Tikal Burial 196 Tomb of the Jade Jaguar - Maya Archaeology

201
suffered from repeated cleanings by often being swept out of
position. On the plan the paw bones are shown but are not
given numbers. It was not possible to determine whether the
paws came from jaguar hides which were worn by the deceased
or were used to cover the body or form a bundle.
PILE OF BONES AND SHELLS
East of the large pyrite plaque next to the south wall
was a conglomeration of shells, bones, and teeth. During excavation,
before any of these objects had been spotted, that
something was below was indicated by the sudden occurrence of
a layer of compact white material very much like soft marl.
There was nothing on the walls of the tomb of which it could
have been a part. That this was an intentional deposit is indicated
by the fact that it only occurred over the pile of
bones and a few centimeters beyond (no further than 5 cm.
away). Its original extent or depth is not known because
most of it was brushed away before the bones began to appear
with the excavator mistaking it for plaster of some sort.
One large segment of the preserved material lay over the two
carved-incised bones, preserving a perfect impression of the
design of the bone.
Carved-Incised Bones 117A-86 a, b MT 180, 181 Fig. 91 Photos
104, 105