sitting at table with two young men, who had accompanied him from Spain, and who love Yucatan no better than he.  He greeted us most heartily, and was interested in our plan of work.  He sent at once for the judge of the registro civil, who could tell us many curious things about the indians, and, as soon as the old man came, the good priest ordered chocolate to be served.  We chatted for some time, when, seeing that the jefe’s office was open, I suggested that I had better go to present my letters.  The cura and the judge at once began to abuse that official roundly for his sins of commission, and particularly for those of omission, and told me that I should have him summoned; that it was much better than to trouble myself by going to his office, where I had already been twice in vain; it was but right that he should attend to business; he ought to be in his office when visitors came to see him.  Accordingly a messenger was sent and the jefe summoned.

He seemed a rather nice young fellow, and was much impressed by the letter from his governor; he expressed himself as ready and anxious to serve us in every way, and made arrangements for us to begin work in the town-house, where, before dark, we had taken fifteen sets of measurements.  This was a capital beginning, but the next two days our work fell flat.  It was necessary to keep constantly at the jefe, and it soon became plain that he was making no great effort to secure subjects for us, on the assumption that we had better wait until Sunday, when there would be plenty of people without trouble to the police.

It was useless to urge effort, and we spent the time talking with the old judge in regard to the habits and superstitions of the indians and in walking with the judge of primera instancia up to the ridge which overlooked the town, and which was crowned by a little hermita.  The population of Yucatan is still, for the most part, pure indian of Maya blood and speech.  The former importance of this people is well known; they had made the greatest progress of any North American population, and the ruins of their old towns have often been described.  They built temples and public buildings of stone and with elaborate carved decorations; they ornamented walls with stucco, often worked into remarkable figures; they cast copper and gold; they hived bees, and used both wax and honey in religious ceremonial.  They spun and wove cotton, which they dyed with brilliant colors; they had a system of writing which, while largely pictorial, contained some phonetic elements.  They are still a vital people, more than holding their own in the present population, and forcing their native language upon the white invaders.  Nominally good Catholics, a great deal of old superstition still survives, and they have many interesting practices and beliefs.  The cura presented me a ke’esh of gold, which he took from the church, where it had been left by a worshipper.  It is a little votive figure crudely made, commonly of silver; the word means “exchange,” and such figures are given by the indians to their saint or to the Virgin in exchange for themselves, after some sickness or danger.