Ladd] PARITA AND SANTA MARIA ARCHEOLOGY, PANAMA 



33 



above. The relative lack of layering, combined with the presence of 

 many burials, suggests that the mound was erected primarily for 

 mortuary purposes, possibly in two stages; one represented by the 

 lower light-brown fill, the other by the mixed fill of mottled brown. 



MISCELLANEOUS TEST PITS 



In addition to the trenches in the five mounds already described, 

 three tests were made in other areas of the site. 



Trench 8, a 5X3 meters test pit in the flat area between Mounds 

 III and V and somewhat closer to the former, was excavated in 25 

 cm. levels to a depth of 1.5 meters in the northeast corner. The pit 

 yielded abundant sherds, especially in the second 25-50 cm. level of 

 yellow-gray fiU. Because the refuse is much deeper at the eastern 



20 

 40 

 60 

 80 

 100 

 120 

 140 

 CMS. 



HUMUS-REFUSE 



YELLOW-GRAY FILL-SHERDS 



"•^.. ^ TRANSITION-LIGHTER 

 r.LAY-ROCK V ^ RED_CLAY 



' L 



2 E 



V 



E 

 L 

 S 



)' 



HUMUS AND MIDDEN 



BROWN REFUSE 



■TTITJ cENTRATED GRAY REFUSE 

 LIGHT BROWN FILL 



Figure 6. — He-4. Upper, Trench 8, east face; lower, Trench 10, east face. 



