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myself; but I soon discovered that the former was the case, upon the presumption, doubtless, that each one knew how much his case required better than any one else. This penitential ceremony continued for the space of fifteen minutes, at least, without intermission. When it ceased, which was at the tinkling of a bell, the candles were relighted, and the assemblage slowly left the church, apparently perfectly satisfied that they had received no more than they deserved."

The Indians constitute the larger portion of the population of Yucatan, and to those who associate them with the architects of the ruins which are soon destined to make the plains of Chi-Chen, of Uxmal, and of Zayi classic ground, are by far the most interesting. The interest is, however, of a melancholy kind. Few of the lineaments of face or character remain which must have marked the aboriginal inhabitant of Yucatan. Mr. Nor man seems to have partaken of the interest which all must feel in this unfortunate people, and thus anticipates our inquiries:

"A stranger, on his first arrival in this country, is at a loss where to place the Indian in the scale of social life. He sees him clean and well dressed, mingling with the whites, and without distinction. To have Indian blood is no reproach, and family groups, in many cases, show this most palpably. It is not unusual to hear mothers threaten to send their children home to their respective fathers, whenever their rudeness requires chiding. The Indian, however, performs the menial labor of the country-and there is an appearance of apathy in his looks and actions, which seems to carry with it the signs of a broken, or at least a subdued spirit-resting upon him like a melancholy vision, a dreamy remembrance, of better days. For, say what we please of him, he is the humble descendant of a once great and powerful people-the children of the sun,' who were lords of that soil on which their offspring are now held in humiliating vassalage. Though they wear the outside show of freedom, they have not even as much liberty as the most abject vassal of the middle ages. They are literally degraded

to the position of serfs. They are always in debt, and are, consequently, at the mercy of their creditors, who, by the law of the country, have a lien upon their services until their debts are cancelled. This, together with the absence of nearly all the ordinary encouragements to exertion, com

mon in a colder climate, and among a more progressive people, conspires to keep the Indian Yucatecos in a state of listless bondage, which they endure without a murmur, and we may add, from our own observation, without much of any positive suffering. Legalized slavery, as it is well known, does not exist in any part of Mexico.

"The dress of the Indian is of the most simple kind. His food principally consists of corn; which is prepared by parboiling, and crushing on a stone by means of a roller. When ready, it is made into balls; and, after being mixed with water, it is deemed fit to be eaten. Corn is broken in the same way, and made into cakes called tortillas, which is the favorite food of all classes of society in this province. The wages for Indian service is from one to four dollars per month; the largest portion of which, in very many cases, is expended for candles and other offerings to their chosen saint. They are an extremely mild and inoffensive people. Drinking is their most decided vice; but even this, as we have already remarked, cannot be called a prevailing one. They are a listless rather than indolent race, and never "think for the morrow." They have quite an amiable expression in their countenances, and their mode of conversation is pleasing. Their features remind one of those of the Asiatic more than of any other. Their stature is short, and thick set, leaving but little resemblance to that of the North American Indian. We looked in vain for their pastimes-they have none, except those connected with the church. They seldom dance or sing. They are wholly under the surveillance of the priests, and are the most zealous devotees to their rites and ceremonies. Their hours of leisure are passed in their hammocks, or else in silently squatting about the corners of the streets."

But we are doing our readers injustice in detaining them upon matters which in comparison with the rest of this work are of altogether secondary interest. We hasten with our author therefore to the Ruins. After a month's stay at Merida, Mr. Norman makes preparations for visiting the ruins of ChiChen, of which he accidentally heard while staying at Merida. He passes through Ticoxo, Calcachen, Tuncax, Sitax, and Valladolid, which places he describes with all the minuteness which they appear to have deserved.

He tells us, that he was the first visitor to the ruins of Chi-Chen, who has left the world any record of the visit.

He thus describes his sensations, when he for the first time finds himself in the presence of these time-defying memorials of antiquity:

"It was on the morning of the 10th of February, that I directed my steps, for the first time, toward the ruins of the ancient city of Chi-Chen. On arriving in the immediate neighborhood, I was compelled to cut my way through an almost impermeable thicket of under-brush, interlaced and bound together with strong tendrils and vines; in which labor I was assisted by my diligent aid and companion, José. I was finally enabled to effect a passage; and, in the course of a few hours, found myself in the presence of the ruins which I sought. For five days did I wander up and down among these crumbling monuments of a city which, I hazard little in saying, must have been one of the largest the world has ever seen. I beheld before me, for a circuit of many miles in diameter, the walls of palaces and temples, and pyramids, more or less dilapidated. The earth was strewed, as far as the eye could distinguish, with columns, some broken and some nearly perfect, which seemed to have been planted there by the genius of desolation which presided over this awful solitude. Amid these solemn memorials of departed generations, who have died and left no marks but these, there were no indications of animated existence save from the bats, the lizards, and the reptiles which now and then emerged from the crevices of the tottering walls and crumbling stones that were strewed upon the

ground at their base. No marks of human footsteps, no signs of previous visitors, were discernible; nor is there good reason to believe that any person, whose testimony of the fact has been given to the world, had ever before broken the silence which reigns over these sacred tombs of a departed civilisation. As I looked about me and indulged in these reflections, I felt awed into perfect silence. To speak then, had been profane. A revelation from heaven could not have impressed me more profoundly with the solemnity of its communication, than I was now impressed on finding myself the first, probably, of the present generation of civilized men walking the streets of this once mighty city,

and amid

"Those temples, palaces, and piles stupendous, Of which the very ruins are tremendous."

For a long time I was so distracted with the multitude of objects which crowded upon my mind, that I could take no note of them in detail. It was not until some hours had elapsed, that my curiosity was

sufficiently under control to enable me to examine them with any minuteness. The Indians for many leagues around, hearing of my arrival, came to visit me daily; but the object of my toil was quite beyond their comprehension. They watched my every motion, occasionally looking up to each other with an air of unfeigned astonishment; but whether to gather an explanation from the faces of their neighbors, or to express their contempt for my proceedings, I have permitted myself to remain in doubt up to this day. Of the builders or occupants of these edifices which were in ruins about them, they had not the slightest idea; nor did the question seem to have ever occurred to them before. After the most careful search, I could discover no traditions, no superstitions, nor legends of any kind. Time and foreign oppression had paralyzed, among this unfortunate people, those organs which have been ordained by the God of nations to transmute history into tradition. All communication with the past here seems to have been cut off. Nor did any allusion to their ancestry, or to the former occupants of these mighty palaces and monumental temples, produce the slightest thrill through the memories of even the oldest Indians in the vicinity. Defeated in my anticipations from this quarter, I addressed myself at once to the only course of procedure which was likely to give me any solution of the solemn mystery. I determined to devote myself to a careful examination of these ruins in detail.

Mr. Norman first visits the temple, of which only broken walls and pillars are now standing. It must have been originally about four hundred and fifty feet long, and built of carefully hewn stone. Within this building was a room fourteen feet long and six wide. The parts of it yet remaining "are finished with sculptured blocks of stone of about one foot square, representing Indian figures, with feather headdresses, armed with bows and arrows, their noses ornamented with rings; carrying in one hand bows and arrows, and in the other a musical instrument, similar to those that are now used by the Indians of the country. These figures were interspersed with animals resembling the crocodile. "Near this room," he says, "I found a square pillar, only five feet of which remained above the ruins. It was carved on all sides with Indian figures, as large as life, and apparently in warlike attitudes. Fragments of a similar kind were scattered about in the vicinity." A few rods to the south

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