12 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [Bull. 191 



because of poor drainage, has a great deal of standing water during 

 the rainy season. The surrounding area, from which the site is isolated 

 by a series of low hills, is an essentially level plain 2 miles wide, 

 St. Cristopher's Hill is a hillock within the area about 2,000 yards to 

 the west. It is a solitary outcrop now somewhat lower than in Spanish 

 times as a result of erosion and the erection of several structures on 

 its summit. Isolated sherds are scattered throughout the region as 

 far as the hill, and it is possible that diffuse occupation may have 

 occurred at least to this point. The region is private land and was 

 not investigated. The area north of the site also contains scattered 

 sherds for another 500 yards on the opposite side of the Rio Abajo. 

 In the latter portion there is a higher concentration of Spanish rubbish 

 and the remains of a large colonial pottery kiln. This portion also 

 has been cleared and from surface surveys apparently is not a part of 

 the major site. 



The soil is composed of approximately 6 feet (ranging from 4 to 8) 

 of a brown sandy clay which affords somewhat better drainage and 

 ceramic preservation than might be expected. There are isolated 

 lenses of higher sand content averaging 1 foot in thickness. The 

 strata are underlain throughout by a calcareous shell conglomerate 

 known as coquina. Except for isolated burial pits partially excavated 

 in the coquina or its natural depressions at Venado Beach, this is a 

 culturally sterile layer present at approximately the same depth 

 throughout the entire Pacific littoral of the Gulf of Panama, A 

 significant difference is that areas closer to the sea reflect the geo- 

 chronological changes in shoreline by a series of differing shell and 

 sand layers. Such layering is absent at this site. There is presently 

 a deep brown-black homogeneous humus topsoil of approximately 1- 

 foot thickness in the burial area. It is impossible to assess accurately 

 the degree of soil disturbance, but a general inspection of the site 

 indicates that an average of 3 feet was removed and pushed to one 

 side for partial construction of a temporary road. The southern 

 portion of the site has less topsoil and in some places the underlying 

 sandy clay is exposed. 



In addition to the clearing operations, daUy exposure of the land to 

 heavy tropical rains throughout two rainy seasons has further eroded 

 the land. Many of the sherds and at least two urns were exposed as 

 a result. In poor runoff areas, however, the heavy rains succeeded in 

 pooling an additional few inches of topsoil and obscuring surface 

 finds. 



FORMER INVESTIGATIONS 



The site was partially investigated in 1960, with surface collections 

 and several test pits, under the joint efforts of the Museo Nacional de 

 Panama and an Air Force employee, H. Morgan Smith. The material 



