._