An Inscribed Flask from Tazumal: Historical Evidence for a Political Relationship between Copan and Western El Salvador

Summary

Re-analysis of an inscribed flask excavated by Stanley Boggs in 1952 from a burial in the main pyramid at Tazumal is the first Classic Maya written text found in a primary deposition context in El Salvador. It is also the first historical evidence for political interaction between Copan and El Salvador, a situation that has long been suggested based on archaeological evidence including the use of Copador ceramics in both Honduras and El Salvador and the presence of other elite Classic Maya goods in monumental contexts at Tazumal and Campana San Andres. The Tazumal flask is the only Classic hieroglyphic text from El Salvador naming a recognizable individual, tagged as the property of Copan’s most powerful lord, K’ahk’ Uti’ Witz' K’awiil, who during the seventh century emphasized expanding his dynasty’s influence outside of the Copan pocket. It is also one of only a few miniature Classic Maya vessels tagged with an individual’s name. The presence of this vessel in a burial in a monumental context at the largest Classic site in El Salvador suggests a diplomatic history to this vessel, and brings the relationship between Copan and Classic El Salvador into sharper focus.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• The Copan Kingdom and its Political Interactions along the Southeastern Maya Frontier

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Spatial Coverage