42 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 97 



Pottery predominates tremendously over any other form of artifact, 

 and plain or domestic wares are much more abundant than decorated 

 wares. In all layers at this site the pottery shows the effects of water 

 action, and the surfaces of many sherds are eroded. There is, however, 

 no observable indication of re-deposition. The majority of sherds 

 from all levels are of unslipped, undecorated wares ranging in color 

 from a smoked or burned black, through brick red or brown to light 

 buff. Sizes are highly variable. Pots with constricted and medium 

 flaring lips are common, as are direct rimmed bowls. Vertical strap 

 and solid round handles are most abundant. Many of these, from 

 all levels, have a knob, filleting, or a crude monkey head on the 

 bend. Bottoms are flat, rounded, dimpled, and annular, the first 

 three types being most abundant. A few plain, hollow, conical feet 

 occur. In P 6 and 7, large, thick, highly polished sherds also occur. 

 Since grit tempering seems practically universal in the Ulua-Yojoa 

 region, it may be taken for granted unless variants are mentioned. 

 Domestic (that is coarse or household) ware with painted decoration 

 is rare at this site. It occurs sparsely in P 3 and 4 where large 

 vessels with high flaring necks are decorated with rayed circles, cross- 

 hatches, or lines of dull red or brown paint applied in a splotchy 

 fashion. Plain incised ware is rare but occurs in P 4 and 5 where 

 necks are decorated with delicate, wavy, comblike patterns forming 

 both vertical and horizontal patterns. 



With the wares which are both painted and incised we pass out 

 of the strictly utilitarian class and find several intergrading types. 

 A striking Las Flores type occurs in levels P 3-5 (pi. 5, a, h, c, d, e). 

 These sherds are from thick-walled, vertical vases or bowls with high 

 vertical necks, having a polished red slip, a band of black geometric 

 designs below the lip and another band of incised design below this 

 (compare Strong, 1935, pi. 18, fig. i, b, c, e, for similar Bay Island 

 types). Another striking and distinctive ware, which occurs com- 

 monly at Santa Rita (farm 17) (pi. 7, a-d) and rarely at Lake Yojoa 

 (pi. 14, d), we have here called the Bold Geometric, monkey-handled 

 type. It is very similar if not identical with Bay Island Polychrome 

 II ware figured elsewhere (Strong, 1935, fig. 11). This is found 

 in all levels at excavation 2 but undergoes some change in the two 

 bottom levels. The typical vessel is large, with an orange slip and 

 intricate black and red geometric designs around the neck, the body, 

 and on the handles. The neck design is often of the interlocking textile 

 type (compare pi. 5, c, and Strong, 1934a, fig. 54, and 1935, fig.ii), 

 and the handle at the bend usually has a monkey head in relief with 

 modeled or punctate features. At Las Flores, excavation 2, numerous 



