Geographical Distribution of the Shell-Purple Industry. 25 
the only precolumbian textiles in existence, those of Peru, 
preserved in the Royal Ethnographical Museum in Berlin, 
a garment and some bands with narrow stripes, the colour 
of which is identical with that of the Huave kerchiefs. 
He also noticed the same in textiles from Chimbote, 
Peru (Bolivar collection). 
In further support of his conclusion that the dye of 
the Purpura shell was used in America in precolumbian 
times, Professor von Martens refers to the use, alongside 
of each other and in the New and Old World alike, of 
two other shell products, viz., the conch-shell trumpets 
and pearls. The interesting data concerning these two 
products, and the evidence they afford in the spread of 
certain elements of culture, will be dealt with in later 
chapters. It will be sufficient here to point out that 
Professor von Martens’ conclusion is strikingly confirmed 
by the further evidence produced by Mrs. Nuttall. She 
tells us that in the ancient Mexican Codex named after 
her, a beautiful purple paint is profusely used. This 
Codex “contains pictures of no fewer than thirteen women 
of rank wearing purple skirts, and five with capes and 
jackets of the samecolour. In addition, forty-six chieftains 
are figured with short, fringed, rounded purple waist- 
cloths, and there are also three examples of the use of a 
close-fitting purple cap.” Priests and other personages 
are also represented whose bodies, and sometimes faces, 
are painted purple, and throughout the Codex the same 
colour appears in combination with others in ornamental 
designs and figures. 
Mrs. Nuttall points out further that “the shade of the 
purple paint used is identical with that of the purpura 
dye, and until it is demonstrated to us that the native 
S® Von Martens, of. czt., p. 485. 
“5 Nuttall, of. cz/., pp. 380-1. 
