GANX] MAYA INDIANS OF YUCATAN AND BRITISH HONDURAS 51 



iVNCIENT iNHiiBITANTS OF THE ReGION 



From the contents of the mounds we are able to detliicc many vahi- 

 able facts relating to the physical appearance, social Ufe, religion, and 

 art of the former inhabitants of this area. 



PHYSICAL APPEARANCE 



A very accurate idea of the physical appearance of these people 

 may be derived from the figurines, paintmgs, stucco molduigs, and 

 skeletons found in the mounds. It would appear that they very 

 closely resembled the modern Maya Indians.^ They were broad 

 of face, with small features and rather high cheek bones; without 

 beard or mustache, but with straight, black, coarse hair, which was 

 allowed by both men and women to grow long. 



The skull was naturally brachicephalic, and as this characteristic 

 was (and is now by the Maya) admired, it seems to have been almost 

 invariably accentuated artificially by pressure applied over the occipi- 

 tal and frontal regions during early infancy .^ The average cephaHc 

 index of eight skulls removed from the mounds was found to be 110. 

 The following list gives the average lengths of a number of bones of 

 adults taken from the mounds, though in no case were all the bones 

 of one mdividual found in a sufficiently perfect condition to permit of 

 their accurate measurement : 



Humerus, 29.21 cm. 



Uhia,, 25.38 cm. 



First phalanx (little finger), 3.04 cm. 



Femur, 36.83 cm. 



Tibia, 33.27 cm. 



Metatarsal bone of great toe, 5.33 cm. 



The bones are small, the ridges for muscular attaclunent not well 

 marked, and the phalanges, metacarpal, and metatarsal bones smaU 

 and delicate, indicatmg a body with rounded contours, poor muscular 

 development, and small extremities. The front teeth in some cases 

 were filed, in others filled with round plugs of obsidian, iron pyrites, 

 or jadeite, for ornamental purposes. 



> Son en lo personal, estos Indies Itza«x, bien agestados; color trigueno, mas claro que el de los de Yuca- 

 tan. Son agiles, y de buenos cuerpos, y roslros, aunque algunos se los rayavan, por senales de valentia. 

 Traian las Cabelleras largas, quanto pueden ciezer: Y assi, es lo mas dificultoso en los Indios el reduzirlos 

 & cortarles el pelo; porque el traerlo largo, es seflal de Idolatria.— Villagutiekre, op. cit., p. 498. 



Que los Indios de Yucatan son bien dispuestos y altos y rezios y de muchas fuercas.— Landa, op. cit., 

 p 112. 



• Que las inaias criavan sus hijitos en toda aspereza y desnudez del mundo, porque a cuatro o cinco dias 

 nacida la criatura la ponian tendidita en un leeho pequeno hecho de varillas, y alii boca abaxo le ponian 

 entre dos tablillas la cabc^a, la una nn cl colodrillo, y la otro en la frente, entre las quales se le appretavan 

 reciamente y le tenian alii padecicndo hasta que acabados algunos dias le quedava la cabega liana y enmol- 

 dada como lo usavan toaos ellos. — Landa, op. cit., p. 180. 



