114 BUREAU OF AMERICAN" ETHNOLOGY [bull. 64 



Mound No. 21 



Mound No. 21 was situated near Corozal, in the northern district 

 of British Honduras. This mound liad very steep sides; it was 50 

 feet in height by 200 feet in circumference, and was built of blocks 

 of limestone, the interstices of which were filled with friable mortar. 

 Toward the west the mound joined a smaller mound, 20 feet in 

 height. A rumor was current among the Indians in the neighbor- 

 hood that some years before a nmnber of fragments of clay idols 

 had been found lying on the surface of the earth near the mound. 

 Excavations were consequently made all around the mound, for a 

 distance of 10 to 15 yards from its base, through the alluvial soil, 

 down to the limestone rock, a distance of 6 inches to 2 feet. These 

 excavations brought to Ught enormous quantities of fragments of 

 crude, coarse pottery vessels, for the greater part the remains of 

 large hourglass-shaped incense burners, which had been decorated on 

 their outer surfaces with either a human head or an entire human 

 figure. Among these fragments were annual heads in terra cotta, 

 the snake and the dragon being of most frequent occurrence, but 

 the deer, alligator, and tiger also being represented. Heads of the 

 owl, the wild turkey, and the humming bird Ukewise were found. 

 Fragments of about a dozen human faces were brought to light, 

 with the usual nose ornaments, large round earrings, and labrets. 

 Quilted cotton, stud decorated breastplates, sandaled feet, and 

 bracelet-decorated hands and arms were also plentiful. The right 

 arm seems in most cases to have been extended, holding in the 

 upward turned pahn some object as a gift or offering. These objects 

 vary considerably; throe are undoubtedly wild turkeys, with their 

 long necks coiled around their bodies ; two are pahn-leaf fans attached 

 to handles; one appears to be a shallow saucer containing three small 

 cakes; while two are pyramidal, spike-covered objects, possibly 

 meant to represent the fruit of the pitaya cactus. With these frag- 

 ments of pottery were found four entire oval pottery vases, each 

 about 4 inches high, standing on tliroe short legs, each containing a 

 few clay and polished greenstone beads. Close to these was a pair 

 of vases, shaped Hke a right and left foot and leg, of the size approxi- 

 mately of those of a child 7 or 8 years of age, greatly expanded above 

 the ankle. These vases showed traces of white and blue paint, which 

 had, however, almost completely worn off; around them were a 

 considerable number of fragments of the bones of deer and peccary, 

 very much decayed. Close to the base of the mound was found an 

 oval block of limestone, which formed the nucleus of a small hill, 

 2 to 3 feet high and 5 to 6 feet in diameter, composed almost entirely 

 of pottery fragments, with a capping of humus. It is not improbable 

 that this was the spot on which the ceremonial destruction of those 



