The Maya Indians of Southern Yucatan and Northern British Honduras

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 the first, as all the walls and the roof were 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 earthenware 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 jadeite face and three greenstone beads or pendants. Nearer the center of the floor of the chamber 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 cylinder, 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 (pl. 16, d). This object was undoubtedly a cylindrical seal or stamp for use on a handle; similar specimens are not uncommon in the south 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 the 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 was 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 the north of British Honduras and in southern Yucatan: they are lower, flatter, more diffuse and irregular in outline, with the line of demarcation between the base of the mound and the surrounding soil very poorly defined. The northern mounds are more clearly defined, with steeper 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 becomes 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 limestone 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, capable 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 beneath 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 upward, and close to them lay the small, eccentrically shaped object seen in figure 38, b, very well chipped from dark-blue flint, measuring 7¹/₂ 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 1¹/₂ miles from the village of Benque Viejo, in the Western District, is the only considerable aboriginal building in British Honduras, 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 chambers completely covered over with green mold the devices shown in figure 39 were found, rudely scratched upon the stucco. In both the upper and the lower part of the drawing are what may be taken as crude representations 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.[40] 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 large pyramidal 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 stelæ, quite unornamented. Upon the summit of one of these mounds the eccentrically shaped implements shown in figures 40 and 44 were found. Of these, figure 40, a, b, 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 surface; all were within an area of about 2 square yards. Some of the objects, especially the obsidians, were chipped out with great care and accuracy; 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, represents a captive, or sacrificial victim, prone on his face and knees, while above him rises the figure of the priest or warrior, with elaborately 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 details of the sculpture can not now be deciphered. The back and sides are plain and unsculptured. Close to this monolith 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, 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:

We may assume that near many stelæ, 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, leaving behind only those of indestructible stone. For elsewhere, in the vicinity of stelæ, objects of flint and obsidian are found in addition to pottery sherds.[41]

It will be seen that figure 43, a, from Naranjo is practically identical with figure 44; h, from Benque Viejo, as is figure 43, c, from Naranjo with figure 40, d, from Benque Viejo, and figure 43, k, from Naranjo with figure 44, k, from Benque Viejo, while the objects shown in figure 43, h, l, m, respectively, from Naranjo very closely resemble those seen in figure 44, o, a, l, 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, 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 in its gradual encroachment along the coast had partially washed away a small mound. On the beach, 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 vertebræ and parts of a skull, probably belonging with the leg bones found on the 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.

The next mound in which an eccentrically shaped flint was discovered is a very large one situated far away from any settlement, at the headwaters of the Rio Hondo, in northern British Honduras. The stone implements found in it lay near the summit, about a couple of feet beneath the surface. They were discovered accidentally by an Indian (from whom they were purchased) while digging out a halib, or gibnut, from its hole, and consisted of: (a) A spindle-shaped stone brazo 12 inches long by 9³/₄ inches in circumference, finely polished from grinding corn on a metate. (b) A chipped flint brazo, 7¹/₂ inches long by 10¹/₂ inches in circumference, polished on one 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 3¹/₂ to 8¹/₂ inches in length. (d) A dark greenstone ax head, 9¹/₂ inches in length, with two shallow notches, one on each side of a shoulder situated 3 inches from the base, probably intended to afford greater facility in hafting the implement. (e) Two well-chipped flint spearheads, one 10¹/₄, the other 7¹/₂, inches in length. (f) An oblong block of flint 6¹/₂ inches in length and 6¹/₂ inches in circumference. This had probably been used as a hammerstone, since it exhibits well-defined percussion marks at each extremity. (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 3³/₄ inches in diameter.

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 horseshoe 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 beneath 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 came to light.

In figure 47 is seen one of 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 periphery (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 was found by an Indian in the neighborhood of San Antonio, on the Rio Hondo, which here forms the boundary line 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 the surface he came upon this very remarkable flint. Unfortunately, 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 were 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 the human form; it is 9¹/₂ inches in length and is neatly chipped. A closely similar anthropomorphic specimen is preserved in the Northesk collection, a cast of which may be seen in the British Museum.

It is extremely difficult to form any satisfactory 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 stelæ and temples, the more perishable parts of which have disappeared. 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 the 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 crescents, crosses, and rings of obsidian and varicolored flints, as have been discovered at Benque Viejo and Succots, one 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 stelæ in the neighborhood. Finding the huge flints pictured in plate 15, b, d, especially when associated, as they were, with the large flint spearheads illustrated in plate 15, c, f, the conclusion that they were intended as weapons would be almost irresistible.

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 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, b, 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 Central America outside the Maya area, the Aztec were sufficiently expert 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 labret worn 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 large 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 sepulchral 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

For the next 3¹/₂ feet there were large blocks of limestone, the interstices between which were filled with limestone dust and débris. 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 3¹/₂ feet a number of stone flags, each nearly 5 feet in length and from 4 to 6 inches in thickness, were exposed; on removing 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 removing 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 8¹/₂ 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 polished, and ornamented exteriorly with geometrical devices in red and black. (c) A somewhat larger bowl than the next preceding, of the shape seen in figure 52 f. The geometrical ornamentation 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 represented in figure 52 d, of a human face 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 polished; on the inner surface 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 preceding, 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 fragments 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 horizontal 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 circumference at the base; in shape it resembled a truncated cone, the flattened 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 limestone 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 except a few potsherds was found. Scattered through the next 2 feet of the mound the following objects were brought to light; these were mingled indiscriminately with the limestone blocks of which the mound was built, quite unprotected by cist or chamber: (a) A basin-shaped vessel 20 cm. in diameter, 10 cm. in height (pl. 17), covered by a round conical lid with a semicircular handle. Both basin and cover are painted black and polished, inside and out. Upon the 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 the design and the fact that the vase contained a number of fragments of human bones, it seems probable that it was intended for a cinerary urn. The design is of considerable interest and worthy of detailed consideration. The most prominent object upon both the lid and the vase itself is a naked human figure in a recumbent 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 serpent'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 swallowing. 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 Quetzalcoatl, 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 connected 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 manifestation of the latter god, while Spinden is of the opinion that his face is derived from that of the serpent so constantly associated with God B.[42] The lower jaw of the god seems to consist of a dry bone.

Immediately 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 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 (pl. 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 claw-like fingers, and the tails, which are of great length, are curled over the back. The cover of this vessel (pl. 18, a) is circular, somewhat 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 surface 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. (c) 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 (pl. 18, b). (d) A pair of cylindrical vases, each standing upon three short, hollow, oval legs.