34 COLUMBIAN HISTORICAL EXPOSITION AT MADRID. 



Nos. 32 and 33 are fine specimens of corn mills, metates, with the 

 pestle which usually accompanied them. 



An interesting piece of terra cotta modeling is No. 36, the face of a 

 man asleep. 



No. 37 is an owl, or similar bird, and No. 38 represents a dog. Upon 

 his back there is a small excavation in the form of a cup. These also 

 are from the Pipil territory (Escuintla). 



No. 46 is a small stone image with the body of a monkey, but with 

 the head and tail of an owl. 



Nos. 66 to 69 are stone masks representing human faces. They have 

 small perforations at the top and sides, evidently intended to attach 

 cords by which they could be hung. 



Quite similar masks of the same material were represented in Nos. 

 76 to 80. All of these come from the territory inhabited by the Quiche. 



No. 87 is a vase or jar of marble which represents the body of a 

 monkey resting upon its knees with the hand stretched above the head, 

 and bearing upon its back a vase. 



There are also various arrows and lance heads of stone, and an Indian 

 drum, obtained from the Indians of northern Guatemala, known as the 

 Lacandoues. 



A choice small collection is represented principally from the territory 

 of the Quiches by Senor Minondo. It contains a number of specimens 

 of pottery in red and black clays, masks of the same material, a few 

 images in stone, arrow and lance heads, millstones, and ornaments of 

 burnt clay, some with hieroglyphic characters. 



The collection displayed by Arellano, while showing much of con 

 siderable interest, is less distinctly localized than the preceding, the 

 catalogue rarely stating where the objects were found. They are, how 

 ever, of the same general character of those already described, and 

 display the influences of the same civilization. 



Some of these objects in clay have a peculiar value from the hiero 

 glyphs rather rudely painted upon their sides. 



Special attention may be called to No. 23, which is stated to have 

 been found near the capital city of the ancient Quiches. It is well 

 known that the two principal nations which owned the soil of Guatemala 

 at the period of the Spanish conquest were accustomed to preserve 

 the facts in their national history and the knowledge of the sciences 

 which they possessed by means of a method of writing closely allied 

 to that which prevailed in Yucatan. In consequence, however, of the 

 wholesale destruction by the early Spaniards of the manuscripts of the 

 natives, not a single example of these has been preserved to stand 

 in confirmation of their arts in stone and clay. This lends peculiar 

 value to the preservation of every example which will throw light upon 

 the manner in which they made use of the Maya characters. 



From the examples in the present collection, it is quite clear that they 

 did not differ materially from their neighbors of the east, north and 

 west in the formation of their glyphs. 



