112 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 97 



exact Rittenhouse site through his former workmen again proved un- 

 successful. Mr. Paul therefore sank a small test trench (B) 6 meters 

 southwest of the mound we had excavated (fig. 20). Passing through 

 the polychrome horizon, which was removed in 30-centimeter levels, 

 he again encountered the sterile layer of yellow clay and gravel which 

 here averaged about 50 centimeters in thickness. Digging through this, 

 he encountered a brownish black clay which contained a small amount 

 of cultural admixture. All potsherds from this lower occupation level 

 proved to be of a crude, monochrome type. This lower cultural hori- 

 zon averaged about 65 centimeters in thickness, dipping toward the 

 east end of the trench, and terminating in a very hard yellow clay 

 which appeared to be absolutely sterile. To check these results he 

 dug another test pit (A) 8 meters to the southeast of the same mound. 

 Here he again encountered the same soil and cultural conditions (fig. 

 32), the brownish black clay below the sterile clay yielding only coarse 

 monochrome potsherds and a few other artifacts. He then returned 

 to our former excavation and sank a pit next to our old test cut into 

 the sterile stratum (fig. 31). Only 25 centimeters below the lowest 

 level of our former excavation he ran through this sterile layer into 

 the darker clay, obtaining monochrome potsherds and a small mano. 

 It is evident, therefore, that this direct superimposition of two cul- 

 tural horizons, separated by a sterile stratum of yellow clay and gravel, 

 extends over a considerable area. The same strata vary slightly in 

 thickness and absolute level at the different pits (compare figs. 31 and 

 32), but the sequence is the same in all. Material from the lower 

 cultural horizon is likewise uniform and may be discussed as a unit. 

 The deeper ceramic remains, some 700 sherds, are extremely crude 

 (pi. 15, c-w). They are all of a crumbling ware, tempered with finely 

 ground stone or sand. The apparent similarity in texture between 

 this older ware and the poorer grade of Yojoa Polychrome, especially 

 the cooking ware, suggests that both were made of inferior, local 

 clays. This point may be determined later by microscopic analysis. 

 All sherds from the old horizon seem to have come from small vessels. 

 The thickest sherd is 1.4 centimeters, the thinnest .4 centimeter, and 

 the majority average about .7 centimeter. Some are badly waterworn 

 (pi. 15, r), and the majority have one or both faces considerably 

 eroded. Of the 51 rim sherds, the great majority have low, slightly 

 flaring lips (pi. 15, c, d, f,g). A small proportion of lips are swollen, 

 and there are a few vertical and a few direct rims. Two sherds from 

 the same vessel, seem to be parts of an annular base, but the remain- 

 ing 30 basal sherds are all from small, flat-bottomed vessels (pi. 1$ s, 

 u, V, w). There are no spouts, handles, lugs, or feet in the present 



