Apolo Polychrome is characterized by a swirled, semi-transparent orange slip over a white base coat. Decoration appears in the form of red and black painted motifs, exhibiting a range of elaboration that is subdivided into four different subtypes.
Apolo Sencillo Apolo Geometrico
Paste and Firing Effects
The paste is light brown to light reddish-brown, typical of the Cholula clay source. It is medium grain with some inclusions. Apolo Polychrome is well-fired and usually hard to brittle in hardness. Firing cores and clouding occasionally occur, and discoloration of the orange slip (sometimes to a light green) and painted decoration is probably caused by firing conditions.
Surface Treatment
Apolo Polychrome features a white base coat that is covered with an orange slip. The slip was apparently applied with a feather brush, since swirled, streaky brush strokes are a characteristic of the type. The resultant surface is variegated between darker areas where brush strokes overlapped, to sections where the orange slip is semi-transparent. The surface is generally medium to well-burnished, with the Elegante subtype polished to a brilliant luster. Where the slip was not applied, usually on the exterior base and lower portions of exterior vessel walls, the surface is a natural light brown to light reddish-brown color, and is smooth to lightly burnished.
Apolo Sencillo with brush strokes
Decoration
Painted decoration in red and occasionally black is applied over the orange slip. In addition to the basic style, called the Sencillo subtype, three other subtypes are recognized, depending on variations in the degree and configuration of decorative elaboration.
In the Sencillo subtype, the typical decoration is a panel on the exterior rim that consists of simple geometric designs, usually horizontal or diagonal interlocked "S" motifs. The interior is usually undecorated other than the swirled orange slip that is often quite pronounced, but zoomorphic designs (including stylized turkeys or izquintle dogs) occasionally occur on the interior base.
Apolo Sencillo interior Apolo Sencillo exterior
In the Geométrico subtype, painted decoration in red and/or black occurs on the interior and occasionally the exterior vessel walls. Designs consist of simple geometric motifs, with one of the more typical patterns consisting of "steps" of painted blocks.
The Elegante subtype is the most elaborate subtype, with complex geometric motifs and occasionally including "codex-style" elements. A characteristic of this subtype is a polished red band on the interior rim of hemispherical bowls, with the painted decoration usually occurring on the exterior surface.
A relatively rare subtype is Carmen Gray on Orange, where the black painted decoration appears to have faded into light gray, perhaps as the result of a distinctive firing technique. The decorative patterns are similar to those of the Geometrico subtype.
Apolo Geometrico Apolo Geometrico
Apolo Elegante bowl Apolo Elegante dish
Vessel Forms
Apolo Polychrome appears in serving ware vessels, especially conical bowls and outleaned wall dishes. Conical bowls are abundant forms in both the Sencillo and Geométrico subtypes, and are relatively common in the Elegante subtype. They usually measure about 12 to 18 cm in diameter and 5 to 7 cm in height. Outleaned wall dishes, with rims flared to a horizontal plane, occur in moderate frequency in the Geométrico subtype. Vessel diameter measures about 16 to 24 cm, while vessel height is only 2 to 3 cm.
Discussion
Apolo Polychrome comprises much of what Noguera (1954:87-99) described as decoración sencillo and decoración negra y roja sobre anaranjado, and which he identified as diagnostic of his Cholulteca III period. It is impossible to identify this type in Müller's typology, although much of it would probably fall into her "geometric" style of decorative elements dating to the Late Postclassic period (1978:224).
In ceramic studies conducted at the Universidad de las Américas, this type was identified as "Apolo Multichrome" and "Toxqui Orange" (Peterson 1972), and Cholula Polychrome A (Mountjoy and Peterson 1973). At the Faculty Housing midden deposit it constituted about 18% (n=696) of the assemblage, and it also appeared in moderate frequency in the UA-69 and UA-70 midden deposits (Peterson 1972:200-201, Table 18).
In the UA-79 excavation, "Apolo Polychrome" (including subtypes "Sencillo" and "Elegante") was the most abundant type found. In the F-10 midden, for example, it accounted for 33% (n=1337) of the total assemblage (Barrientos 1980).
For the UA-1 typology the subtype Geométrico was added to eliminate ambiguity between the relatively simple decoration that typifies Apolo Sencillo, and more complex geometric decoration that was included with Apolo Elegante. The Carmen Gray on Orange subtype was formerly a separate type, but is included under Apolo because of its similar surface treatment, vessel forms, and design elements.
At UA-1, Apolo Polychrome appeared in very high frequency (46% of the assemblage) in the Well 1 context, low frequency in Well 2, and only a trace was found in the Midden deposit, and then only in the uppermost stratum. It was completely absent in the Well 3 assemblage.
Apolo Polychrome is an important temporal diagnostic for the Cholollan period, where it appears in very high frequencies, especially in Late Cholollan. Since it is almost completely absent from the UA-1 Trash Midden and Well 3 deposits, it is likely that these assemblages relate to a distinct phase of the Postclassic period. At the same time, however, design characteristics such as the orange slip over a white base suggest continuity of the stylistic tradition also represented by Aquiahuac Polychrome and Ocotlán Red Rim.
Apolo Geometric with dog head Apolo Sencillo with stylized eagle
APOLO RED AND BLACK ON ORANGE POLYCHROME
VESSEL FORM FREQUENCIES
Vessel form Well 1 Well 2 Midden Well 3 Totals
(n/%) (n/%) (n/%) (n/%) (n/%)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sencillo subtype
plate 2/1 ... ... ... 8/1.2
outleaned wall dish 2/1 1/4 3/25 ... 9/1.3
subhemispherical bowl 4/2 1/4 3/25 ... 26/4
hemispherical bowl 7/4 ... ... ... 29/4
conical bowl 58/36 9/38 4/33 ... 275/40
miniature bowl ... ... ... ... 2/0.3
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Subtotals 73/45 11/46 10/83 0 349/50
Geométrico subtype
plate 4/2 ... ... ... 11/1.6
outleaned wall dish 40/25 3/12 2/17 ... 118/17
subhemispherical bowl 5/3 ... ... ... 9/1.3
conical bowl 25/15 6/25 ... ... 103/15
miniature bowl 1/0.6 ... ... ... 2/0.3
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Subtotals 75/46 9/38 2/17 0 243/35
Elegante subtype
outleaned wall dish ... ... ... ... 6/0.9
hemispherical bowl 5/3 ... ... ... 35/5
conical bowl 10/6 1/4 ... ... 51/7
superhemispherical bowl ... 2/8 ... ... 9/1.3
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Subtotals 15/9 3/12 0 0 101/15
Carmen Gray on Orange subtype
conical bowl ... 1/4 ... ... 2/0.3
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Subtotals 0 1/4 0 0 2/0.3
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Totals 163/100 24/100 12/100 0 695/100
(46% of (6% of (0.4% of (6.1% of
Well 1) Well 2) Midden) total