38 MEMOIRS OF THE CARNEGIE MUSEUM 
can be followed for several miles northward. It was the first and only structure of 
the kind I met with in Central America. 
In his work on Nicaragua, Vol. II, p. 334, Squier mentions what appear to be 
similar roads. He writes: ‘‘Amongst the most remarkable remains are traces of 
immense works in the district of Chontales, near the Indian town of Yuygalpa, on 
the northern shore of Lake Nicaragua, nearly opposite the city of Granada. They 
were observed by Dr. Livingston in his visit to the gold-mines of that region ; and 
are described by him as consisting of trenches three or four yards broad at the bot- 
tom, and extending indefinitely, in a right line, across the savannas, and into the 
depth of the forest. He followed one for upwards of a mile.” 
Il. ANTIQUITIES OF THE VELASCO COLLECTIONS FROM 
LAS GUACAS. 
A. OBJECTS OF STONE. 
1. Tools and Weapons. 
(a) Metates. 
On my first visit to Las Guacas in 1896, I found several large heaps of broken 
metates scattered around that part of the burial-ground which had been excavated, 
and made rubbings on heavy Japanese paper and sketches of a number of the sculp- 
tured ornaments which covered these fragments. During the excavations carried 
out for Padre Velasco a relative of his had been in charge of the working force 
during one season. He had made a collection of drawings of the most remarkable 
of the sculptured metates, which had been found complete and in situ, but crushed 
by the pressure of the soil. Although not sufficiently accurate to warrant reproduc- 
tion, these sketches, which I then procured, are of interest, showing that quite a 
large number of the metates had the entire under side of the plate adorned with 
artistic, conventionalized, anthropomorphic and zodmorphic characters. As during 
my first stay in these parts no satisfactory agreement could be made with Padre 
Velasco for carrying on excavations at this place, I had to give up the idea of select- 
ing material from the above-mentioned heaps. I was only able to buy a couple of 
large beautifully decorated metates, which had been put to actual use in the house 
of Antonio Carillo. I also obtained a few large, finely sculptured fragments, which 
were used as flagstones on the ground in his kitchen. These objects I took to the 
Ethnographical Museum in Stockholm. 
