Discussion 



55 



a shell; in the latter it is simply a material used to 

 make something else. Occurrences of both are listed 

 in detail in the checklist above. Detailed discussion 

 and comparative study of both will be reserved for 

 our separate study of Dzibilchaltun artifacts. 



Twelve species of pelecypods were used at Dzibil- 

 chaltun to make pendants, usually with two drilled 

 perforations at or near the hinge for suspension: 



Anadara notabilis (3) 

 Anadara transversa (3) 

 Aeqidpecten muscosus (2) 

 Lyropecten nodosus (3) 

 Spondylus americanus (^16) 

 Carditamera floridana (2) 

 Phacoides pectinatus ( i ) 

 Dinocardium r. vanhyningi (i) 

 Mercenaria campechiensis ( i ) 

 Chione cancellata (2) 

 Dosinia elegans ( i ) 

 Nephronaias aff. calamitarum (4) 



Pendants were also made of three species of smaller 

 gastropods, usually perforated near the shoulder for 

 vertical suspension: 



Fasciolaria tulipa ( i ) 

 Conus floridanus (i) 

 Conus spurius atlanticus (i) 



A remarkably long-lived ornament of shell, usu- 

 ally called a tinkler, is found throughout the Maya 

 area from Early Classic times in the south to the 

 Decadent period in the north — always apparently a 

 popular item of jewelry. They are usually made of 

 an Atlantic or a Pacific species of Oliva, but, as we 

 have seen above, are sometimes of quite different 

 shells. Usually, the spire is cut off, approximately 

 at the shoulder (sometimes it is merely perforated 

 twice), and a sawn hole is cut near the base. The 

 pattern of alteration is clearly not for suspension, 

 but to enable firm stitching to a fabric (see K, fig. 

 85,(^,4). Usually the shell, with its attractive design, 

 was left intact, but some specimens (fig. 85,(^,6) 

 were elaborately reworked. The species used at 

 Dzibilchaltun are: 



Oliva reticularis (7) 

 Oliva say ana ( n ) 

 Prunum labiatum (2) 



Where shells largely retaining their original form 

 were used as beads, drilled perforation seems to have 

 been considered more labor than the product war- 

 ranted. Sometimes the apex was ground off; more 

 often a single hole was broken in the side to permit 



stringing. The species used at Dzibilchaltun were: 



OUvella dealbata (14) 



Prunum apicinum virgmetitn (77) 



Two further uses of almost unaltered shells are 

 diflficult to place within our highly artificial archaeo- 

 logical taxonomy. Pairs of Spondylus shells were 

 found at Copan, Pusilha, and Tikal used as "jewel 

 boxes," to contain offerings of pearl, tiny jade beads, 

 and other small offerings. At Piedras Negras, a pair 



Fig. 6 — Two tinklers from the collection of Richard E. 

 Hedlund in Merida, exact provenience unknown. A simi- 

 lar, but much cruder, specimen is illustrated from Maya- 

 pan (P, fig. 45,«). Scale 3/4. 



