The National tribune., 1899-06-22
PREHIsTRIcapORTO RICO.
An Inviting Field for ~ AeoIoHst Opened by the Wsf
NithSSoaa.

The acquisition of Porto Rico is a
source of gratificafiost to archRologistS. in
the new possession they recognize a rich
field for research Up TO the present time
the field has been prartically as 1t was hun
dreds of years ago. The curators oi the Ma
tional Museum afe anxious to begin inves-
LEGATIONS there a eeon as the necessary
funds for the purpose sAn be secured.
Columbus knew POsto Rico as place OF
mystery, where religisus rites were obsery-
ed. Herrera, one Of Coaumbus's historians,
mentions that strilopfrom the discoyerer
ship reported seeing . man on the island
dressed in a white tunic which came down
to his knees, and an old Indian pretended to
have seen cacique or priest clad iike
/ the Catholic priests of Spain. The history
of the strange race that peopled the island
centuries ago is all but a closed book. Pro'.
Otis T. Mason, one of the curators OF the Ma
tional Museum said on this snbleet: a.',r'
Everything goes to show that the island
is one of the greatest importance from
scientific standpoint. In prehistoric times
people went there for religious purposes
| 1t is generally believed that they came from
South America, passing up through the
small islands of the Antilles until they
| reached Porto Rico. There they erected
| their sacred places of worship. We have not
seen these, and we know nothing abou'
| them. The archeologists want to find them
and see where they were set up. we wan'
| TO find their quarrles and the instruments
| with which they worked
The remarkable beauty and finish OF the
stone Implements Of Porto Rico and others
CT the Antilles were not wholly unknown
20 the students CT American archaeology
prior to 1875 Now and then small collec-
tons had found their way to London, Co
penhagen, or New York, but they had never
been collected i'm sufficient numbers for
comparative study until the Latimer col
lection was presented to the Smithsonian
Institution. This collection, the finest
known, has only served to increase the in
| ,erest of archRologists in the study OF the
prehistoric inhabitants OF the island
| Among the specimens in the Latimer col
lection are pottery, ceits, smoothing stones,
meaiing stones. stools discOiGal and spher.
oidal stones, leads, cylinders, amulets,
rude pillar stones, masks and stone collars.
| Many of TIE objects are similar to those
found in other parts of America and
Throughout the world, but Others. are so
very rare as to merit careful scrutiny and
research. Some Of the specimens were
found in caves, but the greater part we're
turned up by the piow and noe. by soma
scientists it is believed that the makers CT
these objects were purely neolithlc people.
ard according 10 others they were not saw
ages, but were in the middle status of bar
barism. Their Implements OF industry, so
far as they have been recovered, are the
most beautiful in the world, Judged from an
archaeological point of view. Their canoes
were exquisitely wrought, with the sides
raised with canes, daubed over with btu
men, and not flat hut with a keel.
There is not an entire vessel in the Lati-
mer collection The most interesting OBJ
iects i'm the collection are the stone collars.
Theyare puzzles to the archRologists. No
suggestion as to their use has proved ac-
ceptabIe. They are called collars because
! Of their resemblance 10 the modern article
of horse furniture. Some of them are IN a
rude state indicatingia a stage of manlfac-
ture Others are highly polished, and these
finished specimens ara right and left shoul-
ldered, as if intended TO be used in pairs.