CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS OF THE MAYAS. 665 



An instrument that they use in their religious practices is the 

 tunkul. The literal meaning of this word is " to be worshiping." 

 The tunkul is a piece of wood three feet long and one in diameter, 

 hollowed out. On one side it has a mouth extending nearly from 

 end to end ; on the other are two oblong tongues starting from 

 the extremities and separated in the middle only by the thickness 

 of a carpenter's saw. Its mouth is placed in contact with the 

 ground, and the tongues, serving as two keys, are struck with 

 sticks whose ends are covered with India rubber, which makes 

 them rebound. The tones thus produced can be heard five or six 

 miles off, when the wind is favorable, and sound like a great rum- 

 bling in the earth. The same instrument was used in Mexico. 



A WELL BT THE WAYSIDE. 



In the museum of the capital of that republic some finely sculp- 

 tured tunkuls are preserved. 



The Maya Indians take a great deal of pleasure in ceremonies 

 and religious observances ; religion is a very important matter 

 with them, though it is doubtful if they could tell exactly what 

 they believe. They punctually attend church, but their worship 

 is in reality an odd mixture of paganism and Christianity. Being 

 fond of sweet things, and by nature indolent, their idea of heaven 

 is a place where they will rest beneath the spreading branches of 

 an evergreen tree and enjoy an inexhaustible supply of sweet 

 things ; while hell is a region where they will suffer intensely 

 from cold, fatigue, and hunger. Nor do they hope to escape that 



