Reconstructing Usulután production and exchange patterns in the Late Formative Southern Maya Region

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust: The Archaeology of El Salvador" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Usulután is a type of resist-decorated pottery common in Late Formative Southern Mesoamerica. This presentation will review the results of compositional analysis of 217 Usulután ceramic samples from sites in Southern Guatemala and Western El Salvador. The compositional data indicates that Usulután pottery was primarily produced and consumed locally. However, small quantities of Usulután pottery were exchanged between cities. The compositional data will be used to discuss Usulután production processes, regional and local Usulután styles, and possible relationships between Usulután-producing communities.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust: The Archaeology of El Salvador

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51840