ristian era as the date
when the Tutul-Xius, a princely family from Tulha, left Guatemala and
appeared in Yucatan. They conciliated the good will of the king of
Mayapan and rendered themselves vassals of the crown of Maya. The
Tutul-Xius founded Mani and also Tihoo, afterwards the modern city of
Merida. The divinity most worshipped at Tihoo was Baklum-Chaam, the
Priapus of the Mayas, and the great temple erected as a sanctuary to
this god was but little inferior to the temple of Izamal. It bore the
title "_Yahan-Kuna_," most beautiful temple. A letter from Father
Bienvenida to Philip II., speaks of this city in these terms, "The city
is 30 leagues in the interior, and is called Merida, which name it
takes on account of the beautiful buildings which it contains, because
in the whole extent of country which has been discovered, not one so
beautiful has been met with. The buildings are finely constructed of
hammered stone, laid without cement, and are 30 feet in height. On the
summit of these edifices are four apartments, divided into cells like
those of the monks, which are twenty feet long and ten feet wide. The
posts of the doors are of a single stone, and the roof is vaulted. The
priests have established a convent of St. Francis in the part which has
been discovered. It is proper that what has served for the worship of
the demon should be transformed into a temple for the service of
God."[29-*]

Later in history a prince named Cukulcan arrived from the west and
established himself at Chichen-Itza. Owing to quarrels in the Mayan
territory, he was asked to take the supreme government of the empire,
with Mayapan as the capital city. By his management the government was
divided into three absolute sovereignties, which upon occasion might act
together and form one. The seven succeeding sovereigns of Mayapan
embellished and improved the country, and it was very prosperous. At
this time the city of Uxmal, governed by one of the Tutul-Xius, began to
rival the city of Mayapan in extent of territory and in the number of
its vassals. The towns of Noxcacab, Kabah, Bocal and N[)o]hpat were
among its dependencies.

The date of the foundation of Uxmal has been fixed at A. D. 864. At this
epoch, great avenues paved with stone, were constructed, the most
remarkable of which appeared to have been that which extends from the
interior to the shores of the sea opposite Cozumel, upon the North-East
coast, and the highway which led to Izam