Note 34 — DESCRIPTION OF MOUNDS

Tozzer, in commenting on these chultuns at Nakum, says: "There is evidently no close connection, as in Yucatan, between the water supply and these underground rooms. In fact they are frequently found near sites where there is an abundant supply of water throughout the year. In almost no case do we find any drainage into them. They are usually found on ground slightly higher than that of the surrounding country. In this respect they differ from those in Yucatan. Another point against their use as storage for water is shown in the fact that in several the rock from which they are excavated is porous, and the walls do not seem in all cases to have been covered with an impervious layer of plaster. That they were used in some cases for the storage of maize and other foods is possible, as they are generally dry and would be suitable for such a purpose. That some were used for burial places is very probable."—Tozzer, A Preliminary Study of the Prehistoric Ruins of Nakum, Guatemala, p. 191.