ABSTRACT
The preceramic levels at Guila Naquitz produced 19 artifacts or modified fragments of wood, reed, cane, cactus stem, or cactus gum. The hearth, usually made of a softer and more easily ignited wood, had a socket to receive the drill. In this socket the bit of the drill, usually made of harder wood, was rotated by a person holding the drill shaft between the palms of his hands and rubbing the latter back and forth. One of the common plants eaten at Guila Naquitz was the prickly pear cactus, Opuntia spp. Its tender young stem segments, called “nopales,” are still an important vegetable in Oaxaca. The fragment of wood has clearly been modified, but its use remains enigmatic. Two of its sides have been smoothed and come together in a right angle. There are also cutting marks at various places all over the piece.
