Discussion 



today, and probably were in early times. Trade 

 would obviously have been a more efficient answer 

 than transplantation of divers over such distances. 

 Spondylus is actually a common shell on the 

 beaches of both oceans, but by the time dead valves 

 are thrown on the beach they have always lost the 

 feathery fronds which make the shell so impressive. 

 These beach-worn specimens, however, have all the 

 cameo qualities of white, orange, and red layering 

 that made the shell such a valuable material for arti- 

 facts, particularly beads. They were used extensively, 

 as we have seen above, at the northern sites for just 

 these utilitarian purposes. This could have been true 

 at the southern sites, where the raw material was 

 relatively near at hand. It would be interesting to 

 pursue further the identification of the less glamor- 

 ous specimens in the southern lowlands to see if 

 they are possibly the beach-worn specimens of the 

 Atlantic species, americanus, which were abundant 

 nearby. 



At widely separated San Jose and Piedras Negras, 

 the Pacific mulberry shell, Morum tuberculosum 

 was used for tinklers. The Piedras Negras examples 

 are striking, as the almost identical Atlantic species, 

 M. oniscus, was common on the nearby shores of 

 the Gulf of Mexico. Because of these southern 

 occurrences, another tinkler from the Grata de 

 Balankanche in Yucatan was also tentatively iden- 

 tified as tuberculosum. Later comparison with mod- 

 ern specimens indicated that it was probably the 

 Atlantic species, although its much altered and 

 eroded condition makes the identification doubtful. 



Lyropecten is another large, often very brightly 

 colored and attractive shell, which would under- 

 standably be traded to great distances. The Atlantic 

 species nodosus, relatively common on the entire 

 peninsular periphery, was used for pendants in 

 Yucatan. At Uaxactun only the Pacific species sub- 

 nodosus is found, and at Tikal most specimens are 

 of this species, although imported from a much 

 greater distance — another item to accentuate the 

 Pacific trade route. 



Chama echinata is another attractive Pacific bi- 

 valve, of which 32 unworked and worked were 

 found at Tikal. It is less colorful and much less 

 graceful than the Atlantic species, such as C. macero- 

 phylla, which were quite common in Atlantic and 

 Gulf waters, much closer to the Peten. 



The six other Pacific coast imports are scarce and 

 unimpressive shells: Area pacifica (2) at Uaxactun, 



45 



Cerithium maculosum (i) and Latirus, probably 

 L. ceratus (i) at Tikal, Anadara grandis (i) and 

 Oliva spicata ( 14) at Copan, and Crucibulum spino- 

 sum (i) at Piedras Negras. These are positive evi- 

 dence of the strength of Pacific trade connections, 

 but they were probably items that filtered in with 

 the trade rather than causing or supporting it. 

 Moholy-Nagy has called my attention to the fact that, 

 with the possible exception of Spondylus princeps, all 

 trade in Pacific species apparently terminated by the 

 end of the Early Classic at Tikal. 



Temporal Factors 



Table 2 was prepared partly to summarize Dzibil- 

 chaltun archaeological molluscs, partly to plot these 

 by periods to see if time was a significant factor in 

 the choice of specimens. Examination of the table 

 makes it clear that vogues in shell definitely changed 

 from period to period. 



The numerical frequency of shells as listed obvi- 

 ously is related to the amount of excavation in debris 

 of the various periods. Of this we can make only a 

 subjective appraisal. It is our belief (and this must 

 be only approximate) that our actual excavations 

 into debris of the various periods is fairly closely 

 proportionate to the frequency of such deposits at 

 the site. There were two periods of great popula- 

 tion (and therefore deposition): the Dzibilchaltun 

 Middle Formative, roughly 500—300 e.g., and the 

 Late Early period and Pure Florescent, roughly 

 A.D. 450—750. Between these peaks, and after the 

 second (from Modified Florescent to modern times), 

 the population was greatly reduced. We believe that 

 the frequencies recorded in Table 2 reflect fairly 

 accurately the amount of shells used at Dzibilchaltun 

 in the various periods. The differing figures from 

 the two peak periods of occupation are probably 

 proportionate. The paucity of specimens during 

 epochs of low population will, of course, reflect the 

 paucity of deposition in those times rather than a 

 diminished use of molluscs by the fewer inhabitants. 



Ceramic complexes and broader cultural periods 

 do not always coincide at Dzibilchaltun (or else- 

 where). Architecture of the Late Early period and 

 Pure Florescent is unmistakably diflerent, but the 

 pottery of this entire span, which we call the Copo 

 complex, continues with only minor change. So, 

 when excavations and the resultant stratigraphy are 

 associated with architecture, we can distinguish 

 readily between the two periods; but when the 



