Mitla, Thursday Aug 23d. Set up at 5.40 and had breakfast at 6.15. Before I set out we visit Prof. Lellier for the ruins of Mitla. What is left shows that the people who built these palaces have great skill in handling small flat edges up to pieces 2' long, 3' high and 5' across. The ornamentation is one of small cut stones somewhat like mosaic. On the faces of some this rough was covered with a thin coat of plaster. On them on the inside are described a curious kind of pictures in outline without shading! To produce good joints or small mangled only visitors we expected. They are cut right from and in this way make fine joints. Seen one face like this [drawing]. The omoloths are round tapering slabs to the top and more rapidly grow before the top stone. The omoloths may be 10 to 12 feet long but are exceeded by the great stones of the inner walls. The walls in places appear have been 10 or more feet thick. The outer corner corners are faced with cut stones between which are laid the order.