NO. I HONDURAS STRONG, KIDDER, AND PAUL 39 



Unfortunately, we were unable to make the trip. It would be very 

 important to learn what types of pottery, if any, occur in association 

 with these copper bells. Spinden (1925, p. 544) has suggested that 

 the cache formed part of a Toltec trader's outfit. 



ULUA AND COMAYAGUA RIVERS 



Our most extensive excavations on the Ulua proper were at Las 

 Flores Bolsa and at Playa de los Muertos. In addition, ceramic 

 samples were obtained at various river bank and mound sites between 

 Naranjo Chino and the mouth of the Comayagua (see map, fig. 5). 

 Our investigations were for the most part confined to the eastern 

 bank of the Ulua. In a region as rich in sites as is the Ulua, it 

 seemed better to confine our efforts to a few promising places rather 

 than attempt too wide a survey. The depths at which cultural layers 

 occur necessitated moving dirt on a very large scale for even a 

 reasonable stratigraphic sample. On the Comayagua River, near 

 Santa Rita, we made excavations similar to those at Las Flores Bolsa 

 and at Playa de los Muertos. 



LAS FLORES BOLSA 



Las Flores Bolsa is located on the east bank of the Ulua River 

 just south of the division line between the Las Flores and Naranjo 

 Chino banana plantations. This was the farthest down-river site 

 excavated by the expedition (see map, fig. 5). We worked here from 

 January 20 to February 20, 1936. The site was chosen because of the 

 fact that examination of the steep river bank from a dugout canoe 

 revealed several human skeletons one above the other at this place. 

 We therefore hoped for some sort of stratification. This was also 

 the exact place where O. P. Swofford found a deformed skull with 

 filed and inlaid teeth and with a jade bead in its mouth. This skull 

 has been described as that of a Maya chieftain from Santa Ana (see 

 Blom, Grosjean, and Cummins, 1933). It should be noted that the 

 Las Flores site is actually a considerable distance downstream from 

 Santa Ana (see map, fig. 5). In addition to fragmentary human 

 bones there was a considerable amount of broken pottery projecting 

 from the bank and on the small talus at the water's edge. 



We made two deep stratigraphic cuts paralleling the bank and ex- 

 tending down to the water line. At the time of our work the almost 

 vertical river bank was 5.25 meters in height. Excavation i was 

 approximately 10 meters long by 4 meters wide. The top 2 meters 

 was a recent sand and silt. Cultural debris, mainly broken pottery, 



