Honduras (Other Keyword)
1-12 (12 Records)
Although the ceramics of eastern Honduras have been sometimes described as being remarkably homogenous throughout the region, recent research points to intraregional variations regarding ceramic assemblages and what they represent in terms of intra and inter regional interactions. The identification of the ceramic group known as Chichicaste has contributed to point out a greater diversity of ceramic traditions in eastern Honduras as well as to recognize more nuances in its intraregional...
Cuisine at the Crossroads (2016)
Investigations at sites across Northwestern Honduras-- inside and outside of the Maya area—have uncovered diverse food practices and ingredients. As with other more durable goods, there is evidence of transformation over time, and the movement of elements across the landscape. Some foodways were never adopted in regions where they came to be readily available (considering the general flow of species and materials) while others were quickly adopted but in novel ways. Evidence points toward...
Foundations to the Late Classic Kingdom: Copan in the 6th century CE (2017)
Historical and archaeological data support interpretation of Classic Maya polities as centralized states—strongly integrated organizations with stratified and hierarchical political structures led by rulers wielding coercive power. Yet archaeology is often hard pressed to identify changes instigated by individuals or events, or define watershed moments when particular sites or regions coalesced as states. By the early sixth century CE, the kingdom of Copan had established itself as a dominant...
Hybrid Cultures: The Visibility of the European Invasion of Caribbean Honduras in the 16th Century (2017)
Archaeological excavations in Caribbean coast Honduras explored the site of Ticamaya, described in 16th-century Spanish documents as the seat of a leader of indigenous resistance. Yet despite testing confirmed deposits from the period covering initial conflict with the Spanish, roughly 1520-1536, these excavations produced no use of European goods until the late 18th century. Contemporary with Ticamaya, the site of Naco to the west hosted troops sent by Cortes, and at least one majolica vessel...
An Interactive Map of Honduran Archaeological Sites (2015)
Honduran Archaeology has long focused on the investigation of Copan and the ancient Maya culture in the western part of the country. The non-Maya region has only been investigated intensively in the past 50 years, despite the fact that as a bridge between the cultures of Meso- and Southamerica Honduras offers an exciting area of investigation. Access to information about the non-Maya archaeology of Honduras is difficult, given that there are hardly any introductory summaries. In order to make...
Interregional Connections of Northeast Honduras during the Postclassic Period (2017)
In 2016, archaeological investigations were carried out in Guadalupe, an extended prehispanic settlement near Trujillo, on the Northeast Coast of Honduras. The site was inhabited during the Postclassic period (Cocal) and might have functioned as a coastal trading center. This is indicated by its strategic location near the coast and next to an ancient river bed connecting the coast to the hinterland, especially to the Valle de Aguán, a culturally and economically important, but hitherto poorly...
Mountain Doorways: Caves, Shelters, and Rock Art in Past and Present Southwestern Honduras (2016)
Caves and shelters hold a special place among Mesoamerican cultures. Some of the earliest evidence of human occupation in this region is found inside these natural features, where well-preserved materials attest to the detailed knowledge past populations had of their surrounding landscapes and resources. In later time periods, caves were treated as the portals to the underworld and became an essential part of Mesoamerican ideology. The landscape of the Santa Elena highlands of southwestern...
New Investigations on the Northeast Coast of Honduras (2017)
As part of the Central American Isthmus, Honduras adopted a special role in prehispanic America. Together with Nicaragua, the territory of modern Honduras functioned as a bridge between the culture areas of Mesoamerica and the Intermediate Area. In spite of that unique situation, archaeological investigations in Honduras have been focusing on the western, Mesoamerican part, especially on the Maya city of Copan. In contrast, cultural developments in the east remain largely unknown. With the goal...
"Nicoya Polychromes" Beyond Greater Nicoya (2016)
In the mid-20th century, Doris Stone described Las Vegas Polychrome, a brightly coloured ceramic ware found at sites in Honduras’ eastern highlands and the Comayagua Valley, as being “strongly reminiscent of western Nicaragua and the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica.” Meanwhile, contemporary archaeologists were happily classifying near-identical ceramics from eastern El Salvador as “Nicoya Polychromes”. More than a half century later, Las Vegas Polychrome remains only nominally defined, examples...
Pushing the Limits of Power: Copan Expansionist Strategies in the El Paraíso Valley, Western Honduras (2017)
The reign of K’ahk’ Uti’ Witz’ K’awiil, Copan Ruler 12, has been rightly hailed as a pivotal time in Copan's political history. Given that no monumental constructions on the Copan Acropolis have as yet been securely attributed to his patronage, this long-lived ruler appears to have turned his focus outward, expanding the Copan kingdom into a multi-ethnic polity with a long geographic reach. In this paper we explore Ruler 12's administrative strategy in one region of the Copan kingdom, the El...
Rethinking Ceramics as Evidence of Regional Interaction (2016)
In Central America, recent research crosses national boundaries that once divided archaeological analyses, including by identifying historically related ceramics with regionalized names. This paper argues for using contemporary concepts that do not tie us to the culture historical approach, with its equivalences of a people, a material culture, a language, and an identity, to fully understand emerging data. Culture history worked as a preliminary step to clarify relations in areas like...
Small Steps to Preserve El Gigante: Conserving and Interpreting an Artifact from a Rockshelter in the Highlands of Honduras (2020)
This is an abstract from the session entitled "Current Research at the Conservation Research Laboratory at Texas A&M University" , at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology. The El Gigante rockshelter is located in the highlands of Honduras and has an occupation history dating back to 10,000 years B.P. In 2001, a composite artifact consisting of hide and rope was excavated from this site. After excavation, this leather was folded and stored in a plastic bag. Through...