Izapa and Highland El Salvador: Terminal Formative and Classic Period Ties

Summary

This paper explores coastal and highland interaction in southern Mesoamerica between coastal Chiapas and highland El Salvador. Published accounts of Salvadoran excavations have reported that ties between highland Salvadoran sites and Mesoamerica declined at the close of the Formative period with the eruption of the Ilopango volcano. The dating of the Ilopango eruption has since been updated, and an renewed look at interaction between these zones is necessary. This paper reviews archaeological evidence including ceramics, burial and offering traditions, construction techniques, and monuments, to highlight similarities between the sites of Izapa, Chalchuapa, and Quelepa before and after the Ilopango eruption. Ties between Izapa and Chalchuapa are especially strong. These links suggest greater cultural continuity in both regions during the Terminal Formative to Early Classic transition than has been presented in past reports.

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 1

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14859