398 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



poisonous vines. The city no longer keeps watch ; 

 the fiat of destruction has gone out against it, and 

 in soUtude it rests, the abode of silence and desola- 

 tion. 



The west line, parallel with the sea, has a single 

 gateway ; at the angle is another watch-tower, like 

 that before presented, and the wall then runs straight 

 to the sea. The whole circuit is twenty-eight hun- 

 dred feet, and the reader may form some idea of its 

 state of preservation from the fact that, except to- 

 ward the abutments on the sea, we measured the 

 whole length along the top of the wall. The plan 

 is symmetrical, encloses a rectangular area, and, as 

 appears in the engraving, the Castillo occupies the 

 principal and central position. This, however, on 

 account of the overgrown state of the area, we 

 were not aware of until the plan was drawn out. 



On the north side of the wall, near the east gate- 

 way, is a building thirty-six feet in front and thirty- 

 four deep, divided into two principal and two smaller 

 rooms, the ceilings of which had entirely fallen. At 

 one corner is a senote, with the remains of steps 

 leading down to it, and containing brackish water. 

 Near this was a hollow rock, which furnished us 

 with our supply. 



Toward the southeast corner of the wall, on the 

 brow of the cliff, stands a building fifteen feet front 

 and ten deep. The interior is about seven feet 

 high, and the ceiling is flat, and discloses an entirely 

 new principle of construction. It has four princi- 



