Perishable: Yucca Braid AZRU8-2814

Yucca Braid, Accession AZRU-00008, Catalog #2814. Morris FS 5519. Analyzed by Laurie Webster, 2006. 4-strand braid of yucca fiber. Two strands are plied 2Z-S, one is 2S-Z, and the other is a 3-strand braid composed of 2Z-S elements. Part of a pot bail or handle. Measurements: L 30.0, D 2.0 CM. Image: AZRU8-2814 A: 4-strand yucca braid used as pot bail. Element at lower right is a 3-strand braid. Recovered from Earl Morris' excavation of Room193, Aztec West Ruin. For Room 193 Morris described “refuse that had been deposited on the second floor, including fragments of a considerable number of very fine medium-sized water jars and mugs that were shattered, possibly intentionally, judging from their number and the fact that they were practically new and of the same potter. Another atypical Chaco water jar had the entire surface completely hidden by a coat of lacquer bearing an elaborate design in yellow, red, and black” (Morris 1928:362).
Reference: Earl Morris, 1928, Notes on Excavations in the Aztec Ruin, Volume XXVI, Part V, Anthropological Papers of the American Museum of Natural History, New York.