Show mays art trove Is discovered in guatemala ancient burial ground in highlands yields fine examples of jade washington discovery discover of artistic treasures in an ancient mayan burial ground in tho the little known highlands of guatemala was announced by carnegie institute sti tute they represent cr craftsmanship atts manship spanning seven or eight centuries and contribute new knowledge of the skill and customs of the mayas these indians were the most brilliant exponents of higher aboriginal culture in the western world in the days before columbus along with art objects unearthed from the mound including the finest single example of mayan lade jade carving yet brought to light the carnegie archaeologists archeologists also alpo found graves dating from the tha fourth or fifth to the twelfth century of the christian era 0 valuable plaque most v valued finding among scores ot 0 f art objects and relies relics Is a plaque or breastplate of jadeite dating from about the ninth century characteristic act of the greatest per period lod of mayan art the plaque reveals the finesse of tho the ancient craftsmen who had no metal tools with which to work another Is a pottery figurine fa fashioned to tory a whistle the type of ritual whistles used in religious ceremonies of the maya still another Is an alabaster vase developed from rough material to an object of perfect shape and delicate thinness despite the crude tools available to the artisans old jade carvings archeologists archaeologists also found jade carvings dating from the fourth or fifth centuries which when compared p ared with the ninth century jade revealed the advances in craftsmanship made by the mayas with the passage of time the first find made by the ecca gators as they dug into In the mound was a large circular stone altar slab about eight inches thick much resembling a millstone underneath it were 12 skulls one upside down in the center with a number of jades piled on it and the I 1 other 11 right side up arranged in a ring around it researchers found several tombs in the mound the floor of one was painted a robins egg blue rather than the red which la is usual in mayan burials bu rials |