ANTIQUITIES—ANCIENT STATUE IN THE GRAND PLAZA—MONUMENTS ON THE ISLAND OF
MOMOTOMBITA IN LAKE MANAGUA—DETERMINE TO VISIT THEM—THE PADRE
PAUL—PUEBLO NUEVO AND OUR OLD HOSTESS—A NIGHT RIDE—“HACIENDA DE LAS
VACAS”—A NIGHT AMONGST THE “VAQUEROS”—THE LAKE—OUR BONGO—VISIT THE
HOT SPRINGS OF MOMOTOMBO—ATTEMPT TO REACH ONE OF THE “INFERNALES” OF
THE VOLCANO—TERRIBLE HEAT—GIVE UP THE ATTEMPT—OVIEDO’S ACCOUNT OF
THE VOLCANO—“PUNTA DE LOS PAJAROS”—MOMOTOMBITA—DREAD OF
RATTLESNAKES—THE MONUMENTS—RESOLVE TO REMOVE THE LARGEST—A NEST OF
SCORPIONS—TRIBULATION OF OUR CREW—HARD WORK—HOW TO SHIP AN
IDOL—VIRTUES OF AGUARDIENTE—“PURCHASING AN ELEPHANT”—MORE “PIEDRAS
ANTIGUAS”—THE ISLAND ONCE INHABITED—SUPPOSED CAUSEWAY TO THE MAIN
LAND—A PERILOUS NIGHT VOYAGE—DIFFICULT LANDING—ALACRAN OR SCORPION
DANCE—A FOOT MARCH IN THE FOREST—THE “HACIENDA DE LAS VACAS”
AGAIN—SCANT SUPPER—RETURN TO LEON—THE IDOL SENT, VIA CAPE HORN, TO
WASHINGTON—A SATISFIED PADRE—IDOLS FROM SUBTIABA—MONSTROUS
HEADS—VISIT TO AN ANCIENT TEMPLE—FRAGMENTS—MORE IDOLS—INDIAN
SUPERSTITIONS—“EL TORO”—LIGHTING ON TWO LEGS—A CHASE AFTER
HORSES—SWEET REVENGE—“CAPILLA DE LA PIEDRA”—PLACE OF THE IDOL—THE
FRAY FRANCISCO DE BOBADILLA—HOW HE CONVERTED THE INDIANS—PROBABLE
HISTORY OF MY IDOLS—THE ANCIENT CHURCH “LA MERCEDES DE SUBTIABA”—ITS
RUINS—GARRAPATAS—TROPICAL INSECTS—SNAKES AND SCORPIONS _versus_
FLEAS AND WOOD-TICKS—A CHOICE OF EVILS.
Amongst the objects of interest which early attracted my attention in
Leon, was an ancient figure or statue of stone, planted at one of the
corners of the principal plaza. It was of basalt, boldly sculptured, and
represented a man with his hands clasped on his breast, and apparently
seated upon some kind of pedestal. The lower part of the figure,
however, had been broken, and the fragment which remained was little
more than one-third of the original length. A fillet was represented
bound around the brow, and the head was surmounted by a head-dress
somewhat resembling those which are to be observed in some of the
ancient Egyptian sculptures. The face was perfect, with the exception of
a part of the mouth, which had been broken, and the eyes were apparently
closed. The whole expression was grave and serene, and yet so
characteristic, that I could not resist the impression that it was
copied after a living model. The accompanying engraving will convey a
very correct idea of the original, which I procured and presented to the
Smithsonian Institution at Washington, where it is now deposited.
[Illustration: IDOL FROM MOMOTOMBITA, NO. 1.]
The back of the figure is square, grooved on the edge, and notched
entirely across, so as to resemble overlapping plates. It will be
observed that the shoulders appear to be unnaturally elevated; but upon
closer examination it will be seen that the original design seems to
have been to represent the figure in the act of supporting some heavy
body; suggesting the probability that this, in conjunction with others
of similar design, once supported an altar, or another and still larger
statue. The flat top favors this supposition.
I found, upon inquiry, that this figure, together with many others, had
been obtained from the island of Momotombita, in Lake Managua, where
there were still a number of interesting monuments. I at once proposed
an expedition to the island, and availing myself of the time pending the
commencement of my negotiations with the government, set out on the 26th
of July, in company with Dr. Livingston, and Padre Paul, editor of “El
Correo del Istmo,” the government paper, who was curious in matters of
this kind. The Padre was a native of Spain, where he had received a
liberal education, but by some mistake had become a priest. I say
mistake, not because the Padre was not a good priest, but because nature
had intended him for a licenciado, or a politician, if not for a
traveller. The government, some days previous to our departure, had sent
orders to Managua for boats to be in readiness at a point on the lake,
nearest the island, called “Piedras Gordas,” and there to await our
arrival. It was late in the afternoon when we left the city for Pueblo
Nuevo, where we proposed to pass the night. The road was the same over
which we had travelled in our journey to Leon; but the season was now
further advanced, and the great plain was shrouded with a vegetation
three-fold more luxuriant than before. The maize, which a few weeks
previously hardly covered the ground, was now breast high; the cactus
fences too were relieved by yellow flowers, and the inner leaves
surrounding the stalk, bending outward, displayed their delicate pink
linings to the sun.
The Padre was mounted on a splendid mule, gaily caparisoned, and with
his cassock tucked up, heavy riding boots, and massive silver spurs,
followed by his servant, with an “alforjas,” full of edibles, made a
dashing figure at the head of our little cavalcade. He rode like a
trooper, and seemed to enjoy the freedom of the forest quite as much as
any sinner. A stranger might have taken him for a soldier in disguise,
or an eager lover speeding to a distant mistress. It was a tearing ride,
that twenty-four miles to Pueblo Nuevo, and in less than three hours we
dismounted at the door of the house where I had slept on my previous
journey. The old lady and her five daughters had had no warning of our
coming, and were evidently mortified to be found _sans_ satin slippers,
and with hair dishevelled. But before supper was ready they all made
their appearance in full costume, as before, and we ventured upon a
compliment or two by way of compensating for the _contretemps_ of our
sudden arrival.
We found that it was yet upwards of three leagues to the “Piedras
Gordas” where our boat was waiting, and as we were anxious to be there
by sunrise, we resolved to proceed to a cattle estate, near the place,
that night. The Padre did not relish the idea of leaving comfortable
quarters for the doubtful accommodations of the “hacienda de las vacas”
and was eloquent in describing the difficulties and dangers of riding
through unfrequented forest paths in the night time; but the Padre was
in a minority, and had to submit. We accordingly procured a guide, and
started. For a couple of miles we kept the main road, and got along
smoothly; we then turned off at right angles into the forest. The night
was exceedingly dark, and the path narrow, and even in the daytime
obscure. But our guide seemed entirely at home, and we followed as well
as we were able. Occasionally he shouted “cuidado!” “take care,” which
was the signal to fall flat on our horses, in order to escape the limbs
and branches of the trees. But notwithstanding all our caution, we got
some most ungentle thumps and scratches, and were several times nearly
dragged from our saddles. Once we became entangled for a quarter of an
hour, in the top of a fallen tree, and had literally to cut our way
through it with our swords and machetes. The Padre considerately kept in
the rear, and got the benefit of all our experiences. Our progress was
necessarily very slow, and I began to fear that we had lost our way, and
almost to repent that we had not taken the Padre’s advice, when we heard
the lowing of cattle and the barking of dogs in the distance. Thus
encouraged, we pressed on, and soon came into a broader path. We pursued
this for some distance, the barking of the dogs becoming every moment
more distinct, until finally emerging from the woods, we galloped
towards a little eminence, where a number of fires proclaimed the
existence of the cattle rancho. It was surrounded by a kind of stockade,
or fence of upright posts, and, as we approached, we were saluted with a
ferocious “_Quien vive?_” who are you? Night descents by robbers, on the
haciendas, during civil disturbances in the country, are by no means
uncommon occurrences; and as the estates have usually a considerable
number of men attached to them, they sometimes result in severe fights.
Our approach had therefore alarmed the establishment, and had not our
guide been known, we might have been turned back with a volley, instead
of having the gate opened to us with an invitation to enter. In the
centre of the square was a mud house, surrounded by a thatched shed,
beneath which a dozen hammocks were suspended. Three or four fires were
smouldering just outside of this shed, and around them were reclining
some calves which had been bitten by bats, or injured by wild animals. A
dozen surly dogs stalked amongst the swarthy “vaqueros,” or herdsmen,
whose half naked figures were just visible by the faint red light of the
fires. A couple of women, alarmed by the sound of voices, hurried,
scantily dressed, from the house, but were at once reassured by the
Padre. Altogether, with the champing horses, and the gleaming of arms,
shut in as it was by the darkness as with a pall, the scene was
singularly wild and picturesque.
The animals attended to, the next thing was to dispose ourselves for the
night. The women offered us the house, in which were two naked hide
beds. My bones were agonized at the sight of them, and I chose a hammock
beneath the shed, and wrapping myself in my blanket, tumbled in. The men
gave up their places without grumbling, and stretched themselves on the
bare earth. Soon all was still, except the melancholy howl of the “mono
colorado,” and the low, distant murmur of the lake. I slept soundly
until roused by Ben’s morning gun at the earliest dawn. He had already
prepared a cup of chocolate, which, with a cracker and a _jicara_ of
fresh milk, constituted our breakfast. The horses were saddled, and
giving the princely sum of a rial each to the men whom we had so
summarily dislodged, we started for the lake. The road was through a
beautiful forest of large trees, which the cattle kept comparatively
free from underbrush, and which had occasional open places, where the
ground was covered with long fresh grass. Half an hour brought us to the
shore. The sun had not yet risen, but a brilliant coronet of rays shot
up above the sharply defined and fantastic outlines of the distant
mountains of Segovia, and was reflected in the tremulous waters of the
lake. Immediately in front, towered the volcano of Momotombo; its lower
half purple in the shade, and its upper of the richest amber. A thin
column of smoke rose almost perpendicularly from its summit, which first
caught the crimson rays of the sun, and then changed to gold. Upon the
right, a perfect cone, was the island for which we were bound, and in
the foreground our boat, half drawn up on the shore, and near by, at the
root of a great tree, clustering around their breakfast fire, was its
crew. They had been encamped here for two days, awaiting our arrival;
and would have waited a month for that matter—for what was time to them,
so long as the lake furnished fish, and plantains were plenty?
Our horses were fastened to a long rope, one behind the other, and sent
back in charge of our guide to the hacienda, with express instructions
to have them on the shore again at nightfall, in case we should return.
Our boat, like some of the bongos on Lake Nicaragua, was hollowed from
the single trunk of a cebia tree. It was upwards of forty feet long, and
full six feet broad, permitting a tall man to lie across its bottom.
There was no wind, and the men were obliged to take to their oars. And
as it was not greatly out of our way, we determined before going to the
island to pass to the foot of the great volcano, and visit the hot
springs at its base. The intervening bay is upwards of ten miles broad,
but we crossed it before nine o’clock. While on the lake, we had an
excellent opportunity to view the volcano. It is about six thousand
feet, or one mile and a fourth, in perpendicular height, and very
steep,—so steep, indeed, that even if there were no danger in the
ascent, it would probably be impossible to reach its summit. Its lower
half is covered with trees, which in the ravines that seam its sides run
up still higher, gradually narrowing like the points of a ruff. The
upper half seems made up of scoria, which, near the summit, gives place
to ashes of a white color. The crater appears small and regular in
outline; and there are some openings on the sides, towards its base,
which emit steam and smoke, and around which sulphur is deposited on the
rocks. These are called “infernales,” and we observed one on the side
towards us, at a comparatively small elevation, which greatly excited
our curiosity, and which we resolved to visit.
At the point where we landed, the ground was composed of a kind of
ochery earth, of a dark red color, varied with yellow, which the boatmen
told us was used for paint. A fourth of a mile to the right, and
immediately at the edge of the lake, were the “fuentes calientes,” or
hot springs. They are hundreds in number; in fact, for a considerable
extent, the ground was covered with white incrustations, resembling a
field of snow; and as we walked over it, the sound of the water beneath
was like that of a violently boiling cauldron. There were numerous
openings, from which rose columns of steam, and where the water boiled
up to the height of from six inches to two feet. Around some of these
places the deposites had gradually built up little cones, with openings
in the centre, where the clear water bubbled as in a kettle. I sent
specimens of the deposites to the United States for analysis, but they
unfortunately miscarried, and I am consequently unable to give the
constituents of which they are made up. They will no doubt be duly
announced when the “Grand Volcano Hotel, and North American Natural Hot
Spring Bath Establishment,” shall be opened for invalids, on the shores
of Lake Managua.
Between the shore and the true base of the volcano is a gentle slope,
ridged with beds of lava, which run down into the lake, but which have
become disintegrated on the surface, and are now covered with coarse
grass, bushes, and clumps of trees. Here cattle from distant haciendas
are allowed to roam from one year’s end to the other, until they become
almost as wild as the deer themselves. The vaqueros occasionally visit
them, to mark the young ones, or to select the best ones for sale, but
beyond this they receive no care or attention. We started over this
slope, in the direction of the smoking orifice which we had observed
from the lake. But we were under the lee of the mountains, where not a
breath of wind reached us, and exposed to the full glow of the sun; and
before we had gone a mile, we almost repented of our undertaking. The
doctor, the padre, and myself alone persisted in proceeding. The surface
became rougher as we advanced, and scrubby trees and thorny bushes
impeded our progress, and shut out from view the place which we were
struggling to reach. We next came to ridges of treacherous, scoriaceous
sand, which yielded beneath our feet, and which we only ascended by
clinging to the clumps of grass which grew here and there, and by
driving our swords to their hilts in the ground, as supports. But our
progress was slow and painful, and we were compelled to pause every
second minute to recover our strength. Finally, the sun was no longer
hot, it was withering, and the dry scoriæ became blistering to the
touch. I looked up towards the top of the volcano, and shall never
forget its utterly bald and desolate appearance. The atmosphere on its
sides seemed to undulate with heat, and the reflected rays burned my
eyeballs. I turned to my companions, and found that they suffered
equally with myself. The padre had wisely bound his handkerchief over
his head and eyes. It was folly, he said, to attempt to go further, and
we concurred with him, and retraced our steps. The descent was of course
comparatively easy, but when I reached the boat, I was completely
exhausted, and adequately convinced of the folly of attempting to climb
volcanoes under a tropical sun, at midday.
Oviedo speaks of this volcano as one very high, “its summit pierced by a
multitude of separate orifices, whence smoke is always rising, which can
be seen at the distance of twenty leagues. No flame,” he continues, “is
visible by day or night. An abundance of sulphur may be found here,
according to the report of those who have used it in the manufacture of
powder, and also of those who have used it for other purposes. On the
sides and parts adjacent to this volcano, for a distance of five or six
leagues, there is an abundance of springs of boiling water like the
Sufretarari, (Solfatara,) that may be seen at Pouzzole, two or three
leagues from Naples. I should think that all these mountains formed but
one mine of sulphur. There are also orifices through which proceeds a
stream of air, so warm as to be unendurable. If we approach it, we seem
to hear the uproar of a vast number of forges in full blast, sometimes
ceasing, and in a few moments recommencing again; but the time the noise
can be heard is at least four times as long as the pauses. Near the
village of Totoa is a thermal spring, so warm that the Indians use it
for cooking their meat, fish, and bread. These articles of food are
cooked in less time than it would take to repeat the _Credo_ twice; and
as for eggs, they would be _done_ sooner than an _Ave_.”
We found our men quietly smoking their cigars under the shade of a tree,
perfectly careless as to whether they stayed there all day or proceeded.
Such an imperturbable set I verily believe were never before got
together. We told them to push off for the island, which they did in the
most leisurely manner. The wind had begun to blow, and as it was against
us, they towed the boat along under the lee of the shore, walking by its
side in the water, which, at the distance of a quarter of a mile out,
was hardly breast-deep. We saw many deer, and a number of lazy
alligators on the shore, but beyond the reach of our rifles. We finally
came to the “Punta del Pajaro,” a high ledge of naked basaltic rocks
projecting out into the lake, and covered with myriads of water-fowls.
Here our men took to their oars, and paddled direct for the island. The
afternoon wind was now blowing strongly, and the lake was rough. It
required two hours’ hard rowing to bring us to the island, where we
pulled ashore in a little cove, protected from the swell of the lake.
[Illustration: IDOL FROM MOMOTOMBITA, NO. 2.]
[Illustration: FRONT VIEW OF HEAD OF NO. 2.]
This island is volcanic, and rises in a regular cone from the water’s
edge, to the height of two thousand eight hundred feet. It is about
eight miles in circumference, and is covered with a dense forest. The
shore where we landed was stony, but a short distance back the stones
gave place to sand and a rich loam. Victorino, our patron, knew the
locality of the monuments, and putting on his sandals, took his machete,
and led the way, peering suspiciously to the right and the left. We
inquired the cause of his caution, and received the comforting assurance
“hay muchos cascabeles,” “there are many rattlesnakes!” The Dr. whipped
out his sword, stepped high, and constantly startled us by mistaking
vines, coiling on the ground, for “cascabeles.” After proceeding for
about half an hour, we came to a spot where the underbrush and bushes
gave place to high grass. Here was a kind of natural amphitheatre,
within which the ground was smooth, sloping gently towards the lake, and
shadowed over with high trees. This, Victorino informed us, was the site
of the monuments, but they had all fallen, and the tall grass hid them
from our view. We were compelled to beat it down with our machetes, and
thus discover the figures one by one. As I have said, many had been
carried away, and most of those which remained were broken, or so
defaced as to be of little value for my purposes. Victorino said that he
could remember when there were as many as fifty statues here, and when
some of them stood erect. According to his account and that of others,
they had been arranged in the form of a square, their faces looking
inwards; and the position of those which remained, and of the fragments,
confirmed the story. Amongst the few still entire, was one of large
size, and which a party, sent by the English Consul, had a few years
before endeavored to carry away for the British Museum, but after
getting it part of the way to the lake, had abandoned it in despair. It
was ruder than some of the others, but perfect, and I at once resolved
to remove it, with a view of sending it to the United States. I
accordingly sent Victorino to bring his boat and men to the nearest
point possible, and with Dr. Livingston, the Padre, and Ben, began to
cut down small trees of the proper size for skids or pries, and to open
a path to the lake. When Victorino came with his lazy crew, we set them
to work also, but they did not accomplish much, and we soon found that
we had to bear the burthen of the labor ourselves. With great difficulty
we cleared a road, and laying down large skids rolled the figure upon
them. Beneath it a colony of “alacrans del monte,” or black scorpions,
had established themselves; and in an instant they swarmed around our
legs. The half naked Indians retreated precipitately, but, protected by
our high, thick boots we stood our ground, and stamped the little
stinging monsters to death with our heels. It was not, however, until we
had succeeded in moving the statue some distance from the spot, that we
could persuade the Indians to rejoin us. After two hours of hard work,
we rolled it to the shore; but now the question was to get it in the
boat. Victorino protested, in the first place, against trying to carry
it at all, as it would surely crush the boat and drown us; and, in the
second place, against putting it in the bottom, which, he said, it would
inevitably break through. In fact we were a good deal staggered
ourselves; we had not thought of this, but nevertheless determined not
to lose our labor. If it was put at the bottom, even though it might not
break through, it was clear that we never could muster force enough to
get it out. So we decided that it should be carried by placing it
lengthwise on the rowers’ seats, which, in order to support the weight,
were to be strengthened by crossbars. The men stood aghast at our
proposition, and at first utterly refused to assist us. They took the
padre aside and told him that “these Americans were certainly crazy.” We
however promised them each a half dollar extra, administered a dose of
brandy and water, and finally got them to take hold again. An inclined
plane of timbers was built up against the boat, which was half filled
with stones, to sink her as low as possible, and to fix her firmly in
the sand. The statue was then gradually rolled on board. More than once
I thought our fabric would break down; had it done so there would have
been more crushed legs than whole ones in the company. After it was
secured, part of the stones were thrown out, and we soon had the
satisfaction of seeing the bongo afloat, and perfectly balanced. A
profile view of this figure is given in the foregoing engraving. It is
regularly cut in black basalt, or trachyte, of intense hardness. The
features of the face are singularly bold and severe in outline; the brow
is broad, the nose aquiline, the cheeks high, the mouth open, and
containing what we may infer (for reasons which will be given elsewhere)
was intended to represent a human heart. The arms and legs are rudely
indicated, but the distinctive sexual features are broadly marked. And
here it may be observed that, while most of these statues represent
males, some of them represent females; and there are but few in which
the sex is not distinguishable. The reason for these distinctions may be
found in the fact that the doctrine of the Reciprocal Principles of
Nature, or Nature Active and Passive Male and Female, was recognized in
nearly all the primitive religious systems of the New as well as of the
Old World, and in none more clearly than in those of Central America.
Besides this figure, we carried off the colossal head represented in the
above drawing; but found nothing more which would repay the trouble of
removal. There may have been other figures of interest hidden in the
long grass and bushes; and Victorino informed us that upon the opposite
side of the island there was still another place, where there were
formerly many “piedras antiguas;” but that also was overgrown with
grass. It was now late, and unless we spent the night on the island, it
was clear we could make no further examinations. And as I proposed to
return in the dry season, when the grass might be removed by burning, we
concluded to relinquish our explorations for the present.
[Illustration: COLOSSAL HEAD FROM MOMOTOMBITA.]
The island of Momotombita was anciently inhabited, and called Cocobolo.
I observed fragments of pottery, and of vessels of stone, strewed all
over the shore; and in the little cove where we landed there were
evidences that the rocks had been rolled away to facilitate the approach
of boats to the land. At a point on the shore of the main land, nearly
opposite the island, is a line of large stones, extending for the
distance of one or two hundred yards into the water, and projecting
above it. The Indians have a vague tradition that this was a causeway
built by “los antiguos habitantes,” extending from the shore to the
island; and Capt. Belcher, of the British navy, who travelled here in
1838, seems to think the story not improbable. The supposed causeway is
nothing more than a narrow vein of rock injected at some remote period
through a fissure in the superior strata or crust of the earth; and
being harder than the materials surrounding it, has retained its
elevation, while they have been worn away by the action of the water.
It was quite sunset when we pushed off from the island; and when we got
out from under its lee, we found the wind blowing a gale, and the sea
high. Ours was a ticklish load; and, as the bongo had no keel, the
necessity of keeping her directly before the wind was obvious; for had
she rolled a foot on either side, the stone would have overset us in a
twinkling. Victorino was anxious but cool, and his men were too much
alarmed not to obey orders, and we put up the sail and got under way
without accident. Fortunately the winds here blow with great steadiness,
or our voyage might have been rendered more perilous than it was, and
that would have been quite unnecessary. The night fell, dark and cloudy;
the Padre and M—— soon became seasick, and the crew, consoling
themselves that we had a priest on board, gathered around the foot of
the mast, and silently told their beads. Ben stationed himself, knife in
hand, at the halyards, and I clung to a stick of light wood which I
found in the boat, and calculated the chances of getting ashore by its
aid, in case our stone god should upset us. Altogether we had a serious
time, and the three hours which we occupied in passing to the land
seemed quite as long as six under ordinary circumstances. It was so dark
that we could not distinguish the shore, but fortunately the fire, left
by the men in the morning, fanned by the wind, had caught in the trunk
of the tree at the foot of which it was built, and answered the purpose
of a lighthouse in guiding us to our destination. Here we succeeded in
landing under the lee of some large rocks, against which the surf broke
with the force and noise of the ocean. I now quite comprehended why
Capt. Belcher, old salt as he was, declined venturing upon this lake,
even after having brought a boat for the purpose all the way from
Realejo. I felt no ordinary degree of satisfaction when I found myself
on terra firma once more. In removing the loose articles of our
equipment from the boat, Ben was twice stung in the hand by a scorpion,
and danced about the shore in an agony of pain. I however wrapped his
hand in a cloth soaked in brandy, and gave him copious internal doses of
the same,—the best, and usually the most accessible, remedy.
Our horses were not to be found; either our guide had not brought them
down, or else had returned with them to the rancheria. We held a council
as to whether it was best to camp on the shore or push through the
forest to our quarters of the preceding night. The uncomfortable wind
and a few heavy drops of rain decided us; and, with Victorino, bearing
some brands of fire at our head, we set out. It was as dark as Erebus in
the woods, and quite impossible to discern the person next in advance.
We however followed the fire, and after a weary march came to the
hacienda. We were tired and hungry, but there was nothing to eat except
_tiste_ and curds. We made the most of these, but went to our hammocks
unsatisfied, consoling ourselves, however, with the prospect of an
illimitable breakfast at the house of our hostess of the five slippered
daughters, in Pueblo Nuevo.
Before leaving next morning, I distributed the promised favors amongst
our crew, and engaged the entire force of the estate to assist our
guide, who was to return with a cart for the statue. A few days after,
it reached Leon, having broken down three carts on the road. I
subsequently sent it to Realejo, whence it was shipped, via Cape Horn,
for the United States. It is now deposited in the Museum of the
Smithsonian Institution, at Washington. And thus terminated my first
antiquarian episode in Nicaragua. The Padre expressed himself satisfied;
one such ride, he said, was enough for a lifetime.
I have elsewhere said that the Indians of Subtiaba brought me two idols,
shortly after my arrival in Leon. A reduced back view of the first of
these is presented in the subjoined engraving. It had been broken, and a
portion, perhaps comprising one-third of the entire figure, had been
lost. The part which remains is something less than six feet in height
by eighteen inches in diameter, or upwards of four feet in
circumference. The face has been battered with heavy sledges, and its
features obliterated. The ornaments upon the back and elsewhere are,
however, very well preserved, and are quite elaborate; more resembling
those of Copan than any others discovered in the country. The face seems
to project through the widely distended jaws of some animal, the head of
which serves as a head dress. The ancient Mexican soldiers had a common
practice of wearing the heads of animals, or helmets in imitation of
them, on their heads in battle, to render themselves horrible, and
frighten their enemies. Upon its breast the figure sustains a kind of
plate, or some piece of armor, and upon its right arm wears a shield.
The carving seems to have been very good; but the zeal of the early
Christians, and the corroding tooth of time, have greatly injured the
entire statue, which is now in the Museum of the Smithsonian
Institution.
[Illustration: IDOL FROM SUBTIABA, NO. 1.]
IDOL FROM SUBTIABA, NO. 2.—This figure closely resembles that just
described, and, like that, has suffered greatly from the same cause. The
features of the face are entirely obliterated; the design of the head
dress is, however, more apparent, and is palpably what I have already
indicated, the jaws of some monstrous animal, between which the face of
the figure projects. It is less elaborately sculptured than No. 1, but
of the same material, and corresponding in size. One hand rests upon the
breast, the other hangs loosely at the side. This idol also is deposited
in the museum of the Smithsonian Institution.
[Illustration: IDOL FROM SUBTIABA, NO. 2.]
[Illustration: IDOL FROM SUBTIABA, NO. 3.]
IDOLS FROM SUBTIABA, NO. 3.—Subsequent to the presentation of the two
figures above described, I had a fragment brought to me, of which a
front view is given in the annexed engraving. It is of sand-stone, two
feet six inches high, by ten or twelve inches in diameter, much frayed
and worn by exposure, and greatly injured by violence. It bears
evidences of having been elaborately ornamented, and seems to have been
designed to represent a female. Its most singular feature, however, is a
mask of the human face, which is held upon the abdomen by both hands.
Perhaps, however, the Indians were right in suggesting that it
represents an opening in the abdomen, held apart by the hands, and
exposing some mythological figure therein concealed. There are some
reasons in support of this suggestion, which it would hardly be proper
to submit in a work of this popular character. The figure has also been
broken, and less than half of it now remains.
The idols above described, as I have already said, were brought to my
house by the Indians; and I know nothing concerning them, except that
they were exhumed near the base of the Cerro Santiago, to the south-west
of Leon, where they had been buried for several generations. I
subsequently learned of the existence of others in the same direction,
and went, in company with a guide, kindly obtained for me by General
Guerrero, to examine them. Our route lay through Subtiaba, in the
direction of the ocean. We passed over a beautiful undulating country,
full of abandoned plantations, and watered by several fine streams,
skirting the hills to the south-west of Leon. At the distance of about
three or four leagues from the city, we came to a series of “jicarales,”
in the midst of which was a cattle estate. Cows and deer were herding
together, the latter appearing quite as tame as the first. Beyond the
hacienda was a high, bare hill, steep as the pyramids, called Mount St.
Michael, the base of which is studded round with large loose stones,
causing our horses to stumble fearfully, and over which we passed with
great difficulty. We then came to the finest “jicaral” I had yet seen.
It resembled a well-kept New England orchard; the trees had fewer
parasites to rob them of their vitality, and the ground was covered with
a smooth carpet of grass. Intermixed with these were numbers of the wild
“jocote” or plum-trees, heavily laden with yellow and red fruit, which
was not unpleasant to the taste, but which poisoned my lips, and made
them sore for a week. The same fruit, when cultivated, is fine, and is
used in a great variety of ways. The forest in which the idols were
concealed commenced abruptly upon one side of the “jicaral,” and was an
almost impenetrable mass of vines, underbrush, and broad-leaved tropical
plants. A thousand monuments might have been buried here for years
without being discovered, except by the merest accident; and as we had
to cut our path with our swords, I began to have serious misgivings as
to the success of our expedition. Our guide, however, peering from side
to side, seemed confident as to his whereabouts, as well as to that of
the “piedras,” and in half an hour we came to the spot where they had
existed. I say had existed, for although the ground was strewn with
fragments, but a single figure, “IDOL FROM SUBTIABA, NO. 4,” remained
entire. It stood as shown in the accompanying plate, partially buried in
the earth. Its height above the ground was six feet four inches; the
material, sand-stone. As in the other instances, the face had been
mutilated, but the remainder of the figure was nearly perfect. The hair
seemed to be thrown back from the forehead in rolls; or perhaps what I
have supposed to be the hair is a modified example of that kind of
ornamental featherwork so common in the ancient monuments of Mexico,
Yucatan, and Central America. A broad collar passes around the neck, and
a circular plate, or shield, with an attempt at a representation of a
human face in the centre, is suspended from it, in front of the figure.
A kind of belt passes around the body, above the hips, from which
depends a flap, like that frequently worn by the Indians of the
frontiers, even to this day. At the lower extremity of this is a round,
cup-shaped hole, capable of containing about a quart, the purposes of
which are not apparent.
In cutting paths around this figure, I came upon an oblong elevation of
stones, which seemed to have been the base of some edifice, or one of
the ancient teocallis or altars of the aborigines. It was about two
hundred feet long, sixty broad, and ten high. Around the edges the
stones still retained some degree of regularity, but the whole was
nevertheless a ruin, and large trees were growing on its summit. The
numerous fragments of sculpture scattered around this spot showed
conclusively that it had been visited by systematic violence, not only
anciently, at the period of the Conquest, but subsequently, and within a
very few years. My guide told me that he could remember the time when
the Indians came here secretly by night, and performed strange dances
around these idols, and poured out libations before them. The ground
around the single erect figure above described was comparatively free
from undergrowth, showing that even now it is secretly visited, by the
descendants of the people who first erected it, for the performance of
traditionary, sacred ceremonies. The priests are vigilant in detecting
and putting down these remnants of idolatry; and only a few months
before my arrival had broken up a remarkable figure of an animal called
“El Toro,” the bull, which existed about a league distant from this very
spot, and to which the Indians, for a long time, openly resorted, to
make offerings of _tiste_, and to perform dances preparatory to putting
their crops in the ground. The destruction of the idol was effected
secretly, and afterwards proclaimed to have been done by the lightnings
of indignant heaven; but one of my Indian friends told me privately that
the Indians understood the trick, and knew that this lightning went on
two legs, and wore a cassock! I would have gone to the spot, and
endeavored to have restored the fragments for a sketch, but my guide
told me that the natives had carried them off and buried them.
While engaged with the stones, we had carelessly, and as usual, let our
horses go loose. For the first time, they now took it into their heads
to abuse this indulgence, and trotted off. The more we endeavored to
coax them back the more vicious they were, and finally dashed off at
full speed into the “jicaral,” where they kicked up their heels in great
glee. The prospect of a walk back to Leon, with the loss of saddles,
pistols, swords, and other et ceteras, if not of the brutes themselves,
was little calculated to excite our admiration of these antics. The
chase continued half an hour, when we succeeded in securing the horse of
our guide; but unfortunately he was the poorest of the whole, and not
able to come near the others in a race. Luckily our guide had a lasso,
and after another half hour of manœuvring, in which we all got heated
and angry, my own horse was secured. He was duly “lathered” for his
pains, and was handed over to the guide to pursue the others; being the
fleetest, the business was soon done. We took precious good care that
they should not get the upper hand of us again that day, and rode them
home with a malignant pressure on the terrible Mexican bit, and with no
stinted application of the equally terrible Spanish-American spur.
Upon our return, the guide conducted us out of our way into a kind of
amphitheatre amongst the hills, to what he called the “Capilla de la
Piedra,” the Stone Chapel. It was a large rock of conical shape, placed
high on the slope facing the entrance to this natural circus, and upon
that side had a niche, or hollow, capable of containing four or five
persons, and which seemed to have been cut in the rock. I failed to
satisfy myself whether it was natural or artificial; but finally
concluded, from its position and regularity, that it was a natural
opening in the rock, enlarged and modified by art. There were traces of
fire, and fragments of broken pottery around it, and immediately in
front a large flat stone, which might have been used for an altar. As I
looked at it, surrounded by rough, frowning rocks, and shrouded with
vines, I fancied it an appropriate niche for an idol, and imagined this
natural amphitheatre filled with a superstitious multitude, in blind
adoration before it, while the blood of human sacrifices flowed perhaps
on the very spot where I now stood.
I have said that I knew not whence the Indians obtained the idols which
they brought to me, beyond that they were exhumed at the base of the
Cerro de Santiago, near Subtiaba. Now the Fray FRANCISCO DE BOBADILLA,
of the Order of Mercy, was especially active in the conversion of the
Indians of Nicaragua, which process, according to the chronicler Oviedo
y Valdez, consisted in baptizing them, giving them a Christian name, and
exacting forty grains of cacao! Bobadilla converted forty thousand in
three months in the dominions of the cazique of Nagrando, whose
principal town was where the city of Leon now stands. He also prevailed
upon the cazique to allow him to throw down the idols which stood in
“the spacious and sumptuous temple which the Indians, under the special
direction of the devil, had erected there,” and to set up the cross in
their stead. After he had battered the faces of these idols with a mace,
Bobadilla threw them down from their high places, intending to burn them
with fire, in order to show the Indians the impotence of their _teots_;
but, “during the night some did take them away and buried them, so that
they could not be found.” And it is not unlikely that those are the very
idols exhumed for me by the Indians of Subtiaba, two of which, after
doubling the Horn, now frown down upon the “hijos de Washington,” from
the west corridor of the Smithsonian Institution!
Upon the site of this temple was afterwards built the Christian church
“La Mercedes de Subtiaba,” which for more than two hundred years has
been in ruins. Its adobe walls have subsided into brambly mounds, and
all is formless save the piers on which its wooden pillars stood, and
its low, Moorish archway, flanked by two slender columns, which rise
white and spectral above a tangled mass of verdure. The town, of which
it was once the centre, has shrunk in the lapse of time, and is now a
mile distant; and the aboriginal city of which Bobadilla speaks, which
covered three square leagues, and had more than one hundred thousand
inhabitants, has dwindled to less than one fourth of that number. We
visited this church on our return. Ben cut away the bushes with his
_machete_, and we rode over the outline mounds, and stood where the
simple Indians had knelt, centuries ago, in silent awe before the
symbols of a new and imposing religion. A few rude wooden crosses marked
the deep pits within which were heaped the victims of the cholera, when
in 1837, five years after it had devastated our country, it more than
decimated the population of Leon. Two or three Indians, returning from
their daily toil in the fields, hearing our voices, pushed their way
through the bushes, and reverently took off their hats, when they
entered the sacred area. We asked them if they knew aught of the ancient
church, or who built it? “_Quien sabe?_” was the sole reply, and they
moved the forefinger of the right hand slowly back and forth, in token
of ignorance. It was very ancient, they said—“muy, muy antigua!” Upon
the smooth stucco beneath the arch, rudely scratched in the lime, I
read, “JUAN PERALTA, _Estranjero_, 173.”
This church was built before Hudson floated on the waters of the
magnificent river bearing his name; before the Pilgrims knelt on the
wintry shores of New England, and before Smith spread the terrors of his
arm among the Indians of Virginia. And unless some sacrilegious hand
shall level the ancient archway, it will yet stand for centuries to mark
the site of aboriginal superstition, and attest the zeal of the Fray
Bobadilla, who baptized forty thousand Indians, receiving therefor, if
they all “paid up,” one million six hundred thousand grains of cacao.
Pious Bobadilla!
There are several other ruined and abandoned Christian churches now
buried in the forests in the suburbs of Subtiaba, the dwelling-places of
the bats and birds, over whose crumbling walls, and around whose falling
columns, creep the wild vines, blooming with flowers, and shedding their
fragrance above the silent and deserted altars of the Most High. Ruins
upon ruins—Christian church and heathen shrine, they have all sunk down
together.
We returned to Leon to find ourselves covered with “agarrapatas” or wood
ticks, with which the forest fairly swarms during the dry season, and
which are brushed off upon travellers by the thousand. They penetrate
straight to the skin, and bury their heads in the flesh, causing an
irritation which drives many people to distraction. When once fastened
it is impossible to detach them by force, without leaving the head in
the flesh, where it gets along on its own account, apparently a great
deal better than when encumbered by the body. The only mode of removing
them is with a ball of soft wax, which is rubbed over the body, and to
which they adhere. Some are small, hardly visible to the naked eye,
others are of the size of flax, and even of melon seeds; but “the
smaller the worser.” Next to the fleas they rank as the predominant
annoyance of the country. Musquitoes (sancudos), in Leon, the principal
towns, and the open parts of the country generally, there are none; but
compared with fleas and “agarrapatas,” the snakes, scorpions,
“chinches,” “sancudos,” and all the other abominations of tropical
climates are mere bagatelle, and scarcely worth the mentioning.
[Illustration: SIDE VIEW OF IDOL FROM SUBTIABA, NO. 1.]
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[Illustration: IDOL FROM SUBTIABA.—No. 4.]
[Illustration: RUINS OF THE ANCIENT CHURCH OF LA MERCED DE SUBTIABA.]
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