HOLMES.] POTTERY. HOW FOUND AND MATERIAL USED. 55 



The group.s separated most completely from others are the scari- 

 fied i^ottery presented first in the series of painted wares, the maroon 

 group, which follows, and other varieties represented by fugitive 

 l^ieces. The latter may have reached Chiriqui from neighboring- 

 provinces. There are certain pieces that speak decidedly of Costa 

 Rican influence and others that find tlieir counterparts in the Colom- 

 bian states to the south. 



In art in clay in most countries the vessel is the leading idea, the 

 center about which nearly the entire ceramic art is gathered. This is 

 true in a marked degree in Chiriqui. and vessels are therefore given 

 the first place in this ])Mpcr. The less usual f<n-nis include drums, 

 whistles, rattles, stinils. siiiudlc whorls, ucedlcc-ascs. and toy-like im- 

 ages, all of which present features of peculiar interest. These classes 

 of objects are discussed in separate sections. 



There are few indications of an ambition to model natural forms 

 or mytliiilciL;ir ri,i;ui-fs indi'pfiidently of utensils and useful objects, 

 and, str;iii-v In say. lui pieces arc foiind that portray the human face 

 and figure with e\eii a- fair (le,i;rce of approach to nature. 



How foil ml. — In describing the graves and tombs in a previous 

 section. I alluded to the manner in which the pottery was deposited. 

 It ajjpears to liave been Iniried with the dead "i" tlirown into the grave 

 with the earth and stones with which the pit was filled. There was 

 little regularity in the place or position of the vessels and many were 

 broken when found. The precise use of the vessels, the character of 

 the contents, or the relation of i)articular pieces to the remains of the 

 dead cannot be determined. Although the human remains have 

 almost entirely disappeared and there are no traces left of utensils of 

 wood, bone, horn, or shell, the paste, slip, and colors are wonderfully 

 well preserved and the surface is not even discolored by contact with 

 the earth. When found, every crevice and cavity is completely filled 

 with earth, and the paste is often so tender that the vessels have to 

 be dried with great care before they can be handled with freedom. 

 The number of pieces found in a grave sometimes reaches twenty, 

 but the average is perhaps not above three or four. 



Material. — The material used in the manufacture of this ware is 

 remarkably uniform throughout the whole province, varying slightly 

 with the locality, with the group, and with the character of the vessel 

 constructed. Generally the paste consists of a matrix of fine clay 

 tempere<l with finely pulverized sand, in which may be detected grains 

 of quartz, fell ls|iar. Iiornblende, augite, particles of iron oxide, &c. 

 Argillaceous matter has been sparingly used, the sand in many cases 

 comprising at least 75 per cent, of the mass. Many of the unpainted 

 specimens, from which the polished slip has been removed, give oif 

 showers of fine sand when rubbed by the hand, and it is difficult to 

 detect the presence of any finely conmiinuted matrix wliatcver. The 



