Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1911-07-06

TO visit the ancient city now, one jolts for
Is long and weary miles in a two-wheeled COW
cred cart drawn by three mules over the rough
est kind of a highway imaginable. This pres
ent inconvenience fortunately is not to be one
OF long standing. A new and straight road is
about to be built and an automobile service to
the ruins probably established, which will
shorten the present length of the trip from
tour hours to about half an hour. Now, how
ever, this ride from Citas, the nearest railroad
point, seems interminable. The read, so
called by courtesy only, winds through the i'm
penetrable' bush, which everywhere in the nat
ural state covers northern Yucatan. Through
this the creaking cart finds a dubious way mile
after mile until every muscle in ones body
groans an agonized protest. Finally, when it
seems that the limit of physical endurance has
been reached, the cart suddenly lurches around
a sharp turn in the road and as If by magic
the lofty Castillo flashes into view, towering
high above the plain and the rest of the city
in it's lonely magnifcence.
This imposing structure, the highest in Yu-
catan, rises 70 feet above the plain. The
pyramid on which the temple stands is 1875
feet long on each side at the base and covers
about an acre of ground.
The Castillo would seem to have been the
center of the ancient city, and probably it's
chief sanctuary. To the north lies the Sacred
Cenote and the causeway, just mentioned,
ANNNANS = II. I'll t1S cast Il d vast grOCD OF
buildings, colonnades, courts and pyramids.
The City of a Thousand Columns" as some
one has picturesquely described it. Due west
is the group OF structures known as the Ball
Court. To the south for half a mile or more.
scattered through the jungle, are pyramids,
courts, temples and palaces. The central To-
cation OF the Castillo with reference to all of
these, as we'll as its great size and command
ing height, argue strongly that it was the
chief sanctuary Of the Holy City.
Another interesting group of structures at
Ch1chen liza, perhaps slightly less sacred in
character than the Castillo, is the so-called
Ball Court mentioned above as lying Just
west OF the Castillo. This group is composed
OF two parallel masses of solid masonry. each
zl2 feet long, ~ feet high and 16 feet wide.
placed 119 feet apart from each other. These
two great walls, for such they really are, form
a court nearly 800 feet long by 119 feet wide
High on the side Of each at the middle point
from end to end there is attached a stone
ring four feet In diameter with a hole through
1t. These rings are fastened to their respec-
tive walls by lemons of stone, and are so
placed that the surface of each is perpendicu-
lar to the vertical face of the wall. The ar.
rangement Is very similar to the baskets in
our modern game of basket ball. EXCEPT that
at Ch1chen liza the baskets" have their OMEN
1ngs perpendicular to the ground, while in orr
game the openings in the baskets are parallel
with the ground. To make a basket at the
Ch1chen liza court a somewhat horizontal
throw, as in baseball, was necessary, while
nowadays 1t is a toss that wins the goal.
AT the open ends of the court formed nv
these two walls stand temples, which in effect
lnclose the area, definitely marking it's bonn
daries. On top Of the east wall, at it's south
ern end, there is a beautiful temple. which
anords a commanding view OF the entire court
This has been called "The House Of the
Tlgers,' because of a frieze of stalking tigers.
which Is sculptured In altorelievo around the