Digging Ceren: Rounding up the Unusual Methods in Mesoamerican Household Archaeology

Summary

The site of Cerén, El Salvador holds a unique place for Mesoamericanists conducting household archaeology. Its extraordinary preservation fuels the imagination like few other sites can. The fragile nature of this archaeological site requires hyper-alertness, combined with methods for properly extracting and preserving information. The material remains of this deep under-earth site come to light with only the most intensive of excavation methods, many of which are unlike those commonly used at other sites. For example, some artifacts and features don’t exist at all, save for vacuums that are carefully uncovered and then filled in to create physical evidence of ancient lifeways. This plaster process literally pulls the past out of thin air. Comparisons with methods used at Copan, Honduras highlight the differences and similarities that household archaeologists use to uncover remains of everyday life of the Classic Maya and afford important discussion of the implications of these methodological practices at other archaeological sites.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Construction of a Community: Recent Findings from Ceren, El Salvador   •
• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage