Mortuary Practices at Locus 3, El Rayo, Nicaragua

Summary

Excavations in 2009 and 2010 established the presence of mortuary remains at the El Rayo archaeological site, located on the Asese Peninsula near modern Granada, Nicaragua. In 2015 an additional field season expanded upon previous excavations in Locus 3, one of two known cemetery locations at the site, exposing several more burial urns, and further investigating previously known urn burials. This new data contributes to a greater understanding of mortuary practices at El Rayo, which at Locus 3 includes a cluster of burial urns in association with a stone structure. The urns, containing burials from the Sapoà (800-1350 CE) period, include several examples of multiple-individual interments, which is accentuated by a child burial in Feature 8 alongside portions of another, older, individual. Possible re-deposition of remains within urns alongside multiple individuals may suggest continued use and reuse of the cemetery by related peoples throughout time, indicating a maintenance of social identity through burial rituals.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage