86 THE ABflRIGINKS OF PORTO RICO 



of these heaps situated near Salinas, on the south shore. Doctor 

 Stahl has called attention to exterior shell deposits on tiie north coast 

 near the mouth of the Manati river and elsewhere. The largest shell 

 heaps examined by the author are those at Cayito, near Salinas, and 

 on the left hank of the Coamo river, near Senor Vincente Usera's 

 fai-mhouse, a short distance from the Coamo baths. 



Of the Cayito shell heap an account has been given l)y Seiior Agus- 

 tin Navarette." He visited Cajnto with a well-known journalist and 

 archeologist, Senor Zeno Gandia, who has also published in local news- 

 papers several articles on Porto Rican archeology, Ixit these the author 

 has not been able to obtain. The shell heap at Cayito is thus described 

 by Navarette: 



A quince 6 veinte metros de la costa y en li'nea recta de et-te lugar, encontrainos 

 un vasto solar, verdadero " kiquem dingo" dan^s, circunscrito de un lado por la oosta 

 y el otro por el rio; en el y casi ;1 su])erflcie recogimos mils de 50 fragmentos de cera- 

 niica indo-borincana, entre ellos varias cabezas de idolillos y penates, habiendo uno 

 muy curioao porque sobre la frente y en el centre del tocado, tiene un verdadero 

 cascabel de barro que suena cuando se le agita. Estos fragmentos de objetos de 

 USDS domestico y religiose, tienen muy divefsos dibujos: entre los que me he traido 

 hay uno que figura la cabezade un niurci(51ago, niide una pulgada de tamano y parece 

 estuvo adherido ;i alguna vasija 6 cantara. Ei^ de notarse que en todos loe lugares d 

 que aludimos, se camina sobre una enorme cantidad de restos de moluscos, los que 

 se hallan en la superflcie 6 revueltos en la tierra d poco que con el pie se ahonde. 



According to Navarette, Doctor Souquet excavated the larger part 

 of this shell heap eighteen or twenty jears previous to the former's 

 visit and obtained 600 ta/vVvto.'*, or little clay heads, which he had car- 

 ried to Europe. These (Aaj heads are not, as is popularly supposed, 

 heads of idols, but are fragments of ceramic decorations, as will lie 

 shown later. 



In the neighl)orhood of Cayito, Navarette found a human cranium 

 and vertebrse and larger arm bones, which he decided, from evidence 

 obtained from natives, were not those of historic occujjants of the 

 country. Their association with fragments of prehistoric pottery led 

 him to regard these as remains of prehistoric people who once lived in 

 that neighborhood. 



On his visit to Caj'ito in lOUi the author was able to identify the 

 shell heaps mentioned by Seiior Navarette, but he found their foi'in 

 greatly modified. The sea had apparently washed awaj' portions of 

 the mound at one point, and elsewhere houses had been erected upon 

 it, partially concealing its site. Guided l)y Seiior Santiago, he picked 

 up several fragments of pottery near one of the cabins and obtained a 

 few clay heads from the natives. No excavations were attempted but 

 enough evidence was obtained to show that extended work in this 

 neighborhood would reveal important archeological data. 



« Agustin Navarette, Estudios de Arqueologia de Puerto Rico, published in the newspaper EL 

 2^'oticio, May, 1890: republished in La Aqiiifa, I'once, 190-1. 



