esidence of
the Governor, and contains the public buildings of the State, the
cathedral--an imposing edifice,--the Bishop's palace, an ecclesiastical
college, fifteen churches, a hospital, jail and theatre. The streets are
wide and are laid out at right angles. The houses, which are generally
of one story, are large, and built of stone laid in mortar or cement;
and they are constructed in the Moorish style, with interior court yards
surrounded with corridors, upon which the various apartments open. The
windows are destitute of glass, but have strong wooden shutters; and
those upon the public streets often project like bow windows, and are
protected by heavy iron gratings. The inhabitants are exceedingly
hospitable, and there is much cultivated society in both Merida and
Campeachy. As the business of the country is chiefly agricultural, many
of the residents in the cities own haciendas in the country, where they
entertain large parties of friends at the celebration of a religious
festival on their plantations, or in the immediate neighborhood. The
people are much given to amusements, and the serious duties of life are
often obliged to yield to the enjoyments of the hour. The Catholic
religion prevails exclusively, and has a very strong hold upon the
population, both white and Indian, and the religious services of the
church are performed with great ceremony, business of all kinds being
suspended during their observance.

The aboriginal ruins, to which so much attention has been directed, are
scattered in groups through the whole peninsula. Merida is built upon
the location of the ancient town Tihoo, and the materials of the Indian
town were used in its construction. Sculptured stones, which formed the
ornamental finish of Indian buildings, are to be seen in the walls of
the modern houses.[18-*] An artificial hill, called "El Castillo," was
formerly the site of an Indian temple, and is curious as the only mound
remaining of all those existing at the time of the foundation of the
Spanish city. This mound is almost the only trace of Indian workmanship,
in that immediate locality, which has not been removed or utilized in
later constructions.[18-[+]] It appears that a large part of the
building material throughout the province was taken from aboriginal
edifices, and the great number of stone churches of considerable size,
which have been built in all the small towns in that country, is proof
of the abundance of this material