NO. I HONDURAS — STRONG, KIDDER, AND PAUL 121 



metal object recovered in any of our excavations, a small copper fish- 

 hook, came from these levels at Las Flores. The Ulua Polychrome 

 horizon overlying the deep stratum at Playa de los Muertos is also 

 late. Here only the Upper Mayoid and Upper Bold Geometric occur. 

 It is undoubtedly significant that the typical, swollen, monkey-handled 

 olla form of the Bold Geometric tradition (pi. 7, a-d), and the vertical- 

 v/alled vase form of the Mayoid tradition (pi. 8, a-b), both persist 

 practically unchanged throughout the entire Ulua Polychrome series. 

 This occurrence argues rather strongly against any very considerable 

 time period being assigned to the Ulua Polychrome period. 



The polychrome wares of Lake Yojoa are closely related to those 

 of the Ulua. Not only does Yojoa Polychrome ware contain a large 

 number of forms and motifs identical with those of the Ulua Poly- 

 chrome, but it also manifests a very similar division into two major 

 stylistic traditions. In general, however, Ulua and Yojoa Polychrome 

 ware vessels are distinguishable. The Yojoa Mayoid type, as well 

 as the Bold Animalistic type, finds many close parallels in polychrome 

 vessels from eastern Salvador (see Vaillant, 1927, figs. 35-40). It 

 seems strange that no Plumbate ware whatsoever was recovered in any 

 of our excavations, either on the Ulua or at Lake Yojoa. The Bold 

 Animalistic type from Lake Yojoa differs from the Ulua Bold Geo- 

 metric in the relative rarity of monkey-handled ollas and the prevalence 

 of bird, monkey, alligator, and other animal design motifs. Regard- 

 ing the internal development of Yojoa Polychrome ware decoration, 

 there is some very slight evidence that it parallels the trend of the Ulua 

 Polychrome series from better executed realistic, to conventional 

 and geometric design. However, the i^ meters of Yojoa Polychrome 

 deposits so far investigated have not as yet yielded very satisfactory 

 evidence in this regard. The fact that Ulua Polychrome deposits oc- 

 cur throughout 3 to 4 meters of alluvial and cultural deposition, 

 whereas the known Yojoa Polychrome refuse deposits are less than 

 2 meters in depth, is undoubtedly significant. In our opinion, how- 

 ever, this discrepancy is probably due to the very different physio- 

 graphic conditions in the two regions, rather than to differences in 

 time. 



Of the three wares that have been stratigraphically established as 

 earlier than the Ulua-Yojoa Polychrome series, the Playa de los 

 Muertos Bichrome (table i, and pis. 10, 11) is the most clearly 

 defined. This is the type D of Gordon (1898). Vaillant (1934) has 

 pointed out that this horizon contains a majority of traits, mainly 

 ceramic, that are characteristic of the O complex. It is undoubtedly 

 significant that, whereas Playa de los Muertos Bichrome ceramics 



