For the next 31/2 feet there were large blocks of limestone, the interstices between which were filled with limestone dust and débris. In these were found large quantities of potsherds, some well painted and polished, together with part of the inferior maxilla of a medium-sized carnivore, probably a puma. At a depth of 31/2 feet a number of stone flags, each nearly 5 feet in length and from 4 to 6 inches in thickness, were exposed; on removing these a small chamber appeared, of which the flags formed the roof. The walls of the chamber, or cist, were built of squared stones mortared together; it was 6 feet long, 6 feet high, and 4 feet broad; the floor was of light-brown, very fine river sand. On carefully removing the sand the following objects were brought to light at depths varying from 3 feet below the surface of the sand to the bottom of the chamber: (a) A small round, cup-shaped vase, shown in figure [51], painted bright yellow and finely polished. It is 10 cm. high by 81/2 cm. in its greatest diameter. On its outer surface are two grotesque monkey-like figures, the outline of one of which is shown in figure [52] a. (b) A small thin bowl of the shape shown in figure [52] e, painted yellow throughout, well polished, and ornamented exteriorly with geometrical devices in red and black. (c) A somewhat larger bowl than the next preceding, of the shape seen in figure [52] f. The geometrical ornamentation on the outer surface is executed in low relief, and was afterwards painted over. (d) A large circular plaque painted yellow throughout, 42 cm. in diameter. This plaque had been polished but shows considerable signs of hard usage before burial. (e) A plaque-like vessel, 9 cm. in height, with the design represented in figure [52] d, of a human face separated from a dragon's head by the Maya numeral 7, repeated around the outer surface of its rim. (f) A shallow plaque, 36 cm. in diameter, painted yellow throughout, and polished; on the inner surface of the rim are repeated twice, outlined in black lines, the bird and the curious mythological animal seen in figure [52], b, c. (g) A basin-shaped vessel, painted a deep reddish-brown and finely polished throughout, with a very attractive and intricate device of interlacing diamond-shaped figures around the inside of the rim. (h) A vessel closely similar to the preceding, but smaller and not so well polished. It was broken into a number of pieces when found. (i) A small round pot, with flaring rim, of common red ware, showing no attempt at decoration. (j) Scattered throughout the sand, in the midst of these pots, were found 35 very small, flat, circular disks or beads, averaging about one-twelfth inch in thickness. Some were of greenstone, others of a reddish-yellow stone mottled with white. All were well polished.
BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY BULLETIN 64 PLATE 17.
On removing the sand to a depth of 12 feet the bottom of the chamber was reached. The floor, which was composed of hard mortar, measured 4 by 3 feet, as the chamber was somewhat funnel-shaped, narrowing as it descended. On the bottom of the chamber were found a number of small oyster and cockle shells, with fragments of human bones. Among these was an inferior maxilla in fairly good state of preservation; from the facts that the tooth sockets had disappeared, that there was considerable atrophy along the alveolar processes and widening of the angle between the horizontal and vertical sections of the bone, it had probably belonged to a person of advanced age.