Departure from Mani.--Ornithology of Yucatan.--Discoveries of Doctor
Cabot.--Village of Tixmeach.--Peto.--Church and Convent.--News
from Home.--Don Pio Perez.--Indian Almanac.--A Fragment of Maya
Manuscript.--Journey resumed.--Taihxiu.--Yaxcala.--Piste.--Arrival
at Chichen.--First Sight of the Ruins.--The Hacienda.--A strange
Reception.--Lodgings.--Situation of the Ruins.--Mr. Burke.--Magnificent
Appearance of the Ruins.--Derivation of the Word
Chichen.--Senotes.--Different from those before presented.--Mischievous
Boys.--Failure of the Corn Crop.
Monday, March 7. Before daylight the next morning we left Mani.
Our present mode of travelling favoured Doctor Cabot's particular
objects. His best chance for procuring birds was always on the road,
the time passed at ruins, on account of the density of the woods and
underbrush, being in a great measure lost to him. Yucatan had never
before been explored ornithologically; or, to speak more correctly, the
only person who had given any attention to that branch of its natural
history, a German, died in the country; his collections were scattered
and his notes lost. Doctor Cabot's field of operations, therefore, was,
like our own entirely new; and our attention being constantly directed
to the brilliant plumage of the birds and their interesting habits,
they became identified with the purposes of our journey. It was my
intention to obtain from Doctor Cabot, and publish in this work, a full
essay on the ornithology of the country, but I find my materials so
abundant and my volumes growing to such a bulk that compression has
become a work of serious necessity.
Doctor Cabot has published, in the Boston Journal of Natural History,
an account of his observations upon one rare and splendid bird, the
ocellated turkey, of which one stuffed specimen at the Jardin des
Plantes, and another in the collection of the Earl of Derby, are the
only two known to exit, and of which, besides obtaining a stuffed
specimen, we succeeded in transporting two living birds from the
interior, and embarking them for home, but lost them overboard on the
voyage. I have hopes that he may be induced to publish a full account
of his observations upon the ornithology of Yucatan. In the mean time I
give in the Appendix a memorandum of about one hundred birds observed
by him in that country, which are also found within the United States,
and have been figured and described by Wilson, Bonaparte, Audubon, and
Nuttall; of others, which are well known to the scientific world for
their striking brilliancy of plumage, having been observed in different
parts of South and Central America, but are known only by skins
prepared and sold in the country, and whose habits have never been
described; and a third class, more important to the naturalist than
either of the others, comprising birds entirely unknown until
discovered by him in Yucatan. The memorandum is accompanied by a few
notes referring to the places and circumstances under which they were
procured; and in referring to them in the Appendix, I would take
occasion to say that some of the most really important matter in this
work is to be found in that place, for the sake of which I have
considered it expedient materially to abridge my narrative.
But to resume. We stopped that night at Tixmeach, eight leagues
distant, a neat village with a well one hundred and forty-four feet
deep, at which every woman drawing from it left a handful of maize for
a cantaro of water, and we paid a medio for watering our horses; and
setting out before daylight the next morning, at half past nine we
reached Peto, where we found Mr. Catherwood and our luggage on the
hands of our friend Don Pio Perez.
Peto is the head of a department, of which Don Pio Perez was gefe
politico. It was a well-built town, with streets indicated, as at
Merida, by figures on the tops of the houses. The church and convent
were large and imposing edifices, and the living of the cura one of the
most valuable in the church, being worth six or seven thousand dollars
per annum.
At this place we found letters and packets of newspapers from home,
forwarded to us from Merida, and, except attending to them, our time
was devoted almost exclusively to long and interesting conversations
with Don Pio on matters connected with the antiquities of the country.
I cannot sufficiently express my obligations to this gentleman for the
warm interest he took in facilitating our pursuits, and for the labour
he bestowed ungrudgingly in our behalf. Besides preparing a series of
verbal forms and other illustrations of the grammar of the Maya
language, according to memoranda made by the same distinguished
gentleman before referred to, he gave me a vocabulary in manuscript,
containing more than four thousand Maya words, and an almanac, prepared
by himself, according to the Indian system of computation, for the year
from the 16th of July, 1841, to the 15th of July, 1842, a translation
of which is published in the Appendix, as a key or supplement to his
calendar.[2]
Besides these, he furnished me with the copy of one other document,
which, if genuine and authentic, throws more light upon aboriginal
history than any other known to be in existence. It is a fragment of a
Maya manuscript, written from memory by an Indian, at some time not
designated, and entitled "Principal epochs of the ancient history of
Yucatan."
It purports to give the series of "katunes," or epochs, from the time
of the departure of the Toltecs from the country of Tulapan until their
arrival at this, as it is called, island of Chacno-uitan, occupying,
according to Don Pio's computation of katunes, the lapse of time
corresponding with that between the years 144 and 217 of the Christian
era.
It assigns dates to the discovery of Bacalar and then of Chichen Itza,
both within the three epochs corresponding with the time between A.D.
360 and A.D. 432; the colonization of Champoton, and its destruction;
the times of wandering through the uninhabited forests, and
establishing themselves a second time at Chichen Itza, within epochs
corresponding with the lapse between A.D. 888 and A.D. 936.
The epoch of the colonization of Uxmal, corresponding with the years
between A.D. 936 and 1176 A.D.; the epochs of wars between the
governors of Chichen Itza and Mayapan; the destruction of the latter
city by the Uitzes of the Sierras, or highlanders; and the arrival of
the Spaniards, adding that "Holy men from the East came with them;" and
the manuscript terminates with the epoch of the first baptism and the
arrival of the first bishop.
I shall make ho comment upon the subject matter of this manuscript. How
far it is to be regarded as authentic I am not able to say, but as the
only known manuscript in existence that purports to be written by an
Indian, in his native language, giving an account of the events in the
ancient history of this country, I publish it entire in the Appendix.
It may conflict in some particulars with opinions expressed by me but I
consider the discovery of the truth on this subject as far more
important than the confirmation of any theory of my own; and I may add
that, in general, it bears out and sustains the news presented in these
pages.
On the afternoon of the 11th of March we bade farewell to Don Pio
Perez, and set out for Chichen. Ever since we left home we had had our
eyes upon this place. We had become eager to reach it, and the
increasing bulk of these volumes warns me that I must not now linger on
the road. I shall therefore barely say that the first night we stopped
at the village of Taihxiu, the second at Yaxcaba and at noon of the
third day we reached Piste about two miles, distant from Chichen. We
had heard some unpropitious accounts concerning the hospitality of the
proprietor of the hacienda, and thought it safer not to alarm him by
going upon him with appetites sharpened by a hard day's ride, but first
to lay the village under a moderate contribution.
At four o'clock we left Piste, and very soon we saw rising high above
the plain the Castillo of Chichen. In half an hour we were among the
ruins of this ancient city, with all the great buildings in full view,
casting prodigious shadows over the plain, and presenting a spectacle
which even after all that we had seen, once more excited in us emotions
of wonder. The camino real ran through the midst of them, and the field
was so open that, without dismounting, we rode close in to some of the
principal edifices. Involuntarily we lingered, but night was
approaching, and, fairly drawing ourselves away, we rode on, and in a
few minutes reached the hacienda. Vaqueros were shouting, and a large
drove of cattle was pouring in at the gate. We were about following,
but a crowd of men and women on the steps of the hacienda shouted to us
not to come in, and a man ran toward us, throwing up both hands, and
shut the gate directly in our faces. This promised us another Don
Gregorio welcome; but this ominous demonstration did not mean anything
churlish; on the contrary, all was done out of kindness. We had been
expected for three months. Through the agency of friends the proprietor
had advised the major domo of our intended visit, directing him to do
all in his power to make us comfortable, and it was for this reason
that the latter had ordered the gate to be shut upon us, for, as the
man who did it told us, the hacienda was overrun with women and
children, and there was no room for another hammock. He conducted us
to the church, standing in a fine situation, and offered us the
sacristia, or vestry-room, which was new, clean, and had plastered
walls, but it was small, and had only knobs for two hammocks. It had a
door of communication with the church, and he said we might swing a
third hammock in the latter, but it was toward the end of a fiesta, the
Indians might want to use the altar, and we had some scruples.
Our alternative was a house directly opposite the gate of the hacienda,
to which there was no objection on the score of size, for as yet its
dimensions were unlimited, as it was merely a frame of poles supporting
a thatched roof, with a great pile of lime and sand in the centre,
intended to be made into walls. The proprietor was erecting it
expressly for the accommodation of travellers. While we resided in it,
the pile of lime and sand was converted to its destined purpose, and we
were plastered in; so that the next visiter to these ruins will find a
good house ready for his reception. The major domo wished us to take
our meals at the hacienda, but as we had all our travelling equipage,
we again organized for housekeeping, and to that end we had an unusual
proportion of comforts. Besides the resources of the hacienda, we had
the village of Piste at command, and Valladolid being but six hours'
distance, we prepared an order for supplies to be sent off the next
day.
The next morning, under the guidance of an Indian of the hacienda, we
prepared for a preliminary survey. The ruins of Chichen lie on a
hacienda, called by the name of the ancient city. It is the property of
Don Juan Sosa, and was set off to him, on the decease of his father and
an apportionment of his estate, with cattle, horses, and mules, at a
valuation of between five and six thousand dollars. As with most of the
lands in that neighbourhood, the fee is in the government, and the
proprietor entitled only to the majores, or improvements.
The ruins are nine leagues from Valladolid, the camino real to which
passes directly through the field. The great buildings tower on both
sides of the road in full sight of all passers-by, and from the fact
that the road is much travelled, the ruins of Chichen are perhaps more
generally known to the people of the country than any other in Yucatan.
It is an interesting fact, however, that the first stranger who ever
visited them was a native of New-York, whom we afterward met at
Valladolid, and who is now again residing in this city.
Immediately on our arrival at Chichen we heard of a paysanno, or
countryman, Don Juan Burque, enginero en la machina de Valladolid, the
English of which is, Mr. John Burke, engineer in the factory. In 1838
Mr. Burke came from Valladolid to the village of Cawa, six leagues
distant from Chichen. While making excursions in the neighbourhood, one
of the young men told him of old buildings on this hacienda, from one
of which Valladolid was visible. Mr. Burke rode over, and on the fourth
of July stood on the top of the Castillo, spy-glass in hand, looking
out for Valladolid. Two years afterward, in 1840, they were visited by
the Baron Frederichstahl, and by him first brought to the notice of the
public, both in Europe and this country; and I take occasion to say
that this visit was made in the prosecution of a route recommended to
him by me after my return from my former interrupted journey of
exploration among the ruins of Yucatan.
But to return. From the door of our hut some of the principal buildings
were in sight. We went first to those on the opposite side of the
camino real. The path led through the cattle-yard of the hacienda, from
which we passed out at one end by a range of bars into the field of
ruins, partially wooded, but the greater part open and intersected by
cattle-paths. Garrapatas were as abundant as ever, and perhaps more so
from the numerous cattle running over the plain, but the luxuries of an
open country, and the facility of moving from place to place, were so
great, that these could not mar our satisfaction, which was raised to
the highest pitch by the ruins themselves. These were, indeed,
magnificent. The buildings were large, and some were in good
preservation; in general, the facades were not so elaborately
ornamented as some we had seen, seemed of an old date, and the
sculpture was ruder, but the interior apartments contained decorations
and devices that were new to us, and powerfully interesting. All the
principal buildings were within a comparatively small compass; in fact,
they were in such proximity, and the facilities for moving among them
were so great, that by one o'clock we had visited every building,
examined every apartment, and arranged the whole plan and order of
work. This over, we went to join Doctor Cabot, who was in the mean time
pursuing an independent occupation, but on joint account, and for joint
benefit.
The name of Chichen is another instance added to those already given,
showing the importance attached in that dry country to the possession
of water. It is compounded of the two Maya words _chi_, mouth, and
_chen_, well, and signifies the mouth of the well. Among the ruins are
two great senotes, which, beyond doubt, furnished water to the
inhabitants of the ancient city. Since the establishment of a hacienda
and the construction of a well, these had fallen into disuse. Doctor
Cabot had undertaken to open a path in one of them down to the water,
for the purpose of bathing, which, in that hot climate, was as
refreshing as food. We came upon him just as he had finished, and,
besides his Indian workmen, he had the company of a large party of
Mestizo boys from the village of Piste, who were already taking
advantage of his labours, and were then swimming, diving, and perched
all about in the hollows of the rocks.
On our journey from Peto, the particulars of which I was obliged to
omit, we had entered a region where the sources of the supply of water
again formed a new and distinctive feature in the face of the country,
wilder, and, at first sight, perhaps creating at stronger feeling of
admiration and wonder than even the extraordinary cuevas, aguadas, and
senotes we had formerly encountered. These, too, are called senotes,
but they differ materially from those before presented, being immense
circular holes, from sixty to two hundred feel in diameter, with
broken, rocky, perpendicular sides from fifty to one hundred feet deep,
and having at the bottom a great body of water, of an unknown depth,
always about the same level, supposed to be supplied by subterranean
rivers. We had seen ranchos of Indians established near these senotes,
with a railing on one side, over which Indian women were drawing up
water in little bark buckets; probably the two great senotes at this
place were the inducements to the foundation of the ancient city.
The engraving that follows represents this senote among the ruins of
Chichen. Though wild enough in its appearance, it had less of that
extraordinary regularity than the others we had seen. Those were all
circular, and it was impossible to get access to the water except by
means of a rope. This wae oblong, about three hundred and fifty feet in
length and one hundred and fifty wide. The sides were between sixty and
seventy feet high, and perpendicular, except in one place, which was
broken so as to form a steep, winding descent to the water. The view is
taken from the edge of the water. The path is evidently, to a certain
extent, artificial, as we saw in one place the vestiges of a stone wall
along the brink. On this side Doctor Cabot had erected a railing for
protection, which the mischievous boys of Piste afterward pulled down;
we tempted them with a reward of two reales apiece for the discovery of
the offenders, but none of them ever accepted the offer. These boys,
by-the-way, with the inhabitants of Piste generally, both men and
women, seemed to consider that the opening of this path was for their
especial benefit, and at first they made it a point to be on the spot
at the same hour with us. Upon one occasion we were so annoyed by the
presence of two ladies of that village, who seemed determined not to go
away, that we were obliged to come to an amicable understanding by
means of a peremptory notice that all persons most give us the benefit
of their absence at that hour; and every day, when the sun was vertical
and scarcely endurable on the surface of the earth, we bathed in this
deep senote.
[Engraving 36: Senote at Chichen]
We returned to the hut well satisfied with our first day at Chichen;
and there was another circumstance which, though painful in itself,
added materially to the spirit with which we commenced our labours at
this place. The danger apprehended from the rainy season was coming to
pass, and under the anticipation of a failure of the next crop, corn
had risen from two reales to a dollar the load. The distress occasioned
in this country by the failure of the corn crop cannot well be
imagined. In 1836 this calamity occurred, and from the same cause that
threatened to produce it now. Along the coast a supply was furnished
from the United States, but it would not bear the expense of
transportation into the interior, and in this region corn rose to four
dollars a load, which put the staff of life completely beyond the reach
of the Indians. Famine ensued, and the poor Indians died of starvation.
At the time of our arrival the criados, or servants, of the hacienda,
always improvident, had consumed their small stock, and, with no hope
from their milpas, with the permission of the master were about moving
away to regions where the pressure would be less severe. Our arrival,
as the major domo told us, arrested this movement; instead of our being
obliged to hunt them up, the poor Indians crowded round the door of our
hut, begging employment, and scrambling for the reales which Albino
distributed among them; but all the relief we could afford them was of
short duration, and it may not be amiss to mention that at the moment
of writing the calamity apprehended has come to pass; the ports of
Yucatan are thrown open and begging for bread, and that country in
which, but a few short months since, we were moving so quietly and
experiencing continual acts of kindness, is now groaning under famine
superadded to the horrors of war.