Pyramid and Temple of the Dwarf.
The steps leading up to the summit are broad, and must have formed an imposing approach, but in consequence of the angle of the slope they are necessarily steep, and are placed so close together that there is barely sufficient width for the foot to rest. At the base of the pyramid there is an open court, which I observed to be similar in shape to one adjoining the base of an altar built by the Quichés at Utatlan, but it was larger in extent. The court leads to the entrance of the Casa de las Monjas.
This building may be considered to be the result of the greatest powers of sculpture and ornamentation that the Indians possessed, and judging from the condition of many of its chambers, it is probably one of the latest of their works. It is nearly quadrangular, and encloses an area of over six thousand square yards.
My first day at Uxmal was employed in making a rough survey of the land occupied by the ruins.
Upon my return to the hacienda, I found that an evening service, called “el Rosario,” was being held in the chapel. A large number of Indians were assembled. These Yucatecos had attached to the fingers of the church images, many of their own small idols, made of metal. It was consequently impossible to know (as the priests in the Cordilleras said of their Indian parishioners), whether they were worshipping the saints, or following in secret their ancient idolatries.
The next morning I established myself in the “House of the Governor,” and selected for our occupation the largest of the outer series of apartments, opening upon the eastern courts. The size of these was necessarily regulated by the angle of the converging slopes of the walls, for the builders were limited in their plans in consequence of their incomplete acquaintance with the formation of arches. In one of the rooms there were some cross poles made of zapote wood, to which Anastasio fastened my hammock. The architectural proportions of the exterior are unusual. The length is about three hundred and twenty-two feet, but the breadth is only thirty-nine feet, and the low, narrow structure, is only twenty-five feet high. The effect, however, of the long and elaborately carved façade, is particularly pleasing both to the eye and the mind. In all respects, the Casa del Gobernador is rightly given the distinction of being the grandest of the stone structures that were built by Indians. The platform upon which this great edifice stands, is forty feet above the level of the ground. Sixteen feet below this is a large open court, which is about one hundred and eighty yards long, and over eighty-two yards wide, containing a level surface of nearly fifteen thousand square yards—or more than three acres. There is a third outer terrace, raised a few feet above the plain.
The Casa de las Monjas is also placed upon three terraces, but they are of smaller dimensions, and the height of the base of the building above the natural ground, is not more than seventeen feet. The terraces were surrounded by strongly built walls. Wide stone steps gave access to each platform. When looking at these flat spaces, pyramids and temples, it is practicable to form reasonable conjectures regarding the nature of the religious ceremonies that may have taken place within, or before them.
Casa del Gobernador.
