COPS 
jp -i — m 
El Campasento de la Gabeza Colosal 
Tree Zapotes, Mexico 
Hidalgo 55 
Tlacotalpam 
Mexico 
February 17, 1939 
Dear Dr. Grosvenor* 
I have just received a letter from Dr. Wetmore advising that he 
and Dr. Fisher are planning to leave Washington on February 25 and we are 
eagerly anticipating their arrival. The flurry of activity in connection 
with our dated monument having temporarily subsided, it occurs to me that 
it is about time to send another brief account of the progress of our work. 
Since the discovery of Stela M C R we have done no more exploration 
work in hunting new monuments as I have been anxious to concentrate on our 
dirt archeology in order that we might work out the detailed material culture 
of the site which will of course constitute the backbone of the report. In 
this we have been exceptionally fortunate. As I think I mentioned in a former 
letter, we have located what appears to be the principal burial site of the 
archeological zone and we have concentrated our entire work there for the past 
month. As a result we have now accumulated a very fine ceramic collection. 
Our figurines continue to appear and now resolve themselves into several quite 
distinct types. In connection with this phase of our work, we have mad® 
another discovery of very great scientific importance. The pottery generally 
considered by critics to be the finest ever produced in America is the 
sculptured pottery of the Maya. This is very rare in collections and has 
usually been found only in connection with ceremonial burials in Guatemala. 
In making this type of ware, a vessel of fine textured pottery is first completed 
and fired and then after firing the design is sculptured upon the surface. In 
our digging at the Ranchita site, we have discovered a number of beautiful 
sherds of this ware representing at least a half dozen different vessels, the 
designs in each instance being classic Maya in character. This is the first 
unquestioned Maya pottery ever found outside the recognized Maya area. The 
interesting fact in connection with our specimens is that they appear to be 
unquestionably of local manufacture. They occur on two entirely different 
types of ware, one a very fine textured rather soft yellow ware, and the other 
a hard highly polished chocolate brown ware. Both types of ware occur on the 
site commonly In the form of more ordinary utensils so that it appears certain 
that we have a very complete representation of all types of ware from ordinary 
utilitarian pottery to high grade ceremonial vessels. The techniques on the 
two types of ware just mentioned are quite different. The yellow ware was first 
coated with a white sizing and the sculpturing fas then done leaving the white 
on the parts in relief. The brown ware was painted red after the sculpturing 
had been completed. The finest pottery which occurs commonly is a highly polished 
black ware with geometric and curvilinear incised designs, the incisions being 
filled with red pigment. We have three or four very nice vessels of this type 
which are practically complete, and numerous complete vessel of other wares 
somewhat less fine in quality. 
We have a number of complete figurines which are exceptionally well 
modelled and demonstrate great artistic sophistication. One of these represents 
