The City of the Sacred Well

by T. A. Willard

“When the vault had been cleared, I resorted once more to my crude stethoscope, which left no doubt of a still further cavity. Raising the floor-slabs, we discovered a grave similar to grave Number Three, but the contents were interesting variations. The usual tripod vessel was there and also the bowl-shaped container, but the bottom inner surface of the tripodal receptacle was cross-hatched with deep-cut lines, and beside it was a large tripod vessel containing a caking of hard material that proved to be copal incense of finest quality. It was so altered by time that it was crystallized, almost fossilized, but when a small portion was burned it gave off the familiar copal fragrance.

“In one corner of the vault, almost hidden under mortar-dust, was a little heap of verdigris. This proved to be a number of copper bells, like our sleigh-bells in shape but very much smaller, like the bells brought up from the Sacred Well. The outer bells in the heap were so oxidized that they simply flaked away when we tried to clean them, but the inner ones retained their shape and finish even after they were washed and cleaned. Copper bells played an important part in the rituals and in the economic life of the ancient Mayas and of their successors, even down to almost modern times. That old and faithful chronicler Padre Cogolludo says of the olden people: ‘The monies they used were copper bells and valuable according to their size.’ But the probable reason for the presence of bells in this tomb is the fact that in still older history bells were a part of the regalia of Ah Puch, the God of Death, and were attached as anklets to his person. He is so shown in the many hieroglyphs of him.

“The skeletal remains in this grave seemed to point to a re-burial. Either the bones were taken from another tomb and re-interred here or else they were cleared of their integuments and flesh prior to burial. I say this because they were found in a queer bundle-like heap, with no reference to their relative anatomical positions.

“In all of these graves were found traces of wood-ashes, but no signs of burned or calcined bones to bear out any theory of cremation.

“Once again the steel stethoscope was put to use and again it told us that we had not struck bottom. The floor of the fourth opened up into a fifth grave, deeper than any of the preceding ones and more free from accumulations. It contained pottery and a mingled heap of bones, as the grave above had done. But in one corner, just where we had found copper bells in the grave above, we discovered what looked like a dusty pile of glass, which proved to be a handful of beautifully polished and glistening rock-crystal beads some of which were handsomely fluted. This find was the first recorded one of rock-crystal beads or pendants in Yucatan. And amid the dust and debris on the floor we recovered a dozen or more perfectly cut and artfully shaped jade beads of small size. They were found either just above the surface or buried in a fine ash deposit which may have destroyed somewhat their original luster. Even so, they are valuable specimens, especially because of the surroundings.

“The floor of this fifth and last of the several graves was on a level with the base of the pyramid, and I concluded, therefore, that it rested upon ledge-rock formation and that we had now reached the end of our search. In fact, I had noted an upward tilt in the ledge rock and had wondered why we had not already encountered it in the shaft. The ancient builders very wisely took advantage of these rises and outcroppings of ledge rock, in placing their buildings, so as to save filling-material and the labor otherwise required to give the structures a solid foundation.

“Judge of my surprise, despite my silent prediction, when the tuning-fork device again signaled, ‘Good-sized cavity below’! It took more than a casual glance to find the seams in the floor of the crypt, so closely were the stones fitted, and we had considerable difficulty in dislodging and raising them. Instead of a sixth and similar tomb we encountered a flight of steps hewn out of the living rock.

“We had spent many days of constant back-breaking labor in the excavation of the five graves, the noting of data, the preparation of the specimens, and the packing of them in cases. Incidentally, the deeper we went, the greater was our danger of cracked skulls from falling stones and we had all taken to wearing stiff, high-crowned, wide-brimmed Mexican sombreros. The high crowns we stuffed with pochote (tree-cotton). We covered our shoulders with thick pads of gunny-sack, worn like a cape. When not working we threw the flaps back over our shoulders. Occasionally a stone did fall, striking harmlessly upon our improvised helmets and padded shoulders. If, however, it chanced to hit a naked leg there was a howl of mingled pain and rage, followed by words of unmingled Maya expletive. Such accidents happened but rarely and the whole undertaking went through without a single serious mishap.

“Each day, as the work progressed and we went farther and farther down, the light from above became more and more feeble, except when the sun was at the zenith, and much of our work had to be done by candlelight. When we came to the flight of steps we found it so choked with ashes, lime-dust, small bits of stone, potsherds, and charcoal, each in quantity in the order indicated, that at first we could obtain no idea of the dimensions of the chamber below. From the contour of the roof-stones I judged it was not large, but it was so filled with debris that I had to enter it feet foremost and lie upon my side to fill the wicker baskets with material and pass them back to one of my helpers, who in turn passed them on. Thus from one to another they passed, until they could be hoisted up to daylight, where trusted hands and experienced eyes separated the dross and placed the remainder in field safety-boxes for my later inspection.

“In this manner, an endless chain of filled baskets went up and empty ones came down to one man in the mysterious vault, lying on his back, half naked, dripping with sweat, and plastered with grime, but now and then smiling seraphically as he caught the gleam of a shining jade jewel or a finely worked bit of flint. He could not see clearly for more than an instant at a time, for when he was not blinded by sweat the alkaline ash-dust smote his eyes, and the two at times combined to make him fairly writhe. And he would not have changed places with a king, for every once in a while he came upon something more precious to him than kingly possessions.