Ruins of Labna.--Accounts of the Indians not to be relied
on.--Irretrievable Ruin.--Extraordinary
Structure.--Doorways.--Chambers.--Gigantic Wall, covered with Designs
in Stucco.--Death's Heads.--Human Figures in Alto Relievo.--Colossal
Figure seated.--Large Ball and Figures.--Dilapidated State of this
Structure.--An arched Gateway.--Other Buildings.--Richly ornamented
Doorway.--Courtyard.--Ornaments in Stucco.--Large
Building.--Magnificent Edifice.--Facade ornamented with sculptured
Stone.--Circular Hole leading to a subterranean Chamber.--The Ramon
Tree.--A Cave.--Conversation with the Indians.--A Ride to the
Hacienda of Tabi.--Sculptured Ornament.--Other Figures.--Visit
to a Cave.--Tree-encumbered Path.--A Vaquero.--Descent into the
Cave.--Fanciful Scene.--Return to the Rancho.--A Warm Bath.
The next morning we set out for the ruins of Labna. Our road lay
southeast, among hills, and was more picturesque than any we had seen
in the country. At the distance of a mile and a half we reached a field
of ruins, which, after all we had seen, created in us new feelings of
astonishment. It was one of the circumstances attending our exploration
of ruins in this country, that until we arrived on the ground we had no
idea of what we were to meet with. The accounts of the Indians were
never reliable. When they gave us reason to expect much we found but
little, and, on the other hand, when we expected but little a great
field presented itself. Of this place even our friend the cura Carillo
had never heard. Our first intelligence of ruins in this region was
from the brother of the padrecito at Nohcacab, who, however, had never
seen them himself. Since our arrival in the country we had not met with
anything that excited us more strongly, and now we had mingled feelings
of pain and pleasure; of pain, that they had not been discovered before
the sentence of irretrievable ruin had gone forth against them; at the
same time it was matter of deep congratulation that, before the doom
was accomplished, we were permitted to see these decaying, but still
proud memorials of a mysterious people. In a few years, even these will
be gone; and as it has been denied that such things ever were, doubts
may again arise whether they have indeed existed. So strong was this
impression that we determined to fortify in every possible way our
proofs. If anything could have added to the interest of discovering
such a new field of research, it was the satisfaction of having at our
command such an effective force of Indians. No time was lost, and they
began work with a spirit corresponding to their numbers. Many of them
had hachas, or small axes, and the crash of falling trees was like the
stirring noise of felling in one of our own forests.
[Engraving 10: Pyramidal Mound and Building at Labna]
The plate opposite represents a pyramidal mound, holding aloft the most
curious and extraordinary structure we had seen in the country. It put
us on the alert the moment we saw it. We passed an entire day before
it, and, in looking back upon our journey among ruined cities, no
subject of greater interest presents itself to my mind. The mound is
forty-five feet high. The steps had fallen; trees were growing out of
the place where they stood, and we reached the top by clinging to the
branches; when these were cleared away, it was extremely difficult to
ascend and descend. The maguey plants cut down in making the clearing
appear fallen on the steps.
A narrow platform forms the top of the mound. The building faces the
south, and when entire measured forty-three feet in front and twenty
feet in depth. It had three doorways, of which one, with eight feet of
the whole structure, has fallen, and is now in ruins. The centre
doorway opens into two chambers, each twenty feet long and six feet
wide.
Above the cornice of the building rises a gigantic perpendicular wall
to the height of thirty feet, once ornamented from top to bottom, and
from one side to the other, with colossal figures and other designs in
stucco, now broken and in fragments, but still presenting a curious and
extraordinary appearance, such as the art of no other people ever
produced. Along the top, standing out on the wall, was a row of death's
heads; underneath were two lines of human figures in alto relievo (of
which scattered arms and legs alone remain), the grouping of which, so
far as it could be made out, showed considerable proficiency in that
most difficult department of the art of design. Over the centre
doorway, constituting the principal ornament of the wall, was a
colossal figure seated, of which only a large tippet and girdle, and
some other detached portions, have been preserved. Conspicuous over the
head of this principal figure is a large ball, with a human figure
standing up beside it, touching it with his hands, and another below it
with one knee on the ground, and one hand thrown up as if in the effort
to support the ball, or in the apprehension of its falling upon him. In
all our labours in that country we never studied so diligently to make
out from the fragments the combinations and significance of these
figures and ornaments. Standing in the same position, and looking at
them all together, we could not agree.
Mr. Catherwood made two drawings at different hours and under a
different position of the sun, and Dr. Cabot and myself worked upon it
the whole day with the Daguerreotype. With the full blaze of a vertical
sun upon it, the white stone glared with an intensity dazzling and
painful to the eyes, and almost realizing the account by Bernal Dias in
the expedition to Mexico, of the arrival of the Spaniards at Cempoal.
"Our advanced guard having gone to the great square, the buildings of
which had been lately whitewashed and plastered, in which art these
people are very expert, one of our horsemen was so struck with the
splendour of their appearance in the sun, that he came back at full
speed to Cortez, to tell him that the walls of the houses were of
silver."
Our best view was obtained in the afternoon, when the edifice was in
shade, but so broken and confused were the ornaments that a distinct
representation could not be made even with the Daguerreotype, and the
only way to make out all the details was near approach by means of a
ladder; we had all the woods to make one of, but it was difficult for
the Indians to make one of the length required; and when made it would
have been too heavy and cumbersome to manage on the narrow platform in
front. Besides, the wall was tottering and ready to fall. One portion
was already gone in a perpendicular line from top to bottom, and the
reader will see in the engraving that on a line with the right of the
centre doorway the wall is cracked, and above is gaping, and stands
apart more than a foot all the way to the top. In a few years it must
fall. Its doom is sealed. Human power cannot save it; but in its ruins
it gave a grand idea of the scenes of barbaric magnificence which this
country must have presented when all her cities were entire. The
figures and ornaments on this wall were painted; the remains of bright
colours are still visible, defying the action of the elements. If a
solitary traveller from the Old World could by some strange accident
have visited this aboriginal city when it was yet perfect, his account
would have seemed more fanciful than any in Eastern story, and been
considered a subject for the Arabian Nights' Entertainments.
[Engraving 11: Arched Gateway]
At the distance of a few hundred feet from this structure, in sight at
the same time as we approached it, is an arched gateway, remarkable for
its beauty of proportions and grace of ornament The plate opposite
represents this gateway. On the right, running off at an angle of
thirty degrees, is a long building much fallen, which could not be
comprehended in the view. On the left it forms an angle with another
building, and on the return of the wall there is a doorway, not shown
in the engraving, of good proportions, and more richly ornamented than
any other portion of the structure. The effect of the whole combination
was curious and striking, and, familiar as we were with ruins, the
first view, with the great wall towering in front, created an
impression that is not easily described.
[Engraving 12: Interior Front of Gateway]
The gateway is ten feet wide, passing through which we entered a thick
forest, growing so close upon the building that we were unable to make
out even its shape; but, on clearing away the trees, we discovered that
this had been the principal front, and that these trees were growing in
what had once been the area, or courtyard. The doors of the apartments
on both sides of the gateway, each twelve feet by eight, opened upon
this area. Over each doorway was a square recess, in which were the
remains of a rich ornament in stucco, with marks of paint still
visible, apparently intended to represent the face of the sun
surrounded by its rays, probably once objects of adoration and worship,
but now wilfully destroyed. The plate opposite represents this front
The buildings around the area formed a great irregular pile, measuring
in all two hundred feet in length. The plan was different from that of
any we had seen, but, having so many subjects to present, I have not
had it engraved.
Northeast from the mound on which the great wall stands, and about one
hundred and fifty yards distant, is a large building, erected on a
terrace, and hidden among the trees growing thereupon, with its front
much ruined, and having but few remains of sculptured ornaments. Still
farther in the same direction, going through the woods, we reach the
grand, and, without extravagance, the really magnificent building
represented in the frontispiece to this volume. It stands on a gigantic
terrace, four hundred feet long and one hundred and fifty feet deep.
The whole terrace is covered with buildings. The front represented
measures two hundred and eighty-two feet in length. It consisted of
three distinct parts, differing in style, and perhaps erected at
different times. At a distance, as seen indistinctly through the trees,
we had no idea of its extent. We came upon it at the corner which
appears on the right in the engraving. Our guide cut a path along the
front wall, and stopping, as we did, to look at the ornaments, and
entering the apartments as we went along, the building seemed immense.
[Engraving 13: Portion of a Facade]
The whole long facade was ornamented with sculptured stone, of which,
large as the engraving is, the details cannot appear; but, to give some
idea of their character, a detached portion is represented up the
engraving opposite, and, I ought at the same time to remark, is perhaps
the most curious and interesting of any. It is at the left end of the
principal building, and in the angle of the corner are the huge open
jaws of an alligator, or some other hideous animal, enclosing a human
head.
The reader will form some idea of the overgrown and shrouded condition
of this building from the fact that I had been at work nearly the whole
day upon the terrace, without knowing that there was another building
on the top. In order to take in the whole front at one view, it was
necessary to carry the clearing back some distance into the plain, and
in doing this I discovered the upper structure. The growth of trees
before it was almost equal to that on the terrace, or in any part of
the forest. The whole had to be cleared, the trees thrown down upon the
terrace, and thence dragged away to the plain. This building consists
of single narrow corridors, and the facade is of plain stone, without
any ornaments.
The platform in front is the roof of the building underneath, and in
this platform was a circular hole, like those we had seen at Uxmal and
other places, leading to subterraneous chambers. This hole was well
known to the Indians, and had a marvellous reputation; and yet they
never mentioned it until I climbed up to examine the upper building.
They said it was the abode of el dueno de la casa, or the owner of the
building. I immediately proposed to descend, but the old Indian begged
me not to do so, and said apprehensively to the others, "Who knows but
that he will meet with the owner!" I immediately sent for rope,
lantern, and matches; and, absurd as it may seem, as I looked upon the
wild figures of the Indians standing round the hole, and their earnest
faces, it was really exciting to hear them talk of the owner. As there
was a difficulty in procuring rope, I had a sapling cut and let down
the hole, by means of which I descended with a lantern. The news of my
intention and of the preparations going on had spread among the
Indians, and all left off work and hurried to the spot. The hole was
about four feet deep, and, just as my head sunk below the surface, I
was startled by an extraordinary scratching and scampering, and a huge
iguana ran along the wall, and escaped through the orifice by which I
had entered.
The chamber was entirely different in shape from those I had seen
before. The latter were circular, and had dome-shaped ceilings. This
had parallel walls and the triangular-arched ceiling; in fact, it was
in shape exactly like the apartments above ground. It was eleven feet
long, seven wide, and ten high to the centre of the arch. The walls and
ceiling were plastered, and the floor was of cement, all hard and in a
good state of preservation. A centipede was the only tenant after the
evasion of the iguana.
While I was making these measurements, the Indians kept up a low
conversation around the hole. A mystery hung around it, transmitted to
them by their fathers, and connected with an indefinable sense of
apprehension. This mystery might have been solved at any time in five
minutes, but none of them had ever thought of doing it, and the old man
begged me to come out, saying that if I died they would have to answer
for it. Their simplicity and credulity seem hardly credible. They had
all sense enough to take their hands out of the fire without being
told, but probably to this day they believe that in that hole is the
owner of the building. When I came out they looked at me with
admiration. They told me that there were other places of the same kind,
but they would not show them to me, lest some accident should happen;
and as my attempt drew them all from work, and I could not promise
myself any satisfactory result, I refrained from insisting.
This chamber was formed in the roof of the lower building. That
building contained two corridors, and we had always supposed that the
great interval between the arches of the parallel corridors was a solid
mass of masonry. The discovery of this chamber brought to light a new
feature in the construction of these buildings. Whether the other
roofs, or any of them, contained chambers, it is impossible to say. Not
suspecting anything of the kind, we had made no search for them, and
they may exist, but with the holes covered up and hidden by the growth
and decay of vegetation. Heretofore I had inclined to the opinion that
the subterraneous chambers I had met with were intended for cisterns or
reservoirs of water. The position of this in the roof of a building
seemed adverse to such an idea, as, in case of a breach, the water
might find its way into the apartment below.
At the foot of the terrace was a tree, hiding part of the building.
Though holding trees in some degree of reverence, around these ruined
cities it was a great satisfaction to hear them fall. This one was a
noble ramon, which I had ordered to be cut down, and being engaged in
another direction, I returned, and found that the Indians had not done
so, and they said it was so hard that it would break their axes. These
little axes seemed hardly capable of making any impression upon the
trunk, and I gave them directions, perhaps still more barbarous to cut
away the branches and leave the trunk. They hesitated, and one of them
said, in a deprecating tone, that this tree served as food for horses
and cattle, and their mistress had always charged them not to cut down
such. The poor fellow seemed perplexed between the standing orders of
the rancho and the special instructions to do what I required.
The ramon tree was growing out of the mouth of a cave, which the
Indians said was an ancient well. I should perhaps not have observed
it, but for the discussion about cutting down the tree. I had no great
disposition for another subterraneous scramble, but descended the
cavity or opening for the purpose of taking a bird's-eye view of the
mouth. On one side was a great ledge of stone projecting as a roof, and
under this was a passage in the rock, choked up by masses of fallen
stone. It was impossible to continue if I had been so disposed, but
there was every reason to believe that formerly there had been some
wild passage through the rocks as at Xcoch and Chack, which led to a
subterraneous deposite of water, and that this had been one of the
sources from which the ancient inhabitants procured their supply.
From the number of Indians at our command, and their alacrity in
working, we had been enabled to accomplish much in a very short time.
In three days they finished all that I required of them. When I
dismissed them, I gave a half dollar extra to be divided among
seventeen, and as I was going away Bernabe exclaimed, "Ave Maria, que
gracias dan a vd." "Ave Maria, what thanks they give you."
The evening closed with a general gathering of the Indians under the
arbour in front of the casa real. Before setting out in the morning the
alcalde asked me whether I wished them to assemble for the purpose of
talking with them, and we had provided for their entertainment a sheep
and a turkey, to which Bernaldo had devoted the day. At sundown all was
ready. We insisted upon seating the old alcalde on a chair. Bernaldo
served out meat and tortillas, and the alcalde presided over the agua
ardiente, which, as it was purchased of himself, and to prove that it
was not bad, he tasted before serving the rest, and took his share
afterward. Supper over, we began our conversation, which consisted
entirely of questions on our part and answers on theirs, a manner of
discourse even in civilized life difficult to be kept up long. There
was no unwillingness to give information, but there was a want of
communicativeness which made all intercourse with them unprofitable and
unsatisfactory. In fact, however, they had nothing to communicate; they
had no stories or traditions; they knew nothing of the origin of the
ruined buildings; these were standing when they were born; had existed
in the time of their fathers; and the old men said that they had fallen
much within their own memory. In one point, however, they differed from
the Indians of Uxmal and Zayi. They had no superstitious feelings with
regard to the ruins, were not afraid to go to them at night, or to
sleep in them; and when we told them of the music that was heard
sounding among the old buildings of Zayi, they said that if it were
heard among these, they would all go and dance to it.
There were other vestiges and mounds, all, however, in a ruinous
condition. The last day, while Mr. Catherwood was finishing at Labna, I
rode with Bernaldo to the hacienda of Tabi, two leagues distant, which,
and those of Xcanchakan, already presented in these pages, and Vayalke,
belonging to the Senora Joaquina Peon, where we stopped on our first
visit to Uxmal, were distinguished as the three finest in Yucatan.
Before the gate were some noble seybo trees, and near it a tiendicita,
or small shop, supplied with articles adapted to the wants of the
Indians appertaining to the hacienda. The great yard was lined with
buildings, among which were the church and an enclosure for a
bullfight, prepared for a festival which was to commence the next day.
In the wall of the hacienda were sculptured ornaments from the ruins of
ancient buildings. At the foot of the steps was a double-headed eagle,
well carved, holding in his claws a sort of sceptre, and underneath
were the figures of two tigers four feet high. In the back of the house
was a projecting stone figure, with its mouth open, an uncomfortable
expression of face, arms akimbo, and hands pressing the sides, as if in
a qualmish state. It was used as a water-spout, and a stream was
pouring out of the mouth. The buildings from which these stones were
taken were near the hacienda, but were mere piles of ruins. They had
furnished materials for the construction of the church, walls, and all
the edifices on the hacienda.
Besides this there was a great cave, of which I had heard in Merida
from the owner, who said he had never visited it, but wished me to do
so, and he would read my description of it. The major domo was an
intelligent Mestizo, who had been at the cave, and confirmed all the
accounts I had heard of it, of sculptured figures of men and animals,
pillars, and a chapel of rock under the earth. He furnished me with a
vaquero as a guide and a relief horse, and, setting out, a short
distance from the hacienda we turned into a tree-encumbered path, so
difficult to pass through that, before we had gone far, it seemed quite
reasonable in the owner to content himself with reading our description
of this cave, without taking the trouble to see it for himself. The
vaquero was encased in the equipments with which that class ride into
the woods after cattle. His dress was a small, hard, heavy straw hat,
cotton shirt, drawers, and sandals; over his body a thick jacket, or
overall, made of tanned cowhide, with the sleeves reaching below his
hands, and standing out as if made of wood; his saddle had large
leather flaps, which folded back and protected his naked legs, and
leather stirrup flaps to protect his feet. Where he dashed through the
bushes and briers unharmed, my thin blues got caught and torn; but he
knew what garrapatas were, and said with emphasis, "Estos chicos son
muy Demonios." "Those little ones are the very d----l." At the distance
of a league we reached the cave and, tying our hones, descended by a
great chasm to the depth of perhaps two hundred feet, when we found
ourselves under a great shelf of overhanging rock, the cavern being
dark as we advanced, but all at once lighted up from beyond by a
perpendicular orifice, and exhibiting in the background magnificent
stalactites, picturesque blocks and fragments of rock, which, in the
shadows of the background, assumed all manner of fantastic shapes, and,
from their fancied resemblance, had been called the figures of men and
animals, pillars and chapels. I saw at once that there was another
disappointment for me; there were no monuments of art, and had never
been anything artificial; but the cave itself, being large and open,
and lighted in several places by orifices above, was so magnificent
that, notwithstanding the labour and disappointment, I did not regret
my visit. I passed two hours in wandering through it, returned to the
hacienda to dine, and it was after dark when I reached the rancho, and
for the last time had the benefit of its well in the shape of a warm
bath. Throughout Yucatan, every Indian, however poor, has, as part of
the furniture of his hut, a bano, or sort of bathing-tub; and, next to
making tortillas, the great use of a wife is to have warm water ready
for him when he returns from his work. We had not the latter
convenience, but at this place, for a medio, we had the alcalde's bano
every evening. It was a wooden dug-out, flat bottomed, about three feet
long, eighteen inches wide, three or four inches deep, and bathing in
it was somewhat like bathing in the salver of a tea-table, but, covered
as we were constantly with garrapata bites, mere ablution was as
grateful as a Turkish or Egyptian bath.