-
27. Animal-Head Feet and a Bark-Beaterin the Middle Usumacinta Region (1943)
- University Press of Colorado
- Chapter
- Additional Information
N o t e s o n M i d d l e A m e r i c a n A r c h a e o l o g y a n d E t h n o l o g y Carnegie Institution of Washington Division of Historical Research No. 27 November 22, 1943 animal-Head Feet and a Bark-Beater in the Middle usumacinta Region Linton Satterthwaite Jr. UNIVERSITY MUSEUM, UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA wide, on one flat side and 17 on the other. The deep hafting groove, which fails by 2 cm to encircle the beater, is about 7 mm deep and 14 mm wide. Casimiro Algara and his son, Jose, who had been lumbering only in this neighborhood and not farther up or down the river, would never have brought any find of this sort south from Tenosique. I think I confirmed my information with one or the other when they later passed through Piedras Negras, because I subsequently recorded that the dish and stone implement were seen at Las Escondidas but brought from Samaneo by Don Casimiro. Likely a workman made the discovery, about which the Algaras, now dead, knew none of the details. This bowl probably came from La Mar or Budsilha (see map in Maler 1901–1903) unless its provenience is some unrecorded site (conceivably of Mexican period in architectural type). Stela 1 at La Mar and Throne 1 at Piedras Negras are placed by Morley (1938) without question at 9.17.15.0.0. Other monuments at Piedras Negras carry Morley’s sure readings there to 9.19.0.0.0. The Samaneo bowl could be considered a modification of Robert E. Smith’s Tepeu form, “red ware tripod plate with flaring sides” (Preliminary Shape Analysis, Fig. 18), which has a different type of foot, a very slightly curved instead of straight side, and no lip. A still closer approach can be seen at Piedras Negras, where the feet are solid and the flaring sides almost exactly straight (Cresson 1937, Fig. 26). Flat-bottomed bowls and plates, tripod or not, are characteristic of, the latest deposits at Piedras Negras. The bottoms usually but The accompanying photograph is recorded because J.E.S. Thompson (1943) has recently noted that “The Mexican period . . . is poorly developed in the Central Area,” and has used “tripod dishes with feet shaped as heads of animals or persons” as a criterion of the Mexican period. If animal-head feet are a proper criterion of the Mexican period, I think the pictured bowl is good evidence, hardly conclusive, for existence of Mexican-period high culture in the Middle Usumacinta part of the central area. In 1934 the following photograph-note, including information from the storekeeper, was made at Las Escondidas: “Tripod bowl with animal effigy feet, and bark beater. In possession of Don Casimiro Algara at his bodega at Las Escondidas, opposite Desempeño. Reported as being found at ruins two or three kilometers from his lumber camp Samaneo, which is supposed to be only two leagues from Piedras Negras, on the Chiapas side of the river. To be reached from Porvenir if river is crossable.” Sketches and notes show that the bowl is perfectly flat-bottomed , with a tendency to bulge up in the center; it has straight flaring sides and a noticeable lip (diameter 39.5 cm; height 13 cm, of which 6 cm are the feet). In the back of one foot, which rattled, was a small tear-shaped slit. Probably all the feet were of this type. The mouth of the animal, supposedly an armadillo, is incised; the ears “seemed” to be applied . I do not remember whether or not the dull polished reddish orange inside and out covers the feet. The slightly oval, limestone bark-beater (diameters 8 and 8.5 cm, thickness 4 cm) has 12 grooves, 2–3 mm linTon sATTerThWAiTe Jr. not always curve up toward the center, if the vessel is large. The position of the animal-head feet is straight down on the specimen illustrated here and resembles that of pointed rattle feet, and in fact that of all feet shown in Cresson’s plates for Piedras Negras . In the southern area the animal heads may be at an angle (Butler 1940, Fig. 24h). We may conclude that the Samaneo vessel dates from the Tepeu ceramic phase of the Initial Series period or later; and that it might have been produced locally, reflecting outside influences. For what it...