24 



for mosaic or thoroughly worked. Most of the smal- 

 ler fragments, which might have been either species, 

 have been tabulated above with the larger alatus. 



Family: PTERIIDAE (wing oysters, pearl oysters) 



Pteria colymbus (Roding) 

 Illustration: Plate 14,/,//- 

 Modern distribution: All three coasts of Yucatan, 



Isla Mujeres, Q.R., to Isla Aguada, Camp. Also 



the offshore atolls. 

 Archaeological occurrence: 



DZIBILCHALTUN: i unworked, in unstratified 



deposit. I unworked in Copo deposit. 



Pinctada radiata (Leach) 



Illustration: Plate I4,e,ee. 



Modern distribution: All three coasts, Cozumel 

 Island, Q.R., to Chencan, Camp. Alacran Reef. 



Archaeological occurrence: 



DZIBILCHALTUN: 4 unworked, Formative; 4 

 unworked. Late Early period; i unworked, i 

 worked. Late Early period or Pure Florescent; 

 I unworked, from cenote. 



MA YAP AN: i unworked, probably Decadent 

 period (P, p. 387, fig. 46,^). 

 ISLA CANCUN MIDDEN: i unworked. For- 

 mative. 



TIKAL: "2 unmodified, 10 fragments, 4 worked 

 pieces," not dated (M, p. 67). 



Comment: As with the Isognomonldae, these oys- 

 ters rapidly lose their attractive surface coloration 

 when dead. They were apparently valued for the 

 highly nacreous undershell, which was useful for 

 ornamentation, including mosaics. 



Family: PINNIDAE (sea pens) 



Atrlna seminuda (Lamarck) [^ A. rlgida (Dill- 

 wyn)] 



Illustration: Plate i'),a,aa. 



Modern distribution: All three coasts from Isla 

 Mujeres to Isla Carmen. 



Archaeological occurrence: 



DZIBILCHALTUN: 9 unworked in Formative 

 deposits, 1 1 unworked fragments and i adorno 

 of this shell in Late Early period offertory caches, 

 I worked in Pure Florescent tomb, 3 unworked 

 from Cenote Xlacah, and 3 others unworked in 

 undated debris. 



MoLLUSCA IN THE MaYA LoWLANDS 



Comment: Boekelman (1935, pp. 257-63, figs. || 

 1—3) describes archaeological use of Pinnidae in 

 some detail, all outside area of lowland Maya. They 

 were used as hoes (strapped to a wooden handle), 

 as a source of inferior pearls, and as food. Their 

 absence in the Cancun Midden, although common 

 on the beach there, might indicate that they were 

 not used by the Maya as food. The many fragments 

 at Dzibilchaltun were probably brought in as ma- 

 terial for mosaics, for which they are most suitable. 

 They occur in several of the "jewelers' caches" in 

 the structures opposite the Temple of the Seven 

 Dolls, which usually contained a wide variety of raw 

 material, obsidian tools, and several unfinished and 

 finished items of jewelry. 



Family: PLICATULIDAE (kitten's paws) 



Plicatula gibbosa Lamarck 



Illustration: Plate 15,1?. 



Modern distribution: Very common on all three 



coasts, from Cozumel to Isla Carmen, Camp. Also 



at Cayo Areas. 

 Archaeological occurrence: 



DZIBILCHALTUN: i unmodified, from Cenote 



Xlacah, not datable. 



TIKAL: Reports numerous unworked '^Plicatula 



sp.," perhaps this species (M— MS). 



Family: PECTINIDAE (scallops) 



Pecten laurenti Gmelin 



Illustration: Plate 2i,c. 



Modern distribution: Collected at Isla Cancun, Q.R. 



Archaeological occurrence: 



ISLA CANCUN MIDDEN: i fragment, un- 

 worked. Formative. 



Lyropecten nodosus (Linne) 



Illustration: Plate T.'i,d,dd. 



Modern distribution: Usually uncommon on all 

 three coasts. Collected from Isla Mujeres, Q.R., to 

 Isla Aguada, Camp. 



Archaeological occurrence: 



DZIBILCHALTUN: 3 fragments, all from bro- , 

 ken pectoral made of i valve, in Late Early period 

 cache. 



ISLA CANCUN MIDDEN: 6 unworked. For- 

 mative. 



TIKAL: I unworked, undated; i perforated, 

 Early Classic (M-MS). i 



