Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-07-27
SEN0TES IN YUCATAN.
NATURAL WELLS WHICH ARE soim-
PoRrAN1 TO THE COUNTRY.


A visit. to tb. Plantation OF Father Pablo
Aneona-rh. Hidden ssnoie-Iow an
Indian woman Tried to Hide Her Peo-
pie,. seerst--undsr Sacred Tree.
Among the thousands OF persons who
have visited Florida some have been inter
ested 81 tho subtsTranean currents and ba.
sins Of wafer inhabited by blind fish Of the
genus silurus They live "a darkness. and
tine inaction Of tho visual organ. II it ever
existed, has ended in It's suppression. Dame
Nature Is prtnt economist. generally with
holding or withdrawing what is not strictly
necessary to her subjects.
As Florida stretches out. forming one
Jaw OF the Mexican gulf, which weyenture
to liken 10 big mouth. SO the southern or
lower jaw is formed by another peninsula
famous for it, ruins Here. too, VIC find
those same subterrunean currsnta and ba-
sins, much more numerous. also enormous
natural wells open to ehe surface Of the
earth. Such sources u water greatly IN
crease the value Of land, there being no
rivers worth mentioning in any part Of the
country.
In land where hospitality Is an unwrit-
ten law, inns are regarded as unnecessary.
Strangers aue rare objects ~ the int nor,
and friends are ever welcome among their
acquaintance. The convent doors stg-id
open TO all strangers worthy Of cOnsidera-
ton, as these buildings are now the dwell
ing place OF only the priest and his serv-
ants. Mexico's Indian president, Benito
Juarez, enacted laws in 1851 forb!dding any
religious body 10 dyyell in community.
IL was while enjoying the hospitality Of
10 E.rs EuHlaE- fnaNNF. wa
learned the story Of q famous senote (the
name given to oil subteTanean water
sourcesl on his plantation for the father
was land owner and did not scorn to cult
waite his property. Had he not done some
thing OF the sort to replenish his ever opeu
purse his generous hospitality must soon
have come to an end, most Of his parishion-
ers being poor, and he seldom insisting on
his fees. Don Pablo showed US his planta-
ton with It's gardens Of flowers, fruits and
vegetables IN which he took pride.
He pointed out for our particular adml-
ration some truly enormous cabbages. We
preferred the oranges, which for CIR benefit
he pulled from the richly laden trees They
were warmed through with the SUI aud
the sweetest we have ever tasted. The
greater part Of the ground was mouopolized
BY hemp plant. About $50 bales were piled
up In one room, representing some 900
Don Pablo took US through the engine
house, and then asked II We would like to
know the story Of his senote, which had
been the making OF the estate Weenioyed
hearing him tell It in his own way
Near the engine house stood mound
built by the nncents. From il drew a
supply Of nicely hewn stones. 1t appeared
10 me that there had been rooms connected
with Il. aud this made me believe there
must be water not far Of / declared my
intention Of having the whole pile OF ma
sonry removed to see what we could find
One Of my Indians, a young man, became
quite excited, imploring me TO do nothing
OF the sort because the mound had spirit
keepers-dwarfish creatures that were Of
ten seen. | laughed at him, vowing that II
his dwarfs lived under the mound we
would take good look ut them So had
the mound destroyed, but the fellow who
had tried 10 dissuade me would not help in
the work. He said could whip him II
liked, but ar for taxing part in the destruc-
ton he would not.
This made me suspect that he knew
something about the spot and that he
must have learned it from his aged grand.
mother, with whom he lived. / went to
see her. pretending to know that hidden
senote existed, simply asking her to tell
me It's exact whereabouts She would say
nothing. l insisted. threatening To deny
her dissolution when her last hour should
come 70 she could not enter heaven. The
poor old thing cried. begging for pity.
Finally between threats aud coaxing |
wrung the truth from her.
she said; My father was the only one OF
our family to survive a general massacre
| was his only child All the family So
I crets were condded TO me This part OF the
land which you call yours and much more
besides really belongs to me and mine. II
! / dlyulge secrets concerning 1t, l forfeit the
/ right, and when we come TO live here again
| (they believe In reincarnRtion) we shall not
be able 10 obtain the land. Because you
arc my conicssor / tell you, though you
must not repeat It,
"she stopped there, and had to do more
eoaxing aud talking about the next world
TIL At last, being very indrru she grew
tired and consented to indicate the spot on
condition that three aged women should b,
presented TO the spirit Of the senote They
were to be the first 10 enter. sssented
She declared that the water was under &
ceiba tree, Clindng TO u last hope Of keep
ing her secret, she pretended not to know
1 luhh Whlch one.
The ceiba was sacred in Central Amer
lea As the DO tree IA in Ceylon. Looking Al
them attentiyely, ! found atree more beau
tiiul and vigorous than the others. Thi,
led me to suppose that the water was be
meath IT, SURE enough, when the tree wa,
felled and removed we came upon hewr
stones and mortar In their thirst for tn,
lie giving fluid tho rUo;s had penetrated
deep, twiuing about the stones aud holdint
to them like a wise, We separated hewr
from unhewn stones, using some OF th,
former to build a stairway down to the wa
ter 30 feet below the surface
''lhe stones in the senote and mount
showed that the people had demolished
their own dwelling place to fll up tn,
cave, thus depnving their enemies OF water
and shelter, In the mound we found yer,
small dwarfs indeed-diminutiva clay fig
ures that ] regarded rs toys, 40 gave then
away TO the children OF the workmen. Tn,
poor old dnmc who so boldly laid claim t
my estate is dead. Her hidden senote has
facilitated the work hero to such an extent
that it is a yeritable fount Of gold. New
York Tribune