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N08 A Pome, _ THIET AD enr ey Re @em ~ oe =" : Pt RAPALA MAGA eS MPO BS co ren J _ i ¥ ee ee . fastchen ted - Ponte Borner : tet he tie Meee? pene 9 8 Seenre - Pan : : : Sgmeng Moers : \ “ke ~ nes ans saere balicmmpterincrenet cea ole " " ry 4 9A te btw P ADs d0.-m7 ade RDAs Oe re Me ae ~~ mete NT inten a7 Léa arenon eee eran " h ees apie. ie « RE te -* - emeepaadctelertes : saath RrtachaAnAaon cee “A eer ieteenbeeermie neat ts . os rs et MN ae Pin Ont Ak Ook oe ts om 8 . “ae Pur pperatrsiaporth-pinmane nde damit ae hate 2 < m : 1s ta aeeldabidarted Ak hes nai bs lapel inivapatha abies andrea td - no Pea ots Names PA Oe mR Biotee OFA Aint AMAA h AAI IT 9h ePOM EE LA WRIA te AOR oe: - tre Pane : mee ty oetates SAAS Nt atl eats ct cas eee ory ae eee Lendeanas eatanaaeteene _— —an3 3 ts Steen " fete ratte mee Sea Bi Aol a nk oka Omir done REA SRO SONAR hears : Sa omnis noe ppidpadiduatab adem OC ee ee ee ont tet ee ee es Nore 2 Ta agate, Me 7 “ | Atte 4 2 ih OA Poh on Or, Od pom PHO ING. AMER? beet ih ns bl neat beeen 0 A Ah AGL 0h PAGAL DEB Me PONS BA Ae Bat ee ey as ¥ : a te a Pig 4290. whem iapitiaees aw ee hae eae ee re So : ov PAA D DADA ORME AEB At 1H RIAN ATE nob ot Line on? 4 ahh a ns mn et eee PQ Pe 260 mrns. nat oth Se eo ee egret i foe ame “ BOM OO AA. 010 Pie NEL d 9 Ch gh he MPoidhteRn® Argan one Prenat mb owe - > res : eh nt ate A OP ot a ae Pre anaee n b > ~ v4 ~ n WINS Dre aa taneanane te Sutstnnes homens ee tear ee eee TE te efeitos ieeceereted “ — 5 Aer atom a An ACTA Tine tenor cee ee rae ane Nh nea aes ta en an arene ks 8s 1h AANA Oh A LOOM AE ia oun a8 6 On bormeee - OF Sete m wnt. es eee —- Ceepenbigiiet eae Pea AO ALOE HAE ie OO oh Ot OL Oh OE RAR BEG Be vaio Setetalpiaad dejo eabrandhah-aedene ald tee roman’ : shame SCN Behe tenn teehee tes eteen be eevee ae ee aan sa0% Sea Romn tebe homeeame, . - : a aaitacadna eee % “ “ . ‘ . 7p tee De ena ng ed ee eee " coy n a aa sots en Lrehetadadeiutesdebeaeinien : me ebbotiaheiicnte ee LS sineeadiedeenan reamed cach crate eee lod pide ee os dened Poll B Bint ad padietiadaddoabeied et eee ee re ude ee i adcaiahateamenecaiene tte Rents ees, nner ne Dee te ae eked tad ote ate UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY | AT URSANA-CHAMPAION STACKS Me eas) pa Be isk Ce ae ae D2 THE HIGH PRIEST'S GRAVE CHICHEN ITZA, YUCATAN, MEXICO | px, A Manuscript BY EDWARD H. THOMPSON Prepared for Publication, with Notes and Introduction BY it J. ERIC THOMPSON CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON t NATURAL HISTORY Peabanten B peppery FIELD 1893 Seite. THE LIBRARY ‘OF THE NAY 141938 UNIVERSITY. OF ILLINGIS ANTHROPOLOGICAL SERIES FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY VOLUME 27, NUMBER 1 i ) APRIL 29, 1938 PUBLICATION 412 — Se a Pv Sei == 7 AS bs _ ie ee ema ey 2. Se { : U bike F wees J eA eigh eat 2 iy N ¢ ie Wy : oe hoe / y aS S - » ‘ : 3 4 * =}! “ 3 A Va, er e tiet c\ g ~< M or hi ; 3 ( = y ae 2 o Ee e, J “HAS! af Pe ie S ic - ™ z % Y ss - ‘ ~~ . i d [o 5 , ah hate Mae ? , ie : -s ia 4 na A y >. - . > ‘ got > . 4 ee ; ey pe ‘ee ty 5 Bat : 4 bFede ad ty foe ns Ns , Lae : f D- na 4 : THE HIGH PRIEST'S GRAVE CHICHEN ITZA, YUCATAN, MEXICO A Manuscript BY EDWARD H. THOMPSON Prepared for Publication, with Notes and Introduction BY J. ERIC THOMPSON CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON MU SP oe SB NATURAL & HISTORY > THE LIBRARY OF THE MAY 11 1938 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS: ANTHROPOLOGICAL SERIES FIELD MUSEUM. OF NATURAL HISTORY VOLUME 27, NUMBER 1 APRIL 29, 1938 PUBLICATION 412 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY FIELD MUSEUM PRESS } er CONTENTS Been eres IstEAIONS. 2 3) a a ee ye, See ee ee “5 PePORUGUON OY J. te: 1 ROMPSON: soe ee eee eS 7 Pyramid with Burial Well and Cenote Chamber Beneath BUOY [FT ROMPO cs 5. Ss. Wok en ee a cw J 13 The Mound of the Burial Shaft by Edward H. Thompson. . . 39 Notes on the Report by J. Eric Thompson ......... 45 TRENT 0, 0), os ah ry “Sey Satis Spies Co Na ooo 64 3 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS TEXT FIGURES PAGE Pian or bough: Priest's Grave’structure.; 35 oo cec lt. kl. ee 8 Section through structure, showing shaft. ...........4.2. 9 pete Cr anett. 3 2 6.8 a PS ered Sree ea ae Oe ee ane 10 Architectural and ceramic details. a, Section of east wall of shaft, show- ing vault soffit behind. 6, Arms and legs of incense burners. . . . 11 Structure from east, showing feathered serpents used as balustrades. . 14 mou. serpent couinin Of Dorel. 95-5. eS. Foe) cme ae ores 15 RUCRURET ITOUN CRC. § so). oye saa he Le i eee Eee 17 manctunry from northeatt.’ . 4 -4—< 78st 5. eee Foe us x 19 Sanctuary from west, showing doorway to ambulatory. ....... 22 East view of column of hieroglyphic inscription. . .......4.. 23 Decorations, presumably from facade. a, Seated figure. 6, Standing TGs GS mee ens Ca OL Tee cH ta EME OR See 25 eee Grn Gre BHETO. GE yee ho Ee fetes ete. ee oe 28 a, Altar of sanctuary (after E. H. Thompson). 06, Pottery vessels (akin Pace POON oe i Aye Re er AE oe De oe 29 PS Gemh Tats nt oo is is SR ea eee eine eee 32 Re-used stones with hieroglyphic inscriptions. ........4.2.. 33 pottery, veieels and copper bells. «-. 68h ew SES 35 Beads. a, Of shell. 6, Of crystal and turquois. .......... 37 Flint, jade, shell, bone, and obsidian objects... ......2.2.2.., 40 SUE ORIG 8 GE ea ae Ps. A eg oe es 41 Pane RAMON 4 Paha gs 8 ES Oo ee bee best cee 46 Figure from front of incense burner. .......2.2.2.2...4.-. 48 Feed atone figtre.: ose a ek a eS OO ee 51 ROUSE CS Sc. gi eee nee pena Hee gay Fak he pea nag taal ee Ant Gadel aes 55 PEOSDU WONG. 5 eR Sa ak ae eR Rs ey Ma 57 Caniran with inseriptions i600 53s coxa hs Ed igs tes oe 61 ae a rai THE HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE CHICHEN ITZA, YUCATAN, MEXICO INTRODUCTION By J. Er1c THOMPSON In 1896 the late Edward H. Thompson, at that time United States Consul in Progreso, Yucatan, Mexico, and owner of the hacienda of Chichen Itza, investigated some ruins on his estate. Some of the material he discovered found its way to the United States, where it was eventually purchased by Field Museum, to- gether with Thompson’s report on the excavations. The most interesting of these investigations from the dramatic and scientific points of view, was that of the High Priest’s Grave, or the Osario, a pyramid supporting a temple with such Mexican features as carved, square columns, an Atlantean figure, a feathered serpent portal, and exterior walls with batter. It is reached on all four sides by stairways provided with feathered serpent balustrades. B. M. Norman (1848, p. 125) was the first to describe, although but confusedly, this structure. As Maudslay (Vol. III, text, p. 24) pointed out nearly half a century ago, the ground plan (Fig. 1) bears a very marked resem- blance to that of the Castillo at this same site. Both structures possess stairways on all four sides, and the temples themselves have very similar ground plans incorporating an inner room within an enclosed outer arcade or ambulatory. A minor difference, perhaps of chronological significance, is that the Castillo portal has feath- ered serpents with round bodies, whereas the corresponding serpent columns of the High Priest’s Grave are rectangular. The location of the structure can be seen in the plans of the ruins published by Maudslay (Structure 9), Ruppert, and others. Its chief interest lies in the various burials in and beneath the shaft which descends from the floor of the temple to a depth approximately level with the exterior base of the pyramid. These burials, froma period subsequent to the introduction of copper artifacts in Yucatan, are representative of one of the periods of Mexican influence, either that which apparently started in 10.8.0.0.0, Katun 4 Ahau (A.D. 987) and ended in 10.19.0.0.0, Katun 8 Ahau (A.D. 1204) with the conquest of Chichen Itza by Hunac Ceel, or the later Mexican period of Mayapan domination which lasted from 10.19.0.0.0, Katun 8 Ahau 7 8 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE to 11.12.0.0.0, Katun 8 Ahau (A.D. 1461—J. E. Thompson, 1937). The presence of turquois and crystal beads and late incensario forms would suggest the later period. Dates given in Christian chronology are according to the Goodman—Martinez~Thompson correlation, which makes 11.16.0.0.0, Katun 13 Ahau end in 1539, just prior to the Spanish conquest of Yucatan. This correlation Es A > A ‘\ | 4 | / ae | ‘| es - | E / \ | 4 Pi x iW: | wr 28 | = ¥ es =| ¥ ‘ Z \ | E 4 | 4 ee eee Bl ee r : | | | | = N | Lomein at ta hea % } nM Vy 958 fh TR I ‘ - ! EU Scwca petectl ORAEH | % \ \ x 7 im METERS SS Fic. 1. Plan of High Priest’s Grave structure (drawn by J. C. Harrington). now receives wide support, but the possibility that the Katun 138 Ahau of the conquest was 11.3.0.0.0 cannot be entirely ignored. An 11.3.0.0.0 correlation would make all European dates 260 years later, and would require readjustments to the periods of Mexican influences. In either case the burials found by Edward H. Thompson in the shaft and cavern beneath are of very considerable importance, WE CRE pee eee ete INTRODUCTION 9 since at Chichen Itza there are no other definite associations of pottery types with copper artifacts. Unfortunately the material in Field Museum is not listed by graves, and in some cases there is doubt as to whether specimens are actually from the High Priest’s Grave. Nevertheless, associa- = a | =—e—e — UJ = = : a \ ~- = =a" a= i ty Ltd = CS y yyy G Uf. ? fil U7 SO ff Si yy y yy a g Yjp EAST-WEST SECTION LOOKING SOUTH Fic. 2. Section through structure, showing shaft (drawn by J. C. Harrington). tions of the principal finds, such as jade, a marble vessel, copper bells, and crystal, turquois, and shell beads, with pottery vessels of definite forms, are not open to question. The description of the excavations is contained in a letter to the late W. H. Holmes and in a report prepared in 1897 by E. H. Thompson for publication. It has been decided to publish these 10 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE as they were written except for minimal grammatical corrections. Although the data they contain might have been more ample, the style is a refreshing contrast to that of the present-day archaeologist who in his reports seeks to establish his profession as a science by reducing all data to graphs and mathematical formulae. Edward H. t eg --%7 ; PLAN AT Ist. COURSE oe Geek cet. PLAN AT 201 COURSE ‘ ~~ os jae , cs ER ie as a 195 M. +s ee a 2) PLAN AT 351TH COURSE EAST-WEST SECTION LOOKING NORTH Fic. 3. Details of shaft (drawn by J. C. Harrington). Thompson belonged to the old school that was content to consider archaeology as history. A few inconsistencies and errors in the report are apparent. E. H. Thompson speaks of six graves in the shaft, whereas the grave-by- grave description indicates that there were seven. Measurements do not check with those of the plan, and finally one might note that the red stone beads are actually of shell, and the alabaster vase of marble. The slanting pillars to which Thompson refers are exterior corner stones or door jambs of the temple (cf. Morris, ‘(uosdwoyy, "H ‘G Aq UMBIP) SIeUING esusdUI Jo sZe] pus sully ‘g *(UOWUILIEH “OD *¢ Aq umMeip) puryeq 4Wjos 4[neaA ZuLMoys “yJeys JO [[VM 4sva Jo UOTpeg ‘D ‘s[lejep oOluUIe1eD PUB [VINJSTYUIY “p “OL os OF of oz Oo SY3SLEWILNSD NI 31WOS LAVHS 40 TIVM LSV3 40 NOILOSS \gniaye pue s8U0g SP[NP JO UOKISO \ 11 'SQUQLS Passeasp Ajypoous hier je YH HA 40 UOl42OE YESS SN pi abe — ee ene Tee ee ee Rs 12 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE Charlot, and Morris, figs. 10 and 90). Numbers given in parentheses are those used in the final section dealing with grave furniture. Matter in parentheses is by the writer of the introduction. The positions of the two stones with hieroglyphs are shown in Maudslay’s plan of the structure. They appear to be the frag- ments of a stela sawed up for re-use. The hieroglyphic material, now badly damaged, presents no material at present decipherable with the exception of an Initial Series Introductory Glyph, a sky- sun-earth glyph and a Kin or possible Kan compound. Beyer (1937) reviews this material (Fig. 15). That the pyramid on which the temple stands contains an earlier structure was brought to light in 19386 by Mr. J. C. Harrington. While engaged in mapping the shaft, he found part of the soffit of a typical Maya vaulted roof, demonstrating beyond doubt that the shaft passes through a room of an earlier temple (Fig. 4, a). Buried temples are similarly enclosed within the pyramidal sub- structures of the Castillo and the Warriors. Through the courtesy of Carnegie Institution of Washington the report is supplemented by the excellent plans and sections made in 1986 by Mr. J. C. Harrington and a number of photographs of architectural details taken principally by Dr. Sylvanus G. Morley and Mr. Karl Ruppert. Miss Anna O. Shepard has kindly identi- fied temper of three of the vessels. The photograph of the date, with rubbing in position, was made by Mr. Conrad Kratz of Evansville, Indiana. The writer of the notes is not related to the author. PYRAMID WITH BURIAL WELL AND CENOTE CHAMBER BENEATH By EDWARD H. THOMPSON Hidden by the jungle growth that surrounds the great ruin group of Chichen Itza and about halfway between the Nunnery and the Tennis Court lies a mound about forty feet high. Its form is hidden by debris and vegetable growth. Only the closest search reveals the stones that here and there remain in place and indicate the original outline. That it faced the east is evidenced by the fact that an imposing stairway, eleven feet wide, divided the eastern slope and led up to the crowning structure. Four great serpent heads, each over a yard high, guard the sides of this stairway, two at the base and two upon the terrace above. The wide-open jaws with bared fangs and pro- truded tongues were once painted in mixed colors, red predominating. The stairway, ascending upward at an angle of 43°, had a length over all of forty-eight feet, the average lift and spread being exactly eleven inches. The serpent heads at the base [Fig. 5] form the terminus of a series of stone sections that continue up the sides of the stairway and are evidently conventionalized serpent bodies but cannot com- pare in effect or artistic merit with the great serpent bodies that in massive undulations once guarded the angles of the great pyramid of the Castillo and made it the antique gem of the New World. [E. H. Thompson was mistaken in thinking that the angles of the Castillo represent serpents. | The heads that guard the stairways upon the terrace above have their bodies conventionalized into handsomely formed square pillars, several sections of which are carved with the usual feathered . ornamentation of this symbol [Fig. 6]. [These serpent columns supported the wooden lintels, now rotted away, of the doorway, and do not form part of the stairway.] The upper terrace was, when perfect, about fifty feet long by forty-five wide. It is now covered with ruined stone work and debris to the depth of several feet, through which project various stone pillars both plain and carved. On each side of the upper terrace, except that occupied by the great stairway previously described, are two curious stone posts. They are placed upright but are cut aslant at an angle of 82°. Each 13 *(UoWZUIYyseM JO UOI4{NZI4sSUT aIZeUIeD AseqInod) ydeiZ0j0yd Jo do} 38 aqISIA aie suuINjoo [¥y10d yUuedIeg ‘*sepeiysn[eq yUedies poley}eey ZULMOYS “44sve WO] BINJONIYG “¢ ‘DIT 14 *(uoJZUTYySeM JO UOI{N{IySUT aIseurIeD AseyINOd) [ey1od Jo uWNjOd yUedIes YyNOG °9 “DI 15 16 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE is backed by a second post straight cut and firmly placed. These slanting posts are separated by a space less than two feet wide. From their bases down the inclined plane runs a weltlike projection that might indicate the former existence of a stairway. Yet this would seem an unnecessary structure. It may be, however, that some religious rite or observance required these narrow stairways. [Actually there were stairways on all sides. The stones with slanting faces are corner jambs of the small exterior ambulatory doorways, the slanting area corresponding to the batter at the base of exterior walls of the Mexican period.] Besides these paired slanting pillars there are single ones to the right and left of the serpents’ heads upon this same upper terrace. The angle of the one on the right, which is still firmly in place, is 82°. The other one has fallen over owing to the breaking away of the walls of the pyramid, and I could not determine its angle, but from my estimate I believe it to have had the same as the other. A stone post, exactly a foot square and seven and a half feet high, is firmly fixed in place in the northeast portion of the platform and a similar one upon the southwest. I believe there were similar posts on the other two corners, but ruin has overtaken them, and the places they would have occupied are now yawning chasms over thirty feet deep. Faint traces of carvings still exist upon one of these posts, appar- ently hieroglyphics [cf. Maudslay plan and text], while the slanting pillars are perfectly plain. Seventeen feet to the south [west] of the squared pillars of the serpent, and consequently several feet south [west] of the exact center of the upper terrace are four handsomely squared pillars. Some [all] have traces of carvings, which, though nearly obliterated by time, show, by means of the magnifying glass, remains of red paint in the hollows—a striking evidence of the durability of some, at least, of the pigments of this ancient people [Figs. 7-10]. Within the floor material between the pair of pillars on the north [east], securely sealed up by means of heavy, rectangular stone tablets, we found a well-like vault. First testing for mephitic gases, © I caused myself to be lowered down. At a depth of twelve feet I stood upon a mass of worked stones whose angles and points showed that they had been thrown in without care or order. Looking around me and upward toward the sky, I found myself in most curious quarters. A deep shaft like a rectangular well extended from the surface above until buried beneath the debris upon which I stood, *(WozBuTYseM JO UOI{NI4sSUT aIZauIED Jo AsezIno0d) 41 pulyeq Aloyepnquie jo AeMsoop 4seM Jo quel YIIM PUNOIZyOVq V[PPIU UI |QISIA [[eM YoVq oy, “ysve WIOIJ AIeNyoUey “Y ‘OIY 17 18 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE and how much farther could only be determined when the excavation was finished [Figs. 2, 3, and 12]. In order to give an intelligible description of this sepulchral shaft, I will anticipate my account in part, and state that it was found to be a little over thirty feet deep. The four sides were of cut stone well worked and laid in a most singular manner, each edge overlapping the one just above it. The projecting portions varied from an inch to nearly two inches, and thus afforded a very conven- ient foothold and materially aided us in our ingress and egress. The four corners were finished in a striking manner by means of vertical ribbons of stone placed diagonally with respect to the side [Fig. 12]. At a depth of fourteen feet the rectangular shaft enlarges suddenly a foot or more, and then continues downward, not vertically as before, but gradually converging until at the bottom of the shaft the dimensions are reduced to four feet by five. The enlarged portion was constructed after the same manner as the vertical portion, but not finished so perfectly. The stones were not as well laid, nor the joints broken as often, and the general appearance was cruder. As I have stated, this shaft was filled up to within twelve feet of the surface with stones and other material. Many of these stones were cut and finished, and had served as portions of structures at some period. They had not fallen by chance into this shaft. Neither had they become dislodged and fallen from above during the crash and vibration consequent upon the fall of some great structure above them. . The mouth of the shaft was perfectly sealed by stone slabs, rough, but effective. The sides of the shaft were perfect save in one spot midway from the top where one stone was missing. By the use of windlass and pulleys the work of excavation was carried on slowly but carefully. Some of these stones embedded in ‘the material weighed over fifty pounds, and a due regard for our lives made me proceed with caution. A man penned in a cavity thirty feet deep, only four feet by five in dimensions, may be par- doned for taking no unnecessary chances with suspended rocks. The first few feet excavated consisted of large, worked stones embedded in mold, fine rootlets like twine, and insect casings, principally beetle wings. This continued until we began to think that the ancients had made the shaft and in a fit of insanity had filled it up again with worked stones, cobbles, and dirt. Nevertheless, I kept pegging away at the bottom of this pit, never removing a stone until I had examined it in position and assured myself of its purport. 19 iption visible on column to left (courtesy of Carnegie ic inser See Fig. 10 for full view of this column. Fic. 8. Sanctuary from northeast. Note the hieroglyph Institution of Washington). 20 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE At last, at a depth of sixteen feet I came upon a grave [1]—two parallel lines of worked stones, separated by a space of two feet and extending across the shaft from east to west. The stones had been overturned and pressed into the earth by the superincumbent material, and the heavy slab covers had been dislodged and broken by the great stones evidently thrown down from above, but the grave was clear and unmistakable. With brush and trowel I at once went carefully to work. Lifting off the broken pieces of what was once the roughhewn stone tops I found the fragments of a skeleton beneath, together with two red vessels, one crushed into fragments and the other entire. In the earth material around this grave were a large number of potsherds, principally of the small red vessels. Beneath this grave I came upon a second layer of large stones, about two feet thick, then a mixture of earth and mortar containing many potsherds of the class previously described, together with pieces of a very thick ware, like incense burners. Beneath this then appeared the outlines of a second grave [2]. Around this I found red potsherds and the unmistakable fragments of a handsome terra-cotta mask that gener- ally ornaments the front of the more important incense burners. This second grave, like the first, was almost obliterated in outline and, like it, contained a much broken skeleton and two small red vessels, cracked, but perfect in outline. Besides these there were two copper bells and several jade beads. The finding of these copper bells filled me with the keenest pleasure, for they were the first I had ever encountered. In fact, the only one other recorded case of their being found in Yucatan was in 1887 when, during the construction of the Peto Railroad, the work- men in excavating a mound in the path of the railway found a jar containing over thirty copper bells, several of which the owner of the road, Don Rodolfo Canton, very kindly gave me. I have learned to regard all finds not made under my own eye with some doubt. However honest a workman may be, his judgment as to intrusive burials is not apt to be of much value. These two bells that I found were well shaped and nearly three times the size of those found on the Peto road. Beneath the crumbling material and light-brown dirt that formed the floor of this grave came the usual layer of stone, then the dirt material that surrounded and covered the third grave. In this material I found the fragments of a curious green painted vessel, PYRAMID WITH BURIAL WELL al. a green and blue painted clown-like head of terra cotta, a terra-cotta mask, and the usual red potsherds and fragments of an incense burner. Within the grave [3] were the fragments of apparently several skeletons much broken and mixed, one whole, and several broken vessels, some very fine jade beads of a high polish, and several beads of a hard-grained red stone. Then beneath the floor material were the great stones, the fine earth filled with potsherds, and a fourth grave. In this grave [4] we found the usual potsherds and many pendants of jade. In the southeast corner of the vault was a little heap of what appeared to be verdigris but proved to be twenty-two small copper bells, almost shapeless from the oxidation and incrustation. As I moved them some of the mold of centuries fell away, the little stone balls inside moved and gave forth a clear, musical tinkle. Several of these bells were cemented together by oxidization so firmly that I think the metal would give as soon as the adherent verdigris. In the northwest corner a second dusty heap resolved itself into shining beads of clear rock crystal and polished jade. These finds look small and insignificant beside the golden treasures of Mycenae, yet, as coming from Yucatan and as the first scientific recorded finds of the kind from this region, they are in their way just as important to science as golden cups or jeweled tiaras. The grave held three small red tripod vessels, one so absolutely triturated that no amount of care would make it useful as a specimen. Beside one of the vessels in the northern corner of the grave I found a round jade bead, several red beads, and a handsomely carved figure of jade. This amulet is the finest specimen of its class I have yet seen as coming from Yucatan. At this point I was obliged to discontinue the work, for a long. period of rains ensued which might have caused earth-slides and thus _ endangered our lives. I therefore braced up the well-like shaft, erected over it a protective cover of palm leaves, and left it until a more propitious time. Once again at work, I found the same sequence of great stones, fine earth containing potsherds, one whole tripod vessel, and four crystal beads, three copper bells, several small jades, red stone and nephritic stone beads. Inside the grave [5] was the usual skeleton in a bad state of preservation, a red tripod vessel, and several jade and red stone beads. Directly over the grave upon the stone capping *(uoyZulyseM JO UOIZN4IYsUy a1ZeuIeD Jo 4saj1n0d) punoisyoeq UY a{QISIA UUINIOD [¥IJod yUedies UaT[ey w Jo [IV], “AlOxe[nquie oy AeMIOOp ZuLMoUs ‘sam woly Alenjoueg °¢ ‘D1 Fic. 10. East view of column of hieroglyphic inscription. The date is fairly certain as 2 Ahau 18 Mol, falling in Tun 11 of the Katun (10.9.0.0 0) ending on 2 Ahau (courtesy of Carnegie Institution of Washington). 24 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE that once covered it I found a curious resin-like mass lying upon and covered by thick layers of ashlike debris. A heavy stone completely covered it. It was thus hermetically sealed and preserved. I have an idea that it may be the incense used by the ancients. I tried a fragment with a lighted match and it gave forth a clean aromatic odor. I recollect once having tried a little globe of incense still left in an ancient incense burner. As the odor of the burning frag- ment was wafted toward me, it instantly brought to my mind this experience of several years before. The sixth grave [6] of the shaft was found in the usual sequence, and the surrounding earth yielded votive offerings of broken vessels, jade beads, some very handsome red stone beads, several copper bells, and three crystal beads. Inside the grave the skeleton was simply a mass of lime dust; the two vessels encountered were red tripod vessels, one of which was ornamented in a manner not before noted. The bottom was covered with incised or scratched lines evidently made with some toothed implement while the vessel was yet unbaked. Most of the potsherds found in this grave were of this incised pattern. . The seventh and last grave [7] was so completely crushed out of all shape that an indiscriminate commingling of potsherds of the incised pattern previously mentioned, broken stones, and detritus were all that were visible. Patient work revealed three crushed copper bells, a broken crystal bead, several jade beads, a large jade bead calcined by fire, a terra-cotta vase much broken, but of rather un- common form, ornamented with a curious pattern in black lines, charcoal, and a couple of small pieces of obsidian. Besides these finds were a second piece of the material that I have before described as incense and several fragments of stucco apparently from the walls of some structure, painted a clear blue color, made, as an artist told me, with some oil or oily substance. This pigment was almost as clear and fine as if fresh. It is a noteworthy fact that up to the present time these graves have yielded none of the hitherto ordinary patterns of vessels and even among the potsherds intermixed in the debris around the graves the classes that hitherto have formed the largest portion of finds, viz. the plain and striated patterns, are almost entirely wanting. Red ware of all sizes and shapes, but principally fragments of small tripod vessels, constitutes the bulk of the potsherds encountered. At least 50 per cent of these vessels, when whole, were painted entirely, or in part, with a dark-slate color, inclining toward blue. ‘aseurnid 4yIM ‘ainsy Zuipueys ‘ q 3} aABy Y4IOg *(UOIZUIYSeM JO UOI{NIIYSUT sIZeUIVD jo Asa,1N09) yoeq 3e@ suou } OAR *‘[MO SB passeIp eae i ‘pD ‘apedey oy} Woly A[qeqoid ‘syUueWe[e aAT}VIODed “TI “DIq 25 26 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE The greater portion had a wide band of this pigment running around the inner rim of the vessel. Neither was there found a single arrowhead. These facts sur- prised me as they are so different from the experiences during my past explorations. Beneath the grave the trowel rang upon the cut stone of the floor at a distance of thirty feet from the surface of the mound above. As my brush carefully cleared off the dirt from the floor preparatory to sending it to the sieve above, I found myself in a rectangular space forty inches square. Nearly in the center of this space I noted a stone of a peculiar finished appearance. The inner edges of two of the surrounding stones were smoother than should have been the case naturally. Carefully working with my heavy hunting knife and trowel, I succeeded in lifting, without much effort, the stone that, while just as heavy to all appearances, had been skillfully cut to half the usual thickness, and was, therefore, easily moved by the initiated. Beneath me appeared a dark space half-filled with dirt. I projected the light of my lantern as far as possible, but the intercepting material prevented any intelligent observation and would do so until cleared out. Little by little I excavated the material filling this pit. With much labor, in a most cramped and uncomfortable position, in an opening only thirty-two inches square, I excavated the material and passed it to a native who placed it in a basket in which it was hauled up to the light of day, where the sieve and last investigation awaited it. Although jade and crystal beads and copper bells appeared from time to time, the material in general was mixed with much ashes and burned stone, and for the first time among the ruins of Yucatan I found charred human bones. I also found one jade pendant com- pletely changed by the action of heat. I extracted a great many stones and one portion of an image blackened and almost calcined by the action of heat. As the work progressed and I got deeper and deeper into the pit, I found gradually appearing to view a narrow stairway just two feet wide—the width of the narrow opening above me. I continued work- ing, sprawled out like a lizard for want of space, until I had cleared off and sent up the debris that covered the seven steps of the stair- way and left me a space still cramped, but more bearable. At a depth of six feet seven inches from the mouth of the secret entrance, the last step of the cut stone stairway appeared, and the PYRAMID WITH BURIAL WELL P| passage seemed to have a gentle descent to the north[west]. Appar- ently, the stairway had originally contained nine steps, but as we were now beneath the actual level of the outside world, the passage, the rough vault above, and the steps were cut out of the solid rock, but the steps had become partially worn away by use, leaving a series of lumps in their place. As the descent to a distance of nine feet was gradual, their need was not greatly felt. On I burrowed, finding rich specimens constantly. Human bones were abundant. Potsherds existed, but not of incense burners nor sacred vessels. I noted here that the striated ware [sherds of unslipped storage jars?] found so often in my work at Labna and elsewhere, was again in evidence. Still deeper and deeper I burrowed, completely out of sound of human life. At short intervals one of my natives would wriggle down from his position just above me, and taking the material accumulated, ashes and stones, work his way to the trapdoor, fill the basket, shout to the one above to haul up, then crawl down again and cover the secret entrance with a thick block of wood, lest the ascending basket should tumble a loose stone upon his skull. Then he would crouch back into his lair to await the shout from above that the basket was once more lowered and in readiness to be filled again. I had already found a fine idol and a head of an idol or some important person, carved out of limestone, well shaped and still bearing traces of paint, a number of crystal beads, copper bells, and jade beads of remarkable fineness, when at a distance of nine feet from the last step the passage seemed to end in a solid wall having a large slab of worked stone resting at its base directly in line with the gently inclined passage. Working my way slowly along, I gradually removed the fine material around the stone and noted the presence of a strong draft of cold air at the same instant that I found amid the debris a very remarkable jade ornament or amulet in the shape of a fish. It was the largest and finest jade amulet that I had yet found in Yucatan, although not so finely carved and polished as the amulet previously described. I stole a moment from my work to gloat over the find, and then went on with my digging. I gradually loosened the stone, and as I lifted it away, I found beneath an opening as black as night, from which poured a rush of air as chill as the breath of death. “It is the mouth of the underworld,” stammered my two boys, as they cowered close to me. “If it is, we will soon have a chance to see what the underworld is like,” I said, smiling at the wonderment and fear ‘(WoJBUIYsSeM JO UOI}NZIYSUT a1ZeuIeD Jo Asajin0d) 4yeYys ay} UMOP MaIA “ZI “DI i ine.