Heart of the World

In the shadow of the Usumacinta River, an English mining manager finds the jungle’s heat and the endless rhythm of the crush‑mill a poor substitute for society. The remote outpost offers little beyond fever‑ridden valleys, swarms of insects, and a handful of laborers whose customs feel alien. To ease his solitude, he devotes evenings to studying the scattered pre‑Aztec ruins that litter the mountains, letting their silent stone stir his imagination. When word reaches him of Don Ignatio, a local landowner reputed to know the deepest secrets of those ancient sites, the manager decides a visit is his only chance for true companionship and knowledge.

Guided by a native who knows a hidden mountain trail, the journey shortens from ten arduous hours to a three‑hour mule ride. As the hacienda of Santa Cruz comes into view, a massive white stone façade in semi‑Moorish style rises from the cultivated milpas, its towering arches and central dome hinting at a forgotten grandeur. The manor stands like a gate to a world the manager has only read about, promising discoveries that may reshape his restless mind.