Histological examination of bone-tempered pottery from mission Espı ´ritu Santo (41VT11), Victoria County, Texas Tamra L. Walter*, Robert R. Paine, Harold Horni Texas Tech University, Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work, Box 41402, Lubbock, TX 79409 1012, USA Received 27 September 2002; received in revised form 31 July 2003; accepted 9 September 2003 Abstract Bone-tempered pottery is commonly found at Late Prehistoric and historic sites in both south and central Texas. While most scholars have assumed the inclusions are bone, attempts to identify species have been limited. The following paper provides a new approach to examining bone-tempered pottery through the use of histological methods. The application of this technique provides positive identification of the inclusions as bone and has the potential to shed light on the species of animal/s used for bone temper. Applying histological methods to a sample of pottery sherds from the Spanish Colonial mission of Espı ´ritu Santo in south Texas is allowing a more detailed look at the crushed bone used as temper. Through histology the micro-anatomical features of bone can be examined and compared to known species. The identification of species can potentially yield information concerning possible regional differences in the types of bone used for temper and changes in native technologies through time.  2003 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Keywords: Histology; Bone-tempered pottery; Texas archaeology; Ceramic analysis; Mission archaeology 1. Introduction Aboriginal pottery tempered with bone has been found at many prehistoric, protohistoric and historic sites in south and central Texas. Although most Texas archaeologists have correctly identified the crushed white inclusions found in these ceramics as bone, posi- tive identification of the temper through the use of histology has not been attempted. Furthermore, efforts to identify species have been largely conjectural based on our knowledge of faunal resources available to aborigi- nal groups that produced bone-tempered wares. The inspection of a sample of bone-tempered sherds from an 18th century south Texas mission through histological means has allowed for a positive identification of the inclusions as bone. More importantly, the microscopic examination of these bone inclusions is also yielding information about the possible species of animal/s used in the manufacture of temper. 2. Bone-tempered pottery in Texas Ceramics appear in archaeological assemblages around A.D. 1250 in the central and southern part of Texas [19] where bone-tempered pottery is found in the most abun- dance (Fig. 1). Hester and Hill [11] make note of various reports citing the presence of bone-tempered pottery at many sites along the coast and in the Pecos region. In addition, bone-tempering has been found in varying amounts in Caddoan [23] and Rockport wares [21] as well as other Late Prehistoric ceramic traditions. The use of bone as a tempering agent however is most prevalent in the ceramic traditions linked to central and south Texas. The ceramic tradition of central Texas is commonly re- ferred to as Leon Plain. Leon Plain ware is found from the drainage basins of the Colorado and Leon rivers west- ward to Uvalde and San Angelo [23]. Hall et al. [8] note that “Leon Plain and bone tempered pottery from south- ern Texas cannot be clearly separated in form, appear- ance, or spatial distribution” and correctly suggest that they should be considered part of the same tradition. Leon Plain ceramics appear in the archaeological record ca. A.D. 1200–1300 [9] and continue into the * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1-806-742-2401; fax: +1-806-742-1088 E-mail address: twalter@ttacs.ttu.edu (T.L. Walter). Journal of Archaeological Science 31 (2004) 393–398 SCIENCE Journal of Archaeological http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jas SCIENCE Journal of Archaeological http://www.elsevier.com/locate/jas 0305-4403/04/$ - see front matter  2003 Published by Elsevier Ltd. doi:10.1016/j.jas.2003.09.006