INSCRIPTIONS OF THE EARLY PERIOD. 69 
This fragment was found in a small plaza on the southwestern outskirts 
of the village on the edge of the bank or terrace which overlooks the flood- 
plain of the river. (See figure 22, w’.) It was lying on the north side of this 
plaza in front of a low platform mound approached by five broad steps on its 
southern side. Although there was very little débris in this court, excavations 
were made on the north side with the hope that other fragments might be 
recovered, but nothing was found. Indeed, it is more than probable that the 
other pieces have been destroyed. In March 1916, when this fragment was 
found, the blocks of stone forming the stairways of the mounds surrounding 
this court had been removed and were about to be broken up for paving 
material for the streets. The single piece recovered may have been removed 
from one of these steps, and it was rescued from destruction only by the 
writer’s chance visit at the time. It is presumably part of a stela, but of very 
archaic character. The front is sculptured with glyphs, the back and left 
side being plain, having been dressed smooth by pecking and rubbing. The 
right side was missing, as well as the top and bottom. There is a’ plain 
marginal band along the left edge of the front. This presentation is unique, 
and almost raises the question whether this fragment ever belonged to a 
stela, possibly having been part of an altar. The arrangement of the glyphs 
in two vertical columns, however, suggests a stela, and for this reason it 
has been so identified here, On the basis of the arrangement of the design, 
which is the simplest possible, 7. ¢., one surface sculptured, the other three 
being left plain, Stela 22 has been assigned to Class 1. 
Parts of 6 glyph-blocks are preserved, and although none is of recog- 
nizable form, they all clearly indicate the archaic character of the inscrip- 
tion. Note the highly ornamented numerical bars in a2 and the archaic 
prefix in B2. The latter is identical with the prefix of co on Stela 15 @@UUR 
and of Bs on Stela 9 @32583 and very similar to that of Bs on Stela 24. 
But these three monuments are very early, 9.4.10.0.0, 9.6.10.0.0, and 
9.2.10.0.0 respectively, for which reason Stela 22 also has been assigned to 
Katuns 2 to 4. 





STELLA ES: 
Provenance: Found on the mound of Stela 7 (Group 9). Two frag- 
ments only recovered. Now in the cabildo. (See 
plate 3, and figure 22, f’ and g’. 
Date: 9.2.10.0.0 3 Ahau 8 Cumhu (?). 
Text, drawing: hgure 8. 
Only two contiguous fragments of this monument have been recovered 
up to the present time, both from the southwestern quarter of the village, 
one having been found behind the house of Clementino Lopez in the mound 
of Stela 7 in 1918 (figure 22, f’), and the other 40 meters to the northwest at 
the house of Domingo Hernandez in 1919 (figure 22, g’). These two frag- 
ments were fitted together in June 1919 and found to be parts of a new 
monument, to which the name Stela 25 was given. 
Fortunately the history of the Hernandez house is well known (see 
p. 60), and it is possible to establish the fact that the fragment found 
