74 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 97 



type. It was about equally divided between B and C, perhaps indicating 

 that it was more abundant in later times since the smaller upper section 

 yielded an equal amount of painted sherds. Red and black painted 

 sherds constitute one type (pi. ii, /, g, k). Some of those sherds have 

 alternate areas of black and red sometimes separated by incised lines 

 (pi. II, g). In other cases these red and black areas are very irregular, 

 and the colors form irregular blotches rather than controlled designs. 

 Numerous flattened and incised rims of the very dark subtype 3 have 

 flecks or small areas of red paint (pi. ii, /), others have red on black, 

 or black on red, painted areas. The under side of such flattened 

 rims are usually black. Several fluted fragments have black and red 

 painted areas. A few small vertical handles and one very small 

 horizontal handle (pi. ii, g, k) occur in this red and black ware. 

 The red and black painted sherds are more numerous in B than in C. 

 Red on bufif sherds are the next most abundant type (pi. ii, i, j, o). 

 The majority of red on bufif sherds come from C, but the type is rep- 

 resented in B. Most of these sherds come from small vessels with 

 a red band on the inside and outside of the rim (pi. ii, /). The 

 lower portions and the bottoms of these vessels were often red, and 

 the remainder, except for red rims, was buff. Several have incisions 

 in the red area showing the underlying buff. One rim sherd from a 

 direct bowl, polished red on the outside, has faint red linear designs 

 on the inside with the lighter buff showing through them like negative 

 painting. A very well-modeled and painted red and buff lug comes 

 from B (pi. II, 0). Several large sherds of coarse unslipped brown 

 or buff ware have red bands on lip, neck, or rim (pi. ii, h). Two 

 sherds in B and four sherds in C have a dull white slip with red 

 lines or bands on the outside and in one case on the inside (pi. ii,m,l). 

 They are from large vessels with low flaring lips and include one 

 broad, vertical strap handle. Three sherds from B and one sherd 

 from C have irregular white designs on a red painted background. 

 These are from large, coarse vessels. In two cases the lip has a band 

 of white inside and out ; in one there are broad, irregular vertical lines 

 extending down the rim, and in another there are blotchy white de- 

 signs on the inner surface. 



One polished, dull red rim sherd (pi. ii, n) has vertical lines of 

 dull gray paint extending down the neck. This suggests negative 

 painting, owing to the fading of the gray paint. It has already been 

 stated that several of the other painted sherds with faded linear 

 designs imitate negative painting. In passing it may be said that 

 although Usulatan ware is not present in our Playa de los Muertos 

 culture ceramic sample, it does occur at the site (Vaillant, 1934, p. 90). 



