﻿160 
  SOUTH 
  AMERICAN 
  INDIANS 
  [B. 
  A. 
  E. 
  Bull. 
  143 
  

  

  Metals. 
  — 
  Thin, 
  hammered 
  gold 
  objects 
  and 
  jewelry 
  are 
  found 
  in 
  

   Salinar 
  graves. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  first 
  appearance 
  of 
  metal 
  in 
  the 
  culture 
  

   sequence 
  of 
  the 
  North 
  Coast 
  of 
  Peru. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  gold 
  was 
  beaten 
  

   into 
  thin 
  sheets, 
  and 
  rudimentary 
  openwork 
  forms 
  were 
  made. 
  How- 
  

   ever, 
  the 
  technique 
  of 
  soldering 
  gold 
  was 
  known. 
  6 
  

  

  A 
  ring, 
  a 
  nose 
  ornament, 
  and 
  circular, 
  oval, 
  and 
  trapezoidal 
  frag- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  gold 
  were 
  recovered 
  from 
  the 
  graves 
  (pi. 
  68, 
  bottom). 
  All 
  

   objects 
  weighed 
  less 
  than 
  2 
  gm. 
  each. 
  

  

  In 
  one 
  tomb 
  a 
  small 
  ovoid 
  sheet 
  of 
  metal 
  was 
  found, 
  covered 
  with 
  

   a 
  greenish 
  oxide. 
  This 
  suggests 
  that 
  the 
  Salinar 
  artisans 
  had 
  mixed 
  

   copper 
  with 
  gold, 
  or 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  used 
  an 
  impure 
  gold. 
  Unfortu- 
  

   nately, 
  this 
  fragment 
  is 
  so 
  small 
  that 
  it 
  would 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  destroyed 
  to 
  

   make 
  a 
  quantitative 
  chemical 
  analysis. 
  

  

  BURIAL 
  

  

  A 
  very 
  definite 
  mode 
  of 
  burial 
  was 
  practiced. 
  Bodies 
  were 
  interred 
  

   at 
  full 
  length 
  with 
  the 
  legs 
  extended 
  and 
  slightly 
  crossed 
  (pi. 
  69, 
  cen- 
  

   ter). 
  Usually, 
  the 
  individual 
  lay 
  on 
  his 
  right 
  side 
  and 
  was 
  supported 
  

   in 
  this 
  position 
  by 
  pottery 
  vessels 
  and 
  rough 
  stones. 
  Arms 
  were 
  ex- 
  

   tended 
  at 
  the 
  sides, 
  or, 
  in 
  some 
  instances, 
  the 
  left 
  hand 
  was 
  placed 
  

   over 
  the 
  pelvis. 
  Sometimes 
  the 
  legs 
  were 
  slightly 
  flexed. 
  The 
  de- 
  

   gree 
  to 
  which 
  this 
  pattern 
  of 
  arranging 
  the 
  body 
  was 
  followed 
  is 
  in- 
  

   dicated 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  only 
  2 
  percent 
  of 
  all 
  burials 
  recorded 
  had 
  the 
  

   bodies 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  left 
  side. 
  

  

  The 
  outline 
  of 
  the 
  grave 
  was 
  an 
  elongated 
  ellipsoid. 
  Often 
  the 
  

   bodies 
  were 
  placed 
  along 
  the 
  side 
  wall 
  of 
  the 
  grave 
  and 
  were 
  then 
  

   covered 
  with 
  great 
  slabs 
  of 
  stone 
  leaned 
  against 
  the 
  wall, 
  forming 
  a 
  sort 
  

   of 
  crude 
  sarcophagus. 
  Or, 
  as 
  a 
  variant 
  of 
  this, 
  the 
  wall 
  of 
  the 
  grave 
  

   was 
  undercut 
  and 
  the 
  body 
  and 
  accompanying 
  funerary 
  offerings 
  

   placed 
  in 
  the 
  niche 
  and 
  sealed 
  off 
  with 
  stone 
  slabs. 
  

  

  Occasionally, 
  two 
  individuals 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  single 
  grave. 
  In 
  these 
  

   cases 
  they 
  were 
  extended 
  side 
  by 
  side 
  usually 
  back 
  to 
  back, 
  with 
  one 
  

   at 
  a 
  slightly 
  higher 
  level 
  (6 
  inches 
  or 
  15 
  cm.) 
  than 
  the 
  other. 
  

  

  From 
  one 
  to 
  three 
  pots 
  were 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  grave 
  with 
  each 
  body. 
  

   They 
  were 
  put 
  either 
  at 
  the 
  head, 
  thorax, 
  shoulders, 
  legs, 
  arms, 
  or 
  

   feet. 
  

  

  Red 
  powder 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  graves 
  but 
  not 
  as 
  small 
  bundles 
  

   of 
  powder 
  as 
  in 
  Cupisnique. 
  It 
  was 
  scattered 
  in 
  chunks 
  or 
  lumps 
  

   within 
  the 
  grave 
  or 
  was 
  placed 
  in 
  special 
  receptacles. 
  In 
  color, 
  it 
  

   is 
  not 
  as 
  vivid 
  a 
  red 
  as 
  that 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Cupisnique 
  graves, 
  being 
  

   more 
  of 
  a 
  dark 
  red 
  or 
  sometimes 
  a 
  purplish 
  red. 
  

  

  The 
  dead 
  were 
  covered, 
  or 
  partially 
  covered, 
  with 
  cloth, 
  and 
  

   adorned 
  with 
  necklaces 
  and 
  bracelets. 
  In 
  the 
  mouths 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  « 
  This 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  earliest 
  evidences 
  of 
  soldering 
  from 
  Peru. 
  See 
  Root, 
  volume 
  5, 
  Handbook 
  of 
  South 
  

   American 
  Indians.— 
  Editor. 
  

  

  