ANTHROPOLOGY: H. J. SPIN DEN 
325 
NEW DATA ON THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF VENEZUELA 
By Herbert J Spinden 
AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. NEW YORK 
Received by the Academy. May 11. 1916 
The archaeological reconnaissance of Venezuela made under the 
auspices of the American Museum of Natural History had for its pur- 
pose not so much the study for their own sake of Indian remains in 
Venezuela, but rather for the Hght that these remains might cast on 
certain fundamental problems of American archaeology. The field, 
although untried, is theoretically of the greatest importance. It is 
generally recognized as the point of departure for the original culture 
of the West Indies. Moreover, it is intermediate between the rich 
and well-known fields of Colombia and Costa Rica on the one hand 
and of eastern Brazil on the other and might be expected to furnish 
proofs of cultural connection if such exist. The success attendant upon 
recent stratigraphic work in the Southwestern States and in Mexico 
and the great advance in our knowledge of actual chronology in Central 
America tempt us to widen the recognized horizons of ancient American 
history whenever this seems possible. 
Northern and central Venezuela were visited. The route passed 
from Maracaibo to Bobures, a port on the southern shore of Lake Mara- 
caibo, and thence across and along the Eastern Andes to Merida, Tru- 
jillo, Tucuyo, and Barquisimeto. Next the rich interior valley run- 
ning from Valencia to Caracas was examined. From this populous 
region the road led southward across the llanos to San Fernando de 
Apure and thence by the Apure and Orinoco rivers to Ciudad Bolivar, 
the British island of Trinidad and a number of Venezuelan coast ports. 
Private collections, mostly small, were found in the principal cities. 
Notes and drawings were made of important specimens in these col- 
lections and considerable information obtained from local students. 
A few important sites were visited. 
Space forbids detailed descriptions of archaeological specimens that 
came to Kght in Venezuela. Suffice it to say that stone implements, 
including celts, pestles, etc., vessels and figurines of clay with painted 
and modeled decorations, personal ornaments of shell, nephrite, jet 
and serpentine, as well as petroglyphs and pictographs, occur in consider- 
able quantity. Various provinces may be marked off for detailed study, 
in each of which the ceramic products are sufficiently pecuHar to be readily 
distinguished. 
In the Andean region painted pottery is common but elsewhere it is 
