THIS WORK,
THE PUBLICATION OF WHICH HAS BEEN POSSIBLE
ONLY BY HIS KIND EXERTIONS,
IS GRATEFULLY DEDICATED
BY THE AUTHOR.
Nicaragua is a very rich field for research to the student of American
Archæology, and so I found it during my two years stay in Central
America. I had there the good fortune several times to meet with
localities more or less rich in remains from the prehistoric or
rather pre-spanish period. Not very much being known about Central
American antiquities, and the literature on this subject being very
poor, especially with regard to the Nicaraguan ones, I purpose
here to describe briefly and to figure the more important statues,
rock-carvings, ceramic objects etc., found by me in Nicaragua and
partly delineated or photographed on the spot, partly brought home
to Sweden. Unfortunately I wanted the means of carrying home any of
the statues; but my Nicaraguan collections contain a number of more
easily transportable relics, mostly examples of pottery. These are
now deposited in the ethnographic collection of the R. Swedish State
Museum. The accompanying plates are all executed after my original
sketches or photographs taken on the spot. Most of the statues have
never before been figured or described; some of them are mentioned and
figured by E. G. SQUIER[1] in his splendid work on Nicaragua. As it
turned out, however, on comparisons being made by me on the spot, that
some of Squier’s figures do not quite agree with the originals, I have
thought fit to publish also my own drawings of these previously figured
statues, 6 in number.
[1] Nicaragua: its people, scenery, monuments, and the proposed
interoceanic canal. With numerous original maps and illustrations. In
two volumes. London, 1852.
Although this sketch is certainly not the place for an account of the
history of Central America or Nicaragua, yet I may be permitted to give
a brief statement of those few and disconnected notices that we possess
with regard to the nations inhabiting Nicaragua at that period, when
the antiquities here spoken of were probably executed. The sources of
our knowledge of these people and their culture are, besides the above
quoted work of SQUIER, the old Spanish chroniclers, OVIEDO, TORQUEMADA,
HERRERA, and GUARROS, the memoirs of LAS CASAS and PETER MARTYR, the
relation of THOMAS GAGE, and scattered notices in the works of GOMARA,
IXTLILXOCHITL, DAMPIER a. o.
* * * * *
At the time of the Spanish invasion under the command of _Don Gil
Gonzales de Avila_ in the years 1521 and 1522, the region now occupied
by the republic of Nicaragua and the north-eastern part of the republic
of Costa Rica, was inhabited by Indian nations of four different
stocks, which very probably may be considered as being of different
origin and having immigrated into the country at widely separated
periods.
The Atlantic coast with its luxuriant vegetation but damp climate and
the adjacent mountainous country with its vast primeval forests were
the home of more or less _nomadic tribes_, remaining at a low stage of
civilization. It may be inferred, however, from certain indications
in the account of the third voyage of Columbus, and from the scanty
notices of several of the so-called buccaneers or filibusters, that
those Indians were more advanced in culture and manner of life than the
hordes, that may be regarded as their descendants at the present day:
the _Moscos_, the _Ramas_, the _Simoos_ or _Smoos_ a. o.[2]
Between this strip of country on the eastern shore and the two great
lakes, _Xolotlan_ (Managua) and _Cocibolca_ (the lake of Nicaragua),
the intermediate highland, which shelves gradually towards the lakes,
was inhabited by los _Chontales_, as they are denominated by OVIEDO.
The name is still preserved in «Departemento de _Chontales_». They
lived in large villages and towns and were agriculturists. Possibly
they were of the same stock as, or closely related to, the large
_Maya_-family which extended over the eastern parts of Honduras and
Guatemala and furnished the population of Yucatan. This guess acquires
a certain probability by the fact of several words in their language
being similar to the corresponding ones in some Maya-dialects. The
_Poas_, _Toacas_, _Lacandones_, and _Guatusos_ may possibly be their
descendants. These also are living at a decidedly lower stage of
civilization than their supposed ancestors.
[2] I cannot but contradict, on the ground of my own investigations,
the suggestion of Squier, that the nomadic tribes on the east coast of
Nicaragua were related to the Caribs, and especially «the Melchoras on
the river San Juan are certainly of Carib stock». All the individuals
of the Simoo, Rama and Melchora tribe, that I have seen and measured,
correspond far more, both in general habitus and cranial characters, to
the Talamanca Indians and Guatusos, indeed even to the Indios mansos in
Chontales and in Northern Nicaragua, than to the Caribs of Honduras who
are proved to be true Caribs, or to the Magdalena Indians in Columbia
who are supposed to belong to the Carib stock. The differences are so
great as to make it probable that Squier’s supposition arises from a
confusion of names, more particularly because the name of Caribs was
applied to all Indios bravos of eastern Nicaragua during the Spanish
time, long before the brave Caribs of S:t Vincent, the last remains
of that people in the West-Indies, after a long and hard struggle
for freedom were expatriated and carried to Ruatan, from where they
transmigrated afterwards of their own will to the opposite coast of
Honduras.
If the eastern part of Nicaragua, on account of its almost impenetrable
forests and damp climate, is less fit to be the dwelling-place of a
highly cultivated people, the western portion, on the contrary, is
much more happily endowed in this respect and seems to be marked
out by nature itself to become one of the centres of mankind’s
civilization. By its smiling valleys, fertile plains, and thinner, but
shadowy forests, by its splendid lakes, gently flowing rivers, and
verdant mountains the country appears well able to tempt even the most
exacting people to settle in it. Indeed the country, on the arrival
of the Spaniards, was found to be very densely populated, and divided
amongst a great number of small sovereignities, which could however be
referred to two separate stocks, differing in language and character.
One of these, the third one of those stocks from which has sprung the
population of Nicaragua, was los _Choroteganos_ or _Mangues_. They
occupied the territory between the two large lakes and all the fertile
level country west and north of Lake Managua down to the Pacific and
Bahia de Fonseca. OVIEDO asserts that they were the aborigines and
ancient masters of the country, without being able however to state any
proofs in support of his opinion. Of los _Choroteganos_ four groups
are usually distinguished: 1:0) Los _Cholutecas_ on the shores of
Bahia de Fonseca; their principal town was the present _Choluteca_.
2:0) Los _Nagrandanos_ between Lake Managua and the Pacific; their
capital was _Subtiaba_, near the present Leon. 3:0) Los _Dirianos_
between the lakes Managua and Nicaragua and down to the coast of the
Pacific. Their largest town was _Salteba_ near the present Granada and
4:0) Los _Orotinas_ far separated from their relations, inhabiting the
peninsula of Nicoya and the territory of Guanacaste, which comprises
the north-eastern part of the republic of Costa Rica. Opinions vary,
however, with regard to these groups, several authors being inclined
to regard los _Cholutecas_ as a detached branch of los Pipiles in El
Salvador; they would then be of Toltecan origin. Certainly there is a
number of local names within their district which seem to corroborate
this opinion. Other writers are disposed to ascribe a Mexican origin
to the Orotinas and lastly Dr. BERENDT[3] suggests that the whole
Chorotegan stock may be considered as a Toltecan offspring, the name
Choroteganos being only a corruption of Cholutecas.
[3] «Geographical Distribution of the Ancient Central American
Civilisation», in Journal of the American Geographical Society of New
York, vol. 8, 1870, p. 142.
The last or fourth of the tribes inhabiting Nicaragua was los
_Niquiranos_. The territory occupied by this people was the smallest of
all, viz.; the narrow isthmus between Lake Nicaragua and the Pacific,
together with the large islands, Ometepec and Zapatera, in Lake
Nicaragua. But although comparatively small in extent this territory
was perhaps the most richly blessed of all in this country, the darling
one of nature. According to the concurrent testimonies of the old
chroniclers the Niquirans were a Mexican people settled in the country
at a comparatively late period. It is not clear whether they were
Toltecs or Aztecs, and this question cannot probably be decided until
the ancient remains, surely very numerous, that they have left behind
them, shall have been accurately studied and compared with the better
known Mexican antiquities. For my own part I incline to the opinion
that they were Aztecs, and had immigrated into the country rather late,
perhaps little more than a hundred years before the Spanish invasion.
They lived in a state of permanent hostility with the Chorotegans and
had probably, on their irruption, expelled the Orotinas, who were
thus cut off from the main stock of the Chorotegans. The intelligent
and well built Indians on the island of Ometepec are doubtless the
descendants of the Niquirans; this is corroborated by their language,
which the successful investigations of SQUIER have shown to be of
Mexican origin and presenting a very close similarity to the pure Aztec
tongue. They are now a laborious and peaceful race, somewhat shy of
strangers; in general they speak Spanish, but may be heard occasionally
to talk Indian dialect with one another; with regard to this dialect
they are, however, extremely unwilling to afford any explanations,
generally answering «es muy antiguo» «no sé nada». The Indians of Belen
and the surrounding region remind one of the Ometepec Indians, but are
evidently intermixed with foreign elements.
According to OVIEDO, TORQUEMADA, and CEREZEDA, the last one of whom
accompanied GIL GONZALES DE AVILA in his expedition 1522, and thus
is able to speak, like OVIEDO, from his own personal observations,
the Niquirans had reached a higher degree of civilization than their
neighbours. However, the Chorotegans were also pretty far advanced in
culture.
Indeed, reading the scanty descriptions of the last days of these
nations, one feels tempted to assert that in harmonic development
of the mental faculties they were superior to that nation, which,
by its crowds of rapacious and sanguinary adventurers, honoured in
history with the name of «los Conquistadores», has fixed upon itself
the heavy responsibility for the annihilation of this civilization.
For indeed so swift and radical was this annihilation, through the
fanatical vandalism of «christian» priests and the bloody crimes of a
greedy soldatesca, that history knows of no similar example. Thus the
investigator of the comparatively modern culture of Central America is
obliged to travel by more toilsome and doubtful roads than the student
of the ancient forms of civilization of Egypt and India, although these
were dead several thousands of years ago.
So much, however, has come to the knowledge of our time, as suffices to
prove that the nations of Central America were very far advanced in
political and social development as well as in science and art. But no
other way is left to us of gaining an insight in this culture, than
to search the country perseveringly for the purpose of disclosing the
monuments, hidden in the ground or enviously concealed by the primeval
vegetation, that now reigns alone in many of those places, which were
formerly occupied by populous and flourishing cities, and artistically
ornamented temples.
By comparing these monuments with those of Mexican culture, somewhat
better known in certain respects, we may hope finally to arrive at
the solution of some of the intricate problems concerning the ancient
nations of Central America and their history.
* * * * *
The antiquities figured by me were found for the greatest part
in the island of _Zapatera_, the rock-carvings in the islet of
_Ceiba_ close to Zapatera, only some few ceramic objects are from
the island of _Ometepec_. All these localities are contained within
the territory occupied by the Niquirans, and on this account may
probably be considered as specimens of _Aztec_ art, or of an art
very closely related to this. Those few statues that I have seen in
the neighbourhood of _Granada_ and in _Las Isletas_ immediately off
Granada, as well as the statues and high-reliefs in the little volcanic
island of _Momotombito_ in Lake Managua, the former belonging probably
to los _Dirianos_, the latter to los _Nagrandanos_, appear to me to be
much more rudely executed, without any attempt to copy the human body;
whereas many of the statues of _Zapatera_ testify to a pretty accurate
study of the human body, often presenting faithfully elaborated muscle
portions etc., so as to make it probable that the Niquiran artists used
models. There certainly are found rather fantastic figures even among
these statues, but in general their originators prove to be artists of
a more realistic conception, and at the same time of more developed
technics than the Chorotegan artists. From the monuments etc. found
farther northwards at _Copan_, _Quiriguá_, _Uxmal_, _Palenque_, and
other places in Central America, the works here described differ most
considerably, indeed so much that it is not easy to point out more than
a few common artistic features.
With the exception of the meagre notices, communicated by OVIEDO
and CEREZEDA and their compilers, the source of our knowledge of
_Nicaraguan_ antiquities is E. G. SQUIER’S interesting work «Nicaragua:
its people, scenery, monuments and the proposed interoceanic canal».
After SQUIER some other American investigators have followed in the
road opened by him; Dr. EARL FLINT of Rivas has during many years
searched for and collected antiquities, partly in the Department of
Rivas, partly in the island of Ometepec. I am obliged to Dr. FLINT for
much valuable information on the present subject, kindly communicated
to me, when I had the pleasure of meeting with him at Rivas in
January 1883. He has sent the collections gradually brought together
by himself, to the _Smithsonian Institution_. In «_Archæological
researches in Nicaragua_»[4] Dr. J. F. BRANSFORD gives a highly
interesting description of his researches in Ometepec, where he made
a large collection of grave-urns, other vessels of pottery, and
smaller relics of stone and metal. He occupied himself principally in
investigating burying-places on the west side of the island and he
has thrown a new light on this part of Niquiran archæology. His very
large collection, of 788 numeros, is deposited in the collections of
the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. He has also figured several
rock-carvings from Ometepec; these seem to be a little ruder and less
complicated than those delineated by me from the island of Ceiba.
Dr. BRANSFORD also describes several ancient relics from _Talmac_,
_San Juan del Sur_ in the department of Rivas, and some localities in
Nicoya, in the republic of Costa Rica. From a linguistic point of view
Dr. BERENDT[5] has given very valuable contributions to our knowledge
of the ancient civilisation of Nicaragua by his sharp-sighted and
successful investigations into the Indian idioms of that country and
into those of Mexico and of the northern parts of Central America.
[4] Smithsonian Contributions to knowledge (383), vol. 25. Washington
1885 (1881).
[5] See above.
* * * * *
In the night of the New-Year’s-eve 1882-1883 I arrived at _Ometepec_
from Granada, and took up my head-quarters at the little borough of
_Muyogalpa_, in the north-west corner of the island. From this point
excursions were made in different directions, and, although my time was
pretty severely taxed by zoological researches, I found however some
opportunities of undertaking archæological diggings.
Hardly one kilometer to the west of the burying-place examined by Dr.
BRANSFORD, a symmetrical mound, rising one meter and a half above the
ground, was dug through (Station 1). It contained a little bowl, pieces
of a larger urn of an unusual thickness, feet and fragments of a tripod
vase, and a little bronze figure of a saint, the last one evidently
a foreign guest among the other objects. At _Los Angeles_ (Stat. 2)
two statues, both very badly frayed, were measured and sketched; some
insignificant fragments of pottery were digged out. At a bay (Stat. 3)
on the north side, between _Muyogalpa_ and _Alta Gracia_, in a place
said by the Indians to have formerly been a town, fragments of divers
small pottery, two stone chisels, one «molidor», and perforated and
polished shells of a species of Oliva and a species of Voluta, from the
neighboring coast of the Pacific, were dug out. In a valley, or rather
ravine (Stat. 4), near _Alta Gracia_, where a heap of pretty large,
partly cut stones seemed to indicate the site of a large building,
several fragments of pottery were found together with a cup of earthen
ware, and a well preserved little sitting image of painted terra cotta,
pretty similar to that figured by BRANSFORD, l. c., p. 59. At a height
of nearly 350 m. above the level of the lake on the west side of the
majestically beautiful volcanic cone (Stat. 5), while digging in a
rather extensive stone-mound, a very pretty, vaulted earthen urn with
lid, painted in three colours, was found, and, besides, a great many
fragments of pottery. I made excavations also at six other places in
Ometepec, for inst. in the isthmus between Ometepec and Madera, but
without any results worthy of record.
I stayed in this charming double-island for more than a month, roving
through it on horse-back and on foot in all directions, ascending the
volcano, rowing and sailing over the delightful lagoons and bays,
that border its shores, and amongst which I shall late forget that
very paradise for the hunter, _Laguna de Santa Rosa_ and _Charco
Verde_. Having left Ometepec about the beginning of February, my next
visit was to «_tierra firme_», where I made some easily executed, but
not very successful excavations, immediately to the north of _San
Jorge_. From _Departemento de Rivas_’ I sailed to _Las Isletas_, also
called _Los Corales_, an extremely beautiful little archipelago, just
southwards of _Granada_. The whole group owes its existence to the
volcano _Mombacho_, which towers high above it, the islands consisting
exclusively of the remains of one or more eruptions of _Mombacho_. But
the vegetation here is so powerful and luxuriant, that it has changed
those piles of black stones into smiling islands, which the traveller
is never tired of admiring. Only on the outside of the archipelago,
where the often angry lake of Nicaragua has checked the development
of the verdant cover, the black, gloomy basalt is still open to the
view, lashed by white-foaming waves. In several of the islets statues
were measured and delineated, but unfortunately the photographic
apparatus could not be used on this occasion. After a stay of some days
among _Las Isletas_ and a short visit to _Granada_ for the purpose
of completing my photographic outfit, I set sail for _Zapatera_.
On my arrival I encamped for a long time on the playa of _Bahia de
Chiquero_. Along the playa of the semi-circular bay there are now five
houses, the homes of as many families, being the only inhabitants
at the present time of this large and fertile island, which was, no
doubt, formerly populated by many thousands of Niquirans, possessing
rich towns and splendid temples. The islet of _Ceiba_ is situated off
Bahia de Chiquero (see map 2). According to my opinion, _Zapatera_ is
certainly a volcanic island, but in this manner, that its north-western
part is the summit of a sunken volcanic cone, Bahia de Chiquero being
the crater itself, the narrow, elevated mountain ridge which surrounds
the bay, forming the edge of the crater and the islet of Ceiba the
continuation of this edge, _Laguna de Apoyo_, situated scarcely one
kilometer from the shore, may then be regarded as a side-crater.
_Zapatera_ exhibits an abundant variety of beautiful scenery,
delightful valleys, watered by streams and rivulets, fertile
elevated plains, magnificent mountain-cones, clothed in verdure to
the very summits, and bays and lagoons offering excellent harbours.
Unfortunately I had not an opportunity of examining, in an archæologic
point of view, more than a part of the north side of the island and
the islet of Ceiba. My kind hosts of the settlement in the island, Don
JOSÉ LOBO, Donna JULIA SOLORZANO, S:rita VIRGINIA MORA, Don JACINTO
MORA and others, zealously assisted me in my zoological as well as
archæological investigations. Through their warm-hearted benevolence
my stay in Zapatera became the most pleasant remembrance of my long
journey.
The results of my antiquarian researches in _Zapatera_ may be referred
to three stations: 1:0. The first station is _Punta del Sapote_; the
extreme north-western point of the island, where statues, potteries,
and stone relics were found. This station is beyond all comparison
the most important one, because it has never, as far as I know, been
examined, nor even mentioned. It possesses so much greater importance,
as several statues were found in their original position, thus
affording an insight into the manner how they were used. 2:0. The
second station is _Punta de las Figuras_. It forms part of the edge of
the crater, sloping softly towards the lake, between Laguna de Apoyo
and Bahia de Chiquero. It has been previously visited by SQUIER, who
has given figures of several of the statues. Besides those mentioned
by him, many of which I did not find, I lighted upon some that had
escaped his attention. In this locality only insignificant remains of
pottery were met with. 3:0. The third station is the little island
of _Ceiba_, which, instead of statues, that are wanting, offers some
very well preserved rock-carvings of evidently very ancient date, and,
besides, valuable relics of earthen-ware and stone. Although my visit
to Zapatera was posterior in time to my stay in Ometepec, I shall begin
the detailed description of the antiquities with those of the first
station in Zapatera.
[Illustration]
I