, shrouded
by trees, were the trembling and tottering skeletons of buildings which
had once been grander than these.

From the top of the great teocalis we had out first glimpses of these
edifices. Following the camino real to a point about in a range with
the triumphal arch, there is a narrow path which leads to two buildings
enclosed by a fence for a milpa. They are small, and but little
ornamented. They stand at right angles to each other, and in front of
them is a patio, in which is a large broken orifice, like the mouth of
a cave, with a tree growing near the edge of it. My first visit to this
place was marked by a brilliant exploit on the part of my horse. On
dismounting, Mr. Catherwood found shade for his horse, Doctor Cabot got
his into one of the buildings, and I tied mine to this tree, giving him
fifteen or twenty feet of halter as a range for pasture. Here we left
them, but on our return in the evening my horse was missing, and, as we
supposed, stolen; but before we reached the tree I saw the baiter still
attached to it, and knew that an Indian would be much more likely to
steal the halter and leave the horse than vice versa. The halter was
drawn down into the mouth of the cave, and looking over the edge, I saw
the horse hanging at the other end, with just rope enough, by
stretching his head and neck, to keep a foothold at one side of the
cave. One of his sides was scratched and grimed with dirt, and it
seemed as if every bone in his body must be broken, but on getting him
out we found that, except some scarifications of the skin, he was not
at all hurt; in fact, he was quite the reverse, and never moved better
than on our return to the village.

Beyond these buildings, none of the Indians knew of any ruins. Striking
directly from them in a westerly direction through a thick piece of
woods, without being able to see anything, but from observation taken
from the top of the teocalis, and passing a small ruined building with
a staircase leading to the roof, we reached a great terrace, perhaps
eight hundred feet long and one hundred feet wide. This terrace,
besides being overgrown with trees, was covered with thorn-bushes, and
the maguey plant, or Agave Americana, with points as sharp as needles,
which made it impossible to move without cutting the way at every step.

Two buildings stood upon this overgrown terrace. The first was two
hundred and seventeen feet long, having seven doorways in front, all
opening