Indians of Central America -- Nicaragua -- Antiquities; Nicaragua -- Antiquities
Male, sitting figure, with its head strongly bent forward, supporting
on its shoulders and the back of its head the large head of an animal,
which was possibly meant to represent the head of a tortoise or a
lizard. This head was rather little elaborated, evenly rounded above,
having in front a round, beak-shaped mouth. A circular cavity before
and over the posterior corner of the mouth represented the eye. At the
back this head carried two high, rectangular, double plates, which
may possibly be regarded as representing the beginning of the back
armour of the tortoise, or perhaps the scales of a lizard or a serpent.
The human figure was very well elaborated; next to the figure A it
was certainly, from an artistic point of view, the most carefully
finished one of all the statues at Punta del Sapote. The head was bent
strongly forwards, as if depressed by the gigantic load; the forehead
was high, the nose straight, the eyes were well cut out, the cheeks
rounded, the ears small. The neck was stretched forth, very thick
and muscular. The shoulders were not so powerful as should have been
expected from the thickness of the neck, but they were neatly molded.
The trunk and the back were very nobly and elegantly sculptured, and
formed the best portion of the statue. The upper arms were rigorous
and well proportioned, the lower arms perhaps a little too short. The
hands were closed, resting on the knees. The legs were thick, and not
so well worked as the upper portion of the statue, the feet clumsy,
without distinct toes. The figure was seated on a high socle, with a
low foot-stool under its feet. As was demonstrated by the unusually
careful workmanship expended on the back portions, the statue has quite
certainly stood isolated. The height of the statue from the summit of
the head of the animal to the upper edge of the pedestal was 137 cm.
The length of the face of the human figure was 20 cm. The length of the
head of the animal was 82 cm., its greatest height 36 cm. This statue
was pretty deeply imbedded in the earth, and was found nearly in the
middle of the open place between the stone-mounds 2, 3, and 4.
K 1
Not figured.
Male, standing figure. This statue did not belong to the same category
with H, I and K, but had probably served as support in the wall of a
building, because the turban-shaped head-dress was surmounted by a
tenon, and the back was not elaborated. It had suffered so much from
the violence of human hands, and from the effects of the climate, that
its outlines could hardly be distinguished. From the upper edge of the
tenon to the thighs it measured 123 cm. The length of the face was 24
cm. It was found immediately north of the mound 6.
L
Pl. 14.
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