ich they do not
fail to avail themselves.

When visiting the large estate of Chactun, belonging to Don Jose
Dominguez, thirty miles south-west of Merida, at a sugar rancho called
Orkintok, the writer saw a large ruin similar to that called the "House
of the Nuns" at Uxmal. It was a building of a quadrangular shape, with
apartments opening on an interior court in the centre of the quadrangle.
The building was in good preservation, and some of the rooms were used
as depositories for corn. The visiting party breakfasted in one of the
larger apartments. From this hacienda an excursion was made to Maxcanu,
to visit an artificial mound, which had a passage into the interior,
with an arched stone ceiling and retaining walls.[23-*] This passage was
upon a level with the base of the mound, and branched at right angles
into other passages for hundreds of feet. Nothing appeared in these
passages to indicate their purpose. The labyrinth was visited by the
light of candles and torches, and the precaution of using a line of
cords was taken to secure a certainty of egress. A thorough exploration
was prevented by the obstructions of the _debris_ of the fallen roof.
Other artificial mounds encountered elsewhere had depressions upon the
top, doubtless caused by the falling in of interior passages or
apartments. There is no account of the excavation of Yucatan mounds for
historical purposes, though Cogolludo says there were other mounds
existing at Merida in 1542, besides "El grande de los Kues," which,
certainly, have now disappeared; but no account of their construction
has come down to us.[23-[+]] The same author also says, that, with the
stone constructions of the Indian city churches and houses were built,
besides the convent and church of the Mejorada, and also the church of
the Franciscans, and that there was still more material left for others
which they desired to build.[24-*] It is then, certainly, a plausible
supposition that the great mounds were many of them constructed with
passages like that at Orkintok, and that they have furnished from their
interiors worked and squared stones, which were used in the construction
of the modern city of Merida by the Spanish conquerors.

When the Spanish first invaded Mexico and Yucatan they brought with them
a small number of horses, which animals were entirely unknown to the
natives, and were made useful not only as cavalry but also in creating a
superstitious reverence for the conqueror