LII ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR 



sidered not only as to their number, but as to tlieir instructive 

 arrangement in his text. 



The objects of ancient art found in Chiriqui are, as else- 

 where in North America, derived almost entirely from graves. 

 The cemeteries, apart from their contents and the mode of sep- 

 ulture, constitute in themselves topics of interest which are 

 discussed and illustrated in the paper. Another curious feature 

 is that the objects buried generally appear to have been manu- 

 factured for mortuary purposes and not for use by the living. 

 A general review of the contents of the graves shows that the 

 ancient inhabitants were skillful in the manipulation of stone, 

 gold, copper, and clay, and tombs of undoubtedly great an- 

 tiquity yield evidence of long continued culture. 



It also appears that, while the art of the old peoples of the 

 isthmus can in some respects be connected with that of adja- 

 cent regions in North America, in others it is remarkable for 

 individuality. Ornaments of stone were seldom used by them 

 and those of gold and copper were common. The articles of 

 gold which the graves have yielded in large quantities to ex- 

 plorers during the last quarter of a century, and for which 

 only they have until recently been searched, have generally 

 been considered to be mere ornaments, but they probably had 

 a fetichistic origin. 



It is remarkable that no weapon, tool, or utensil of metal 

 has been noticed The objects were generally formed by cast- 

 ing in molds, which was done with considerable skill, and gild- 

 ing, or at least plating, was practiced. The art of alloying also 

 appears to have been understood. 



The use of metals does not appear early in the order of 

 technology, and an advanced degree of culture is generally 

 attained before the casting of any metal is attempted. With- 

 out allowing too much weight to any argument based upon 

 the surprising skill of these people in plating and alloying, the 

 evidence of technical skill in general, together with the con- 

 ceptions embodied in their art, proves conclusively that it was 

 the product of a long period of experiment and progress. 



The pottery of Cliiriqui is to be noted for the perfection of 

 its technique, its high specialization of form, and its conven- 



