Pacific Nicaragua (Other Keyword)
1-3 (3 Records)
Expanding on prior field seasons, the 2016 field school at El Rayo, with the support of the Institute for Field Research, continued the exploration of the unique Bagaces to Sapoa transition period site, located on the Asese Peninsula, Lake Nicaragua. This season focused of the excavation of four loci, continuing to explore previous questions regarding cultural activities in Pacific Nicaragua. Loci 2 and 4, which had been studied in previous field seasons were expanded, while new Loci 6 and 7...
The Human Burials of Conchal, Rivas, Nicaragua (2016)
The mounds of Conchal in Nicaragua were originally thought to be domestic refuse mounds, filled mostly with crushed shells and broken ceramics. Only upon excavation was it discovered that there were multiple individuals buried in the mounds. What did this mean to the inhabitants who lived here? Why were these individuals buried with refuse? Using an analogy from across the pond, it is believed that the individuals were not necessarily buried here purposefully. The individuals were possibly...
Materializing Ritual: Sorcery, Transformation, and Divination in Greater Nicoya (2017)
Themes involving spiritual transformation have long been noted in the material culture of pre-Columbian Greater Nicoya, with standardized ritual imagery appearing in local Sapoá period (AD 800-1250) ceramic type-classes such as Papagayo and Pataky Polychromes. A recent iconographic re-evaluation suggests that at least some varieties from these ‘independent types’ were designed to work together, to complement one another in both ritual messaging and formal function. Here we focus explicitly on...