Archaeological Research at Cotzumalhuapa, Guatemala

Ceramic Analysis

Licenciado José Vicente Genovez undertook analysis of ceramics from several excavations at El Baúl, with the assistance of students from the University of San Carlos, Guatemala. Museo Popol Vuh kindly provided laboratory space. The specific objectives of ceramic analysis were (a) to elaborate and refine the typological analysis of Cotzumalhuapa ceramics; and (b) to selectively analyze excavated materials from previous field seasons, in attention to their chronological and functional significance. An important accomplishment was the analysis of materials from Operation EB4, centered on a large and elaborate domestic compound located about 300 m west of the El Baúl acropolis, which was partially excavated in 1997 (Figure 1).

Domestic compounds have received little attention in Cotzumalhuapa archaeology. The only precedents for this work are found in house structures partially excavated by Marion Hatch and Rolando Rubio (1986), and Chinchilla (1996a:349-384) in the environs of El Baúl and El Castillo. However, the residential compound found in operation EB4 was much larger and elaborate. Excavations revealed parts of at least four structures around a stone-paved patio, as described in Chinchilla and Antillón 1998 (Figure 2). The most elaborate structure, located on the northern side of the patio, stands on a 55 cm high stone-faced platform. A stone staircase with three steps was found on the southeastern corner of the structure, where two walls met (Figure 3). These walls oscillated between 0.75 and 1.0 m thick, and were faced with stones on both sides, at least on their lower part. The amount of fallen rubble suggests that there may have been two or three courses of stone facing, above which the wall was probably raised with unfaced clay or other perishable materials. A clay floor east of this building suggests the presence of a simpler structure aligned with the former, facing the enclosed patio. Two simpler buildings defined by stone banquets with no trace of stone walls were found on the southern side of the patio (Figure 4).

Analysis of ceramics and other materials from Operation EB4 provided support for the idea that this was indeed a domestic compound. The structures on the southern side of the patio produced large concentrations of ceramic refuse, associated with a fairly large number of mano and metate fragments, suggesting that the activities that were carried out in this area included the preparation of food. In contrast, the more elaborate building on the northern side of the patio produced a much smaller amount of ceramic and lithic materials, suggesting a markedly different function, perhaps that of a living or administrative building. This functional interpretation of the compound has important implications for the study of ancient Cotzumalhuapa society, since it provides evidence on the organization of a residential compound that most probably housed residents of very high status, judging from its architectural elaboration.

Ceramic analysis also provided important chronological information on the constructional and occupational history of this compound. The entire complex was built and occupied during the Late Classic period. However, Middle Classic vessels were redeposited in an offering found underneath the stone-paved patio floor, suggesting a previous stage of occupation in the area. This offering included a Tiquisate vase, an Esmeralda bowl with annular base, a black vase deeply incised with a bird figure, and an obsidian projectile point. Despite the early appearance of the offering, an associated carbon sample provided a calibrated date of A.D. 670-998 (Beta 109013). Ceramic analysis also indicated a thin Postclassic occupation in the area, which most probably took place after the abandonment and concealment of the Late Classic buildings under soil layers resulting from the activity of the nearby Fuego volcano.

Analysis of ceramics from other excavations in the El Baúl area provides overwhelming evidence for a Late Classic dating for both the monumental compounds and residential areas around the site, perhaps extending into the beginning of the Postclassic period (ca. A.D. 650-1000). There are indications that the area was occupied at least since the Middle Classic, but interestingly, the evidence for Preclassic occupation is almost entirely absent. This is in marked contrast with the Bilbao site, where Parsons (1967) found a substantial amount of Middle and Late Classic pottery in mixed deposits. The absence of Preclassic sherds at El Baúl is also in contrast with the early Initial Series date inscribed on Monument 1, which corresponds to A.D. 29.  Further excavations within the major architecture of the El Baúl acropolis may require a revision of these observations, but at present, the available evidence suggests that El Baúl Monument 1 was probably brought to the El Baúl acropolis from Bilbao, which appears to be the major Preclassic site within what would later become the Cotzumalhuapa Nuclear Zone, while the El Baúl and El Castillo sectors were thinly occupied until the Middle Classic period.

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