652 INFLUENCE OF ENVIRONMENT UPON HUMAN INDUSTRIES. 



(7) Weapons of war and the chase were bows and arrows, shields, 

 rabbit clubs for throwing, land nets, clubs. 



(8) On foot only, no conveyance by land or by sea; carrying on the 

 head with ring, or on the back with forehead band. 



Middle American culture area, including southern Mexico and Cen- 

 tral America. The characteristics are : 



(1) Mountains, terraces, and table lands; vertical zones of climate 

 from torrid seacoast to temperate uplands; wet and dry season; no 

 good harbors; culture forces centrifugal. 



(2) Materials are obsidian, volcanic building stone, gems; yuccas, 

 agaves, excellent timber, cotton, food plants; animals inferior, abun- 

 dance of beautiful birds, fish and shellfish on the coast. 



(3) Food largely artificial, of maize, pulse, flesh, fish, chile in many 

 forms; chocolate, pulque. 



(4) Sandals of fiber, scanty body garb of poncho and serape, straw 

 hats, feather clothing superb, labrets. 



(5) Thatched hut, open fire, hammock, pyramids, great buildings of 

 hammer-dressed and carved stone; vessels of gourd and clay. 



(6) The arts were miuing, metallurgy, stone cutting, gem cutting, 

 grotesquely modeled pottery, loom weaving, netting, feather embroid- 

 ery, gourd work, metate milling, paper and bark cloth; irrigation. 



(7) Weapons were atlatl and spear, bladed clubs, obsidian daggers, 

 bow and sling not prominent. 



(8) Dugouts and reed floats, canals, professional carriers, headband 

 and breastband. 



Antillean or insular area, called also the West Indies. To this region 

 belongs also southern Florida, a portion of the northern coast of South 

 America : 



(1) Perpetual summer (77° to 82° F.); mountainous insular areas in 

 deep, clear sea; currents northwestward; islands easily accessible one 

 from another. 



(2) Granular stone, little for chipping, great canoe trees, cacao; mol- 

 lusks and fish; great mammals, none. 



(3) Dietary of manioc, sweet potato, cacao, fish, iguana, turtles; snuff 

 and cigarettes. 



(4) Clothing meager, of vegetal fiber wholly. 



(5) Thatched shelters near the sea chiefly, pile dwellings, hammocks, 

 no storage, open fires, and hammock fires. 



(0) The arts of Antillean peoples: Excellent carving and polishing of 

 stone and wood; red pottery rudely modeled and engraved; diagonal 

 weaving, inetate grinding, canoe making. 



(7) Weax>ons were spears, clubs, tomahawks, with celt in perforated 

 handle. 



(8) Sandals for foot travel, dugout canoes; carrying on the head, per- 

 haps introduced from Africa. 



South American mountain or Cordilleran culture area, including the 



