148 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 146 
Table 2. Earliest occurrence of traits in 12 geographical regions of 
Latin America. The list was kept within reasonable bounds by elim- 
inating traits restricted to a single region or contiguous regions, and 
traits too simple to be useful as indicators of diffusion. 
Traits included vary widely in their reliability as a basis for com- 
parative analysis. Even simple terms such as "zoned red painting" 
may describe quite different things. Settlement pattern designations 
are subject to far greater interpretive variability. The requirement of 
reporting first occurrence also involves value judgments. Should an 
isolated early appearance be reported, or a later complex where the 
trait is typical? Other difficulties result from incompleteness of in- 
formation about association or inexactness of dating. Nevertheless, 
the attempt seemed worthwhile to present the information available to 
us at present as a foundation to be improved and corrected by fuure 
work, and as a basic for tentative interareal correlations of the kind 
suggested in figures 17, 19-20. 
Procedure for designating first occurrence has been generally as 
follows: If the trait was found in a single site or complex, this is 
listed; if it is present in several contemporary complexes or charac- 
teristic of a developmental period, the period terminology is used. 
Where dates are not provided, they can be found by referring to the 
chronological sequence charts for each area or to appendix table 1. A 
dash indicates the trait is absent or unreported to date. 
Information contained in the table has been provided by the follow- 
ing individuals : 
Northern Mexico : Charles C. Di Peso 
Central Mesoamerica : Roman Pina Chan 
Southern Mesoamerica : Michael D. Coe 
Costa Rica : Claude F. Baudez 
Panama : Charles R. McGimsey III 
Colombia : Carlos Angulo Valdes 
Venezuela : Mario Sanoja 
Ecuador : Emilio Estrada, Clifford Evans, Betty J. Meggers 
Central Andes : Alfred Kidder II, Luis G. Lumbreras S., David 
B. Smith 
Argentina : Alberto Rex Gonzalez 
South Brazil : Fernando Altenfelder Silva 
Amazon Basin (North Brazil) : Betty J. Meggers, Clifford Evans 
