NO. 1887. CENSERS AND INCENSE OF MIDDLE AMERICA— HOUGH. 121 



The Guatemalan portable incensarios are frequently spinose bowls 

 with a head on one side. They all bear evidence of burning resin, 

 are of crude, coarse clay, and some specimens have lids.^ 



The censer has not survived among the Mayas as it has among the 

 less modified Lacandones; but L. H. Ayme sent to the National 

 Museum from Merida, Yucatan, an incense burner of pottery of 

 gray, coarse paste, washed brown on the interior and red on the 

 exterior, and having the form of an mcurved bowl mounted on a foot, 

 and two rows of holes punched through the body to insure ventila- 

 tion. (Fig. 7.) In the bottom of the bowl is a dab of the red 

 paint \vith which the exterior is washed. (Compare Oaxaca censer, 

 pi. 9 h.) This appears to be a vessel for burning incense in the 

 house. (Cat. No. 73885, U.S.N.M., 

 originalNo. 17.) Diameter, 4^ inches; 

 height, 4 inches. 



2. GESTURE CENSERS. 



The tliird class of censers comprises 

 those held in the hand and used for 

 wafting incense in a certain direction 

 or toward any object to be incensed. 

 It would seem that the requirement 

 for worship toward the cardinal points 

 has given rise to the hand censer, which 

 in its most developed form resembles 

 a shallow dipper with a long handle. 

 There are specimens wliich may show 

 a development of this form from a bowl 

 or tripod censer, as suggested by: 



(a) A specimen from Oaxaca, in form of a flaring bowl of broNvn 

 unpoUshed ware having a projection from one side and a starlike 

 handle with four prongs, appears to be a censer and to stand morpho- 

 logically between the bowls and hand censers. It was collected by 

 E. O. Matthews, and is 3J inches in diameter and 2^ inches liigh. 

 (Cat. No. 215137, U.S.N.M.) (PI. 10 a.) 



(6) Openwork pottery tripod vessel, one leg of which is extended 

 to form a handle. This type is usually of extremely good art, and 

 consists of a cup-shaped bowl pierced wdtli beautifull}' executed 

 openwork resting on two round feet suppUed with rattles, the curved 

 handle terminating in a flexed arm, wliich forms the handle and 

 tliird foot. The specimen is from Oaxaca.- (Collected by L. H. 



' See Hough, In Report of the Madrid Commission, 1S02, Washington, 1S95, p. 354. 



Seler, work cited, 1908, vol. 3, p. 625, figures a spinose vessel of this construction. 



« Rattlo-foot censer of brow-n clay with design perforated and outlined with scratched lines and having 

 bosses on opposite sides. The end of the handle is modeled in the form of a flexed arm, the hand clasping 

 the cylinder. The feet and handle are set in on stubs. The triangular ventilating orifices forming the 

 openwork design have been punched out with a tool which leaves the edges slightly rough. Length, 8 

 Inches; height, 4 inches; diameter, 3J inches. 



Fig. 7.— Vase censer (modeen), Mebida, 

 Yucatan. Collected by L. H. AymA. 



