.?".-■:,
-II-
M$
SMITHSONIAH INSTITUTION
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
BULLETIN 64
)
THE MAYA INDIANS OF SOUTHERN YUCATAN
AND NORTHERN BRITISH HONDURAS
BY
THOMAS W. F. GANN
WASHINGTON
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
1018
i vu%a| JeuV^fux^t
LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL
Washington, D. C, November 4, 1916.
Sir: I have tho honor to transmit herewith tho manuscript of a
memoir entitled "Tho Maya Indians of Southern Yucatan and
Northern British Honduras," by Thomas W. F. Gann, and to recom-
mend its publication as a bulletin of tho Buroau of American
Ethnology.
Very respectfully,
F. W. Hodge,
Ethnologist-in- Charge.
Hon. Charles D. Walcott,
Secretary, Smithsonian Institution.
■ 3
CONTENTS
Part 1. Customs, Ceremonies, and Mode op Life
Page
Introduction 13
Habitat 14
Personal characteristics 15
Dress 18
Industrial activities 20
Agriculture 20
Procuring food ; cooking 21
Hunting 23
Fishing 25
Construction of houses and furniture 26
Pottery making 28
Boat building 28
Spinning and weaving 29
Minor industries 30
Tobacco curing 30
Basket and mat weaving 30
Social characteristics 32
Villages 32
Marriage and children 32
Drunkenness 34
Chiefs • 35
Diseases and medicines 36
Games 39
Religion 40
Part 2. Mound Excavation in the Eastern Maya Area
Introduction 49
< !lassincation of the mounds 49
Ancient inhabitants of the region 51
Physical appearance 51
1 )ress 52
Weapons 52
Houses 53
Arts 53
Musical instruments 54
Food 55
Spinning and weaving 55
( lames 5(5
Religion 56
( 'hronology 58
Description of mounds 59
Mound No. 1 59
Mound No. 2 63
Mound No. 3 65
Mound No. 4 67
Mound No. 5 70
5
6 CONTENTS
Description of mounds — Continued. Page
Mound No. 5 A 72
Mound No. 6 74
Mound No. 6 A 78
Mound No. 7 79
Mound No. 8 80
Mound No. 9 83
Mound No. 10 86
Mound No. 11 90
Mound No. 12 92
Mound No 13 .' 99
Mound No. 14 99
Mound No. 15 103
Mound No. 16 105
Mound No. 17 109
Mound No. 18 Ill
Mound No. 19 112
Mound No. 20 112
Mound No. 21 114
Mound No. 22 115
Mound No. 23 116
Mound No . 24 118
Mound No. 25 120
Mound No. 26 •. 123
Mound No. 27 124
Mound No. 28 1 24
Mound No. 29 125
Mound No. 30 125
Mound No. 31 128
Mound No. 32 129
Mound No. 33 130
Mound No. 34 132
Mound No. 35 133
Mound No. 36 134
Mound No. 37 134
Mound No. 38 134
Mound No. 39 135
Mound No. 40 136
Mound No. 41 137
Two painted stucco faces from Uxmal 140
Authorities cited 143
Index 145
ILLUSTRATIONS
plates Page
1. Group of Santa Cruz Indians 18
2. Maya girls fishing 26
3. Fish drying on one of the rays off the coast of Yucatan 26
4. Maya Indian houses, a. Leaf-thatched house, o. Indian house on Rio
Hondo 26
5. Maya woman, 105 years old, spinning cotton 29
6. Maya loom 29
7. Sketch map of British Honduras, with adjacent parts of Yucatan and Guate-
mala, indicating the positions of mounds excavated 59
8. Figurines of warriors from Mound No. 1 60
9. Figurines from Mound No. 1 60
10. a. Section through earthwork inclosing circular space, Santa Rita. b. Sec-
tion of wall through Santa Rita 70
11. Egg-shaped vase from Mound No. 5 70
12. Metatcs and brazos from Mound No. 6 75
13. a. Small pottery seal. b. Bowl in which skull was found, c. Skull 75
14. Skull and bones from Mound No. 8 80
15. Stone objects from Mound No. 10 88
16. a. Model of jadeite bivalve shell, b. Light-green jadeite mask, c. Ax head,
or celt. d. Terra-cot ta cylinder 91
17. Painted basin and cover from Mound No. 16 105
18. Pottery from Mound No. 1(5 107
19. a. Decoration on vase shown in figure 60. 6. Decoration of vessel from
Mound No. 17 110
20. Incense burner from Mound No. 24 119
21. a. Small vase decorated with human head. b. Human bones from Mound
No. 29 125
22. Painted clay figurine from Mound No. 33 131
2:5. Pottery vase from Yalloch, Guatemala 142
24. Pottery vase from Yalloch, Guatemala 142
25. Pottery vase from Yalloch, Guatemala 142
2d. Pottery cylinder from Yalloch, Guatemala 142
27. Pottery cylinder from Yalloch, (iuatemala 142
28. Pottery cylinder from Yalloch, (iuatemala 142
TEXT FIGURES
.1. Map showing Yucatan. Campeche, British Honduras, and part ;>f Guatemala. 14
2. Gold earrings made and worn by the Santa Cruz Indians 19
3. Cross of tancasche bark worn by children '. 1!>
4. Powder horn and measure of bamboo used by the Indians 2:\
5. Watertight box for caps, matches, or tinder, with corncob stopper 23
6. Whistle for attracting deer by imitating tlicir call 24
7
ILLTJSTHATIOffS
7. Indian carrying load of bejuco, a liana used as rope in house building 26
8. Domestic altar 27
9. Stonelike substance used to prevent fingers from sticking while spinning. . 29
10. Calabash with liana base used in spinning 30
11. Chichanha Indian priest in front of altar at Cha chac ceremony 43
12. Priest tracing cross on cake and filling it in with sikil. 44
13. Sacrificing a turkey at the Cha chac ceremony 45
14. Plan of Santa Rita mounds 59
15. Figurine from Mound No. 1 60
16. Figurines from Mound No. 1 61
17. Unpainted object from Mound No. 1 62
18. Clay alligator found in Mound No. 2 64
19. Objects from Mound No. 4 68
20. Pottery vessels from Mound No. 4 69
21. Objects found in Mound No. 5 71
22. Diagram of Mound No. 6 74
23. Diagram of trenches in Mound No. 6 76
24. Bowls, vases, and dishes found in Mound No. 6 77
25. a. Skull, b. Limestone foundation, c. Excavation, d. Grooved flag in
situ. e. Projecting lip 78
26. Circular openings leading into natural cavity ; 80
27. Ground plan of chultun 82
28. Ground plan of Mound No. 9 . 84
29. Wall construction of Mound No. 9 84
30. Details of Mound No. 9 85
31. Obsidian object and pottery vase from Mound No. 10 87
32. Obsidian arrowhead from Mound No. 10 89
33. Flint object from Mound No. 10 89
34. Obsidian object from Mound No. 10 90
35. Inscription on mask, plate 16, b 91
36. Inscription on ax head, plate 16, c 92
37. Flint spearheads 94
38. Flint objects 94
39. Devices scratched on stucco in aboriginal building 95
40. Eccentrically shaped implements found at summit of mound 96
41 . Flint object found at base of stela 96
42. Flint object found at base of stela 96
43. Flints found in ruins at Naranjo • 97
44. Objects from Benque Viejo 98
45. Obsidian objects found in a mound near Benque Viejo 99
46. Flint object from Seven Hills 100
47. Horseshoe-shaped flint object found near San Antonio 100
48. Figure from River Thames, near London 101
49. Flint objects from Tennessee 102
50. Flint objects from Italy 103
51. Small cup-shaped vase from Mound No. 15 104
52. Objects from Mound No. 15 104
53. Conventionalized representation of bird on vessel shown in plate 17 106
54. Decoration on vessel shown in plate 17 106
55. Perforated beads found in Mound No. 16 107
56. Jadeite beads found in Mound No. 16 107
57. a. Circular shell disks from Mound No. 16. b. Greenstone ear plugs from
Mound No. 17 108
58. Obsidian disk inserted in tooth of skeleton found in Mound No. 17 109
Page
59. Bird carrying a fish outlined on shallow plaque found in Mound No. 17 . . . 110
60. Cylindrical pottery vase found in Mound No. 17 110
61 . Larger pottery vase found in Mound No. 17 Ill
62. Coiled plumed serpent painted on plaque found in Mound No. 17 Ill
63. Pottery vase found in Mound No. 18 112
64. Glyph outlined on outer surface of rim of vase shown in figure 63 112
65. Torso, head, and headdress from Mound No. 20 113
66. Fragment of pillar found in Mound No. 20 113
67. Another view of incense burner shown in plate 20 119
68. Incense burner decorated with crude clay figurine from Mound No. 25. . . . 120
69. Crude clay figurine found in Mound No. 25 121
70. Crude clay figurine found in Mound No. 25 122
71. Small pottery vases found in Mound No. 26 123
72. Red pottery vase found in Mound No. 27 124
73. Pottery vessels found in Mound No. 31 '. 128
74. Chocolate pot found in Mound No. 31 128
75. Pottery vessels found in Mound No. 32 129
76. Head cut from limestone found in Mound No. 32 130
77. Greenstone mask found in Mound No. 32 130
78. Soapstone lamp found in Mound No. 33 131
79. Rough pottery vessel found in Mound No. 33 132
80. Objects found in Mound No. 34 132
81. Figure in diving position on small vase 133
82. Design incised on femur of deer found in Mound No. 39 135
83. Copper object found in Mound No. 39 136
84. Ruins found in Mound No. 40 137
KEY TO PRONUNCIATION OF MAYA WORDS
Vowels and consonants are pronounced as in Spanish, with the
following exceptions :
fc h explosive
K ordinary palatal k
X ah as in shut
T§ ch explosive
0 ts
Ai like i in confide
tt I explosive
11
THE MAYA INDIANS OF SOUTHERN YUCATAN AND
NORTHERN BRITISH HONDURAS
By Thomas W. F. Gann
PART 1. CUSTOMS, CEREMONIES, AND MODE OF LIFE
INTRODUCTION
The southern and eastern parts of Yucatan, from Tuluum in the
north to the Rio Hondo in the south, are occupied to-day by two
tribes of Maya Indians, the Santa Cruz and Icaiche or Chichanha.
Thft number of Santa Cruz was estimated by Sapper in 1895 at about
8,000 to 10,000, but at the present day has probably been reduced
to about 5,000. The Icaiche, the number of whom he estimated at
500, and is given by the Guia de Yucatan in 1900 as 803, now com-
prise not more than 200. This decrease is due to the policy of
extermination carried out among the Santa Cruz for years by the
Mexican Government, and the consequent emigration of many of
the Indians to British Honduras, Guatemala, and northern Yucatan.
The northern and western parts of British Honduras contain between
5,000 and 6,000 Indians; those in the north are partly indigenous
and partly immigrants drawn from Yucatecan tribes who have left
their homes after various political disturbances, especially after the
occupancy of their towns of Bacalar and Santa Cruz by the Mexican
Government. The Indians of the western part of the colony are
also partly indigenous, but for the greater part Itzas, who have come
in from Pet en in Guatemala.
The objects shown in figures 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 31, 35, 36, 47,
51, 52, 55, 56, 57, 59, 62, 63, 64, 65, 69, 70, 76, and 77, and in plates
8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18a, and 19 are in the Liverpool Museum;
those shown in figures 15, 40, and 41 and in plate 9 are in the British
Museum; those shown in figure 45 and in plates 23, 24, 25, 26, 27,
and 28 are in the Bristol Museum; and those shown in figures 67
and 08 and in plates 20, 21 , and 22 are in the Museum of the American
Indian, Heye Foundation.
13
HABITAT
The northern part of British Honduras, between the Rio Hondo
and the Rio Nuevo, consists of an almost level plain, having an area
of nearly 1,000 square miles. The soil is a vegetal humus, varying
from a few inches to several feet in depth, the average depth being
about 2 feet; beneath this is a stratum of marly limestone, out-
crops of which are found in many places. The southern part of
Yucatan, which, unlike the northern part, is comparatively well
watered, is also flat, though a few small hills are found along the
northern bank of the Rio Hondo, commencing about 50 miles from
its mouth (fig. 1). Most
of the land along the rivers
is swampy, producing only
reeds, coarse grasses, and
mangrove trees. Beyond
the swamp country are
found "cuhun ridges/'
consisting of river val-
leys or depressions in the
surface which have be-
come filled with alluvium
brought down by the
rivers from the interior,
forming an exceedingly
rich soil suitable for the
cultivation of maize and
nearly every tropical prod-
uct. It is upon these
" cuhun ridges " that most
of the mounds and other
relics of the ancient in-
habitants are found and that nearly all the villages of the modern
Indians are built. Large tracts of what is known as "pine ridge"
are scattered throughout this area; these are level or slightly undu-
lating plains covered with gravel and coarse sand — exceedingly poor
soil, producing only wiry grass, yellow pines, and small pimento
palms. On these "pine ridges" Indian mounds are hardly ever
found, nor do the Indians of to-day build villages upon them except
in rare instances and for special local reasons. With the exception
of the extreme northern part, nearly the whole of this area is well
watered by rivers and streams, while scattered throughout it are
numerous lagoons and lakes, the largest of which is the Bacalar
Lagoon.
14
Fig. 1.— Map showing Yucatan, Campeche, British Hondu-
ras, and part of Guatemala. The area dealt with is shaded.
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
The manners, customs, religious conceptions, and daily life of all
these Indians are very similar, though among the Indians of British
Honduras, who come more closely in contact with outside influences,
old customs are dying out, and old ideas and methods are being super-
seded by new. The language of the tribes here considered, with
slight local dialectical variations, is the same; all are of the same
physical type; in fact, there can be little doubt that they are the
direct descendants of those Maya who occupied the peninsula of
Yucatan at the time of the conquest. Physically, though short they
are robust and well proportioned. The men average 5 feet 2
inches to 5 feet 3 inches in height, the women about 2 inches less. The
skin varies in color from almost white to dark bronze. The hair of
both sexes is long, straight, coarse, black, and luxuriant on the head,
where it extends very low over the forehead, but is almost entirely
absent from other parts of the body. The women usually wear their
hair hanging down the back in two plaits. Thoir faces aro round
and full, with rather high cheek bones; the skull is highly brachi-
cephalic in type. The following indices were taken from a small
number of Santa Cruz Indians, mostly malos of middle age :
Maximum length of head cm . . 17. 52
Maximum breadth of head cm. . 15. 44
Cephalic index 88.11
Facial height cm . . 11. 68
Maximum bi-zygomatic breadth cm . . 12. 84
Facial index 84-40
Nasal height cm . . 5. 13
Nasal breadth cm. . 3. 55
Nasal index 69. SO
The eves aro largo and dark brown, the ears small and closely applied
to the head, the nose rather broad, and the jaw prognathous. The
mouth is fairly largo and the teeth excellent, though toward middle
age they become greatly worn down in many individuals front eating
corn cake impregnated with grit from the stone nictate, and from the
same cause they are frequently much incrusted with tartar. 'Hie figure
in both sexes is short and broad. The long bones and the extremities
are small and delicate. Both men and women are, however, capable
of considerable and prolonged exertion. The former can carry loads
of 150 pounds for 20 miles in the macapal (tab), a netted bag
15
16 BUREAU. OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64
which is slung over the back and held up by a band passing round
the forehead, while the latter can work for hours at a time grinding
corn on the metate without apparent fatigue. Many of the younger
women would be considered very good looking, measured by the
most exacting standard, though they reach maturity at an early age,
and deteriorate in appearance very rapidly after marriage, the face
becoming wrinkled and the figure squat and shapeless. In walking
the men bend the body forward from the hips, keep the eyes fixed upon
the ground, and turn the toes in, habits acquired from carrying the
macapal on all occasions. So accustomed have they become to this
contrivance that many of them, when starting on a journey of even
a couple of miles, rather than go unloaded, prefer to weight the
macapal with a few stones as a counterpoise to the habitual forward
inclination of their bodies above the hips. Children begin carry-
ing small macapals at a very early age, and it is probably to
this habit and not, as Landa suggests, to the custom among the
women of carrying their children astride the hip that the prevalence
of bowlegs (kulba ok) among the Indians is due. These people have
a peculiar and indescribable odor, rather pleasant than otherwise;
it is not affected by washing or exercise, is much stronger in some
individuals than in others, and is perceptible in both sexes and at
all ages. The women are, on the whole, both physically and mentally
superior to the men, and when dressed in gala costume for a "baile"
with spotlessly clean, beautifully embroidered garments, all the gold
ornaments they possess or can borrow, and often a coronet of fire
beetles, looking like small electric lamps in their hair, they present a
very attractive picture. They are polite and hospitable, though
rather shy with strangers; indeed in the remoter villages they often
rush into the bush and hide themselves at the approach of anyone
not known to them, especially if the men are away working in the
milpas. They are very fond of gossip and readily appreciate a joke,
especially one of a practical nature, though till one gets to know
them fairly well they appear dull and phlegmatic. When quarreling
among themselves both women and girls use the most disgusting and
obscene language, improvising as they go along, with remarkable
quick- wittedness, not binding themselves down to any conventional
oaths or forms of invective, but pouring out a stream of vituperation
and obscenity to meet each case, which strikes with unerring fidelity
the weak points in the habits, morals, ancestry, and personal appear-
ance of their opponents. The young girls are as bad as, if not worse
than, the older women, for whom they seem to have no respect.
They are extremely clean in their persons, and wash frequently,
though with regard to their homes they are not nearly so particular^
as hens, dogs, pigs, and children roll about together promiscuously
on the floor, and fleas, lice, and jiggers abound only too frequently.
ga.nn] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 17
The description given by Landa (chap, xxxn, p. 192) of the Indian
women at the time of the conquest applies equally well to their
descendants of the present day:
Emborachavanse tambien ellas con los combites, aunque por si, como comian por
si, y no se emborachavan tanto como los hombres . . . Son avisadas y corteses y
conversables, eon que se entienden, y a maravilla bien partidas. Tienen poco
secreto y no son tan lirapias en sus personas ni en sus cosas con quanto se lavan como
los erminos.
The women are very industrious, rising usually at 3 or 4 o'clock
in the morning to prepare the day's supply of tortillas or corn cake.
During the day they prepare tobacco (kutz) and make cigarettes;
gather cotton (taman), which they spin (Jcuch), weave (sakal), and
embroider for garments; weave mats of palm leaf and baskets (xush)
of a variety of liana (ale); make pottery (ul), and cotton and hene-
quen cord, of which they construct hammocks Qcari). In addition
to these tasks they do the family cooking and washing, look after
the children, and help their husbands to attend to the animals.
Till late at night the women may be seen spinning, embroidering,
and hammock-making by the light of a native candle or a small
earthenware cuhoon-nut oil lamp, meanwhile laughing and chatting
gayly over the latest village scandal, the older ones smoking cigarettes,
while the men squat about on their low wooden stools outside the
house gravely discussing the weather, the mflpas, the hunting, or
the iniquities of the Alcalde. Among the Indian women of British
Honduras the old customs are rapidly dying out; spinning and
weaving are no longer practiced, pottery making has been rendered
unnecessary by the introduction of cheap iron cooking pots and
earthenware, candles have given place to mineral oil lamps, and
even the metate is being rapidly superseded by small American hand
mills for grinding the corn. The men's time is divided between
agriculture, hunting, fishing, and boat and house building, though
at times they undertake tusks usually left to the women, as mat
and basket making, and even spinning and weaving. The In-
dians of British Honduras who live near settlements do light work
for the rancheros and woodcutters; they have the reputation of being
improvident and lazy, and of leaving their work as soon as they have
acquired sufficient money for their immediate needs, and this is to
some extent true, as the Indian always wants to invest his cash in
some tiling which will give an immediate return in pleasure or amuse-
ment. The men are silent, though not sullen, very intelligent in all
matters which concern their own daily life, but singularly incurious
as to anything going on outside of this. They are civil, obliging,
and good-tempered, and make excellent servants, when they can be
got to work, but appear to be for the most part utterly lacking in
70806°— 18— Bull. G4 2
18 BUREAU OF AMERICAN" ETHNOLOGY [boll. 64
ambition or in any desire to accumulate wealth with which to acquire
comforts and luxuries not enjoyed by their neighbors. It happens
occasionally that an individual does perforce acquire wealth, as
in the case of the head chief of the Icaiche Indians, who was
paid a salary by the Mexican Government to keep his people
quiet, and royalties on chicle cut on his lands by various contractors.
He accumulated a considerable sum, all in gold coin, which he
stored in a large demijohn and hid in the bush. At his death, as no
one knew the place where the demijohn was buried, the money was
permanently lost. They are remarkably skillful at finding their way
in the bush by the shortest route from point to point, possessing a
faculty in this respect which amounts almost to an instinct ; they are
skillful also at following the tracks of men and animals in the bush
by means of very slight indications, as broken twigs and disturbed
leaves, imperceptible to an ordinary individual. The men are very
stoical in bearing pain. I have removed both arms at the shoulder
joints, with no other surgical instrument than a long butcher's knife,
and no anesthetic except several drinks of rum, for an Indian,
crushed between the rollers of a native sugar mill, without his uttering
a single complaint. The Indians are undoubtedly cruel, but not
wantonly so, as the shocking acts of cruelty reported as being per-
petrated by them from time to time are. usually by way of reprisal for
similar or worse acts on the part of the Mexicans. Before the rising
of the Indians in 1848, they were throughout this part of Yucatan prac-
tically in a state of slavery, and were often treated by their Spanish
masters with the utmost barbarity. As an instance of this it is
recorded of a well-known merchant of Bacalar that he was in the
habit of burying his Indian servants in the ground to the neck, with
their heads shaved, exposed to the hot sun; their heads were then
smeared with molasses and the victims were left to the ants ; and this
punishment was inflicted for no very serious offense. It is hardly to
be wondered at that such treatment left in the Indians' hearts an
undying hatred for their masters which, when in their turn they
gained the ascendancy, found vent in acts of the most horrible
cruelty — flogging, burning, mutilation, and even crucifixion.
Dress
The men wear hats of platted palm leaf, which they make them-
selves; those woven from coarse split palm leaf are known as xani
pok, those of very fine leaf, like Panama hats, bear the name borni
pok (pi. 1). They wear cotton trousers (eex), or in some sections
short cotton drawers (xkulex), with a short, loose, shirt-like jacket of
cotton hanging outside the trousers. On the feet they use sandals
of danta hide (xanapJceuel) held in place by a leather or henequen
thong passing between the great and second toes and around the
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
BULLETIN 64 PLATE 1
GROUP OF SANTA CRUZ INDIANS
Fig. 2.— Gold earrings made and worn by the Santa Cruz
blouse, cut square at the
gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 19
back of the heel to the front of the instep, where it is fastened.
Formerly the cotton was grown, spun, and woven at home, but
nowadays it is giving place to cheap imported English and Ameri-
can goods, while the sandals are being superseded by moccasins
and even by imported shoes. The moccasins the Indians make
themselves, tanning the hides (usually of deer or antelope) in lime
and red mangrove bark and
stitching the parts together
with thin strips of leather.
These moccasins, which
are made on crude wooden
lasts, are very comfortable
and wear well.
The women wear two gar-
ments of cotton; the huipil
(yupte) , a loose short-sleeved
fig. •!.— uoia earrings m
Indians
neck, and reaching nearly
to the knees, and a short skirt reaching to between the knee and
the ankle, known as a pile. The neck, the lower border, and the
armholes of the blouse and the edge of the skirt were formerly
beautifully embroidered in varicolored floral and geometrical de-
vices; now, however, cotton manufactured in England or the United
States and stamped in colors to imitate the original embroidery
is rapidly coming into use. The women formerly went barefooted
or wore loose slippers; now they frequently wear imported shoes,
often with .high heels, a feature which renders their walk and
carriage awkward and stilted. They often go bareheaded, but
sometimes wear a sort of shawl (bostch) around the head and shoul-
ders. Many of them wear largo round or oval plaques
of gold (tup) in the ears, survivals, probably, of the
enormous round car disks worn by the ancient Maya
(fig. 2). Some of the women wear long gold chains,
with religious medallions attached, while the smaller
FiG.3.-crossoftan- children wear a variety of curious objects, as small
i.Tehikircn V °m coms> shells, beads, dried seeds, and berries, with fig-
urines in wood, stone, pottery, and metal, strung round
their necks. Many of these are worn as charms or amulets to pro-
tect the wearer against diseases, accidents, or evil spirits, or to bring
good luck. A charm worn by nearly all children consists of a
small cross of tancasche bark (fig. 3) which is regarded as a sov-
ereign remedy for flatulence, a complaint from which, owing to the
nature of their diet, nearly all suffer.
20 BUREAU OF AMEEICAN ETHNOLOGY [bui-l. 64
Industrial Activities
agriculture
Of all the arts practiced by the Indian, agriculture is by far
the most important; indeed the greater part of his time and labor
are devoted to the milpa (kol), or corn plantation, which
affords him his principal means of livelihood, for if the corn crop
fails he knows that actual starvation will menace his family until
the next crop is gathered. The virgin bush, in which the milpa is
made, is cut down about December or January, only the large and
hardwood trees being left standing. This is the most arduous part
of the work, and the neighbors often assist in it, being helped in
turn when making their own milpas. The bush is allowed to dry
until the end of May (the dry season lasting from January to May),
when it is burned off. After the burnt area has been cooled by the
first shower of rain it is planted in corn (ixim). This is a simple
operation, two or three men going over the ground, each with a bag
of corn and a sharp-pointed stick, making small holes at fairly regular
intervals, into each of which they drop a few grains of corn, and
then cover them with earth. About October the corn begins to ripen,
whereupon each stalk is bent about a foot below the ear and allowed
to hang down for several days in order that rain may not gain
entrance and spoil the grain in the final stages of ripening. During
this period the owner spends nearly all his time in the milpa, sleeping
there in a little palm-leaf shack at night, since many animals, as
deer and wild hogs, are very fond of corn, which is subject to raids
also by neighboring Indians and by tame pigs from the village.
When the corn is ripe, it is stored, still in the husk, upon a low plat-
form, in a small house specially built for the purpose, often, in order
to avoid transportation, situated within the milpa. It is shelled as
required for use, the surplus from that eaten by the family and
stock being exchanged at the nearest village for cash or for cotton
cloth, rum, iron cooking pots, ammunition, and other luxuries. The
shelling is done by rubbing the husked ear against a rough flat sur-
face, made by binding a number of corncobs (bacaT) together into a
circle with liana. Many fruits and vegetables besides corn are grown
in the milpa, including yams (xaci macal), camote (is), pumpkins
(kuum), squashes (xlca), tomatoes (paalc), plantains (haz), colalu
(xterkocJi), aguacate (on), plums (abal), oranges (pakaal), siricote
(Tcopte), sapodillas (yd), mamai (chacal haz), okra, garden egg, melon,
breadfruit, sweet lime, pineapple, and a variety of others.
ganx] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 21
PROCURING FOOD; COOKING
Both men and women take for the first meal of the day a hot
thick drink known as posol, made from ground corn and water,
often flavored with honey; later they eat tortillas, beans, and chili
pepper, accompanied with a cold drink made from corn. In the
evening they make their principal repast, which includes game,
pork, fish, or eggs, with beans and other vegetables, plenty of chili
pepper, and either chocolate or some hot drink made from corn.
They use a great variety of drinks concocted of ground maize and
water, including chocosacan, a solution of the masa from which
tortillas are made, in water, flavored with a little salt; pinol, a
solution of ground toasted corn seasoned with pimento and other
spices; posol, boiled corn ground to a paste and mixed with hot
water; sacha, very much like posol, but the corn is not cooked
soft, so that the beverage is gritty; and, lastly, atol, which is cho-
cosacan boiled till the mixture becomes thick and glutinous.
Tortillas, or corn cake, sometimes eaten hot, sometimes cold,
and at times toasted, are the Indian's chief mainstay in the way
of food, as they appear at every meal, and at a pinch he can exist
on them alone for a very long period. Tortillas are made in the
following way: The grain is first soaked overnight in a lye of wood
ashes, treatment which softens the grain and loosens the outer husk.
The softened grain is next ground into a fine paste on an oblong
stone, slightly concave, known as a metate (ka), by means of a
stone rolling pin thicker in the middle than at the ends, designated
as a brazo (u Icabfca). This procedure takes considerable time, as
the grain has to be ground a number of times in order to get the
paste to the required degree of fineness. When the paste or masa
is ready it is flattened by hand into small round cakes (tortillas),
which are baked on an iron or earthen plaque (xamach) over a glow-
ing wood lire.
The hunters are experts at barbecuing {macan) the carcasses of
various birds and animals, chiefly deer, peccary, wild turkey, and
curassow, as they often get a large supply of game when several
days' journey from the village, which, unless preserved in some way,
would quickly spoil. The carcasses are cut into joints; the birds
plucked, cleaned, and split open; and the meat thus prepared is
hung in a small palm-leaf shack rendered as nearly airtight as pos-
sible, upon the floor of which is kindled a lire of damp cedar chips.
These give off some heat and great quantities of aromatic smoke,
so that in about 24 hours the meat is sufficiently cured to last for
several weeks. Meat prepared in this way is considered a great
delicacy. If it is wished to preserve the meat for longer periods
the process is prolonged and salt may be rubbed in. Strips of meat
22 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64
and carcasses of birds may sometimes be seen hanging from the
rafters over the fire in the kitchen so desiccated, hard, and black-
ened that it would appear impossible to eat them; but after months
of drying this meat, when soaked in warm water for 24 hours, is
not unpalatable. The Indians wash their hands before and after
eating, a very necessary practice, as they eat exclusively with their
fingers, using the tortillas to scoop up gravy, beans, and other
mushy foodstuffs. They eat at small round tables about 16 inches
high, sitting, or rather squatting, around them on little blocks of
wood 4 to 5 inches high. They are very fond of salt, which among
the coast Indians is obtained by evaporating sea water, among the
inland villages by trade from Yucatan and Guatemala. Since this
supply has been almost cut off, owing to the troubles with Mexico, the
Indians frequently use for salt the ashes obtained by burning botan
tops. Men and women do not eat together, as the women are pre-
paring relays of hot tortillas for the men while the meal lasts. Their
food and mode of eating is well described by Landa (chap, xxi,
p. 120) :
Que por la manana toman la bebida caliente con pimienta, como esta dicho y
entre dia las otras frias, y a la noche los guisados. Y que si no ay carne hazen sus
salsas de la pimienta y legumbres. Que no acostumbravan comer los hombres con
las mugeres, y que ellos comian por si en el suelo, o quando mucho sobre una serilla
por mesa: y que comen bien quando lo tienen, y quando no, sufren muy bien la
hambre y passan con muy poco. Y que se lavan las manos y la boca despues de
comer.
Indeed, the foregoing description would apply almost as well to
Indians of the more remote villages of the present day as to those
of the time immediately after the conquest. In localities where
they have come in contact with more civilized communities their
menu has been considerably enlarged by the introduction of im-
ported foodstuffs, while their methods of eating have been changed
by the introduction of knives, forks, and spoons. The native
methods of cooking are very primitive. Three large flat stones
so placed as to form an equilateral triangle, known as Jcoben, form
the only fireplace; in this is kindled the fire of sticks or split logs,
over which is placed the earthenware or iron cooking pots or plaque
for baking tortillas, resting on the stones. Fire (kaak) is usually
obtained through the use of matches among the Indians of British
Honduras. Hunters and others who spend a great part of their
time in the bush employ flint and steel. Among the Indians in the
remote villages fire is still made by swiftly rotating a sharp-pointed
shaft of some hardwood (usually dogwood) in a hole made in a
small slab of very light dry wood (commonly gumbo limbo) . There
is no chimney to the kitchen, the smoke finding its way out as best
it can through the doors and crevices in the walls; consequently
oann]
MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS
23
the whole of the interior, with its permanent furnishings, is colored
a fine rich brown.
HUNTING
It must be admitted that the Indian is no sportsman in the pur-
suit of game, the claims of the pot being always paramount. He
rarely shoots at a flying bird unless to fire into the midst of a flock
of parrots or wild ducks, and when after the larger game he waits
till he can deliver the contents of his gun point-blank into some vital
Fig. 4.— Powder horn and measure of bamboo used by the Indians.
part. This practice may bo due partly to the limitations of his
weapon, which till recent years consisted of a muzzle-loading section
of gas pipe, nearly as dangerous when discharged to the hunter
as to the game, and partly to the fact that the bush is usually so
dense that an animal, if not shot at point-blank range, can not
be gotten at all. It is probably not more than four generations
since the use of the bow and arrow died out among the Indians
in the western part of British Honduras, as old men among them
Fig. 5.— Watertight box for caps, matches, or tinder, with corncob stopper.
have told me that they could remember seeing a few still in use
when they were very young. The flint arrowheads, they said,
were obtained down the Mopan River. This seems quite possible, as
at Baker's, not far from Belize, there is an outcrop of flint, where,
judging by the great heaps of fresh-looking chips and rejects still
in existence, a considerable '"factory" must have existed at a com-
paratively recent date. Some of these old men could still make
fairly serviceable bows and arrows, the heads of the latter being cut
from hardwood.
24 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64
The principal game animals of this region are the deer (ke), two
species of wild hog, the warri and peccary (kelcem), gibnut (halib),
armadillo (yetsh), wild turkey (kutz), parrot (tut), pigeons of various
kinds (mucui), curassow Qcambul), quam (cosh), quail (num), and
partridge (mankolom). Besides these, birds in great variety, rep-
tiles, and mammals are killed and eaten from time to time, including
plovers, garzas, toucans, water hens, wild ducks, and chichalacas.
The iguana (tolok) is eaten by the Indians in the west of British Hon-
duras, as are also the woula (ocJikan), a large constrictor snake, and
the rattlesnake, known as the cazon i leash, or "little shark of the
woods." Turtles (sacak) are often captured along the east coast of
Yucatan and the adjacent islands, and their eggs in the breeding
season form a great delicacy for the Santa Cruz Indians living in
the neighborhood of Tuluum. Hicatee (ok) and bucatora are caught
in great numbers in all the rivers and lagoons. The tiger (balam),
puma (coh), picote (chic), monkey (maash), tapir (tzimin), squirrel
(kuuk), cane rat (tso), and other animals are hunted from time to
time, either for their skins or flesh. Deer are secured in considerable
numbers in the rutting season by imitating their call with a wooden
whistle (fig. 6) ; they are also found in the milpas, just after the burning,
m
Fig. 6.— Whistle for attracting deer by imitating their call.
where they come to lick the slightly saline ashes. At this time the
owners build platforms on poles 10 to 12 feet high, on top of which
they spend the whole night in an extremely cramped and uncom-
fortable position, waiting for deer or other game to approach near
enough for an easy shot. A favorite method of hunting the larger
game animals is to go out at night with a split-pine torch attached
to the hat; this attracts animals of all kinds, whose eyes may be
seen gleaming in the dark, affording an easy mark, though not
infrequently a neighbor's errant pig pays the penalty of curiosity.
Traps of two kinds are in common use. One employed to snare
larger game is constructed in the following way: A path frequented
by game in going to and from a watering place is found; along this
is dug a shallow trench opposite a good springy young sapling; two
stakes are driven in, one on each side of the trench,, the one farthest
from the tree being crooked at the top. A piece of henequen cord,
provided with a noose at one end, and with a stick long enough to
extend from one stake to the other, firmly tied by its middle above
the noose, is attached to the top of the sapling by its other end.
The sapling is then bent down and held in place by the stick above
the noose, which is fixed lightly between the crook in one stake and
oann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 25
the stake opposite to it, the loop hanging suspended between the
two. Lastly, a number of sticks and leaves are scattered lightly over
the trench and beside the stakes and loop. Animals coming along
the run are very apt to put their necks in the loop, and by pulling
on this, to release the cross stick, whereupon they are immediately
suspended in the air by the jerking back of the bent sapling.
Animals of all sizes, from rabbits to tigers, are caught in traps of
this kind, the strength and adaptability of which vary with the size
of the bent tree and the adjustment of the noose. Another trap,
used only for small animals, consists of an oblong cage made of split
bamboo or cabbage bark. Over the opening, which is in the top,
rests an accurately balanced strip of board, baited at one end with
corn. When the animal endeavors to reach the bait it is precipitated
into the trap, and the board swings back into place, covering the
exit. Before they obtain guns the boys use slings, with which they
can throw pebbles with remarkable force and accuracy, bringing
down birds, squirrels, and other small game. They keep many tame
animals, some for food, others as pets, including pigs, dogs, cats,
peccaries, gibnuts, rabbits, quashes, nicos de noche, and squirrels;
also birds, as parrots, doves, quam, curassow, chichalaca, sinsonte,
pavo real, and many others.
FISHING
Many fish are found in the coastal waters, in the rivers, and in the
lagoons of the interior, including cazoncs, tarpon, skipjacks, snappers,
eels, baracoudas, stone bass, cobarli, jewfish, tubers, bay snooks,
river snooks, and a variety of others. They are caught with hook and
line, in cast and seine nets, in traps, and by spearing or harpooning.
Fish traps are cylindrical in shape, with a funnel-shaped opening
at each end, the apex of the funnel pointing toward the center of the
trap, so that entrance is easy but exit very difficult. The traps,
made of split bamboo, are placed upon the bottoms of rivers or
lagoons, baited with "masa," which attracts multitudes of the tiny
fish there abounding; these in their turn attract larger fish, which
enter the trap in pursuit of the small fry and are captured. Har-
pooning at night by the light of a split-pine torch its about the nearest
approach to real sport which the Indian enjoys; this is usually done
near the bar of a river, on a calm dark night, by three men in a
canoe, one paddling, one holding the torch, and the third wielding
the harpoon. This implement consists of a slender cane 10 to 12
feet in length provided with a sharp barbed spindle-shaped steel head,
fitting into the hollow at one end, so that on striking the fish the
head parts from the shaft to which it is attached by a cord held in
the hand of the harpooncr. The fish are attracted by the light of
the torch, and the harpooncr strikes at the swirl which they make
26
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
[bull. 64
alongside the dory. Harpooning is rather an exciting form of sport,
as it is impossible to tell what sort of fish has been struck until it
is landed. Hicatce and bucatora are harpooned with an unbarbed
triangular point, this giving the best hold on their tough shells; they
are captured also by spreading small nets in the vicinity of the stumps
and holes along the river banks, which they frequent.
CONSTRUCTION OF HOUSES AND
FURNITURE
The Indians construct their houses
in the following manner: First a
number of straight trees about 8
inches in diameter at the base and
crotched at the top are selected in
the bush for posts. These are usu-
ally Santa Maria, chichem, sapo-
dilla, or some hardwood. They are
cut down, and after having been
peeled are dragged to the site of the
new house, where they are firmly
planted, one at each of the four cor-
ners and others, the number de-
pending on the size of the house, at
short intervals between in the lines
of the walls. In the crotches other
slightly smaller poles 5 to 6 inches
in diameter, also peeled, are laid; to
these are attached still smaller poles,
which run up to the ridgepole
(honache), forming rafters (uinciche).
5#&*~ '
Fig. 7.-Indian carrying load of bejuco, a liana All this f rameWOrk is firmly bound
used as rope in houes building. - . „ J
together by means ol ropes ol liana
(fig. 7) . Rows of long thin pliable sticks are next bound round the
rafters, and to these are attached layer upon layer of " huana " (sTiaan)
leaves till a thatch, sometimes 18 inches thick and quite impervious
to rain, is formed (pi. 4).
The walls between the posts are filled in with "tasistas," a small
palm trunk, or in some cases with strips of split cabbage palm. The
outer sides of the walls may be daubed with a mixture of mud and
hair, or of chopped fiber (pakloom), and whitewashed, or they may
be thatched with palm leaves. The floor is made of marl dust
pounded down to a flat hard surface.
Doors and windows may be made of wickerwork of liana, of split
cabbage palm, or of a frame of sticks thatched with palm leaves.
When a man undertakes the building of a new house his neighbors
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
iULLETIN 64 PLATE 2
MAYA GIRLS FISHING
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
BULLETIN 64 PLATE 3
FISH DRYING ON ONE OF THE CAYS OFF THE COAST OF YUCATAN
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
BULLETIN 64 PLATE 4
a. LEAF-THATCHED HOUSE
^M.r;^
K.1
• tv ^PSlBK-
Lw! 4l
-
1
1
T
•». a
i '*W23iLftPsJi
K%3^
■Egf-*
h*
^^[
r
*' -I** «S Sh- ■ i
l IjL. «
I
5 *-WT!
h 'J5«
=g-n
b. INDIAN HOUSE ON RIO HONDO
MAYu INDIAN HuU
gann]
MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS
27
usually help him, and the residence is ready for occupancy in a few
days, as all the materials are growing ready to hand in the neighbor-
ing forest, and require only cutting down and assembling. The
facility with which their dwellings are constructed, and the difficulty
in getting more than one or two crops in succession from each plan-
tation, with their primitive agricultural methods, probably account
for the frequent changes in site which one notices in Indian villages.
As the lands in one neighborhood become impoverished, the popula-
tion has a tendency gradually to desert the old village, and start a
new one in a more favorable locality.
The kitchen, which is a replica of the house on a small scale, is
usually placed a few yards be-
hind it.
The furniture is of the sim-
plest, consisting of a small
round cedar table, with a lit-
tle bowl-shaped projection
which contains a lump of masa
when tortillas are being made
and chili peppers or salt at
mealtimes. The seats are mere
blocks of wood, 3 or 4 inches
high (caanche), with perhaps
one or two more pretentious
low hollow-backed wooden
chairs covered with deer skin
or " tiger" skin. A number of
calabashes of all shapes and
sizes, with a few earthen
water jars, iron cooking pots,
and plaques for baking tortil-
las, are found in all houses.
Hammocks (kaxin) of cotton or henequen fiber are always conspicu-
ous articles of furniture, as they are slung all around the room,
making it very difficult to move about in it when they are let
down. In many houses contact with the hammocks is not desir-
able, as lice have a habit of leaving the body of the hammock
during the day and secreting themselves in the knots between
the body and the arms, whence they may transfer themselves to the
garments of the unwary. If the hammock is large the father ami
mother often sleep in one, their heads at opposite ends, while the
smaller children, frequently to the number of three or four, occupy
another. There can be no such thing as privacy, as the whole family
commonly sleep, live, and eat in a single room, which at most is divided
into two apartments by a flimsy cotton curtain. A prominent
Fio. 8.— Domestic altar.
28 BUREAU OP AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [boll. 64
object in most Indian houses is an altar (canche), or high square
table, upon which stands a wooden cross (fig. 8). The altar is
covered with a cotton cloth, embroidered in flowers and religious
symbols; the cross is draped with ribbon or strips of colored fabric,
and sometimes with crude models, in silver or gold, of legs, arms,
and hands, representing thank offerings to some favorite Santo for
the healing of corresponding parts of the body. Little images in
wax, and, if the Indian can obtain them, religious oleographs and
medallions, with colored-glass vases, are commonly found upon the
altar, which is frequently dressed with fresh flowers.
The Indian's only tool is his machete, a heavy cutlass-like knife,
about 16 inches long; with this he cuts and cleans his milpa, makes
his house and most of his furniture, digs postholes, and fights and
defends himself.
His indispensable belongings consist of a hammock, a few cal-
abashes and pots, a machete, and a cotton suit, all of which he
can carry slung over his back in a macapal; with his wife and
dogs trotting behind him, he can leave his old home and seek pas-
tures new with a light heart and untroubled mind, knowing that
the bush will provide for all his needs.
POTTERY MAKING
Pottery making is rapidly dying out through the greater part
of this area, owing to the importation of more convenient and dur-
able vessels. It is undertaken almost exclusively by the older
women, who employ a fine light yellow clay mixed with sand or
powdered quartz. They make vessels in considerable variety, both
as to size and shape, which are used for the storage of water and dry
material, as corn, beans, and achiote, and as cooking pots. They
do not use a potter's wheel, but mold the smaller utensils by hand
and build up the larger by the addition of fragment upon fragment
of clay. The outside is smoothed over with a little wooden spade-
like implement. No polish, glaze, or paint is applied to the pottery,
either inside or out; the highest effort at decoration resulting in
merely a few incised lines just below the neck, or a rough scalloping
around the rim. The pottery is burned in a clear, open wood fire;
when completed the ware is known as ul.
BOAT BUILDING
The Indians living in the neighborhood of lakes and rivers possess
dories or canoes which vary in size from tiny craft 5 to 6 feet long
by 16 to 18 inches beam, capable of holding only a single individual,
to large craft 25 feet or more in length, large enough to hold a dozen
people. All their canoes are constructed by the simple process of
hollowing out large logs, the more durable ones being made from
cedar, the lighter ones from wild cotton iyaxche). The boats are
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
BULLETIN 64 PLATE 5
MAYA WOMAN, 105 YLAHS OLD. bf'INNINU COTTON
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
BULLETIN 64 PLATE 6
MAYA LOOM
a. Yamal. b. Xunche. c. Sikinche. d. Toboche. e. Cheil. /. Mamacche. g. Yoch. h. Botoeh.
i. New spindle, k. Old spindle. /. Cotton cloth.
gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 29
pointed, bow and stern, and when steel tools are available to their
makers the lines are often very graceful. Many of the boats, how-
ever, follow to some extent the contours of the logs from which
they were made, being exceedingly clumsy and difficult to manage.
On the rivers and lakes the only method of propulsion is by means
of a broad-bladed cedar paddle about 5 feet long, or, where the water
is shallow and the bottom hard, a long pole. Both men and women
have acquired considerable dexterity in paddling and can keep it
up at a 4-mile-an-hour gait from early morning till late at night,
with very short intervals for refreshment. They use their canoes
for trading corn, vegetables, lime, and live stock among villages
along the river banks, for line fishing, spearing, and netting, and
for getting from place to place. On the large lagoons and along
the seacoast they sometimes use the pole to support a lug sail.
SPINNING AND WEAVING
Spinning (kucli) is done by means of a spindle (hechecli) of hard-
wood, 12 to 14 inches long, weighted about 3 inches from the bottom
with a hardwood or pottery ring
(pi. 5). The upper end is re-
volved by the finger and thumb
of the right hand, which are con-
stantly rubbed on a piece of stone-
like substance, made from deer-
skin burned and ground to a
powder, to prevent them from
, • i • //> .-.» mi Fig. 9.— Stonelike substance used to prevent fingers
Sticking (fig. 9). The COtton from sticking wWle spuming.
(tarnari) may be held in the left
hand, or on the shoulder; the lower end of the spindle rests in a
small calabash (luch), which is cemented into a support of woven
liana (met), the luch and met together being known as toh (fig. 10).
Weaving is done on a simple loom consisting of a cloth beam and
yarn beam (xunclie) of light strong wood, connected by the warp
(cheil) (pi. 6). The cloth beam is attached round the back of the
weaver by a thick henequen cord (yamal), enabling him to tighten the
warp at will by simply leaning backward. The yarn beam is usually
attached to a doorpost. The shuttle (botosh) consists of a light
stick, pointed at both ends, on which the weft is wound obliquely.
All the alternate warp strands may be raised together by means of
a heddle (mamacche) consisting of a number of loops attached to a
rod, each loop passing round a warp strand, so that when the rod is
raised the warp threads are raised with it. The lease rods (halahteh)
consist of splints of hard heavy wood, usually sapodilla, 2 to 3 inches
broad, one-third of an inch thick in the center, with sharp edges and
pointed ends. A loose rod (toboche) about the size of the yarn beam
30
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
[bull. 64
is used to roll up the completed material (yocli). The loom for
cotton cloth is usually 2\ to 3 feet broad, but much smaller looms
are frequently used for narrower strips of material
MINOR INDUSTRIES
Tobacco Curing
The tobacco leaves are hung in bunches, often under the roof of
the corn house, in the milpa, in a free current of air, till they are
thoroughly dry; they are then powdered in a shallow basin, or
the bottom cut from a large calabash, and mixed with the leaves of
the cMoJile, a species of vanilla, which gives a distinctive flavor and
fragrance to the tobacco; finally the mixture is rolled into cigarettes
(chiople) in a covering of corn husk (coloch) .
Fig. 10.— Calabash with liana base used in spinning.
Basket and Mat Weaving
Baskets are woven from a special thin tough liana and from split
cane; those of liana (ale), which are large and coarse, are ^commonly
used for carrying corn from the milpa, slung over the shoulders like
a macapal. The split-cane baskets, which are smaller and more
neatly woven, are used in the house for all sorts of domestic purposes.
Henequen fiber is used by the Indians for a great variety of pur-
poses. The fiber is obtained from the leaf, which is cleaned upon a
smooth board {jpokche) about 4 feet long by 6 inches broad, in the
following way: The top of the board is held against the lower part
of the operator's chest while the lower end rests on the floor. The
leaf is placed on the board and the pulp scraped from the fiber with
a bar of hardwood, triangular in section. At the upper end of the
board is a deep notch in its side, in which the cleaned part of the
leaf is clamped, thus fixing the part which is being scraped. The
gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 31
cleaning has to be done very early in the morning, as when the sun
gets hot the juice from the pulp- produces an unpleasant itching rash
upon the skin. The fiber when cleaned and dried is made into rope
and cord; from the cord hammocks, sacks, a coarse kind of cloth,
and many other articles are manufactured. Candles are made by
dipping a wick of twisted cotton into melted black beeswax (box keb),
obtained from wild bees. Sometimes a number of the logs in which
the wild bees hive are brought in to the village and placed one above
the other, on trestles, to form a sort of apiary, in order that honey
and wax may be always obtainable.
Oil for cooking and for burning in small earthenware lamps with
twisted cotton wicks is obtained by breaking up the kernel of the
cuhoon nut and boiling it in water. A clear rather thin oil floats to
the surface, which may easily be skimmed off. Near the sea coconut
oil is prepared in the same way.
SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS
Villages
Tile villages vary in size from two or three houses to two hundred
or more, with inhabitants numbering from 10 or 12 to more than
1,000. In the smaller villages the houses are very irregularly dis-
posed; in the larger they are arranged more or less regularly so as
to form streets around a large central space, or plaza, where the
dance house and church are usually situated. Each house is sur-
rounded by its own patio, or yard, generally inclosed in a fence of
"tasistas," in which the bush is allowed to grow to a considerable
height in order to provide a convenient latrine for the women and
children. Dogs, pigs, and vultures serve as scavengers. Many of the
Indians, especially the Santa Cruz, are at great pains to conceal the
whereabouts of their villages. Along the main roads only a few
scattered groups of huts will be seen, while the larger villages are
approached by tracks so inconspicuous that they may easily be
missed. The villages themselves are surrounded by a maze of narrow
tortuous paths, in which a stranger may wander about for some time
before finding his way in. The Santa Cruz are said sometimes to
cut the tongues from their cocks in order to prevent them crowing
and so betraying the situation of the village.
The Indians are very jealous of outside interference in their affairs
and do not permit foreigners to reside in their villages. An exception
was made in the case of a number of Chinese coolies imported into
British Honduras many years ago, most of whom ran away to the
Santa Cruz country, where they were well received and married
Indian wives. Among their offspring, it is interesting to note, are
found a very unusual proportion of defectives. On one occasion the
Mexican Government commenced to cut a road through from Peto
to Santa Cruz, the Indian capital. Five of the Santa Cruz Indians
went to see the work going on and were well received and given useful
presents. On returning to their own country, however, they were
executed by the head chief as traitors for encouraging the entry of
outsiders into their territory.
Marriage and Children
The Indian girls married formerly at about 14 or 15, the boys
at about 17 or 18 years. After the conquest of Bacalar, however,
and the expulsion of Yucatecans from Indian territory a law was
passed making marriage compulsory for all girls- of 12 years of age
32
[bull. 64, qann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 33
and upward. This was probably done with the idea of increasing
the population, which had been considerably depleted by the long-
continued war. Formerly, the first question of a girl's father to
her suitor was " Ilai tzak a kul hai tzak tamanV} (How many macates
of corn and cotton have you?); but at the present day there are
not enough men to "go round." The Indians of British Honduras
are usually married by the Catholic priest, though the actual cere-
mony is often performed months or even years after the young
couple have set up housekeeping together, since owing to the re-
moteness of many of the Indian settlements the priest can visit
them only at long intervals. Among the Santa Cruz marriages are
not considered legal unless performed by an official known as the
yumxcrib (probably derived from the Maya Yum, "lord," and Span-
ish escribano), who holds a position somewhat analogous to that
of colonial secretary in a British colony.
The babies and smaller children in general are pretty, merry
little things. The mothers almost invariably nurse them well into
the second year, as the mammary glands are remarkably well devel-
oped and the secretion is abundant and long continued. Children
are much desired by both parents and are well treated and loved,
though not spoiled. If the father and mother separate, the very
young children remain with the mother; of the older children, the
boys go with the father, the girls with the mother. If small chil-
dren are left destitute by the death of both parents, the nearest
relative takes them, and in the absence of relatives they are dis-
tributed by the subchief among families of his choosing in their
own village. When a man dies his widow takes the home, furniture,
domestic animals, corn, and plantations; other possessions, if such
exist, are divided equally between the widow and the older chil-
dren, each taking such articles as will be most useful to him or her.
When a woman dies her jewelry, ornaments, and clothes are divided
between her daughters. The marriage tie is a somewhat loose one,
and the more the Indians come in contact with civilization the
looser it seems to become. In British Honduras, where the Indians
are closely associated with Spaniards, Mestizos, Negroes, and other
races, the women change their partners with the utmost facility.
The Negroes are called kisinbosh, "black devils," by the Indians,
a term which, however it originated, is now employed without any
particularly opprobrious significance, as many of the Maya women
show no repugnance to a Negro husband. A good deal of the
immorality is brought about by the cheapness of rum and the facil-
ity with which it is obtainable by the Indians. The husband takes
to drmk, neglects his wife and family, and probably gets entangled
with some other woman: the wife, in order to obtain food, clothing,
70806°— 18— Bull. 64 3
34 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64
and a shelter for herself and children, is driven to an alliance with
some other man who is a better provider. The consequence is that
in British Honduras all degrees of racial mixture are to be found
between Indian women and European, East Indian, Chinese, and
Negro men, who, again intermarrying, produce a bewildering racial
kaleidoscope.
The Indians are a short-lived race, a fact due partly to their
indigestible and badly cooked food and partly to the prevalence
among them of malarial fever {chokuil) , with accompanying anemia
(xcan mucui) and splenic enlargement (canchiJcin) , but chiefly to
overindulgence in alcohol whenever an opportunity offers. Notable
exceptions to this rule are, however, not uncommon, and once an
individual passes the four-score mark he or she is quite likely to live to
well over 100 years; dried up, wrinkled, and feeble, but clinging to
life with an almost incredible tenacity.
Drunkenness
Landa frequently mentions the fact that in his day drunkenness
(kaltal) was the curse of the Indians and the cause of many crimes
among them, including murder, rape, and arson.1 At the present
time these remarks apply equally well; indeed, drunkenness is prob-
ably more prevalent than formerly, as the rum is made locally and
is far more intoxicating than the lalche, which Landa describes as a
drink made from fermented honey, water, and roots. Moreover, the
people drink rum at all times and seasons, whereas both the prepara-
tion and consumption of halche were to some extent ceremonial, as
was the resulting intoxication. Drunkenness is not considered in
any way a disgrace, but is looked on rather as an amiable weakness.
The women, especially the older ones, drink a good deal but they
usually do so in the. privacy of their own houses. I have seen,
however, a little girl of 14 or 15 purchase a pint of rum in a village
liquor store, and go out on the plaza, where she drank it in a few
gulps; then, lying down in the fierce heat of the afternoon sun, she
lapsed into alcoholic coma. Alcohol effects an extraordinarily rapid
change for the worse in the Indian's temperament; from a quiet,
polite, rather deferential individual, he is converted almost in a
moment into a maudlin idiot, staggering about singing foolish
snatches of native songs, and endeavoring to embrace everyone he
comes in contact with. When thwarted while in this condition his
temper is likely to flare up at the slightest provocation, whereupon
the thin veneer of civilization and restraint is sloughed in a moment,,
and he becomes savage, impudent, overbearing, and contemptuous;
1 Que los indjos eran muy dissolulos en bever y emboracharse, de que les seguian muchos males, como'
matarse unos a otros, violar las camas . . . y pegar fuego a sus caaas, — Landa, Relation de las Cosas de.
Yucatan, chap, xxn, p. 122.
oann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 35
toward the stranger, and ready to draw his machete and fight to
kill, with friend or foe alike.
Chiefs
On the death of the head chief (noh calan or nohoch yumtat) among
the Santa Cruz and Icaiche the oldest of the subchiefs {chart yum-
topihb) is supposed to succeed him; as a matter of fact there are
always rival claimants for the chieftainship, and the subchief with
the strongest personality or greatest popularity among the soldiers
usually succeeds in grasping the office. There are nearly always
rival factions endeavoring to oust the chief in power, and the latter
rarely dies a natural death. The village subchiefs are elected by
the people. The power of the head chief is practically absolute
over the whole tribe. Some years ago, when Roman Pec was head
chief, one of the subchiefs came to Corozal, the nearest town in
British Honduras, to purchase powder, shot, and other supplies.
He remained some time, as he had many friends in the place, and
obtained, among other tilings, a bottle of laudanum to relieve tooth-
ache. On returning to his village he was met by three soldiers,
who informed him that he was to go with them at once to the head
chief, as the latter was angry with him on account of his long absence
from the country. Aware that this was equivalent to a sentence of
death, he asked permission to retire to his house for a few minutes,
to get ready for the journey, and taking advantage of the oppor-
tunity, he swallowed the whole contents of the bottle of laudanum.
This began to take effect very shortly, and long before reaching the
capital he was dead.
The method of executing those sentenced to death is curious.
The accused docs not undergo a formal trial, but the evidence
against him is placed before the head chief; if he is convicted,
he has an opportunity of defending himself and of producing wit-
nesses in his behalf. Three or four soldiers are chosen by the chief
to carry out the sentence; this they do by chopping the victim
to death with their machetes when they catch him asleep or off
his guard. Several men always perform this act, all chopping the
victim at the same time, so that no single individual may be directly
responsible for his death. Imprisonment as a punishment for
crime is unknown, line, Hogging, and death being the only three
methods employed for dealing with criminals. Fines and flogging
may be administered by the subchiefs, but sentence of death can
be passed only by the head chief. The severity of the Hogging
is regulated by the nature of the offense, and after it is over the
recipient is compelled publicly to express sorrow for his crime and
go around humbly kissing the hands of all the spectators, after which
he is given a large calabash of anise to drink. The heaviest pun-
36 BUREAU OF AMEEICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64
ishment is/ inflicted for witchcraft or sorcery, as the pulya, or sor-
ceress, is greatly dreaded by the Indians. She is literally chopped
limb from limb; but whereas the bodies of other victims executed
in this way are always buried, that of the pulya is left for the dogs
and vultures to dispose of.
Military service is compulsory for all adult males among the
Santa Cruz, though many avoid such service by payment to the
chief of a certain sum in money or its equivalent. Small garrisons
were kept up at Santa Cruz, Chan Santa Cruz, Bacalar, and other
Indian towns where soldiers were permanently stationed. No uni-
form was provided, though ,many of the men were armed with
Winchester rifles. They were provided also with a ration of corn
and beans, and often took their wives along with them as cooks.
Diseases and Medicines
Indian men and women of all ages and classes, when attacked
by any serious malady, are found to be lacking in vitality and
stamina; they relinquish hope, and relax their grip on life very easily,
seeming to hold it lightly and as not worth a fight to retain.
An elderly man or woman will sometimes take to the hammock
without apparent physical symptoms of disease beyond the anemia
and splenitis from which nearly all suffer, and merely announce
He in cimli, "I am going to die." They refuse to eat, drink,
or talk, wrap themselves in a sheet from head to foot, and finally
do succumb in a very short time apparently from sheer lack of
vitality and absence of desire to continue living.
Malaria is without doubt the chief scourge of the Indian's existence.
Many of the villages are built in low-lying situations, with mosquito-
breeding swamps all round them, while the scrubby bush and rank
vegetation are allowed to grow in the yards right up to the houses,
furnishing good cover and an excellent lurking place for the insects;
moreover, the Indians seldom use mosquito curtains, as they seem
to have acquired a sort of immunity to the irritation caused at night
by the noise and biting of the pests. Practically all Indians suffer
from malaria, which is the main cause of the splenic enlargement and
anemia so prevalent among them. In some cases the spleen reaches
an enormous size, nearly filling the abdominal cavity, and deaths from
a slight blow or fall, causing rupture of this organ, are by no means
uncommon. Malaria is usually treated by means of profuse sweating
(kilcabankil) , the patient lying wrapped in a cotton sheet in the
hammock, with a fire burning beneath and drinking sudorific bush
medicine. This in itself is an excellent remedy, but in the midst of
the sweat patients frequently plunge into cold water, thus becoming
thoroughly chilled, a procedure very apt to bring on pneumonia, to
which they are peculiarly subject.
Cann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 37
The splenic enlargement is treated by applying a number of small
circular blisters (xacal) containing chichem juice to the skin, over
the affected organ, which seem to be remarkably efficacious in reduc-
ing the swelling.
In the winter when the nights are cold the Indians often lie out
all night in the wet, a practice which frequently results in pneumonia
and death. Hookworms and many other varieties of intestinal para-
sites are prevalent, owing to the earth-eating habits of the children,
the earth being taken usually from the immediate vicinity of the
house, where pigs and other domestic animals have their quarters.
This disgusting habit no doubt accounts in part for the swollen bellies
and earthy color of many of the children.
Smallpox (leak) invading an Indian village is a terrible scourge,
far worse than in a more civilized community of the same size, where
partial immunity has been acquired. Sometimes the whole unaffected
population depart 'en masse, leaving the dead unburied and the
stricken lying in their hammocks, with a supply of food and water,
to do the best they can for themselves. The Indians employ the
same mode of treatment for this disease as for malarial fever —
sweating followed by immersion in cold water, treatment which, it
need hardly be said, is not infrequently followed by disastrous results.
Venereal diseases of all kinds are remarkably rare among all the
Indian tribes. Among the Santa Cruz and Icaiche such diseases were
practically unknown. Even among the mixed breeds of British
Honduras they are comparatively rare, notwithstanding the fact that
these natives have come much in contact with people of many other
races, especially of late years with Mexican Chicleros, nearly all of
whom are affected with venereal disease in one form or another.
Simple fractures of the long bones are set very neatly and skill-
fully in the following way: The fractured limb is pulled away
from the body with considerable force in order to overcome the dis-
placement; over the fractured bone is wound a thick layer of cotton
wool, and over this are applied a number of small round, straight
sticks, completely surrounding the limb, their centers corresponding
nearly to the seat of fracture; these are kept in place by a firm
binding of henequcn cord. The limb, if an arm, is supported in a
sling; if a leg, the patient is confined to his hammock till the fracture
is firmly knit. Excellent results are secured by this method, the
union being firm, and the limb nearly always uniting in good position.
Bleeding, a favorite remedy for all complaints, is especially resorted
to in eases of headache and malarial fever. Usually the temporal vein,
less frequently one of the veins in the front of the forearm, is opened,
having been first distended with blood by tying a ligature around
the upper arm. A chip of obsidian, a sharp splinter of bone, or a
snakes tooth, serves as a crude lancet; the use of the last causes
38 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64
considerable pain, but is believed to have some esoteric virtue con-
nected with it.
Decoctions made from the charred carcasses of animals at one time
were much employed, certain animals being regarded as specifics
for certain diseases. Thus, during an epidemic of whooping cough
{xinki sen) a decoction from the charred remains of the cane rat
was almost exclusively given to the children to relieve the cough,
though in this case it is difficult to trace the connection between
the remedy and the disease.
Many eye troubles are treated by placing a small rough seed
beneath the lower lid of the affected eye, where it remains for a day;
when the seed is withdrawn it is covered with mucus, to which the
doctor points as the injurious matter, the cause of all the trouble,
which he has removed.
Massage is practiced chiefly for uterine and ovarian pains by the
older women, who also act as midwives; it is used also in conjunc-
tion with kneading and manual manipulation in the cure of neuralgic
pains, strains, stiffness, and rheumatism.
In confinements, which usually take place either in the hammock
or on the floor, the dorsal position is invariably assumed. In such
cases also massage over the uterus is performed by the midwife.
If the desired results are not secured, the patient is made to vomit
by thrusting a long coil of hair down her throat, while a woman of
exceptional lung power is sent for to blow into her mouth, with
the object of hastening delivery.
The Indians use for medicinal purposes a great variety of plants
which grow in their country; some of these are purely empirical
remedies; others produce definite physiological results and are
frequently used with good effect, while a few, apparently on the
assumption that "similia similibus curantur," are employed because
of some fancied resemblance in form to the diseased part, as xhudub
pelc, twin seeds of the size of small eggs, the milky juice of which is
used as an external application for enlarged glands and for various
forms of orchitis.
The following plants are used medicinally by the Indians as
remedies for the diseases named, respectively:
Acitz. — The milky juice of a tree, used as an application for chronic sores and
ulcers.
Acam. — The leaves of this plant are applied hot to reduce the swelling and relieve
the pain in enlargement of the spleen and liver.
Purgation Xiu. — An infusion made from the leaves is administered warm in
bladder and urethral troubles.
Pakaal. — An infusion made from the leaves of the orange tree is given as a sudorific.
Pichi. — A paste made from the leaves of the guava is applied to "bay sore,-' a
specific ulcer somewhat resembling '"oriental sore."
Pomolche. — A mouth wash made from the milk of this tree is used in cases of sto-
matitis and ulceration of the mouth.
6aNn] MAYA INDIAN'S OF YUCATAN AJTD BRITISH: HONDURAS 39
Quimbvmbo. — The wild okra is greatly esteemed as an external application in
cases of snake Lite.
Sirim. — An infusion made from the leaves is used as a sudorific in cases of malarial
fever.
Sirilpuz. — A yellowish fruit sometimes used as a purgative.
Cabalvixoy. — The fruit of this tree is given in cases of diarrhea, and an infusion
made from the bark is used in diarrhea and dysentery.
Claudiosa Xiu. — An infusion made from the whole 1 ush is greatly esteemed as
a bath and lotion in all uterine and ovarian, complaints.
Chalclie. — The spinous leaf of this plant is used as a local application to relieve
neuralgic pains, and an infusion made from the leaves is given for rheumatism.
Chamico. — An infusion made from the leaves of the convolvulus mixed with other
leaves is given to relieve asthma and bronchial catarrh.
Cltaac. — The arrowroot, eaten raw, is regarded as a useful remedy in all ldadder
and urethral complaints.
Cuzuc. — The wood, ground into a paste, is applied to the heads of small children
suffering from fever and convulsions.
Ruda. — The leaves of this plant are universally used as an external application
for children suffering from convulsions, and frequently in the same Tnanner for the
relief of almost any nervous complaint in adults.
Pica pica.— A sort of cowhage which, mixed with atol or some corn beverage, is
largely used as a vermifuge for children.
Games
Both children and adults play many games, most of which have
probably been introduced since the conquest. A favorite among
these is a game known as talc in hul, in which a number of players
stand in a row with their hands behind their backs while one, who
holds a small pottery disk in his hand, stands behind the row, another
standing in front. The one holding the disk places it in the hands of
one of those in the line, who in turn passes it to his neighbor, so that
it travels rapidly up and down the line. The player in front has to
guess in whose hand the disk is at the moment of guessing. If he is
right, the holder of the disk has to come in front while the one who
guessed correctly joins the line.
(liac is a sort of " knucklebones," played with pottery disks, which
are tossed from the palm to the back of the hand and back again ;
the one who drops fewest disks in a given number of double throws
wins the game.
The boys make little bows (pohoche) and arrows (hul) tipped with
black wax, with which they play war and hunting games.
A seesaw made from a small tree balanced on a stump is popular,
as is also a sort of merry-go-round constructed from a cross of poles
fixed on top of a stump by means of a wooden pin, which rotates
freely. The children sit at the extreme ends of the poles and make
the contrivance rotate by kicking against the ground vigorously at
intervals as they eo around.
40 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64
The bull roarer, made from, a dry seed pod, is popular in some
villages and is probably one of the few toys used by the natives
before the conquest.
Cricket, baseball, marbles, kites, and spinning tops have been
introduced among the Indians of British Honduras, and all have their
devotees.
Religion
The Indians, who are extremely superstitious, believe that the air
is full of pishan, or souls of the dead. They imagine that these
souls are at liberty at all times to return to earth, and that at cer-
tain seasons they are compelled to do so. They are regarded as
being capable of enjoying the spirit, though not the substance,
of food or drink provided for them. Some of these pishan the
Indians believe to be friendly and some inimical to mortals. They
believe also in spirits, usually mischievous or harmful, known as
xtabai, who often take the form of beautiful Women, though they
have never been human. The natives will whisper a message into
the ear of a corpse with the certainty of having it conveyed to a
friend or relative in the next world. They firmly believe that the
clay images of the gods upon incense burners, at one time found in
considerable numbers in forests which had been uncut since the days
of their ancestors, live, walk about, and dance at certain seasons.
Another belief held by the Indians is that the images of Christian
saints are endowed at times with life and perform acts desired by
their devotees. A celebrated wooden image, supposed to represent
San Bernardo, was credited with considerable powers in this respect,
and when an Indian wanted rain for his milpa, the return of an
errant wife, or any similar blessing, he would come and pray to
the image to obtain it for him. On one occasion an Indian came
asking the saint to aid him in the recovery of pigs which he had
lost, and on returning to his village found that the pigs had arrived
home before him. Next day he returned with the intention of
making an offering to the saint, and incidentally to the owner of
the house where the image was kept. Ho found the poor Santo
with torn clothes and many burs sticking all over him. On inquir-
ing how this happened he was informed that the saint had been
out in the bush hunting for pigs, a quest which had given him
a great deal of trouble before he could find and drive them home,
and that when he got back he was tired out, his clothes torn by
thorns, and covered with burs — an explanation with which the
Indian was perfectly satisfied.
The men are very unwilling to dig either in ancient mounds or
ruins, as they are afraid of being haunted by the pishan of those
whose remains they may disturb; and nothing will induce them to
oann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 41
go into caves or burial chambers in mounds. Many curious super-
stitions hang about the ruins found throughout the country. I was
assured by an Indian at Benque Vie jo that he had gone on one
occasion to the ruins situated near the village, and seeing a pigeon
seated on a tree, raised his gun to shoot it; before he could do so,
however, the pigeon turned into a cock, and this almost imme-
diately into an eagle, which flew at him, driving him away. There
is another superstition about these ruins to the effect that when
the first settlers came to Benque Vie jo they wished to build the
village near the ruins, where the land is very good for growing corn,
but were repeatedly driven off by a little old man with a long gray
beard. At last, giving up the idea, they contented themselves with
the present site for the village.
For many years, between the expulsion of the Yucatecans from
Bacalar by the Indians and the conquest of the latter by the Mexican
troops, some 12 years ago, no Catholic priests were permitted to
visit the Santa Cruz country. The Indians, however, appointed
priests from among themselves, who carried out, so far as can be
ascertained from those of their number who left the territory and
settled in British Honduras, a sort of travesty of the rites of the
Roman Catholic Church freely interspersed with many of those of
their ancient religion, which had survived. The headquarters of
this religious cult was the capital, where it centered around what
was known as the "Santa Cruz," a plain wooden cross, 2 to 3 feet
high, which had probably been removed from some church after
the expulsion of the Spaniards. This cross was supposed to be
gifted with the power of speech (a belief arising no doubt from the
exercise of ventriloquial powers by one of the priests), and acted as
a sort of oracle, to whom all matters of importance — civil, military,
and religious — were submitted for decision. It need hardly be said
that the cross never failed to return an answer to all these questions,
in entire conformity with the wishes of the chief.1
1 In 1859 a mission was dispatched by the superintendent of British Honduras to the chiefs of the Santa
Cruz, with the object of rescuing Spanish prisoners held by them. The following account is from " A
narrative of a journey across the unexplored portion of British Honduras, with a sketch of the history
and resources of the colony," by Henry Fowler, colonial secretary ( Belize, 1879):
"That night as usual all the available Indians in Bacalar arrived in front of the home where the Santa
Cruz is kept. The boy attendants or sentries on the idol, called angels, were in front of it and the drums
and bugles sounded at recurring parts of the song. The chief was inside with the image and the angels.
The subordinate chiefs and soldiers knelt outside, and did not rise unt il the service was over, when they
crossed themselves and rubbed their foreheads in the dust. About 11 o'clock the Indians were heard
running backward and forward, and an order was given to bring out the prisoners, who were placed in a
line before the Santa Cruz, and a large body of soldiers wero placed with them. They all knelt down in
the road. There were about 40 female prisoners, with one arm tied to the side, and 12 or 14 men pinioned
by both arms. All were calm, except the children, although it was known Santa Cruz was pronouncing
their doom. A squeaking whistling noiso was heard issuing from the oracle, and when it ceased it was
known the Santa Cruz wanted a higher ransom from the prisoners. * * *
"Some of the women and children were separated from the re<t, amongst whom was a young Spanish
girl well known in high circles. A procession was then formed and marched off to the east gate; first came
a strong body of troops, then alternately in Indian file, a male prisoner and his executioner, who drove nim
on with his machete, holding him by a rope; next came the women, 35 in number, driven and held in a
42 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bcix. 64
The Indians here under consideration occupy an intermediate
position between the civilized Maya of northern Yucatan, who
have lost nearly all tradition and traces of their former civilization,
and the Lacandones of the Usumasintla Valley, who have probably
changed but little in their customs and religious observances since
the conquest. Nominally they are Christians, but the longer one
lives among them, and the better one gets to know them, the more
he realizes that their Christianity is to a great extent merely a thin
veneer, and that fundamentally their religious conceptions and even
their ritual and ceremonies are survivals — degenerate, much changed,
and with most of their significance lost — but still survivals of those
of their ancestors of pre-Columbian days. To Christianity, not as
a separate religion, but as a graft on that which they already prac-
ticed, they seem to have taken kindly from the first; and at the
present day, as will be seen, the sun god, the rain god,' St. Laurence,
and Santa Clara may all be invoked in the same prayer, while the
Cross is substituted in most of the ceremonies for the images of the
old gods, though many of the latter are called on by name. The
four principal religious ceremonies of the Indians are, as might be
supposed, closely associated with agriculture, especially with the
corn crop. The first of these ceremonies takes place at the cutting
of the bush in which the corn plantation is to be made, the second
at the planting of the corn, the third during its ripening, and the
fourth at harvest time. Of these the third, known as the Cha chac,
which takes place during the ripening of the corn, and whose object
is to secure sufficient rain for that purpose, is by far the most impor-
tant, and it alone will be described, as it embraces the offerings and
ritual of all the other ceremonies.
The day previous to the ceremony the men of the family prepared
the pib, an oblong hole in the ground, in which the various corn
offerings were to be baked, while during the night the women were
busy grinding corn to make masa (a thick paste of ground maize)
and pumpkin seeds to make sikil. Very early in the morning of
the day of the ceremony the priest with his assistant arrived at the
house of the giver. This priest called himself men, but was called
by the owner a chac, while the Chichanha priest called himself an
ah kin. The Indians chose a site in the midst of a grove of
large trees. After clearing away the undergrowth they swept clean
a circular space about 25 feet in diameter. In this they proceeded
similar manner; then another body of soldiers closed the rear; the Englishmen were not allowed to follow.
The procession halted under a clump of trees about 150 yards off. And soon the butchery commenced;
shrieks wero heard, but in 10 minutes all was over.
"The Santa Cruz was mixed up with some Catholic rites, but retains the leading characteristics of the
god who was best propitiated by placing bleeding human hearts within his lips."
In 1863 the Icaiche were beaten by the Santa Cruz, and, says the chronicler: " The account of the
slaughter and human sacrifice made on that occasion is appalling."
gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 43
to erect two rude huts, one 12 feet the other 6 feet square; both
were thatched with huano leaf, and the floor of the smaller hut
was covered with wild plantain leaves. In the center of the larger
hut was erected a rough altar 6 by 4 feet and 4 feet 6 inches high, built
of sticks bound together with bejuco (fig. 11). The central part of this
Fiq. 11.— Chiehanhu Indi;m priest, in front of altar at Cba chac ceremony.
ultar was covered by an arch of "jabin" branches with the leaves
still attached. About a dozen small calabashes in their ring supports
(Maya cliuyub) were placed on the altar, and three more were hung
to a string passing from the side of the shed to a post a few yards
away. The masa prepared the previous night was then brought
out in four large calabashes, two of these being placed under the altar
44
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
[bull. 64
and two on top of it ; a large calabash of silcil and one of water were
also placed on the altar and a jar of balche (a drink made of fermented
honey in which is soaked the bark of a tree) beneath it. Beneath the
suspended calabashes was placed a small table containing piles of
tortillas and calabashes of masa and water. In carrying out this
ceremony it is essential that everything used in it be perfectly fresh
and new; the leaves, sticks, bejuco, and jabin must be freshly cut,
and the masa, silcil, balche, and even the calabashes must be freshly
made. The masa was taken from the large to the small shed, where
the priest and several
male members of the
family sat around it.
After flattening out a
small ball of the masa
the priest placed it on
a square of plantain
leaves and poured
over it a little silcil
(a thin paste made of
ground pumpkin seed
an d wa ter) . Then the
next man flattened out
a piece of masa, which
he placed over the
silcil, and the process
was continued until a
cake was formed con-
taining 5 to 13 alter-
nating layers of masa
and silcil. On top of
each cake, as it was
completed, the priest
traced with his fore-
finger a cross sur-
rounded with holes;
these were first partly
filled with balche, which was allowed to soak into the cake, after
which they were filled completely with silcil, whereupon the whole
cake was carefully tied up in plantain leaf, with an outer cover-
ing of palm leaf (fig. 12). These cakes are known as tutiua; their
number is generally gauged by the number of participants in the
ceremony. When silcil is not available, a paste of ground black
beans is used; in this case the cakes are known as buliua (Maya
bul, "bean"; ua, " bread"). The priest next made a deep
depression in a ball of masa about the size of a tennis ball, which he
filled with silcil, covering it with the masa, so as to leave a ball of
Fig. 12.— Priest tracing cross on cake and filling it in with sikil.
GANN]
MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS
45
masa with a core of sikil. A number of these balls, known as yofcua,
were made, each wrapped in plantain leaves. When finished, all of
them were wrapped in a large palm leaf and tied into a bundle with
split palm-leaf strands. Two more tutiua were next made, and lastly
all the masa and sikil left were mixed together with a few ounces of
salt. After being well kneaded this mass was divided into two por-
tions, each of which was tied up in plantain and palm leaf coverings.
In the meantime some members of the family had filled the pib or
Fig. 13.— Sacrificing a turkey at the Cha chac ceremony.
oven with firewood, over which they placed a layer of small blocks
of stone. The priest next made a bowl of saclta (literally "white water,"
a drink made from ground corn and water), with which he filled
the small calabashes on the altar, as well as the suspended calabashes ;
these he explained were for the tuyun pishan, or solitary souls. A
turkey and four fowls were then placed in front of the altar, alive,
while the priest lighted a black wax candle by blowing a piece of
glowing wood to a flame; this candle lie placed upon the altar. He
next took up the turkey, around whose neck the assistant had placed
46 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. G4
a wreath of jabin leaves, and poured a little balche down its throat,
its legs being held by the assistant (fig. 13), While doing this the
priest murmured the following prayer :
In kubic ti hahnal cichpan colel, ti San Pedro, San Pablo, San Francisco.
Translation
I offer a repast to the beautiful mistress, to San Pedro, San Pablo, San Francisco.
The turkey and the other fowls were thert killed by having their
necks wrung, and the carcasses of all five were removed to the
house to be prepared by the women. The various bundles of masa
and sikil in their leaf coverings were, next removed to the pib, where
the fire had burned itself out, leaving the hole half full of ashes
and red-hot stones. A lining of plantain bark was laid over the
stones, upon which the bundles were arranged; over these were
placed more hot stones and over the latter palm leaves; lastly, the
earth which had been dug from the pib was raked over all. The
priest next took a small quantity of the sacha from a calabash, in
a jabin leaf, and scattered it on the ground in three • directions,
meanwhile murmuring this prayer:
Cin kubic ti atepalob, ti noli yum kab yetel uahmetan, atepalob, tiaca tzib nah.
Translation
I offer to the majestic ones, to the great lord, corn cake, great ones. [Tiaca tzib
nah is somewhat obscure. The reading, according to Don Juan Martinez, of Merida,
should be tia ca oib-nah.~\
Afterward the priest repeated the performance with sacha from
the calabashes on the altar, and lastly with some from the cala-
bashes of the tuyun pishan. The sacha was then distributed in
calabashes to the participants, it being essential that every drop of
it be drunk. After a wait of about an hour all proceeded to the
pib, which, after it had been sprinkled by the priest with balche
from a small calabash, was opened. The red-hot leaf-wrapped
bundles were carried to the small shed, where the coverings were
removed, exposing the tutiua and yokua, crisp, brown, and hot.
These were placed upon the altar, with the exception of one tutiua,
which was tied to the string holding the calabashes of the tuyun
pishan. The cakes made from the remainder of the masa and sikil
were now crumbled into a large calabash and mixed with another
large calabash of Jcool (a reddish liquid made from water, ground
corn, black pepper, and achiote). The two mixtures were stirred
with a peeled wand of jabin till they formed a thick paste known
as sopas. While the sopas was being made the hearts, heads, and intes-
tines of the fowls were removed to the pib where they were buried, lest
some animal by eating them should defile the offering. The cooked
and dismembered turkey and other fowls were brought out to the
small shed in calabashes; the livers, gizzards, and immature eggs
were chopped up fine and well mixed with the sopas. A small
oann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 47
calabash full of this mixture was placed with the calabashes of the
tuyun pishan, while the rest, in a large calabash, the fowls' claws
standing upright in it, was placed upon the altar, together with the
dismembered birds wrapped in a clean cotton cloth. The priest
next removed some halche from the jar and filled a calabash, which
ho placed upon the altar, as he did so murmuring these prayers:
Ea, in cichpan cole! kanleoox, yetel bacan tech in cichkelem tat yum San Isidro,
ah kolkal, yetel bacan tech yum kankin, culucbalech ti likin, yetel bacan in chant-
tupchaac, culucbal chumuc caan, ti likin, yetel bacan yum canchaacoob; kin kubic
yetel bacan ahooil atepalo chumuc caan, yetel bacan tech in cichkelem tata ahcanan
kakabool, yetel bacan tech in cichkelem tata Cakaal Uxmal, yetel bacan tech in
cichpan colel Santa Clara, yetel bacan tech in cichkelem tata yum xualakinik,
yetel bacan tech in cichpan colel Xhelik, yetel bacan tech in cichkelem tatayum
Santo Lorenzo, yetel bacan tech in cichpan colel Guadelupe, yetel bacan tech tun
yum Mosonikoob, meyahnaheex ichil cool kat tocah. Cin kubic bacan letie Santo
Gracia, utial a nahmateex, yetel bacan tech u nohchi Santo uai yokol cab halibe
in yuraen sates ten in cipil. Minan a tzul pachkeech letie Santo Pishan, Ooki in
mentic letie Santo Promicia.
Translation
Now my beautiful lady of the yellow-leaf breadnut, as well as you, my handsome
father San Isidro, tiller of the earth; as well as you, lord sun, who art seated at the
east; as well as you, Chanttupchaac, who art seated in the middle of the heavens,
in the east; as well as you, Yumcanchaacoob : I deliver to you, with the majestic
servants in the middle of the heavens. As well as you, my handsome father, Ahca-
nankakabool; as well as you, my handsome father Cakaal I'xmaal; as well as you, my
beautiful lady Santa Clara; as well as you, my handsome father Xualakinik; as well
as you, my beautiful lady Xhelik; as well as you, my handsome father San Lorenzo;
as well as you, my beautiful lady of Guadelupe; as well as you, Lord Mosonicoob,
that blows within the milpa when it is burnt. I deliver then to you this Holy Grace,
that you may taste it, and because you are the greatest Santos on earth. That is all
my master. Pardon my sins; you have not to follow the holy souls, because I have
made this holy offering.
Cin Kubic ti nah tatail, ti u cahil San Roque, u cahil Patch acan, ti Chan Sapote.
Translation
I offer you, great father, for your town of San Roque, your town of Patchacan, and
Chan Sapote.
The assistant then brought up some burning incense (pom) on a
piece of plantain bark, which the priest took, and after waving it about
for a short time placed it upon the altar, after which he dipped out a
small portion of halche and scattered it in three directions, murmur-
ing while doing so the following prayer:
Noh Xali ti Uxmal, ti atepaloob Ixeabaeh Chen Maui, ti Xpanterashan, Charanchi,
Chacantoe, ti Xnocachan, Xcunya, Yaxutzub, Yaxaban, ti atepaloob.
Translation
Greal house of Uxmal, of the majestic Ixeabaeh, Chen Maui, of Xpanterashan,
Chacanchi, Chacantoe, of Xnocachan Xcunya, Yaxatzub Yaxaban <>f the majestic
OIK'S.
48 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY Iblll. g4, gann]
A small portion of balche was next passed around to each of the
participants, the priest again scattering a little on the ground and
repeating the prayer. The calabash, which was now nearly empty,
was then removed to the house for the benefit of the women. It
was soon brought back by the assistant and refilled from the jar,
and the same procedure gone through again. This was repeated till
no more balche remained to be drunk. The priest then scattered some
of the sopas in four directions, using one of the fowls' claws to scoop
it up from the calabash, after which what remained of the sopas was
divided up among the participants, each one being given a calabash
in which a fowl's claw was placed for use as a fork. A small quantity
of the mixture which remained was taken to the house for use of the
women. Lastly the priest removed the tutiua and yokua from the
altar, and divided these among the participants, giving each one at
the same time a corn-husk cigarette. The ceremony was now
finished, and the last act was completely to destroy all the objects
used in it, including buildings, altar, calabashes, and chuyubs; this
was done by fire.
This Cha chac ceremony as performed by the Santa Cruz and
Icaiche Indians bears a strong resemblance to certain ceremonies
performed before the conquest, in honor of the Chacs, or Rain gods,
and also to ceremonies carried out at the present day by the Lacandon
Indians.
The names given to the modern priests were, according to Landa,
all in use in his day. The Chacs were four old men chosen to assist
the priests.1 The men was an inferior priest or sorcerer, while the
name Ahkin 2 was applied after the conquest, both to their own and
to Christian priests by the Maya. Landa also mentions (Chap, xl,
p. 260) a fiesta given to the Chacs, in conjunction with other gods,
held in one of the plantations, when the offerings were consumed by
the people after being first presented to the gods; these offerings
consisted of turkeys and other fowls, corn cake, siJcil, and posol,3 all
of which are used in the modern Maya Cha chac.
The god Yumcanchacoob (Lord of all the Chacs) of the Santa
Cruz probably corresponds to Nohochyumchac (Great Lord Chac)
of the Lacandones, as does the Ahcanankakabol (keeper of the
woods) of the Santa Cruz, to the Kanancash of the Lacandones,
whose name has practically the same significance. A belief in
Xtabai, or spirits, and Ilcoob, or Wind gods, seems common alike
to the Santa Cruz, the Lacandones, and the Indians of Yucatan.
1 "Los chaces eran quatro hombres ancianos elegidos siempre de nuevo para ayudar al sacerdote a bien
y complidamente hazer las fiestas." — Landa, op. cit., chap, xxvn, p. 160.
3 " En contrario llamavanse y se Hainan oy los sacerdotes en esta lengua de Maya Ahkin, que se deriva
de un verbo kinyah. que significa 'sortear 6 eshar suertes.'" — Landa, ibid., p. 302.
3 Landa, ibid., chaps, xxxv, p. 212; xxxvi, p. 222.
PART 2. MOUND EXCAVATION IN THE EASTERN MAYA AREA
INTRODUCTION
Classification of the Mounds
In the following pages is a description of the mounds opened
during the last few years in that part of the Maya area now con-
stituting British Honduras, the southern part of Yucatan, and the
eastern border of Guatemala (pi. 7) . For descriptive purposes these
mounds may be divided, according to their probable uses, into six
main groups:
1. Sepulchral Mounds. — This group includes mounds which, orig-
inally constructed for other purposes, were afterwards used as burial
sites.
2. Refuse Mounds. — This group includes kitchen middens, shell
heaps, deposits of waste material remaining after the manufacture
of lime, and heaps of stones gathered from the surface of the ground.
3. Foundation Mounds. — As the buildings themselves invariably
stood on the summits of flat-topped mounds, such mounds, capped
with the debris of the earlier structures, formed the bases of later
ones.
4- Defensive Mounds. — Some of these mounds were crescent-shaped ;
others were in the form of a horseshoe.
5. Lookout Mounds. — These mounds extend in chains, at intervals
of 6 to 12 miles, along the coast and up some of the rivers; they are
lofty, steep-sided, and usually form the nuclei of groups of other
mounds. As a rule they contain neither human remains nor arti-
facts, thougli in one or two of them superficial interments seem to
have been made at a comparatively late date.
6. Mounds of Uncertain Use. — No trace of human interment was
found in these mounds. Many of (hem are too small at the summit
to have supported buildings, and it seems probable that they are
sepulchral mounds, in which no stone, pottery, or other indestruct-
ible objects were placed with the corpse, and in which the bones
have entirely disintegrated. The larger mounds of this class, many
of them flat topped, are carefully constructed of blocks of limestone,
marl dust, and earth, and no doubt at one time served as bases for
buildings either small temples or houses -which, being built of
wood, have long since vanished.
70806° IS Bull. G4 4 . 49
50 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY ' [bull. 64
Most of the mounds are distributed in small and large groups,
the latter usually containing one or more examples of each class,
the former consisting for the greater part of small burial mounds,
probably of late date, as they are less carefully constructed than the
mounds of the larger groups, and the objects which they contain are
of rougher and cruder workmanship.
The burial mounds comprise more than half of all the mounds
opened, followed in order of numbers by (a) foundation mounds;
(b) mounds of uncertain use; (c) refuse mounds; (d) lookout mounds;
(e) defensive mounds.
It has been found that, as a rule, rich land contains many mounds;
poor land, fewer; and sour-grass savannah, pine ridge, and swamp,
none at all. The better the land the more numerous the mounds
scattered over it, as is natural, since the more fertile the land the
denser the population it would sustain. Not all the mounds opened
have been described, as small burial mounds, especially in the same
group, in both construction and contents, resemble one another
closely, as do foundation mounds also.
This part of the Maya area must either have been occupied during
a very considerable period or at one time must have supported a
dense population, as wherever it is possible to cultivate the soil,
especially to raise maize, mounds are to be found in great abundance;
moreover, the surface everywhere bears such indestructible rubbish as
potsherds, flint chips, and fragments of obsidian knives. It would
probably be impossible to find anywhere in this area an acre of
moderately good land on which dozens of such objects could not
be discovered. This indicates that what is now dense tropical bush,
with a few small Indian villages scattered through it at considerable
intervals, was at one time a highly cultivated and thickly populated
country.
Referring to Yucatan before the conquest, Landa uses the words,
"toda la tierra parescia un pueblo;'' * while 200 years after the con-
quest Villagutierre 2 mentions by name 10 tribes with whom the Itzas
were at war, who lived to the east of the lagoon, nine days' journey
away — in a region corresponding to the territory of coastal tribes of
British Honduras and Quintana Roo.
1 Que estas gentes tuvieron mas de XX aiios de abundancia y de salud y se multiplicaron tanto que toda
la tierra parescia un pueblo, y que entonces se labraron los templos en tanta muchedumbre, como se vee oy
en dia por todas partes y que atravesando por montes se veen entre las arboledas assientos de casas y edificios
labrados a maravilla.— Landa, op. cit., p. 58.
2 Q ue en Afios passados tuvieron quatro Batallas con los Indios Aycales (que son los Mopanes) Chinamitas,
y Tulunquies, y Taxchinchan, Nob, y Acabob, Zuacuanob, Ahtimob, Teyucunob, Ahchemob, Ahcamulob.
. . . y que todas estas Xaciones estavan viviendo juntas al Leste, u Oriente, y que de aquel Peten, a sus
Poblaciones, avia nueve dias de Camino, que era el que ellos gastavan en ir a ellas.— Villagutierre,
Historia de la conquista de la provincia de el Itza, p. 554.
gaxx] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 51
Ancient Inhabitants of the Region
From the contents of the mounds we are able to deduce many valu-
able facts relating to the physical appearance, social life, religion, and
art of the former inhabitants of this area.
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
A very accurate idea of the physical appearance of these people
may be derived from the figurines, paintings, stucco moldings, and
skeletons found in the mounds. It would appear that they very
closely resembled the modern Maya Indians.1 They were broad
of face, with small features and rather high cheek bones; without
beard or mustache, but with straight, black, coarse hair, which was
allowed by both men and women to grow long.
The skull was naturally brachicephalic, and as this characteristic
was (and is now by the Maya) admired, it seems to have been almost
invariably accentuated artificially by pressure applied over the occipi-
tal and frontal regions during early infancy.2 The average cephalic
index of eight skulls removed from the mounds was found to be 110.
The following list gives the average lengths of a number of bones of
adults taken from the mounds, though in no case were all the bones
of one individual found hi a sufficiently perfect condition to permit of
their accurate measurement:
Humerus, 29.21 cm.
Ulna, 25.38 cm.
First phalanx (little finger), 3.04 cm.
Femur, 36.83 cm.
Tibia, 33.27 cm.
Metatarsal bone of great toe, 5.33 cm.
The bones are small, the ridges for muscular attachment not well
marked, and the phalanges, metacarpal, and metatarsal bones small
and delicate, indicating a body with rounded contours, poor muscular
development, and small extremities. The front teeth in some cases
were filed, in others filled with round plugs of obsidian, iron pyrites.
orjadeite, for ornamental purposes.
1 Son en lo personal, ostos Indios Itzaex, bien apes t ados; color triguefio, mas claro que el de los de Yuca-
tan. Son agiles, y de buenos cuerpos, y rostros, aunque algunos se los rayavan, |>or senates de valentia.
Traian las Cabelleras lariras, quanto pueden crezer: V assi, cs lo mas diflcultoso en los Indios el rediuirlos
A cortarles el pelo; porque e! traerlo largo, es serial de Idolatria. Villaoutierre, op. fit., p. -I')*.
i^ne los Indios ile Yucatan son bien dLspuestos y altos y rezios y de muchas (uercas. — Landa, op. cit.,
p 112.
Que las itnMas criavan sus hljitos en toda osperezn y desnudez del mundo, porque a cuntn> o cinco dins
nacida la criatura la poidan tendlditn en un lecho pequeno hecho do varillas, y alii boca aliaxo le ponian
entrfl dos tablillas la calirea. la una en el colodrillo, \ la otro en la finite, enl rv las < males se le nppretav an
reciamento y le tenian alii pndeciendo hasta que aenbados algunos dias le quedava la caUva liana y enmol-
dada como lo u avail touos ellos. — Laxda, oj>. i it ., p. ISO.
52 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64
DRESS
Among the lower elass the men seem to have worn no garment
except the maxili, consisting of a loin-cloth wound several times
around the waist, the ends hanging down in front and behind, like
small aprons. The women wore two garments, similar to those of
the modern Maya, the Jiuipil, or loose, sleeveless upper garment reach-
ing to the hips (at the present this is worn longer, reaching well below
the knees) and a short, loose skirt, both of cotton, and both embroid-
ered in colors at the borders.1 The warriors wore in addition to the
maxtli a breastplate of thick quilted cotton, saturated with salt,
arrow and spear proof, and ornamented with bows, studs, and tassels.
To its upper border was attached a hollow bar, through which passed
a cord, continued round the back of the neck, holding the breastplate
in place.
Both warriors and priests wore very elaborate headdresses. Those
of the former were decorated with plumes of feathers and many of
them held in front the head of some animal carved in wood,2 as the
jaguar, eagle, peccary, snake, or alligator. Some of the headdresses of
the priests were shaped like a bishop's miter, while others resembled the
Egyptian headdress. All classes wore sandals of leather or platted
henequen fiber. The ornaments worn consisted of large circular ear
plugs of shell, greenstone, or pottery, many with a tassel dependent
from the center; studlike labrets at each side of the mouth;
and occasional triangular ornaments attached on each ala of the
nose. Round the neck were worn strings of beads, some in the
form of human or animal heads, others with a gorget of greenstone
or shell in the form of a human mask dependent from them.
Wristlets and anklets of large oval beads, fastened with ornamental
loops, were common, and copper finger rings have been found on two
occasions, though it is possible that these may not have been intro-
duced till after the conquest. Among the upper classes the orna-
ments were made from jade, greenstone, iron pyrites, obsidian,
mother-of-pearl, and copper; among the lower, from pottery, shell,
and stone.
WEAPONS
The offensive weapons of the natives here dealt with consisted of
flint and obsidian tipped arrows,3 javelins, and spears, flint and stone
1 Sus vestiduras, de que vsavan, eran vnos Ayates, 6 Gabachas, sin Mangas, y sus Mantas, todo de Algodon
texido de varios eolores: Y ellos y las Mugeres, vnas como Faxas, de lo mismo, de cosa de quatro varas de
largo, y vna tercia de ancho, con que se gefiian, y cubrian las partes; y algunas al canto, u orilla, mucha
Plumeria de eolores, que era su mayor gala.— Villagutierre, op. cit., p. 498.
2 Tenian algunos senores y capitanes como moriones de palo y estos eran pocos, y con estas armas ivan
a la guerra, y con plumajes y pellejos de tigres, y leones, puestos los que los tenian. — Landa, op. cit., p. 172.
3 Y en las orillas de la Playa, solo se veian amontonadas la multitud de Flechas, que la resaca de las olas
avia llevado a Tierra. De adonde se puede inforir, quan inmenso seria el numero de ellas, que los Infieles
arrojaron k los Pobres Christianos.— Viu.agutierre, op. cit., p. 483.
oann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 53
axes, with slingstones, and stone-headed clubs, made for the most
part of hard limestone. Their defensive weapons were small circular
shields of leather-covered wickerwork and thick cotton breastplates.
HOUSES
The lower classes probably lived exclusively in thatched pimento-
walled houses, identical in construction with those used by the Maya
of the present day; naturally, these have completely disappeared,
but the former sites of villages composed of such huts may easily
be recognized by the presence of half-choked wells and the great
number of malacates, broken pots, weapons, implements, ornaments,
and rubbing stones, which are to be found scattered all over them.
The priests, caciques, and upper classes doubtless lived in the stone
houses, the remains of which lie buried in considerable numbers in
the mounds. The walls of these houses were of stucco-covered stone
and lime, the floors of hard cement, and the roofs, no doubt, of
beams and thatch, as many of them are too wide to have been
covered by the so-called "American arch."
Many of these buildings were doubtless used as temples, but prob-
ably the majority of them were private houses.1 In one of them an
interment had taken place beneath the floor of the house before the
structure was destroyed.2
ARTS
The former inhabitants of this part of the Maya area do not seem
to have fallen far behind those of northern Yucatan in the aits of
sculpture upon stone, stucco molding, mural painting, ceramics, and
the manufacture of stone implements and weapons, as excellent
examples in all these fields have been found.
At Seibal, Ilolmul, Naranjo, and Benque Viejo, cities of the old
Empire lying along the British Honduras-Guatemala frontier, examples
of seulptured stelae and altars have been found, equal in fineness of
workmanship to those found at any other site within the Maya area.
The molded stucco figures at Pueblo Nuevo are beautifully executed,
while the painted stucco upon the temple walls at Santa Rita is prob-
ably the finest example of this kind of decoration yet brought to
light in the whole Maya area. The colors used (green, yellow, red,
blue, black, and white) seem to have been derived from colored
earths and vegetal dyes ground to a paste in small shallow stone
' Kstava en vn j.:r.m Salon, cuyos Teohos eran 1<> I'aja, y las Parades de Cal, y Canto, de vna vara de alto,
bniflidas, como el suolo, y en ellas estrivava <1 Maderage de lo lovantado en la Casa. Viu.\<a tikkrk,
op.clt., p. 392.
Kstava poblada toda el la <1<> e!Ls:i.s. almmay con Parades de Pietira, de cosa de mas de \ ara de alto, y do
all! arrfba Maderas, >• los Techos de Paja, j otras do solo Madera, Y I'aja. II id, ni.
■ Knterrovanlos dentro en sus oasits o a las espaldas dellas, ... < omunmente desamparavan la casa y
la dexavan yerma despues do enterrados.— I.ani>a, op. cii., p. r.Mi.
54 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY f bull. 64
mortars with spatulato flint grinders, which have been found with
traces of paint still adhering to them. Ornaments in the form of
human and animal faces and heads nicely cut from jadeite and green-
stone are not uncommon. Some bear incised hieroglyphic inscrip-
tions. The greenstone shell from Kendal, described later on, in its
fineness of finish and accurate imitation of the natural form, is a
remarkable example of gem cutting.
Most of the domestic pottery used was of a rather coarse hard red
ware. This comprises large amphora-like water jars, shallow dishes,
saucers, and bowls, used probably to hold food; cooking pots of
various sizes and shapes, chocolate pots with upright spouts,- and
disks for baking tortillas- In addition to these, thick brittle vessels
of very coarse pottery, some of exceptionally large size, are found,
which were probably used as receptacles for corn, beans, pepper, and
other light dry substances. Of the finer kinds of pottery some are
ornamented with incised devices, executed after the vessels had been
fired, others are covered with devices in polychrome, and still others
with ornaments molded while the clay was plastic. Lastly, these
three methods, or any two of them, may be combined in the deco-
ration of any one vessel.
The objects most frequently depicted on the vases are human
heads, simple glyphs, animal and mythological figures, and flowers.
Most of the vessels are polished, some of them to a high degree, but
the art of glazing does not seem to have been understood. The finer
kinds of pottery are thin, tough, light, and very hard. The applique*
work, displayed best in incense burners, upon which the figure of the
god in high relief is built up bit by bit, is rather coarse, but in some
examples very effective. Stone implements and weapons of great
variety have been discovered, including ax, spear, javelin, and
arrowheads, knives, clubs, throwing stones, hammerstones, scrapers,
chisels, borers, paint and corn grinders, fiber cleaners, and many
others. Flint, chert, obsidian, greenstone, and limestone were the
materials most commonly used in the manufacture of implements
and weapons. Very remarkable eccentrically shaped objects, in-
cluding crosses, crescents, rings, and a variety of other forms, chipped
with great care and precision, from flint, chert, and obsidian, are
also found, though not in great numbers. They seem to be con-
fined almost exclusively to this part of the Maya area.
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
With the exception of clay whistles of from one to four notes, no
musical instruments have been found in the mounds, unless the
hollow cylinder (10^ inches high by 4 inches in diameter) from
Yalloch may be regarded as a small hand drum similar to those men-
oann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 55
tioned by Landa as having been in use at the time of the conquest,1
and somewhat resembling the clay jar with a piece of gibnut hide
stretched over the opening for a head, still in use as a drum among
the Lacandones.2 The late Sir Alfred Moloney obtained in the village
of Succots a tunkul, or wooden drum, with two rubber-tipped drum-
sticks, which had been brought by the Indians from Guatemala at the
time of their emigration from that country. This had been handed
down from Alcalde to Alcalde from time immemorial, and was used
to summon the villagers on special occasions, as a fire or the election
of new Alcaldes.
FOOD
The staple article of diet among the ancient Maya seems to have
been maize, as it is at the present day among their descendants.
Numbers of rubbing-stones and rubbers, both broken and whole,
are found in the mounds, as are also the clay disks used for baking
corn cakes. The bones of various animals, which had probably been
used for food, are also found; among these are the peccary, gibnut,
armadillo, puma, tapir, and manatee, together with woula (snake),
alligator, and (of birds) the curassow and wild turkey. Shells of
the conch, cockle, oyster, and fresh-water snail are also found in
abundance. The Maya probably kept small domestic animals and
birds,3 as great numbers of rough stone troughs are found in the
mounds, precisely similar to those manufactured and used by the
modern Maya Indians for watering their fowls, while eggs, with tur-
keys and other birds, have been found, held in the hands of figurines
upon the incense burners, as offerings to the gods. They seem to have
made periodical expeditions to the cays and islands off the coast to
fish and collect shellfish, as quantities of net-sinkers, flint chips,
potsherds, and broken javelin heads are found on many of the cays.
But few mounds, however, which give evidence of permanent human
occupancy have been discovered in this situation.
SPINNING AND WEAVING
Judging by the great number of spindle-whorls found in the mounds
and on village sites, cotton spinning must have been practically
universal among the women. Oval perforated stones of a size
suitable for loom weights have been found, and it is probable that
1 Tienen atables pequeftos que tnflen con hi mono, y otro atabal do palo huoco de sonido |>csado y tristc;
tancnlo run un palo larguillo puesto al cabo eierta leche do un arlx>l.— Landa, op. cit., p. 124.
J The drum is composed of a clay jar about twenty inches high. Over the top of the jar is si retched a
piece of the hide of the. teptizqulnte for a head. The whole drum is painted white. On one side near the
top there is a head similar in all respei ts to that found in nil the sacred ollas. This head, as it has been
explained, represents one of the lesser gods called Qaiyum. — Tozzkk, a Comparative study of the
Mayas and the Lacandones, p. ill.
3('rian aves para vender de Costilla, y de las suyas y para comer. Crian paxaroa i ara su recreacion y
para las plumas para hazer sus ropas galanas.— Landa, op. cit., p. 190.
56 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64
they were used as such, as they do not seem to be adapted to any
other purpose. With this exception we learn nothing of the art of
weaving from the contents of the mounds. Henequen fiber was
doubtless used for the manufacture of rope, mats, hammocks, and other
objects, as grooved flat stones for beating the pulp from the fiber are
common.
GAMES
The appliances for at least two distinct games have been found.1
The first consists of a large spherical block of limestone, nicely
polished, and about 1 foot in diameter, found associated with 6 to 12
smaller spherical stones, each about 3 inches in diameter, of very light
material somewhat resembling pumice stone. The second consists
of a number of small disks of shell, about three-fourths of an inch in
diameter. Collections of these have been found together on several
occasions; they might have been used as beads or ornaments but for
the fact that they are neither perforated nor decorated with incised
figures as shell beads usually are.
RELIGION
Of the 15 gods of the codices classified by Schollhas five may be
recognized in this area with a fair degree of certainty. God A, the
god of death, in the form of a human skull, decorates the outside of
not a few small pottery vessels, and is depicted upon the painted
stucco wall at Santa Rita. God B, the long-nosed god, is usually
identified with Cuculcan. Representations of this god are found
throughout the whole area in great abundance, painted upon pottery
and stucco, incised on bone and stone, and modeled in clay. This
god is associated with the cities of Chichen Itza and Mayapan, and is
supposed to have entered Yucatan from the west ; indeed it is possible
that ho may originally have been the leader of one of the Maya
immigrations from that direction. He appears to have been by far
the most popular and generally worshiped deity in this area, and it
is his imago which is found on nearly half of all the incense burners
discovered. God D, probably Itzamna, appears in the codices as an
old man with a Roman nose, shrunken cheeks, toothless jaws, and- a
peculiar scroll-like ornament beneath the eye, to the lower border of
which are attached two or three small circles. In some representa-
tions a single tooth projects from the upper jaw, and in a few the
> Tor lo qual se usava tener en cada pueblo una casa grande y encalada, abierta por todas partes, en la
qual se juntavan los mocos para sus passatiempos. Jugavan a la pelota y a un juego con Unas habas como
a los dados, y a otros muchos. — Landa, op. cit., p. 178.
Two curious stones, which may have been used in some game, were discovered in a small burial mound
in the Orange Walk district of British Honduras some years ago. They were made of nicely polished
crystalline limestone, about one foot in diameter, and shaped very much like curling stones without handles.
The upper part of each was traversed by two round holes, about one inch in diameter, which passed com-
pletely through the stone, near its summit, and crossed each other at right angles.
Oann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 57
face is bearded. This god is not infrequently found associated with
the serpent. A typical representation of him is seen upon the Santa
Rita temple wall;1 here he is depicted standing upon intertwined
serpents, holding in his right hand a feather-plumed serpent. This
god is represented upon some incense burners, and is found not infre-
quently associated with Cuculcan.
God K, the god with an elaborate foliated nose, often closely asso-
ciated with God B, his face in some cases forming the'headdress orna-
ment of the latter god, is unmistakably depicted upon the Santa
Rita temple wall.2 God P, the Frog god, is found on some small
pottery vases, and on a few incense burners. Nothing found in
the mounds proves definitely the practice of human sacrifice in this
area, but that it existed is almost certain, as Villagutierre refers to it
as prevalent among the Itza of Peten at the time of their conquest,3
at the end of the seventeenth century, and Landa mentions it as
occurring among the Maya at the time of the coming of the Spaniards.4
Near the headwaters of the Rio Hondo a mound was opened, which
contained, in a stone-walled chamber, a number of human skulls
unaccompanied by other bones. It is possible that these may have
boon the remains of sacrificial victims, as it was customary to remove
the head of the victim after death, which became the perquisite of
the priests.
Human sacrifice among the Maya was probably a somewhat rare
event, taking place only on extraordinary special occasions, as in
times of public calamity — for example, during the prevalence of
famine, war, or pestilence — when it was felt that a special pro-
pitiatory offering to the god was called for. This practice was con-
fined to one, or at most to a very small number of victims, never
reaching the proportions which it did among the Aztec, by whom it
was probably introduced into Yucatan. The main offering of the
Maya to their gods seems to have consisted of an incense composed
of copal gum and aromatic susbtances. Landa mentions this as
largely employed at the time of the conquest; Villagutierre en-
countered it among the Itza at the end of the seventeenth century;
and Tozzer found it in use among the Lacandon Indians at the
present day. The incense itself lias been found all over this area,
as well as great numbers of incense burners.
1 Sec Nineteenth Rep. Bur. Amor. Ethn., pi. xxx, li^. s.
• Ibid., pi. xxix, n<>. :i.
' A la primcra vista encontraron con la Messa do los Sacrifleios, quo era vna Piedra muy grande, do mas
do ilos varus y media de largo, y vara y media do am ho, con doze assientos, que la rodoavan, para los doze
Sacerdotes, que executavan el Saoriflcio. Villaoutterke, op. <it., p. :W2: Ibid., p. 457; Ibid., ^l>.
4 Que sin las fiestas en lasquales, para la solemnidad doellas, se saoriflcavan an i males, tambien poralguna
tribulacion o necessidad, les mandava el sacrcdote o rhilanes saoriflcar pcrsonas, y para esto contribuiao
todos, para quo se comprasse oselavos, o algunos de devoclon daran sus hijltos los quales eran muy regaladoa
hasta el dia y fiesta de sus pcrsonas, y muy guardados (pie no se huyessen o ensuzlassen de algun <amal
peccado, y mientras a ellos I leva van de pueblo en pueblo con vailes, ayunavan los sacerdotes y chilanes y
otros officiales— Landa, op. cit., p. 164.
58 BUREAU OP AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64, gann]
In addition to incense, the blood of fish, birds, and animals was
smeared over the images of the gods, as an offering, together with
human blood obtained by cutting the ears, tongue, genitals, and other
parts of the body. The hearts of various animals, together with live
and dead animals (some cooked and some raw) and all kinds of foods
and drinks in use among the people,1 were also employed as offerings
to the gods. In the hands of figurines upon the incense burners are
found, modeled in clay, fruit, flowers, eggs, cakes, birds, small animals,
and other objects, all evidently intended for the same purpose.
CHRONOLOGY
Three distinct periods of Mayan civilization seem to be represented
in this area. The center of the earliest of these was along the Rio
Grande, in southern British Honduras, within 20 miles of the Guate-
mala frontier, where the Leydcn Plate was discovered, upon which
is inscribed the earliest but one known Maya date — namely, Cycle
8, Katun 14, Tun 3, Uinal 1, Kin 12. If the massive stone-faced
pyramids and terraces of these ruins are contemporaneous with the
Leyden Plate, as seems possible, they must be reckoned among
the earliest monuments of the first, or southern Maya, civilization.
The Benque Viejo temple, in the extreme western part of British
Honduras, comes next in point of time. This was almost certainly
contemporaneous with its near neighbor, Naranjo, where the earliest
Initial Series found is 9.10.10.0.0, and the latest 9.19.10.0.0, giving
the city an age of at least 9 katuns, or 180 years. It will be seen that
the difference between the Leyden tablet date and the earliest re-
corded date at Naranjo is rather more than 16 katuns, or 320 years.
The latest of all the sites is undoubtedly Santa Rita, which shows
strong Mexican influence; this belongs to the second era of Maya
civilization, which reached its highest development in Yucatan and
the northern cities. Excluding the Tuluum Stela, the date upon
which, 9.6.10.0.0, is almost certainly not contemporaneous,2 the
only Initial Series deciphered with certainty in Yucatan up to the
present time is that at Chichen Itza, 10.2.9.1.9, nearly 3 katuns, or
60 years, later than the latest at Naranjo; but probably the Santa
Rita site is- much later in date than this, and if we may judge by the
objects found in the mounds in the vicinity, some of which show
strong Spanish influence, it was occupied up to and beyond the
conquest.
1 Mas de todas las cosas que aver podian que son aves del cielo, animales de la tierra, o pescados de la
agua, siempre les embadurnavan los rostros al demonio cor* la sangre dcllos. Y otras cosas que tenian
ofrecian; a algunos animales les sacavan el eorazon y lo ofrecian, a otros enteros, unos vivos, otros muertos,
unos crudos, otros guisados, y hazian tambien grandes ofrendas de pan y vino, y de todas las maneras de
comidas, y bevidas que usavan. — Landa, op. cit., pp. 1C2-164.
- Recent examination of the Tuluum Stela has brought to light upon it, in two places, the glyph rep-
resenting the lahuntum, and the date 7 Ahau; now 7 Ahau occurs as a lahuntun ending in 10.6.10.0.0
(approximately 695 A. D. of our era) which is almost certainly the contemporaneous date of the Stela.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
SULLETIN 64 PLATE 7
SKETCH MAP OF BRITISH HONDURAS, WITH ADJACENT PARTS OF YUCATAN AND
GUATEMALA. INDICATING THE POSITIONS OF MOUNDS EXCAVATED
DESCRIPTION OF MOUNDS
Mound No. 1
Mound No. 1 (No. 24 on the plan of Santa Rita (fig. 14), situated
midway between Nos. 6 and 22) was conical in shape, nearly circular
at the base, 18 feet high, and 90 feet in circumference. It was built
throughout of large irregular blocks of limestone, the interstices being
©a
os
Q/O
0/7
0/
°/3
%
03
"ft
6
28
\jjf8
1
•27
Q
06
o
20
o
•25
22
£U
06
• 26
// °/2
Fig. 11. Plan of Santa Rita mounds.
filled with limestone dust and earth, forming together a sort of friable
mortar, which rendered the whole structure nearly as compact as a
solid block of masonry.
Excavation near the center of the mound, at a depth of 2 feet below
the surface, brought to li«,r!it a large circular disk of roughly hewn
limestone, '.I feet in diameter by 8 inches thick. On lifting this it was
59
60
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
[bull. 64
found to cover the mouth of a bell-like cist, nearly 3 feet in diameter
and about 5 feet in depth. On opening the cist, which was slightly
narrower at the bottom than at the top, it was found to be nearly
half filled with very fine brown dust, at the bottom of which lay a
roughly made circular urn 18 inches in diameter, covered by a
mushroom-shaped lid.
The urn was filled to the top with small crudely executed pottery
figurines of men and animals. There were 49 of these in all, con-
sisting of 4 warriors, with shield and spear, 3 seated human figures,
4 standing figures (eating and fanning themselves), 4 lizards, 4 alli-
gators, 4 snakes, 4 birds, 4 dragon-
like creatures, 4 tigers, and 14 quashes
or picotes. The warriors (pi. 8) are
represented in a crouching position,
with the right knee and left foot
upon the ground; each holds in the
right hand a small spear and on the
left forearm a circular shield.1 Two
of them exhibit tusk-like objects pro-
jecting from their mouths. The fig-
ures are 4 \ inches high ; they are paint ed
in red and white throughout. The
headdress consists of a boat-shaped
cap worn with the bow and stern pro-
jecting over the ears. The seated
figures (pi. 9; fig. 15) are each 6 inches
in height; these are painted through-
out in red, white, and green. Each
is seated upon a low four-legged stool,
and grasps in one hand by its greatly
enlarged spatulate glans the project-
ing penis, on which he is seemingly per-
forming some sort of surgical operation with a long knife held in the
other hand.
The headdress consists of a mitre-like erection in front, with a
long queue hanging down to the waist behind. Button-like labrets
are worn on each side of the mouth in two of the figures, and all wear
large circular ear plugs. The standing figures (fig. 16) are each 5 \
inches high, and had been painted throughout in red and white,
though not much of the original color now remains. The headdress
consists of a broad flat cap decorated in front with a row of circular
beads, and on each side with a large tassel, which hangs down over
the ear plugs. Each figure wears a small narrow maxtli and button-like
labrets at each angle of the mouth. In one of the figures the right
Fig. 15.— Figurine from Mound No. 1.
1 Tenian laneuelas cortas de un est'ado con los hierros de fuerte pedernal . . . Tenian para su defensa
rodelas que hazian de cafias hendidas, y muy texidas redondas y guarnecidas de cueros de venados. — Landa,
op.cit., pp. 170-172.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
BULLETIN 64 PLATE 8
FIGURINES OF WARRIORS FROM MOUND NO. 1
gann]
MAYA INDIANS OP YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS
61
hand is extended, while the left holds a circular fan. In the other the
forearms are flexed at right angles, with hands held open in front of
the waist, as if ahout to receive something. The lizard effigies, though
crudely made, are most lifelike representations about 6 inches in
length. The alligators resemble very closely those taken from another
mound at Santa Rita.1
The tigers and dragon-like creatures are exactly similar to those
figured in Nos. 6 and 4 of the same plate. The bird and snake effigies
are very crude and ill made; the former, about 1^ inches in length,
represent birds in the act of flying, with wings extended. The snakes,
each represented with a double curve in the body, are about 5\ inches
Fig. 16.— Figurines from Mound No. 1.
in length and one-half inch in diameter; they are made of rough
day, painted rod. 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 think-
ing 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
davs they gradually hardened.
1 Figured in Nineteenth llep. Bur. Ainer. Eton., pi. xxxiv, No.
62 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64
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 sus-
pension with the beads.
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 tibise, they were in no way
abnormal. The upper articular sur-
face of the right tibia had disap-
peared. The shaft was rounded in
section, the prominent angles at the
front and sides being obliterated. It
was slightly bowed, with the con-
vexity anteriorly, and was consider-
ably enlarged, especially in its upper
two-thirds, which were composed
chiefly of very friable cancellous tis-
Fig. 17.— LnpaintedobjectfromMoundNo.l. .
sue, 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 some-
what 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 account1 of two forms of ceremonial self -mutilation car-
ried out by the Yucatecan Maya at the time of the conquest there
' Otras, se harpavan To superfluo del miembro vergon?oso, dexandolo como las orejas, de lo qual se engano
el historiador general de las Indias, diziendo que se circumcidian. Otras vezes hazian un suzio y penoso
sacrificio anudandose los que lo hazian en el templo, donde puestos en rengla, se hazian sendos agujeros en
los mfembros viriles al soslayo ror el lado, y heriios passavan toda la mas cantidad de hilo que podian
quedando assi todos asfdos, y ensartados; tambien untavan con la sangre de todas estas partes al demonio
y el que mas hazia, por mas valiente era tenido.— Landa, op. cit., p. 162.
oann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 63
can be little doubt, however, that the figurines shown in plate 9 and
figure 15 are meant to represent individuals inflicting on themselves
one or other of these, but, owing to the crudeness of the workman-
ship, it is difficult to determine which. In one the foreskin was pierced
and expanded in much the same way that the ears were treated
when sacrificing to the idols. In the other, a number of men,
sitting in a row in the temple, each pierced his glans penis from side
to side, and passing a long piece of cord through all the apertures,
strung themselves together in this way.
Mound No. 2
Mound No. 2 (No. 25 on the plan, fig. 14) was situated a
short distance to the south of Mound No. 19. It was circular at
the base, conical in shape, 6 feet high at its highest point, and 40
yards in circumference. On the summit of the mound, partially
buried in the earth, was found a conch shell, much worn by the
weather, with the tip cut smoothly off, and. still capable of being
used as a trumpet. The surface layer of the mound was composed of
earth, in which were embedded a few limestone blocks. Within
this layer, which was 18 inches thick, near the center of the mound
and a few inches beneath the surface, was found a turtle, hewn from
a block of limestone, measuring 13 inches in length and 10 inches in
breadth. The next layer was composed of ashes, charcoal, and
pieces of half-charred wood. This layer, which varied from 3 to
8 inches in thickness, extended evenly over the whole surface of the
mound, and within it were found 16 beads of jade, two small round
three-legged vases, and the fragments of two pottery images. The
beads were all perforated and finely polished; two of them repre-
sented human faces, and one the head of some animal, probably an
alligator. One is unusually large, measuring 3| inches in length
by J inch in breadth.
The clay images are so fragmentary as not to be worth figuring,
but in construction, ornamentation, and size they appear to be
almost identical with those found in the mounds at Santa Rita,
already described.1 One of the vases is 3} inches and the other 2\
inches in height; both are ovate. All the objects taken from this
layer show traces of having been exposed to the action of fire. The
beads are all more or less cracked and blackened, and the pottery
images and vases are discolored. The next layer was composed of
mortar, embedded in which were numerous pieces of limestone; it
varied in depth from 18 inches to 2 feet. The upper part of this layer,
to a depth of 2 to 3 inches, was yellow and very hard, and seemingly
had been fired; the lower part was lighter in color and very friable.
Within this layer, toward the center of the mound, was found the
' Gann, Mounds In Northern Honduras.
64
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
[bull. 64
alligator effigy shown in figure 18. This animal is 15£ inches in length
from the snout to the tip of the tail. The interior is hollow, and in
the center of the dorsal region is a circular opening 3£ inches in diam-
eter, surrounded by a rim 1£ inches high and covered by a saucer-
like lid. Within the widely opened jaws is seen a human face, hav-
ing at each corner of the mouth a small pottery disk, and in the ears
two large circular ear plugs.1 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 colore.d 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.
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.2 The fourth and deepest layer was 2\ feet
1 These large round ear plugs seem to have been universally worn; they are found in the paintings, on
figurines, and on the incensarios. The plug may be funnel shaped or flat, plain, or decorated with a stud,
rosette, or tassel. Describing the ear ornaments worn by the Itzas, Villagutierre says: "Si Dien muchos
de ellos rayadas las caras, y abujereadas las orejas. . . . Y que algunos Indios traian puestas, en las orejas
que traia, vnas Rosas de Plata, y otros las traian de Oro; y otros de Oro, y Plata." — Villagutierre, op.
cit., pp. 402-103.
Landa, speaking of the Maya women, says: "Horadavanse las orejas, para ponerse zarzilloa al modo de
sus mandos."— Landa, op. cit., p. 182.
2 Figurines of animals with human heads projecting from their widely opened jaws are common in this
area. The turtle, alligator, tiger, shark, and snake are usually the animals selected. Thomas says of this
figure: "If we may judge from its use there is no doubt that the Mexican cipactli figure is a symbol of the
earth or underworld. The usual form of the day symbol in the Mexican codices is shown in plate Lxrv,
10, and more elaborately in plate Liiv, 17." [These correspond almost exactly with some of the figurines
found.] "As proof thatlt indicates the earth, or underworld, there is shown on plate 73 of the Borglan Codex
an individual, whose "heart has been torn from his breast, plunging downward through the open jaws of
the monster into the shade of the earth below. ... It is therefore more than likely that the animal indi-
cated by the Mexican name of the day is mythical, represented according to locality by some known
animal which seems to indicate best the mythical conception. Some figures evidently refer to the alligator,
and others apparently to the iguana; that on plates 4 and 5 of the Dresden Codex is purely mythical."
Thomas, Day Symbols of the Maya Year, p. 212.
Spinden explains these part human, part animal, monsters differently. He regards the human face
ae symbolical of the human mind contained within the animal body of the god.— A Study of Maya Art,
pp. 35 and 62.
OAKW] MAYA INDIANS O* YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 65
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 incenso and round jars
containing the same substance were strewn thickly over an area ap-
proximately 40 yards in circumference; next a foundation or plat-
form 2\ feet in height was formed by placing together a number of
large rough blocks of limestone, among which were scattered the
fragments of about 20 incense burners, decorated outside with human
figures in high relief. Over this was plastered a layer of mortar 18
inches to 2 feet in thickness in which was embedded the alligator
seen in figure 18. Fires were lighted on top of this mortar till its
upper layers were discolored, and into the fire while still burning
were thrown fragments of two clay images, two small oval vases, and
a number of beads. Over the ashes and charcoal left by the fires
earth and blocks of limestone were heaped to a height of 18 inches,
and in this layer was buried the stone turtle already referred to;
finally on top of the earth layer was placed a conch-shell trumpet.
Mound No. 3
Mound No. 3 (No. 26 on the plan, fig. 14) was situated immediately
between Mounds Nos. 6 and 11. It was roughly circular in shape, 120
feet in circumference and 3 feet in height. On being dug away to
the ground level it was found to be composed of earth and small
blocks of limestone, among which were numerous potsherds and frag-
ments of terra-cotta images, though the latter were so small that it
was impossible to tell how many images they represented. The pot-
sherds varied very much, some being rough and undeco rated, others
polished and well painted in geometrical devices. Fragments of
flint spearhoads and obsidian knives were also found in this mound.
7080G0— 18— Bull. G4 5
66 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64
On reaching the ground level the opening of a narrow passage 18
inches square was discovered' which led obliquely downward toward
the east for a distance of 8 feet; it was lined with roughly squared
flags of limestone and terminated in a small stone-lined chamber
2 feet square. On the floor, half buried in fine dry earth, lay a small
urn, roughly made of coarse pottery, neither painted nor glazed. It
was circular in form, 38 £ inches in circumference, with a semicircular
handle at each side, and was covered by a mushroom-shaped lid; with
the lid in situ the whole formed a somewhat irregular sphere. In the
urn and almost completely filling it were 20 small pottery figurines,
comprising 3 warriors, 1 seated human figure, 4 alligators, 4 dragons,
6 quashes or picotes, and 2 serpent-like creatures.
The warrior figures resemble very closely those found in Mound No.
24 (see pi. 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 pi. 8), the third warrior from this mound grasps a long dagger,
instead of a spear, in his right hand. The seated figure is very
similar to those from Mound No. 24 (see fig. 15), the only difference
being that the glans penis is grasped in the left hand while the right
hand wields the knife. The alligators are closely similar to those
already described, except that they are solid throughout instead of
being hollow. They are painted red, white, and black, and vary in
length from 5? to 6£ inches. The tigers are similar to those found in
Mound No. 24, but are rougher, and not so carefully modeled ; all are
hollow and are painted red throughout. The four dragon-like
creatures vary from 6 to 7 inches in length; the body, which is round
and slender, ends in a flattened bifid tail; the mouth, which is held
wide open, is furnished with a set of formidable teeth. Upon the
upper lip is a horn-like excrescence, and over the thorax are one
dorsal and two lateral fins. Each animal is painted white over the
whole surface; the inside of the mouth is painted red over the white
layer. The six quashes are exactly similar to those found in Mound
No. 24, as are also the two serpents.
Mounds containing animal and human effigies appear to be singu-
larly 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 com-
prise figures of men, alligators, turtles, quashes, lizards, birds, sharks,
gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 67
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 some-
what obscure. They are not invariably found associated with hu-
man 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 evi-
dently 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 occu-
pation of the individual with whom they were buried. A priest and
warrior from the same mound have been described, whose occupant
may have combined the double office, while a small statuette of an
old man, with a macapal slung over his shoulders, by a strap passing
across the forehead (typical of an Indian laborer of the present day),
was found by a coolie digging out stone from a mound at Santa Rita
many years ago.
Mound No. 4
Mound No. 4 (No. 7 on the plan of the Santa Rita mounds) ' has
recently been excavated, together with nearly the whole of the earth-
work 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. It was covered by a layer of alluvial
1 Figured in pi. xxxvm of the Nineteenth Rep. Bur. Amer. Ethn., as the Great Central Lookout
Mound.
68 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64
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, 5J inches in length; (c) an eccentrically-shaped
flint object (fig. 19, a), 4{ inches in breadth by 2| inches in
depth, of light grayish flint, very neatly and carefully chipped;
(d) a large, well-made flint arrowhead, deeply grooved on each side
of the base, 2J inches in length, and of light grayish color (fig.
19, h) ; (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
a be
Fig. 19. — Objects from Mound No. 4.
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 lime-
stone. 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 rod 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 con-
nected by cords of henequen fiber, ti-li, or some perishable material
which had disintegrated. It was considered certain that these vessels
would contain a number of the small pottery figures which similar
vessels from neighboring mounds had yielded. On removing the
cover from the first one, however, it was found to contain nothing
gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 69
but a small quantity of impalpable dust. The second contained
about an equal quantity of similar dust, together with a small rough
opal. The excavation of this mound was continued to a depth of
about 18 feet, but nothing further was discovered.
The circular space inclosed within the earthwork was surfaced by
a layer varying from 2 feet to 3 feet in thickness, resting on the bed-
rock, 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.
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 eompos-
i • -i r i ««,»». *1„ V^«^^ „:„L„ l Fig. 20.— Pottery vessels from Mound
ing which had apparently been picked JNo 4
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 interven-
tion of mortar (these blocks had evidently been quarried out especially
for this purpose, as they were quite fresh and showed no signs of weath-
ering); (4) a cement layer 3 feet in thickness, composed of alternate
thin layers of bluish gray cement and thick layers of yellowish
cement, which can be faintly seen in the photograph. At the point
B, plate 10, were found a quantity of ashes'and small pieces of charred
wood; the large stones in the neighborhood were also blackened by
the action of fire, and ashes were mixed with the lower part of the
cement layer, which would seemingly indicate that a large fire,
lasting a considerable period, had been kept up at this point on top
of layer c before the cement capping was added. The to]) layer, 8 feet
high, is composed of loose, friable mortar with rough blocks of lime-
stone sot in it irregularly and finished with a conical cap. In the
70 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64
upper center of plate 10, b, may be distinguished a trench, 3 feet
in width, which runs through the whole thickness of this layer.
Its walls are composed of rough limestone blocks mortared together.
The trench was completely filled in with small loose rubble similar to
that found in layer a.
The high, steep, solidly constructed mounds, the bases of many of
which are connected with more or less circular earthworks, were
probably lookouts or observation mounds. Most of these mounds
terminate in a narrow flattened summit too small to have supported
even the smallest temple, while many of them form the centers or
nuclei of other groups of mounds. Few contain anything besides
the stone, mortar, and earth of which they are constructed, though
some of them contain superficial interments. That at Santa Rita is
exceptional in that it includes stone-faced cysts. These mounds
extend in a more or less regular chain along the coast of Quintana
Roo and British Honduras, reaching from the top of Chetumal Bay
nearly as far south as Northern River, and extending inland in a
southwesterly direction along the courses of the Rio Hondo and Rio
Nuevo, though many are situated at a considerable distance from
either sea or rivers.
Mound No. 5
Mound No. 5 (No. 27 on the plan, fig. 14), situated about 200 yards to
the southeast of the fortification, was 3 feet in height, 30 feet in diam-
eter, and nearly circular. It was built of blocks of limestone, rubble,
limestone dust, and earth. Many of these blocks had evidently been
t aken from some building, as they were well squared. About the center
of the mound, at the ground level, a small cyst was discovered, 3
feet long, 2 feet broad, and 1 foot high, built throughout of rough
flags of limestone. Within it were two vases; one, shown in figure
21, a, is of rough unpainted pottery, 4£ inches high, with a small
earlike projection on each side, each of which is ornamented with
an ear plug. Vases with these earlike projections and ear plugs are
not uncommon in this area, and are probabty 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.
The other, seen in plate 11, is an egg-shaped vase standing on
three short legs. It is decorated outside with a human face and was
originally painted white throughout and ornamented with black lines.
It has a small opening at the top covered by a triangular stopper.
Within this vase were found two small polished beads, one of green-
stone, the other of red shell. Throughout the mound were found
numerous fragments of incense burners, with the small head of a
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
BULLETIN 64 PLATE 10
*
|£*^s3hI5
a. SECTION THROUGH EARTHWORK INCLOSING CIRCULAR SPACE,
SANTA RITA
/£*?■
^«5^-
rm*
>W*t*:'
*^
b. SECTION OF WAI L THROUGH SANTA RITA
gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS
71
tiger, 2 birds, 5 small beads, 2 malaehates, 4 net sinkers, and the
ceremonial bar shown in figure 21, c; all in rough pottery. About
5 feet from the northern edge of the mound were found human bones,
representing a single interment, seemingly of a male of middle age.
The skull and long bones, which were very brittle, though they
hardened on being exposed to the air for a day, were gotten out only
in fragments. The molar and premolar teeth arc 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
d v 9
i'lG. 21.— Objects found in Mound No. 5.
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 rub-
bing stones and six rubbers during his life. This gritty nistamal
wears down the back teeth of the modern Maya almost to the gum,
but does not materially affect the front teeth; yet it is the latter,
not the former, which we find affected in maxilla? from the mounds.
One of the molar teeth from this burial has had a triangular piece
removed from its crown (fig 21,/). Along one edge of the gap left
the tooth is carious.
72 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY t bull. €4
Mingled with the human bones were found: (a) A flat, oblong ob-
ject, 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 green-
stone, two of polished red shell; one of the latter was 1$ inches long,
with two incomplete perforations passing through it longitudinally.
It had probably been intended to form part of a wristlet, (c) Parts
of three small obsidian knives which had evidently seen considerable
use, as their edges were much chipped, (d) The curious object shown
in figure 21, d, front view, and e, side view. It is made of cop-
per, 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;1 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 sim-
ilar small stone troughs are made and used by the modern Indians
for this purpose. The space between the rows of flags was floored
with mortar, but nothing was found within it.
Mound No. 5 A
Mound No. 5 A (No. 28 on the plan, fig. 14) was situated
within a few yards of the opening into the circular earthwork
attached to Mound No. 7. It was long and narrow, nowhere ex-
ceeding 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
1 Lancia, in mentioning the beardlessness of the Yucatecans at the time of the conquest, says it was
reported as being brought about by applying hot cloths to the chins of the children. This seems improb-
able. " No criavan barbas, y dezian que les quemavan los rostros sus madres con paiios calientes, siendo
ninos, por que no les naciessen, y que agora crian barbas aunque muy asperas como cerdas de tocines." —
Landa, op. cit., p. 114.
The pure-blood Indians of the present day have but a very scanty growth of hair on the face and pubes,
and in some cases even the few straggling hairs which they possess are pulled out.
gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 73
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 super-
ficial, 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 pro-
tected from the surrounding earth by cist or burial chamber. Un-
fortunately, 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 quadranglar 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 correspond-
ing 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,1 and it seems probable that
this tooth was operated on for a similar purpose.
With the bones were found: (a) An oblong piece of marble-like
stone, 2 inches long, 1£ inches broad, and 1 inch deep, polished on
all its surfaces, probably used for smoothing or burnishing; (b) what
appeared to be a piece broken from a rubbing stone which had been
squared, and which showed marks on its upper surface indicating
that it had been used for giving an edge to stone implements; (c)
fragments of rough unpainted pottery.
The second interment was that of a child 8 to 10 years of age.
The site of this burial was within a few feet of the first, at a depth
of about a foot below the surface. The bones, which were in a fair
state of preservation, were in contact with the earth of which the
mound was built. Tho corpse appeared to have been laid on the
side, with the logs 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
arc well defined and constructed of blocks of limestone with rubble,
limestone dust, and mortar filling in the interstices. Tho bones,
• •• Tenian por costumhre acerrarse las tllentes dexundolos como diente de sierra y esto tenian por galan-
teria, y h i?.ian etc officio vlej&s, limandolos con ciertas picdras y agua."- Landa, op. cit., p. 1S2. Simi-
larly filed teeth have been discovered at Copau and in caves at Loltun. See Joyce, Mexican An-nando^y,
p. 2J4.
74
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
fBULL. 64
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
these sepulchral ridges at Santa Rita, many of them hardly distin-
guishable 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.
%&&&
£?£%?£ $
CAPPING OFFARTH
AlT£R^AT/^0 LAYERS
OF MORTAR ANO
SMALL RUBBLE
. BASE" OFAfO(//VD
Fig. 22. — Diagram of Mound No. 6.
Mound No. 6
Mound No. 6 was situated near the southwestern boundary of Santa
Rita. The mound was nearly circular, with flattened top, 25 yards in
diameter, and 10 feet high at its highest point. Toward the southern
side of the mound was unearthed a wall (fig. 22, A) 2 feet thick,
2 feet high, and about 15 yards long. From the ends of the wall
roughly made masses of limestone and mortar (fig. 22, BB) passed
almost through the mound, inclosing a rectangular space, C. The
wall was evidently the remains of an older structure, as it was
built of well-squared stones and had been broken down at both the
top and sides. The masses of masonry (fig. 22, BB) were 5 to 6 feet
thick by about 5 feet high. The space C was filled with alternating
layers of mortar and small rubble. The spaces (fig. 22, FFF) at the
periphery of the mound were filled with rubble mixed with earth.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
BULLETIN 64 PLATE 12
METATES AND BRAZOS FROM MOUND NO. 6
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
BULLETIN 64 PLATE 13
a. SMALL POTTERY SEAL
b. BOWL IN WHICH SKULL WAS FOUND
c. SKULL
Length, 15.9 cm.; breadth, 1.J.9 cm.; height, 13.3 cm.; circumference, 47.9 cm.
oann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 75
The rubble, wherever found in the mound, contained large quanti-
ties 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 (pi. 12). At the points
marked (fig. 22, 1, 2, 3, 4) four human interments were encountered at
a depth of 12 to 18 inches beneath the surface. The bodies had been
buried lying on the back, fully extended. The bones were in a very
poor state of preservation, and with each interment were found a few
flint chips, hammerstones, broken spearheads, obsidian knives, and
one or two small, very roughly made, round cooking pots. The whole
mound was removed to provide material for the Corozal streets. On
reaching the ground level it was found that a series of trenches
had been cut through the earth beneath, to the bedrock, and filled in
with small rubble. Figure 23 gives a plan of these trenches, which are
in the form of two parallelograms, measuring 9 yards by 6 yards,
joined by a third of approximately the same area. The trenches
varied from 3 to 4 feet in breadth and from 1£ to S\ feet in depth,
according to the thickness of the layer of earth over the bedrock.
The space marked figure 23, A, contained remains of at least 30
interments; some of these were in small semicircular excavations
made in the surrounding earth from the sides of the trenches; these are
shown at figure 23, D; others were made in holes dug in the earth
at various points within the space A. The bodies buried in the ex-
cavations at the sides of the trenches seem to have been crowded in,
in a variety of positions, in order to accommodate themselves to
the size and shape of the cavity. Most of those in the space A
had been buried head downward, the skulls resting in some cases
in earthenware bowls, with the back bent, legs flexed, and knees
drawn up against the chin. Nearly all these bones were decayed
and friable, and could not be removed without crumbling away.
The only exception was the burial marked figure 23, D', from which
the upper part of the skull was recovered almost entire, though
the facial bones and lower jaw were lost. This skull (pi. 13, c)
rested in the bowl shown in plate 13, b, a handsome piece of pottery,
standing upon four nearly globular hollow legs, with slits in their
sides, and within them small spheres of clay which rattled when
the bowl was moved. It is painted yellow and red throughout,
and is nicely polished. A great number of objects were found
accompanying the bones in the space A. These included flint
ax heads and spearheads, flint scrapers, and hammerstones, two
obsidian spearheads, and fragments of obsidian knives, shell and
clay beads, and a small cylindrical pottery seal about 3 inches
in length, with a geometrical device in low relief stamped upon
it (pi. 13, a). The bones of the peccary, curassow, snake, and of
some variety of fish were also found, together with the shells of
76
BUREAU OP AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
[bull. 64
conches, cockles, snails, and hooties (a large variety of fresh-
water snail still eaten by the natives). A block of crystalline lime-
stone, 18 inches long by 8 inches high and 12 inches broad, was
found in one of the semicircular pits leading from the trench at
the upper border of space A, figure 23. It was traversed by 14 longi-
tudinal grooves on its upper surface, which was slightly concave;
each groove was \ inch broad by \ inch deep, quite smooth, and
nearly straight. The stone had seemingly been used as a hone for
giving an edge to small stone implements.
4P
Fig. 23.— Diagram of trenches in Mound No. 6.
Extending out toward the northeast from the main mound was a
low structure (fig. 22, G) 4 feet in height and 25 yards in length.
It was composed throughout of layers of clay, rubble, and
limestone dust, not very clearly separated. Three separate inter-
ments were found beneath this mound near its center (fig. 22, H),
the bones in all of which were very much decayed. From the first
of these the shallow bowl (fig. 24, a), 7\ inches in diameter by
1 \ inches deep, together with the vase d, 8 inches in height, were
taken. The vase was of rather fine pottery, painted a uniform
dark red throughout. Nothing else was found with this interment.
gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS
77
From the second grave were taken a bowl exactly similar to
that shown in figure 24, a, two flat dishes 12 inches in diameter
(fig. 24, e), and a small polished bone ring 1 inch in length, seemingly a
section from one of the larger long bones of some large animal. The
vessel g, 6 inches in diameter, was also found with this burial; it is
made of fine pottery, painted red, and possesses a curious upturned
spout, which bends inward toward the rim of the pot to such an
extent that it would be impossible either to drink or pour out the
contents therefrom. These curious pots, usually with the spout
parallel to the perpendicular axis of the vessel, are quite common
Flo. 24.— Howls, vases, and dishes found in Mound No. 6.
among Maya pottery from this district ; they were supposed to have
been used as chocolate pots, but drinking from them must have
been a feat of legerdemain.
From the third grave came two bowls, both almost spherioal, the
one 12 inches, tho other 6 inches, in diameter (fig. 24, c). At the
point K, near the end of the mound G (fig. 22), three interments
were found, very close together, on the ground level; these had
evidently been contained at one time in a small oval cist, built of
rough blooks of limestone, which had now completely caved in. With
the bones were found tho vases shown in figure 24, />,/, //, of tho same
red-painted pottery as was found elsewhere in tho mound. Six well-
made bono awls, or lance heads, each about 6 inches in length,
78
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
[bull. 64
together with a heap of the shells of some large bivalve, one of which
was polished and perforated for use as an ornament, were also found
among these bones. The stones of which the oist had been built,
the bones, and the objects accompanying them were so inextricably
mixed that it was impossible to tell which objects belonged to each
set of bones. Passing through the long axis of this mound was a
rubble-filled trench, 3 feet in breadth, dug down to the bedrock,
exactly similar in structure to those already
described. No interments were found at the
sides of this trench, which is shown in figure
23, E.
Mound No. 6 A
Mound No. 6 A, another of the group of
mounds adjoining the southwesterly bound-
ary of Santa Rita, measured 18 feet by 15
feet at the base, by about 3 feet high at the
Flag of limestone shown in D, fig. 25. ,.,, ., , , ... ,, , . .
highest pomt, and was built throughout ol
earth, large blocks of limestone, and limestone dust. The mound
rested directly on the limestone formation. Into this, near the cen-
ter of the mound, an oval excavation had been made (see C C, fig.
Fig. 25.— .4, skull; B. limestone formation; C, excavation; D, grooved flag in situ; E, projecting lip.
25) about 10 inches in depth, and in size just large enough to con-
tain the skull which was found within it. A ledgelike projection
was left at one edge of the excavation (see E, fig. 25), and just
beneath this rested the point of the jaw. A large heavy flag of lime-
stone (see D, fig. 25), from which a semicircular segment had been
chipped, was placed above the excavation opposite the lip, so that
the groove in the stone inclosed the neck and clamped the skull
gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 79
tightly down in the little hole which had heen made to receive it.
On each side of the skull the femora wore found, in a nearly vertical
position, condyles downward, and hetween the femora many frag-
ments of other bones were brought to light, including the tibiae, arm
bones, and vertebrae. Resting upon the limestone flag which covered
the skull lay a large, rudely made chert hammerstone, 8 inches long
by 4 inches broad, which had probably been used in chipping out
the semicircular groove to fit the neck. Near the center of this mound,
2 feet below the surface, two very neatly made flint hammerstones
were found. The dimensions of this skull were: Length, 14.22 cm.;
breadth, 16.76 cm.; circumference, 48.26 cm.; cephalic index, 123.
The base of the skull was so much damaged that the height could
not be ascertained. The extreme breadth in comparison with the
length, giving it a remarkably brachicephalio appearance, was possi-
bly, to some extent at least, the result of post-mortem compression
from before backward within the little cavity which contained it.
Mound No. 7
Mound No. 7, situated very close to No. 6 A, was oval in shape,
measuring 30 yards by 10 yards at the base, and 8 feet high along
the summit. It was built throughout of large blocks of limestone,
limestone dust, and a small proportion of earth. It rested upon the
natural limestone formation, into which, near the western end of the
mound, a shallow oval pit 18 inches in length by 10 inches in depth
had been dug. In tins was found a somewhat imperfect skull, resting
with tho foramen magnum uppermost. The other bones, winch were
distributed irregularly around the hole, were in a poor state of preser-
vation. Upon one side of the skull lay a small shallow bowl, with
four hollow legs, each containing a pellet of dry clay loose in its
interior; and upon the other side a small three-legged vase. Both of
these were of rather crude pottery, painted dark-red throughout and
polished. Two other excavations similar to this were found in the lime-
stone beneath this mound, each containing fragments of a skull in a
very advanced state of decay, surrounded by fragments of tho other
bones. No additional pottery or other objects were found beside
them. The two mounds last described are the only ones in which
this peculiar method of interment appeal's to have been employed.
Tho procedure seems to have been somewhat as follows: First, the
earth capping was removed from the limestone rock, over the area to
be occupied by tho mound ; next, shallow oval pits were dug in tho
rock into which the skulls wore wedded; each body was bent, and tho
thighs wore flexed on tho abdomen, so that the knees touched the
rock on each side of tho hoad; finally, tho mound was built up of
limestone dust, oarth, and blocks of limestone around tho body, in
this position.
80
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
[BULL. K.
Mound No. 8
Mound No. 8, situated very close to Mound No. 7, was roughly-
circular, 36 feet in diameter and 4 feet high on its flattened top. It
was built throughout of earth, limestone dust, and blocks of lime-
stone. Projecting from the western edge of the mound was a large,
roughly hewn block of limestone, 3 feet by 4 feet, and 8 inches in
thickness. Running through the center of the mound from east to
west were two parallel rows of limestone flags, 2 feet apart, projecting
18 inches from the limestone rock upon which the mound was erected
and in which they were embedded. Near the center of the mound,
between the rows of limestone flags and resting on the earth, covered
only with limestone dust, was found a single interment. The skull
is shown in plate 14. Its dimensions are: Length, 17.01 cm.;
breadth, 16.51 cm.; height, 10.68 cm.; circumference, 51.30 cm.;
cephalic index, 97. The body, which was stretched at full lengtji,
had probably been laid face downward, as the bones of the forearms,
also shown in plate 14, were found beneath the skull. With the
Fig. 26. — Circular openings leading into natural cavity.
bones of the hands were found four copper rings, considerably
oxidized; three were plain narrow bands, while the fourth was a
broad flat band decorated with incised double volutes.- Some of the
phalanges were colored a bright-greenish tinge, from contact with the
rings. Three of the rings and three phalanges are shown in plate
14. These bones were all in a remarkably good state of preservation,
probably owing to the fact that they were completely surrounded by
fine limestone dust.
Within a few yards of this mound was the opening of a small
chultun, with steps leading to the interior. It was oval in shape,
15 feet long, and at one time had been covered with plaster, which
had nearly all peeled off. The floor was covered with earth, of
which there was a pyramidal heap under the opening. Nothing
was found in this chultun except great quantities of fragments of
large, rough earthenware water vessels.
About 300 yards to the east of the mound three circular openings
were found (see AAA, fig. 26) leading into a large irregular natural
cavity (see C,fig. 26) formed in the limestone (see BB, fig. 26). Each of
b?
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
BULLETIN 64 PLATE 14
SKULL AND BONES (ROM MOUND NO. 8
ganx] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 81
these openings was about 2 foot in diameter, and close to one of them
a circular slab of stono, 6 inches in thickness, and of about the same
diameter as the opening, was found, which had probably been used
as a cover for the latter. This chultun, unliko the first one, was of
purely natural formation; tho walls, which were rough and irregular,
showed no signs of tool marks. The chamber varied in height from
8 to 9 feet beneath the openings, where it was highest, to 2 to 3 feet
at tho sides. There was a considerable accumulation of earth upon
the floor (see DD, fig. 26), which had evidently fallen and been blown in,
as it was collected in two heaps beneath the openings. There were
no stone steps leading down into this chultun, and access must have
beon gained to the interior by moans of wooden ladders, which had
long since disappeared. Numbers of potsherds, shells, pieces of
charcoal, clay beads, and fragments of flint and obsidian implements
were found upon tho floor. Several skeletons of small mammals
were also found among tho earth, but these creatures had probably
fallen in after the chultun ceased to bo used, and had been unable
to get out.
At a distance of less than half a mile from the last-mentioned chultun
another was discovered under somewhat curious circumstances. A
large flat mound was completely removed for the sake of the stone
and limestone dust which it contained, to be used in repairing the
Corozal streets. About tho center of the mound, at the ground
level, a heavy circular flag of limestone, 2 feet 4 inches in diameter,
was brought to light. On removing tins it was found to cover a
round well-like opening, which expanded below into a small chultun,
12 feet long by 9 feet in greatest diameter. Tho chamber was egg-
shaped and showed no signs of having ever been stucco-covered.
From the opening a short flight of steps, cut in the rock, led to
the bottom of the chultun. Nothing was found in tins chultun with
the exception of two small bowls of rather coarse earthenware,
painted red and polished; one almost globular in shape, 6 inches in
diameter; the other circular, flat-bottomed, 3 \ inches in height. The
mound which covered this chultun appeared to have been one of the
commonest kind of burial mounds. At its summit fragments of a
rude circular earthenware pot were found, and near its center frag-
ments of human bones, together with tliree flint hammers tones and
two small round vessels, one of light yellow, the other of yellowish-red,
pottery.
One of tho most remarkable of tho chultuns found in this area is
situated at San Andres, within a mile of tho village of Corozal. It
was accidentally found by some coolies in digging marl, and as,
unfortunately, the entire roof of the larger chamber and a consider-
able part of that of the smaller had caved in, it was impossible to
70800°— 18— Bull. 04 G
82 . BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64
discover how it had been entered from outside, as no trace of steps
remained. A ground plan of this chultun is shown in figure 27. The
smallchamber, A, is 8 feet long, 7 feet broad, and 5 feet 6 inches
high in the center; it is cut out of solid rock. The large chamber
(C) is 15 feet in diameter, but as nearly the entire roof has fallen
in, it is impossible to estimate its exact height. The chambers are
partially separated by a wall (B) built of rough blocks of stone and
tough mortar, which has been partly broken down. In the side of
the smallchamber, opposite the wall, are three oblong shafts (D, D, D,
fig. 27) cut into the rock, by the side of the chamber wall, which
Fig. 27.— Ground plan of chultun.
is here nearly perpendicular. Each of these is about 1 foot in depth
by 8 to 9 inches in breadth, and is separated from the chamber by
a single row of bricks (E, E, E, fig. 27) mortared together, reach-
ing from the roof to the floor, so that there is no communication
between the shafts and the chamber. Each shaft opened origi-
nally on the surface of the ground, but the openings had become
blocked by vegetable refuse from the surrounding bush. The bricks
which fill in one side of each shaft are of two kinds. The first, by
far the more numerous, are made of sun-dried clay, yellowish in color,
and very friable: they contain considerable powdered marl. They
measure S by 4 by 2f inches. The bricks of the second kind also
are made of clay, mixed with many pebbles; they have been fired,
are of a reddish color, far harder and tougher than the first variety;
they measure 8 by 4 by 2 i inches. Nothing was found in either
chamber except a few potsherds of various kinds.
gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 83
These underground chambers, or chultuns, seem to be fairly com-
mon throughout Yucatan. Considerable doubt exists as to the uses
to which they were put.1 It seems probable that those the walls of
which were plastered with an impervious, cement lining were intended
as water receptacles, since they could easily have been filled by
drainage from the thatched roofs of buildings in the vicinity, which
have long since completely disappeared. Though the southern part of
Yucatan, unlike the northern, is fairly well watered, plastered chultuns
are not infrequently found there, but always situated at consider-
able distances from a good permanent water supply, as a lagoon
or river. The uncemented chultuns would not hold water, and had
probably been used as storehouses for corn and other provisions.
Some of these chambers were undoubtedly used as burial places, as one
at Platon, on the Old River,2 was covered by a burial mound, and itself
contained human bones ; but it is possible that their use for this purpose
may have been secondary only. The San Andres chultun is somewhat
puzzling, as it was certainly not a reservoir for water, nor were any
traces of human burial found within it. It had probably been used as
a storehouse for food, though it is difficult to understand the object
of the oblong shafts, leading into the open air, found at the side of the
smaller chamber, as they must have been quite useless for ventilating
purposes, not having any opening into the chamber its.elf through
which the air might circulate.
Mound No. 9
Mound No. 9, situated close to the chultun, with three openings,
was oval in shape with flattened summit, 44 feet in breadth, 66 feet
in length, and 14 feet high at its highest point. On removing the
summit of the mound to a depth of about 4 feet the floor of a building,
with parts of the walls, was exposed. The cap of the mound, covering
the ruins of the building, was composed of blocks of marl, clay,
rubble, and limestone. The lower part of the mound, upon which
the building stood, was constructed of large blocks of limestone mor-
tared together, forming a solid block of masonry. The building was
in a very ruinous condition; as mucli of its ground plan as could be
1 Tozzer, in commenting on these chultuns at Nakum, says: "There is evidently no closo connection,
as in Yucatan, between the water supply and these underground rooms. In fact they are frequently found
near sites where there is an abundant supply of water throughout the year. In almost no case do we find
any drainage into them. They are usually found on ground slightly higher than that of the surrounding
country. In this respect they differ from those in Yucatan. Another point against their use as storage fur
water is shown in the fact that In several the rock from which they are excavated is porous, and the walls
do not seem in all cases to have been covered with an impervious layer of plaster. That t hey were used in
some cases for the storage of maize and other foods is possible, as t hey are generally dry and would be suitable
for such a purpose. That some were used for burial places is very probable." — Tozzer, A Preliminary
Study of the Prehistoric Ruins of Nakum, Guatemala, p. 191.
1 <;ann: On Exploration of Two Mounds in British Honduras, pp. 430-434; On the Contents of Some
Ancient Mounds in Central America, pp. 30S-317.
84
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
[bull. 64
traced is shown in figure 28. The walls, A, A, A, are 3 feet 4 inches
in thickness. Such parts as remain standing are built of well-squared
stones held together by mortar (see fig. 30). They are covered with
stucco inside, which is con-
noox or hard polished b tinuous with the cement floor-
ing of the rooms; outside they
were also covered with stucco
above the water table(B,figs. 28
and29) but nearly all of thishad
been broken away. The water
table, which projects 3 inches
from the wall, is 12 inches deep;
it is built of well-squared
stones not covered with stucco,
and is continuous below (figs.
29 and 30) with C, a layer of
hard cement 18 inches broad,
which apparently ran com-
pletely round the building, and
possibly acted as a drain to
carry off the water after heavy
tropical showers. The main
room was 8 feet in breadth
and had probably been about
30 feet in length; with four
doors opening into it, two on
each side. This was floored
with very hard, smooth, pol-
ished cement, which even now
is in an excellent state of pres-
ervation; this flooring is con-
tinuous through the doorways
with the top of the water table, with which it is on the same level.
Nothing was found in excavating this mound, with the exception of a
fragment of a conch-shell trumpet, a piece of
an obsidian knife, numerous potsherds, and
half of a flint paint grinder, with traces of
green paint still adherent to it. All of these
objects were found on the floor of the main
room.
Mounds erected over the ruins of buildings
are extremely common all through this part
of the Maya area; some are very large, covering buildings which
had been placed on lofty stone pyramids; some are very small,
as when they cover buildings of a single small room, built almost
Fig. 28.— Ground plan of Mound No. 9.
Fig.
29.— Wall construction of
Mound No. 9.
gann] MAYA INDIANS OP YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS
85
on the ground level. All the buildings are in ruins, all are raised
more or less on stone platforms above the ground level, and all
show traces of having been covered with stucco, both internally and
externally. In some cases this stucco is very beautifully decorated
in colored devices, as in the mound already described at Santa Rita; *
in others the stucco is molded in various designs and ornaments,
which may or may not be colored, as in the mound at Pueblo Nuevo
on the Rio Nuevo, presently to be described. Most of these mounds
contain nothing except the building which they cover, but some had
Fig. 30. -Details of Mound No. 9.
been used as burial places, the interments evidently having taken
place after the building had been covered in, as they are found
irregularly distributed through the loose superstructure which forms
the cap of the mound, quite close to the surface.2
' Gann, Mounds in Northern Honduras, pp. 666-680.
2 The interments which are found, superficially placed in mounds which cover buildings, were probaMy
of later date, as Landa distinctly states that the, owner waa buried within his house. " Kn terra vanlos
dentro en sus casas o a las espaldas dellas" fLanda, op cit., p. 1%). Moreover, more than ono of these
superficial interments are found in mounds covering buildings, and, lastly, human remains havo been
found beneath the floors of ruined houses, whcro one would naturally expect to And them.
86 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY , [bull. 64
Mound No. 10
Vague reports had been in circulation for some years as to the
existence of a mound close to the headwaters of the Rio Hondo,
where the Indians still practiced to some extent their ancient
religion. It was said that the mound contained a stone chamber in
which stood on a stone pedestal a life-sized image, painted in various
colors, and that around the walls of the chamber were niches in which
rested life-sized stone turtles, also painted; furthermore, that the
bush Indians of the neighborhood were in the habit of coming to the
mound for the purpose of burning incense before the idol.
The mound was found situated quite close to the bank of the Rio
Hondo, buried in the bush which covers this part of Yucatan. It was
80 feet in height, 350 feet in circumference, conical in shape, and com-
pletely covered by high bush continuous with that of the surround-
ing forest. After clearing the underbrush from the mound an open-
ing 3 feet square was discovered about 17 feet from the summit
of the mound on its northern aspect, the walls of which were faced
with cut stone. From this opening a low passage led to a small
stone-faced chamber 8 feet high, 6 feet broad, and 10 feet long, the
floor of which was composed of earth and lime well beaten down to
form a hard, smooth surface. Projecting from the walls were eight
small stone brackets, upon winch nothing was found. No trace
whatever was seen of a painted image or of turtles. The walls and
ceiling of the room, especially the latter, were considerably blackened
by smoke, possibly caused by burning incense.
Excavation was commenced at once in the floor of the chamber.
At a depth of 8 inches the hard floor gave place to soft brown sand,
which was continuous to a depth of 2 feet, where several small deposits
or pockets of lime were found inclosed within it, each of which con-
tained a number of obsidian knives and small cores. The knives were
deeply indented on each side of the base, as if to facilitate hafting.
The cores, of which 20 were found, were slender and varied from 1 to
3 inches in length. On digging down through an additional 18 inches
of the brown sand a layer of lime was exposed about 18 inches in
thickness, filling the entire lumen of the chamber, in which were found
irregularly scattered 60 cruciform objects, finely chipped in obsidian,
each from 3 to 4 inches in length (fig. 3 1 , a) . These would have served
as either arrowheads or small javelin heads, or possibly were intended-
for ceremonial purposes only. With them were a single pottery vase
and two small triangular j avelin heads of obsidian. The vase (fig. 3 1 , h )
was circular in shape, 6 inches in diameter, with a long piglike face
protruding from one side. It was made of dark-brownish pottery,
painted red and finely polished externally. It was filled with small
mussel-like bivalve shells embedded in lime. A number of these
gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 87
shells were found also closely adjacent to the vase in the lime which
surrounded it. Beneath the layer of lime lay a layer of brown
sand, 3 feet thick, in which absolutely nothing was found. Below
this appeared another layer of lime, mixed with sand, 4 feet thick,
near the bottom of which were found 40 human skulls, neatly disposed
in rows. These, when first uncovered, seemed to be in a moderately
good state of preservation, but when removed from their bod of lime
and sand they crumbled so easily that it was found impossible to
preserve them. The skulls were all placed in the same horizontal
plane, each one nearly in contact with its neighbor. No other bones
were found with them, or in fact in any other part of this
mound, with the exception of two small oblong objects of bone,
about 2 inches in length, each still bearing traces of paint, which
were discovered among the skulls. These skulls would seem to
have been either the result of secondary interments or the re-
mains of sacrificial victims whose bodies were either eaten or
buried elsewhere. In favor of the first theory is the fact that
a b
Fig. 31.— Obsidian object and pottery vase from Mound No. 10.
the Maya did not practice human sacrifice to anything like the
same extent that their neighbors, the Aztecs, did, and slaughter
involving forty-odd victims must have been practically unknown
among them. Furthermore, in one or two instances small shallow
stone-lined graves, covered with large slabs of stone, have been found
at and around the bases of large mounds, and it seems quite possible
that these graves may have held the bodies of distinguished dead until
their skulls were in a fit condition to bo removed to the mound or
until a sufficient number had accumulated to make it worth while
opening the chamber for their reception. In favor of the second
theory is the fact that, judging by what could bo seen of the tooth
and lower jaws, all the skulls were of individuals in the prime of life,
no jaws of very young or of very old individuals being discovered.
Immediately beneath the skulls wore unearthed 12 objects of chort
fashioned with great care. Seven of these were spearheads, the other five
of eccentric form. The spearheads varied in length from 3 7 cm. (pi. 1 5,c)
to 29 cm. (pi. 15,/) ; they were very well made, some from gray, others
88 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64
from brownish-yellow, chert. . The eccentric flints comprised : (a) An
animal form, possibly meant to represent a bush rabbit, 30 cm. in
longtli from the forehead to the tip of the tail (pi. 15, a); (b) an
animal form, evidently meant to ropresent a turtle or tortoise, 28
cm. in length from the head to the tip of the tail (pi. 15, g) ; (c) a
halberd-shaped implement (pi. 15, h), exquisitely chipped from light-
ochor-colored chert, 44 cm. in its greatest length by 19 cm. in breadth
across the widest part of the head. This implement is furnished with
two sharp-pointed cutting projections in front, separated by a groove;
at the back is a larger triangular sharp projection. The whole imple-
ment is well balanced, for use in the hand, by a bulging or thickening
of its body between these three projections; (d) an implement chipped
from yellowish chert, 44 cm. in length, serrated on each side, pointed
at one end and rounded at the other (pi. 15, d) ; (e) a crescentic imple-
ment, chipped from yellowish chert, 26 cm. in its greatest length,
17£ cm. across the widest part of the crescent. From the convexity
of the crescent project three spines, the central one long and serrated,
the lateral ones merely pointed knobs. This object is more crudely
chipped and less symmetrical than any of the others (pi. 15, e).
These eccentrically shaped flint and chert objects seem to be
limited in their distribution to that part of the Maya area comprised
in southern Yucatan, eastern Guatemala, and most of the colony of
British Honduras. The earliest known specimens are probably those
now preserved in the Salisbury Museum, England, which have been
thus described:
•
Among the numerous stone weapons and implements which have been discovered,
and serve to illustrate the primitive arts of the New World, three remarkable relics
from the Bay of Honduras, in South America, are deserving of special attention.
They were found about the year 1794, with other examples, in a cave between two
and three miles inland. * * * One is a serrated weapon, pointed at both ends,
measuring 1GJ inches long. [This object is almost exactly similar to plate 15, d, except
that the latter is pointed at one end only, the opposite one being rounded.] Another
is in the form of a crescent, with projecting points. It measures 17 inches in its
greatest length, and it is conjectured may have served as a weapon of parade, like
the state partisan or halbert of later times. The third, which is imperfect, has prob-
ably resembled the previous one in general form.1
The second of these implements very closely resembles that shown
in plate 15, e, the Salisbury specimen being somewhat larger, more
symmetrical, and more carefully chipped.
About 3 feet beneath these flint objects, embedded in the sand
which filled this part of the chamber, were discovered 20 cruciform
obsidian arrowheads or javelin heads, similar to that shown in figure
31, a; 40 small obsidian cores; 2 obsidian arrowheads, of the shape
shown in figure 32; 12 well-made obsidian knives, grooved on each
1 From "Wilson, Daniel, Prehistoric Man, vol. I, pp. 214-15, Cambridge and London, 1S62; quoted by
Stevens, Edward T., in Flint Chips.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
BULLETIN 64 PLATE 15
STONE OBJECTS FROM MOUND NO. 10
OaNn] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS
89
Fig.
32.— Obsidian arrowhead
from Mound No. 10.
side of the base, and two crescentic objects chipped from chert,
somewhat resembling that seen in plate 15, e, but smaller, without
projecting spines at the convexity of the crescent, and altogether
more crudely and carelessly made.
After the sand and lime had been removed from this chamber to
a depth of nearly 30 feet it was found that the walls became continuous
with the solid foundation of masonry upon
which the mound stood. This was very dim-
cult to penetrate, and so far as was ascertained
contained notliing further of interest. The
roof of the chamber was next attacked from
the summit of the mound. To a depth of
nearly 2 feet nothing was found but fine, brown
alluvial soil, full of the roots of plants and
trees. Beneath this the real structure of the
mound began, for not so much as a solitary
potsherd or chip of flint was found in the earth
on the summit of the mound, indicating clearly that this layer had
accumulated since its construction. Beneath the earth layer, to
the roof of the chamber, the mound was composed of blocks of lime-
stone of varying size, loose friable mortar, and powdered limestone.
In the first 8 feet nothing except a few potsherds was found. At
this depth two shallow circular saucers, each 7£ cm. in diameter,
were unearthed. These were made of coarse
red unpainted pottery, and close to them lay a
finely chipped flint object (fig. 33, a, b). This
was rounded at both ends, narrower at the
handle than at the base, and markedly con-
vex on its under surface (fig. 33, a, b). The
front part of the under surface was quite
smooth and polished, evidently from attrition,
while that part of it marked A A bore dis-
tinct traces of blue paint. There can be little
doubt that this implement was a paint grinder,
as a specimen almost exactly similar was found
in a mound nearCorozal, bearing traces of green
paint on the under surface. Fourteen nicely
polished reddish stone beads, spherical in shape, together with four
smaller beads of a light-green color, and a leaf -shaped spearhead of
flint, were found adjacent 1<> the paint grinder. Immediately benoath
these was found an object made of what seems to be reddish-brown
agate: this is 10 cm. in length, oval in section, 1 cm. in its greatest
breadth, tapering ofl to a blunt point at each end, and finely polished
all over. With it were nearly 300 small triangular obsidian objects of
the shape shown in figure 34. These vary in length from 1 \ to 2\ cm.
Fig.
3.'i. — Flint object
Mound No. 10.
from
90 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64
They are thick at the upper angle, the side subtending this forming a
sharp cutting edge. In some of the implements this edge is notched,
as if from use. These implements were probably used as scrapers, or
small chisels or gouges, for which purposes they would be suitable,
either hafted or unhafted. It is possible that they may have been
used as teeth for the sword known to the Aztec as mextatl, which
was also in use among the Maya at the time of the conquest. This
weapon was constructed by setting a number of sharp obsidian
splinters in deep lateral grooves, cut in a long piece of hard wood,
which were filled with liquid resin in order to prevent the splinters
from shifting from their positions.
In the Stann Creek district of British Honduras, on the banks of
the Sittec River, at a distance of approximately 15 miles from its
mouth, there exists an extensive clearing in the bush known as
"Kendal Estate." The soil here is remarkably fertile and well suited
for the cultivation of every kind of tropical vegetable product. As
has been pointed out before, wherever throughout northern Central
America one finds patches of exceptionally rich soil, there, on clearing
the bush, will be found in greater or less numbers the
mounds erected by the former inhabitants, together
with the indestructible refuse usually associated with
former village sites, as fragments of pottery, flint and
obsidian chips, broken and rejected implements and
fig. 34.— obsidian weapons, shells of various edible shellfish, clay beads,
object from Mound net sinkers, malacates, broken rubbing stones, etc.
The converse of this holds true to some extent, as one
of the guides relied on by the modern degenerate Maya Indian in his
annual selection of land for a milpa, or corn plantation, is the num-
ber of mounds which he finds upon it. Indeed this remarkable index
as to the degree of fertility of the soil appears to be almost the only
useful heritage transmitted to him by his courageous and compara-
tively highly civilized ancestors.
Mound No. 11
Mound No. 11, at Kendal, occupies a conspicuous position upon
the summit of a small natural elevation, situated on the left bank
of the river close to its margin. It is 60 feet long, 40 feet broad, and
20 feet high, its long diameter running duo east and west. An exca-
vation was made into the north slope of the mound, which exposed a
three-walled chamber, 8 feet in length by 4 feet 8 inches in width.
There was no wall on the south side. The north wall, owing to the
outer slope of the mound trending over it, was only 1 foot in height;
the east and west walls were each 4 feet high. All three walls were
about 18 inches thick. The chamber was packed with water-worn
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
BULLETIN 64 PLATE 16
MODEL OF JADEITE BIVALVE SHELL, b. LIGHT-GREEN JADEITE MASK.
HEAD, OR CELT. d. TERRA-COTTA CYLINDER
c. AX
gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 91
bowlders and earth, among which nothing Was found but scattered
patches of charcoal, with a few small red pots, so rotten and friable
from long exposure to the damp that it was found impossible to
remove them. Had there ever been bones in the chamber, as seems
probable, they must have completely disintegrated Jong before from
contact with the damp clay. The floor was composed of flags of
shale. About the center of the west wall a recess was discovered
2 feet wide by 1£ feet high. This was half filled with earth, in which
the following objects were found:
(1) The model of half a bivalve shell in light-green jadeite, very
well executed and polished both inside and out (pi. 16, a). On its
outer surface, following the contour of the outer edge, are seven
glyphs, the chief component of each of which is a grotesque human
face.1
(2) A small mask of light-green jadeite, well polished on both
surfaces, measuring approximately 7 cm. in both diameters (pi. 16, b).
Inscribed on the forehead in shallow lines are the glyphs shown
in figuro 35, somewhat enlarged from the actual size. Around the
edgo of the lower half
of the mask are seven
- [ O | (CP
minute perforations,
while running across the
back of tho forehead
from ear to ear is a larger
° Fig. 35.— Inscription on mask, plate 16, 6.
hole, evidently used for
suspension. No doubt this mask was used as a breast ornament,
similar to those portrayed in tho codices and on the monoliths, the
small holes being intended for the suspension of tho alligator-head
beads found with the "mask, which again may have been connectod
along their outward-pointing snouts by the cyfindrical beads.
(3) An ax head, or celt, of light-green stone, finely polished through-
out (pi. 16, c), 21 cm. in length by 6.5 cm. in breadth at the cutting
edge. One side is engraved with hieroglyphs done in shallow lines,
much less carefully and neatly than those on the shell. The lower
two-thirds of the engraved side have evidently been subjected to con-
siderable attrition, as the surface of the stone, especially along the
lower third of tho ax, has been so worn away as to render tho lines
almost undecipherable. This inscription, somewhat smaller than the
original, is shown in figure 36. With these engraved objects wore
a number of cylindrical beads, pierced in their long diameter, made
of very pretty mottled light and dark green jade, well polished.
They varied from 1.2 to 1.6 cm. in length, and the substance of
the stone from which they were made was distinctly crystalline
1 This shell has already been reproduced in the Sixteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American
Ethnology, pi. lxix.
$2
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
[bull. 64
on fracture. With them were a number of small alligator heads,
made of similar stone and about the same size as the beads, pierced
at the base of the skull for suspension, six celts of green and chocolate-
colored stone, all finely polished, varying from 9 to 18 cm. in length,
and a circular disk of iron pyrites 8 cm. in diameter by 5 mm. in
thickness. This object was milled round the edges like a coin and
perforated in the center. With it was the broken half of a similar
ornaments probably both of these had been used as ear ornaments.
Trenches were dug through this mound in all directions, but nothing
further was found therein.
Mound No. 12
Mound No. 12, at Kendal, was situated close to the last-described
mound. Its flattened summit measured 28 feet by 20 feet; the
average height was approximately 1 5 feet. The mound extended east
and west, and on its eastern slope large slate slabs were seen protruding
from the surface. On excavating round these they were found to be
part of a chamber measuring 7 feet by 3 feet; the south wall had
Fig. 36. — Inscription on ax head, plate 16, c.
caved in and the roof slabs also had been somewhat displaced. The
chamber was filled with earth, on removing which the following
objects were found upon the floor slabs: (1) Three nearly spherical
red pots, averaging 6 inches in diameter; they were so rotten from
the effect of moisture that it was impossible to remove them. (2)
Two small, rather crudely executed human faces cut in mottled
jadeite, and finely polished, with which were three green jadeite
beads. (3) A small quantity of greenish powder. (4) Four small
chisels of polished greenstone, varying from 2 to 4 cm. in length.
(5) One chisel made of very soft gray stone, which had been covered
externally with greenish paint somewhat resembling enamel, and very
closely simulating the genuine greenstone chisels with which it was
placed, except that it was much lighter in weight. Instances of
counterfeit implements and ornaments buried with the dead have
been found more than once throughout this area.
Excavations were made along the flattened top of this mound,
and about 16 feet to the westward of the first one a second grave was
discovered. This was in a much better state of preservation than
gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 93
the first, as all the walls and the roof wore in situ. It was composed
throughout of large flat irregular slabs of slate, averaging about 2
inches in thickness. It measured 8 feet by 2 feet by 2 feet in height.
The chamber was filled with earth, and the roof was not more than
6 or 8 inches below the surface of the mound. The following objects
were found in this chamber, all resting upon the slate slabs which
formed the floor. At the north end five nearly globular red earthen-
ware pots, of rather coarse manufacture, each containing a stone
celt, were found. These pots had been packed closely together, in
earth, and over them a large slab of slate had been placed as if
to protect them; this, however, it failed to do, as the pots were so
saturated with moisture that it was found possible to remove only
one unbroken. The celts averaged 6 inches in length; all were well
made and polished ; four were of greenstone, one of a bluish-gray stone.
Close to the pots were found a small jadeito face and three green-
stone beads or pendants. Nearer the center of the floor of the cham-
ber were found two small cubical objects of light greenstone 1 cm.
in diameter, very closely resembling dice, with a geometrical device
inscribed in rather deep lines upon two of their opposed surfaces;
these might have been seals or stamps, or they might have been
used in playing some game. With them were a small solid cylin-
der, of light greenstone, finely polished for suspension, 12 small
obsidian knives, seemingly quite new, as they showed no signs of
notching from use, and six convolvulus-shaped ornaments of light
greenstone, finely polished, which had probably been used as ear
plugs. Close to the last lay a hollow cylinder of extremely hard
terra cotta 7 cm. in height, inscribed externally with a geometrical
device in low relief (pi. 16, d). This object was undoubtedly a
cylindrical seal or stamp for use on a handle; similar specimens. are
not uncommon in the soutli of British Honduras and in Guatemala,
though in the north of the colony and in Yucatan they are of much
less frequent occurrence. Small patches of charcoal and of green
powder were found in several places scattered over tho floor of this
chamber. Nothing further was found in this mound, which was
composed throughout of earth and water-worn bowlders.
Several more mounds were excavated at Kendal, but nothing wa
found in them. They were all composed of earth and large, water-
worn bowlders, the former greatly predominating. Close to many of
the mounds a deep excavation in the surface is to be seen, from which
the material to construct the mound was evidently taken. These
mounds form a decided contrast to those in tho north of British
Honduras and in southern Yucatan; they are lower, flatter, more
diffuse and irregular in outline, with the line of demarcation be-
tween the base of tho mound and the surrounding soil very poorly
defined. The northern mounds are more clearly defined, with steeper
94
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
[bull. 64
Fig. 37.— Flint spearheads.
sides, smaller summits, and base lines easily distinguishable. The
reason for this difference is to be sought in the material from which
the mounds were constructed, which in the south is clay, with a
small admixture of river bowlders, both of which are easily washed
down by the torrential tropical rains of the district. Year by year
the mound becotnes flatter and less well
defined, till at length most of these
mounds will be hardly distinguishable
from the surrounding earth. In the
north, on the contrary, the mounds are
built of large blocks of limestone, with
only a small admixture of earth and lime-
stone dust. In many cases the blocks
are mortared together, and in nearly all
cases layers of cement are alternated
with layers of stone. The whole forms a
practically solid block of masonry, capa-
ble of withstanding for all time the less
heavy rainfall of this part of British Honduras and Yucatan. About
the center of a triangular space, bounded at each angle by a small
mound, situated close to the mound last described, was found a
piece of water-worn rock measuring 4 feet 10 inches in length, which
had evidently been carried up from the river bed a quarter of a mile
away. Three or four inches of it appeared above the soil. Beneath
the rock extended a layer of water-worn river stones to a depth of
2 feet. Among these were found numerous fragments of pottery
and patches of charcoal. On the
western side of the rock, close to
its edge, and buried 10 inches be-
neath the surface, were found three
rather well-chipped flint spearheads,
the largest of which was 25 cm. in
length (fig. 37, a, b, c); these were
placed erect in the earth, points up-
ward, and close to them lay the small,
eccentrically shaped object seen in
figure 38, b, very well chipped from
dark-blue flint, measuring 1\ cm. in
length. A few feet to the north of
these objects, buried at about the
same depth and quite close to the rock, were found the serrated flint
spearhead shown in figure 38, c, 27 cm. in length, together with the
eccentrically shaped object seen in figure 38, a, 28 cm. in length; both
of these were placed perpendicularly, the spearhead point upward.
About 1J miles from the village of Benque Viejo, in the Western
District, is the only considerable aboriginal building in British Hon-
Fig. 38.— Flint objects.
gann]
MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS
95
duras, still in a fairly good state of preservation. This is a two-story
temple standing upon a small natural elevation. Each story contains
12 small rooms, three on the north side and three on the south side,
each of which has a narrower room in the rear. The central rooms
are 27 feet in length, the side rooms 17 feet 6 inches. The breadth
of the smaller rooms is 4 feet 6 inches; the dividing walls are 3 feet
thick. All the rooms in the lower story are filled in with large blocks
of stone, loosely held together with a small amount of mortar. This
seems to have been a favorite device among the Maya architects, its
object probably having been to give greater strength and stability
to the new upper story erected upon a building of older date. All the
rooms are roofed with
the triangular so-called
"American arch."
The height of the rooms
is 5 feet 10 inches to
the top of the wall, and
5 feet 10 inches from
the top of the wall to
the apex of the arch.
All the rooms had been
covered with stucco,
and upon the wall of
one of the inner cham-
bers completely cov-
ered over with green
mold the devices shown
in figure 39 were found,
<^>
Fig. 39.— Devices scratched on stucco in aboriginal building.
inngure3ywereiounci, /^^P /7~)
rudely scratched upon C^^p y^f^C^^^ C^>CS^
the stucco. In both
the upper and the lower
part of the drawing
are what may be taken
as crude representa-
tions of "Cimi," the God of Death, probably, like the "grafiti" of
Rome and Pompeii, scratched on the wall after the abandonment
of the temple by its original builders.1 Whoever executed the
drawing must have had some knowledge, however crude, of Maya
art and mythology, as the Cimi head shown in the lower and the
conventional feather ornaments in the upper part of figure 39 are
unmistakably of Maya origin. To the north of this building lies a
considerable group of ruins. Among these three largo pyramidal
' Similar grant! were discovered on the wall (if a temple at Nakum, in Guatemala. See Tozzer, Pre-
liminary Study of the I'rehLstoric Ruins of Nakum. Guatemala, p. 160, fig. 48a.
96
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
[bull. 64
structures are conspicuous, which no doubt at one time carried small
temples upon their summits, some remains of which are still to be
seen. At the base of
these pyramids stand
three small plain stelse,
quite un ornamented.
Upon the summit of one
of these mounds the
eccentrically shaped im-
plements shown in figures
40 and 44 were found. Of
these, figure 40, a, l, and
figure 44, m, n, o, p, are
of obsidian, while the rest
are of flint. Sixty-four of
these objects were found
in all, at depths varying
from one or two inches
to a foot beneath the sur-
face; all were within an
area of about 2 square
yards. Some of the ob-
jects, especially the obsid-
ians, were chipped out
with great care and ac-
curacy; others were
merely flint flakes with a
few shallow indentations chipped in their sides. On the south side
of the largest of the pyramids stood a large sculptured stela, the upper
part of which had been broken off and lay close to
the lower part, which was still embedded in cement.
The sculptured part of this stela measured 10 feet
2 inches in length by 4 feet 3 inches in breadth,
and about 16 inches in
thickness. The sculpture,
which is in low relief, rep-
resents a captive, or sacri-
ficial victim, prone on his
face and knees, while above
him rises the figure of the
priest or warrior, with elab-
orately decorated feather
headdress, holding in his
extended right hand a small
figure of the manikin god. The limestone from which the stela is
cut has been very much defaced by the weather, and the finer
Fig. 40. — Eccentrically shaped implements found at summit of
mound.
Fig. 41.— Flint ob-
ject found at base
of stela.
Fig. 42.— Flint object found at base of
stela.
gann]
MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS
97
details of the sculpture can not now be deciphered. The back and
sides are plain and unsculptured. Close to this monoli'th lay a small
stone altar, 2 feet 6 inches by 2 feet 4 inches; on its upper surface is
represented the figure of a skeleton with head bent over the extended
right arm, while the left is held in to the side, the elbow joint at right
angles. In front of the skeleton is a double row of hieroglyphs,
each row containing 7 glyphs, most of which are in a fairly good
state of preservation. An excavation was made round the part of
the monolith still standing. It was found to be surrounded by a
solid foundation of blocks of limestone, held together by cement,
Flo. 43. — Flints found in ruins at Naranjo.
among which were found, near the base of the stela, and actually in
contact with it, the two eccentrically shaped flint objects shown in
figures 41 and 42. In excavating a stela at the ruins of Naranjo,
Republic of Guatemala, Teobert Maler found the flint illustrated in
figure 43, a, and in clearing another stela at the same ruins 24 similar
flints were found (fig. 43, b-s). Of these he says:
During the excavation of this "starfish stela" quite a collection of very interesting
flint ornaments, 24 in number, came to light. Among them were crescents, such
as are seen as ear ornaments on certain stela? of Yaxha and Tikal, several curved or
even S -shaped pieces, which, perhaps, were used as nose ornaments, a serrated lance
and a serrated plate, a piece in the shape of a cross, and one composed of three leaves,
a double lance, single lances, etc.
70806°— IS— Bull. 04 7
98
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
[bull. 64
We may assume that near many stelae, as well as in the interior or on the exterior
of temples, in addition to incense burners and sacrificial bowls, there were placed
certain death's-head masks or other figures of perishable material tricked out with
ornaments, feathers, and locks of hair, which have long since mouldered away, leav-
ing behind only those of indestructible stone. For elsewhere, in the vicinity of
stelae, objects of flint and obsidian are found in addition to pottery sherds.1
It will be seen that figure 43, a, from Naranjo is practically
identical with figure 44,- Ti, from Benque Viejo, as is figure 43, c,
from Naranjo with figure 40, d, from Benque Viejo, and figure
43, fc, from Naranjo with figure 44, Tc, from Benque Viejo, while
i j fc I m TL O p
Fig. 44. — Objects from Benque Viejo.
the objects shown in figure 43, h, I, m, respectively, from Naranjo
very closely resemble those seen in figure 44, o, a, Z, from Benque
Viejo.
Close to Succots, which is an extension of the village of Benque
Viejo, a small mound was opened by Dr. Davis some years ago,
within which were found the objects illustrated in figure 45. These
are all of obsidian and of very eccentric and irregular shapes. The
object shown in figure 45, c, closely resembles that shown in figure
43, c, from Naranjo, and that in figure 40, d, from Benque Viejo,
1 Maler, Explorations in the Department of Peten, Guatemala, pp. 100-101.
GANN]
MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS
99
and still more closely figure 44, p, from Benque Viejo, both being
made of obsidian.
Mound No. 13
Close to Corozal, in the northern district of British Honduras, the
sea m its gradual encroachment along the coast had partially washed
away a small mound. On tho boach, by the side of the mound,
were found a few fragments of human long bones, a small triangular
arrowhead or javelin head of black flint, a number of potsherds of
coarse, thick, reddish pottery, and two small obsidian knives. These
had evidently been washed out of the mound by the sea. The
remaining part of the mound was dug down. It was found to be
18 feet in diameter, less than 4 feet high at its highest point, and
built throughout of water-worn stones, sand, and earth. Near the
center and on the ground level were found human vertebrae and
parts of a skull, probably belonging with the leg bones found on the
b c d e
Fig. 45. — Obsidian objects found in a mound near Benque Viejo.
beach. Close to these were found a small three-legged earthenware
bead vase, containing two pottery and one small polished greenstone
bead, together with one eccentrically shaped flint object. This is
probably meant to represent a "quash," or picote, with bushy tail
coiled over his back. It is rather neatly chipped from dark-yellow
flint. It measures nearly 3 inches from the curve of the tail to the
tip of the forepaw.
Mound No. 14
Tho noxt mound in which an eccentrically shaped flint was dis-
covered is a very largo one situated far away from any settlement,
at tho headwaters of tho Rio Hondo, in northern British Honduras.
Tho stono implements found in it lay near the summit, about a
couple of feet beneath the surface. They were discovered accident-
ally by an Indian (from whom they were purchased) while digging
out a luilib, or gibnut, from its hole, and consistod of: (a) A spindle-
shaped stono brazo 12 inches long by 93 inches in circumference,
finely polished from grinding corn on a tnetate. (1>) A chipped flint
brazo, "\ inches long by 10£ inches in circumference, polished on one
100 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64
side only. Flint brazos are exceedingly rare, as the rough surface
necessary for corn grinding must have been difficult to produce on
so refractory a material, (c) Eight stone ax heads, varying from 3£
to 8£ inches in length, (d) A dark greenstone ax head, 9£ inches in
length, with two shallow notches, one on each side of a shoulder situ-
ated 3 inches from the base, probably intended to afford greater
facility in hafting the implement, (e) Two well-chipped flint spear-
heads, one 10£, the other 7£, inches
in length, (f) An oblong block of
flint 6^ inches in length and 6£
inches in circumference. This had
fig. -lo.-Fiint object from Seven Hiiis. probably been used as a hammer-
stone, since it exhibits well-defined percussion marks at each extrem-
ity, (g) A rather roughly chipped stellate disk of flint, 10 inches in
diameter, with 13 sharp-pointed triangular rays or spines, each about
2 inches in length, at equal intervals around its periphery. Near the
center of this object is a natural hole 3| inches in diameter.
The upper part of this mound consisted of earth and blocks of lime-
stone; the lower part was not excavated. The implements were
found lying close together in a cache, loose in the soil. Numerous
rough potsherds were found, but there was no trace of human inter-
ment discovered..
In the southern part of British Honduras, not far from Punta
Gorda, is a group of small natural elevations, known as Seven Hills.
Upon the summit of the highest of these, some years ago, the object
illustrated in figure 46 was found. This somewhat resembles a horse-
shoe with two long bars, each tapering off to a point, projecting
from either side. It is Very neatly chipped
from grayish flint. Its extreme length is 16
inches. This implement was found just be-
neath the surface, covered only by a few
inches of soil. At a later date a number of
trenches were dug on the summit of this
mound, but nothing except potsherds of
various kinds with flint and obsidian chips
CaniO tO licht. ^IG- 4~- — Horseshoe-shaped flint
-r n a -r • c , i r> , n object found near San Antonio.
In figure 47 is seen one ol the finest of
these eccentrically shaped flints ever found in this part of the
Maya area. It is horseshoe-shaped, chipped to a sharp edge all
round, and has six sharp spines projecting from the outer periph-
ery (one of which has been broken off, as shown in the figure),
with shallow indentations between them. The implement, which
is 35 cm. in its greatest diameter, is made of nearly black flint,
covered with a beautiful creamy white porcelain-like patina. It
Gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS
101
was found by an Indian in the neighborhood of San Antonio, on the
Rio Hondo, which here forms the boundary lino between Mexico and
British Honduras. He was idly scratching on the top of a small
mound, buried in the bush, with his machete, when a few inches
below tho surface he came upon this very remarkable flint. Unfor-
tunately, he took no pains to locate the mound, and as the bush
in this neighborhood is literally covered with mounds in all directions,
he has never been able to find this particular one again.
The implement shown in figure 48 was dredged up from the River
Thames, near London, at a spot where foreign-going ships wire in the
habit of dumping their ballast. There can be little doubt that it
came originally from British Honduras, as flint implements of such
large size and of this peculiar type are not found outside the Maya
area. This object, as may be seen, is a crude representation of tho
human form; it is 9£ inches in length and is neatly chipped. A
closely similar anthropomorphic specimen is pre-
served in the Northesk collection, a cast of
which may be seen in the British Museum.
It is extremely difficult to form any satisfac-
tory theory as to the use of these eccentrically
shaped flints which will cover all the instances
in which they have been found. Teobert Maler,
judging by the small specimens, closely packed,
which he found at Naranjo, considers that they
may have been used as ornaments upon death's-
head masks, placed near stelae and temples,
the more perishable parts of which have disap-
peared. This theory could hardly apply to the
immense specimens from the Douglas, Orange
Walk, and Seven Hills mounds, some of which
are, moreover, obviously intended as weapons,
and not as ornaments. Stevens, the author of "Flint Chips," with
only the three large specimens found in a cave inland from tho
Bay of Honduras to judge from, considers that they may have
served as "weapons of parade, like the state partisan or halbert of
later times;" it is perfectly obvious, however, that the zoomorphic
forms from Corozal and Douglas, and the small specimens from
Benque Viejo, Naranjo, Kendal, and Santa Rita, could not have been
intended for this purpose. Finding small, beautifully chipped cres-
cents, crosses, and rings of obsidian and varicolored flints, as have been
discovered at Benque Viejo and Succots, ono would be inclined to
think that they were intended as earrings, gorgets, and breast
ornaments, especially as one sees such forms frequently recurring
in the ornaments worn by figures on the stelae in the neighborhood.
Finding the huge flints pictured in plate 15, b, d, especially when
Fiu. 48.— Figure from River
Thames, near London.
102
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
[bdll. 64
associated, as they were, with the large flint spearheads illustrated
in plate 15, c, /, the conclusion that they were intended as weapons
would be almost irresistible.
The number of these objects found at each of the 11 sites which
have been described varies from 1 to 64. On 5 of the 11 occa-
sions they were undoubtedly associated with human interments;
in 4 of the remaining 6 they were found lying, superficially placed,
on the summits of mounds, which for various reasons were not
thoroughly excavated, and may or may not have been sepulchral in
function; in the two remaining finds the flints were placed closely
adjacent to sculptured stelae, and
these again may have been used to
mark the grave of some priest or
cacique, though they more fre-
quently marked the lapse of cer-
tain time periods. The common-
est form assumed by these objects
is the crescent or some variant of
it. Of the 11 sites excavated,
this form was found in no fewer
than 8. The crescent is in some
cases quite plain, in some indented
or spiked along the convexity, and
is in one instance furnished with
long spines on tach side.
In every instance (except that of
the chambered mound at Douglas)
where these implements were found
in mounds they were placed quite
superficially at the summit of the
mound; indeed at Benque Viejo,
Seven Hills, and Santa Rita it seems
probable that they had not been
buried originally at all, but merely
placed upon the summit of the mound and in course of time became
covered with a layer of humus from decaying vegetation in the
vicinity. »
Similar flint objects have been found in other parts of the world,
notably at Brionio in Italy and in Stuart, Smith, and Humphrey
Counties, Tennessee. In figure 49, b-n, are shown somewhat
rough outline sketches of the Tennessee objects, and in figure 50,
a-p, are represented a selection of the most important objects
found at Brionio, now in the collection of the late Professor Giglioli
at Florence. The Tennessee objects are to be seen at Washington.
The latter are small when compared with the largest of the Maya
Fig. 49. — Flint objects from Tennessee.
GANNl
MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS
103
specimens, but are neatly chipped, whereas the Brionio objects are
very crudely blocked out, mostly from black flint.
It will be observed that figure 49, c, d, g, from Tennessee, shows
specimens almost identical with figure 50, p, from Brionio, and
with the turtle, pictured in plate 15, g, from the Douglas chambered
mound; again the spiked crescents, figure 50, h, c, n, from Brionio,
closely resemble the very much larger spiked crescent illustrated in
plate 15, e, from the Douglas chambered mound, and still more closely
the spiked crescent figured in " Flint Chips " (from Wilson, Prehistoric
Man, op. cit., p. 214). Though these objects are not found in Cen-
tral America outside the Maya area, the Aztec were sufficiently ex-
pert in the art of flint and obsidian chipping to have produced them
had they wished. In figure 49, a, is seen the outline of a type
of labretworn by the Aztecs, chipped
out of both flint and obsidian, which
compares favorably in workmanship
with any of the objects from the
Maya area.
In reviewing the evidence it would
appear that these eccentrically shaped
objects were not employed either as
implements or as weapons, most of
them being utterly unsuited in both
size and shape for such purposes;
moreover, none of them show any
signs of wear or use. Neither were
they used as ornaments, as many of
them are too largo and heavy, while
the more roughly chipped specimens
would be quite unadapted for such
a purpose. Judging by the fact that
5 at least of the 11 separate finds
wore associated with human burials, it seems probable that these
objects were purely ceremonial in use ; that they were most frequently,
if not invariably, buried with the dead, either on top of the sepul-
chral mound, in close association with the corpse, or by the side of a
memorial stela; and that they were manufactured and used solely for
this purpose
Mound No. 15
Mound No. 15 was situated on the south bank of tho Rio Hondo,
about 5 miles from its mouth, near tho village of Santa Helena.
This \\ii^ h conical mound 25 feet in height and 120 feet in circum-
ference ai the base. Excavation was begun at the summit of the
mound, which was somewhat flattened. For the first foot the coil
Fig. 50. — Flint objects from Italy.
104
BUREAU OP AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
fBULL. 64
Fig. 51.— Small cup-shaped
vase from Mound No. 15.
consisted of light-brown earth, which contained nothing of interest.
For the next 3£ feet there were large blocks of limestone, the inter-
stices between which were filled with limestone dust and debris. In
these were found large quantities of potsherds, some well painted and
polished, together with part of the inferior maxilla of a medium-
sized carnivore, probably a puma. At a depth of 3^ feet a number of
stone flags, each nearly 5 feet in length and from
4 to 6 inches in thickness, were exposed; on re-
moving these a small chamber appeared, of
which the flags formed the roof. The walls of
the chamber, or cist, were built of squared stones
mortared together; it was 6 feet long, 6 feet
high, and 4 feet broad ; the floor was of light-
brown, very fine river sand. On carefully re-
moving the sand the following objects were
brought to light at depths varying from 3 feet
below the surface of the sand to the bottom of the chamber: (a) A small
round, cup-shaped vase, shown in figure 51, painted bright yellow
and finely polished. It is 10 cm. high by 8£ cm. in its greatest
diameter. On.- its outer
surface are two grotesque
monkey-like figures, the
outline of one of which is
shown in figure 52, a. (b) A
small thin bowl of the shape
shown in figure 52, e, painted
yellow throughout, well pol-
ished, and ornamented ex-
teriorly with geometrical de-
vices in red and black, (c)
A somewhat larger bowl
than the next preceding, of
the shape seen in figure 52,/.
The geometrical ornamen-
tation on the outer surface
is executed in low relief,
and was afterwards painted
over, (d) A large circular
plaque painted yellow throughout, 42 cm. in diameter. This plaque
had been polished but shows considerable signs of hard usage before
burial, (e) A plaque-like vessel, 9 cm. in height, with the design repre-
sented in figure 52, d, of a humanf ace separated from a dragon's head by
the Maya numeral 7, repeated around the outer surface of its rim. (f )
A shallow plaque, 36 cm. in diameter, painted yellow throughout, and
S
Fig. 52.— Objects from Mound No. 15.
gann] MAVA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 105
polished ; on the inner surf aoe of the rim are repeated twice, outlined
in black lines, the bird and the curious mythological animal seen in
figure 52, b, c. (g) A basin-shaped vessel; painted a deep reddish-
brown and finely polished throughout, with a very attractive and
intricate device of interlacing diamond-shaped figures around
the inside of the rim. (h) A vessel closely similar to the pre-
ceding, but smaller and not so well polished. It was broken
into a number of pieces when found, (i) A small round pot,
with flaring rim, of common red ware, showing no attempt at
decoration, (j) Scattered throughout the sand, in the midst of
these pots, were found 35 very small, flat, circular disks or beads,
averaging about one-twelfth inch in thickness. Some were of
greenstone, others of a reddish-yellow stone mottled with white.
All were well polished.
On removing the sand to a depth of 12 feet the bottom of the
chamber was reached. The floor, which was composed of hard
mortar, measured 4 by 3 feet, as the chamber was somewhat funnel-
shaped, narrowing as it descended. On the bottom of the chamber
were found a number of small oyster and cockle shells, with frag-
ments of human bones. Among these was an inferior maxilla in
fairly good state of preservation ; from . the facts that the tooth
sockets had disappeared, that there was considerable atrophy along
the alveolar processes and widening of the angle between the hori-
zontal and vertical sections of the bone, it had probably belonged
to a person of advanced age.
Mound No. 16
Mound No. 16 was situated about 2 miles due north of the last-
described mound, close to the north bank of the Rio Hondo, within
the territory of Quintana Roo. It was discovered by an Indian,
who had cut a piece of virgin bush with the object of making a
milpa. The mound was 35 feet in height by 250 feet in circumfer-
ence at the base; in shape it resembled a truncated cone, the flat-
tened summit of which measured 30 feet in one direction by 6 feet
in the other. The mound was composed throughout of rough
blocks of limestone, the interstices of which were filled in with lime-
stone dust and an unusually large quantity of light-brown earth.
Excavation was commenced at the top of the mound; for the first
6 feet nothing oxcept a few potsherds was found. Scattered through
the next 2 feet of the mound the following objects were brought
to light; those were mingled indiscriminately with the limestone
blocks of which the mound was built, quite unprotected by cyst
or chamber: (a) A basin-shaped vessel 20 cm. in diameter, 10 cm.
in height (pi. 17), covered by a round conical lid with a semicircular
handle. Both basin and cover are painted black and polished, inside
106
BUREAU OP AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
tBULL. 64
£>=^
Fig. 53. — Conventionalized
representation of bird on
vessel shown in plate 17.
and out. iTpon tho outer surface of the vase and the upper surface of
the lid are incised in low relief a series of pictographs, identical upon
both. From the nature of tho design and the fact that the vase con-
tained a number of fragments of human bones, it seems probable that
it was intended for a cinerary urn. The design is of considerable inter-
est and worthy of detailed consideration. The most prominent object
upon both the lid and the vase itself is a naked human figure in a re-
cumbent position, with the arms flexed over the
chest and abdomen and the knees and thighs
semiflexed. The ornaments worn consist of an
elaborate feather-decorated headdress, a labret,
or nose ornament (it is somewhat difficult to
determine which), and large bead anklets and
wristlets. Below the head, on the body of the
vase, is the conventionalized representation of a
bird (fig. 53) with extended drooping wings, and
a rectangular object occupying the position of the beak. On the lid,
probably from lack of room, this bird is represented only by the
rectangular object, beneath which is seen the conventionalized ser-
pent's head, represented only by the upper jaw, from which project
the head and hand of a human being, whom it is in the act of swal-
lowing. This monster, with a human head projecting from its mouth,
is frequently represented in mounds in this area, usually in the form
of a clay figurine.
The next figure is probably intended to represent Quctzalcoatl, the
Cuculcan of the Maya, and God B of the Codices. It is the shrunken
bearded face of an old man, with a single tooth in the lower jaw, very
prominent nose, and a bird's head (probably that of the owl) in the
headdress. These are all well-recognized characteristics of this god.
At the back part of the headdress of the god, and connected with it, is
a human face. Immediately above the
head of Cuculcan is depicted a fish,
with a flower-like object in front of its
mouth (fig. 54), which is probably con-
nected with this god, who is frequently
associated with objects connoting
water, vegetation, and fertility, as fish,
flowers, water plants, leaves, and shells.
The next figure probably represents Schellhas's God K of the
Codices. This god possesses an elaborate foliated nose, and is usually
closely associated with God B, as he is in the present instance; indeed
Brinton and Fewkes regard him as being merely a special manifesta-
tion of tho latter god, while Spinden is of the opinion that his face is
derived from that of the serpent so constantly associated with God
B.1 The lower jaw of the god seems to consist of a dry bone. Imme-
Fig. 54. — Decoration on vessel shown in
plate 17.
1 See Spinden, Maya Art, p. 64.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
BULLETIN 64 PLATE 18
POTTERY FROM MOUND NO. 16
oann]
MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS
107
diately behind God K is repeated the design of the serpent swallowing
a human head, above which is a striated bar, whose sole purpose
seemingly is to decorate a vacant space. Above this again is a bar
with feathers or leaves projecting from it, which may possibly be
connected with the headdress of God B, and at the top is repeated the
figure of the fish, with the circular object in front of its mouth. Next
Fig. 55.— Perforated beads found in Mound No. 16.
to these is again seen the head of the god Cuculcan, after which the
whole series recommences with the prone naked human figure, (b) A
vessel exactly similar in size, color, and shape to the one last described
(pi. 18, a). The outer surface is decorated by four curious monkey-
like creatures, sculptured in low relief, separated from each other by
ovate spaces inclosed in double parallel lines and filled with cross-
hatching. Above and below is a border of frets, also
executed in low relief. The faces of these monkeys
are represented by a simple oval, no attempt having
been made to depict any of the features. The hands
are furnished with huge clawlike fingers, and the tails,
which are of great length, are curled over the back.
The cover of this vessel (pi. 18, a) is circular, some-
what funnel-shaped, 23 cm. in diameter. Upon its
outer surface is executed, in low relief, a monkey almost
exactly similar to those which appear on the outer sur-
face of the vase, except that it is somewhat larger
and is seen in front view, not in profile. The face of the monkey
is carefully molded in high relief to form the handle of the lid,
while between his hands he grasps an ovate object identical with
those on the vase. (e) The lid of a vessel corresponding exactly
to the lid of the vessel first described. The pot to which it
belonged could not be found (pi. 18, 6). (d) A pair of cylindrical
vases, each standing upon three short, hollow, oval legs. Both are
Fig. 5*>. — Jadeite
beads found in
Mound No. 16.
108
BUREAU 0E AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
tBULL. 64
made of extremely thin, brittle pottery painted a dirty yellow and
polished throughout, with no ornament except a broad red stripe,
which passes obliquely around the whole of the outer surface of each
vase, (e) Two shallow circular plaques, painted reddish-brown, and
polished throughout, with a geometrical device in thin black lines
around the inner surface of the rim of each, (f ) A quantity of bones,
probably those of a Jialib or gibnut, and of a wild turkey. These
were found under a large block of rough limestone, (g) A number of
Fig. 57. — a. Circular shell disks from Mound No. 16. 6. Greenstone ear plugs from Mound No. 17.
univalve shells, each about 1 inch in length, perforated at the apex
in two places, as if for suspension in the form of a necklace or orna-
mental border.1 With these shells was found half of a large cockle-
like bivalve, painted red throughout, and perforated, possibly for use
as a gorget, (h) Thirteen large, round, perforated beads (fig. 55).
Some of these are reddish in color, and show traces of polishing. With
these were the three jadeite beads pictured in figure 56; two of these
1 See Memoirs of the Pcabody Museum, vol. n, No. 1, Researches in the Valley of the Usumatsintla,
where on several illustrations rows of similar shells are seen decorating the edges of the garments of the
persons represented.
gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 109
are cylindrical, with a knob at one end, while the third is nearly
spherical; all are finely polished; they are made of light and dark-
green mottled jadeite. (i) A single small oyster shell, with a great
number of cockle shells, (j) Two circular disks of shell, represented
in figure 57, a, exhibiting the front and back view. The central
part is of a deep reddish color, and is well polished. Each disk is 5 cm.
in diameter and is perforated at the center. They were probably used
as ear ornaments. Excavations were made in this mound to the
ground level, but no additional objects were found in it.
Mound No. 17
Mound No. 17 was situated within a mile of the mound last
described, on high ground, about 1£ miles from the Rio Hondo,
from which it is separated by a belt of swamp. It was conical in
shape, about 40 feet high, nearly 90 yards in circumference, and was
built throughout of large blocks of limestone, the interstices being
filled with a friable mortar, made seemingly from limestone dust,
earth, and sand mixed together. Near the sum- ~
mit was an irregular opening, about 4 feet across, \ OT
which led into a small stone-faced chamber, 15 \A tartar
feet long, 5 feet broad, and 6 feet high. The / 1
opening had been made by the falling in of one ^ — Jobsidian disc
of the flags which formed the roof of the cham- Flo> ss —obsidian disk in.
ber; this was found within the chamber with a serted in tooth of skeleton
„ , ... , — « i <• i found in Mound No. 17.
pile of debris, lhe floor was composed of large
flat flags, on removing one of which an aperture was made which led
into a second chamber, of exactly the same size as the first, and imme-
diately beneath it. The floor of this was covered to a depth of about
12 inches with a layer of soft brown river sand, in which were found:
(a) Paris of a human skeleton, seemingly belonging to an adult male,
the bones of which were very friable and greatly eroded. In one of
the incisor teeth was inserted a small disk of obsidian, the outer surface
of which was highly polished (fig. 58) . These ornamental tooth fillings
are rather rare, though they have been found from time to time
in Yucatan and as far south as Quirigua. They were usually made
from greenstone, obsidian, or iron pyrites, all highly polished, the
only teeth ornamented being the incisors and canines, usually in the
upper jaw. The plugging seems to have been exclusively for orna-
mental purposes, not with any idea of filling a cavity, the result of
caries in the tooth.1
i It is curious that neither I.anda nor Villiigutierre mentions this ornamental plugging of the Trout teeth,
as, judging by the number of teeth found, it can not have been of exceptionally rare occurrence.
I.anda, who describes their ornaments very closely, mentions the filling of the teeth, but not the phiR-
ging, which, had it been in vogue at the time of the conquest in Yucatan, he must have heard about or ob-
served. It seems probable that the custom had already become obsolete before the first appearance of
the Spaniards in Yucatan.
110
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
[BULL. 64
FIG. 59.— Bird carrying a fish outlined on shallow
plaque found in Mound No. 17.
(b) A shallow plaque, 28 cm. in diameter, painted throughout
a dark reddish-yellow, and finely polished. Upon the upper surface
was outlined in fine black lines a bird, apparently a sea hawk, carry-
ing in its claw a good-sized fish, possibly a stone bass (fig.. 59).
The artist probably witnessed this event many times, as the mouth
of the Rio Hondo, where stone
bass abound, is a favorite fish-
ing ground for sea hawks and
frigate birds.
(c) A number of painted and
glazed potsherds of all sizes.
Beneath this second chamber
a third was discovered, roofed in
with rough flags, of the same
dimensions as the other two.
The floor of this chamber was
cemented over; nothing except
limestone blocks and mortar was
found between it and the bot-
tom of the mound. Upon the floor lay a solitary plaque, of a deep
reddish-yellow color, the upper surface divided by black lines into
four equal spaces, in each of which was crudely outlined in black a
fish, probably meant to represent a stone bass. On digging into the
summit of the mound outside the area occupied by the chambers,
the following objects were brought to light: (a) A cylindrical vase of
light, thin, well-made pottery, 16£ cm. high by 13 cm. in diameter,
painted light yellow throughout and finely polished (fig. 60). Upon
one side of the vase, within an oblong space outlined in black, are
a number of curious mythological animals, above which is a row of
six glyphs, seemingly explanatory of the picture be-
neath (pi. 19, a). Both animals and glyphs are very
carefully executed in red, black, and brown, on a
yellow background. The lowest figure on the right
somewhat resembles that on a vase in the American
Museum of Natural History,1 upon which the Long-
nosed god is associated with bulblike objects, flowers,
and a bird (probably a pelican). On this vase the
Long-nosed god is seen with a bulblike object, possibly
a root, from which project interlacing stalks, at the
ends of which are water-lily buds. Above these is a bird, possibly
a sea hawk. The whole connotes water, or fertility, (b) A second
vase, similar in shape, but somewhat larger (fig. 61), is painted
yellow and polished throughout. Upon this is depicted a cruciform
object, with outgrowths from the upper and lateral limbs of the
Fig. 60.— Cylindri-
cal pottery vase
found in Mound
No. 17.
1 See Spinden, Maya Art, fig. 79.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
BULLETIN 64 PLATE 19
a. DECORATION ON VASE SHOWN IN FIGURE 60
b. DECORATION OF VESSEL FROM MOUND NO. 17
oann]
MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS
111
Fig. 61. — Larger
pottery vase
found in Mound
No. 17.
cross, probably a highly conventionalized tree, (c) A shallow circular
plaque, 36 cm. in diameter, painted light yellow, and polished
throughout. Upon its upper surface is painted, in red and black,
a coiled plumed serpent (fig. 62), doubtless intended to represent
Cuculcan, the "Feathered Serpent." (d) Two circular objects of
polished greenstone, somewhat resembling broad-brimmed hats from
which the crowns have been removed (see fig. 57, b).
Each has on the upper surface of the brim a small
ovate piece of mother-of-pearl, firmly cemented to the
stone. These objects were probably used as ear
plugs; with them were five small perforated spherical
beads of polished greenstone.
At the base of the northern aspect of this mound
was a small square enclosure, surrounded by a stone
wall 2 to 3 feet in height. On digging into this, near
its center, an alligator made of rough pottery, 15
inches long, was discovered. In the center of its back
is a small circular opening, covered by a conical stop-
per, leading into the hollow interior, in which was found a small
perforated polished jadeite bead, in the form of a grotesque human
face. Close to the alligator lay a basin-shaped vessel, 28 cm. in
diameter, painted yellow, and polished throughout. In the center
of this, outlined in thin black lines, is the object seen in plate 19, b,
probably meant to represent the
two-headed dragon so common in
Maya art.
Mound No. 18
Mound No. 18, situated less than
half a mile from the next preced-
ing, was 10 feet high, 70 feet in
circumference, roughly conical in
shape, and firmly built through-
out of blocks of limestone the
interstices between which were
filled with earth and limestone
dust. At the bottom of the
mound, near its center, resting
on the ground, was a cist, about 2 feet in diameter, roughly con-
structed of large flags of limestone. Within this were found two
vessels: (a) A basin-shaped specimen of thin pottery, painted red-
dish-yellow and polished throughout; on its inner surf ace is depicted,
in fine black lines, an object closely resembling a four-leafed sham-
rock, (b) A vase of the shape shown in figure 63, 13 cm. high
and 13 cm. in diameter. This is made of rather thick pottery; it is
'oiled plumed serpent painted on plaque
found in Mound No. 17.
112
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
[BULL. G4
painted light yellow and polished throughout. On the outer surface
of the rim, outlined in thin black lines, is the glyph represented
in figure 64, which is repeated all the way round the circum-
ference. No additional objects were found
^7^ &<£<*$%(&<£[ m this cyst, nor were there any traces of
bones in it, or in the rest of the mound,
which was afterward examined.
Mound No. 19
Mound No. 19, situated close to the preced-
ing, was 6 feet in height, with flattened top,
built solidly throughout of limestone blocks
and a friable mortarlike substance. At the
no. 63.— Pottery vase found in ground level, near the center of the mound,
were discovered two cists, placed side by
side, separated by a partition wall built of blocks of cut stone.
Each cist was 6 feet long, 3 feet broad, nearly 4 feet deep, solidly
constructed of stones mortared together. Neither the cists nor the
body of the mound contained anything of interest except a few
fragments of bone in the last stages of disintegration.
Mound No. 20
Mound No. 20 was situated at Pueblo Nuevo, about 6 miles from
the mouth of the Rio Nuevo, in the northern district of British
Honduras. The mound was about 100 feet in length and varied
from 8 to 12 feet in height and from 15 to 25 feet in breadth. It
was built throughout of earth, limestone dust, and blocks of lime-
stone, a great many of which had been squared. Immediately
beneath the surface, running east and west along the long diameter
of the mound and nearly centrally placed in it, was the upper sur-
face of a wall, which had evidently at one time formed part of a building
of considerable size. This wall was built of finely squared blocks of
limestone mortared to-
gether, and was some-
what more than 18
inches thick. It ex-
tended for 40 feet,
turning at right angles
at both the eastern and
western extremities
and was broken by a
single opening, 3h feet broad at the center. The part of the wall left
standing varied from 2 to 3| feet in height and was covered on its
inner surface by a layer of smooth, yellow, very hard cement; the
outer surface, which still retained traces of painted stucco moldings,
Fig. 64.— Glvph outlined on outer surface of rim of vase shown in
fig. 63.
ga^n]
MAYA INDIANS OP YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS
113
ended below in a floor of hard cement 12 inches thick. The greater
part of these moldings had been broken away, but portions were
still adherent to the wall and great quantities of fragments,
painted red and blue, were found immediately beneath the wall
from which they had been
\
_U
Fig. 65.— Torso, head, and headdress from Mound No. 20.
broken. The most im-
portant of these were : (a)
Two human torsos, one
(the more elaborate) of
which is seen in figure
65, c. (b) Three human
heads, one of which is rep-
resented in figure 65, b,
in situ. Both heads and
torsos are life size, and
both are painted red and
blue throughout.1 (c)
Two headdresses, one of
which is seen in situ in
figure 65, a; the other is
almost precisely similar
in coloring and design.
(d) Fragments of elabo-
rately molded pillars, which had originally separated the figures on
the wall. A portion of one of these is shown in figure 66. This
design was repeated three times upon the front of the pillar, the back
of which was flattened for attachment to the wall. Great quantities
of fragments of painted stucco, of all shapes and sizes, were dug
out of the mound, but the human figures, with the pillars which sepa-
rated them, were the only objects the original
positions of which on the wall it was possible
to determine with certainty. Resting upon the
layer of hard cement in which the wall termina t ed
below, between 5 and 6 feet from the eastern end
and close to the wall itself, was found an adult
human skeleton, the bones of which were hud-
dled together within a very small compass, in a
manner suggesting secondary burial. In remov-
ing these bones nearly all of them crumbled
to pieces. Throughout t lie whole mound were
found numerous potsherds, some of very fine pottery, colored and
polished; others thick, rough, and undecorated. Fragments of flint
and obsidian, broken flint spearheads and scrapers, and broken
obsidian knives were also found.
Fig. 66.— Fragment of pil-
lar found In Mound No.
20.
"The photographs of the torso and headdress were taken in England and those of the head in British
Honduras. Consequently they do not (it together as well as do t lie originals.
70800°— IS— Bull. 04 8
114 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64
Mound No. 21
Mound No. 21 was situated near Corozal, in the northern district
of British Honduras. This mound had very steep sides; it was 50
feet in height hy 200 feet in circumference, and was built of blocks
of limestone, the interstices of which were filled with friable mortar.1
Toward the west the mound joined a smaller mound, 20 feet in
height. A rumor was current among the Indians in the neighbor-
hood that some years before a number of fragments of clay idols
had been found lying on the surface of the earth near the mound.
Excavations were consequently made all around the mound, for a
distance of 10 to 15 yards from its base, through the alluvial soil,
down to the limestone rock, a distance of 6 inches to 2 feet. These
excavations brought to light enormous quantities of fragments of
crude, coarse pottery vessels, for the greater part the remains of
large hourglass-shaped incense burners, which had been decorated on
their outer surfaces with either a human head or an entire human
figure. Among these fragments were animal heads in terra cotta,
the snake and the dragon being of most frequent occurrence, but
the deer, alligator, and tiger also being represented. Heads of the
owl, the wild turkey, and the humming bird likewise were found.
Fragments of about a dozen human faces were brought to light,
with the usual nose ornaments, large round earrings, and labrets.
Quilted cotton, stud decorated breastplates, sandaled feet, and
bracelet-decorated hands and arms were also plentiful. The right
arm seems in most cases to have been extended, holding in the
upward turned palm some object as a gift or offering. These objects
vary considerably; three are undoubtedly wild turkeys, -with their
long necks coiled around their bodies; two are palm-leaf fans attached
to handles; one appears to bo a shallow saucer containing three small
cakes; while two are pyramidal, spike-covered objects, possibly
meant to represent the fruit of the pitaya cactus. With these frag-
ments of pottery were found four entire oval pottery vases, each
about 4 inches high, standing on three short legs, each containing a
few clay and polished greenstone beads. Close to these was a pair
of vases, shaped like a right and left foot and leg, of the size approxi-
mately of those of a child 7 or 8 years of age, greatly expanded above
the ankle. These vases showed traces of white and blue paint, which
had, however, almost completely worn off; around them were a
considerable number of fragments of the bones of deer and peccary,
very much decayed. Close to the base of the mound was found an
oval block of limestone, which formed the nucleus of a small hill,
2 to 3 feet high and 5 to 6 feet in diameter, composed almost entirely
of pottery fragments, with a capping of humus. It is not improbable
that this was the spot on which the ceremonial destruction of these
gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 115
incense burners took place, the fragments being scattered in all direc-
tions around the ontire circumference of the largo mound.
Mound No. 22
Mound No. 22, situated at Saltillo, noar the mouth of the Rio
Nuovo, northern district of British Honduras, was partially explored
in 1908-9 on behalf of the Institute of Archaeology of Liverpool
University. The mound was about 30 feet high; it was built of
limestone blocks, limestono dust,, and rubble. It stands at one
corner of a quadrangular spaco measuring 80 by 35 yards, and elo-
vatod from 4 to 5 feet above the surrounding ground level. This
space is encompassed by four mounds, joined by a bank or rampart
averaging 10 feot high. Around the base of the mound a great number
of fragments of pottery incense burners were found, with the images of
the gods, which decorated them externally. Eight complete heads
and two broken ones were recovered, together with arms, legs, bodies
with quilted cotton breastplates and maxilis, elaborate headdresses, and
various objects held in the hands of the figures. These vessels are
almost exactly similar to those found along the valley of the Usu-
masintla and Rio de la Pasion, described by Seler in his "Antiquities
of Guatemala." Rude specimens, with the face of the god only
decorating the outside of the vessel, wero found by Sapper and
Charnay in use among the Lacandon Indians a few years ago. The
dross and ornaments of these clay figurines, which vary from 1 to 2
foot in height, are those found almost universally throughout the
Maya area. The large circular ear ornaments, with a tassel or
twisted pendant hanging from the center, the curious projecting
curved ornament above tho nose, the small button-like labrets at
eacli corner of the mouth, are present in all, and aro highly charac-
teristic. On all the feet elaborate sandals aro worn, fastened by
thongs attached between the first and second and third and fourth
toes, with a band passing around the ankle ending in a broad depend-
ent flap. Around tho legs are plain bands and strings of beads;
around tho wrists, strings of beads, in some cases fastened by an
ornamental loop. Tho breastplates aro of quilted cotton, some very
elaborate, and decorated with beads, studs, and tassels, while below
the breastplate covering the genitals is the maxtli, or small apron,
commonly worn by both Maya and Aztec. Tho objects held in
the hands consist of birds, fans, globes, incense burners, and other
less easily distinguishable articles. Tho wholo of tho spaco within
tho earthwork appears to have been sprinkled with these fragments
of pottery vases and idols, but it was only around tho base of the large
mound that ontire heads were found. The fragments seem to have
boon originally placed on tho earth, and in course of time to have
boon covered by a thin layer of humus from decaying vegetation,
116 BUREAU OF AMEBICAN ETHNOLOGY [boll. 64
as many of them still lie on tile surface, and nowhere are they buried
moro than a few inches, except at the base of the mound, where
earth from its side, washed down by rains, would naturally have
covered them with a slightly deeper layer. On making excavations
at various points within the enclosed space, the floor was found to
consist first of the earth which contained the broken incense burners,
with some blocks of limestone, and beneath this of a layer about 4
feet thick composed of marl dust, very small fragments of pottery,
and rubble, welded together into an almost cement-like mass.
Mound No. 23
Mound No. 23 was situated near the northern end of Chetumal
Bay, on the east coast of Yucatan. The mound was 12 feet in height,
roughly circular in shape, and 12 yards in diameter at the base.
The top was flattened, and near its center a circular space 10 feet
in diameter was inclosed by a low, roughly built stone wall. On
digging within this space there were brought to light, immediately
beneath the surface, the following objects:
(a) Part of a large hourglass-shaped incense burner in rough
pottery, decorated with a human figure in high relief, 20 inches high.
Unfortunately the left arm and leg and part of the chest are missing
from this figure, which, judging by the headdress, curved nose, and
tusk-like teeth, is probably intended to represent the God Cuculcan.
The left foot is sandaled, and on the left wrist is a loop-fastened string
of beads, while over the front of the chest hangs a breastplate of
quilted cotton, decorated with flaps and fastened over the shoulders.1
Round the neck is a flat gorget, decorated with round bosses, and
in the ears are large circular ear plugs with tassels dependent from
their centers. Over the upper part of the nose is a curious curved,
snake-like ornament. The lofty headdress, with broad flaps extend-
ing over each ear almost to the shoulders, has in front the head and
upper jaw of some mythological animal, the latter projecting well,
over the face of the god, as if in the act of swallowing him. Point-
ing downward from the plumed ornament on the right side of the figure
(the corresponding one on the left has been broken away) is a cro-
talus head, which so often accompanies representations of this god.
The figure still exhibits traces of blue and white paint on that part of
the face protected by the broad flap of the headdress, and originally
doubtless the whole was painted in various colors, which first
exposure to rain and afterward burial in moist earth, have almost
completely obliterated, (b) An earthenware figure, 26 inches in
1 It would appear that these thick woven or plaited cotton breastplates were fortified with salt.
Landa, op. cit., p. 48: "Y sus rodelas y iacos fuertes de sal y algodon."
Ibid. p. 172: " Hazian xacosde algodon colchados y desalpor molercolchadadedostandasocolchaduras,
y estos eran fortissimos. "
gaxx] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 117
height, which doubtless at one time ornamented tho outer surface of
a large incense burner. Tho left foot and leg are gone; the right foot
is covered with a sandal held on by a curved heelpiece rising above
the back of the ankle, and fastened in a bow in front of the instep,
while a leather thong passing between the great and second toe is
attached to this, holding the front part of the sandal in place.
Round the leg is a broad band, with a row of semilunar ornaments
projecting downward from it. The maxtli has been broken away,
but the quilted cotton chest covering is still in position. This is
held in place by bands passing over the shoulders, and is ornamented
by a row of live circular studs passing down its center, with long
tassels below, which must have hung on each side of the maxtli,
and tassels above, attached near the shoulder, which hang down on
each side of it. The throat is covored by a broad band, decorated
along its lower edge with four pairs of small circular studs. Round
the left wrist is a bracelet composed of six flat oval beads, fastened
in front- by an ornamental loop. The left arm is extended, and in
tho hand, hold palm upward, is grasped an acorn-shaped object
from which project nine spikes. From each side of the mouth
project long curved tusks. The nose is of unusual shape, being
long, straight, and slender; tho bridge is covered by a curved snake-
like object. The headdress rises 6 inches above the suporciliary
ridges; its lower part consists of the head and upper mandible of
the bill of some bird, probably a hawk or eagle. Above this rises a
hollow cylindrical erection, with tho upper border scalloped, sup-
ported on each side by objects which suggest broad stone blades,
hafted in club-shaped handles, and ornamented in front with a
plume of feathers. There can be little doubt that this figure is
meant to represent the God Itzamna, as the sunken cheeks, the
single large tooth on each side of the mouth, and the prominent,
though well-formed nose, are all characteristics of this god. (c) An
earthenware figure, closely similar in size and appearance to those
just described. Of the face only the left eye, the left side of the
mouth, and the nose are left; the last named is short, rounded, and
well formed, and is ornamented at its root with a small round stud.
(d) Fragments of a rough bowl of yellowish pottery, which must
have been of considerable size. Unfortunately only four fragments
were found; these exhibit on their outer surfaces parts of a hiero-
glyphic inscription, rougldy incised in the clay while it was soft,
with some sharp-pointed instrument. Of the many glyphic inscrip-
tions which have been found at different times in British Hon-
duras, painted on pottery and stucco and incised on pottery, stone,
and other material, none has proved to be an initial series, which
would fix the period in the Maya long count when tho mounds, temples,
burial places, and other monuments scattered throughout this
118 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64
colony, were constructed. According to recent researches the latest
date recorded by an initial series on the monoliths of Quirigua, in
Guatemala, is within about 70 years of the earliest date recorded by
any of the initial series found up to the present among- the ruins
of Yucatan.1 As the tide of Maya migration was undoubtedly from
south to north, and as British Honduras stands midway between
Guatemala and Yucatan, it is only reasonable to suppose that the
colonization of the greater part of it by the Maya took place at
some period between the abandonment of the cities of Quirigua and
Coban, and the rise of Chichen Itza, Uxmal, and other Yucatan
cities. This theory is borne out by the fact that the hieroglyphic
inscriptions and pictographs found in the colony are closely allied
to those found both in the northern and southern cities; moreover,
the painted stucco and wooden lintels so common in Yucatan, but
not found in the south, are present here, while the sculptured stelae
found in the south, but of extreme rarity in northern Yucatan, are
(though not very numerous and poorly executed) found in British
Honduras, (e) Large quantities of fragments of rough pottery vases
and bowls; some of these evidently belonged to hourglass-shaped
incense burners, 2 to 3 feet high, decorated with incised lines and
glyphs, raised bands, and studs, but without human figures on their
exterior surfaces. A number of these fragments were taken down to
the camp of some chicle bleeders in the vicinity; unfortunately in
the night the palm-leaf shelters caught fire and the whole camp was
burned to the ground, most of the potsherds being lost or destroyed.
Among these were probably the missing parts of the clay figures
and of the hieroglyphic-covered pot. The whole of the mound was
dug down, but with the exception of traces of a wall built of squared
stones on the ground level, nothing worthy of note was found in it.
It is almost certain that this mound had never been visited from
the time of its erection till its discovery last year by chicle bleeders
looking for sapodilla trees in this very remote corner of Yucatan.
The clay images were lying on the top of the mound, partially
uncovered, and had anyone, even an Indian, visited the place, they
would almost certainly have removed these, as there is always a
ready market for idolos, as the Indians call every relic of their ances-
tors, among curio collectors who visit Belize.
Mound No. 24
Mound No. 24 was situated near the coast, at the northern extrem-
ity of Chetumal Bay, in Yucatan. This mound was 10 feet high
by about 10 yards in diameter. Upon the summit, which was
flattened, were found a great number of rough potsherds, partially
buried in a layer of humus from 6 to 12 inches deep. These were evi-
1 Moeley, An Introduction to the Study of the Maya Hieroglyphs, p. 15.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
BULLETIN 64 PLATE 20
INCENSE BURNER FROM MOUND NO. 24
gann]
MAYA INDIANS OF' YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS
119
dently fragments of incense burners, as arms, legs, and parts of head-
dresses, faces, maxtlis, and breastplates were plentiful among them.
Near the center of the summit, partially projecting from the earth,
was discovered the almost complete incense burner shown in plate 20
and figure 67. The vessel which served as a receptacle for the
incense is 15 \ inches high by 9 inches in diameter at the mouth. The
human figure which decorates the side of the vessel is 22 inches in
height from the top of the headdress to the sole of the sandals. The
figurine was not complete when first discovered, as the hands, arms,
feet, maxtli, and feather ornaments from the sides and headdress were
missing; nearly all of these, however, were unearthed, mixed with
other pieces of pottery, not far from the incense burner. The head-
dress consists of a flat, broad cap with slightly projecting rim and
large quadrangular flaps, which extend
downward and outward over the large
ear plugs. The back of the cap ex-
tends upward 3 inches; the crown is
decorated with feather ornaments,
while on each side appears an object
resembling half an ear of maize, from
the top of which depends a tassel.
The nose is sharp, thin, and promi-
nent; starting on each side of it and
parsing down almost to the angles of
the jaw, where it ends in a little up-
ward curl, is what might be intended
as either a mustache or some form of
nose ornament. From each angle of
the mouth projects a circular labret;
this evidently passes behind the upper
lip, which it causes to bulge consider-
ably. The ear plugs are large, round,
and funnel-shaped (pi. 20); these, as
well as the shoulders, show traces of
blue paint, with which the entire figure
was evidently at one time covered. Around the neck is a flat collar
decorated with five circular studs, to the sides and front of which is
attached a hollow cylindrical bar, wliich supports the quilted cotton
breastplate. The latter is decorated with six tassels, tliree above
and three below, and below it is seen the plain apron (maxtli), wliich
descends almost to the sandals. The shoulders are covered with caps
or epaulets reaching just below the armpits; on the forearms are brace-
lets, fastened with loops on the inner side, and on tho feet sandals,
held in place by vertical heelpieces and thongs, and decorated with
large flaps, which almost cover the dorsum of each foot. Attached
Fig. 67. — Another view of incense burner
shown in plate 20.
120
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
[bull.*64
to the incense burner, and forming a background for the figure, are pro-
jecting feather ornaments extending from the headdress to the elbow.
The mound was dug away to the ground level. It was found to
be built of blocks of limestone and earth, but nothing of moment was
found in it with the exception of numerous potsherds of all kinds.
Mound No. 25
Mound No. 25 was situated in the country of the Icaiche Indians,
Quintana Roo, Yucatan. The mound was discovered by the Indians
when cutting down virgin bush to make a milpa, or corn plantation.
It was a moderate-sized mound,
about 10 feet high, and upon its
summit, uncovered, lay the ob-
jects illustrated in figures 68, 69,
and 70. Figure 68 exhibits a
roughly formed clay figurine,
nearly 1 foot in height, decorat-
ing a small hourglass-shaped in-
cense burner. Both figure and
vase are very crudely modeled in
rough pottery; most of the prom-
inent characteristics of the care-
fully modeled and elaborately
decorated incense burner repre-
sented in plate 20 and figure 67
are still retained. The large
round ear plugs, with long flaps
from the headdress overlapping
Fig. 68.-Incense burner decorated with crude clay them, the horizontally Striated
figurine from Mound No. 25. . . 1 ,.
breastplate, and even a rudiment-
ary maxili, together with the extended position of the arms, as if in the
actof making an offering, and the background of featherworkarefeatures
which may be recognized. There is exhibited, however, a lamentable
decadence from the art which fabricated the more elaborate vase. In
figure 69 may be seen what probably represents a further stage of de-
generation— namely, the substitution of the head for the entire figure
on the outside of the incense burner. The last stage of all in the
decadence of this branch of Maya art is to be seen in the small
crude bowls found by Sapper in the great Christa of the settlement of
Izan, and by Charnay in the ruins of Menche Tinamit.1 These bowls,
1 Accounts of the finding of these incense burners and of copal are common in both ancient and modern
times. "Halle en una de las dos Capillas cacao ofrecido, y scfial de copal (que es su incienso) de poeo
tiempo alii quemado, y que lo era de alsuna supersticion, 6 idolatria recien cometida." — Cogolludo, His-
toria de Yucathan, Bk. iv, Cap. vn, p. 193.
"Y los que ivan tenlan de costumbre de entrar tambien en templos derelictos, quando passavan poi
ellos a orar y quemar copal." — Landa, op. cit., p. 158.
«ann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS
121
each decorated with a roughly modeled human face, are manufac-
tured by the modern Indians and used by them in burning copal
gum in the ruins of the temples erected by their ancestors. Figure 70
shows a life-sized hollow head, in rough pottery, with a thin hollow
neck, probably used to carry around in processions on the top of a long
pole. There can be no doubt that these bowls and hourglass-shaped
vessels, each decorated externally with a human figure or face, usually
that of a god, were used as incense burners, since a number of them, as
already stated, were found in a
mound at Santa Rita with half
burnt out incense still contained
in them. Moreover, their use for
this purpose persists to the present
day among the Lacandones1 and
even among the Santa Cruz
Indians. These incense burners
occur most frequently in the cen-
tral part of the Maya area and are
not common in northern Yucatan
or southern Guatemala. Three
distinct types are found : The first
include the large, well-modeled
specimens found in and around
burial mounds, decorated with
the complete figure of the god
(usually Cuculcan or Itzamna),
having every detail in clothing
and ornament carefully executed
in high relief. These are all prob-
ably pre-Columbian, and such as
have been found seem to have been used only as ceremonial mor-
tuary incense burners, to be broken into fragments (which were
scattered through or over the burial mound) immediately after use.
"While searching the upper steps of the pyramid my men found two interesting Incense vessels with
a head on the rim."— Maler, Researches in the Central Portion of the t'sumatsintla Valley, Part 2,
p. 136.
"In nearly all the houses (speaking of Yaxchilan) I found earthen pots, partly Idled with some half-
burned resinous substance. . . . They were in great numbers round the idol in the house I lived in.
Some looked much newer than others, and many are in such positions that it was clear that they had b: en
placed there since the partial destruction of the houses." — Macdslay, Explorations in Guatemala.
pp. is", 2d|.
Ciiarnay, Voyage au Yucatan et au pays des Lacandons, pp. 3.1 is.
"Sc trouvent une multitude de vfeses d'une terre grossiere, et dune forme nouvelle; ce sont des bols
de dix it quinze centimetres de diametrc sur cinq a six do hauteur, dont les bords sont omds de masque
humains rrprrisentanl des figures camardes et d'autres a, grands net bus \u6s, vtJril tblcs caricatures oft
Part fait compl&tcmcnl deTaut Ccs vases scrvaicnl de brule-parfuras, et la pluparl sont encore a
mcitie pleins de copal." CHARNAY, Ibid., p. B8.
1 "These Incense-bumcrs are used by the Lacandones in their religious ceremonies. Each family or
group of connected families living together possesses several of the incense-burners or bra.vcros."— Tozzi i!.
Comparative Study of the Mayas and lacandones, p. M.
Fig. 69.-
Crude clay figurine found in Mound
No. 25.
122
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
[ BULL. 64
The specimen shown in plate 20 and figure 67 is a typical example of
this class.
Incense burners of the second type are smaller, cruder, and probably
later in date than those of the first type. Some of these are deco-
rated with the entire figure, but more of them with the face only of
the god.
Villagutierre tells us that the Indians of this region as late as the
end of the seventeenth century still practiced to some extent the
rites of their ancient religion;1 and in the voyages which he describes
up the Rio Hondo, and to
Tipu, the Spaniards must
frequently have come in con-
tact with the ancestors of
the present Santa Cruz and
Icaiche Indians, from whose
territory the specimens
shown in figures 68 and 69,
typical examples of this
class, were taken. During
the early years of the Spanish
occupancy it is probable that
the Indians, even in this re-
mote and little visited region,
living in a constant state of
semiwarfare and rebellion,
robbed, enslaved, driven
from their villages, with
little time to cultivate their
milpas, gradually lost their
ancient traditions and arts,
and, long neglecting, ultimately almost entirely forgot, the elaborate
ritual connected with their former religion. Such a decadence may
be observed in comparing the incense burners illustrated in plate 20
and figure 68. The very marked facial characteristics of the former
have given place to the crudely modeled, vacuous face of the latter,
resembling the work of a child; while the elaborate dress and orna-
ment, each minutest part of which probably had a special significance
and symbolism, though retaining to some extent the form of their
main constituents — the headdress, breastplate, maxtli, and sandals —
have almost completely lost the wealth of detail which gave them
significance.
1 " Y las dos mas grandes, dc Comunidad, y la otra, aim mas grandc, que todas las otras, era el Adoratorio
de los perversos Idolos de aquellos Laeandones, donde se hallaron muchos de ellos, do formas raras, como
assimismo cantidad de Gallinas muertas, lirasseros, con sefiales de aver quemado Copal; y aunse hallaron
las cenizas calientes, y otras diversas, ridiculas, y abominables eosas, pertenecientes a la execicuion desus
perversos Ritos, y Sacrifieios." — Villagutierre, op. eit., p. 264.
Fig. 70. — Crude clay figurine found in Mound No. 25.
gann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 123
Incense burners of the third type are decorated with a very crude
representation of the face only of the god, consisting in some cases
merely of slits for the eyes and mouth, with a conical projection for
the nose, on the outer surface of the vessel. Some of the faces are
represented conventionally by two ears, with ear plugs, one on each
side of the vessel, or by knobs of clay on its outer edge, which repre-
sent the hair. Lastly, the incense burner, which may be recognized
by its hourglass shape, may be quite plain and undecorated.
The third type is probably the latest in point of time; ' this includes
the crude face-decorated bowls still used by the modern Lacandones,2
among whom the ritual, as is so frequently the case, seems to have
survived almost in its. entirety the faith which gave birth to it.
This is the more readily comprehensible when we remember that the
manufacture and use of these ceremonial incense burners was practiced
commonly by all classes of the people, not having been restricted,
like most other details of the Maya ritual, solely to the priests.
0 b
Fig. 71.— Small pottery vases found in Mound No. 26.
Mound No. 26
Mound No. 26 was situated in a clearing about 7 miles to the south
of Corozal, in the northern part of British Honduras. There were
about 20 mounds, irregularly grouped, in this clearing, varying from
6 to 12 feet in height and from 50 to 120 feet in circumference. The
mound was 8 feet high by 80 feet in circumference. It was built of
rough blocks of limestone, limestone dust, and earth, tightly packed
1 See Tozzer, op. cit., p. 87: "If we consider the type of bowl with the knob-like projection as a transi-
tion form, we are led to the conclusion that the most primitive form of incense burner was the bowl on
which was represented the whole body at first, and then the head of a person or animal."
Ibid., p. 91: "The Lacandones assert that in former times the incense burners were made in other forms,
some possessing arms and legs. These are seldom made or used now."
■ These face-decorated bowls were in use as incense burners among the Mayas of Valladolid, very shortly
after the conquest. See Relacion de la villa de Valladolid, p. l*-">: "Adoraban unos idolos hechos de barro
A manera de jarillos y de macetas de albabaca, hechos en ellos de la parte de afuera rostros desemejados,
quemaban dentro de estos una resina llamada copal, de gran oler. Esto les ofreclan a estos idolos, y ellos
cortaban en muchas, partes de sus miembros y ofreclan aquella sangre."
See also Uelacion de los pueblos de I'opola. y Sinslmato y Samiol, pp. 44-45: "Csaban de adorar unos
jarrillos hechos en ellos rostros desemejados, teniandolos por sus ydolos qucmavan dentro y ofresian um
resina llamada copal (pies eomo trementina elada, do gran olor, y se cortavan en muchas partes para ofrecer
la sangre a aquel ydolo."
124 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. G4
together, forming a tough, resistant mass. The mound was com-
pletely removed to the ground level, but nothing of interest except
chips of flint, fragments of obsidian knives, and potsherds was found
till the ground level was reached. Lying upon this, near the center
of the mound, were found the two small vases represented in figure
71, a, b. Each is about 6 inches in diameter; the one marked a is
of polished red pottery, nearly globular in shape; b is of dark
chocolate-colored pottery, also finely polished. There was a space
of about 4 feet between the two vessels, in which were found frag-
ments of human bones.
Mound No. 27
Mound No. 27 was situated within 100 yaras of the next preceding,
compared with which it was slightly smaller. It was built of blocks
of limestone, limestone dust, and earth. No remains were found in
the mound till the ground level was reached. Resting on this,
about the center of the mound, lay a small vase
(fig. 72), 8 inches in height, of rough red pottery.
Close to this were a few fragments of human
bones and some teeth. This mound contained
nothing else of interest.
Mound No. 28
Mound No. 28 was situated close to Nos. 26 and
27, and was built of similar material. It was 6 feet
high by 120 feet in circumference. On the ground
fig. 72.-Red pottery level about the center of the mound lay a circular,
vase found in Mound flat-bottomed bowl 8 inches in diameter, painted a
dark chocolate color and polished . A hole had been
bored in its bottom and the bowl itself was broken into three pieces.
With it was an irregularly shaped piece of flint about 5 inches in
length, into which nearly 20 circular holes had been bored. It would
appear that this piece of flint had been used to test the merits of vari-
ous boring implements, as some of the holes were shallow depressions,
while others were half an inch deep. Most of them were mere circu-
lar depressions of varying diameters, with a smooth flat bottom, and
had evidently been made with a solid cylindrical borer , others, how-
ever, had a solid core projecting from their bottom, and appeared to
have been bored with a hollow cylinder; while a third variety had a
small ind entation at the summit of this central core. No further exca-
vation was done in this group of mounds, as they all appeared to be
sepulchral, belonging to persons of the poorer class, hence it was
considered very improbable that objects of interest would be found
in them.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
BULLETIN 64 PLATE 21
a. SMALL VASE DECORATED WITH HUMAN HEAD
b. HUMAN BONES FROM MOUND NO. 29
gaxx] MAYA. INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 125
' Mound No. 29
Mound No. 29, situated close to the seashore, near Corozal, was of
unusual construction, being built throughout of marl dust. It was
a low, flat mound, 2 feet in height by 25 feet in diameter. Nothing
of human origin was found in it with the exception of a few rough
potsherds. On reaching the ground level two circular well-like holes,
2 feet in diameter, were discovered, about 15 feet apart. At the top
both openings were covered with large blocks of limestone, on removing
which it was found that each hole was filled with marl dust, enclosing
in both cases a single male human skeleton. The knees had been forci-
bly flexed on the thighs, and the thighs on the pelvis, while the back
had been bent till the head, which rested on the folded arms, almost
touched the symphysis pubis. Evidently the body had been doubled
up at the time of burial, so as to fit tightly into the cavity, and had
been further compressed by ramming down large stones on top of
the marl dust with which it was surrounded.1 The bones in one
of the graves were in an excellent state of preservation, as may be
seen from plate 21, b; they are those of a young adult male, prob-
ably somewhat more than 5 feet in height, of poor muscular develop-
ment. The teeth are excellent; the skull is decidedly brachicephalic,
the measurements being: Length, 15.4 cm.; breadth, 17.5 cm.;
circumference, 52 cm.; cephalic index, 113. Beneath this skele-
ton were found an unfinished flint arrowhead, four fragments of
small obsidian knives, and the broken fragments of a small, round,
unpolished chocolate-colored bowl.
The bones in the other cist, though placed apparently under pre-
cisely the same conditions as the one first opened, were found to be
so friable that they crumbled into fragments when an effort was
made to remove them Beneath them were found only fragments of
obsidian knives.
Mound No. 30
Mound No. 30, situated close to Corozal, was completely dug down,
and was found to contain multiple burials. The mound was 8 feet in
height, roughly circular, and 40 feet in diameter. It was capped by a
layer of reddish-brown earth, 6 inches to 1 foot in thickness, beneath
which were alternate layers of soft cement, each about 1 foot thick, and
of small limestone rubble about 2 feet thick. Scattered over the sur-
face of the mound, just beneath the earth capping, were found a num-
ber of fragments of clay figurines. The best preserved of these were
three human faces, an arm with the hand holding a small bird, a bird's
head, an alligator's head, and a plaited cotton breastplate. At
depths varying from 2 to 'A feet, six interments were found; of these
1 "Quo on muriendo la persona, para sopultar el cuorpo le doblan las piernas y ponen la cara sobre las
nxlillas . . . abrenen tierraun hoyoredondo.'" — Cogolludo, op. cit., Ilk. xn, Chap, vn, p. 699.
126 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64
only a few fragments of the skull and long bones remained, not
enough to determine even the position in which the corpse had been
placed at burial. With the bones, in some cases close to them, in
others at some little distance, the following objects were discovered:
One rubbing stone (for grinding corn), 2 pear-shaped flints, 9 flint
hammerstones, 1 ax head, 1 flint scraper, 1 broken hone of slate, 1
flint spearhead, 2 fossil shells, 2 pieces of brick-like pottery, 1 pot-
tery disk, 3 small beads, and 1 shell.
On reaching the ground level of hard compact earth, it was found
that an oblong trench had been cut through the latter down to the lime-
stone rock beneath, 3 feet in breadth, and varying from 2 to 4 feet hi
depth; this trench had been filled in with small rubble. In its inner
wall, at the north side of the quadrangle, three interments had been
made by scooping out small cists in the earth, depositing the remains
therein, and filling in with limestone dust and rubble. With one of
these burials was fomid a small three-legged pot, of rough, unpolished
pottery; with another, a vessel in the form of a quadruped, 7 inches
in length, the identity of which is difficult to determine; and with the
third a small saucer-shaped vessel of red ware, and a nearly spherical
vessel of dark polished red ware. Within the latter were discovered
a few small animal bones, some fresh-water snail shells (as are found
at the present day in the neighboring swamps and oaten by the
Indians), and a few bivalve shells. It seems probable that this
vessel contained food, either as an offering to the gods or for the use
of the deceased in his passage to the next world. It is not uncom-
mon to find considerable accumulations of the shells of conchs,
cockles, snails, and other edible shellfish, with the bones and teeth of
deer, tiger, gibnut, snake, and (along the seashore) manatee, in
British Honduras mounds; but the remains of food offerings con-
tamed within a vessel are of rare occurrence.1
A number of these large flat mounds containing multiple burials
have been from time to time completely dug down near Corozal, in
order to obtain stone for repairing the streets. Beneath nearly all
of them were found trenches cut through the earth down to the
subjacent limestone. These trenches varied from 2 to 5 feet in
breadth ; in the case of the smaller mounds they formed a parallelo-
gram, a triangle, or even a single straight line; in the larger mounds
two parallelograms were joined by parallel trenches (see fig. 23 ) . They
were invariably filled with small rubble, and a few of them contained
1 Among the modern Maya Indians of this area food is no longer placed with the dead, but every Hanal
pishan, or All Souls' Day, tortillas, posol, meat, and other foods are placed upon the graves, on the odor of
which the soul of the departed is supposed to regale itself. Tozzer mentions the custom of burying food
with the dead as still practiced by the modern I.acandones. . (See Tozzer, A comparative Study of the
Mayas and the I.acandones, pp. 47-48.)
See also Cogolludo, op. cit., Bk. xn, Chap, vn, p. 699: "Al rededor le ponen mucha vianda,
una xicara, un calaba^o con atole, salvados de maiz, y unas tortillas grandes de lo mismo, que nan
llevado juntamente con el cuerpo, y assi lo cubren despues con tierra."
caxxI MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 127
interments in their walls. The purpose of these trenches is difficult to
surmise, as they could hardly have served as foundations; drainage
was unnecessary; and, while the trenches themselves were never em-
ployed for sepulchral purposes, it is only occasionally that a few
burials are found within cists* excavated in the earth along their
margins.
Three kinds of burial seem to have been commonly employed
among the ancient inhabitants of this part of the Maya area. The
poorest class were buried in large flat mounds, some of them a half
an acre in extent and containing as many as 40 to 50 interments.
The body was usually buried with the feet drawn under the pelvis,
the knees flexed on the abdomen, the arms crossed over the chest, and
the face pressed down on the knees; the position, in fact, in which it
would occupy the smallest possible space. With the remains are usu-
ally found a few objects of the roughest workmanship, as flint hammer-
stones, scrapers, and spearheads, pottery or shell beads, stone
metates and henequen scrapers, small obsidian knives and cores,
and unglazed, rough pottery vessels. In the second class of burials,
each individual has a mound, varying from 2 to 30 feet in height, to
himself. Several mounds of this class have already been described
from the neighborhood of Corozal. The objects found with inter-
ments of this class are usually more numerous and of better workman-
ship than those found in the multiple burial mounds, though they
do not show much greater variety. The position of the skeleton,
whore it has been possible to ascertain this, is usually the same as in
the multiple burial mounds; occasionally, however, it is found in the
prone position, and, in rare instances, buried head down. The third
mode of burial was probably reserved for priests, caciques, and other
important individuals. The interment took place in a stone cist or
chamber, within a large mound, varying from 20 to 50 feet in height.
The skeleton is found in the prone position, surrounded by well painted
and decorated vases, together with beautiful greenstone, shell, obsid-
ian, and mother-of-pearl beads, gorgets, studs, ear plugs, and other
ornaments.1 Some of these mounds contain two or even three cham-
bers or cists, superimposed one upon the other. The skeleton is
then usually found in the top cist, the accompanying objects being
placed in the lower ones. In one instance partial cremation seemed
to have been practiced, as fragments of half-burned human bones
were found in a largo pottery urn.
1 This practice of burying with the dead some of their belongings is mentioned bo*h by Landa and Villa-
giil icrre.
" Kntorravanlos dontro en sus casus <> a his espaldas dellas, echandoles en 1 1 sepultura alcunos de sus
idolos, y : si era sacerdote algunos de sus libros, y si hechizero de sus piedras <!<> hechizos y pellrechos." —
Landa, op. «*it . , p. 196.
"Tenian porcostumbreestos Indies, de sepultar loe Dlfuntos en los Campos, a corta distancia del Pueblo,
y po ier sobro las Se| i:ltrras de Ins Varones Manquitos, I'uquletes, y otras cosas del v o varonil; y sobro
la-s do las Mugcres, i'icdras <lc moler, Ollas, Xic-aras, y otros trastos a oste modo."— Villagitikrrk. op.
nit., p.;il3.
128
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
Mound No. 31
[BULL. 64
Mound No. 31 was situated close to the Rio Nuevo, about 16 miles
from its mouth, in the northern part of British Honduras. It was a
somewhat flattened mound, 15 feet in height, built of blocks of lime-
stone, limestone dust, and earth. At* a depth of 9 feet, the angle of a
ruined building, formed by two walls averaging 2 feet high, intersect-
ing at right angles, and built of squared blocks of limestone, was
Fig. 73.— Pottery vessels found in Mound No. 31.
brought to light. The walls enclosed part of a floor of smooth, hard
cement. Numbers of blocks of squared stone were found throughout
the upper part of the mound, which had evidently at one time formed
part of the ruined building. Resting on the cement floor, close to the
wall, were found nine pottery vessels, covered with limestone dust.
Five of these were of the type shown in figure 73, a, of dark-red, rather
coarse pottery, 12 inches in diameter at the rim. One, pictured in
figure 74, is the usual Maya chocolate pot, similar to the one already
described (see fig. 24, g), except that the spout, instead of bending
inward toward the vessel, passes directly
upward parallel to its perpendicular axis,
an arrangement which must have ren-
dered it far easier to drink from the ves-
sel or pour fluid out of it. The three
other vessels found are illustrated in fig-
ures 73, b, c, and d; b is of polished choco-
late-brown pottery, 3 inches in diameter
by 5 inches in height; c is of thick red
pottery, 3 inches high, with two small
handles for suspension, one on each side;
d is of coarse polished red ware, unusually thick and clumsy, 12
inches high by 8 inches in diameter. Each of these vessels con-
tained a single small polished greenstone bead. No other objects
were found associated with them, and there was no trace of human
bones. Excavations were made in this mound to the ground level
without results. The lower part of the mound was built of large
blocks of limestone and rubble, held loosely together with friable
mortar.
Fig. 74. — Chocolate pot found in
Mound No. 31.
GANN]
MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS
129
Mound No. 32
Mound No. 32 was situated quite closo to No. 31, which it Very
closely resembled in both size and construction. At a depth of
9 feet the end of a small building constructed of squared blocks of
limestone was brought to light. The walls wore still standing to a
height of 2 to 3 feet, and showed traces of a red stucco covering on
their inner surfaces. The cement floor of the building and the plat-
form upon which it stood could also be traced. Lying upon this
floor wore five pottery vessels and an unfinished flint celt. Two
of these vessels were precisely similar to that shown in figure 73, a;
one is a largo, circular, shallow plaque, of rather thick reddish-brown
pottery, in tho center of which a small hole has been made, evidently
with the object of rendering the plaque useless. The last two vessels
are illustrated in figure 75, a, b. A is an unusually large vessel of very
coarse, thick, red pottery, 18 inches high, which had probably been
1/^i
tig.
-Pottery vessels found in Mound No. M
used to contain corn or some such dry material, as tho pottery was
too friable and soft for a cooking pot, or even to hold water. B is a
small three-legged vase, 4 inches high, of coarse, unpaintod pottery.
Each of these five vessels, with the exception of tho plaque, contained
a single polished greenstone bead. Tho celt was roughly blocked out
of yellowish flint. No objects except those above described were found
with these vessels, nor were there any traces of human burial. Exca-
vations were made in the mound to the ground level, and it was found
to bo composed below the platfonn upon which tho building stood of
a solid mass of rubble and limestone held together by loose, friable
mortar. There are numerous groups of mounds of all sizes in the
neighborhood, and judging by these, and by tho potsherds and flint
and obsidian chips which one finds strewn over the surface of the
soil in great profusion, it must have been a donsely populated region
70SO60— IS— Bull. <i4 9
130
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
[ BULL. 64
Fig. 76.— Head cut from limestone found in
Mound No. 32.
at ono time. Tho two life-size hum an. heads shown, infigures 76 and 77
were found close to these two mounds in digging a posthole. Fig-
ure 76 represents a grotesque head cut from a solid block of crystal-
line limestone. Figure 77 is a mask,
rather crudely cut from greenstone and
unpolished. Both were buried in tho
marl and wore unaccompanied by other
objocts.
Mound No. 33
Mound No. 33 was situated near
Bacalar, in the Province of Quintana
Roo, Mexico. It was 6 feet in height
by 20 feet in diameter, and was built
of blocks of limestone, limestone dust,
and earth. Near the summit of this
mound, close to the surface, was found
the small soapstone lamp illustrated
in figure 78, 4 J inches in length. by If
inches in depth. The lamp is deco-
rated in front with a floral design,
and at the back by wing or feather-like ornaments, possibly meant
to represent the tail and half -folded wings of a bird. It is finely
polished throughout but had probably never been used, as in hol-
lowing out the interior the maker had carried one of his strokes too
close to the surface, making a small hole, which would have allowed
the oil to escape. There is a
freedom and lack of convention-
ality, both in the pleasing and
natural floral design and in the
flowing lines of the back part of
this little lamp, which are to-
tally unlike the cramped and
highly conventional style to be
observed in similar small objects
of ancient Maya manufacture.
So widely does it differ from
Maya standards that there
can be but little doubt that it
was introduced in post-Colum-
bian days, probably very soon
after the conquest, especially as in the same mound was found one
of the small painted clay figurines so common in mounds in this
neighborhood, which with the censers probably belonged to the
Fig. 77. — Greenstone mask found in Mound No. 32.
gaxx] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 131
latest period of Maya culture. Another explanation which suggests
itself is that the lamp was buried in the mound at a much later
date (possibly during the troublous times of the Indian rebellions,
between 1840 and 1850) by someone who wished to hide it tem-
porarily, and that it had no connection with the original purpose
of the mound. No other objects were found in this mound, with
the exception of a number of potsherds, till the ground level was
reached, where, near the center of the mound, the painted clay figur-
ine shown in plate 22 was uncovered. This represents a deer with a
human head, whose headdress is the upper jaw of some mythological
animal. The back of the figure, which is hollow, contains a small open-
ing near the tail, covered with a conical plug of clay. Within were
Fig. 78.— Soapstone lamp found in Mound No. 33.
two small beads, one of polished red shell, the other of polished green-
stone. The whole figurine had been coated with lime wash, over
which were painted black lines, dots, and circles.1 The human face,
earrings, gorget, and part of the headdress are painted blue, while
the mouth of both the human face and the face in the headdress are
painted red. Near the figurine lay a vessel (fig. 79) of rough yellow
pottery, unpainted and undecorated, with two small ear-like projec-
tions just below the rim. No bones and no trace of human burial
wore found in the mound.
1 This white lime wash, applied evenly to the entire surface, over which other colors were afterward
painted, seems to have been used on all the more elaborate incensarios and on nearly all the clay flpurinos
It is still employed by the modem Lacandones in the manufacture of their brasrros. (See Tozzer, A
comparative study of the Mayas and the Lacandones, p. 109.)
132
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
[BULL. 64
Fig. 79.— Rough
vessel found i
No. 33.
pottery
Mound
Mound No. 34
Mound No. 34, situated near Progreso, in the northern district of
British Honduras, was 5 feet in height, roughly circular, and about 20
feet in diameter at the base. The mound was built throughout of
rough blocks of limestone, rubble, and earth. At the ground level,
about the center of the mound, were found large flat unworked flags,
which seemed to have formed the roof of a small cist that had caved
in. Beneath these were found a few fragments
of bone, which crumbled away as they were being
removed, with a small spherical vase, of rough
unpainted pottery, 1J inches in diameter (pi.
21, a). This was decorated on the outside with
a human head wearing a peaked headdress, some-
what resembling the cap of liberty, and large circu-
lar ear plugs in the ears. Below the head pro-
jected a pair of arms with the hands clasped in
front, supporting between them a small pottery
ball. Within this little vase, which was filled
with earth and limestone dust, were found: (a)
A small earthenware bead (fig. 80, a), (b) A
small, very delicate obsidian knife, the tip of which is broken
off, but which otherwise shows hardly any signs of use (fig. 80, &). (c)
The terminal phalanx of a small and delicate finger, in a very fair
state of preservation (fig. 80, c). The burial of a terminal phalanx of
one of the fingers of the mother, with a favorite child, is not an un-
known custom among semicivilized peoples, and it is possible that
this little mound contains such an interment. The bones of the child
being fragile and deficient in calcareous
matter, may well have almost disap-
peared, while the finger bone of the
mother, being of more compact bony tis-
sue, and protected to some extent by the
vase in which it lay, has been preserved.
The crudeness of the modeling of the little
vase and of the face and arms thereon
would suggest that it may have been a
plaything of the child during life, and
even perhaps may have been modeled by its own hands. The
obsidian knife may have been used by the mother to separate the bone
at the last finger joint. The little figure which decorates the outside
of this vase closely resembles those curious figures in a diving position,
with arms pointed downward and feet upward, which are not uncom-
mon in this area. Figure 81 shows one represented on the outside
of a small vase; several are to be found, molded in stucco, on the
Fig.
-Objects found in Mound No. 34.
GaKnI MAYA INDIANS OP YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 133
ruined buildings of Tuluum, on the eastern coast of Yucatan, just
below the island of Cozumel, and they are occasionally, though rarely,
found decorating pottery incense burners, instead of the commoner
representations of the Gods ltzamna and Cuculcan. Neither Landa,
Vdlagutierre, nor Cogolludo mention the custom as practiced by
Maya mothers or relatives on the deaths of their children. Had it
been prevalent at the time of the conquest it seems hardly possible
that such a practice could have escaped their notice; on the other
hand, if the solitary phalanx had not been buried with the dead as a
memorial, its presence under these circumstances is very difficult to
explain.
In nearly all extensive groups of mounds one or more middens,
or refuse mounds, are to be found. The four mounds next described,
though varying much from one
another, are all distinctly of this
type.
Mound No. 35
Mound No. 35 was situated
near the Cayo, on the Mopan
River; it forms one of a group
of about 30 mounds scattered
over a considerable area. It
was 12 feet in height and
seemingly had been about 30
feet in diameter, but situated
as it was, immediately on
the river bank, nearly half
of it had been washed away
by the floods of successive
rainy seasons, leaving a clean
. , iii Fia. 81.— Figure in diving position on small vase.
section almost through the
center of the mound, very favorable for observing its construction.
The. lowest layer, 1 to 2 inches in thickness, resting on the ground
level, was composed of ashes mixed with fragments of charcoal;
above this was a layer of earth and stones about 1 foot in thick-
ness, and above this a further layer of ashes; and so on to the
top of the mound — strata of ashes averaging 2 inches thick alter-
nating with strata of earth averaging about 1 foot. No objects
with the exception of a few potsherds were found in the earth
layers, but the layers of ashes were rich in flint and obsidian
chips, fragments of conch and snail shells, clay beads and mala-
cates, potsherds in great variety and abundance, with the bones
of the deer, gibnut, and peccary. It would seem that this mound
had formed a sort of kitchen midden; that when a certain amount
134 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY T bull. 64
of refuse had been deposited it was covered with a layer of earth,
and that the mound must have been in use for a considerable
time to have reached its present height.
Small mounds containing considerable quantities of ashes and
charcoal mixed with earth and stones, together with refuse material,
as flint and obsidian chips, broken implements, potsherds, bones,
shells, clay beads and malacates, and similar indestructible objects, are
not of infrequent occurrence, and probably mark the sites of ancient
kitchen middens. Two such mounds were found on the mainland, south
of the island of Tamalcab, in Chetumal Bay, Yucatan, situated in what
seemingly had been a village site, occupying an area of approximately
20 acres. Great numbers of potsherds, fragments of pottery, images,
beads, malacates, chips and broken implements of stone and obsidian,
broken metates, fragments of conch and cockle shells, stone water-
troughs, and other indestructible rubbish were found scattered in
great profusion over the whole of this site.
Mound No. 36
Mound No. 36 was situated at Sarteneja, in the northern district
of British Honduras, quite close to the seashore. This mound was
2 feet 6 inches in height, about 12 feet in diameter; it was composed
throughout of conch shells mingled with cockle and whelklike shells.
Nothing except the shells was found in this mound, which forms one
of a group of similar mounds, evidently dumping places used by
each house, for the disposal of the shells of shellfish brought in from
the reef by the fishermen after the fish had been extracted and eaten.
Mound No. 37
Mound No. 37, situated close to the next preceding mound
on the seashore, at Sarteneja, is about 2 feet high by 12 to 15 feet in
diameter. It is composed almost entirely of fragments of rather
rough unpainted pottery and seemingly marks the site of a manu-
factory of this class of ware, as great quantities of fragments are also
to be found scattered in all directions around the mound. A small
quantity of earth was mingled with the potsherds, but nothing else
was found in the mound.
Mound No. 38
Mound No. 38, situated about 5 miles from Corozal, in the northern
district of British Honduras, was 6 feet in height by 15 feet in diame-
ter, with a flattened top. It was covered with a layer of humus and
contained nothing but fragments of weathered stone, of sizes varying
oann] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS
135
from small rubble to blocks weighing 30 to 40 pounds. Similar
mounds are found elsewhere and are apparently merely heaps of
stones, which have been picked up on the surface of the fields, as, un-
like other mounds, they contain no clay, limestone, or marl dust, mor-
tar, or other binding material and
no trace of burials or any object
of human construction.
t M
Mound No. 39
Mound No. 39 was situated on
Wild Cane Cay, a small island off
the southern coast of British Hon-
duras. The island seems to have
been built up with stone and other
material brought from the main-
land and to have been used as
a burial place. Several small
mounds are scattered over the face
of tho island; unfortunately most
of them had been dug down for tho
sake of the stone they contained
and the objects from tho graves
lest or given away. Those which
could be traced consisted chiefly
of copper ornaments, as rings, gor-
gets, and studs. Mound No. 39,
tho only one whoso contents were
ascertained with any degree of ac-
curacy, was a small circular mound
10 feet high, built of sand and
blocks of reef stone ; near the ground
level, about the center of the
mound, a single human interment
was found, the bones of which wore in an advanced state of decay;
mingled with theso were: (a) A round rod earthenware pot, con-
taining a few small circular beads made from conch shell and five
or six medium-sized, unused obsidian knives, (b) A second some-
what larger pot, of tho same shape and material, which contained
the upper part of the femur of a doer, on which is incised tho design
shown in figure 82. This is neatly executed in shallow lines:
tho upper part evidently represents a tiger, or tho skin of that
animal, and is separated by a platted design from the lower, which
may be intended as a representation of the God Itzamna. With
Fig. 82.— Design incised on femur of deer found
in Mound No. 39.
136 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bdij,. 64
the bone were two objects of, copper, one a finger ring constructed
of thin flat bands two-fifths inch apart, joined by double scrolls;
this is very much worn, either from use or from oxidization, conse-
quent on long exposure in the damp soil. The second copper
object (fig. 83) was probably used as a gorget, or for attachment to
a headdress, as at the back is seen a cruciform grille, evidently
intended to hold it in place. This object is in the form of a human
face, the lower part with its large mouth, thick prominent lips, and
flattened nose, exhibiting marked negroid characteristics, which
the upper part with its bulging prominent forehead contradicts.
The headdress is ornamented with three spikes passing along the
sagittal suture from front to back, while under the chin is a projec-
tion probably intended to represent a short beard. The ring and
ornament are both strongly suggestive of Spanish influence, as the
face with its thick lips, flattened nose, and bulging
forehead is totally unlike any type with which the
Maya were likely to come in contact, unless, indeed,
it were the Carib, who even at this early date had
possibly formed small settlements as far north as the
southern coast of British Honduras. If the objects
were of Spanish origin they were probably obtained
from some Spanish settlement farther north, possibly
Bakhalal, as there was no settlement between that
town and the coast of Guatemala till many years after
the conquest. That the cult of Itzamna was still flour-
fig. 83.— copper ob- ishing is shown by the effigy of the god incised on the
joctfoundin Mound deer bone, and according to Villagutierre, the In-
dians of this neighborhood up to the end of the
seventeenth century were closely allied to the Itzaex,1 who still
freely practiced their ancient religious rites.
Mound No. 40
Mound No. 40, situated near Pueblo Nuevo, on the Rio Hondo,
consisted of a ridge about 10 feet high by 40 feet in length. On the
summit of the ridge near its center, covered only by a layer of humus,
was found a small rough three-legged vase 3 inches high, contain-
ing a single long, polished, greenstone bead. The upper part of
the ridge was found to consist of blocks of limestone, limestone dust,
and rubble, on removing which to a depth of about 4 feet the ruins
of a building were brought to light (fig. 84). The bones were in so
poor a state of preservation that it was difficult to determine the exact
1 Speaking of the boundaries of the territory of the Itzaex,. Villagutierre (op. cit., p. 489), gives the sea
as its eastern limit. All the tribes between the lagoon of Itza and the sea were evidently not subject to
the Itzaex, however, as he mentions (Lib. IX, cap. m, p. 554) a number of tribes inhabiting this area writh
whom they were at war, and states (Lib. vi, Cap. iv p. 352) that the Mopanes and Tipu Indians were not
subject to the Canek of Itza.
gann]
MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS
137
position in which the body had been placed at the time of burial; it
had, however, certainly been fully extended. Close to the head were
found fragments of three round bowls, all precisely similar in both
size and coloring. Each was of the shape shown in figure 71 , b, Sh inches
high by 6^ inches in diameter, and was made of rather fine ash-
colored pottery, finely polished. Each of these bowls before burial
had had the bottom knocked out. The mound beneath the building
was composed of blocks of limestone, rubble, and limestone dust,
forming a tough, solid, compact mass. This would seem to have been
a small private house, not a temple, which (probably on account of the
death of its owner) had been deliberately wrecked, and the owner's
body buried beneath the cement floor of the one chamber remaining
partially intact. Fresh cement seems to have been applied over the
Fig. 84.— Ruins found in Mound No. 40. These consisted of broken-down wails about 2 feet high, joining
each other at right angles. Of the wall A-B, 10 feet remained standing; of the wall B-C, 8 feet. The
shaded space included between the walls was covered with hard smooth cement, which had been
broken away to a rough edge at its outer border and was continuous at its inner border with the stucco
which was still partly adherent to the walls. The walls themselves were built of blocks of limestone
(squared on their outer surfaces but rough within), rubble, and mortar; they were nearly 2 feet thick.
The long diameter of the ridge pointed almost due east and west. An excavation was made in the
cement floor, and at the depth of 18 inches, at the point marked D, a single interment was brought to
light.
grave before the greater part of the house was pulled down and the
wreckage piled up, to form a capping to the mound upon which the
house stood.
Mound No. 41
Mound No. 41 was situated in the northern district of British Hon-
duras, about 9 miles from Corozal. It consisted of a circular wall or
rampart varying from 4 to 10 feet in height, inclosing a spare 30
yards in diameter. The wall was built of earth and blocks of lime-
stone, and in places had become considerably flattened out from the
action of the heavy tropical rains of this region. To the north an
opening or gap existed about 10 yards across. Excavations were
made in the encircling wall of the inclosure, and also in the central
space, but nothing except fragments of pottery was discovered.
138 BUKEAU OP AMEBICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64
Mounds of this kind are found throughout the area, though not in
great numbers. Some of these are circular or horseshoe shaped, some
crescentic, and others curved or even straight ridges. As a rule
they contain nothing except a few potsherds, which would natu-
rally be picked up with the earth of which most of them are made;
in some, however (especially in the straight ridges), superficial inter-
ments have been found. These mounds were probably used as forti-
fications, the circular, horseshoe-shaped, and crescentic mounds
being particularly well adapted to this purpose.
At Yalloch, just across the Guatemala boundary line from Choro,
a small village in the western district of British Honduras, the
Alcalde made a remarkable discovery a few years ago. While hunt-
ing for a gibnut he traced one to a hole in the ground; on poking a
stick into this hole, he was astonished on withdrawing it to find that
he had brought out on its end a small painted pottery cylinder.
The hole on being enlarged proved to be the entrance to a chultun,
one of those curious underground chambers cut in the limestone rock
found throughout Yucatan and the northern part of British Hon-
duras, especially in the neighborhood of ruins. This chultun con-
tained numbers of fragments of very finely painted and decorated
pottery vases, together with two complete cylindrical vases, an ovoid
vase, and a pottery cylinder without bottom. Some of these were
within the chultun, some in a pit sunk in its floor, from which at a
later date several pieces of beautifully decorated potter}?- were taken.
The pit had evidently been used as a burial place, in which the
memorial pottery was deposited with the body. Merwin found
similar painted Maya vases some years later in a chamber covered
by a mound, at Holmul, within a few miles of Yalloch, and at Platon,
on the Mopan River, a sepulchral chultun was cleared out in which
human bones still remained. (Pis. 23-28.)
Near the point where Blue Creek or Rio Azul joins the Rio Hondo,
in the northern district of British Honduras, is situated in the bush
about 100 yards from the latter river a small circular lagoon, of a
deep blue color and considerable depth; from this flows a narrow
stream, also deep blue in color and highly impregnated with copper,
which opens into the main river just below the mouth of the Rio
Azul. The little lake is bounded on its eastern side by an almost
perpendicular cliff of limestone, in which are several small caves
and one large cave. The interior of one of the smallest of these
caverns, situated near the base of the cliff, not more than a few
yards in depth, was roughly hewn out so as to form shelves. Upon
these were found several hundred small binequins of incense, vary-
ing in size from 3 to 4 inches in length by 1^ to 2 inches in
breadth, to 8 to 10 inches in length by 3 to 4 inches in breadth.
The incense was composed of the gum of the white acacia mixed
oannI MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 139
with various aromatic substances; when burned it gave off a very
pleasant odor. The gum had evidently been poured while in a
liquid state into small bags, made of palm leaves, as in some of
the binequins considerable fragments of the palm leaves were still
adherent to the copal, and in all, casts of the leaves were left on the
soft surface of the gum before it solidified. The binequins which the
present-day Maya Indians manufacture as receptacles for their home-
made lime, though vastly larger, are precisely similar in shape, con-
struction, and appearance to those their ancestors used as recep-
tacles for copal. The entrance to the large cave was near the sum-
mit of the cliff and so difficult to reach that it can never have been
long used as a place of residence, though it would form an exceed-
ingly strong position to hold against an attack from without, as it
is necessary to cross a fallen tree trunk in order to enter, and this
might easily bo hauled back into the cave or pushed away from
its mouth, leaving it practically inaccessible. Nothing was found
in the cave except a large quantity of bats' excrement and of
rough red potsherds.
TWO PAINTED STUCCO FACES FROM UXMAL
Two human faces molded in stucco and painted were discov-
ered in a small stone-lined chamber situated beneath one of the
end rooms of the Casa del Gobernador in the ruins of Uxmal, north-
ern Yucatan. The room was accidentally disclosed by the caving
in of a small part of its roof. One of its walls was covered, above a
stone cornice, by a frieze of hieroglyphs, and against this wall stood
a small square stone altar, each side of which had been decorated
with a human figure molded in stucco and painted. Unfortunately
these figures had fallen; the two heads here described are the best
preserved parts of them which remain. Describing the sculpture in
stone which adorns the outside of the Casa del Gobernador, Stevens
ventures the opinion that some of the heads were portraits of cele-
brated men of the period.
The discovery of this chamber is extremely interesting, as it opens
up the possibility that many, if not all, of these vast substructures,
built apparently of solid stone, which throughout Yucatan support
more or less ruined buildings, may in fact be honeycombed with
chambers. Stevens first suggests the possibility of this. Unfortu-
nately since Stevens's day little or nothing has been done throughout
Yucatan in the way of excavation to verify the truth of his surmise.
Of the two heads now described, one probably represents a male,
the other a female; there is, moreover, a marked individuality about
each of them which renders it extremely probable that they are
portraits, possibly of some "Halach Uinic" (real man, or chief) of
Uxmal and his wife, during the palmy days of the triple alliance.
Each face is painted black with white circles round the orbital
margin, red rims to the eyes, and brick-red oval patches at either
angle of the mouth. The center of each upper lip is decorated by
a figure 8 shaped labret, the lower portion of which has been broken
away in the male head. Over the bridge of each nose is a curious
ornament consisting of a small oblong object with rounded corners,
held in place by a loop passing down the median line of the bridge.
Over the center of the forehead in both faces hangs a pendant, that
of the male composed of four small round beads, that of the female
appearing as a rounded comblike excrescence. Traces of the head-
dresses remain as a few feathers above each forehead. Both heads
were probably held within widely distended animal jaws, as a part
of the lower jaw is seen below the chin in the male head, where also
140
[bull. 64, ga^tn] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 141
the large circular red ear plug still remains on the right side. The
measurements of the faces are as follows:
Male. — Top of headdress to bottom of lower jaw of animal head
holding the face, 11 tV inches; top of headdress to bottom of chin,
9n7 inches; forehead below headdress, to bottom of chin, 8xV inches;
extreme breadth of face (midway between a transverse line passing
through the pupils and one passing immediately beneath the lower
margin of the nasal septum), 7tV inches; extreme breadth at level
of the pupils, 7 inches; length of nose, 2-fo inches; breadth of nose,
lyfr inches. » .
Female. — Top of headdress to bottom of chin, 10^% inches; fore-
head below headdress to bottom of chin, 8-fV inches; greatest breadth
of face, at same level as the male, 7TV inches; greatest breadth at
the level of eyes, 7-fo inches; length of nose, 2TV inches; breadth of
nose, 1^5 inches.
The city of Uxmal belongs to the later, or northern Maya, civili-
zation. Unlike the earlier southern cities, Uxmal is without a single
initial series date by which its age might be approximately deter-
mined. It was founded by Achuitok Tutulxu, probably about the
year 1000 of the Christian era. In the " Series of Katuns from the
Book of Chilam Balam of Mani" the date given is Katun 2 Ahau,
whereas in that from Tizimin it is recorded as having taken place
180 years later.1 The cities of Uxmal, Chichen Itza, and Mayapan
formed a triple alliance, which lasted for nearly 200 years, during
probably the most prosperous period of the whole Maya rule in
Yucatan. After the disruption of this alliance, caused by a quarrel
between the rulers of Chichen Itza and Mayapan, Uxmal gradually
declined in prosperity, till at the time of the conquest its temples and
palaces seem to have been completely abandoned. The city was
visited in 1586 by the Franciscan delegate Alonzo Ponce, one of
whose companions gives an interesting account of the ruins. De-
scribing the house of the governor, he says:
Besides these four buildings there is on the south of them, distant from them about
an arquebus shot, another very large building built on a "Mul " or hill made by hand,
with abundance of buttresses on the corners made of massive carved stones. The
ascent of this "mul" is made with difficulty, since the staircase by which the ascent
is made is now almost destroyed. The building which is raised on this "mul " is of
extraordinary sumptuousness and grandeur, and like the others very fine and beau-
tiful. It has on its front, which faces the east, many figures and bodies of men and of
shields, and of forms like the eagle which are found on the arms of the Mexicans, as
well as of certain characters and letters which the Maya Indians used in old time —
all carved with so <jreat dexterity as surely to excite admiration. The other facade,
which faces the west, showed the same carving, although more than half the carved
part had fallen. The ends stood linn and whole with their four corners much carved
in the round, like those of the other building below . . . Tho Indians do not know
1 Brinton, The Maya Chronicles, p. 87.
142 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64, gann]
surely who built these buildings or when they were built, though some of them did
their best in trying to explain the matter, but in doing so showed foolish fancies and
dreams, and nothing fitted into the facts or was satisfactory. The truth is that to-day
the place is called Uxmal. and an intelligent old Indian declared to the father delegate
that according to what the ancients had said it was known that it was more than nine
hundred years since the buildings were built.1
From this account there appears to be little doubt that at the time
of the conquest the great buildings of Uxmal were deserted and al-
ready falling into ruins. In the minds of the Indians they were
evidently associated with the practice of their ancient religious rites
at a much later date, for one of the reasons given by the regidor when
he applied for a grant of the land upon which the ruins stand was
that—
It would prevent the Indians in those places from worshipping the devil in the
ancient buildings which are there, having in them idols to which they burn copal,
and performing other detestable sacrifices as they are doing every day notoriously and
publicly.2
The ruins of Uxmal were probably venerated by the Indians up to
a very recent period, as in one of the chants used by the modern
Maya of southern Yucatan in their ''Cha chac" or rain ceremony the
"Noh Nah ti Uxmal," "Great house of Uxmal/' is introduced, which
possibly refers to the Casa del Gobernador, as this is the largest build-
ing among the ruins.
iRelacidn Breve, quoted by Spinden, A Study of Maya Art, pp. 7-8.
s Stephens, Incidents of Travel in Yucatan, vol. i, p. 323.
4r**di& *» <* i Jt
EXPLANATION OF PLATE 23
The ovoid vase shown in plate 23 is 11 inches high by 6£ inches in diameter at
its widest part. It is of very fine pottery, with decorations in red, black, and reddish
yellow on a background of light yellow. The outer surface is divided by double
black lines into three zones. The uppermost and narrowest zone contains, between a
broad red band above and two narrow black bands below, a row of 10 glyphs surrounding
the edge of the vase. The middle zone, the broadest, contains upon one side (un-
fortunately the decoration upon the other side has been almost obliterated by time
or wear) a human figure, in a crouching position, the right hand extended, the left
resting upon the ground. The face is in profile, and around the left eye is seen the
ornament usually associated with the representation of a god. This may be intended
to represent Schellhas's God D of the Codices, known as the Roman-nosed God,
probably Itzamna, as this peculiar eye ornament is often associated with him. The
headdress is exceedingly elaborate, projecting far in front of and behind the head,
and is decorated with plumes of feathers. The whole figure strongly suggests the
bas-relief on the side of the door of the altar at Palenque, which is undoubtedly a
representation of the god Itzamna. The curious eye ornaments, the construction of
the elaborate headdress, the contour, of the face, and the platted objects hanging
down in front of and behind the chest, from the neck, are similar in both. The
lowest zone is decorated with vases having handles at the sides, narrow necks, and
flaring rims from which project flame-like tongues; on the outer surface of each is
depicted an "Ahau" sign. The vases alternate with curious objects which might
represent bales of merchandise; the whole, indeed, closely resembles the tribute
count of some Aztec city.
EXPLANATION OF PLATE .24
The cylindrical vase shown in plate 24 is 6 inches in diameter by 11 inches high.
It is divided into three zones, the uppermost of which contains a single row of hiero-
glyphics, in fair preservation, between a broad red band above and two narrow black
bands below. The middle zone, by far the broadest, contains two very spirited repre-
sentations of the Long-nosed God, one on each side of the vase, done in red, black,
white, and dark yellow. The Long-nosed God, called by Schellhas in his "Repre-
sentation of Deities of the Maya Manuscripts" God B, is usually identified with
Cuculcan, the feathered serpent; the Aztec Quetzalcoatl. This god is usually repre-
sented with a long pendulous nose and one or two projecting tusks, and is almost in
variably associated with the serpent. The head of the god is often held between the
serpent's open jaws, or has added to it a serpentine body; again the god may be en-
circled by intertwining serpents, or may hold the reptile's body in his hand, like a
wand. Though the serpentine attributes of the god are in this instance conspicuous
by their absence, and the tapir attributes are emphasized, there can be little doubt
that the painting is meant to represent God B,' as the long pendulous nose and pro-
jecting tusks are highly characteristic of that god. The lowest and narrowest zone of
this vase is covered with alternating red and black lines.
EXPLANATION OF PLATE 25
The cylindrical vase shown in plate 25 is 7 \ inches in height by 4 J inches in diame-
ter. The whole of the decoration upon it is in light and dark red on a light yellow
background, and, like the two previously described vases, it is divided into three
decorative zones. The uppermost zone contains a single row of glyphs, almost in-
decipherable, apparently from constant use of the vase before it was buried. The
middle zone contains two very remarkable mythological creatures, one on each side,
whose feather-covered bodies, long legs, and large feet are suggestive of the ostrich.
The necks are long and covered with flame-like projections, and both they and the
heads, with their huge elongated jaws, are evidently intended for those of feathered
serpents. The lowest zone of the vase is narrow, and contains only a narrow and a
broad red stripe.
7080G0— 18— Bull. G4 10
EXPLANATION OF PLATES 26, 27, AND 28
The pottery cylinder shown in plates 26, 27, and 28 is 10£ inches high by 4 inches
in diameter and is without a bottom. It is most exquisitely decorated in light and
dark red and dark yellow on a light yellow background, and is also divided into three
decorative zones. The uppermost zone contains only a single row of hieroglyphs,
very much defaced, among which may still be recognized several of the Maya day
signs. The middle zone, by far the broadest, is covered by a most intricate design,
containing human and mythological figures and hieroglyphs, with ornamental plumes,
plate, and pendants; the whole, owing to the partial obliteration of the design, being
extremely difficult to make out. On one side is seen a highly conventional representa-
tion of what is undoubtedly intended for the feathered serpent, with tail bent around
to join the upper part of the head. The feathered serpent appears to permeate all
Maya art in this section of the Maya area; whether painted on pottery or stucco, or
incised on bone, pottery, or other material, one encounters him at every step. The
serpent rests upon a row of glyphs, very much defaced, and below this is a mass of
bows, knots,- plumes, and glyphs. Farther along is a fierce-faced human figure,
probably a warrior, with lofty and elaborate headdress, ornamented with many long
feather plumes. Between the warrior and the serpent is a row of eight cartouches,
superimposed one upon the other, each containing glyphs, a good deal defaced, among
which the "Ahau" sign may still be clearly made out. The opening glyph in this
panel may refer to the katun 8 Ahau. This katun can end in 8 Ahau only once in
260 years, or twice in the ninth cycle, namely, on 9.0.0.0.0.8 Ahau, 3 Ceh, and on
9.13.0.0.0.8 Ahau, 8 Uo; and it is reasonable to suppose that if this is a calendar record
it refers to some date in the ninth cycle. Naranjo, the nearest ancient Maya city to
Yalloch, was occupied for a period of approximately 12 katuns, or 240 years,1 between
9.7.10.0.0 and 9.19.10.0.0; if this glyph, therefore, refers to a katun ending in 8 Ahau
in the ninth cycle, the date 9.13.0.0.0 is certainly indicated.
i Morley, An Introduction to the Study of the Maya Hieroglyphs, p. 15.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
BULLETIN 64 PLATE 26
POUfRf CYLINDER FROM YALLOCH, GUATEMALA
(OTHER VIEWS IN PLATES 27 AND 28)
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
BULLETIN 64 PLATE 27
POTTERY CYUNDFR FROM YALLOCH, GUATEMALA
(OTHER VIEWS IN PLATES 26 AND 28)
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY
BULLETIN 64 PLATE 28
POTTERY CYLINDER FROM YALLOCH, GUATEMALA
(OTHER VIEWS IN PLATES 26 AND 27)
AUTHORITIES CITED
Brinton, Daniel G. The Maya chronicles. Brinton 's Library Aboriginal Amerif an
Literature, vol. i. Phila. 1882.
Charnay, Desire. Voyage au Yucatan et au pays des Lacandons. La Tour du
Monde, vol. xlvii, pp. 1-96; vol. xlviii, pp. 33-48. Paris, 1884.
Cogolludo, Juan Lopez de. Historia de Yucathan. Madrid, 1688.
Gann, Thomas. On exploration of two mounds in British Honduras. Proc. Soc.
Ant. London, 2d ser., vol. xv, pp. 430-434. London, 1894-95.
On the contents of some ancient mounds in Central America. Ibid., 2d ser.,
vol. xvi, pp. 308-317. London, 1896-97.
Mounds in northern Honduras. Nineteenth Rept. Bur. Amer. Elhn., pt. 2,
pp. (555-692. Washington, 1900.
Joyce. Thomas A. Mexican archaeology. New York, 1914.
Landa, Diego de. Relation des choses de Yucatan. Texte Espagnol et traduction
Francaise. Published by Brasseur^ie Bourbourg. Paris, 1864.
Maler, Teobert. Researches in the central portion, of the Lsumatsintla Valley.
Pt. 2. Mem. Peabody Mus., vol. n, no. 2. Cambridge, 1903.
Explorations in the Department of Peten, Guatemala. Mem. Peabody Mux.,
vol. iv, no. 2. Cambridge, 1908.
Maudslay, A. P. Explorations in Guatemala. Proc. Royal Geog. Soc., vol. v, no.
I. pp. 185-204. London, 1883.
Morlev, Sylvanus Griswold. An introduction to the study of the Maya hiero-
glyphs. Bull. 57, Bur. Amer. Ethn. Washington, 1915.
Relacion de la villa de Valladolid. Actas Cong. Int. Amer., Madrid, 1881. vol. n.
Madrid, 1884.
Relacion de los pueblos de Popola y Sinsimato y Samiol. Coleccion de documentos
ineditos, relativos al descubrimiento , conquista y colonizadon de las posesiones Espanolas
en America y Oceania. 2d ser., vol. xm. Madrid, 1900.
Spinden, H. J. A study of Maya art. Mem. Peabody Mus., vol. vi. Cambridge,
1913.
Stephens, John L. Incidents of travel in Yucatan. Vols. i-ii. New York, 1843.
Thomas, Cyrus. Day symbols of the Maya year. Sixteenth Rt p. Bur. Amer. Ethn.,
pp. 205-264. Washington, 1897.
Tozzer, Alfred M. A preliminary study of the prehistoric ruins of Xakuni. Guate-
mala. Mem. Peabody Mus., vol. v, no. 3. Cambridge, 1913.
Comparative study of the Mayas and LacandoD.es. Pub. Anhseol. Inst. Amer.
New York, 1!)()7.
Villagutierre, Juan de. Hietoria de la conquista de la provincia de el Itza . . .
a las provincias de Yucatan. [Madrid], 1701.
143
INDEX
Pago
Agriculture, most important occupation of
Indians 20
Alcohol, effect on Indian temperament 34
Amulets, worn by women 19
Animals—
Domestic, kept by ancient inhabitants ... 55
kept for pets 25
Arts of the ancients, fine examples dis-
covered .• 53
Baskets, making of 30
Bleeding, favorite remedy * 37
Bones, measurements of 51
Bristol Museum, objects from collection of. 13
British Honduras, Northern, geographical
description of. 14
British Museum, objects from collection of. . 13
Candles, method of making 31
CANOE3—
making of 28
used for trading along rivers 29
Ceremonies, the four principal 42
Ceremony, Cha chac, at ripening of corn,
description 42
Charms worn by women 19
Chief—
power practically absolute 35
rarely dies natural death 35
strongest subchief usually succeeds 35
Childbirth, methods of facilitating 38
Children, love for and disposition of 33
Chronology, three periods of Mayan civili-
zation 58
Cigarettes—
making of 30
smoked by women . 17
Cooking, native methods of 22
Cooking utensils, description of 27
Corn -
harvesting and storing ol 20
preparation of ground and planting of 20
surplus sold or exchanged 20
Corn husks, wrappers for cigarettes 30
Corn plantation. See Milpa.
"CUHUN RIDGES"— .
description of 14
sites of ancient mounds It
sites of modern villages 14
Death sentence, how executed 35
Diet—
description of 21
maize staple article of, among ancient
inhabitants 55
Diseases—
bleeding for 37
eye trouble, remedy for :is
intestinal parasites 37
malaria 30
smallpox 37
venereal 37
whooping cough, remedy for ,'is
Press
ancient inhabitants 52
ancient priests .'>.!
ancient warriors 52
Page
Dress— Continued.
now principally English and American
goods 19
Drunkenness—
curse of the Indians 34
not considered a disgrace 34
Fire, methods of making 22
Fish—
methods of catching 25
varieties of 25
Fishing —
harpooning at night 25
methods of 25
torch used in 25
Food—
animals used as, by ancient inhabitants. 55
kind and method of eating modified by
contact with more civilized communi-
ties 22
method "of serving and eating 22
preparation and serving of 21
snakes used as 24
turtles' eggs used as 24
Fowls, use of, in Cha chac ceremony 45
Furniture—
description of 27
hammocks conspicuous articles of 27
Game—
pursuit of 23
traps used in capturing 24
Game birds and animals—
list of 24
preparation and curing of, for future use. 21
Games—
of the ancient inhabitants 56
played by adults and children 39
Hammocks—
conspicuous articles of furniture 27
hiding places for "cooties" 27
Headdresses—
ancient warriors and priests 52
animals carved in wood 52
Henequen fiber—
method of cleaning 30
uses of 31
Homes, not particular as to cleanliness of 16
Hookworms, prevalent, due to oarth-cating
habits of children 37
Houses —
ancient, description of 53
built with assistance of neighbors 26
method of construction 26
Hunting, torch used in 24
ICAICHB, estimate of population 13
Immorality, brought about by cheapness of
rum 33
INDIANS, causes of early deaths 34
ITZAS, occupying western British Honduras. 13
Liverpool Musewm, objects from collection
of 13
Macapal—
carried by children, causing bowlegs.. . 10
description of its use IS
habits acquired by constant carrying of. . 16
145
146
INDEX
Mac apal— Continued . • Page
weighted with stones as counterpoise in
traveling 16
Machete, used as tool and weapon. 28
Malaria—
chief scourge of Indians 36
treated by sweating 36
Marriage —
age of 32
all degrees of racial mixture 34
ceremony often delayed 33
Maya women to Negro men common 33
not legal among Santa Cruz unless per-
formed by certain official 33
obligation somewhat loose 33
usually by Catholic priest 33
Massage, practiced by mid wives 38
Maya, progenitors of present inhabitants 15
Medicine, list of plants used as 38
Men—
cruelty of, often in nature of reprisal 18
dress of 18
example of cruelty of master to servant. . 18
have no desire to accumulate wealth 18
mental characteristics of* 17
occupation of 17
skillful in finding routes and in following
tracks 18
stoical in bearing pain 18
Metate—
superseded by hand mills 17
use of 21
Milpa—
many fruits and vegetables grown in 20
preparation of 20
Moccasins, making of 19
Mosquitoes, carriers of malaria .'. 36
Mounds —
abundant on fertile soil 50
classification of 49
contents indicate physical appearance
of ancient inhabitants 51
manner of construction 65
Museum of the American Indian, ob-
jects from collection of 13
Odor, peculiar 16
Oils, for cooking and lighting 31
Ornaments, worn by ancient inhabitants. . . 52
" Pine ridges, " description of 14
Plants, list of, used as medicine 38
Pottery —
ancient, description of 54
ancient, ornamentation of 54
slight attempt at decoration 28
Pottery making —
exclusively by older women / 28
no polish, glaze, or paint applied 28
rendered unnecessary by iron pots and
earthenware 17
Property, disposition of, at death 33
Punishment
fine, flogging, and death only methods of. 35
for witchcraft or sorcery 36
imprisonment as, unknown 35
Religion—
ancient inhabitants 56
Catholic priests not permitted for many
years 41
Christianity a thin veneer 42
four principal ceremonies 42
human sacrifice by the ancient inhabi-
tants 57
Indian conception of 40
native priests appointed 41
Religious altars, draped and decorated. . . 28
Rum—
made locally 34
women usually drink privately 34
Sandals, worn by ancient inhabitants 52
Santa Cruz tribe —
emigration of 13
estimate of population 13
measurements of 15
physical description of 15
policy of extermination of, by Mexican
Government 13
Smallpox—
terrible scourge 37
treatment for, often disastrous 37
Snakes used as food ' 24
Spinning—
method of 29
no longer practiced 17
universal among ancient women 55
Spirits, belief in 40
Superstition, " Santa Cruz" oracle 41
Surgery, practice of 37
Teeth, filed and filled with plugs 51
Tobacco —
curing of 30
vanilla leaves mixed with, to give flavor
and fragrance 30
Torch used in fishing 25
Tortillas, preparation and cooking of 21
Traps used in capturing game 24
Turkey, use of, in Cha chac ceremony 45
Villages—
description of 32
foreigners not permitted to reside in 32
frequent changes of sites 27
locations of, carefully concealed 32
Weapons—
defensive/of ancient inhabitants 53
offensive, of ancient inhabitants 52
Weaving—
method of 29
no longer practiced ■ 17
Women—
dress of • 19
in gala costume present attractive ap-
pearance 16
industrious workers 17
j ewelry and ornaments worn by 19
obscene and disgusting language used by . 16
occupation of 17
personal cleanliness of 16
physically and mentally superior to men. 16
social characteristics of 16
Yucatan, geographical description of 14
Yucatecan tribes, immigration into north-
ern British Honduras 13
o
?l
Live Music Archive
Librivox Free Audio
Metropolitan Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Internet Arcade
Console Living Room
Books to Borrow
Open Library
TV News
Understanding 9/11