Mr. John L. Stephens, accompanied by Fred. Catherwood, artist, at the end of an antiquarian expedition through Central America, arrived at Uxmal in 1840, and began the work of surveying the city, but the sickness of Mr Catherwood compelled them to abandon the survey when but little progress had been made and return abruptly to New York. The results of their incomplete work were published in Stephens' Cent. Amer., N. Y., 1841, vol. ii.
Mr B. M. Norman, a resident of New Orleans, made a flying visit to Yucatan from December to March, 1841-2, and published as a result Rambles in Yucatan, N. Y., 1843, illustrated with cuts and lithographs. According to the Registro Yucateco, tom. i., p. 372, this trip was merely a successful speculation on the part of Norman, who collected his material in haste from all available sources, in order to take advantage of the public interest excited by Stephens' travels. However this may be, the work is not without value in connection with the other authorities. 'The result of a hasty visit.' Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc., vol. ii., p. 172. The work 'n'est qu'une compilation sans mérite et sans intérêt.' Morelet, Voyage, tom. i., p. 150. 'A valuable work.' Davis' Antiq. Amer., p. 12. 'By which the public were again astonished and delighted.' Frost's Pict. Hist. Mex., p. 77. Norman's work is very highly spoken of and reviewed at length, with numerous quotations and two plates, in the Democratic Review, vol. xi., pp. 529-38.
Mr Stephens arrived in New York on his return from his Central American tour in July, 1840, having left Yucatan in June. 'About a year' after his return he again sailed for Yucatan on October 9th and remained until the following June. This is all the information the author vouchsafes touching the date of his voyage, which was probably in 1841-2, Stephens and Norman being therefore in the country at the same time; the latter states, indeed, that they were only a month apart at Zayi. Stephens' work is called Incidents of Travel in Yucatan, N. Y., 1843. (?) (Ed. quoted in this work, N. Y., 1858.) The drawings of this and of the previous expedition were published, with a descriptive text by Stephens, under the title of Catherwood's Views of Ancient Monuments in Central America, N. Y., 1844, large folio, with 25 colored lithographic plates. Stephens' account was noticed, with quotations, by nearly all the reviews at the time of its appearance, and has been the chief source from which all subsequent writers, including myself, have drawn their information. His collection of movable Yucatan relics was unfortunately destroyed by fire with Mr Catherwood's panorama in New York. Critics are almost unanimous in praise of the work. 'Malgré quelques imperfections, le livre restera toujours un ouvrage de premier ordre pour les voyageurs et les savants.' Brasseur de Bourbourg, Esquisses, p. 7. 'Stephens y Catherwood, por ejemplo, sin separarse de la verdad de los originales, los cópia el uno, y los describe el otro con exactitud, criterio y buena fé,' M. F. P., in Registro Yucateco, tom. i., p. 362. 'Ce que M. Stephens a montré talent, de science et de modestie dans ses narrations est au-dessus de toute appréciation.' Dally, Races Indig., p. 14. Jones, Hist. Anc. Amer., criticises Stephens' conclusions, and his criticisms will be somewhat noticed in their proper place. See also [p. 82, note 14], of this volume.
The Baron von Friederichsthal, an attaché of the Austrian Legation, spent several months in an examination of Yucatan ruins, confining his attention to Chichen Itza and Uxmal. He had with him a daguerreotype apparatus, and with its aid prepared many careful drawings. As to the date of his visit it probably preceded those of Norman and Stephens, since a letter by him, written while on his return to Europe, is dated April 21, 1841. This letter is printed in the Registro Yucateco, tom. ii., pp. 437-43, and in the Dicc. Univ., tom. x., pp. 290-3. It contains a very slight general account of the ruins, which are spoken of as 'hasta hoy desconocidas,' with much rambling speculation on their origin. On his arrival in Europe Friederichsthal was introduced by Humboldt to the Académie Royale des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, before which society he read a paper on his discoveries on October 1, 1841, which paper was furnished by the author for the Nouvelles Annales des Voy., 1841, tom. xcii., pp. 297-314, where it was published under the title of Les Monuments de l'Yucatan. The author proceeded to Vienna where he intended to publish a large work with his drawings, a work that so far as I know has never seen the light. 'M. de Friederichsthal a souvent été inquiété dans ses recherches; les ignorants, les superstitieux, les niais les regardaient comme dangereuses au pays.' Nouvelles Annales des Voy., 1841, tom. xcii., p. 304.
In 1858 M. Désiré Charnay visited Izamal, Chichen Itza, and Uxmal, taking with him a photographic apparatus. He succeeded in obtaining perfect views of many of the buildings, which were published under the title Cités et Ruines Américaines, Paris, 1863, in large folio. The text of the work is in octavo form and includes a long introduction by M. Viollet-le-Duc, French Government Architect, occupied chiefly with speculation and theories rather than descriptions. Charnay's part of the text, although a most interesting journal of travels, is very brief in its descriptions, the author wisely referring the reader to the photographs, which are invaluable as tests of the correctness of drawings made by other artists both in Yucatan and elsewhere.
See also a general notice of the ruins in Cogolludo, Hist. Yuc., pp. 176-7, and in Gottfriedt, Newe Welt, p. 611; full account in Baldwin's Anc. Amer., pp. 125-50, from Stephens; and brief accounts, made up from the modern explorers, in Mayer's Mex. Aztec, etc., vol. ii., pp. 171-3, with cut of an idol from Catherwood; Prichard's Researches, vol. v., pp. 346-8; Morelet, Voyage, tom. i., pp. 147, 191-5, 269-72; Dally, Races Indig., pp. 14-15; Warden, Recherches, pp. 68-9; Nouvelles Annales des Voy., 1843, tom. xcvii., pp. 36-50, from old Spanish authorities; Müller, Amerikanische Urreligionen, pp. 460, 462; Mühlenpfordt, Mejico, tom. ii., pt. i., p. 12; Hassel, Mex. Guat., p. 267; Wappäus, Geog. u. Stat., pp. 144, 247; Baril, Mexique, pp. 128-30; Brasseur de Bourbourg, Hist. Nat. Civ., tom. ii., pp. 20-31; Davis' Antiq. Amer., pp. 512-30; Id., Ed. 1847, p. 31; Larenaudière, Mex. et Guat., pp. 320-8; Mex. in 1842, p. 75; Sivers, Mittelamerika, pp. 227, 242-7, 303-4.
[V-3] The best map of Yucatan, showing not only the country's geographical features, but the location of all its ruins, is the Carte du Yucatan et des régions voisines, compiled by M. Malte-Brun from the works of Owen, Barnett, Lawrence, Kiepert, García y Cubas, Stephens, and Waldeck, and published in Brasseur de Bourbourg, Palenqué, Paris, 1866, pl. i., ii.
[V-4] Fray Diego Lopez Cogolludo visited Uxmal at some time before the middle of the seventeenth century, and describes the ruins to some extent in his Historia de Yucathan, Mad., 1688, pp. 176-7, 193-4, 197-8. Padre Thomas de Soza, about 1786, reported to Antonio del Rio stone edifices covered with stucco ornaments, known by the natives as Oxmutal, with statues of men beating drums and dancing with palms in their hands, which he had seen in his travels in Yucatan, and which are thought to be perhaps identical with Uxmal, although the monuments are reported as being located twenty leagues south of Mérida and may be quite as reasonably identified with some other group. Rio's Description, pp. 6-7. Zavala's visit to Uxmal at some date previous to 1834 has already been spoken of in [note 2]. His account is called Notice sur les Monuments d'Ushmal, in Antiq. Mex., tom. i., div. ii., pp. 33-5. M. de Waldeck left Mérida for Uxmal on May 6, 1835, arrived at the ruins on May 12, where he spent some eight days, and was interrupted in his work by the rainy season. Waldeck, Voy. Pitt., pp. 67-74, 93-104, and plates. Mr Stephens had Waldeck's work with him at the time of his second visit. He says, Yucatan, vol. i., p. 297, 'It will be found that our plans and drawings differ materially from his, but Mr Waldeck was not an architectural draughtsman;' yet the difference is only to be noted in a few plates, and is not so material as Mr Stephens' words would imply. Still, where differences exist, I give Mr Stephens the preference, because, having his predecessor's drawings, his attention would naturally be called to all the points of Waldeck's survey. Mr Stephens says further, 'It is proper to say, moreover, that Mr Waldeck had much greater difficulties to encounter than we, ... besides, he is justly entitled to the full credit of being the first stranger who visited these ruins and brought them to the notice of the public.' Mr Stephens' first visit was in June, 1840, during which he visited the ruins from the hacienda three times, on June 20, 21, and 22, while Mr Catherwood spent one day, the 21st, in making sketches. It was unfortunate that he was forced by Mr Catherwood's illness to leave Uxmal, for at this time the ground had been cleared of the forest and was planted with corn; the occasion was therefore most favorable for a thorough examination. Stephens' Cent. Amer., vol. ii., pp. 413-35, with 3 plates. Mr Norman, according to his journal, reached the ruins, where he took up his abode, on February 25, 1842, and remained until March 4, devoting thus seven days or thereabouts to his survey. His account is accompanied by several lithographic illustrations. Norman's Rambles in Yuc., pp. 154-67. Messrs Stephens and Catherwood arrived on their second visit on November 15, 1841, and remained until January 1, 1842, Mr Stephens meanwhile making two short trips away, one in search of ruins, the other to get rid of fever and ague. It is remarkable that they found no traces of Mr Friederichsthal's visit, (Nouvelles Annales des Voy., 1841, tom. xcii., pp. 306-9,) which was probably in the same year. Stephens' Yucatan, vol. i., pp. 163-325, vol. ii., pp. 264-73, with many plates and cuts. Padre Carrillo, cura of Ticul, with D. Vicente García Rejon, and D. José María Fajardo, visited the ruins in March, 1845, and an account of the visit, embodying but little information, was published by L. G., in Registro Yuc., tom. i., pp. 275-9. Another account of a visit in the same year was published by M. F. P., in Id., pp. 361-70. Mr Carl Bartholomaeus Heller spent two or three days at Uxmal, April 6 to 9, 1847. His account is found in Heller, Reisen, pp. 256-65. M. Charnay's visit was in 1858, and his efforts to obtain photographic negatives and to fight the insects which finally drove him away, lasted eight days. Charnay, Ruines Amér., pp. 362-80, pl. xxxv-xlix. M. Brasseur de Bourbourg was at Uxmal in 1865, and made a report, accompanied by a plan, which was published in the Archives de la Com. Scien. du Mex., tom. ii., pp. 234, 254, as the author states in his Palenqué, Introd., p. 24. See further on Uxmal: Description quoted from Stephens with unlimited criticisms, italics, capitals, and exclamation points, in Jones' Hist. Anc. Amer., pp. 86-105, 120; description from Waldeck and Stephens, with remarks on the city's original state, in Brasseur de Bourbourg, Hist. Nat. Civ., tom. ii., pp. 21-3, 585; and also slight accounts made up from one or more of the authorities already cited as follows: Müller, Amerikanische Urreligionen, pp. 462, 483; Bradford's Amer. Antiq., pp. 99-103, from Waldeck; Baril, Mexique, pp. 129-30, from Del Rio; Sivers, Mittelamerika, pp. 237-41; Morelet, Voyage, tom. i., pp. 149-50, 193; Frost's Great Cities, pp. 268-81; Id., Pict. Hist. Mex., p. 80; Album, Mex., tom. i., pp. 203-4, the last three including a moonlight view of the ruins, from Norman; Larenaudière, Mex. et Guat., pp. 321-8, with plates from Waldeck; Baldwin's Anc. Amer., pp. 131-7, with cuts, from Stephens; Foster's Pre-Hist. Races, pp. 208, 212-13, 302, 330, 398-9, from Stephens; Willson's Amer. Hist., pp. 82-6, with cuts, from Stephens; Armin, Das Heutige Mex., pp. 91-6, with cuts, from Stephens; Id., Das Alte Mex., p. 97; Wappäus, Geog. u. Stat., p. 144; Mühlenpfordt, Mejico, tom. ii., pt. i., p. 12; Domenech's Deserts, vol. i., p. 51; Hermosa, Enciclopedia, Paris, 1857, pp. 176-7; Prescott's Mex., vol. iii., pp. 412-13; Nouvelles Annales des Voy., 1843, tom. xcvii., pp. 36-7, 44.
[V-5] Pronounced ooshmahl.
[V-6] Cogolludo sometimes writes the name Uxumual. 'Il nous a été impossible de trouver une étymologie raisonnable à ce nom.' Brasseur de Bourbourg, Hist. Nat. Civ., tom. ii., p. 21. 'Le nom d'Uxmal signifie du temps passé. Il ne s'applique aux ruines que parce que celles-ci sont situées sur le terrain de la hacienda d'Uxmal.' Waldeck, Voy. Pitt., p. 68; Sivers, Mittelamerika, p. 237. Possibly derived from ox and mal, meaning 'three passages' in Maya. Heller, Reisen, p. 255. 'It was an existing inhabited aboriginal town' in 1556. Stephens' Yucatan, vol. ii., p. 272. Called Oxmutal by Soza, in Rio's Description, p. 7.