Early Ancón and Early Supe Culture: Chavín Horizon Sites of the Central Peruvian Coast 9780231881128

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Early Ancón and Early Supe Culture

COLUMBIA STUDIES IN ARCHEOLOGY AND ETHNOLOGY VOLUME III

EARLY ANCON AND EARLY SUPE CULTURE Chavin Horizon Sites of the Central Peruvian Coast By GORDON R. WILLEY and JOHN M. CORBETT With Special Sections by LILA M. O'NEALE, MARGARET ASHLEY TOWLE W. G. HAAG, MARSHALL T. NEWMAN AND OTHERS

1954 COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS New York

T h e work represented in this volume was made possible through the generous aid of the Institute of Andean Research as a part of their archeological program in Latin America during the years 1941-42. A list of the publications for this program of the Institute, of which this volume is number 3«, appears on the last two pages.

P U B L I S H E D IN G R E A T B R I T A I N , C A N A D A ,

INDIA, AND

BY GEOFFREY CUMBERLEGE, OXFORD UNIVERSITY LONDON, TORONTO, BOMBAY, AND PRINTED IN G R E A T BRITAIN

KARACHI

PAKISTAN PRESS

T O THE M E M O R Y OF

Max Uhle FOUNDER OF SCIENTIFIC PERUVIAN ARCHEOLOGY AND DISTINGUISHED AMERICANIST

Preface

T

on Early Ancón and Early Supe is based upon part of the field activities of Project 3 of the Institute of Andean Research during the years 1941-42. During that time members of the institute and their associates, working under the auspices of the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, conducted a series of archeological projects in various countries of Latin America (see Strong, 1943, for a detailed discussion of these operations). The participants of this farranging program prepared and published a number of monographs covering most of these investigations, of which the greater part were brought out between 1942 and 1945. A list of these publications is appended on pages 17980. Project 3, located on the central Peruvian coast, was directed by Dr. W. Duncan Strong, of Columbia University, who was assisted by Dr. Willey, Project Supervisor, and by Dr. Corbett. The Strong-Willey-Corbett party began field activities at Pachacamac in the Lurin Valley in July of 1941, finishing stratigraphic tests at that site in October. Subsequently, following Dr. Strong's return to the United States, Willey and Corbett excavated at Cerro de Trinidad, Ollada, and Baños de Boza in the Chancay Valley in October and November. Most of the month of December was spent at Puerto de Supe at the Lighthouse and Áspero sites described in the accompanying report. A t the beginning of this phase of the work we were joined by Dr. Marshall T . Newman, physical anthropologist originally assigned to Project 8 of the Institute of Andean Research project series. Early in January, 1942, after Corbett's departure for the United States, Willey and Newman dug for a month near the resort town of Ancón. Tests there included the deep shell-midden cuts which are discussed herein and the sampling of a cemetery in the famous Necropolis of Ancón. Writh the termination of the Ancón excavations at the beginning of February, Project 3 withdrew from the field. HIS R E P O R T

The Pachacamac excavations have been reported upon by Strong and Corbett (1943) ; those at Cerro de Trinidad and Baños de Boza in the Chancay Valley by Willey ( 1943a) ; and the Ancón Necropolis cemetery diggings were also presented by Willey (1943b). This has left the fieldwork and materials from the old shell mound of Ancón and the similar data and specimens from the two sites at Puerto de Supe as outstanding. Very brief notes on the Ancón and Supe work were published in 1943 (Strong and Willey), but these were by way of a résumé of the season's field activities and were written before maps, notes, and specimens were shipped to the United States for study. The present monograph aims, then, to present the final major portion of the work of the Project 3 expedition of 1941-42, excavations in the sites representative of the culture we have defined as Early Ancón-Supe. The report on Early Ancón-Supe has been delayed long beyond original expectations. In the early summer of 1942, when the Pachacamac and Chancay papers were sent to press (Strong, Willey, and Corbett, 1943), we hoped that a second volume on the Ancón and Supe excavations would follow in short order. However, it was not until 1945 that we were able to begin the task of writing. According to our first plan, Dr. W. D. Strong and Dr. Willey were to make the laboratory studies of materials and to write the report. During the fall of 1945 the Ancón-Supe collections, which were stored at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, were laid out for analysis by Dr. Strong. In Washington, at the same time, Willey wrote the first two sections of the paper: "Introduction" and "Excavations: Stratitests, Burials, and Features." Early in 1946 the work was interrupted by the Virú Valley expedition to Peru. Following this, Dr. Strong was forced to withdraw from the Ancón-Supe study to assume other duties, and his share of the project was then turned over to Corbett. The latter finished the study of the Ancón-

viii

Preface

Supe collections in New York in the academic year 1946-47 as a part of his work for the doctoral degree in anthropology at Columbia University. The sections "Ceramics and Their Stratigraphic Significance" and "Artifacts" were written by Corbett during 1947 and were eventually presented by him as part of a doctoral dissertation in the spring of 1950. The separately signed "Special Sections" were prepared between 1945 and 1951. The late Dr. Lila M. O'Neale willingly accepted the difficult analysis of the Early Ancon-Supe textiles, and the O'Neale manuscript on the "Textiles" was received by us in late 1946, shortly before Dr. O'Neale's untimely death. It stands essentially as written, with only minor editorial changes. Mrs. Towle's manuscript on "Plant Remains" was received by us in January, 1 9 5 1 ; Dr. Root's report on "Metals" in the same year; and Dr. Haag's " A Mummified Dog from the Lighthouse Site, Supe," was submitted in late 1947. All these papers, together with Dr. Marshall T . Newman's summary, "The Human Physical Type and Cranial Deformation," which was prepared for us in 1950, stand as originally received except for slight editorial changes. The remainder of the articles or analyses in the "Special Sections" were written or made between 1948 and 1950. In the summer of 1950 Willey and Corbett, working together in Washington, D.C., extensively revised their previously prepared sections, each author working over the earlier drafts of the other, and wrote jointly the "Conclusions". Assembling of the full manuscript and preparation of appendices and illustrations were also completed at this time. In the first place, our gratitude goes to Dr. William Duncan Strong; without his initial vision and his subsequent encouragement and aid this joint report would not have been prepared. In his capacity as Director of Project 3, Institute of Andean Research Program for 1941-42, Dr. Strong made possible our entrance into the Peruvian field and pointed us toward the Early Ancon-Supe investigations. Later, he served as major professor to Corbett and arranged for his participation in the writing of the monograph. In Peru, we are grateful to the Honorable

Dr. Manuel Prado Ugarteche, former President of the Republic; to the Honorable Dr. Pedro Olivera, former Minister of Public Education; and to the members of the Patronato de Arqueología, who served in the years 1941 — 42, especially the late Dr. Julio C. Tello and Dr. Luis E. Valcárcel. In the former Museo Nacional de Arqueología, not only Dr. Valcárcel but also his assistants and staff technicians contributed yeoman service to our cause. Similarly, we wish to express our thanks to the staff members of the Museo de Antropología in Magdalena Vieja, who graciously assisted us during the 1941-42 field season. We are also appreciative of the courtesies extended to us by the officers and men of the Ancón and the Puerto de Supe posts of the Peruvian Guardia Civil, who aided us in many ways during our stay in those respective localities. In both of these towns our Peruvian workmen were loyal and uncomplaining; and throughout the field season and in the period of laboratory work afterward we were faithfully served by our trusted Peruvian chauffeur and friend, Lucio Gamio Y. We benefited greatly in the field from the comradeship and help of several of our anthropological colleagues who were in Peru at the time we were working. These include Dr. Max Uhle, Dr. A. L. Kroeber (who visited us in 1942), Dr. T . D. McCown, Dr. Bernard Mishkin, Dr. S. K . Lothrop, and Dr. Marshall T. Newman. For the preparation of the various papers or reports in the "Special Sections" we are indebted to the following colleagues: the late Dr. Lila M. O'Neale, for her thorough analysis of the textile material; Mrs. Margaret Ashley Towle, for a study of plant remains; Dr. W. G. Haag, for a description and interpretative statement on the dog skull from the Lighthouse site, Supe; Dr. W. C. Root, for analysis of a gold specimen; Dr. R . M. Gilmore, for identification of mammalian remains ; Dr. J . W. Aldrich, for identification of bird bones; Dr. Tilly Edinger, for identification of fish bones; Drs. R . Tucker Abbott, W. J . Clench, and Harald A. Rehder, for mollusk identifications; Dr. F. A. Chace, J r . , for identification of marine invertebrates; Dr. Dora Henry, for identification of barnacles; and Dr. Marshall T . Newman, for a statement

Preface on the human physical remains and their cranial deformation. In New York City, during analysis of collections, Corbett was given generous aid in his pottery study by Drs. J . A. Ford and Clifford Evans, J r . , Mr. Junius B. Bird, of the American Museum of Natural History, assisted with the basketry and other nonceramic materials at this time, and Miss Ethne Kaplan made the ink drawings of the pottery and other specimens which are included in the report. In Washington the late Mr. E. G. Cassedy and Mr. E. G. Schumaker, artists on the staff

Smithsonian Institution and National Park Service Washington, D.C. August /j,

1950

ix

of the Bureau of American Ethnology, prepared the maps and several of the plates reproduced herein. Mrs. Virginia Clark and Miss Lois Northcott, both of the Smithsonian Institution, gave willingly of their time, in spite of other duties, for the typing of the manuscript. And lastly, if this paper should be free of some of the many hackneyed phrases which were originally introduced into it by the authors, credit should go to our wives, Katharine W. Willey and Jacqueline S. Corbett, who cheerfully accepted the boring job of reading and rereading. G O R D O N R. W I L L E Y J O H N M. C O R B E T T

Introduction

T

HE FIRST scientific announcement of the shell heaps on the hill slopes overlooking the Bay of Ancón was made by Dr. Max Uhle at the Eighteenth International Congress of Americanists, in London, 1912 (Uhle, 1913). These data were presented as part of a general paper on his archeological excavations at the famous Peruvian coastal site in 1904. In his discussion Uhle made quite clear the important cultural distinction between the hillside shell middens and the graves and refuse from the valley floor, or Necropolis. Because the ceramics and other artifacts from the shell middens were unlike any that he had seen elsewhere in Peru and did not fit into the sequence of cultural development that he was then formulating for Peruvian prehistory, Uhle interpreted these new finds as being both chronologically early and culturally primitive. Undoubtedly the latter factor influenced the former judgment, but, in any event, he placed the remains of the "oldest inhabitants of Ancón" as prior to the advent of the civilization of Tiahuanaco on the coast and contemporaneous with and related to the early cultures of Nazca (Proto-Nazca, or Early Nazca) of the south. The old shell midden culture of Ancón was not referred to again until thirteen years later, when W. D. Strong (1925), then a graduate student at the University of California, described, analyzed, and interpreted the original Uhle collections. In his study Strong considered the entire range of prehistoric culture development as revealed by ceramics at Ancón. Establishing a sequence of five periods, the pottery from the hillside location was placed as earliest and given the designation Early Ancón. Four Necropolis periods, Middle Ancón I and II and Late Ancón I and II, followed in that order. Evidence for this arrangement of the Necropolis sequence lay both in stylistic continuity and grave superimposition. Early Ancón showed some hint of stylistic affinity with Middle Ancón I, but its definition as the earliest ceramic period

at Ancón was again largely because of its uniqueness and typological isolation from the then-known Peruvian archeological scene. Strong saw little in the Early Ancón pottery collection to bolster Uhle's assumption of its Proto-Nazca affiliations, but in summary he made one remark that is of great retrospective interest in light of subsequent developments: "Theoretically this Early Ancón ware may possibly represent an early widespread Peruvian type from which the Proto-Nazca might have arisen" (Strong, 1925, p. 183). Coincident with Strong's Ancón study, Kroeber (1925) examined and analyzed similar collections which had been recovered by Uhle from Puerto de Supe in 1905. Uhle had noted resemblances between the Early Ancón pottery, basketry, and textiles and those from Supe. Kroeber presented the data in detail and under the same cover published Uhle's original field notes on the Supe excavations. This extended, both in area and content, the Early Ancón, or, as it has since been called, the Early Ancón-Supe culture (see Strong and Willey, 1943; Kroeber, 1944, p. 43); subsequently, additional shell midden stations of the same culture type were recognized along the central coast. At about the same time, but working quite independently of Kroeber and Strong, Dr. Julio C. Tello made an important conceptual contribution to the same problem. Following his highland explorations in the vicinity of Chavín de Huantar, Tello drew interesting analogies between that mountain center and Ancón Supe. In 1926 and 1927, while reviewing the works of Max Uhle for the purpose of appraising the foundations for his theory of the origin and development of Peruvian cultures, I was surprised to find that the remains of pottery found by him in the Ancón and Supe rubbish deposits were no other than the remains of the classic Chavín pottery. Uhle believed these pottery remains belonged to a primitive culture of cannibal fishermen who, according to him, were settled on the

xii

Introduction

coast prior to the appearance of the people that brought from abroad the advanced proto-Chimu and proto-Nazca cultures. (Tello, 1943, p. 136.)

Tello's researches on the Chavin "theme" continued in 1933 in the Nepeña Valley, where at Cerro Blanco and Punkurí he discovered ceramics similar to those of highland Chavin and Early Ancón-Supe (Tello, 1943, pp. 136-39). Comparable pottery finds were also made at Pallka (Tello, 1943, PI. 15) in the Casma Valley. These important discoveries, together with reports of Chavin-like ceramics in the northern highlands near Huanuco (Tello, 1943, p. 152), indicated even wider ramifications of what had originally been brought to the attention of archeologists as a local central coastal problem. Following Tello's Nepeña and Casma explorations, the focus of attention was shifted northward along the coast by Rafael Larco Hoyle's significant findings in the Cupisnique quebrada of the Chicama Valley. For a number of years a strong Chavinoid increment had been recognized in Mochica (Early Chimu) ceramics from the Chicama and Moche valleys (Kroeber, 1926, pp. 36-39) and also in sporadic finds such as the Chongoyape gold artifacts from the Lambayeque Valley (Lothrop, 1941). However, Larco's Cupisnique discoveries (Larco, 1941) demonstrated the presence in the northern valleys of a complete and rich cultural period with close Chavin and Early Ancón-Supe relationships. By this time it was apparent that the problems raised by the presence of a Chavin art style, noted in the ceramics of Early Ancón and Supe, then in ceramics and architecture at Chavin de Huantar (whence the name), again in both architecture and pottery in the valleys of Casma and Nepeña, and finally in the rich grave artifacts of the Cupisnique culture, were of first rank in Peruvian archeology. New investigations were launched with these problems in mind. Wendell C. Bennett's excavations at Chavin de Huantar, in 1938, had been motivated by such a purpose (see Bennett, 1944), and similarly, the excavations at Ancón and Supe described in the present paper were undertaken in an attempt to follow up the lead first given by Uhle so many years before.

In 1941-42, gauging our resources of personnel, funds, and time available, we decided to tackle the Early Ancón and Supe sites, formerly excavated by Uhle, with strati test techniques. Although restricted to limited sampling, we felt that this method of testing would obtain the most satisfactory results. Excavation for grave lots was considered as secondary, though supplementary, to the stratigraphic examination of midden debris. Additional explorations, such as were eventually accomplished at Supe with the clearing of the small Aspero site structure, were also contemplated. The initial problem at both the Early Ancón shell middens and Puerto de Supe was the securing of more and better-controlled data from these sites. Uhle's brief account of 1913, the analyses of Strong (1925) and Kroeber (1925), and a later descriptive account by Kroeber (1944, pp. 1 1 8 - 2 1 ) provided at that time the only sources of information on the Early Ancón-Supe culture.* New field studies were necessary from which stratigraphic classification and analyses could be made. The second problem was the determination of the cultural and chronological relationships between Early Ancón and Early Supe. Their closeness in both type and time, originally stated by Uhle, has been generally accepted, although it Jias never been proven in detail. An objective examination of the facts was needed to demonstrate the degree of similarity and dissimilarity between these two early sites. Closely related to this is the third problem, that of determining the internal growth of this cultural unit, if such it is, which we are calling Early Ancón-Supe. The deep refuse in the Early Ancón midden site, as reported by Uhle, suggests that the span of time during which Early Ancón-Supe culture flourished may have been fairly long. If this were so, it would seem reasonable to expect recognizable time divisions within the Early Ancón-Supe period. Such divisions, although relatively minor when projected against the total range of Peruvian chronology, might be extremely useful in analyzing the evolution and development of Early Ancón-Supe. Following from the foregoing problem is a

* Carrion's (1948) paper on Early Ancón gr rcs has subsequently been added to this list.

Introduction fourth. This is concerned with the cultural and chronological placement of the Early Ancón-Supe culture within the total Peruvian or Central Andean prehistoric framework. It is particularly involved with the relationships of Early Ancón-Supe to those other Peruvian cultures which show close stylistic affinity and have been linked together by the term "Chavin horizon". Obviously, our relatively small investigations at Early Ancón and Early Supe are only the starting-point for a consideration of some of the above problems of far-reaching implications. We feel, however, that a wider orientation is necessary for the fullest comprehension of Early Ancón-Supe. This is especially so in the light of work that has been accomplished in the intervening years between the actual field session (1941-42) and the date of the present writing. It would be misleading to imply that these later developments have not affected the phrasing of the problems concerning Early Ancón-Supe. Particularly, this is true of the questions of a panAndean Chavin horizon and the fundamental importance of the Chavin-linked cultures and their function as a basic stage of Peruvian development. Bennett, in 1943, was the first to summarize the data from the point of view of a horizonal phenomenon; Tello's above-quoted article (Tello, 1943) gave additional weight to this construct; and with Kroeber's general critique of Peruvian archaeology in 1944 the Chavin horizon concept became thoroughly established in the thinking of everyone seriously engaged in Peruvianist problems. The most recent contributions in the field are the results of the Virú Valley expedition of 1946 (Willey, 1946; Ford and Willey, 1949; Bennett, 1950; Strong and Evans, 1952; Bird, 1948; Bennett and Bird, 1949). These studies represent new advances to the Chavin horizonal problem and, inferentially, to the interpretations of Early Ancón-Supe. Direct stratigraphic evidence for placing the Chavininfiuenced cultures of the Virú and Chicama valleys as the earliest ceramic periods of the coast was obtained, and a long preceramic phase underlying periods comparable to Early Ancón-Supe was revealed for the first time in Peru. Equally important were two recent confer-

xiii

ences in Peruvian archeology. The first was held at the Chiclin Museum, near Trujillo, Peru, in August, 1946, and the second convened in New York at the Viking Fund headquarters in July, 1947. As we shall be dealing with concepts which characterize or define chronological relationships and to a lesser extent those which impute developmental status to culture, it is in order here to define briefly our terminology. Early Ancón and Early Supe, or Early Ancón-Supe, as we have merged them into a cultural unit for comparison, is a cultural period. It represents that unknown span of years or centuries during which the inhabitants of Ancón and Puerto de Supe, and by inference peoples of other locations of the central Peruvian coast, created the distinctive Early Ancón-Supe culture. This ancient culture is revealed to us by the remains which we have found in the ground and by what these remains imply. The term "Chavin horizon" refers to the Early Ancón-Supe culture and to other culture periods of the Peruvian area which are linked by a common art style as this style is expressed in ceramics, textiles, stonework, or other creations. This strong stylistic unity, although occurring in geographically widely separated locations, is considered to denote contemporaneity. The Chavin horizon is, then, a pan-Peruvian or near-pan-Peruvian culture period (Willey, 1945). The horizon, used in this way, is essentially a means of handling the time factor. As distinguished from the horizon, the "stage," as we have occasionally referred to it in this report, is a device for treating with the developmental processes in culture. A stage and a horizon may or may not coincide. In Peru, at least at the present phase of research knowledge, there is believed to be a rather high coincidence of time horizons and developmental stages. If this is true, it may be the result of a close synchronous culture development for the Peruvian area. This homogeneity of developmental type in time and space has been named by Bennett (1948, pp. 2 ff.), the Peruvian Co-Tradition. There is, however, a somewhat opposing view that holds that the cultural development in the various regions of prehistoric Peru was not synchronous. Strong (Strong and Evans, 1952) has expressed

xiv

Introduction

this in his belief that a Florescent epoch (or stage) did not come into being on the central Peruvian coast contemporaneously with Florescent-type cultures on the north and south coasts. According to this interpretation, such central coastal culture periods as Interlocking and Early Lima were Formative stage tarriants, lacking the truly Florescent features. In the present paper we are especially concerned with the concepts of period and horizon. The Formative Stage is referred to as

the developmental stage in Peru in which we believe Early Ancón-Supe falls. On the central coast we would also include the White-on-Red horizon as being of this same developmental type, although stylistically quite separate and chronologically later. Whether Interlocking and Early Lima are Formative or Florescent is peripheral to our problems and interests at hand. For the time being, however, we are inclined to consider these later culture periods Florescent.

Contents PREFACE

vii

INTRODUCTION

xi

MAPS

xviii

FIGURES

xviii

TABLES

xx

PLATES

xxi

EXCAVATIONS

3 3

T H E ANCÓN S H E L L H E A P S

Description of the Site Excavations

3 7

P U E R T O DE S U P E : T H E L I G H T H O U S E S I T E

Description and Excavations Burials

21

P U E R T O DE S U P E : T H E A S P E R O S I T E

Description Midden Excavations The Structure Burials

21 24 25 30

P U E R T O DE S U P E : S I T E L I - 3 1

34

Description and Excavations

34 35

M A T E R I A L S SELECTED FOR ANALYSIS

C E R A M I C S AND T H E I R S T R A T I G R A P H I C S I G N I F I C A N C E

36 36

TYPOLOGY

Decorated Types Plain Types Eroded Sherds

37 52 56 56

SUMMARY ARTIFACTS

66

ANCÓN

66

Pottery Spindle Whorls Stone Objects J e t Mirrors Wood Object Bone Objects Netting B 2448

14

14 17

66 66 66 68 68 68 B

xvi

Contents Miscellaneous

68

S U P E : THE LIGHTHOUSE S I T E

68

Pottery Vessels Pottery Spindle Whorls Miscellaneous Pottery Artifacts Stone Objects Wood Objects Bone Objects Basketry Netting Feather Headdress Carved Gourd Miscellaneous

68 69 69 70 70 71 71 71 71 73 74

S U P E : THE A S P E R O S I T E

74

Pottery Vessels Pottery Discs Pottery Spindle Whorl Stone Objects Bone Objects Basketry Netting Miscellaneous

74 75 75 75 76 76 77 78

S U P E : THE L I - 3 1 S I T E

78

Stone Objects Netting

78 78

S U M M A R Y AND DISCUSSION

78

SPECIAL SECTIONS

84

INTRODUCTORY N O T E

84

By Lila M. O'Neale The Material Dimensions of the Specimens Weaving Techniques Single-Element Techniques Conclusions Analytical Descriptions P L A N T R E M A I N S . By Margaret Ashley Towle Introduction Methods Identifications and Discussion Summary

84 84 86 89 111 111 112 130 130 130 130 138

TEXTILES.

METALS

A

MUMMIFIED D O G FROM THE LIGHTHOUSE S I T E , S U P E .

138

By W. G. Haag

138

O T H E R M A M M A L I A N REMAINS

140

BIRD

141

FISH

141

MOLLUSKS

141

Ancón

141

Contents

xvii

Supe: Lighthouse Site Supe: Aspero Site

142 142

M A R I N E INVERTEBRATES

143

BARNACLES

143

T H E H U M A N P H Y S I C A L T Y P E AND C R A N I A L D E F O R M A T I O N .

By Marshall T.

Newman

143

CONCLUSIONS

145

COMPARISONS: E A R L Y A N C Ó N AND E A R L Y S U P E

145

Ceramics Stonework Woodwork Bonework Basketry and Netting Miscellaneous Metals Textiles Plant Remains and Domesticated Animals Fauna Site Characteristics and Burial Practices Human Physical T y p e and Cranial Deformation Summary T h e Problem of the Aspero Midden

145 147 147 147 148 148 149 149 149 149 150 150 150 151

COMPARISONS: E A R L Y A N C Ó N - S U P E AND THE P E R U V I A N A R E A

152

A RECONSTRUCTION OF E A R L Y A N C Ó N - S U P E C U L T U R E

161

T H E P R O B L E M IN R E T R O S P E C T

164

APPENDIX

167

G R A V E ASSOCIATION LISTS

167

Lighthouse Site, Supe Aspero Site, Supe PLATES

167 168 following page

169

BIBLIOGRAPHY

171

INDEX

175

PUBLICATIONS

179

Maps I. The Uhle Map of Ancón II. Plane Table Plat Map of Ancón Shell Heaps

4 6

I I I . Lighthouse Site, Puerto de Supe

16

IV. Aspero and Li-31, Puerto de Supe

22

V. Plat Map of Excavated Structure, Aspero Midden, Puerto de Supe

26

Figures 1. Ancón Line Incised and Ancón Engraved Sherds

38

2. Ancón Stippled and Other Types

39

3. Ancón Line Incised and Ancón Rocker Stamped

40

4. Ancón Rocker Stamped and Ancón Brushed

42

5. Ancón Brushed, Ancón Semi-circle Impressed, and Ancón Circle and Dot

44

6. Ancón Zoned Punctate and Ancón Stippled

46

7. Ancón Stippled and Ancón Zoned Hatch

47

8. Ancón Line Incised, Ancón Zoned Red, and Ancón Circle and Dot

48

9. Bone, Stone, and Ceramic Artifacts from Early Ancón and Early Supe

67

10. Early Ancón-Supe Basketry and Knotting Techniques

72

11. Carved Gourd from Lighthouse Cemetery, Supe

73

12. Complete Width Measurements of Textiles in Four Analyzed Lots

88

13. Tapestry Techniques (Supe, Lighthouse, and Aspero)

90

14. Counts per Centimeter in 38 Supe Textiles in which the Weaving Unit consists of One Warp crossed by One Weft

91

15. Diagram showing Counts per Centimeter in 79 Supe Textiles in which Weaving Unit consists of One Warp crossed by Two Wefts

92

16. Diagram showing Counts per Centimeter in 10 Supe Textiles in Tapestry Techniques

94

17. Diagram showing Counts per Centimeter in 13 Ancón Textiles

95

18. Diagram to show Angles of Yarn Twist

96

19. Edge Finishes (Supe, Lighthouse, and Puerto de Supe)

100

20. Schematic Representations of Warp and Weft Manipulations for Pattern

102

Figures

xix

3 1 . Schematic Representation of All-Over K e y Pattern in Interlocking Plainweave in Plate X X I Ic from Supe, Lighthouse (784«)

104

22. Schematic Representations of Brocaded Patterns

105

23- Condor-Feline Motive in Cotton Mantle

106

24. Condor-Feline Motive in Cotton Fragment

107

25- Diagram of Fringed and Patterned Blanket reconstructed from Fragments

108

26. Stepped Triangle Motive from Blankets

109

27. Netting Techniques

110

28. Diagrammatic Cross-Sections of Four Cobs from the Aspero Site

132

29- Cupule from Cob from the Aspero Site

132

Tables 1. Sherd Count per Level, Pit I, Ancón

58

2. Sherd Count per Level, Pit V I , Ancón

60

3. Sherd Count per Level, Pit I, Lighthouse, Supe

62

4. Sherd Count per Level, Pit II, Lighthouse, Supe

63

5. Sherd Count per Level, Pit I, L i - 3 1 , Supe

64

6. Lots of Supe and Ancón Textiles analyzed

85

7. Preserved Lengths of Supe Specimens

86

8. Range in Widths of Fabrics in the Supe Lots

87

9. Warp-Weft Counts taken on Two-Breadth Specimens

93

10. Warp-Weft Counts per Centimeter in Tapestry-Woven Sections

93

1 1 . Occurrences of £-Twist and S-Twist Yarns in Single-Ply Weaving Elements

97

12. Occurrences of Two-Ply Yarns in Warp and Weft Systems

98

13. Frequencies of Various Types of Sewing Yarns

99

14. Characteristics of the Maize Cobs from the Aspero Site

133

15. Characteristics of the Maize Cobs from the Aspero Site

134

16. Comparison of Lighthouse Dog with Peruvian, Woodland-Mississippi, and Shell-Heap Dogs

139

17. Mollusks from Pit I, Early Ancón Site

142

Plates The plates follow page i6g I. Air Views of Ancón and Puerto de Supe II. The Ancón Shell Heaps I I I . The Lighthouse Site, Puerto de Supe IV. Aspero and L i - 3 1 , Puerto de Supe V. Excavating the Structure in Pit I I , Aspero V I . The Cemetery Area, Aspero V I I . Pottery Vessels from Early Supe V I I I . Early Ancón-Supe Sherd Types I X . Early Ancón-Supe Sherd Types X . Stone and Miscellaneous Pottery Remains from Early Ancón and Early Supe X I . Miscellaneous Nonceramic Artifacts from Early Ancón and Early Supe X I I . Early Supe Baskets X I I I . Basketry and Netting from Supe and Ancón X I V . Artifacts and Animals from Early Ancón and Early Supe X V . End Finishes (Supe, Lighthouse) X V I . Weaving Techniques: Brocading and Tapestry (Supe, Lighthouse) X V I I . Weaving Techniques: Gauze Variant and Plain-Weave Composite (Supe, Lighthouse) X V I I I . Textures and Yarns (Supe, Lighthouse) X I X . Textures of Two-Breadth Specimens (Supe, Lighthouse) X X . Yarns (Supe, Lighthouse) X X I . Pattern and Texture (Supe, Lighthouse) X X I I . Pattern and Texture (Supe, Lighthouse) X X I I I . Pattern (Supe, Lighthouse) X X I V . Pattern (Supe, Lighthouse) X X V . Technical Details of Cotton Mantle Diagrammed in Figure 25 (Supe, Aspero) X X V I . Technical Features of Textiles (Supe, Aspero) X X V I I . Technical Features of Textiles (Puerto de Supe) X X V I I I . Textures and Pattern (Puerto de Supe) X X I X . Technical Features and Textures (Ancón) X X X . Technical Features and Textures (Ancón) X X X I . Maize Remains from Early Supe

Early Ancón and Early Supe Culture

Excavations: Stratitests, Burials, and Features T H E A N C Ó N S H E L L HEAPS DESCRIPTION OF THE S I T E A N C Ó N is located on the Peruvian coast L \ about 25 kilometers north of the major A jLport of Callao. This is approximately 11 degrees and 55 minutes south latitude and 77 degrees and 10 minutes west longitude. The environment is that of the desert coast of the middle stretches of western South America. In this case, the barrenness and aridity is unrelieved, as there is no flowing stream or important source of water, other than a small spring, in the Ancón Valley. The temperature of this part of Peru is fairly even, averaging annually between 65 and 70 degrees. The climate is also rainless, windy, and alternates seasonally between dry, bright heat and gray, damp fog. The clear season is from October or November to April or May, while the winter fogs prevail between June and October. T h e winds are strong, and the surf is heavy. The small bay ofAncón, however, is protected from the sea winds and currents that sweep up from the southwest, and its waters are calmer than those of the open Pacific. The sea off Ancón, as all along the north Chilean and Peruvian coasts, is colder than the land, and the offshore Peruvian coastal current is rich in marine life (James, 1942). In prehistoric times this protected inlet was an important fishing center, and it remains so today. Topographically, the small Ancón Valley is more closely related to, and more accessible from, the Chillón and Rimac valleys to the south than to the Chancay Valley to the north. O n the north side of the Ancón Valley the steep hills of the Loma Ancón tower direcdy above the pounding surf and form a barrier against coastwise land travel between Ancón and Chancay. T o the south, however, a low coastal strip stretches continuously from Ancón into the lower reaches of the Chillón B 2448

Valley. The Ancón Valley in itself is about 7 kilometers wide (north-south) and 8 kilometers deep (east-west). It is a tilted bowl, sloping gradually toward the ocean on the west. The bay or harbor is formed by a little projecting arm of land extending out from the south rim of the valley. This small peninsula, Cabo Mulatos, affords the protection for the port facilities, and the modern town nesdes in the lowest point of the valley at the base of the peninsula. The archeological sites of Ancón have long been famous. Reiss and Stubel (1880-1887) in the preceding century and M a x Uhle (1913) in 1904 excavated in the cemeteries and middens that lie back of and above the town (Map I). The best-known part of Ancón is the Necropolis. This is a huge enclosure which was, at least in part, an ancient burial ground, hence the name. Hundreds of rich graves have been opened within the enclosure. The great amount of shell midden and other cultural refuse within the enclosure would indicate, however, that the so-called Necropolis had also been a dwelling area. T h e Necropolis enclosure is situated in the southwest corner of the valley, just back of the town. It is on a low plateau beginning some 150 meters back from the present beach and extending east for 800 meters. From north to south, the Necropolis measures almost 1,100 meters. Along the north and most of the east side remains of the sand-covered rock enclosing wall are still discernible. The east wall disappears before it reaches the hills bordering the south side of the valley, and there are no traces of a south wall. Within the enclosure the ground is hilly and uneven. Shell refuse, potsherds, and remains of bodies and grave offerings from looted tombs are scattered over the surface of this now desolate area. The shell heaps on the hill slope above the

THE SHELLMOUNDS OF ANCÓN Scale-

I:IOOOO

Abbreviations; $h= shellmound graves Numerals = altitude in metres

lit'nux^

''•«vM^" f ó'f t

MAP I. THE UHLE MAP OF ANCON The various mounds and ridges of the Necropolis are shown to the north of the rail line. South of the rail line the area marked "Oldest Shell Mound" is the site under consideration in the present report. This is a rough sketch map; the "Hill Fortress," shown lower right, is situated at a much greater distance from the shell mound area than is indicated. (After Uhle, 1913, Fig. a; compare with Plate I, Top.)

The Ancón Shell Heaps town to the south are the other major part of the Ancón site, and it is with this part that we are concerned in this report. As mentioned in the foregoing discussion (see p. xi), this is the site referred to as " E a r l y Ancón" in cultural distinction to the archeological periods represented within the enclosure, or Necropolis. T h e Early Ancón midden is on the protected, or north, slope of the sand hills which form the western end of the rim defining the southern edge of the Ancón Valley. The midden extends up and down the slope for approximately 200 meters and east and west along the slope for about 300 meters (Map I ; PI. I, top). Uhle estimated that the upper end of the midden was 60 meters above the bottom of the valley. T h e surface of the ground on the slope appears white, especially at a distance. This is caused by the pulverized and weathered shell mixed with the windcarried sands. Several gentle ridges, or "terraces," are noted in the midden. These run along the hill, east and west, and probably correspond to the old contours of the hill before the shell and other cultural debris were laid down. Besides the shell, potsherds on the surface indicate the presence of an old habitation place. Uhle ( 1 9 1 3 ) gives a good description of the site, which has been translated by Strong (I925)There are old kjoekkenmoeddings on the northern slope of the hill which adjoins the modern village of Ancón on its southeast. They were heretofore entirely unobserved, as their surface, with the exception of some fragments of shells strewn superficially over the ground, is entirely like that of the neighboring natural hills, and I became aware of them only after some time. Their extension from east to west is about 300 meters; their length on the slope from south to north, over 200 meters. Their upper end rises 60 meters above the adjoining plain and, while the refuse ofkitchen and camp in the plain is hill-like, the surface of the deposits now being considered forms a slightly sloping plain, with only a few traces of scarcely perceptible unevenness. Excavations were commenced in the shape of ditches, a horizontal one about 40 meters long from east to west, and another following the slope at intervals for about 100 meters. The composition of the kjoekkenmoeddings was similar to those of the plain. Alternating strata of brown and black shades of ashes formed the main part

5

of the deposit. The thickness of the refuse strata was 3-4 meters, but in some places it may be greater. I had therefore found the site of an old settlement, of village-like extent, though house constructions were missing. Lower layers contained skeletons, laid on their sides, in squatting position, but as no objects of significance were found with them, I assume that the bodies buried in the interior of the midden represented only the poorer part of the population. From this and from the excavations which we made ourselves and which will be described subsequently, it is clear that the Early Ancón shell heaps on the slope above Ancón represent an old village. T h e abundance of shell in the midden indicates that there was at least a partial dependence upon marine foods when the site was occupied. A similar condition must also have existed during the time the Necropolis was in use or occupied. As will be disclosed eventually, there are reasons for believing that the Early Ancón period, as represented by the hillslope middens, was horticultural. If so, the inhabitants of Ancón Valley and Ancón Bay must have been dependent upon nearby farming areas in the lower Chillón Valley. In this direction, arable land lies about 10 kilometers distant. Possibly in the past it was even closer. It does not seem likely that Ancón Valley itself was ever suitable for farming. There are no irrigation works, agricultural terraces, or any evidence that a stream once flowed through the valley. Today most of the drinking water is shipped into the town from Lima. There is, however, a small, free-flowing spring near the foot of the slope on which the Early Ancón midden is located. This spring lies several meters east of and below the occupation area. The spring, or others like it, may have been the source of water for the ancient inhabitants of the little valley. There is one other aboriginal feature of Ancón that should be mentioned. High on the sand hills above and east of the Early Ancón shell heaps there are three concentric semicircles which Uhle describes on his map (see M a p I) as a "Hill Fortress." These were not explored during the recent work, so we can say little of their nature. Uhle did not discuss their construction, and their cultural relationships are unknown.

MAP II. PLANE TABLE PLAT MAP OF ANCÔN SHELL HEAPS Location of 1942 excavations. Contour lines are approximated at about two-meter intervals.

The Ancón Shell Heaps

7

In the past forty years the appearance of Ancón has probably changed more rapidly and radically than in the several preceding centuries (compare Map I and PI. I, top). Dr. Uhle, who visited Drs. Newman and Willey during the period of excavations in January 1942, commented upon this marked change in the growth and development of the modern town and its environs. For instance, area " P " , on the Uhle map, is now built up with fishermen's houses, many of which are solidly constructed of brick and concrete. Houses are also on the lower 100 meters of the hills to the south, or just below the Early Ancón period midden (between the railroad line and the early shell mounds). The Pan-American Highway has cut through the Necropolis just north of areas " P " and " H , " and a side road to Playa Hermosa turns south from the highway between " P " and " H , " crossing the railroad tracks and following the hill around to the southwest, going through the early shell mounds (compare Maps I and II).

from Ancón, Dr. Marshall T. Newman and Dr. Willey divided forces to carry out these investigations. Newman, taking our most experienced workman, was to hunt for the cemetery in the sand area at the base of the sheltering hills to the south; and Willey, with the remaining four diggers, was to do the stratigraphic cuts in the occupation rubbish. At first it was our intention to make a half-dozen or so stratitests in the midden, but as things worked out this plan had to be abandoned, and only two pits were excavated through the complete depth of the refuse. We thought, as proved to be the case, that the testing in the sand areas for the burial ground would proceed at a much more rapid rate than the stratigraphic work and that a great many small cuts could be made in the time allowed. After making nine such tests, however, we gave up the search for the Early Ancón cemetery, and Newman devoted himself to a problem of much later graves in the Ancón Necropolis (see Willey, 1943b).

New construction activity in 1946 and 1947 built up modern Ancón into a major seaside resort town and greatly encroached upon the Necropolis and other prehistoric remains located there. The late Dr. Tello stated in a lecture at Columbia University in the spring of 1947 that deep excavations for house and hotel foundations in the Necropolis area had revealed Chavin-like (Early Ancón) remains underlying a sterile layer of gravel, sand, and large boulders, presumably washed in by a cataclysmic flood which had antedated the later Necropolis levels. Presumably, Uhle and other earlier excavators had never dug to these great depths or encountered this sterile layer sealing in the old Chavin-like remains. Peruvian archeologists will await with interest the presentation of this most important evidence by Dr. Tello's associates.

Pit I.—This pit, the first started at the Ancón Shell Heaps, was excavated in the midden at a point about 40 meters east of the modern stone enclosure surrounding the town's water storage tank and only a few meters uphill and south of the Playa Hermosa road. This location is on the edge of one of the midden-covered natural "terraces" or gentle undulations of the hill slope on which the midden site is situated (see Map I I ; PI. I, top). From all surface appearances, the location selected for the pit did not seem to have been the scene of any previous excavations or disturbances (PI. II, top, right). The first 1 meter oí the 3 by 3 meter pit was excavated in .25 meter levels (PI. II, center, left). To this depth the midden was extremely sandy, but there was much shell, most of it broken, crushed, or weathered, mixed with the sand. Potsherds were numerous in all levels. A broken fragment of a small stone ring (see p. 66, Stone Object 1) came from level .50-.75. Because of the soft, sandy nature of the refuse, supplementary excavations, to minimize the danger of slumping, were made after the i meter depth was reached. These supplementary cuts, or extensions, were made to the north and south of the pit. Each was 3 by 1.50 meters. The extensions were not

EXCAVATIONS

Plans,—In January, 1942, with only a month at our disposal, it was planned to carry out a few stratigraphic tests in the Ancón shell heaps and at the same time to do some survey testing in an attempt to find the burial place associated with the Early Ancón occupation site. With a crew of five laborers recruited

8

The Ancon Shell Heaps

excavated b y levels, and only the more unusual sherd specimens were saved from them. Between i and i .50 meters the shell refuse of Pit I was much more tightly packed than it h a d been in the levels above, and the individ u a l shells were whole, rather than broken or crushed. N o r was there as much loose drift sand as in the top levels. A p p a r e n t l y the top meter or so of the deposit had suffered the effects of centuries of weathering. Instead of sand, the matrix for sherds and shells in the t w o levels between 1 and 1.50 meters was a fine, gray dust. O n e separate find (see p. 66, Spindle W h o r l 3) was taken from level 1.251.50 meters. This is an incised pottery spindle w h o r l in which the incisions are filled with red and green paint. Also, in this same level there were a number of irregular, fire-blackened rocks, each about the size of a man's two fists. In level 1.50 to 1.75 meters sherds were slightly scarcer than above, but the appearance of the midden was much the same. T h e irregular rocks were still found, but there was no evidence of any structure. Level 1.75-2.00 meters revealed shell and dark refuse. T h e large irregular rocks referred to in the level above were still present, and a good m a n y of them were grouped in the northwest corner of the pit. In this level there was a stone slab, measuring approximately 30 b y 13 b y 3 centimeters. T h e slab appeared to h a v e been worked on one side and along the edges. Perhaps it had served as a grinding stone. This stone slab specimen was not saved. I n level 2.00-2.25 meters the midden was dusty and fine, and shell was very scarce. T h e dip of the strata was slight, and all strata slanted to the east, conforming to the present ground surface. A t the bottom of level 2.002.25 meters some irregular boulders were cleaned off and examined in situ (PI. I I , bottom, right). It is possible that these stones represent w h a t was once a structure. D u r i n g the excavation of level 2.25-2.50 meters these same rocks were left in place. A m u c h better view of the pile of boulders was obtained at this depth, and it was noted that the rocks were set upon a thin layer of clean sand and that they were not found much deeper than 2.25 meters. N o additional evidence that would throw any light upon the

nature or purpose of the j u m b l e d mass of stones was forthcoming. T h e r e were not m a n y potsherds in this level. T h e rubbish turned a m u c h darker brown in level 2.50-2.75 meters, and the clean sand u p o n w h i c h the rocks rested proved to be a very thin layer, apparently artificially deposited, not the sterile bottom of the pit. F r o m 2.75 d o w n to 3 meters the soil and refuse appeared m u c h the same. Both of these levels yielded a substantial n u m b e r of sherds. In 3.00-3.25 meters the midden was coarse, with some shell content, and there were several small boulders scattered through the debris. A polished j e t mirror (see p. 66, J e t M i r r o r 1) c a m e from this level. T o w a r d the bottom of this level the shell was tightly packed, and there was also a good deal o f semi-decayed organic material (wood or vegetation?). T h e next two levels, d o w n to the 3.75 meter line, were m u c h the same as the 3.00-3.25 meter level. In general, the refuse at this depth was characterized by pockets o f sand, shell, d e c a y e d organic material, and rather undifferentiated b r o w n or gray dust. A g a i n , in level 3.75-4.00 meters, there were a n u m b e r of large, loose, irregular boulders scattered through the g r a y dust. Sherds continued in appreciable numbers. In the N o r t h Extension of this pit a large olla was discovered just a few centimeters east of the west wall of the extension and a few centimeters north of the edge of the pit proper. T h e depth was 2.40-2.50 meters. T h e find was m a d e while the N o r t h Extension was being deepened to aid in the removal of dirt from the main pit. Fifty centimeters east of the olla, a n d slightly deeper, the bones of a n infant burial were uncovered. T h e large olla, w h i c h was broken, but in situ, h a d apparently been covered with debris while standing upright. T h e s e sherds have been included in the statistical sherd count. A round, flat stone with a center pit ground on each surface was found in the spoil dirt taken from the North Extension at a depth of 2 to 2.50 meters (see p. 66, Stone O b j e c t 4). A resumption of work in the stratigraphic pit took us d o w n to 4.25 meters, where a fragment of netting was recovered (see p. 68, Netting 1). T h e next level (4.25-4.50 meters) was characterized b y large boulders dis-

The Ancon Shell Heaps tributed at random through the refuse. After cleaning out level 4.25-4.50 meters, it appeared the boulders were so grouped as to suggest a dry masonry wall which crossed the bottom of the pit from northwest to southeast. A vegetal-fiber brush (see p. 68, Wood Object 1) was found in this level. Continuing work in level 4.50-4.75 meters, all the stones were left in place for the time being. Level 4.50-4.75 meters, on each side of the wall or row of stones, was composed of refuse mixed with sand. A t this depth there was a suggestion that the midden was becoming steadily and slightly sandier as the depth increased. Sherds were, however, still frequent. The rows of stones cleared at a depth of 4.75 meters had the following appearance: In the southeast corner of the pit the stones first showed up at the 3.45 meter mark. T h e alignment seems to have been made without mud mortar. A second row of stones was observed in the north profile of the pit at a depth of 3.55 meters. This row came into the area of the pit to join the first wall at an oblique-acute angle near the northwest corner of the excavation. Both rows, or walls, were single-row stone constructions supported by chinking. As walls, they would have been rather weak, with a total width of only plus or minus 30 centimeters. Both stone rows were removed to clear the floor of the pit for further excavation at the 4.75 meter mark (PL I I , bottom, left). The North Extension "steps" were deepened to enable us to continue work in the main pit, and in making these supplemental excavations a human burial was encountered in the southeastern edge of the Extension at a depth of 3.00-3.15 meters below surface. T h e body, an adult, was flexed and unaccompanied by any grave goods except some fragments of a pitch-like substance (see p. 68, Miscellaneous 2). Some irregular stones had been placed in a pile about 1 meter above the body. This adult burial was only a little deeper than the infant burial and olla which were found at about 2.50 meters below surface in the same extension. In level 4.75-5.00 meters any indications of a stone wall, as noted above 4.75 meters, were lacking. Several small boulders were

9

taken out with the detritus, but these did not seem to have been placed in any formation. Shell and rubbish in this level had about the same general appearance as above, except that a patch of very black midden was noted on the west side of the pit. About fifty sherds were found in this level. The next two levels, down to 5.50 meters, ran through dark rubbish and shell. In level 5.50-5.75 meters the refuse was slightly lighter, but of about the same texture. In further deepening the North Extension the adult burial referred to above was removed. As stated, it was tightly flexed and had been wrapped in textiles of plain brownish cloth. The skeleton appeared to be that of a female. Immediately to the east, with the head almost at the corner of Pit I, a second burial was discovered in the North Extension at a depth of 3.25 meters below surface. This second skeleton, the remains of an adult male, was also flexed. The body may have been purposefully placed upon a small bed of irregular boulders much like those described for the problematical wall features. It is also possible thatrockswere placed to form a covering as well as a floor for the grave. In the pit proper, work was resumed to carry the excavation down to a depth of 6 meters. Rubbish and potsherds continued at this depth. Level 5.50-5.75 meters and 5.75-6.00 meters were combined to make a single 50 centimeter level pottery collection. The next level was also made 50 centimeters deep, going down to 6.50 meters. The rubbish at this point was fine-grained gray and brown dust. At 6 meters the original surface dimensions of the pit, 3 by 3 meters, had gradually narrowed to 2 by 2 meters or less. This was done to minimize the danger of slumping. Unfortunately, it also reduced the midden sample in area and bulk, so that the gradual lessening in the number of sherd specimens as the pit proceeded to greater depths cannot be considered a cultural phenomenon. A n interesting feature of the 6 meter depth is that very definite ammonia fumes became almost overpoweringly strong at the bottom of the pit. Uhle (1913) noticed this ammonia gas smell in his excavations at Ancon and attributed it to the peculiar nature of organic decay under the unusual dry conditions of the

10

The Ancón Shell Heaps

desert coast. Presumably, the depth and narrowness of the pit accentuated the odor b y confining the fumes and shielding them from a normal circulation of air. Level 6.00-6.50 meters cut through a layer or lense of light, clean, yellow sand, and for the moment it appeared as though w e h a d run out of the refuse and struck the original soil of the hill slope. H o w e v e r , the yellow sand proved to be only a few centimeters thick, and g r a y rubbish w i t h shells and sherds reappeared beneath it. A fairly good sherd yield c a m e from this level and from the next, level 6.50-7.00 meters. Similarly, level 7.007.50 meters h a d a n u m b e r of sherds. N e a r the 7.50 meter mark another lense of clean sand appeared, b u t proved to be very thin. L e v e l 7.50-8.00 meters began in an even-color floor of gray midden at the bottom of the pit. Shells and sherds were scattered through the debris. T h e level was closed without running out into sterile soil. A t 8 meters digging in such a small e x c a v a tion was b e c o m i n g extremely difficult and dangerous. In an effort to check the continued depth of the midden, a small test hole was put d o w n in the center of the floor of the pit. Refuse continued for about 60 centimeters in this hole, but the soil b e c a m e gradually lighter in color and of a more sandy texture. Between 8.60 and 8.90 meters the midden ran out into clean brown sand, and no sherds, discoloration, or shells were noted in this lower 30 centimeters. Further testing in the narrow quarters of the stratigraphic pit was impossible without additional " s t e p p i n g " operations, w h i c h with a crew of four men would h a v e taken a week or m o r e ; as time was running short, it was decided to a b a n d o n the excavation. It is our opinion that the brown sand in the bottom 30 centimeters of the test was the sterile sand of the hill, although an additional meter's depth to the test hole w o u l d have been m a d e to insure this if working conditions h a d permitted. U p o n the termination of the work a profile reading was m a d e , using the east wall of the pit as the most representative, although there was very little difference a m o n g the four walls. T h e following readings were taken f r o m the surface (o) to the bottom (8.90 meters):

Meters

0-.90 .90-1.90 1.90-3.10 3.10-3.60 3.60-5.15 5.15-7.40 7.40-7.60 7.60-8.40 8.40-8.60 8.60-8.90

Character of Deposit

Crushed shell mixed with loose, soft, wind-blown sand A thick bedded shell and midden stratum that dips very slightly to the north Coarse brown and grey midden, with numerous small boulders A band of thick, packed shell and midden that dips to the north Shells mixed with midden and large boulders Fine-grained midden, mostly gray, with much shell and small and large rocks Yellow sand with a very small amount of detritus or discoloration Fine-grained, sandy, gray midden Yellow sand with ash streaks Clean yellow, light brown, and white sand with no cultural detritus

A s was stated, the pit narrowed toward the bottom so that in the last 1.50 meters not more than one square meter of surface was involved in the excavations. T h e total excavations consisted of the main pit, one South Extension 1.50 meters wide, and two North Extensions, forming deep steps, each 1.50 meters wide. Pit VI.—Pit V I , a 3 b y 3 meter excavation, was the only other excavation besides Pit I that was carried d o w n through the A n c o n midden into sterile sand. It was located about 140 meters, or a little less, east-southeast of Pit I (see M a p I ; PI. I, top). A s w i t h Pit I, it was on the c r o w n of a hillock, or high point, on one of the midden-covered natural "terraces" or ridges of the hill slope. Pit V I w a s placed on the central of three of these e a s t west r u n n i n g terraces (PI. I I , top, right). Pit I I , the third excavation in the A n c o n midden, was situated on the terrace j u s t below. T h e first level, 0 - . 2 5 meter, revealed browner, tougher, and more compact midden than was noted for Pit I, where there was evidently more wind-drifted sand on the surface. T h r e e or four large rocks c a m e from this top level, and one of them, measuring approximately 27 by 23 by 8 centimeters and roughly rectangular, appears to h a v e been worn or dressed on one flat surface and along two edges. Similar rubbish conditions, without the rocks, continued in Pit V I d o w n to 1

The Ancón Shell Heaps meter. A fragment of a polished jet mirror (see p. 68, Jet Mirror 2) was found in level .25 to .50. Shell was scarcer than in Pit I, but sherds were plentiful. At 1 meter depth the east profile showed ash lensing of various colors. These various lenses composed a stratum of ash which dipped to the north about 30 degrees below the horizontal. Levels 1.00-1.25 meters, 1.25-1.50 meters, and 1.50-1.75 meters were excavated through compact gray-brown midden. Sherds were noticeably less in the last of these three levels. Level 1.75-2.00 meters went through a concentration of shell, more, in fact, than in any previous level; and sherds were more abundant than in the level immediately above. The shell continued in the succeeding level below, 2.00-2.25 meters; but in 2.25-2.50 meters there was only a little shell, and the refuse was mostly a soft dust. A t the 2.50 meter depth it was noted in the west and east profiles how consistently the strata of this pit dipped to the north. In the 3 meters of the pit wall there was almost a full meter of decline in the strata. This means, unfortunately, that a single natural stratum of debris, from 30 to 50 centimeters thick, may be included in as many as four consecutive arbitrary levels of .25 meters each. In spite of this, the rather great total depth of the pit could be expected to demonstrate cultural changes, if such exist, on a percentage basis. Midden texture and appearance remained the same in the levels from 2.50 down to 3.25 meters, being fine, soft, and dusty. Sherds were not very plentiful. Beginning at 3.25 meters, the refuse was brown and coarse and contained shells and medium-size boulders. Sherds, again, were more numerous. In excavating the next two lower levels, down to 3.75 meters, sand began to appear, especially on the west side of the pit, and a good many rocks were removed. Levels 3.75-4.00 meters and 4.00-4.25 meters revealed more large, irregular rocks, much like those taken out of Pit I; however, in Pit V I no alignments suggesting walls or structures could be made out. Level 4.25-4.50 meters still showed rocks and sandy midden, and sherds continued to be numerous. Level 4.50-4.75 meters was more sandy than the levels above, and small, fistsize rocks were scattered through the sand.

11

Level 4.75-5.00 meters carried the pit down into clean light brown and white sand. The few sherds that were recovered came from the uppermost portions of this level. Interestingly, a wooden stake (not saved) about 30-35 centimeters long and sharpened at one end came from this level. A small test hole in the center of the bottom of the pit went down into clean sand to an additional depth of 50 centimeters, where the pit was terminated. A profile reading was taken on the west wall of the pit, and measurements are given on a point about midway between the north and the south corners of the pit. It will be remembered that the strata above 2.50 meters dip at about a 25 or 30 degree angle below the horizontal, slanting off to the north in conformity with the original and present hill-slope surfaces. Below 2.80 meters, this northward dip of the strata is much less. The following readings are given from surface (o) to the bottom of the excavations (5.50 meters): Meters

0-1.70 1.70-2.20 2.20-3.70 3.70-4.50 4.50-4.80 4.80-5.50

Character of Deposit

Undifferentiated gray and brown refuse with some shells, small rocks, and ash pockets or lenses Band of concentrated shell Fine-grained, dusty rubbish with scattered boulders and a little shell Large boulders and dusty, gray refuse Dusty, gray rubbish growing sandier, with small boulders Clean tan sand and white sand

One East Extension, or "step," 1.50 by 3 meters, was made at Pit V I . As Pit V I did not go as deep as Pit I, it was not necessary to slope the walls to the same extent that they were sloped in the former. In Pit V I the floor area at the 5 meter depth was slightly over 2 meters square. Pit II.—The remaining test pit excavated in the Ancon shell refuse was Pit II. This pit was located on the natural ridge just below the ridge on which Pit V I was situated (Map II). The two pits were about 25 meters apart, Pit II being northeast of Pit V I . Pit II was begun when it was thought that it would be possible to make a half-dozen or so complete tests in the shell midden during the time we

i2

T h e Ancón Shell Heaps

had allotted for the A n c ó n sampling. W h e n it b e c a m e obvious that the midden was m u c h deeper than w e had imagined, it was decided that further midden tests w o u l d h a v e to be abandoned and that it would be impossible to complete Pit II as well as Pits I a n d V I . T h e decision to discontinue the excavations in Pit I I was m a d e in view of the facts that Pits I I and V I were relatively close together, that Pit II had smaller surface dimensions, being only a 3 b y i .50 meter pit, and that only gross levels had been kept for the material removed from Pit I I . T h e first arbitrary level of Pit I I was from 0 to 2 meters. Below 2 meters a second level extended d o w n to a depth of 2.60 meters, where the floor of the pit was cleared. Shell was less abundant at this depth, but potsherds were still abundant. A test hole 50 centimeters deep was m a d e in the center of the floor, but undisturbed sterile sand still h a d not been reached. A t this point work was discontinued in Pit II. Additional test pitting.—Pits I, I I , and V I were the only midden tests; all additional pits were test excavations m a d e in the search of the burial area. Like U h l e (1913), w e were unable to locate the A n c ó n shell heap cemetery, although the tests were m a d e in areas that were topographically analogous to those at Puerto de Supe, where the cemeteries w e r e located. Pits I I I , I V , V , V I I - X I I , inclusive, were all excavated u p the slope a w a y from the shell midden in the sandy quebradas ( M a p I I ; PI. I I , center, right). T h e r e are two of these small quebradas directly above and south of the midden. Four pits were d u g in one, and five in the other (see M a p I I for their locations). These pits, all about 2 b y 2 meters square and essentially barren of any cultural material, can be briefly described. Pit I I I , in the westernmost of the two quebradas, revealed some fragments of h u m a n bone (a distal ulna and vertebrae of an infant) and wisps of vegetal fiber in the top .80 of a meter. A t this depth was a layer of semi-solidified calcareous or salty material. N o t h i n g more was found in the pit, w h i c h was excavated d o w n to 1.40 meters, into the obviously sterile sand of the hill. Pit I V was put d o w n a few meters distant

from Pit I I I . Bits of string and fabric were found in the loose sand of the top 1 meter. Below this depth the sand was absolutely clean. T h e pit was discontinued at 1.70 meters. Pit V was made in the eastern quebrada. T h e pit was excavated to a depth of 1.50 meters into sterile sand and saline or calcareous material. A piece offish net (modern?) was found near the surface. Nothing else was recovered from this pit. Pit V I I was m a d e in the western quebrada, along with Pits I I I and I V . This pit was a b a n d o n e d in firm, sterile sand at 1.60 meters. Pit V I I I , in the eastern quebrada, was taken d o w n to 1.90 meters. T h e r e was no cultural material of any sort in this pit. Pit I X , in the western quebrada, was excav a t e d to a depth of slightly less than 2 meters. O n l y sterile sand was revealed. Pit X , in the eastern quebrada, was excav a t e d to a depth of slightly less than 2 meters. A t a depth of 50 centimeters a n u m b e r of sherds, later restored to a small vessel, were found in the clean sand. T h i s restored vessel was lost in transit from Peru. A small cloth b a g of stones lay with the sherds (see p. 68, Miscellaneous 1). Pit X I , in the western quebrada, yielded a small pottery bowl at a depth o f .80 of a meter. T h i s specimen was a m o n g those lost in transshipment. T h e bowl was isolated in the loose sand and apparently was not in any relation to other features, such as a burial, a dwelling, or even general midden rubbish. Pit X I was discontinued in sterile sand at a depth of about 2 meters. Pit X I I was not located within the eastern quebrada proper, but in the open sandy slope between the southeast edge of the shell midd e n and the mouth of the quebrada. T h i s pit was excavated to about the 2 meter depth. It w a s sterile except for a few fragments of hum a n bone which were found in the loose sand near the surface. Aside from the special finds recorded from the various levels of the stratigraphic pits, a n u m b e r of interesting objects were found on the surface of the site or in the spoil dirt thrown out from Pits I and V I . Surface finds include: a small, grooved stone p e n d a n t (see p. 66, Stone O b j e c t 2 ) ; a circular stone with

The Ancón Shell Heaps

13

a small pit on each flat surface (see p. 66, exactly, but it seems to be on the seaward Stone Object 3); and a large piece of what slope of the same hills on which the midden appears to be whale bone showing sawing or is situated, or southwest of our and Uhle's cutting marks (see p. 68, Bone Object 2). excavations. Material from these new excavaArtifacts recovered from the dump dirt piles tions as presented in Carrion's brief preare as follows: An incised spindle whorl (see liminary notice, are considered in relation to p. 66, Spindle Whorl 2); an incised and our Ancón finds in the section "Comparisons: painted whorl and a plain spindle whorl (lost Early Ancón and Early Supe" (pp. 143-52). in transshipment to New York); a carved Summary of observations.—The prehistoric bone spoon (see p. 68, Bone Object 1 ) ; and community now represented by the Early a fragment of a jet mirror (see p. 68, J e t Ancón period shell heaps was situated on the Mirror 3). sheltered north side of the sand hills which The search for the Ancón Shell Heap ceme- protect the Ancón Valley on the south. Its tery, or the burial place related to the occupa- extent was about 300 meters east-west, or tion site of the shell heaps, was given up after along the slope, and about 200 meters norththe excavation of the twelfth pit. The failure south, or up and down the slope. Whether the to find this burial ground, first by Uhle, and occupation extended all the way down the later by ourselves, was puzzling. Judging hill to the valley floor has not been deterfrom old excavations in the sand of the dry mined. Test excavations in the intermediate quebradas, Uhle searched for the burials in area of the lower 100 meters of the slope, just about the same general area that we exam- up the hill from the modern Lima-Ancón ined. This was further verified by one of our railway, should be made to determine this. workmen, Rodriguez, who had years earlier There is no record of any scientifically conbeen employed for the same tasks by Uhle. trolled digging on this part of the hill slope, Where, then, did the occupants of the Ancón but a human burial, at a shallow depth, is basura dispose of their dead? It was noted in reported from the vicinity of the modern the excavation of Pit I, or rather the Northern shacks now occupying this area. It is possible Extension of Pit I, that two adults and one that there was an Early Ancón occupation on infant had been buried in the refuse. These the valley floor and that remains of this bodies had not been placed in the original occupation have been buried by several mesoil of the hill, but had evidently been buried ters of later-period refuse of the Necropolis in rubbish which had previously collected on (see report of Tello's statement, p. 7). the spot to a depth of several meters. It seemed The Early Ancón midden is not a shell possible that Ancón burials were to be found midden in the sense of a tightly packed, almost in the refuse, not in a special cemetery. Uhle's solid deposit of shell refuse. The term "shell findings tended to confirm this, as he also heap," which has been applied to the site reported burials without accompanying grave since Uhle's visit, is appropriate only in that artifacts, in the midden; but Uhle was dis- the refuse is distinguished from most of the satisfied with this explanation, feeling that sites of the central coast of Peru by the incluonly the poorer elements in the population sion of a fair amount of shell in the site debris. would have been buried in the village refuse, The surface of the Early Ancón site is covered wrapped only in plain textiles and without by a relatively soft, loose layer, of varying burial furniture. depths, of wind-drifted sand and crushed and Recently, however, grave finds from the weathered shells. At a distance the hillside is hills south of Ancón have been reported by white against the darker background of the Dr. Rebecca Carrion Cachot, and these finds surrounding sand hills, but when actually on appear to be closely related to the culture of the site, the surface shell is not so noticeable. the Early Ancón shell midden. A brief descrip- Upon excavation, layers or lenses of packed tion of this material appears in La cultura shell appear, but, to judge from the test cuts Chavín, dos nuevas colonias: Kuntur Wasiy Ancón, which were made, shell does not make up the published in Peru, 1948. Unfortunately, the bulk of the refuse. Gray and brown debris location of this new graveyard is not specified composed of dust, sand, and semi-compact

14

The Ancon Shell Heaps

decayed organic matter are the principal components of the rubbish mixture. There is a tendency for the refuse to be bedded into strata, alternating from shell to sandy debris to dust, and so forth. Irregular rocks of various sizes also made up a large portion of the material taken out of the two deep midden tests. Potsherds were found in great numbers in this refuse, and occasionally other artifacts appeared. T h e two 3 by 3 meter test pits completed by our party in the midden were carried down to the respective depths of 8.60 and 4.80 meters before the depth of cultural detritus was exhausted. Potsherds were found at all depths of the refuse in both pits. It is possible that the rocks which we encountered in our excavations were, or had been, the walls of houses. For many years, at least, there have been no signs of buildings of any description on the surface of the shell heaps. Possibly, the site was at one time a community of rock masonry houses of simple architectural types similar to those of comparable periods at Puerto de Supe, Viru, or Chicama. If so, some of the structures must have been covered with accumulated piles of cultural debris that collected about the site and the remainder obliterated by weathering and shifting sands. In Pit I large rocks first appeared at 1.50 meters below surface and continued intermittently down to 4.75 meters. At the lower depth was an alignment of stones suggesting a wall or walls. Below 4.75 meters there were no more large rocks. A number of large irregular rocks were found in the bottom of the Pit V I rubbish, but there was no visible arrangement. Three human burials, an infant, an adult

male, and an adult female, were discovered in the refuse during the excavation of the North Extension to Pit I. None of these burials was accompanied by any grave artifacts with the possible exception of the infant. A large, plain olla was found, broken in situ, a few centimeters above the bones of the infant, and this vessel may have been placed as an offering. T h e infant skeleton was found at a depth of about 2.50 meters. At a depth of a little more than 3 meters the body of the female adult, in a flexed position, was found tightly wrapped in a plain textile. The second adult, presumably a male, was found a short distance away from the first, at a depth of 3.25 meters. It was also flexed and wrapped. This body may have been purposefully placed upon a bed of rocks and covered by similar rough boulders. A diligent search was made for the cemetery related to this Early Ancón occupation. Nine pits were excavated in the sandy quebradas }ust up the hill from the midden. This location was deemed the most likely place for burials to have been made, but nothing except an occasional bit of human bone, fragments of pottery, or pieces of decayed textile was revealed. Since our work, an Early Ancón Period cemetery, very probably related to the midden which Uhle and we excavated, has been discovered by Peruvian archaeologists on the slopes of the same hill mass which we searched. Apparently our exploratory testing did not extend far enough west. T h e location, as given by Carrion (1948, Fig. 19), appears to be only a short distance west of the modern stonewalled enclosure around the water tank (see Map II).

PUERTO DE SUPE: T H E LIGHTHOUSE

SITE

isolated block of desert hills between the fertile valleys of Pativilca, on the north, and Introductory note.—Puerto de Supe is a very Supe, on the south. Although the immediate small Peruvian port lying some 125 kilometers environs of the town are barren hills and north of Ancón at approximately 1 1 degrees litde quebradas, within a short distance one south latitude and 78 degrees west longitude. reaches green and watered valley lands (see T h e Supe coast is much like that at Ancón. Pl. I, bottom). One of the sites of the Early The shore is rocky, with a heavy surf, and the Ancón-Supe Period, which Uhle (1925, p. climate similar to that of Ancón. 261) investigated about forty years ago, is loT h e modern port town is situated in a little cated within the desert, close to the port. This DESCRIPTION AND E X C A V A T I O N S

T h e Lighthouse Site is the Lighthouse site (PI. I, bottom). T h e other, although situated in a dry quebrada, opens immediately onto the cultivated plain of the Supe V a l l e y (Uhle, 1925, p. 261). T h i s second location has been designated as Aspero and will be discussed later in this report (PI. I, bottom). A third site, not given specific mention b y Uhle, lies very near the Aspero site. Also treated in the present report, it will be referred to simply by the site survey designation of Li-31 (see also PI. I, bottom, for location). The site.—The Lighthouse site, w h i c h U h l e excavated in 1905, lies just over a ridge of steep hills southwest of the port. Its name derives from an ancient deserted lighthouse overlooking Supe harbor. T h e site occupies a small, deep valley which opens onto a little cove or harbor similar in formation to the m u c h larger and adjacent harbor of Puerto de Supe. This cove is well protected from the prevailing southern winds and h e a v y surf. It is about 50 meters wide a n d deep and is backed by a sandy beach. I n l a n d from the beach the floor of the valley rises g r a d u a l l y for 50 to 75 meters. O n each side are the steep sand and rock hills. A t the end of the lowlying area back of the beach there is an a b r u p t rise of 1 to 2 meters. Behind this the valley floor continues inland at this higher level and widens somewhat. T h e valley finally ends, with sand hills surrounding it on three sides, some 300 to 400 meters b a c k from the beach (PI. I l l , top, left). T h e midden, or occupation area, is centered in the lower two thirds of the valley ( M a p I I I ) , beginning at the a b r u p t rise, mentioned above, and extending u p the valley for a distance of more than 200 meters. T h i s occupation is characterized b y knolls of shell, ash, blackened soil, burned rocks, and potsherds. Debris of this type was not confined to the valley floor, but extended part w a y up the hills on the northeast and over the crest of the lower hills bordering the valley on the southwest. U p o n closer inspection, it is noticed that there are alignments of some of the larger halfburied rocks, and some of these alignments appear to form conjoined rectangles. It is likely that these are the ruins of old, rockwalled buildings, probably dating from the period of the surrounding midden. T h e r e is

15

also an interesting circle, of several meters in diameter (approximately four), formed b y partly buried rocks (PI. I l l , bottom, right). A t the time of our visit to the site w e wondered if this circle was a recent arrangement, possibly m a d e b y children from the nearby port; however, since Uhle noted such a stone circle or ring almost forty years earlier, presumably the same one, it is probable that it is an archeological feature. It will be noted that the location of the Lighthouse site compares favorably w i t h the E a r l y A n c ó n midden on the Bay of A n c ó n . Both middens are situated on the arid sandhill type of terrain. Both are on protected bays and are nestled beneath hills which protect them from the prevailing winds. A t neither site does there appear to be an immediate ample supply of fresh water. O n e spring is known for A n c ó n ; none for the Lighthouse site, although such m a y exist or have existed in the past. T h e appearance of the t w o sites is also somewhat similar. Early A n c ó n is the larger, but both are characterized b y shell refuse and surface sherds. However, the L i g h t house site has ash, burned rock, and evidences of rock structures on the surface, while Early A n c ó n shows none of these features superficially. Another difference between A n c ó n and the Lighthouse site which would seem to be of significance is that while the former is situated several kilometers a w a y from any land that is today arable or appears to h a v e been so in the past, the latter (as can be seen from the air photo on Plate 1, bottom) is not more than half a kilometer from the edge of the Pativilca V a l l e y . Farming would have been a relatively easy matter for the people w h o occupied the Lighthouse site, but somewhat more difficult for the early inhabitants of Ancón. Pit I.—This pit ( M a p I I I ) was excavated in the largest debris pile at the site (PI. I l l , center, right). This is a small mound of shell, small rocks, ash, and sherds which is situated in the very bottom of the depression or little valley in which the site is located. T h e pile is 10 to 15 meters in diameter and, at m a x i m u m , about 3 meters above the surrounding g r o u n d level. A trench, approximately 2 meters wide (made by Uhle?) had been cut through the center of what had been the highest point.

CMAOMerte, oecenmen,

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ts4i)

SCALE APPRO*, so

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11

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PUERTO OESUPC ( TOWN) LIMITS

M A P III. L I G H T H O U S E S I T E , P U E R T O D E S U P E Locations of 1941 excavations.

T h e Lighthouse Site Apparently the d u m p dirt and refuse from this excavation had been thrown out at each end of the trench rather than up onto the banks of the unexcavated portion of the mound. Pit I, a 3 by 3 meter test, was placed on the crown of the slighdy larger of the two unexcavated halves of the mound. T h e upper levels of the pit consisted wholly of shell, broken rock, and sherds. From 1 meter down, the west side of the pit showed mostly sand with a number of potsherds. A huge rock was removed from level 1.75-2.00 meters. T h e south half of the pit, in levels 1.50-1.75 and 1.75-2.00 meters, appeared dusty and brown, in contrast to the overlying shell and broken rock. Level 2.00-2.25 meters had almost no gravel or shell. T h e refuse was gray-black and sandy. Sherds were much less plentiful than in the levels above. T h e next level, 50 centimeters thick, from 2.25 to 2.75 meters, showed little physical change from the previous levels, with shell and ash only in scattered patches. Some animal bones were taken from this level. T h e succeeding level, 2.75-3.25 meters, was carried through much the same type of soil and debris, except that the refuse was even lighter in color, and there were fewer potsherds, suggesting that the midden was giving w a y to sterile soil. A test hole in the center of the pit revealed a single sherd in the sand at a depth of 3.50 meters below surface. T h e test hole was continued down to 4.15 meters. A t the bottom of the hole a number of large rocks were revealed, and a sherd was found among the rocks. T h e pit was discontinued.

0-.25 meters. Sherds continued plentiful in all the levels of the top meter or so. T h e physical nature of the refuse remained much the same down to level 1.50-1.75 meters, but pottery was found in smaller quantities in the lower levels. In level 1.50-1.75 meters a mass of semi-decayed reeds was uncovered. This material may represent the remains of a mat or, possibly, roofing material from a former dwelling. A t a depth of 1.75 meters sandy soil began to appear in the west side of the pit floor. T h e sandy texture of the refuse was marked in level 1.75-2.00 meters. T h e eastern half of the bottom of the pit remained ashy, but no potsherds were found in the ash. A t the 2 meter mark the entire bottom of the pit appeared to be in sterile sand. N o pottery whatsoever was found in level 1.75-2.00 meters. A test was run down on the western side of the pit to a depth of 2.50 meters below surface, but no more cultural material was revealed. T h e pit was closed. Summary of observations.—The Lighthouse site near Puerto de Supe is a dwelling site of relatively limited extent. Its location and composition make clear the fact that the former inhabitants were fishermen and that marine foods played an important part in their economy. T h e y were also agriculturists, as shown by finds in the nearby cemetery. In appearance the Lighthouse site closely resembles the Early Ancon site. Both sites are shell middens, but the Lighthouse site gives surface evidence of rock structures, while Ancon shows no surface features indicating buildings of any kind. T h e two tests made in the refuse revealed midden to depths of 1.75 meters, in one spot and more than 4 meters in another. N o human burials were disclosed in either of these excavations, but separate excavations outside the midden located the cemetery area (see discussion of "Burials," for this site, below).

In all probability we had exhausted the depth of the cultural refuse in this test, although it is possible that we did not. T h e j u m b l e of rocks at the bottom of the test hole suggests that we might have come down upon the foundation of an old house. T h e pit was not completed, as this would have meant enlarging the test cut to enable us to continue digging with safety at a depth of more than 4 meters.

BURIALS

The cemetery area.—The area of the burials lies at the upper end of the sandy quebrada south and east of the ocean cove and the midden zone. In 1941 we noted some old cemetery diggings along the edge of the hills that enclose the site. These lay just out of the midden (Map I I I ) . Scraps of textile and pieces of cane

Pit II.—Pit II was located about 50 meters south of Pit I in another, but smaller, shell refuse pile (PI. I l l , top, right and center, left). This, too, was a 3 by 3 meter pit. T h e pit was excavated in 25 centimeter levels, and a great abundance o f sherds was taken from level B 2448

17

I

i8

The Lighthouse Site

were scattered around these pits. As the ground appeared to be rather thoroughly cut up and churned at this spot, Newman, who was in charge of burial excavations, decided to put down a test trench some 50 or 60 meters more to the southwestward. A t this second location there were a few shallow pits from which burials may once have been recovered, but, in general, the sand seemed less disturbed than at the first place. A n excavation, 2 by 10 meters and numbered Pit I I I , was laid out on an east-west axis (PI. I l l , bottom, left). T h e excavation of the pit proceeded through fairly clean sand unmixed with midden. Occasional fragments of bone, wood, and textile were found, which suggested that this section of the cemetery had been disturbed. Further evidence of disturbance was noted in many of the burials. Several skeletons were only partially intact, and as the remaining bone material was in a good state of preservation, it seems likely that the missing portions were removed or lost during previous digging. A uniform soil feature was noted for the whole trench. This was a layer of salitre-impregnated sand, first encountered at a depth of 80 centimeters and having a thickness of approximately 20 centimeters. Some of the burials lay above this hardened stratum, some were partially incorporated in it, and others were found below the salitre. In no place was this layer found to have been broken by earlier trenching, although some of the presumably disturbed burials were partially imbedded in the salt-sand crust. Skeleton / . — A n intact, old, adult male calvarium, accompanied only by a few of the upper vertebrae and ribs, came from the east section of the trench at a depth of 50 centimeters. In association were pieces of basketry (see p. 7, Basketry 3). Some bone beads (see p. 7, Bone Object 1), were found nearby, at a depth of 40 centimeters. These may possibly have been in association with the burial at one time. It seems obvious that Skeleton 1 had been disturbed by former excavation. Skeleton 2.—This burial was found in the west section of the trench at 80 centimeters below surface. T h e only bones present in recognizable condition were six ribs, the body of the sternum, and both feet. These bones, those of an adult, were all in excellent con-

dition and were firmly imbedded in salitrehardened sand. It is presumed that the remainder of the body and skull, probably not included in the salitre stratum, had been discovered and removed at some time in the past. A t the time of discovery it was believed that Skeleton 2 represented the remains of an in situ cremation. This opinion is given in the preliminary report (Strong and Willey, 1943, p. 13). Subsequent study of the problem has not confirmed this first judgment. T h e bones were found in a basin-like depression in the sand and were lying on a black, badly deteriorated cloth fabric. Under the cloth were the remains of a net, also somewhat blackened. Surrounding the fabric, net, and the bones was an encrustation of salitre and sand 4 to 8 centimeters thick. A t the time of excavation this was interpreted as a fire-blackened textile, and the sand was thought to have been fused by the heat of a cremation fire. It is now clear that the sand was simply hardened by salt deposition and that the textiles were black with the peculiar decay that often results from a decomposing body in the sands of the arid Peruvian coast. None of the bones showed the slightest trace of calcination or the effects of fire. It is probable that the burial was a primary flexure, wrapped in a cloth mantle. N o artifacts were found associated with this burial. Skeleton 3 . — T h i s burial was found imbedded in salitre in the east section of the pit, at a depth of 80 centimeters. It was an adult lying on its right side in a flexed position. T h e skeleton was complete except for the skull. In this connection, it is just possible that the skull discussed under Skeleton 1, and found almost directly above at a depth of 50 centimeters below surface, belongs to Skeleton 3. Skeleton 3 had been wrapped in textiles, which were in the final stages of decay, being only a black mass of shreds. A t the back of the burial was a mass of reeds, and immediately associated with the bones was a dried fruit pod of a type known locally as " p a c a i " (specimen lost). Skeleton 4.—This burial, from the west section of the trench, was noted at 90 centimeters below surface, not far from Skeleton 2. It was also encrusted with salitre-hardened sand, but had been partially disturbed. A n adult,

The Lighthouse Site the mandible, pelvis, sacrum, and a few hand and foot bones were recovered; but from these it was impossible to determine the burial position. Blackened, decayed fabrics found with the bones were apparendy the original body wrappings. A number of objects were found in immediate association. These include: a bead-like artifact or whorl of pottery (see p. 69, Spindle Whorl 6); an oblong piece of wood beveled at the ends and slightly charred (see p. 70, Wood Objects 3); sherds from an incised bowl (see p. 69, Pottery Vessel 2); a pottery disk (lost in transit); a shell with cotton adhering to it (see p. 74, Miscellaneous 7 ) ; a twined basket (see p. 71, Basketry 1); a carved pottery head or whorl with paintfilled incised decorations (see p. 69, Spindle Whorl 4); three wooden comb-teeth (see p. 70, Wood Object 2); and a plain red ware bowl (see p. 69, Pottery Vessel 3). Skeleton 5 . — T h i s was an east-section burial, at a depth of 90 centimeters below surface. T h e bones were those of an infant. A decorated textile (see p. 113, Cat. No. 783) lay above the burial. In more immediate association with the bones was another piece of designed fabric (see p. 112, Cat. No. 784). A pottery bead or whorl (see p. 69, Spindle Whorl 1) was also in association. Skeleton 6.—This was a young adult male, found in a tightly flexed position in the east section of the excavation at a depth of 1 meter below surface. T h e body had been wrapped in textiles and placed on a mat of cane or rushes. Under the mat was a simple net of cord. M o r e mats covered the interment. T h e fabrics with which this body had been wrapped had deteriorated to black tatters. Skeleton 7 . — T h i s skeleton came from the center of the trench and from a depth of 1.25 meters. T h e bones were those of an adult, and they had been partially disturbed, probably by the subsequent digging of the grave pit for Skeleton 8. In spite of the disturbance, the position of the body was tighdy flexed. Part of the vertebral column had been disturbed; and although the mandible was present the calvarium was missing. T h e body had been wrapped in textiles. Cinnabar powder stained the textiles in some places. As with many of the other burials, a basin-like

19 depression in the sand had been lined with cane matting to receive the burial. T h e only materials associated with the burial were the textile wrappings themselves (see p. 114, C a t . No. 786). Skeleton 8.—The burial pit for Skeleton 8 may have cut through the Skeleton 7 grave as mentioned above. T h e Skeleton 8 burial was found at 1 meter depth just slightly east of the center of the trench. T h e remains are those of a young adult male. T h e body lay in a flexed position, and a considerable amount of decayed flesh still adhered to the bones. A great number of objects were with, or near, this burial. These include: corn-cobs (see pp. 134-35, C a t - N o s - 795» 8 o 5 ) ; a gourd vessel (see p. 136, Cat. No. 796), with a piece of textile; the foot of a llama tied with a cord (see p. 140, Cat. No. 800); a piece of basketry (see p. 71, Basketry 2); a textile fragment (undescribed); a few small bits of featherwork (undescribed); a knot of vegetal brush partially burned or decomposed (lost in transit); a section of hide or textile (see p. 122, Cat. No. 806); a large, smooth, rectangular bone object (see p. 71, Bone O b j e c t 2); textiles (see pp. 118 and 122, Cat. Nos. 801-802); a splendidly carved gourd vessel (see p. 73, Carved Gourd 1); a feather headdress or mande (see p. 71, Feather Headdress 1); a section of netting (see p. 71, Netting 1 ) ; some pieces of twined basketry (see p. 7 1 , Basketry 4); a portion of an incised pottery bowl together with a fragment of netting (lost in transit); and a thin leaf of beaten gold (see p. 138, Cat. No. 814). Not far away from the above artifacts and buried in the sand at a depth of .75 to 1.00 meters was the semi-decomposed head of a small brown-haired dog (see pp. 138-40). It may have been killed and placed with Skeleton 8 as a special offering. Skeleton 9.—This skeleton was taken from the east section of the trench at a depth of approximately 1 meter. It was a flexed adult and was covered by a mass of textiles (see p. 113, Cat. No. 792). Nearby were two spindle whorls with incised decorations (see p. 69, Pottery Spindle Whorls 3, 5); a small wooden spindle whorl and a tighdy wrapped leaf (both items lost in shipment); a plain pottery bowl (see p. 69, Pottery Vessel 4 ) ;

20

The Lighthouse Site

and some teeth from a wooden comb (see p. 70, Wood Object 2). Skeleton 10.—This skeleton, 1.25 meters deep in the east section, was an old adult male who had been shifted and disturbed, possibly by aboriginal digging or possibly by huaquero activity. The pelvis and the lower limbs were missing. Fragments of textiles were found with the bones, as well as a broken gourd bowl and two bivalve shells (undescribed). In addition to the artifacts removed with the burials, two separate finds were also made in the Pit I I I excavation at Lighthouse. Found at a depth of 80 centimeters, these were a small cache of peanuts from the west section of the trench (see p. 135, Cat. No. 787) and a section of hollow cane with two perforations at one end (which was lost in transit). A single interesting surface find (see p. 70, Stone Object 1) is a small, stemmed projectile point of chipped stone. This was picked up in the vicinity of Pit I by W. D. Strong on a visit to the Lighthouse site in J u n e , 1941. Summary of observations.—The Lighthouse site burials, at Puerto de Supe, were found at the head of the small quebrada occupied by the old village site. The area of the cemetery lies only 50 to 100 meters from the edge of the shell midden. At some time in the past, excavations had been made in the cemetery. Some of these were undoubtedly the work of Uhle (1925); others were probably the results of efforts by huaqueros, or treasure hunters. These excavations had, it appears, partially destroyed and disturbed some of the burials uncovered by our party. It is possible that pottery vessels or other artifacts were removed from some of the graves by these earlier excavators. It is also possible, and in one case likely, that graves were cut into and the human remains scattered by the Indians themselves when a later grave shaft accidentally descended into an earlier interment. T h e exact determination of grave intrusions or superpositions was precluded by the extremely superficial nature of all of the burials. Some were found at only 50 to 80 centimeters below the present surface, and the deepest were no more than 1.25 meters down. In connection with the question of the partially disarticulated skeletons in the Lighthouse cemetery, as well as at the Aspero site,

it should be noted that Uhle commented upon these same conditions (Uhle, 1925, pp. 2 6 2 63). Working under more favorable circumstances, in that the cemeteries were much less dug over in 1905 than some thirty-five years later, Uhle observed that even in graves in which the body wrappings were intact, the skeletons were incomplete. It was his conclusion that the bodies were not accidentally disarranged after burial, but intentionally dismembered before inhumation. He considered the dismemberment to have been ceremonial, cannibalistic, or both. Although these interpretations must still be given consideration, they are by no means proven. Of the ten skeletons found in the 1941 excavations at Lighthouse, it will be seen that three of them (Skeletons 6, 8, 9) were intact primary interments. This tends to weaken Uhle's argument, although it is, of course, possible that both disarticulated and articulated burial was practiced. The question, unfortunately, remains unsolved for both the Lighthouse and Aspero cemeteries. If, however, Uhle was correct, and some of the bodies were purposefully disarticulated and scattered before interment, this type of disposal of the dead is unique for the Andean area. A uniform feature of the cemetery area was a stratum, some 20 centimeters thick, of salitre-impregnated sand. This relatively hard stratum was uniformly encountered in the Pit I I I test cut at a depth of 80 centimeters. It is a natural formation common to the desert coast of Peru. At the Lighthouse site a number of the burials were partially imbedded in this salitre layer. Obviously, the sand and salt had hardened around the bones during the centuries subsequent to burial. This condition, together with the badly decayed and blackened fabrics found covering the bones, led to an erroneous field interpretation. Several of the burials were considered in situ cremations. It is now clear that all of the burials were direct, simple inhumations. Test Pit I I I , a trench 10 by 2 meters, was excavated in the Lighthouse cemetery, and a total often skeletons, or partial skeletons, was recovered. These were all separate burials. All save one were adults. Four of the group showed evidence of fronto-vertico-occipital cranial deformation. T h e typical burial posi-

The Aspero Site tion, where determinable, was a tightly flexed body wrapped in textiles and placed on the back or the side. Reed mats underlay the body and were sometimes also used as a top covering. In some instances nets of cordage were found beneath the bottom mats, indicating, perhaps, that the flexed body may originally have been tied up in the mats. Grave artifacts were found associated with most of the individual burials, but were outside the burial wrappings. Among these are pottery vessels, gourd vessels, baskets, decorated beads or spindle whorls of pottery and various miscellaneous objects. Owing to the

21

climate and the nature of the soils, the textiles and baskets were remarkably well preserved. The field impressions were that the Lighthouse site graves examined by us are essentially contemporaneous and that all belong to the same prehistoric cultural unit. T h e ceramics from the graves, all of the Early Ancón-Supe style, were noted to be similar to the nearby village midden, so that the cemetery and dwelling area are undoubtedly related in time and in culture. As will be seen laboratory analyses of the artifactual materials from both parts of the Lighthouse site bear this out.

P U E R T O D E S U P E : T H E A S P E R O SITE DESCRIPTION

The second major site of the Early A n c ó n Supe horizon in the vicinity of Puerto de Supe is referred to as Aspero. This is a modern local name and is the name assigned to the site in a preliminary survey paper. A t that time it was stated: "Farther down the coast, two or three kilometers south and east from the port, is the second site, unnamed by Uhle, but locally called Aspero" (Strong and Willey, 1943, p. 11). Since then, we note that we were in error in assuming that there was no published name of the site as Kroeber (1925), in referring to Uhle's Supe catalogue in a footnote (p. 237), lists certain specimens from a "Cerro Prieto." Kroeber, in a later summary (1944, p. 42), again refers to the location as Cerro Prieto. As this Cerro Prieto is evidently the second of the early shell mound sites visited by Uhle in the Puerto Supe region, it is the Aspero site. A third name, Boca Negra, is the designation that Tello gave to Aspero or Cerro Prieto (personal communication, 1942). T o the best of our knowledge this last appellation has not appeared in print. The authors regret the duplication of names in the literature and admit the priority of Kroeber's (1925) footnote reference. However, as the name Aspero was used extensively in the 1943 survey paper, which is preliminary to this report, they feel compelled to continue with this name. In 1905 Uhle (1925, p. 261) described the Aspero site as follows:

The other [site] is about a mile and a half to the south [of Puerto de Supe], on the southern slope of a range of hills separating the plain of Barranca from that of the hacienda, San Nicolas. [It] occupies a larger area [than the Lighthouse site]. It opens to the plain in front of it, which is now occupied by a swamp and may once have been the place where the river of Supe fell into the sea. From a distance, the settlement appears black, like an old foundry site. But no further indications appear, and in walking over the ground one sees nothing more than ashes and blackened stones. Only when one begins to dig, do worked fragments of stone and small sherds of very simple pottery begin to appear. The enigma hidden in these scanty remains could be solved only by the discovery of graves. As these could not be found within the settlement, it was necessary to search the neighborhood. This was done for several days, with the result that several small burial grounds were discovered . . . in the bottom of a small depression between the hills east of that site [Aspero]. But they were less numerous here [than at the Lighthouse site] and yielded scant information, though their identity, in chronological character and the whole aspect of their culture, with those of the first settlement [Lighthouse] was apparent. Aspero has changed its appearance little since this description by Uhle. In 1941 a few relatively recent excavations were dotted over the midden area, but the site had not been as thoroughly looted as most on the Peruvian coast. Evidences of considerable digging could be seen in the cemetery area adjacent to the midden, and it was impossible to tell how

SAND

MAP IV. ASPERO AND L I - 3 1 , PUERTO DE SUPE Locations of 1941 excavations.

The Aspero Site much of this was very recent and how much could be attributed to Uhle. T h e midden site retains the black appearance which U h l e commented upon, and the surface is uneven and dotted with small knolls. Some of these knolls, or hillocks, appear to be natural eminences of sand, not rubbish or structure mounds. T h e surface of the midden area is covered with blackened rocks, ash, and shell, and here and there are lines of stones which may represent the walls of ancient buildings. W e found no surface sherds in the Aspero quebrada, although some surface pottery was observed in similar midden sites in the quebradas on each side of Aspero. T h e Aspero quebrada is enclosed on three sides by sand hills and faces the open valley land of the San Nicolas Hacienda on the remaining side ( M a p I V ) . A t the mouth the quebrada is approximately 250 meters wide, and in depth it measures around 300 meters. T h e floor slopes gradually upward a w a y from the open valley into the surrounding sand hills (PI. I V , top, left). T h e directions noted b y us vary from those given by Uhle, although there is no doubt that this is the same site which he visited. Uhle states that the site was located on the south side of a range of hills and later that the cemetery was in a sandy area on the east of the main quebrada. O u r compass readings orient the site as facing more eastwardly to the open plain, being on the east side of the hills; the cemetery area lies, thus, off to the north. T h e actual area of occupation, or the midden, is in the lower portion of the quebrada, extending completely across the mouth. There is an abrupt rise, or bank, along the valley side of the occupation area, and cultural debris was not found below this bank. A sandy, unoccupied strip, a few meters wide, lies in front of the bank, separating the midden area from the vegetation of the fields. T h e beach and the sea lie only a kilometer or less to the south. T h e cemetery area is in a sandy a r m of the quebrada ( M a p I V ) . This arm is about 50 meters wide (east-west) and 100 meters deep (north-south). T h e ground here is not blackened, nor are there any stones, ash, shell, or other detritus. O n l y by random testing did U h l e locate the burials beneath the clean

23 sand, and our excavations in this quarter merely followed his lead. Lying north and south of the Aspero quebrada are two other occupation sites which might properly be considered parts of Aspero. Uhle did not mention these areas specifically. O n e , that to the north, has been considered a separate site unit in the course of this discussion, referred to by our survey number as site Li-31 (Lima Department, site 31) ( M a p I V ) ; the other, to the south, which is considerably larger in extent, was not given formal designation as a site ( M a p I V ) . Both of these outlying locations differed from Aspero proper and resembled each other in that surface pottery was observed on each. Most of the sherds were plain, although a few decorated ones were seen, and all of the ware fell within the general range of the Early A n c o n - S u p e style. Both of these adjacent middens were also situated within small quebradas facing the open valley. T h e Aspero sites are like A n c o n and the Lighthouse site in that they are midden areas composed of ash, shell, rock, and general detritus and are situated within small, protected, dry valleys near the sea. A l l three sites are thus within easy access of marine foods. Aspero resembles Lighthouse in that crude rock-walled ruins lie within the midden area and in the relationship of the cemetery area to the midden zone. O n e interesting difference between the Aspero sites and the other two is that the former is located within immediate proximity to arable land and a water supply. Presumably the inhabitants of Aspero could have farmed with ease in the land at the mouth of the quebrada. It is possible, but not likely, that this agriculture was carried on with the aid of irrigation. A l t h o u g h rising above the floor of the lower Pativilca and Supe valleys, the small hill mass in which both the Lighthouse and Aspero sites are situated lies at a considerably lower elevation than the upper drainages of these valleys. T h a t is, the whole continental shelf dips oceanward more appreciably than it so appears when one is on the ground (see air photo, PI. I, bottom). Because of this dip it was possible to conduct canals along the slopes of the hills lying in the lower valleys. Such a canal is still visible along the southeast side of the hill mass. T h e course of this canal

24

The Aspero Site

depth. This second skeleton was not covered by boulders, but a small flute, or fragment of a flute, made of a bird bone (see p. 76, Bone Object 2) accompanied the burial. No artifacts were found in association with the first infant. T h e rubbish in this level was gray and sandy. No cultural material was found in the pit, except the flute and a large, grooved maul, or anchor (see p. 75, Stone Object 3). As the refuse appeared to be running out, the next level, 1.00-1.50 meters, was carried down only in the western half of the pit. This disclosed a salitre-impregnated, light br6wn sandy crust, completely sterile. A test hole M I D D E N EXCAVATIONS was continued down into this crust, which T h e Aspero excavations were made with proved to be only a few centimeters thick. the objective of obtaining data on three types Below the crust the sand was soft and clean. of remains: burials, midden refuse, and struc- Excavation was halted at a depth of 2 meters. tures. T h e excavations within the cemetery Pit VIII.—This pit was placed about 40 area were placed under the direction of Dr. meters southwest of Pit I ( M a p I V ) . It was a N e w m a n , and the burial excavations are dis- 2 by 2 meter cut located on a small, undiscussed below under the heading "Burials." turbed rise of rubbish. In the top level, 0-.50 Corbett initiated the work on what appeared meters, the refuse was sandy with finely to be a house site, and this is considered in the crushed shell mixed through it. Succeeding succeeding section. Willey conducted the test levels down to 2 meters, revealed only gray pitting in the midden refuse with the remain- sand and refuse, but not a single artifact of der of the digging crew. Three such midden any description was found. A test hole below tests were made, Pits I, V I I I , and I X (PL I V , the 2 meter depth showed only clean sand. Lack of artifacts or any sign of human activity top, right). Pit I.—Pit I, a 3 by 3 meter test, was located made further excavation appear futile, and in the north central part of the Aspero midden the pit was closed at 2.30 meters. A n examina( M a p I V ) . T h e spot selected was on the tion of the profiles of the pit showed " b e d d e d " crown of a low hummock of refuse which thin strata. T h e nature of their deposition showed no disturbance (Pl. I V , center, left). brings up the question whether these layers T h e first level, 0-.50 meters, cut through clay, are the result of water or wind action. T h e y fine sandy black midden, shell, and rocks. appear natural rather than man-made. Pit IX.—Pit I X , also a 2 by 2 meter cut, Although the detritus was not sifted, a careful search revealed no potsherds or any other was located about 30 meters southwest of Pit artifacts. A n examination of the profile after V I I I ( M a p I V ) . Thus, the three pits, I, V I I I , this level was removed showed that a yellow- and I X , run from the north central to the ish clay cap of irregular thickness covered the central portion of the Aspero midden area. surface of most of the refuse at this location. Like the other two pits, I X was sunk in the This clay cap probably represents eroded soil crown of a small rise in the refuse. T h e rubbish from the surrounding hills which had washed in the first 50 centimeters was composed of down into the bottom of the quebrada during black dirt, shell, and small rocks. T w o fragthe rare rains which occur in this part of ments of oval grinding stones (see p. 75, Peru. Stone Objects 6, 7) came from this top 50 In level .50-1.00 meters the bones of a very centimeter level. N o other artifacts were young human infant were discovered below noted. In the second level, .50-1.00 meters, two large boulders at a depth of 65 centimeters gray sand was encountered. T h e "grayness" below surface. Later a second infant burial results from an admixture of charred material was found near the first, at about the same and other organic substances. A few rocks,

follows a contour line through site Li-31 (see Pl. I V , bottom, right), rounds the small promontory separating that site from Aspero, and disappears somewhere in the Aspero quebrada. Possibly this was its terminal point. In any event, it is clear that the slopes and the small quebradas along the southeast side of the now desert hill mass were once under cultivation. T h e r e is little doubt that the canal is prehistoric, but there is no w a y to be sure whether it is of Early A n c o n - S u p e date or of a later period.

The Aspero Site some of them possibly worked or smoothed, were recorded from the .50-1.00 meter level and retained (see p. 76, Stone Objects 10, 11, 12, 13, and 15). The pit was eventually taken down to 2.60 meters below surface. Dark gray, refuse-stained or discolored sand continued to a depth of over 2 meters. Below this there was only clean brown sand. A résumé of the pit profiles shows the top 55 to 60 centimeters to be composed of small, sharp pieces of gravel, black refuse, and shell. Below this was only gray, bedded layers of sand, similar to those in Pit V I I I . No pottery or artifacts of any kind, except those mentioned, were found in the pit. During the course of the midden test pit excavations, Willey walked over the Aspero quebrada and examined the ground for potsherds. None were found, but 011 the extreme south side of the site, near the bordering hills he picked up a large, grooved stone maul, or possibly anchor (see p. 75, Stone Object 2). This specimen is similar to Stone Object 3 (P- 75)Summary of observations.—Aspero is located in a dry quebrada opening onto the San Nicolas fields of the Supe Valley, two to three kilometers from the port of Supe. The sea lies approximately one kilometer away from Aspero, and the fertile and watered Valley of Supe is immediately adjacent. Although the Aspero cemetery site is considered as belonging to the Early Ancón-Supe horizon, no comparable ceramics or other identifying objects were recovered from the midden proper. The midden is the centrally located of three, as the two adjoining quebradas, to the north and south, also contain midden refuse. Aspero differs from these other two middens in having no pottery, or at least none was found by us. Three tests indicate the northern half of the Aspero midden site to be no deeper than one to two meters. Only occasional artifacts of stone and bone were found. Two infant, but no adult, inhumations were encountered in the refuse tests. The cemetery referred to above is located just off the occupation area in a little subsidiary quebrada. Buildings with rock walls once stood on the midden site, and their remains are barely visible on the surface today.

25 T H E STRUCTURE

Excavations and description.—Near the north end of the midden area (Map IV, Pit II location) some previous digging had revealed the rock walls of a house or room. Aside from what was first brought to our attention in the old excavator's pit, there was little on the surface at this location to attract notice. T h e midden was slightly mounded, and several large waterworn boulders were scattered about; otherwise, this building site looked much the same as the rest of the Aspero occupation area. The old excavation was used as a starting point, and the rectangular unit, or room, partially disclosed was completely cleared by us. All excavations concerned with the clearing and tracing out of what proved to be a compound building arrangement were considered as Pit II excavations. Before we had finished with the total structural complex, an area approximately 14 by 10 meters had been cleared (PI. IV, center, right). The first room, the one found partially excavated, was labeled Room 1 (see M a p V). It proved to be about 3 meters long and not more than 1 meter wide. T h e tops of the broken walls lay just beneath the surface, and the room floor level averages less than 1 meter below midden surface. Three walls of the room were constructed in a substantial style of masonry, in which large waterworn boulders were roughly coursed, chinked with spalls, or smaller rocks, and set in mud mortar (PI. IV, bottom, left). The southeast wall of the room was less well made, being only a crude mass of rubble and mud (Wall A). Room 1 was excavated well below the hard-packed clay floor level into midden that underlay the building. No potsherds or other artifacts were encountered either above or below the floor. These preliminary clearings made it obvious that Room 1 was a part of a larger structure. Consequently, excavations were begun southwest of Room 1 to continue exploration of the building plan. This area to the southwest was designated as Room 2. Room 2 was found to be separated from Room 1 by a wall of unusual thickness (almost 1 meter). Both sides of this wall (Wall B) were constructed of rounded boulders set in mud, much as in the

MAP V . P L A T MAP OF E X C A V A T E D STRUCTURE, ASPERO MIDDEN, PUERTO DE SUPE (A) Crude rubble wall, large boulders; (B) Wall faced with larger boulders and with rock and adobe rubble fill; (C) Walls or rows of rock with rubble fill between them; (D) Much the same as C; (£) Prepared doorway or window with stone slab sill; (F) Walls of this type consist of rounded or rectangular rocks set in rubble and adobe mortar or matrix; (G) Walls of this type consist of ovoid or waterwora boulders which are less expertly joined than are those of F, although mud mortar was apparently used; (H) Broken stump of large wooden post (algarroba.'); (/) Platform covered with hard clay, height 33 cms.; (J) Platform covered with hard clay, height 30 cms.; (K-L) Remnants of rock walls at lower level than interior of Room 4; (M) Section of wall with rubble fill, similar to B, but not as well made.

The Aspero Site walls described for Room i However, between the two faces there was a jumble of angular stone chips, adobe, mud, and so forth. A similar wall (Wall C and D) was found to project into Room 2 near the north corner of the room. As subsequent excavations disclosed only a part of the southeast and no southwest, wall, it was impossible to determine just what had been the original floor plan of this part of the building. The two wall segments suggest, though, that Room 2 had been an enclosure of two or more parts adjoining Rooms 1, 3, and 4. In finishing up the excavations in Room 2, a section of hard-packed floor was discovered forming a junction with the base of Wall C and D. Below the floor was refuse consisting of alternating zones, or lenses, of ash, decayed organic matter, and sand. In testing the depth of this sub-floor refuse, four corncobs and some miscellaneous food remains (see pp. 1 3 1 and 1 4 1 , Cat. Nos. 726 and 730) were found 85 centimeters below the floor. Also found in the sub-floor refuse of Room 2, at a depth of .85-1.00 meters, was a possible hammerstone (see p. 76, Stone Object 9). Work was started in Room 3, located immediately to the southeast of Room 1, as soon as Room 2 had been cleared. As can be judged from Map V , Rooms 1 and 3 may originally have been one and were later divided by rubble wall A. The northeast and southeast walls of Room 3 were made of large rounded and rectanguloid rocks set in rubble and mud mortar. Both interior and exterior wall surfaces were fairly smooth and even. Test digging to the northeast and southeast of Room 3 indicated the unit to be a corner and outside room of the total structure. No artifacts were found within the midden of Room 3, but just outside the northeast wall, in the trench tracing the outer walls of the structure, a spoonlike bone artifact (see p. 76, Bone Object 3) was found, at a depth of 50 centimeters below surface. Room 3 was excavated only to the hard clay floor which joined the base of the rock walls. Room 4, the largest in the structure, was cleared by first digging just northwest of Room 1 and then by following the walls on both the inner and the outer sides with exploratory trenches. The southeastern half of

27

the room was excavated first, and only a small section of the fill (indicated on M a p V) was not removed from this area of the building. A full-grooved hammerstone (see p. 75, Stone Object 4), a gourd (see p. 136, Cat. No. 746) and some cotton were found just outside the southeast wall at a depth of 25 to 50 centimeters. During the first day's digging in Room 4, the hard clay platform number 1 (I) (PI. V , top) was brought to light while removing the top 50 centimeters of dirt fill covering the room. In the midden directly above the platform there was a large amount of small rock scrap and some pieces of gourd and textile (see p. 137, Cat. No. 747). Some of the rock fragments were found adhering to the top of the clay platform. Over the northwest end of the platform, 5 to 10 centimeters below the midden surface, a chipped stone knife (see p. 75, Stone Object 1) was recovered. Also in the refuse over the platform were a considerable number of smooth, round, or eggshape stones (see p. 76, Stone Object 14) and a small grooved maul, or hammerstone (see p. 75, Stone Object 5). The clearance of Room 4 brought another interesting feature to view in the wall between Rooms 1 and 4. This was a narrow "doorway," complete with a stone slab sill set several centimeters above the floor level of both rooms (PI. V , center, left). The width of the " d o o r " at the bottom was a little more than 30 centimeters. Although a number of openings, or breaks, were observed at various places in the walls of the Aspero structure, this was the only one whose construction made clear that it was a purposefully built doorway or window. Further work on Platform 1 revealed it to be a slightly imperfect square averaging about 2 meters on a side and with an average height above the floor of 33 centimeters. The top of the platform was slighdy concave. The sides and top were coated with an extremely hard gray-white clay which had been fired black in some places, as though successive fires had been built upon the platform. In order to determine the nature of its construction, the east quarter of the platform was cut away. This excavation showed the hard crust of gray-white clay to be only a few centimeters thick. It was noted that this clay capping was

28

The Aspero Site

considerably harder than the mud mortar used in the rock walls of the building, and this hardness must have resulted partly from the firing. The clay crust covered an understructure of rocks and loose clay fill. The understructure had been formed by placing large, elongated boulders on end, in a single row, to form the outline of the square. On the tops of the larger boulders smaller ones were set in the interstices. The interior of the square had then been filled with a mass of loose, dry, yellow clay and a few large rocks (PI. V , bottom) . The whole had then been covered with the clay crust. The area immediately beneath the construction was soft midden, as the prepared floor of Room 4 did not extend underneath the platform. Apparently the platform had been made before the floor was laid. Excavation was continued in the midden underlying the section of the platform that had been removed, and dark, organically-stained refuse and alternate bands of yellow clay were found to be a meter deep at this point. Sterile tan sand underlay the midden. Progressive clearance of Room 4 defined the position of platform 1 with relation to rooms and wall structure. A break in the northeast wall of Room 4 occurred just beyond the point of juncture of the northwest wall of Room 1. The Room 4 wall took up again almost immediately, but with an offset of about 50 centimeters. Possibly the offset and the break were made to form an entranceway. This northeast wall continued from the point of the break for a distance of about 4 meters. Beyond this the wall came to an end as though part of it had been destroyed. A section of wall, 2 meters in length, connected this northeast wall with the north corner of Platform 1, and from this it was thought that an analogous rock wall would be found tying the west corner of Platform 1 with the southwest wall of Room 4. No such connecting wall was found on the other side of the platform, however. A n interesting structural feature revealed in the excavation of the rock wall connecting the platform with the northeast wall of Room 4 was the broken stump of a wooden post (H) which had been set in the ground 1 meter northwest of the connecting wall (PI. V , top). Located as it is in the corner of the room, it is likely that it was a roof support.

T h e broken stump, apparently of algarroba, was 22 centimeters in diameter. T h e remainder of the structure, to the west and the northwest of Platform 1, was considered part of Room 4, as no intervening partitions were encountered. A corncob wrapped in both thread and hair (see p. 78, Miscellaneous 1) came from a depth of 25 centimeters in the floor fill. A trench around the outside of the southeast and southwest walls showed a break in the rocks just at the south corner of the room. This may have been a passageway, but there were no evidences of a prepared sill. Following along the southwest wall a fragment of a bone artifact (see p. 76, Bone Object 1) was uncovered just a few centimeters below surface. This was the last artifact found in the structure excavations. No pottery was found in any of the rooms or in the excavations outside the building. From the south corner referred to above, the southwest wall extends in a northwesterly direction for about 8.50 meters. At this point it ends abruptly, much as the northeast wall ended. Exploratory cutting along the northwest side of the structure revealed no walls. Probably the northwest walls, along with portions of the southwest and northeast walls, had been removed or otherwise destroyed. About midway on the southwest wall there is an opening, also without a floor sill, which may have been an entrance passage. This interpretation is strengthened somewhat by the presence of two small rock wall extensions abutting on each side of the opening ( K , L). These extensions were only one rock course high, and they were set appreciably lower than the prepared floor of Room 4. In this position they formed a slightly curving approach passage to the doorway with a necessary step-up to the interior floor level. T h e last (most northwesterly) 2 meters of the southwest wall (M) differ from the rest of that wall in that they were constructed by the bi-faced, rubble-fill method, much like the southwest wall of Rooms 1 and 3. T h e last feature to be discovered in the excavation of the Room 4 area was a second platform (Platform 2 [ J ] ) , shaped and presumably constructed much like the first (PI. V , center, right). T h e second platform was oriented at a slightly different angle than the first, and was situated about 2 meters west of

The Aspero Site

29 Platform i. No structural remains of any kind third type. This is the rubble wall, as seen were found between the two platforms, and between Rooms 1 and 3, where there is no the prepared clay floor extended smoothly facing, but the rocks are piled into a thick from one to the other. Platform 2 was slightly matrix of mud. This would make a very unsmaller than i, and the clay crust had been stable construction, and it is quite possible broken through along one edge. It, too, had that the wall as observed in this instance been the site of several fires. No connecting simply represents a partially destroyed biwalls, similar to the one mentioned for Plat- faced rubble wall. Only one instance of a form x, were found relating to Platform 2. definite door or window construction was obSummary of observations and interpretation.—served. In this case a single stone slab had The Aspero structure investigated by us was been set in the wall as a flooring sill to the situated in the midst of a midden refuse area opening. Other probable doorways were simand both the wall foundations and the pre- ply apertures in the walls. Floors were of pared floors were superimposed over a mini- hard-packed clay and well-smoothed. These mum of 1 meter of refuse. Shells, decayed adjoined the rock walls at wall-base. There is organic matter, rocks, sand, and some vegetal little evidence for roof type, although the one material composed this refuse. Refuse of the post stump found in situ suggests a superstrucsame type was found covering the structure. ture of considerable weight and span. Most There was no evidence which would indicate likely the roof was of perishable material. Inthat the structure represented more than one terior clay platforms were rectangular blocks built up of dry masonry, rubble-fill, and building period. The general ground plan of the building is covered with a clay plaster which was fired difficult to determine from the remains, and to a hardness much greater than that of the it appears likely that a section of the structure floors. The prepared floors did not extend had been completely destroyed before being underneath the one platform which was excovered. From the walls and features that are cavated ; apparently the platforms had been left, the building plan was centered upon a built before the floors were put in. Both platlarge room around which smaller rooms were forms are about 2 meters square and 30 centiattached. The orientation of the entire com- meters in height. We know that the Aspero structure was plex is at about a 45 degree angle off the cardinal directions. Small rooms were found built after the site had been occupied by adjoining the main room (Room 4) at the peoples who were familiar with maize hortisoutheast end, or wing. The outside entrance culture. This is attested to by the fact that to the main room may have been in the center some of the corncobs found in connection of the southwest wall. The entire northwest with our excavations were in the midden end of the complex appears to be missing, and beneath the prepared floor. The general it is also possible that interior partitions have arrangement suggests a community structure been destroyed and removed from within the of some sort, with a large main chamber and smaller connecting rooms. The two claymain room. There are two principal types of wall con- covered platforms, which show evidences of struction in the building. One is a bi-faced burning, suggest altars or places of sacred wall with a thick rubble core. This type aver- fires. The absence of cooking debris on or ages 50 centimeters in thickness. The two around the platforms further substantiates faces are made of large, water-worn boulders the view that these unique features had a which are more or less coursed, chinked with ceremonial, rather than a utilitarian, funcspalls, and set in mud mortar. The other is a tion. The chronological interpretations consingle-faced wall, also made of water-worn cerning the Aspero temple and midden are boulders chinked and set in mud mortar. involved and are treated in detail under the Width averages about 20 centimeters. Some "Conclusions," pp. 143-65. It is sufficient to of the walls of this type were more carefully say here that the dating of the building is made, as to the setting of the stones, than complicated by the lack of distinctive artifact others. There is, also, what might be called a types.

The Aspero Site

3° BURIALS

The cemetery area.—The zone of burials in which b o t h U h l e ' s (1925, p. 261) and our own (see Strong and Willey, 1943, p. 13) excavations were made lay in a small side quebrada opening on the north side of the larger Aspero quebrada ( M a p I V ) . T h e area is sandy and distinct from the ash, shell, midden, and blackened rock of the occupation site. In appearance, terrain situation, and relationship to the adjoining village area, the Aspero cemetery bears a close resemblance to the cemetery section at the Lighthouse site. In 1941 the surface of the cemetery area was pocked b y at least thirty drift-filled excavations (see PI. V I , top, and center, left). Some of these were probably the vestiges of Uhle's digging; others appeared to be of a somewhat more recent age. T w o whole calvariums (numbered as Skeletons 1 and 2) and other pieces of human bone were found on the surface, but no other signs of human burial or occupation were visible. During an eight-day period Dr. N e w m a n opened a total of eleven pits in his search for burials. These pits were numbered in the same series as those of the Aspero midden excavations and will be referred to as Pits I I I through V I I and Pits X through X V (see M a p I V ) . A l l but two of the pits were placed in the floor of the little sandy quebrada proper, in immediate juxtaposition to the old excavations. T h e two exceptions, Pits V I I and X I , were d u g at the mouth of the cemetery quebrada, just within the shell and ash zone of the midden area. In size, most pits were started as 2 by 2 meter rectangles or short trenches 2 meters wide and varying between 5 and 9 meters in length. As occasion demanded, extensions were made to some of the pits. A l l of the pits could be grouped within a radius of 30 meters. Judging from the results of the excavations, the total cemetery area is not over 50 meters in diameter. Pit III.—This was ultimately the largest excavation. It was begun as a trench 2 by 6 meters, but sizable extensions on one side of the initial cut enlarged the total pit size to about 4 by 6 meters. M a x i m u m depth of burials or previous disturbance of the soil was 1.50 meters.

Shortly after starting excavation in the pit a piece of a fishnet (see p. 78, Netting 3), a fragment of a human tibia and some human hair were found in the loose sand a few centimeters below surface. A t 50 centimeters a textile fragment (see p. 124, Cat. No. 748) was turned up, and somewhat deeper, at 70 to 80 centimeters, more human bone fragments, rushes, and cane, bolls of raw cotton, and potsherds were found scattered through the sand. Several sherds found together and restored as a bowl (see p. 75, Pottery Vessel 5) and the bottom of a basket came from the same depth, but in another part of the pit (see p. 77, Basketry 10). From the nature of these scattered finds and bone fragments it appeared as if the area of Pit I I I proper had been previously dug over. T h e mixed and disturbed appearance of the sand continued down to 1.50 meters, where a partial calva was recovered. This specimen clearly came from a disturbed burial. As the frontal bone showed pronounced artificial flattening, the skull fragment was saved as Skeleton 3. A n undisturbed burial was, however, encountered soon after the finding of the aforementioned skull. This was in another part o f the pit, at a depth of 1.50 meters. T h e skeleton (Skeleton 4) was that of a young child, complete and articulated, and lying in an extended position on its back. Associated were a broken gourd vessel, a fishnet (see p. 77, Netting 1), and a pointed stick (gourd and stick lost in transit). N o other discoveries were made in the pit proper after this, sterile soil obtaining in all parts. Work was, however, continued by expanding the pit to the east for an additional 2 meters. In the eastern extension, Skeleton 14 first appeared at 1.25 meters below surface. T h e individual had been placed in a shallow pit in a sitting position with the knees wide apart, the arms folded across the chest, and the head slumped forward over the chest (PI. V I , center, right). Strangely enough, the head was turned completely around on the shoulders. T h e body was undisturbed, and the seated position had been maintained as the result of textile wrappings. Rush matting served as a flooring and an additional cover for the body, and over much of the matting (see p. 137, Cat. No. 766) were fragments of netting. This

The Aspero Site netting m a y h a v e been used to tie u p the complete bundle. T h e succession of textile, mat, and net w r a p p i n g is identical to some of the Lighthouse site burials. In i m m e d i a t e association, but outside the b o d y bundle, were pottery bottles (see p. 74, Pottery Vessels 3 and 4 ) ; a fishnet (see p. 77, N e t t i n g 2 ) ; three baskets, one containing r a w cotton, one, small bivalve shells, a n d one, e m p t y (see p. 76, Basketry 2, 3, 8); a gourd bottle w i t h a cotton-plug stopper (see p. 137, C a t . N o . 764); and a large gourd (see p. 136, C a t . N o . 767). T h e textile in w h i c h the b o d y was wrapped is well preserved (see p. 123, C a t . N o . 766). It has a red and blue border. U n d e r the bordered textile was a coarser fabric or garment. Encircling the neck was a thick ring of hair and fiber. Preservation of the b o d y was unusually good. T h e individual was a middleaged adult female. O n e more undisturbed burial c a m e from the east extension o f Pit I I I . T h i s is Skeleton 17, taken from a d e p t h of 1.30 meters below surface. T h e individual was a y o u n g adult male lying in a flexed position on his left side. T h e body h a d been covered with a layer of coarse cloth. A basketry fragment was lying at the feet of the skeleton (see p. 77, Basketry 7), and three plain potsherds were collected near the body. In Pit I I I the hardened stratum of salitre and sand so noticeable in the Lighthouse site excavations was not encountered. Pit IV.—This pit, about 2 meters square, was located a little to the south and west o f Pit I I I . A few h u m a n bones w e r e found loose in the sand, and at a depth of x. 75 meters were some gourd vessels and matting. T h e s e were in some disarray, and beneath the m a t t i n g were a few h u m a n bones. A g r a v e h a d , quite clearly, been opened and looted sometime previously. Below this, the floor of the pit, at 1.80 meters, consisted o f clean, h a r d - p a c k e d sand, possibly with some salitre impregnation. Five gourds were found. A broken b o w l shape gourd filled w i t h r a w cotton, a cylindrical-shaped gourd, one u n p r e p a r e d gourd specimen, and two others fashioned as bowls were recorded in the field notes. O n e of the latter contained small b i v a l v e shells. A l l five items were missing w h e n the collections w e r e unpacked in the U n i t e d States.

31

Pit VI.—This cut measured 4 b y 2 meters, with eastward and westward extensions being added as the excavation progressed. It was located directly west of Pit I I I and north o f Pit I V . Scattered h u m a n bones and pieces of rush matting were found at all depths in the sand down to 1 meter. Between 1 and 1.25 meters a tightly flexed burial (Skeleton 10) was uncovered (PI. V I , bottom, left). N o matting overlay the burial; it h a d been removed b y previous g r a v e digging if there h a d ever been such a covering. T h e burial had, however, a textile covering w h i c h showed spotty evidence of the same black decay mistaken for evidence of b u r n i n g or partial cremation in the burials at the Lighthouse site. T h e b o d y , that of a y o u n g adult female, l a y on its side, with all limbs doubled. T w o pottery vessels were associated with Skeleton 10. These w e r e : a small red-ware water bottle (see p. 74, Pottery Vessel 1) with incised decoration (and a cotton plug) that had been placed in an inverted position near the pelvis; and a plain bottle with a fiber plug (see p. 74, Pottery Vessel 2), placed in an upright position near the head. Several bivalve shells were underneath the body. A t slightly more than 1.25 meters below surface, in another part of the pit from Skeleton 10, were the disturbed remains of another burial. This was numbered as Skeleton 15. Position was not determinable, and no artifacts were immediately associated. T h e skull is that of a middle-aged adult male. A n additional find, possibly originally associated with Skeleton 15, was m a d e at a depth of 1.20 meters in still another part of the pit. This was a complete basket (see p. 76, Basketry 1). Pit VII.—This pit lay near the m o u t h of the cemetery quebrada in an area of black ash and rock quite similar to the surface of the midden site. T h e pit was excavated as a trench, 2 meters wide and, eventually, almost 10 meters long. In the first 50 centimeters a n u m b e r o f scattered, disarticulated h u m a n bones and fragments were found in the sand and rock. A t a depth of 90 centimeters was the burial o f an infant (Skeleton 5). T h e b o d y o f the infant had been w r a p p e d first in a textile and then in a reed or rush mat. T h e following were found in association: two large c l a m shells

32

The Aspero Site

nested and lashed together and some frag- Skeleton 8. Beneath all of this was Skeleton 9, ments of gourd and cloth (see p. 143); a completely covered by a fabric wrapping and plain spindle whorl of pottery (see p. 75, immediately overlain by a section of matting Pottery Spindle Whorl 1); a section of a (see p. 130, Cat. N o . 752); (PI. V I , bottom, basketry tray (see p. 77, Basketry 9); and right). This was also a flexed adult female. some miscellaneous sticks and a gourd vessel No artifacts were recorded in association except the textile wrapping. This was a square, with a fiber plug (lost in transit). A n adult male calvarium and the cervical red and blue bordered mantle (see pp. 122vertebrae (Skeleton 6) came out of the pit at 23, Cat. No. 753). a depth of 95 centimeters. Some textile fragPit XIV.—This location was 2 to 3 meters ments were found in association (see p. 124, east of Pit I I I in relatively clean sand. T h e pit C a t . No. 741). This burial had, apparently, was begun as a 2 by 2 meter cut. Nothing but been disturbed by earlier digging. loose sand was revealed down to a depth of 1.20 meters. A t this depth, below loose vegePit X.—This pit was started as a 2 by 2 meter cut, but was expanded to complete the tal fiber and reeds, were pieces of an infant excavation of the burials which were disclosed skull and fragments of decayed cloth (see b y it. T h e pit was in the sandy quebrada, lying pp. 124, Cat. No. 755). M o r e human bone, from the skeleton of an adult (or adults?) was several meters due west of Pit I V . In digging through loose sand, we discov- found in various parts of the pit. In a small ered a fragment of basketry (see p. 77, extension of the pit a cranium and some long Basketry 11) 30 centimeters below surface. bones were taken out only 50 centimeters This object must have been tossed aside dur- below surface (Skeleton 11). It seems likely ing earlier grave excavations. A t 1 meter that this was a burial that had been disturbed depth the disturbed remains of an old adult by recent digging. T h e calvarium, partially male skeleton (Skeleton 7) was found on destroyed, belonged to a y o u n g adult male. With the bones were three small baskets (see hard, clean sand. A little distance away from the above, also p. 77, Basketry 4, 5, 6). at 1 meter depth, was an intact and undisPit XV.—About 3 meters southeast of Pit turbed burial, Skeleton 8. T h e body was that X I V was a large, sand-filled depression, preof an old adult female, and the arms of the sumably an old excavation. Scattered human individual were partly flexed, the legs com- bones in the sand fill of this depression indipletely so. T h e skull, only, had been wrapped cated that burials had been removed or disin a coarse fabric. Above, but not completely turbed at this spot. O n e workman was asenveloping the body, was a loosely bound signed the task of cleaning out this old pit, mat, and over this a layer of unwoven vegetal and the excavation, or re-excavation, was fiber. Near the cranium was a fishnet (lost in enumerated as Pit X V . T w o obviously distransshipment). Three gourd vessels (see pp. turbed burials were removed with the loose 136-37 and 130, Cat. Nos. 742, 743, 744), sand fill. These were Skeletons 12 and 13. two containing cotton and bivalve shells, Skeleton 12, an old adult male, was complete, were found between the pelvis and the feet of but partially disjointed. It was covered by a the skeleton. Also with the burial was a cotton- textile (lost in transit). T h e body was probwrapped stick (see p. 78, Miscellaneous 2). ably originally interred in a flexed position. Skeleton 13 was also an old adult male almost In excavating Skeleton 8, we noted evidences of another burial in the pit profile. intact. T h e body had been textile-covered, After the excavation was enlarged, the follow- but this covering was black with decay. ing conditions were noted. A t a depth of 35 centimeters below surface was a layer of hard clay of irregular thickness, but averaging 5 centimeters. Underlying the clay were broken bones (probably human) and decayed textiles. A t a slightly greater depth was a mass of vegetal fiber comparable to that seen above

In one side of the Pit X V excavation, at 80 centimeters below surface, an infant skeleton (Skeleton 16) was seen protruding from the bank. It was intact, but no artifacts were found in association. Other discoveries, unassociated in the sand fill of the old pit, were an isolated middle-

The Aspero Site aged adult male calvarium (Skeleton 18) and a small pile of perforated pottery (see p. 75, Pottery Disk 1), and gourd disks (see p. 78, Miscellaneous 4). Remaining pits.—Pits V , X I - X I I I were excavated to depths varying from 1 to 2 meters without result. Pit X I was located in the edge of the midden area along with Pit V I I ; the others were all in the cemetery quebrada proper. In most of them an occasional human bone or textile fragment implied that earlier digging had exhausted the specific cemetery location. Summary of observations.—The cemetery associated with the Aspero site was located in a small quebrada on the north side of the village area. The midden refuse of the latter extended up to, but not into, the cemetery quebrada. Although our compass readings differ from Uhle's directions, in that he described the cemetery as being east of the site (Uhle, 1925, p. 261), there is little doubt that the cemetery location is the same. A total of eleven test pits of varying size was excavated, and eighteen human skeletons, or partial skeletons, were recovered. A few of these were from undisturbed graves, but most were not. In general, our findings duplicated Uhle's (1925, pp. 261-63). Burials were found in shallow pit graves in the sand. The graves were unlined and of no special form. Bodies were found at depths ranging from 50 centimeters to 1.50 meters. T h e common treatment for adults was to flex the limbs, wrap the corpse in a textile, place it on its side or in a sitting position, and subsequently cover the burial with a rush mat. In some cases matting also covered the sand floor of the grave and the bundled body was placed upon it. Apparently netting was used to cover or tie mats in some instances, and masses of vegetal fiber, of a hemp-like quality, were often placed over the mat cover before the grave was filled with sand. In one case, a layer of hard clay served to seal in the top of the grave. Individual interment in a grave seems to have been the rule for either adults or children. The burials were made extremely close together, however. Grave artifacts encountered in our excavations included simple black or red pottery, of the Early Ancon-Supe style, gourd vessels, B 2448

33

baskets, spindle whorls, and the textiles in which the bodies were wrapped. Baskets often contained raw cotton or small bivalve shells as offerings. Artifacts were placed near the bodies in the graves, both inside and outside the mat coverings, but not within the textile wrappings. As our excavations were made subsequent to the Uhle work and to the other unrecorded diggings in the cemetery area, many of the burials had been disturbed. Arm and leg bones and skulls were often found individually in the sand. Here, as at the Lighthouse site, it was impossible to verify or to disprove Uhle's supposition that disposal of the dead was largely secondary, following dismemberment of the body. The fact that some skeletons were found intact within their wrappings tends to make us believe that the dismemberment of others was the result of disturbance after burial. There are, it is true, some indications that the dead were handled rather roughly. Skeleton 14, it will be remembered, had the head in place, but the face was completely reversed; and in some of the flexed burials the limbs were folded so closely to the body that some degree of mutilation of the corpse is suggested. The bulk of the evidence, however, indicates that the usual mode of burial was primary interment. T h e nature of the graves and the burials, the accompanying artifacts, the style of the grave pottery, and the similar topographic and environmental setting of the cemetery relates the Aspero burying ground to the Lighthouse site cemetery. In addition to all these traits, fronto-vertico-occipital type of head deformation was present on several individuals taken from graves at each location. This type of cranial flattening is rare enough on the central coast of Peru to serve as a link of connective evidence. The question of the relationship of the cemeteries to the respective village middens remains. At the Lighthouse site there is little doubt of affinity; the midden pottery and that found in the graves is of the Early Ancón-Supe style. At Aspero, the absence of pottery in the midden, or our failure to find it, presents doubt as to the contemporaneity of the village area and the cemetery. As mentioned above, Early AncónSupe style pottery is found on the adjacent

34

The Aspero Site

Li-31 midden site and on the unsurveyed midden site lying to the south of the Aspero quebrada. Possibly the Aspero cemetery was the burying ground for these habitation centers rather than for the Aspero village proper. T h i s interpretation might be true, at least, for those graves in which pottery was found. Strong and Evans and J . B. Bird have recently (1946) found preceramic midden deposits underlying Early A n c o n - S u p e type pottery.

This stratigraphy, from the north coast of Peru in the V i r u and C h i c a m a valleys, demonstrates this succession with respect to the Peruvian coastal scene. Assuming an o c c u p a tion site lacking pottery to be earlier than one in which sherds are found, we m a y assume that the Aspero midden represents a somew h a t earlier period of occupation than either the Lighthouse site or Li-31.

P U E R T O D E S U P E : S I T E Li-31 DESCRIPTION AND EXCAVATIONS

T h e little quebrada or rincon to the north of Aspero proper, in w h i c h the site Li-3 1 cated, is separated from the big site by only a few low ridges of sand hills. T h e middens of the two sites almost j o i n at the point where the separating sand ridge terminates ( M a p I V ) . T h e general orientation of the Li-31 quebrada is m u c h like that of Aspero, opening to the S u p e V a l l e y on the east. A t its widest dimensions Li-31 is about 150 meters north-south a n d 100 meters, or less, east-west. T h e area of the site is smooth and unbroken except for o n e spot where there are a few large stones (possibly a structural alignment?). Numerous little shell mounds and ash heaps are scattered over the surface, but, in general, Li-31 lacks the blackened appearance of Aspero midden. Potsherds are c o m m o n on the surface. T h e r e are no signs of a cemetery anywhere in the immediate vicinity. A l o n g the upper reaches of the site, perhaps 200 meters or so above the edge of the Supe V a l l e y , is an ancient canal which comes in f r o m above, winding its w a y along the southeast face of the little mass of hills in which the Aspero site and L i - 3 1 a r e located. T h e canal obviously is a continuation of an old system w h i c h had its sources in the headwaters of the Supe V a l l e y . Presumably it crossed the S u p e V a l l e y floor in its down-gradient, bringi n g water to the slopes and small quebradas of the dry, isolated hills near the ocean. M o d e r n agriculture in the Supe V a l l e y no longer utilizes this particular distributary, so the land for several hundred meters below it has returned to the desert. T h e ditch itself is about

2 meters wide and can be very plainly observed some 20 or 30 meters above the Pit I excavation in Li-31 (see PI. I V , bottom, right). A s stated in the introductory remarks to the Aspero site, there is no w a y of determining the date of the canal on present evidence. Possibly it was in use at the time of the occupation of Aspero and Li-31, but information which w e have from the V i r ú V a l l e y suggests that canal irrigation probably began after rather than during the Coast C h a v i n periods (Willey, M S . ) . Pit I of this site was placed on one of the larger shell knolls in the northwestern portion of the occupation area ( M a p I V ) . T h e pit was laid out as a 3 by 3 meter cut. T h e first 25 centimeter level (0-.25 meter) produced a quantity of sherds, all distinctly of the E a r l y A n c ó n - S u p e style and comparable to the sherd collections from the Lighthouse site. Level .25-.50 meter yielded a similar collection. In level .50-.75 meters soil changes appeared toward the bottom of the pit, with brown sand replacing the shell and midden. Level .75-1.00 meter showed an increase in the pure sand content of soil removed. Excavation proceeded in level 1.00-1.25 meters as some midden material and shell were still appearing at the 1 meter mark. A fragment of an adult h u m a n skull was found in this level. V e r y few sherds came from the level, and at 1.25 meters the floor of the pit showed only clean sand and the excavation was terminated. Summary of observations.—Li-31 is a midden site which in surface appearance and artifacts resembles the Lighthouse site more than it resembles Aspero. T h e single test showed the

Materials selected for Analysis midden to be relatively shallow (1.25 meters). T h e pottery is of the Early Ancon-Supe style, and as such it is much like that found at Lighthouse, in the unnamed site in the quebrada immediately to the south of Aspero midden, and in the graves of the Aspero cemetery. A prehistoric irrigation canal cuts across L i - 3 1 , coming down, apparently, from the

35

upper Supe Valley and running along the side of the little block of desert hills in which Aspero and Li-31 are located. The canal disappears into the Aspero quebrada. T h e probabilities favor its construction as being later rather than contemporaneous with the occupation at Li-31 and Aspero.

MATERIALS SELECTED FOR ANALYSIS In the following sections, "Ceramics and Their Stratigraphie Significance," "Artifacts," and "Special Sections," the ceramic and nonceramic remains which were uncovered during the excavations described in this section and mentioned above are analyzed and described in greater detail. "Ceramics and Their Stratigraphie Significance" deals with the pottery remains from both Early Ancón and Early Supe. At Ancón, although three stratigraphie tests were originally contemplated, lack of time forced the abandonment of one (Pit II) and allowed completion of only the other two (Pits I and V I ) . Sherd material from the abandoned pit was not usable for statistical analysis, since it was excavated in gross levels and without reaching sterile ground. The other Ancón pits were made in an effort to locate the Early Ancón cemetery and produced either little or no ceramic materials. In the analysis of the Ancón ceramic material, therefore, only the material from Pits I and V I is considered, but this material is complete for both pits. Unfortunately, some of the special finds from both Ancón and Supe were lost in transshipment of the collections to New York from Peru. These items had been recorded in the field notes at the time of excavation and were catalogued separately from the regular stratigraphic materials. Brief mention has been made of them in this section above on the

excavations; but they could not be described in any of the following three sections dealing with detailed analysis of the cultural remains. There is appended below a list of those items which were lost in transit, together with their field proveniences. ANCON

Small restored pottery vessel (p. 1 2 — P i t X ) T w o spindle whorls (p. 13—spoil dirt from Pits I and V I ) S U P E : LIGHTHOUSE

Pottery disk (p. 19—Skeleton 4) Vegetal brush (p. 19—Skeleton 8) Incised pottery bowl fragment (p. 19—Skeleton

8)

Fragment of netting (p. 19—Skeleton 8) Wooden spindle whorl (p. 19—Skeleton 9) Tightly wrapped leaf (p. 19—Skeleton 9) Section of hollow cane with two perforations (p. 20—Skeleton 10) S U P E : ASPERO

Broken gourd vessel (p. 30—Skeleton 4) Pointed stick (p. 30—Skeleton 4) 5 gourd vessels (p. 3 1 — P i t I V ) Fragments of gourd and cloth (p. 32—Skeleton

5) Miscellaneous sticks (p. 32—Skeleton 5) Gourd vessel with fiber plug (p. 32—Skeleton

5)

Fishnet (p. 32—Skeleton 8) Textile wrapping (p. 32—Skeleton 12)

Ceramics and Their Stratigraphie Significance

I

at Ancón and Supe, we hoped that an analysis of the pottery would show development and change and that this change would best be reflected in stratified potsherd types, the other cultural remains being fitted into the framework built up on a pottery basis. T h e place of Early Ancón-Supe in relation to other Peruvian cultures and the relationship of elements within the Early Ancón-Supe culture are thus based primarily on pottery and secondarily on other cultural data. In the actual classification of the pottery, types were sought which would on the one hand show development and on the other hand be recognizable as or similar to types already established in the literature. It was hoped, thus, that the developmental story within Early Ancón-Supe could be compared to related manifestations elsewhere in Peru. Initial breakdown of types was made on the decorated wares, since despite their minority in numbers changes are more easily discernible in them than in plain wares. From Ancón, 5031 sherds were used, of which 413 (8.2 per cent) were decorated. From Supe, 10,994 sherds were studied, of which 922 (9.2 per cent) were decorated. O n the basis of decoration technique these sherds were divided into fifteen types as follows: N EXCAVATING

Ancón Ancón Ancón Ancón Ancón Ancón Ancón Ancón Ancón Ancón Ancón

Line Incised Zoned Punctate Zoned Hatch Zoned Red Rocker Stamped Brushed Semi-Circle Impressed Circle and Dot Stippled Engraved Modeled

Ancón White Slipped Ancón Red Slipped Three Color Intermediate Late Chancay Since Ancón is an important type site and it contained all the pottery types found at Supe, plus three others, nomenclature for the pottery types was founded on the site named 'Ancón,' which is used in conjunction with each type of the Early Ancón-Supe complex proper. T w o later types, Three-Color Intermediate and Late Chancay, were found at Ancón. O f the Late Chancay type (Willey, 1943a, p. 153), fifteen sherds came from the o to .25 meter level of Pit V I , and of the Three-Color Intermediate type (Willey, 1943a, p. 151), two sherds were found in Pit I. With the exception of Ancón Modeled (a very minor type) and the two slipped types, the remaining ten types represent different techniques, or combinations of techniques, for decorating clay vessels with plastic designs. These techniques consisted of incision, engraving, rocker stamping, punctuation, and impressing with the open end of cane or reed to leave a circular or semi-circular imprint. A classification based only on technique, rather than combinations of techniques or subdivisions within techniques, was attempted, but did not yield the fine differentiations desired or show any appreciable change stratigraphically. The present classification often shows sherds with two or more of the above techniques on the same sherd, and examination of whole pottery from the related Cupisnique wares (Larco, 1941, p. 70, Fig. 98; p. 76, Fig. 114) indicates the use of more than one of the above techniques on the same vessel. The present classification was arrived at by eliminating the Late Chancay and the ThreeColor Intermediate sherds previously men-

Typology tioned and then sorting the remaining sherds first from Ancón and later from Supe until certain groups which had characteristics in common seemed to show stratigraphic differences in development. For example, Ancón Zoned Hatch, although similar to Ancón Line Incised, had a different stratigraphic percentage frequency pattern than the latter-mentioned type, and therefore became an effective chronological tool when recorded as a separate type. O n the other hand, if a provisional type did not show level to level differentiation in stratigraphic review it was discontinued. For example, at first it was observed that there were three different techniques of rocker stamping, and accordingly three types were set up. But these types did not increase or lessen stratigraphically when compared to each other, and hence they were recombined into the one type, Ancón Rocker Stamped. Three types were deliberately isolated because of their basic similarities to types usually considered in the existing literature as classic Coastal Chavin. These were Ancón Stippled, Ancón Circle and Dot, and Ancón SemiCircle Impressed. All were numerically very much in the minority, but interestingly enough were more prevalent in the upper levels of the excavations. Classification of the plain wares was made after the decorated types were established. In this case again, a tentative classification was set up. A t first it was attempted to arrange the plain ware into types which would be comparable to plain types established by Ford and Evans for North Coastal Peru (see Ford and Willey, 1949; Strong and Evans, 1951). Although many of these Early A n c ó n - S u p e plain ware types appeared similar to those established for North Peru, they did not show a comparable change or development. These types then were scrapped, and after several other potential breakdowns had been tried the final result was a classification based on surface finish combined with sherd texture. Thus, a type Ancón Polished R e d was opposed to a type Ancón Smooth Plain R e d in which the vessel surface had been smoothed, but not slipped or polished. Both are in contrast to the type Ancón Coarse Plain Red, which is neither polished nor smoothed, but is thicker, with a coarser-grained texture of

37

paste than either of the other two. This same kind of differentiation is applicable to the black ware, and thus Ancón Polished Black, Ancón Plain Black, and Ancón Coarse Plain Black were set up. Ancón Polished Black is the type often referred to as the criterion of the Coastal Chavin Period, and it is generally thought that this type is the plain counterpart of the Cupisnique black incised ware. O n e type, Ancón Pebble Polished, was present in the earliest levels at Ancón, but it made no appearance at Supe. It is very similar to a type from North Peru called Huacapongo Polished Plain (Personal communication from Ford and Evans, 1947) and was retained from the earlier attempted breakdown. T h e plain ware types as finally set up for Early Ancón-Supe are as follows: Ancón Ancón Ancón Ancón Ancón Ancón Ancón

Polished Black Polished R e d Pebble Polished Smooth Plain R e d Plain Black Coarse Plain Black Coarse Plain R e d

After the final classification, all sherds were separated into one or another type according to the best analysis of their characteristics. Occasionally decorated sherds showed characteristics of two types in equal amount, and among the plain sherds many borderline cases were found, where the sherd could have been placed either as a smoothed or as a polished type. T h e ultimate classification of the sherd in cases of this kind was largely subjective. T h e stratigraphic changes within pottery types and the relationships of one type to another are discussed in the succeeding pages, and the type percentage tables for both Ancón and Supe are given in Tables 1 - 5 , pp. 58-69. DECORATED TYPES

Ancón Line Incised.—This type, a sandtempered, fine to medium-coarse textured hard pottery, is the earliest of the decorated wares to appear in the strata cuts at Ancón (Fig. 1 a, b, c, e, g, h,j, k\ 2 d, g; 8 a, b, d,f). It is predominantly a black pottery, though color ranges through gray and dark brown

a-c, Ancón line incised—Ancón, d, Ancón engraved—Ancón, e, Ancón line incised—Ancón, f , Ancón engraved—Ancón, g-h, Ancón line incised—Ancón, i, Ancón engraved—Ancón, j-k, Ancón line incised—Ancón. FIGURE I . ANCÓN LINE INCISED AND ANCÓN ENGRAVED SHERDS

o-b, Ancón modeled—Supe, c, Ancón plain black bowl—Supe, d, Ancón line incised—Supe, e, Ancón circle and dot bottle—Supe, f , Ancón modeled—Ancón, g, Ancón line incised—Supe, h-k, Ancón stippled—Supe. FIGURE 2 . ANCÓN STIPPLED AND O T H E R TYPES

a-b, Ancón line incised—Ancón, c, Ancón rocker stamped—Supe, d, Ancón rocker stamped—Ancón. e-g, Ancón rocker stamped—Supe, h—k, Ancón rocker stamped—Ancón. FIGURE 3 . ANCÓN LINE INCISED AND ANCÓN ROCKER STAMPED

Typology to red. Much of the black pottery is polished, both inside and out, and small pieces from areas not showing decoration would be classed as Ancón Polished Black. In the Ancón specimens decoration consists of incised lines, both thin and broad, which outline a design element; often this design element is highly polished and contrasts with the areas outside the incised line. The incising was done while the clay was soft, the broad lines probably with a blunt instrument such as deer antler tip, for no raised edges are apparent along the incisions. In samples from Supe, design elements consist of poorly executed incisions, both broad and fine lines being used to form rectilinear and curvilinear designs. The latter are the most abundant. Most lines seem haphazardly arranged, long lines running obliquely into each other. The spaces between these are often filled with smaller, thinner lines. Some of these interior lines are short (ranging from a few centimeters to three quarters of a centimeter) and have the appearance of elongated punctations. Many of the incisions are superficial, and some are so weakly executed as to be little more than polishing striations. Decoration is normally confined to the exterior of the vessel, though one piece is noted which has incised lines on the interior. Designs are located either near the rim and upper portions of the vessel or extend down to the point at which the vessel is turned under to form the base. At Ancón decorative elements are both geometric and anthropomorphic. Geometric designs are curvilinear and rectilinear, and the smaller fragments may represent parts of larger anthropomorphic designs. Several sherds show clearly that an animal form was intended (see Fig. ig, with the crab-like figure in deep round incisions and the fragment showing the mouth of a fanged form on the sherd in Fig. 3a). Most decorations are on the exterior of the vessel, but some bowl forms show interior lip decoration or decoration extending into the bottom of the vessel (Fig. 3b and Fig. 1 h, respectively). Open shallow bowls are most numerous; flat beakers are the next most common; and globular pots the third most prevalent form. Some pieces may come from the stirrup-

41

handle and spout jars, in which neither the stirrup handle nor the spout was decorated. Vessels of this kind are figured by Larco (1941, p. 30, Fig. 23; p. 22, Fig. 27; p. 27, Fig. 38); and in cases where these vessels were broken and scattered, the undecorated diagnostic handle and spout would be classified with the Ancón Polished Black or the plain types. Since whole vessels employing line incisions similar to these of Early Ancón-Supe are known in collections from the north coast, it seems a safe assumption that some of our sherd material is from this stirrup-handle and spout form. Furthermore, definite undecorated stirrup-handle and spout fragments occur in the Ancón Polished Black from both Ancón and Supe. At Ancón, unfortunately, some of the finest examples of Line Incised design came from the strata pit extensions and cannot be included statistically in the sherd level averages. Several of these are illustrated in Fig. 1 b, e, g. This type at Ancón comprises one of the two most prevalent decorated types, forming 2.1 per cent of the total pottery at the Ancón shell midden. It is found in appreciable percentages in virtually all but the lowest levels and shows no significant trend to increase or to decrease. Attempts were made to break down this Line Incised type further, either on the grounds of the amount of incision, style of incision, or degree of incision; but no developmental change could be noted that would show either stratigraphically or statistically. At Supe, Ancón Line Incised sherds composed 3.5 per cent of the Supe total. They are found in varying amounts in virtually all levels of the three Supe strata cuts. The lower levels of all three excavations at Supe contain the larger percentages (but smaller numbers) of Line Incised and this type, strong in the lower and middle levels, gradually fades out toward the top of the Supe sequence. Ancón Zoned Punctate.—Ancón Zoned Punctate is a sand-tempered, medium fine- to coarse-textured dark reddish brown to gray pottery. It is smoothed, unslipped, and occasionally polished. The design element is formed by punctations—angular jabs with a pointed instrument which fill areas that in turn are marked off by broad incised lines

a-A, Ancón rocker stamped—Ancón, c-d, Ancón rocker stamped—Supe, e-g, Ancón rocker stamped —Ancón, h-i, Ancón rocker stamped—Supe, j, Ancón brushed—Supe, k, Ancón brushed—Ancón. FIGURE 4 . ANCÓN ROCKER STAMPED AND ANCÓN BRUSHED

Typology (Fig. 6a-k). These incised lines form plain rectangular or curvilinear designs. At Ancón, Ancón Zoned Punctate first appears stratigraphically in small amounts in the lower levels at both pits. It is numerically most important in the middle levels of Pit I, tending to decline in the upper levels. In Pit V I it shows its highest percentages in bottom to middle levels. Spouted jars, small bowls, and slightly flaring bowls are represented in the Ancón material. Bases are either flat or round, and no appendages are known. In our collection from Supe, only bowl forms have this type decoration. Most bowls are straight sided or very slightly incurving, a few being slightly outslanting. Lips vary as much as the bowl shapes; some are flat, others curved, and a few beveled, both inward and outward. Indications are that bowl bases were flat or gently sloping. This type accounts for only .3 per cent of the total Ancón sherd material. From Supe this type is represented by 208 sherds which form 1.8 per cent of the Supe total. The type has similarities to the Punctate and Incised types found in the bottom of the strata cut at Pachacamac (Strong and Corbett, 1943, p. 77, Fig. 191'). Ancón Zjaned Hatch.—Ancón Zoned Hatch is a fine-grained (rarely coarse) dark red to gray-black pottery in which the main design element is outlined by zones filled with crosshatched lines. Three sherds of the twenty-two from Ancón definitely show the crosshatched lines used as a zoning element for broad line incisions (usually eye or circle designs). The crosshatched lines themselves vary from rather broad incisions to thin crudely executed lines or even just polishing striation lines. Open bowls are the only forms represented among the sherds which carry this type of decoration, the decoration extending from the rim to cover either part of, or the entire outer surface of, the vessel body (Fig. 7e-l). At Ancón, Ancón Zoned Hatch occurs most abundantly in the upper levels of both Pit I and Pit V I . This contrasts, somewhat, with Ancón Zoned Punctate, which has its highest percentage occurrences in the middle levels of Pit I and in comparable levels of Pit V I . The Zoned Hatch type has, then, a relatively later

43

(although overlapping) life span than Zoned Punctate. Ancón Zoned Hatch is a very minor type in the Supe sequence, consisting of only eight sherds, or .07 per cent of the Supe total. It occurs mainly in the upper and middle levels of the Lighthouse site and once in the 1.001.25 metre level at Li 31. Ancón ^pnedRed.—Like Ancón Zoned Punctate and Ancón Zoned Hatch, Ancón Zoned Red shows a technique for outlining a design by contrasts, in this case, by painting (Fig. 8c, e, g, h, 1). This type is light brown to orange red, and tempered with prominent spicules of quartz. The zoned red areas are brick red and contrast with the browner color of the undecorated portions. Smoothing ridges are still apparent in some cases. There is no over-all slip. Both curvilinear and rectilinear designs are represented. The straightsided or slightly flaring bowls are the commonest forms. Bases are both flat and curved. At Ancón, Pit I, two sherds of this type occur in the middle levels, and a third near the top. The fourth sherd, from Pit V I , occurs in a middle level. At Supe the majority of the sherds were from Pit I of the Lighthouse site (nine sherds) and occurred in the middle level. In Pit II of the Lighthouse site only three sherds of this type were found, these also from the middle levels. And at Li-31 only one sherd occurred in the .50-.75 meter level. Ancón Rocker Stamped.—The type Ancón Rocker Stamped is a sand-tempered, compact reddish-buff through gray to polished black ware. Dull brown to gray is the commonest color. Surfaces generally are smooth, though interior surfaces are less so. Decoration is by one of three variant techniques: a plain rocker stamping in which a toothed tool has been rocked over the surface of the vessel while the clay is soft to form a series of continuous arcs (Fig. 3b-g; and PI. V I I I f-i); a notched rocker in which spiked holes are made by the rocker in moving over the surface of the vessel (Fig. 3A-A and Fig. 4a-c; and PI. V I I I n-r); and the third, a technique in which the area to be covered is filled with closely packed indentations (Fig. 4d-i). Each technique is used in conjunction with incised lines to zone out an undecorated area or design. During the pottery analysis attempts were

a, Ancón brushed—Ancón, b, Ancón brushed—Supe, c-d, Ancón brushed—Ancón, e, Ancón semicircle impressed—Ancón, f-g, Ancón semi-circle impressed—Supe. A, Ancón semi-circle impressed— Ancón, i, Ancón circle and dot—Supe. F I G U R E 5 . ANCÓN BRUSHED, ANCÓN SEMI-CIRCLE IMPRESSED, AND ANCÓN C I R C L E AND DOT

Typology made to differentiate stratigraphically these three techniques of stamping, but they were used in almost equal proportions throughout the Ancón sequence. Vessel forms indicated by the sherds are straight-sided bowls, slightly incurved bowls, gourd-shaped bottles, outslanting bowls, with both flat and rounded bases, cylindrical jars with everted lip, one decorated fragment of a stirrup-handle and spout jar, and from Supe, one fragment of a jugAt Ancón, Ancón Rocker Stamped does not appear in Pit I, until the 3.00-3.25 meter level, but it is fairly constant from this depth almost to the top. It appears in Pit VI in the lower levels and continues upward except for a gap extending from the 3.00 to the 2.50 meter level. From this we can say little more than that this type was apparently absent during the earlier part of the occupation of the site. At Supe, Ancón Rocker Stamped appears in all but the lower two levels of Pit I at the Lighthouse site. In Pit II at the Lighthouse it is sporadic and appears only in the upper levels. It is most prevalent at Li-31, where it appears in all but the very top level. Ancón Brushed.—Ancón Brushed is a sandtempered pottery, with color ranging from polished black through dull gray to brown. If several sherds from the effigy head of a j a r were included here rather than in Modeled, (see Fig. 2 f ) , the color range would extend to bright orange red.* While the surface of the clay was still wet, a tined tool (such as a bark comb or reed brush) was brushed across the surface of the vessel in broad sweeping strokes arranged parallel to each other (Fig. 5 a - d ) . A few sherds indicate crosshatched brushing, and some show that the brushing instrument had only a few tines. Designs are all on the exterior except for one sherd. Sometimes the design covers the entire surface of the vessel or again it may be restricted between broad incised lines. This brushing technique was used to represent the hair on a human effigy pot (Fig. i f ) . A bowl shape is the most common form. This pottery type at Ancón is sporadic in range, but in general it runs from mid-levels, as in Pit I, to the top; it is similarly located in Pit V I except for one sherd in the 4.00-4.25

45 meter level. At Supe, the majority of the sherds came from the site Li-31, in the three upper levels of the test pit. Two more sherds appeared, one each, in the upper two levels of Pit II, Lighthouse site, and three sherds occurred in the upper levels of Pit I, Lighthouse site. It is therefore a late, as well as a minor, type at both Ancón and Supe. Ancón Semi-Circle Impressed.—This type is usually a fine-grained white-sand-tempered, reddish-brown to gray black pottery. Occasionally the temper is coarse and thick. It is a minority type (at Ancón four sherds equals .07 per cent of the total, and at Supe four sherds equals .03 per cent of the Supe total). T h e surfaces are smoothed and areas marked out by the semi-circular decoration are highly polished. Broad-incised lines delimit the areas of impressions. In two cases from Supe the surface of the sherds has been smoothed and pseudo-slipped; in the other two cases they are smoothed only. A semi-circular or partial circle design is achieved by impressing at an angle the end of a hollow cane or reed into the surface of the vessel while the clay is still moist (Fig. 5e-h). Areas to be filled with impressions are defined by double lines, 1.20 to 2 centimeters apart. Both broad- and thin-line incisions are used. Because of the few sherds, the distribution of the design elements on the vessel surface is dubious, but it seems to be on the upper body and rim surfaces. One sherd from Ancón does show the design carried all the way down the vessel wall to the point at which the wall turns under to form the base (Fig. 5 W J ai w Ol D O o Q oí w se CO

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