sixty-six feet on each side at the base, and still, although much ruined, thirty-three feet in height. This was once crowned by an altar on which human victims were un sparingly slaughtered, and, the religious ceremony concluded, their bodies carried off to be dressed and served up as a feast to the devotees. Among many well-sketched portraits which these volumes contain, there is none hit off with more felicity than the kind-hearted, half-rustic, half-refined padre of Quiché: his unclerical dress, his gaiety of dispositionready to enjoy and laugh at every incidenthis energy in the pursuit of historical inquiry, and his transitions from playful mirth to high energy of thought, are given with admirable effect. He told the travellers of a cave near a neighbouring village, in which there were skulls much larger than the natural size, and which were regarded with superstitious reverence by the Indians. He himself had seen them, and vouched for their gigantic dimensions. Once he had placed a piece of money in the mouth of the cave, and a year afterwards it was still in the same place, so great was the veneration of the natives for the spot. He told them that in many respects the Indians still remained an unchanged people, cherishing the usages and customs of their ancestors; that although the pomp and show of the Romish ceremonial affected their imaginations, in their hearts they were still idolaters, still had their idols in the mountains and ravines, and still, in silence and secrecy, practised the rites received from their fathers; and that he was unwillingly obliged to wink at all this. The good padre's manner was changed from its gay satire and joyous laugh whenever he talked of the Indians, of the insecure hold which he had upon them, and of the fearful results which would ensue should Carrera cease to support the church. His zeal in antiquarian research was as great as that of our travellers. He told them of other ruined cities; of one, in particular, in the province of Vera Paz as large as Santa Cruz del Quiché, deserted and desolate, but almost as perfect as when first abandoned by its inhabitants. His first cure had been in its neighbourhood, and he had been accustomed to wander through its silent streets and over its gigantic buildings. But the padre told us more than this; something that increased our excitement to the highest pitch. He told us, that at four days' distance on the road to Mexico, on the other side of the great sierra, was a living city, large and populous, occupied by Indians, precisely in the same state as before the discovery of America. He had heard of it many years before at the village of Chajul, and was told by sierra this city was distinctly visible. He was the villagers that from the topmost ridge of the then young, and with much labour climbed to the naked summit of the sierra, from which, at a height of ten or twelve thousand feet, he looked over an immense plain extending to Yucatan and the Gulf of Mexico, and saw at a great distance a large city spread over a great space, and with turrets white and glittering in the sun. The traditionary account of the Indians of Chajul is, that no white man has ever reached this city; that the inhabitants speak the Maya language, are aware that a race of strangers has conquered the whole country around, and murder any white man who attempts to enter their territory. They have no coin or other circulating medium; no horses, cattle, mules, or other domestic animals except fowls, and the cocks they keep underground to prevent their crowing being heard. old padre, in the deep stillness of the dimlylighted convent, with his long black coat like of the bold and resolute priests who accompaa robe, and his flashing eye, called up an image nied the armies of the conquerors; and as he drew a map on the table, and pointed out the sierra to the top of which he had climbed, and the position of the mysterious city, the interest awakened in us was the most thrilling I ever experienced. One look at that city was worth ten years of an every-day life. If he is right, a place is left where Indians and an Indian city exist as Cortez and Alvarado found them; there are living men who can solve the mystery that hangs over the ruined cities of America; perhaps who can go to Copan and read the inscriptions on its monuments. . The I believe That that what the padre told us is authentic. the region referred to does not acknowledge the government of Guatimala, has never been explored, and that no white man ever pretends to enter it, I am satisfied. From other sources we heard that from that sierra a large ruined city was visible, and we were told of another person who had climbed to the top of the sierra, but, on account of the dense cloud resting upon it, had been unAt all events, the belief able to see anything. at the village of Chajul is general, and a curiosity is roused that burns to be satisfied. We had a craving desire to reach the mysterious city. No man, even if willing to peril his life, could undertake the enterprise with any hope of success, without hovering for one or two years on the borders of the country, studying the language and character of the adjoining Indians, and making acquaintance with some of the natives. Five hundred men could probably march directly to the city, and the invasion would be more justifiable than any ever made by the Spaniards; but the government is too much occupied with its own wars, and the knowledge could not be procured except at the price of blood. Two young men of good constitution, and who could afford to spare five years, might succeed. As to the dangers, these are always magnified, and, in general, peril is dis covered soon enough for escape. But in all pro-, found out and warned off-as, in all probabilbability, if any discovery is ever made it will be ity, some days would elapse before he was by the padres.'-vol. ii., pp. 195–197. dislodged. Accordingly, he immediately continued his journey, visiting in his route anoth comment. This is a very striking passage. We er ruined city at Ocosingo, from which it was choose for the present to leave it without asserted that there was a communication, by a subterranean passage, with the city of PaIt was the Holy Week when they reached lenque, distant about 150 miles! The road Quezaltenango, which but a few days before to the latter place was a continued succession had been the scene of as shocking a massacre of mountains, ravines, and table-lands, the as any which even Central America can re-sides of which were precipices of several cord. The municipality of the town had in thousand feet in height; forming, altogether, an evil hour declared in favour of Morazan, the most sublime and magnificent scenery believing him to have been successful at imaginable: but the passage across it was Guatimala, at the very time when he had laborious in the extreme. The travellers been defeated. Carrera, indignant at this were told that it was customary for those who desertion, in cold blood, without the slightest crossed the mountains to take hammacos' or form of trial, not even a drum-head court-sillas'-the former a cushioned chair bemartial, ordered eighteen members of the tween poles, borne by four Indians, and used municipality, men of the highest station and importance in the town, to be taken out into the Plaza and shot. The town had not yet recovered from the consternation which these atrocious murders had occasioned, and every one feared the horrors of a war of castes. After witnessing the grotesque and absurd ceremonials of Good Friday, which are admirably described, the travellers continued their journey; and every page in which their adventures are detailed tempts us to quotation. The party, to which a rambling, adventurous young American, of the name of Pawling, had attached himself as a volunteer, at length reached the Rio Lagertero, the boundary-line between Guatimala and Mexico: and Mr. S. describes the delight which they all felt at being fairly out of Central America, safe from the dangers of revolution, and standing on the wild borders of Mexico in good health, with good appetites, and with something to eat.' They had a tremendous journey still before them; but it seemed as nothing. only by heavy men and padres; the latter a clumsy arm-chair, to be carried on the back of an Indian. They had a repugnance to either mode of conveyance, and conceived that where an Indian could climb with one of them upon his back, they could climb alone. At length fatigue and indisposition compelled Mr. Stephens to submit to the degradation of being carried on a man's shoulders: 'The Indian who was to carry me was small, not more than five feet seven, very thin, but to the arms of the chair, and, sitting down, he symmetrically formed. A bark strap was tied placed his back against the back of the chair, adjusted the length of the strings, and smoothed the bark across his forehead with a little cushion to relieve the pressure. An Indian on each side lifted it up, and the carrier rose on his feet, stood still a moment, threw me up once or twice to adjust me on his shoulders, and set off with one man on each side. It was a great relief, but I could feel every movement, even to the heaving of his chest. The ascent was one of the steepest on the whole road. In a few minutes he stopOn reaching Comitan, however, they were ped and sent forth a sound, usual with Indian thrown into despair by learning that all access carriers, between a whistle and a blow,'-[Queto the ruins at Palenque had been interdicted blast?]—always painful to my ears, but which I never felt so disagreeably before. My by the government; and that fresh passports face was turned backward; I could not see were necessary, and could only be obtained where he was going, and not to increase the laat Ciudad Real, three days' journey out of bour of carrying me, I sat as still as possible; but their route. The respect paid to Mr. Ste- in a few minutes, looking over my shoulder, saw phens's diplomatic functions removed the latter that we were approaching the edge of a precipice difficulty, but the former was not so easily more than a thousand feet deep. Here I became disposed of; and, being convinced that if he intelligibly, and the Indians could or would not very anxious to dismount; but I could not speak asked for permission to visit the ruins he understand my signs. My carrier moved along should be refused it, he very coolly determined carefully, with his left foot first, feeling that the to dispense with the ceremony altogether. stone on which he put it down was steady and Learning that the ruins were at a distance secure before he brought up the other, and by from any habitation, and convinced that the degrees, after a particularly careful movement, government had too much upon their hands brought both feet up within half a step of the edge of the precipice, stopped, and gave a fearful to spare any soldiers to guard them, he whistle and blow. I rose and fell with every thought that his best plan would be quietly breath, felt his body trembling under me, and to take possession, and run the risk of being his knees seemed giving way. The precipice was awful, and the slightest irregular movement] and at which the party at length arrived, are on my part might bring us both down together.' situated at the distance of eight miles from the -vol. ii., pp. 274, 275. This was the worst mountain the travellers ever encountered, but it was the last; and had it not been for the onslaught of moschetoes, the rancho of Nopa at its base would have been a delightful resting-place :-- village of Palenque, and are called by its name -the proper appellation of the city, and everything connected with its history, being totally lost. According to the received account, the existence of the ruins was not known until the year 1750, when a party of Spaniards, travelling in Mexico, suddenly 'The dark border of the clearing was lighted found themselves in the midst of a vast assemup by fireflies of extraordinary size and brillian- blage of ancient stone buildings, extending cy, darting among the trees, not flashing and from eighteen to twenty-four miles, and known disappearing, but carrying a steady light; and, to the Indians by the name of Casas de Pieexcept that their course was serpentine, seeming dras. This was the first discovery which like shooting stars. In different places there awakened attention to the existence of ruined were two that remained stationary, emitting a pale but beautiful light, and seemed like rival cities in America; but a period of nearly forbelles holding levees. The fiery orbs darted from ty years elapsed before the king of Spain one to the other; and when one, more daring than commissioned Captain Antonio del Rio to exthe rest, approached too near, the coquette with-plore them. His report and drawings slept drew her light, and the flutterer went off. One, in the archives of Guatimala; and a second however, carried all before her, and at one time we counted seven hovering around her.'-vol. ii., p. 278. He subsequently speaks of these flying lanterns as doing them good service at Palenque : expedition was sent out by Charles IV., in 1805, at the head of which was Captain Dupaix, with a secretary and draughtsman, and a detachment of dragoons. But the MS. of Dupaix, and the designs of his draughtsman, Castenada, in like manner, were left unattended to in the Cabinet of Natural History at Mexico. In 1828 M. Baradere disentombed them, and they were at length published in Paris, in 1834-5. The unfortunate Colonel Galindo, one of the many victims to civil war, 'At night, in consequence of the wind, we could not light a candle, but the darkness of the palace was lighted up by fireflies, shooting through the corridors and stationary on the walls, forming a beautiful and striking spectacle. They are mentioned by the early Spaniards, among *also examined the ruins; and his comthe wonders of a world where all was new, "as showing the way to those who travel at munications to the Geographical Society of night." The historian describes them as "some- Paris are published in Dupaix's work; and, what smaller than sparrows, having two stars subsequently, Mr. Waldeck, with funds proclose by their eyes, and two more under their vided by an association in Mexico, passed wings, which gave so great a light that by it two years among them. His work has been they could spin, weave, write, and paint; and announced in Paris, but has not yet appeared. the Spaniards went by night to hunt the utios, or little rabbits of that country, and a-fishMr. Stephens complains of Dupaix, first, as ing, carrying these animals tied to their great unduly depreciating the work of his predetoes or thumbs. They took them in the night cessor, Del Rio-an, English translation of with firebrands, because they made to the light which was published in London in 1822and came when called by their name: and they and secondly, as greatly overstating the diffiare so unwieldy that when they fall they cannot culties which attended his own investigation rise again; and the men, stroking their faces and of the antiquities, and thereby deterring other hands with a sort of moisture that is in those stars, seemed to be a-fire as long as it lasted." persons from the pursuit. We caught several of these beetles, not, Our author's arrangements for the expedihowever, by calling them by their names. They tion to Palenque are detailed in that lively are more than half an inch long, and have a style which makes his volumes so attractive. sharp moveable horn on the head; when laid The preparations of live turkeys and fowls, on the back they cannot turn over except by strings of eggs, beans, plantains, pork, and pressing this horn against a membrane upon the liquid lard were magnificent: but, alas, there front. Behind the eyes are two round transparent substances, full of luminous matter, about as was one great deficiency in their culinary arlarge as the head of a pin, and underneath is a rangements! Tortillas, to be endurable, larger membrane containing the same luminous should be eaten the moment they are baked; substance. Four of them together threw a bril- but not one of the fair damsels of the village liant light for several yards around; and by the light of a single one we read distinctly the finely-printed pages of an American newspaper.' -vol. ii., pp. 301, 302. *This gallant and accomplished officer was mirdered by the Indians whilst attempting to escape after the battle of Taguzegalpa, in the beginning of The ruins which were thus illuminated, the year 1840. could be induced to pass a night among the miles. What its real extent may be is, in fact, ruins. The cow, also, which the travellers totally unknown: the whole country around had bought, was obliged to be kept in her old quarters; and the daily supplies of bread and milk depended on the punctuality of the alcalde and the trustworthiness of his messengers: the result was that they generally arrived after breakfast. Fording the river, very soon we saw masses of stones, and then a round sculptured stone. We spurred up a sharp ascent of fragments, so steep that the mules could barely climb it, to a terrace so covered, like the whole road, with trees, that it was impossible to make out the form. Continuing on this terrace, we stopped at the foot of a second, when our Indians cried out "el Palacio!" and through openings in the trees we saw the front of a large building richly ornamented with stuccoed figures on the pilasters, curious and elegant; trees growing close against it, and their branches entering the doors; in style and effect unique, extraordinary, and mournfully beautiful. We tied our mules to the trees, ascended a flight of stone steps forced apart and thrown down by trees, and entered the Palace, ranged for a few moments along the corridor and into the courtyard, and after the first gaze of eager curiosity was over, went back to the entrance, and, standing in the doorway, fired a reu-de-joie of four rounds each. We had reached the end of our long and toilsome journey, and the first glance indemnified us for our toil. For the first time we were in a building erected by the aboriginal inhabitants, standing before the Europeans knew of this continent, and we prepared to take up our abode under its roof. We selected the front corridor as our dwelling, turned turkey and fowls loose in the courtyard, which was so overgrown with trees that we could barely see across it; and as there was no pasture for the mules except the leaves of the trees, and we could not turn them loose into the woods, we brought them up the steps through the palace, and turned them into the courtyard also. At one end of the corridor Juan built a kitchen, which operation consisted in laying three stones anglewise, so as to have room for a fire between them. Our luggage was stowed away or hung on poles reaching across the corridor. Pawling mounted a stone about four feet long on stone legs for a table, and with the Indians cut a number of poles, which they fastened together with barkstrings, and laid them on stones at the head and foot for beds. We cut down the branches that entered the palace, and some of the trees on the terrace, and from the floor of the palace overlooked the top of an immense forest stretching off to the Gulf of Mexico. The Indians had superstitious fears about remaining at night among the ruins, and left us alone, the sole tenants of the palace of unknown kings.'-vol. ii., Pp. 291, 292. Mr. Stephens laughs at the accounts which assert that the ruined city is ten times as large as New York, three times as large as London, and that it covers a space of sixty is covered, he says, with a dense forest of gigantic trees, and with a growth of underwood thicker than any in the wildernesses of his own country: in the absence of guides and chopping-knives he might have gone within 100 feet of any one of the buildings without discovering it. The edifice in which they took up their residence stands on an artificial elevation 40 feet high, 310 long, and 260 deep-this was formerly faced throughout with stone, which has been thrown down by the growth of trees. 'The Palace stands with its face to the east, and measures 228 feet front by 180 feet deep. Its height is not more than 25 feet, and all around it had a broad projecting cornice of stone. The front contained fourteen doorways, about 9 feet wide each, and the intervening piers are between 6 and 7 feet wide. On the left, eight of the piers had fallen down, as has also the corner on the right, and the terrace underneath is cumbered with the ruins. But six piers remain entire, and the rest of the front is open. 'The building was constructed of stone, with a mortar of lime and sand, and the whole front was covered with stucco and painted. The piers were ornamented with spirited figures in basrelief. On one of them the principal personage stands in an upright position and in profile, exhibiting an extraordinary facial angle of about forty-five degrees. The upper part of the head seems to have been compressed and lengthened, perhaps by the same process employed upon the heads of the Choctaw and Flat-head Indians of our own country. The head represents a different species from any now existing in that region of country; and supposing the statues to be images of living personages, or the creations of artists according to their ideas of perfect figures, they indicate a race of people now lost and unknown. The head-dress is evidently a plume of feathers. Over the shoulders is a short covering decorated with studs, and a breastplate; part of the ornament of the girdle is broken; the tunic is probably a leopard's skin; and the whole dress no doubt exhibits the costume of this unknown people. He holds in his hand a staff or sceptre, and opposite his hands are the marks of three hieroglyphics, which have decayed or been broken off. At his feet are two naked figures scated cross-legged, and apparently suppliants. A fertile imagination might find many explanations for these strange figures, but no satisfactory interpretation presents itself to my mind. The hieroglyphics doubtless tell its history. The stucco is of admirable consistency, and hard as stone. It was painted, and in different places about it we discovered the remains of red, blue, yellow, black, and white. The piers which are still standing contained other figures of the same general character, but which are fallen were no doubt enriched with which, unfortunately, are more mutilated: those the same ornaments. Each one had some specific meaning, and the whole probably presented 6 some allegory or history; and when entire and this until some time after we had made up our painted, the effect in ascending the terrace must minds in regard to the wooden lintels over the have been imposing and beautiful. doors. It was much worm-eaten, and probably, The principal doorway is not distinguished in a few years, not a vestige of it will be left.'by its size or by any superior ornament, but is vol. ii., pp. 310-315. only indicated by a range of broad stone steps leading up to it on the terrace. The doorways Numerous engravings of the principal have no doors, nor are there the remains of any. objects of interest are given: they are admiWithin, on each side, are three niches in the rably executed, and in a manner which leaves wall about 8 or 10 inches square, with a cylin- no doubt of their perfect accuracy. The drical stone about 2 inches in diameter fixed up-style of sculpture approaches the Egyptian right, by which perhaps a door was secured. more nearly than at Copan: but at Palenque Along the cornice outside, projecting about a there is a greater excess of ornament, nor is foot beyond the front, holes were drilled at intervals through the stone; and our impression was, there the same grandeur or dignity. The that an immense cotton cloth, running the whole hieroglyphics are as abundant as at Copan length of the building, perhaps painted in a style or Quirigua, and are evidently identical in corresponding with the ornaments, was attached character. Mr. Stephens, although he conto this cornice, and raised and lowered like a ceives that Palenque is less ancient than curtain, according to the exigencies of sun and Copan, adduces some reasons for supposing rain. Such a curtain is used now in front of the that it must have been in ruins before the piazzas of some haciendas in Yucatan. conquest by Cortez. Want of space precludes us from entering further into the details of the astonishing assembly of buildings by which our author was surrounded, and which he describes with The tops of the doorways were all broken. They had evidently been square, and over every one were large niches in the wall on each side, in which the lintels had been laid. These lintels had all fallen, and the stones above formed broken natural arches. Underneath were heaps of rubbish, but there were no remains of lintels, great clearness and precision: nor must we If they had been single slabs of stone, some of be tempted to quote his humorous history of them must have been visible and prominent: we their housekeeping misadventures in the made up our minds that these lintels were of palace. We must omit also, sadly against wood; and by what we saw afterwards in Yu- our will, the account of a deputation of three catan, we were confirmed, beyond all doubt, in Padres from Tumbala, who came to Palenque our opinion. for the express purpose of inspecting the "The building has two parallel corridors running lengthwise on all four of its sides. The ruins; and who, after keeping the village in floors are of cement, as hard as the best seen in a state of suspense for three days, at length the remains of Roman baths and cisterns. The made their triumphal entry, escorted by the walls are about 10 feet high, plastered, and on principal inhabitants of all the surrounding each side of the principal entrance ornamented villages, and with a train of more than a with medallions, of which the borders only re- hundred Indians carrying hammocks, chairs, baggage, and eatables. main.. They, and the cura of Palenque, their manners, their feastings, and their perpetual games of monté, are admirably described. These reverend explorers had screwed up their courage to pass a night in the ruins; and, under the escort of Mr. Stephens, set out with a train of fifty or sixty Indians, laden with all manner of niceties and com The builders were evidently ignorant of the principles of the arch, and the ceiling was made by stones lapping over as they rose, as at Ocosingo, and among the Cyclopean remains in Greece and Italy. From the centre door of the front corridor a range of stone steps 30 feet long leads to a rectangular courtyard, 80 feet long by 70 broad. On each side of the steps are grim and gigantic figures, carved on stone in basso-relievo, 9 or 10 feet high, and in a position slightly inclined backward from the end of the steps to the floor of the corridor... forts; and, more highly favoured than our They are adorned with rich head-dresses and travellers, five fair tortilla-makers accomnecklaces, but their attitude is that of pain and panied them. A very brief examination of trouble. The design and anatomical proportions the ruins sufficed the reverend deputation. of the figures are faulty, but there is a force of One particular basso-relievo had in its centre expression about them which shows the skill and conceptive power of the artist. something which bore a slight resemblance On each side of the courtyard the palace was to a cross: at once they jumped to the condivided into apartments, probably for sleeping. clusion that the old inhabitants were On the right the piers have all fallen down. On Christians, fixed the age of the buildings in the left they are still standing, and ornamented the third century, wound up the day with a with stucco figures. In the centre apartment, comfortable game of cards, and, well satisfied in one of the holes before referred to of the arch, with their exertions, were off the next mornare the remains of a wooden pole about a foot long, which once stretched across, but the rest ing to report their discoveries. All this is had decayed. It was the only piece of wood touched in a lively but good-humoured tone; we found at Palenque, and we did not discover and, indeed, throughout the whole of his |