Interregional Connections of Northeast Honduras during the Postclassic Period

Summary

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 investigated region. A surprisingly high amount of finely worked obsidian blades point to commercial relations with Ixtepeque, Guatemala. Another evidence for long distance trade is the presence of copper bells and conches, which were important trading items during the Postclassic in Mesoamerica. The latter surely were produced in Guadalupe. Further investigations in that poorly studied region of northeast Honduras can surely help to expand our understanding of trading relations during the Postclassic.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16731