A Seriation of Local Ceramics from Cosmapa Oriental, Department of Chinandega, Nicaragua

Summary

Many local ceramic wares in northwestern Nicaragua are, as of yet, undescribed. Excavations at the site of Cosmapa Oriental in the municipality of Chichigalpa, Department of Chinandega, Nicaragua were conducted by Dr. Clifford Brown of Florida Atlantic University in 2013. Analysis of the ceramic sample in 2015 revealed two occupational periods at the site: a Late Preclassic occupation related to cultures in El Salvador; and a Classic to Early Postclassic occupation, which include Las Vegas and Ulúa Polychromes. This paper will introduce a seriation and description of the Classic to Early Postclassic local ceramic wares recovered from the site of Cosmapa Oriental. The Cosmapa seriation was constructed using the Type: Variety-Mode system, however, emphasis was maintained on paste characteristics. The main local paste is soft and friable, brown to buff, with medium sub-angular volcanic grit temper. Cosmapa wares include an unslipped type and a few types with buff, red, and black slips. Incision and punctation are common ceramic decorations on both unslipped and slipped variations, while we have noted appliqué and the use of stucco on unslipped varieties. This seriation will be the first description of local ceramics from the Department of Chinandega, Nicaragua.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Nica News: Recent Archaeological Research in Nicaragua   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 17182