At the 2011 conference of the Society for American Archaeology, a panel of scholars will be discussing their recent contributions to Nicaraguan archaeology. Their papers are presented here, along with contact information where they can be reached.
Session: Re-Conceptualizing Nicaraguan Prehistory
The Society for American Archaeology Conference, Sacramento (March 30-April 3, 2011)
Organized by Geoffrey McCafferty and Alex Geurds
Carrie Dennett and Geoffrey McCafferty (University of Calgary)
Pottery and People: Reassessing Social Identity In Pacific Nicaragua
Archaeological reconstruction of social identity in pre-Columbian Pacific Nicaragua has traditionally been based on ethnohistoric sources that suggest Chorotegan-speaking groups replaced local indigenous culture with new people, language and material culture ca. A.D. 800. Support for this reconstruction is typically based on the introduction of a white-slipped
polychrome tradition that appeared around this time. However, recent research demonstrates that these “new styles” were likely not the result of aggressive population replacement and far-flung external influences. Instead, these changes seem to be the result of incremental internal
development influenced by increased contact and exchange with southeastern Mesoamerican groups, particularly from Honduras.
Alex Geurds (University of Leiden)
Materials and Materiality of Megalithics in Nicaragua
Megalithic stones are a global prehistoric phenomenon. From unworked to entirely shaped, they are an artifact category retaining a strong natural character. Central Nicaraguan megalithics are examined here with this broad perspective in mind. In moving away from traditional categorizations of typology and class, contextual data are used to gain insights into the assemblages in which these stones occurred. It is argued that megalithics in Nicaragua were not isolated but usually grouped, thereby creating an internal structure for sites of ceremony. The choices involved in creating these assemblages in turn suggest communally shared efforts, technology and memories.
Geoffrey McCafferty (University of Calgary)
Reflections on Ten Years of Nicaraguan Archaeology
I was drawn to Nicaraguan archaeology through the question of Mesoamerican migrations, especially based on the possibility of Cholula’s involvement in the process. This paper will present the results of two successive projects along the shore of Lake Cocibolca that recovered extensive information on Early Postclassic domestic practice. As a result of this holistic approach I will assess how the archaeological data compares with the model for Mexican influence based on ethnohistorical expectations.
Sharisse McCafferty, Geoffrey McCafferty, Celise Chilcote, and Andrea Waters-Rist (University of Calgary)
Raising the Dead: Mortuary Patterns in Pacific Nicaragua
Mortuary practices are one the fundamental expressions of ideological practice and cultural identity. Unfortunately, in Pacific Nicaragua cemeteries are also the principal targets of illegal looting, so relatively few scientific excavations have been conducted. This paper will summarize research on mortuary practices from the recently excavated sites of El Rayo, Tepetate and Santa Isabel. There is substantial variation among sites in the age, sex and health profiles of interred individuals, which is explored in relation to differences in site function and regional differences in mortuary practices. Overall, this bioarchaeological analysis of human remains is hoped to be a launching point upon which analysis of further sites will occur aiding in the formation of a regional database.
Lorelei Platz and Carrie Dennett (University of Calgary)
Preliminary Ceramic Compositional Analysis from the La Arenera Site, Pacific Nicaragua
The Tempisque and Bagaces periods in Nicaragua contain distinct types of ceramics that have not been greatly researched. The site of La Arenera corresponds to the Tempisque period, while Las Delicias is thought to be part of the Tempisque-Bagaces transition. Ceramics and radiocarbon dates from La Arenera are compared to the Las Delicias site. There are key types of ceramics that are found at the beginning and end of the Bagaces period but are not continuous or continuations from the earlier Tempisque period. The purpose is to determine if Bagaces warrants subdivisions into smaller periods based on the ceramics.
Larry Steinbrenner (Red Deer College)
Potting Traditions of Pacific Nicaragua, AD 800-1350 [Tables and Figures]
More than eighty years after Lothrop’s watershed Pottery of Costa Rica and
Nicaragua, archaeologists working in Greater Nicoya continue to struggle with
problems of ceramic taxonomy. Decades of research have led to the identification of
a bewildering array of ceramic types, but little discussion of the
interrelationships between these types. This paper argues that most of the Sapoá
Period polychrome types previously identified in Pacific Nicaragua—including those
usually treated as markers of different immigrant Mesoamerican groups—are more alike
than unalike, and are best understood as the products of a common potting tradition
with a Central American origin.
Sacha Wilke (University of British Columbia)
There’s a Gadget for that! Examining changes in fishing tools at El Rayo.
The transition between the Bagaces and Sapoa periods in Nicaraguan pre-history relates to important changes in the material culture, which some suggest are explained by the immigration of a new population to the area. The extent and type of interaction is unclear. This paper will examine the continuity and changes of ceramic and bone tools seen through this transition period, at the site of El Rayo. Special attention will be given to the three style variations of net sinkers found at the site and the use of bone fish hooks throughout time.
Laura M. Wingfield (Emory University)
Ancient Nicoyans did not have a writing system, but they did express themselves through body decoration. From the earliest period, Nicoyans appear to have experimented with free-form body painting of spirals, circles, and some animals. By the Florescent period, these designs became more regulated with the use of stamps in patterns of crosses, waves, animals, and humans. In the Later periods, after the migration of Central Mexican peoples into the region, some earlier Nicoyan designs were still present, but new stamped mat-weave patterns were introduced. What does the latest archaeological evidence tell us about Nicoyan body art?
Fred Lange (LSA Associates)
Discussant