402 



INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL. 



and never moved better than on our return to the 

 village. 



Beyond these buildings, none of the Indians knew 

 of any ruins. Striking directly from them in a 

 vresterly direction through a thick piece of woods, 

 without being able to see anything, but from ob- 

 servation taken from the top of the teocalis, and 

 passing a small ruined building with a staircase 

 leading to the roof, we reached a great terrace, per- 

 haps eight hundred feet long and one hundred feet 

 wide. This terrace, besides being overgrown with 

 trees, was covered with thorn-bushes, and the ma- 

 guey plant, or Agave Americana, with points as sharp 

 as needles, which made it impossible to move with- 

 out cutting the way at every step. 



Two buildings stood upon this overgrown terrace. 

 The first was two hundred and seventeen feet long, 

 having seven doorways in front, all opening to single 

 apartments except the centre one, which had two 

 apartments, each thuty feet long. In the rear were 

 other apartments, with doorways opening upon a 

 courtyard, and from the centre a range of buildings 

 ran at right angles, terminating in a large ruined 

 mound. The wall of the whole of this great pile 

 had been more ornamented than either of the build- 

 ings before presented except the first, but, unfortu- 

 nately, it was more dilapidated. The doorways had 

 wooden lintels, most of which have fallen. 



To the north of this building is another, one hun- 

 dred and forty-two feet in front and thirty-one feet 



