686 MOUNDS IN NORTHERN HONDURAS (ETH. ANN. 19 
gives access to the inclosure. About 20 yards south of this opening 
is a small mound 4 or 5 feet in height. In the center of the space, 
inclosed by the earth walls, stands a small mound 3 feet in height 
and 40 feet in circumference. Excavations were made in the earth 
wall, in the space inclosed by it, and in the small mound in the 
center of the space. Nothing, however, was found except a few pot- 
sherds such as may be found by digging almost anywhere on the estate. 
The walls were found to be built of earth and limestone blocks. 
Immediately to the north of the mound is a huge excavation, from 
which limestone has been quarried. There can be little doubt that 
this was the source whence material to build both walls and mound 
was drawn. This large mound and the inclosed space adjoining 
probably formed together a lookout station and a fort. The mound 
itself is one of a series, all of which possess certain characteristics, 
marking them as lookout or signal mounds. They are all more than 50 
feet in height, and have a flat, table-like surface at the top, a compara- 
tively small base, and consequently very steep sides. They are always 
surrounded by a number of smaller mounds of various sizes and uses, 
which probably indicate the site of ancient populous centers; and 
they are usually, though not invariably, associated with an earthwork 
fortification, either actually joined to them, as at Santa Rita, or at some 
little distance away, as at Adventura, the next mound of the kind in 
the series, which will be described at another time. Such of these 
mounds as have been opened haye not contained pottery or stone 
objects, or anything to show that they had been used as sepulchers. 
As has been proved by experiment, a large fire lighted on the flat sur- 
face at the top of any one of these mounds can be seen plainly over 
the intervening bush—the country being perfectly flat—either by the 
smoke during the day, or by the flame during the night, from the top 
of the mound on either side of it in the chain. Beginning at the top 
of Chetumal bay, these mounds extend in a chain for nearly 150 
niles, first following the coast line, then trending inland in a south- 
westerly direction. The intervals between them are in no case greater 
than 12 miles or less than 6 miles. Each of the mounds forming part 
of such an extended chain, along which it was easy to convey intelli- 
gence either by day or by night, standing also in the center of the 
town or village and adjacent to a fortified position into which the 

inhabitants could retire, would form a most useful signal station from 
which to observe and communicate the approach of an enemy, either 
by sea or land; and there can, I think, be little doubt that this was 
the use for which they were designed. 
A SEPULCHER MOUND. 
At a distance of 691 yards almost due east of the large central 
mound was situated the mound marked 9 in the plan. This was the 
only mound exeayated on the whole estate which had unquestionably 
