20 



THE COLLECTION OF OSTEOLOGICAL MATERIAL FROM MACHU PICCHU. 



Cave 17. 



Nothing of especial interest was noted in regard to this cave. It was near the first burial 

 place that we had visited. On the floor we found various bones of a medium-sized adult 

 female skeleton (Ost. Coll. 3169), but no skull. There was some reason to suppose that 

 the covering bowlder had settled, crushing some of the bones and rendering it practically 

 impossible for us to get at the skull. A few potsherds of little or no value lay near the 

 bones. 



Caves 18 and 19. 



The chief interest in these two burial caves, which were in the upper grave region, lay 

 in the fact that careful and thorough excavation brought no human bones to light, only 

 llama bones and a few poor potsherds. As these caves were too small and otherwise 





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Figure 16. — View of entrance to Cave 18. A low protecting wall or sill may be seen. Photograph by 

 author. 



the 



unsuitable for primitive dwellings, they must be regarded as burial caves from which the 

 mummies had been removed, but whether by pious hands or by treasure-hunters it is 

 impossible to determine. 



Cave 20. 



This cave was in the upper grave region of the Machu Picchu Mountain. No skull was 

 found, neither were the femora nor humeri, but most of the other skeletal parts were present, 

 though rather poorly preserved. While it is possible that the cave had already been plundered, 

 I am disposed to believe that this may be one of those instances where the skeleton, or 

 perhaps one should say the mummy, had been moved about until certain impurtant parts 

 were broken off and lost. The skeleton (Ost. Coll. 3170) is that of a small adult man. No 

 pottery was collected. 



