The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1882-01-20
Ancient Ruins.

a physician who has spent considera.
BILE time in the examination of the cur
ious ruined cities of Yucatan, has sent
to Harpers Weekly a letter concerning
the finding of the singular and rather
picturesque ruins of dwarfs house and
sanctuary in the ancient city of Uxmal,
or rather Oxmal. This pile of stone
possessed interest by reason Of the Ma
sonic emblems found therein, and which
the physician describes minutely, to-
gether with the general plan and struct
ure of the ruined edifcd The building
stands on the artificial mound of earth
on road that leads from Yucatan
sugar plantation, and the name OXmal,
sgnifying "three times rebuilt, is among
the inscriptions carved on the Western
facade OF the sanctuary. The temple is
described as rising in solitary grandeur
from the top of this mound, and to
height of fifteen metres and fifty cen
timetres. 1t is shaped like a truncated
elliptical cone, the upper side serving as
base to a building consisting of two
rooms. In these it was found, 80 years
after the place had been conquered by
the Spaniards, that aborigines had cele-
brated their ancient worship only a short
time before the visit of Fatner Cogoludo.
There is also part of the building which
forms a sort of oblong truncated pyra
mid rising to the height of eight metres
and fifty centimetres, and forming
terrace twenty seven metres long by six
metres wide, on which is built the edifice
known in the ancient legends as the
'dwarf's house and which can be seen
for distance of many miles around.
This house consists of three rooms, the
walls of which have been bored with
holes for some unknown reason, and
which were evidently never intended for
ordinary habitation The doors open
upon small platforms from which, in
olden times, the priests and astronomers
read, from the elevation the. platforms
afforded, the mysteries of the stars and
the skies The rooms are low as regards
their height and are provided with thick
walls. The floors were once painted red
and elevated eighty centimetres over the
terrace, and the ceilings form n trian-
gular arch. This arch, which, according
to the writer is found in the ancient
tombs OF Chaldea and in the oldest of
Egyptian and Grecian monuments, was
evidently selected by choice of the arch
itects, and not through any ignorance OF
the builders. S.ones are set in the CELL
ings after regular but peculiar arrange
ment, and on them are carved semi
spheres in deep intaglio, with figures de.
signed to represent various planets and
stars. The middle chamber is destitute
of any decoration, and is reached by
walking on the terrace around the build
ing, while entrance to the other apart,
mcnts is gained by a grand staircase OF
ninety-siX steps, very steep III construc-
ton, leading to the terrace. Another
beautifully ornamented stairway led, at
one time from court yard adjoining
the priests palace to this sanctuary,
while still another and smaller stairway
still leads to the roof of the sanctuary
and to its middle chamber also. In the
centre of the court yard which is sur
rounded by thick high walls, stood an
altar carved with a symbol of phalIic
worship, introduced III the country at
| Juc De1llulu1 VI lilC NhliS'i"' ~" y
Nahault. Above the door OF the sanct-
uary there is conice running around
the whole building, and on which is
carved skeletons and cross-bones in pro
fusion. Rings are also cut in the stone
and from them were once hung curtains,
which concealed from the temple wor-
shippers cone of the mystic rites of the
priests. Stones carved with cabalistic
symbols, and portions of the figures OF
strange giants, were also recovered in
the palace court yard last August. The
Deity is represented in all carvings by
Il mastodon's head, and carved with in
scrptions in Egyptian characters, form
of symbol which is also found in the an
cient monuments In other parts of the
building are found inscriptions contain
ing letters of the Etruscan and Egyptian
alphabets, the sentences being constructed
in squares, after the fashion observed IL
ancient Chaldaic writings. The age OF
the sanctuary and dwaIfs house is
matter of conjecture to the physician
who examined it, and he serves it W
now as a conundrum for American
geologists and philologists to solve.