274 INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



them still exist, though subject to the same destroy- 

 ing causes, why has every trace of the stone build- 

 ings in the Indian city disappeared 1 



And it appears in every page of the history of 

 the Spanish conquest, that the Spaniards never at- 

 tempted to occupy the houses and villages of the 

 Indians as they stood. Their habits of life w^ere 

 inconsistent with such occupation, and, besides, their 

 policy was to desolate and destroy them, and build 

 * up others after their own style and manner. It is 

 not likely that at the early epoch at which they are 

 known to have gone to Ticul, with their small num- 

 bers, they would have undertaken to demolish the 

 whole Indian town, and build their own upon its 

 ruins. The probability is, that they planted their 

 own village on the border, and erected their church 

 as an antagonist and rival to the heathen temples ; 

 the monks, with all the imposing ceremonies of the 

 Cathohc Church, battled with the Indian priests ; 

 and, gradually overthrowing the power of the ca- 

 ciques, or putting them to death, they depopulated 

 the old town, and drew the Indians to their own 

 village. It is my belief that the ruins on the haci- 

 enda of San Francisco are those of the aboriginal 

 city of Ticul. 



From the great destruction of the buildings, I 

 thought it unprofitable to attempt any explora- 

 tion of these ruins, especially considering the insalu- 

 brity of the place and our own crippled state. In 

 the excavations constantly going on, objects of 



