El Chorro de La Iguana, CoclA 
March lb, 1951 
Dear Don Alejandro and Perry; 
Perhaps we aren't Su far from you people, but you don*t know it* We 
are 8 fast hours on foot from Penonomi* 
After leaving the ”Boc& n , or CocI4 as it is known on the maps, we came 
upriver 7-1/2 hours* The first 4 we could use our motor most of the way, but 
after the Toabre River joined the Code del Norte, the Code was more swift 
and the corrientes started to appear* We came through about 16 corrientes 
during our last 3-1/2 hours* 
Our ola lady was not home* We waited for her to come the following day, 
only to have her come and leave the next morning* Meantime, we had talked to 
an ola Indian who told us of a site 2 hours further upriver, El ffeguero* 
We went there and commuted bacx and forth for 5 days, waiting for the senora 
to return and show us her site at gxyHKX, Canoa. Finally, on the fourth day 
we moved our camp to Peguero, and that was the day she came back downriver* 
Later, she took us 3 hours upriver to a f1 huaea ,f where you couud hear the 
buried gold ring at 12 mionight. No sign of pottery, although she assured 
us it might be there if 
we couj-d find it 
t 
* 
The folio.'.'in 6 ' day we went to see 
her Indian cemetery that she haa told Viaai Gonzalez, the corregiaor in Cocli 
was near her place. The pile of stones turned out to be a place where a tree 
had fallen and some stones had fallen into the hollow. Not even one potsherd! 
We 
saw a couple of other single house sites up near Peguero. 
fie came up 
the Coclesite above where the San Juan and Gascajal join it. We decided to 
work this place, which is up the Gascajal about I hour from its junction with 
the Code del Norte. The "Chorro" is about 10* high and we had to unload the 
canoes and carry the equipment up the rccics and then puli the canoes up over 
the if ails. un the way, we had to pass several very swift corrientes. Our 
camp is locateo on the site, which is about 10 minutes beyond the waterfall. 
We had high hopes for this place at first, but it doesn't appear to be 
expensive either, so we are planning to leave on Saturday and go back to Code. 
. t exp&ct to be able to make the trip down in a day, although it will be a. long 
one. The Tagaropulos launch that goes to Belen every other week SHOULD come ° 
into Code on Sunday, if it is holding to schedule. We would like to go to 
Belen because of its historical significance and will then plan to come back 
to Colon ana. bring the truc.ic up to Penonom.4 and work some sites on the 
Interior side oi this region, out from La Pintada probably. These plans are 
subject to change and-we will let you know. 
Matt is well satisfied with the results of this exploration. Although 
we_have nothing flashy, it is worthwhile scientifically. Apparently the 
Indians m this vicinity lived as Columbus describes them - in houses 
to X Iocatr"nv a ifrfe ^ ^ in vl - la S es * « e have not been able 
tr-l! L ? extensive sherd deposits. The people are really 
/ y U, they are anxious for the money and anxious for us to stay. 
