74 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



well defined line of separation between the older and newer forma- 

 tions. The distinction is rendered much clearer by the contents 

 of the soil. There are occasional layers of stone and adobe bricks, 

 representing the foundations of houses, as seen in the section. 

 There are great quantities of fragmentary pottery, among which I 

 find many of the artistic shapes and rich decorations characteristic 

 of the surface deposits of Anahuac. Included I find also fragments 

 of the two varieties last described. There are occasional stone im- 

 plements and great quantities of obsidian knives, hundreds of which 

 are as perfect as when first struck from the core. These are char- 

 acteristic of the later Aztec period. Near the surface there are 

 fragments of glazed ware indicating Spanish influence. It is not 

 unusual to see in the shallow ditches of the suburban villages, frag- 

 ments of vessels of aboriginal form and decoration, covered with 

 Spanish glaze. Indeed such vessels can be seen in use by the Indians 

 of to-day and are exposed for sale in the modern markets. 



The pottery of the upper division of the section presents great 

 variety of form and Ornamentation, but in material and treatment it 

 is extremely uniform. The paste is compact and heavy, and has a 

 moderately even, finely granular fracture. In rare cases the fracture 

 is smooth or conchoidal. The more common wares are lighter and 

 more porous than those of finer finish. The whole mass is often of 

 a pale brick-red color, the baking having been thorough ; but more 

 frequently the interior is of a dark blue gray, indicating imperfect 

 firing. The paste is generally hard and the ware has in' many cases 

 a sonorous or metallic ring. The walls vary in thickness with the 

 individual vessel. The tempering when distinguishable is always 

 silicious. 



The method of finishing the surface is quite uniform although 

 carried to very different degrees of perfection. Occasionally we 

 find a piece without polish ; and figurines and elaborately modeled 

 forms are generally quite plain. As a rule the vessels have been 

 very carefully polished. In many examples the markings of the 

 polishing implement are distinctly visible j indeed this is true of 

 the unimportant parts of the majority of vessels of the most perfect 

 finish. The polish of the finer examples is so perfect that it is diffi- 

 cult to believe it the result of purely mechanical processes. The pol- 

 ishing has generally been done after the application of the color 

 and color-designs, but sometimes before. Unpolished surfaces show 

 impressions of the potter's fingers. 



