of San
Antonio, four leagues distant. The cura had never heard of such ruins,
and did not believe that any existed, but he knew the hacienda, and
sent out to procure information. In the mean time it was arranged that
we should employ the morning in a visit to the cueva, and return to
dine with him. He reminded us that it was Friday, and, consequently,
fast day; but, knowing the padres as we did, we had no apprehension.

There was one great difficulty in the way of our visiting the cueva at
this time. Since the commencement of the rainy season it had not been
used; and every year, before having recourse to it, there was a work of
several days to be done in repairing the ladders. As this, however, was
our only opportunity, we determined to make the attempt.

The cura undertook to make the arrangements and after breakfast we set
out, a large party, including both Indians and vecinos.

At the distance of half a league from the village, on the Campeachy
road, we turned off by a well-beaten path, following which we fell into
a winding lane, and, descending gradually, reached the foot of a rude,
lofty, and abrupt opening, under a bold ledge of overhanging rock,
seeming a magnificent entrance to a great temple for the worship of the
God of Nature. The engraving which follows represents this aperture, an
Indian with a lighted torch being seen just entering.

[Engraving 24: Entrance to a Cave at Bolonchen]

We disencumbered ourselves of superfluous apparel, and, following the
Indian, each with a torch in hand, entered a wild cavern, which, as we
advanced, became darker. At the distance of sixty paces the descent was
precipitous, and we went down by a ladder about twenty feet. Here all
light from the mouth of the cavern was lost, but we soon reached the
brink of a great perpendicular descent, to the very bottom of which a
strong body of light was thrown from a hole in the surface, a
perpendicular depth, as we afterward learned by measurement, of two
hundred and ten feet. As we stood on the brink of this precipice, under
the shelving of an immense mass of rock, seeming darker from the stream
of light thrown down the hole, gigantic stalactites and huge blocks of
stone assumed all manner of fantastic shapes, and seemed like monstrous
animals or deities of a subterranean world.

From the brink on which we stood an enormous ladder, of the rudest
possible construction, led to the bottom of the hole. It was between
seventy and eigh