ARCHEOLOGY. 



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

 ology. (For previous reports see Year Books Nos. 13, 14, 15, and 16.) 



The Central American expedition did not return to the United 

 States during 1917, but remained in the field until the end of IMay, 

 1918. Throughout this period the personnel of the staff continued 

 the same: Mr. Morley as director and Mr. John Held, jr., as artist. 

 During the Yucatan trip, Dr. Thomas Gann, of BeUze, accompanied 

 the expedition as a collaborator, having filled a similar position with 

 the 1916 expedition. 



The itinerary of the expedition may be divided into three parts 

 or trips, as follows: (1) A reconnaissance of the Mosquito Coast of 

 Honduras and Nicaragua in September and October 1917. (2) An 

 examination of aU archeological sites in the peninsula of Yucatan 

 known to have hieroglyphic inscriptions, in February, March, and 

 April 1918. (3) A trip to the ruins of Palenque in the state of 

 Chiapas, Mexico, in May 1918. It may be noted also that Mr. Mor- 

 ley was present during the earthquake-shocks of December 25, De- 

 cember 29, and January 3, which destroyed Guatamala City, and he 

 assisted in the relief work there.* 



The reconnaissance of the Mosquito Coast was undertaken pri- 

 marily to establish how far eastward along the Atlantic littoral of Cen- 

 tral America Maya esthetic influences may have extended, and it was 

 a continuation of the work carried out in the summer of 1917, when 

 the eastern frontier of actual Maya empire was somewhat definitely 

 fixed as the Chamelecon Valley in Honduras. f 



At Tela, 35 miles east of the mouth of the Chamelecon River, a 

 beautiful clay head of purest Maya type was found, together with 

 some fine flints and smaller objects. Further excavation, however, 

 would be necessary here before it could be determined whether this 

 head was of local origin, or whether it had been brought in by trade 

 from farther west. 



One hundred miles farther east, at Trujillo, and on the Rincon 

 Peninsula, several sites were visited through the courtesy of Mr. H. 

 D. Scott, superintendent of the Trujillo Railroad. These consist of 

 deposits of potsherds, among which incised and modeled wares pre- 

 dominate, handles wdth animals' heads, fragments of tripod bowls, 

 etc., and a few tubular jade beads, the pottery being distinctly in- 

 ferior to the beautiful painted ware of the Ulua Valley sites, which 

 are themselves just west of the area of actual Maya dominion as es- 

 tabhshed last year. One of these deposits on the right of way of the 



* See "The Guatemala earthquake," by S. G. Morley. American Museum Journal for March 

 1918. vol. xviii. No. 3. 

 t See Year Book No. 16, pp. 288-289. 269 



