FINDING LOST CIVILIZATIONS This

Chapter 23The Forgotten Souls ofIxtapa De La ConceptionWhile at the La Penita market a lady named DebDrew approached me and said she was building apool at her house and that I was invited to join her and herhusband to sift through the dirt during the excavation. Onthe day of the excavation I spoke with the Mexican backhoeoperator, who told me he had been working a backhoe formore than 20 years and that his home garden held manyremnants of old civilizations that he had dug up during excavations.He said he did not believe we would find anyancient artifacts in La Penita. I then asked him which areacontained the most relics. He thought for a while and saidthat the area must fertile and filled with ancient artifacts wasin a small town called Ixtapa De La Conception. By chance,I had planned a trip the next day to the fishing village ofPlatanitos and would be passing through Ixtapa.The following day on the way to Platanitos I exited themain roadway and entered the village of Ixtapa. The villagehad only one small, dusty main street and as I entered Isaw a man walking down the road and introduced myself. Iexplained that I was a writer regarding the history of the regionand asked him if he knew of any ancient Indian sites orsymbols that were engraved into large boulders in the area.He said there were ancient sites and petroglyps in the area,but he did not know their exact locations. However, he saidhe knew a man that did and volunteered to walk me over tohis house. I followed this man through town and we eventuallyarrived at a brick building that was painted yellow. Iimmediately felt that this individual was certainly an artifactcollector who was knowledgeable of the ancient sites in thisarea. Hanging over his doorway and across the front of thehouse were the skulls of very large rams—something likea medicine man would have over his hut or tepee. Unfortunately,the local historian was not home. But the helpfullocal man, Jose, agreed to let the historian, Donicia, knowthat I would return later in the day.141