232 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 193 



IV styles of northwestern Venezuela. Cruxent and Rouse (1959) 

 have determined a chronology of five periods for Venezuela based on 

 the coordination of a series of carbon-14 dates with a number of 

 ceramic styles. Only the last three periods concern us here: Period 

 III (A.D. 350-1150); Period IV (A.D. 1150-1500); and Period V 

 (A.D. 1500 to the present). Spatially, the styles with the greatest 

 number of Panamanian affinities are limited, with one exception, to 

 the Lake Maracaibo region, a roughly triangular low-lying area 

 bounded on the north by the coast from the Guajira Peninsula to the 

 Paraguana Peninsula, on the west by the Cordillera Oriente, and on the 

 south and east by the Cordillera de los Andes. The exception men- 

 tioned above is located eastward on the coast on the Golfo Triste. 



Dealing first with the probably earlier sunilarities, the La Pitia 

 style along the western coast of the Gulf of Venezuela shows some 

 general similarities to Early Code Phase pottery in its curvilinear 

 style, and two specific design elements; an S-scroll and the white 

 ovate in a black rectangle (Cruxent and Rouse, 1958, figs. 32, 13, and 

 32, IS). Additional general similarities include black on white and 

 red on white painting as well as plastic decorative techniques. Unlike 

 the Panamanian pottery, La Pitia includes engraving and bulbous 

 tripod legs but lacks handles and pedestal bases. La Pitia does not 

 have a firm chronological position, and Cruxent and Rouse, although 

 noting especially its close relationships to the Tocuyano style of 

 Period II, conclude that other stylistic resemblances give La Pitia a 

 possible range extending from the second half of Period II to the end 

 of Period IV. 



The Debajuro style, centered on the east coast of the Gulf of 

 Venezuela with an apparently solid dating in Periods IV and V, shows 

 many more specific similarities to Herrera Phase pottery, and Cruxent 

 and Rouse compare it with various modes present at Sitio Conte. 

 Unlike the late Panamanian sites, Dabajuro sites are shell middens 

 along the coast. However, they share with Panama the character- 

 istics of urn burial and stone celts with polished blade areas but 

 roughly chipped polls. Pottery shapes include collared jars, shallow 

 open bowls with incurved rims (casuela shape), and open bowls. All 

 the pottery was painted, most of it with designs in red and black on a 

 white or plain ground. Specific modes shared with Late Code and 

 especially Herrera Phase pottery include the very frequent use of 

 T-elements in rows and boxes (like the Jobo variety), the angular 

 scroll (El Hatillo variety), undulating line with closed arcs (Macaracas 

 and Calabaza types), solid triangles pendent from a line (Achote 

 variety), double looped vertical handles, rim loop handles, and 

 applique ribbons or "worms" (aU unassigned as to type or variety. 



