ZAYI RUINS.
On the 24th of February, at sunrise, we were again in the saddle, passing over the same road as yesterday, and following a guide, with his pack of maza and water, the Yucatan “staff of life,” in pursuit of other ruins, situated about two and a half leagues south-east of those at Kahbah. The road was good, and its direction through several ranchos. Halting at one of these, under a shed of boughs, erected in front of a rudely built Indian church, we took our breakfast. The variety and quality of our repast were not such as to detain us long, and we were soon upon our route, through a hilly country to Zayi. I found my way to the principal ruin with little difficulty, it having been recently visited, as I learned from the natives, by Mr. Stephens, to whose recent labors I was much indebted in approaching the object of my search; the usual impediments of trees and wild thickets, by which it was surrounded, having been removed. The Ruins of Zayi are situated in the midst of a succession of beautiful hills, forming around them, on every side, an enchanting landscape.
The principal one is composed of a single structure, an immense pile, facing the south, and standing upon a slight natural elevation. The first foundation is now so broken that its original form cannot be fully determined; but it probably was that of a parallelogram. Its front wall shows the remains of rooms and ceilings, with occasional pillars, which, no doubt, supported the corridors. The height of this wall is about twenty feet, and, as near as I was able to measure around its base, (owing to the accumulation of ruins,) it was ascertained to be two hundred and sixty-eight feet long, and one hundred and sixteen wide.
In the centre of this foundation stands the main building, the western half only remaining, with a portion of the steps, outside, leading to the top. This part shows a succession of corridors, occupying the whole front, each supported by two pillars, with plain square caps and plinths, and intervening spaces, filled with rows of small ornamented pillars. In the rear of these corridors are rooms of small dimensions and angular ceilings, without any light except that which the front affords. Over these corridors, or pillars, is a fine moulding finish, its angle ornamented with a hook similar to those of Chi-Chen. Above this moulding is a finish of small plain round pillars, or standards, interspersed with squares of fine ornamental carvings; the centre of the façade showing the remains of more elaborate work, concentrated within a border, the arrangement of which is lost. There is an evident analogy existing between these ornaments and those of Kahbah, but order is less apparent. I could discover no resemblance whatever to those of Chi-Chen.
Over these rooms of the main building is another terrace, or foundation, in the centre of which is a building in similar ruins to those under it; having, also, broken steps leading to the top. It stands upon a foundation, apparently, of six to eight feet in height, occupying about two-thirds of the area; the residue, probably, forming a promenade. There are three doorways yet remaining, the lintels and sides of which are broken, and which have caused the walls above to fall down. The walls of this part of the edifice are constructed of hewn stone, without any signs of ornament. A plain finished moulding runs through the centre; portions of the cornice still remain, with three or four pieces of flat projecting stones, which formed a part of the top finish.
The whole extent of the rear is covered with confused piles of ruins, overgrown with trees. Near by these are fragments of walls and rooms, with a few ornaments yet remaining about them. Some of the rooms appear to have been single, and apart from all other buildings. There are also various mounds in the vicinity.
A few rods south are the remains of a single high wall, with numerous square apertures, like pigeon-holes. Its foundation is elevated; around which the broken walls and ceilings are to be seen. The summits of the neighboring hills are capped with gray broken walls for many miles around. I discovered no hieroglyphics or paintings of any kind; neither the extraordinary skill displayed in the ornamental carvings, as at Chi-Chen.
On my route to these ruins I made digressions from the road, and found, on all sides, numerous remains of walls and ceilings; also, mounds and small pyramids, covered with the wild vegetation of the country. My time being limited to a day, I left these interesting reminiscences of an unknown people under the cover of night, and returned, wearied with my day’s labor, to Nohcacab.
The following morning I visited the church with the padre. It is a large, plain building, with cumbrous walls. The stone being nearly white, at a distance gave it the appearance of a Massachusetts cotton-factory. This church is very poor; and its shrines, like many others in the country, are in barbarous taste. As the padre pulled the strings, to throw aside the curtains and show the figures, my simplicity could not avoid thinking of a puppet-show; and more especially so on account of a figure that had attracted my attention on entering from the cloisters, dressed in a swallow-tail coat and striped trousers, and intended, probably, to represent some one of the apostolic brotherhood.
The church stands upon an elevation; and, from the roof, is a charming prospect of the surrounding country. Attached to the building, at one corner, is a high wall, forming an enclosure, in which are deposited the bones of all the dead that had been interred in the body of the church. The tops of the walls are set off with sculls!