Page:Researches in the Central Portion of the Usumatsintla Valley.djvu/25

Rh I am sorry to say that it was no longer possible to tell whether the temple had been formerly crowned by an ornamental coping or not. The height of the exterior of the temple from the platform to the upper edge of the cornice, I calculated at about 6.13 metres. The length is about 5.90 metres and the breadth 4.65 metres.

On the third day we again returned to the ruined city to photograph the temple (Plate III), which was rendered very difficult by the unfavorable light. As a matter of course, we also explored the ground at the western side of the temple to see if we might not find a sacrificial altar, or a stela representing a god or marking a grave, but we searched in vain. This region of ruins is also variously traversed by brooks, whose water, ice-cold at this season, greatly refreshed us while we discussed our roast monkey and other provisions with a keen relish. All the streams are filled with edible snails, Melania levíssima, = zot (sot) of the Mayas. The shells of the dead snails are soon covered with a thick calcareous crust, which continually increases as the years go by, forming cones of various sizes until the uninitiated would hardly suspect that the resultant mass had once been a snail-shell. A day was also devoted to photographing the magnificent waterfall (Plate IV). In order to descend the steep walls of the ravine in front of this waterfall, we had to tie ropes to the trees. In this way alone were we able to accomplish the descent and to carry the photographic apparatus down uninjured. Setting up the camera on the rocks below, I took two photographs, one of which was very successful, in spite of the difficulty in harmonizing the dark trees with the blinding whiteness of the waterfall and the blue sky. Further on, below the waterfall, the river forces its way between high cliffs, affording a series of very picturesque scenes.

Having finished our task, we returned to La Reforma.

  IV.

XUPÁ.

Xupá (šupá) = Brook of the Ants. In Yucatan the army ants are called xulab (šulab).

We left Reforma on the 4th of February, 1898, crossing the Chacamax in a cayuco and loading our animals on the left bank. We took the road to Palenque, and the first settlement we reached was the monteria, La Nueva Esperanza, which had been recently established close to the left bank of the Chacamax. The proprietor, Don Luis Gónzali of Comalcalco, received us very kindly.

Sr. Gónzali was formerly in the employ of the firm of Romano, and directed the building of the road from La Reforma to Tzendales, which