Indians; but the demand seemed so churlish at the gate of
this large hacienda, that we refused to pay, and again mounted. Albino
told us that we might save a slight circuit by passing through the
cattle-yard; and we rode through, close beside the water-tanks and a
group of men, at the head of whom was the master, and, coming out upon
the camino real, shook from off our feet the dust of the inhospitable
hacienda. Our poor horses bore the brunt of sustaining our dignity.

At one o'clock we came to a rancho of Indians, where we bought some
tortillas and procured a guide. Leaving the camino real, we turned
again into a milpa path, and in about an hour came in sight of another
ruined city, known by the name of Ytsimpte. From the plain on which we
approached we saw on the left, on the brow of a hill, a range of
buildings, six or eight hundred feet in length, all laid bare to view,
the trees having just been felled; and as we drew near we saw Indians
engaged in continuing the clearing. On arriving at the foot of the
buildings, Albino found that the clearing was made by order of the
alcalde of Bolonchen, at the instance and under the direction of the
padre, in expectation of our visit and for our benefit!

We had another subject of congratulation on account of our horses.
There was an aguada in the neighbourhood, to which we immediately sent
them, and, carrying our traps up to the terrace of the nearest
building, we sat down before it to meditate and lunch.

This over, we commenced a survey of the ruins. The clearings made by
our unknown friends enabled us to form at once a general idea of their
character and extent, and to move from place to place with comparative
facility. These ruins lie in the village of Bolonchen, and the first
apartment we entered showed the effects of this vicinity. All the
smooth stones of the inner wall had been picked out and carried away
for building purposes, and the sides presented the cavities in the bed
of mortar from which they had been taken. The edifice was about two
hundred feet long. It had one apartment, perhaps sixty feet long, and a
grand staircase twenty feet wide rose in the centre to the top. This
staircase was in a ruinous condition, but the outer stones of the lower
steps remained, richly ornamented with sculpture; and probably the
whole casing on each side had once possessed the same rich decoration.

Beyond this was another large building, square and peculiar in its
plan. At th