The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-10-31
A RUINED CITY OF PALACES.
The Wonders Of Deserted Uxmal an Ancient Mexican
Capital.
Capital.

that spoke mere eioquen1tly ito the
imagination rG3n any sermon, and over
all uhe dead silence of the dead, the
eanSe Of utter loneliness and the brood
ing spirit of the past. 1t was beauti-
ful. but yet so drear. We did not dare
to speak aloud; We only whispered, amld
our whispers seemed TO FUN from court
TO court, Till they We're lost in the
yaulted chambers beyond. We looked
down these vacant rooms, and in
imagination they recalled the days
wilsn they mad echoed with the peals Of
merry laughter, as beautiful women
and noble men sat along the long tables
while some gorgeous feast was at ITS
height; when the soft night air, heavy
with the perfume of the lilies, gently
stole in under the easements and the
song of the nightingale, sweet from a
full tlsaI7t of love, could be heard in the
distant wood; and the whisper of the
Tar off forests mingled with the silvery
thinking drops of a hundred tiny f0un-
tainS.
PERHAPS THE GYM ASIUM.
Walking a short distance from the
base of the great triple terrace we came
to two massive walls, or oblong piles
of masonry, much foreshortened by
their position. They appeared to be the
only structures among all the ruins
ground. AT the base of one of the walls
we noticed the remains of a number OF
soulptured serpents. and also what
seemed to have once. been a stairway
learillng to the top. The presence of
large stone rings set in the walls ON
opposing Sides. seemed to indicate that
THESE walls were the remains of what
had probably been am arena or large
gymnasium. The length of each wall
licrl1
and 70 feet thick Here it probably was
that this ancient people cuugregated to
Watcn tine sports or pneIr niShtIest attn
letes.
Leaving the walls We next went ITO a
great structure we had noticed looming
up IN the distance IL was the ruAnS OF
q great quadrangle, which could very
appropriately be called the QuadTamgle
of the Nine Gables. But the natives call
lit the House of the Pigeons, and in
tTutn H QUO look as we slowly APP
1i,s, I1et w. q " MN u oc'
Az VA ~, -,
, rae.r.i' e'-e' - -<1'-> ''1--'A
on,D11rr 1r-rr,7 ,r.71rrr
i1i1 ar En- MANY l1t
we tNuAlu ourselves coHSlAiHlly en-
cUuilu=IIdiS uA@ marvellous ana pausIil8
III aIlla2ene1lt before Stucture5 that
ArG oeStNneu 10 refInaan rltluleS LOT al
tDLIfe- only eignt on the pll1lacies were
leltl sLatFl,lg- Eacn OIL tha Ganles We're
perforated WIN upward OF Uhlfty rec
laf'gulaf' Wlnd9W-hhe openings, a1Tarry-
ed With varied spacing, in seven f1ori-
AuIhIdl rows 81 4 TOM uHa race on these
s s'Ip@-ilNe pres we saw prolectlnG
SuSI4SS WhlcGl were all tnat was lent OF
H'na1 at one tanne must nave peen pold
anna e11ectlVe groups OIL sculpture, ana
,ll=l1 cal oe llele ooupt lllat inns CO
Iossal como OF masonry was 5t1l4t solely
IoF tne purpose OF emphasizing tine
Du1lcllng and dnoldIng Abort us SOUP
tuFed ornaments
Ine court OF inns great quadrangle
IheaSuIeu loV rect from east to west.
ana lou feet from north TO south The
rear pofltcn was In q very advanced
state OF ruin and was penetrated by an
adS'h s41nllar 10 the one IN front. Inc
greater p0rtaon OF the structure was I'M
very badly decayed condition
GRANDEST OF ALL STRUCTURES.
Beyond the quadrangle we trarnned
to one OF the grandest structures in all
that ruined city. 1t was the great
truncated pyramid that NO had seem
from our camp. This magnificent work
rose 70 feet in the air and was 200 bv
300 feet at the base. At the ton was 2
summit platform 20 feet square. with a.
narrow terrace extending all around
the pyramid 10 feet below the crest. We
climbed to the top and looked with
feeling Of emotion over that vast eT-
panse of decayed grandeur.
"There. before our gaze. stretched
out the ruined CITY. majestic and s,,-
preme even in its desoIation. There
the ruined TEMPLES stood as thew had
for unnumbered centuries. sulleuly
staring from age to age out across the
changing land, mute reminders of
fate of all things. And as we stood
there the first shadows of evening he
gan to creep I'D. Presently the pale
CLEANS of the rising moon shone over
the crumbIins remains. and we sat
down on the rocky ledge to en4oy the
beautiful scene.
1T was a wonderful thing to think
for how many countless centuries the
dead orb above and fine dead citv he
low had thus eazed each uuon the
other. and in the utter solitude of space
poured forth each TO each the tale of