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Domestic Practice in Postclassic Santa Isabel, Nicaragua

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Geoffrey G. McCafferty
Geoffrey G. McCafferty*
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada (mccaffer@ucalgary.ca)
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Abstract

Four seasons of excavation at the Santa Isabel site on the shore of Lake Nicaragua have recovered an extensive assemblage of material remains relating to Early Postclassic period (A.D. 800–1250) domestic practice. This paper reports initial project results, specifically relating to themes of architecture, foodways, specialized production, and belief systems. Exceptional preservation of organic materials such as faunal and botanical remains, as well as bone tools, permits an expansive description of the material culture relating to household level consumption. Through the intensive coverage of 5 ha of the site center, including 10 house mounds, we see that intra-site variation also reflects community organization. Finally, Santa Isabel presents potential for inferring cultural relationships between central Mexico (based on ethnohistorical accounts) and Greater Nicoya.

Resumen

Resumen

Cuatro temporadas de excavación en el sitio de Santa Isabel, sobre la costa del lago Nicaragua, han permitido recuperar una extensiva colección de restos materiales relacionados con sus prácticas domésticas, correspondientes al Postclásico Temprano (800–1250 d.C.). Se presentan los resultados preliminares del proyecto, específicamente los de los restos arquitectónicos encontrados, las prácticas alimenticias detectadas (técnicas y prácticas de consumo), la producción especializada de artefactos, y las prácticas relativas a las creencias ideológicas. La excepcional preservación de materiales orgánicos, como restos faunísticos y botánicos, así como artefactos en hueso, contribuyen a la descripción extensiva de la cultura material relacionada con el consumo cotidiano. Con base en la investigación intensiva de cinco hectáreas del centro del sitio, incluyendo diez montículos residenciales, las variaciones internas detectadas permiten interpretar la organización de la comunidad. Finalmente, se presenta la información que potencialmente ayudará a inferir las relaciones culturales entre el Altiplano de México (basados en la investigación de las fuentes etnohistóricas) y la Gran Nicoya.

Type
Reports
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 19 , Issue 1 , March 2008 , pp. 64 - 82
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2008

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