22 A NATURALIST IN MEXICO. 



licious. While eating our lunch several native women 

 came to the well, bearing cantaros, or water-jars, to draw 

 water. They made a scene fit for a painter, dressed in their 

 characteristic costume, standing beside the old well. From 

 this hacienda we could see the large mound at Izamal, 

 which was once used as a place of sacrifice by the ancient 

 inhabitants. 



Again starting on our journey we passed through the 

 plaza at Izamal, and entered a road leading to a little town 

 called Sitilpech, in which we wished to pass the night. At 

 the distance of a league we passed a fine hacienda, and at 

 half-past five reached the village of Sitilpech, seven leagues 

 from Tekanto. This village consisted of a few native huts, 

 a couple of stone buildings facing the plaza, and an old 

 Spanish church. The population was mostly native, very 

 few of whom spoke anything but Maya. There was not a 

 white man in the place. The village had but one principal 

 street, which was the road over which we came, and which 

 passed through the square near the church. We rode 

 through the street without meeting a single person. 

 Crossing the plaza we entered a grocery store, and 

 obtained permission to store our baggage for the night; we 

 also secured a good supper of beans, soup, and tortillas. Not 

 being able to secure accommodations in any of the huts, we 

 made our beds on the ground in front of the church, and 

 soon fvill asleep. 



We awoke with sore and aching limbs, but, withal, 

 ready for a fresh start. Early in the day the clouds gath- 

 ered and the rain came down in torrents, completely drench- 

 ing us. Not wishing to lose a day on account of the rain, 

 we hitched up and followed the road eastward. We passed 

 down a long street leading through the suburbs of the village; 

 beyond this our road lay across a tract of country, wild and 

 stony, covered with the same vegetation noticed about Col. 



