TOZZBE] EXCAVATION AT SANTIAGO AHUITZOTLA, MEXICO 53 



19, i), parallel lines running vertically around the piece, spirals, 

 serpent-like figures (pi. 19, A;), frets (pi. 19, Z), and a few which 

 clearly go back to flower forms (pi. 19, m). Suggestions of bird 

 forms also occur. The border may show the finer design, while the 

 body of the piece may have the wider line and rougher decoration. 



This type with the exterior decoration often shows a very dark- 

 brown or even black color on the slip. It is a question whether this 

 should be considered in a different class. The designs are exactly 

 similar to those which have the usual yellow, and it seems as if the 

 darker color was due to smoke in the manufacture. 



7'ype XIII ^ " Lost color. ^"^ — This type of pottery is recognized over 

 large areas of Middle America. The slip in the examples from this 

 excavation is usually yellow, with or without wide lines of red. The 

 color of the main design, composed often of concentric circles, has dis- 

 appeared, allowing the base, a smoky gray, to appear. The shards 

 showing this type are all small pieces, and it is therefore impossible 

 to determine the shape of the pottery of this class. This type might 

 more properly be called " negative painting," as the paint making the 

 design has disappeared and the figures come out as a negative on the 

 color of the base. 



Aztec types. — There is usually very little difficulty in recognizing 

 the decorated pottery from the Aztec culture. There are a number 

 of well-defined and well-recognized types. The amount of Aztec 

 pottery found in this site was not large and no attempt will be made 

 to describe any types other than those met with in this excavation. 



Type XIV ^ Red polished Aztec. — The common forms of this type 

 are as follows : The vase with round body and a long flaring neck, 

 those in the shape of an hourglass, and bowls. The pottery is red, 

 with a brilliant polish, and the design, very often a fret, is in black 

 paint. It is not uncommon to find a faintly incised line following 

 the design very roughly. There is another variety of the red polished 

 ware. It usually shows slightly less polish, and in addition to the 

 black design on the red slip there is also a design in white. This 

 latter color is much less permanent than the black and often has 

 disappeared in many places. The white is found directly over the 

 black, outlining the black or forming a design of its own. In some 

 cases the black design is missing and only the white appears on the 

 red slip. This class of red ware with the black and uneven white 

 designs is also found to some extent at San Juan Teotihuacan. It 

 is therefore impossible to place it definitely in the Aztec culture. 



Type XV, Wide line Aztec, Culhuacan type. — This is the well- 

 known wide-line Aztec. It may be called the " Culhuacan type," 

 as it is found in great abundance in that locality. The slip is yellow 

 and the designs are in black. They are hurriedly draAvn and sketchy 

 in appearance. The common shapes are as follows: Shallow and 



