150 THE ABORIGINES OF PORTO EICO [eth. ANN. 25 



first oroup contains perhaps the best specimens of stone cutting, but 

 those of the third class are in man}- instances very finely executed. 

 The river pictographs are commonly found in isolated valleys of the 

 high mountains and, as a rule, arc cut on hard rocks the surface of 

 which had been worn smooth by the water, presenting conditions quite 

 favorable to good technic. The caves of the island arc found only in a 

 soft calcareous formation, the surface of which is never very hard and 

 is seldom smooth. The pictographs in these localities, while more 

 easily cut than those on river bowlders, are more readily etiaced by 

 erosion, and are seldom as finely executed as those of the river type. 

 The pictographs found on rocks surrounding dance plazas are, as a 

 rule, finely made and well preserved. In all three types it would 

 appear that greater attention was given Ity the Antilleans to the 

 technic of pictographic work than by contemporary peoples in North 

 America north of Mexico. 



KIVEK PICTOCiRAPHS 



As already said, some of the best specimens of aboriginal Porto Rican 

 pictography were found on bowlders in the rivers or in the vicinity of 

 running water. They often occur on rocks which rise out of the middle 

 of streams or near waterfalls, so that it is not inappropriate to designate 

 this type as river pictographs, to distinguish them from others found 

 in caves or graven 'on the rude aligned stones which inclose ancient 

 dance plazas. The author's studies of the river pictographs were limited 

 mainly to those of the valley of the Rio Grande de Arecibo, one of 

 the large rivers of the island, which rises in the high mountains south 

 of Adjuntas and flows northward into the Atlantic near the town of 

 Arecibo. 



There are many evidences that there was formerly a dense Indian 

 population along the fertile banks of the Rio Grande dc Arecibo and 

 its tributaries, and many indications that later this region will yield 

 most instructive discoveries to the archeologist. The town of I'tuado, 

 which forms an especially good center for archeological work on the 

 island, is situatecl in the high mountains nearly directly south of 

 Ai-ccibo, on the right ))ank of the river, being readily accessible by 

 till' fine carriage road connecting Arecibo and Ponce. Its surround- 

 ings att'ord some of the most beautiful and picturesque mountain and 

 river scenery on the entire island. Utuado occupies the angle formed 

 by two rivers, one of which penetrates the isolated district of Jayuya 

 (a most instructive region for'the archeologist); the other is the main 

 stream along which extends the road to Adjuntas, and over the high 

 sierras to Pouce. The town is situated in a territory formerly ruled 

 by (xuarionex, a cacique who at the conquest of the island is said to 

 have led more than a thousand warriors against Sotomayor. Wq can 

 still trac(> in the inunediate vicinity of the pueblo several hirge village 



