ting, which
entirely covered the walls. He tells us the walls were everywhere
covered with designs in painting, representing, in bright and vivid
colors, human figures, battles, houses, trees, and scenes of domestic
life. We give, in a plate, detached portions of these figures. We must
understand that, in the original, these were beautifully colored. The
colors used were "green, yellow, red, blue, and reddish brown, the last
being invariably the color given to human flesh."

Illustration of Painted Stucco-work.----------

M. Le Plongon contends that these paintings represent scenes in the
lives of the three brothers and the Queen of Chaac-mol, "in the funeral
chamber." Says he: "The terrible altercation between Aac and Chaac-mol,
which had its termination in the murder of the latter by his brother,
is represented by large figures three-fourths life size."<57> And in
another place he tells us: "The scenes of his death is impressively
portrayed on the walls, which the queen caused to be raised to the
memory of her husband, in the two exquisite rooms, the ruins of which
are yet to be seen upon the south end of the east wall of the Gymnasium.
The rooms were a shrine where the conjugal love of the queen worshiped
the memory of her departed lover. She adorned the outer walls with his
effigies, his totem-tiger, and his shield and coat-of-arms between tiger
and tiger;<58> whilst on the admirably polished stucco, that covers the
stones in the interior of the rooms, she had his deeds--his and her own
life, in fact--painted in beautiful, life-like designs, superbly drawn,
and sweetly colored."<59>

He tells us further, that Aac, after the commission of his crime, fled
to Uxmal for protection, where he built the edifice described as the
"Governor's House." The seated figures over the central door-way (see
Illustration of Figure over Doorway, earlier), he says, represents Aac.
In the hieroglyphics around the head he finds the name. Although neither
Mr. Stephens nor the other travelers mention any thing of the kind, he
says that, under the feet of this figure, "are to be seen the bodies of
three figures, two men and one woman, flayed."<60> Though the figures
are headless, he has no doubt but that they represent Huuncay,
Chaae-Mol, and the queen, his wife. We are further told that the ruined
structure on the second terrace, called the "House of Turtles," was
Aac's private residence.

Illustration of Queen consulting the H-me