152 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



From the valley of the Rio Tireo, the final ascent up the flank of 

 the Loma del Valle brought into view the panorama of the flat valley 

 of Constanza framed by encircling mountains. The valley occupies an 

 area of 30 square kilometers and lies at an altitude of 1,100 meters 

 above sea level. At its southeastern corner two tiny rivulets, the 

 Pantufle and the Rio Constanza, drain the valley and unite to form 

 the Rio Union. The village of Constanza is sheltered under tower- 

 ing mountains at the northeast corner of the valley. Just north of the 

 village is the largest of the series of parallel aboriginal earthworks, 

 first described by Schomburgk in 1851. 



Living quarters were obtained in the house of Senor Felix Matias, 

 a kindly Dominican, whose aid in obtaining permits to carry on exca- 

 vations was much appreciated and is here gratefully acknowledged. 

 Laborers were readily obtained and within a few days a system of 

 procedure was developed. Two apparently " natural born " archeolo- 

 gists, Antonio M. Garcia, the local weather observer for the Domini- 

 can government, and a campesino who answered to the simple name 

 of Pong, began a systematic survey of the surrounding mountains 

 in search of caves or rock ledges containing Indian burials. In this 

 they were quite successful. 



In the rock ledge burials on the flanks of the Loma la Cumbre 

 between the Rio Tireo and the Jimenoa ; on the slopes of Loma de 

 Rio Grande, Monte Culo de Maco, Loma Rucilla, or Pico del Yaque, 

 Loma Chinguela, and Monte Cucurucho, and of the hills in the more 

 immediate vicinity of Constanza careful search was made for burial 

 offerings. A few stone beads, pendants, zemis, fragments of burial 

 pottery, also a small number of intact earthenware vessels were dis- 

 covered in juxtaposition to the skeletal remains. 



Under the tutelage of a Dominican whose family name is forgotten, 

 but whose given name of Josesito seemed particularly appropriate, 

 the writer began a search within the valley of Constanza for a domi- 

 ciliary midden sufficiently well preserved to yield cultural material 

 for stratigraphic study. At many places in Constanza valley, also in 

 the upper valley of the Tireo, pottery sherds were examined. Upon 

 investigation the culture deposit invariably proved to be merely a few 

 inches in depth and unsuitable for excavation. Opportunity was seized 

 on these reconnoitering trips to purchase any archeological specimen 

 offered. Soon the entire countryside became engaged in commercial 

 archeology, but the ideal midden deposit remained undiscovered. 



Many natural formations resembling small circular artificial earth 

 mounds, said to be Indian burials, were reported from widely sepa- 

 rated locations, but on investigation they proved to be unusually ex- 



