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INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY PUBLICATION NO. 13 





Figure 45. — Incense burners, a-f, Pottery models made for us; g, found on trail; h, sketched in home of Elena A. de 

 Xochigua. a, d, f, Made by Maria Loreto, with ornament applied by Modesto Gonzalez; b, c, by Rosa Garcia; e, by 

 Ana M6ndez. Scale: }i natural size. 



and incense burners (incensarios, copaleros; pu- 

 lukaskuyun) (fig. 45). Both often are effigies, 

 usually birds. Modesto Gonzalez suspects that 

 the simple goblet form of incense burner (fig. 45, 

 A) is more ancient than are the effigy types, but the 

 latter have been used "for years." Sometimes a 

 special container (fig. 46, b) is made to hold fresh 



Figure 46. — Candlestick and container for unburned in- 

 cense, a, Pottery model made by Ana Mendez; b, by 

 Rosa Garcia. Scale: }i natural size. 



incense, from which the supply in the burner is 

 replenished. 



Other pottery manufacturers include figures 

 made by children (fig. 40), spindle whorls (mala- 

 cates; lisi-wit) (fig. 54) ; and clay pipes (cachim- 

 bas; piiskuli^), the latter known to us only 

 through models (fig. 18, 7>, c). 



MATERIALS 



Clay is abundant and seems to be dug from al- 

 most any spot in the vicinity of the fundo legal 

 and, presumably, of outlying districts. Near the 

 fvndo, it usually is taken from shallow pits along 



the trail to the pj'ramids ; along one of the main 

 trails to Papantla, near the spot where the Holy 

 Cross guards the road; or in any number of in 

 dividual fields. There are said to be several dif- 

 ferent colors — white, yellow, red, gray, and black 

 Some women regard all as equally usable. 



A woman collects the clay in her circular wooden 

 tray. Should, by any chance, someone pass at the 

 moment she is excavating, the success of the enter- 

 prise is jeopardized. To avoid this disaster, the 

 woman throws a bit of clay at the intruder, when 

 the latter does not notice. When the tray is filled, 

 a couple of twigs are arranged on top, in the 

 form of a cross, as protection on the homeward 

 route. The tray is lifted to the head and borne 

 home: upon reaching the house, the twigs are 

 thrown away. 



Some clay is said not to require the addition 

 of temper; it can be used for jars, but if a baking 

 plate is made of it, the tortillas will stick to the 

 surface. To most clay, sand is added. Soft sand- 

 stone is collected from the vicinity of the pyra- 

 mids and is ground on the metate, or sand from 

 the arroyo is used ; "sometimes the arroyo has no 

 sand, if the current has brought none." Some 

 women collect sand from the stream bed when it 

 is plentiful and store it for future use. Accord- 

 ing to one informant, the sand and clay should 

 come from the same vicinity, or "the earth will 

 become angry" and the vessels will break when 

 fired. 



