173 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [mAUCII 1^ 



liiul fallen from the other end, and in the jaws was the face of a 

 man, probably intended to rei)resent King Can himself. 



These snakes were not meant to i>ortray the winged serpent 

 that among the Mayas was regarded as an emblem of the spirit 

 of the universe. The latter was not i-epresentcd witii i-attles, 

 bnt liad a dart at the end of the tail, aiul tlie body was not 

 covered with feathers, but had wings, and here and there some- 

 thing like fins which were intended to represent mountain peaks, 

 for in the earliest times the serpent was symbolical of the country 

 of the Mayas. As a symbol of the country, and afterwards of 

 the earth, the serpent's belly was painted yellow, indicating 

 subtei ranean forces that upheave the'lands ; the back was green 

 to denote the sea and the vegetation of the earth ; the top of the 

 head being blue like the heavens. 



The entwined rattlesnakes, completely covered with feathers, 

 and without wings, but having crowns on their heads, simply 

 show the alliance of King Can (snake) and Zoo Chi. Tiie Maya 

 of king-snake is Ahau Can, which is also the name of the rattle- 

 snake. The reason why the snakes are covered with feathers is 

 that the royal consorts, as well as the ])riests and nobles, on all 

 state occasions, wore robes made of gorgeous feathers wliich the 

 exquisite birds of tluit sunny clime afforded them. 



Only a few yards east of the i)alace there is a lofty })yrami(l 

 crowned with a building that is commonly called " The house of 

 the Diviner." The ascent to it was by stairs on the east and 

 west sides of the pyramid, very steep, and each step only just wide 

 enough for the feet, though the staircase itself, on the east side, 

 is 14 metres wide, or 45 feet, being composed of 06 steps. Some 

 people will not attempt to ascend the stairs until a rope is se- 

 cured at the top for them to steady themselves by, if necessary. 

 Others go up bravely, and are then filled with dread at the idea 

 of descending. But the Indians run up and down with the 

 greatest confidence, even loaded ; and we learned to do the same 

 thing, having, at one time, to visit the building every day, and 

 generally with our hands full of instruments and other things 

 needed for the work. The pyramid was once incased with hewn 

 and sculptured stones, but now it is coveied with bushes. The 

 stairs on the west side are quite destroyed; they led to a platform 

 two metres (G^ feet) wide on which stands a building that was 

 once a sanctiuiry. Its only entrance faces the stairs, and is 1.3 

 feet high. The interior is divided into two rooms. From base 

 to top the exterior is covered with sculptures. All round the 

 cornice there are cross-bones, and the upper half of human skele- 

 tons with uplifted arms. Immediately over the entrance there 

 are two large projecting stones above which may be seen two 

 figures representing naked men on their hands and knees, back 



