114 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 97 



to be the most primitive ceramic type yet encountered in Honduras, 

 Technically, since a few sherds are painted, we should designate this 

 ware as Yojoa bichrome. Actually, the great majority of sherds are 

 unpainted and all of them are definitely inferior in both texture and 

 finish to either the Playa de los Muertos Bichrome or the Santa Rita 

 (farm 17) Bichrome wares. For this reason we have tentatively 

 designated it as Yojoa " Monochrome ", subject to change when the 

 results of larger excavations yielding adequate ceramic samples are 

 at hand. 



Equally puzzling is the relationship of this Yojoa " Monochrome " 

 to the two vessels excavated by Mr. Rittenhouse in this immediate 

 vicinity. Both these vessels are well modeled, incised, and painted red 

 and buff (pi. 15, a, b). Both originally had spouts. They are un- 

 doubtedly closely allied, if not identical, with the old Playa de los 

 Muertos Bichrome (pis. 10, 11, and figs. 17, 18). Yet not one of 

 our sherds from the deep stratum is positively of this type. We have 

 no reason to doubt that the general location of the two Rittenhouse 

 vessels was substantially as reported. It is apparent, therefore, that 

 our Yojoa Monochrome is either a strangely isolated sample of crude, 

 domestic ware, actually pertaining to the Playa de los Muertos Bi- 

 chrome, or else that both Yojoa Polychrome, Playa de los Muertos 

 Bichrome, and a new type, Yojoa Monochrome, all occur in shallow 

 deposits on the northern borders of Los Naranjos. 



Other artifacts from the older horizon at Los Naranjos included 

 three figurine fragments (pi. 15, e, j). All are of solid, baked clay, 

 and none are slipped. The crudely modeled little head (pi. 15, e) 

 has a knot of hair on the back, and the body (pi. 15, ;') has broad 

 modeled and grooved buttocks which have been smoked black. Head 

 and body are from different figurines. The third figurine torso is 

 also of coarse, dull buff pottery. It is somewhat similar to the old 

 Playa de los Muertos horizon figurine torsos (pi. 11, t-v), but is not 

 so well modeled and has no breasts. Ground stone artifacts from this 

 older Yojoa horizon include one small rectangular mano with ground 

 sides and battered ends; one small rectangular stone (pi. 15, n) of 

 unknown use; and a fragment of ground sandstone (pi. 15, t) which 

 may be from a simple metate, although it has uneven grinding surfaces 

 on the two sides. There are no true prismatic flake fragments from 

 this horizon. There are, however, several irregular flakes of obsidian 

 (pi. 15, m), and one irregular prismatic flake with a side point which 

 also shows a use retouch. There is one rather large, gray flint side 

 scraper and a flint flake. Here again, definite conclusions are precluded 



