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UNIVERSITY OF
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THE HIGH PRIEST'S GRAVE
CHICHEN ITZA, YUCATAN, MEXICO |
px,
A Manuscript
BY
EDWARD H. THOMPSON
Prepared for Publication, with Notes and Introduction
BY it
J. ERIC THOMPSON
CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON
t
NATURAL
HISTORY
Peabanten B peppery FIELD
1893
Seite.
THE LIBRARY ‘OF THE
NAY 141938
UNIVERSITY. OF ILLINGIS
ANTHROPOLOGICAL SERIES
FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
VOLUME 27, NUMBER 1
i ) APRIL 29, 1938
PUBLICATION 412 —
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THE HIGH PRIEST'S GRAVE
CHICHEN ITZA, YUCATAN, MEXICO
A Manuscript
BY
EDWARD H. THOMPSON
Prepared for Publication, with Notes and Introduction
BY
J. ERIC THOMPSON
CARNEGIE INSTITUTION OF WASHINGTON
MU
SP oe SB
NATURAL &
HISTORY >
THE LIBRARY OF THE
MAY 11 1938
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS:
ANTHROPOLOGICAL SERIES
FIELD MUSEUM. OF NATURAL HISTORY
VOLUME 27, NUMBER 1
APRIL 29, 1938
PUBLICATION 412
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
BY FIELD MUSEUM PRESS
}
er
CONTENTS
Been eres IstEAIONS. 2 3) a a ee ye, See ee ee “5
PePORUGUON OY J. te: 1 ROMPSON: soe ee eee eS 7
Pyramid with Burial Well and Cenote Chamber Beneath
BUOY [FT ROMPO cs 5. Ss. Wok en ee a cw J 13
The Mound of the Burial Shaft by Edward H. Thompson. . . 39
Notes on the Report by J. Eric Thompson ......... 45
TRENT 0, 0), os ah ry “Sey Satis Spies Co Na ooo 64
3
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
TEXT FIGURES
PAGE
Pian or bough: Priest's Grave’structure.; 35 oo cec lt. kl. ee 8
Section through structure, showing shaft. ...........4.2. 9
pete Cr anett. 3 2 6.8 a PS ered Sree ea ae Oe ee ane 10
Architectural and ceramic details. a, Section of east wall of shaft, show-
ing vault soffit behind. 6, Arms and legs of incense burners. . . . 11
Structure from east, showing feathered serpents used as balustrades. . 14
mou. serpent couinin Of Dorel. 95-5. eS. Foe) cme ae ores 15
RUCRURET ITOUN CRC. § so). oye saa he Le i eee Eee 17
manctunry from northeatt.’ . 4 -4—< 78st 5. eee Foe us x 19
Sanctuary from west, showing doorway to ambulatory. ....... 22
East view of column of hieroglyphic inscription. . .......4.. 23
Decorations, presumably from facade. a, Seated figure. 6, Standing
TGs GS mee ens Ca OL Tee cH ta EME OR See 25
eee Grn Gre BHETO. GE yee ho Ee fetes ete. ee oe 28
a, Altar of sanctuary (after E. H. Thompson). 06, Pottery vessels (akin
Pace POON oe i Aye Re er AE oe De oe 29
PS Gemh Tats nt oo is is SR ea eee eine eee 32
Re-used stones with hieroglyphic inscriptions. ........4.2.. 33
pottery, veieels and copper bells. «-. 68h ew SES 35
Beads. a, Of shell. 6, Of crystal and turquois. .......... 37
Flint, jade, shell, bone, and obsidian objects... ......2.2.2.., 40
SUE ORIG 8 GE ea ae Ps. A eg oe es 41
Pane RAMON 4 Paha gs 8 ES Oo ee bee best cee 46
Figure from front of incense burner. .......2.2.2.2...4.-. 48
Feed atone figtre.: ose a ek a eS OO ee 51
ROUSE CS Sc. gi eee nee pena Hee gay Fak he pea nag taal ee Ant Gadel aes 55
PEOSDU WONG. 5 eR Sa ak ae eR Rs ey Ma 57
Caniran with inseriptions i600 53s coxa hs Ed igs tes oe 61
ae
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THE HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE
CHICHEN ITZA, YUCATAN, MEXICO
INTRODUCTION
By J. Er1c THOMPSON
In 1896 the late Edward H. Thompson, at that time United
States Consul in Progreso, Yucatan, Mexico, and owner of the
hacienda of Chichen Itza, investigated some ruins on his estate.
Some of the material he discovered found its way to the United
States, where it was eventually purchased by Field Museum, to-
gether with Thompson’s report on the excavations.
The most interesting of these investigations from the dramatic
and scientific points of view, was that of the High Priest’s Grave,
or the Osario, a pyramid supporting a temple with such Mexican
features as carved, square columns, an Atlantean figure, a feathered
serpent portal, and exterior walls with batter. It is reached on all
four sides by stairways provided with feathered serpent balustrades.
B. M. Norman (1848, p. 125) was the first to describe, although
but confusedly, this structure.
As Maudslay (Vol. III, text, p. 24) pointed out nearly half a
century ago, the ground plan (Fig. 1) bears a very marked resem-
blance to that of the Castillo at this same site. Both structures
possess stairways on all four sides, and the temples themselves have
very similar ground plans incorporating an inner room within an
enclosed outer arcade or ambulatory. A minor difference, perhaps
of chronological significance, is that the Castillo portal has feath-
ered serpents with round bodies, whereas the corresponding serpent
columns of the High Priest’s Grave are rectangular.
The location of the structure can be seen in the plans of the ruins
published by Maudslay (Structure 9), Ruppert, and others. Its
chief interest lies in the various burials in and beneath the shaft
which descends from the floor of the temple to a depth approximately
level with the exterior base of the pyramid. These burials, froma
period subsequent to the introduction of copper artifacts in Yucatan,
are representative of one of the periods of Mexican influence, either
that which apparently started in 10.8.0.0.0, Katun 4 Ahau (A.D.
987) and ended in 10.19.0.0.0, Katun 8 Ahau (A.D. 1204) with the
conquest of Chichen Itza by Hunac Ceel, or the later Mexican period
of Mayapan domination which lasted from 10.19.0.0.0, Katun 8 Ahau
7
8 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE
to 11.12.0.0.0, Katun 8 Ahau (A.D. 1461—J. E. Thompson, 1937).
The presence of turquois and crystal beads and late incensario
forms would suggest the later period. Dates given in Christian
chronology are according to the Goodman—Martinez~Thompson
correlation, which makes 11.16.0.0.0, Katun 13 Ahau end in 1539,
just prior to the Spanish conquest of Yucatan. This correlation
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Fic. 1. Plan of High Priest’s Grave structure (drawn by J. C. Harrington).
now receives wide support, but the possibility that the Katun 138
Ahau of the conquest was 11.3.0.0.0 cannot be entirely ignored.
An 11.3.0.0.0 correlation would make all European dates 260
years later, and would require readjustments to the periods of
Mexican influences.
In either case the burials found by Edward H. Thompson in the
shaft and cavern beneath are of very considerable importance,
WE CRE pee eee ete
INTRODUCTION 9
since at Chichen Itza there are no other definite associations of
pottery types with copper artifacts.
Unfortunately the material in Field Museum is not listed by
graves, and in some cases there is doubt as to whether specimens
are actually from the High Priest’s Grave. Nevertheless, associa-
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EAST-WEST SECTION LOOKING SOUTH
Fic. 2. Section through structure, showing shaft (drawn by J. C. Harrington).
tions of the principal finds, such as jade, a marble vessel, copper
bells, and crystal, turquois, and shell beads, with pottery vessels of
definite forms, are not open to question.
The description of the excavations is contained in a letter to
the late W. H. Holmes and in a report prepared in 1897 by E. H.
Thompson for publication. It has been decided to publish these
10 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE
as they were written except for minimal grammatical corrections.
Although the data they contain might have been more ample, the
style is a refreshing contrast to that of the present-day archaeologist
who in his reports seeks to establish his profession as a science by
reducing all data to graphs and mathematical formulae. Edward H.
t eg --%7 ;
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EAST-WEST SECTION LOOKING NORTH
Fic. 3. Details of shaft (drawn by J. C. Harrington).
Thompson belonged to the old school that was content to consider
archaeology as history.
A few inconsistencies and errors in the report are apparent. E. H.
Thompson speaks of six graves in the shaft, whereas the grave-by-
grave description indicates that there were seven. Measurements
do not check with those of the plan, and finally one might note that
the red stone beads are actually of shell, and the alabaster vase of
marble. The slanting pillars to which Thompson refers are
exterior corner stones or door jambs of the temple (cf. Morris,
‘(uosdwoyy, "H ‘G Aq UMBIP) SIeUING esusdUI Jo sZe] pus sully ‘g *(UOWUILIEH “OD *¢
Aq umMeip) puryeq 4Wjos 4[neaA ZuLMoys “yJeys JO [[VM 4sva Jo UOTpeg ‘D ‘s[lejep oOluUIe1eD PUB [VINJSTYUIY “p “OL
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SY3SLEWILNSD NI 31WOS
LAVHS 40 TIVM LSV3 40 NOILOSS
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12 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE
Charlot, and Morris, figs. 10 and 90). Numbers given in parentheses
are those used in the final section dealing with grave furniture.
Matter in parentheses is by the writer of the introduction.
The positions of the two stones with hieroglyphs are shown in
Maudslay’s plan of the structure. They appear to be the frag-
ments of a stela sawed up for re-use. The hieroglyphic material,
now badly damaged, presents no material at present decipherable
with the exception of an Initial Series Introductory Glyph, a sky-
sun-earth glyph and a Kin or possible Kan compound. Beyer (1937)
reviews this material (Fig. 15).
That the pyramid on which the temple stands contains an earlier
structure was brought to light in 19386 by Mr. J. C. Harrington.
While engaged in mapping the shaft, he found part of the soffit of
a typical Maya vaulted roof, demonstrating beyond doubt that
the shaft passes through a room of an earlier temple (Fig. 4, a).
Buried temples are similarly enclosed within the pyramidal sub-
structures of the Castillo and the Warriors.
Through the courtesy of Carnegie Institution of Washington
the report is supplemented by the excellent plans and sections made
in 1986 by Mr. J. C. Harrington and a number of photographs of
architectural details taken principally by Dr. Sylvanus G. Morley
and Mr. Karl Ruppert. Miss Anna O. Shepard has kindly identi-
fied temper of three of the vessels. The photograph of the date, with
rubbing in position, was made by Mr. Conrad Kratz of Evansville,
Indiana.
The writer of the notes is not related to the author.
PYRAMID WITH BURIAL WELL AND CENOTE
CHAMBER BENEATH
By EDWARD H. THOMPSON
Hidden by the jungle growth that surrounds the great ruin
group of Chichen Itza and about halfway between the Nunnery
and the Tennis Court lies a mound about forty feet high. Its form
is hidden by debris and vegetable growth. Only the closest search
reveals the stones that here and there remain in place and indicate
the original outline.
That it faced the east is evidenced by the fact that an imposing
stairway, eleven feet wide, divided the eastern slope and led up to
the crowning structure. Four great serpent heads, each over a yard
high, guard the sides of this stairway, two at the base and two upon
the terrace above. The wide-open jaws with bared fangs and pro-
truded tongues were once painted in mixed colors, red predominating.
The stairway, ascending upward at an angle of 43°, had a length
over all of forty-eight feet, the average lift and spread being exactly
eleven inches.
The serpent heads at the base [Fig. 5] form the terminus of a
series of stone sections that continue up the sides of the stairway
and are evidently conventionalized serpent bodies but cannot com-
pare in effect or artistic merit with the great serpent bodies that in
massive undulations once guarded the angles of the great pyramid
of the Castillo and made it the antique gem of the New World.
[E. H. Thompson was mistaken in thinking that the angles of the
Castillo represent serpents. |
The heads that guard the stairways upon the terrace above have
their bodies conventionalized into handsomely formed square pillars,
several sections of which are carved with the usual feathered .
ornamentation of this symbol [Fig. 6]. [These serpent columns
supported the wooden lintels, now rotted away, of the doorway,
and do not form part of the stairway.]
The upper terrace was, when perfect, about fifty feet long by
forty-five wide. It is now covered with ruined stone work and
debris to the depth of several feet, through which project various
stone pillars both plain and carved.
On each side of the upper terrace, except that occupied by the
great stairway previously described, are two curious stone posts.
They are placed upright but are cut aslant at an angle of 82°. Each
13
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15
16 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE
is backed by a second post straight cut and firmly placed. These
slanting posts are separated by a space less than two feet wide.
From their bases down the inclined plane runs a weltlike projection
that might indicate the former existence of a stairway. Yet this
would seem an unnecessary structure. It may be, however, that
some religious rite or observance required these narrow stairways.
[Actually there were stairways on all sides. The stones with slanting
faces are corner jambs of the small exterior ambulatory doorways,
the slanting area corresponding to the batter at the base of exterior
walls of the Mexican period.]
Besides these paired slanting pillars there are single ones to the
right and left of the serpents’ heads upon this same upper terrace.
The angle of the one on the right, which is still firmly in place, is 82°.
The other one has fallen over owing to the breaking away of the walls
of the pyramid, and I could not determine its angle, but from my
estimate I believe it to have had the same as the other. A stone post,
exactly a foot square and seven and a half feet high, is firmly fixed in
place in the northeast portion of the platform and a similar one upon
the southwest. I believe there were similar posts on the other two
corners, but ruin has overtaken them, and the places they would have
occupied are now yawning chasms over thirty feet deep.
Faint traces of carvings still exist upon one of these posts, appar-
ently hieroglyphics [cf. Maudslay plan and text], while the slanting
pillars are perfectly plain.
Seventeen feet to the south [west] of the squared pillars of the
serpent, and consequently several feet south [west] of the exact
center of the upper terrace are four handsomely squared pillars.
Some [all] have traces of carvings, which, though nearly obliterated
by time, show, by means of the magnifying glass, remains of red
paint in the hollows—a striking evidence of the durability of some,
at least, of the pigments of this ancient people [Figs. 7-10].
Within the floor material between the pair of pillars on the north
[east], securely sealed up by means of heavy, rectangular stone
tablets, we found a well-like vault. First testing for mephitic gases, ©
I caused myself to be lowered down. At a depth of twelve feet I
stood upon a mass of worked stones whose angles and points showed
that they had been thrown in without care or order. Looking around
me and upward toward the sky, I found myself in most curious
quarters. A deep shaft like a rectangular well extended from the
surface above until buried beneath the debris upon which I stood,
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17
18 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE
and how much farther could only be determined when the excavation
was finished [Figs. 2, 3, and 12].
In order to give an intelligible description of this sepulchral
shaft, I will anticipate my account in part, and state that it was
found to be a little over thirty feet deep. The four sides were of cut
stone well worked and laid in a most singular manner, each edge
overlapping the one just above it. The projecting portions varied
from an inch to nearly two inches, and thus afforded a very conven-
ient foothold and materially aided us in our ingress and egress. The
four corners were finished in a striking manner by means of vertical
ribbons of stone placed diagonally with respect to the side [Fig. 12].
At a depth of fourteen feet the rectangular shaft enlarges suddenly
a foot or more, and then continues downward, not vertically as
before, but gradually converging until at the bottom of the shaft the
dimensions are reduced to four feet by five. The enlarged portion
was constructed after the same manner as the vertical portion, but
not finished so perfectly. The stones were not as well laid, nor the
joints broken as often, and the general appearance was cruder.
As I have stated, this shaft was filled up to within twelve feet
of the surface with stones and other material. Many of these stones
were cut and finished, and had served as portions of structures at
some period. They had not fallen by chance into this shaft. Neither
had they become dislodged and fallen from above during the crash
and vibration consequent upon the fall of some great structure
above them. .
The mouth of the shaft was perfectly sealed by stone slabs,
rough, but effective. The sides of the shaft were perfect save in one
spot midway from the top where one stone was missing.
By the use of windlass and pulleys the work of excavation was
carried on slowly but carefully. Some of these stones embedded in
‘the material weighed over fifty pounds, and a due regard for our
lives made me proceed with caution. A man penned in a cavity
thirty feet deep, only four feet by five in dimensions, may be par-
doned for taking no unnecessary chances with suspended rocks.
The first few feet excavated consisted of large, worked stones
embedded in mold, fine rootlets like twine, and insect casings,
principally beetle wings. This continued until we began to think
that the ancients had made the shaft and in a fit of insanity had
filled it up again with worked stones, cobbles, and dirt. Nevertheless,
I kept pegging away at the bottom of this pit, never removing a stone
until I had examined it in position and assured myself of its purport.
19
iption visible on column to left (courtesy of Carnegie
ic inser
See Fig. 10 for full view of this column.
Fic. 8. Sanctuary from northeast. Note the hieroglyph
Institution of Washington).
20 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE
At last, at a depth of sixteen feet I came upon a grave [1]—two
parallel lines of worked stones, separated by a space of two feet and
extending across the shaft from east to west. The stones had been
overturned and pressed into the earth by the superincumbent
material, and the heavy slab covers had been dislodged and broken
by the great stones evidently thrown down from above, but the
grave was clear and unmistakable. With brush and trowel I at
once went carefully to work. Lifting off the broken pieces of what
was once the roughhewn stone tops I found the fragments of a
skeleton beneath, together with two red vessels, one crushed into
fragments and the other entire.
In the earth material around this grave were a large number of
potsherds, principally of the small red vessels. Beneath this grave
I came upon a second layer of large stones, about two feet thick,
then a mixture of earth and mortar containing many potsherds of
the class previously described, together with pieces of a very thick
ware, like incense burners. Beneath this then appeared the outlines
of a second grave [2]. Around this I found red potsherds and the
unmistakable fragments of a handsome terra-cotta mask that gener-
ally ornaments the front of the more important incense burners.
This second grave, like the first, was almost obliterated in outline
and, like it, contained a much broken skeleton and two small red
vessels, cracked, but perfect in outline. Besides these there were two
copper bells and several jade beads.
The finding of these copper bells filled me with the keenest
pleasure, for they were the first I had ever encountered. In fact, the
only one other recorded case of their being found in Yucatan was
in 1887 when, during the construction of the Peto Railroad, the work-
men in excavating a mound in the path of the railway found a jar
containing over thirty copper bells, several of which the owner of
the road, Don Rodolfo Canton, very kindly gave me. I have learned
to regard all finds not made under my own eye with some doubt.
However honest a workman may be, his judgment as to intrusive
burials is not apt to be of much value. These two bells that I found
were well shaped and nearly three times the size of those found on
the Peto road.
Beneath the crumbling material and light-brown dirt that formed
the floor of this grave came the usual layer of stone, then the dirt
material that surrounded and covered the third grave. In this
material I found the fragments of a curious green painted vessel,
PYRAMID WITH BURIAL WELL al.
a green and blue painted clown-like head of terra cotta, a terra-cotta
mask, and the usual red potsherds and fragments of an incense burner.
Within the grave [3] were the fragments of apparently several
skeletons much broken and mixed, one whole, and several broken
vessels, some very fine jade beads of a high polish, and several beads
of a hard-grained red stone.
Then beneath the floor material were the great stones, the fine
earth filled with potsherds, and a fourth grave. In this grave [4]
we found the usual potsherds and many pendants of jade.
In the southeast corner of the vault was a little heap of what
appeared to be verdigris but proved to be twenty-two small copper
bells, almost shapeless from the oxidation and incrustation. As I
moved them some of the mold of centuries fell away, the little
stone balls inside moved and gave forth a clear, musical tinkle.
Several of these bells were cemented together by oxidization so
firmly that I think the metal would give as soon as the adherent
verdigris.
In the northwest corner a second dusty heap resolved itself into
shining beads of clear rock crystal and polished jade. These finds
look small and insignificant beside the golden treasures of Mycenae,
yet, as coming from Yucatan and as the first scientific recorded finds
of the kind from this region, they are in their way just as important
to science as golden cups or jeweled tiaras.
The grave held three small red tripod vessels, one so absolutely
triturated that no amount of care would make it useful as a specimen.
Beside one of the vessels in the northern corner of the grave I found
a round jade bead, several red beads, and a handsomely carved
figure of jade. This amulet is the finest specimen of its class I have
yet seen as coming from Yucatan.
At this point I was obliged to discontinue the work, for a long.
period of rains ensued which might have caused earth-slides and thus
_ endangered our lives. I therefore braced up the well-like shaft, erected
over it a protective cover of palm leaves, and left it until a more
propitious time.
Once again at work, I found the same sequence of great stones,
fine earth containing potsherds, one whole tripod vessel, and four
crystal beads, three copper bells, several small jades, red stone and
nephritic stone beads. Inside the grave [5] was the usual skeleton
in a bad state of preservation, a red tripod vessel, and several jade
and red stone beads. Directly over the grave upon the stone capping
*(uoyZulyseM JO UOIZN4IYsUy a1ZeuIeD Jo 4saj1n0d) punoisyoeq
UY a{QISIA UUINIOD [¥IJod yUedies UaT[ey w Jo [IV], “AlOxe[nquie oy AeMIOOp ZuLMoUs ‘sam woly Alenjoueg °¢ ‘D1
Fic. 10. East view of column of hieroglyphic inscription. The date is fairly
certain as 2 Ahau 18 Mol, falling in Tun 11 of the Katun (10.9.0.0 0) ending on
2 Ahau (courtesy of Carnegie Institution of Washington).
24 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE
that once covered it I found a curious resin-like mass lying upon and
covered by thick layers of ashlike debris. A heavy stone completely
covered it. It was thus hermetically sealed and preserved. I have
an idea that it may be the incense used by the ancients. I tried a
fragment with a lighted match and it gave forth a clean aromatic
odor. I recollect once having tried a little globe of incense still
left in an ancient incense burner. As the odor of the burning frag-
ment was wafted toward me, it instantly brought to my mind this
experience of several years before.
The sixth grave [6] of the shaft was found in the usual sequence,
and the surrounding earth yielded votive offerings of broken vessels,
jade beads, some very handsome red stone beads, several copper
bells, and three crystal beads. Inside the grave the skeleton was
simply a mass of lime dust; the two vessels encountered were red
tripod vessels, one of which was ornamented in a manner not before
noted. The bottom was covered with incised or scratched lines
evidently made with some toothed implement while the vessel was
yet unbaked. Most of the potsherds found in this grave were of this
incised pattern. .
The seventh and last grave [7] was so completely crushed out of
all shape that an indiscriminate commingling of potsherds of the
incised pattern previously mentioned, broken stones, and detritus were
all that were visible. Patient work revealed three crushed copper
bells, a broken crystal bead, several jade beads, a large jade bead
calcined by fire, a terra-cotta vase much broken, but of rather un-
common form, ornamented with a curious pattern in black lines,
charcoal, and a couple of small pieces of obsidian. Besides these finds
were a second piece of the material that I have before described as
incense and several fragments of stucco apparently from the walls
of some structure, painted a clear blue color, made, as an artist
told me, with some oil or oily substance. This pigment was almost
as clear and fine as if fresh.
It is a noteworthy fact that up to the present time these graves
have yielded none of the hitherto ordinary patterns of vessels and
even among the potsherds intermixed in the debris around the
graves the classes that hitherto have formed the largest portion of
finds, viz. the plain and striated patterns, are almost entirely wanting.
Red ware of all sizes and shapes, but principally fragments of small
tripod vessels, constitutes the bulk of the potsherds encountered.
At least 50 per cent of these vessels, when whole, were painted
entirely, or in part, with a dark-slate color, inclining toward blue.
‘aseurnid 4yIM
‘ainsy Zuipueys
‘
q
3} aABy Y4IOg
*(UOIZUIYSeM JO UOI{NIIYSUT sIZeUIVD jo Asa,1N09) yoeq 3e@ suou } OAR
*‘[MO SB passeIp eae i ‘pD ‘apedey oy} Woly A[qeqoid ‘syUueWe[e aAT}VIODed “TI “DIq
25
26 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE
The greater portion had a wide band of this pigment running around
the inner rim of the vessel.
Neither was there found a single arrowhead. These facts sur-
prised me as they are so different from the experiences during my
past explorations.
Beneath the grave the trowel rang upon the cut stone of the
floor at a distance of thirty feet from the surface of the mound above.
As my brush carefully cleared off the dirt from the floor preparatory
to sending it to the sieve above, I found myself in a rectangular
space forty inches square. Nearly in the center of this space I noted
a stone of a peculiar finished appearance. The inner edges of two of
the surrounding stones were smoother than should have been the
case naturally. Carefully working with my heavy hunting knife and
trowel, I succeeded in lifting, without much effort, the stone that,
while just as heavy to all appearances, had been skillfully cut to half
the usual thickness, and was, therefore, easily moved by the initiated.
Beneath me appeared a dark space half-filled with dirt. I projected
the light of my lantern as far as possible, but the intercepting material
prevented any intelligent observation and would do so until
cleared out.
Little by little I excavated the material filling this pit. With
much labor, in a most cramped and uncomfortable position, in an
opening only thirty-two inches square, I excavated the material
and passed it to a native who placed it in a basket in which it was
hauled up to the light of day, where the sieve and last investigation
awaited it.
Although jade and crystal beads and copper bells appeared from
time to time, the material in general was mixed with much ashes and
burned stone, and for the first time among the ruins of Yucatan I
found charred human bones. I also found one jade pendant com-
pletely changed by the action of heat. I extracted a great many
stones and one portion of an image blackened and almost calcined
by the action of heat.
As the work progressed and I got deeper and deeper into the pit,
I found gradually appearing to view a narrow stairway just two feet
wide—the width of the narrow opening above me. I continued work-
ing, sprawled out like a lizard for want of space, until I had cleared
off and sent up the debris that covered the seven steps of the stair-
way and left me a space still cramped, but more bearable.
At a depth of six feet seven inches from the mouth of the secret
entrance, the last step of the cut stone stairway appeared, and the
PYRAMID WITH BURIAL WELL P|
passage seemed to have a gentle descent to the north[west]. Appar-
ently, the stairway had originally contained nine steps, but as we
were now beneath the actual level of the outside world, the passage,
the rough vault above, and the steps were cut out of the solid rock,
but the steps had become partially worn away by use, leaving a series
of lumps in their place. As the descent to a distance of nine feet was
gradual, their need was not greatly felt. On I burrowed, finding rich
specimens constantly. Human bones were abundant. Potsherds
existed, but not of incense burners nor sacred vessels. I noted here
that the striated ware [sherds of unslipped storage jars?] found so
often in my work at Labna and elsewhere, was again in evidence.
Still deeper and deeper I burrowed, completely out of sound of
human life. At short intervals one of my natives would wriggle
down from his position just above me, and taking the material
accumulated, ashes and stones, work his way to the trapdoor, fill the
basket, shout to the one above to haul up, then crawl down again
and cover the secret entrance with a thick block of wood, lest the
ascending basket should tumble a loose stone upon his skull. Then
he would crouch back into his lair to await the shout from above
that the basket was once more lowered and in readiness to be
filled again.
I had already found a fine idol and a head of an idol or some
important person, carved out of limestone, well shaped and still
bearing traces of paint, a number of crystal beads, copper bells, and
jade beads of remarkable fineness, when at a distance of nine feet
from the last step the passage seemed to end in a solid wall having a
large slab of worked stone resting at its base directly in line with the
gently inclined passage. Working my way slowly along, I gradually
removed the fine material around the stone and noted the presence of
a strong draft of cold air at the same instant that I found amid the
debris a very remarkable jade ornament or amulet in the shape of a
fish. It was the largest and finest jade amulet that I had yet found in
Yucatan, although not so finely carved and polished as the amulet
previously described.
I stole a moment from my work to gloat over the find, and then
went on with my digging. I gradually loosened the stone, and as I
lifted it away, I found beneath an opening as black as night, from
which poured a rush of air as chill as the breath of death. “It is the
mouth of the underworld,” stammered my two boys, as they cowered
close to me. “If it is, we will soon have a chance to see what the
underworld is like,” I said, smiling at the wonderment and fear
‘(WoJBUIYsSeM JO UOI}NZIYSUT a1ZeuIeD Jo Asajin0d) 4yeYys ay} UMOP MaIA “ZI “DI
i ine. <a Weg
, i Brite oe Vege 88
eal
8
9
a
hom 1 -
a q a
Fic. 18. a, Altar of sanctuary. Note that columns do not touch back wall.
b, Pottery vessels from sanctuary (drawings by E. H. Thompson).
29
30 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE
expressed on their countenances. In fact, I was nearly as excited as
they, though in a different sense.
The inclined plane of the floor of the passage was such that a
vigorous push would be all that was needed, apparently, to send an
inert body down the passage through the uncovered mouth of the
pit—the sides of which seemed to have been smoothed by much use—
into the inky depths below. I lit the small lantern of my kit and
attaching it to my metal tapeline, leaned over the hole and swinging
it clear of the side, commenced paying out the tape. Down it went,
until I thought it would never reach bottom. Finally, at a depth of
fifty-two feet it rested upon dry bottom, as I could easily see. This
point settled, I then had a strong native take close hold of each of my
legs and let myself down beyond the mouth until my head was
beyond the wall of the mouth and into the pit itself. Thus, although
. head downward, I was, by gradually hauling up the lantern, able to
study the formation of the pit for future use.
The next day was spent in arranging for the descent, and the
following day I was let down by means of a rope and blocks into the
pit. My previous experience in subterranean chambers had famil-
iarized me with this class of work.
The clear flame of my lantern relieved me of any fear of mephitic
air, and with my keen bowie knife between my teeth ready for in-
stant use, and lighted lantern in one hand, I examined the walls
of the pit as I went down.
The pit seemed to be in part the work of nature, but greatly
changed and enlarged by the work of the ancient people. Projecting
ridges of hard, white limestone that gave forth a metallic sound as
of steel when hit with the back of my knife, were separated by layers
of soft white earth called sahkab [sascab] by the Mayas. Once in
a while I noted a layer of white earth, like flour in color and texture.
This is called Kub [cuut] in Maya. It is quite rare and is eagerly
sought by the native pottery makers to mix with the earth called
kat [cab] in the manufacture of the finer pottery.
The average diameter of the pit was eighteen feet until within
fifteen feet of the bottom, where it widened and ended in a small
chamber twenty-five feet wide having seven small passages or
ramifications extending in different directions.
I touched bottom upon a heap of earth near the center of the
chamber and directly under the orifice where the candlelights of
my anxious boys gleamed like stars above me. I sent up a reassuring
PYRAMID WITH BURIAL WELL 31
call that all was well and commenced my investigations. My brush
had hardly raised dust when I found that my expectations were to
be realized. A bead of jade over five inches in circumference, beau-
tifully formed and so polished that it gleamed under the light of
my lantern, was right at my feet, and close beside was a beautiful
jade amulet. A little to one side were fragments of a vase, the like
of which has never been dreamed of as belonging to this people.
Not large, but made of a translucent mineral very much resembling
alabaster, its artistic finish and general appearance make it easily
the finest gem of the class ever found in Yucatan. It is unique
of its kind. :
I very soon saw that to make a systematic study of this place
was the work of days of hard labor, and gave the signal for my now
impatient boys to come down and share the interesting work.
Down they came like monkeys, their black eyes shining at the
prospect, for they had, by their long service with me in this kind of
work, become as interested in specimens as if they were archaeolo-
gists of the first rank.
Platting off the bottom of the pit, we went to work by the light
of many candles. There being little or no draft at the bottom of the
pit, the candles burned quietly, needing no protection. Thus we
worked for days from early morning until sundown. Buried beneath
ninety feet of earth and rocky crust we knew neither daylight nor
evening darkness, only candlelight. We ate our lunch in the intervals
of the work, seated in crannies of the pit, and the brown dust that
covered all things had so permeated us all, that no one at a casual
glance could distinguish the white explorer from his brown-skinned
workmen. Down to the very rock floor of the pit we went, the steel
tapping rod entering into the floor two feet and still ringing true to
prove the fact.
The mound of debris was eight feet deep from top to floor, but
around the outer edge of the chamber the deposit was only three
feet deep. Throughout all this material were found human bones
in fragments, some being half-charred and commingled with half-
calcined stone.
The specimen-bearing layer of material seemed to be about nine
inches thick, although human bones were found throughout. Beneath
this was a mass of mingled sahkab nodules, general detritus, frag-
ments of human bones, pieces of the same stucco painted blue found
in the upper pit or shaft, and large stones, some rough and some »
worked, but few beads or interesting specimens,
Fig. 14. Atlantean figure. The simian-like features include a wedge-shaped
snout reminiscent of the Mexican Eecatl.
32
Fic. 15. Re-used stones with hieroglyphic inscriptions (courtesy of Carnegie
Institution of Washington).
33
34 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE
Among the stones a little to one side of the heap, I was much
pleased to find the trunk of the idol, the head of which I had found
in the narrow passage above. This idol will well repay special study
as it has lain all these centuries untouched by time since unknown
hands hurled it down from its honored place as a revered memento
or sacred image. Its comparatively smooth surface still bears paint
in many places [Fig. 22].
Close by the actual floor of the cave I found several hammer-
stones and two small smooth stones of the general size and shape of
grapeshot. And near the outer line of the central mound, buried
seven inches in the debris, I found a curious flint crescent much
resembling the golden ornaments of the same shape from the early
tombs of Ireland. Space will not permit me to enumerate all the
archaeological treasures found, but among the most interesting
were some curiously wrought beads and pendants of jade, red stone,
mother-of-pearl, and tiger’s teeth.
It is worthy to remark that I found only two specimens of arrow-
heads, one of obsidian and one of flint, and I think these were votive
offerings and not used as actual weapons.
Besides the beautiful alabaster vase before described were found
many interesting vessels in fragments.
The position of some of the jade specimens found, notably those
of the large globular bead and the amulet accompanying it, close
by the fragments of the beautiful alabaster vase, and the fact that
I found large numbers of exceedingly small jade beads, unquestion-
ably too fine to serve any other purpose than that of embroidered
ornament, lead me to believe that some object, an armlet or em-
broidered loin cloth, was placed within the precious vase, and as
it was thrown after the departed one into the black pit, the vase,
fractured into many pieces, and the object, torn and wrenched apart,
lay as it fell until the cords that bound it rotted into the black dust
that I found beneath them, and each part covered with the gradually
increasing dust of ages, like the diamond, with luster undimmed,
awaited, unchanged, the gradual piling up of centuries.
Close examination of the two large jade ornaments just mentioned
will show that some of the holes in each are still filled with portions
of slender bone rods. These, when whole, probably served to stiffen
and keep in place the heavier pieces of jade in the complicated
designs of breastplate, armlet, or loin cloth of some great personage.
I believe that the elaborate ornaments upon the persons of the
Fic. 16. Pottery vessels and copper bells. a—d and f are red ware; g is
unslipped; h is black on Pecan Brown; ¢ is painted blue; k and 1, which may not
be from the High Priest’s Grave, are slate ware. Pottery vessels are one-quarter
actual size; copper bells (j) and figurehead (i) one-half actual ‘size.
35
36 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE
warriors and priests, carved upon the pillars amid these ruins, were
of this class.
The question naturally arises in our minds: are not these finds
of crystal beads, fine cut and clear; copper bells, well-made and
handsomely formed; curious beads of jade hitherto practically un-
known to archaeologists as coming from Yucatan, evidence of later
or intrusive burials?
It is an archaeologist’s duty, always, to guard against false data,
and in cases where finds of an unusual character are concerned, to
look first for evidence of intrusive burials. I did not neglect this
important point. Of course, if I had found the original floor of the
temple or other structure that once crowned the mound, unbroken
over the actual opening of the shaft, it would have been ample proof
that the burial places were those of the builders of the structure.
This class of proof I have often obtained in other groups and even in
this same group of Chichen Itza. But in this case I cannot claim
it because the original floor has entirely disappeared, and I am
bound to state that the stones that formed the graves were for the
most part worked stones that had at one time formed a part of a
structure. A portion of the stone filling between the graves was
structure stones, and a portion of the fine dirt around some of the
graves was composed of mortar or the crumbled stucco from a struc-
ture, and amid this debris I found many minute fragments of a fine
blue frescoing that could only have come from the destroyed wall
surface of some structure.
Among this filled-in debris I found two inscribed stone blocks.
One was in the filling just above the fourth grave and the other in
the mound at the bottom of the pit itself.
These facts, together with the finding of the broken and mutilated
stone figure or idol—portions in different places within the line of the
work—at first thought seem to point to the fact that the graves were
those of a people buried within the ruins of a conquered city whose
ruined structures served as monuments above them; whose de-
throned and mutilated sacred images were thrown in as trophies and
votive offerings, together with the valued objects of peace and
friendship, upon the graves of the deceased victors. This, I state,
might be the logical deduction and in many regions would be con-
clusive proof of intrusive burial. But upon the Peninsula of Yucatan
special conditions exist that require special reasoning. The fact is,
I think, well established that Chichen Itza has within its life history
been subjected to the chances of war many times and with varying
b
Fic. 17. Beads. a, Of shell. 6, Of crystal and turquois. Diameter of
largest is 2.2 cm.
37
38 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE
results. But these wars have been internecine in their character, so
far as we can learn, until the very last when the bearded white men ~
of Castille lived and stood their siege within its stone chambers.
Consequently, with the one exception just mentioned, and granting
the fact of the conquerors burying their dead amid the ruined struc-
tures, it does not, in this case, constitute an intrusive burial within
the anthropological sense of the term, both being members of the
same race and possibly even relatives by blood.
In the foregoing I have granted the factor of war and warlike
destruction, but I need not have granted it. In the little we
know of the customs and life habits of this ancient period, it is
certain that at intervals of time and especially after the death of
great personages they made changes in their structures, remade wall
surfaces, obliterated old mural paintings with a coating of hard
finish, and made entirely new floors in the chambers beneath whose
floors were the last buried remains. Consequently, it is well within
the bounds of reason that the structure crowning this mound served
as a religious shrine or adoratorio (Ku) of some important personage,
and at his death or the death of the last of his line it was razed above
his burial vault as the last mark of reverence to his memory.
Of course, these are to a certain extent mere conjectures and not
to be confounded with facts actually proved, yet they are ideas
founded upon a thorough study of these facts as they exist in situ
and are, therefore, entitled to an expression, at least.
THE MOUND OF THE BURIAL SHAFT
By EpwarpD H. THOMPSON
{This letter to Dr. Holmes was certainly written before the report which
forms the first section of this publication. It seemingly supplements a previous
letter giving an account of the exploration of the shaft. It is given here since it
outlines with greater detail work in the sanctuary.]
My last work upon this mound came to such an exciting climax
that I was exceedingly anxious to complete the work and see what
excavation would bring forth upon the southern half. Circumstances
at length permitting, I commenced at the extreme southern portion
of the mound and carefully excavated all of the fallen material that
had accumulated upon the original platform of the terrace.
The outer or southern edge of this material yielded little except
potsherds of the commonest classes and ordinary patterns scattered
among fallen stonework and lime material near the floor.
As the work progressed toward the center, the fallen material
increased in depth until between the four pillars, noted upon the
plan in my previous report, it was fully nine feet deep; a general
confused mass of wall and roof stones, fragments of mortar, and
mortar dust, showing that this was indeed a roofed structure. Among
these we came upon a curious figure carved in the round, a caryatid
about four feet high with a monkey face [Fig. 14]. The figure was
found imbedded among the fallen wall stones, but had luckily
escaped serious injury. It was excavated with much care and dif-
ficulty and placed in a position tending to preserve it from future
injury. Upon portions of the body and face, traces of a thin hard
finish were clearly visible painted with pigments of blue and yellow.
As we gradually worked toward the central portion of the debris,
traces of chamber walls were encountered until finally, at a distance
of eight feet from the slanting columns marking the extreme southern
termination of the upper platform, we came upon a well-preserved
wall section extending directly across and barring our progress.
Clearing away the material upon the opposite side of this wall we
uncovered a small stone platform, unquestionably an altar. This
altar, well built of cut stone and stucco, was two feet high, two
and a half feet wide, and four feet long. It was built directly against
the wall [west wall of inner room] above mentioned between the stone
pillars, as will be seen by a glance at the accompanying sketch [Fig.
13, a]. The top of the altar was of hand-finished stucco with a
central depression filled with fine ashes and fragments of smoke-
39
Fic. 18. Flint, jade, shell, bone, and ‘obsidian objects. a, b, d, e, and g are
of shell; ¢ of bone; f of calcined jade; i and j of flint; h of obsidian, 5.3 em. long.
40
Fic. 19. Jade ornaments. Length of fish 7.7 em.
42 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE
blackened vessels, while the wall directly in the rear of the altar still °
bore very distinct traces of smoke from the altar fires. The evidence
clearly indicated that various incense burners of large size and
intricate figures, together with smaller vessels, were yet in position
upon and around this altar when destroyed. Some of the fragments
were actually forced into the material of the altar top, while others
were pressed into red powder by the tremendous pressure of the
fallen material above them. [The sketch shows the columns touching
the wall. Actually they are detached. The altar top is shown as
five long slabs, but the text mentions a stucco top and material
in which sherds were imbedded.]
In the sequence of many of the fragments found I could seem to
trace the hand of a wanton destroyer, breaking the sacred vessels of a
conquered enemy prior to razing his temple. There were many
pieces, some of large size, whose positions, when found, in relation
to others of the same vessel were such as could only have been
brought about by strong lateral blows.
Studying the matter on the spot I could not see any way by
which falling material could have produced this result without
absolutely reducing the fragments to powder. Great care was then
taken in collecting these fragments, and not even the smaller pieces
escaped us, but in some cases the potsherds were reduced to powder
and consequently beyond redemption. The fragments saved are of a
most interesting nature and merit detailed description [Fig. 4, }].
The larger incense burners were generally of a very elaborate form,
approaching in that respect the magnificent specimen found, I
believe, in Oaxaca and now in the National Museum at Mexico City.
The incense burners, the receptacles themselves, were of a cylin-
drical form, but the fronts of the vessels were so molded as to aid in
forming the semblance of a human figure. Upon this as a foundation
structure and to which yet green [before firing?] were affixed the
molded portions to complete the human figure surrounded with the
attributes of the deity to be worshipped and the complicated sym-
bolism of the times.
Some of the masks representing human faces are exceedingly
well made and exhibit none of that crude ferocity so often seen upon
similar objects. The nose is in several specimens well formed, the
nostrils clear cut and regular. The usual large circular ear ornaments
are present in every case. The arms are well molded and natural;
one specimen in particular will attract artistic attention, for, partially
extended in an easy graceful manner, the hand turned upward
ore rem
MOUND OF BURIAL SHAFT 43
holds loosely in its grasp a globe. Other specimens of the upper
limbs are adorned with colored bands, bracelets, and armlets of
various patterns.
Upon the floor to the right of the altar lay a large round vessel
almost unornamented except for a human face crudely worked out
upon one side. It was crushed against the neighboring pillar by a
large flat stone and was only preserved from being crushed to powder
by a thick bed of ash, beneath, that allowed it to escape with only
general fractures. As the pieces were assembled, the vessel reminded
me of the ‘‘squash faces’ of our early school day times [Fig. 14, ].
Other vessels, all more or less fragmentary, were encountered,
but as they can best be described after being assembled, I shall not
attempt it at this time.
The colors that were placed upon these vessels are yet vivid—
chocolate brown, bright green, and a light blue predominating.
Light yellow and a clear white are not uncommon colors. Iam unable
as yet to determine the nature of the pigments used to paint these
vessels. The browns and some of the reds are without doubt based
upon oxides of iron, while the blues and yellow are, according to a
native artist whom I consulted, vegetal colors.
About nine inches to the front of the northwest corner of the altar
base we found one of the little tripod votive vases [Fig. 16, g]. It
was imbedded mouth down in the floor in such a position that only
the legs were visible. It had been carefully cemented into its
place. We succeeded in detaching it without injury and found it
filled with compacted ashes, buried in which were various red beads
of divers shapes. The altar itself was so racked by the general
destruction that overtook the temple that as the detritus packed
around it was removed, the entire stonework commenced to fall apart.
After it had fallen, there were exposed to view three small chambers or
rather pockets nearly in the center of the material forming the altar.
These curious cavities only about four inches in diameter and a foot
deep were clearly made during the construction of the altar. They
were found to contain simply closely compacted gray ashes.
Near the middle of the narrow stone rim of the altar top was a
curiously carved stone. I have seen this symbol or carved emblem
elsewhere in this group and under closely similar circumstances.
Directly beneath this carved symbol in the receding base was placed
a large central stone carved with a design resembling in a degree the
accompanying sketch [Fig. 13, a]. The carved portion was so
44 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE
destroyed, apparently by fire, that only an approximate idea can be —
obtained of its original outline.
My hopes of finding upon this same mound a second burial shaft
with its archaeological treasures were not to be gratified. Instead I
found a solid core of rubble, and the twelve feet that I penetrated
into this mass of material cost me much time and labor. This solid
base of material, as firm as stone and nearly as durable, formed a
foundation almost ideal in character and in marked contrast to the
usual formation of terraced substructures of these ancient edifices.
Built as these terraces generally are of loose rubble hearting
confined by walls of stone and material, they do not furnish a founda-
tion at all in accord with our modern ideas of security. When to this
fact is added that of shallow underpinning (for these old structures
rarely extended their underpinning into the terrace material deeper
than a yard) we may well wonder under what special law of nature
they hold their title of longevity. The massive roof, often over
a yard thick in its thinnest portion, binds by weight and cohesion
the vaultlike inner wall and outer facade, keeping them erect and
steady whatever the faults of the foundation may be.
Once let the roof be riven by the expanding fissure or growing
roots, and it is only a question of time until the entire facade turning
upon its base crashes prostrate in ruin. I have several times seen
this demonstrated very clearly and have also found the entire
fagade lying prostrate, yet the sequence of the stones still so well
preserved that it would not have been an impossible job to restore
the facade in its old position, stone for stone.
The working up of these temple vessels, the gradual building up
of the scattered fragments until the pristine outline of the vessel, if not
entirely restored, yet is practically so (so far as comparative study is
concerned), is a fascinating occupation. It is time- and nerve-exhaust-
ing, and requires skill and patience; yet it will often produce rich
treasures from a pile of rusty-looking potsherds.
The constant handling and studying of these fragments reveal
many curious and interesting facts to the trained observer. These
facts and the sacred vessels themselves will form the material of a
special report that awaits only the verification of certain data upon
which I am working, to approach completion.
NOTES ON THE REPORT
‘By J. ERIC THOMPSON
CONTENTS OF GRAVES
Grave 1.—In grave:
1 skeleton.
2 red vessels (1 entire; 1 crushed). Presumably these
were tripod bowls of the types in Fig. 16, a-c.
Grave 2.—In soil above grave:
Some fragments of a handsome pottery mask. This
is, perhaps, No. 48590 (Fig. 21), which still retains
a considerable amount of blue, yellow, red, and black
paint. Around the under side of the eyes, but not clearly
visible in the photograph, are scrolls ending in simple
curls from which are pendent two circles. The tip of
the noseis missing. The features suggest Schellhas’ God D.
The globular beads of the necklace are unpainted; the
cylindrical beads are painted blue. This would suggest
a necklace in which cylindrical jade beads alternated with
globular ones, perhaps of red shell. The clay is porous
and the surface is unslipped.
Fragments of an incensario. Perhaps 48589 (Fig.
20). The vessel, made of a porous red clay, is unslipped.
The wings are painted blue.
In grave:
1 skeleton.
2 small cracked red vessels. Presumably these were
tripod bowls of the types shown in Fig. 16, a-c.
2 copper bells.
Several jade beads.
Grave 3.—In soil above grave:
Figurine head painted blue (Fig. 16, 2).
Blue painted vessel. This may be No. 48591, several
fragments of a globular bowl with a constricted neck.
Unslipped but with blue paint on the exterior (Fig. 16, e).
In grave:
A terra-cotta mask.
Mixed bones, seemingly of several skeletons.
45
Fic. 20. Incense burner. The horizontal lines between the feet are wires.
Height 36 cm.
NOTES 47
1 whole and several broken vessels.
Some very fine jade beads, highly polished.
Several red shell beads.
Grave 4.—In soil above grave:
Potsherds.
Inscribed stone block. This, apparently, is a small
cube of limestone (48207), each face of which is approxi-
mately 20 cm. high and of the same width. Three of them
are decorated with designs resembling glyphs. The stone
might have formed part of a pilaster placed against a
doorway jamb.
In grave: ~
Sherds.
Many pendants of jade.
22 copper bells (S. E. corner).
Crystal and jade beads (N. W. corner).
3 small tripod bowls.
Several red shell beads.
Handsomely carved jade figure. The description
“The handsomest I have yet seen’ suggests the oblong
amulet with the figure in low relief (48178; Fig. 19, q),
but the number of holes in this would indicate that it
was the beautiful jade amulet with slender bone rods in
“some of the holes’ found in the cavern (p. 34). In
reality no slender bone rods are visible in any amulet
at the present time, but since the only other handsomely
carved jade figure is the human figure of ‘Charlie Chap-
lin’ type, with only one suspension hole, jade amulet
No. 48173 must have come from the cavern, and the
“Charlie Chaplin” figure (48149; Fig. 19, h) was found in
Grave 4. This type of figurine executed in jade, shell, or
slate has been reported from Copan (Maudslay, 1889-
1902, Vol. I, Plate 21), the Mountain Cow area of British
Honduras (J. E. Thompson, 1931, Plate XXXV), San
José, British Honduras, and Uaxactun, Guatemala (Rick-
etson and Ricketson, Plate 67, e).
A round jade bead. The red shell beads, the jade
figure and round bead were beside one of the vessels in
the north corner.
Fig. 21. Figure from front of incense burner. Note traces of painting,
particularly the loops with pendent circles around the eyes. Height 31.4 cm.
48
NOTES 49
Grave 5.—In soil above grave:
Sherds.
1 whole tripod vessel.
4 crystal beads.
3 copper bells.
Several small jades.
Jade and red shell beads.
Mass of what was apparently copal. -
In grave:
1 skeleton.
1 red tripod vessel.
Several jade and red shell beads.
Grave 6.—In soil above grave:
Broken vessels.
Jade and red shell beads.
Several copper bells.
3 crystal beads.
In grave: |
Skeleton turned to dust.
1 red tripod bowl with striated bottom (48158 or
48159). Both of these are 16 cm. in diameter and 6.7 and 7
em. respectively, high. In contrast to several of the tripod
bowls these two (Fig. 16, f) show no change of the angle
between base and side, but are strictly semi-globular.
Both are liberally coated with blue paint. Interior and
exterior are slipped, 7’j (between Vinaceous Rufous and
Hay’s Russet). A sherd of a similar vessel was examined
by Miss Anna Shepard, who reports it to be calcite
tempered. -
1 red tripod vessel. In view of the fact that two tripod
bowls with striated bottoms are in Field Museum, cata-
logued as from the High Priest’s Grave, one wonders
whether Edward H. Thompson was not mistaken in
stating that only one of the two vessels in this grave had a
striated bottom.
Potsherds, most of which had striated bottoms.
50 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE
Grave 7.—In grave:
Sherds of vessels with striated bottoms.
3 crushed copper bells.
1 broken crystal bead.
Several jade beads.
1 large calcined jade bead.
1 tall vase with an annular base (48202; Fig. 16, h).
The exterior of this vase is slipped dull Pecan Brown
on which is painted a design in black. Very similar
designs occur on vessels of the same form at Uaxac
Canal (Vaillant, 1927, fig. 171) and in Tlaxcala (Mar-
quina, 1928, p. 84). The form is reminiscent of one in
untempered orange ware and generally believed to be
from the Vera Cruz area (cf. Joyce, 1927, p. 113). How-
ever, the paste of the vessel from the High Priest’s Grave
is reported by Miss Anna O. Shepard to be calcite tem-
pered, and she also identifies the black paint as of non-
vegetal origin. Vases standing on annular bases were also
in a Late cache in the Temple of the Warriors. These also
were not of untempered fine orange ware (Morris, Charlot,
Morris, 1931, p. 177).
Some charcoal.
2 small pieces of obsidian.
1 lump apparently of copal.
Several fragments, apparently of stucco, painted blue.
In passage from shaft:
Jade and crystal beads.
Copper bells.
1 calcined jade pendant (48179; Fig. 18, f).
1 portion of an image, blackened by action of fire. Not
in Field Museum.
1 idol (perhaps 50248; Fig. 22).
1 head of an idol (48194; Fig. 23).
1 jade (?) pendant in the form of a fish (48148; Fig. 19).
This has single transversal suspension hole.
Charred human bones.
Sherds of striated ware (unslipped?), but not of incen-
sarios or sacred vessels (tripod bowls?). ‘
Fic. 22. Painted stone figure. According to E. H. Thompson the trunk
of this figure was found in the cavern, the head in the passage. The head is
disproportionately large, raising the possibility that it does not belong to the
trunk. Height 35.7 cm.
51
52
HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE
In cavern:
Jade ball with a transversal hole (48172; Fig. 19, e).
A beautiful jade amulet with slender bone rods in some
of the holes. This is probably 481738, Fig. 19, g, but see
discussion under Grave 4. A drawing of the back of this
by Spinden (1918, figs. 197-198) shows the arrangements
of holes for suspension or attachment.
Curiously wrought beads and pendants of jade. Per-
haps the beetle-shaped ornaments, one of which is illus-
trated (48174; Fig. 19, f).
Many minute jade (?) beads. These are probably tur-
quois beads (Fig. 17, b) stated to have come from the
High Priest’s Grave, as there are no minute jade beads
from Chichen Itza in Field Museum.
Marble vase (48201; Fig. 24) with a simple inter-
locking Tau design. There are traces of red paint over a
large part of the surface.
Crescentic flint (48189; Fig. 18, 7) with tip missing.
Perhaps classifiable with eccentric flints.
Several hammerstones. One only is in Field Museum.
This is a roughly globular ball of hard limestone with
diameter approximately 3.2 cm.
Shell beads.
Two rectangular plaques of mother-of-pearl (48181),
6 by 6.8cem. Both are very thin and have a hole through
the center. Both have traces of red paint.
1 obsidian arrowhead (Fig. 18, h).
1 flint arrowhead, probably that shown in Fig. 18, 7.
1 canine of a jaguar (48167; Fig. 18, c).
3 shell imitations of jaguar canines (Fig. 18, a, b, and d).
Stucco fragments painted blue. Not in Field Museum.
Half-charred human bones.
1 trunk of an idol. This fits the head in the passage.
The limestone figure is of typical Mexican style (Fig. 22).
The head and much of the trunk are painted red, and
there is a band painted blue immediately below the breast
ornament.
Se a ee
tae
Pree 4
7
NOTES 53
Inscribed stone block. Not in Field Museum.
2 pearls with holes for suspension. These pearls
were presented to Field Museum in 1925 by Edward H.
Thompson, who related that in the course of a recent visit
to the cavern he had found them on the floor, evidently
overlooked in 1896.
Many interesting vessels in fragments. See under
“Other Pottery Vessels” (p. 54).
SKELETAL REMAINS
The name of High Priest’s Grave was given to this structure by
Edward Thompson, and, although there is little or no justification
for this designation, it is now so firmly established that it has been
retained in this publication, although not used in Edward Thomp-
son’s original report or in his letter to Dr. W. H. Holmes. In his
account of the excavations, quoted by Willard (p. 260), he says:
“Beyond question I had uncovered the last resting place of a priest
obviously of very high rank. Reason and logic and facts carry us
thus far. But those five hidden graves, each guarding the ones below
and blocking the way to the deep secret passage and the pit at its
end wherein lay the sacred relics of the arch priest—how may these
be explained? It is here that the mysterious assurance came to me—
the sure intuition, if you will—that this was not merely the tomb of
a great priest but the tomb of the great priest, the tomb of the great
leader, the tomb of the hero god, Kukul Can, he whose symbol was
the feathered serpent.” 7
Here E. H. Thompson disregards tradition, which is unanimous
in sending the shadowy Kukulcan back to central Mexico during
his lifetime.
Dr. Thomas Gann, who visited Chichen Itza in 1918, also ex-
presses his doubt that the pyramid was ever the burial place of high
priests. He writes: “What leads me to this conclusion is that
amongst the debris from the three chambers, which the excavator
had left on the floor of the temple as worthless, I discovered the
petrous portion of the temporal bone (the most indestructible part
of the whole skull) of a child about five years of age. Now if this
had been the mausoleum of the high priests, certainly no child would
have been buried there....’’ (T. Gann, 1924, p. 214.) Bones of a
child were also found by Harrington behind the face of the shaft
(Fig. 4, a).
54 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE
NOTES ON ARTIFACTS
Red Tripod Bowls.—Field Museum possesses ten complete or
incomplete red tripod bowls in addition to two complete and one
fragmentary red tripod bowl, all with striated bottoms. All, seemingly,
are from shaft burials and are slipped 7’j on interior and exterior as
far as junction with base, if defined. Those without well-defined
bases may have whole exterior surface slipped or unslipped and left
rough. Several retain blue paint applied to interiors and exteriors
after firing.
Two sherds of red tripod bowls were examined by Miss Anna O.
Shepard, who finds them to be calcited temper.
There are two well-defined forms. In the first, more correctly
a dish, sides outcurve gently from an almost flat base (Fig. 16, b-d).
In the second, to which bowls with striated bases belong, the
form is semiglobular without modification (Fig. 16, f). There is a
third, but less well-defined form, in which an almost flat base is
associated with incurving sides. Unfortunately, there is no certain
information as to whether these forms are confined to certain graves,
but the general information on the burial shaft would indicate that
all the graves are probably contemporaneous. Should there, how-
ever, have been any lapse of time, the semiglobular form must have
been earliest, since the tripod bowl with scoriated base occurs in the.
lowest grave. A passage in the Willard version suggests that the
two forms occurred together. Most of the vessels have diameters
15.5 to 16.3 cm., but in two cases diameters fall to 18.5 em. Height
measurements are 4.5to7cm. Feet are conical with points truncated
and slightly round. Interiors are hollow, but connected with exte-
riors by vent holes. Red ware tripod bowls of these forms from the
Sacred Cenote and elsewhere in Chichen Itza are in Peabody Museum,
Cambridge (Mass.). Some of those from the Sacred Cenote, used to
hold balls of copal, were also covered with blue paint. Other tripod
bowls of this type were in the talus of the fallen northeast corner of
the lower platform of the Caracol (Ruppert, fig. 48).
Other Pottery Vessels—Two pottery vessels are illustrated in
Fig. 16, k, 1, but it is not certain that they were in the High Priest’s
Grave. They are catalogued as from that structure, but at least one
other vessel catalogued as from the High Priest’s Grave was, accord-
ing to E. H. Thompson’s notes, found in the Temple of the Initial
Series. On the other hand, they are not represented in the series
of water colors, illustrating pottery and other artifacts, which accom-
panied the original report. Eventually, information on ceramic
es
Fic. 23. Stone head. Presumably, this is the head stated to have been found
in the passage. Height 17.9 cm.
55
56 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE
sequences in Yucatan will decide whether the association of these
two vessels with the red ware tripod bowls is chronologically possible.
The first is a tripod bowl of slate ware with three slab feet.
The design of a query mark (Cib or Caban sign?) surrounded by
dots is painted in a reddish brown, probably bleached black. The
paste is tuff-tempered (Fig. 16,1). The second is an incomplete bowl
of the same form, but with somewhat thicker walls. The slip
resembles that of slate, but has an orange tinge. The paste is
plentifully tempered with an opaque substance, probably gray
limestone (Fig. 16, k).
Copper Bells.—All copper bells are of the forms shown in Fig. 16,7.
Crystal Beads.—There are thirty-four crystal beads in Field
Museum now strung on a single wire (Fig. 17, b). All show very
clearly the biconical bores by which they were pierced for
suspension. The range in diameter is 1 to 2.2 em. Five small
segments had been removed for decorative purposes from the surfaces
of two beads; three from another. .
Jade Ornaments.—The beetle-shaped jade ornament (48174;
Fig. 19, f) is one of six of the same form. Each is perforated for
suspension or attachment by a pair of dowel holes made in the
center of the slightly rounded back. With the exception of one
cylindrical bead with grooved bands at each end, jade beads are
undecorated. Many are triangular in cross section. Few are of
good jade.
In addition to the jade shown in Fig. 19, a broken jade earplug
is attributed to the High Priest’s Grave.
Stone Figures.—In the Temple of the High Priest’s Grave there
are at present three stone figures. One of these is a squat Atlantean
figure (Fig. 14) similar to those that supported altar tops in
the Temple of the Warriors, the Temple of the Tables, and the
Temple of the Jaguars. It is difficult to conceive of the original
purpose in placing this figure in the Temple of the High Priest’s
Grave, since the altar of this temple, as shown in Thompson’s
sketch, had a solid front with a peculiar design. The Atlantean
figure has a beaklike face resembling that of the Mexican wind
god Eecatl, and is undoubtedly the one mentioned by Edward H.
Thompson (p. 39).
The other two (Fig. 11) are not of the Atlantean type. Since
there is no mention of them in Thompson’s account, and as each
has a tenon at the back, level with the shoulders, they doubtlessly
Ps ST
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OSBA BIQIVIL "FZ “DIA
57
58 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE
served as decorative elements in the fagade, resembling in function
stone figures found in the excavation of the Temple of the Warriors
and in situ in the east Annex of the Monjas and at Uxmal (Seler).
Stylistically they are closer to fagade decorative elements from
Uxmal. They appear to represent individuals garbed and masked
as owls, a common Maya practice. One of the stone figures is
seated; the other, which lacks a head, is standing.
Thompson, working from the south edge of the terrace on which
the temple stands, failed to clear the whole summit. These facade
ornaments might not have been found by him had they fallen from
the east or north facades to the section of terrace immediately out-
sidé the exterior wall of the ambulatory. That Thompson did not
clear the whole superstructure is shown by his plan (not published),
which indicates no ambulatory, the exterior walls of that feature
and the walls between it and the inner room not being marked.
This is strange, for Maudslay’s map, made in 1889 and based on
what was visible without excavation, shows all the essential features
of the structure as incorporated in Harrington’s ground plan.
THE SHAFT
J. C. Harrington’s plan of the shaft shows that the enlarge-
ment at the twentieth course is 4.80 meters below the top, within a few
centimeters of the depth (16 feet) at which E. H. Thompson states
that the first grave was found (p. 20). This might indicate that
the enlarged area had been built to hold burials, the final 4.80 meters
of the shaft having been designed for the sole purpose of access.
THE INTRASTRUCTURE
The position of the section of vault soffit found by Harrington
while mapping the shaft (Fig. 4, a) would suggest that the intra-
structure, of which it once formed a part, could not have had a
floor level more than a few centimeters above present plaza floor
level. The vault soffit was still visible opposite the twenty-ninth
course, approximately 2.60 meters above present plaza floor level, but
at Chichen Itza a height less than 2.60 meters from floor to spring of
vault is exceptionally low. It isnot improbable that the present exte-
rior level does not represent the original plaza, in which case the floor
of the intrastructure might have been lower than that of the present
plaza. In any case, the intrastructure was unsupported by a sub-
structure, or, at the best, stood on an extremely low one, since the
space between bed rock and opposite the twenty-ninth course is
vo
— as
NOTES 59
not sufficient for both a building with a normally placed vault spring
and a supporting platform, unless the latter had been very low.
DATE OF THE PRESENT TEMPLE
Attention has already been called to the very marked resemblance
of the ground plan of the present structure to that of the Castillo.
This close similarity would indicate a short interval between the
erection of the two structures. In the employment of an inner
chamber within an ambulatory with doorways in four directions and,
less markedly, in the use of fagade statuary, there is a vague connec-
tion with the Caracol (Ruppert, 1935).
On the other hand, in the use of portal columns fashioned as
feathered serpents with rectangular bodies the Temple of the High
Priest’s Grave should be grouped with the Warriors’ Temple
rather than with the Castillo, Chac Mool, or Jaguars’ structures,
which have round feathered serpent columns. Similarly the
Atlantean support is shared by the High Priest’s Grave and the
Warriors. These links with the Castillo on the one side; and with
the Warriors, undoubtedly later than the Castillo, on the other, can
be interpreted by considering the Temple of the High Priest’s
Grave transitional between the Castillo and the Temple of the
Warriors, and as also later than the Chac Mool Temple.
The writer of these notes has recently suggested that the dedica-
tory date of the inscriptions carved on the east face of the south-
eastern column of the Temple of the High Priest’s Grave was 10.9.0.0.0,
(A.D. 1007), the best reading of the whole inscription (Figs. 10 and
25) being 10.8.10.11.0, 2 Ahau 18 Mol falling in a Tun 11 of
a Katun (10.9.0.0.0) ending on 2 Ahau. However, at the same time
it was pointed out that the asymmetrical position of this inscription
in relation to the column on which it is carved and in relation to the
whole building suggests that the drums on which it occurs have been
re-used (J. E. Thompson, 1937, p. 185). Some time must have elapsed
to allow of re-use of materials.
Furthermore, if we are correct in placing the Temple of the
High Priest’s Grave after the present Castillo structure on stylistic
grounds, the date 10.9.0.0.0 can scarcely be contemporaneous, as
this date falls only one Katun after the supposed introduction of
Mexican features by the Itzas under Kukulcan, and such a short
interval would scarcely allow of the establishment of so many
Mexican features which are absent in the Caracol, tentatively
dated (J. E. Thompson, 1937, pp. 182-183) as 10.8.0.0.0, Katun
4 Ahau (A.D. 987).
60 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE
There are, therefore, grounds for placing the construction of the
temple at a date perhaps considerably later than the start of
the first Mexican period.
The fragments of incensarios found around the altar (p. 42)
must represent a period subsequent to that of the burials. Presum-
ably they are contemporaneous with the Spanish conquest. Unfor-
tunately, most of these are not in Field Museum, and are known
only by sketches which accompanied the original report (Fig. 13, 6).
DATE OF SHAFT BURIALS
The burials in the shaft must be contemporaneous with or later
than the Temple, provided one makes the assumption that the
temple was built at the same time as the present outer substructure.
It does not seem probable that the shaft could have been sunk after
the substructure had been enlarged to its final form, for the looseness
of typical Maya substructure fill would have made this extremely
difficult. Even with tighter fill, such as Edward H. Thompson says
was found in this substructure, the sinking of the shaft after the
completion of the substructure would have been difficult. Further-
more, had the shaft been sunk after completion of the substructure in
its present form, its lower part would scarcely have been made wider
than its upper part. Clearly shaft and present substructure are
contemporaneous. On the other hand, the cavern under the shaft
may have been connected with the earlier temple now buried in the
present structure, but the shaft burials must postdate this earlier
construction:
The contents of the graves themselves tend to support the belief
that both burials and temple are subsequent to the start of the
Mexican period. Crystal beads and copper bells seemingly belong
to a somewhat late Mexican horizon. The incensario types and the
tall vase with flaring, annular base, are also indicative of a late
horizon.
THE DATE OF THE CONTENTS OF THE CAVERN
Before assuming that the contents of the cavern can not be later
than the shaft burials, one must consider the possibility of another
means of access to it.
Everyone who has descended to the passage of the cavern com-
ments on the freshness of the air, and several persons have noted
a definite current, suggesting that there exists another outlet to the
cavern. There is a tradition, perhaps of quite recent origin, that a
cave in the side of the cenote of Xtoloc, about five meters above
- a aaa Bae eel,
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62 HIGH PRIEST’S GRAVE
water level, communicates with the cavern of the High Priest’s
Grave, but owing to cave-ins no one has ever succeeded in ascertain-
ing whether this is so. There are many fissures in the cavern, one of
which might conceivably be the entrance to such a passage or there
may well be some totally different explanation for the current of
fresh air. Purely as a speculation one might hazard that the cavern
was once a cenote. In that case the current of air might come from
some deep fissure which once was an underground stream. There
is at present no evidence that such a passage could have been large
enough for a man to crawl through. In any case Edward H.
Thompson’s discovery of the head of a stone figure in the passage
and the trunk of the same figure in the cavern, together with the
fact that the finds were principally in the pile of soil immediately
below the hole from the passage, would indicate rather strongly that
the contents of the cavern are not of more recent date than the con-
tents of the burial shaft.- Turquois, found in the cavern, is also late,
but is indirectly associated with the period of the High Priest’s
Grave temple. Actually, the turquois was in the intra-Castillo
temple, but had been placed there when work on the present Castillo
started.
THE WILLARD-THOMPSON VERSION
Mr. T. A. Willard devotes one chapter of his book “The City
of the Sacred Well’ to an account of the excavation of the High
Priest’s Grave as told to him by Edward H. Thompson. The account,
which differs very considerably from Thompson’s own report, is
- given with quotation marks. The shaft is said to have contained
five graves instead of the seven listed in Thompson’s report. We
are told that several of the burials were provided with one shallow
red tripod bowl and a gourd-shaped bow] apiece. In Field Museum
there are no gourd-shaped bowls except those modified by tripod
supports. This would suggest that one shallow tripod bowl and one
semiglobular tripod bowl were found together in several of the graves.
The Willard-Thompson version also mentions ‘‘a bowl-shaped
vessel gray colored and smooth.” This description would perhaps
fit the slate ware tripod bowl, which, as we have seen, might have
come from one of the burials (p. 56).
The report states that the skeleton of Burial 3 was placed on right
side with knees to chin and with hands clasped around the legs, while
Grave 1 contained two skeletons. Much credit should not be given
this statement, as material is listed in the Willard-Thompson
account which is not in Field Museum and not mentioned in Thomp-
y
Fe
ES Es eo 8: ag a aE Tie OB LAT LBRO NO gE ado
NOTES 63
son’s original report, while many statements in the later version are
at variance with the original. Thus, in the Willard-Thompson
description the marble vase was filled with jade and other offerings,
including a “large plaque with surfaces richly carved and representing
conventionalized human figures with religious regalia,’’ whereas the
mended condition of the vase supports Thompson’s original state-
ment that it was found broken. The large plaque representing con-
ventionalized human figures can only be the jade ornament shown in
Fig. 19, g.
Other discrepancies, such as the depth of the first grave, given as
sixteen feet in the original report, but as twelve feet in the Willard-
Thompson version, serve to confirm that the later account, written
twenty-nine years after the excavations, was based entirely on
Thompson’s memory, which in the last decade of his life was not good.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BEYER, H. :
1937. Studies on the Inscriptions of Chichen Itza. Carnegie Inst. Wash.,
Contr. Amer. Arch., No. 21, Washington, D.C.
GANN, T.
1924. In an Unknown Land. London and New York.
Joyce, T. A.
1927. Maya and Mexican Art. The Studio, London.
MARQUINA, I. :
1928. Estudio arquitecténico comparativo de los monumentos arqueolégicos
de México. Secretaria de Educacién Piblica. Mexico, D.F., 1928.
MaAups ay, A. P.
1889-1902. Archaeology. Biologia Centrali-Americana. London.
Morris, E. H., CHARLOT, J., and Morris, A. H.
1931. The Temple of the Warriors at Chichen Itza, Yucatan. Carnegie
Inst. Wash., Pub. No. 406, Washington, D.C.
NorMAN, B. M.
1843. Rambles in Yucatan. New York.
RICKETSON, O. G. and RICKETSON, E. B.
1937. Uaxactun, Guatemala. Group E-1926—-1931. Carnegie Inst. Wash.,
Pub. No. 477, Washington, D.C.
RUPPERT, K.
1935. The Caracol at Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico. Carnegie Inst. Wash.,
Pub. No. 534, Washington, D.C.
*
SELER, E.
1917. Die Ruinen von Uxmal. Berlin.
SPINDEN, H. J. ~
1913. A Study of Maya Art, Its Subject Matter and Historical Development.
ope Vol. VI, Peabody Mus. Amer. Arch. and Ethnol., Cambridge,
ass.
THOMPSON, E. H.
1897. The Chultunes of Labna, Yucatan. Memoirs, Vol. I, Peabody Mus.
Amer. Arch. and Ethnol., Cambridge, Mass.
1932. People of the Serpent. Boston.
THOMPSON, J. E.
1931. Archaeological Investigations in the Southern Cayo District, British
Honduras. Field Mus. Nat. Hist., Anthrop. Ser., Vol. X VII, No. 8, Chicago.
1937. A New Method of Deciphering Yucatecan Dates with Special Reference
to Chichen Itza. Carnegie Inst. Wash., Contr. Amer. Arch., No. 22,
Washington, D.C.
VAILLANT, G. C.
1927. The Chronological Significance of Maya Ceramics. Ms. Harvard
University, Cambridge, Mass. ;
WILLARD, T. A.
1926. The City of the Sacred Well. New York.
64 ‘THE LIBRARY OF THe
MAY 11 1938
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