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407 N o t e s o f M i d d l e A m e r i c a n A r c h a e o l o g y a n d E t h n o l o g y Carnegie Institution of Washington Division of Historical Research No. 99 December 5, 1950 “olmec” pictographs in the las Victorias Group, Chalchuapa Archaeological Zone, El Salvador Stanley H. Boggs the surface. The monument here discussed differed from scores of other surface stones only in its possession of carvings. So far as I have been able to determine, this site contains no constructions comparable with those of the principal groups of the zone: remnants yet visible include low platforms and lines of stones, probably what is left of house mounds or foundations. No mound exceeding 1 m in height has yet been reported within Las Victorias group, nor indeed within 1 km of the stone monument. THE lAS VICToRIAS moNumENT This monument consists of a large lava boulder of irregular form, decorated on each of four relatively flat surfaces with one incised or very low relief carving of a human, supposedly male, figure, three of which are portrayed standing or walking and one seated. There is no clear evidence of any special effort by the sculptor to prepare the surface of this stone; the figures were carved with little apparent regard to minor irregularities of the surface. The stone itself is very hard, fine grained, grayish brown to gray; it shows many small air holes and probably relates to basalt. Its apex reaches 1.56 m above present soil surface. Some casual excavations around its base by finca employees prove that it extends but a short distance underground. Since the carvings were adapted to the available rock surfaces and the entire stone has been turned slightly since 1943, probably during the aforementioned excavations, nothing can be said of the original During a rather hurried reconnaissance of the Chalchuapa Archaeological Zone in 1942, a large, irregularly shaped boulder, decorated on four surfaces with incised human figures, was found in the Las Victorias coffee plantation about 2 km east of the city of Chalchuapa . At that time, I prepared a brief note of this discovery which was published in 1944 by Longyear (1944:17). No photographs of the stone accompanied the text, and the only conclusions then reached were that “the style of carving is very different from that usually found in El Salvador and may relate to the technique and time of the Tazumal stela.” The subsequent comparison of photographs of the Las Victorias monument with illustrations of basrelief figures tin the north and south ends of altar 5 at La Venta, Mexico (Stirling 1943, Pl. 41), has led me to believe that stylistically these carvings may be related and are presumably “Olmec”-inspired. lAS VICToRIAS GRoup The Las Victorias group of ruins in the Chalchuapa Zone has been very badly damaged as a result of long-continued cultivation of the soil scantily covering the remains. At present, the original nature and extent of the group is uncertain, owing both to this physical deterioration of the ancient constructions as well as to the fact that an extensive coffee finca, which now covers virtually the entire area, conceals whatever vestiges remain. The soil here is generally shallow, large outcrops of cracked and fissured stones of volcanic origin are visible at many points, and hundreds of boulders of the same material litter sTAnleY h. boGGs 408 orientation. Roughly speaking, Figure A appears on the west surface, B on the south, C on the east, and D on the north (Fig. 99.1). Figure A. Erect, probably walking, human figure , the body depicted in approximately three-quarters view but with face in profile and directed south. The left arm extends downward and away from the shoulder; the right arm, bent at the elbow, presses a bundle of some kind against the body. Dress details are very sparsely indicated: a round pendant over the breast, a headdress of some soft (?) material which flows down over the sides and rear of the head, perhaps a jacket-like garment (more likely a poor drawing of the trunk), and a flap (of breech-clout or kilt?) which hangs behind the body to the knees. The upper part of the head covering has been broken off in fairly recent times, and the left hand and foot are missing. The face is poorly sketched but its principal...

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