Upon the evening of the day upon which we left Jonuta, we reached Palisada and brought to an end our wearisome canoe voyage down the Usamacinta. At Palisada the logwood, which is obtained in the forests bordering upon the upper parts of the rivers, is gathered together and shipped upon small schooners which carry their cargoes of palo tinto (red wood) to the town of Laguna on the island of Carmen, whence the wood is sent to Europe and other parts of the world.
In one of these little fore-and-aft rigged schooners I embarked and proceeded on my way down the river. In the afternoon we stopped in a place where we could get some shade until sunset. I found a shelter within a hut near the bank. Throughout the night the atmosphere was very oppressive. We slowly made our way by the help of a small boat, manned by our Indian crew, which took us in tow. All of us suffered greatly from the attacks of myriads of mosquitoes. On the following day we arrived at an open sheet of water, called the inner lagoon, where it was perfectly calm and we had to endure on the open and exposed deck, the full strength of the tropical sun. In the evening a strong head wind called “el Norte” sprang up, together with heavy squalls and showers of rain which continued all that night and the whole of the next day. As we could not make any headway we anchored. The sun was very powerful and it was not possible to escape from its influence. The Indians appeared to be much affected by the weather and were in a worn and prostrate condition. I had to endure, equally with them, the alternate exposure to extreme heat and cold driving rain. During the night the wind moderated, and towards the morning we weighed our anchor and proceeded to the entrance of the outer lagoon and waited for daylight. As the sun rose, the wind suddenly shifted, and we sailed rapidly across the bay to the anchorage off the town, arriving there early in the forenoon.
Thus terminated the voyage “par los rios” (by the rivers). The exposure to the sun by day, the attacks of mosquitoes by night, and the sickly condition of the banks of the rivers and lagoons, had combined to make that part of the journey across the continent extremely exhausting.
The long narrow island of Carmen is placed like a natural breakwater, sheltering the bay from the open sea of the Gulf of Campeachy. The earliest notice of it occurs in the Reports of the Spanish expedition under Grijalva in 1518. Bernal Diaz, who was one of those who took part in it, mentions a fact that throws some light upon the religious customs of the Indians. He observes that the fleet after having visited the coasts of Yucatan arrived at this island and remained for several days at anchor in the bay. Many of the officers and men landed, he being amongst the number. After traversing the island it was ascertained that it was not inhabited, but some small temples (adoratorios) were seen. These were made of stone and mortar, and contained many idols made of clay and of wood, some were like figures of gods, others like women, and many seemed to represent serpents. At the present time there are no remains visible of these adoratorios. The fact, however, of their having been erected upon this island is instructive. It tends to prove that temples were placed in positions where there were no inhabitants, and thus, to some extent, supports the theory that certain holy places were set apart for religious purposes, and were not necessarily attached to centres of population.
During the stay of Grijalva’s fleet, a greyhound, belonging to one of the ships, strayed on shore and was lost. The following year, upon the arrival of a second expedition, when the ships anchored, the dog was seen on the beach watching them. Bernal Diaz relates how the dog knew his own ship, and fawned upon the crew when they landed, showing the utmost happiness and affection. How the dog had obtained food and water through such a long period was not known.
Soon after my arrival I was informed that a small schooner called the Rosita was about to sail for Campeachy and that her skipper would take a few passengers. I accordingly made arrangements with him and went on board. I found that the only accommodation was the open hold under the main hatch. Here on the top of the cargo, made smooth and level for the purpose, were placed mats. We embarked two ladies and some Spanish officials and left La Laguna at daylight. The wind was against us and we had to make a long tack towards the Yucatan coast, near Champoton. During the night the wind became more favourable and in the forenoon we sighted the white walls of Campeachy. The cathedral and mediæval fortifications looked very picturesque from the sea as we approached the coast. The Rosita did not draw much water, so we were able to anchor within half a mile of the landing place. I was glad to find in the town a tolerable inn called the Paloma, and a worthy, attentive landlord named Ruiz. The constant exposure and the hardships endured latterly had seriously affected my constitution, and I felt weak and ill. It was a comfort to get shelter and quiet, and the shade and rest which was obtained by having a large room opening upon an inner court. Here I remained for several days suffering from very severe headaches and without feeling that I was, in any perceptible degree, regaining my strength.
On the morning of the fifth day I heard a gentle tap at the door, and my landlady asked if she could come in. She looked at me with much sympathy and said, “Señor, may I speak to you?” I replied, “Certainly.” She then said, “Señor, you have upon you the lagoon fever, from which strangers seldom recover, and I have come to ask you where you keep your money and where your friends live, so that I may be able to carry out your wishes.” I said, “My kind donna, perhaps I may get better if I change the air. Do you know how I can get away?” The landlady looked pleased and said that she knew that a certain Señor Escalanta was about to start for a village called Tzibalché, and that perhaps he would share with me the expenses of a conveyance. This arrangement was made, and in the forenoon a covered cart, with three mules harnessed abreast, was drawn up at the door of the inn. I took my place upon a mattress, and before midday we were several leagues away breathing the pure and bracing air of the open country. The change acted like magic. The fever seemed almost immediately to leave me, but there remained a persistent headache.
We stopped at a village to get dinner, and met an intelligent man who was employed as constructor of a new road that was being made on this part of the coast. It had happened, that in the course of his work, he had made several cuttings and excavations, and discovered many things of much antiquarian importance. He told us of a large pyramidal altar or Kue which was situated in the neighbourhood, and as I particularly wished to see it, Señor Escalanta consented to halt whilst an examination of it was made.
We found the altar to be one of that type of structures upon the summit of which the Mexican priests were accustomed to perform human sacrifices. This Yucatecan Kue was more than fifty feet high and was entirely faced with large, squared, well hewn blocks of hard limestone. It was very steep. I estimated the angle of the slope to be about 70°. There were two ledges, respectively one-third and two-thirds up the pyramid and on the top was the platform, which was in a ruinous condition.
There were a number of small stone chambers built on the sides. The existence of these singular little cells had caused the people in the adjacent hamlets to form the opinion that the Kue had been inhabited by dwarfs. We examined these chambers very carefully, and although it was not possible to come to any satisfactory conclusion with regard to their purpose, it was clear that they could not have been intended for habitation. It seemed probable that they were either places for idols or that they were used as vaults for burial. They were built with much skill, and the squaring of the masonry was perfect. The inner wall of these cells was formed by the stone casing of the pyramid. Several small idols were found here. We were chiefly interested in examining the method of construction followed by the Indian architects. This was made apparent by the fact that portions of the outer casing had been demolished. It appeared that the inner portion was a solid mass of stones and mortar which, when completed, was covered with thick slabs of masonry, smooth and well jointed. On the west face there were the remains of a large chamber, but as that part of the pyramid was in a ruinous condition, its dimensions could not be measured.