NO. I HONDURAS STRONG, KIDDER, AND PAUL 75 



Gordon obtained an excellent complete vessel of this ware at a depth 

 of "26 feet" (Peabody Museum C 1054), and we found sherds of 

 Usulatan ware in the lowest horizon at Santa Rita (farm 17). It is 

 probably one of the components of this early ceramic complex. In 

 concluding this brief description, it is interesting to note that whereas 

 the polished and incised ware of the Playa de los Muertos culture is 

 of an advanced and mature type, the very small percentage of painted 

 wares is highly variable and suggests an early, experimental interest 

 in this technique. 



Of the remaining artifact types, the figurine fragments are perhaps 

 the most interesting. From B come four fragments, all from hollow 

 figurines and all but one with a polished white slip (pi. ii,v,r). Three 

 of these, all with a polished white slip, represent a bulbous, seated 

 type that is much conventionalized (pi. 11, v, r). The fourth is an 

 unusually well-modeled face of polished brown ware (pi. 11, p). 

 From C come 10 figurine fragments, all of which are solid and all 

 but one without any slip. Three represent female torsos (pi. 11, t, 

 u, v). Although very simple, they have a primitive naturalism that is 

 rather pleasing. Six fragments of solid figurines are more frag- 

 mentary but suggest similar types. Gordon (1898, pi. 10, d, f, g) 

 shows complete examples of this solid, naturalistic type. The last 

 fragment is also solid but has a dull, polished white slip like those from 

 the upper level (pi. 11, s). Our sample is too small for certainty, but 

 there is at least a hint that the hollow, slipped figurines were later, 

 being preceded by the solid, naturalistic, hand-modeled type. 



Artifacts of materials other than clay were very rare. B yielded 

 one small jade bead, four fragmentary prismatic flakes of obsidian, 

 two retouched pieces of obsidian, two polishing stones (one stained 

 red), one piece of pink chalk (?), and two irregular flakes of hard 

 stone. C yielded one prismatic flake of obsidian, one small rectangular 

 muller, and several battered hammer-stones. As is true of the later 

 horizons, the proportion of perishable to nonperishable artifacts, other 

 than pottery was very low in the Playa de los Muertos culture. It is 

 interesting to note that animal bones were unusually abundant in this 

 horizon, suggesting a considerable dependence on hunting. Over a 

 dozen fragments of baked clay retain the impress of wattle and daub 

 house construction. When the present midden material is considered 

 in relation to the much more elaborate grave materials obtained by 

 Mrs. Popenoe (1934) and by Gordon (1898), a reasonably complete 

 record of the period is available. 



