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

Conclusions

The preliminary finds of the Proyecto Arqueologico del Jade reveal intriguing patterns that require further investigation. First, ceramics indicate that the exploitation of the blue green jadeite of the Quebrada El Silencio drainage did not occur only, or even primarily, during the Middle Formative Period originally hypothesized by the project members. Indeed, only one probable example of Middle Formative ceramics was discovered in the region, this being a rim sherd from Sitio Carrizal Grande (Figure 43a, below and Figure 43b). The remaining ceramic evidence suggests that there was a major Late Classic presence at all the sites discovered during the survey. Plumbate pottery, a marker for the Late Classic and Early Postclassic, was also found at the Sitio Aguilucho and Chucunhueso sites, as well as at the small site west of the juncture of the Quebrada Seca and the Quebrada El Silencio. The appearance of plumbate pottery at jade working areas puts a much later date of jade exploitation than initially believed. However, considering the importance of jade to the local Pokomchi Maya who lived in this area during the contact and colonial periods, some continuity in jade procurement is to be expected.

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The apparently short occupation of many of upper Río El Tambor sites also suggests that the jadeite celt production during the Late Classic may have been due to some external demand for types of jade that were not available further down stream closer to the Río El Tambor confluence with the Río Motagua. Future excavations in the area will have to address these two temporal patterns: brief settlement of the area during the Middle Formative and Late Classic periods that were directed toward the production of celtiform axe preforms. In addition, the large site of La Laguna, located on the lower Río El Tambor, close to the Motagua, displays evidence of jade celt preparation, and may have important implications for the ancient procurement of jade in the Quebrada El Silencio drainage.

Another important pattern is the production of jade celts and jade quarrying in the region. The future excavation of celt production and quarrying locales may confirm or deny the preliminary analysis presented in this paper. Flake quantities and error frequencies may be able to determine the output of jadeite celts for various time periods in the Upper Río El Tambor. However, beyond technological issues, the question remains: who was consuming blue-green jadeite axes during the Late Classic period? This color and technological form are not common during the Late Classic period in the Maya lowlands. Nonetheless, large amounts of jade have been discovered over the years at the major site of Copán in nearby, western Honduras, and is quite possible that some of these jades will correspond to jadeite known for the Río El Tambor region.

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Although virtually all of the surface ceramics encountered during the 2004 field season in the Quebrada El Silencio drainage date to the Late Classic period, the 2004 field season was limited to surface reconnaissance, and it is entirely possible that there are buried earlier deposits not visible on the surface. In addition, given the rugged nature of the terrain, other sites may well be encountered in the future. Two stone monuments resembling the Cotzumalhuapan style currently in Jalapa are reportedly from a site near the town of Potrero Carrillo, roughly seven kilometers west of the Quebrada El Silencio jadeite sources (Figures 49 and 50, above). The size and quality of these tenoned sculptures suggest that they derive from a fairly substantial site, surely on a larger scale than Sitio Aguilucho. In addition, new jadeite sources continue to be discovered in the Motagua region. In the last several years, bright green jadeite similar to that used by the Classic Maya has been found far upstream in the Motagua in the general vicinity of the Postclassic site of Mixco Viejo, roughly 80 kilometers west of Guaytán and the major jadeite sources of the Middle Motagua (Figures 51a, 51b, & 52, shown below; and Appendix, Figure 12). Given the extensive area in which jadeite occurs in eastern Guatemala, it is clear that a great deal of reconnaissance and research still needs to be performed.

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