Mound No. 33
Fig. 76.—Head cut from limestone found in Mound No. 32.
Fig. 77.—Greenstone mask found in Mound No. 32.
Mound No. 33 was situated near Bacalar, in the Province of Quintana Roo, Mexico. It was 6 feet in height by 20 feet in diameter, and was built of blocks of limestone, limestone dust, and earth. Near the summit of this mound, close to the surface, was found the small soapstone lamp illustrated in figure [78], 43/4 inches in length by 13/4 inches in depth. The lamp is decorated in front with a floral design, and at the back by wing or feather-like ornaments, possibly meant to represent the tail and half-folded wings of a bird. It is finely polished throughout but had probably never been used, as in hollowing out the interior the maker had carried one of his strokes too close to the surface, making a small hole, which would have allowed the oil to escape. There is a freedom and lack of conventionality, both in the pleasing and natural floral design and in the flowing lines of the back part of this little lamp, which are totally unlike the cramped and highly conventional style to be observed in similar small objects of ancient Maya manufacture. So widely does it differ from Maya standards that there can be but little doubt that it was introduced in post-Columbian days, probably very soon after the conquest, especially as in the same mound was found one of the small painted clay figurines so common in mounds in this neighborhood, which with the censers probably belonged to the latest period of Maya culture.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 64 PLATE 22.
PAINTED CLAY FIGURINE FROM MOUND NO. 33
Another explanation which suggests itself is that the lamp was buried in the mound at a much later date (possibly during the troublous times of the Indian rebellions, between 1840 and 1850) by someone who wished to hide it temporarily, and that it had no connection with the original purpose of the mound. No other objects were found in this mound, with the exception of a number of potsherds, till the ground level was reached, where, near the center of the mound, the painted clay figurine shown in plate [22] was uncovered. This represents a deer with a human head, whose headdress is the upper jaw of some mythological animal. The back of the figure, which is hollow, contains a small opening near the tail, covered with a conical plug of clay. Within were two small beads, one of polished red shell, the other of polished greenstone. The whole figurine had been coated with lime wash, over which were painted black lines, dots, and circles.[57] The human face, earrings, gorget, and part of the headdress are painted blue, while the mouth of both the human face and the face in the headdress are painted red. Near the figurine lay a vessel (fig. [79]) of rough yellow pottery, unpainted and undecorated, with two small ear-like projections just below the rim. No bones and no trace of human burial were found in the mound.
Fig. 78.—Soapstone lamp found in Mound No. 33.