nce for us; his knowledge of localities, and
his disposition to forward our views, gave us great facilities in our
exploration of the ruins, and at the same time our presence and
co-operation induced him to satisfy his own curiosity in regard to some
things which had not yet been examined.

Throughout the ruins circular holes were found at different places in
the ground, opening into chambers underneath, which had never been
examined, and the character of which was entirely unknown. We had
noticed them, at the time of our former visit, on the platform of the
great terrace; and though this platform was now entirely overgrown, and
many of them were hidden from sight, in opening a path to communicate
with the hacienda we had laid bare two. The mayoral had lately
discovered another at some distance outside the wall, so perfect at the
mouth, and apparently so deep on sounding it with a stone, that Don
Simon wished to explore it.

The next morning he came to the ruins with Indians, ropes, and candles,
and we began immediately with one of those on the platform before the
Casa del Gobernador. The opening was a circular hole, eighteen inches
in diameter. The throat consisted of five layers of stones, a yard
deep, to a stratum of solid rock. As it was all dark beneath, before
descending, in order to guard against the effects of impure air, we let
down a candle, which soon touched bottom. The only way of descending
was to tie a rope around the body, and be lowered by the Indians. In
this way I was let down, and almost before my head had passed through
the hole my feet touched the top of a heap of rubbish, high directly
under the hole, and falling off at the sides. Clambering down it, I
found myself in a round chamber, so filled with rubbish that I could
not stand upright. With a candle in my hand, I crawled all round on my
hands and knees. The chamber was in the shape of a dome, and had been
coated with plaster, most of which had fallen, and now encumbered the
ground. The depth could not be ascertained without clearing out the
interior. In groping about I found pieces of broken pottery, and a vase
of terra cotta, about one foot in diameter, of good workmanship, and
having upon it a coat of enamel, which, though not worn off, had lost
some of its brightness. It had three feet, each about an inch high, one
of which is broken. In other respects it was entire.

The discovery of this vase was encouraging. Not one of these places had