the; three;-legged brazier, a particularity important style of pot fouxd at 



MACHU PICCHU. 2/3 natural SIZL 



the Snake Rock region and the Upper 

 City. 



Nineteen triangular, or roughly trian- 

 gular, unpiercecl, problematical stones 

 were found, generally in places where the 

 other types of record stones were discov- 

 ered. None was found in any of the 

 burial caves. 



RECORDS ANTEDATING THE INCAS 



These "record stones" probably be- 

 long to an earlier culture than that of 

 the Inca. In the first place, they have 

 been hitherto almost unknown in collec- 

 tions of Peruvian antiquities, although 

 this may be due to their apparent unim- 

 portance. In the second place, they do 

 not occur at Machu Picchu in connection 



with the burial caves containing Inca or 

 Cuzco style pottery, and not more than 

 half a dozen appear to have found their 

 way into any of the caves containing 

 skeletal material. In the third place, they 

 were not found in excavations in the 

 houses of undoubtedly Inca construction ; 

 and, finally, they do occur in greatest pro- 

 fusion in the excavations in the vicinity 

 of the Snake Rock and the Sacred Plaza. 

 The Snake Rock region is very likely an 

 ancient pre-Inca cemetery. 



Five obsidian flake knives were found, 

 varying in size. All were found within 

 a fairly short radius of the Snake Rock, 

 two being near the Sacred Plaza, one at 

 the head of the Main Stairway, and one 

 at the entrance of the Upper City. None 

 was found in any of the burial caves, in 



206 



