The Obsidian Workshops at Late Classic Cotzumalguapa: Preliminary Technological and Sourcing Analyses

Summary

Scholarly understanding of the prehistoric economy of the Pacific Coast lacks the resolution afforded its Lowland counterpart. Analysis of the Obsidian deposits at Cotzumalguapa offer us a lens through which to bring our understanding of the prehistoric economy of the Pacific Coast into focus. Surface survey and excavations near the El Baúl acropolis revealed the presence of several obsidian dumps, the result of a large-scale lithic industry in the Classic Period site of Cotzumalguapa. Thus far, the debitage analyzed is almost entirely the result of prismatic blade cores reduction. Interestingly, however, neither nodules, nor decortication flakes, or even first series flakes and blades have been identified. Cores also occur in low frequencies and extant cores are nearly exhausted. These patterns suggest that obsidian was imported in the form of already reduced prismatic-blade cores as opposed to rough polyhedral cores or nodules. Preliminary visual analysis suggests the vast majority of the material from this deposit came from the Guatemalan Highland sources of El Chayal and San Martin Jilotepeque. Although the debitage analyzed to date suggest blade production was the primary activity in the El Baúl group, there is also evidence of low intensity, projectile-point production.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Maya Highland and Pacific Coast Archaeology: New Data, Debates, and Directions, Part 2

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15627