252 
GUATEMALA. 
haps these unfortunate subjects had as much influence in 
the wanton destruction of aboriginal literature as had the 
alleged doctrine of devilish things with which the books 
were said to be imbued. The old Spanish priests ought 
to have felt little fear of a creature they knew so well as 
they knew Satan. The shaven crowns of the padres 
were easily represented even by less skilled draughts¬ 
men than the Quiches, and the new doctrines gave the 
irreverent splendid chances for effective caricatures. 
In textile work they were advanced, obtaining results 
with their rude hand-looms that even to-day would hold 
their own against the machine-made fabrics of the pres¬ 
ent day for durability and aptness of design, even as 
the barbaric cashmere shawl cannot be equalled by the 
skilled artisans of France. To-day the weavers of this 
region produce cloths of very attractive design and 
made of honest material, while their shawls or blankets 
are often works of art. I once watched an Indian woman 
weaving a girdle on a narrow loom not more than six 
inches wide; and without pattern before her she traced 
figures resembling those in the old manuscripts, though 
mingled with very modern-looking pictures. The coun¬ 
try abounds in dye-stuffs, so it is not surprising that 
their color-sense has been well developed by use. For 
fibres they were limited to cotton and wool in the looms, 
reserving the pita and other coarser fibres for hammocks 
and redes. 
Pottery of good shape and well baked is found among 
the ruins of Utatlan, and Stephens saw a figure of terra¬ 
cotta that must have required no little skill to model 
and bake. All the potsherds a diligent though not 
extended search gave us were of dark red color, hard 
