STONE. 



With the exception of its architectural manifestations, which are relatively in- 

 significant, the stone art of Chiriqui compares favorably with that of the regions 

 either to the northwest or southeast. It includes arrow-points, spear-points, celts, 

 polishing stones, pestles, metates or mealing stones, stools, images, ornaments, 

 petroglyphs and sculptured columns. 



McNiel states that stone axes and other implements were found in every local- 

 ity visited— from Gualaca east of David to Divala on the west and El Banco 

 and Jac.u on the north. As to their mode of occurrence, he says : " I have not 

 been able to discover any particular difference in the class and style of graves 

 in which the stone implements were found. Having obtained them from every 

 locality visited, I can say that the majority of those in my collection are from 

 Bugavita. But as a large portion of the pottery is also from that locality, I have 

 not thought the fact important. The three or four large stone axes of a different 

 form are from the extreme easterly limit of my work, Gualaca. These were brought 

 in to me by my assistant, with about the same number of cantaros (pottery vessels). 



" The stone images, statuettes, etc., are less frequently found ; and are gener- 

 ally found either on the surface, above the graves or a short distance below. 

 As I have no practical knowledge of my own in regard to these, having at no 

 time been present when any of those in my collection were found, I can only 

 state from information, which I believe to be in the main reliable. My inquiries 

 in that direction also elicited the reply that where stone images of any kind were 

 found it was looked upon as indicating a rich grave in pottery and probably gold. 1 ' 



Arrow-points. — The distinguishing charac- 

 ters of Chiriquian arrow-points first attracted 

 the attention of archeologists years ago. As 

 early as 1862, Dr. Merritt 1 "spoke of the 

 arrow-heads found by him in the Chiriqui 

 graves differing from all others he had seen ; 

 those from Chiriqui being pyramidal, having 

 four cutting edges converging to the point. 

 Some of them appear to have been designed 

 to set into the end of the shaft without fasten- 

 ing, in order to remain in the wound. " 



The fact is that these rudely shaped arrow- 

 points are almost always triangular in section, 

 slightly concave longitudinally, is left untouched, while the other two surfaces 

 are chipped irregularly, producing toothed edges, especially those bordering the 

 nuclear surface (fig. 2). A few have a fourth surface roughly parallel to the 

 inner surface, but narrower, and are therefore trapezoidal in section (fig. 3). 



Figs. 1—3. — Arrow-points. 'I' 



The fiat nuclear or inner surface. 



1 Dr. J. King Merritt. Report of Amer. ethnol. soc. meeting. Hist, mag., VI, 154, 1862. 



