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Rh city of Tihoo. Few travelers visit Merida, and hence there is only one small hotel there (Hotel Bazar). Several lines of railway are being constructed from this city to points in the interior. The road toward Peto, on the south, is now (July, 1883) 20 miles long; that going to Valladolid, on the southeast, has been built for a distance of ten miles; and seven miles of the line toward Calhini, on the southwest, have been finished.

A concession has just been granted to some residents of Merida to construct a railway from the capital to Sotuta, via Izamal.

Many interesting ruins are found in the northern and central parts of Yucatan. Tourists intending to visit them should purchase horses and provisions at Merida, and obtain letters of introduction (cartas de presentacion) to the officials in the various towns. The most important ruined city is that of Uxmal, about 70 miles south of Merida. The cave of Sahachao is within a few miles of it. The remains of Chichen-Itza and Izamal lie about 50 miles southeast of the capital, and those of Mayapan are situated about 30 miles south of Merida. These places are comparatively easy of access. There are also interesting though less extensive ruins at Labna, Zayi, Xcoch, and Ake, in Central and Southern Yucatan; but these localities have been rarely visited thus far by American or European travelers. (See chapter on ruins for a general description of these ancient cities and towns.)

Humboldt states that Yucatan is an arid plateau, whose surface does not rise higher than 5,070 feet above the sea level. The greater part of the State is covered with alluvial soil, and the climate is dry. Water is very scarce and valuable, there being only one river, the Rio Hondo. The rainy season lasts from April to October, during which time the reservoirs and tanks of the haciendas are filled for use in the remaining months of the year.