FEWKES] ARCHEOLOGICAL OBJECTS 153

154 THE

ABORIGINES OF

POKTO

RICO [eiii.axn. 25 described.

At

^this point the river phinges over and auiong great bowlders, restinghereand tliere indeeppools. These smooth,water-

worn

rocks afford a fittingsurface forpictographicwork, specimens ofwhicharefoundscatteredoverthe largerbowldersprojectinga))Ove the falls and the stillwater of the pools. Several of these pictures arebarelylegible; others,althougheasyto trace,

owing

totheirposi- tionaredifficulttophotographsuccessfully.

One

oftheforms found near thefallsisffgured asj.

Another pictograph (plate lx, pt 2, ^I')represents aface abouta footindiameter,with threepitsfortheeyesand mouth. Thereisno representation of a

body

noristhei'eany attempttodepict the earsor otherappendagestothe head.

Figuredas/ isa^{circle in}which iscontained a crescent,suggestive ofthemoon.

Ill the

same

plate(in) is a pictographof the

same

general typeas those already considered, destitute of amouth, with

two

circlesfor eyes,and suggestingthebeginningsofspirals.

Specimen

n

has apyriformfacewithearpendantswellrepresented.

The

eyes arecircleswithcentral pupils;the

mouth

^isrudelyindicated, and parallel lines extend

downward from

the chin. This example, whichisoneof the bestatthe falls, isfound high on the front of a bowlder, the slipperysidesofwhichalmost forbid climbing.

Specimenoisa long,almoststraight, linewithaspiraltermination ateach end.

The

wholetiguremeasures aboutafoot anda half,and

may

be awhirlpoolsymbol.

Near

thelast-mentionedpictograph is one{ji)witii eyes, nose,and

mouth

well represented.

Above

the

mouth

appear

two

crescentic marks,oppositeeachothei',indicatingthechetjks.

Among numerous

otherpictographsonthese rocks are

two

circles,each representing a

human

face witheyesand

mouth

clearlyindicated.

Several pictographs are found on ^{I'ocks in the river} beyond the falls.

One

ofthe largestgroupsoccurs nearAdjuntas,andthere are othersbetweenthefallsand Utuado.

Some

of the most instructive river pictographsin Porto Ricoare foundattheeasternendof theisland. There are

many

near Fajado, andothers are on the Rio Blanco not far

from

Naguabo.

A

short distance

from

J uncos, near theroad

from Hnmacoa

tothattown,there aresevei-al river pictographs of the

same

general characterasthose described.

The

author's attention has beencalled toapictograph(plate LXI,a)

which isaprofflesketch of a

manuniform

zeml,oridolwitha conical extensiononthe back.

He

has seenalsoa rock etching with abodyof zigzagform,recallinglightning.

The

formswhichthesepictographs take arealmostnumberless,butinallthereisa

common

likenesstothe

FEWKEs]

ARCHEOLOGICAL

OBJECTS

155

inciseddecoration.sfound on

wooden

andstonestools, idols,andother objectsundoubtedlyofprehistoricmanufacture.

The

majority of theseclustersof riverpictographs, especially those along theRio

Grande

deArecibo,occurintheneighborhoodofdance plazas,whichwillbe dealtwith presently.

CAVK

PICTOCtKAPHS

Numerous

pictogi'aplisarefoundal.^ointhe caves, so

common

inthe calcareousrocks of theisland.

The number

ofthesecavernsinPorto Ricoisverygreat,but not^allof

them

containIndian picturesontheir walls. In

many

casessuchpictures

may

oncehaveexisted,gradually being covered

by

stalactitic deposits on thewallsor erasedbysuper- ficialerosion.

As

a rule cave pictograph.swerenot cutwiththe .same care as the river pictographs. from which thej- diii'er also in size, shape,andapparentlyinsignificance.

The

liotryoidalformstaken by

many

ofthestalactiteslendthemselvesto reliefcarvingwhichclearly isoften combinedwith surface cutting, affording forms intermediate between pictographs, or cuttings on tlat surfaces, and sculptures.

Man}'of these cave pictographs arefoundin placesnot

now

readily accessible; othersoccuronslabsofrockwhichlieonthecavefloor.

The Cueva

delasGolondrinas ("caveoftheswallows")nearManati, andElConsejo ("thecouncil house'') nearArecibo, are typicallocali- tiesforthestudy of cave pictography.

The

walls of theformercave are coveredwith a sticky, greenish-black substance which had par- tiallyconcealed

some

of the pictographs, butothers of largesizeand

good workmanship

were quite readilyseen.

The

fallen bowldersat thebackofthecavealsohadgoodpictographs cutuponthem.

More

than ten rock carvings on the walls were counted, and there were others which were undoubtedly obscured by the covering that had beendeposited overthewalls.

The more

strikingpictographs

from

thiscave are the following:

One, about8inchesindiameter, incisedaboutbreast-highonarock which hadfallen

from

theroof.

A

^slabofstone bearingthispicture

was

cut out,but on account of its greatweightitwas not brought away.

PlateLx, pt2, y,representsoneof the best ofallthepictographsin thiscave. Itmeasures about18 inchesindiameter,andwascutonthe projectingfront of afallenbowlder,

making

thefacevery prominent.

The

bodyisrepresentedbyparallel lines.

Illustration /represents a pittographabout a foot long, consisting ofhead andbody, with legsiij^pearingoneachsidefoldedtothebody.

Like

some

of the riverpictographs nearUtuado.it hastwo hornsor anteriorappendages, one oneachsideof the head. Thisfigure recalls the outline of small stoneamulets

from

Porto Rico and Santo

Domingo,

156 THE

ABORIGINES OF

PORTO

RICO [etii. a.vn.25

The

pictograph tigured as ,v belongs toatype soniewbat different

from

the preceding,'butrecallsthoseonthe river rock near

Utuado

(e).

The

appendagestothesideofthehead resembleears.

On

thetop of theheadthere^isasmaller^circlewithwhich^{it is}connected bya groove.

Eyes

and

mouth

are representedbythreerings.

Specimen⁽consistsof a rectangular

body marked

oti' into scjuares, having an oval head withearappendages. There are no indications of eyes, hutthecheeksarerepresentedbycrescentic grooves.

The

three pictures

shown

inn to/rrepresent faces,but theyhave been nuich eroded and disfigured l)y time. Originall}^ they were evident!}-

more

complicated thantheirpresent outlinewould seem to indicate.

Some

tinepictographs aretobe seeninthecavecalledEl Consejo,"

ontheestateof

Mr

^{Denton,not far}

^from

^Arecibo.

^The

neighboring hamlet, school, and hacienda bear the

name

Miraflores. Thiscaveis

reached afteranhour's ridebj-coachtoByadera, andthencebvhorse for another hour and

by

climbing upthe mountain ^{to theentrance,} which is (juiteeasilyaccessible.

The

caveisspacious, roughly

dome

shaped,andlightedattheendopposite theentrance bya largearched opening,which looksout on the steep mountain side. This opening was,inallprobability, the original Indian entrance, forallthecarvings are placed near that end,asif todecorateitortobeconspicuouslyⁱⁿ viewasoneentered thecave. Thereare seven faces or heads,^allclose togetherandallon onesideofthearchway.

One

ofthese pictographs isespeciallyconspicuous; itiswell made,partlyin relief,with

what

appearto be head, nose,andpointed chin.

The

othersix faces are simpler, consisting ofpitsarrangedintriangles,sometimes surrounded bya line to indicatetheface.

Of

^these,

two

faces are cuton rounded protuberances andfour are mereh'incised in theflat rocks.

One

of these, called bya peon""el dios mejor de todos," has the eyes cut obliquely, sloping

from

thenoseupward. Similar oblique eyes

may

be noted on

many

pottery heads,oneof the best ofwhichwas collected bytheauthornear Santiago delosCaballerosinSantoDomingo.''

As

the

name

^"el dios" _implies, theresurvivesinthemindsof the Gibaros,orcountrypeople ofPortoRico, abeliefthatthese pictographs wereintended torepresent Indian gods.

Of

^the

same

import alsois the lore

among

these people concerningcaves,whichin part at least isa survival of the reverence withwhich caverns were regardedin aboriginallife. Stories that caves are theabodeof spiritsare widely current

among

the unlettered people ofPorto Rico and Santo

Domingo.

Accordingto a superstitionwhich prevails

among many

^{of the}

West

Indian islanders,

some

of these caves are still inhabited. It issaid

aMiss A.B.Gould has kindly givenmetheseinterestingnotesofhervisitto this cave.

'Oneofthezcmis figuredby Charlevoixin 1731 (HistoiredeI'lsleEspagnoleoudeS.Domingue,

I,Gl)has obliqueeyes.

PEWKES]

ARCHEOLOGICAL

OBJECTS 157 thatifobjects are placedat theirentrances they are

removed

within a shorttime bytroglodytes,anddebris at thecave

mouth

issaid tobe swept

away

ina

manner

otherwiseinexplical)le. Iwastoldbj'a

man who owns

oneof thefinest

wooden

stools in Santo

Domingo

thathe obtained it

from

a(lil)aro

who

said that whilehuntinga goatinthe mountainshe strayedintoa cavewhich had notbeenenteredin

mod-

ern times. Penetrating an inner cham])er he saw in the

dim

light

what

hesupposed to])eoneof these cave-dwellers.

He

struck at it with his machete andtied, but afterward returned to find thatthe object ofhisfear

was

a

wooden

stool,whichhe

removed

andsold.

As

^if to corroborate the story ofthis'"paisano"(countryman), theobject, which ishideous

enough

in

form

and feature to frighten anyone if

encountered in the

gloomy

environmentof a cave, still shows ^the

marks

of the machete.

A ^wooden

^{stool or dvlui in the} Smithsonian collection described

by

Mason, alleged to be

from Turks

island, is saidtobe hacked " bythe hatchet of a vandal." Perhapsthe mutila- tion

was

dueto fear rather thantomalice.

Nearthe hacienda Barranca, not farfromthe military road ofPorto Kico

from

Ponce to Juana Diaz, there are

some

instructive picto- graphs, the situation of which ispeculiar.

On

the side of the cliff

overlooking the river are

numerous

small caves,

some

of whichare

mere

niches in the rock.

One

^of theseis barely large enough to admitthe

human

body, butbylyingat full length one

may

^{force his} headandshouldersthroughthe entrance intoanenlarged space inclosed byrockwalls.

Upon

thesurface ofthisrockthere are severalpicto- graphs, themost ^strikingofwhicharehere reproduced onplatei.xi, a-e.

Some

of these rocketchingsappeartohave been peckedintothe rocksurfaceandthenfilledwithpigmentor earth of a colordifferent

from

that of the rock. Othersare single pictographs. Theirsides average

from

6 to 18 inchesinlength.

Specimenahas a triangularform, reminding oneof theprofileof a three-pointed stone idol. Inh

we

havea representation of the head and part of the bodyof a

human

being, the eyesand

mouth

being readily recognized.

Above

thehead thereisa crescent-shaped

body

crossed

by

aseriesoflinesincised slightlv intherocksurface. This individualpictographissituatedonthe right-handwall.

The form

^{figured as c}was undoubtedlyintended to represent ^tiie

human

face,the eyes,mouth, andcheeksbeingwellrepresented. In

d

is represented a pictograph found in a neighboring cave or shrine.

Thislikewise represents a

human

face,buthas a nose which appears asa groove

from

the top, imparting a heart-shaped outline to the whole. Thereisalsoa representation of anappendagetothesideof the head,butthe nature of^thisisnot clear

from

the pictograph.

Several verygood pictographs occurin faces of the granite near thefallsof theRioBlanco,Huniacoa, PortoRico.

Of

these

Mr

L.

M.

158

THE

ABORIGINES OF

PORTO

RICO

McCormick,

curator of the

Museum

^of Natural History at Glen island,

New

Rochelle,N.Y., has sent the Smithsonian Institutiona few

kodak

photographs,

from

whichthefollowing are copied. Thej^

containno

new

type, but

come from new

localities.

Plate LXi,^(7,represents theheadand

body

of

some

totem, theformer witheyes,mouth, and prominent^ears. Thispictograph hasanobject of

some

kind represented abovethe head.

The

square

body

bears a cross, the itrms of whicli extend to the four corners. Specimen/'

©©

-tKitt<, BritishWestIndies,

is different

from

most pictographs in having the eves in relief in sunken cavities.

A number

of parallelor radiating lines arise

from

thechinand lowersideof the head. Similarlinesoccurinotherpic- tographsandarefoundlikewiseoncertainpillarstones. Specimen^<-is not adistinctive

form

of pictograph,butisworthyof noteon account of the singular

form

ofthe

body

andthemedian groove

down

^thefront.

Copiesofpictographs

from

St Kitts are tiguredontheaccompany- ingcut(figure24:).

FEWKE.s]

ARCHEOLOGICAL

OBJECTS

159

TrueCarib pictograph.s

from

8tVincentare rigured on \>\ate lxii.

The

resemblances to pictograplis from Porto Rico are ver}' great, especiallyinthe case of those

shown

in/>.

Stone

(^'ollars

No

archeological olijectsfound in Porto Rico liaveattracted

more

attentionand are

more

characteristic of the island"than those rings

made

of stone thatfromtheirshapes arecalled collarsorhorsecollars.

Althoughseveralhave been foundinSanto

Domingo

andintheLesser Antilles,the

number

collected in Porto Ricofarexceeds that

from

^all the other

West

Indies. Thereareⁱⁿ theUnitedStates

some

sixtyof these objects, about evenly distributed between the collections in

Washington

and

New

York. Several are in

European museums,

in theBlackmore andChristycollections in England, and in thepul)lic

museums

of Paris,Berlin,Stockholm,Copenhagen, and other cities.

Ithas beenestimated that there areabout one hundred Porto Rican collarstheownershipofwhichisknown.

While

theseobjects,asarule,havethecollarshapeseveral arc sim- pl3'stonerings,roughly formed,asif untinishedspecimens,andothers aresimplystoneswith around oi'oval perforation. Theirsizeisfar

from

uniform, buttheirshapeisalmost withoutexceptionoval.

The

kinds of rock ofwhich theyare are

made

ditfer,asdoes the technic of thespecimens.

Some

of thecollars

show

undoubtedsignsofpeck- ing, butasa rule the surface of thecompleted form showsthat tiiey werepolished b}'rubbing.

They

rank

among

thefinest specimensof stoneworking

by

theIndians ofAmerica.

Professor

Mason

classities these stone rings in twogroups,(1)the massiveand("i)the slender obliqueoval.'' Thoseof thelattergroupare as a rulethe bettermade, being sometimes highlyornamented, with ornamentationlimitedtothe pointedpole.

The

massivecollarsbear superficialdecorations that are unlike the designsontheslender oblique oval.

The

following observationsontheclassificationofstonecollars werepublished in the author's articleon Porto Rican StoneCollars andTripointedIdols:

Professor Ma-soii distinguishes twoclasses ofstone collars,which hecalls "the massive oval andthe slender oblique ovateor pear shaped." "The latter," he says,"arefarmorehighly polishedand ornamentedthan the former,andsome^of theornamentalpatternsonthemassive formsarereproduced butmoreelaboratedon the slendervariety,notaV)lythegourd-shapedridgesurrounding thepanels.

Collars ofbothclassesaresubdividedbythesameauthorintotwogroups,(a)the right-shoulderedand(fc)theleft-shoulderedcollars,whichmaybe distinguishedas

"See D.G.Brinton,Ona Petroglyph fromthe Islantl of StVincent. Proceedingsof theAcademijof NaturalScknce,Philadelphia,1889. Thespecimenssaid tohavebeenfoundinScotlandby Daniel Wilson,aswaspointedout byStevens,areprobablyWest Indian.

6TheLatimerCollection of Antiquitiesfrom Porto EicointheNationalMuseum, andtheGuesde Collection ofAntiquities in Pointc-a-Pitre.Guadeloupe, WestIndies; reprint,p. 385,1899. Thesearti- clesoriginallyappearedintheSmithsonian RcportfSoT1676andISSi,respectively Allreferences to ProfessorMasonare to this reprint.

160 THE

ABORIGINES OF

PORTO

RICO

follows:Ifweimaginethe' collarplaced over the neck, withitssmoothedgeresting onthe chestandthepointedpolehangingdownward,thecollarmaybecalled^left- shoulderedwhentheprojection"faintlyresembling a lashingofthetwoendsofa hoop"is onthe wearer'sleftsideand thedecorated panelonthe right. When, however, these portionshavereversedpositions^thecollariscalledright-shouldered.

Certainofthemassivecollarshaveno superficialdecoration,but are simply per- forated stones, possiblyunfinished specimens.

Thegeneral character ofthetwo groupsofstone collars, massiveandslender obliqueovate, differs tosuchanextentthatitwouldseemasiftheiruseswerenot the same,andthedifferences inthe symbolicmarkingsontheirsurfaceswouldimply a different interpretation of theirmeaning. Forinstance,while the theorythatthes»

collarswere wornover the neckapplies fairly well tothe slender ovatevariety,it failstoapplytosomeofthemassiveforms. Althoughthelattermightbe regarded asinstrumentsof tortureorsym-

P bols of servitude, this interpre-

tation would hardly hold for the slender examples. Onthe otherhand,itcan not be reason- alilyclaimed that the useand meaningofthetwogroupswere different,considering thesimi- larity in theirgeneral forms;

norisitprobable that the mas- siveformsareunfinishedspeci- mensofthe slenderones, inas-

muchasthespecial superficial symbolic characters of each grouparetoowell defined to suppose that one could bemade outoftheother.

Therearecertainregionsof tioththe massiveandtheslen- dercollarswhichcanreadilyl)e identifiedandwhichforconven- iencehavebeen designatedby the followingnames(figure 25)

:

h,boss;;),projection;s,shoul-

der; !<h, shoulder ri<lge; ilp,

decorated panel;dph,decorated panel border; ^dprj, decorated panel ridge; dpbp, decorated panel borderperforation; up,undecorated panel; upp,undecorated panelpit;uph, undecorated panel border; vpjg, undecorated panel groove. These regions are in reversepositions in right-andleft-handedcollarsandvaryinformaccordingtothe simpleorelaborate characterofthe ornamentation.

b.Boss.

—

^{The so-calledboss is}a rounded, generally unpolished,prominenceor swelling,wellmarkedinslender but absentinmassivecollars,being generallyeither plainor sodecoratedthatitseparatesthetwopanels.

In massive forms the boss^isconfluent with tlie undecorated panels,l>ut in the slenderit isevidently a continuationofthe decorativepanel.

p. Projection.

—

Theprojection,whichisasignificant feature ofthecollar,has the formofaslight,roundedelevation, closelyappressed to thel>ody ofthecollar,to which itappearstobe bound by anencircling ridgeorfillet. In massivecollars therearegenerallytwoprotuberanceswhichmayl)ecalled projections,oneoneach