shell pendant

Partial carved and painted ornament, possibly a perforated shell pendant, manufactured from a Glycymeris valve. A portion of the shell's domed back has been removed to form a wide band. The band contains an incised, carved, and painted geometric design reminiscent of a Classic period pottery decoration. Remaining paint is black in color. Both the central hole and the outside margin have been ground smooth. This ornament was recovered from the floor of a room located in the compound adjacent to the platform mound at the site of Pueblo Grande. Pueblo Grande was a large village located at the headgates of a major canal system. Occupied as early as AD 500, the site reached its greatest extent during the Classic Period.