Southport telegraph. [volume] (Southport, W.T. [i.e. Kenosha, Wis.]) 1840-1850, 1842-08-17

six miles. On their solicitation | Joined
them; to be relieved from the unvaryIng
dulness Of q residence at Merida, read-
ly assented, anticipating at the same time
no slight pleasure in visiting a place made
classic by the pen Of Mr. Stephens. With
a guide and another Indian to take charge
Of mule, carrying a box Of claret, bread
and hams for our journey, VIC started about
SIX O'Clock in the morning, all mounted
and caaprisoned after the mos, approved
Mexican fashion.
We pushed on to the hacienda of San
Jose. which We reached about II O'clock
At this place we were extremely we'll re-
ccived, and enjoyed an excellent dinner
provided by the worthy major domo and
his wife After tarrying about three hours
and half we started for Uxmai, which we
reached about haf past six the same eve
ming. The maioc domo was absent, but
his deputy did the honors tolerably well.
We learned that Mr.. Stephens and his two
friends had left Uxmal eight days before,
and had proceeded to the ruins of Zali, in
tending TO visit Valladolid (l20 miles from
Mcridal before their return to the capitol.
At an early hour Of the day after our
arrival at Uxmal, we started for the ruins
on foot. They are distant from the haci-
enda about one mile and half. The first
object that arrests attention, after emerg-
ing from the wood on the way from the
hacienda, is the "Dwarf's Tower" vuI-
carly called the blouse Of the Dwarf"
| 1t is quite imposing in its whole aspect,
and as we saw it, most perfectly verifes
tie description given Of it by Mr. Stephens.
1t stands as a beacon tower in solitary
grandeur, in the midst Of those splendid ru-
ms. 1t is indeed surprising with what ac-
curacy Mr.. Stephens has described the
whole ruins, considering the short time
which he and Mr.. Catherwood devoted to
them on their first visit. The "Nun's
| House" stands in rear Of the Dwarf's.-
! 1t occupies about two hundred and fifty
feet square. The number Of small rooms
or cells around the square must be at least
eighty.
Although called the Nuns house, we
could discover no evidence that the Catho-
lie religion had been prolessed by those
who once tcnanted the building. The rude
sculpture every where manifest, gave us
some strange ideas of the art, as ii must
have been known at the time when these
buildings were erected. The Casa del
| Gobcrnador' was the next we visited. 1t
is in length about three hundred feet, by
eighty in width. 1t was evidently Of a
higher order Of architecture than the Nuns
house. Mr. Stephens and his friends have
been laying it under free contribution, for
around the whole building the pick axe or
crow bar had been busily at work extract
| ing such specimens as they thought would
| be interesting to their cCunirymen. These
| will be shortly on their way to the United
States. The " House Of the Doves" is
the next that we examined. 1t has some
| thing of the Chinese or pagoda style about
it. The whole ruins cover an area Of
| about six miles. A vast number Of them
we did not examine, and TO describe them
is almost impossible. For myself shall
| not make an effort to do so, as hold that
it would be unfair TO Mr.. Stephens and his
coadjutor.
Our reflections on the spot partook much
Of the character Of the wild scene around
us. The Dwarrs house has apparently
| been beacon tower, as the view from its
apex sweeps the surrounding country with
in the circumference of at least 20 miles;
and some have it that it was there, on its
very summit, tina. they were in the prac-
tice Of offering up sacrifice TO proptiate
the Deity. 1t will forever, | apprehend,
remain mystery, the question when the
city was commenced and finished. Its re-
cords are lost, and no traditions remain to
guide the scientific traveller and antiquary
in finding a clue to the period when the
city was founded, or when it was DESTROY
cd.
Although the evidence is not of the mos;
undoubted character, sufficient, however.
is known 10 ovcrurn Mr.. Stephens spec
ulation, that the city was destroyed by the
Spaniards at the time of the conquest
One of their most popular writers, Cogull-
odo, says that it was in ruins at that time.
The Intel Of wood which Mr.. Stephens
mentions, and which we saw, by no means
helps his theory. 1t is still in perfect
state Of preservation, and far more endu
ring than iron. II is the Zapotd or Zapo-
dilld, and will last, (they say more than
a thousand years. In the opinion Of Co.
guido and other intelligent writer's, the city
must have been built seven or eight hun
dred years ago, and by race totally diff
ferent from that which now peoples the
country. Who they were is the question
that is to be solved. Perhaps the hyero-
glyphics on the Intel, which Mr.. S. has
secured for transmission to New York,
when deciphered, may help US TO a knowl-
edge Of the secret.
That they were race who worshipped
gods of their own creation, is obvious from
the many relics we saw resembling those
which are still worShipped in the British
possessions in the East Indies and China