822 PAPERS RELATING TO ANTHROPOLOGY. 



decent Jiuacas in the neighborhood, the worthy dominie would have had 

 me for a guest for some time. 



The alcalde, after having our horses attended to by his policeman, 

 escorted us around the neighborhood in search of antiquities, but we 

 only secured a few specimens of extremely rude ware. The ancient 

 inhabitants were no doubt as miserable as those now here, and i^roba- 

 bly could ill afford the extravagance of jadeite ornaments. 



Next morning, with the policeman as guide, we pursued our journey 

 to Santa Eosa, where were two more schools. Don Juan wore an argillite 

 gorget suspended around his neck, and this was shown the children, 

 and one little fellow said there were things like that at his house, 

 and we decided to accompany him to his home. Before his school hours 

 were over he had been so frightened by suspicious natives that it was 

 with the utmost difficulty we persuac'ed him to accompany us. On the 

 road we met a man and asked him the usual question, if he could tell 

 us where to hnd huacas, when he stepped back aghast and with the 

 most ludicrous expression of alarm, exclaimed ^^ Huacas ! the Lord pre- 

 serve me! What do I know about huacas .^" I have travelled a great deal 

 in Central America, but never before saw a place where ignorance and 

 suspicions put such obstacles in the way of simple investigations. The 

 trials of a foreigner travelling alone may be imagined, when it is remem- 

 bered that I was accompanied by Don Juan himself, a nearly pure blood 

 Indian, who was born and raised in the Nicoya and •wiisjefe politico oi' 

 that district. 



Some 5 or 6 miles more and we stopped at a cattle ranch of the rudest 

 class — three miserable cane huts near by a corral for such cattle as 

 needed attention, and an inclosed area of a few acres for maize and plan- 

 tains. The proprietor, owner of a large number of cattle, was here, and 

 lived as i)oorly as his meanest vaquero. The morning of the 25th April 

 we rode to within a short distance of the sea to examine an old buiial 

 ground. The graves were indicated by slight piles of stone, showing 

 but little above the surface. There is very little soil above the rock 

 here and the relics, human bones, extremely rude pottery, celts, and 

 broken grinders were found within 15 inches of the surface. This was 

 on a slope, and apparently the surface had been much denuded by the 

 wash of the wet seasons. One skeleton was extended with head to south- 

 west; on one side of the skull was a celt, edge down, on the other a 

 small rude vessel in pottery. Of eight celts collected, all but one were 

 blunt, the edge apparently chipped off to render the implement useless. 

 The one excepted was a very small one. The collection, interesting 

 for the very rudeness of the pottery made here, was intrusted to the 

 school- master at Santa Eosa, who failed to forward it to Santa Cruz and 

 it was lost. That worthy was as stupid and ill-mannered as his col- 

 league at El Gallo was pleasant and courteous. 



We only worked at that i)lace half a day, then returned via the ranch 

 to Santa Eosa, and thence to a small hamlet, Las Huacas, on the route 



