Upon arriving at the hut I saw that it was crowded with Indians. I was received in the usual manner with apparent inattention, and was allowed to take my place with the others. I noticed that my friend the junior Judge, who had promised to send me a horse, was one of the mourners. As he made no remark and I had made other plans the subject was not mentioned, and my attention was directed to what was going on around me. The Indians were engaged in making melancholy sounds of wailing. In the centre of the room was a table upon which was a large plain wooden cross. Before the cross were placed offerings of flowers, fruits and baked tortillas. I waited for some time to see what ceremonies were going to take place, but nothing happened. The wailing continued in a dreary and monotonous manner. The scene reminded me in some respects of observances of a religious character that I had previously witnessed when travelling amongst the Cordilleras of Guatemala, and again at a village near Tzibalché, on the road to Uxmal. When the Spanish priests settled in their various parishes in these regions after the conquest, it was noticed by them that the Indians appeared to have a peculiar dread of death. This dread did not seem to be caused by any personal fear, but had its origin in connection with their belief in demons. They believed that death was an evil spirit that required to be propitiated, and whose influence over the sick or dying person was malignant. Thus it was usual to make offerings to this demon, who was supposed to be lying in wait somewhere near the hut. They imagined that he might be contented with what was given to him and not carry off his victim. When I was at Palenque, I was told that in some of the remote parts of the province, this ancient observance still existed and that the Indians placed offerings of food outside the door of the hut in the hope that the demon would be appeased, and pass by without stopping to enter within.[93] In Yucatan a similar custom prevailed, but the method of propitiation was slightly different. Various kinds of food and jars of liquid were hung upon the walls or thatch outside the hut to gratify the demon and cause him to accept the offerings instead of human life.