Evening star., 1937-12-13
PRIMITIVE INDIAN
PAINTING |SFOUND
Uncovered in Ancient Maya
City-Copy on Exhibit
Here Today.
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

A religious painting which probably
was the masterpiece of American
primitive art, the work of some Indian
Michelanrslo $500 years ago, has
been found in the ruins Of the ancient
Maya city Of Uaxactun in Guatemala
by archeologists of the Carnegie Insti-
tuition of Washington.
1t was fresco on the plaster wall
OF Mayan temple, portraying some
aspect of the worship of these Indians
who built up in the jungles one of the
worlds great civilizations. AS soon
as 1t was uncovered, 1t was copied by
competent artist and Immediately
reouried in the damp soil. In a very
short period of drying and exposure to
the air, it was explained by DR.. A. ".
kidder OF the Carnegie staff, the paint
would have crumbled off and the
figures become unrecognizable. The
!. original fresco was about 10 feet long
{ and 4 feet high, The half-size copy
: made by the staff artist is on exhibit
TO the public at the institutions
headquarters here today.
- "cdHlHs mol interpreted,
Z While deeply impressed by the deli
cate coloring and character pictur-
eization OF the painting, Carnegie In
B stltution ethnologists are unable to
interpret its meaning other than it is
the symbolization of some religious
concept An emphasized figure in
= the fresco, they believe, may be
identified with the Mayas' mysterious
s@'black captain" referred to again
and again in the religious books of
!. this people as the demi-god Of death.
1t is possible. they point out, that
At least part Of the scene may repre-
! sent funeral ceremony In which the
y black captain would be expected to
play a part. The Maya religion, they
say. was very lugubrious and the
: death theme is prominent in much of
: their art.
The original painting probably will
{ be left buried, with the site carefully
marked
In an annual report issued today
- Carnegie Institution archeologists told
; OF excavation during the last few
!. months at the ancient Indian city of
: kaminalJuyu, now a great aggrega-
: tion Of mounds on the outskirts of
5 Guatemala City. 1t is believed to
have been an important commercial
and shipping town.
Mounds Excavated.
Several mounds were excavated
covering nine tombs of ancient Indian
dignitaries. In each tomb was found
principle skeleton" lavishly
adorned with jade. mosaic mirrors
and shell ornaments. With each were
skulls or complete skeletons of others,
presumably slaves who were slain to
accompany their masters to the
hereafter. Nothing was provided for
their adornment in the other world.
The tombs also contained elaborate
offerings of textiles and other perish
! able materials.
T. The same report told of the finding
= OF a single village in the Maya area
whose few inhabitants spoke a Ian
guage all their own, presumably un-
Ineligible to anybody else in the
world. This find resulted from in
d vestigations of Indian languages now
7 spoken in the area which presumably
\ were derived from the ancient Maya.
n One OF the chief Of these is a Ian
guage known as Nam. In the NAM
speaking area is the little town of
Aguacatan. Their language, reported
DR., M. j. Andrade, Carnegie ethnolo-
eist, seems to have some similarity
10 Nam, although it is totally un-
1ntelllgible to Mam-speaking person