Discussion 



47 









Early 



Species 



Forma- 



Period 



\ 



tive 



I 



U 



W 



U W 











rl I seminuda 



9 







cala gibbosa 









c pecten muscosus 









n ecten nodosus 









:ilylus americanus 





5 





1 ,ia simplex 









)strea virginica 









lamcra floridana 



7 



I 





ocyrena floridana 



2 







donta semiaspera 









■ides pectinatus 



6 



I 





ides radians 









:ia orbicularis 



I 







j.a congregata 









1 ycardium isocardia 



15 







.ycardium muricatum 



9 







/ardium r. vanhyningi 



223 



I 



3 



inaria campechiensis 



28 



2 



I 



lie cancellata 



37 



2 





lalocardia cuneimeris 



8 







.ennella cubaniana 









,3callista maculata 









(lia elegans 



3 



I 





!ia lineata 



I 







jagia fausta 



I 







iHWATER MOLLUSCA 









icea flagellata arata 



I 







Table 2 — Continued 



Early Pure Modified Black 



Period Copo Flores- Flores- on Deca- Unstrat- 



II Complex cent cent Cream dent ified Cenote 



UV/UWUWUWUWU WUWUW Total 



II 



10 



19 



3 



I 



3 



34 



3 



19 



4 



77 



5 



17 



4 



2 



2 



I 



10 



I 



2 



lironaias aff. calamitarum 4 3 



'Tal; 73 species 



unworked; W, worked. 



!Most striking are Melongena melongena and M. 

 corona, of which there are 348 specimens, from 

 , Formative deposits, only 8 datable as Early period 

 or Florescent. These were found in cache offerings, 

 but were also scattered through domestic debris, 

 sometimes in piles. We shall state later our belief 

 that these were brought in to eat, although such 

 scavengers are now considered inedible. 



Another example is the Marginella. The tiny 

 Prunum apicinum virgineum, of which 105 were 

 found (75 with a hole broken for suspension as 

 beads), is almost entirely Formative in occurrence, 

 only I datable to later periods. Its larger and much 

 more beautiful cousin is Prunum labiatum; of 54 

 specimens, 47 were Formative period, only 3 datable 

 to later deposits. Unlike the tiny Marginellas, these 

 beauties were apparently not collected for beads; 

 only one was possibly perforated for suspension. 

 Their use is problematical, perhaps religious or 

 medicinal. 



A number of other larger pelecypods and gastro- 



15 

 2 



79 

 II 



13 



3 



I 



18 



pods appeared in impressive abundance during the 

 Formative period, but continued in moderate use 

 during later periods. These include the cockles, par- 

 ticularly the oversized Dinocardium r. vanhyningi, 

 Ficus communis, and Fasciolaria tulipa, as well as 

 most of the larger conchs of the genera Strombus, 

 Busycon, Pleuroploca, and Turbinella. It will be 

 noted later that the disproportion between periods 

 may reflect a change to bringing only the meat, 

 rather than animal with shell and all, from the ocean 

 for table use. 



Only two distributions follow a reverse pattern. 

 Of 21 Anomia simplex, none are from Formative 

 deposits. And of 63 Spondylus americanus, only 5 

 are of Formative age. Both these cases probably 

 reflect an increase of jewelry making in Early period 

 and Florescent times. 



Although it is possible to do no more than con- 

 jecture their significance, these striking changes of 

 mode from Formative to later times are definitely 

 present. 



28 



I 



3 



2 



63 

 21 



3 

 12 



2 



I 



8 



I 



2 



3 



58 



18 



419 



49 



79 



9 



4 



2 



13 



I 

 I 



2 



7 

 2,376 



