ngeon, in a private letter to the writer, says, "The statue is carved
out of a single block of beautifully white and homogeneous limestone. It
is naked, and the peculiar ornament suspended by a ribbon tied on the
back of the neck, that is seen on the chest, is the distinctive mark of
high rank. This same ornament is seen on the chests of all the
personages who were entitled to carry three feathers on their heads. The
band that composes the head-dress was formed of pieces of an octagonal
shape, joined together, and is fastened by ribbons also on the back of
the head. The figure had bracelets and garters of feathers, and the
sandals, quite different from those used by the present inhabitants of
the country, were tied to the feet and legs, and resemble those found on
the mummies of the _Guanehes_, the ancient inhabitants of the Canary
Islands. There were no ear laps, but square tablets appear in place of
the ears, on which are hieroglyphics giving the name, condition, &c.,
&c., of the personage represented by the statue. It is not an idol, but
a true portrait of a man who has lived an earthly life. I have seen him
represented in battle, in councils, and in court receptions. I am well
acquainted with his life, and the manner of his death. The scientific
world owes much to Mrs. Le Plongeon for the restoration of the mural
paintings where his history and the customs of his people are portrayed;
and where Stephens has been unable to see more than a few figures, she
has discovered the history of a people and of their leaders."

"The name, Chac Mool, or Balam, and the names of his two brothers,
_Huuncay_ and _Aac_, the latter the builder of the 'House of the
Governor' at Uxmal, are not given by us at random. They are written on
the monuments where represented, written in characters just as
intelligible to my wife and myself, as this paper is to you in latin
letters. Every person represented on these monuments is known to us by
name, since either over the head or at the feet, the name is written. We
have tracings of the mural paintings as seen on the walls of the inner
chamber of the monument raised by the queen of Itza to the memory of her
husband, Chac-Mool. Stephens mistook it for a shrine where the winners
at the games of ball were wont to make offerings to the presiding idol.
In your paper you have copied part of his description of that monument.
But the statue of Chac-Mool was not exhumed in it as you assert, but
four hundre