100 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 97 



which we followed for 8 meters, paralleling the south face of the 

 inner platform-mound. 



Approximately 20 meters south of the " cut-stone mound " is 

 another, lower mound and, running west-northwest of this, is a row 

 of regularly aligned boulders barely projecting above the surface of 

 the ground. These extend for about 20 meters and then take a 90°- 

 turn to the south. We lacked time for further investigation, but it 

 is apparent that both the " cut-stone mound " and its neighbors repre- 

 sent a structural unit of some sort, the nature of which may only be 

 determined by adequate clearing and excavation. The rough boulder 

 and slab structures are similar to those at Agua Azul, to be mentioned 

 later. Similarly, we encountered very few polychrome sherds in our 

 brief work around the " cut-stone mound ", the majority being ©f 

 coarse, plain ware. 



CAUSEWAY AND " CANAL " NEAR JARAL 



With the exception of the concentration of burial and other mounds 

 near Aguacate and La Ceiba, the great bush-covered plain east of 

 the Jaral-Potrerillos road appears to be without noticeable archeologi- 

 cal sites. At present this is the area where most of the scattered 

 milpa farming takes place, the soil being reported as very fertile. 

 Just to the east of this road we discovered a great causeway and 

 " canal " which separates the ancient ceremonial center near Los 

 Naranjos from the main agricultural area and the burial sites farther 

 to the east (see map, fig. 20) . Following up local stories of " an ancient 

 canal to drain the lake ", we visited El Eden and found that the story 

 had a basis in fact (Strong, 1937, fig. 73). Later, guided by Miguel, 

 we followed the entire length of this structure from where it enters 

 the lake to its northeastern termination on the Rio Blanco (map, 

 fig. 20), an estimated distance of 5 kilometers. With the exception of 

 perhaps 300 meters at El Eden which are cleared, the remainder of 

 the structure is covered with dense bush, and we had to cut our way 

 through. It took us about 5 hours to make the trip. 



The structure, which appears to be continuous, consists of a large, 

 flat-topped causeway on the west, bordered by a definite borrow-pit 

 or " canal " on the east. It enters the lake about one half a kilometer 

 east of Jaral. Here the borrow-pit is 25 meters wide and the mound 

 to the west about 8 meters wide and .75 meter high. To the east of 

 the borrow-pit is a rise of about i meter. Where the mound crosses 

 the trail from Jaral to Dos Caminos (map, fig. 20) it is about 14 meters 

 wide and 2-3 meters in height. The ditch is not visible at this point. 

 About three-fourths of a kilometer farther north the mound is 5 



