Ch. IX.] SEARCH FOR ANCIENT SCULPTURES. 165 







ornament. The custom of the Chontales Indians appears 

 to have been to hum their dead, and place the ashes in 

 a thin painted urn, inclosed within a stronger one. This 

 was huried, along with the stone for grinding maize, and 

 a cairn of stones built over the grave, in the centre of 

 which was sometimes set up the statue of the deceased. 



It was evident that the tomb had been ransacked in 

 search of treasure ; but our guide was very reticent about 

 it. He admitted, however, on further questioning, that 

 he had found a broken " metlate," or maize-grinder, in 

 the grave. Yelasquez got down into the deepest hole, 

 and unearthed some more fragments of pottery, but 

 nothing more. 



We then descended the steep face of the hill again, 

 and crossed the plain to where the " worked stones ' 

 were lying. We found them to be broken fragments of 

 statues, one larger, better worked, and in much fairer 

 preservation than the others. They had all been as 

 much battered and broken as possible ; but the greater 

 size and solidity of this one had made it more difficult to 

 deface. 



It was in two parts, the head being severed from the 

 body. The total length of the two fragments was about 

 five feet. The face had been battered and broken. The 

 nose was gone, and the mouth defaced ; but enough 

 was left to show that the latter had been protruding. 

 The eyes were in good preservation, prominent, and with 

 the eyeballs projecting. Around the head was an orna- 

 mented circlet, like a crown. The arms were laid over 

 the breast, and were continued upwards over the shoulder, 

 and partly down the back, as if it had been intended to 

 indicate the shoulder-blades. The legs were doubled up, 



