It would be justifiable to conclude from these evidences of stability that the buildings are comparatively modern. But there is a difficulty with regard to this assumption which has to be considered. In the year 1525, when Cortes on his march from Mexico to Honduras passed with his expeditionary forces within a few leagues of this place, the temples had been already abandoned. Consequently not less than four centuries must have now elapsed since Palenque was deserted. If then, within the tropics, buildings made of such perishable materials have remained for that long period in a fair state of preservation, it may be inferred that there are some local circumstances which have caused an exceptional power of resistance to the disintegrating action of the climate. The forest may have afforded some protection, and therefore the age of the monastery may be greater than might be estimated from the condition of the ruins.
There are, however, other facts which are opposed to any theories of great antiquity. The Indians had cleared, for my inspection, the stone steps leading from the western side of the principal court. Upon these were carved groups of hieroglyphs which were in an almost perfect state. The edges of the steps were unworn. It was therefore made evident that in an open court, completely exposed to the weather and the influence of the tropical rains, inscriptions graven upon the surface of these flat stone slabs had remained uninjured.
After looking at the sculptures, and the coloured stucco figures which adorned the piers and inner walls, I endeavoured to establish some standard of comparison by which I might be able to form well-founded conjectures regarding their age. I thought of various ruins in Egypt and Asia Minor, then of those belonging to later periods in Italy and Great Britain, but there were such essential differences in the materials used, and the influences of the atmosphere, that it was not possible to establish any assured conclusions. Opinions formed upon the results of an examination of the temples on the mounds would be equally unsatisfactory, for some of them, especially in their interiors, were in a comparatively good condition, others were in ruins. But, there are proofs of a moderate antiquity. The lintels that once supported the walls over the doorways and other openings have completely disappeared. In only one instance, which came under my notice, were there any signs of the thick, hard beams of zapote wood which had been employed for that purpose. A broad lintel in the monastery had left its impress upon the under surface of the wall which had weighed downwards upon it. The marks of the fibre and the shape of the lintel were clearly defined upon the mortar. Dr. Coller found amongst the ruins a piece of this wood. It was exceedingly heavy and close-grained, and was of the nature of what is known, in the East Indies, by the name of iron wood. The zapote trees grow chiefly in the forests in the valley of the Usamacinta and towards the lake of Peten.
When the evening drew near, I called my Indians together and entered the forest on the way back to the village. As I rode slowly forward I felt that these mysterious ruins contained a secret which has yet to be unravelled. The priests of a powerful race, having strange and unknown forms of religion, had been for centuries worshipping at these shrines. Within the sanctuaries were graven upon tablets of stone those records which, when interpreted, may throw some light upon what is now obscure.[84]
CHAPTER XVI.
Mounds in the valley of the Usamacinta.—Lacandones.—Catasaja.—Canoe voyage.—Rivers and Lagoons.—Alligators.—Jonuta.—Cortes’s March to Honduras.—Cannibalism.—The Mexican Emperor Guatimozin.—Palisada.—Laguna de Terminos.—Island of Carmen.—Campeachy.—Yucatan.—Pyramidal Altar.—Human sacrifices.—Tzibalché.—Maya Indians.—Arrival at Uxmal.
At San Domingo Dr. Coller showed me a chart which he had drawn of the country around for a distance of twelve miles, exclusive of the neighbourhood of Palenque where the forest prevented him from making a survey. Upon this chart he had placed the positions of eleven mounds that he had discovered. They were situated near the left bank of the Usamacinta. On the slopes of these mounds were loose slabs of worked limestone which he thought must have formed part of houses built on their summits. Some excavations had been made and it was proved that the mounds were not burial places.
I met in the village the proprietor of a small hacienda near Balancan. He told me that in one of his fields there was a large mound forty feet high, which must have had a building upon it, for on the top there were large blocks of squared stone. He wished to know what the mound contained and had therefore dug through it, but he found nothing but a curved grindstone precisely similar in shape and size to those now used by the women in the neighbourhood. In the adjoining land he had found near the surface numerous terra-cotta idols, but he had not seen any human bones. It is a coincidence perhaps of some importance, with reference to the origin of the race once occupying Palenque, that a grindstone was also the only thing found within the mound opened by the orders of Carrera on the plains of Mixco, in that part of Central America which, before the conquest, had been occupied by the Quichés.
San Domingo is occasionally visited by groups of the wild Indians called Lacandones who live isolated amongst the adjacent forests. Dr. Coller told me that during his ten years’ residence, he had seen several of these men enter the village for the purpose of exchanging beans, tobacco and wax for spirits and other goods. They were always dressed in long white cotton frocks which reached nearly to their feet, and they wore their hair loose and very long. They seemed to be of a shy and inoffensive disposition. It is probable that they are of the same tribe as the Indians who live scattered amongst the Cordilleras near Comitan, a few of whom occasionally come down to that town from the forests bringing for barter bags of cocoa beans.
The journey from Palenque to the coast of the Gulf of Mexico had to be made by rivers and lagoons. The embarkation place was at Catasaja, where canoes were to be obtained. After riding eight leagues through forests and savannahs we reached “Las Playas,” where I was welcomed by the Licenciado Vadillo. Catasaja was a flourishing village, prettily situated on the upper waters of a branch of the Usamacinta. It was in an unusually busy state. Preparations were in progress for holding a fair, and celebrating the annual festival of the church. Great numbers of Indians and Ladinos were expected to arrive from the surrounding country, and sheds were being built as shelters for them. In the morning, at an early hour, I found that Señor Vadillo had made all necessary arrangements for my journey, and had secured for me a good canoe manned by trustworthy Indians. With his assistance I was able to sell my mule. The saddle and hammock were retained as I should want them in Yucatan.