Page:Researches in the Central Portion of the Usumatsintla Valley.djvu/21

Rh front of it for sculptured stones, and found a small circular sacrificial table, and near it the fragments of a small stela, which had the figure of a man on one side and an inscription on the other. Unfortunately both sides of the stela were so much worn off by the rain that I could not photograph them. Whether the destruction of this stela is also to be imputed to the monteros and the fire which broke out at that time, it was useless to inquire. I will only remark that in almost all cases where a sculptured stela is dashed down by the accidental fall of a forest giant, the picture facing upward is destroyed, but the one turned downward is marvellously well-preserved. The only explanation I can give for the fact that both faces of this stela were worn off is, that some intruder out of curiosity had turned the fragments over and had then left them lying there.

This second group of edifices lies in the northeastern part of the city, and at a slight distance from it, but to the northeast there is a large truncated pyramid, which might prove of great interest to a future explorer able to undertake excavations on a more extended scale. Without wishing further to blame the honest woodcutters — who apologized to me for having meddled in archaeological matters by saying that they could not have foreseen that some time I should penetrate into these hidden corners — I must mention, however, to complete the matter, that one of the mozos found among these ruins a small sculptured stone in perfect preservation which, it is said, still showed some traces of colors, and that he had carried it off with the intention of selling it to one of the managers of La Reforma. But on the road — who knows where? — on thinking the matter over and being in doubt whether he should receive the hoped-for recompense of fifty pesos, and the stone being somewhat heavy, he hid it in the woods. At the time of my stay in La Reforma, this man was in far-off Tzendales; hence it was utterly impossible to find the stone, which may now be forever lost.

  III.

CHÁNCALA.

Chancala (tsánkalá) is the name of a plant with large leaves, the seedpods of which contain small black balls, which, when pierced with holes, are used by the Indian women for necklaces. It is the Heliconia of the botanists.

At the end of January, 1898, leaving the larger part of my baggage at La Reforma, I went with my men to the waterfall of the Cháncala River to investigate a ruined city in that locality. The road was extremely miry and occasioned us much trouble. We passed first through a small rancho, and were courteously received by the occupant, who had lost his right hand