54 BUREAU OP AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [bdll. 64 



mortars with spatulate flint grinders, wiiicli have been found with 

 traces of paint still adhering to them. Ornaments in the form of 

 human and animal faces and heads nicely cut from jadeite and green- 

 stone are not uncommon. Some bear incised hieroglyphic inscrip- 

 tions. The greenstone shell from Kendal, described later on, in its 

 fineness of finish and accurate imitation of the natural form, is a 

 remarkable example of gem cutting. 



Most of the domestic pottery used was of a rather coarse hard red 

 ware. This comprises large amphora-hke water jars, shallow dishes, 

 saucers, and bowls, used probably to hold food; cooking pots of 

 various sizes and shapes, chocolate pots with upright spouts, and 

 disks for baking tortillas.. In addition to these, thick brittle vessels 

 of very coarse pottery, some of exceptionally large size, are found, 

 which were probably used as receptacles for corn, beans, pepper, and 

 other light dry substances. Of the finer kinds of pottery some are 

 ornamented with incised devices, executed after the vessels had been 

 fired, others are covered with devices in polychrome, and still others 

 with ornaments molded while the clay was plastic. Lastly, tliese 

 three methods, or any two of them, may be combined in the deco- 

 ration of any one vessel. 



The objects most frequently depicted on the vases are human 

 heads, simple glyphs, animal and mythological figures, and flowers. 

 Most of the vessels are pohshed, some of them to a high degree, but 

 the art of glazing does not seem to have been understood. The finer 

 kinds of pottery are thin, tough, hght, and very hard. The applique 

 work, displayed best in incense burners, upon which the figure of the 

 god in high rehef is built up bit by bit, is rather coarse, but in some 

 examples very efi'ective. Stone implements and weapons of great 

 variety have been discovered, including ax, spear, javehn, and 

 arrowheads, knives, clubs, throwing stones, hammerstones, scrapers, 

 chisels, borers, paint and corn grinders, fiber cleaners, and many 

 others. Fhnt, chert, obsidian, greenstone, and limestone were the 

 materials most commonly used in the manufacture of implements 

 and weapons. Very remarkable eccentrically shaped objects, in- 

 cluding crosses, crescents, rings, and a variety of other forms, chipped 

 with great care and precision, from flint, chert, and obsidian, are 

 also found, though not in great numbers. They seem to be con- 

 fined almost exclusively to this joart of the Maya area. 



MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS 



With the exception of clay whistles of from one to four notes, no 

 musical instruments have been found in the mounds, unless the 

 hollow cylinder (10^ inches high by 4 inches in diameter) from 

 Yalloch may be regarded as a small hand drum similar to those men- 



