What Do We Talk About When We Talk About Precolonial Sites in Chontales, Central Nicaragua?

Summary

The Proyecto Arqueológico Centro de Nicaragua (PACEN), directed by Alexander Geurds, has recently conducted archaeological research in Chontales, Central Nicaragua. The main focuses of the study include the identification of the different types of settlements, understanding site and mound morphologies, as well as re-defining the regional pottery sequence. Therefore, the authors of this paper carried out a systematic full-coverage high intensity survey of a 52 square kilometer area, a complete mapping of the 46 mounded sites found, as well as stratigraphic excavations to diachronically and synchronically interrelate the different settlements.

In this paper, we discuss the various distinctive traits that conform precolonial sites in Central Nicaragua, looking at archaeological remains, environment, and geomorphology as inherently interconnected analytical elements. Settlements are discussed as an intertwined combination of specific soil types, hydrology and landscape features, as well as particular architectural features and material culture. The analysis of the different sets of combinations of all these characteristics, which conform the quintessential ontology of the sites, will shed light on how we can define prehispanic settlements in the research area.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Quintessential Places: Analyzing the Character of Precolumbian Sites   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 15792