The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1911-07-15

IL long and weary miles in 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. 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
-four hours to about half an hour Now. how
ever, this ride from Citas, the nearest railroad
point seems interminable. The road, 80
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
sharp turn in the road and as II by magic
the lofty Castillo flashes into view, towering
high above the plain and the rest of the city
in Its lonely magnifcence
y This imposing structure, the highest in Yu-
catan. rises 70 feet above the plain. Tho
pyramid on which the temple stands Is 1876
feet long on each side at the base and covers
about an acre Of ground.
Tho Castillo would seem to have been the
center of the ancient city, and probably its
chief sanctuary To the north lies the Sacred
Cenote and the causeway. Just mentioned.
leading to 1t. On the east 10 vast group Of
buildings. colonnades. courts and pyramids.
THE City Of Thousand Columns" as some
one has picturesquely described 1t. Due west
is the group Of structures known as the Ball
Court. To the south for half 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 well 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
Chichen TIA, perhaps slightly less sacred In
character than the Castillo is the so-called
ball Court" mentioned above lying just
west Of the Castillo This group is composed
of two parallel masses Of solid masonry, each
27z Feet long, AZ feet high and 1e feet wide.
placed tls feet apart from each other, These
two great wallis for such they really are, form
court nearly 400 feet long by 119 feet WIDE
High on The side of each ct the middle point
from END to end thsrs - attached stone
ring four feet In diameter with q hole through
y hThepS rings are fastened TO th<or respec.
i've wall by lemons of sstone,n ana are 90
plaoed nat the snrf1os 81 eachsis psrpendicu-
lar to the vertical face OF the wall. The ar
rangement a very similar to the baskets in
our modern game OF basket ball except that
at Chichen Itsa the baskets" have their OPEN
ings perpendicular to the ground, while, in our
game the openings In the baskets are parallel
with the ground To make Z basket At the
Chichen liza court a somewhat horizontal
|, throw as in baseball, vas necessary. while
nowadays It Is , toss that wins the gal
Eat the open ends kof The cpurt FORMED ~
inclose tho area. AdeAnitsly marking ii bonn
daries. On top Of the east wall. At it, south
ern end. there 10 beautiful temple. which
affords commanding view Of the entire court
This has been called The Houss OF the
lTissr,v becauss of . frisss q stalking tigers.
which 4 sculptursd n altofSlisvo around ne