In the morning, upon the earliest indications of dawn, the solitary nightingale again began its song, and the clear staccato, and singularly musical note was again heard amongst the ruins until sunrise, when it ceased. Thus this bird sang its song of praise as the herald of the day.
At sunrise Dr. Coller returned to San Domingo, leaving me alone at Palenque to carry out the investigation of the mounds and temples, a work which he thought would be laborious and oppressive. My guides were however well acquainted with the ruins, and I consequently knew that I should be spared all unnecessary exertion. But until I began the exploration I had no idea of the difficulties that had to be encountered. The men were employed in cutting a path through the brushwood and it was impracticable to do more than follow a certain line of direction and obtain ideas of distances by counting the number of paces or by noting intervals of time. I soon ascertained that with the means at my disposal it was hopeless to expect to do more than obtain a general knowledge of the extent and form of the chief structures, and the positions of the mounds. It was a serious disappointment to find that it was impossible to make a thorough examination without the aid of a large number of Indians to cut down the trees and clear the ground. This would have been a work involving much time and expenditure and was entirely beyond my power. The forest was sombre, for the light that penetrated through the trees, was insufficient. It was however possible to obtain a fair knowledge of the extent of the space covered by the mounds, and their distances from the monastery. The ground plan of the inclosure could also be approximately understood.
The first and, with respect to its altar, the most important building that I saw, was that known by the name of the Temple of the Cross. Before ascending the sides of the mound upon which it stands, I examined the formation of an ancient causeway which covered, for some distance, the stream near its base. I traced it for about one hundred and fifty yards. A small portion was sufficiently preserved to enable the system of construction to be ascertained. It appears to have been intended for the purpose of confining the rivulet that ran beneath it, and thus to secure a dry roadway, or crossing, during the rainy season. It was stated by the Indians, that there still existed, in the forest, the remains of a stone bridge. As far as I could understand their description, it appeared that in shape it was not unlike the ancient Chinese bridges, and rose to the centre by steep gradients.
After finishing the measurements of the causeway we began to ascend the mound. About halfway up the slope, the men stopped and pointed to a place where, lying with its face on the ground, was the stone of the cross. As this tablet had been the subject of much investigation, and is undoubtedly, with respect to its meaning, the most remarkable monument at Palenque, I was anxious to examine it with the utmost care. I directed the Indians to turn it over and thoroughly clean it from moss and dirt, so as to enable me to make a sketch of it. I found that, in consequence of the action of the earth upon the face of the stone, parts of the sculpture were difficult to trace, but the central figures were quite distinct. I was able to make a satisfactory outline, chiefly confining my attention to the cross, the bird surmounting it, and the dress of the man, having in his hands what seemed to be a child, which he was presenting as a votive offering.
The bird, with its long double tail feathers, was probably the representation of the Quetzal, the sacred bird of the Quichés, and thus it may be assumed that the temple in which this tablet formed the centre of the altar-piece, was dedicated to the worship of the god Quetzalcoatl. But, judging by the peculiarities of the dress worn by the principal worshipper, I formed the opinion that he was not, as has previously been supposed, a priest offering sacrifice. The worshippers and the offerings have, I believe, other significations.[81]
The temple, placed upon the top of the mound, must have been—when it was externally perfect—a graceful and well proportioned shrine; but when I saw it, the outer walls were so enveloped in brushwood and enclosed by trees, that it was not practicable to do more than obtain a conception of its proportions. After having measured the length, breadth and height, and made a ground plan, I examined the interior. A corridor ran along the front; within was the chamber which had contained the inscribed stone slabs which formed the back of the altar, in the centre of which had been the figure of the cross. This, and the right and left hand tablets, had been all closely joined together so as to form one subject,[82] the meaning of which was probably explained by the hieroglyphic characters. The right hand tablet, which had been removed, I had already seen at the museum in Washington.
After leaving this sanctuary, we descended the southern slope until we reached the base, and then began to ascend the adjoining mound, on whose summit was another temple. Thus we proceeded until we reached a singular little structure which has been considered to be exceptional, from the fact that the figure upon the altar had been placed upon a base supported by what are supposed to have been two tigers. I could only trace the remains of the feet, as everything within and without the temple was in ruins. Following the direction of the quadrangular precincts, we finally crossed over an unusually lofty mound, and then arrived at the back or western face of the monastery.
We had completed a slight survey of the mounds and temples on the sides of the inclosure, having passed successively over them and examined the altars, as far as their more or less ruined state permitted. These all varied in their dimensions, but they were evidently built for analagous purposes as shrines for the worship of the Indian gods.[83] There was, however, one important exception which requires to be noticed.
At the south-west angle of the monastery—and connected with it in such a manner that it seems to have been an adjunct to the main building—are the ruins of a structure which has been considered to have been a temple, but which, I think, served for a different purpose. It stands upon a mound about forty-five feet high. Its frontage was found to be longer than that of any of the other temples. In the interior there was no altar, but the upright slabs of stone placed upon the inner wall were covered with hieroglyphs. When the Indians, who accompanied Mr. Stephens, saw these groups of characters they declared that the building was an escuela or schoolhouse. Other opinions were also given, but the subject has not received any investigation. I think it is probable that the opinion of the Indians was correct, and that it was here that the boys were taught the meaning of the hieroglyphic symbols, and were thus able to read and interpret the signs placed upon the idols and altars.
In the afternoon we re-entered the monastery. We had been for nearly seven hours occupied in crossing over the mounds and clearing a path through the forest, and yet at no time did I estimate that we were more than five hundred yards from our starting point. At the end of this part of the day’s work, I found that I was able to establish some deductions respecting the positions and heights of the raised platforms and the character of the stone edifices.