A regional approach to cultural preservation: A central american example
The transition to democratic governments in Central America over the past decade, and the subsequent emergence of institutional mechanisms for regional cooperation have greatly increased the frequency and productivity of efforts for preservation of cultural patrimony. Both the archaeological and colonial data bases overlap modern political boundaries and regional collaboration in training, pubic education, curation and research is essential. Natural forces continually impact, and human economic forces (especially international tourism) increasingly impact cultural resources. Regional cooperation in the utilization of human resources is necessary to confront the management and salvage demands of major economic development projects, and rescue efforts following natural disasters. The development of policies and programs will be effective only if matched by the growth of cultural preservation professionals in each of the Central American republics. Finally, other art consuming nations in addition to the United States must begin to respect the cultural heritage of the Central American countries and develop policies to deter abuses by diplomatic staff and employees of NGO’s (nongovernment organizations)
The Origins and Evolution of Usulutan Ceramics
Usulutan pottery is a major characteristic of Preclassic ceramic assemblages in southern Mesoamerica. This distinctive “resist” decorated pottery has long been considered a significant marker of southeastern influence in other areas of Mesoamerica and has been an important element in discussions of external stimuli on the development of Maya civilization. The origin, evolution, and technology of Usulutan have been debated for over 50 years. New archaeological evidence from western El Salvador now provides solutions to several aspects of this debate. The discovery of a complete, well-dated sequence of resist and Usulutan decorated ceramic types demonstrates a western Salvadoran origin and development for this pottery, tracing the tradition back to the Early Preclassic period. This sequence provides a spatial and temporal framework for future studies of Usulutan technology. The new evidence also requires a reassessment of the nature and significance of the Late Preclassic spread of Usulutan pottery in southern Mesoamerica.
Preclassic Ceramics from Chalchuapa, El Salvador, and Their Relationships with the Maya Lowlands
Abstract Application of the type-variety analytical procedure to Preclassic ceramic material excavated from mound-fill deposits at Chalchuapa, El Salvador, has provided important indications of possible ceramic relationships between this site-zone and the Maya Lowlands. Of the five ceramic complexes, the earliest (the Tok ceramic complex) seems related to the Early Preclassic (Cuadros phase) of south coastal Guatemala and Mexico. Pottery of the early Middle Preclassic (the Colos and Kal ceramic complexes) appears to involve certain direct type-variety relationships with the Lowland Maya Xe and Mamom ceramic spheres. Late Middle Preclassic pottery (the Chul ceramic complex) is evidently almost exclusively affiliated with Highland Guatemala (the Providencia phase at Kaminaljuyu). Pottery of the Late Preclassic and "Protoclassic" (the Caynac ceramic complex) at Chalchuapa continues to reflect these ties (now with the Miraflores, Arenal, and Santa Clara phases at Kaminaljuyu). Apart from such ties, however, there are also significant indications of renewed ceramic connections with the Maya Lowlands during this time interval that we believe might have been of some consequence for the development of the Classic Lowland Maya. The implications of these ceramic relationships for the problem of the initial occupation of the east-central Maya Lowlands and the later intrusive Floral Park ceramic sphere at Barton Ramie are discussed. The paper also considers the implications of this evidence for the type-variety analytic procedure and proposes a tentative outline of Preclassic ceramic relationships in the Maya area.