The stone was first battered into general shape with irregular, discoidal or rectangular hammergrinder. Then it was pecked to create the grit. A large amount of knowledge and experience was needed to create such stone mortars. The artisan had to be familiar with the characteristics of the stone fracture zone and its hardness. In the mountainous region of Dondon near the Haitian northern coast many of these objects were found. Dondon is famous for its caves but the time in which they were occupied is unknown.