ARCH^OLOGICAL DISCOVERY IN CENTRAL AMERICA. 37 
square, but they are cut in a pyramidal form. The ceiling of the buildings form 
a triangular arch; the rooms are generally long and narrovv, but very lofty, the 
walls and floors being cemented with concrete. At Uxraal is a building caUed 
Monjas, which consists of a hundred and twenty rooms, all arranged in pairs, 
each pair communicating with one another by a doorway, but with none of the 
others, except through the court yard. There are no interior sculptures, all be- 
ing on the outside, and in these a certain local style or order has been observed, 
for while at Uxmal the ornaments are all found above the doorways and facades, 
at Chichenitza they reach down to the ground. One edifice, known as the Gov- 
ernor's House is 293 feet in length. They are mostly erected on artificial terraces 
composed of stones laid on the top of each other, one of these being similar in 
style to the "hanging gardens" of Babylon. 
The great question of popular interest regarding these archaeological remains 
is. What do they teach us? Apart from the history of the family affairs of the 
contemporary kings, which can now be read with comparative plainness by the 
explorers, it has been discovered that there is an almost absolute identity between 
the language, the manners and customs of these prehistoric Yucatanese and those 
of Chaldaea, Egypt, Hindostan, Persia, Burmah, and Siam, and that an early and 
cultivated civilization, imagined to be of a higher type than any other, existed in 
Yucatan. It has also been discovered and established beyond cavil that Free- 
masonry existed in these prehistoric times with the same Masonic symbols as are 
now in use, proofs of this being found in the photographs and casts ; and that 
what is now known as mesmerism existed six thousand years ago in very much 
the same form as it does at present, as shown by the decorations on the frescoed 
walls. Among the customs common to the Yucatanese, are to be found some 
also common to the inhabitants of Hindostan, such as the manner of carrying 
children astride on the hip. The making of an impression of the hand in red 
pigment on the walls of certain sacred edifices was common in fo'-mer times both 
to Yucatan, to Elephanta and other places in India, and even in caves in 
Australia and others of the South Sea Islands. There is scarcely a monument in 
Yucatan upon which is not to be found the impression of a red hand, this being the 
record of a vow made to the Gods. Fire worship, phallic and mastodon worship, 
together with gods having elephants' heads, flourished in Yucatan in these early 
periods. 
The Maya language, still spoken in Yucatan, was also known in many parts 
of the East. The last words of Jesus of Nazareth, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani, 
are said to be pure Maya words, and to mean, "Now, now, I sink, darkness 
comes over my face." From the narrative it would seem that none of those 
standing within hearing understood the language made use of, as they imagined 
he was calling upon Elias to aid him. Enough has here been said to indicate 
the great interest that attaches to Yucatan. — Scientific American. 
