200 ALEXANDER AGASSIZ 



Florida wonderfully well. I don't believe these ruins 

 are very old. Pieces of timber used as lintels and bars 

 are still well preserved, and in this climate that does 

 not mean a great antiquity. It 's the old story again of 

 Peru, and the accompanying gushing history. 1 The In- 

 dians of the present day are a fine set of people and 

 still adhere to their old language and do just what their 

 ancestors did, at least if we can judge from the paint- 

 ings on the walls which go into very minute details. 

 Some of these drawings are wonderfully well preserved, 

 and the stone carvings quite good, but everything is 

 rude and shows but little art. 



What a pity these ruins are not in a civilized country 

 where they could be studied and preserved and perhaps 

 restored. I hope to arrange to go to the other ruins to- 

 morrow, and shall be gone again till the end of the 

 week, and have then a few days to get rested after my 

 return from Uxmal. That 's in a perfectly safe country. 

 But it is stupid going about alone, especially when the 

 travelling of the day is over and you have nothing to 

 do all the afternoon and evening. I shall not be sorry 

 to be quiet for a few days again before going to sea, 

 for this is rushing it and rushing it is pretty rough 

 work — but to take it more leisurely would be impossi- 

 ble except to a professional loafer or a Spaniard. 



TO MRS. LOUIS AGASSIZ 



Merida, Jan. 17, 1882. 

 Returned yesterday from Uxmal and found quite a 

 package of Cambridge letters. Rodolphe's letter was 



1 From what he had Been in Central and South America, he believed 

 that the Incas and allied races were not as highly civilized as is generally 

 supposed. 



