﻿Vol.2] 
  SAN 
  AGUSTIN 
  AND 
  TIERRADENTO 
  — 
  HERNANDEZ 
  DE 
  ALBA 
  853 
  

  

  actually 
  served 
  as 
  the 
  tomb 
  covers. 
  In 
  the 
  temples, 
  statues 
  were 
  

   used 
  as 
  caryatids, 
  and 
  others, 
  to 
  judge 
  by 
  their 
  location 
  in 
  the 
  central 
  

   position 
  of 
  the 
  construction, 
  represented 
  the 
  principal 
  gods. 
  Many 
  

   other 
  statues 
  found 
  in 
  and 
  around 
  these 
  temples 
  may 
  have 
  depicted 
  

   minor 
  deities. 
  

  

  Still 
  another 
  type 
  of 
  stone 
  carving 
  occurs 
  on 
  the 
  rock 
  underlying 
  

   stream 
  beds 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  cut 
  out 
  for 
  baths 
  or 
  fountains, 
  possibly 
  

   for 
  ritual 
  purposes 
  (pi. 
  174). 
  The 
  Moyitas 
  spring 
  is 
  a 
  good 
  example. 
  

   Here 
  the 
  stream 
  bed 
  has 
  canals 
  and 
  small 
  circular 
  hollows 
  to 
  distribute 
  

   and 
  collect 
  the 
  water, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  a 
  human 
  head 
  carved 
  in 
  relief 
  . 
  The 
  

   most 
  elaborate 
  example 
  of 
  such 
  carving 
  is 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Lavapatas 
  

   stream, 
  which 
  has 
  various 
  well-planned 
  ducts 
  that 
  distribute 
  the 
  

   water 
  and 
  form 
  small 
  cascades 
  which 
  fall 
  simultaneously 
  into 
  three 
  

   small 
  pools, 
  two 
  of 
  which 
  have 
  carvings 
  on 
  their 
  sides. 
  Snakes, 
  

   lizards, 
  and 
  tadpoles 
  are 
  represented, 
  all 
  with 
  their 
  heads 
  bent 
  to- 
  

   ward 
  some 
  canal 
  in 
  the 
  attitude 
  of 
  drinking. 
  The 
  ornamentation 
  is 
  

   completed 
  with 
  human 
  figures 
  or 
  faces, 
  quadrupeds, 
  and 
  a 
  monkey, 
  

   and 
  the 
  upper 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  rock 
  is 
  carved 
  to 
  form 
  a 
  seat 
  or 
  footstool 
  

   with 
  two 
  sculptured 
  legs. 
  

  

  ARCHITECTURE 
  

  

  In 
  contrast 
  to 
  the 
  excellent 
  stone 
  sculpture, 
  architecture 
  is 
  little 
  

   developed. 
  No 
  habitations 
  constructed 
  of 
  stone 
  have 
  been 
  found, 
  

   which 
  leads 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  dwellings 
  were 
  probably 
  of 
  wood 
  or 
  

   rubble 
  with 
  thatched 
  roofs. 
  Any 
  traces 
  of 
  such 
  perishable 
  structures 
  

   are 
  difficult 
  to 
  identify 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  high 
  humidity 
  of 
  the 
  region 
  and 
  

   the 
  heavy 
  forest 
  cover. 
  However, 
  there 
  are 
  stone 
  tombs 
  and 
  temples 
  

   or 
  shrines 
  in 
  which 
  statues 
  were 
  kept. 
  

  

  The 
  temples 
  are 
  the 
  largest 
  unit 
  constructions. 
  They 
  are 
  rectan- 
  

   gular 
  in 
  ground 
  plan, 
  measuring 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  10 
  by 
  14% 
  feet 
  (3 
  by 
  4.5 
  m.) 
  

   and 
  may 
  be 
  roofed 
  over 
  with 
  a 
  single 
  thick 
  slab, 
  held 
  in 
  position 
  by 
  

   built-up 
  walls, 
  columns, 
  and 
  caryatids. 
  The 
  floors 
  are 
  hard 
  packed 
  

   but 
  unpaved, 
  and 
  slope 
  down 
  toward 
  the 
  center 
  where 
  the 
  principal 
  

   statue 
  or 
  idol 
  is 
  located. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  temple 
  walls 
  are 
  painted 
  in 
  

   geometric 
  designs. 
  The 
  whole 
  construction 
  is 
  covered 
  by 
  a 
  mound 
  of 
  

   heaped-up 
  earth 
  (pi. 
  173). 
  The 
  larger 
  mounds 
  are 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  25 
  m. 
  

   (about 
  83 
  feet) 
  in 
  diameter 
  and 
  cover 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  temple. 
  Some 
  

   of 
  the 
  stone 
  slabs 
  and 
  columns 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  constructions 
  show 
  signs 
  of 
  

   having 
  been 
  dressed, 
  but 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  building 
  stone 
  is 
  only 
  split 
  and 
  

   selected. 
  The 
  small 
  stone 
  shelters 
  which 
  cover 
  stone 
  statues 
  are 
  

   generally 
  called 
  "shrines." 
  There 
  are 
  also 
  a 
  few 
  subterranean 
  gal- 
  

   leries, 
  lined 
  and 
  covered 
  with 
  large 
  stone 
  slabs. 
  

  

  The 
  tombs 
  were 
  rectangular 
  boxes, 
  constructed 
  of 
  stones 
  embedded 
  

   vertically 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  and 
  covered 
  with 
  flat 
  slabs. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  

   tombs 
  contain 
  monolithic 
  sarcophagae 
  with 
  carved 
  covers 
  (pi. 
  176, 
  6). 
  

  

  