PART 2. MOUND EXCAVATION IN THE EASTERN MAYA AREA

INTRODUCTION

CLASSIFICATION OF THE MOUNDS

In the following pages is a description of the mounds opened during

the last few years in that part of the Maya area now constituting

British Honduras, the southern part of Yucatan, and the eastern border

of Guatemala (pl. 7). For descriptive purposes these mounds may be

divided, according to their probable uses, into six main groups:

_1. Sepulchral Mounds._--This group includes mounds which, originally

constructed for other purposes, were afterwards used as burial sites.

_2. Refuse Mounds._--This group includes kitchen middens, shell heaps,

deposits of waste material remaining after the manufacture of lime, and

heaps of stones gathered from the surface of the ground.

_3. Foundation Mounds._--As the buildings themselves invariably stood

on the summits of flat-topped mounds, such mounds, capped with the

débris of the earlier structures, formed the bases of later ones.

_4. Defensive Mounds._--Some of these mounds were crescent-shaped;

others were in the form of a horseshoe.

_5. Lookout Mounds._--These mounds extend in chains, at intervals of 6

to 12 miles, along the coast and up some of the rivers; they are lofty,

steep-sided, and usually form the nuclei of groups of other mounds.

As a rule they contain neither human remains nor artifacts, though in

one or two of them superficial interments seem to have been made at a

comparatively late date.

_6. Mounds of Uncertain Use._--No trace of human interment was found

in these mounds. Many of them are too small at the summit to have

supported buildings, and it seems probable that they are sepulchral

mounds, in which no stone, pottery, or other indestructible objects

were placed with the corpse, and in which the bones have entirely

disintegrated. The larger mounds of this class, many of them flat

topped, are carefully constructed of blocks of limestone, marl dust,

and earth, and no doubt at one time served as bases for buildings

either small temples or houses--which, being built of wood, have long

since vanished.

Most of the mounds are distributed in small and large groups, the

latter usually containing one or more examples of each class, the

former consisting for the greater part of small burial mounds, probably

of late date, as they are less carefully constructed than the mounds of

the larger groups, and the objects which they contain are of rougher

and cruder workmanship.

The burial mounds comprise more than half of all the mounds opened,

followed in order of numbers by (a) foundation mounds; (b) mounds of

uncertain use; (c) refuse mounds; (d) lookout mounds; (e) defensive

mounds.

It has been found that, as a rule, rich land contains many mounds;

poor land, fewer; and sour-grass savannah, pine ridge, and swamp, none

at all. The better the land the more numerous the mounds scattered

over it, as is natural, since the more fertile the land the denser

the population it would sustain. Not all the mounds opened have been

described, as small burial mounds, especially in the same group, in

both construction and contents, resemble one another closely, as do

foundation mounds also.

This part of the Maya area must either have been occupied during

a very considerable period or at one time must have supported a

dense population, as wherever it is possible to cultivate the soil,

especially to raise maize, mounds are to be found in great abundance;

moreover, the surface everywhere bears such indestructible rubbish

as potsherds, flint chips, and fragments of obsidian knives. It

would probably be impossible to find anywhere in this area an acre

of moderately good land on which dozens of such objects could not

be discovered. This indicates that what is now dense tropical bush,

with a few small Indian villages scattered through it at considerable

intervals, was at one time a highly cultivated and thickly populated

country.

Referring to Yucatan before the conquest, Landa uses the words, "toda

la tierra parescia un pueblo;"[6] while 200 years after the conquest

Villagutierre[7] mentions by name 10 tribes with whom the Itzas were at

war, who lived to the east of the lagoon, nine days' journey away--in

a region corresponding to the territory of coastal tribes of British

Honduras and Quintana Roo.

ANCIENT INHABITANTS OF THE REGION

From the contents of the mounds we are able to deduce many valuable

facts relating to the physical appearance, social life, religion, and

art of the former inhabitants of this area.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

A very accurate idea of the physical appearance of these people may be

derived from the figurines, paintings, stucco moldings, and skeletons

found in the mounds. It would appear that they very closely resembled

the modern Maya Indians.[8] They were broad of face, with small

features and rather high cheek bones; without beard or mustache, but

with straight, black, coarse hair, which was allowed by both men and

women to grow long.

The skull was naturally brachicephalic, and as this characteristic

was (and is now by the Maya) admired, it seems to have been almost

invariably accentuated artificially by pressure applied over the

occipital and frontal regions during early infancy.[9] The average

cephalic index of eight skulls removed from the mounds was found to be

110. The following list gives the average lengths of a number of bones

of adults taken from the mounds, though in no case were all the bones

of one individual found in a sufficiently perfect condition to permit

of their accurate measurement:

Humerus, 29.21 cm.

Ulna, 25.38 cm.

First phalanx (little finger), 3.04 cm.

Femur, 36.83 cm.

Tibia, 33.27 cm.

Metatarsal bone of great toe, 5.33 cm.

The bones are small, the ridges for muscular attachment not well

marked, and the phalanges, metacarpal, and metatarsal bones small

and delicate, indicating a body with rounded contours, poor muscular

development, and small extremities. The front teeth in some cases were

filed, in others filled with round plugs of obsidian, iron pyrites, or

jadeite, for ornamental purposes.

DRESS

Among the lower class the men seem to have worn no garment except the

_maxtli_, consisting of a loin-cloth wound several times around the

waist, the ends hanging down in front and behind, like small aprons.

The women wore two garments, similar to those of the modern Maya, the

_huipil_, or loose, sleeveless upper garment reaching to the hips (at

the present this is worn longer, reaching well below the knees) and

a short, loose skirt, both of cotton, and both embroidered in colors

at the borders.[10] The warriors wore in addition to the _maxtli_ a

breastplate of thick quilted cotton, saturated with salt, arrow and

spear proof, and ornamented with bows, studs, and tassels. To its

upper border was attached a hollow bar, through which passed a cord,

continued round the back of the neck, holding the breastplate in place.

Both warriors and priests wore very elaborate headdresses. Those of the

former were decorated with plumes of feathers and many of them held in

front the head of some animal carved in wood,[11] as the jaguar, eagle,

peccary, snake, or alligator. Some of the headdresses of the priests

were shaped like a bishop's miter, while others resembled the Egyptian

headdress. All classes wore sandals of leather or platted henequen

fiber. The ornaments worn consisted of large circular ear plugs of

shell, greenstone, or pottery, many with a tassel dependent from the

center; studlike labrets at each side of the mouth; and occasional

triangular ornaments attached on each ala of the nose. Round the neck

were worn strings of beads, some in the form of human or animal heads,

others with a gorget of greenstone or shell in the form of a human

mask dependent from them. Wristlets and anklets of large oval beads,

fastened with ornamental loops, were common, and copper finger rings

have been found on two occasions, though it is possible that these

may not have been introduced till after the conquest. Among the upper

classes the ornaments were made from jade, greenstone, iron pyrites,

obsidian, mother-of-pearl, and copper; among the lower, from pottery,

shell, and stone.

WEAPONS

The offensive weapons of the natives here dealt with consisted of flint

and obsidian tipped arrows,[12] javelins, and spears, flint and stone

axes, with slingstones, and stone-headed clubs, made for the most part

of hard limestone. Their defensive weapons were small circular shields

of leather-covered wickerwork and thick cotton breastplates.

HOUSES

The lower classes probably lived exclusively in thatched pimento-walled

houses, identical in construction with those used by the Maya of the

present day; naturally, these have completely disappeared, but the

former sites of villages composed of such huts may easily be recognized

by the presence of half-choked wells and the great number of malacates,

broken pots, weapons, implements, ornaments, and rubbing stones, which

are to be found scattered all over them. The priests, caciques, and

upper classes doubtless lived in the stone houses, the remains of

which lie buried in considerable numbers in the mounds. The walls of

these houses were of stucco-covered stone and lime, the floors of hard

cement, and the roofs, no doubt, of beams and thatch, as many of them

are too wide to have been covered by the so-called "American arch."

Many of these buildings were doubtless used as temples, but probably

the majority of them were private houses.[13] In one of them an

interment had taken place beneath the floor of the house before the

structure was destroyed.[14]

ARTS

The former inhabitants of this part of the Maya area do not seem

to have fallen far behind those of northern Yucatan in the arts of

sculpture upon stone, stucco molding, mural painting, ceramics, and the

manufacture of stone implements and weapons, as excellent examples in

all these fields have been found.

At Seibal, Holmul, Naranjo, and Benque Viejo, cities of the old

Empire lying along the British Honduras-Guatemala frontier, examples

of sculptured stelæ and altars have been found, equal in fineness of

workmanship to those found at any other site within the Maya area. The

molded stucco figures at Pueblo Nuevo are beautifully executed, while

the painted stucco upon the temple walls at Santa Rita is probably the

finest example of this kind of decoration yet brought to light in the

whole Maya area. The colors used (green, yellow, red, blue, black, and

white) seem to have been derived from colored earths and vegetal dyes

ground to a paste in small shallow stone mortars with spatulate flint

grinders, which have been found with traces of paint still adhering to

them. Ornaments in the form of human and animal faces and heads nicely

cut from jadeite and greenstone are not uncommon. Some bear incised

hieroglyphic inscriptions. The greenstone shell from Kendal, described

later on, in its fineness of finish and accurate imitation of the

natural form, is a remarkable example of gem cutting.

Most of the domestic pottery used was of a rather coarse hard red

ware. This comprises large amphora-like water jars, shallow dishes,

saucers, and bowls, used probably to hold food; cooking pots of various

sizes and shapes, chocolate pots with upright spouts, and disks for

baking tortillas. In addition to these, thick brittle vessels of very

coarse pottery, some of exceptionally large size, are found, which were

probably used as receptacles for corn, beans, pepper, and other light

dry substances. Of the finer kinds of pottery some are ornamented with

incised devices, executed after the vessels had been fired, others are

covered with devices in polychrome, and still others with ornaments

molded while the clay was plastic. Lastly, these three methods, or any

two of them, may be combined in the decoration of any one vessel.

The objects most frequently depicted on the vases are human heads,

simple glyphs, animal and mythological figures, and flowers. Most of

the vessels are polished, some of them to a high degree, but the art

of glazing does not seem to have been understood. The finer kinds of

pottery are thin, tough, light, and very hard. The appliqué work,

displayed best in incense burners, upon which the figure of the god

in high relief is built up bit by bit, is rather coarse, but in some

examples very effective. Stone implements and weapons of great variety

have been discovered, including ax, spear, javelin, and arrowheads,

knives, clubs, throwing stones, hammerstones, scrapers, chisels,

borers, paint and corn grinders, fiber cleaners, and many others.

Flint, chert, obsidian, greenstone, and limestone were the materials

most commonly used in the manufacture of implements and weapons. Very

remarkable eccentrically shaped objects, including crosses, crescents,

rings, and a variety of other forms, chipped with great care and

precision, from flint, chert, and obsidian, are also found, though not

in great numbers. They seem to be confined almost exclusively to this

part of the Maya area.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

With the exception of clay whistles of from one to four notes, no

musical instruments have been found in the mounds, unless the hollow

cylinder (10-1/2 inches high by 4 inches in diameter) from Yalloch may

be regarded as a small hand drum similar to those mentioned by Landa

as having been in use at the time of the conquest,[15] and somewhat

resembling the clay jar with a piece of gibnut hide stretched over the

opening for a head, still in use as a drum among the Lacandones.[16]

The late Sir Alfred Moloney obtained in the village of Succots a

_tunkul_, or wooden drum, with two rubber-tipped drumsticks, which

had been brought by the Indians from Guatemala at the time of their

emigration from that country. This had been handed down from Alcalde to

Alcalde from time immemorial, and was used to summon the villagers on

special occasions, as a fire or the election of new Alcaldes.

FOOD

The staple article of diet among the ancient Maya seems to have been

maize, as it is at the present day among their descendants. Numbers

of rubbing-stones and rubbers, both broken and whole, are found in

the mounds, as are also the clay disks used for baking corn cakes.

The bones of various animals, which had probably been used for food,

are also found; among these are the peccary, gibnut, armadillo, puma,

tapir, and manatee, together with woula (snake), alligator, and (of

birds) the curassow and wild turkey. Shells of the conch, cockle,

oyster, and freshwater snail are also found in abundance. The Maya

probably kept small domestic animals and birds,[17] as great numbers of

rough stone troughs are found in the mounds, precisely similar to those

manufactured and used by the modern Maya Indians for watering their

fowls, while eggs, with turkeys and other birds, have been found, held

in the hands of figurines upon the incense burners, as offerings to the

gods. They seem to have made periodical expeditions to the cays and

islands off the coast to fish and collect shellfish, as quantities of

net-sinkers, flint chips, potsherds, and broken javelin heads are found

on many of the cays. But few mounds, however, which give evidence of

permanent human occupancy have been discovered in this situation.

SPINNING AND WEAVING

Judging by the great number of spindle-whorls found in the mounds and

on village sites, cotton spinning must have been practically universal

among the women. Oval perforated stones of a size suitable for loom

weights have been found, and it is probable that they were used as

such, as they do not seem to be adapted to any other purpose. With this

exception we learn nothing of the art of weaving from the contents of

the mounds. Henequen fiber was doubtless used for the manufacture of

rope, mats, hammocks, and other objects, as grooved flat stones for

beating the pulp from the fiber are common.

GAMES

The appliances for at least two distinct games have been found.[18]

The first consists of a large spherical block of limestone, nicely

polished, and about 1 foot in diameter, found associated with 6 to 12

smaller spherical stones, each about 3 inches in diameter, of very

light material somewhat resembling pumice stone. The second consists

of a number of small disks of shell, about three-fourths of an inch

in diameter. Collections of these have been found together on several

occasions; they might have been used as beads or ornaments but for

the fact that they are neither perforated nor decorated with incised

figures as shell beads usually are.

RELIGION

Of the 15 gods of the codices classified by Schellhas five may be

recognized in this area with a fair degree of certainty. God A, the god

of death, in the form of a human skull, decorates the outside of not

a few small pottery vessels, and is depicted upon the painted stucco

wall at Santa Rita. God B, the long-nosed god, is usually identified

with Cuculcan. Representations of this god are found throughout the

whole area in great abundance, painted upon pottery and stucco,

incised on bone and stone, and modeled in clay. This god is associated

with the cities of Chichen Itza and Mayapan, and is supposed to have

entered Yucatan from the west; indeed it is possible that he may

originally have been the leader of one of the Maya immigrations from

that direction. He appears to have been by far the most popular and

generally worshiped deity in this area, and it is his image which is

found on nearly half of all the incense burners discovered. God D,

probably Itzamna, appears in the codices as an old man with a Roman

nose, shrunken cheeks, toothless jaws, and a peculiar scroll-like

ornament beneath the eye, to the lower border of which are attached

two or three small circles. In some representations a single tooth

projects from the upper jaw, and in a few the face is bearded. This

god is not infrequently found associated with the serpent. A typical

representation of him is seen upon the Santa Rita temple wall;[19]

here he is depicted standing upon intertwined serpents, holding in his

right hand a feather-plumed serpent. This god is represented upon some

incense burners, and is found not infrequently associated with Cuculcan.

God K, the god with an elaborate foliated nose, often closely

associated with God B, his face in some cases forming the headdress

ornament of the latter god, is unmistakably depicted upon the Santa

Rita temple wall.[20] God P, the Frog god, is found on some small

pottery vases, and on a few incense burners. Nothing found in the

mounds proves definitely the practice of human sacrifice in this area,

but that it existed is almost certain, as Villagutierre refers to it as

prevalent among the Itza of Peten at the time of their conquest,[21] at

the end of the seventeenth century, and Landa mentions it as occurring

among the Maya at the time of the coming of the Spaniards.[22] Near

the headwaters of the Rio Hondo a mound was opened, which contained,

in a stone-walled chamber, a number of human skulls unaccompanied by

other bones. It is possible that these may have been the remains of

sacrificial victims, as it was customary to remove the head of the

victim after death, which became the perquisite of the priests.

Human sacrifice among the Maya was probably a somewhat rare event,

taking place only on extraordinary special occasions, as in times of

public calamity--for example, during the prevalence of famine, war,

or pestilence--when it was felt that a special propitiatory offering

to the god was called for. This practice was confined to one, or at

most to a very small number of victims, never reaching the proportions

which it did among the Aztec, by whom it was probably introduced

into Yucatan. The main offering of the Maya to their gods seems to

have consisted of an incense composed of copal gum and aromatic

substances. Landa mentions this as largely employed at the time of the

conquest; Villagutierre encountered it among the Itza at the end of

the seventeenth century; and Tozzer found it in use among the Lacandon

Indians at the present day. The incense itself has been found all over

this area, as well as great numbers of incense burners.

In addition to incense, the blood of fish, birds, and animals was

smeared over the images of the gods, as an offering, together with

human blood obtained by cutting the ears, tongue, genitals, and other

parts of the body. The hearts of various animals, together with live

and dead animals (some cooked and some raw) and all kinds of foods and

drinks in use among the people,[23] were also employed as offerings to

the gods. In the hands of figurines upon the incense burners are found,

modeled in clay, fruit, flowers, eggs, cakes, birds, small animals, and

other objects, all evidently intended for the same purpose.

CHRONOLOGY

Three distinct periods of Mayan civilization seem to be represented

in this area. The center of the earliest of these was along the Rio

Grande, in southern British Honduras, within 20 miles of the Guatemala

frontier, where the Leyden Plate was discovered, upon which is

inscribed the earliest but one known Maya date--namely, Cycle 8, Katun

14, Tun 3, Uinal 1, Kin 12. If the massive stone-faced pyramids and

terraces of these ruins are contemporaneous with the Leyden Plate, as

seems possible, they must be reckoned among the earliest monuments of

the first, or southern Maya, civilization. The Benque Viejo temple, in

the extreme western part of British Honduras, comes next in point of

time. This was almost certainly contemporaneous with its near neighbor,

Naranjo, where the earliest Initial Series found is 9.10.10.0.0, and

the latest 9.19.10.0.0, giving the city an age of at least 9 katuns,

or 180 years. It will be seen that the difference between the Leyden

tablet date and the earliest recorded date at Naranjo is rather more

than 16 katuns, or 320 years.

The latest of all the sites is undoubtedly Santa Rita, which shows

strong Mexican influence; this belongs to the second era of Maya

civilization, which reached its highest development in Yucatan and

the northern cities. Excluding the Tuluum Stela, the date upon which,

9.6.10.0.0, is almost certainly not contemporaneous,[24] the only

Initial Series deciphered with certainty in Yucatan up to the present

time is that at Chichen Itza, 10.2.9.1.9, nearly 3 katuns, or 60 years,

later than the latest at Naranjo; but probably the Santa Rita site

is much later in date than this, and if we may judge by the objects

found in the mounds in the vicinity, some of which show strong Spanish

influence, it was occupied up to and beyond the conquest.

[Illustration: PLATE 7

SKETCH MAP OF BRITISH HONDURAS, WITH ADJACENT PARTS OF

YUCATAN AND GUATEMALA, INDICATING THE POSITIONS OF

MOUNDS EXCAVATED]

DESCRIPTION OF MOUNDS

MOUND NO. 1

Mound No. 1 (No. 24 on the plan of Santa Rita (fig. 14), situated midway

between Nos. 6 and 22) was conical in shape, nearly circular at the

base, 18 feet high, and 90 feet in circumference. It was built

throughout of large irregular blocks of limestone, the interstices being

filled with limestone dust and earth, forming together a sort of friable

mortar, which rendered the whole structure nearly as compact as a solid

block of masonry.

[Illustration: FIG. 14. Plan of Santa Rita mounds.]

Excavation near the center of the mound, at a depth of 2 feet below the

surface, brought to light a large circular disk of roughly hewn

limestone, 3 feet in diameter by 8 inches thick. On lifting this it was

found to cover the mouth of a bell-like cist, nearly 3 feet in diameter

and about 5 feet in depth. On opening the cist, which was slightly

narrower at the bottom than at the top, it was found to be nearly half

filled with very fine brown dust, at the bottom of which lay a roughly

made circular urn 18 inches in diameter, covered by a mushroom-shaped

lid.

The urn was filled to the top with small crudely executed pottery

figurines of men and animals. There were 49 of these in all, consisting

of 4 warriors, with shield and spear, 3 seated human figures, 4 standing

figures (eating and fanning themselves), 4 lizards, 4 alligators, 4

snakes, 4 birds, 4 dragon-like creatures, 4 tigers, and 14 quashes or

picotes. The warriors (pl. 8) are represented in a crouching position,

with the right knee and left foot upon the ground; each holds in the

right hand a small spear and on the left forearm a circular shield.[25]

Two of them exhibit tusk-like objects projecting from their mouths. The

figures are 4-1/2 inches high; they are painted in red and white

throughout. The headdress consists of a boat-shaped cap worn with the

bow and stern projecting over the ears. The seated figures (pl. 9; fig.

15) are each 6 inches in height; these are painted throughout in red,

white, and green. Each is seated upon a low four-legged stool, and

grasps in one hand by its greatly enlarged spatulate glans the

projecting penis, on which he is seemingly performing some sort of

surgical operation with a long knife held in the other hand.

[Illustration: FIG. 15.--Figurine from Mound No. 1.]

The headdress consists of a mitre-like erection in front, with a long

queue hanging down to the waist behind. Button-like labrets are worn on

each side of the mouth in two of the figures, and all wear large

circular ear plugs. The standing figures (fig. 16) are each 5-1/2 inches

high, and had been painted throughout in red and white, though not much

of the original color now remains. The headdress consists of a broad

flat cap decorated in front with a row of circular beads, and on each

side with a large tassel, which hangs down over the ear plugs. Each

figure wears a small narrow _maxtli_ and button-like labrets at each

angle of the mouth. In one of the figures the right hand is extended,

while the left holds a circular fan. In the other the forearms are

flexed at right angles, with hands held open in front of the waist, as

if about to receive something. The lizard effigies, though crudely made,

are most lifelike representations about 6 inches in length. The

alligators resemble very closely those taken from another mound at Santa

Rita.[26]

[Illustration: PLATE 8

FIGURINES OF WARRIORS FROM MOUND NO. 1]

[Illustration: PLATE 9

FIGURINES FROM MOUND NO. 1]

[Illustration: FIG. 16. Figurines from Mound No. 1.]

The tigers and dragon-like creatures are exactly similar to those

figured in Nos. 6 and 4 of the same plate. The bird and snake effigies

are very crude and ill made; the former, about 1-1/2 inches in length,

represent birds in the act of flying, with wings extended. The snakes,

each represented with a double curve in the body, are about 5-1/2

inches in length and one-half inch in diameter; they are made of rough

clay, painted red. The effigies of the quashes, though rough and

crudely made, are rather vigorous and lifelike in execution. Each is

about 3 inches long. This small arboreal animal, which abounds in the

district, is represented in a variety of comical positions; so well

indeed has the artist studied his model that one can not help thinking

that he must have kept some of the little animals as pets, as many of

the Maya Indians do at the present day. The figures when first found

were so brittle that it was impossible to remove them from the pot

without breakage, as they had been seemingly only sun dried. After

exposure to the sun and air, however, for a few days they gradually

hardened.

The only unpainted object found in the urn was a natural-size model of

the human penis, in a state of semierection (fig. 17). This differed

from all the other objects in that it had been fired, instead of merely

sun dried, and is on that account much harder. Upon the upper surface

of the glans penis are three longitudinal incisions, extending almost

from base to apex, evidently made with a sharp-pointed implement while

the clay was still soft.

With these figurines a number of perforated beads of jade and some of

a dark-red stone, all nicely polished, were found; also the tooth of a

large alligator, perforated at the base, evidently for suspension with

the beads.

[Illustration: FIG. 17.--Unpainted object from Mound No. 1.]

About 6 feet to the north of the center of the mound, at a depth of 3

feet below the surface, was discovered a small stone cist or chamber,

18 inches square, built of roughly cut blocks of limestone. Within

this were found most of the bones of a male of medium height and fair

muscular development. These bones were exceedingly friable, but showed

no effects of fire; with the exception of the tibiæ, they were in

no way abnormal. The upper articular surface of the right tibia had

disappeared. The shaft was rounded in section, the prominent angles

at the front and sides being obliterated. It was slightly bowed, with

the convexity anteriorly, and was considerably enlarged, especially

in its upper two-thirds, which were composed chiefly of very friable

cancellous tissue, rendering the bone much lighter than its appearance

indicated. The surface of the upper part of the bone was marked by the

presence of a number of small pits or depressions. Of the left tibia

only a few fragments were found, but so far as could be judged from

these a change somewhat similar to that observed in the right tibia

had taken place in it. The bones and other objects found in this mound

would suggest at first sight the possibility of the individual buried

beneath it having suffered during life from some form of venereal

disease, closely allied to, if not identical with, syphilis. On reading

Landa's account[27] of two forms of ceremonial self-mutilation carried

out by the Yucatecan Maya at the time of the conquest there can be

little doubt, however, that the figurines shown in plate 9 and figure

15 are meant to represent individuals inflicting on themselves one

or other of these, but, owing to the crudeness of the workmanship,

it is difficult to determine which. In one the foreskin was pierced

and expanded in much the same way that the ears were treated when

sacrificing to the idols. In the other, a number of men, sitting in

a row in the temple, each pierced his glans penis from side to side,

and passing a long piece of cord through all the apertures, strung

themselves together in this way.

MOUND NO. 2

Mound No. 2 (No. 25 on the plan, fig. 14) was situated a short distance

to the south of Mound No. 19. It was circular at the base, conical in

shape, 6 feet high at its highest point, and 40 yards in circumference.

On the summit of the mound, partially buried in the earth, was found a

conch shell, much worn by the weather, with the tip cut smoothly off,

and still capable of being used as a trumpet. The surface layer of the

mound was composed of earth, in which were embedded a few limestone

blocks. Within this layer, which was 18 inches thick, near the center

of the mound and a few inches beneath the surface, was found a turtle,

hewn from a block of limestone, measuring 13 inches in length and 10

inches in breadth. The next layer was composed of ashes, charcoal,

and pieces of half-charred wood. This layer, which varied from 3 to

8 inches in thickness, extended evenly over the whole surface of the

mound, and within it were found 16 beads of jade, two small round

three-legged vases, and the fragments of two pottery images. The beads

were all perforated and finely polished; two of them represented human

faces, and one the head of some animal, probably an alligator. One

is unusually large, measuring 3-3/4 inches in length by 3/4 inch in

breadth.

The clay images are so fragmentary as not to be worth figuring, but

in construction, ornamentation, and size they appear to be almost

identical with those found in the mounds at Santa Rita, already

described.[28] One of the vases is 3-1/4 inches and the other 2-3/4

inches in height; both are ovate. All the objects taken from this layer

show traces of having been exposed to the action of fire. The beads

are all more or less cracked and blackened, and the pottery images and

vases are discolored. The next layer was composed of mortar, embedded

in which were numerous pieces of limestone; it varied in depth from

18 inches to 2 feet. The upper part of this layer, to a depth of 2 to

3 inches, was yellow and very hard, and seemingly had been fired; the

lower part was lighter in color and very friable. Within this layer,

toward the center of the mound, was found the alligator effigy shown

in figure 18. This animal is 15-1/2 inches in length from the snout

to the tip of the tail. The interior is hollow, and in the center of

the dorsal region is a circular opening 3-1/2 inches in diameter,

surrounded by a rim 1-1/2 inches high and covered by a saucer-like

lid. Within the widely opened jaws is seen a human face, having at

each corner of the mouth a small pottery disk, and in the ears two

large circular ear plugs.[29] Between the eyes of the alligator are

two claw-like horns, 1 inch in length, each terminating in three

curved prongs, which point forward. Within the body were found two

small perforated beads of polished jade. The inside of the jaws is

colored red; the whole of the body, together with the head and limbs,

is colored brown; the forehead and cheeks of the face held between the

animal's jaws are colored blue; the nose, mouth, and chin, white.

[Illustration: FIG. 18.--Clay alligator found in Mound No. 2.]

This is by far the largest and most carefully modeled of the pottery

figurines found at Santa Rita, the smallest detail having received

careful attention, and the scales, claws, and teeth being separately

and accurately formed.[30]

The fourth and deepest layer was 2-1/2 feet in thickness, and was

built of blocks of limestone, each weighing from 50 to 200 pounds,

roughly fitted together, without clay or mortar to fill in the

crevices. Scattered all through this layer were great numbers of

fragments of pottery censers decorated externally with human figures;

nearly 150 pounds of these were taken from it, representing probably

20 incense burners. The whole of the pottery when first found was

exceedingly brittle, but hardened in a few hours on being exposed

to the air and sun. At the bottom of this layer, and resting on the

ground, were found a number of pieces of black porous material with a

peculiar odor. The bottom of a large round pot, 10 inches in diameter,

was also found full of the same substance, which is probably a mixture

of copal gum with various aromatic substances, which had been used as

incense and partially charred at the bottom of the incense burner.

Fragments of the bottoms of round pots were found scattered about on

the ground level, many of them having bits of this charred incense

still adhering to them.

The mound appears to have been constructed in the following manner:

First, a number of pieces of burning incense and round jars containing

the same substance were strewn thickly over an area approximately 40

yards in circumference; next a foundation or platform 2-1/2 feet in

height was formed by placing together a number of large rough blocks of

limestone, among which were scattered the fragments of about 20 incense

burners, decorated outside with human figures in high relief. Over

this was plastered a layer of mortar 18 inches to 2 feet in thickness

in which was embedded the alligator seen in figure 18. Fires were

lighted on top of this mortar till its upper layers were discolored,

and into the fire while still burning were thrown fragments of two clay

images, two small oval vases, and a number of beads. Over the ashes and

charcoal left by the fires earth and blocks of limestone were heaped to

a height of 18 inches, and in this layer was buried the stone turtle

already referred to; finally on top of the earth layer was placed a

conch-shell trumpet.

MOUND NO. 3

Mound No. 3 (No. 26 on the plan, fig. 14) was situated immediately

between Mounds Nos. 6 and 11. It was roughly circular in shape, 120

feet in circumference and 3 feet in height. On being dug away to the

ground level it was found to be composed of earth and small blocks

of limestone, among which were numerous potsherds and fragments of

terra-cotta images, though the latter were so small that it was

impossible to tell how many images they represented. The potsherds

varied very much, some being rough and undecorated, others polished

and well painted in geometrical devices. Fragments of flint spearheads

and obsidian knives were also found in this mound. On reaching the

ground level the opening of a narrow passage 18 inches square was

discovered which led obliquely downward toward the east for a distance

of 8 feet; it was lined with roughly squared flags of limestone and

terminated in a small stone-lined chamber 2 feet square. On the floor,

half buried in fine dry earth, lay a small urn, roughly made of coarse

pottery, neither painted nor glazed. It was circular in form, 38-1/2

inches in circumference, with a semicircular handle at each side, and

was covered by a mushroom-shaped lid; with the lid in situ the whole

formed a somewhat irregular sphere. In the urn and almost completely

filling it were 20 small pottery figurines, comprising 3 warriors, 1

seated human figure, 4 alligators, 4 dragons, 6 quashes or picotes, and

2 serpent-like creatures.

The warrior figures resemble very closely those found in Mound No. 24

(see pl. 8), the only difference being that while two of them hold

shields on their left forearms, and grasp spears in their right hands

(as in pl. 8), the third warrior from this mound grasps a long dagger,

instead of a spear, in his right hand. The seated figure is very

similar to those from Mound No. 24 (see fig. 15), the only difference

being that the glans penis is grasped in the left hand while the right

hand wields the knife. The alligators are closely similar to those

already described, except that they are solid throughout instead of

being hollow. They are painted red, white, and black, and vary in

length from 5-1/2 to 6-1/2 inches. The tigers are similar to those

found in Mound No. 24, but are rougher, and not so carefully modeled;

all are hollow and are painted red throughout. The four dragon-like

creatures vary from 6 to 7 inches in length; the body, which is round

and slender, ends in a flattened bifid tail; the mouth, which is held

wide open, is furnished with a set of formidable teeth. Upon the upper

lip is a horn-like excrescence, and over the thorax are one dorsal and

two lateral fins. Each animal is painted white over the whole surface;

the inside of the mouth is painted red over the white layer. The six

quashes are exactly similar to those found in Mound No. 24, as are also

the two serpents.

Mounds containing animal and human effigies appear to be singularly

limited in their distribution. At Santa Rita seven have been explored

in all, each containing 1 to 49 effigies, some very crudely and

roughly made from sun-dried clay, others nicely modeled and painted

in various colors. Probably several more of these mounds had been

removed by the former owners of the estate to obtain stone for building

and road-making purposes, as figurines similar to those taken from

the excavated mounds were found in the possession of coolie laborers

working on the estate, which they said they had found from time to

time when digging for stone. The effigies comprise figures of men,

alligators, turtles, quashes, lizards, birds, sharks, and snakes,

together with two-headed dragons and other mythologic animals. Similar

mounds containing animal effigies have been found at Douglas, about

18 miles southwest of Santa Rita; at Bacalar, 25 miles northwest; at

Corozal, less than a mile south; and near San Antonio, about 9 miles

north of it. In each of these localities only a single effigy was

found, the workmanship of which resembled so closely that of the Santa

Rita specimens that it would be difficult to decide from which locality

they had come.

So far as it has been possible to ascertain, no similar human and

animal effigies have been previously discovered in this section of the

Maya area. The significance of these figurines appears to be somewhat

obscure. They are not invariably found associated with human remains,

though this may be owing to the fact that the bones have completely

perished through decay or because cremation has been practiced. They

show no signs of use or wear and were evidently made only to be buried.

The hollow specimens frequently contain one or more beads of red shell,

greenstone, or clay in their interiors, while in most cases they have

been found associated with fragments of pottery incense burners, which

in this region seem to have been very commonly mortuary in use. On

the whole it seems probable that these figurines were merely votive

offerings to the gods, buried with the dead. Some of them may indicate

the occupation of the individual with whom they were buried. A priest

and warrior from the same mound have been described, whose occupant may

have combined the double office, while a small statuette of an old man,

with a macapal slung over his shoulders, by a strap passing across the

forehead (typical of an Indian laborer of the present day), was found

by a coolie digging out stone from a mound at Santa Rita many years ago.

MOUND NO. 4

Mound No. 4 (No. 7 on the plan of the Santa Rita mounds)[31] has

recently been excavated, together with nearly the whole of the

earthwork on its south side. The mound was circular at the base,

conical in shape, 57 feet in height, 471 feet in circumference, and was

built of blocks of limestone held together by mortar. On the south side

of the mound and continuous with it was a circular earthwork 100 yards

in diameter. The walls inclosing the circular space varied from 10 to

25 feet in height. They were higher toward the north, where they were

continuous with the large mound, and lower toward the south, where an

opening 30 feet wide gave access to the inclosure. The summit of the

mound was truncated, circular, and about 20 feet in diameter.

[Illustration: FIG. 19.--Objects from Mound No. 4.]

It was covered by a layer of alluvial earth 4 inches in thickness, on

removing which the following objects were brought to light, lying on the

layer immediately subjacent, near the center of the mound: (a) A

leaf-shaped spearhead of very light yellow flint, 5 inches in length;

(b) a leaf-shaped spearhead of reddish flint, 5-1/2 inches in length;

(c) an eccentrically-shaped flint object (fig. 19, _a_), 4-1/4 inches in

breadth by 2-3/4 inches in depth, of light grayish flint, very neatly

and carefully chipped; (d) a large, well-made flint arrowhead, deeply

grooved on each side of the base, 2-1/2 inches in length, and of light

grayish color (fig. 19, _b_); (e) the broken end of a roughly chipped

flint hook or crescent (fig. 19, _c_). With these flint objects were

found a small red-stone bead and a quantity of pieces of broken images,

as arms, legs, faces, hands, breastplates, etc., in rough pottery. Below

the alluvial layer the mound was composed of large blocks of limestone,

held together by mortar, giving it the consistency of masonry and

rendering digging in it very difficult. At a depth of 6 feet a small

oblong chamber was opened, built of rough blocks of limestone, about 8

feet by 3 feet, within which were found fragments of human bones, the

head pointing to the north. At both head and feet a few very roughly

chipped spearheads were found. At a depth of 10 feet another small

chamber, 4 feet in length by 2 feet in height and 2 feet in breadth, was

opened, also composed of rough blocks of limestone. Within this were

four basin-shaped vessels; two, somewhat larger than their fellows, were

superimposed upon them (fig. 20). These basins were made of rough

pottery, colored yellow, with a broad red stripe round the rim. Each was

pierced by a pair of small round holes, 1 inch apart, repeated at equal

intervals four times round the circumference, about one-half inch from

the margin. The perforations in the upper vase corresponded exactly to

those in the lower when they were discovered, suggesting that they had

been connected by cords of henequen fiber, _ti-ti_, or some perishable

material which had disintegrated. It was considered certain that these

vessels would contain a number of the small pottery figures which

similar vessels from neighboring mounds had yielded. On removing the

cover from the first one, however, it was found to contain nothing but

a small quantity of impalpable dust. The second contained about an equal

quantity of similar dust, together with a small rough opal. The

excavation of this mound was continued to a depth of about 18 feet, but

nothing further was discovered.

The circular space inclosed within the earthwork was surfaced by a layer

varying from 2 feet to 3 feet in thickness, resting on the bedrock, and

composed of rubble and powdered marl beaten into a compact mass, covered

by two layers of cement, one beneath the other, which formed a smooth

level floor over the whole inclosure. A great part of the earthwork and

the rubble from the floor of the inclosed space have been removed to

repair the Corozal streets. Nothing, however, was found within them with

the exception of a few broken flint axheads and spearheads, some

hammerstones (which are found practically everywhere), fragments of

obsidian knives, and quantities of potsherds. Plate 10 shows a section

through the earthwork in process of removal at its western extremity.

[Illustration: FIG. 20.--Pottery vessels from Mound No. 4.]

The wall is 21 feet 8 inches in height at this point, though only about

17 or 18 feet are shown in the photograph, as the ground was filled

up behind the men excavating by a heap of limestone dust 3 or 4 feet

high, left after the stones had been removed. The wall is composed

here from the ground up of--(1) a layer of small rubble, 18 inches

in thickness, the stones composing which had apparently been picked

off the land; (2) a layer of cement, 6 to 8 inches in thickness (the

upper surface of this layer is continuous with the upper surface of

the cement covering the inclosed space, and the two together evidently

formed originally one continuous flat, smooth pavement); (3) a layer of

large rough blocks of limestone, 8 feet in thickness, built in together

with some care, but without the intervention of mortar (these blocks

had evidently been quarried out especially for this purpose, as they

were quite fresh and showed no signs of weathering); (4) a cement layer

3 feet in thickness, composed of alternate thin layers of bluish gray

cement and thick layers of yellowish cement, which can be faintly seen

in the photograph. At the point B, plate 10, were found a quantity

of ashes and small pieces of charred wood; the large stones in the

neighborhood were also blackened by the action of fire, and ashes were

mixed with the lower part of the cement layer, which would seemingly

indicate that a large fire, lasting a considerable period, had been

kept up at this point on top of layer c before the cement capping was

added. The top layer, 8 feet high, is composed of loose, friable mortar

with rough blocks of limestone set in it irregularly and finished

with a conical cap. In the upper center of plate 10, _b_, may be

distinguished a trench, 3 feet in width, which runs through the whole

thickness of this layer. Its walls are composed of rough limestone

blocks mortared together. The trench was completely filled in with

small loose rubble similar to that found in layer _a_.

The high, steep, solidly constructed mounds, the bases of many of which

are connected with more or less circular earthworks, were probably

lookouts or observation mounds. Most of these mounds terminate in a

narrow flattened summit too small to have supported even the smallest

temple, while many of them form the centers or nuclei of other groups

of mounds. Few contain anything besides the stone, mortar, and earth

of which they are constructed, though some of them contain superficial

interments. That at Santa Rita is exceptional in that it includes

stone-faced cysts. These mounds extend in a more or less regular chain

along the coast of Quintana Roo and British Honduras, reaching from

the top of Chetumal Bay nearly as far south as Northern River, and

extending inland in a southwesterly direction along the courses of the

Rio Hondo and Rio Nuevo, though many are situated at a considerable

distance from either sea or rivers.

MOUND NO. 5

Mound No. 5 (No. 27 on the plan, fig. 14), situated about 200 yards to

the southeast of the fortification, was 3 feet in height, 30 feet in

diameter, and nearly circular. It was built of blocks of limestone,

rubble, limestone dust, and earth. Many of these blocks had evidently

been taken from some building, as they were well squared. About the

center of the mound, at the ground level, a small cyst was discovered, 3

feet long, 2 feet broad, and 1 foot high, built throughout of rough

flags of limestone. Within it were two vases; one, shown in figure 21,

_a_, is of rough unpainted pottery, 4-1/2 inches high, with a small

ear-like projection on each side, each of which is ornamented with an

ear plug. Vases with these ear-like projections and ear plugs are not

uncommon in this area, and are probably highly conventionalized incense

burners. The figure of the god outside (which, as will be shown later

on, was represented after a time by the face only) has here had every

feature and ornament of the face eliminated with the exception of the

ears and ear plugs, which would always be unmistakable.

[Illustration: PLATE 10

a. SECTION THROUGH EARTHWORK INCLOSING CIRCULAR SPACE.

SANTA RITA

b. SECTION OF WALL THROUGH SANTA RITA.]

[Illustration: PLATE 11

EGG-SHAPED VASE FROM MOUND NO. 5]

The other, seen in plate 11, is an egg-shaped vase standing on three

short legs. It is decorated outside with a human face and was originally

painted white throughout and ornamented with black lines. It has a small

opening at the top covered by a triangular stopper. Within this vase

were found two small polished beads, one of greenstone, the other of red

shell. Throughout the mound were found numerous fragments of incense

burners, with the small head of a tiger, 2 birds, 5 small beads, 2

malachates, 4 net sinkers, and the ceremonial bar shown in figure 21,

_c_; all in rough pottery. About 5 feet from the northern edge of the

mound were found human bones, representing a single interment, seemingly

of a male of middle age. The skull and long bones, which were very

brittle, though they hardened on being exposed to the air for a day,

were gotten out only in fragments. The molar and premolar teeth are

heavily coated with tartar but are not greatly worn down at the crown;

the incisors, on the other hand, are very much worn and in life must

have been nearly level with the gum. Marked attrition of the incisors

seems to be present in nearly all the teeth of individuals past middle

life found in sepulchral mounds throughout this area, which is rather

remarkable, as the staple diet of the ancient inhabitants must have been

nearly identical with that of the Indians of the present day; that is,

maize ground to a fine paste on a stone metate, which of necessity

contains a good deal of grit from the metate, so much so that the modern

Maya say that an old man eats two rubbing stones and six rubbers during

his life. This gritty _nistamal_ wears down the back teeth of the modern

Maya almost to the gum, but does not materially affect the front teeth;

yet it is the latter, not the former, which we find affected in maxillæ

from the mounds. One of the molar teeth from this burial has had a

triangular piece removed from its crown (fig 21, _f_). Along one edge of

the gap left the tooth is carious.

[Illustration: FIG. 21.--Objects found in Mound No. 5.]

Mingled with the human bones were found: (a) A flat, oblong object, made

of finely polished bone, 1 inch broad and one-tenth inch thick. Its

original length could not be determined, as the upper part had been

broken away. (b) Three beads, one of polished greenstone, two of

polished red shell; one of the latter was 1-1/3 inches long, with two

incomplete perforations passing through it longitudinally. It had

probably been intended to form part of a wristlet. (c) Parts of three

small obsidian knives which had evidently seen considerable use, as

their edges were much chipped. (d) The curious object shown in figure

21, _d_, front view, and _e_, side view. It is made of copper, and was

evidently used as tweezers, either for the removal of hair, for which

purpose it would be admirably adapted, as the lower expanded parts of

the blades when pressed together come into such close apposition that

the smallest and most delicate hair can be removed by means of them;[32]

or for the extraction of small thorns from the skin. Landa mentions the

fact that the Maya were in the habit of removing the hairs from their

chins and lips, but if this little implement was the only one employed

for the purpose the custom can not have been a very common one in this

locality, as no other similar specimen was found in any of the mounds.

Passing from north to south through the mound, about 8 feet from its

center, were two parallel rows of limestone flags, set perpendicularly,

about 18 inches apart. Against the outer of these rows lay a

considerable accumulation of animal bones, probably those of the tapir.

In the space between the outer row of flags and the edge of the mound

were found 10 oblong blocks of limestone, averaging 18 by 10 inches, the

upper surfaces of which were hollowed out to a depth of 3 or 4 inches.

These were probably intended as water receptacles for the use of fowls

or small animals kept about the home, as precisely similar small stone

troughs are made and used by the modern Indians for this purpose. The

space between the rows of flags was floored with mortar, but nothing was

found within it.

MOUND NO. 5 A

Mound No. 5 A (No. 28 on the plan, fig. 14) was situated within a few

yards of the opening into the circular earthwork attached to Mound No.

7. It was long and narrow, nowhere exceeding 2 feet in height. It was

built throughout of small limestone bowlders, mixed with a large

proportion of black earth. The limits of the mound were difficult to

define, as the earth of which it was built had been washed down and

mingled with the surrounding soil to so great an extent that it was

almost impossible to determine where one began and the other ended.

This mound or ridge has not as yet been completely explored, but in the

part which has already been dug down two interments were found. The

first was quite superficial, about 1 foot below the surface, near the

eastern extremity of the ridge. The bones were those of a well-developed

male, of rather unusual height and muscular development for a Maya

Indian; they were in an exceptionally good state of preservation, though

not protected from the surrounding earth by cist or burial chamber.

Unfortunately, the skull was smashed into small fragments by a careless

blow of the pickax before it was realized that a burial existed at the

spot. The body appeared to have been buried lying upon the right side,

with the legs flexed at the knees and thighs. From one of the incisor

teeth a quadrangular piece had been cleanly removed (fig. 21, _g_).

Unfortunately, the tooth in contact with it on the other side could not

be found, so that it was impossible to ascertain whether a corresponding

piece had been removed from this also. The tooth was much worn at the

cutting edge. Landa describes a grinding down of the teeth to a sawlike

edge, for ornamental purposes, practiced by the Yucatecans at the time

of the conquest,[33] and it seems probable that this tooth was operated

on for a similar purpose.

With the bones were found: (a) An oblong piece of marble-like stone, 2

inches long, 1-1/2 inches broad, and 1 inch deep, polished on all its

surfaces, probably used for smoothing or burnishing; (b) what appeared

to be a piece broken from a rubbing stone which had been squared, and

which showed marks on its upper surface indicating that it had been used

for giving an edge to stone implements; (c) fragments of rough unpainted

pottery.

The second interment was that of a child 8 to 10 years of age. The site

of this burial was within a few feet of the first, at a depth of about a

foot below the surface. The bones, which were in a fair state of

preservation, were in contact with the earth of which the mound was

built. The corpse appeared to have been laid on the side, with the legs

drawn up. With the bones were found only a few ornaments broken from

pottery incense burners, as ear plugs, small animal heads, and part of a

quilted breastplate.

This mound was probably of a much later date than the other mounds

described at Santa Rita. It is merely an irregular ridge built of earth

and stones, while the earlier mounds just referred to are well defined

and constructed of blocks of limestone with rubble, limestone dust, and

mortar filling in the interstices. The bones, though placed under the

most unfavorable conditions, having been in direct contact with the damp

earth, are in an excellent state of preservation, far better, indeed,

than even the best preserved of those in the other mounds where the

conditions are decidedly more favorable. The skeletons of children are

practically never found in the other mounds, as the bones have long

since disappeared completely, while here we find the bones of a child

under 12 years of age in a fairly good state of preservation. There are

a number of those sepulchral ridges at Santa Rita, many of them hardly

distinguishable from the surrounding soil; they are all seemingly of

much more recent date than the other mounds, and are probably the work

of Maya Indian tribes who flourished long after the conquest.

[Illustration: FIG. 22.--Diagram of Mound No. 6.]

MOUND NO. 6

Mound No. 6 was situated near the southwestern boundary of Santa Rita.

The mound was nearly circular, with flattened top, 25 yards in diameter,

and 10 feet high at its highest point. Toward the southern side of the

mound was unearthed a wall (fig. 22, A) 2 feet thick, 2 feet high, and

about 15 yards long. From the ends of the wall roughly made masses of

limestone and mortar (fig. 22, BB) passed almost through the mound,

inclosing a rectangular space, C. The wall was evidently the remains of

an older structure, as it was built of well-squared stones and had been

broken down at both the top and sides. The masses of masonry (fig. 22,

BB) were 5 to 6 feet thick by about 5 feet high. The space C was filled

with alternating layers of mortar and small rubble. The spaces (fig. 22,

FFF) at the periphery of the mound were filled with rubble mixed with

earth.

[Illustration: PLATE 12

METATES AND BRAZOS FROM MOUND NO. 6]

[Illustration: PLATE 13

a. SMALL POTTERY SEAL

b. BOWL IN WHICH SKULL WAS FOUND

c. SKULL

Length, 15.9 cm.; breadth, 15.9 cm.;

height, 13.3 cm.; circumference, 47.9 cm.]

The rubble, wherever found in the mound, contained large quantities of

potsherds, together with flint chips and a few hammerstones. In the

spaces FFF were found numerous fragments of metates and brazos, with one

unbroken specimen of each (pl. 12). At the points marked (fig. 22, 1, 2,

3, 4) four human interments were encountered at a depth of 12 to 18

inches beneath the surface. The bodies had been buried lying on the

back, fully extended. The bones were in a very poor state of

preservation, and with each interment were found a few flint chips,

hammerstones, broken spearheads, obsidian knives, and one or two small,

very roughly made, round cooking pots. The whole mound was removed to

provide material for the Corozal streets. On reaching the ground level

it was found that a series of trenches had been cut through the earth

beneath, to the bedrock, and filled in with small rubble. Figure 23

gives a plan of these trenches, which are in the form of two

parallelograms, measuring 9 yards by 6 yards, joined by a third of

approximately the same area. The trenches varied from 3 to 4 feet in

breadth and from 1-1/2 to 3-1/2 feet in depth, according to the

thickness of the layer of earth over the bedrock. The space marked

figure 23, A, contained remains of at least 30 interments; some of these

were in small semicircular excavations made in the surrounding earth

from the sides of the trenches; these are shown at figure 23, D; others

were made in holes dug in the earth at various points within the space

A. The bodies buried in the excavations at the sides of the trenches

seem to have been crowded in, in a variety of positions, in order to

accommodate themselves to the size and shape of the cavity. Most of

those in the space A had been buried head downward, the skulls resting

in some cases in earthenware bowls, with the back bent, legs flexed, and

knees drawn up against the chin. Nearly all these bones were decayed and

friable, and could not be removed without crumbling away. The only

exception was the burial marked figure 23, D´, from which the upper part

of the skull was recovered almost entire, though the facial bones and

lower jaw were lost. This skull (pl. 13, _c_) rested in the bowl shown

in plate 13, _b_, a handsome piece of pottery, standing upon four nearly

globular hollow legs, with slits in their sides, and within them small

spheres of clay which rattled when the bowl was moved. It is painted

yellow and red throughout, and is nicely polished. A great number of

objects were found accompanying the bones in the space A. These included

flint ax heads and spearheads, flint scrapers, and hammerstones, two

obsidian spearheads, and fragments of obsidian knives, shell and clay

beads, and a small cylindrical pottery seal about 3 inches in length,

with a geometrical device in low relief stamped upon it (pl. 13, _a_).

The bones of the peccary, curassow, snake, and of some variety of fish

were also found, together with the shells of conches, cockles, snails,

and hooties (a large variety of freshwater snail still eaten by the

natives). A block of crystalline limestone, 18 inches long by 8 inches

high and 12 inches broad, was found in one of the semicircular pits

leading from the trench at the upper border of space A, figure 23. It

was traversed by 14 longitudinal grooves on its upper surface, which was

slightly concave; each groove was 1/2 inch broad by 1/4 inch deep, quite

smooth, and nearly straight. The stone had seemingly been used as a hone

for giving an edge to small stone implements.

[Illustration: FIG. 23.--Diagram of trenches in Mound No. 6.]

Extending out toward the northeast from the main mound was a low

structure (fig. 22, G) 4 feet in height and 25 yards in length. It was

composed throughout of layers of clay, rubble, and limestone dust, not

very clearly separated. Three separate interments were found beneath

this mound near its center (fig. 22, H), the bones in all of which were

very much decayed. From the first of these the shallow bowl (fig. 24,

_a_), 7-1/2 inches in diameter by 1-1/2 inches deep, together with the

vase _d_, 8 inches in height, were taken. The vase was of rather fine

pottery, painted a uniform dark red throughout. Nothing else was found

with this interment.

From the second grave were taken a bowl exactly similar to that shown in

figure 24, _a_, two flat dishes 12 inches in diameter (fig. 24, _e_),

and a small polished bone ring 1 inch in length, seemingly a section

from one of the larger long bones of some large animal. The vessel _g_,

6 inches in diameter, was also found with this burial; it is made of

fine pottery, painted red, and possesses a curious upturned spout, which

bends inward toward the rim of the pot to such an extent that it would

be impossible either to drink or pour out the contents therefrom. These

curious pots, usually with the spout parallel to the perpendicular axis

of the vessel, are quite common among Maya pottery from this district;

they were supposed to have been used as chocolate pots, but drinking

from them must have been a feat of legerdemain.

[Illustration: FIG. 24.--Bowls, vases, and dishes found in Mound

No. 6.]

From the third grave came two bowls, both almost spherical, the one 12

inches, the other 6 inches, in diameter (fig. 24, _c_). At the point K,

near the end of the mound G (fig. 22), three interments were found, very

close together, on the ground level; these had evidently been contained

at one time in a small oval cist, built of rough blocks of limestone,

which had now completely caved in. With the bones were found the vases

shown in figure 24, _b_, _f_, _h_, of the same red-painted pottery as

was found elsewhere in the mound. Six well-made bone awls, or lance

heads, each about 6 inches in length, together with a heap of the

shells of some large bivalve, one of which was polished and perforated

for use as an ornament, were also found among these bones. The stones of

which the cist had been built, the bones, and the objects accompanying

them were so inextricably mixed that it was impossible to tell which

objects belonged to each set of bones. Passing through the long axis of

this mound was a rubble-filled trench, 3 feet in breadth, dug down to

the bedrock, exactly similar in structure to those already described. No

interments were found at the sides of this trench, which is shown in

figure 23, E.

[Illustration: Flag of limestone shown in D, fig. 25.]

[Illustration: FIG. 25.--_A_, skull; _B_, limestone formation;

_C_, excavation; _D_, grooved flag in situ;

_E_, projecting lip.]

MOUND NO. 6 A

Mound No. 6 A, another of the group of mounds adjoining the

southwesterly boundary of Santa Rita, measured 18 feet by 15 feet at the

base, by about 3 feet high at the highest point, and was built

throughout of earth, large blocks of limestone, and limestone dust. The

mound rested directly on the limestone formation. Into this, near the

center of the mound, an oval excavation had been made (see C C, fig. 25)

about 10 inches in depth, and in size just large enough to contain the

skull which was found within it. A ledgelike projection was left at one

edge of the excavation (see E, fig. 25), and just beneath this rested

the point of the jaw. A large heavy flag of limestone (see D, fig. 25),

from which a semicircular segment had been chipped, was placed above the

excavation opposite the lip, so that the groove in the stone inclosed

the neck and clamped the skull tightly down in the little hole which

had been made to receive it. On each side of the skull the femora were

found, in a nearly vertical position, condyles downward, and between the

femora many fragments of other bones were brought to light, including

the tibiæ, arm bones, and vertebræ. Resting upon the limestone flag

which covered the skull lay a large, rudely made chert hammerstone, 8

inches long by 4 inches broad, which had probably been used in chipping

out the semicircular groove to fit the neck. Near the center of this

mound, 2 feet below the surface, two very neatly made flint hammerstones

were found. The dimensions of this skull were: Length, 14.22 cm.;

breadth, 16.76 cm.; circumference, 48.26 cm.; cephalic index, 123. The

base of the skull was so much damaged that the height could not be

ascertained. The extreme breadth in comparison with the length, giving

it a remarkably brachicephalic appearance, was possibly, to some extent

at least, the result of post-mortem compression from before backward

within the little cavity which contained it.

MOUND NO. 7

Mound No. 7, situated very close to No. 6 A, was oval in shape,

measuring 30 yards by 10 yards at the base, and 8 feet high along the

summit. It was built throughout of large blocks of limestone, limestone

dust, and a small proportion of earth. It rested upon the natural

limestone formation, into which, near the western end of the mound, a

shallow oval pit 18 inches in length by 10 inches in depth had been dug.

In this was found a somewhat imperfect skull, resting with the foramen

magnum uppermost. The other bones, which were distributed irregularly

around the hole, were in a poor state of preservation. Upon one side of

the skull lay a small shallow bowl, with four hollow legs, each

containing a pellet of dry clay loose in its interior; and upon the

other side a small three-legged vase. Both of these were of rather crude

pottery, painted dark-red throughout and polished. Two other excavations

similar to this were found in the limestone beneath this mound, each

containing fragments of a skull in a very advanced state of decay,

surrounded by fragments of the other bones. No additional pottery or

other objects were found beside them. The two mounds last described are

the only ones in which this peculiar method of interment appears to have

been employed. The procedure seems to have been somewhat as follows:

First, the earth capping was removed from the limestone rock, over the

area to be occupied by the mound; next, shallow oval pits were dug in

the rock into which the skulls were wedged; each body was bent, and the

thighs were flexed on the abdomen, so that the knees touched the rock on

each side of the head; finally, the mound was built up of limestone

dust, earth, and blocks of limestone around the body, in this position.

MOUND NO. 8

Mound No. 8, situated very close to Mound No. 7, was roughly circular,

36 feet in diameter and 4 feet high on its flattened top. It was built

throughout of earth, limestone dust, and blocks of limestone. Projecting

from the western edge of the mound was a large, roughly hewn block of

limestone, 3 feet by 4 feet, and 8 inches in thickness. Running through

the center of the mound from east to west were two parallel rows of

limestone flags, 2 feet apart, projecting 18 inches from the limestone

rock upon which the mound was erected and in which they were embedded.

Near the center of the mound, between the rows of limestone flags and

resting on the earth, covered only with limestone dust, was found a

single interment. The skull is shown in plate 14. Its dimensions are:

Length, 17.01 cm.; breadth, 16.51 cm.; height, 10.68 cm.; circumference,

51.30 cm.; cephalic index, 97. The body, which was stretched at full

length, had probably been laid face downward, as the bones of the

forearms, also shown in plate 14, were found beneath the skull. With the

bones of the hands were found four copper rings, considerably oxidized;

three were plain narrow bands, while the fourth was a broad flat band

decorated with incised double volutes. Some of the phalanges were

colored a bright-greenish tinge, from contact with the rings. Three of

the rings and three phalanges are shown in plate 14. These bones were

all in a remarkably good state of preservation, probably owing to the

fact that they were completely surrounded by fine limestone dust.

[Illustration: FIG. 26.--Circular openings leading into natural

cavity.]

Within a few yards of this mound was the opening of a small _chultun_,

with steps leading to the interior. It was oval in shape, 15 feet long,

and at one time had been covered with plaster, which had nearly all

peeled off. The floor was covered with earth, of which there was a

pyramidal heap under the opening. Nothing was found in this _chultun_

except great quantities of fragments of large, rough earthenware water

vessels.

[Illustration: PLATE 14

SKULL AND BONES FROM MOUND NO. 8]

About 300 yards to the east of the mound three circular openings were

found (see AAA, fig. 26) leading into a large irregular natural cavity

(see C, fig. 26) formed in the limestone (see BB, fig. 26). Each of

these openings was about 2 feet in diameter, and close to one of them

a circular slab of stone, 6 inches in thickness, and of about the same

diameter as the opening, was found, which had probably been used as

a cover for the latter. This _chultun_, unlike the first one, was of

purely natural formation; the walls, which were rough and irregular,

showed no signs of tool marks. The chamber varied in height from 8 to

9 feet beneath the openings, where it was highest, to 2 to 3 feet at

the sides. There was a considerable accumulation of earth upon the

floor (see DD, fig. 26), which had evidently fallen and been blown in,

as it was collected in two heaps beneath the openings. There were no

stone steps leading down into this _chultun_, and access must have been

gained to the interior by means of wooden ladders, which had long since

disappeared. Numbers of potsherds, shells, pieces of charcoal, clay

beads, and fragments of flint and obsidian implements were found upon

the floor. Several skeletons of small mammals were also found among the

earth, but these creatures had probably fallen in after the _chultun_

ceased to be used, and had been unable to get out.

At a distance of less than half a mile from the last-mentioned

_chultun_ another was discovered under somewhat curious circumstances.

A large flat mound was completely removed for the sake of the stone and

limestone dust which it contained, to be used in repairing the Corozal

streets. About the center of the mound, at the ground level, a heavy

circular flag of limestone, 2 feet 4 inches in diameter, was brought

to light. On removing this it was found to cover a round well-like

opening, which expanded below into a small _chultun_, 12 feet long by

9 feet in greatest diameter. The chamber was egg-shaped and showed no

signs of having ever been stucco-covered. From the opening a short

flight of steps, cut in the rock, led to the bottom of the _chultun_.

Nothing was found in this _chultun_ with the exception of two small

bowls of rather coarse earthenware, painted red and polished; one

almost globular in shape, 6 inches in diameter; the other circular,

flat-bottomed, 3-1/2 inches in height. The mound which covered this

_chultun_ appeared to have been one of the commonest kind of burial

mounds. At its summit fragments of a rude circular earthenware pot were

found, and near its center fragments of human bones, together with

three flint hammerstones and two small round vessels, one of light

yellow, the other of yellowish-red, pottery.

One of the most remarkable of the _chultuns_ found in this area is

situated at San Andres, within a mile of the village of Corozal.

It was accidentally found by some coolies in digging marl, and as,

unfortunately, the entire roof of the larger chamber and a considerable

part of that of the smaller had caved in, it was impossible to

discover how it had been entered from outside, as no trace of steps

remained. A ground plan of this _chultun_ is shown in figure 27. The

small chamber, A, is 8 feet long, 7 feet broad, and 5 feet 6 inches

high in the center; it is cut out of solid rock. The large chamber

(C) is 15 feet in diameter, but as nearly the entire roof has fallen

in, it is impossible to estimate its exact height. The chambers are

partially separated by a wall (B) built of rough blocks of stone and

tough mortar, which has been partly broken down. In the side of the

small chamber, opposite the wall, are three oblong shafts (D, D, D,

fig. 27) cut into the rock, by the side of the chamber wall, which is

here nearly perpendicular. Each of these is about 1 foot in depth by 8

to 9 inches in breadth, and is separated from the chamber by a single

row of bricks (E, E, E, fig. 27) mortared together, reaching from

the roof to the floor, so that there is no communication between the

shafts and the chamber. Each shaft opened originally on the surface of

the ground, but the openings had become blocked by vegetable refuse

from the surrounding bush. The bricks which fill in one side of each

shaft are of two kinds. The first, by far the more numerous, are made

of sun-dried clay, yellowish in color, and very friable: they contain

considerable powdered marl. They measure 8 by 4 by 2-3/4 inches. The

bricks of the second kind also are made of clay, mixed with many

pebbles; they have been fired, are of a reddish color, far harder and

tougher than the first variety; they measure 8 by 4 by 2-1/4 inches.

Nothing was found in either chamber except a few potsherds of various

kinds.

[Illustration: FIG. 27.--Ground plan of chultun.]

These underground chambers, or _chultuns_, seem to be fairly common

throughout Yucatan. Considerable doubt exists as to the uses to which

they were put.[34] It seems probable that those the walls of which

were plastered with an impervious cement lining were intended as water

receptacles, since they could easily have been filled by drainage

from the thatched roofs of buildings in the vicinity, which have long

since completely disappeared. Though the southern part of Yucatan,

unlike the northern, is fairly well watered, plastered _chultuns_ are

not infrequently found there, but always situated at considerable

distances from a good permanent water supply, as a lagoon or river. The

uncemented _chultuns_ would not hold water, and had probably been used

as storehouses for corn and other provisions. Some of these chambers

were undoubtedly used as burial places, as one at Platon, on the Old

River,[35] was covered by a burial mound, and itself contained human

bones; but it is possible that their use for this purpose may have been

secondary only. The San Andres _chultun_ is somewhat puzzling, as it

was certainly not a reservoir for water, nor were any traces of human

burial found within it. It had probably been used as a storehouse for

food, though it is difficult to understand the object of the oblong

shafts, leading into the open air, found at the side of the smaller

chamber, as they must have been quite useless for ventilating purposes,

not having any opening into the chamber itself through which the air

might circulate.

MOUND NO. 9

Mound No. 9, situated close to the _chultun_, with three openings, was

oval in shape with flattened summit, 44 feet in breadth, 66 feet in

length, and 14 feet high at its highest point. On removing the summit

of the mound to a depth of about 4 feet the floor of a building, with

parts of the walls, was exposed. The cap of the mound, covering the

ruins of the building, was composed of blocks of marl, clay, rubble,

and limestone. The lower part of the mound, upon which the building

stood, was constructed of large blocks of limestone mortared together,

forming a solid block of masonry. The building was in a very ruinous

condition; as much of its ground plan as could be traced is shown in

figure 28. The walls, A, A, A, are 3 feet 4 inches in thickness.

Such parts as remain standing are built of well-squared stones held

together by mortar (see fig. 30). They are covered with stucco inside,

which is continuous with the cement flooring of the rooms; outside

they were also covered with stucco above the water table (B, figs. 28

and 29) but nearly all of this had been broken away. The water table,

which projects 3 inches from the wall, is 12 inches deep; it is built

of well-squared stones not covered with stucco, and is continuous below

(figs. 29 and 30) with C, a layer of hard cement 18 inches broad,

which apparently ran completely round the building, and possibly acted

as a drain to carry off the water after heavy tropical showers. The

main room was 8 feet in breadth and had probably been about 30 feet

in length, with four doors opening into it, two on each side. This

was floored with very hard, smooth, polished cement, which even now

is in an excellent state of preservation; this flooring is continuous

through the doorways with the top of the water table, with which it is

on the same level. Nothing was found in excavating this mound, with

the exception of a fragment of a conch-shell trumpet, a piece of an

obsidian knife, numerous potsherds, and half of a flint paint grinder,

with traces of green paint still adherent to it. All of these objects

were found on the floor of the main room.

[Illustration: FIG. 28.--Ground plan of Mound No. 9.]

[Illustration: FIG. 29.--Wall construction of Mound No. 9.]

Mounds erected over the ruins of buildings are extremely common all

through this part of the Maya area; some are very large, covering

buildings which had been placed on lofty stone pyramids; some are very

small, as when they cover buildings of a single small room, built

almost on the ground level. All the buildings are in ruins, all are

raised more or less on stone platforms above the ground level, and all

show traces of having been covered with stucco, both internally and

externally. In some cases this stucco is very beautifully decorated in

colored devices, as in the mound already described at Santa Rita;[36] in

others the stucco is molded in various designs and ornaments, which may

or may not be colored, as in the mound at Pueblo Nuevo on the Rio Nuevo,

presently to be described. Most of these mounds contain nothing except

the building which they cover, but some had been used as burial places,

the interments evidently having taken place after the building had been

covered in, as they are found irregularly distributed through the loose

superstructure which forms the cap of the mound, quite close to the

surface.[37]

[Illustration: FIG. 30.--Details of Mound No. 9.]

MOUND NO. 10

Vague reports had been in circulation for some years as to the existence

of a mound close to the headwaters of the Rio Hondo, where the Indians

still practiced to some extent their ancient religion. It was said that

the mound contained a stone chamber in which stood on a stone pedestal a

life-sized image, painted in various colors, and that around the walls

of the chamber were niches in which rested life-sized stone turtles,

also painted; furthermore, that the bush Indians of the neighborhood

were in the habit of coming to the mound for the purpose of burning

incense before the idol.

The mound was found situated quite close to the bank of the Rio Hondo,

buried in the bush which covers this part of Yucatan. It was 80 feet in

height, 350 feet in circumference, conical in shape, and completely

covered by high bush continuous with that of the surrounding forest.

After clearing the underbrush from the mound an opening 3 feet square

was discovered about 17 feet from the summit of the mound on its

northern aspect, the walls of which were faced with cut stone. From this

opening a low passage led to a small stone-faced chamber 8 feet high, 6

feet broad, and 10 feet long, the floor of which was composed of earth

and lime well beaten down to form a hard, smooth surface. Projecting

from the walls were eight small stone brackets, upon which nothing was

found. No trace whatever was seen of a painted image or of turtles. The

walls and ceiling of the room, especially the latter, were considerably

blackened by smoke, possibly caused by burning incense.

[Illustration: FIG. 31.--Obsidian object and pottery vase from Mound

No. 10.]

Excavation was commenced at once in the floor of the chamber. At a depth

of 8 inches the hard floor gave place to soft brown sand, which was

continuous to a depth of 2 feet, where several small deposits or pockets

of lime were found inclosed within it, each of which contained a number

of obsidian knives and small cores. The knives were deeply indented on

each side of the base, as if to facilitate hafting. The cores, of which

20 were found, were slender and varied from 1 to 3 inches in length. On

digging down through an additional 18 inches of the brown sand a layer

of lime was exposed about 18 inches in thickness, filling the entire

lumen of the chamber, in which were found irregularly scattered 60

cruciform objects, finely chipped in obsidian, each from 3 to 4 inches

in length (fig. 31, _a_). These would have served as either arrowheads

or small javelin heads, or possibly were intended for ceremonial

purposes only. With them were a single pottery vase and two small

triangular javelin heads of obsidian. The vase (fig. 31, _b_) was

circular in shape, 6 inches in diameter, with a long piglike face

protruding from one side. It was made of dark-brownish pottery, painted

red and finely polished externally. It was filled with small mussel-like

bivalve shells embedded in lime. A number of these shells were found

also closely adjacent to the vase in the lime which surrounded it.

Beneath the layer of lime lay a layer of brown sand, 3 feet thick, in

which absolutely nothing was found. Below this appeared another layer of

lime, mixed with sand, 4 feet thick, near the bottom of which were found

40 human skulls, neatly disposed in rows. These, when first uncovered,

seemed to be in a moderately good state of preservation, but when

removed from their bed of lime and sand they crumbled so easily that it

was found impossible to preserve them. The skulls were all placed in the

same horizontal plane, each one nearly in contact with its neighbor. No

other bones were found with them, or in fact in any other part of this

mound, with the exception of two small oblong objects of bone, about 2

inches in length, each still bearing traces of paint, which were

discovered among the skulls. These skulls would seem to have been either

the result of secondary interments or the remains of sacrificial victims

whose bodies were either eaten or buried elsewhere. In favor of the

first theory is the fact that the Maya did not practice human sacrifice

to anything like the same extent that their neighbors, the Aztecs, did,

and slaughter involving forty-odd victims must have been practically

unknown among them. Furthermore, in one or two instances small shallow

stone-lined graves, covered with large slabs of stone, have been found

at and around the bases of large mounds, and it seems quite possible

that these graves may have held the bodies of distinguished dead until

their skulls were in a fit condition to be removed to the mound or until

a sufficient number had accumulated to make it worth while opening the

chamber for their reception. In favor of the second theory is the fact

that, judging by what could be seen of the teeth and lower jaws, all the

skulls were of individuals in the prime of life, no jaws of very young

or of very old individuals being discovered. Immediately beneath the

skulls were unearthed 12 objects of chert fashioned with great care.

Seven of these were spearheads, the other five of eccentric form. The

spearheads varied in length from 37 cm. (pl. 15, _c_) to 29 cm. (pl. 15,

_f_); they were very well made, some from gray, others from

brownish-yellow, chert. The eccentric flints comprised: (a) An animal

form, possibly meant to represent a bush rabbit, 30 cm. in length from

the forehead to the tip of the tail (pl. 15, _a_); (b) an animal form,

evidently meant to represent a turtle or tortoise, 28 cm. in length from

the head to the tip of the tail (pl. 15, _g_); (c) a halberd-shaped

implement (pl. 15, _b_), exquisitely chipped from light-ocher-colored

chert, 44 cm. in its greatest length by 19 cm. in breadth across the

widest part of the head. This implement is furnished with two

sharp-pointed cutting projections in front, separated by a groove; at

the back is a larger triangular sharp projection. The whole implement is

well balanced, for use in the hand, by a bulging or thickening of its

body between these three projections; (d) an implement chipped from

yellowish chert, 44 cm. in length, serrated on each side, pointed at one

end and rounded at the other (pl. 15, _d_); (e) a crescentic implement,

chipped from yellowish chert, 26 cm. in its greatest length, 17-1/2 cm.

across the widest part of the crescent. From the convexity of the

crescent project three spines, the central one long and serrated, the

lateral ones merely pointed knobs. This object is more crudely chipped

and less symmetrical than any of the others (pl. 15, _e_).

These eccentrically shaped flint and chert objects seem to be limited in

their distribution to that part of the Maya area comprised in southern

Yucatan, eastern Guatemala, and most of the colony of British Honduras.

The earliest known specimens are probably those now preserved in the

Salisbury Museum, England, which have been thus described:

Among the numerous stone weapons and implements which have been

discovered, and serve to illustrate the primitive arts of the New

World, three remarkable relics from the Bay of Honduras, in South

America, are deserving of special attention. They were found about

the year 1794, with other examples, in a cave between two and three

miles inland. * * * One is a serrated weapon, pointed at both ends,

measuring 16-1/2 inches long. [This object is almost exactly

similar to plate 15, _d_, except that the latter is pointed at one

end only, the opposite one being rounded.] Another is in the form

of a crescent, with projecting points. It measures 17 inches in its

greatest length, and it is conjectured may have served as a weapon

of parade, like the state partisan or halbert of later times. The

third, which is imperfect, has probably resembled the previous one

in general form.[38]

The second of these implements very closely resembles that shown in

plate 15, _e_, the Salisbury specimen being somewhat larger, more

symmetrical, and more carefully chipped.

About 3 feet beneath these flint objects, embedded in the sand which

filled this part of the chamber, were discovered 20 cruciform obsidian

arrowheads or javelin heads, similar to that shown in figure 31, _a_;

40 small obsidian cores; 2 obsidian arrowheads, of the shape shown

in figure 32; 12 well-made obsidian knives, grooved on each side of

the base, and two crescentic objects chipped from chert, somewhat

resembling that seen in plate 15, _e_, but smaller, without projecting

spines at the convexity of the crescent, and altogether more crudely

and carelessly made.

[Illustration: PLATE 15

STONE OBJECTS FROM MOUND NO. 10]

[Illustration: FIG. 32.--Obsidian arrowhead from Mound No. 10.]

[Illustration: FIG. 33.--Flint object from Mound No. 10.]