THE HOME OF A FORGOTTEN RACE 



597 



that Alexander Von Humboldt was for 

 a time incredulous of its native origin. 



The learned ones, the wise men among 

 these people, were astronomers, not mere 

 star-gazers, and there are those among 

 the Mayas at the present day that have a 

 surprising native knowledge of the celes- 

 tial geography, as well as of curious 

 properties of certain roots and herbs on 

 the earth beneath. 



The present conical form of this edi- 

 fice, the shape of its chambers, and above 

 all the peculiar inner stairway winding 

 around a solid center, have caused the 

 natives to call it, in their vernacular. 

 "The House of the Snail," and this name 

 in its Spanish dress clings to it now. As 

 the Caracol (Snail) it is best known to 

 the people of the region, and under this 

 name it is shown to the curious and the 

 visitors from afar. 



THE "NUNNERY" 



Nearly half a mile to the south of the 

 Castle Temple rises the majestic pile of 

 the "Nunnery" (see page 602). How far 

 this name accurately indicates the original 

 purpose of the edifice is not known ; but 

 we do know that among these ancient 

 people a certain social organization ex- 

 isted, resembling in a modified form the 

 societies of monks and nuns. 



How much or how little of truth is in 

 the name we may not know, but the edi- 

 fice itself is probably the most ancient of 

 all the structures now standing. How 

 old no one knows ; but the fact is evident 

 that the central portion of the structure 

 was old and time worn before the pitted 

 surface and dulled angles were buried in 

 the plastic mass of the newer masonry. 

 Then in time this, too, was hidden under 

 the present walls, new and clear lined 

 then, but now gray and seamed by time 

 and the elements, and this is a land 

 where the ice never forms, the frost 

 never rises, and dryness is more evident 

 than dampness or moisture. 



The faqades of these later portions of 

 the great mass of stone and lime are 

 wonderful examples of carved stonework 

 and ancient American symbolism. I 

 doubt if, taken as a whole, their equal ex- 

 ists. The photographic views show this 

 in a measure, and only in a measure. 



The true beauty of the carvings and 

 the perfect proportions of the structure 

 can never be fitly shown until the debris 

 that now hides the base and destroys the 

 true symmetry of the edifice is removed. 

 This work should be done by competent 

 direction under supervision of the gov- 

 ernment. 



Two small one-storied edifices, in the 

 nature of detached wings, are on the 

 right and left of the building proper. 



One, known as "La Iglesia" Church, is 

 still quite perfect, and the symbolical fig- 

 ures encrusted on its richly worked fa- 

 cade have long been objects of study 

 to the student and of curiosity to the 

 profane. 



The other is a still smaller structure 

 of ordinary design and no apparent 

 points of special interest. 



A wide, steep stairway, with the very 

 narrow steps and risers common to the 

 work of sandal-wearing people, leads up 

 to the important second story. This por- 

 tion of the structure sets back from the 

 face of the lower one, thus leaving an 

 open level space of some 30 feet wide, 

 broken in front half way by the stairway 

 leading up to the third story. 



The lateral northern face of this up- 

 per second story has two true entrances 

 into perfect chambers and four large re- 

 cesses in the front walls that are either 

 blind doorways or once true entrances 

 into chambers formerly existing in the 

 original structure, but later filled up to 

 make a solid foundation for a third story 

 directly above. When this was done the 

 doorways remained as simple niches, and 

 over these a flying buttress (see page 

 603) was thrown as a stairway to the 

 newer structure above. This is my hy- 

 pothesis, subject to modifications that 

 future investigations may make neces- 

 sary. 



The stone lintels over every entrance, 

 existing or blind, built into this face of 

 the end walls are covered with hand- 

 some, still legible glyphs. Clearly legi- 

 ble indeed, but as unreadable as a sealed 

 book. 



Undeciphered and mysterious, they 

 are the pleasure and despair of those who 

 seek to solve the problems that they hold. 



