172 MEXICO AND CENTRAL AMERICA 
the historic Totonacan capital near Vera Cruz, at 
Tezcoco, in the Valley of Mexico, at Jhuatzio in the 
ry. ® 
larascan region, as well as at Ahuachapan far to the 
southeast in Salvador. All of these occurrences indicate 
a late Toltecan horizon for its distribution. 
Fig. 66. Conventional Crocodiles from Costa Rica and Panama. 
Isthmian Gold Work. The “wire technique” of 
the gold art of the Isthmian region, reflects, as we have 
seen, the pottery technique of the Archaic Horizon. In 
addition to plain and hollow casting, two kinds of gold 
plating were carried to perfection by the ancient metal 
workers: one a heavy plating over copper and the other 
a thin gilding. The manner in which this plating was 
done is still uncertain. It has been suggested that the 
molds were lined with leaf gold or sprinkled with gold 
dust before the baser copper was poured in. Many 
