‘Please take a seat. I have something important to show you.’
He left, but soon returned with a small object wrapped in a silk scarf which he gently placed on the table.
‘This chest was found by the tribesmen in one of the temples at the city,’ he explained as we gathered around it.
The small chest was carved from black obsidian volcanic stone common to South America. On it there were sculpted reliefs, or small panels on each side: the relief on top of the chest represented a constellation of stars where the figure of what looked like a god stood out in the centre, while the reliefs on the sides and bottom had five small symbols on each of them.
‘What's inside?’ James asked.
‘The chest is sealed,’ he replied with a shrug. ‘I have not been able to open it.’
He took a magnifying glass
