Ladd] PARITA AND SANTA MARIA ARCHEOLOGY, PANAMA 21 



terior has been found at He-1 and He-2 along with Early Code poly- 

 chromes. At the Gh'on site, the bulk of this Ai"istide group (Giron 

 and Escota types) underlay Cocle polychrome sherds. The use of 

 black bands and solids in rectangular or triangular motifs on red or 

 buff everted lips of open bowls is characteristic of the Banded Lip 

 variety and, together with the ground color ovate in a black rectangle 

 motif which appears sparingly at the Giron site, is a common occur- 

 rence at Venado Beach and has been reported from Panama Viejo. 

 Vessels of this sort, called Black Line Geometric ware by Lothrop, 

 but more often with white than buff ground were found in Early 

 Period graves at Sitio Conte. It therefore appears that the Santa 

 Maria Phase represented by both Escota and Giron types predated the 

 Code styles, but that the Giron type pottery continued to be produced 

 well into the Early Code Phase. 



The following sequences for the area are a bit more confused; 

 phases are not as easily delineated as the earlier ones. At Sitio 

 Conte a Late Period has been established based primarily on changes 

 in design motifs and vessel shapes in the polychrome. Paneled Red 

 and Smoked ware classifications. This is followed by what was 

 presumably a brief period of decline represented by a few graves with 

 minimal ceramic content. In the Parita Bay locale the sequence 

 postulated by Willey and McGimsey begins with an Alvina Complex, 

 followed by a mixture of El Hatillo, La Mula and Parita-Cocl4, all 

 of which would be contemporary with the polychrome periods at 

 Sitio Conte. These in turn are followed by El Tigre and modern La 

 Arena. As Willey and McGimsey point out, the Alvina Complex, 

 consisting of about 460 sherds in the trough fill at the Monagrillo 

 site and 4 probably associated chipped poll celts, is identified with 

 certainty at only one site. The pottery consists of Alvina Plain 

 coUared jars, vertical sided bowls, and Alvina Red (50 sherds) with 

 outflaring collars and deep bowls with outslanting rims. Willey 

 and McGimsey see affinities to the Code tradition rather than Mona- 

 grillo. In support of this, the similarity of shape between the coUared 

 jars with vertically-placed strap handles of the Alvina Complex and 

 those of the Red Daubed variety encountered at He-1 with probable 

 Early Code affiliations is significant. Vertical strap handles on 

 collared jars occurred occasionally in the later red wares at He-4, 

 but these few are on small jars. The large (4-5 cm. wide; total arc of 

 12-15 cm.) strap handles of Alvina Plain are characteristic of the Red 

 Daubed variety wide-mouthed jars at He-1 and He-2. The five painted 

 sherds in probable association with the Alvina Complex, three black 

 on white, one black on buff, and one red and cream, are inconclusive. 

 None can be definitely classified with a particular variety, but none 

 would be out of place in the polychrome tradition of the region. I 



693-817—64 3 



