Posted by Tom on October 22, 2009, 9:35 am
189.182.219.201

Following is an excerpt from the book: Finding Lost Civilizations by Alex Kerekes. Alex has generously made his entire book available to read online, or download and read at leisure. Alex has lectured here at the Xaltemba Gallery. Many of us have enjoyed his visits here and his impromptu lessons on the archealogy of our area. We continued to walk the site and in a small clearing, my father and I found a boulder with a bowl chiseled out from the top surface, which was similar to the type we had seen in Zacualpan and Alta Vista. We then heard voices and decided to see who else was on the plateau. We followed a small rise and as we came closer to the voices we could also hear the sound of shovels and perhaps a pickaxe striking the earth. We called out several times so as not to surprise the people we were approaching. However, as we came closer we did not hear any response. The plateau became silent except for the sounds of our footsteps. We suddenly came upon a clearing, which was the crest of the rise we had been following. We immediately saw it was an excavation in progress. I then saw several large stone slabs lying on the ground. Adjacent to these slabs I saw that a pit had been dug and realized this was the site of a tomb. Historically, the people of ancient West Mexico are identified by their burial practice and are often referred to as the “Shaft Tomb Culture.” Many of these tombs consisted of a vertical shafts about 15 feet deep leading to one or more burial chambers below. Sometimes, the position of the shaft was marked by a stone above the shaft. At the bottom of the shaft, the burial chamber en- trance would also be covered by a large stone slab. These tombs were usually located on higher elevations than the villages where the people lived. However, since simpler and shallower sites have also been unearthed it is known that not everyone was provided an elaborate shaft-chamber tomb. I felt the thread of lost civilizations pulling me again. Why was I here? Was it coincidence, fate, luck, or destiny? Or was it simply an innate urge to seek, to learn, to know, or discover that propelled me further? Regardless, I felt I was on familiar ground and that gave me comfort. I realized that each action led to another action that has a consequence and so, instead of going back, I continued to step forward. As I neared the shaft tomb I noticed that the earth ex- cavated from the shaft contained many pottery fragments. I also saw several bowls and pottery jugs that were mostly intact. Next to the pottery I saw a small amulet (about two inches in length), which was shaped like a forearm with a closed fist. Lying next to the amulet were two small clay figures, which looked as if they had been damaged during the excavation. Both figures were the head portions of larger figures. One figure was the head of a deer-like animal, the second was a human image. Alex's site is linked on my Jaltemba Bay Artists page. The published edition of his book may be purchased at Hala's Hammock Shop.