THE MIDDLE CIVILIZATIONS 145 



designs. The pottery products include pitchers of 

 beautiful and unusual shapes, dishes with tripod legs 

 modeled into serpent heads, incense burners, bowls, 

 plates, etc. Of the same clay are also made whistles in 

 realistic forms, and moulded figurines. Painted pot- 

 tery also occurs in forms and designs of rare beauty, 

 but it is much less characteristic of the Zapotecan 

 province than the unpainted ware. 



( Jarved jades of splendid workmanship have been 

 recovered in the Zapotecan region and there is reason 

 to believe that this semi-precious stone was obtained 

 here in the natural state. Many of the pieces are 

 smoothed only on the front-, while the back retains its 

 old weathered and stream-worn surface. Beautiful 

 examples of gold work have also been found in this 

 region. 



Splendid manuscripts were obtained by the Spaniards 

 in the Zapotecan region, but the pictures of the gods as 

 well as the hieroglyphs show strong Aztecan influences. 

 These will be discussed briefly in a later section. Some 

 accounts have been preserved of the special features of 

 Zapotecan religion which mark them off rather sharply 

 from the Aztecs, however. 



The high priests of the Zapotecans were called 

 S ers" and the ordinary priests were " Guardians of 

 the Gods'' and "Sacrificers." There was a sort of 

 priestly college where the sons of chiefs were trained 

 in the service of the gods. The religious practices 

 included incense burning, sacrificing of birds, and ani- 

 mals, and letting of one's own blood by piercing the 

 tongue and the ear. Human sacrifice was made on 

 stated occasions and was attended by rites of great 

 solemnity. The Zapotecs never went to the blood 

 excesses thai stain the annals of the Aztec-. 



