ARCHEOLOGY. 



Morley, Sylvanus G., Santa Fe, New Mexico. Associate in American 

 Archceology. (For previous reports see Year Books Nos. 13-19.) 



The Central American Expedition for 1921 sailed from New Orleans 

 for Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, on January 7, remaining in the field for 

 five months. The staff consisted of Dr. Morley, Dr. Carl E. Guthe, 

 Mr. William Gates, Mr. O. G. Ricketson jr., and Mr. A. K. Rutherford. 



Owing to this increase in personnel over that of former years, it 

 was possible not only to cover more territory' than in any previous 

 season, but also to enlarge the field of investigation, thus adding ex- 

 cavation proper and a first-hand study of the Maya linguistic problem 

 to the usual exploratory work of the Institution in this region. 



The activities of the year may be classified and described under 

 three headings as follows : 



1. The further exploration of northern Peten in search of archseo- 

 logical sites and hieroglyphic inscriptions by Dr. ]Morley. (6th season.) 



2. The excavation of Tayasal, the last independent Maya capital, 

 on an island in the lake of Peten Itza in northern central Peten by 

 Dr. Guthe. (New.) 



3. A study of the Maya dialects spoken at the present time in 

 northern British Honduras and in the Department of El Quiche in 

 the highlands of Guatemala by Mr. Gates. (New.) 



After a preliminary trip to Guatemala City to notify the Ministry 

 of Foreign Relations that the Carnegie Institution was prepared to 

 begin operations under the permit granted to it in June 1920 by the 

 Government of Guatemala for exploration and excavation in the 

 Department of Peten,^ Dr. Morley returned to BeHze, where he was 

 met by Messrs. Ricketson and Rutherford, and thence proceeded by 

 motor-boat up the Belize River to El Cayo on the frontier of British 

 Honduras, where a mule-train was secured for the journey into the 

 interior of Peten. 



The exploratory work of the year was di\4ded into three trips: 

 The first from February 7 to March 6 in northeastern Peten to the 

 ruins of Xultun, Uaxactun, and Nakum; the second from March 23 

 to April 11, in northern central Peten, to the ruins of Benque Viejo, 

 Naranjo, El Encanto, Tikal, Uolantan (new), Ixlu (new), and Tayasal; 

 and the third from April 22 to June 1 in northwestern Peten to the 

 ruins of Itsimte and Piedras Negras. 



The new material discovered during these three trips may be 

 briefly summarized as follows : 



iSee Year Book No. 19, p. 324. 



359 



