The Raymer enterprise., 1915-10-28

or some ~ y"ags hnare the Spanish first landed
IN tu'atdd. but yycu after the conquest the Xius
In their new homo Continued to exercise consld
cFable authority over the natives. and their
friendly attitude toward TIE Spanish greatly ia.
ciiitatad the final paciicatiou OF the country.
TAr ruins ut yE.A nrr hest reached today By
stage from The i,i.le ;Dwu Of Muna. the nearest
railroad station. \ lenmiIc drive from the latter
place h7iHga one tu fhr hacienda Of Uxmal from
which the runs trn about a mile and half
distant The first vtew OF the ancient city is to
be had trom the top OF hill Just behind the
plantation house, Across TIE plain a dozen OF
more imposing structures OF ahtte limestone may
be aeon rising above the dense vegetation which
here cnshrauda the countryside Beyond in the
distance ragged chain OF low mountains cuts
across the horizon, each succeeding ridge
deeper blue But cne does not dwell long on the
beauties Of nature at UXmal; the habitations OF
a hyGono race claim the attention. Descending
the hill again, onn takes the road which leads
through the bush, The distant temples and pal.
aces sink below the tree tops and for aught that
one s1es Of them they might as well be on the
other side OF the world Alter half hours walk
during which the ruins never once reappear, the
road suddenly makes sharp turn to the right
and just in front OF one apparently blocking the
way, there rises a lofty pyramid. the highest
structure in the city
The splendid temple sufmouating this gro.
tesquey called the House OF the Dwarf or Ma.
gictan, probably was the chief sanctuary of Tx.
NAL The pyramid which II stands ia over so
feet high and covers nearly an acre Of ground
The summit Is reached by steep stairway on its
east and apparently back side The temple
however faces in the opposite direction. or to,
ward the Monja's quadrangle, an adjacent group
n stT -,
see. II was closely connected Clear down into
Spanish times long after txma had been ahan,
doned by her native rulers this temple was held
in particular veneration by the Indiuns. About
century after the conquent Father Cogolludo
provincial of fncatan, visited Uxmal and climbed
to the summit Of this pyramid He found there
he says, in one OF the apartments offerings of
cacao and the remains of copal, burned but a
short time before. This he thought indicated
that some superstition or idolatry had been com.
mitted here recently by the Indians of the local.
ity. And again. slightly later in 1913 a petition
addressed TO the king of Spain says:
That the Indians in those places tUxmaD are
worshiping the devil in the ancient buildings
which are there having in them their idols to
which they burn copa and perform other de,
testable sacrifices"
Long after the conquest no doubt the natives
continued to practice in secret their ancient rites
and ceremonies particularly 1T those places
which formerly had been sacred or holy to them
II was to some such suryvals OF the ancient
ceremonial and ritual that the above citations
probably refer.
The Monjas quadrangle. mentioned above as
being adjacent TO the House OF the Dwarf. is, in
fact separated from il only by small court The
four low. massive buildings OF which IL is com.
posed, are built around the sides of a square.
and. with the exception OF the house on the south