382 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



CHAPTER XVII. 



Ruins of Kabah. — General Description. — Plan of the Ruins.-— 

 Great Teocalis. — Ruined Apartments. — Grand View. — Terrace 

 and Buildings. — Ranges of Buildings. — Hieroglyphics. — A rich 

 Fagade. — Wooden Lintels.— Singular Structures.— Apartments, 

 &c. — Rankness of Tropical Vegetation. — Edifice called the Co- 

 cina. — Majestic pile of Buildings. — Apartments, &c. — A soli- 

 tary Arch. — A Succession of ruined Buildings. — Apartments, 

 &c. — Prints of the Red Hand. — Sculptured Lintel. — Instru- 

 ments used by the Aboriginals for Carving Wood. — Ruined 

 Structure. — Ornament in Stucco. — Great ruined Building. — Cu- 

 rious Chamber, &c. — Sculptured Jambs. — Another Witness for 

 these ruined Cities. — Last Visit to Kabah. — Its recent Discov- 

 ery. — A great Charnel House.— Funeral Procession. — A Ball by 

 Daylight. — The Procession of the Candles. — Closing Scene. 



In the mean time we continued our work at Ka- 

 bah, and, during all our intercourse with the In- 

 dians, we were constantly inquiring for other places 

 of ruins. In this we were greatly assisted by the 

 padrecito ; indeed, but for him, and the channels 

 of information opened to us through him, some 

 places which are presented in these pages would 

 perhaps never have been discovered. He had al- 

 ways eight Indian sextons, selected from the most 

 respectable of the inhabitants, to take care of 

 the church, who, when not wanted to assist at 

 masses, salves, or funerals, were constantly lounging 

 about our door, always tipsy, and glad to be called 

 in. These sextons knew every Indian in the vil- 

 lage, and the region in which he had his milpa, or 

 cornfield ; and through them we were continually 



