Departure from Bolonchen.--Lose the Road.--Sugar Rancho.--A new
Section of Country.--Rancho of Santa Rosa.--Annoyance from
Fleas.--Visit to the Ruins of Labphak.--A lofty Structure.--Apartments,
&c.--Staircases.--Doorways.--Interesting Discovery.--Courtyard.--Square
Building on the second Terrace.--Ornaments in Stucco.--Oblong Building
on the third Terrace.--Colossal Figures and Ornaments.--Centre
Apartment.--Tokens of recent Occupation.--Ground Plan of the lower
Range of Apartments.--Sculptured Bas-reliefs.--Builders adapted their
Style to the Materials at Hand.--Abode at the Ruins.--Wants.--Moonlight
Scene.--Painting.--Circular Holes.--Range of
Buildings.--Staircases.--Ornaments in Stucco.--Rain.--Love of the
Marvellous.
Early the next morning we resumed our journey. On leaving the village
we were soon again in the wilderness. Albino remained behind to
breakfast; we had not gone far before we came to a fork of the road,
and took one of the branches, by which we missed our way, and rode on
over a great plain covered with bushes above our horses' heads, the
path finally becoming so completely choked up that it was impossible to
continue. We turned back and took another; and, keeping as near as
possible, by the compass, what we understood to be the direction, came
out upon a muddy aguada, covered with weeds, and beyond this a sugar
rancho, the first we had seen in Yucatan, indicating that we were
entering a different section of country. We had escaped the region of
eternal stones, and the soil was rich and loamy. A league beyond this
we reached the rancho of Santa Rosa. It was a very rare thing in this
country to notice any place for its beauty of situation, but we were
struck with this, though perhaps its beauty consisted merely in
standing upon a slight elevation, and commanding a view of an open
country.
The major domo was somewhat surprised at the object of our visit. The
ruins were about two leagues distant, but he had never seen them, and
had no great opinion of ruins generally. He immediately sent out,
however, to notify the Indians to be on the ground in the morning, and
during the evening he brought in one who was to be our guide. By way of
getting some idea of the ruins, we showed him some of Mr. Catherwood's
drawings, and asked him if his bore any resemblance to them. He looked
at them all attentively, and pointed to the blanks left for the
doorways as the points of resemblance; from his manner we got the
impression that we should have to thank the cura for a bootless visit.
The night at this rancho was a memorable one. We were so scourged by
fleas that sleep was impossible. Mr. Catherwood and Dr. Cabot resorted
to the Central American practice of sewing up the sheets into a bag,
and all night we were in a fever.
The next morning we started for the ruins of Labphak, taking care to
carry our luggage with, us, and not intending, under any circumstances,
to return. The major domo accompanied us. It was luxurious to ride on a
road free from stones. In an hour we entered a forest of fine trees,
and a league beyond found a party of Indians, who pointed us to a
narrow path just opened, wilder than anything we had yet travelled.
After following this some distance, the Indians stopped, and made signs
to us to dismount. Securing the horses, and again following the
Indians, in a few minutes we saw peering through the trees the white
front of a lofty building, which, in the imperfect view we had of it,
seemed the grandest we had seen in the country. It had three stories,
the uppermost consisting of a bare dead wall, without any doorways,
being, the Indians told us, the casa cerrada, or closed house, which
the cura and alcalde intended to open con bombas. The whole building,
with all its terraces, was overgrown with gigantic trees. The Indians
cutting a path along the front, we moved on from door to door, and
wandered through its desolate chambers. For the first time in the
country we found interior staircases, one of which was entire, every
step being in its place. The stones were worn, and we almost expected
to see the foot-prints of the former occupants. With hurried interest
we moved on till we reached the top. This commanded an extensive view
over a great wooded and desolate plain, to which the appearance of the
heavens gave at the moment an air of additional dreariness. The sky was
overcast, and portended the coming of another Norte. The wind swept
over the ruined building, so that in places we were obliged to cling to
the branches of the trees to save ourselves from falling. An eagle
stayed his flight through the air and hovered over our heads. At a
great height Doctor Cabot recognised it as one of a rare species, the
first which he had seen in the country, and stood with his gun ready,
hoping to carry it home with him as a memorial of the place; but the
proud bird soared away.
It seemed almost sacrilege to disturb the repose in which this building
lay, and to remove its burial shroud, but soon, amid the ringing of the
axe and machete, and the crash of falling trees, this feeling wore
away. We had thirty Indians, who, working under the direction of the
major domo, were equal to forty or fifty in our hands, and there was
the most glorious excitement I had experienced in walking along these
terraces, with Albino and the major domo to convey my directions to the
Indians. Indeed, I can hardly imagine a higher excitement than to go
through that country with a strong force, time, and means at command,
to lay bare the whole region in which so many ruined cities are now
buried.
In the mean time Mr. Catherwood, still an invalid, and deprived of
sleep the night before, had his hammock slung in an apartment at the
top of the building. By afternoon the clearing was finished, and he
made his drawing, which appears in the engraving opposite.
[Engraving 27: A grand Structure]
The lowest range or story is one hundred and forty-five feet in length.
The roof and a portion of the facade have fallen, and almost buried the
centre doorways. The apartments containing the staircases are indicated
in a plan hereinafter presented. Each staircase consists of two
flights, with a platform at the head of the first, which forms the foot
of the second, and they lead out upon the roof, under the projection
which stands like a watch-tower in the wall of the second range, and
from this range two interior staircases lead out in the same way to the
platform of the third.
The reader will observe that in the second and third ranges there are
no openings of any kind except those at the head of the staircases, but
simply a plain, solid wall. At first sight of this wall we thought we
had really at last found a casa cerrada, and almost wished for the cura
with his bombas. The major domo, looking up at it, called it so; but it
seemed strange that such a character had ever been ascribed to it; for,
barely working our way round the platform of the terrace, we found
ranges of doorways opening into apartments, and that this was merely
what we had often seen before, a back wall without doors or windows.
And we made another much more interesting and important discovery. The
elevation which we came upon first, facing the west, and shown in the
engraving, noble and majestic as it was, was actually the rear of the
building, and the front, facing the east, presented the tottering
remains of the grandest structure that now rears its ruined head in the
forests of Yucatan.
In front was a grand courtyard, with ranges of ruined buildings,
forming a hollow square, and in the centre a gigantic staircase rose
from the courtyard to the platform of the third story. On the platform
of the second terrace, at each end, stood a high square building like a
tower, with the remains of rich ornaments in stucco; and on the
platform of the third, at the head of the grand staircase, one on each
side of it, stood two oblong buildings, their facades adorned with
colossal figures and ornaments in stucco, seemingly intended as a
portal to the structure on the top. In ascending the grand staircase,
cacique, priest, or stranger had before him this gorgeously ornamented
portal, and passed through it to enter the centre apartment of the
upper story.
This apartment, however, does not correspond with the grandeur of the
approach, and, according to our understanding of proprieties, the view
of it is attended with disappointment. It is twenty-three feet long,
only five feet six inches wide, and perfectly plain, without painting
or ornament of any kind. But in this lofty chamber were strange
memorials, tokens of recent occupation, indicating, amid the desolation
and solitude around, that within a few years this ruined edifice, from
which the owners had perhaps fled in terror, or been driven by the
sword, had been the refuge and abode of man. In the holes of the
archway were poles for the support of hammocks, and at each end were
swinging shelves made of twigs and rods. When the cholera swept like a
scourge over this isolated country, the inhabitants of the villages and
ranchos fled for safety to the mountains and the wilderness. This
desolate building was repeopled, this lofty chamber was the abode of
some scared and stricken family, and here, amid hardships and
privations, they waited till the angel of death passed by.
The engraving which follows represents the ground-plan of the lower
range. It consists of ranges of narrow apartments on all four of the
sides, opening outward, and the reader will see that it has fitness,
and uniformity of design and proportion. The grand staircase, forty
feet wide, is indicated in the engraving. The interior, represented in
blank, forms the foundation for the support of the two upper ranges. It
is cut off and enclosed on all sides by the inner wall, has no
communication with any of the apartments, and is apparently a solid
mass. Whether it really is solid or contains apartments, remains, as in
other structures of the same kind, a question for the investigation of
future explorers. Under the circumstances attending our visit, we were
utterly unable to attempt anything of the kind.
[Engraving 28: Ground Plan]
The reader will notice in the plan two places marked "sculptured
bas-reliefs." In these places are carved tablets set in the wall, as at
Palenque, and, except at Palenque, this was the only place in all our
wanderings in which we found bas-reliefs thus disposed. We were now
moving in the direction of Palenque, though, of course, at a great
distance from it; the face of the country was less stony, and the
discovery of these bas-reliefs, and the increase and profusion of
stuccoed ornaments, induced, the impression that, in getting beyond the
great limestone surface, the builders of these cities had adapted their
style to the materials at hand, until, at Palenque, instead of putting
up great facades of rudely-carved stone, they decorated the exterior
with ornaments in stucco, and, having fewer carved ornaments, bestowed
upon them more care and skill.
[Engraving 29: Bas-reliefs]
The plate opposite represents the bas-reliefs referred to. Though
resembling those at Palenque in general character and detail of
ornament, they are greatly inferior in design and execution. Standing
in the outer wall, they are much defaced and worn; the tablets on the
south, both in the drawing and Daguerreotype view, presented a confused
appearance. Both were composed of separate stones; but the subjects on
the different pieces appeared, in some cases, to want adaptation to
each other, and almost suggested the belief that they were fragments of
other tablets, put together without much regard to design of any kind.
Night was almost upon us when Albino inquired in what apartment he
should hang up our hammocks. In the interest of our immediate
occupations we had not thought of this; a buzzing in the woods gave
ominous warning of moschetoes, and we inclined to the highest range;
but it was unsafe to carry our things up, or to move about the broken
terraces in the dark. We selected, as the most easy of access, the
rooms indicated in the engraving by the second doorway on the left,
which, as the reader may see, was partly encumbered in front by the
ruins of the facade on the right. We secured the doorway against
moschetoes with the black muslin used for the Daguerreotype tent. The
kitchen was established in the corner room, and as soon as all was
arranged we called in the servants, and associated them with us in an
interesting and extraordinary sitting, as a committee of ways and
means. The horses were well provided for in the way of green food, for
many of the trees cut down were noble ramons, but there was neither
corn nor water, and we were equally destitute ourselves. Except our
staple stock of ten, coffee, chocolate, and a few rolls of Bolonchen
bread (like all the bread of that country, sweetened, and only made to
be used with chocolate), we had nothing. Morning would break upon us
without materials for a breakfast. Summary measures were necessary, and
I went out to consult with the major domo and the Indians. They had
made a clearing near the horses, had their hammocks swung under the
trees, and a large fire in the centre. All vacated their hammocks, and
were docile as doves until I mentioned the necessity of sending
immediately for provisions. Completely the creatures of habit, used to
ending their labours with the sun, and then to gossip and repose, they
could not bear to be disturbed. Money was no object to them; and but
for the major domo I should not have been able to accomplish anything.
He selected two, each of whom was intrusted with part of the
commission, as one could not remember all the items, and a written
memorandum would, of course, be of no use. There was one article, the
procuring of which was doubtful, and that was an olla, or earthen pot,
for cooking; no Indian had more than one in his hut, and that was
always in use. Our messengers were instructed to buy, hire, or beg, or
get in any other way their ingenuity might suggest, but not to come
back without one.
Relieved in this important matter, the encampment under the trees, with
the swarthy figures of the Indians lighted by the fire, presented a
fine spectacle, and, but for the apprehension of moschetoes, I should
have been tempted to hang up my hammock among them. As I returned, the
moon was beaming magnificently over the clearing, lighting up the
darkness of the woods, and illuminating the great white building from
its foundation to the summit.
We had some apprehensions for the night. My hammock was swung in the
front apartment. Directly over my head, in the layer of flat stones
along the arch, was the dim outline of a faded red painting like that
first seen at Kewick. On the walls were the prints of the mysterious
red hand, and around were the tokens of recent occupation before
referred to, adding strength to the reflection always pressing upon our
minds, what tales of fear and wonder these old walls, could they speak,
might disclose. We had a large fire built in one corner of the
apartment, but we heard no moschetoes, and there were no fleas. During
the night we all woke up at the same moment, only to congratulate each
other and enjoy the consciousness of feeling ourselves free from these
little nuisances.
Our first business the next morning was to send our horses off to
drink, and to procure water for ourselves, for the Indians had
exhausted all that was found in the hollows of the rocks. At eleven
o'clock our emissaries returned with fowls, tortillas, and an olla, the
last of which they had hired for a medio, but for that day only.
Except a small ruined structure which we passed on the way to this
building, as yet we had seen only this one with the ranges around the
courtyard. It was clear that it did not stand alone; but we were so
completely buried in the woods that it was utterly impossible to know
which way to turn in search of others. In making our clearing we had
stumbled upon two circular holes, like those found at Uxmal, which the
Indians called chuhunes, or cisterns, and which they said existed in
all parts, and Doctor Cabot, in pursuit of a bird, had found a range of
buildings at but a short distance, disconnected from each other, and
having their facades ornamented with stucco.
Going out to the path from which we had turned off to reach this
edifice, and proceeding upon it a short distance, we saw through the
trees the corner of a large building, which proved to be a great
parallelogram, enclosing a hollow square. In the centre of the front
range a grand but ruined staircase ascended from the ground to the top
of the building and, crossing the flat roof, we found a corresponding
staircase leading down into the courtyard. The richest ornaments were
on the side facing the courtyard, being of stucco and on each side of
the staircase were some of new and curious design, but, unfortunately,
they were all in a ruinous condition. The whole courtyard was
overgrown, so that the buildings facing it were but indistinctly
visible, and in some places not at all.
In the afternoon the wind increased to a regular Norther, and at night
all the Indians were driven in by the rain.
The next day the rain continued, and the major domo left us, taking
with him nearly all the Indians. This put an end to the clearing, Mr.
Catherwood had a recurrence of fever, and in the intervals of sunshine
Dr. Cabot and myself worked with the Daguerreotype.
In the mean time, from the difficulty of procuring water and
necessaries, we found our residence at these ruins uncomfortable. Our
Indians, whom we had engaged to carry our luggage, complained of the
detention, and, to crown our troubles, the owner of the olla came, and
insisted upon having it returned. Mr. Catherwood, too, was unable to
work, the woods were wet with the rain, and we considered it advisable
to change the scene. There is no place which we visited that we were so
reluctant to leave unfinished, and none that better deserved a month's
exploration. It remains a rich and almost unbroken field for the future
explorer, and, that he may have something to excite his imagination,
and, at the same time, to show that the love of the marvellous is not
confined to any one country, I may add that, upon the strength of a
letter of mine to a friend in the interior, giving an account of the
discovery of this place, and mentioning the vestiges of six buildings,
we found, on our return to Merida, that these six had gone on
accumulating, and had not been fairly brought to a stop till they had
reached six hundred!