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MEMOIRS 
 
 OP THE 
 
 PEABODY MUSEUM OP AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY AND 
 ETHNOLOGY, HARVARD UNIVERSITY. 
 
 VoL. I.—No. 2. 
 
 CAVE OF LOLTUN, 
 
 I 
 
 YUCATAN. 
 
 Report of Explorations by the Museum, 1888-89 and 1890-91. 
 
 BY 
 
 EDWARD H. THOMPSON. 
 
 CAMBRIDGE: 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE MUSEUM. 
 
MEMOIRS 
 
 OP THE 
 
 PEABODY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGY AND 
 ETHNOLOGY, HARVARD UNIVERSITY. 
 
 VoL. I.—No. 2. 
 
 CAVE OF LOLTUN, 
 
 YUCATAN. 
 
 Repoet of Explokations bt the Museum, 1888-89 and 1890-91. 
 
 EDWARD H. THOMPSON. 
 
 CAMBRIDGE: 
 
 PUBLISHED BY THE MUSEUM. 
 
 1897. 
 
Copyright, 1897, 
 
 Peabody Museum of Amekicax Archaeology and 
 Ethnology, Harvard University. 
 
 University Press : 
 
 John Wilson and Son, Cambridge, U. S. A. 
 
EDITORIAL NOTE. 
 
 Dueing a visit to Yucatan in 1888, Mr. Charles P. Bowditcli was 
 impressed with the importance of archaeological research in this land of 
 ancient culture. On his return to Boston, he interested several friends of 
 the Museum to join him in the project of carrying on explorations in this 
 region under the auspices of the Museum. Mr. Edward H. Thompson, who, 
 as United States Consul to Merida, had been living in Yucatan for several 
 years, was engaged to direct and to conduct the work on the part of the 
 Museum. 
 
 The first expedition left Merida on December 3, 1888, for the Ruins 
 of Labna, where the work was carried on during the winter and spring. 
 The second expedition started in the autumn of 1890, and continued the 
 exploration of these ancient ruins for several months. Important dis¬ 
 coveries resulted from the explorations, and many interesting photographs 
 and moulds were secured. A survey was made and a plan drawn of the 
 group of ruins. A report on the Ruins of Labna was prepared by Mr. 
 Thompson, but circumstances have not yet permitted its publication. 
 
 On the first page of this Memoir is a small outline map of Yucatan 
 showing the relative position of the principal ruins and of the Cave of 
 Loltun. 
 
 Mr. Henry N. Sweet, photographer, and Mr. Clifton H. Paige, civil 
 engineer, both of Boston, arrived at Merida the last of November, 1888, 
 and the expedition soon started for the Cave of Loltun on the way to 
 Labna. Here for some days during the heavy rains the explorations w^ere 
 carried on. Photographs of different parts of the cave were taken, several 
 of which are reproduced in the plates accompanying the following report. 
 A survey was made of portions of the cave, and a few of the plans are 
 reproduced in the following pages. 
 
 The second expedition to the Cave of Loltun was in December, 1890, 
 when several passages and chambers, not previously entered, were examined. 
 On this expedition Mr. Marshall H. Saville, of the Peabody Museum, 
 
 assisted Mr. Thompson in the explorations. Additional photographs were 
 
 51 
 
4 
 
 EDITOEIAL NOTE. 
 
 taken by Mr. Saville. The most important of these is the sculptured 
 human figure which is here reproduced as Plate YI. On Plates VII. and 
 VIII. are photographic reproductions of numerous objects found in the 
 cave, and referred to in the text. A few other cave specimens of peculiar 
 interest are shown in the text by drawings made by Mr. C. C. Willoughby. 
 
 The discovery of filed teeth in the cave is of particular interest, owing 
 to the fact that these teeth are filed in the same manner as those in a 
 skull found under one of the ruined buildings at Labna. Similarly filed 
 teeth have been found in several other places in Mexico, and they evi¬ 
 dently represent a peculiar custom of a certain group of the ancient Mexi¬ 
 cans. The ethnic importance of the several styles of filing and ornament¬ 
 ing teeth, as shown by specimens in the Museum, will be considered in 
 a special paper. 
 
 As the manuscript for this report was prepared by Mr. Thompson in 
 1891-92, it is thought best to print it without any reference to the recent 
 explorations in this cave by Mr. Henry C. Mercer. It will be seen that 
 Mr. Thompson was the earlier explorer, although the publication of his 
 report has been so long delayed. It is due to Mr. Thompson to state that, 
 owing to his residence in Yucatan, he has not had the opportunity to 
 revise the proof of his report. 
 
 F. W. PUTNAM, 
 
 Curator of the Museum. 
 
 Harvard University, Cambridge, 
 May 26, 1897. 
 
 SUBSCRIBERS 
 
 TO THE PEABODY MUSEUM EXPLORATIONS IN YUCATAN 
 
 1888-1891 
 
 HENRY ADAMS, 
 
 FREDERICK L. AMES, 
 
 JOHN F. ANDREW, 
 STANTON BLAKE, 
 
 CHARLES P. BOWDITCH, 
 ERNEST W. BOWDITCH, 
 
 J. INGERSOLL BOWDITCH, 
 ALEXANDER COCHRANE, 
 
 WILLIAM H. FORBES, 
 MARY HEMENWAY, 
 
 F. H. CUSHING, 
 
 STEPHEN SALISBURY, 
 MRS. PHILIP H. SEARS, 
 MISSES STOKES, 
 
 FRANCIS L. HIGGINSON, 
 
 AUGUSTUS LOWELL, 
 ARTHUR T. LYMAN, 
 CHARLES J. PAINE, 
 
 NATHANIEL THAYER, 
 ELIZABETH C. WARE, 
 MARY L. WARE, 
 
 MRS. SAMUEL D. WARREN 
 
 52 
 
CAVE OF LOLTUN. 
 
 REPORT OF EXPEDITION OF 1888-89. 
 
 After a week of preparation in Merida, the members of the expedition * 
 went on to Ticul where they were heartily welcomed by Don Antonio 
 Fajardo whose genial face and kind courtesy are most pleasing remem- 
 
 Fig. 1. — Map of Yucatan. 
 
 The dotted lines show routes taken by the Peabody Museum Expedition of 1888-1891. 
 
 brances of the winter’s work. Having partaken of an excellent dinner 
 with his pleasant family, we entered the volans, each drawn by a trio of 
 mules, and were soon on our way to the frontier hacienda of Tabi, whose 
 
 * Consisting of Edward H. Thompson, Director; H. N. Sweet, Photographer; Clifton H. 
 Paige, Civil Engineer. 
 
 53 
 
6 
 
 CAVE OF LOLTUN. 
 
 long fields of sugar-cane fringe the line between civilization and the wild 
 lands. 
 
 Arriving at Tabi, sixteen miles to the south of Ticul and sixty-eight 
 to the south of Merida, where the kindness of Sefior Fajardo had placed 
 everything at our disposal, a midnight lunch was served, and hammocks 
 were called into requisition. During the night there were heavy showers. 
 The next morning the cloudy skies promised more rain, but although the 
 forests paths were flooded, we were unwilling to lose valuable time and 
 determined to press on. The Cave of Loltun, situated a league to the east 
 of Tabi, was one of the places to be investigated. Once in the cave, the 
 state of the weather would be a matter of indifference to us. The work 
 could go on without loss of time. Candles, ropes, and provisions were 
 therefore packed, all due preparations made, mules obtained, and before 
 many hours the members of the expedition were at work, each in his 
 department, nearly a hundred feet underground. 
 
 Loltun, or the cave of the flowers of stone (Plate I. Fig. 2), is the 
 poetic name given to this cave by the natives. In a region more acces¬ 
 sible to tourists it would be world-famed. Its long passages, buried in the 
 depths below, dark as a tomb and as silent, suddenly open into roofless 
 grottos, sun-lit from above, framed in by huge tree-roots and vines, and 
 perfumed by thousands of flowers, that, nourished by the rich, damp soil 
 below, are quickened into fragrance and beauty by the hot sun’s rays 
 descending from above. 
 
 Several of these grottos, when the sun’s rays have the right incli¬ 
 nation, are suffused with tints of pale green or rose, rivalling in beauty 
 the famed Blue Grotto of Capri. There are, it is said, eleven of these 
 openings, or mouths, through which the sunlight descends and creates a 
 veritable fairy land. 
 
 Entering a mouth, an ancient entrance (Plate I. Fig. 1), as is 
 evidenced by the much-worn stone path-way, the descent is made by 
 primitive ladders,—tree-trunks felled and placed in position, with rounds 
 made from the tree limbs which, placed in notches cut in the tree-trunks 
 by the aid of machetes, are firmly bound in j^lace by the running vines or 
 bejucos that grow in profusion around the spot. 
 
 Arriving at the bottom, after the eyes are accustomed to the twilight 
 effect of the surrounding atmosphere, various evidences of man’s pre¬ 
 vious occupation are seen in the haltunes, or water troughs, hollowed 
 out of stone bowlders, some holding a quart, others several gallons of 
 the water that, drop by drop, percolates through the roof of the cave. 
 On several sides are constructions that tell of defence and war, barricades 
 roughly built but strong and admirably placed to defend the entrance 
 and prevent surprise to those within (Fig. 2). 
 
 This cave, the natives tell me, was used as an occasional refuge 
 54 
 
REPORT OE EXPEDITION OF 1888-1889. 
 
 7 
 
 by the Indians during the “War of the Races” in 1847, and these 
 barricades may have been constructed by them at that period, but I 
 doubt it. I believe that, while they may have been made use of by 
 these refugees, they were constructed at a much earlier date, probably 
 by the same people who inscribed the hieroglyphs and symbols upon 
 the walls and bowlders of the Inscription Chamber (Chamber 3) to be 
 described further on. 
 
 I find the lowest stones of these barricades to be, on an average, 
 buried about eight inches below the present floor. This was not because 
 a slight excavation had been made within which to place the founda¬ 
 tion stone, and that a comparatively slight subsequent accumulation had 
 served to give the depth, for 
 careful examination showed that 
 the stones had been simply laid 
 upon the surface and the bar¬ 
 ricade erected with a front filling 
 of stone rubble. The material 
 which accumulated above and 
 around these base stones may 
 safely be said to have accumu¬ 
 lated since their construction, 
 not, as in the case of the ruined 
 edifices, since their disuse or 
 destruction. 
 
 In this accumulation are 
 found quantities of potsherds. 
 
 The first four inches from the 
 level of the present floor con¬ 
 tains comparatively few, except 
 where the action of running 
 water had changed the natural order of things. The remaining four inches, 
 extending down to the ancient floor upon which the barricades rest, con¬ 
 tains large quantities of them. Most of these potsherds are undeniably of 
 ancient origin. 
 
 These barricades were probably garrisoned by persons constantly on 
 guard to prevent surprise. This garrison, naturally, used clay vessels for 
 many purposes; their food was cooked and probably brought to them in clay 
 vessels; these, by accident, became broken, and the larger fragments were 
 used as receptacles, as is the custom to-day ; the remainder were trampled 
 underfoot as refuse, and became a part of the general accumulation. 
 When the cave was abandoned, the accumulation went on, but free of 
 potsherds, and only by agencies in which the hand of man had no part. 
 
 Thus we can believe that the layer of material plentifully mixed with 
 
 55 
 
 Fig. 2. —A'ertical Section, showing 
 Barricades. 
 
8 
 
 CAVE OF LOLTUN. 
 
 potsherds represents the intervening period between the construction of 
 these barricades and their abandonment as a defence; and, as I have noted, 
 this act was probably coeval with the abandonment, as a habitation, of 
 the cave itself. The layer free from potsherds would then represent the 
 intervening period between the date of abandonment and the present day. 
 
 Fig. 3. — Plan of the Pkincipal Chambers of the Cave of Loltun. 
 
 It is to be remembered that while the two portions of the accumula¬ 
 tion before mentioned are of equal thickness, each four inches, it does not 
 follow that equal periods of time were necessary to produce them. As a 
 factor in the process, man would undoubtedly, by his movements and the 
 pressure of his feet, render the accumulation more dense and compact 
 50 
 
EEPORT OF EXPEDITION OF 1888-1889. 
 
 9 
 
 fy 
 
 CAVE 
 
 ^^■-W^W'////WyW>///'/A ti 
 
 ^'’//‘yy^^/of^/'^/y/^/y^ Jt 
 
 (m^m$ 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 m^mm. 
 
 ^0^W^Mk\ 
 
 m^^mM 
 
 
 6 
 
 £ 
 
 MEM. PEABODY MUSEUM I. — 8 
 
 57 
 
 Plan of Ciiambkr 3 (Inscription Chamber), Cave of Loltun. 
 
10 
 
 CAVE OF LOLTUX. 
 
 than would the constant, yet gentle, pressure exerted by the natural 
 weight of the material of the stratum under normal conditions. 
 
 Thus four inches of accumulation effected when man was a factor 
 might well indicate the deposition of double the actual material contained 
 in the four inches of accumulation effected when man was not a factor. 
 On the other hand, the very presence and needs of man cause depositions 
 to accumulate, when not removed, at a rate much greater than by the 
 normal processes of nature. 
 
 Passing through chambers 1 and 2 (Fig. 3), we entered a passage-way, 
 the floor and walls of which are of a burnt-umber color, and absolutely 
 non-reflective, making a gloom that the torches and candles seemed only 
 
 A 
 
 Fig. 5. — Vertical Section through Chamber 3, Cave of Loltun. 
 
 B 
 
 to emphasize and not to illumine. This passage-way opens into Cham¬ 
 ber 3. In the southern portion of the domed roof there is an immense 
 circular opening, and through it the light passes and illuminates the 
 chamber that would otherwise be in impenetrable darkness. This we 
 named the “ Inscription Chamber ” because of the inscriptions and devices 
 carved upon the walls and bowlders. 
 
 -At the very entrance of the chamber (Fig. 4), the vertical wall is 
 covered to the height of six feet with lines of hieroglyphs (Plate II. Fig. 1). 
 These were probably never engraved very deeply into the stone surface 
 of the wall, and are now in places rendered almost invisible by the disin¬ 
 tegration of the surface of the rock. In many places in the cave the 
 exceedingly low relief of the inscriptions could be explained by the theory 
 that the same agencies that produced the stalagmites, and covered the 
 58 
 
REPORT OF EXPEDITION OF 1888-1889. 
 
 11 
 
 walls with a coating of lime, coated the inscriptions, also, and thus re¬ 
 duced them to scarcely perceptible outlines. But the inscriptions in 
 Chamber 3 appear to have been carefully engraved upon certain portions 
 of the walls where the accumulation was not forming. A thin coating 
 of green mould one-eighth of an inch thick is the only formation that 
 tends to hide them from view or lower their relief. If any inscriptions 
 were engraved on the portions of the walls where the deposition of lime 
 was taking place, all signs of them have disappeared. 
 
 These inscriptions are in partial obscurity; the entrance path winds 
 directly in front of them, so near that, even without the instinct to press 
 close to a solid guiding surface while in the darkness, the passer-by 
 would brush against them, and thus aid in the erosion of the surface 
 and gradual effacement of the characters upon it. 
 
 Entering the chamber itself, and continuing to follow the line of the 
 left-hand wall, various devices are seen carved upon its surface, ending 
 in a series of hieroglyphs or symbols (Inscription 2) at the extreme end 
 of the inscribed wall surface. These are placed about six feet above a 
 large bowlder, upon the sides of which rough steps had been hewn (Plate 
 III. Fig. 1). 
 
 About eighty feet to the southeast of this bowlder is a large rock upon 
 which is Inscription 4, a and b (Plate IV. Figs. 1 and 2). A short distance 
 to the northeast of Inscription 4, upon a bowlder beneath the overhanging 
 rock, is Inscription 3 (Plate Y.); while upon the rising ground to the south, 
 and nearer to the opening in the roof above, are other bowlders bearing 
 graven characters and unknown symbols (Inscriptions 5, 6, and 7). As 
 the graven devices mentioned above are much more clearly shown by the 
 accompanying photographs than they would be by any words or drawings 
 of mine, I shall not attempt a detailed description (Plate II. Fig. 2, Plate 
 III. Fig. 2). A peculiar character carved upon the eastern face of one of the 
 bowlders (Inscription 4, a) merits special attention and has caused me much 
 thought. Its peculiar contour and general character almost irresistibly im¬ 
 pel me to believe that it indicates a body swathed in mummy clothes (Plate 
 lY. Fig. 1); and yet nowhere else in my researches among the vestiges of 
 prehistoric man in Yucatan have I found aught that would lead me to 
 believe such a custom ever existed in Yucatan. 
 
 It is also a fact that these cave chambers have innumerable niches 
 and cavities, many of which still retain an evidently artificial form. 
 These would be the places most suitable for the deposition of the bodies 
 or mummies. 
 
 One cavity in particular attracted my attention. It was in the centre 
 of a huge stalagmite that rose from the floor until it joined an almost as 
 large stalactite pendent from the roof above. At a distance of eight feet 
 from the surface upon which the stalagmite rested, I noted an orifice, evi- 
 
 59 
 
12 
 
 CAVE OF LOLTUN. 
 
 dently shaped by human hands, in the centre of the surface of the stalag¬ 
 mite, in such a position that it faced the opening in the roof through 
 which the light entered. Ascending close to it in order to examine it, I 
 found that the orifice opened into a cavity just about large enough to 
 hold a human body. The floor of this cavity was reasonably smooth, and 
 the whole appearance was such as to lead me to believe it to have been a 
 work of nature aided very much by the hand of man. 
 
 Fig. 6. — Vertical Section showing Layers Exposed by Excavation No. 1. 
 
 Scale, ^ inch = 1 foot. 
 
 Ill none of these cavities, of which I examined more than a hundred, 
 did I discover any traces of human remains. If any had been placed 
 within they had been removed before I made my examination. 
 
 I made an excavation (No. 1) close by the rock upon which the de¬ 
 vice described as resembling a mummy had been carved. This excavation 
 (Fig. 6) had a length of ten feet and a breadth of six feet directly in front 
 of the carving. The first layer of surface accumulation excavated was 
 two inches deep, and consisted of twigs and leaves blown in by the winds 
 60 
 
REPOET OF EXPEDITION OF 1888-1889. 
 
 13 
 
 that eddied in the huge opening above; with these were half-gnawed nut¬ 
 shells, fruit seeds brought in by cave mice and by fruit-eating bats, and 
 bat excrement. 
 
 Buried in this accumulation, eight-tenths of an inch below the surface 
 material of the cave, we encountered a small disk of iron, thin and with a 
 hole in its centre. It resembles very much the eye of a rivet, and its pres¬ 
 ence can probably be explained by the fact of its once having formed a 
 part of the gun of a refugee, or of some native hunter who entered the 
 cavern to hunt the jaguars or the immense serpents that the natives say 
 hide in the abysses that abound on every side. 
 
 The second layer, also two inches deep, is of the same general nature 
 as the first, but more decomposed and dustlike. 
 
 The third layer, four inches deep, is of dark-brown earth, damp and 
 mixed with stalactite tips and the ever-present bones of bats and cave 
 mice. 
 
 The fourth layer, two inches deep and well defined, consists of pure 
 white ashes, in which were encountered potsherds, and close by pieces of 
 bones of small animals not charred by fire. The potsherds are of the 
 plain and striated pattern found in abundance throughout the excava¬ 
 tions among the ruined buildings. 
 
 Below this stratum of ashes occurs a layer of six inches of brown earth, 
 followed by a second stratum of red and white ashes from three to five 
 inches thick, much intermixed with earth, bits of lime-rock, potsherds, and 
 bones of small animals ; in this mixed matter were found a tooth of an 
 animal and a sea-shell. This layer of ashes had evidently been subject 
 to some disturbing influences; the earth immediately under and above 
 had been ground into and well mixed with it, thus making it a difficult 
 matter to ascertain where the line of ashes began and ended. 
 
 A layer of seven inches of lime-rock, decomposed by fire and inter¬ 
 mixed in plentiful confusion with potsherds of the usual plain and stri¬ 
 ated patterns, then intervenes, followed by eleven inches of ashes, earth, 
 and lime-rock. At this point the inclined plane of the rock (A) shows 
 unmistakable signs of having been at some period subjected to such a 
 heat that a large portion of its face has been converted into soft and 
 friable, calcined stone. Below the last mentioned layer was one of earth, 
 ashes and stones, in which were found a piece of an obsidian knife (no ob¬ 
 sidian exists naturally in Yucatan), a cylindrical bead of burned clay of a 
 jet-black color, a sea-shell, and many pieces of pottery. 
 
 In the succeeding 57 inches of deposit there was a simple commingling 
 of lime-rock, fragments of earth, and very rarely a piece of pottery. 
 
 At a depth of eight feet from the surrounding surface was encountered 
 an irregular layer of ashes having an average depth of five inches. These 
 ashes were compressed by time, and the superimposed accumulations, into 
 
 61 
 
14 
 
 CAVE OF LOLTUK 
 
 hard, compact laminations that seemed to have been the result of many 
 fires. Directly under these ashes, in fact, embedded in the lower stratum, 
 were found various potsherds, plain and striated ware, and several chipped 
 flints. No trace of bone or any organic matter exists within this stratum 
 of ashes, so far as we could ascertain. 
 
 Below this last layer of ashes was encountered a mass of rock frag¬ 
 ments and bowlders. Penetrating into this to a depth of two feet, nothing 
 of interest w'as found, and for the time, at least, this excavation was 
 abandoned. 
 
 The above excavation is one of nine, all yielding practically the 
 same results down to a depth of four feet, when in the majority of cases 
 the evidences of man’s handiwork ceased. 
 
 In an excavation made in front of the large bowlder that faces 
 Inscription 2, at a depth of twenty-six inches below the present cave 
 bottom, we encountered a peculiar object of hard-burned clay, possibly a 
 stamp or seal. This object is circular, a little over one and a half inches 
 in diameter, with a flat face and reverse plain, with a knob in the centre 
 as if to serve as a handle. On the flat face is incised a spiral pattern, 
 and its edges are scalloped (Plate VII. Fig. 1 a). This device, or symbol, 
 in its convolutions bears a considerable and probably intentional resem¬ 
 blance to certain of the devices that appear carved on the rocks and 
 bowlders around, and upon the wall of the chamber. What signification 
 this peculiar symbol has, is to me unknown; but, from the presence of 
 some bright red pigment in the convolutions, I am inclined to believe 
 that it was used to stamp the emblem upon some other object. This red 
 pigment is possibly vermilion, as Mr. Alfred Maudslay assures me that he 
 has found both the vermilion and the metal mercury in the ruined groups 
 of Quirigua and Copan. 
 
 In making these excavations, great care was taken that the work 
 should proceed in such a manner, and in such locations, that no false 
 conditions could exist to injure the value of the information gained. 
 
 For example: the rains, as they fell, evidently entered the huge 
 opening above in torrents, and, in certain localities, washed all before it, 
 thus disturbing the natural arrangement of the accumulations, and, to a 
 certain depth," mixing everything in inextricable confusion. Moreover, evi¬ 
 dence was not wanting to show that, in times past, other water-sheds had 
 been formed, and that water once flowed down the descending sides of 
 the high portions of the accumulations upon the floor of the chamber in 
 different channels than at present. This change may have been artifi¬ 
 cially produced by the inhabitants of the cave; but I believe that it was 
 generally caused by the falling of masses of material from above, whereby, 
 the old channels becoming choked up, the water was forced into others. 
 As the object of this expedition was to observe the actual deposits as they 
 62 
 
REPORT OF EXPEDITION OF 1888-1889. 
 
 15 
 
 were originally formed, the places where this erosive action, whether of 
 the past or present, was noted, were avoided. 
 
 It is worthy of note, as an interesting fact in connection with the 
 query as to the amount of time necessary to produce such an accumula¬ 
 tion of ashes, that Chamber 4 is considerably lower than Chamber 3; 
 consequently, the rush of water during the rainy season washes from 
 Chamber 3 down and into Chamber 4, where it is lost in the deep chasms 
 that abound on all sides. The entire bed of the torrent is one solid mass 
 of wood ashes and charcoal, almost free from earthy matter, but contain¬ 
 ing great numbers of potsherds, and I doubt not, if thorough search wms 
 made, many other interesting articles could be found embedded in the 
 compact mass. It is several feet thick and of unknown width and length. 
 It is covered with a superficial accu¬ 
 mulation of brown earth, two feet 
 deep. 
 
 In the passage-way, or sub¬ 
 chamber, connecting chambers 3 
 and 4, is a beautiful work of 
 nature. The native wlio first 
 showed it to me called it the 
 “baptismal font,” and the name is 
 very appropriate. A cylindrical 
 pedestal of glistening, snowy-white 
 material, with fluted sides and 
 base, stands close by the wall of 
 the passage. The centre of this 
 column is hollowed, and in its 
 
 Fig. 7.—Haltun, or Stone Water-trough, 
 
 beautifully curved top a cup-like 
 
 ■ COVERED WITH STALAGMITE. 
 
 cavity is formed, half shielded by 
 
 a transparent veil of stalagmite. Not a drop of water is said to enter 
 the cup from above, and yet it is always full of cold water, and the sides 
 of the column are never free from the overflowing moisture. A reservoir, 
 or conducting canal, naturally formed in the wall, contiguous, undoubtedly 
 connects with it, and thus keeps it perpetually filled with water of almost an 
 icy coldness. This phenomenon of naturally produced cold water, in a land 
 where the water as it bursts forth in springs is actually tepid, would, if near 
 to Merida, bring a fortune to its lucky owner. As it is, none but the occa¬ 
 sional Indian sees the beauty of the reservoir and enjoys its refreshing 
 contents. 
 
 In this passage-way, or sub-chamber, is a second phenomenon of con¬ 
 siderable interest, and in this the hand of man can claim to have exerted 
 a controlling influence. A large “haltun,” or stone water-holder, holding 
 several gallons, had in the unknown past been raised upon a base of 
 
 63 
 
16 
 
 CAVE OE LOLTUJT. 
 
 several large stones until it was at an altitude of four feet from the 
 cave bottom of to-day, and directly under a spot where the drops of 
 percolating water fell; in time the percolation not only filled the haltun 
 with water, and thus supplied the means with which to quench the tliirst 
 
 of the cave-dwellers, but coated the whole 
 I structure — base stones and haltun inside 
 
 I and out — with a transparent and thin, 
 
 constantly increasing, coating of lime. 
 •l•l^ j To-day the structure stands, a solidified, 
 rounded mass of white lime. Through the 
 ^ J I I several inches of transparent envelope the 
 
 ancient haltun can still be seen. 
 
 Within the northern wall surface of 
 Chamber 3, there is a small opening lead¬ 
 ing into a large cavity, in fact a small 
 chamber capable of holding comfortably 
 several persons. The opening from the 
 into this small one is skil- 
 
 09iJ\3i 
 
 I 
 
 Fig. 
 
 — Rock Carvings, Cave of 
 Loltun. 
 
 After tracing by E. H. Thompson. 
 
 large chamber 
 
 fully barricaded and made smaller by large 
 stones so arranged as to appear to be the work of nature, and this effect is 
 heightened by the uniform film of mould dust that covers all the lower por¬ 
 tion of the cave. In one corner a haltun, or water-trough, had been cun¬ 
 ningly sunk into the floor surface and projected so far each way that the 
 water dripping constantly from the stalactite points of the outer wall could 
 
 be utilized by the occupants of the chamber 
 without detection or exposure. In another 
 corner, charred wood and ashes were found, 
 beside postherds and flint chips. This in¬ 
 stance is but one of many similar ones that 
 are seen in the chambers of the cave. 
 
 I have found a great many of these 
 haltunes in various portions of the cave. 
 Chamber 3 contains the largest number 
 of any of the chambers I have visited. 
 
 In order to furnish data for the future 
 worker, we took a haltun of ordinary size, 
 the present location of which is about twenty- 
 five feet northwest of Inscription 7, and care¬ 
 fully removed the crystalline envelope of 
 lime. This coating, two and one-half inches thick upon the outer rim of the 
 cavity, three and one-half inches thick on the inner bottom, and one and one- 
 fourth inches thick upon the outside structure of the haltun itself, was removed 
 with considerable difficulty. This accomplished, the legend “ TE. 1888 ” was 
 64 
 
 Fig. 9. — Rock Carvings, Cave of 
 Loltun. 
 
 After tracing by E. H. Thompson. 
 
 
KEPOKT OF EXPEDITIO^T OF 1888-1889. 
 
 17 
 
 chiselled in letters half an inch deep upon the side of the haltun nearest the 
 passage-way. The haltun was then restored to its original position, and 
 left until succeeding years, possibly centuries, and renewed deposit shall 
 make it serviceable to science by recording the rate of stalagmitic deposit. 
 
 The entire year might be spent in this cave with good results to 
 science; but it was not deemed advisable to spend a long time during 
 one season in the cave. Constant exposure to the cold, damp air and 
 the sudden changes of temperature, as each day the laborers ascended 
 and descended, caused coughs and colds until, from pure humanity for 
 the health of our faithful natives, we were forced to leave cave work, 
 and migrate to the high and drier region surrounding the Labn£ group. 
 
 REPORT OP EXPEDITION OF 1890-91. 
 
 December 1st of the season of 1890 found us again at the cave.* 
 
 The engineering work done by Mr. Paige, and the excellent pho¬ 
 tographs made by Mr. Sweet, during the previous season, enabled us to 
 get started on direct investigation in a very short time. 
 
 About half-way down the descent from the surface to the first 
 chamber, there is a ledge shelf, or cleft, so deep and sheltered as to be 
 
 Fig. 10. —Perforated Shell, p Fig. 11. — Perforated Shell, p 
 
 Ornament. Ornament. 
 
 almost a chamber. This seemed a promising field for investigation, as its 
 position would naturally lead us to expect fruitful results. 
 
 Carefully dividing the shelf floor into sections, for systematic inves¬ 
 tigation, we commenced the excavation. The earth as it was dislodged was 
 carefully inspected in situ, and the sides of the cuts carefully examined 
 and worked into with hand, brush, and small trowel. The observations 
 were minutely made and noted, and the loose earth was carefully sifted. 
 
 * The expedition this season consisted of Edward H. Thompson, Director, and Marshall H. 
 Saville, Assistant and Photographer. 
 
 MEM. PEABODT MUSEUM 1. — 9 
 
 65 
 
18 
 
 CAVE OF LOLTUN. 
 
 Fig. 12. — Ornament 
 CARVED FROM SlIELL. i. 
 
 The accumulated deposit upon the shelf was naturally much less in 
 depth than that upon the chamber floor. In no spot was it over three 
 feet, and the average depth from surface to bed-rock was one foot and 
 three inches ; for the first three inches it was a composite of bat excre¬ 
 ment, bird feathers, mole, bat, and rat bones. Potsherds, few in number, 
 were found where the rains had worn away the upper deposit of material. 
 
 The second three inches consisted of fine dust, 
 stalactite tips, small animal bones, and many teeth 
 and snail-shells. 
 
 Beneath these two superficial deposits commenced 
 the actual traces of the ancient people who made this 
 cave, if not a home, at least a station in their life’s 
 journey. 
 
 The contorted surface of the floor of the shelf 
 made any epoch-marking stivatification impossible. 
 
 Beneath this detritus of six inches was a thick 
 stratum of mingled earth, potsherds, and fragments of rock. At a depth of 
 five and ten inches beneath the surface of this deposit I thought I could 
 detect somewhat regular deposits of ashes approaching true culture layers, 
 separated by a depth of two inches of brown earth and rock fragments; 
 but these strata, if strata they are, were so broken by faults as to make 
 authentic data of the kind impossible. 
 
 This small chamber, barely five feet square, yielded rich re.sults, much 
 richer, relatively, than the excavations in the Inscription Chamber. 
 
 We had the good fortune to encounter two small hollows in the 
 bed-rock that evidently had once served as “ caches.” One of them held 
 several of the handsomest obsidian knives that I have ever seen ; while 
 
 the other held many chalcedony chips, evidently newly 
 chipped and unused when buried. One of these obsidian 
 knives was presented to Don Antonio Fajardo, for the 
 owner of the lands embracing the Cave of Loltun, and 
 the remainder are now among the specimens at the 
 Museum. Two of these are illustrated on Plate VII. 
 
 Fig. 13. — Ornament 
 
 CARVED FROM ShELL. ^ 
 
 Fig. 2 a. 
 
 o 
 
 Fragments of an elaborate incense burner, portions 
 of which still hold the bright colors of red and white, are among the inter, 
 esting objects exhumed; also, a very artistic ornament of pink shell, carved 
 in the form of a flower (Fig. 12). 
 
 Chipped flint implements, fragmentary objects of burned clay, some 
 still showing bright colors, ornaments carved from pearl and conch shells^ 
 clay pellets like the nineteenth-century boys’ marbles (Plate VII. Fig. 1 b), 
 bone awls and needles, beads and uuworked pebbles of yellow stone, 
 hammer stones, and broken spear-points are among the specimens brought 
 66 
 
HEPOKT OF EXPEDITION OF 1890-1891. 
 
 19 
 
 to light by the excavation of this shelf chamber. Many of these speci¬ 
 mens are illustrated upon Plates VII. and VIII. 
 
 In the mingled ash and refuse material, filling a hollow in the rock 
 floor six feet from the west wall and nine feet from the south, were 
 found fragmentary portions of human bones, much decayed, and human 
 teeth filed into curious forms. 
 
 Close by these bones were little heaps of hard clay pellets, resem¬ 
 bling marbles, which probably were the pellets that once served as sounders 
 in the hollow feet of tripod vessels, of which our excavations of last season 
 gave the Museum several fine examples. 
 
 The floor of Chamber 3 was marked into sections for systematic work¬ 
 ing, as in the previous instance. The sections excavated were thus worked 
 down to hard-pan, or rock bottom. In places this is a hard-packed, yellowish 
 earth of an ochreous nature, totally unlike the red earth of the surrounding 
 country. In others, it is a crystalline limestone. This hard-pan is also sub¬ 
 ject to great inequalities. In places it is barely three feet 
 beneath the surface. In others, not many yards distant, it 
 has several times that depth. It seems to consist of ancient 
 channels, probably hollowed out by the action of running 
 water when the cave was new, and of ridge-like protuber¬ 
 ances, — gigantic stalagmites. 
 
 The average depth of excavation made this season 
 was four feet, although many side and test excavations 
 reached a much greater depth. These excavations were 
 made and worked with great care, under the constant super¬ 
 vision of Mr. Saville or myself. The earth, before it was 
 dislodged, was subjected to careful inspection in situ, and suitable obser¬ 
 vations were made and noted. The earth material was then taken in 
 baskets and carried to a large sieve, where, as it passed slowly through the 
 meshes, it received a searching investigation. 
 
 Many side and test excavations were made in order to study the extent 
 and character of the deposits. These excavations were either narrow 
 trenches or circular pits reaching down to the actual bed-rock, and in 
 cases where the rock bottom gave an uncertain sound as if it might be 
 a rock fallen in early times from the roof, and not the actual floor, long 
 steel tapping chisels, nine feet long and a half-inch in diameter, were 
 brought into use. They cut into the lime rock easily and quickly, and 
 soon proved the truth of the matter. In one place we drilled seven feet 
 into the floor, and as at that depth a light steel test-rod rang as clear 
 as a bell, we knew there was at least two yards more of solid rock 
 material, and we concluded to accept as a fact the idea that we had 
 encountered the primitive floor of the cave. 
 
 After our work was finished, in deference to the expressed wish 
 
 67 
 
 Fig. 14. — Carved 
 Stone Pendant, p 
 
20 
 
 CAVE OF LOLTUN. 
 
 of the owner of the hacienda, the deeper and consequently dangerous, 
 excavations were refilled. 
 
 As the result of our work upon this chamber floor, we obtained pot¬ 
 sherds of various patterns (Plate VII. and VIIL), also obsidian points, clay 
 beads, flint implements, flakes, jade beads, carved stone, 
 clay and shell neck pendants, fragments of carved pearl 
 and conch shells, together with human bones; among the 
 interesting objects are several bone needles, beautifully 
 formed and polished (Fig. 15), some of which are double 
 pointed. These various objects were not found in any 
 particular spot, but were scattered here and there, and 
 encountered, as the work progressed, at an average depth 
 of nineteen inches beneath the present surface. Flint flakes 
 and potsherds were also found at a much greater depth. 
 
 Three very distinct and general layers of ashes w^ere 
 at depths, respectively, of six inches, sixteen inches, and 
 thirty-one inches. Below these layers of ashes others were 
 found at varying depths. These were local in character, 
 containino; diminishing: quantities of flint flakes and pot- 
 
 Fig. 15.— Boxe 
 Needles. 
 
 sherds, the latter being either plain or of the reed-marked 
 pattern. Several fragments of human skulls were found. 
 Among the fragments w^ere human teeth filed into curious 
 shapes (Fig. 16). The pieces were scattered over an area 
 several yards square, and do not seem to be fragments of one skull. This 
 dispersion of fragments does not seem to be due to later disturbance of the 
 layer in which they were found, but rather to have taken place at a time 
 preceding the natural deposition of the matter immediately above them. 
 Almost all the articles, wfith the exception of the potsherds and animal bones, 
 are of a character that, while they might be lost, they would hardly be 
 
 thrown aside as useless. 
 
 Flint is scarce in Yucatan, and obsi¬ 
 dian is not found at all, and these frag¬ 
 ments, serviceable, however small, would 
 not be thrown away as refuse. Such 
 articles, as well as the jade beads, pen¬ 
 dants, and bone needles, were probably lost 
 from time to time and buried in the gen¬ 
 eral deposit. 
 
 An object of special interest is a fragment of a wdiistling vessel, 
 like those of Peru and Costa Rica; several fragments of the hard, black, 
 thin ware were found, but the fragment mentioned contains the whistle 
 intact (Fig. 19). The only other specimen in any way similar, that I 
 have seen in Yucatan, is now in the Museum at Merida, and of this 
 C8 
 
 Fig. 16. — Hujiax Teeth, with 
 Filed Edges. 
 
EEPOET OF EXPEDITION OF 1890-1891. 
 
 21 
 
 Fig. 17. — Rock Painting, Cave of 
 LoLTUN. 
 
 From sketch by M. H. Saville, 
 
 through the kindness of the Director, I have been able to send to the 
 Museum a facsimile in plaster. The ware is not of the kind made either 
 in the past or present of Yucatan, so far as our present knowledge ex¬ 
 tends, and it would appear that these vessels were ancient importations 
 from a distant nation. 
 
 From time to time, as the work went 
 on, explorations were made into the dis¬ 
 tant passages of the cave, and new won¬ 
 ders were constantly revealed to us. 
 
 Upon the walls of a tunnel-like pas¬ 
 sage with a general trend to the north¬ 
 west, we found curious symbols outlined 
 in black pigment, showing remarkably 
 clear and distinct against the yellow- 
 white surface of the stone wall. 
 
 One distant chamber, approached 
 after many turns in the inky darkness 
 of the tunnel, had death’s heads carved 
 upon the wall surface, and the many 
 projecting knobs of stone were so carved 
 that grinning skulls confronted one at 
 every turn. Thorough search in this 
 
 grewsome chamber failed to reveal graves or any evidence that it had 
 ever served as a burial-place 'for the dead. 
 
 In another chamber the projections were fashioned in the shape of 
 tigers’ heads instead of death’s heads. 
 
 As we followed the long, winding passage, a faint 
 gleam of light became visible in the distance. Following 
 up the clew, we found ourselves at the mouth of a long 
 tunnel, or passage, at the very bottom of a great well-like 
 cavity in the earth. The hot sun poured down into it, 
 and great trees, laden with vegetable parasites, shot upwards 
 into the sunlight of the upper world. 
 
 Upon the left of this great black opening from which 
 we had just emerged, and stood blinking and winking in 
 the sunlight, a portion of the rocky wall that loomed up 
 sheer around us for forty feet or more had been partially 
 smoothed and upon its surface had been carved in low 
 relief the richly clad figure of a warrior or priest of heroic 
 size (Plate VL). This majestic figure, with flowing plumes, jewelled penache, 
 and long lance in hand, had guarded this hidden passage for who knows 
 how many years or centuries, and as we stood before him and studied 
 the stern, grim outlines of the face, we felt like removing our hats in 
 
 69 
 
 Fig. 18. — Rock 
 Painting, Cave 
 OF Loltun. 
 
 From tracing by 
 M. H. Saville. 
 
22 
 
 CAVE OF LOLTUN. 
 
 Fig. 19. — Fragment of 
 Whistling Vessel. F 
 
 his presence. After which, we gave him a good bath,—for the passing 
 centuries had left him very dirty, — and then took his photograph and 
 a mould of him in paper. 
 
 Entire seasons could be spent in this cave work, and not a day pass 
 without the discovery of some important fact or interesting specimen. 
 
 But we had accomplished the object of our researches 
 in this, the typical cave of Yucatan. We had delved 
 through the deposits of the present day, through the 
 accumulations of unknown centuries, down to and into 
 the crystalline surface of the ancient floor itself. 
 
 Our steel chisel points had probed into the ages 
 when, in all probability, the Peninsula of Yucatan was 
 newly risen from the depths and none save the strange 
 creatures of the sea knew her secret chambers. This 
 grotto, unlike those of Montmatre and Hohenfels, told no tales of the man 
 beast. On the contrary, from the earliest period of its use as a human habi¬ 
 tation, the people seem to have been of the same manners, religious customs, 
 and household habits as those who built the great structures above them now 
 in ruins. 
 
 It would be vastly interesting, no doubt, to be able to state that 
 split human bones, charred l)y fire, were found, thus proving that canni¬ 
 balism was indulged in, among other strange customs; but the sober 
 
 truth compels us to say, that while we found a num¬ 
 ber of human bones, some in fragments, others whole, 
 none showed any trace of being charred by fire or any 
 other evidence of cannibalism. And I have no hesi¬ 
 tation in expressing my firm conviction, based not 
 only on the evidence obtained by this investigation, 
 but upon studies personally carried on in other 
 caves, that no people or race of so-called Cave People ever existed in 
 Yucatan. And that, while these caves of the Loltun type were undoubt¬ 
 edly inhabited, it was by the same race and people that built the great 
 stone structures now in ruins; and I furthermore believe that the caves 
 were only temporary places of refuge, and not permanent habitations. 
 
 Fig. 20.—Bead of Iron 
 Pyrites, p 
 
 70 
 
EXPLANATION OF PLATES. 
 
 PLATE I. 
 
 Fig. 1. Principal Entrance to the Cave of Loltnn. 
 
 Fig. 2. Stalactites in the Inscription Chamber (third Chamber). 
 
 PLATE II. 
 
 Fig. 1. Inscription 1 in third Chamber. 
 Fig. 2. Inscription 6 in third Chamber. 
 
 PLATE III. 
 
 Fig. 1. Inscription 2 in third Chamber. 
 Fig. 2. Inscription 7 in third Chamber. 
 
 PLATE IV. 
 
 Fig. 1. Inscription 4 a in third Chamber. 
 Fig. 2. Inscription 4 5 on same Eock as 4 a. 
 
 PLATE Y. 
 
 Inscription 3 in third Chamber. 
 
 PLATE VI. 
 
 Bas-relief on Wall near one of the Entrances to the Cave. 
 
24 
 
 EXPLANATION OF PLATES. 
 
 PLATE VII. 
 
 Fig. 1. Terra-cotta Objects found iu the Excavations made in the Cave. 
 
 a. Stamp, with short handle upon side not shown in illustration. 
 
 h. Balls, such as are frequently found witliin hollow legs of vessels. 
 
 c. Globular Beads. 
 
 d. Cylindrical Beads. 
 
 e. Ornamented Bead-like Object. 
 
 /. Potsherd Discs. 
 
 (j. Potsherd Discs, perforated. 
 li. Legs of Vessels. 
 
 i. Potsherds with painted decorations. 
 
 j. Potsherds with incised decorations. 
 
 Fig. 2. Implements of Stone found in Excavations. 
 
 a. Obsidian Knives. 
 
 b. Rude Chipped Implement of Flint. 
 
 c. Flint Knives or Scrapers. 
 
 d. Flint Scraper. 
 
 e. Leaf-shaped Knife of Flint. 
 
 /. Leaf-shaped Knife of Flint, broken. 
 (J. Flint Knife. 
 
 h. Flint Arrowheads. 
 
 i. Fragment of Stone Implement. 
 
 j. Perforated Stones. 
 
 k. Artificially shaped Stone Balls. 
 
 l. Muller or Grinding Stone. 
 
 PLATE VIII. 
 
 Fig. 1. Terra-cotta Objects found in the Excavations. These are probably fragments of 
 ornamental figures, and many of them are decorated iu unburut colors, includ¬ 
 ing white, black, red, brown, green, and yellow. 
 
 Fig. 2. Fragments of Vessels, including Handles and Portions of Rims. 
 
Memoirs Peabody Mcsuum. Voi,. T. No. 2. 
 
 I'LATE 1. 
 
 Fig. I. — Principal Entrance to Cave op Loltun, 
 
 
 
 
 Fig. 2. — Stalactites, Inscription Cii.ymber (No. 3), Cave op Loltun. 
 
Memoirs Peauodv ^VIusei m. Vol. I. Xo. 2, 
 
 PLATE II, 
 
 
 Fig. 1.—Inscription 1, Chamber .3, Cave of Loltun. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Inscription 6, Chamber 3, Cave or Loltun. 
 
Memoirs Peabody Museum. Vol. I. No. 2. 
 
 PLATE IIL 
 
 Pig. 1. — Inscription 2, Chamher 3, Cave of Loltun. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Inscription 7, Chamber 3, Cave of Loltun 
 
4 
 
Memoirs Peabody Museum. You. I. No. 2. 
 
 PLATE IV. 
 
 Pio. 1.— IxscRiPTiox 4 a, Chamber .3, Cave of Loltun. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Inscription 4 b, Chamber 3, Cave op Loltun. 
 
Memoirs Peabody Museum, 
 
 VoL. I. No. 2. 
 
 PLATE V 
 
 Inscription 3, Chamber 3, Cave of Loltun. 
 
Memoirs Peabody Museum. Vol. I. No. 2. 
 
 PLATE VI. 
 
 Bas-relief upon Wall near one of the Entrances, Cave of Loltdn. 
 
■? 
 
 ii 
 
 
 Z' 
 
 I “ 
 
Memoirs Peabody Museum. Vol. I. No. 2. 
 
 PLATE VII. 
 
 1 
 
 ,1 
 
 :I 
 
 j 
 
 Fig. 1. — Objects of Terra-cotta, from Excavations, Cave of Loltun. 
 
 Fig. 2.— Implements of Stone, from Excavations, Cave of Loltun. 
 
Memoirs Peabody Museum. Vol. I. No. 2. 
 
 PLATE VIII. 
 
 Fig. 1. — Objects of Terra-cotta, from Excavations, Cave of Loltun. 
 
 Fig. 2. — Potsherds, from Excavations, Cave of Loltun. 
 
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 VOLUME I. — Number 1. STANDARD OR HEAD-DRESS.^ — An historical essay on a relic of Ancient Mexico. By 
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