32 ARCH^OLOGICAL AND ETHNOLOGICAL 



villao-es visited, had teachers. In the school of the first-named village were ten 

 pupils, and over twenty in the latter. In none of the villages was there a resident 

 priest, or any at all excepting when they came to celebrate the festival of the 



patron saint. 



Three varieties of maize are planted in that section; Matambre (hunger killer) 

 is a yellow variety ; Borozo is white ; and Liberal of a black color. This last- 

 named variety ripens within forty days, and the two others in four months time 

 after planting. Matambre received its name from producing a sure and prolific crop. 



From the Balsam coast I proceeded to the city of Sensunat, the capital of the 

 department of the same name. Besides other scientific researches I tried to col- 

 lect as much as possible of the Nawhuata language. In all I was aided by Don 

 Antonio Ipina, the governor, who, receiving me hospitably in his house, ordered 

 men from the different villages to come and give all the information they could. 

 He conducted me also to the two mounds which are in the outskirts of the city. 

 In their vicinity I found in a ditch two sculptured heads of colossal size, much 

 mutilated, which undoubtedly were parts of missing statues. I was informed that 

 figures of burnt clay, and sculptured stones of various kinds, are often found in 

 the city, especially when digging the foundation of a house. But all these articles, 

 being of no interest to the inhabitants, are not preserved. 



The governor also permitted me to accompany him in his visit of inspection to 

 the various communities in his department. On this tour we visited the elevated 

 plain encompassed by the mountain of Tischapan (Germ, spell.) and the volcanoes 

 Cuyutepet and Sisilintepet. On this plain are three sculptured monoliths. Two 

 of them represent gigantic human heads, one of which was broken in two. All 

 of them are more or less buried in the grovmd, the third so much as to obscure the 

 design upon it. 



The frequent occurrence of ancient pottery and small figures ("Idols") of burnt 

 clay in the village of Apaneca induced the governor, on our visit there, to order 

 an excavation in the square of the village. In doing it an ancient grave was 

 luckily opened. It was formed by four porphyritic slabs more than three feet long 

 and two feet wide, standing upright in a kind of semicircle, and another slab 

 lying horizontally at the bottom of the grave. After the removal of the earth 

 to a depth of about three feet, the interred body was reached. All the bones, 

 although preserving their shape, were so brittle as to crumble at the least touch. 

 By removing the earth with my hands with the greatest care, the clavicles as well 

 as the bones of the arms and thighs, especially the heads of the latter, could be 

 seen. They showed that the body was buried in a crouching position. In con- 

 sequence of their brittleness none of the bones could be preserved except some 

 crowns of the teeth, which were still compact, perfectly white, and not worn. In 

 immediate proximity. to the bones were traces of a dark-brownish substance; 

 remains of the decayed flesh and clothing. Near the neck were more than two 

 handfuls of pointed teeth; below these were variously carved pieces of jadeite of 

 diff'erent sizes. The largest of them was a square piece two inches long, an inch 

 and a quarter wide, and a third of an inch thick. On the darker-colored front 

 was carved an image kneeling and sitting on the heels. On a smaller piece 



