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)
Radiocarbon Chronology for the Late Archaic and Formative Periods on the Pacific Coast of Southeastern Mesoamerica
Abstract Archaeological excavations carried out during the past five years along the Pacific coast of Mexico, Guatemala, and El Salvador have recovered 79 new 14C dates for the Late Archaic and Early to Middle Formative periods. We analyze these new dates along with 25 previously published dates to refine a sequence of 10 archaeological phases spanning almost three and a half millennia, from ca. 4000 to 650 B.C. The phases are summarized with a brief description of their most salient characteristics. We include illustrations of the Early Formative period ceramics and figurines from the Mazatan region. The sequence of phases reveals a trajectory of cultural evolution beginning in the Archaic period with the mobile hunting, fishing, and gathering Chantuto people. By 1550 B.C., the first ceramic-using sedentary communities appeared on the coast of Chiapas. They were hunter-fisher-gatherers who supplemented their food supply with cultivated plants, including maize and beans. We suggest that by the Locona phase (1400–1250 B.C.) in Chiapas, they began the transition from egalitarian sociopolitical organization to simple chiefdoms, leaving behind evidence of large-scale architectural constructions, long-distance imports such as obsidian and jade, and elaborately crafted prestige goods. Also in Chiapas, during the Cherla phase (1100–1000 B.C.), ceramic and figurine styles, nearly identical to those found at San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan on the Gulf Coast, made their first appearance. Many of the local artifact styles were gradually replaced by styles that became increasingly widespread in Mesoamerica. The chronology presented here shows that these changes were roughly contemporaneous with similar ones in neighboring regions of Mesoamerica. RESUME Excavaciones arqueológicas conducidas durante los ùltimos cinco años a lo largo de la costa Pacifīca de México, Guatemala y El Salvador han producido 79 fechas radiocarbónicas para los períodos arcaico tardío y formativo temprano a medio. Analizamos estas nuevas fechas junto con otras 25 ya publicadas para definir una secuencia de 10 fases arqueológicas que cubren casi tres milenios y medio, desde ca. 4000 hasta 650 a.C. Se sumarizan las fases con una breve descripción de sus caracteristicas más salientes. Incluimos ilustraciones de cerámica del período formativo temprano,y figurillas de la región de Mazatan. La secuencia de fases revela una trayectoria de evolución cultural empezando en el periodo arcaico con los cazadores, Pescadores y recolectores móbiles chantuto. Para el año 1550 a.C. las primeras comunidades sedentarias aparecieron en la costa de Chiapas. Estas fueron de cazadores y recolectores que suplementaron su dieta con plantas cultivadas incluyendo maíz y frijoles. Sugerimos que, para la fase Locona (1400–1250 a.C.) en Chiapas, estas comunidades empezaron la transición de sociedades igualitarias a jefaturas simples, dejando evidencias de construccion arquitectónica a gran escala, objectos de intercambio a larga distancia como obsidiana y jade y bienes de prestigio elaborados. También en Chiapas, durante la fase Cherla (1100–1000 a.C.) aparecieron estilos de cerámica y figurillas casi idénticos a los encontrados en San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan en la costa del Golfo. Muchos de los estilos locales fueron gradualmente reemplazados con estilos de amplia distribución en Mesoamérica. La cronología presentada aquí muestra que estos cambios fueron aproximadamente contemporáneos como cambios similares en regiones vecinas de Mesoamérica.
Negotiating the cultural and economic outcomes of sport heritage attractions: the case of the National Baseball Hall of Fame
ABSTRACT Contemporary museums must balance their roles as commercial entities and repositories of various, and often dissonant, heritages and histories. Sports museums in particular often have clear commercial and nostalgic aims, particularly through tourist visitation, though the extent to which they represent more challenging narratives remains unclear. This paper examines how one of the most famous sports museums in the world, the National Baseball Hall of Fame (NBHF) in Cooperstown, New York, balances its dual role as tourist attraction and repository of baseball's sometimes checkered past. It was found that different sections of the museum provide greater or lesser degrees of engagement with more controversial issues, although the commercial outputs and appeal of the museum remains clear throughout. Utlimately, the NBHF demonstrates that balancing veneration and critique in collections can be commercially prosperous, and can provide a template for other sport and popular culture museums who may be wary of incorporating more challenging narratives in their exhibits. Furthermore, the symbiotic relationship between the Hall of Fame and the village of Cooperstown, particularly in creating and maintaining cultural and economic outputs, requires further exploration.