PALENQUE. 9 



for about five miles, and then after crossing the Michol and another small stream, 

 ascends the broken limestone cliff dividing the plateau on which the ruins stand from 

 the plain below; the small stream already mentioned tumbles in a succession of 

 cascades over its rocky bed on the left of the track, and one of the first things to strike 

 the attention soon after reaching the plateau is a stone dam thrown across the stream 

 and pierced by a tunnel so as to form a bridge. The first building which comes in 

 sight a hundred yards beyond this bridge is the N.E. corner of the Palacio. 



The extent of the ruins has been variously estimated, almost always with a tendency 

 towards the marvellous : nine square leagues, twenty-two miles in length, larger than 

 London, are estimates given by different writers, but I am unable to find any reason 

 to justify them. No doubt artificial mounds and the remains of ancient buildings may 

 be met Avith all along the slope of the sierra which inclines towards the great delta of 

 the Tabasco River, for the situation presents many attractions, the soil is capable of 

 supporting a large population, and the inhabitants may have taken advantage both of 

 the highlands behind and the level plain below them for the cultivation of their crops. 

 The climate, although damp, is markedly cooler than that of the plain, and a short 

 day's journey from almost any part of the foothills would bring a traveller to one of 

 the innumerable waterways which form a network over the delta. 



The plateau on which the principal buildings of the Palenque group of ruins stand 

 is not naturally perfectly level, but had a considerable slope downwards towards the 

 north. This gradually sloping ground has been divided up and terraced into a number 

 of comparatively level plots. 



The forest which clothes the sides of the sierra is very dense, and any accurate 

 measurement of the extent of the group of ruins would be a matter of great difficulty. 

 Our clearing did not extend beyond 150 acres, and even our excursions round the 

 borders of the clearing and for some little distance into the forest did not enable us to 

 form any very accurate judgment, and only the following vague statement can be 

 made: — 



Following the four sections into which the Plan on Plate I. is folded : to the east of 

 Section A the hills rise steeply, so that building was not practicable and only a few 

 small mounds are found in that direction. To the east of Section B one small mound 

 of hewn stone crowns the high hill which can be seen in the background of the 

 photograph on Plate XIV. It was a site likely to be chosen for a small adoritorio or 

 for a look-out station, as it commands a magnificent view of the plain. 



The chambered mounds marked in Section B do not extend far beyond the margin 

 of the plan, and the land to the south rises steeply, and no trace of buildings could be 

 found. 



No buildings could be seen on the hillside to the south of Section C, but at a lower 

 level, following the sweep of the hill from the Temple of Inscriptions towards the 



biol. centr.-amer., Archaeol., Vol. IV., April 1896. c 



