﻿858 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  human 
  bones 
  and 
  earth. 
  The 
  openings 
  of 
  the 
  pits 
  had 
  been 
  dis- 
  

   guised. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  high 
  ridges 
  there 
  are 
  50 
  of 
  these 
  simple 
  chambers, 
  but 
  in 
  

   the 
  low 
  foothills 
  of 
  the 
  Cordillera 
  near 
  the 
  San 
  Andres 
  stream, 
  are 
  

   underground 
  rooms 
  with 
  three, 
  four, 
  five, 
  and 
  six 
  niches. 
  Although 
  

   the 
  general 
  construction 
  in 
  the 
  lower 
  area 
  is 
  better, 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  rooms 
  

   have 
  no 
  painted 
  decorations, 
  or 
  else 
  are 
  decorated 
  so 
  poorly 
  that 
  marks 
  

   left 
  by 
  the 
  instrument 
  with 
  which 
  they 
  were 
  excavated 
  are 
  still 
  

   visible, 
  and 
  the 
  surfaces 
  are 
  very 
  irregular. 
  2 
  

  

  A 
  subterranean 
  chamber 
  on 
  the 
  Segovia 
  estate 
  is 
  an 
  example 
  of 
  the 
  

   more 
  elaborately 
  decorated 
  type. 
  The 
  entrance 
  arch 
  was 
  obstructed 
  

   by 
  a 
  large 
  flat 
  granite 
  slab 
  resting 
  on 
  the 
  lower 
  steps 
  of 
  the 
  stairs. 
  The 
  

   lower 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  slab 
  was 
  carved 
  with 
  two 
  round 
  eyes 
  and 
  an 
  

   animal 
  mouth, 
  possibly 
  a 
  toad's. 
  The 
  earth 
  filling 
  the 
  shaft 
  con- 
  

   tained 
  pieces 
  of 
  oval 
  quartz 
  mortars, 
  bits 
  of 
  pestles, 
  and 
  common 
  

   unadorned 
  pottery. 
  The 
  earth 
  that 
  partly 
  filled 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  the 
  

   excavation 
  contained 
  pots 
  of 
  very 
  fine 
  polished 
  red 
  clay 
  decorated 
  

   with 
  either 
  red 
  paint 
  and 
  incisions 
  filled 
  with 
  white, 
  or 
  black 
  geomet- 
  

   rical 
  drawings. 
  Other 
  pots 
  had 
  designs 
  in 
  relief 
  of 
  human 
  and 
  animal 
  

   shapes, 
  especially 
  lizards 
  and 
  snakes. 
  One 
  pot 
  contained 
  pieces 
  of 
  

   crumbling 
  human 
  bones. 
  The 
  central 
  chamber 
  is 
  entered 
  from 
  the 
  

   east 
  by 
  a 
  passage 
  way 
  1.0 
  m. 
  (39 
  inches) 
  long, 
  1.68 
  m. 
  (5% 
  feet) 
  high, 
  

   and 
  0.7 
  m. 
  (28 
  inches) 
  wide. 
  The 
  chamber 
  itself 
  is 
  8.35 
  m. 
  (27 
  feet, 
  3 
  

   inches) 
  wide, 
  5.2 
  m. 
  (17 
  feet, 
  3 
  inches) 
  long, 
  and 
  2.28 
  m. 
  (7 
  feet, 
  7 
  

   inches) 
  high, 
  supported 
  near 
  the 
  center 
  by 
  two 
  columns, 
  2.28 
  m. 
  

   (7 
  feet, 
  7 
  inches) 
  high, 
  0.6 
  m. 
  (23 
  inches) 
  wide, 
  and 
  1.1 
  m. 
  (43 
  inches) 
  

   deep, 
  and 
  separated 
  by 
  a 
  space 
  about 
  1.3 
  m. 
  (53 
  inches) 
  wide. 
  There 
  

   are 
  seven 
  niches 
  in 
  the 
  walls 
  of 
  the 
  chamber, 
  separated 
  by 
  pilasters 
  

   ornamented 
  with 
  grotesque 
  human 
  faces 
  in 
  relief, 
  and 
  painted 
  in 
  

   black 
  on 
  the 
  white 
  background. 
  Elsewhere, 
  the 
  decorations 
  consist 
  

   of 
  black 
  rhomboids 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  niches 
  and 
  roof, 
  and 
  black 
  and 
  red 
  

   ones 
  on 
  the 
  central 
  niche, 
  the 
  columns, 
  and 
  the 
  roof. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  

   slightly 
  projecting 
  horizontal 
  cornice 
  from 
  which 
  falls 
  a 
  chamfer 
  ex- 
  

   tending 
  on 
  all 
  sides 
  to 
  the 
  cornices 
  surrounding 
  the 
  niches, 
  at 
  which 
  

   points 
  the 
  chamfer 
  curves 
  to 
  form 
  an 
  entrance 
  step 
  which 
  terminates 
  in 
  

   another 
  oblique 
  chamfer 
  extending 
  to 
  the 
  floor. 
  

  

  The 
  ceramics 
  found 
  in 
  these 
  subterranean 
  rooms 
  are 
  generally 
  

   fragmentary. 
  The 
  following 
  types 
  are 
  common: 
  Dark 
  coffee-colored 
  

   bowls 
  with 
  cord-marked 
  surfaces; 
  cups 
  with 
  their 
  widest 
  diameter 
  at 
  

   the 
  rim; 
  larger 
  vessels 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  shape 
  with 
  polished 
  surfaces, 
  

   varnished 
  red 
  and 
  with 
  angular 
  or 
  rhomboid 
  decorations 
  painted 
  

   black 
  and 
  white; 
  large 
  open-mouthed 
  jars 
  decorated 
  with 
  bands 
  in 
  

   relief 
  made 
  up 
  of 
  snakes 
  adorned 
  with 
  cuts 
  filled 
  with 
  white, 
  or 
  with 
  

  

  3 
  This 
  is 
  evident 
  in 
  a 
  small 
  excavation 
  discovered 
  by 
  the 
  author 
  in 
  January 
  of 
  1942, 
  adjacent 
  to 
  the 
  best 
  

   ones 
  on 
  the 
  left 
  bank 
  of 
  the 
  San 
  Andres 
  stream. 
  

  

  