Jadeite Sources and Ancient Workshops: Archaeological Reconnaissance in the Upper Río El Tambor, Guatemala

Sitio Carrizal Grande

This site is located on the southern side of the Quebrada El Silencio close to the town of Carrizal Grande (Figure 9). This portion of the Quebrada El Silencio is filled with alluvial jadeite of many colors, including translucent material of strongly blue hue (Figures 12 & 13, shown below; and Appendix, Figure 7). The site is a poorly preserved plaza group with several platforms, with several structures on the northern side largely destroyed by erosion into the quebrada (Figure 42). On the site, surface ceramics, jade debitage, and partially worked jade celts are encountered. Recent ground perturbation by rodents in the eastern portion of the site suggests that some of the cultural deposits, including jade debitage, may be fairly deep and substantial. Along with jade, a considerable number of obsidian artifacts occur on the surface. Although most of the ceramics appear to be Late Classic in date, one sherd appears to be early, and may well date to near the beginning of the Middle Formative period (Figure 32). With its broad rim marked by a U-shaped incision, this sherd is notably similar to ceramics from Tlapacoya, Mexico, dating to roughly 900 B.C. (see Niederberger 1987:figs. 391, 395, 396)

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Click on image to enlarge

Slightly upstream from Sitio Carrizal Grande there is a lithic reduction area with considerable jade debitage and partially worked celts. Most of the surface jade is of light bluish gema material that was probably mined locally from the hillside. Directly above this reduction area, a local resident of Carrizal Grande currently is quarrying jadeite from the field below his house.

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