BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 64 PLATE 8.Plate 8a. FIGURINES OF WARRIORS FROM MOUND NO. 1.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 64 PLATE 8.
Plate 8b. FIGURINES OF WARRIORS FROM MOUND NO. 1.FIGURINES OF WARRIORS FROM MOUND NO. 1
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 64 PLATE 9.Plate 9b. FIGURINE FROM MOUND NO. 1.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 64 PLATE 9.
Plate 9a. FIGURINE FROM MOUND NO. 1.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 11/2inches 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 51/2inches 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.
Fig. 16. Figurines from Mound No. 1.Fig.16.—Figurines from Mound No. 1.
Fig.16.—Figurines from Mound No. 1.
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.
Fig. 17. Unpainted object from Mound No. 1.Fig.17.—Unpainted object from Mound No. 1.
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 plate9and figure15are 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 (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 33/4inches in length by3/4inch 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 31/4inches and the other 23/4inches 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 thealligator effigy shown in figure18. This animal is 151/2inches 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 31/2inches in diameter, surrounded by a rim 11/2inches 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.
Fig. 18. Clay alligator found in Mound No. 2.Fig.18.—Clay alligator found in Mound No. 2.
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 21/2feet 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 21/2feet 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 figure18. 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 (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, 381/2inches 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 51/2to 61/2inches. 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 (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.
Fig. 19. Objects from Mound No. 4.Fig.19.—Objects from Mound No. 4.
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, 51/2inches in length; (c) an eccentrically-shaped flint object (fig.19,a), 41/4inches in breadth by 23/4inches 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, 21/2inches 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 nothingbut 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.
Fig. 20. Pottery vessels from Mound No. 4.Fig.20.—Pottery vessels from Mound No. 4.
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, plate10, 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 theupper center of plate10,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 layera.
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 (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 figure21,a, is of rough unpainted pottery, 41/2inches 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.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 64 PLATE 10.Plate 10a. SECTION THROUGH EARTHWORK INCLOSING CIRCULAR SPACE. SANTA RITA.a. SECTION THROUGH EARTHWORK INCLOSING CIRCULAR SPACE. SANTA RITA.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 64 PLATE 10.
Plate 10b. SECTION OF WALL THROUGH SANTA RITA.b. SECTION OF WALL THROUGH SANTA RITA.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 64 PLATE 11.Plate 11a. EGG-SHAPED VASE FROM MOUND NO. 5.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 64 PLATE 11.
Plate 11b. EGG-SHAPED VASE FROM MOUND NO. 5.EGG-SHAPED VASE FROM MOUND NO. 5
The other, seen in plate11, 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 figure21,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 grittynistamalwears 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.
Fig. 21. Objects found in Mound No. 5.Fig.21.—Objects found in Mound No. 5.
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 11/3inches 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 figure21,d, front view, ande, 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 (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, 11/2inches 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.
Fig. 22. Diagram of Mound No. 6.Fig.22.—Diagram of Mound No. 6.
Fig.22.—Diagram of 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.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 64 PLATE 12.Plate 12. METATES AND BRAZOS FROM MOUND NO. 6.METATES AND BRAZOS FROM MOUND NO. 6
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 64 PLATE 12.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 64 PLATE 13.Plate 13 a.a. SMALL POTTERY SEAL
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 64 PLATE 13.
Plate 13 b.b. BOWL IN WHICH SKULL WAS FOUND
Plate 13 c.c. SKULLLength, 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 11/2to 31/2feet in depth, according to the thickness of the layer of earth over the bedrock. The space marked figure23, 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 figure23, 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 figure23, 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 plate13,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 ofconches, 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, figure23. It was traversed by 14 longitudinal grooves on its upper surface, which was slightly concave; each groove was1/2inch broad by1/4inch deep, quite smooth, and nearly straight. The stone had seemingly been used as a hone for giving an edge to small stone implements.