single tradition, not a single native name survives to cast any
light upon these ruins. The whole of this coast was depopulated in the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries owing to the slave-hunting
incursions of the filibusters and man-hunters. The Indians who are now
found in the neighborhood have removed there from the interior since the
beginning of the present century, and are absolutely ignorant of the
origin or builders of this city, hidden in the tropical forest."

The locality referred to as _Del Cajete_ was a settlement (rancheria) of
Indians, now better known as San Jose de la Bellota, on a large pond
into which drains the Rio de la Bellota. It was founded in 1815 by a
cura who brought the Indians there from the other side of the river,
back of Frontera.

The general position of the ruins will be seen from the above map. It is
drawn to the scale of the Mexican league, which contains 5000 yards
(varas) each 838 mm. One league is therefore approximately two and three
quarters of our miles. No ruins or mounds were located immediately on or
near the coast.

Almost a continuous line of mounds, embankments and heaps of debris
extends from near Bellota for about nine miles in a general
west-south-west direction over a plain which is now densely covered by a
tropical forest.

Dr. Berendt did not attempt to survey but a few of these numerous
monuments. The plan of one of the largest, called by the natives _El
Cuyo Grande_, "The Great Temple," is shown in the following, figure 2.

The principal mound B is terraced about half way up and was 82 feet in
height. A cross section of it is shown in Fig. 3, A-B.

A series of constructions is connected with this, the whole running in a
direction east-north-east to west-south-west. They consist of a
rectangular embankment six to eight feet high, Fig. 2, A; an isolated
circular mound, D; and two small mounds at the eastern corners of the
great mound, from which parallel embankments, E, extend easterly,
inclosing an open space, which at the extremity is terminated by a long
low mound, C. The total distance from A to C is 1140 feet.

The great mound and most of the others in the vicinity are faced with
mortar made of sand and lime from burnt oyster shells. On one or both
sides are flights of steps which lead up to the summit. These are
constructed of layers of mortar, tiles and hard-pounded earth,
distributed in the manner represented in Fig. 4.

[Illustration: _Fig. 4.--