172 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.93 



tural composition of this series; still it can serve for comparisons with 

 other undeformed populations as data thereon become available. 

 Since such data are not yet available from Peru, I have not considered 

 it necessary at this time to make extensive comparisons beyond this 

 area. 7 



In this connection, possibly because of being- a North American 

 working with South American materials, I should like to examine a 

 statement to which rather frequent reference has been made in the 

 recent Latin American literature, namely, that the Old Peruvians 

 and the Pueblos of Arizona and New Mexico are of one and the 

 same physical type. The current advocate of this generalization is 

 Imbelloni (1938), but the idea appears to have been initiated by 

 ten Kate (1894). As far as I can discover no one has supported 

 with figures the claimed unity and distribution of this physical 

 type. 



First, let us consider the claims. Ten Kate, because of his ex- 

 periences in Mexico and our Southwest, was struck by certain ethno- 

 graphic resemblances to this region when he visited the provinces of 

 Catamarca, Tucuman, and Salta in Argentina (1894). However, it 

 was not until 1896, when he published his report on the skeletal 

 remains of the Calchaqui, that he called attention to the physical 

 resemblances. He says (p. 62) : 



7 Since this was first written Dr. M. T. Newman has kindly permitted me to read and 

 quote from his manuscript entitled "Indian Skeletal Material from the Central Coast of 

 Peru ; an Archeologically Oriented Study in Physical Anthropology." Rather than attempt 

 to synthesize fully his and my findings, I shall call attention merely to some points that 

 are of especial interest here. 



Doctor Newman has assembled four series of crania, each from a different period and a 

 different valley and varying in number from 14 to 41. Although certain differences are 

 detected from period to period, they are not extensive or constant, and Doctor Newman 

 believes that he is dealing primarily with only one physical type. This type, it should 

 be noted, is brachycranic. The cranial indices of all the undeformed males give the follow- 

 ing frequency distribution in relation to that for the Chicama Valley (see p. 163) : 



Central Chicama 



Class Coast Valley 



65-69.9 — 1 



70-74.9 4 7 



75-79.9 9 25 



80-84.9 42 25 



85-89.9 20 6 



90-94.9 4 1 



79 65 



According to these distributions, and in spite of the inclusion in both series of some slightly 

 deformed individuals, there appears to be a distinctly greater tendency toward brachycrany 

 on the central coast. 



As for fronto-occipital deformity, Doctor Newman found it to be present in practically 

 all his earliest or "Shell Mound" crania. In the Early (Interlocking Style) Period the 

 incidence falls to about one-third, but in the Middle Period it increases to about two-thirds. 

 Finally, in the Late Period intentional deformity almost disappears, and the great majority 

 of the crania are either undeformed or show slight to moderate posterior flattening. This 

 situation seems to parallel that in the Chicama-Moche-Viru region, where intentional de- 

 formity is present In the Cupisnique period, disappears in the subsequent Mochica period, 

 and reappears later only to taper off ultimately. 



