168 MEXICO, CENIRAL AMERICA, WEST INDIEN. 



Sache, Kahah, Sanade, Lahna and Zaïji. The ruins of the hitter place are amongst 

 the finest in Yucatan ; it is looked on as a haunted city of the dead by the natives, 

 who rarely venture to approach it, declaring that at times a mys erious mu^ic 

 is heard vibrating among the stones. The district stretching south of the limestone 

 hills is stre\vn with ruins as far as the town of Iturbide, recently founded in the 

 borderland between civilised Yucatan and the territory held by the independent 

 wild tribes. 



In the e istern part of Yucatan the Spanish name of Yalladolid has been 

 given to the chief town, the ancient Zaci, or " White Clay." Zaci, which is not 

 yet connected with Merida by rail, lies in the centre of a tolerably fertile district, 

 which is so salubrious that consumptive persons resort to it from Campeachy 

 and Merida. But, like so many other places in Yucatan, it is more interesting 

 for the surrounding mines than for its modern structures, especially since the 

 Maya revolt, when it was nearly depopulated and its cotton mills destroyed. 

 Chichen-Itza, former residence of the Itza dynasty, lies twenty miles west of 

 Yalladolid ; it is now a mere village strewn with ruins which, during the wars 

 of the conquest, were successively occupied by the Indians and Spaniards as strong- 

 holds. The pyramid of Chichen-Itza, which is still in a good state of preservation, 

 is approached by a monumental flight of steps lined with trees and terminating 

 at the base in two colossal snakes with yawning jaws. 



In a building which he called the " gymnasium," Stephens discovered some 

 paintings which \x<^ pronounced to be the most precious gems of native art to be 

 found anywhere on the American continent. Unfortunately, the colours have 

 been almost completely effaced by the weather and visitors. One of the subjects 

 represented a lirge vessel with raised prow and poop, tiller and rudder. At 

 Chichen-Itza, Dr Le Plungeon also discovered under a heap of rubbish 26 feet 

 thick the finest >titue of Nahua art now preserved in the Museimi of Mexico. It 

 is the eflSgy of Chac-Mool, the " Tiger King," reclining on his back and looking 

 towards the right ; the features are quite regular and the head is adorned with 

 fillets in the Egypti n fashion. The simple majesty of this statue stands in 

 striking contrast to the figures, overcharged with barbaric ornaments, which are 

 met in so m.my other temples of Mexico, Tabasco, and Chiapas. The reservoir 

 from which Chichen-Itza tabes its name, meaning " Mouth of the Springs," is a 

 broad gloomy well about 500 feet in circuit, with circular ledges carried round the 

 walls by means of projecting layers of masonry. In its deep green Avater, 65 feet 

 below the rocky surface, are reflected the overhanging trees and festoons of 

 pendent creepers. So recently as 1560, human victims were still cast alive into 

 this well as sacrifices to the gods. 



Farther south follow El Moco and Cankim over against Mujeres Island ; 

 Paalmul and Painal on the shores of the strait separating Gozumel Island from 

 the mainland ; lastly, Tiihun crowning a cliff still farther south. The last- 

 mentioned appears to have been a powerful capital which was defended on the 

 land side by a solid enclosure still in good repair. The towers flanking this 

 rampart are also well preserved, and appear to be the same as those mentioned by 



