CHAPTER XVII

THIRTY YEARS OF DIGGING

Right here in America, only a short journey from the United States and closer to them than our Panama Canal, are the remains of at least sixty ancient ruined cities—marvelous places about which we know almost nothing, nor of the people who built them.

We know infinitely more of the ancient Egyptians—of their buildings, their customs, their beliefs, their history, and their writings. Virtually every hieroglyphed surface left by them which has been uncovered has been pored over by many archæologists and its meaning deciphered beyond question.

For a hundred years antiquarians from every civilized land have spent their lives in studying the ancient empire of the Nile. Millions of dollars have been expended in scientific, minutely careful exploration. No slightest clue to further knowledge has been ignored, and tons of books, written in every language, have been printed, so that the man on the street anywhere may go to his nearest library and, if he will, read all there is to know on the subject.

And here at our very door, on our own continent, are the remains of an early culture not one whit less interesting than the Valley of the Kings. Possibly it is not so old, but on the other hand it is more steeped in mystery because of our profound ignorance. We know next to nothing about it: who were its builders; where they came from; their history, creeds, or customs. We can read but a few scraps of the writings of which they left such an abundance—enough, in all probability, to fill in many of the empty spaces in our knowledge if we but had the power to decipher them and extract their meaning. Even our hard-won and sadly limited information concerning this culture has never been given to the general public. To get it one must read Spanish and French and German, as well as English, and the average public library contains possibly three or four books on the subject.

Until last year no well-planned, completely equipped exploration backed by ample finances had ever been undertaken. Archæologists have delved in many of the ancient Maya cities—puny expeditions pressed for time and cash. The work backed by the Peabody Museum has been the most consistent, but even that has suffered often from lack of finances, and much of Don Eduardo’s work has been done at his own expense.

Happily, I think the American public and American antiquarians are waking up to the neglected opportunity. The expedition sent out by the Carnegie Foundation is most promising. It has well-laid plans; it is under the leadership of Sylvanus G. Morley, a thorough-going archæologist and one of the foremost in knowledge of the ancient Maya culture. He has made the study of the subject his life-work and has achieved fame through his finds in the Maya area. He has uncovered many important date-stones and is the most eminent authority in this specialized activity.

The new exploration is being carried on at Chi-chen Itza on a big scale and most methodically; and, best of all, it is prepared to continue twenty years if necessary, to the ultimate completion of its work. Fallen temples will be rebuilt, stone by stone. Every scrap of knowledge that can be extracted from the excavations and study of what is already uncovered will be noted and correlated. There can be no question that this work will add very largely to antiquarian lore.

I await with eagerness the delving into what Don Eduardo calls “old Chi-chen Itza,” the completely ruined and tree-covered part of the ancient city, which lies to the south of the newer and less damaged buildings, for it is there that the most ancient architecture and the noblest carvings are to be found and, with them, other remains of the highest Maya culture—the relics of that earlier golden age which had already fallen to decay before the Nahuatl dominance resulted in the buildings of a lower order in the newer city.

The Spanish conquerors discovered many of the ancient cities and wrote about them in their annals; and the world promptly forgot about them for two hundred years. Then vague stories about them began to drift back to civilization, carried by adventurous wanderers who had seen or heard of them. At the end of two hundred years we knew considerably less about early Mayan culture than was known by Landa and Cogolludo and the other Spanish padres who followed in the wake of the conquering Spanish flag. It remained for Stephens to lead the way once again and show us the wonder and mystery of the old cities. The great Von Humboldt came and was deeply impressed. Le Plongeon labored like ten men for years and tragically broke under the strain, leaving little to advance the world’s knowledge from the much that he discovered. Then came Maler and knowledge of a hidden city—knowledge lost to the world when he died.

To Don Eduardo must be given credit for bringing to light in the past thirty years the things which gave a real forward impetus to this particular phase of American archæology. Many of his finds, consigned to the Peabody Museum, are not yet accessible to the general public, having been held in reserve by that institution, doubtless for sound reasons which are unknown to me. For thirty years Don Eduardo has followed unswervingly the ambitious, adventurous dream of his boyhood. Literally, he has followed the rainbow to its end and unearthed the pot of gold. His dream was to make the Sacred Well yield up its treasures. That he has done and more.

Edward Thompson—or Don Eduardo, as I have called him through these pages, because that is the name by which I have known him so long and well—is no richer in a material sense than if he had never raised the fabulous treasure from the great Sacred Well of Chi-chen Itza. But he has had what money cannot buy: a life of notable achievement; a cherished dream realized to the full; a thousand gorgeous memories, each packed with such adventure and thrill as we less favored folk have never experienced.

He has made the well of sacrifice yield its secrets. The skeletons of the girl brides of the Rain God; the bones of sacrificed warriors; the copal incense and the religious vessels; the jade ornaments and objects of gold; the _hul-ches_; the sacrificial knives—each is a link in the chain of evidence which makes fact out of legend. His finds prove the existence of the ancient belief in the Rain God and the fact that sacrifices were made to him. They prove that this great water-pit actually was the Sacred Well. They make plausible the legend that Chi-chen Itza was the Sacred City, the center of the cult of Kukul Can.

The finding of the date-stone, by Don Eduardo, may, to the casual reader, seem insignificant, but from the scientific point of view it is tremendously important, for it gives us one more indisputable fact. From it we know that the city existed in the seventh century, A. D. We do not know how much older than that it is actually or how long it flourished thereafter. There remains the incontrovertible date from which we may, in time, proceed forward or back to a further knowledge.

His discovery and excavation of the Tomb of the High Priest is a brilliant achievement. It lays bare more facts and opens up new avenues for speculation. Time alone can prove whether it is, as Don Eduardo so sincerely believes, the tomb of the hero-god, the great leader, Kukul Can, around whom all Mayan theology revolves.

And now Don Eduardo is no longer in his first youth. He is still far from decrepit, but the time has come when it is fitting for him to step aside from the active and strenuous work of exploration and he has leased all his holdings, including the Casa Real, to the Carnegie expedition. I know that he takes a profound pleasure in the feeling that this expedition is going to finish thoroughly and completely what he has so ably started and carried on under handicaps that will not beset the newer work.

To the layman Don Eduardo’s achievements may seem small as against thirty years of ceaseless endeavor, but do not forget the days and weeks and months of profitless effort that must be spent in this sort of work. It does not move forward like the building of a railroad, the manufacture of goods, or the planting and reaping of fields.

Thirty years are well spent if their labor helps in the least to shed even a feeble ray on the nearly obliterated pages of the past. And each rising sun brings fresh the hope that to-day will be the day of a great discovery, the finding of a key that will unlock the door to knowledge concerning a wonderful people whose monuments are to us as a few torn pages of some master manuscript without beginning or end, but still of such absorbing interest that one cannot rest until the missing pages are found.

As antiquarian thirst grows—as it surely must, for few things in the world contain a deeper human interest than antiquity—attention will certainly turn more and more to the still unsolved mystery of ancient American and, particularly, Mayan culture. Instead of one great scientific exploration there will be scores. Each of the ruined cities is worthy of research. There are magnificent temples to be restored; priceless finds to be bared; and that vexing riddle to be completely solved—the clear reading of the Maya glyphs.

And with all of this must come inevitably the tourist to a new and delightful land, and through him will grow a new and keener appreciation of America.

APPENDIX

LIST OF MORE IMPORTANT GOLD AND JADE OBJECTS FOUND IN THE SACRED WELL

One basin of fine gold, twelve inches in diameter with shallow rounding bottom. About a pound in weight.

Four other basins, bowls or cups, smaller in size, uncarved, but of massive material and very artistic in contour.

None of the above basins were twisted, cut or broken.

Seven gold disks, embossed or beaten, about ten inches in diameter.

Eight gold disks, embossed or beaten, about eight inches in diameter.

Seventeen gold disks, embossed or beaten, about six inches in diameter.

Ten gold disks, embossed or beaten, small sizes.

One handsome _penache_, forehead band or tiara, over eight inches long by four inches wide, of beautiful openwork, the design being entwined serpents with plumed head-dress.

This is the finest piece of gold work ever found in the Maya area.

Eleven reptile and animal figures, probably brooches and similar ornaments; all massive gold and finely worked. Frogs, bat-like figures and monkey-like objects, most of them cast (not beaten work), massive and of pure gold.

Fourteen small gold objects shaped like candlesticks.

Ten human or monkey-like figures of gold.

Twenty gold rings, mostly of thin but pure gold.

Sixty other objects of unknown use but of gold material.

One hundred bells of various sizes but all gold, even to the clappers.

Forty other unclassified objects, either of pure gold or of gold and bronze; sandals, disks, ferrule-like objects, pieces and strips evidently portions of shields and regalia ornaments.

Forty gold washers or scales, one and a quarter inches in diameter, with holes in the center.

One solid-gold mask seven inches in diameter, the eyes closed as if in sleep or in death and over the right eyelid the same kind of slanting cross that we often see carved on the so-called elephants’ trunks.

One gold _hul-che_ (throwing-stick) of entwined serpents.

Seven jade plaques or tablets, broken but restored, three inches by four inches.

Nine jade tablets, two inches by four inches by one quarter inch thick. The jade tablets were evidently broken intentionally before being thrown into the well.

One hundred sixty beautifully carved large jade beads and pendants of large size, virtually perfect.

Seventy carved jade ear-ornaments, nose- and labret ornaments, from two inches in diameter down to one half inch, all finely cut and polished.

Fourteen jade globes, one and a half inches in diameter, all very finely polished and several finely carved with well-executed figures and other designs.

One small but very finely worked and polished jade figurine, four inches wide and four inches high. It represents a seated figure of the Palenquin type with elaborate head-dress. It is perfect and is one of the finest, if not the finest figure found in the Maya area.

Many hundreds of small jade beads of all sizes and shapes, all polished; many of them artistically carved and shaped.

One flint-bladed sacrificial knife with the handle formed of golden entwined serpents. It is the only perfect one taken from the Sacred Well and probably the only authentic and perfect knife of this kind in any museum on the American continents. At least it is the only one in the Peabody Museum.

Several parts of other knives, such as handles, flint blades, etc.

Many beautiful flint spear-heads worth many times their weight in gold, worked down to the thickness of a steel spear-head with edges as sharp as a razor, the finest ever found anywhere in the world.

A thousand other articles of great value to archæology.

INDEX

Agriculture in Yucatan, 6

Aguilar, Gerónimo de, first of the Spanish conquerors, 166, 167, 170

Akab Tzib, or House of the Writing in the Dark, 62, 63, 64

Alphabet of Landa for employing Maya glyphs to denote Spanish letters, 41, 42

Alvarado, José, Silver King of Mexico, 235

Ancient cities, condition of at time of Spanish Conquest, 43, 44

Animal figures and carvings recovered from Sacred Well, 135, 137

Annexes, unnamed temples near Nunnery, 69, 70

Arches, Maya, 195

Atlantean figures, 78, 79, 85, 86

Atlantis theory of Mayan ethnology, 36

_Bal-che_, an ancient intoxicating beverage, 115, 137, 244

Balustrades with serpent motif, 77, 78, 80, 238

Bas-reliefs and full-relief works, 79, 80, 81, 82, 219, 220, 221, 224, 225, 226, 227, 228, 229, 230, 32, 233, 234

Bas-Reliefs, Temple of, 81, 82, 219, 220, 221, 228, 229, 230

Beams, sapote, 78

Bells of copper from High Priest’s Tomb, 246

Bells of copper and gold recovered from Sacred Well, 131, 132

Boa-constrictors, 95, 96, 182, 241, 242

Bolshevism among natives, 17

Bowls and disks of gold recovered from Sacred Well, 133, 134

Brooches recovered from Sacred Well, 135

_Caluacs_ or ceremonial wands, 135, 143

Caracol, or Snail-shell, 71, 72, 73

Carnegie Expedition in Chi-chen Itza, 87, 279, 280

Casa Real, home and estate of Don Eduardo, Ancient gateway, 55, 56, 57 First view by Don Eduardo, 55, 56 Looting by unruly natives, 17 Size of estate, 60

Caves, 33, 97, 139

Cenotes (see Wells), 135, 143

Chac Mool figures, 82, 182

Chich-an Chob, Red House, or Strong, Clean House, 73, 74, 75

Chilan Balam, Maya writings in Spanish characters, 37, 38, 40

Chi-chen Itza, Arrangement of buildings, 60, 61 Distinction between old and new cities, 47, 60, 280 Lack of streets, 60, 61 Location and how to get there, 3, 5 Montejo’s military headquarters, 172, 173 Retreat of Spaniards from, 70, 71, 173

Chisels, Recovered from Sacred Well, 132, 133 Of nephrite found near Great Pyramid, 192, 193

Chronicles, Maya, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42

Church, or Iglesia, 69, 70

Cisterns, 98, 99

Codices, Maya, rare books written in hieroglyphs, 37, 38, 39, 232

Conquest of Yucatan by Spaniards, a brief history, 166 to 178

Construction of Maya temples, 189 to 197

Copal, 107, 108, 110, 111, 112, 113, 119, 121, 139, 140, 142, 246

Copper and gold objects recovered from Sacred Well, 131 to 137

Córdoba, Francisco de Hernandez, commander of second Spanish expedition to Yucatan, 167, 168

Cortes, Hernan, commander of Fourth Spanish expedition to Yucatan, 146, 147, 169, 170, 171, 174, 175

Costume and arms of ancient Mayas, 20, 22, 227, 228, 229

Costume of modern Mayas, 11, 12

Cotton, 248

Cruelties of Spanish conquerors, 175, 176

Cuzmil, ancient city of, 169, 170

Dances, native ancient, 22

Dances, native modern, 18, 19

Dates, earliest recorded Mayan, 37

Date-stone of Chi-chen Itza, 184, 185

Deities of the Mayas, God of Death, 53, 246 Rain God, 53, 54, 55

Disks and bowls of gold recovered from Sacred Well, 133, 134

Diving operations in Sacred Well, 118 to 131

Dredging of Sacred Well, 55, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 117, 118, 119, 122, 123, 124, 125

Earthen jars from High Priest’s Tomb, 257

El Castillo, or the Great Pyramid of Kukul Can, 50, 51, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79

Elephant head controversy, 214

Embroidery, 12

Fabrics recovered from Sacred Well, 121, 144

Fiestas, ancient Maya, 21, 22

Finds in Sacred Well, 107 to 115, 121, 129 to 146

Fuentes, Francisco de las, lieutenant of Montejo, 28

Geological formation of Yucatan, 97

Gold and copper objects recovered from Sacred Well, 131 to 137

Gold, value (compared with jade) to ancient Mayas, 146, 147

Golden Age of Maya Art, 211, 212

Gourds and gourd implements, 121, 140, 141

Great Pyramid of Kukul Can, or El Castillo, 50, 51, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79

Grijalva, Juan de, commander of third Spanish expedition to Yucatan, 168

Gymnasium, or Tennis-court, 82, 83, 84, 85

Henequen, from which rope and twine are made, 6

Hieroglyphs, 41, 42, 213, 214

Homes, ancient Maya, 20, 21

Homes, modern Maya, 15, 16

Homes in Mérida, 8, 9

House of the Writing in the Dark, Akab Tzib, 62, 63, 64

_Hul-che_, or throwing-stick, 108, 109, 110

Humor, Maya sense of, 18

Iglesia, or Church, 69, 70

“Incidents of Travel in Yucatan,” by John L. Stephens, 5

Itzamna, mythical founder of race, 34

Jade, value (compared with gold) to ancient Mayas, 146, 147

Jade from High Priest’s Tomb, 247, 249, 257

Jade recovered from Sacred Well, 130, 141, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148

Jewelry, modern Mayan, 13, 200, 201

Knives, sacrificial, recovered from Sacred Well, 136

Kukul Can, hero deity of the Itzas, 34, 46, 50, 217, 260

La Casa de las Monjas, or the Nunnery, 52, 64 to 69, 227, 233

Lance poles and other wooden objects recovered from Sacred Well, 141, 142, 143

Landa Alphabet for employing Maya glyphs to denote Spanish letters, 41

Landa, Diego de, 19

Legends, Itzamna, 34 Ix-lol Nicte, 150 to 163 Kukul Can, 34 _La flor de Calentura_, 24 to 31 Lorelei, 198 to 207 Misfortunes of Mayas prior to the Conquest, 44 to 47 Present of jade from Montezuma to Cortes, 146, 147 Sacrificial pilgrimage, 261 to 276 Wizard Potters, 207 to 210 Xkan-xoc, 163 to 165

Le Plongeon, Maya archæologist, 92

Lintels, 63, 64, 195

Maler, Teoberto, 214, 221, 222, 223, 224

Marital customs of modern Mayas, 14

Masks of copper and gold recovered from Sacred Well, 132

Maya Chronicles, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43

Maya Codices, rare books written in hieroglyphs, 37, 38, 39, 232

Maya, derivation of name, 33, 34

Maya language, 10

Mayas, ancient, Costumes and arms, 20, 21, 22, 227, 228 Dances, 21, 22 Deities, 54, 55, 246 Homes, 20, 21 Music, 21, 22 Occupations, 22 Physical characteristics, 20 Pride in genealogy, 23 Tattooing, 21

Mayas, modern, Cleanliness, 13 Costume, 11, 12 Dances, 18, 19 Homes, 15, 16 Honesty, 14 Hospitality, 14, 15 Humor, 18 Improvidence, 18 Jewelry, 13, 200, 201 Language, 10 Laziness, 18 Marital customs, 14 Music, 18, 19 Physical characteristics, 10, 11 Religious outlook, 15 Treatment by plantation-owners, 16, 17 Unconquered tribes (Sublevados), 17, 18

Mayas, earliest mythical wanderings, 34, 35, 36 Later legendary history, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47

Mayapan, invasion of, 43, 46

Medallions recovered from Sacred Well, 133, 134, 137

Mérida, capital of Yucatan, American Club, 9 Ball, 8 Carnival, 8 Description of, 6, 7, 8 Homes, 8, 9 Palace of Montejo, 9

Monoliths, 78, 79, 80

Montejo, Francisco de, 169, 171, 172, 173, 174, 175 Retreat from Chi-chen Itza, 70, 173, 174

Montejo the Younger, 174, 175, 176, 177

Montezuma, King of the Aztecs, 146, 147

Mortuary urns, 139

Murals, 80, 81, 82, 214, 215, 216, 217, 218, 219, 224, 225, 226, 227, 228, 229

Music, native ancient, 21, 22

Music, native modern, 18, 19

Nahuatls, 43, 47

Nahuatl influence on Maya culture and art, 47, 64, 197, 211, 212, 217, 218

Names of persons indicated in murals and bas-reliefs, 232, 233

Nunnery, or La Casa de las Monjas, 52, 64 to 69, 227, 233

Padres, coming of, 176, 177

Phallic cult, 143, 144

Physical characteristics of ancient Mayas, 20

Physical characteristics of modern Mayas, 10, 11

Pigments used by ancient Mayas, 191, 192, 194, 195, 220

Plaster or stucco used in Maya buildings, 191

Pottery and potsherds, 107, 113, 119, 136, 138, 139, 244, 245, 246, 247, 257, 258, 259

Progreso, only seaport of Yucatan, 73, 74, 75

Relacion de las Cosas de Yucatan, the book by Diego de Landa, 19, 20

Rings recovered from Sacred Well, 130, 132, 137

Roads, ancient construction, 89, 90, 91 Location, 60, 61, 88, 90

Rock-crystal beads from High Priest’s Tomb, 247

Rubber finds in the Sacred Well, 110, 111, 112

Sabua skull, 115, 116

Sacca, an intoxicating drink, 245

Sacred Way, linking the Sacred Well and Temple of Kukul Can, 52, 53, 54, 55, 97 to 102

Sacred Well, Diving operations in, 122 to 149 Dredging, 59, 103 to 122 Finds in, 107 to 149

Sacrifice of maidens, 53 to 55

Sacrificial knives recovered from Sacred Well, 136

San Isidro, Church of, 24

Sandals recovered from Sacred Well, 114

Sapote beams, 78

Scorpions, 240, 241

Semitic features of some ancient Mayan sculptures and murals, 35, 36, 83

Serpents, 95, 96, 182, 241, 242

Serpent balustrades and monoliths, 78, 79, 80, 238, 239

Skeletal remains in Tomb of the High Priest, 244, 245, 246, 247

Skeletons from Sacred Well, 114, 115, 116, 121

Snail-shell, or Caracol, 71, 72, 73

Sounding device for discovery of hidden cavities, 239, 240

Spiders, 257

Stairways, 74, 77, 78, 190, 238

Stelæ, 196, 214

Stephens, John L., American traveler and writer on Yucatan, 5

Stone point-work of ancient Mayas, 141, 142, 226, 234

Strong, Clean House, Red House or Chich-an Chob, 73, 74, 75

Sublevados, unconquered tribes, 17, 18

Tattooing in ancient times, 21

Temple of Columns, 86, 87

Temple of Cones, 86

Temple of Owls, 230

Temples in Chi-chen Itza, Annexes, unnamed temples near Nunnery, 69, 70

Temples in Chi-chen Itza, Construction of, 189 to 197 Great Pyramid of Kukul Can, or El Castillo, 50, 51, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79 Iglesia or Church, 69, 70 House of the Writing in the Dark, Akab Tzib, 62, 63, 64 Nunnery, or La Casa de las Monjas, 52, 64 to 69, 227, 233 Red House, Strong Clean House, or Chich-an Chob, 73, 74, 75 Snail-shell or Caracol, 71, 72, 73 Temple of Bas-Reliefs, 81, 82, 219, 220, 221, 228, 229, 230 Temple of Columns, 86, 87 Temple of Cones, 86 Temple of Owls, 230 Tiger Temple, 79, 80, 81, 214, 215, 216 Unnamed Temples, 87

Tennis-court, or Gymnasium, 82, 83, 84, 85

Tiger Temple, 79, 80, 81, 214, 215, 216

Throwing-stick or _hul-che_, 108, 109, 110

Tomb of the High Priest, 75, 236 to 260

Tools used in construction of Maya buildings, 190 to 197

Totanacs, 215, 216, 217

Treatment of an ancient painted stone to restore its colors, and the story it tells, 230, 231, 232

Treatment of natives by plantation-owners, 16, 17

Tuxtla statuette, 37

Ulumil, chieftain of the Itzas, 43

Unconquered tribes (Sublevados), 17, 18

Unnamed Temples in Chi-chen Itza, 87

Uxmal, founding of, 43

Vase of alabaster-like substance from High Priest’s Tomb, 256, 257

Velasquez Diego, Governor of Cuba, 168, 171

Wasps, 182, 183

Wells or cenotes, Chen ku (see Sacred Well) General, 97, 98, 99 Tol-oc, 58, 59, 99, 100 X-Katum, 100 Yula, 101

Whipping-post, 16, 17

Wooden objects recovered from Sacred Well, 141, 142, 143, 144

Xtavantum, an intoxicating Maya beverage, 201

+----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | FOOTNOTES: | | | | [1] The suffix “el” added to any Maya word denotes action. In the | | glyph sign this often was indicated by adding the wing of a bird to | | the main hieroglyph; therefore “Mayanel” was an active woman, hence | | very clever.—_Author._ | | | | [2] In an article written for “Harper’s Magazine,” by Mr. Edward | | Huntington, reference is made to the Jewish cast of features of | | the modern Mayas, and I have often noticed the similarity. One | | prominent writer on Yucatan considers the possibility of Jewish | | origin for the Mayas as being the most substantial of the several | | theories I have mentioned.—_Author._ | | | | [3] Peten: “Something surrounding an island.” | | | | [4] “The Four Winds” is a Maya expression. | | | | [5] The Spanish Conquerors, as will be seen from this description, | | were not previously familiar with rubber. | | | | [6] A _katun_ is a little less than twenty years. | | | | [7] The protecting serpent does not necessarily indicate that the | | invaders were Mayas or believers in the cult of Kukul Can; it | | merely points out the “big man” or leader. | | | | [8] By “archers” Landa doubtless meant fighting-men armed with the | | _hul-che_. | | | | [9] Several sacrificial knives were found in the Sacred Well. | | | | [10] Shown on page 39. | | | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+

Transcriber’s Notes:

- Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - Blank pages have been removed. - Advertisements have been moved to the back. - Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected. - Some spelling and hyphenation variations have been made consistent.