-
37. Archaeological Specimens from Guatemala (1944)
- University Press of Colorado
- Chapter
- Additional Information
126 N o t e s o f 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. 37 September 6, 1944 Archaeological Specimens from Guatemala Robert E. Smith stone and a small bit of sheet copper are reported to have been contained in the two vessels illustrated in Figure 36.1b, d. Fig 37.1a. Small jar with circular flattened areas on four sides; slip brown to black, paste Hazel; badly weathered. Fig. 37.1b. Tripod vessel; incised decoration; heavy weathering renders presence or absence of slip uncertain; paste Ferruginous (cf. Gamio 1926–1927: 210, upper left). Fig.37.1c.Jar;pre-slipinciseddecoration;brownish , badly weathered slip covers whole exterior, and interior of rim. Fig. 37.1d. Tripod vessel; post-slip, but probably pre-firing, incised decoration into which red paint has been rubbed; slip brownish (cf. Gamio 1926– 1927:210, upper right). Fig. 37.1e. Jar; pre-slip incised decoration; brown to black slip covers whole exterior, and interior of rim; apparently well polished. Fig. 37.1f. Tripod vessel, too severely weathered for determination of color of slip, if any; paste Cinnamon Rufous. Fig. 37.1g. Tripod bowl; incised decoration applied before polishing, when clay leather-hard; apparently unslipped; color dark brown. The pottery and other artifacts herein illustrated are contained in various private collections. Precise data as to the circumstances under which most of them were discovered are lacking, but the proveniences assigned them by their owners are probably correct. They should therefore be useful for distributional studies. Furthermore, representatives of pottery or other artifact types now recognized, or which may be recognized in the future, have value in adding to the corpus of information regarding those types; and in the case of categories of pottery that are known to archaeologists only in the form of sherds, whole pieces such as these are desirable for the light they can shed on vessel shapes and systems of decoration . Finally, it is always well to make a record of material in private hands, for not only is it often difficult of access to students, but there is danger that it may become scattered and lost to science. Paintings and drawings are by Antonio Tejeda F. In the descriptions, Ridgway (1912) color readings are capitalized. Scale of illustrations: Fig. 37.1, ¼, except h, which is 1/8; Fig. 37.2, ¼; Fig. 37.3, 1/3; in Fig. 37.4 the longest celt measures 11.5 cm; b–d, ½. SPECImEnS From DEPArTmEnT oF SAn mArCoS Eleven pottery vessels, two potsherds, two effigy whistles, and a number of objects of jadeite and other green stones, the property of Mr. Hyde T. Clayton. The lot is said to have been found together in a mound at San Miguel Ixtahuacan. The objects of Archaeological Specimens from Guatemala 127 Fig. 37.1h. Large jar; paste near Vinaceous Rufous , slip? Thumb-punched fillet on neck and pairs of pre-slip (?) grooves on opposite sides of body (reproduction at 1/8). Fig. 37.1i, k. Pot stands. i. Interior Cinnamon Rufous ; there was perhaps primary slip on the exterior, which way covered by an Ocher Red slip with specular hematite inclusions; k. Paste Ferruginous, slip badly weathered; one side heavily burned, apparently subsequent to original firing. Pot stands have been reported from Tzimin Kax, British Honduras (Thompson 1931, Pls. XL, XLII); in Guatemala from Holmul (Merwin and Vaillant 1932, Pl. 19e, g) and Zacualpa (Lothrop 1936, Fig. 38); in Mexico from Monte Alban (Caso 1938, Figs. 36–38), Cerro de las Mesas (Drucker 1943a, Pl. 21a, b), and the west coast (Kelly 1944). Fig. 37.1j. Tetrapod (?) bowl, fragmentary; feet contain rattles; paste Hazel; slip Ferruginous to Cinnamon Rufous, interior somewhat crackled. Fig. 37.1l. Tripod bowl, pre-slip incised decoration ; brownish black slip on interior, exterior Cinnamon Rufous. Fig. 37.3d. Whistles; brownish black; the pre-slip (?) incised and gouged decorations below the monkey face are filled with red paint. 37.1. Pottery vessels from Guatemala. [52.55.55.239] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 00:00 GMT) roBert e. SMitH 128 Fig. 37.3f. Fish effigy vessel; pre-slip incised decoration ; paste Chestnut Brown, slip brownish to deep black, originally well polished. Fish effigies, not clearly similar to the present example, have been found at Santa Rita, British Honduras...