Inter-Regional Ties in Costa Rican Prehistory: Papers presented at a symposium at Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, April 27, 1983 9780860542926, 9781407338279

Table of contents :
Front Cover
Copyright
Photo of Carl V. Hartman in Costa Rica
Table of Contents
Preface
CARL HARTMAN AND THE BEGINNING OF SCIENTIFIC ARCHAEOLOGY IN COSTA RICA
REFLEXIONES SOBRE LA INVESTIGACION ARQUEOLOGICA EN COSTA RICA: UNA PERSPECTIVA HISTORICA
PATTERNS OF INTERREGIONAL CONTACTS AS SEEN FROM THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS-ATLANTIC WATERSHED OF COSTA RICA
ACERCA DE LA UNIDAD CULTURAL ENTRE LA VERTIENTE ATLANTICAY EL VALLE CENTRAL DE COSTA RICA
ESTRUCTURA E INTEGRACION Y COMPOSICION DEMOGRAFICA EN UN CEMENTERIO CON TUMBAS DE CAJON DEL INTERMONTANO CENTRAL DE COSTA RICA
CONTACTOS INTER-REGIONALES EN COSTA RICA: UNA APRECIACION DESDE LA REGION DE GUAYABO DE TURRIALBA
IDENTIFICACIONES PRELIMINARES DE 176 MUESTRAS FAUNICAS PROCEDENTES DEL SITIO NACASCOLO, BAHIA CULEBRA-GUANACASTE
SUBSISTANCE CHANGES ON THE COAST OF THE GREATER NICOYA REGION
ELITE PARTICIPATION IN PRECOLOMBIAN CERAMIC TRANSFER IN COSTA RICA
COSTA RICAN TRADE IN CONTEXT
GREATER NICOYA POLYCHROME CERAMICS; Regional and Inter-Regional Ties
UTILITARIAN LITHICS AS PRESTIGE ITEMS: A PRELIMINARY EXAMINATION OF SOME LOWER CENTRAL AMERICAN MORTUARY PRACTICES
INTER-REGIONAL TIES BETWEEN PANAMA AND COSTA RICA: A CLOSER LOOK AT FORMATIVE CERAMICS FROM WESTERN CHIRIQUI, PANAMA
THE VALLE DE GENERAL AND PANAMANIAN CHIRIQUI: TEMPORAL AND REGIONAL DIFFERENCES

Citation preview

Inter-Regional Ties in Costa Rican Prehistory Papers presented at a symposium at Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, April 27, 1983 Edited by Esther Skirboll and Winifred Creamer

BAR International Series 226 1984

B.A.R.

5, Centremead, Osney Mead,� Oxford OX2 OES, England.

GENERAL EDITORS A.R Hands, B.Sc., M.A., D.Phil. D.R Walker, M.A.

B.A.R.-S226, ·1984: 'In ter-Region al Ties in Costa Rican

Prehistory•

© The In dividual Authors, 1984 The authors’ moral rights under the 1988 UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act are hereby expressly asserted. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be copied, reproduced, stored, sold, distributed, scanned, saved in any form of digital format or transmitted in any form digitally, without the written permission of the Publisher. ISBN 9780860542926 paperback ISBN 9781407338279 e-book DOI https://doi.org/10.30861/9780860542926 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library This book is available at www.barpublishing.com

C arl V .

H artman i n C osta R ica.

C ONTENTS P age P reface J ames B .

i v R ichardson,

I II

I ntroduction: C arl H artman a nd t he B eginning o f S cientific A rchaeology i n C osta R ica E sther S kirboll

1

R eflexiones s obre l a i nvestigacion a rqueologica e n C osta R ica: u na p erspectiva h istorica O scar M . F onseca Z amora

1 5

P atterns o f I nter-Regional c ontacts a s s een f rom t he C entral H ighlands-Atlantic W atershed o f C osta R ica M ichael J . S narskis

2 9

A cerca d e l a u nidad c ultural e ntre l a V ertiente A tlantica y e l V alle C entral d e A na C . A rias Q

4 5

C osta R ica

E structura e i ntegracion y c omposicion d emografica e n u n c ementerio c on t umbas d e c ajon d el

I ntermontano C entral d e 5 9

C osta R ica R icardo V äsquez L . C ontactos i nterregionales e n C osta R ica:

u na a preciacion

d esde l a r egion d e G uayabo d e T urrialba L uis H urtado d e M endoza, A lfonso S alazar M ., L uz M aria M oya R I dentificaciones p reliminares d e

1 76 muestras f aunicas

p rocedentes d el s itio N acascolo, M aritza G utigrrez G onzäles

B ahia C ulebra-Guanacaste

S ubsistence C hanges o n t he C oast o f

8 3

1 09

t he G reater N icoya R egion..129

J ean-Francois M oreau E lite P articipation i n P recolumbian C eramic T ransfer i n C osta R ica F rederick W .

1 43 L ange

C osta R ican T rade i n C ontext W inifred

1 79

C reamer

G reater N icoya P olychrome C eramics; I nter-Regional J ane

T ies

R egional a nd 1 87

S tevenson D ay

U tilitarian L ithics a s P restige I tems: A P reliminary E xamination o f S ome L ower C entral A merican M ortuary P ractices..203 D avid J .

B ernstein

11

I nter-Regional T ies B etween P anama a nd C osta R ica: A C loser L ook a t F ormative C eramics f rom W estern C hiriqui, P anama C atherine S helton E inhous

2 21

T he V alle d e G eneral a nd P anamanian C hiriqui: R egional D ifferences W olfgang H aberland

2 61

111

T emporal a nd

P REFACE I n

1 908,

D r.

C arl V ilhelm H artman,

t he f irst c urator o f

t he

S ection o f A nthropology, l eft C arnegie M useum o f N atural H istory t o t ake a p osition i n T he R oyal N atural H istory M useum i n S tockholm, S weden. D uring t he f ive y ears t hat h e w as c urator, h e a massed, e xcavation a nd p urchase, t he m ost i mportant e arly d ocumented

t hrough

a rchaeological c ollection f rom C osta R ica t hat c urrently e xists. H is m eticulous r esearch a t s ites o n t he A tlantic a nd P acific c oasts a nd i n t he i ntervening H ighlands h as s ecured h is p lace i n a rchaeological h istory, n ot o nly a s o ne o f t he f irst s cientific i nvestigators i n t he A mericas, b ut a s t he F ather o f C osta R ican A rchaeology . O n A pril 2 7, 1 983, s eventy-five y ears a fter H artman l eft C arnegie M useum o f N atural H istory, a s ymposium w as h eld i n t he S ection o f A nthropology t o e xplore t he i nterrelationships b etween t he d iverse p rehistoric c ultures o f C osta R ica. T he s ymposium, w hich w as o rganized b y W inifred C reamer, E sther S kirboll, a nd O scar M . F onseca Z amora, w as t he d irect r esult o f t wo o f i ts o rganizers' r esearch o n H artman 's c ollections.

I n 1 975,

O scar M .

F onseca Z amora w as i nvited t o

C arnegie

M useum o f N atural H istory t hrough i ts V isiting S pecialist P rogram t o e valuate H artman 's c ollection f or i ts r esearch p otential. S ubsequently, h e r eceived h is M aster o f A rts d egree f rom t he U niversity o f P ittsburgh, b ased u pon a s mall p ortion o f t he c ollection. F onseca 's e valuation o f t he c ollection p rompted E sther S kirboll t o a nalyse H artman 's c eramic a ssemblages f rom t he C urridabat a nd C oncepcion s ites i n t he H ighlands f or h er d octoral d issertation a t t he U niversity o f P ittsburgh. R ealizing t he s ignificance o f t he H artman c ollection t o f urthering o ur k nowledge o f C osta R ican c ultural d evelopment,

t he

o rganizers i nvited o ver t hirty a rchaeologists t o p articipate i n t he f ull-day s ession. T welve p apers w ere p resented i n t he s ymposium, t wo o f w hich w ere n ot i ncluded i n t his v olume a nd o ne o f w hich w as p ublished e lsewhere. F our a dditional p apers b y A na C . A rias Q , F rederick W . L ange, E sther S kirboll a nd M ichael J . S narskis w ere s ubmitted a t a l ater d ate. T he s ymposium d iscussants w ere F rederick W . T he f ollowing f unding s ources,

L ange a nd A nthony J .

R anere.

w hich e nabled t he o rganizers t o

b ring e xperts f rom C osta R ica a nd s upported t he s ymposium, d eserve s pecial a cknowledgment: S ection o f A nthropology, C arnegie M useum o f N atural H istory; A ndrew W . M ellon F unds, C enter f or L atin A merican S tudies, U niversity o f P ittsburgh; D r. J ames M . A dovasio, C hairman, D epartment o f A nthropology, U niversity o f P ittsburgh ; I nstituto d e T urismo, S an J ose, C osta R ica; D r. B etty J . M eggers, L atin A merican A rcheological F und, S mithsonian I nstitution; W enner-Gren F oundation f or A nthropological R esearch, N ew Y ork.

i v

T he

S ection o f A nthropology a lso w ishes t o a cknowledge a ll

t he

i ndividuals w ho h ave c ontributed t heir t ime a nd e xpertise i n o rder t o m ake t he s ymposium p ossible. I t i s a ppropriate t o t hank D r. F rederick W . L ange, D r. B etty J . M eggers, a nd S enora L orena S an R amon d e G allegos f or t heir s upport o f t he s ymposium a nd f or m aking m any o f t he a rrangements t hat a llowed f or f ull p articipation b y a rchaeologists f orm t he U niversidad d e C osta R ica a nd t he M useo N acional d e C osta R ica. T he S ection o f A nthropology i s d eeply i ndebted t o E sther S kirboll a nd W inifred C reamer f or e diting t his c ontribution t o o ur k nowledge o f C osta R ican a rchaeology, a nd f or a rranging f or i ts p ublication w ith t he B .A.R. I nternational S eries. T he v olume w as t yped b y J oan S . G ardner o f t he

S ection o f A nthropology,

t o w hom w e w ish t o a dd o ur t hanks.

T he p ublication o f I nter-Regional T ies i n C osta R ican A rchaeology r eflects t he b road i nterests o f C arl V ilhelm H artman, a nd i t i s t o h is m emory t hat w e d edicate t his c ollection o f r esearch p apers. J ames B . R ichardson, I II C hief C urator S ection o f A nthropology C arnegie M useum o f N atural H istory P ittsburgh, P ennsylvania

C ARL H ARTMAN A ND T HE B EGINNING O F S CIENTIFIC A RCHAEOLOGY I N C OSTA R ICA

E sther S kirboll C arlow C ollege P ittsburgh, P ennsylvania R esearch A ssociate C arnegie M useum o f N atural H istory P ittsburgh, P ennsylvania

1

A BSTRACT C arl H artman 's b ackground,

t raining

i n a rchaeology,

a nd e xcavation

a nd r ecording t echniques a re r eviewed. T he u se o f h is o riginal d ata f rom t he t hree major a rchaeological r egions i n C osta R ica i s d iscussed w ith e mphasis o n i ts v alue t o c urrent w ork i n C osta R ican a rchaeology. S ome e xcerpts f rom h is

l etter o f

1 903

t o W .

C .

H olland a re

i ncluded.

A n a ssessment o f H artman 's c ontribution t o C osta R ican a rchaeology i s p resented.

R ESUMEN S e r evisa l a e ducacion y e ntrenemiento e n a rqueologia d e

C arl

H artman. A demas s e d iscute s us t ecnicas d e e xcavacion y d e r egistro d e d atos. S e d escribe c omo H artman e mpleo l os d atos r esultando d e s us e xcavaciones e n l as t res z onas a rqueologicos p rincipales d e C osta R ica. E l v alor d e l os t rabajos d e H artman p ara e l a rqueologia a ctual e n C osta R ica e sta e nfatizado.

E stan i ncluidas a lgunos

1 903 a W .

A demas s e p resenta u n a valuacion d e l os

C .

H olland.

t rozos d e

c ontribuciones d e H artman a l a rqueologia d e C osta R ica.

2

s u c arta d e

T his v olume

i s d edicated

t o

p apers r ead a t a s ymposium h eld

C arl V ilhelm H artman,

C arnegie M useum o f N atural H istory i n P ittsburgh, d edication t o i n C osta who

a nd

i n h is h onor o n A pril 2 7,

c onsists o f 1 983 a t

P ennsylvania.

C arl H artman o f a s ymposium e ntitled

T he

I nter-regional

T ies

R ican P rehistory i s a f itting w ay t o h onor t he memory o f a man

p roduced

t he e arliest

a rchaeological r espected

i mportant b ody o f

r egions o f C osta R ica,

t oday b y

C entral

i nformation o n t hree major

a nd w hose w ork i s h ighly

A merican a nthropologists.

H artman 's c ontributions t o A merican a rchaeology a re w ell k nown t o a rchaeologists w orking i n C entral A merica, a nd p articularly t o t hose i nterested i n C osta R ica. H is l imited f ame b eyond t his c omparatively s mall c ircle o f s pecialists i s due p rimarily t o a n a rticle a bout h im w ritten by J ohn R owe c ontribution t o w ork,

i n

1 959.

A ccording

t o R owe,

H artman 's c hief

A merican a rchaeology w as h is c areful a pproach t o

e mploying e xcavation t echniques o f g reat a ccuracy.

s trongly

t hat

f urther u se c ould a nd

s hould b e m ade o f

R owe

f ield

f elt

t he d ata H artman

a massed, a nd h e made s everal s pecific s uggestions f or t he d irection t hat s uch w ork might t ake u sing H artman 's o riginal f ield n otes ( Rowe 1 959). t oday

C osta R ican a rchaeologists a re, t o a nswer q uestions b eyond

c entury a rchaeologists.

t he

i n f act,

u sing

s cope o f l ate

S ome o f t hese

t his

f ield d ata

1 9th a nd e arly 2 0th

n ew s tudies w ill

b e d iscussed

b elow.

a nd

T he f ollowing a chievements.

R owe

( 1959),

( 1959)

a nd

f or a d iscussion o f h is f ield

H artman

p lanned a nd a ssistant

a nd

i s a s ummary o f i nformation o n H artman 's b ackground F or a c omplete d iscussion o f h is b ackground, s ee ( 1901).

s tudied

f or a c areer

I n

1 890 h e

n aturalist n amed K arl M exico.

H e

t his r ole h is n ame:

i n b otany.

j oined

S ophus L umholtz

E senbeckia h artmanii

H e

t hese e nds h e b ecame a n

S wedish A cademy o f

t o

t he

S ierra M adre m ountains

c ollector o n t his e xpedition,

s everal n ew p lants

t his e xpedition t o o bserve

s ee R owe 1 862.

a n e xpedition l ed b y a N orwegian

s erved a s a b otanical

h e d iscovered

S weden i n

T o

i n t he b otanical d epartment o f t he

A griculture.

t echniques

H artman w as b orn i n

( Rowe

t he n ative

a nd

i n i n

i ncluding o ne which b ears

1 959:269).

H e

p eoples a nd

t o v isit many

f ound

t ime during

P recolumbian r uins. T his v isit s parked a n i nterest i n a rchaeology a nd e thnology w hich h e w as t o d evelop a t t he f irst o pportunity a nd w hich e ventually a ltered t he c ourse o f h is c areer. I n t he meantime, h e c ontinued h is c areer i n b otany, a nd h e w as n amed c urator o f t he B otanic G arden o f S tockholm. W hile h e h eld t his p osition, h e a lso p ursued a f ascination w ith a rchaeology b y s tudying e xcavation t echniques w ith H jakmar S tolpe, a S wedish a rchaeologist w ho e ventually b ecame c urator o f t he E thnological D ivision o f t he S wedish R oyal M useum. w orked i n a l arge V iking c emetery o n t he i sland o f B jorka, t here

f or

s everal

s easons

t o e xcavate o ver o ne

t echnique h e u sed a nd w hich h e t he g round w ith a s teel r od o ver e ach b urial a nd m apped

t aught

S tolpe r eturning

t housand g raves.

t o H artman c onsisted

T he

o f t esting

t o l ocate t he burials. H e t hen l aid a g rid i t a nd i ts c ontents o n t he g ridded p aper

( Rowe 1 959:272-273). H artman l ater f aithfully e mployed t hese r evolutionary t echniques i n h is o wn a rchaeological w ork i n C osta R ica. I n

1 889,

h e l ed a r esearch e xpedition

t o

C osta R ica,

S alvador,

G uatemala ( Hartman 1 907a:1). T his e xpedition w as s ponsored b y A ke S jogren, a S wedish m ining e ngineer who h ad l ived f or a t ime o n t he P acific

c oast o f

C osta

R ica.

W hile

s earching

3

t he a rea f or a ncient

a nd

sources of jade, he did• some excavating and visited the cemetery of Las Huacas while it was under excavation (Hartman 1907a:ll). Sjogren was deeply interested in the prehistory of the area and when he returned to Sweden, he offered to sponsor scientific research in Costa Rica. The ambitious purpose of this expedition, which lasted for almost four years from 1896 to 1899, included research in archaeology, ethnology, and linguistics in these countries. Carl Hartman, then 34 years old, was chosen to lead the expedition. He was equipped with the most up-to-date excavation techniques and with great enthusiasm and a dedication to unravel the mysteries of Precolumbian Costa Rica� When Hartman began his work in Costa Rica� its prehistory was largely unknown. The Atlantic Slope, specifically, covered in tropical vegetation, had never been explored archaeologically. It was only after the completion of the railroad from Puerto Limon, the Atlantic Harbor, almost to the Nicaraguan frontier that at least a portion of this area was opened to commercial farming and also to archaeology. With the railroad completed shortly prior to his 1896 trip, Hartma� was the first person to carry out archaeological survey in the area. Even so, his explorations were necessarily restricted to areas around the railroad, as the rainforest began not far from it. His first explorations were at the large ceremonial center of Las Mercedes where he cleared and mapped large areas of mounds and their enclosures. Here he began employing the excavation methods he had learned in Sweden, and mapped each grave separately, drawing the contents in place and to scale. When heavy rains made further work on the Atlantic Slope impossible, he moved into the Highlands, excavating several sites in the Cartego Valley. At this time systematic looting of Precolumbian cemeteries was the norm, and Hartman was deeply concerned about the removal of large numbers of artifacts for private collections with no efforts whatsoever made to provide provenience information on them. In all his work during his_ first archaeological field expedition he demonstrated a keen awareness of the fragility of the prehistoric record and a concern for the cavalier attitude with which it was exploited at the time by thoughtless or greedy individuals eager to amass huge collections of pottery, jade, and gold without regard to its historic or anthropological value. He noted that 1,000 items from various parts of the country had been sold to the museum at Bremen, Germany in 1879 (Hartman 1901:48). So much large-scale looting was carried out late in the 19th Century that Hartman feared he would be unable to locate an undisturbed burial ground in the Cartego Valley. Given these circumstances, he was delighted to discover several sites at Santiago, Chircot, Las Limones, and Orosi (Fig. 1) where no mounds at the surface had led pot hunters to the burial grounds. In his excavations in the Highlands, he used the greatest care in mapping, drawing, and describing his finds.. His· careful me·thods and concern for the material are evident in his note that he only uncovered as many graves as could be completely excavated in one day. Buried graves at Chircot were protected during the rainy season by the surrounding ashy volcanic soil. Once exposed, however, they were quickly disturbed by the rain which fell each evening. There were 205 burials at this site distributed in three levels. Although Hartman did not make stratigraphic cuts in his work, he understood the theory of 4

s tratigraphy p erfectly. T he i ntegrity o f e ach l evel w as s trictly maintained, a nd r egarding t he i mplications o f t he s tratified b urials, h e n oted: " Undoubtedly,

t his b urial g round w ith i ts 2 05 g raves w as

a c onsiderable p eriod o f t ime i n u se. O n c omparing, h owever, t he c onstruction o f t he c ists o f t he d ifferent l ayers o ne w ith a nother,

a s w ell a s t he r elics c ontained i n t hem,

w e

f ind t hat n o m arked d ifferences a re t o b e f ound, s uch a s w ould i ndicate a ny c ultural c hanges. T he r elics i n t he l owest a nd o ldest l ayer s how f orms

i n e verything r esembling,

o r a lmost i dentical w ith, 1 901:125)."

t he h ighest

t hose o f

( Hartman

H e m ust s urely h ave b een o ne o f t he f irst N ew W orld a rchaeologists w ho e xamined t he c ontents o f b uried p ottery v essels. H e n otes t hat e ach v essel w as r emoved s o a s n ot t o d isturb t he c ontents w hich h e t hen p ersonally e xamined a nd n oted. M ost o f t he m aterial d iscovered o n t his f irst f ield t rip b elonged t o t he l ate p rehistoric p eriod, h owever, a t t he C entral H ighland s ite o f O rosi, h e d iscovered s ome u nusual s herds i n t he f ill a round t he g raves. T hese w ere o f a p ottery t otally d ifferent f rom t hat w hich h e w as e xcavating, a nd h e w as v ery c urious a bout i t ( Hartman 1 907b). H e w as i nterested i n l ocating a s ite w here a b etter s ample o f t his k ind o f p ottery c ould b e f ound, b ut w as u nable t o d o s o o n t his t rip. D uring t he f irst f ield t rip, s pending s ome t ime a t

H artman a lso v isited t he N icoya a rea

t he L as H uacas c emetery.

L arge c ollections o f

a rtifacts w ere b eing r emoved f rom t he s ite a t t his t ime, a nd H artman w as n ot a ble t o o btain p ermission t o e xcavate. H e w as v ery c oncerned a bout t he u nscientific r emoval o f m aterial f rom t his l arge s ite, a nd f elt a n u nderstandable s ense o f u rgency i n r eturning t o C osta R ica t o i nvestigate i t, a nd t o a nswer s ome o f t he o ther q uestions r aised b y h is f irst t rip. I n

1 903 H artman t ook h is f irst p rofessional p osition i n

a rchaeology w hen h e b ecame c urator o f t he S ection o f E thnology a nd A rchaeology a t C arnegie M useum o f N atural H istory i n P ittsburgh. T hat s ame y ear h e w as a ble t o r eturn t o C osta R ica s ponsored b y C arnegie t o c arry o ut a dditional f ield w ork a nd t o p urchase s everal c ollections f or t he museum. D uring t he s even m onths d uration o f t his s econd a nd l ast f ield t rip h e c ompleted s everal o f t he p rojects w hich h ad b een s uggested b y t he f irst t rip. O ne, w hich must h ave g iven h im g reat s atisfaction, w as t he e xcavation a t L as H uacas o n t he P acific C oast. H e w as a ble t o n egotiate t he p urchase f or C arnegie M useum o f t he c ollection m ade a t t his s ite;

b ut m ore i mportantly,

p ermission t o e xcavate a t t he s ite i tself.

O f

h e f inally s ecured

t his s uccess h e n oted:

" It w as h igh t ime t o d o s ome s ystematic w ork,

i f e ven o n

o nly a s mall s cale, a t t his I mportant p lace, w hich h ad y ielded s uch r ich t reasures, b efore t he v ery l ast c orner o f t he t erritory h ad b een e xhausted ( Hartman 1 907a:14)." T hus H artman e xcavated h ere, a nd b y p ublishing h is e xcavated m aterial w ith t he c ollections m ade t here b y V alasco, h e a ttempted t o b ring a s emblance o f o rderliness

t o t he w hole ( 1907a).

5

T he v alue o f h is w ork

t here i s e vident i n t he s tudies o f t he p ast f ew y ears w hich h ave u sed h is s tratigraphically e xcavated m aterial a s d ata u seful i n a nswering n ew q uestions. T he p ottery e xcavated i n s tratigraphic u nits a t L as H uacas w as d escribed a nd p laced i n c hronological s equence b y B uadez ( 1967). T his s equence h as b een o f g reat v alue a s a c ross r eferencing d evice. F or e xample, G raham h as u sed t his a pproach t o b uild a d evelopmental s equence f or s tone m etates o f t he G uanacaste-Nicoya a rea ( Graham 1 982:114). O scar F onseca ( Fonseca a nd S caglion 1 978) s eriated a p ortion o f t he s tone p endants a nd m aceheads c ollected f rom L as H uacas; a nd, u tilizing a n e xample f rom t he s tratified d eposits a s a n a nchor t o t he e arly e nd o f t he s equence, h as s eriated t hese a ccording t o t heir d ecorative m otifs. F onseca a nd R ichardson ( 1978) h ave d iscussed p ossible c ontacts b etween M ayan a nd S outh A merican a reas e videnced b y m otifs o n a rtifacts f rom L as H uacas. I n t his v olume B ernstein u ses m aterial e xcavated b y H artman a t L as H uacas a s w ell a s t he m aterial f rom t he C entral H ighland s ites i n h is d iscussion o f t he d istribution o f s tone c elts i n C osta R ica a nd P anama ( see B ernstein, t his v olume). L ange a lso m akes u se o f H artman 's o riginal d ata i n h is c onsideration o f t he d istribution o f p ottery t ypes f rom t he N icoya a rea i nto o ther p arts o f C osta R ica a nd e lsewhere ( see L ange, t his v olume). A nother q uestion r aised b y t he f irst f ield t rip w hich h e p ursued o n t he s econd t rip c oncerned t he u nusual p ottery s herds d iscovered i n t he f ill a t O rosi. D uring t he s econd t rip, h e w as a ble, w ith t he a ssistance o f l ocal f armers t o l ocate a nd e xcavate t wo s mall c emetery s ites w here t his n ew p ottery w as t he p rimary t ype. T he p ottery f rom t hese s ites, C urridabat a nd C oncepcion, w as e ntirely n ew t o H artman a nd d ifferent f rom t hat w hich h e h ad s een u p t o i ts d iscovery. H e w as p articularly i nterested i n t he d ecorative m otifs o n i t. O f H artman 's e xcavations i n t he C entral H ighlands, o nly h is w ork a t C urridabat a nd C oncepciön r emained i ncomplete a lthough a p reliminary a rticle w as p ublished d ealing w ith i t ( Hartman 1 907b). S kirboll r ecently s tudied t his m aterial, s eriated t he l arge t ripod b urial u rns, a nd d iscussed t he n ature o f t he T ransitional P eriod i n t he C entral H ighlands b ased o n t he p ottery c ollection ( Skirboll 1 981, 1 984). T hus i t i s c lear t hat H artman 's e xcavations i n t hree m ajor a reas: t he E astern S lope, t he C entral H ighlands, a nd t he N icoya a rea h ave n ot o nly b een s eminal i n t he d evelopment o f C osta R ican a rchaeology, b ut a re s till b eing u sed a s a r esource b ase f or a rchaeological c oncerns. T hese s tudies a nd t he m any o thers n ot m entioned h ere m ore t han f ulfill R owe 's s uggestions t hat t he d ata H artman p roduced s hould b e u tilized i n a nswering n ew q uestions a bout C osta R ican p rehistory. E verything t hat i s k nown a bout H artman i s f ound i n h is t hree E nglish l anguage p ublications ( 1901, 1 907a, 1 907b ; f or a c omplete b ibliography o f h is p ublished w orks, s ee R owe 1 959). H owever, a n i nteresting d ocument i n t he f iles o f C arnegie M useum i s t he e legantly h andwritten l etter s ent b y H artman i n 1 903 t o D r. W . J . H olland, D irector o f C arnegie M useum o f N atural H istory, a pplying f or a p osition a s a n a rchaeologist w ith C arnegie. I n t his n ine p age l etter, H artman r eveals a g reat d eal o f h is c haracter a nd h is g oals. I t i s c lear, f or e xample, t hat h e w as aware o f t he i mport o f t he n ew

6

e xcavation t echniques which h e h ad l earned i n S weden, e xpected t hem t o b ecome w idely a dopted. " I a lso w ill

s ay,

t hat

Ih ave a n ew method

o ut o f a c ertain b ranch o f a rch. i s

f or t he c arrying

i nvestigation.

I t

t he a pplication o f a s ystem u sed i n c ivil e ngineering

a rchaeology.

t o

B y t his method much t ime a nd w ork w ill b e

s aved a nd f ar m ore a curate, o btained

s cientific

r esults w ill b e

t han i n t he w ay t he w ork i s c arried o n n ow.

n ot m erely a t heory o f m ine. o f

( sic)

a nd t hat h e f ully

I t's

Ih ave t he f ull e ndorsement

t he h ighest a uthority i n t he matter a nd

t his m ethod h as

n ever b een p ut i n p ractice b y a ny a rchaeologist i n A merica n or i n E urope. A fter o ne a rch. ( sic) i nvestigation h as b een c arried o ut a ccording t o t his p lan a nd t he r esults h ave b een p ublished o ther a rchaeologists c an n ot a void u sing i t. I o nly a sk f or t he o pportunity t o i ntroduce t he m ethods." ( Hartman 1 903). T he f ailure o f o ther a rchaeologists

t o a dopt h is m ethods m ust h ave b een

a matter o f s urprise a nd d isappointment

t o H artman who s o c learly s aw

t heir o bvious a dvantages. H artman 's l etter a lso d escribes w ith g reat e nthusiasm h is p rojected p lans f or f urther w ork i n C osta R ica, w ork a bout w hich h e f elt g reat u rgency i n v iew o f

t he d epredations o f

c ollectors a t

f ollowing s ection h e

t he major k nown s ites.

d escribes s everal s ites p resumably L as H uacas: " No

I n t he

o n t he P acific C oast,

s ystematic a rch.

( sic)

o ut h ere ( on t he P acific

r esearch w as e ver b efore c arried

C oast)

a nd t he f ield b eside b eing

n ew i s v ery r ich a nd i nteresting.. .T he M exican c olonies a re e ncountered h ere. o f

t his p eople

o ne o f w hich i s

r emains o f a ncient F rom t he c emeteries

t he n atives h ave r ecently u nearthed t housands

o f c arved s tone a mulets o f h igh a rtistic v alue. t hese a re more o bjects o f a ll

t he museums o f E urope a nd A merica.

r egion o f C entral A m

A mongst

j adite t han h itherto p reserved i n

( sic)

f rom t he whole

a nd M exico...I k now o ne s ingle

c emetery where a lready m ore t han 1 ,000 metates h ave b een e xhumed. I h ave l ocated m any mounds a nd s hell-heaps t oo, w hich n ow, w ithout l oss o f t ime, c an b e e xcavated w ith g ood r esults. O n t he s hore o f t he o cean I h ave d iscovered a whole

f ield w ith h undreds o f p rehistoric

s alt-ovens o f

b urnt c lay. M ost o f t hese f illed w ith h uge b roken c lay v essels o f p eculiar s hape. T his i s a f eature n ever d escribed b efore a nd w ell w orth t o b e i nvestigated. I f

t his w ork c ould b e s tarted

s oon,

I s hould b e a ble

b elieve t o f inish i t u p t ill a bout J uly, l ike t o g o s tudy o f

t o

S an J ose t he c apital a nd make a t horough

t he c ollections

1 0,000 s pecimens,

T he

s ome

( Hartman 1 903)

l etter a lso e stablishes

t he f act

t hat

H artman, much t o h is c redit,

t o p ublish h is p rojected w ork o n t he P acific C oast,

t horoughly a ppreciated

i ts

" Practically n othing o f

i n t he M useo N acional,

w hich n ever b efore h ave b een i nvestigated

b y any s pecialist."

p lanned

I

t hen I s hould

t he

P acific

i mportance

i s y et w ritten a bout

C oastland o f C .

R .

7

a nd

t o f uture a rchaeologists:

( sic)

t he a rchaeology

a nd

t he p ublication

o f m y w ork t here w ould b ecome t he f undamental o ne." ( Hartman 1 903) I n a ddition t here w as a l arge b ody o f d ata r epresenting h is m any i nterests w ithin a nthropology. H is a nthropometric m aterial w as s till u npublished, a s w as t he l inguistic m aterial f rom C entral A merica a nd s outh o f M exico. A lso, h e h ad m ade a c ollection o f " about 1 00 d ifferent p lants u sed b y t he I ndians f or e conomic a nd t extile p urposes e tc." ( Hartman 1 903). A ll o f h is c ollections a nd s lides w ould b e a t t he d isposal o f C arnegie. D r. H olland w as u nderstandably i mpressed, a nd H artman w as h ired a s c urator o f e thnology a nd a rchaeology a nd h is s econd t rip t o C osta R ica w as f unded. H is w ork a t C arnegie w as t hus o ff t o a f ine s tart. H is s econd b ook, A rchaeological R esearches o n t he P acific C oast o f C osta R ica w as p ublished i n 1 907 ( 1907a), a s w as a n a rticle b ased o n h is w ork i n t he C entral H ighlands ( 1907b). I n 1 908, h owever, H artman w as o ffered t he p osition o f c urator o f e thnology a t t he S wedish M useum o f N atural H istory ( later t he E thnographic M useum o f S weden ) i n S tockholm, a nd h e l eft C arnegie t o r eturn t o h is n ative l and. B efore l eaving, h owever, h e e xpressed h is i ntention t o c omplete h is w ork o n t he p ublication o f t he m aterial c ollected i n 1 903 i n t he C entral H ighlands ( Annual R eport, C arnegie I nstitute, 1 908). I n s pite o f s everal i nquiries b y C arnegie, t he p romised m anuscript n ever m aterialized, a nd a fter 1 910 n o f urther m ention o f i t i s m ade i n t he a nnual r eports. I t i s n ot c lear w hy H artman f ailed t o p ublish h is r emaining m aterial o r t o c arry o ut f urther a rchaeological r esearches. T here a re h ints t hat v arious d isappointments m ay h ave, i n t he e nd, d iscouraged h im a nd r edirected t he e normous e nergy h e e videnced a t t he b eginning o f h is a rchaeological c areer. T he l etter o f 1 903 s tates t hat h e h ad e arly r eceived a v erbal o ffer f rom P rofessor P utnam t o d o f ieldwork f or t he " am M us" a fter t he p ublication o f h is w ork o n t he A tlantic S lope. H owever, w hen t his w as a ccomplished ( Hartman 1 901), P utnam w as u nable, f or s everal r easons, t o m ake H artman a n o ffer i mmediately. H e w as u nwilling t o w ait u ntil a n o ffer m aterialized; a nd, i mpressed b y w hat h e h ad h eard a bout C arnegie, d ecided t o a pply t here ( Hartman 1 903). H is w ork a t C arnegie w as p roductive i n t he f ew y ears t here, a nd p erhaps p artly b ecause o f t his, h e w as o ffered t he p osition i n S weden. H owever, h e must h ave b een d isappointed t hat h is w ork i n C osta R ica d id n ot b ring h im g reater r ecognition i n t he s cientific c ommunity. W e c an s ee f rom t he 1 903 l etter t hat h e f ully e xpected h is r evolutionary f ield t echniques t o b e q uickly a dopted b y e veryone. T he f ailure o f t he f ield m ethods t o b ecome w idely a ccepted m ust h ave b een v ery d iscouraging t o h im, b ut w e m ay n ever k now w hether t hese d isappointments w ere a f actor i n h is f ailure t o c ontinue h is a rchaeological r esearch, o r i f t he p ressures o f a dministrative w ork d irected h is t ime a nd e nergy e lsewhere. W hatever t he c ase, H artman a pparently b ecame i ll d uring t he 1 920s a nd w as f orced t o t ake a l eave o f a bsence i n 1 923 u ntil h is r etirement i n 1 928 ( Lindblom 1 941:187). W hen h e d ied o n J une 1 9th, 1 941 a fter a l ong i llness ( Junker 1 979), a b rief o bituary w as w ritten a bout h im b y G . L indblom, h is s uccessor a t t he E thnographical M useum. A ccording t o t his o bituary w hich a ppeared i n E thnos ( Lindblom 1 941), d uring h is t erm a s c urator a t t he E thnographic M useum, H artman w as a ctive i n i nvolving t he i nterest o f m any p atrons i n t he m useum w ith t he e ffect o f e nlarging t he c ollections. T he o bituary, h owever, m akes n o m ention o f H artman 's w ork i n C entral A merica o r o f t he m ethodology h e u sed t here. T his f ailure i s v ery u nfortunate a nd s uggests t hat h is

8

a chievements w ere n ot r ecognized o r f ully a ppreciated i n h is o wn d ay i n h is n ative c ountry. A n a ssessment o f h is v alue a s a n A merican a rchaeologist r eveals c ertain a reas i n w hich h is w ork m ight h ave b een i mproved b y t aking i t o ne s tep f urther o r b y m aking f urther c onclusions. T here a re t hree a reas i n w hich h is w ork h as b een c riticized: 1 . H e d id n ot, a s R owe h as n oted ( 1959) m ake v ertical p rofiles i n t he f ield. 2 . H e s howed i nterest i n e xcavating o nly b urial s ites, n ever t aking h is t raining b eyond i ts o riginal s cope t o i nvestigate o ther a reas s uch a s h abitations. 3 . M ost i mportantly, h e d id n ot a lways d raw t he o bvious c hronological c onclusions w hich h is w ork s uggested. I n t his m atter R owe i s c onfident t hat H artman r ecognized t he c hronological i mplications w ithin t he d ata ( Rowe 1 959:275). W hile a ccepting t hese l imitations i n h is w ork, w e r ecognize t he s cope o f w hat h e t ried t o a ccomplish a nd w hat h e d id a ccomplish. V iewed i n t he l ight o f h is c ontemporaries, h is a pproach t o f ield w ork w as o utstanding. W illey a nd S abloff h ave s tated t hat h e w as t he b est a rchaeologist n ext t o M ax U hle i n t he S outh A merican z one d uring t heir C lassificatory-Descriptive P eriod ( 1840-1914) ( Willey a nd S abloff 1 974:82). F urthermore, h is c areful h orizontal e xcavations m ake c hronological i nterpretations a s o bvious t o t he m odern r eader a s t hey w ere t o H artman. H is i nterests w ent b eyond t he a ccepted a rchaeology o f h is d ay w hich w as p rimarily c oncerned w ith g athering a nd/or p urchasing c ollections f or museums. H e d id p urchase c ollections a lso, b ut h e s aw t he f ar g reater i mportance o f s cientific e xcavation. H e a lso t ook a s ympathetic i nterest i n t he n ative p eoples o f C entral A merica, a nd h is o bservations a bout t hem a re s cattered t hroughout h is p ublications. F or e xample, o n t he E astern S lope h e b ecame a ware o f t he e xtreme d ecimation o f t he n ative p opulations: " The d estruction o f t he I ndian v illages d ates b ack t o t he f irst c onquest b y t he S paniards. T he g reat d iscoverer o f t he N ew W orld, h imself b egan t he s eries o f b loody p ersecutions a nd c rimes a gainst t he p eaceful a nd h ospitable n ative t ribes, w hich w ere a fterwards c ontinued b y t he S paniards f or c enturies, a nd i n C osta R ica w ith s carcely l ess f erocity t han e lsewhere. T he c hronicles o f L as C asas, O viedo, a nd T orquemada, a s w ell a s t he p ages o f t he I talian w riter, B enini, t ell t he s tory o f t he d epopulation o f t he g reater p art o f C osta R ican t erritory i n c onsequence o f d esctructive w ars, e xcessive t axes, s lavery, a nd i nhumanities o f e very d escription. T he S paniards w ere n ot, h owever, t he o nly p resecutors o f t he u nhappy a boriginals. I n t he s eventeenth c entury a n ew p lague t hreatened t heir e xistence o n t he A tlantic C oast. T he E nglish s lave-raiders f rom J amaica a nd t he M osquito C oast, w ith c rews o f n egroes, b egan t o v isit t hese s hores a nd a scend t he r ivers i n c anoes i n s earch o f s laves. V illage a fter v illage w as d estroyed, a nd t he i nhabitants w ere c aptured o r k illed. T hese c ontinued r aids a lmost e xterminated t he I ndians i n t hese p arts." ( Hartman 1 901:4) W hile c arrying o ut f ield p rojects, H artman o bserved n ative p eoples l iving n earby a nd h e w as w ell a ware o f t he v alue o f e thnographic a nalogy a s am eans o f a pproaching a n e xplanation o f t he p ast. H e n oted

9

t he

s imilarities

i n b urial p ractices a mong l iving p eoples

p rehistoric p eoples o bserved o n t he A tlantic s lope

t o t hose o f

( Hartman 1 901:29).

H e f elt a p ressing n eed t o r ecord a s m uch i nformation a s p ossible o n t hese n ative t ribes b efore i t b ecame i mpossible t o s tudy t hem d ue t o t he p ressures o f h is o wn d ay ( Hartman 1 903). H artman w as n ot e ntirely f ree o f

t he

c ollecting b eautiful a nd e xotic i tems,

1 9th c entury p redeliction f or

a nd h e s ecured s everal l arge

c ollections o f material w ith s cant o r n o p rovenience f or M useum.

t hat h e w as f ar l ess v alue t han a s c lues motifs,

C arnegie

F rom h is o wn w ords a nd f rom h is a ctions, h owever, i nterested i n o bjects

t o t he b ehavior o f p eople.

f or e xample,

i s o ne o f h oping

w e c an s ee

f or a rtistic o r c uriosity H is a ttitude

t oward a rt

t o u nravel a p uzzle r ather t han

o ne o f a ppreciation o f b eautiful o bjects.

T his a ttitude i s a pparent i n

a ll h is p ublished w orks, b ut i s most c learly e vident i n h is a rticle o n t he a lligator motif o n C entral H ighland p ottery ( Hartman 1 907b). H is w ork w as m otivated b y a d esire t o s cientifically i nvestigate t he p rehistory o f C osta R ica, w hose a rchaeology w as a lmost e ntirely u nknown a nd whose p rehistoric r ecord w as b eing p lundered a t a r apid p ace. D uring h is f irst f ield s eason, h e m anaged t o v isit a ll t he a reas w hich a re s till o f major a rchaeological i nterest t oday. S everal q uestions w hich a rose a s a r esult o f t his t rip m otivated h is s econd t he s econd f ield t rip, q uestions. o ther w as

h e d evoted h imself

O ne, mentioned a bove, w as

t o r esolving

t rip.

s ome o f

t he w ork a t L as H uacas,

t he f ield w ork a t C urridabat a nd

C oncepcion i n t he

D uring t hese

a nd t he C entral

H ighlands. W ith t he e xcavations o f t hese s ites c ontaining p ottery e arlier t han t hat f ound a t t he o ther s ites i n t he H ighlands, h e h ad e stablished t he c ultural s equence w hich w ould n ot b e c hanged u ntil t he 1 970s

( Aguilar 1 975).

t hus d id n ot

H artman n ever p ublished t his material

s tate s tate t he o bvious

i n f ull,

t emporal r elationships b etween t he

H ighland s ites o f O rosi a nd C urridabat. I t i s q uite l ikely, h owever, t hat h e r ecognized t he t emporal i mplications o f h is f inds i n t he f ill a t O rosi a nd a t C urridabat, a nd t hat a d iscussion a bout t he t emporal r elationships w as p lanned f or t he l ast, u nfinished w ork. A c areful r eading o f H artman 's p ublished w ork a nd l etters r eveal a m an w hose c ontribution t o f ield m ethods w as o f m ajor i mportance t o s ystematic a rchaeology i n t he A mericas. A lso h is i ntent a nd e ntire a pproach t o h is d iscipline w ere r emarkable. H is r espect f or t he a boriginal p opulations a nd h is i ntense e fforts t o p reserve w hat h e c ould o f t heir m aterial c ulture f or s cientific s tudy p lace h im i n t he r anks o f t he most a dmirable a rchaeologists o f h is t ime.

1 0

R EFERENCES C ITED A guilar,

C arlos

1 975

H .

E l M olino:

U n S itio d e l a f ase P avas e n C artego.

V inculos

1 (1):18-56. A nnual R eports o f C arnegie M useum o f N atural H istory 1 908 B audez,

P ittsburgh,

P ennsylvania.

C laude F .

1 967

R echerches a rcheologiques d ans l a v allee d u T empisque, G uanacaste C osta R ica. T ravaux e t M emoires d e l 'Institut d es H autes E tudes d l ' Amerique L atine 1 8, P aris.

F onseca Z amora, 1 978

O scar a nd

R ichard

S caglion

S tylistic A nalysis o f S tone P endants G ounds, N orthwestern C osta M useum 4 7 ( 12):281-298.

F onseca Z amora, 1 978

O scar a nd J ames B .

R ica.

f rom L as H uacas B urial

A nnals o f

R ichardson

t he

C arnegie

I II

S outh A merican a nd M ayan C ultural C ontacts a t t he L as H uacas S ite,

C osta R ica.

A nnals o f

t he

C arnegie M useum

4 7(13):299-317. G raham,

M ark M .

1 982

T raditions o f C osta R ican S tone C ontinents/Between E lizabeth P . A brams.

H artman,

S eas:

B enson,

S culpture.

I n

B etween

P recolumbian A rt o f C osta R ica,

e d.,

p p.

1 13-134.

N ew Y ork:

H arry N .

C arl V ilhelm

1 901

A rchaeological R esearches i n C osta R ica. E thnographic M useum,

S tockholm:

T he R oyal

I var H aeggstroms

B oktryckeri

A. B. 1 907a A rchaeological r esearches o n t he P acific C oast o f C osta R ica. M emoirs o f

t he

C arnegie M useum 3 .

1 907b T he A lligator a s a P lastic D ecorative M otive i n C ertain C osta R ican P ottery. A merican A nthropologist 9 :307-314. L etter a ddressed t o D octor W . J . H olland, C arnegie M useum o f N atural H istory, P ittsburgh, P ennsylvania.

1 903

J unker, 1 979

U lrika L etter a ddressed t o D r. M useum o f

L indblom, 1 941

R owe,

N atural

J ames B .

H istory,

R ichardson I II,

P ittsburgh,

C arnegie

P ennsylvania.

G . ( Obituary) ( 3-4):187.

C arl V ilhelm H artman 1 862-1941.

E thnos 6

J ohn H owland

1 959

C arl H artman a nd h is P lace i n t he H istory o f A rchaeology. 3 3rd J ose:

I nternational

C ongress o f A mericanists

C arl L ehman.

1 1

2 :268-279.

S an

S narskis, 1 978

M ichael J . T he A rchaeology o f t he C entral A tlantic W atershed o f C osta R ica.

U npublished P h.D.

A nthropology, S kirboll, 1 978

d issertation,

C olumbia U niversity,

D epartment o f

N ew Y ork.

E sther T he T ransitional P eriod i n t he C entral H ighlands o f C osta R ica: A n A nalysis o f P ottery f rom t he C urridabat a nd C oncepcion S ites. U npublished P h.D. d issertation, D epartment o f A nthropology,

1 984

U niversity o f

P ittsburgh,

P ittsburgh,

P ennsylvania. P ottery f rom C urridabat a nd C oncepcion i n t he C entral H ighlands o f C osta R ica. A nnals o f t he C arnegie M useum 5 3(3):47-70.

W illey, 1 974

G ordon R .

a nd J eremy A .

S abloff

A H istory o f A merican A rchaeology. F reeman a nd C ompany.

1 2

S an F rancisco:

W .H .

1 3 H a r t m a n

R EFLEXIONES S OBRE L A I NVESTIGACION A RQUEOLOGICA E N C OSTA R ICA: U NA P ERSPECTIVA H ISTORICA

O scar M .

F onseca Z amora

U niversidad d e C osta R ica g acultad d e C iencias S ociales E scuela d e A ntropologia y S ociologia S eccion d e A rqueologia

1 5

R ESUMEN E ste t rabajo d iscute e l d esarrollo d e l a i nvestigaciön a rqueolögica e n C osta R ica,

a nalizando l os p rincipales c ambios d e e ste

q uehacer c ientifico y s us c onsecuencias.

E n b ase a l as d iferencias e n

l a e structura t eörica u tilizada s e s ubdividiö l a h istoria d e l a a rqueologia d e C osta R ica e n p eriodos: 1 890-1925 L os p ioneros d e l a a rqueologia p rofesional e n C osta R ica. 1 925-1960 P eriod ( ) d el m odelo d escriptivo s incrönico. 1 960-1975 P eriod s ° d e l os m odelos d escriptivos d iacrönicos. 1 975-a l a f echa. H acia l os m odelos e xplicativos d iacrönicos. S e c oncluye e valuando e l t ipo d e i nvestigaciön a rqueolögica q ue s e r ealiza h oy d ia y s u i mportancia p ara l a v erdadera c omprensiön d e l a p rehistoria c ostarricense.

A BSTRACT T his p aper d iscusses

t he d evelopment o f a rchaeological

i nvestigation i n C osta R ica,

a nalyzing

t he p rincipal c hanges w hich h ave

o ccurred a nd d iscussing t he c onsequences o f t hose c hanges. B ased o n t he d ifferences i n t he t heoretical s tructure w hich g uided t he a ctions o f a rchaeologists, t he h istory o f a rchaeology i n C osta R ica i s d ivided i nto p eriods: 1 890-1925 1 925-1960

P ioneering o f p rofessional a rchaeology i n C osta R ica. T he p eriod o f s ynchronic d escriptive models.

1 960-1975 T he p eriod o f d iachronic d escriptive m odels. 1 975-present T he p eriod o f c hange t oward u se o f e xplanatory d iachronic m odels. W e c onclude b y e valuating i s c arried o ut a t u nderstanding o f

t he p resent,

t he

t ype o f a rchaeological r esearch t hat

a nd i ts

i mportance f or a t rue

t he p rehistory o f C osta R ica.

1 6

I NTRODUCCION E ste t rabajo n o p retende s er u n a nälisis e xhaustivo d e l a A rqueologia e n C osta R ica;

s ino m s b ien,

l a e xposiciön d e a lgunos

t emas d e i nteres q ue c reo d e g ran i mportancia p ara o rganizar y e valuar l a l abor d e n uestra d isciplina e n e l p als. E l a nälisis g irarä s obre a spectos c oncretos d e l a i nvestigaciön a rqueolögica, p ara l o q ue s erä n ecesario r evisar a lgunos a ntecedentes h istöricos. C omo e s l ögico, n uestro p als n o s e e scapa a l a vance d e l a t eoria a ntropolögica, ym etodologia.

q ue h a p ermitido a l a a rqueologia a mpliar s us o bjetivos P ara d iscutir e sta t rayectoria e s n ecesario s obrepasar

l os e nfoques q ue l a a bordan c omo u n f enömeno d e m era a cumulaciön d e t rabajos, e s n ecesario d iscutir l os c ambios e n l os a spectos c entrales d e t eoria y m etodo. L as p ublicaciones a rqueolögicas n o d eben m edirse p or s u c antidad, d el p asado.

s ino p or e l g rado d e s u c ontribuciön a l a e xplicaciön

A ceptando l o c amentado p or o tros a utores

( Binford 1 968),

p arto d e

q ue l a A rqueologia t iene, h oy d ia, t res o bjetivos: F orma ( divisiön d e e spacio y t iempo c ulturales v aliendose d e l as c aracteristicas d e l os d atos),

f unciön ( reconstrucciön d e l os m odos d e v ida d e l os g rupos

e studiados), y e xplicaciön ( entender y e xplicar l a d inämica s ocio-cultural). E stos o bjetivos s e h an a dquirido c on e l p aso d el t iempo i mplicando m odificaciones t eöricas y m etodolögicas; l o q ue p ermite h ablar d e u na A rqueologia d escriptiva y u na A rqueologia e xplicativa. R esumiendose, a si, l a t rayectoria d e l a A rqueologia c omo e l p aso d e l a d escriptiön a l a e xplicaciön. C ada a rea y r egiön d e A merica h a t enido s u p ropria e xperiencia e n l o q ue s e r efiere a l a p räctica d e e sa t rayectoria, e xperiencia q ue h a p ermitido y p ermite c ierto n ivel e n l os l ogros d e l os o bjetivos a rriba a puntados. P or s u c aräcter d e c omplementarios a ntes q ue d e e xcluyentes, e stos o bjetivos a parecen e n o rden s ucesivo ( segün s u p apel d e f undamento u no d el o tro). N o m enos i mportante e s s eäalar q ue l a r ealizaciön d e l os o bjetivos d epende d e

l a f ormaciön, c apacidad y

a ctitud p ersonal d e l os i nvestigadores q ue p roducen l a A rqueologia d e u na r egiön o u n p als. C omo m arco d e r eferend a p ara d iscutir n uestros a äos d e A rqueologia p rofesional t omaremos l as i deas d e T homas K uhn ( 1962); d onde e l a vance e n l a t rayectoria h istörica d e u na d isciplina s e v e e n c uanto a l os c ambios q ue s ufren l os m arcos d e r eferencia t eöricos u tilizados p or e lla. E stos c onsensos t eöricos d e l os q ue c omponen l a c omunidad c ientifica, i mplican l a a ceptaciön, a unque s ea e n a bstracto y n o e n l a p räctica, d e c ierta t eoria y m etodologia i deales; e jemplo d e l o c ual e s l o q ue s e h a l lamado e n A rqueologia: p aradigma h istörico-cultural y p aradigma p rocesal c ultural ( Flannery 1 967; G ändara

1 980).

L as e structuras p rätcica.

t eöricas i deales

s e t ienen q ue c oncretar e n l a

P räctica q ue s e p uede e ncaminar a l l ogro d e c ualquiera d e

l os t res o bjetivos a puntados: f orma, p räctica a rqueolögica e n c ada r egiön, a plicaciön d e c iertos m odelos

f unciön y e xplicaciön. L a s e b asa e n l a a ceptaciön y

t eöricos,

n ormal d e l a d isciplina.

1 7

q ue c aracterizan l a a ctividad

S iguiendo

l a p ropuesta d e

n ociön d e m odel° A rquelogia,

S harer y A shmore

t eosetico d e M ario

B unge

( 1979:50-51)

( 1975)

y l a

p odemos a grupar,

e n

l os m odelos s egr in s u c aräcter d escriptivo o e xplicativo y

s u n aturaleza s incrönica o d iacrönica e n: S incrönicos M odelos d escriptivos D iacrönicos S incrönicos M odelos e xplicativos D iacrönicos A nalizaremos, e n e ste t rabajo, c uänto s e h a a vanzado e n e l p aso d el p aradigma h istörico-cultural a l p rocesal-cultural e n l a A rqueologia d e C osta R ica, a t raves d e l a u tilizaciön d e l os d iferentes modelos c reados p ara e ntender, c ada v ez mejor, e l p asado d e l a r egiön. E ste a nälisis n o p uede e star e xento d e u na r evision d e l a p räctica

p ublicada

p or l os d iferentes a utores, y a q ue e s e sta l a q ue e n ü ltima i nstancia p ermitirä v alidar, c ambiar o a mpliar l as i nterpretaciones. D e e sta m anera, a lcance l ogrado l as r egiones, p resupuesto,

p or

p odremos h acer u na r eflexiön g eneral d el n ivel y l a A rqueologia e n C osta R ica;

l a q ue,

c omo e n t odas

d epende n o s ölo d e a spectos c oncretos c omo l o e s e l s ino t ambien y q uizäs c on m s f uerza- d e

d el o bjeto d e e studio,

d e

l a f ormaciön,

l a c oncepciön

e xperiencia y a ctitudes d e

l os

i nvestigadores. P ara l ograr l a m eta d el

t rabajo d ividire l a h istoria d e

l a

A rqueologia d e C osta R ica, e n p eriodos d e a cuerdo a l t ipo d e a rqueologia p racticada y l os m odelos q ue d ominan e n c ada u no d e e llos.

1 890-1925

L OS P IONEROS D E L A A RQUEOLOGIA P ROFESIONAL E N C OSTA R ICA

P odemos a firmar q ue l a a rqueologia p rofesional e n C osta R ica s e i nicia a f ines d el s iglo p asado. U n i nteres p rofesional e n e l p asado c ostarricense, l a a plicaciön ( por p rimera v ez) d e t ecnicas r igurosas d e r ecolecciön d e d atos, y l a p ublicaciön s istemätica d e l a i nformaciön r ecobrada c aracterizan e sta e tapa. C omentaremos C arl V .

l os

e sfuerzos d e d os

f iguras

p rincipales d e

l a e poca:

H artmann y A nastasio A lfaro.

E stos d os e studiosos,

u no e uropeo y e l o tro c ostarricense,

f ormados e n c ontextos d iferentes, c ientifica,

p ues,

a mbos

c ompartian u na r igurosa

f ormaciön

t enian e ntrenamiento e n c iencias n aturales.

L os a utores s e d edicaron a d escribir l a f orma d e a rtefactos y r asgos d e d iferentes

p artes d el p ais,

i niciändose a si

c ulturas p rehispänicas c ostarricenses H artmann 1 901, 1 907a, 1 907b). H artmann c onocedor y e studioso d e e poca, q ue

n o s ölo l ogro

l a c aracterizaciön d e l as

( Alfaro 1 889,

l as

1 892a,

1 892b;

t ecnicas a rqueolögicas d e

l a o btenciön d e g ran c antidad d e

i nformaciön,

s u

s ino

s entö l os p recedentes d el t rabajo r igurosamente c ientifico e n e l

c ampo. C omo p uede c omprenderse, s u t rabajo s e c entrö e n l a e xcavaciön d e s itios, t odos e llos d e c aracter f unerario. L a r igurosidad d e s us t ecnicas

l e p ermitio

f echar p or a sociaciön c on a rtefactos e spaholes

1 8

a lgunas

t umbas,

p roclamar

l a i nfluencia m esoamericana e n e l n orte d e

C osta R ica, y c aracterizar e n f orma d etallada l os d iferentes a rtefactos y r asgos f unerarios e xcavados. A nastasio A lfaro,

a unque n o e ra a rqueölogo d e p rofesiön,

motive p or s u e xperiencia c on material a rqueolögico, c omo d irector d el M useo N acional. p or p ublicar r igurosamente

E xcava v arios s itios,

s us d atos.

S us

s e

d urante s u t rabajo p reocupändose

i ntereses l o l levan

( 1892)

a

e scriblr: " hasta q ue e xploraciones s istemäticas s e r ealicen, d ebemos c oncentrar n uestra a tenciön e n l as t umbas a ntiguas, a traves d el a nälisis, d escripciön,

r ecolecciön,

c lasificaciön y c onservaciön d e l os

o bjetos e n e llas, p or c omparaciön o btendremos e l m ayor n ümero d e l uces p ara r econstrucciön d e e sa m ateria t an i ntricada q ue c onocemos c omo n uestra h istoria p recolombina."

T area a l a q ue s e l e u nirä H artmann

p ocos a t ios d espues. E n e stos d el

t iempos p ioneros s e s entaron l as b ases p ara l a a pariciön

p rimer m odelo,

d e n aturaleza d escriptiva s incrönica.

1 925-1960 D urante e ste

P ERIOD( ) D EL M ODEL° D ESCRIPTIVO S INCRONICA

t iempo c ontinua e l

c ulturas p recolombinas d e

l a r egiön,

i nter s e n c aracterizar l as a traves d e

l os a tributos

f ormales

d e s us a rtefactos y r asgos. S in e mbargo, s e u tilizan t ecnicas c lasificatorias, q ue a unque n uevamente d escriptivas, p ermitirän e stablecer u na d istribuciön g eogräfica g eneral d e l os materiales a rqueolögicos. S amuel K .

L othrop ( 1926)

t rabajando c on p iezas d e c olecciones d e

C osta R ica y N icaragua, d ark l os p rimeros p asos p ara l a d ivisiön d el a rea d e n uestro i nter s e n t res z onas a rqueolögicas: P acifico N orte I ntermontano P acifico

C entral y A tläntico

S ur

E l a utor n o s ölo m anifiesta s u i nteres e n p resentar l as d iferencias c ulturales d e g eogräfico,

l a C osta

R ica p recolombina,

e n t erminos d e e spacio

p or medio d e l a c omparaciön d e a tributos c erämicos,

t ambien

s ubraya q ue c ualquier s ecuencia c ultural t endrä q ue d esarrollarse c on t rabajo d e c ampo. d e L othrop

( 1926)

E s

i nteresante a notar q ue e sta i mportante s ugerencia

t endria q ue e sperar h asta

1 960.

L os

t rabajos d e

o tros a utores d el p eriodo - J orge L ines ( 1953) y D oris S tone ( 1948, 1 958) - v endrian a c onsolidar u n modelo d escriptivo s incrönico. E stos a utores, a demäs d e e xplicar e l p asado c ostarricense c omo u n c onjunto d e f ormas d e a rtefactos q ue s e a grupan y d ividen e n e l e spacio e n t res g randes d ivisiones g eogräficas r elacionarän e stas c on l os n ombres d e t res g rupos e tnohistöricos: B orucas, R ica,

f ormando a si

p räcticamente,

L os C horotegas,

u n modelo q ue d ominarä h asta e l a ho

1 960.

L as

l os

H uetares y l os

l a A rqueologia d e

C osta

i nterpretaciones d e l a

e poca s e b asarän e n e l, c onstituyendos e n i ntentos d e a umentar e l c onocimiento d e c ada u na d e l as t res r egiones; r esaltändose l os a spectos

f ormales d e a rtefactos y e n mucha m enor m edida d e a lgunos

r asgos. E l m odelo d escriptivo f ue muy f äcil d e a similar, q ue n o

s incrönico d e C horotegas, i ncluso

H uetares y B orucas

p or e l g ran p üblico,

d e

s ölo d ominarä l a l iteratura a rqueolögica h asta 1 960,

1 9

t al m anera s ino

t ambien l a f orma e n q ue n uestro p asado s e e nsef iaba e n e scuelas y c olegios.

S u i nfluencia t odavia s e e ncuentra e n e sos c entros d e

e nseäanza p rimaria y s ecundaria. A unque p arezca m entira l a i dea d e p rofundidad

t emporal e mpezarä a

a parecer e n l a ü ltima d ecada d e e ste p eriodo y n o s e c onsolidarä h asta e l p röximo.

1 960-1975 A p artir d e E l

P ERIOD D E L OS M ODELOS D ESCRIPTIVOS D IACRONICOS 1 960 s e d a u n a umento e n l a a ctividad a rqueolögica.

o bjetivo q ue p ersiguen l os i nvestigadores s igue

s iendo

f undamentalmente d e f orma. A ceptando l as d ivisiones c ulturales e stablecidas e n e l p erido a nterior, y p or m edio d e t rabajos d e c ampo b ien p laneados, s e p reocupan p or e l e stablecimiento d e s ecuencias y c ronologias c ulturales reconstrucciön h istörico-cultural- ( Aguilar 1 972, 1 974, 1 961, 1 969; 1 966).

1 975; B audez 1 967; B audez y C oe 1 962; L ange 1 971 , 1 971 , 1 972; M inelli, L .

E n e ste

H aberland 1 955, 1 960, L . y L . M inelli

p eriodo s e d arän l as p rimeras d ivisiones

l as d iferentes r egiones d e

C osta R ica;

d escriptivos d iacrönicos.

A unque i ncompletas,

e s d ecir,

t emporales p ara

l os modelos

c on e stas

s ecuencias

s e

i nicia u na a rqueologia d e m ayor a ctualidad p rofesional q ue s e p reocuparä,

a demäs d e p or l a r econstrucciön d e

l as d iferentes r egiones,

p or d ar l os

o bjetivo f unciön c oncierne e xplicaciön d e

l a h istoria c ultural d e

p rimeros p asos e n l o q ue a l

( reconstrucciön d e m odos d e v ida)

l a d inämica s ocio-cultural

( Kennedy

1 968).

y a l a

E ste ü ltimo

p unto n o c uajarä h asta e l p röximo p eriodo. D e l o a nterior p odemos r esumir l as p eriodo:

t rabajos d e c ampo d e i ndole,

e xcavaciön d e

t umbas;

c aracteristicas d e e ste f undamental e statigräfica,

t rabajo e n s itios

t rabajos d e c orto p laza;

o ,

d e

( no h ay e nfoque r egional);

i nter s e n e l a specto d iacrönico

( establecimiento d e s ecuencias y c ronologias c ulturales); i nter s e n l as r elaciones e ntre l as d iferentes r egiones a rqueolögicas ( Haberland 1 979). L as n uevas a ctitudes e i nquietudes d el p röximo p eriodo l as e ncontramos y a a f ines d el q ue c omentamos. f ormados e n l as n uevas c oncepciones d e a rqueologia,

A lgunos a rqueölogos

h asta e ntonces p racticada e n n uestro p als

u na a rqueologia c on n uevos o bjetivos

j övenes

l a d isciplina c ontrapondrän a l a

( explicativa).

N o

( descriptiva), q ueriendose

l imitar p or l a n ecesidad d e d ividir a decuadamente e l e spacio y e l t iempo c ultural, i ncluirän e n s us i nvestigaciones n uevos t emas o rientados h acia e l e ntendimiento d e l os n uestra e poca p rehispänica; s in e mbargo,

p rocesos s ocio-culturales d e e s n uestra p reocupaciön l a

n ecesidad d e r evisar l as e strategias t eöricas y m etodolögicas; a v eces ms a decuadas p ara r esponder a l os i ntereses d e l a " vieja a rqueologia" q ue a l os d e l a " nueva a rqueologia." E s a p artir d e a rqueolögico.

D os

1 975 q ue e n C osta R ica s e c onsolida e l q uehacer i nstituciones:

L a U niversidad d e

C osta

R ica y e l

M useo N acional d e C osta R ica a mpliarän s u p ersonal e i niciarän n uevos p royectos. P odemos, i ncluso, h ablar d e u n " boom" e l l a a rqueologia d el p als. E n l a e xplicaciön d e e ste f enömeno, p odemos m encionar c omo

2 0

v ariables i mportantes: ( a) l a e xperiencia a cumulada e n e l p eriod° a nteriormente d esconocidos; ( b) l a i nfluencia d e l a n ueva c oncepciön d e a rqueologia, u na a rqueologia q ue p romete n o s olo r escatar y d escribir l a c ultura m aterial d el p als, s ino e xplicar e sta e n s u c ontexto s ocio-cultural; ( c) l a a ceptaciön, c ada v ez mäs g eneralizada, d e q ue e l p atrimonio c ultural d el p als e stä c onstituido p or " todos l os f enömenos s ocioculturales q ue h an f orjado y f orjan s u s er n acional" ( Comisiön D efensa d e P atrimonio C ultural 1 982:5;

A costa y F onseca

1 983).

A poyadas o ficialmente l as i nvestigaciones a rqueolögicas s e o rientan f undamentalmente e n d os d irecciones: R escate,

( Blanco y S algado 1 980;

G uerrero 1 980;

( a) A rqueologia d e S narskis

1 . 979

;

S narskis y B lanco 1 980) e sta a rqueologia e s f äcilmente c omprensible s i r ecordamos l a g ran c antidad d e e videncia a rqueolögica e n e l p als, y e l a umento d e l os p rocesos t ransformacionales ( cultivos, c onstrucciön d e u rbanizaciones y r epresas, p or e jemplo), ( b) A rqueologia o rientada a l a s oluciön d e p roblemas c oncretos, e n e sta s egunda c ategoria e ncontramos d os s ubdivisiones: i nvestigaciones d irigidas a a spectos d e i ndole h istörico c ultural ( Aguilar 1 976; F onseca y R ichardson 1 978; F onseca y S caglion 1 978; H aberland 1 976; K ennedy 1 976, 1 978; S narskis 1 975, 1 976, 1 977, 1 978, 1 979 ; S weeney 1 975, 1 976); y a n uevos p roblemas o rientados a c ontestar a spectos d e f unciön y d inämica s ociocultural, d estacando l os p atrones d e a sentamiento ( Drolet y M arkens 1 980; F onseca 1 979, 1 981, 1 983; F onseca y A cuf la 1 984; F onseca y H urtado d e M ondoza e n p rense; H urtado d e M endoza 1 980; L ange 1 976, 1 977, 1 978; S narskis y H erra 1 980), y a spectos d e s ubsistencia ( Kerbis 1 980; L ange 1 976, 1 977, 1 978; M oreau 1 980; S weeney 1 976). C omo s e d esprende d e l as o rientaciones d e i nvestigaciön q ue s e a doptan e n e ste p eriod°,

l a a rqueologia c ostarricense e s c onsciente d e

l a n ecesidad d e c onsolidar y a mpliar s us m odelos d escriptivos d iacrönicos ( divisiones e spaciales, s ecuencias y c ronologias c ulturales, r elaciones i nterregionales) e n l as d iferentes r egiones; p ero, t ambien r econoce, p ublicamente y e n l a p rätica, l a i mportancia d e s obrepasar e sta l imitaciön d escriptiva o i niciar e l c ambio d e l a a rqueologia e xplicativa ( modelos e xplicativos s incrönicos y d iacrönicos). z Que h emos l ogrado h asta l a f echa?

E n l o q ue s e r efiere a l a

r econstrucciön h istörico c ultural e ncontramos q ue p or p rimera v ez, n o s olo s e i ncorporan n uevos d atos a l as c ronologias d e l as d iferentes a reas, s ino q ue l a r evisiön d e s ecuencias p reviamente e stablecidas n os i ndica q ue e ste c ampo d e a ctividades e stä l o s uficientemente m aduro c omo p ara p restarse a l a c ontroversia ( Accola 1 978; H urtado d e M endoza y A rias e n p rensa). L a A rqueologia d e R escate y l a I nvestigaciön D irigida a e xplicar a spectos d e f unciön y d e d inämica s ocio-cultural m erece e l s iguiente c omentario.

P oco s e h a l ogrado h asta e l m oment° e n l a c onstrucciön d e

modelos e xplicativos, l uces p ara e ntender e ste f enömeno n os p arece e ncontrarlas e n l as o bservaciones q ue o tros a utores ( Struever 1 968; G umerman 1 973) h an p resentado p ara l a r ealizaciön e fectiva d e i nvestigaciön a rqueolögica o rientada s egün l as n uevas c oncepciones t eöricas.

P odemos a segurar q ue a p esar d e

t ener e n C osta R ica

a rqueölogos f ormados e n e l n uevo e nfoque t eörico, p or l o g eneral, l as i nvestigaciones s e r ealizan c on m etodologia l imitada p ara r esponder a l as n ecesidades d e c onstrucciön d e l os n uevos m odelos. L a a rqueologia

2 1

d e s itio s igue a ventajando e n e sfuerzos a l a a rqueologia r egional; a rqueologia i ndividualista ( un s olo i nvestigador) l a a rqueologia e n e quipo, d e l argo p lazo;

l a

s igue a ventajando a

l a a rqueologia d e c orto p lazo a ventaja a l a

l a a rqueologia d e r escate s e v e c omo u n e sfuerzo

a islado d e s alvamento d e e videncia,

s in p oder e nmarcarla e n u n p rograma

d e i nvestigaciön r egional, d e o bjetivos a mplios, o rientados a l a e xplicaciön d e l os p rocesos d e c ambio s ocio-cultural. L o p oco q ue s e h a l ogrado e n l a c onstrucciön d e m odelos e xplicativos d e l a p rehistoria c ostarricense p uede e valuarse s i a nalizamos e l e sfuerzo d e l os i nvestigadores e n l o q ue a l a p ublicaciön d e s intesis s e r efiere ( Ferrero 1 977; S narskis 1 981, 1 982, e n p rensa; S tone 1 977). E l c aräcter d escriptivo d omina e n l os t rabajos, c on m ayor f uerza e n l os p rimeros i ntentos ( Ferrero 1 977; S tone 1 977); l os ü ltimos e sfuerzos ( Snarskis 1 981, 1 982, e n p rensa) s i b ien i ncorporan l os n uevos d atos d e p atrones d e a sentamiento y s ubsistencia p ermitiendo a l a utor s obrepasar, e n a lguna m edida, l a m era p resentaciön d e d ivisiones y c ontactos e spaciales y t emporales, y s ef ialar p untos i mportantes e n l a c onstrucciön d e u na a rqueologia e xplicativa d e l a p rehistoria d e C osta R ica, n o l ogra s obrepasar e l c aräcter o casional y l imitado d e l a e videncia r ecobrada e n l os a spectos m edulares d e n uestra p rehistoria. P or l o t anto, l as c riticas p resentadas p or L inares 1 979, s iguen s iendo v älidas p ara e l c aso d e n uestro p als. H asta q ue l os i nvestigadores n o a doptemos e strategias t eöricas y m etodolögicas q ue n os p ermitan s obrepasar l as l imitaciones d e l a p räctica d e i nvestigaciön q ue h asta a hora h a p redominado, n o g eneraremos e l c ümulo d e i nvestigaciön n ecesaria p ara e scribir s intesis e xplicativas ( modelos e xplicativos d iacrönicos).

C ONCLUSIONES E n l os ü ltimos a t ios l a A rqueologia d e C osta R ica h a i niciado e l c amino d e u na a rqueologia c apaz d e e xplicar e l p atrimonio c ultural d el p als e n t oda s u m agnitud; s in e mbargo, e s m i o piniön q ue l os i nvestigadores d ebemos e nmarcar n uestros e sfuerzos e n p rogramas d e i nvestigaciön r egionales d e o bjetivos e xplicativos a mplios y d e l argo p lazo; s ölo d e e sta f orma y c on l a f ormaciön d e e quipos d e t rabajo, l ograremos m odelos e xplicativos d e n uestro p asado. D esde 1 980 l a U niversidad d e C osta R ica h a t ratedo d e l ograr u n p rograma d e i nvestigaciones c on l as c aracteristicas a rriba a puntadas: " Programa d e

I nvestigaciones e n l a R egiön d e G uayabo d e

e xperiencia e n e l m ismo h a m otivado e stas r eflexiones.

2 2

T urrialba," l a

R EFERENCIAS C ITADAS A ccola,

R ichard M .

1 978

R evision d e l os T ipos d e C erämica d el P eriodo P olicromo M edio e n G uanacaste.

A costa V ega, 1 983

A na C .

V inculos 4 :80-105.

y O scar F onseca Z amora

L a C onservacion y P uesta e n V alor d el P atrimonio C ultural C ostarricense. P onencia p resentada e n l a R euniön d e E xpertos S obre D elitos

C ontra e l P atrimonio

C ultural A rqueolögico,

I nstituto L atinoamericano p ara l a P revenciön d el D elito y T ratamiento d el D elincuente d e A guilar P iedra,

l as

N aciones U nidas,

S an J ose.

C arlos

1 972

G uayabo d e T urrialba.

1 974

A sentamientos

S an J os :

I ndlgenas e n e l

E ditorial C osta R ica.

A rea

C entral d e

C osta R ica.

A m rica I ndlgena 3 4:311-317. 1 975

E l M olino:

U n

S itio d e l a F ase P avas e n C artago.

V inculos

1 :18-56. 1 976

R elaciones d e C entral d e

A lfaro G onzalez, 1 889

l as C ulturas P recolombinas e n e l

C osta

R ica.

V inculos

I ntermontano

2 :75-86.

A nastasio

A ntiguedades d e C osta R ica. c ientificos,

V ol.

1 .

E n V arios,

S an J osé:

1 892a

A rqueologla C ostarricense.

1 892b

I nvestigaciones C ientificas.

E l

C olecciön d e f olletos

T ipografla N acional. C entenario 4 :5-12. S an J ose:

E ditorial

T rejos

H ermanos. B audez,

C laude F .

1 967

R echerches A rc Hologiques d ans

l a V allee d u T empisque,

G uanacaste, C osta R ica. T ravaux e t M emoires d e L 'Institut d es H autes E tudes d e l ' Am f tique L atine 1 8. B audez,

C laude F .

1 962

d es

3 4

B inford,

V erlag

i n N orthwestern C osta R ica.

A merikanistenkongress,

W ien,

E n A kten

p p.

3 66-373.

F erdinand B erger.

A rcheological P erspectives. C hicago:

1 980

C oe

L ewis R . A rcheology.

B lanco,

D .

I nternational

V ienna:

1 968

y M ichael

A rchaeological S equences

E n N ew P erspectives

B inford y L .R.

B inford,

e ds.

i n p p.

5 -32.

A ldine.

A ida y S ilvia R escate

S .R .

S algado G .

A rqueolögico d el S itio 2 6-CN ,

B arrial d e H eredia.

M emoira d el C ongreso s obre e l Mundo C entroamericano d e s u T iempo: I V C entenario d e G onzalo F ernandez d e O viedo. p p. 1 33-138. B unge, 1 975

S an J ose:

E ditorial

T ext°.

M ario C onceptos d e M odelo. B arcelona:

E n T eoria y R ealidad.

A riel.

2 3

p p.

9 -35.

E n

C omisiön D efensa d el P atrimonio C ultural 1 982

P rimer

S eminario

F inales. D rolet,

R obert

1 980

P .

F lannery, 1 967

B oruca.

I nforme

E lectricidad.

p resentada a l

S an J ose:

C ultural P rocess:

B etween S eas: B enson,

H istoria d e l as

e d.

p p.

1 04-111.

C araibes

N ew Y ork:

R ica.

H arry N .

C ongreso p ara e l

E studio d e l as C entre d e

U niversite d e M ontreal.

O scar y V ictor A cuf ia C oto C ontext°.

S teward J ournal o f

O scar y L uis H urtado d e M endoza

i n p ress A lgunos R esultados d e l as

I nvestigaciones e n l a R egiön d e

G uayabo d e T urrialba. R evista d e U niversidad d e C osta R ica. O scar y J ames B .

C iencias

S ociales d e l e

R ichardson I II

S outh A merican a nd M ayan C ultural C ontacts a t S ite, C osta 2 99-317.

F onseca Z amora,

B etween C osta

l as A ntillas M enores.

L os P etroglifos d e G uayabo y s u A nthropology, i n p ress.

F onseca Z amora,

E n

I nvestigaciones e n l a R egiön d e G uayabo d e

A ctas d el n oveno

R echerches

S ignificance.

P recolumbian A rt o f

C ulturas P recolombinas d e

F onseca Z amora,

i n A merican

V inculos 5 :35-52.

G uayabo d e T urrialba a nd i ts

F onseca Z amora,

A D ebate

S cientific A merican 2 17:119-122.

l a P rimera T emporada d e R eexcavaciön d e G uayabo d e

T urrialba.

1 978

C osta R ica.

O scar

I nforme d e

E lizabeth P . A brams.

1 978

E ditorial

K ent V . C ulture H istory v s.

C ontinents,

1 984

C ostarricense d e

L uis

T urrialba.

1 983

I nstituto

C osta R ica P recolombina.

F onseca Z amora,

1 981

A cuerdos

y R obert M arkens

A rchaeology.

1 979

C ultural:

R escate A rqueolögico d el P royecto H idroelectrico

F errero A costa, 1 977

T aller s obre P atrimonio

A rchivo d e l a C omisiön.

R ica.

A nnals o f

t he L as H uascas

t he C arnegie M useum 4 7:13.

p p.

O scar y R ichard S caglion

S tylistic A nalysis o f S tone P endants f rom L as H uacas B urial G round, N orthwestern C osta R ica. A nnals o f t he C arneige M useum 4 7:299-317.

1 978

S tylistic G round,

A nalysis o f S tone P endants

N orthwestern C osta

R ica.

f rom L as H uacas B urial

A nnals o f

t he

C arnegie

M useum 4 7:281-298. G ändara U ., M anuel 1 980 L a V ieja N ueva A rqueologia. 2 :7-45.

2 4

B oletin d e A ntropologia A mericana

G uerrero M ., J uan V icente 1 980 P roblemätica d e l a I nvestigaciön e n l a A rqueologla d e R escate. E n M emoria d el C ongreso s obre e l M undo C entroamericano d e s u T iempo: 1 29-132.

I V C entenario d e G onzalo F ernändez d e O viedo. S an J ose : E ditorial T exto.

p p.

G umerman, G eorge J . 1 973 T he R econciliation o f T heory a nd M ethod i n A rchaeology. R esearch a nd T heory i n C urrent A rchaeology. C harles L . R edman, e d. p p. 2 87-301. N ew Y ork: W iley. H aberland, 1 955

E n

W olfgang

1 960

P reliminary R eport o n t he A guas B uenas C omplex, C osta R ica. E thnos 2 0:224-230. P eninsula d e O sa: A notaciones G eogräficas y A rqueolögicas.

1 961

I nforme S emestral ( enero-junio). p p. 7 5-86. S an J ose: I nstituto G eogräfico N acional. A rqueologia d el V alle d el R io C eiba, B uenos A ires. I nforme S emestral ( enero-junio). G eogräfico N acional.

p p. 3 1-62.

S an J ose:

I nstituto

1 969

E arly P hases a nd t heir R elationship i n S outhern C entral C entral A merica. E n V erhandlungen d es X XXVIII I nternational A merikanistenkongresses. V ol. 1 :229-242. M unich:

1 976 1 979

G ran C iriqui. V inculos 1 :115-121. L ower C entral A merica. E n c hronologies i n N ew W orld A rcheology. R .E. T aylor y C lement W . M eighan, e ds. p p. 3 95-430. N ew Y ork: A cademic P ress.

K ommissionsverlag,

K laus R enner.

H artmann, K arl V . 1 901 A rchaeological R esearches i n C osta R ica. S tockholm: T he R oyal E thnographic M useum. 1 907a A rchaeological R esearches o n t he P acific C oast o f C osta R ica. M emoirs o f t he C arnegie M useum 3 . 1 907b T he A lligator a s a P lastic D ecorative M otif i n C ertain C osta R ican P ottery.

A merican A nthropologist 9 :307-314.

H urtado d e M endoza, L uis 1 980 P atrones d e A sentamiento e n l a R egiön d e G uayabo d e T urrialba: E valuaciön P reliminar d e D atos. D om i nicano.

B oletin d el M useo d el H ombre

H urtado d e M endoza, L uis y A na C ecilia A rias Q . 1 984 C erämica y P atrones d e A sentamiento d e l a R egiön d e G uayabo d e T urrialba.

S teward J ournal o f A nthropology, e n p rensa.

K ennedy, W illiam H . 1 968 A rcheological

I nvestigation i n t he R eventazön R iver D rainage

A rea, C osta R ica. T esis d octoral, A ntropologia, T ulane U niversity. 1 976 1 978

D epartamento d e

P rehistory o f t he R eventazön R iver D rainage A rea, C osta R ica. V inculos 2 :87-100. A M iddle P eriod L ithic T ool A ssemblage f rom t he A tlantic W atershed R egion, C osta R ica. V inculos 4 :43-56.

2 5

K erbis,

J ulian

1 980

K uhn,

T he A nalysis o f F aunal R emains 6 :125-140. T homas

1 962

f rom t he V idor

S ite.

V inculos

S .

L a E structura d e l as R evoluciones C ientificas.

M exico: F ondo

d e C ultura E conömica. L ange,

F rederick W .

1 971a 1 971b 1 972 1 976 1 977 1 978

1 980

C ulture H istory o f t he S apoa R iver V alley,

C osta R ica.

C oastal S ettlement i n N orthwestern C osta R ica. P rehistoric C oastal A daptations, B . S tark y B . p p. 1 01-119, N ew Y ork: A cademic P ress. T he F ormative Z oned B ichrame P eriod

E n V oorhies,

1 979

e ds.

i n N orthwestern C osta R ica

( 800 B .C.-A .D . 5 00), B ased o n E xcavations a t t he V idor B ay o f C ulebra. V inculos 6 :33-42. L inares,

L ogan

M useum o f A nthropology, O ccasional P apers i n A nthropology 4 . N orthwestern C osta R ica P re-Columbian C ircum-Caribbean A ffiliations. F olk 1 3:43-64. H istoria C ultural e n e l V alle d el R io S apoa, C osta R ica. I nforme S emestral, I nstituto G eogräfico N acional. p p. 6 1-76. B ahlas y V alles d e l a C osta d e G uanacaste. V inculos 2 :45-66. E studios A rqueolögicos e n e l V alle d e N osara, G uanacaste, C osta R ica. V inculos 3 :27-36.

S ite,

O lga F . W hat i s C entral A merican A rchaeology?

A nnual R eview o f

A nthropology 8 :21-43. L ines C analias, 1 953

L othrop, 1 926

J orge

T axonamia d e l a A rqueologla d e C osta R ica. E ditorial L ibreria U niversal.

S an J osä:

S amuel K . T he P ottery o f C osta R ica a nd N icaragua,

2v ols.

C ontributions

o f t he M useum o f t he A merican I ndian 8 . M inelli, 1 966

L aura y L uigi I nforme p reliminar s obre e xcavaciones a lrededor d e J ava. X XXVI C ongreso 1 :415-427.

M oreau, 1 980

S an V ito d e

I nternacional d e A mericanistas

J ean F rancois A R eport o n t he H unter-Robinson a nd S ardinal S ites.

V inculos

6 :107-124. S harer, 1 979

R obert y W endy A shmore F undamentals o f A rchaeology.

M enlo P ark:

B enjamin C ummings.

S narskis, M ichael J . 1 975 E xcavaciones E stratigräficas e n l a V ertiente A tläntica d e C osta R ica. V inculos 1 :2-17. 1 976 L a V ertiente A tläntica d e C osta R ica. V inculos 2 :101-114. 1 977

T urrialba R ica.

( 9FGT),

u n S itio P aleo-Indio e n e l E ste d e

V inculos 3 :13-26.

2 6

C osta

1 978

T he A rchaeology o f t he C entral A tlantic W atershed o f C osta R ica.

T esis d octoral,

d epartamento d e A ntropologla,

C olumbia

U niversity. 1 979

E l J ade d e T alamanca d e T ibäs.

1 981

T he A rchaeology o f C osta R ica. E n B etween C ontinents, B etween S eas: P recolumbian A rt o f C osta R ica. E lizabeth

1 982

L a

B enson,

e d.

1 5-84.

N ew Y ork:

H arry N .

C erämica P recolombina d e C osta R ica.

N acional d e 1 984

p p.

V inculos 5 :89-107.

I nstituto

S eguros.

C entral A merica: C entral

A brams.

S an J ose:

T he L ower

C aribbean.

A merican A rchaeology.

E n A dvanced

A lbuquerque:

S eminar o n

U niveristy o f

N ew

M exico P ress. S narskis, 1 978

M ichael J . D atos M eseta

S narskis, 1 980

y A ida B lanco

s obre C erämica P olicromada G uanacasteca e xcavada e n l a C entral.

M ichael y E nrique H erra L a C abana:

A rquitectura M esoamericana e n e l B osque T ropical.

E n M emoria d el T iempo: 1 39-147. S tone,

V inculos 4 :106-113.

C ongreso s obre e l

M undo

C entroamericano d e s u

I V C entenario d e G onzalo F ernändez d e O viedo. S an J ose:

E ditorial

p p.

T exto.

D oris Z .

1 948

T he B asic C ultures

o f C entral A merica.

A merican I ndians. W ashington, D .C.:

J ulian H . S teward, e d. V ol. S mithsonian I nstitution.

1 958

I ntroduction t o M useo N acional.

1 977

P recolombian M an i n C osta R ica. P ress.

S truever, 1 968

t he A rchaeology o f

E n H andbook o f S outh

C osta R ica.

C ambridge:

4 :169-193. S an J ose:

P eabody M useum

S tuart P roblems, M ethods a nd O rganization:

A D isparity i n

t he G rowth

o f A rcheology. E n A nthropological A rcheology i n t he A mericas. B etty J . M eggers, e d. p p. 1 31-151. W ashington, D .C.: A nthropological S ociety o f W ashington. S weeney, 1 975

J eanne W . G uanacaste, f rom t he

1 976a 1 976b

C osta R ica:

N orth W est

A n A nalysis

C oast.

o f P recolumbian C eramics

T esis d octoral,

D epartamento d e

A ntropologla, U niversity o f P ennsylvania. C eramic a nalysis f rom t hree s ites i n N orthwest G uanacaste. V inculos 2 :37-44. S ubsistence i n t hree v illages G uanacaste. S ociety

i n P recolumbian

P onencia p resentada e n l a 4 2

f or A merican A rchaeology,

2 7

C oastal C oastal

r eunion a nual

N ew O rleans.

P ATTERNS O F I NTERREGIONAL C ONTACTS A S S EEN F ROM T HE C ENTRAL H IGHLANDS-ATLANTIC WATERSHED O F C OSTA R ICA

M ichael J .

S narskis

M useo N acional d e

2 9

C osta R ica

A BSTRACT P atterns o f c ontact b etween t he C entral H ighlands o f

C osta R ica a nd

o ther r egions a re p resented. C ontacts, g enerally i n t he f orm o f t rade, a ppear t o h ave h ad t wo p eaks o f i ntensity, o ne b etween 3 00 B .C.-A.D. 5 00 a nd a gain b etween A .D. 5 00-1500. T his p attern i s e xplained i n t erms o f a c hange f rom d ecentralized t o c entralized t rading p atterns, a nd t he f ormation o f " gateway" c ommunities i n C osta R ica d uring t he l atter p eriod.

R ESUMEN S e p resenta p atrones d e i ntercambios e ntre l a meseta C entral d e C osta R ica y o tros r egiones.

D os p eriodos d istintos d e i ntercambios

e stan i ndicadas, e l p rimero e ntre 3 00 a .C.-d.C. 5 00 y e l o tro e ntre d .C. 5 00-1500. E ste p atron r esulto d el c ambio d e s istemas d e i ntercambio d esde u no m enos c entralizado a u no m as c entralizado, e l u ltimo a comp e lado p or l a f ormaciön d e c omunidades e specializados e n i ntercambios ( gateway c ommunities).

3 0

I NTRODUCTION A s e vidence f or i nterregional b efore

t he

t ime o f C hrist

t reated h ere.

A fter

t hat

i s s till

t ies o lder t han a f ew c enturies s canty o r a bsent,

i t w ill n ot

b e

t ime w e h ave s ecure k nowledge o f n onlocal

a rtifacts a ppearing i n t he C entral H ighlands-Atlantic W atershed. T hese a rtifacts f orm t he b asis f or t he i nferences a nd m odels w hich f ollow . I t i s m y c ontention t hat t he c ultural p rocesses w hich b rought f oreign o bjects t o c entral a nd e astern C osta R ica b etween c a. 3 00 B .C. a nd A .D. 5 00 a nd

5 00 w ere d ifferent 1 200.

t han t hose i n o peration b etween c a.

M odels a re p resented

f or b oth p eriods,

A .D.

d rawing o n

p ublished f inds a nd t hose m ade b y t he M useo N acional d e C osta R ica during t he l ast n ine y ears. C omments a re made o n t he c oncepts o f t rade o r e xchange,

a nd t ransfer.

M ETATES A ND J ADES:

T HE S IGNIFICANCE O F A GRICULTURAL S YMPMBOLISM C A .

W hile p ottery d ating B .C.)

i s d ifficult

( it w as

f irst

5 00

t o t he f irst h alf o f P eriod

I V

( 1000-300

t o f ind i n t he C entral H ighlands-Atlantic W atershed

r ecognized a nd r adiocarbon d ated o nly s ix y ears a go;

S narskis 1 978:63-107), A .D.

3 00 B .C.-A.D.

t he s econd h alf o f

t he p eriod

( 300 B .C.-

5 00) w as a t ime o f m arked p opulation g rowth t o j udge

f rom t he

u biquity o f i ts c eramic r emains. P avas a nd E l B osque p hase s ites a ppear t o b e b oth l arger a nd m ore n umerous, a nd h ave y ielded m any c arbonized k ernels a nd c obs o f a C hapalote/Nal T el/Polio-like c orn ( W. G alinat a nd E . l ike S wasey I I

S mith, p ersonal c ommunication) a nd a nother m aize much ( R. B ird, p ersonal c ommunication). M aize k ernels w ere

f requently f ound i n w hat a ppear

t o b e M esoamerican s tyle b ell-shaped

s torage p its. A s

I h ave h ypothesized e lsewhere

( Snarskis 1 981,

i n p ress),

t his

e xpansion m ay h ave b een t he r esult o f a dynamic f eedback r elationship b etween i mproved a nd i ntensified m aize a griculture, t he " budding-off" o f n ew c ommunities, a rable

l and.

A p robable r esult o f t his

n eed t o o btain a nd i nsure l and t enure, a griculture p rocedures, p roducts. c lasses

W arrior,

e volved t o h andle

c eremonial

T hese b adges

s tone m ace h eads a nd

t hat c a.

s pecial,

" world v iew"

t he

j ade-like

" ritual" m etates

( Snarkis 1 976),

s ymbolism.

I s uggest

a s w ell a s a r everence

w ere i ntegral c omponents

p olitico-religious h alf o f

t hat w ere a t

i ncluded j ade o r

p rincipal s culptural v ehicle f or r eligious

i ntensive m aize a griculture,

j ade a mulets,

f ood

r esulting i n a s trongly r anked

f or l uxury a rticles

R evising e arlier i nterpretations more

r elationship w as a n i ncreasing t o r itualize c yclical

a nd a dministrative ( cacique o r c hiefly)

t hese d uties

s ame t ime b adges o f o ffice. w hich w ere t he

p opulation g rowth,

i ncreasing c ompetition f or

a nd t o a dminister t he r edistribution o f

p riest,

s ociety a nd c reating a market p endants,

a nd

t hat

f or c arved

i n a mythic c omplex o r

t hat w as p ropagated i n t he

n orthern

C osta R ica t hrough a n e lite-oriented t rade o r t ransfer n etwork

i ncluded

t he h eirs o f t he G ulf C oast O lmec c ultural t radition

6 00-400 B C.

I n t hat c ultural

t radition,

t he

s ymbolism o f j ade

c elts a nd a vian e ffigies, w hich a re p recisely t he e lements c ombined i n t he majority o f

C osta R ican " axe-god"

( Drucker 1 952:164;

p endants,

J oralemon 1 976:47-58).

w hen t his n etwork w as

i nitiated,

w as l inked

t o m aize

A lthough w e d o n ot k now

i t c ontinued o perating u ntil a t

3 1

l east

A .D.

4 00-500.

B efore d iscussing h ow i t m ay h ave f unctioned o ver t ime,

l et u s l ook a t I n l ate

s ome c oncrete e vidence o f

1 977,

t he M useo N acional d e C osta R ica p artially

e xcavated a n e lite c emetery i n t he s alvage e ffort.

i ts e xistence.

S an J ose s uburb o f T ibäs,

i n a

T he s ite h ad a lready b een e xtensively l ooted b y t he

c onstruction w orkers w ho c ame a cross i t, a betted b y l ocal h uaqueros , ( Parenthetically, t he p roducts o f t heir i llegal l ooting w ere e agerly p urchased b y a C osta R ican c ollector a nd d ealer w ho l ater, f anfare a nd p raise, o f c olones,

t he f eeling b eing

c ountry b y n ot s elling w ere

a mid much

r esold t hem t o a S an J ose museum f or m any m illions t hat h e w as d oing a g reat

t hem i n N ew Y ork.)

f avor t o h is

A mong t he T ibäs g raves

s cientifically e xcavated w as a n u nusual o ne c ontaining

t hat

t hree

A tlantic-style m etates o n w hich t he d eceased w as l aid, a b roken C urridabat P hase c eramic v essel, t wo c eremonial m ace h eads, a n e xceptional 2 2 c m.

l ong j ade a xe-god o f t ypical C osta R ican s tyle,

a n O lmec j ade c lam s hell 3 3 c omposition o n i ts

i nterior.

j ade c lam s hell's d esign, O lmec,

c m.

A n e lement-by-element a nalysis o f 1 979).

T he C osta R ican

t hat a ccompanied i t c an b e p laced b etween a pproximately A .D.

1 00-400 t hrough c omparative s tylistic a nalysis; d ates),

t he

w hich s hows w hy i t m ay b e c onsidered a s

h as b een p ublished e lsewhere ( Snarskis

a rtifacts

a nd

i n l ength w ith a c omplex l ow r elief

w e c onclude

( there a re n o C 14

t he j ade c lam s hell w as a n h eirloom.

p reservation w as v ery p oor,

b ut

B one

t he d ental e ruption p attern t hat c ould

b e o bserved f or t he i ndividual b uried i n t his t omb s howed h im t o b e b etween 1 8 a nd 2 5 y ears o ld ( David W eaver a nd R icardo V azquez, p ersonal c ommunication). S ince h e w as r elatively y oung t o p ossess o r merit

s uch e xceptional m ortuary g oods,

i ndicative o f

t hey a re

I n a nother b urial i n t he T ibäs c emetery, b ridge a nd

m ost

p robably

i nherited h igh s tatus.

s pout

s tyle v essel r elated t o t he

a c eramic m onkey e ffigy C laro v ariety o f

t he

R osales Z oned E ngraved t ype o f t he Z oned B ichrome p eriod i n G uanacaste, w as r ecovered. T wo c eremonial mace h eads a nd a s ingle, c ylindrical j ade b ead a ccompanied i t. A t otal o f 2 5 c eremonial m ace h eads w ith m ostly a vian,

a nd t wo a nthropomorphic m otifs w ere

s ome i n c ontexts d isturbed b y l ooters.

I n T ibäs,

t hen,

p roduct o f l ong d istance c ontact w ith M esoamerica,

a nd

w e

f ound,

f ound a

s olid e vidence

o f t ies t o G uanacaste-Nicoya i n t he f orm o f t he c eramic m onkey a nd, p erhaps, s ome o f t he j ades a nd m ace h eads. A nother a rtifact

t ype f ound i n C osta R ica

e xistence o f l ong d istance t ransfer d uring

t hat d emonstrates

t his p eriod i s

t he

U sulutän

p ottery. U nfortunately i t h as n ever b een e xcavated b y a n a rchaeologist i n a s ecure c hronological c ontext. S tone ( 1973) i llustrates t wo U sulutän v essels i n a p rivate c ollection t hat a re s aid t o b e f rom E l

H acha,

G uanacaste.

S ome y ears a go,

a n U sulutän v essel

w as d onated t o t he M useo N acional. I t h ad b een l ooted b y a n a cquaintance o f a M useum b oard m ember f rom a f arm n ear C haparrön,

S an

C arlos. T he a uthor l ater s aw 1 0 t o 1 5 o ther v essels w hich h ad b een t aken f rom t he s ame c emetery, a nd t hey w ere c learly a l ocal v ariant o f t he E l

B osque c omplex ( 100 B .C.-A.D.

A tlantic W atershed.

F .

W .

5 00)

k nown f or

t he c entral

L ange ( personal c ommunication)

h as a lso

r eported f inding U sulutän s herds i n G uanacaste f rom s urface c ollections.

3 2

D emarest a nd S harer ( 1982), o n t he b asis o f a l ong c eramic s tratigraphy, h ave r ecently p laced t he o rigin a nd d evelopment o f U sulutän i n w estern E l

S alvador.

T he C haparron U sulutän v essel a nd

t hose i llustrated b y S tone ( 1973) t he t ype k nown a s I zalco U sulutän, f rom c a.

2 00 B .C.-300A .D.,

c an n ow b e s ecurely c lassified a s a multiple-line, h ard-fired p ottery

a nd w hich M esoamerican a rchaeologists a gree

" is a c lear m arker o f t he L ate P reclassic p eriod t hroughout t he s outhern f rontier o f M esoamerica" ( Demarest a nd S harer 1 982:819). A t

t he s ite o f L a F ortuna,

S an C arlos,

D .

S tone a nd C .

B alser

( 1965) f ound 1 2 w hole o r f ragmentary s late m irror b acks, o ne o f w hich h ad d ecorative M aya g lyphs, d eposited i n a s eries o f a djoining r ectangular t ombs. A ssociated c eramics i ncluded a z oomorphic ( bat?) e ffigy v essel r elated t o T ola T richrome i n motif ( their F ig.11), a C harco B lack o n R ed o lla, a G ab oP olychrome, a nd a s eries o f r ed I ncised/engraved v essels. T he l atter a re n ot G uinea I ncised, a s B audez a nd C oe ( 1966) l ater s uggested i n c ommenting o n t he f inds, b ut r ather Z oila R ed, a r ather s imilar A tlantic W atershed t ype t hat c an b e p laced b etween A .D . 3 00-600. A lso p resent ( Stone a nd B alser, 1 965:Fig. 7 ) a re s herds s tylistically s imilar t o t he L a S elva a nd C urridabat c omplexes, A .D. 5 00-700.

i ncluding T uis F ino N egative,

T hese p ottery t ypes

d ating t o

i ndicate a p robable t ime s pan o f

c a.

A .D.

3 00-700 f or t he L a F ortuna c emetery. D uring t his t ime G uanacaste-Nicoya c eramics w ere d eposited i n e lite A tlantic W atershed t ombs. ( These t ombs a re c onsidered e lite b ecause t he s late b acks o f p yrite mirrors h ave b een f ound i n t hem. S uch p yrite m irrors p robably o riginated i n P eten M aya s ites l ike T ikal a round A .D . 4 00-500. T hey a re f ound i n A tlantic w atershed t ombs s ometimes w ith r eworked j ade o r j ade-like p endants.) I t i s o f i nterest h ere t hat d uring t he c ourse o f e xcavations i n a Z oned B ichrome c emetery i n N osara t hat s cattered p laques o f marcasite m irrors, s ome w ith f lat, l ight-weight c eramic b acks w ere r ecovered ( Guerrero, i n p ress). T he c emetery a lso c ontained g reat q uantities o f m etates a nd R osales a nd G uinea p ottery. A lso f ound w ere j ade p endants, s ome o f w hich a re r eportedly O lmec a nd M aya. A s t he m irror b acks w ere f ound i n l ooters' b ackdirt, r eliable i nferences c annot b e made, a lthough i t i s t empting t o v iew t hem a s l ocal v ersions o f t he c oveted M esoamerican p roduct. S tone a nd B alser ( 1965:317-321)

a lso d escribe a c emetery o f s ome

1 25 t ombs i n E l T res d e G uäcimo, L inea V ieja,

t hree o f w hich t hey

a pparently e xcavated. T hey c omment t hat s ome t ombs l ay b eneath 2 5 s tone m ounds . 75 t o 1 .5 M h igh. T his i s i ntriguing i n l ight o f e xcavations c arried o ut b y t he a uthor, C arlos E nrique H erra a nd J ohn H oopes, a mong o thers, a t t he S evero L edesma s ite, a lso i n E l T res d e G uäcimo, p robably l ess t han a k ilometer f rom S tone a nd B alser 's s ite. T here, c areful h orizontal s tripping o f s light m ounds r evealed r ectangular h ouse f oundations o f r iver c obbles. T he l argest o f t hese ( Snarskis 1 981:48, F ig.16) h ad e lite b urials a nd/or c aches o f t he E l B osque P hase b eneath i t. T hese c ontained j ade n ecklaces o f d isk b eads a nd p endants, f ancy t ripod c eramics, p ottery o carinas a nd r attles, a nd r aised r im m etates. O ne m etate f ragment w as o f t he f lying p anel t ype. T he g rave g oods f ound a t 5 0 B .C.

a nd A .D.

S tone a nd B alser.

S evero L edesma w ith t hree C 14 d ates b etween

3 50 a re n ot a s " exclusive" a s t hose p ublished b y I t s eems p robable t herefore t hat

3 3

t here i s a

c hronological d ifference o r t hat S evero L edesma w as o n t he p eriphery o f a h igher s tatus v illage/cum-mortuary z one. S tone a nd B alser a lso i llustrate s late m irror b acks f rom G uäcimo; s ome o f w hich a re i ncised i n w hat t hey c onsider c lassic V eracruz s tyle. F ound i n t wo t ombs b y l ooters, t hese w ere s upposedly a ssociated w ith j ade p endants, c eremonial m ace h eads, m etates a nd a s eries o f h ollow c ast g old p endants i n C od e ( Panamanian ) a nd Q uimbaya ( Columbian ) s tyles. I t i s u nfortunate t hat t hese i mportant a ssociations r est s olely o n t he w ord o f a l ooter, s ince g raves e xcavated b y S tone a nd

B alser c ontained o nly m etates a nd c eramics.

T he t hree p ottery v essels t hey i llustrate f rom G uäcimo ( Stone a nd B alsar 1 965, F igs.24 a nd 2 5) c an b e r eliably p laced i n l ate E l B osque/early L a S elva t imes, c a. A .D. 4 00-600; o ne i s Z oila R ed I ncised. T hey a re d efinitely n ot C artago p hase " Stone C ist" c eramics a s B audez a nd C oe s uggest 1 966:442). L et u s s um u p t he e vidence f or i nterregional a nd l ong d istance c ontacts i n C entral H ighlands-Atlantic W atershed C osta R ica d uring t i r s_ s econd h alf o f P eriod I V. Ih ave s tated e lsewhere i n m ore d etail ( Snarskis, i n p ress) m y h ypothesis t hat t he p roliferation o f j ades a nd j ade c arving i n C osta R ica w as r elated t o t he g radual p ropagation o f a n ew m ythic c omplex i n w hich t he c yclical p rocedures o f more i ntensive m aize a griculture w ere i mportant. H eavy m aize c onsumption may h ave b ecome a n e lite p rerogative,

a nd k ey a spects o f t he p roduction c ycle

s uch a s c ontrol o f g ood l and, r ainfall a nd f ertility may w ell h ave b een s ymbolized b y p olished c elts a nd j ade a nd b ird e ffigies, a ll o f w hich w ere t ied s ymbolically t o m aize f irst i n t he O lmec c ulture o f s outhern M esoamerica. W hy s uch c ultures m ight h ave h ad a n i nterest i n C osta R ica, a nd t he n ature o f t he c ontact w hether d irect o r i ndirect, f or t rade o r t ransfer, f or i deological r easons, i ts i ntensity a nd d uration a re q uestions t hat r emain t o b e a nswered. T his m odel w ould t end t o b e s upported b y s ubstantially l ower f requencies o r a bsence o f m aize i n s ites p redating 3 00-500 B .C. i n C osta R ica; w e k now t hat maize w as f requent a fter t hat t ime. A lso, t he e arliest j ades i n C osta R ica s hould b e M esoamerican i mports, o r a t l east o f s tyles m ore c losely r elated t o n orthern m odels. I f w e a ssume f or t he m oment t hat t his w as t he p rocess t hat p roduced a " demand" f or j ade p endants i n t he s econd h alf o f P eriod I V, w hat c an w e s ay a bout t he n ature o f i nterregional t ies w ithin C osta R ica? F irst, t here i s a s triking s imilarity i n t he c ontents o f e lite t ombs f rom c entral, e astern a nd n orthwestern C osta R ica. J ade p endants a nd/or n ecklaces, c eremonial m ace h eads o f a v ariety o f g reenish a nd w hitish s tones, f ancy c arved m etates, s pecial p urpose c eramics, a nd i tems d erived f rom l ong-distance t rade, s uch a s t he m irrors,

a nd f unctional s tone c elts a re a lso s een.

I mportant h ere i s t he f act t hat v irtually a ll a rtifacts i ndicative o f i nterregional c ontacts a re e lite, n onfunctional i tems.

h igh s tatus

I n m any c ases t he j ades a nd m ace h eads

t he A tlantic W atershed n or n o f L im n,

t he C entral H ighlands,

f ound i n a nd

G uanacaste-Nicoya a re v irtually i dentical, s uggesting a w ell d eveloped d istributional n etwork f or t hese h ighly v alued, h ighly p ortable p roducts o f s pecialized, s killed c raftsmen. F lannery 's ( 1967) m odel o f i nterregional t rade b etween O axaca a nd t he G ulf C oast O lmec m ay b e o f u se h ere. N oting t hat d ifferential a ccess t o p restige g oods w as a n

3 4

i mportant f actor i n t he d efinition o f s ociety,

h e p ostulates

o f d ifferent l ineage g roups w ho c ould a mong

r ank-status p ositions w ithin

t he e xchange o f s uch g oods

t heir o wn p eople a s

t hrough t he h eadmen

t hen r edistribute

t hey s aw f it.

H e a lso s ays

t he

t hat

i tems s uch r itual

e xchange i n t he h igher e chelons o f s ociety m ay r esult i n t he a doption b y i nitially l ess s ymbolism,

s ophisticated g roups o f

t he o thers'

r itual b ehavior a nd t rappings o f s tatus.

r eligion, A t

t he s ame t ime,

t he more s ophisticated o r d onor g roups m ay t hus a chieve a ccess p roducts o f r egions p reviously d enied

t hem,

t o t he

r esulting i n t he

e cologically more e fficient e xploitation o f a d iversified e nvironment. I n t he C osta R ican c ase,

I p ostulate

t he p eoples o f

G uanacaste-Nicoya, a nd p erhaps t hose o f t he n orthern A tlantic W atershed j ust o ver t he C ordillera C entral, a s t he d onor c ultures

f or

t hree r easons: ( 1) T he m ythological w orldview w hich c oncerns u s i n t he l ast h alf o f P eriod I V h ad a n orthern o rigin. ( 2) R itually i mportant a rtifacts o f G uanacastecan manufacture; c ertainly s ome s pecial p urpose c eramics, a nd p robably many j ades a nd m ace h eads, h ave b een f ound i n t he c entral A tlantic W atershed a nd C entral H ighlands, b ut n ot v ice v ersa. ( 3) T he S anta E lena p eninsula o n t he P acific n ear t he

N icaraguan b order i s

g eologically s peaking,

t hat p art o f C osta

R ica most l ikely,

t o c ontain s ources o f

c halcedony a nd s imilar h ard,

j adeite,

s erpentine,

g reen s tones

( Teresa A guilar,

S ince t here i s a major e nvironmental

f rontier b etween

p ersonal

c ommunication).

G uanacaste-Nicoya a nd

t he A tlantic W atershed,

a cted a s a b rake o n f requent c asual c ontact, c ertain t ypes o f e xchange b ecause o f s ome r esources.

w e may a ssume

t hat

i t

y et a ctually s timulated

t he c omplementary d istribution o f

C arved j ades a nd m ace h eads w ere n ot

f unctional

a rtifacts o r c ommodities, b ut c arried a s trong i deological c harge. T he p ropagation o f a r eligious s ystem a nd i ts s ymbols m ay h ave a llowed t he G uanacastecans o f t he t ropical d ry f orest t o m ore e asily o btain i tems l ike t he s kins,

f eathers a nd t eeth o f r ain f orest a nimals a nd

r ain f orest p lants f or d rugs, p roducts,

a ll p erishable

d yes,

t hings

a nd a whole n ew r ange o f

t hat l eave l ittle o r n o

f ood

t race i n t he

a rchaeology. E ven i f

t his m odel

i s c orrect,

W atershed-Central H ighlands p eoples, y ears o f P eriod a rtifacts,

I V ,

t here a t

b egan t o m anufacture

a s s een i n t he q uantities o f

a nd c eremonial m etates o f G uanacaste-Nicoya. f ascinating e xample.

i s n o d oubt

l east during

t hat A tlantic t he l ast

3 00-500

t heir o wn r itually s ymbolic r eworked s tring-sawed j ades

c arved i n a s tyle u tterly d ifferent t han t hat T he A tlantic f lying-panel metates a re a L ike

t he p rincipal medium o f

t heir G uanacastecan c ounterparts,

s tone s culpture

f or

t he p eriod,

t hey a re

p robably

d isplaying s ymbolism r elated t o a ll a spects o f t he a gricultural c ycle, a nd a re f requently a ssociated w ith t he o ther b adges o f t he p olitico-religious p ower h olders, i n which t hey a re c arved v aries

j ades a nd m ace h eads.

s o g reatly

Y et

t he

s tyle

f rom t hat s een i n

G uanacaste-Nicoya t hat t here c an b e n o d oubt t hat t hey a re p roducts o f a t otally d ifferent e sthetic t radition, p ossibly t hat o f a r ain f orest e nvironment.

O ne w onders

i f

p art o f a s acrificial r itual,

t he

t aking o f h uman h eads

i n b attle o r a s

a s ymbol o ften s een o n t hese m etates b ut

n ot o n t hose o f G uanacaste-Nicoya, w as a n ew w rinkle a dded t o t he j ade-mace h ead-metate a gricultural c ult C osta

R ican t ropical r ain f orest.

3 5

a s

i t w as

i nterpreted

i n t he

Ib elieve t hat

e xotic o bjects l ike

O lmec a nd M aya

c arved

j ades,

U sulutän p ottery, a nd s late-backed p yrite m irrors r eached C osta R ica b y d own-the-line t rade, during t he E arly C lassic, a nd w ere t hen d istributed w ithin t he e lite o riented a s d escribed a bove.

i nterregional e xchange n etwork

T he o riginal s timulus t hat g ave r ise

t o a d emand

f or s uch a rticles may w ell h ave b een v isits b y M esoamericans o n l ong d istance m issions,

a kin t o t he

l ater p ochteca.

makes b rief mention o f a r elated i dea,

s uggesting

S tone

t hat

( 1973:216)

t he l arge

n umbers o f j ade a xe-gods i n G uanacaste w ere r elated t o a r eligious c onversion p roduced b y m issionary c olonizers f rom t he n orth. S he d oes n ot m ake a c onnection b etween j ade a nd maize a griculture. W ith t he e xception o f r eached C osta R ica n ot F or s ome t ime,

t he

O lmec j ades,

t he

f oreign o bjects

l ong a fter t heir m anufacture i n M esoamerica.

i t h as b een t hought

t hat

t he O lmec a rtifacts r eached

C osta R ica a s h eirlooms s everal c enturies a fter t heir p roduction, h ypothesis o f

a n

t hat h as b een c onfirmed i n p art b y t he c ontrolled r ecovery

t he j ade c lam s hell

i n T ibäs ( Snarskis,

model m ay g ive u s a n e xplanation f or

1 979).

t his a lso.

F lannery 's H e n otes

( 1967)

t hat

t he

e lite d irected e xchange o f s carce, r itually i mportant o bjects r equires t hat t he v arious p arties b e o f a lmost e qual c ultural s ophistication. W hen t he a ctive t rade b eing c arried o ut b y

i n magnetite, t he

p earl o yster, m ica,

O lmec i n t he

a nd j ade w as

f irst h alf o f P eriod I V,

t he

c ultures o f C osta R ica most p robably h ad n ot r eached t hat c ritical t hreshold o f d eal,

s ocio-political e volution t hat w ould h ave a llowed

t o t heir mutual b enefit, w ith c ultures l ike W hile w e d o n ot

t hem t o

t he O lmec.

y et u nderstand e xactly h ow t he j ade-mace

h ead-metate a gricultural c ult w as e stablished

i n C osta R ica,

t here i s

n o d oubt t hat i t t hrived t here. T he e xtravagant u se o f j ade o r j ade-like s tones s uggests a l ocal s ource ( Easby, 1 968), a lthough r ecent i nvestigators ( Lange, B ishop a nd v an Z elst 1 981), o n t he b asis o f l imited c ompositional a nalyses,

p ostulate

t hat m ost

r eal

j adeite

i n

C osta R ica c ame f rom t he M otagua s ource i n G uatemala a nd made i ts w ay s outh t hrough t rade. T hrough t he y ears, t here h as b een d isagreement a mong g eologists a bout

t he e xistence o f j adeite

i n C osta

R ica 's S anta

E lena P eninsula w here c onditions a re a ppropriate f or i ts R ecently, R ica,

T eresa A guilar,

i nformed

a g eologist

t he a uthor t hat

f ormation.

i n t he M useo N acional d e

C osta

s he h ad f ound a nd i dentified j adeite

f rom t hat r egion.

I n a ny c ase,

t hese i mperishable

r itual m aterials w ith t he d eceased s erved t he

t he c ustom o f burying q uantities o f

u nderlying p urpose o f " consuming"

t hem o r t aking

c irculation,

t hus maintaining

e xistence o f

t he e lite e xchange n etwork ( Flannery

T oward t he e nd o f P eriod n etwork a lso e ncompassed T here

t hem o ut o f

t he d emand f or m ore o f t he

I V,

t here a re

s outhern C osta

i s a n o val, b asin-shaped,

s ame a nd t he

1 967).

i ndications

t hat

t his

R ica a nd w estern P anama.

t etrapod m etate s een a t

t his

t ime i n

b oth t he c entral

A tlantic W atershed a nd

B arriles.

f requently d ecorated w ith h uman t rophy h eads a long

I t

i s

t he P anamanian s ite o f

t he s ides a nd motifs i n h igh r elief a t t he i nside u pper s urface a t b oth e nds ( Snarskis 1 981b:218, e ntry 2 34). R ecently, a M useo N acional b iologist p hotographed o ne o f h igh T alamancas,

t hese metates f rom a l ooted

s uggesting a n i mportant

I n h er m ost

r ecent d iscussion o f

a griculture

i n P eriod

s ite

t he cultural dynamics o f maize

I V w estern P anamä,

3 6

i n t he

c ontinuity o f d istribution. L inares

s ees

t he

r apid

d evelopment o f n umerous a nd l arge s edentary a gricultural v illages w ith c raft

s pecialization a nd a r ank o rdered

" expansion o f s eed c rop a griculture

s ociety a s

a djacent a rea o f e astern C osta R ica..." I n t his

s cenario,

t he r esult o f

( and/or a griculturists) ( Linares a nd

t he d ynamics o f t he m odel

n orthern a nd e astern C osta R ica w ould h ave p robably t he f irst c hiefdoms

A n i ncreasingly s outhern f ocus i ntroductions c ontexts

i nto

C osta

s uggestive o f

R ica o f

1 980:241).

s uggested a bove f or s timulated

o f w hat w e k now a s C oncepciön-Aguas B uenas c ulture C hiriqui,

R anere

t he

f rom t he

t he d evelopment

i n G reater

i n t hat s ub-area.

i s a lso i ndicated b y t he

f oreign g old w ork,

f irst

w hich a ppears i n

t he e lite c ontrolled e xchange n etwork.

S tone

a nd B alser's ( 1965) G uäcimo t ombs w ith j ades, metates, s late-backed m irrors, a nd Q uimbaya a nd C ocle g old p endants, a ssuming t he a ssociations t o b e v alid, a re v ery i mportant h ere, a nd s hould d ate t o c a. A .D. 5 00. T his t ime p lacement i s s upported b y t he l ocal c eramics i llustrated. C arlos A guilar ( 1981) a lso f ound a f ragment o f a C o de t he

s tyle metal f igurine i n a C urridabat p hase t omb a t T atisci l,

i n

C artago v alley. P ERIODS V ( A.D. I n t he t wo o r

c hanges

5 00-1000) AND V I

t hree c enturies

( A.D.

1 000-1550)

f ollowing A .D.

5 00,

s triking

t ook p lace i n t he P recolumbian c ultures o f a tlantic a nd

c entral C osta R ica. G old c asting r eplaced l apidary w ork i n j ade-like s tones a s a s ource o f r itually s ignificant s ymbols o f e lite s tatus, r esist p ainted c eramics b ecame much more n umerous, t ypes l id,

s tone c ist

t omb

r eplaced r ectangular o r " corridor s haped" t ombs w ithout f loor o r a nd c ircular,

p refessed s hift

f orm.

r ather

t han r ectangular,

h ouses c ame

t o b e

t he

T he l ast i s v ery p robably i ndicative o f a s ignificant

i n t he d ominant

P recolumbian c osmogony i n C osta

R ica.

S ophisticated m etallurgy i s d efinitely o f S outh A merican o rigin i n t he

A mericas;

c ultural A merica,

a nd,

t aken a s a g roup o r c omplex,

t he a forementioned

t raits c an a ll b e s hown t o h ave e xisted e arlier i n S outh f or e xample a t s ites i n t he S an A gustin r egion o f C olombia.

A s i n t he c ase o f t he j ade-mace h ead-metate c ult o f a gricultural s ymbolism, w e c annot b e c ertain a s y et o f t he c ultural dynamics t hat c aused t he a ppearance o f t hese " southern" H owever,

t raits

t he a rchaeological d ata i n h and a dmit

i nference:

i n C osta R ica.

t he

f ollowing

t he e lite-oriented e xchange n etwork o f c hiefdom s ocieties

i n e astern a nd c entral

C osta R ica h ad e xpanded t o

i nclude

s outhern

p eoples a nd t heir d ifferent a rtifacts, i ncluding c ast g old p endants f rom P anama a nd C olombia. I t i s p robable t hat t hese l ines o f c ommunication b etween t ropical f orest p eoples h ad b een e stablished much e arlier. e ruptions

I t w as

( Sheets

c entury A .D.,

p erhaps

1 984)

f ortuitous

t hat a s eries o f v olcanic

a nd t he f all o f T eotihuacan i n t he s ixth

w ith t he c onsequent d isruption i n c entral L owland M aya

c enters a nd t he P acific o verland t rade r oute

t o t he s outh ( Sharer

1 984), c oincided a pproximately w ith t he i ntroduction t o C osta R ica o f c ast g old o bjects a nd t hen m etallurgical t echniques f rom C olombia a nd P anama. H owever, i t m ay a lso t urn o ut t hat t here w as a c ausal r elationship, w ith e lite-oriented g old o bjects a nd t heir a ssociated mythology f illing

t he v acuum p roduced b y

M esoamerican e lite g roups. f elt

i n a ll o f

B ay o f C ulebra.

C osta R ica, H owever,

T his

t he s undering o f

" southern"

t ies w ith

i nfluence w as e ventually

w itness c ircular h ouses a t P eriod V I o n t he G uanacaste-Nicoya a lways r emained c loser t o

3 7

n orthern t raditions; a nd a fter c a. A .D. 5 00, i ts p olychrome p ainted c eramics d iverged m arkedly f rom t he p lastic d ecorative s tyles t hat p redominated i n t he C entral H ighlands, A tlantic W atershed a nd D iquis r egions o f C osta R ica, l ater c haracterized a s t he " zone o f s outhern i nfluence." G uanacastecan c eramics o f t he p eriod A .D .

5 00-800 s uch a s G abo

P olychrome a re f ound o nly v ery r arely i n c entral a nd e astern C osta R ica. O ne t iny G ab ov essel w as f ound b eneath a s tructure a t B arrial d e H eredia a mong a t otal o f 4 50 v essels. A t L a F äbrica d e G recia, f our l ate G ab of igurines a nd t wo C arrillo-like b owls w ere f ound a mong m ore t han 9 00 v essels, b oth i n t ombs a nd w ithin c ircular d omestic s tructures ( Juan V icente G uerrero, p ersonal c ommunication). I n a s tratigraphic p it a t t he T urrialba s ite o f L a Z oila, t he a uthor e xcavated t hree G ab os herds i n a ssociation w ith s everal L a S elva c omplex c eramic t ypes ( A .D . 5 00-700). T he n ature o f t he i nterregional t ies t hat b rought t his p ottery t o t he C entral H ighlands w ould s eem t o b e v ery d ifferent f rom t he e lite-controlled e xchange t hat e arlier b rought j ades, mace h eads a nd r elated s ymbolic i tems. F or t he t ime b eing, I b elieve i t c an b e a dequately u nderstood u sing a s imple d own-the-line " distance-decay" m odel ( Renfrew 1 977), i n w hich t he f requency o f a rtifact d istribution v aries i nversely w ith t he d istance f rom t he s ource o f m anufacture, a lways k eeping i n m ind t he a lterations t hat m ay b e p roduced b y g eographic a nd c ultural f rontiers. T his p ottery w as f unctional ; w as u sed a nd b roken. I ts u se p robably i mplied s ome s tatus b ecause o f i ts r arity, b ut i t w as n ot i n d emand a s s uch k ey, l ong-lasting r eligious p araphernalia i ndispensable f or h igh s tatus, a s j ades s eemingly w ere. I mported g old p endants f rom t he G ran C hiriqui s ub-area m ay h ave b een t he o bject o f s uch r itual e xchange d uring t his t ime, b ut t hey s till l ack s ecure d ocumentation b y a rchaeologists. F rom a pproximately A .D . 8 00-1200, w e s ee t he b est d ocumented e vidence f or i nterregional c ontacts i n t he C entral H ighlands-Atlantic W atershed, i n t he f orm o f p olychrome c eramics f rom G uanacaste-Nicoya. T hese a re u sually w hat w e c an c all " serving v essels"; t hat i s, " with s hapes a nd s izes m ore a ppropriate f or s erving o f s olid a nd l iquid f oods t han f or p reparation o r s torage." T hey g enerally h ave f iner p aste a nd t hinner w alls t han u tilitarian p ottery, a nd m ay s how s igns o f s tylistic e laboration ( Fry 1 979:496). I n C osta R ica,

t his p ottery w as a lmost c ertainly p roduced b y

s pecialists a t a s eries o f m anufacturing c enters i n G reater N icoya ( Accola 1 977). T here i s n o d oubt t hat i t w as h ighly v alued a mong c entral a nd e astern p eoples, a s i t o ften s hows c areful c rack-lacing r epairs a nd m ay b e c oncentrated i n s ome e lite b urials. A t B arrial d e H eredia, p olychrome p ottery f rom G uanacaste w as f ound o nly i n t ombs b eneath s quare o r r ectangular h ouse f oundations t hat w ere i nterpreted a s d omiciles. N one w as f ound b eneath e llipsoidal s tructures d edicated t o c ulinary a nd o ther d omestic a ctivities ( Snarskis 1 981). O f 4 50 c eramic v essels r ecovered a t t he s ite, 2 0 , o r 4 .5%, w ere i mported p olychromes. O f t hese, s ix w ere f ound i n t he p rincipal t omb b eneath t he l argest q uadrangular h ouse, a nd t wo o thers e lsewhere i n t hat h ouse ( Snarskis a nd B lanco 1 978). A t t he e astern l owlands s ite o f L a C abana, s herds o f a ll d ecorated p ottery t ypes, b oth o f l ocal a nd G uanacastecan m anufacture, w ere f ound i n h ighest p ercentages w ithin

3 8

t he p rincipal c ircular s tructure ( Snarskis

1 978:252).

w as a f actor

P olychrome p ottery f rom

G uanacaste, i n

t he

but i t d oesn 't a ppear

S tatus,

t o h ave b een n early a s

e xamine s ome o f

( 1)

i nherently a s

p recious a material a s

r equire s uch s killed l abor

s everal d ifferent c enters, ( 2)

t he

l ike.

t he d ifferences:

P ottery i s n ot

d oes n ot

t hen,

i mportant a s

p revious e xchange n etwork o f j ades, m ace h eads a nd

L et u s g old,

i n t he d istribution o f M iddle

j ade o r

t o p roduce, w as m ade a t

a nd w as n ot a s l ong

l asting.

I mported G uanacastecan p olychrome p ottery w as

p robably v iewed

a s a l uxury f unctional i tem, p erhaps w ith s ymbolically i mportant d ecoration, but n ot p urely s ymbolic o f s tatus a nd p ower a s j ade a nd g old w ere. ( 3) A lthough i n l imited n umbers,

t hese p olychrome c eramics a re

f ound i n v irtually e very s ite o f t his p eriod i n t he C entral H ighlands-Atlantic W atershed o f C osta R ica, a nd n ot o nly a s g rave g oods. I n a r ecent a rticle, o f

L ange ( 1983:27)

G uanacaste-Nicoya p olychrome p ottery

H ighlands-Atlantic W atershed p ersons

t hemselves b ringing

i s

t he

s uggests

t hat

t he

p resence

i n t he C entral

r esult o f " Greater N icoya e lite

t he v essels

t o b e p laced i n t he g raves o f

e xtended f amily members o r p olitical/economic a llies."

H e

s pecifically r ejects t he i dea t hat t he p olychrome c eramics made t heir w ay t o c entral a nd e astern s ites t hrough t rade, a n h ypothesis p reviously p ut f orth b y t he a uthor a nd o thers ( Snarskis a nd B lanco 1 978;

S narskis

1 978,

1 981a).

d iscussion i n L ange 's

T here a re many p oints

r ejection o f

t he c ase o f f oreign p olychrome p ottery b etween c a. a f ew o f

t hat n eed f urther

t en d ifferent m odels

t he more s alient s hould b e mentioned.

A .D.

O ne o f

p roving

t he e xistence o f

o bjects

i n o ne r egion t hat w ere made i n a nother,

f or t rade i n 8 00-1200,

i nterregional t rade i s f inding p reserved a nd v ice-versa.

a bsence o f C entral H ighlands-Atlantic W atershed a rtifacts G uanacaste-Nicoya i s u sed b y L ange H owever,

b ut

t he p roblems i n T he

i n

t o a rgue a gainst t rade o r e xchange.

i n a nother a rticle d ealing w ith C osta R ican j ades,

h e

s tates

t hat " It i s n ot d ifficult t o v isualize q uantities o f material m oving t hrough a t rade n etwork f rom G uatemala t o C osta R ica." F urthermore, w e l earn t hat " Panama.. . was a lso l inked b y P recolumbian t rade r outes t o n orthwestern C osta R ica."(Lange, B ishop a nd v an Z elst 1 981:172). H ere,

t he a bsence o f P anamanian a rtifacts

C osta R ica

i n G uatemala d id n ot p revent

i n G uanacaste o r t hose o f

t he

i ntroduction o f

t he

t rade

o r e xchange c oncept. L ange a lso

s tresses

t he

l ow p ercentages o f N icoya

p olychromes

i n

o ther p arts o f C osta R ica, s aying t hat t hey r epresent " infrequent a nd a lmost u nique e vents" a nd t hat, u nlike m ost o f t he c ontexts h e c ites f or G uanacaste-Nicoya, I t

i s

t rue

t hat

a re c oncentrated

i n c emeteries a s g rave g oods.

t he q uantities o f p olychromes

f ound a re

s mall,

b ut

I

t hink i t much m ore s ignificant t hat t hey a re f ound a t v irtually e very s ite i n t he C entral H ighlands-Atlantic W atershed d uring t he A .D. 8 00-1200 t ime s pan. I d o n ot k now o f a s ingle s ite w ithout t hem a t t his t ime. L astly, w e h ave L ange 's c ontention t hat t he N icoya p olychromes a re

f ound

i n m ostly d omestic c ontexts

a nd mostly mortuary c ontexts o ut o f t hose e astern a nd c entral p articipated,

i t c an b e

t hat

s ub-area.

C osta R ican s ites

s aid

t hat

i n G reater N icoya O n

t he m ajority o f t he

3 9

t he b asis o f

i n w hose e xcavation i mported

I h ave

p olychrome v essels s eem t o h ave b een u sed f or a s u ntil b roken,

a s might b e e xpected

f ound s cattered t hroughout

l ong a s

f or " serving v essels",

t he d omestic r efuse.

p ossible o r a nd a re

M any a re h eavily

a braded o n t he l ip, i nterior a nd b ase, a nd c rack-lacing r epairs a re f requently s een ( much m ore s o t han o n l ocally made p ottery). Id o n ot t hink e lite e missaries f rom G reater N icoya w ould h ave b rought v essels i n t his c ondition t o p lace r everently i n t he t ombs o f t heir a ffines o r a llies. T hose p olychromes t hat w ere p laced i n t ombs a s mortuary o fferings, i f t hey a re s till c omplete ( many a re n ot), a re v ery o ften j ust a s w orn. M any f ewer t ombs h ave b een e xcavated s cientifically b y a rchaeologists i n G reater N icoya c ompared t o t he C entral H ighlands-Atlantic W atershed, p erhaps g iving a s kewed p erception o f what

i s o r i s n ot mortuary p ottery.

I n t he r ecent e xcavation o f t he

L a C eiba s ite n ear F iladelfia, G uanacaste, a pproximately 6 5-70% o f t he g rave g oods c onsisted o f p olychrome p ottery, w ith many d ifferent t ypes r epresented,

f rom e lite t o o rdinary ( Juan V icente G uerrero,

p ersonal

c ommunication). T hose G reater N icoya p olychrome t ypes w hich w ere r egularly t o o ther p arts o f n umber, c enters,

t ransferred

C osta R ica s eem t o h ave b een l imited i n

s uggesting r elations w ith o nly s ome o f t he p ottery p roducing p robably

t hose n earest t o t he e ventual r ecipients o f

t he

p ottery. W e m ight b egin t o t hink i n t erms o f a n on-centralized marketing model, i n which e xchange t hrough a s eries o f s maller s cale l ocal m arkets ( for e xample, s ite h ierarchies w ithin c hiefdoms) i s c arried o ut w ith n o o verall r egional market s ystematization. c eramic i tems f rom o ne c enter o f p roduction,

t his s hould r esult i n a

h igh c orrelation b etween f requency a nd g eographic d istance, s imilar f requencies

i n a ll

model.

a s w ell a s

c ollections w ithin e ach s eparate m arket o r

r edistributional z one ( Fry 1 979:497, d iscussing e conomics o f p ottery s erving v essels a t T ikal). T he a rchaeological

F or

e vidence i n h and

t he d istributional

s o f ar s eems

t o s upport t his

A s mall s tone-cist c emetery e xcavated n ear P ital,

S an C arlos,

much n earer t o G uanacaste t han t he o ther A tlantic a nd H ighland s ites d iscussed h ere, h ad a pproximately 1 5% p olychromes a mong a ll s herds c ollected. A f requency b etween 1 -10% s eems t o b e u sual f or s ome C entral H ighlands-Atlantic W atershed s ites. B arrial, a s m entioned, h ad 4 .5% i mported p olychromes a mong a ll v essels e xcavated i n t ombs o r c aches. A t t he O chomogo s ite, 1 67 s tone c ist t ombs y ielded 2 09 c eramic o bjects, 8 o f w hich, o r 3 .83%, w ere I mported p olychromes ( Aida B lanco, p ersonal c ommunication). O f a t otal o f 2 59 a rtifacts e xcavated a t O chomogo, o ne w as a s mall, e laborate s tone j aguar m etate a nd a nother w as a s mall, " sukia" s culpture. T hese l ocally made " elite" o bjects o ccurred l ess f requently t han t he i mported p ottery. T his

t ells u s

s omething a bout

t he d emographic u nit m aking u p t he

O chomogo c emetery ( a l esser s tatus, mixed g roup) a nd a bout t he d istribution o f i mported p olychromes ( they a re t here a nyway). D ay a nd A bel-Vidor

( 1980)

p ostulate t hat

w as made i n t he n orthern p art

t he w hite-slipped P apagayo P olychrome

o f G ran N icoya;

i ts f requency i n

H ighland a nd A tlantic s ites i s c orrespondingly l ow. T ypes s upposedly m anufactured i n s outhern G ran N icoya, l ike M ora, C hircot, B irmania, a nd H ighland,

s how a ppropriately h igher p ercentages.

T he

l atter two

a re c ommon e nough t o s uggest t hat t hey w ere manufactured n ear t he f rontier o f t he C entral H ighlands, p erhaps a round C aldera, w here t he

4 0

n atural p ass t o t he H ighlands b egins, f ollowing t he R io G rande d e T ärcoles. T here w e s hould l ook i n t he f uture f or e vidence o f t he " gateway c ommunities" w hich c an f orm a t p assage p oints

i nto a nd o ut o f

d istinct n atural a nd c ultural r egions ( Hirth 1 978:37), i n r esponse t o i ntensive e xchange w hich m ay w ell h ave i ncluded m arine p roducts l ike s alt.

T hat t his p assage m ay h ave b een t he m ain r oute b etween

G uanacaste a nd t he C entral H ighlands i s s upported b y h istorical e vidence g iven b y t he f irst S paniards; t he c oastal p opulations c omplained t hat

t he H uetars h ad c ome d own f rom t he H ighlands i n t he

r ecent p ast a nd w ere s eizing l ands a nd w arring i n a n a ttempt t o e stablish t heir o wn a ccess t o t he s ea ( Carlos M elendez, p ersonal c ommunication). A lthough w e h ave r elatively l ittle c ontrolled i nformation f or t he C entral H ighlands-Atlantic W atershed, I t hink t here i s e nough t o p ostulate a d ifference i n k ind b etween t he i nterregional e xchange o r t ransfer s ystems o f l ate P eriod I V a nd t hose o f P eriods V a nd V I. T he f ormer i nvolved e lite b adges o f o ffice i n a p ower-holding c ult b ased o n t he r itual a nd p olitical c ontrol o f a ll a spects o f a griculture; w hile t he l atter s eems t o h ave b een a m ore g eneralized, w idespread s ystem r eflecting c ommercial, a s w ell a s i deological, r elations.

4 1

R EFERENCES C ITED A ccola,

R .M .

1 977

A nalisis d e l a D ifraccion d e R ayos X :

S u A plicacion

E xperimental e n e l E studio d e l a C eramica P olicramada d e N icoya, A guilar P ., 1 981

C .

C osta R ica.

H .

L a P resencia T emprana d el C obre e n e l I ntermontano C entral d e C osta R ica.

B audez,

C .

1 966

D ay,

V inculos 3 (1):37-46.

F .

a nd M .

T iempo A ctual 6 (22):115-119. D .

C oe

I ncised S late D isks f rom t he A t1antica W atershed o f C osta R ica: A C ommentary. A merican A ntiquity 3 1(3):441-443.

J .

S .

1 980

a nd S .

A bel-Vidor

T he L ate P olychrome P eriod:

G uanacaste,

C osta R ica.

P aper

p resented a t t he 7 9th A nnual M eeting o f t he A merican A nthropological A ssociation. W ashington, D . C . D emarest, A . 1 982

A .

a nd R .

J .

S harer

T he O rigins a nd E volution o f U sulutan C eramics. A ntiquity 4 7(4):810-821.

D rucker,

P .

1 952

L a V enta,

T abasco:

A S tudy o f O lmec C eramics a nd A rt,

o f A merican E thnology B ulletin 1 53. I nstitution. E asby,

A merican

E .

1 968

F lannery ,

K .

N ew Y ork:

A ndre

V .

T he O lmec a nd t he V alley o f O axaca:

A M odel f or

I nter-regional I nterraction i n F ormative T imes. O aks C onference o n t he O lmec, E . B enson, e d. p p. W ashington: D umbarton O aks. F ry,

R .

T he E conomics o f P ottery a t T ikal, E xchange f or S erving V essels. 4 4(3):494-512.

., G uerrero M 1 984

1 978

G uatemala:

M odels o f

A merican A ntiquity

J .V.

R ecientes I nvestigaciones e n e l V alle d e N osara, G uanacaste, C osta R ica. S teward J ournal o f A nthropology, i n p ress. K .

G . I nterregional T rade a nd t he F ormation o f P rehistoric G ateway C ommunities. A merican A ntiquity 4 3(1):35-45.

J oralemon, 1 976

I n D umbarton 7 9-110.

E .

1 979

H irth,

B ureau

S mithsonian

K . P re-Columbian J ade f rom C osta R ica. E mmerich, I nc.

1 967

W ashington:

P .

D .

T he O lmec D ragon:

A S tudy i n O lmec I conography.

I n O rigins

o f R eligious A rt a nd

I conography i n P reclassic M esoamerica,

H . B . N icholson, e d. C alifornia P ress.

p p.

2 7-71.

4 2

L os A ngeles:

U niversity o f

L ange,

F .

1 983

W . E lite P articipation i n P recolumbian C eramic T ransfer i n C osta R ica. N o.

L ange,

l a A sociacion C ostarricense d e

R .

L .

B ishop a nd L .

P erspectives o n P recolumbian A rt p p.

1 980

0 .

1 67-175. F .

R enfrew, 1 977

I n

J .

C omposition A nalyses a nd

B etween C ontinents/Between S eas:

i n C osta R ica.

N ew Y ork:

a nd A .

E lizabeth P .

H arry N .

B enson,

i n P rehistoric P anama.

P eabody M useum

5 .

C . A lternative M odels f or E xchange a nd

S patial D istribution.

E xchange S ystems i n P rehistory, T . E arle a nd J . p p. 7 1-90. N ew Y ork: A cademic P ress. S harer, 1 984

R .

C entral A merica a s

S tone,

1 984

R .

e ds.

I n e ds.

A merica,

F .

W .

I n T he

L ange a nd D .

Z .

U niversity o f N ew M exico P ress.

J . S alvador.

C entral

F .

A merica,

W .

I n T he A rchaeology o f L ower

L ange a nd

D .

Z .

S tone,

e ds.

U niversity o f N ew M exico P ress.

J .

S tratigraphic E xcavations R ica.

i n t he E astern L owlands o f C osta

A merican A ntiquity 4 1:343-353.

T he A rcheology o f t he C entral A tlantic W atershed o f C osta R ica.

U npublished

A nthropology, 1 979

S een f rom M esoamerica.

C entral

P rehistory o f E l

S narskis, M .

1 978

L ower

A lbuquerque:

A lbuquerque:

1 976

E ricson,

J .

L ower

A rchaeology o f

S heets,

e d.

A brams.

R anere

A daptive R adiotions M onographs

v an Z elst

C osta R ican J ade:

C ultural D uplications.

L inares,

A rqueologos

2 .

F . W .,

1 981

B oletin d e

E l J ade d e

P h.D.

D issertation,

C olumbia U niversity,

T alamanca d e

T ibas.

D epartment o f

N ew Y ork.

V inculos 5 (2):89-107.

1 981a T he A rchaeology o f C osta R ica. I n B etween C ontinents/Between S eas: P recolumbian A rt o f C osta R ica, E lizabeth P . B enson, e d. 1 981b

1 983

p p.

1 5-87.

C atalogue.

N ew Y ork:

H arry N .

A brams.

I n B etween C ontinents/Between

S eas:

P recolumbian

A rt o f C osta R ica, E lizabeth P . B enson, e d. p p. 1 77-228. N ew Y ork: H arry N . A brams. C asas P recolombinas e n C osta R ica: U na V ista D iacronica. A ctas d el N oveno C ongreso I nternacional p ara e l E studio d e l as C ulturas P recolombinas d e l as A ntillas M enores: M ontreal:

1 984

C entre d e R echerches

M ontreal. C entral A merica: L ower

C entral

A lbuquerque:

T he L ower

A merica,

F .

W .

C araibes,

C aribbean.

2 19:238.

U nivserte d e

I n T he A rchaeology o f

L ange a nd D .

Z .

S tone,

e ds.

U niversity o f N ew M exico P ress.

S narskis, M . J . a nd A . B lanco 1 978 D ato s obre C eramica P olicromada G uanacasteca E xcavada e n l a M eseta C entral.

V inculos 4 (2):106-113.

4 3

S tone, D . Z . 1 973 E l D ios-Hacha d e J adeite e n l a A merica C entral: L ocalizacion G eografica y s u L ugar e n e l T iempo. 4 0 C ongreso S tone, 1 965

D .

Z .

a nd C .

S u A ctas d el

I nternacional d e A mericanistas 1 :213-218.

R ome.

B alser

I ncised S late D isks f rom t he A tlantic W atershed o f C osta R ica.

A merican A ntiquity 3 0(3):310-329.

4 4

A CERCA D E L A U NIDAD C ULTURAL E NTRE LA V ERTIENTE A TLANTICA Y E L VALLE C ENTRAL D E C OSTA R ICA

A rql.

A na C .

A rias Q .

S ecciön d e A rqueologia U niversidad d e C osta R ica

4 5

R ESUMEN E l P resente t rabajo t rata d e i ncentivar l a i mportancia d e i nvestigar y d iscutir a un mäs l a p osible u nidad c ultural e ntre l as r egiones g eomorfolögicas d el V alle C entral y l a l lanura d e

i nundaciön

d el A tläntico, y a e xpuesta d esde e l a f to d e 1 926 p or e l A rqueölogo S amuel L othrop. S e

e xponen a lgunas l ineas d e e videncia c omo s on:

c erämicos,

e lementos

l lticos y d e a sentamiento a si c omo u n m omento e n e l t iempo

e n e l c ual e sta r elaciön s e manifiesta c on m ayor c laridad. N o c onstituye d e n inguna m anera u na d iscusiön e xhaustiva d el t ema, p ero e s p osible o bservar l a n ecesidad d e e sclarecer e ste a sunto t an i mportante, p or l a t rascendencia q ue p uede i mplicar, a l t ratar d e e xplicar a lgunos a spectos c ruciales d entro d e l a A rqueologia d e C osta R ica.

A BSTRACT T his p aper d iscusses

t he p ossible c ultural u nity b etween t he

C entral H ighlands a nd t he f lood

p lains o f

t he A tlantic c oast o f C osta

R ica. C ultural c ontinuity b etween t hese t wo g eologically d istinct z ones w as f irst p roposed b y S amuel L othrop i n 1 926, a nd m erits r enewed a ssessment. E vidence f or c ultural u nity c omes c eramics,

l ithics,

a nd s ettlement.

f rom a rchaeological d ata o n

A lthough t his i s n ot

i ntended t o b e

a n e xhaustive d iscussion o f t he q uestion, i t i s p ossible t o c larify c ertain a spects I mportant f or t he a rchaeology o f C osta R ica.

4 6

I NTRODUCCION S i h ablamos e n t erminos g eogräficos d e l as r egiones d e l a V ertiente A tläntica y e l V alle C entral,

e s p osible a puntar a lgunas

d ivergencias q ue e fectivamente l as c onstituyen e n d os z ones d iferentes, p ero s i e nfatizamos e n e l a specto c ultural,

l a d ivisiön n o e s

t an

s encilla. Y a a utores c omo L othrop ( 1926), 1 976),

h an s ugerido

r egiones, F onseca

( 1966),

A guilar

( 1972,

1 975,

l a p osible u nidad cultural e ntre e stas d os

y e studios m äs r ecientes

1 982),

S tone

( Snarkis

1 978,

H urtado d e M endoza y

h ablan d e l a p osibilidad d e u n h orizonte c ultural q ue s e

i nicia e n e l p eriodo d enominado L a S elva y c ulmina e n l a F ase L a C abana, t eniendo c omo c ontemporäneas e n e l V alle C entral l as f ases C urridabat y C artago

( Aguilar 1 972,

1 975,

1 976).

D esearla e n e ste t rabajo h acer h incapie e n u n p roblema t an i nteresante d entro d e l a A rqueologia d e C osta R ica, y v arias v eces t raido a d iscusiön p or c olegas i nteresados e n l as r elaciones d e l as c ulturas e n t iempos p recolombinos, s in p retender a gotarlo, s ino m äs b ien i ndicar a lgunas l ineas d e e videncia y s ugerir p osibles o bjetivos d e i nvestigaciön.

CARACTERISTICAS M EDIOAMBIENTALES E l V alle

C entral d e C osta R ica c onstituya u na d e l as d ivisiones

g eomorfolögicas e n l as q ue s e d ivide e l p als E s e l

p roducto d e d os

s ecuencias,

( Bergoeing-Brenes

1 977).

e l a lzamiento d el T erciario d e l a

C ordillera d e T alamanca, q ue e n e ste s ector d esciende p or u n s istema d e f allas r ecubiertas p or l a s egunda f ase, c orrespondiente a l v ulcanismo p lio-cuaternario d e l a C ordillera C entral. E l V alle C entral s e p uede d ecir, e s l a c omunicaciön n atural e ntre e l O cean° P acifico y e l C aribe. E colögicamente s e e ncuentran r epresentadas e n e l l as z onas d e v ida d enominadas:

B osque h ümedo p re-montano,

b osque muy h ümedo t ropical

t ransiciön a p remontano, b osque muy h ümedo m ontano, b osque muy hümedo montano b ajo, b osque h ümedo m ontano, b osque p luvial p remontano, b osque p luvial m ontano b ajo, y b osque p luvial m ontano. E s l a r egiön m s p oblada d el p als y s umamente f ertil d ebido p recisamente a s u t ipo d e c onstrucciön. L a

l lanura d e i nundaciön d el A tläntico

( Bergoeing-Brenes

c onforma o tra d e l as d ivisiones g eomörficas d e

C osta R ica.

1 977),

E s e l

r esultado d e u n i ntenso r elleno a luvionar, c omenzando a f inales d el T erciario y q ue s e c ontinüa h acia e l C uaternario, e l material e s d e o rigen v olcänico, l a

f ormaciön d e

r esistente, d el

e l t mpacto p luvial s e t radujo e n e sta v ertiente p or

c af lones

l ago d e N icarägua,

n ivel

p rofundos e n e l material r elativamente p oco

t anto a l o l argo d e l a c osta C aribe c omo e n l as m ärgenes e s

p osible o bservar u n n ivel marino,

a si c omo u n

f luvio-lacustre q ue c orresponde a u na r egresiön d e p robable e dad

p ost-glaciar. E colögicamente s e c aracteriza p or l as B osque muy h ümedo t ropical, b asal,

b osque h ümedo

s iguientes

z onas d e v ida:

b osque muy h ümedo p remontano,

t ropical t ransiciön a p rehümedo,

t ransiciön a

b osque muy h ümedo

t ropical t ransiciön a p remontano y b osque p luvial p remontano.

4 7

I NVESTIGACIONES ARQUEOLOGICAS A NTERIORES S i h acemos u n e xamen g eneral s obre e l t ipo d e t rabajo a rqueolögico r ealizado e n e stas z onas, n os s erla f äcil c omprobar q ue n o e s s ino e n t iempos s umamente r ecientes q ue l a a rqueologla c ientlfica s e l leva a l a p räctica. A lgunos i ntentos l os r ealizo H artman e n 1 901 y S tone e n 1 966. R ecientemente a lgunos a rqueölogos s e h icieron i nvestigaciones ( Kennedy 1 968; S narskis 1 976, 1 978; A guilar 1 972, 1 975, 1 976), y e l p royecto r egional q ue l a U niversidad d e C osta R ica d esarrolla d esde 1 978 t iene c omo l ugar c entral a l s itio C at. U CR N o. 4 3 G uayabo d e T urrialba. A ntes d e l a d ecada d e l os ' 70, l os t rabajos s e c aracterizaban p or u n d eseo d e d escribir c ultura m aterial ( rasgos, a rtefactos), y l a i dea d e c ambio d entro d e l as s ociedades n o e ra c lara. P osteriormente, a l i ntroducirse e l a spect ( ) d iacrönico, l a a rqueologla a dquiere o tra d imension, c onsiderando l as s ociedades c omo v ivas y e n c ontinuo c ambio; e l e stablecimiento d e s ecuencias c ulturales, j unto c on c ambios i mportantes e n e l m odelo t e t irico u tilizado, i nician e l c amino h acia l o q ue s e c onsidera d ebe s er l a a rqueologia a ctualmente, e l c onocimiento y l a e xplicaciön d e l os p rocesos s ocio-culturales o curridos e n e l p asado ( Arias

1 982,

A rias y B olaäos 1 983 e n p rensa).

S ECUENCIAS C ULTURALES L os i nvestigadores q ue h an t rabajado e n e ste z ona h an s ugerido u na s ecuencia c oordinado e ntre l a V ertiente A tläntica y e l V alle C entral ( Aguilar 1 972, 1 976 y S narskis 1 976, 1 978, 1 982; H urtado d e M endoza y F onseca 1 982; H urtado d e M endoza y A rias 1 984). V ERTIENTE A TLANT I CA F ase L a L a E l L a

V ALLE C ENTRAL F ase C artago 1 000 d .C.-1550 d .C. C urridabat 4 00 d .C.-1000 c .C. P avas 2 00 d .C.-400 d .C. B arba 1 00 a .C.-200 d .C.

C abana 1 000 d .C.-1500 d .C . S elva 5 00 d .C.01000 d .C. B osque 1 00 a .C.-500 d .C . M onta l la 1 000 a .C.-100 a .C.

R ELACIONES E STILISTICAS C erämica E n e ste p unto me g ustaria d estacar l a g ran a finidad q ue e xiste e ntre l a c erämica d e l as d os r egiones c itadas, p or s er e stos e nsambljes l os mejor c onocidos y l os q ue c aptan c on m ayor p rontitud e l c ambio c ultural y l a r elaciön e ntre l as a reas. F ase L a M ontana y F ase B arba C omo l o i ndica S narskis ( 1982), l a F ase B arba p arece s er c oetänea c on l a f ase L a M ontaf ta d e l a V ertiente A tläntica, a unque n o e xiste aün u n c onocimiento c laro e n l os q ue s e r efiere a l a specto g eneral d e l a f ase. S egün S narskis, e n L a M ontana p redomina " la d ecoraciön p lästica: i ncisiön e n l as l lneas a nchas,

p unzonado, 4 8

p astillage e n t iras y

p elotitas, e stampado c on c uerda, i ncision y e scisiön r ellena c on o cre r ojo" ( 1982:84). E xiste t ambien g ran variedad d e f orms, i ncluyendo l os l iamados " budares," C omplejo

E l

E ste ( Snarskis

r elacionados c on l a p reparaciön d e l a y uca a marga.

B osque

f ase f ue u bicado o riginalmente e ntre 5 00 a .C.-500 d .C. 1 976:103-107). L a a parencia g eneral d e l a c erämica

p erteneciente a l a rcilla muy f ina,

C omplejo E l

B osque a cusa g ran p erfecciön,

b ien m ezclada,

e s r esistente y l a h ematita e s u n e lemento c onstituciön. f rägil

S e

c on u na

c on o xidaciön c ompleta o i ncompleta, i mportante e n s u

p resenta t ambien a lguna p asta d e t ipo a renoso, m s

y d e c oloraciön c aferojiza.

L a

s uperficie s e c aracteriza p or z onas muy p ulidas d e e ngaste

r ojo

y z onas d el c olor n atural d e l a p asta. D entro d e l as f ormas e ncontramos o llas, t razones d e s ilueta c ompuesta, f iguritas h uecas t anto h umanas c omo z oomorfas,

o carinas,

s ellos,

" tecomates."

d ecoraciön s e c aracteriza p or l a b icromia e n z onas, v erticales e n p intura r oja, e scarificaciones, ( monos,

i guanas,

p egadas

( Snarskis

F ase P avas

( Valle

e stampado c on r uleta d entada,

a canalado y p astillaje, l agarto,

a yes).

L a

l lneas g ruesas c arrizo c on

a dornos e n f orma z oomorfa

S oportes

s ölidos,

b ases a nulares

1 978). C entral)

L a c erämica d e l a F ase P avas s e c aracteriza p or p astas,

e n l as

c uales l os g ranos b lancos d e f eldespato s on muy a bundantes, n egros d e a ndesita, ö xido d e h ierro, m ica ( muscovita), e n s uperficies s olamente a lisadas. L a t extura n o e s b ien l ograda, c on burbujas d e a ire, c olor c afe c laro, c on f uego o xidante, e n l as z onas d onde a parece e l e ngobe, e l ä rea p resenta p ulido ( Aguilar 1 972,

1 975).

O tras p astas c omo e n e l c aso d el t ipo C respo T ricromo ( Aguilar 1 972), l a m ezcla e stä b ien h echa, a unque l a a pariencia l aminar t ambien s e

p resenta,

l a s uperficie e xterior e stä p ulida.

E l d esgrasante

u tilizado e n l a m ayoria d e l os c asos e s a rena d e r lo, e n c uanto a l c ontenido d e mica. e scudillas d e b oca r estringida,

c on d iferencias

E n c uanto a l as f ormas, s e p resentan b oca n o r estringida, d e l ados y f ondos

p ianos o l igeramente c urvos y c on u n c aracteristico r eborde b asal, v asijas

p eriformes g lobulares a chatadas.

c önicos, a demäs

a lgunos c on e l

L os

s oportes

s on s ölidos

e xtremo v olteado h acia a fuera a modo d e g ancho,

s oportes a nulares.

L a d ecoratiön p resenta c omo c aracteristica u na z ona d e d ecoraciön h acia a bajo d el l abio o d el b orde, u na z ona d el c olor n atural d e l a p asta,

b ien a lisada y e n a lgunas o casiones p ulida, a v eces e sta z ona

p resenta u n c olor e nnegrecido,

" probable r esultado d e l a a plicaciön d e

u na s ustancia o rgänica p uesta d espues d el q uemado"

q uemado o a ntes d e u n s egundo

( Aguilar 1 975:23).

E l e ngobe o l a p intura b ase e s d e c olor r ojo o scuro o a naranjado, c on l ineas p intadas e n c olor m orado, a canalado, i nciso, f ino y a ncho, d ecoratiön d e p eine, c arrizo,

i nciso d e u äa,

p icado,

c ombinados e n u na g ran v ariedad d e

t ambien s e p resenta.

4 9

c on r uleta d entada, p atrones,

e l

p astillaje

Utica E n c uanto a l a Utica e xiste t ambign u na r elaciön muy c lara. E n e l s itio S evero L edezma y F inca P atricia, e nconträran e n f orma c orriente " manos d e p iedra e n f orma d e p an d e j abön," l o m ismo q ue A guilar e n e l s itio E l M olina, e n C artago, V alle C entral ( Aguilar 1 975). F ase L a S elva ( V.

A tläntica).

F ase C urridabat ( Valle C entral)

L a f ase L a S elva f ue t omada i nicialmente c omo e n p erlodo t ransicional, a f alta d e d atos q ue l e p ermitieran e sclarecer " asociaciones i mprevistas e ntre e l c omplejo E l B osque y c erämica p reviamente a signada a u n p erlodo m edio" ( Snarskis 1 976:107). P osteriormente, y g racias a n uevas i nvestigaciones, a dopta e l c oncepto F ase L a S elva ( Snarskis 1 978). C aracteristicas e stilisticas L a c erämica d e l a F ase L a S elva p resenta u na p asta d e c orte a renoso, c afe, c afg-rojizo, c on o xidaciön i ncompleta, f äcilmente d esmenuzable, m enos f uerte q ue l a d el C omplejo E l B osque, a unque n o d ebe e xcluirse l a p resencia d e u na p asta f ina q ue t ambign s e a dvierte e n e sta f ase ( Snarskis 1 978). E n c uanto a l a cabado d e s uperficie, p resenta u n e ngobe r ojo-anaranjado, r ojo q ue e s c aracterlstico. E ste a cabado d ifiere s ustancialmente d el q ue p resenta E l B osque, a lgunos c asos e l a cabado p resenta ü nicamente a lisado y a l t acto e s f äcil n otar l a p resencia d e g ranos d e g ran t ama t io. L as f ormas ms c aracterlsticas s on l as o llas, s e e ncuentran p latos e scudillas. E n a lgunos c asos t ambign d ifiere d el c omplejo E l B osque e n l a m anera d e c oncretar e sa f orma q ue s e p erfila m s c laramente e n e l p erlodo a nterior. S e p resentan b ases a nulares b ien d efinidas, s oportes h uecos, m amiformes, c önicos, l argos, c on d ecoraciön e n p astillaje y m odelado d e l agarto. A dornos z oomorfos n o t an a cabados c omo e n e l p eriod( ) a nterior, e stampado, p untuaciön e i mpresiones c on h erramientas d e t ipo c illndrico, t riängulos i ncisos, i nciso a ncho, p intura m arrön o p ürpura s obre e ngobe a naranjado o r ojo-anaranjado, s on a lgunos e lementos d ecorativos d e l a f ase L a S elva. F ase C urridabat E sta f ase f ue u bicada i nicialmente d e 3 00 d .C . a8 00 d .C. ( Aguilar 1 975, 1 976). E sta f ase s e t ipifica " por l a c erämica t rIpode, o s ea, v asijas o voides e n p osiciön n ormal, c on s oportes h uecos l argos, e n l os q ue s e e ncuentran m odelados d e l agarto" ( Aguilar 1 976:76). O tros m odos c aracterlsticos d e e sta f ase s on: s oportes a nulares, i nciso, e xciso, p astillage y p intura m orada, r eborde c on p unteado, i nciso a ncho, c arrizo y p unteado, p intura b lanca, i nciso f ino f ormando d ise t ios g eomgtricos c omo t riängulos p eque i los, e ngobe r ojo e n z onas, h endiduras a largadas h orizontalmente; l a d ecoraciön p or m edio d e p astillaje s e t raduce e n r epresentaciones z oomorfas ( reptiles) m uy b ien l ogrados y c on u na t gcnica m uy f ina ( tip° I starü o rdinario). E n c uanto a l a p asta, e l d esgrasante s igue s iendo a rena d e r lo c on a ndesita, f eldespato y c uarzo, t extura h omoggnea, f riable b ien m ezclado, c olor c afg o c afé-rojizo, f uego o xidante, a mbas s uperficies

a lisadas, l os g ranos p ueden n otarse a s imple v ista. O tras v ariedades d e p astas p resentan: f eldespato, ö xido d e h ierro, o rnablenda, h ay b urbujas d e a ire,

l a mezcla e s d esigual;

g ranos d e f eldespato b lancos,

n egros d e a ugita, r ojos d e ö xido d e h ierro, m ezcla d esigual d e a pariencia a renosa, c on p ocas b urbujas d e a ire, l a s uperficie e xterior p ulida,

l a i nterior a lisada,

h oyelos, d e l as

a mbas s uperficies

p resentan p eque i los

r esultado d e l a d escomposciön d e a lgunas

f ormas d estacan:

a ngosta,

i nclusiones.

v asijas g lobulares o a chatadas,

e scudillas c on r eborde i nverso o e xverso,

D entro

d e b oca

c on p aredes c onvexas

o c öncavas. L itica D entro d e l a l itica p ulida s e d estaca l a r elaciön e ntre l a mano d e m oler e n

f orma d e " estribo"

q ue a parece

t anto e n l a V ertiente

A tläntica

c omo e n e l V alle C entral, a demäs d e metates t ripodes a lgunos muy c omplejos ( Fig. 5 y 6 ) ( Stone 1 966; S narskis 1 978:231). F ase L a

C abana - F ase

C artago

L a p eriod . °

F ase L a C abana f ue u bicada o riginalmente e n l o q ue s e l lamö t ardlo ( 900 d .C.-1550 d .C.)(Snarskis 1 978).

C aracterlsticas e stillsticas F ase L a L a d e

C abana.

C erämica

p asta q ue c aracteriza l a F ase L a

f ragmentos o rgänicos,

c ompacta y p oco a renosa, c on f ragmentos d e

C abaäa,

c ristales n egros

p resenta g ran c antidad

( mica?),

f ragmentos

e n o tra m odalidad l a p asta p uede

f eldespato

f riable,

a renosa,

p ömez,

e s

p resentarse

y u na t ercera c ategorla

e n l a c ual l a c aracterlstica s e t raduce e n u na p aste muy f riable, g ranos muy g randes y s ensibles f äcilmente a l t acto. A naranjado,

c on

r ojo-cafe c on h uellas d el

f ase.

D entro d e l as

f ormas,

p ulidor s on l os c olores p ropios e n e sta

d estacan o llas c ulinarias,

e scudillas, g ran d iversidad e n c uanto a l os p edestal,

z oomorfos,

c önicos,

p latos

s oportes:

t ripodes, b ases d e

e ntre o tros.

E n t om b a l a d ecoraciön, c ontinüa e l i nciso e n p atrones muy c omplejos ( Tayutic i nciso), l lneas e jecutadas c on b rocha mültiple, e lementos a plicados, r oja,

n egra y b lanca,

p intura n egativa,

l ineas e n p intura a marilla,

f ormando d iseäos g eometricos,

a demäs d e a sas d e

d iversas f ormas ( lazo, f aja), s alvillas y u na c erämica d e c olor c rema y p intada e n l ineas r ojas t oscas ( Turrialba b icromo) v asijas e n f orma d e " sarten"

c on e l mango d ecorado e n p astillaje y /o modelado.

S egün S narskis " el a rte d el c eramista d egeneraba a l o l argo d e e ste

p eriodo"

F ase

C artago

( Snarskis

1 976:112).

L a F ase C artago f ue d efinida p or A guilar e n b ase a e xcavaciones r ealizadas e n e l S itio C AT-UCR N o. 4 3, G uayabo d e T urrialba, y u bicada o riginalmente e n 8 00 d .C.-1200 d .C.

5 1

C aracterlsticas e stillsticas E l d esgrasante c ontinüa s iendo a rena d e r io, g ranos n egros d e a ndesita y r ojos d e ö xido d e h ierro, m ica, f eldespato, m ezcla i rregular c on b urbujas d e a ire, s uperficies a lisadas. E n o tros c asos l a m ezcla e s b ien l ograda

( Irazü l lnea a marilla), m uy h omogenea.

E scudillas d e

s ilueta c ompuesta, c on a rista m arcando l a u niön e ntre e l f ondo y l as p aredes d el c uerpo, e scudillas s imples, v asijas g lobulares a chatadas d e b oca a ncho y b orde e xverso; d e c uello a ngosto, p aredes r ectas y b orde e xverso; d e c uello a ncho y p aredes c onvexas. L as v asijas m äs c aracteristicas s on c illndricas,

a demäs d e

s oportes e n f orma d e c ara d e a nimal o h umana, e sgrafiado, l ineas p intadas e n f orma d e g reca, a sa c on b otön ( lazo), s oporte a nular c alado ( de p edestal). T ambien h ay e scudillas t ripodes, o llas, l ineas d e c olor r ojo, a marillo y n egro f ormando d isehos g eometricos ( Aguilar 1 972, 1 976), y i nciso muy f ino f ormando d isehos g eametricos ( Tayutic i nciso). L itica E n c uanto a l t rabajo e n p iedra, l ögicamente e xiste u na r elaciön m uy e strecha. L os m etates d e u so c otidiano, a parecen c omo c antos d e r io m odificados, c on u na l igera c oncavidad e n l a p arte s uperior ( Aguilar 1 972; S narskis 1 978). L os m etates c eremoniales, l as l äpidas, l as f iguras h umanas t ambien, d ecorativos y f ormales.

c omparten g ran c antidad d e a tributos

P atrones d e a sentamiento E n c uanto a l os p atrones d e a sentamiento, s e e n u na r elaciön i mportante e ntre e stas d os ä reas.

p uede p ensar t ambien A unque p ara l os

p rimeros m omentos e n l a s ecuencia c ultural n o e xiste c laridad a bsoluta e n l o q ue s e r efiere a p atrones d e a sentamiento, p odemos h ablar d e u n i ncrement° d emogräfico c on u na j erarquizaciön m arcada ( Snarskis 1 982), p räctica d e l a a gricultura, t ratamiento d iferencial e n l os d ifuntos y a parentemente " los a sentamientos d ispersos" ( Snarskis 1 976:104).

f ueron b astante

s edentarios p ero

L os t ipos d e h abitaciön d e l a f ase P avas " parecen s er n umerosos, s e e ncuentran t anto e n l os V alles d e C artago y S an J ose c omo e n l as f aldas d e l a C ordillera V olcänica C entral; a lgunos s on a sentamientos d e g rupos p equehos, p robablemente u na s ola f amilia, o tros d ebido a q ue s on ms g randes, p robablemente f ueron o cupados p or d os o m äs h ogares" ( Ferrero 1 977:162). E s p osible q ue a p artir d e e ste m omento s e c omience a d ar u n p roceso d e n uclearizaciön d e l a p oblaciön, l os a sentamientos s on d e g ran t amaho, c on a rquitectura m uy c ompleja, p or e jemplo e n G uayabo d e T urrialba; a parece e l t rabajo e n o ro p robablemente d e i nfluencia s uref la. L a o rganizaciön s ociopolltica s e c omplejiza y s e d a l a d enominada o rganizaciön d e c acicazgos q ue m antenian i nfluencia a g ran d istancia. E n c uanto a l os p atrones m ortuorios, t ambien s e d an c ambios e n e ste p eriodo, p redominando l as l lamadas t umbas d e c ajön " ...debajo o e ntre l as c asas y e n c ementerios. S e n ota mayor u so e n l ajas e n l a c onstrucciön d e t umbas" ( Snarskis 1 982:114). E n c uanto a l a s ubsistencia c ontinüa l a a gricultura, o tras a ctividades

i mportantes,

c aza,

5 2

p esca,

a demäs d e

" la r ica v ariedad d e c aza y

l os

p eces d el R eventazön,

d ebieron d e s uministrar

p rincipalmente e l b obo

l a c arne"

( Jeturus p ichardi)

( Aguilar 1 972:136).

A demäs,

s e d an

r elaciones c omerciales, e specialmente c on l a G ran N icoya ( Snarskis y B lanco 1 978). E l m aiz s igue s iendo i mportante a unque n o b äsico, " el p ejibaye, d ebiö s er p roducto d e p rimordial i mportancia, f ormas muy d iversas"

u tilizado e n

( Ferrero 1 977:164-166).

O tra l inea d e e videncia i mportante

s on l as f uentes e tnohistöricas

q ue a yudan a s ustentar e sta r elaciön e ntre

l a V ertiente A tläntica y e l

V alle C entral. E n e ste p unto d esearia r esaltar l a i mportancia d el t ipo d e o rganizatiön p olitica q ue p robablemente d ebiö d e h aberse d ado e n t iempos i niciales a l a c onquista. S e d ebe e nfatizar e n l a p osible a lianza d e a lgunos c aciques d e e stas d os z onas p ara d efenderse y l uchar c ontra o tros d e ä reas v ecinas, e l V alle d el G uarco, C hirripö y l as g entes d e T alamanca, p or e jemplo. A demäs e s p osible q ue e stuvieran r elacionadas p ara i ncursionar c ontra l as g entes d el S ur, l os Q uipos y T errabas ( Ibarra ' c omunicaciön p ersonal, 1 983). L os g rupos d iscurrian p or e stos t erritorios l ibremente y s e c onsideraban a migos e ntre e ilos. L o a nterior, t erritorios,

u nido a l as v ias d e c omunicaciön q ue e xistian e ntre l os a poyan l a i dea d e u nidad c ultural e ntre e stas a reas;

a lgunos d e l os c aminos

s alian d e

C artago y l legaban h asta P ococi,

C hirripö y S uerre. P robablemente e stas v ias d e a cceso p ropiciaron u n i ntercambio o c omercio i mportante, l o q ue a seguraba l a s ubsistencia y v ariabilidad d e l a m isma p ara l os g rupos

s ociales a migos.

O tro p unto i mportante d e d estacar e s h ablada;

c omunicaciön ( Ibarra, C oronado, V alle

l a u niformidad d e

l a l engua

e l h uetar p arece h aber s ido l a f orma m s g eneralizada d e p or e jemplo,

c omunicaciön p ersonal,

1 983).

V äsquez d e

u tilizö p ara s u a mplio r ecorrido p or

C entral y V ertiente A tläntica d os

t ierras d el

i nterpretes q ue h ablaban l engua

h uetar ( Ibarra, c omunicaciön p ersonal, 1 983). A demäs, s e h ace p osible p ensar e n c ierta u niformidad e n t om b a l a manera d e v estir, u tilizando e l a lgodön,

p or e jemplo,

l a f orma d e c onstrucciön d e l as c asas y

p osiblemente l a d istribuciön e spacial d e

l as m ismas.

A LGUNAS D IFERENCIAS E NTRE L A V ERTIENTE A TLANTICA Y E L V ALLE C ENTRAL A p esar d e s er e l o bjetivo f undamental d el

t rabajo e nfatizar e n

l as s emejanzas y p untos c onvergentes q ue muestran l os e nsamblajes c erämicos e n e stas d os r egiones, c reo p ertinente mencionar e n f orma g eneral a lgunas d iferencias. L as d ivergencias q ue s e p resentan e stän f undamentalmente r elacionadas c on e l f actor d el t iempo;

c onforme s e a vanza e n l a

s ecuencia c ultural h acia l os p eriodos t ardios, e stas d iferencias s e h acen menos p erceptibles. U n e jemplo c oncreto l o e ncontramos e n l a c erämica q ue c aracteriza l a E ase P avas y e l c omplejo E l ü ltimo p resenta u n t rabajo c erämico s umamente b rillante, f inos,

B osque.

c on u n a cabado d e s uperficie q ue a cusa g ran d ominio d e

t ecnica,

l os e lementos

p lästicos ( pastillaje, modelado)

E ste

d e d isehos l a

s e u tilizan c on

u na p rodigalidad q ue r epresenta u n a lto g rado d el c oncepto d e e stetica; l as f ormas s on d iversas y d e d imensiones m enores. A lgunos t ipos c erämicos q ue r epresentan l o a nterior s on: B osque r ojo s obre a gamuzado y e l

B osque a naranjado-morado.

E n l a f ase c oetänea e n e l V alle

5 3

C entral,

o s ea l a F ase P avas,

p resentan m ayor t ama r io.

e ste d esarrollo e s m enor.

L a d ecoraciön,

m ismos e lementos q ue e n e l c omplejo E l modelado,

p intura),

L as v asijas

a p esar d e u tilizarse l os B osque ( inciso,

l as c ombinaciones q ue s e h acen n o

l a p erfecciön q ue p resenta l a V ertiente A tläntica. c omo e ngobe y l a p intura morada e n l lneas n o e ncuentra e n l a c erämica d el c omplejo E l

p astillaje, l ogran a lcanzar

E l

i ndican l a f irmeza q ue s e

B osque, d a l a

e sta s e " destine" c on e l p aso d el t iempo.

c olor a naranjado

E l c onjunto

i mpresiön d e q ue f ormado p or l a

d imensiön d e l as v asijas, l os p atrones d ecorativos y e l a cabado d e s uperficie n o l ogran a lcanzar l a b rillantez d e l a c erämica d e E l B osque, c on a lgunas e xceptiones c omo e l t ipo C respo t ricromo y M olino a canalado. Y a

p ara t iempos d e l a f ase C urridabat y F ase L a

S elva,

e l a specto

g eneral d e l a c erämica h a v ariado. L os e nsamblajes d e l a f ase L a a penas g uardan a lgunos e lementos q ue s e p resentan e n e l C omplejo a nterior; e sta c erämica e s ms t osca, s obre t odo e n e l a cabado d e s uperficie,

l os p atrones d ecorativos s on m enos

t €rminos e steticos y e n a lgunos c asos

S elva

r epresentativos e n

p or e jemplo e l

i nciso,

s e h ace

c on u n t anto d e d escuido. E n l a F ase C urridabat d iferente e n l as

p arece s er q ue o ccurre a lgo u n t anto

c aracteristicas g enerales r especto d e

l a f ase

p recedente ( Pavas) y d e s u c oetänea e n l a V ertiente A tläntica. L a c erämica e s ms " rica" e n e lementos p lästicos q ue h acen e n a lgunas o casiones u n t anto r ecargado e l t rabajo. U n e jemplo i nteresante d e d estacar e s e l l lamado " Istarü O rdinario," l a

z ona d e

d e L ic.

t ipo c erämico q ue p arece a dquirir s u m äximo d esarrollo e n S an R amön d e A lajuela

e n p reparaciön).

( Valle

E ste t ipo

C entral)(Arias y C hävez:

T esis

p resenta u na m anera muy f ina d e

t rabajar e l p astillaje y e l m odelado,

c asi s iempre e n f orma d e a nfibio

( ranas), l ogradas e n l a z ona d e c olor n atural d e l a p asta y c omplementado c on u na z ona e ngobada e n c olor a naranjado " fugitivo." L as

f ormas,

s oportes,

a l

i gual q ue e n e l A tläntico,

b ases,

s on d iversas,

a si

c omo l os

a sas y a Andices.

R especto d e l os p eriodos u ltimos,

l as d iferencias

s on

d efinitivamente mäs d ificiles d e p ercibir. T al v ez l a p asta e n a lgunos c asos s ea d iferente, p ero c reo e s u n c omportamiento l ögico, r elacionada c on l a d isponibilidad d e materia p rima.

L os d isehos a rtisticos

a plicados a l a c erämica s on muy s imilares,

a si c omo l os c olores

u tilizados. O tro a specto i mportante q ue s ugiere d iferencias e n l os p eriodos t empranos e s l a f orma d e c onstrucciön d e t umbas. E n e l V alle

C entral

l a

F ase P avas

d enominado " tumba e n f orma d e b otella" s e h a d iscutido mucho s obre s u f unciön,

p resenta u n r asgo q ue s e h a ( Aguilar

1 972).

R asgo d el c ual

p ues e n a lgunas o tras r egiones

s e u tilizaron c omo l ugar p ara g uardar o a lmacenar a limentos, p ero q ue e n n uestro p als s e h a e ncontrado a sociado a e nterramientos. L as t umbas e n f orma d e b otella s on c onstrucciones a campanadas c on " una p orciön c ilindrica r ellenada c on t ierra o scura y t iestos. p orciön,

l a t umba s e e nsanchaba c on p aredes

p rofundidad d e

1 .71

m d esde e l b orde

M äs a bajo d e e sta

c urvas q ue a lcanzaban u na

i nferior d e l a p orciön c ilindrica

h asta e l f ondo. E ste f ondo a fectaba u na f orma m äs o menos c ircular c on u n d iämetro a proximado d e 3 00 c m" ( Aguilar 1 972:4). E ste t ipo d e t umbas p arece s er p ropio d el V alle C entral d e C osta R ica.

5 4

C OMENTARIO L a r elaciön e ntre l a V ertiente A tläntica y e l V alle

C entral s e

e videncia a t raves d e v arios n iveles d e i nformaciön ; e stilos y t ecnicas d ecorativas, t rabajo e n p iedra, p atrones d e a sentamiento, d e s ubsistencia, y p atrones m ortuorios, a demäs d e d atos e tnohistoricos. S e p odrä h ablar e ntonces d e u nidad c ultural, d e r elaciön e ntre l as d os z onas

t raducido e n u n i ntercambio s ociocultural, muy e strecho? S erä i nteresante,

p or l o t anto,

e valuar l a c antidad y l a c alidad

d e l a i nformaciön e xistente, y l legar a c onclusiones q ue, p osiblemente, a puntarian h acia l a h ipötesis d e q ue e stas d os r egiones d e C osta R ica i niciaron e n t iempos p robablemente d e 7 00 d .C.

u n p roceso d e u nidad

c ultural y u na l ucha p or l a h egemonia, e videnciado p or e l t ipo d e a rtefactos, p or c onstrucciones d e t ipo e strategico, g eneraciön d e c entros d e p oder, r edes d e i ntercambio b ien d efinidas y s obre t odo d e l a p resencia d e u na g ran h omogeneidad e n t erminos c ulturales. L a i ntenciön d el t rabajo, i nformaciön,

s e h a c umplido;

o s ea,

e xplicitar c iertos n iveles d e

d e n inguna m anera e stä a gotado,

p ero s e

e nfatiza e n l a n ecesidad d e q ue l as i nvestigaciones f uturas c ontemplen d entro d e s us o bjetivos e l d eseo d e e sclarecer e ste p unto, d e t al m anera q ue s e h aga p osible d efinir c on m ayor p recision l a r elaciön e xistente e ntre l a r egion, i ntercambio c omercial, c entralizacion d el p oder, c omplementaciön d e e lementos n aturales e xplotables, t odos e stos a spectos s on d ignos d e s er c onsiderados, e videnciados y e xplicados a t raves d e l a s ecuencia c ultural e stablecida p ara e stas z onas a rqueolOgicas. C omo s e h a a puntado e n a nteriormente, l a i nformaciön c oincide m s c laramente e n l os p eriodos ü ltimos e n t erminos d e e sa " unidad c ultural," p ero s e h ace n ecesario e sclarecer l os m ecanismos i mpulsores q ue p ropiciaron e sa r elaciön t an e strecha, a t al p unto q ue a lgunos i nvestigadores ( Stone 1 966, A guilar 1 972, S narskis 1 982), l a c onsideran c omo u na s ola r egion a rqueolögica. C reo q ue y a e stamos e n c amino,

y c on d atos s ustantivos d e

e xcelente c alidad q ue n os c onducirän h acia l a e xplicaciön d e e stos m otores, e stlmulos y n ecesidades q ue a uspiciaron l a r elaciön e ntre l a z ona A tläntica y l a z ona d el V alle C entral. L os p royectos r egionales d e o bjetivos a mplios,

l a a rqueologia d e r escate y l os p royectos

p lanificados, s erän l os e ncargados d e e sclarecer e sa " relaciön c ultural," y s obre t odo e l p anorama s ociocultural q ue o frecian l as s ociedades p recolombinas e n l os p eriodos ü ltimos; l a d iferenciaciön s ocial, e l c omercio, e l i ntercambio y l a l ucha p or l a h egemonia, s on e lementos q ue d efinitivamente d eberän s er e xplicitados y e xpi caQ i c ada v ez m äs, g racias a i nvestigaciones d irigidas h acia e sos p untos.

5 5

R EFERENCIAS C ITADAS A guilar P iedra,

C arlos

1 972

G uayabo d e T urrialba.

S an J ose:

1 975

E l M olino:

l a F ase

U n s itio d e

E ditorial C osta R ica.

P avas e n C artago.

V inculos

1 :

1 9-56. 1 976

R elaciones d e l as c ulturas p recolombinas e n e l C entral d e

A rias Q uiros, 1 982

R ica.

I ntermontano

V inculos 2 :75-86.

A na C ecilia

L a A rqueologla e n C osta R ica:

V isiön g eneral d e s u d esarrollo

h istörico.

B oletin d e l a A sociaciön C ostarricense d e

A rqueölogos

1 .

A rias Q uiros, 1 983

C osta

A na C ecilia y M argarita B ola : dos

C osta R ica P recolombina:

u n a cercamiento h istörico.

A ntologia

p ara l a C ätedra d e H istoria d e l as I nstituciones d e C osta R ica. S an P edro d e M ontes d e O ca: U niversidad d e C osta R ica, E n p rensa. B ergoeing, 1 977

J ean P ierre y L uis G uillermo B renes

M apa g eomorfolögico d e

C osta R ica.

U niversidad d e C osta R ica.

D epartamento d e G eografia.

D ibujado y l itografiado p or e l

I nstituto G eogräfico N acional. F errero A costa, 1 977

L uis

C osta R ica P recolombina.

H urtado d e M endoza, 1 984

A lgunos

D epartment ( ) d e

1 968

X VI.

i nvestigaciones e n l a r egiön d e

C uadernos d e A ntropologia

A ntropologia,

U niversidad d e

R ica.

W illiam H . C osta

I nvestigation i n t he R eventazön R iver D rainage

R ica.

T esis d octoral,

D epartamento d e

T ulane U niversity.

S amuel K . T he P ottery o f C osta R ica a nd N icaragua. 2 v ols. C ontributions o f t he M useum o f t he A merican I ndian 8 .

S narskis, M ichael J . 1 976 L a V ertiente A tläntica d e C osta R ica. 1 977

1 .

C osta

T esis d e L icenciatura e n p roceso.

A rcheological A rea,

1 926

l as

E ugenia

A ntropologia, L othrop,

e n p rensa.

L as p oblaciones d e l a V ertiente A tläntica d e C osta R ica e n e l S .

K ennedy,

Q .

L uis y O scar F onseca Z amora

r esultados d e

G uayabo d e T urrialba.

1 983

C ecilia A rias

S teward J ournal o f A nthropology,

H urtado d e M endoza,

I barra,

E ditorial C osta R ica.

C erämica y p atrones d e a sentamiento e n l a r egiön d e G uayabo d e T urrialba.

1 982

L uis y A na

S an J ose:

T urrialba R ica.

( 9FG T),

V inculos 2 :104-114.

u n s itio p aleoindio e n e l

V inculos 3 :13-26.

5 6

E ste d e

C osta

1 978

T he A rchaeology o f t he C entral A tlantic W atershed o f C osta

1 982

U niversity. L a c erämica p recolombina e n C osta R ica.

R ica.

T esis d octoral,

D epartamento d e A ntropologla, S an J ose:

C olumbia

I nstitute

N acional d e S eguros. S narskis, M ichael J . y A ida B lanco 1 978 D atos s obre C erämica P olicromada G uanacasteca e xcavada e n l a M eseta C entral.

V inculos 4 :106-113.

S tone, D oris 1 966 I ntroducciön a l a A rqueologla d e C osta R ica.

S an J ose:

M useo

N acional. T osi, J oseph J r. 1 969 M apa e colögico s egün l as z onas d e v ida d e H oldridge. C entro

C ientifico T ropical.

5 7

S an J ose:

Vl 00

FIG.1

20

0

20

1.0 KMS

GO

10

100

INUNDACION DEL

ATLANTICO, SEGUN

aERGOEING Y 3RENES 1978

.

REGIONES NORFOGRAFICAS DEL VALLE CENTRAL Y LA llANURA DE

N

R,p. ,. castillo. o.

OCEANO PACIFICO

' '

Saditncntos.

• Panomd'

CMaE

11

1. T1rra1a ft uvio marina. 2.Uanura ..,_._ flwie locustre. 1. Aluvionn, NditMnt• volcc{nicos COMolidlldea. 4. fltoca1 fgneo1 1Jrtrusin andnitas y IN11attoa. 5.fltoc.a• scdifflentaria1: lutitcn, calizas y arcftf•cas.

E STRUCTURA E I NTEGRACION Y C OMPOSICION D EMOGRAFICA E N U N C EMENTERIO C ON TUMBAS D E D EL

C AJON

I NTERMONTANO C ENTRAL D E C OSTA R ICA

R icardo V äzquez

L .

D epartamento d e A ntropologia e H istoria M useo N acional A partado 7 49 S an J ose

1 .000,

5 9

C osta

R ica

R ESUMEN E l " patrön f unerario d e t umbas d e c ajön" e s e l d e mäs c lara y a mplia d istribuciön e videnciado h asta l a f echa e n C osta R ica. L a i nformaciön r adiocarbono y e l h allazgo d e a rtefactos d e t rueque s ugiere q ue e l i nhumar e n e ste t ipo d e r asgos e stuvo y a e n v igencia d esde e l s exto o s gptimo s iglo d espugs d e C risto, m antenigndose h asta l a g poca d el c ontacto c on l os e uropeos. E n e ste t rabajo s e d efinen l a o rganizaciön y l a c omposiciön d emogräfica d e u n c ementerio c on t umbas d e c ajön e xcavado e n e l V alle d e C artago, C osta R ica, b ajo u na c oyuntura d e r escate. L as d os f echas C 14 ms c onfiables a sociadas a l c omplejo s on 6 70+60 y 7 70+60 d .C. L a i nformaciön m ortuoria s irve p ara r eforzar l a h ipotesis d e q ue e l c omplejo e n c uestiön r efleja u na u nidad s ocial b ien d iferenciada i ntegrada p or v arios g rupos c orporativos f amiliares.

A BSTRACT T he " stone c ist t omb m ortuary p attern" i s o ne o f t he c learest a nd m ost w idely d istributed i n C osta R ica. A ssociated r adiocarbon d ates a nd t rade o bjects s how t hem t o h ave e xisted f rom t he 6 th a nd 7 th c entury A D u ntil t he S panish a rrival. T his p aper d iscusses t he o rganizational a nd d emographic c omponents o f a g roup o f s tone c ist t ombs e xcavated a s a s alvage p roject i n t he C artago v alley o f C osta R ica; t he t wo m ost r eliable C 14 d ates a re 6 70 + 6 0 a nd 7 70 + 6 0 A D . I t i s s uggested t hat t his m ortuary c omplex r eveals a w ell-defined s ocial u nit, m ade u p o f v arious f amily g roups.

6 0

I NTRODUCCION E n l a a rqueologia d e

C osta R ica s e c uenta c on i nformaciön v aliosa

s obre c ontextos f unerarios, p rincipalmente e n l o r elativo a a spectos c onfiguracionales y d e d istribuciön t emporal-espacial. S e d esconocen, n o o bstante,

l as

i mplicaciones

s ocio-culturales y d emogrAficas ms

b äsicas d e l as c ostumbres m ortuorias p recolombinas; d ebido a l as c ondiciones h istöricas a l m omenta d e l as i nvestigaciones o a l e nfasis q ue

t uvieron.

E valuando e l c ontenido d e

l as p ublicaciones s e c oncluye

q ue l os c ementerios ms e xcavados h an s ido l os d enominados d e t umbas d e c ajön ( Alfaro 1 894, H artman 1 901, S kinner e n L athrop 1 926:451-467, H aberland 1 961, K ennedy 1 968, S narskis 1 978:242-298, V äzquez 1 982). L as c aracteristicas m orfolögicas m ismas d e l as s epulturas e n c uestiön h an d ado n ombre a l o q ue p arece s er u n " patrön" o " estilo" i nhumatorio b astante d efinido. A n ivel d el c ontext° a rqueolögico l a c oherencia d el m ismo r adica f undamentalmente e n: a .

e l e sfuerzo p uesto e n c onstruir s epulturas c on e structura p ropia y c orrientemente d e d imensiones a natömicas s egün f uera e l c aso

b .

c ierto c omportamiento d e l os d atos,

i rregular p or l o q ue s e

c onoce h asta e l m omento, p ero c on a lgunas s imetrias, r eferente a l as c aracteristicas y d isposiciön d e l os c onjuntos d e a rtefactos a sociados c .

s u u bicaciön c ronolögica

c h.

l o q ue p arece s er u n m odo d e e nterramiento a rticulado e n p osiciön e xtendida y c on l a a sociatiön o casional d e r estos ö seos h umanos i narticulados. e l " patrön f unerario d e t umbas d e c ajön",

t al y c omo s e c oncibe a qui,

e s e l d e ms c lara y

a mplia d istribuciön g eogräfica e videnciado h asta l a f echa e n C osta R ica; h abiendo s ido r egistrado e n l a m ayoria d e l as r egiones q ue c onforman e l l lamado S ector d e T radiciön S udamericana ( Ferrero 1 977:135). L a i nformaciön r adiocarbönica a dscribible s ugiere q ue e l e nterrar e n t umbas d e c ajön e stuvo y a e n v igencia d esde e l s exto o s eptimo s iglo d espues d e C risto ( Kennedy 1 968:107, S narskis 1 978:236, V äzquez 1 982:42-48), m anteniendose s ubstancialmente h asta e pocas d el c ontacto c on l os e uropeos; s egün l o i ndican a rtefactos d e t rueque ( cuentas d e v idrio) e ncontrados e n e ste t ipo d e r asgos ( Hartman 1 901:21, 1 75, S tone 1 977:167). D ebido a l a g ran c antidad d e d atos d isponibles s obre l as c ajön,

e s

t umbas d e

p osible e sbozar p arte d e l a d inämica s ocio-cultural v inculada

a l f enömeno i nhumatorio.

D ependiendo d e

l as c aracteristicas d e l os

s itios, s e p uede a firmar q ue l os c omplejos d e r asgos f unerarios r eflejan u nidades s ociales b ien d iferenciadas. L a f iliaciön d e l os d ifuntos d entro d e e sas u nidades r esulta d ificil d e d efinir s in c ontar c on i nvestigaciones c omprensivas d e l os a sentamientos q ue r elacionen l os c ementerios c on c omplejos d e o tros h abitacionales.

t ipos,

e specialmente

D entro d e e stos c omplejos f unerarios

t ambien s e p ueden

r econocer r epresentaciones d e e status y r ango s ocial. C onnotaciones d e e status f ueron i dentificadas e n e l s itio C -27HM c omentado e n e ste t rabajo. L as q ue p odrian s er c onsideradas s imbolizaciones d e r ango

6 1

s ocial s e i nfieren d e l a i nformaciön e xistente s obre s itios c on o bras p üblicas d e e nvergadura, c omo A nita G rande, G uayabo, L as M ercedes y o tros ( ubicados e n l a V ertiente A tläntica C entral). L os c riterios m äs s ensitivos p ara d efinir d iferencias d e e status y r ango s ocial e n e ste t ipo d e c ontextos s on r elativos a : a .

m ayor c omplejidad e structural d e a lgunas d e l as s epulturas

b .

l a r elaciön d e u bicuidad d e l os r asgos ( dentro d e u n c omplejo f unerario o e n r elaciön a c onfiguraciones a rquitectönicas s obresalientes)

c .

e l e mpleo d e c iertos m ateriales d e c onstrucciön

c h.

l as c aracteristicas d e l os a rtefactos o frendados.

L a p resencia d e v arios c onjuntos d e s epulturas e n u n m ismo s itio y c on e spectros a mplios d e a sociaciön, t al y c omo s e h a e videnciado, s ugiere q ue l as t umbas d e c ajön f ueron l os r asgos c omunes a t odo n ivel d e i ntegraciön s ocial; u na v ez q ue e l p atrön s e c onsolidö e n l as v arias r egiones. I ndudablemente,

l a a mplia d istribuciön d el p atrön i nhumatorio e n

c uestiön d entro d el t erritorio d e C osta R ica s e d ebiö a c ausas h istöricas, p oliticas y a daptativas m uy c omplejas. L a ms t mportante d e e llas f ue p osiblemente l a d ispersiön d e u na f orma e specifica, y d iferente a l as a nteriores, d e c acicazgos c on u n b ase a gricola d e s ubsistencia. A unque a lgo m odificada, e sta c lase d e c acicazgos f ue l a q ue i dentificaron l os e spaäoles c uando i ncurcionaron e n e stas t ierras, s egün l o c orroboran l as e videncias f unerarias. D icha f orma t iene q ue v er t ambien c on e l s urgimiento d e a ldeas c on s ectores n ucleados, d onde s e e dificaron m onticulos a rtificiales c on b asamentos c irculares y g ran v ariedad d e r asgos a rquitectönicos h echos c on p iedras d e r io. L a r elaciön e ntre e ste t ipo d e l ocalidades y l os c omplejos d e t umbas d e c ajön e s b astante c lara, a sl c omo e l d esarrollo p aralelo d e a mbos t ipos d e m anifestaciones c ulturales ( Snarskis 1 981:62-68, e n p rensa: 4 3-46). E n u n ä mbito g eogräfico m ayor, l as s emejanzas e ntre e stas c omplejas u rbanisticas y f unerarios y c onfiguraciones m uy s imilares e n C olombia y l a p arte n oroeste d e S ur A merica ( Fonseca 1 979:40-41, 1 981:110-111) p erfilan l a p osibilidad d e q ue t al f orma d e c acicazgos t uviera u n d esarrollo p revio e n e l s ur, l legando a c onsolidarse d urante l a s egunda p arte d el p rimer m ilenio d espues d e C risto e n l o q ue a hora e s C osta R ica. L a

i ntenciön d e e ste t rabajo e s d efinir l a e structura e

i ntegraciön y l a c omposiciön d emogräfica ( usando c riterios o steolögicos) d e u n c ementerio c on t umbas d e c ajön, e xcavado e n u n s itio d el

I ntermontano

C entral d e

C osta R ica,

e n m iras d e

i nterpretar

l a i nformaciön s ocial s ubyacente. E n r azön d e l a c onstrucciön d e u n r esidencial, e l s itio C -27HM ( Cartago,

H acienda E l M olino)

d e r escate e ntre a gosto y n oviembre d e 1 978.

l a i nvestigaciön e n

s e d io b ajo u na c oyuntura E s

l amentable,

n o

o bstante, q ue n o h aya s ido p osible e xcavar l a t otalidad d el c omplejo f unerario; e sto s e d ebiö a l a r educciön d el r esupuesto d el M useo N acional d e C osta R ica ( instituciön q ue f inanciö e l t rabajo d e c ampo y l os a nälisis d e l aboratorio) p ara e l a äo 1 979.

6 2

U BICACION G EOGRAFICA Y C RONOLOGICA D EL S ITIO E l s itio C -27HM e stä u bicado e n l a p arte C artago,

d istrito s egundo d el c antön c entral

r econocimientos,

e s n ecesario i ndicar q ue

S uroeste d e l a c iudad d e ( Fig.

1 ).

P ara f uturos

l a e xcavaciön s obre l a c ual

s e c entra e ste t rabajo s e e ncuentra d entro d e l os l otes 8 6H y 8 7h, t omando c omo r eferencia l a s istematizaciön d ada a l a U rbanizaciön E l M olino ( Fig. 2 ). A nteriormente e l l ugar s e l lamö L a H acienda E l M olino. E l u so e conömico d e l a t ierra d e l a h acienda e stuvo b asado d urante c asi t oda l a p rimera m itad d el p resente s iglo e n e l c ultivo d e c afe, p ero a nteriormente e l t erreno s e u sö p ara p astoreo ( Calvert y C alvert 1 917:146). L as c oordenadas g eogräficas a l c entro d e l a e xcavaciön s egün l a h oja I starü e scala 1 :50.000 d el I nstituto G eogräfico N acional ( 1-76 C r-1961), s on: 9 5 1' 4 2" N - 8 3 5 6' 2 7" W . L a t opografia d el t erreno d onde s e e ncuentra e l s itio C -27HM e s p lana c on u na p endiente s uave e n d irecciön S ur; l a m isma q ue e n g eneral m uestra t oda l a p arte O este d e l a c iudad d e

C artago,

d escendiendo d esde

e l m acizo d el V olcän I razü h asta l a c uenca d el R io A guacaliente. L a f uente d e a guas m s c ercana e s l a Q uebrada E l M olino, e sta p asa a u nos 1 90 i n .

h acia e l E ste d el c ementerio e studiado.

L a p rospecciön d el a rea o cupada p or l a U rbanizaciön E l M olino y a lgunas p ropiedades d e l os a lrededores m oströ u na d ensa c oncentraciön d el C .C. C artago ( 900-1.500 d .C.), s egün l a p eriodizaciön a rqueolögica r egional c on q ue s e c uenta ( Aguilar 1 976:75-86). E l c omplejo f unerario i nvestigado s e a socia a l c omponente m äs t ardio. D e

t oda e l a rea r econocida,

s e e ncontraron e videncias d e r asgos

c ulturales e n d os l ugares. E n e l p rimero, u bicado a s olo u nos 7 0 m . a l S ureste d e l a p arte e xcavada d el c ementerio, a floraban c antos r odados d e t amaäo r egular a lineados y s e t rataba d e u n p osible b asamento h abitacional.

E l

s egundo l ugar d ue u n t erreno s ituado a 3 50 m .

a l

S ureste d e l a e xcavaciön s obre u na l adera d e p oca p endiente q ue b aja h asta l a Q uebrada E l M olino; s e t rataba a parentemente d e o tro c ementerio c on t umbas d e c ajön. N o s e h icieron e xcavaciones e n e sos l ugares d ebido a l as c ondiciones e conömicas

i mperantes e n e l M useo

N acional d e C osta R ica. L os v ecinos d e l a P itahaya, u n b arrio q ue c olinda a l S ur c on l a u rbanizaciön, h an s ido t estigos d e d iferentes h allazgos d e t umbas d e c ajön e n v arios p untos a l c onstruirse u na c alle, a l p onerse u na t uberia, e tc. R esulta 1 5gico s uponer, e n b ase a l os d atos e tnohistöricos s obre l a d istribuciön d e l os c entros p oblacionales e n e l V alle d e C artago ( Fernändez 1 881-1907 V :23-25, P eralta 1 883:337, G agini 1 917:54, L ehmann 1 920:203, F errero 1 977:190-194), y l a i nformaciön a rqueolögica ( Aguilar 1 975), q ue a sentamientos c omo e l s itio C -27HM d urante s u o cupaciön p recolombina t ardia a sociados a c asas o c aserios.

t enian v arios c ementerios

E n d ichos c aserios p odian v ivir v arias

f amilias a glutinadas p or p atrones d e p arentesco. E n c uanto a l a u bicaciön e n e l

t iempo d el c ementerio e xcavado e n

e l s itio C -27HM, s e a nalizaron p or r adiocarbono t res m uestras a sociadas a l as s epulturas. L as m uestras f ueron f echadas e n l a U niversidad d e

6 3

C alifornia, L os A ngeles ( U.C.L .A .), u tilizando l a v ida m edia d e 5 .568 I 3 0 a f ios p ara e l C 14 e stablecida p or L ibby. L os r esultados d el a nälisis a parecen e n e l G uadro 2 ( Fig. 3 ). L as f echas C 14 p ara e ste c ontexto r esultan t empranas a l a l uz d el l imite c ronolögico a rbitrario e n q ue s e h abla v enido e stimando e l i nicio d e l a u tilizaciön d e l as t umbas d e c ajön ( Kennedy 1 968:107, S narskis 1 978:236). D e c ualquier f orma, l a c oncordancia r elativa e ntre d os d e l as f echas o btenidas e n e l s itio C -27HM p onen e n p erspectiva l a p osibilidad d e q ue l a c ostumbre m ortuoria i mplicada e stuviera v igente d esde e l s iglo s exto d espues d e C risto e n e l A rea C entral d e C osta R ica. E n u n i ntento p or r eforzar l a i nformaciön r adiocarbono s e i mplementö u n a nälisis e stilistico d el m aterial c erämico. L os r esultados d el m ismo ( Väzquez 1 982:48-58) d emostraron q ue l os e stilos a sociados d irectamente a l c ementerio c orresponden a l C amplejo C erämico C artago ( 900-1500 d .C.). L a c ontradicciön q ue s urge e ntre l as f echas C 14 p ara e l s itio C -27HM y e l l apso a rbitrario c on e l c ual c oncuerda l a c erämica n o e ncuentra a claraciön, p ues l os d atos c ronometricos c on q ue f ue d isef iada l a p eriodizaciön d el I ntermontano C entral s on m uy p obres ( Hurtado d e M endoza 1 981).

O RGANIZACION E SPACIAL D EL C EMENTERIO E l a rreglo d e l os r asgos f unerarios o bservado p arcialmente e n e l s itio C -27HM e s d iferente d entro d e l a v ariedad d e d isehos f isicos e n o tros c ementerios c on t umbas d e c ajön c onocidos ( Alfaro 1 894, H artman 1 901, S kinner e n L othrop 1 926:451-467, H aberland 1 961, K ennedy 1 968, S narskis 1 978:242-298). L a c olocaciön d e d os g rupos d e r asgos f ormando s emicirculos c ontiguos, l os c uales r odeaban u na a rea n uclear d onde h ablan t res s epulturas ( 13, 1 4 y 1 9), y l a c urvatura d ada a l as e structuras d e l os c ajones p ara g uardar l a s imetria d el c onjunto, s on c aracteristicas s in p recedente d e e ste c omplejo ( Fig. 4 y F ig. 5 ). L a e videncia a rqueolögica i ndica q ue e l c ementerio e n c uestiön p udo a baracar u na a rea t otal c asi d os v eces ms g rande q ue l a i nvestigada, e xtendiendose h acia e l S ur y e l E ste d el a rea d e e xcavaciön. A demäs, l a p arte n uclear d onde e staban l as s epulturas m s e laboradas p robablemente n o f ue l a ( " mica d e s u c lase d entro d el c omplejo; c omo l o s ugieren a lgunos r asgos ( sepulturas 1 6, 1 7, 1 1 y 1 5) c uyas o rientaciones p arecen d escribir o tros s emicirculos m arginales s emejantes a l os y a d escritos. L as s epulturas e xcavadas e n e l s itio C -27HM e staban c onstituidas p or l ajas c alcareas e i gneas. E stos m ateriales c onfiguraban l as p aredes, l os p isos y l as t apas d e e structuras e n f orma d e c ajones r ectangulares q ue a lojaban l os r estos m ortuorios y a rtefactos. S e u tilizaron t ambien c antos r odados b asälticos p ara c onstruir l as p aredes d e a lgunos d e l os r asgos y p ara f ormar t ümulos s obre l as t apas d e t umbas a l p arecer e speciales ( Fig. 6 ). E l e mpleo d e l ajas f ue e n a lgunas c asos muy r egular m ientras e n o tros s e c ombinaron m ateriales. D os s epulturas ( 24 y 2 6) d emostraron s er p recedentes a l a c onstrucciön d el c onjunto d e r asgos c uyo d isef io f isico a ntes s e , d etallö. E ste h echo d arla m äs p rofundidad c ronolögica a l a p arte d efinida d el c omplejo, c uya u nidad c onfiguracional p arece q ue f ue d esarrolländose d esde e l c entro a l a p eriferia. M uchos d e l os r asgos

6 4

d e l a p eriferia, e i nclusive o tros a lineados e n l os s emicirculos o e n r elaciön a e llos, muy p osiblemente t uvieron m ateriales p erecederos c omo m adera o c orteza f ormando p arte d e s us e structuras; d e a qui l a p resencia d e f osas r ectangulares s in c ajones d e p iedra ( sepulturas 2 9, 3 0 y 3 1)(ver S kinner e n L othrop 1 926:458). E n l a e xcavaciön d el c ementerio e n e l s itio C -27HM a parecieron d os t ipos d e s epulturas q ue s e a partan d e l as c aracteristicas m orfolögicas t ipicas d e l as

t umbas d e c ajön.

L as d el

p rimer t ipo e ran c uatro

e structuras ( sepulturas 1 5, 1 8, 2 3 y 2 8) d e c antos y l ajas e n f orma d e c ajones p equeäos ( aprox. 5 0 x 4 0 c m), t res d e e llos c on t apa. E staban d istribuidos e n v arios p untos d e l a p arte e scavada d el c omplejo f unerario, p ero l os n ümeros 1 8 y 2 8 m ostraron u na c lara r elaciön d e c ercania c on l as s epulturas 1 9 y 1 r espectivamente. L as d el s egundo t ipo s e h allaron r eunidas h acia u n m ismo s ector d el a rea e xcavada y e ran t res f osas p equeäas d e p erfil c önvaco ( sepulturas 3 2, 3 3 y 3 4). L as t res f osasse h allaron g uardando l a m isma r elaciön d e d istancia e ntre u na y o tra h acia e l e xtremo S ureste d el s emicirculos i nterno d e t umbas d e c ajön. L a i nformaciön o steolögica e ncontrada a l i nterior d e l os c ajones p equehos y l as f osas d e p erfil c öncavo d emoströ q ue a mbos t ipos d e r asgos f ueron c onstruidos p ara d epositar r estos h umanos i narticulados.

T RATAMIENTO M ORTUORIO L as e videncias ö seas e n l os

s itios

Q uircot

( Hartman 1 901:65-128)

y C -27HM i ndican l a p reponderancia d e u n t ratamiento i nhumatorio a rticulado d e l os r estos h umanos e n e l c ontexto d e l as t umbas d e c ajön. E n v arias

t umbas d el s itio C -27HM h abia r estos

i narticulados,

p ero

e stos e ran p arciales y a compaf taban u n e squeleto a rticulado q ue e ra e l e lemento c entral. E ste f enomeno r espondiö p osiblemente a u na d inämica s egün l a c ual p arte d e l os r estos q ue c ontenla l as s epulturas, e n p rimera i nstancia o i nstancias s ucesivas, s e r eubicaron d ejando s olo a lgunos h uesos a compahando

l a n ueva i nhumaciön.

A s

t ambien,

p arece

q ue a lgunas d e l as p artes ö seas r estantes f ueron t rasladadas a l os c ajones p equeäos y a l os f osas d e p erfil c öncavo, o s e p usieron s obre l as t apas a m anera d e o frendas.

S e d etectö s olo u n c aso

( sepultura

1 ),

d onde l a m ayor p arte d el e squeleto d e u n i ndividuo ( elemente c entral) l legö a s er d epositado e n e stado d e i narticulaciön, s iendo a rreglado d entro d el c ajön s egün u n o rdenamiento t endiente a s ugerir l a r elaciön a natömica n atural

( Fig.

7 )(ver F ernändez G uardia 1 969:20).

E n l os e spacios e ntre

l as s epulturas p or t oda e l a rea e xcavada,

s e

h allaron r estos ö seos h umanos e n f orma d ispersa. L as m ismos c orresponden a h uesos f ragmentados o n o, d e v arios e squeletos y s e e ncontraron e ntre l os 4 0 y 1 20 c m d e p rofundidad b ajo e l n ivel d e s uperficie. L a p resencia d e e stos h uesos e s a tribuible a v arios f actores, a .

b .

q ue e n o rden d e i mportancia s on:

d ispersiön d e r estos q ue o riginalmente d e l as s epulturas c omo o frendas p erturbaciön d e r estos

s e p usieron s obre l as

f unerarios p recedentes ( p.c.

2 4 y 2 6)

6 5

t apas

l as s epulturas

c .

a carreo d e h uesos p or r oedores q ue c avan g alerias s ubterräneas, o tro a gente b iötico ( p.e. r alces)

u

E n e l l aboratorio f ueron a nalizadas 6 2 m uestras p rovenientes d e e ste c ontext, q uedando l a g ran m ayoria i dentificadas s egün s u p osiciön a natömica y l a e dad e stimada,

a l m omento d e l a m uerte,

d e l os

i ndividuos a l os c uales p ertenecieron. C omo e s t ipico d e l os c ontextos c on t umbas d e c ajön c onocidos h asta l a f echa e n C osta R ica, e n e l s itio C -27HM l os c onjuntos d e a rtefactos a sociados a l as s epulturas n o i ndicaron p atrones s istemäticos d e u bicaciön. T ampoco s e o bservaron t endencias m uy m arcadas a l e valuarse l a c antidad p or r asgo,

l as c aracteristicas

e stilisticas y l a c alidad a rtesanal d e l os a rtefactos. l os a rtefactos f ue d e 3 ,3 p or r asgo. L os p untos d entro d e

E l

p romedio d e

l as s epulturas d onde s e d epositaron

g eneralmente l as o frendas f ueron c erca d e l a u bicaciön c oncreta o e stimada ( cuando n o h ubo p resencia ö sea) d el c räneo, l as c aderas, l os m iembros y /o e l t örax; e stos p untos v ariaron d e r asgo e n r asgo d entro d e u n m ismo s ubconjunto d el c omplejo f unerario ( p.c. s emicirculo i nterno, s emicirculo e xterno, s epultura d e l a p eriferia, e tc.). E s c aracteristico d e e ste t ipo d e c ontexto l a p resencia d e o frendas s obre l as t apas d e l as s epulturas, s iendo u n f enömeno e videnciado e n d iferentes r egiones. D e l a m uestra e studiada l as s epulturas 1 4 y 1 9 e videnciaron l a m ayor c antidad d e a rtefactos s obre s us t apas ( 5 y 6 r espectivamente),

a unque n o f ueron l as ü nicas

t umbas q ue m ostraron e sa

a sociaciön. L a g ran m ayoria d e l as o frendas e n l a p arte e xcavada d el c ementerio d el s itio C -27HM e ran v asijas d e c erämica, s olo e n u n n ümero r educido d e c asos s e d epositaron a rtefactos l iticos c omo p ulidores d e c uarcita, u na m aza a nular d e b asalt°, v arias a zuelas y u n c olgante p equeho d e t umbaga o c obre. A unque e l c omplejo f unerario e xcavado e n e l s itio C -27HM f ue d escubierto s olo p arcialmente, s e d iferenciaron v ariaciones c ualitativas y c uantitavas e n e l c ontext° a rqueolögico q ue m uy p osiblemente r eflejan d iferenciaciones d e e status s ocial e ntre l os i ndividuos

i nhumados.

L as v ariaciones m äs

s ensitivas a e ste r espect°

d emostraron s er: l a m ayor c omplejidad e structural d e l as s epulturas, l a r elaciön d e u bicuidad d entro d el c omplejo y e l u so d e l os m ateriales d e c onstrucciön. S egün e sto, l as s epulturas 1 3, 1 4 y 1 9 e mplazadas e n l a p arte c entral d e l a c onfiguraciön i nvestigada p arecen s er l os r asgos q ue a lbergaron d ifuntos d e m ayor e status s ocial. M etodologia D el A nalisis O steologico L a e dad a l m omento d e l a m uerte e n l os i ndividuos a dultos f ue e stimada m ediante c riterios m orfolögicos c onvencionales, i ncluyendo e n a lgunos c asos:

l a s ecuencia d e m aduraciön d e

l a s infisis p übica

( McKern y S teward 1 957), l a f usiön d e l as e pifisis d e l os h uesos m äs g randes d el e squeleto ( Ubelaker 1 978:53), p rincipalmente l a d e l os h uesos d e l os m iembros,

e l g rado d e a trisiön d ental y e l g rado d e

d esarrollo d e l a d egeneraciön c ausada p or l a a rtritis e n l as v ertebras. E n e l c aso d e l os e squeletos b astante f ragmentados o r epresentados muy p arcialmente y c on l os h uesos e ncontrados e n f orma d ispersa,

6 6

s e l es

i nc1uy6 s olo d entro d e u n g rupo d e e dad t omando e n c uenta c riterios a rtitrarios d e t ama t io y /o m asividad d e l os h uesos. L as e stimaciön d e e dad p ara l os i ndividuos d e 2 0 a hos o m äs ( considerados e n e ste e studio c omo s ubadultos) s e h izo u sando l a s ecuencia d e e rupciön d ental y l a c orrelaciön e ntre l a e dad c ronolögica y l a l ongitud m asiva d e l a d iäfisis d e l os h uesos l argos. L a i nformaciön c odificada p ara e ste r especto f ue o btenida d e l as t ablas p ublicadas p or U belaker ( 1978:46-49), l as c uales r esumen d atos p resentados p or v arios a utores. E s n ecesario h acer l a s alvedad d e q ue l os s tandards a plicados e n e ste a nälisis h an s ido o btenidos c on p oblaciones v ivas y m uertos d e i ndigenas, y a dultos d e p iel b lanca ( McKern y S teward 1 957), e n N orteamgrica. D esde e ste p unto d e v ista, d ebe s er t enido e n m ente c ualquier v ariaciön p otencial. E l s exo e n s ubadultos y a dultos f ue d eterminado p rimordialmente p or l as c aracteristicas m orfolögicas d e l a p elvis; e stos r asgos i ncluyen l a a ngularidad d e l a e scotadura c iätica m ayor y d e l a r egion s ubpübica. E n l os c asos d onde n o h ubieron p artes d iagnösticas d el c inturön p elvic ( ) a sociadas, s e r ecurriö a l a e videncia c omplementaria d e a lgunos r asgos s electos d e l a c alavera, c omo: e l t amaf to y l a r ugosidad d e l a a pöfisis m astoidea, e l t amaho d e l as a reas s upraorbitrales, e l a ncho d e l a p arte i nferior ( ancho m inimo) d e l a r ama a scendente y l a a ngularidad g onial d e l a m andibula. E n e stos c asos s e d ebe a nteponer l a c ondiciön d e " posiblemente," p ues l a d eterminaciön d e s exo b ajo c riterios e xtra-pglvicos t ienen u n m ärgen c onsiderable d e e rror. L a i nformaciön s obre l as v ariaciones p or s exo d e t odas l as c aracterlsticas m orfolögicas a ntes m encionadas f ue t omada d e A nderson ( 1962:141-143), B ass ( 1971:72-73; 1 56-162) y U belaker ( 1978:41-44). P ara e fectos d e i dentificar e n t grminos d e e dad l os r estos f ragmentarios a quellos m uy p arciales, o l os h uesos e ncontrados e n f orma d ispersa y a bstraer u na i dea m äs s intetizada d e l a d emografia e n l a m uestra ö sea e xcavada, s e d isef taron n ueve g rupos d e e dad. E l p rimer g rupo e ngloba a l os i ndividuos e n e dad p renatal, l os s iete s iguientes denen ä mbitos d e c inco a i los c ada u no e n i ntgrvalos e xcluyentes, h asta l legar a l ü ltimo q ue i ncluye a l os i ndividuos d e m äs d e 3 5 a f los. E l n ümero d e i ntervalos y l a a mplitud d e l os m ismos, e xceptuando e l p rimer ( ) n o r epresentan c on e xactitud e tapas b iolögicas d e d esarrollo. S e e scogiö l os 3 5 a äos c omo l imite c oncreto d el ü ltimo i ntervalo p orque e s u na e dad p romedio a decuada, s i s e t oma e n c uenta q ue e l ü nico c riterio s eguro q ue f ue p osible u sar e n i ndividuos d e ms e dad f ue l a s ecuencia d e m aduraciön d e l a s infisis p üblica ( McKern y S teward 1 956). E se e s u n m gtodo q ue o frece p roblemas d e i nterpretaciön c uando e l a nalista n o e stä b ien e ntranado e n s u u so, c omo o curriö e n e l p resente c aso. D e c ualquier f orma, a plicando c omo p arämetro a dicional e l g rado d e d egeneraciön p or a rtritis v ertebral, e s c asi s eguro q ue n inguna d e l as p ersonas c uyos r estos f ueron r ecuperados s obrepasara e n m ucho l os c incuenta a f los d e e dad a l m omento d e s us m uertes. E n m uchos c asos s olo s e p udo i nferir q ue 8 1 o l os h uesos c orrespondian p osiblemente a u na p ersona a dulta ( mayor d e 2 0 a f ios).

6 7

D istribucion d e E dades y S exos E l O uadro 2 ( Fig. 8 )

s e p resente c on e l i nter s d e d ilucidar e l

n ümero m inimo d e i ndividuos ( n.m.i.) r epresentados e n l a muestra d e r estos ö seos e ncontrados d ispersos e n e l a rea d e e scavaciön d el s itio C -27HM . E n d icho c uadro s on c onfrontadas d os t ipos d e v ariables. P or u n l ado, c uatro g rupos d e e dad c uyos i ntervalos s on o peracionalizables e n l a i dentificaciön d e m aterial ö seo p arcial o f ragmentario, d ivididos c ada u no a l a v ez p or s exos. F or e l o tro u na s elecciön d e p artes d el e squeleto q ue p or s u e specificidad a natömica n o o frecieron m ayores p roblemas d e d uplicidad a l t ratar d e d eterminar e l l ado d el c uerpo a l q ue c orrespondian. S egün e ste p rocedimiento s e l ogrö a islar u na r epresentaciön m inima d e c inco i ndividuos. E st€ d ebe v er t or nado c omo u n r umbro s olo a proximativo, y a q ue n o h ay m anera d e e stablecer u n m ärgen e stadistico d e e rror d ebido a l a c onstituciön m isma d e l a m uestra. E l O uadro 3 ( Fig. 9 ) e s u na d istribuciön d e f recuencias p ara l a m uestra o steolögica d el s itio C -27HM q ue c ontempla l os i ntervalos d e e dad a ntes d etallados, c ontraständolos c on e l s exo d e l os i ndividuos y c on u n e spacio p ara l os d e s exo n o i dentificado. C ada u na d e l as c olumnas v erticales s e d ividiö a s u v ez e n t res c asillas i ndicando l a c ondiciön d e l os r estos, s egün l as s iguientes c aracteristicas: A rticulados ( Ar) = i nhumaciones c on u na s ucesiön a natömica d e l as p artes ö seas p ueden h aber d esaparecido a lgunas d e e llas p or e fecto d e p reservaciön d iferencial ; r epresentan e n l a m ayoria d e l os c asos e l e lemento c entral d e l as s epulturas. I narticulados ( In) = r estos e n t odos l os c asos p arciales d e u n m ismo i ndividuo h allados d entro d e l as s epulturas r epresentan e n a lgunos c asos l os e lementos c entrales d el r asgo y e n o tros e stän a sociados d irectamente a l os e squeletos a rticulados. P osible c ontaminaciön ( Pc) = h uesos e ncontrados d entro d e l as s epulturas, p ero, a l s er p arte o f ragmentos m enudos d e i ndividuos m uy p oco r epresentados e n e l c ontexto d e l os r asgos, s e s upone q ue p enetraron a t rav€s d e l as h endijas p roducidas a l i rse d esacoplando l as p iedras q ue f ormaban l as e structuras; e s m uy p osible q ue p ertenezcan a l c onjunto d e l os h uesos h allados f uera d e l as s epulturas. E l C uadro 3 ( Fig. 9 ) p ermite v er u na s erie d e p osibilidades d e l as c uales s e v an a e valuar a qui l as m s r elevantes. E n r elaciön a l m ismo, s e d ebe a sumir q ue l os r estos i narticulados p ertenecieron a u n n ümero d eterminado d e i ndividuos e n c ada s epultura, o s ea, q ue n o e xistieron p artes d e u n m ismo e squeleto d istribuidos e n v arios r asgos. C on r elaciön a l a c ondiciön d e l os r estos m ortuarios h abian 2 0 i ndividuos a rticulados y e l m ismo n ümero d e i narticulados, c on r estos m uy p arciales d e 1 0 p ersonas ( 20%) q ue c orresponden a " posible. c ontaminaciön." S i s on t or nados e sas 1 0 p ersonas c omo u n r ubro e nglobante q ue i ncluye l as c inco i dentificadas e ntre l os h uesos r ecuperados f uera d e l os c ajones e n f orma d ispersa. S e p uede e stablecer e n 5 0 e l t otal a proximado d e i ndividuos e xhumados e n e l a rea d e e xcavaciön d el s itio C -271 1M , e n c ontraste c on l as 3 4 s epulturas d efinidas. D e e sas 5 0 p ersonas a l 6 6% n o s e l es p udo d eterminar e l

6 8

s exo. L os p orcentajes p ara l os i ndividuos d e s exo i dentificado q uedaron e n 1 8% f emeninos y e l 1 6% m asculino. U n 3 6% s e c lasificaron s olo c omo a dultos. E sos 2 8 i ndividuos u nidos a l os 6 q ue s i s e l es p udo i ncorporar d entro d e u n g rupo d e e dad m äs r estringido s uman u n 4 8% d e p ersonas m ayores d e 2 0 a t ios e n l a m uestra ö sea a sociada d irectamente a l as s epulturas, e n t anto q ue e l 5 2% ( 26 i ndiv 4d uos) e ran s ubadultos.

C ONCLUSIONES E n c ompendios c omo l os d e B rown ( 1971) p ublicados e n l a d ecada p asada,

y T ainter

( 1978),

s e h a e stablecido e l m arco t eörico q ue

s ustenta e l u so d e d atos m ortuorios p ara i nferencias s ociales. D eträs d e t odos e sos e studios e stä l a p remisa d e q ue e xisten a sociaciones d isernibles e ntre l a f orma y c omplejidad d el c omportamiento m ortuorio y l a f orma y c omplejidad d e l a o rganizaciön s ocial. E n e ste t rabajo s e s ugiriö q ue muchos d e l ös c omplejos d e t umbas d e c ajön r eflejaban u nidades s ociales b ien d iferenciadas. S e d ijo t ambien q ue e ste t ipo d e c ementerios d ebieron e star a sociados a u n d eterminado c omplejo d omestico c onstituldo p or u na o m äs c asas e n l as c uales p odrian v ivir v arias f amilias a glutinadas p or p atrones d e p arentesco. L a c omposiciön d emogräfica e videnciada e n e l s itio C -27HM p arece r eforzar e sta h ipötesis.

E n l a p arte d e l a muestra a l a c ual

s e l e p udo d eterminar e l s exo l a p roporciön e ntre h ombres y m ujeres e s p arecida. A lgo muy s emejante o curre c on l os p orcentajes d e i ndividuos s ubadultos y a dultos. D esde e ste p unto d e v ista, l a s imbolizaciones d e e status d iferenciadas e n e l c ontexto m ortuorio p odrian c orresponder c on u na j erarquizaciön a n ivel d e u na u nidad s ocial i ntegrada p or v arias f amilias. C onsiderando e sto, r esulta l amentable q ue n o h aya s ido p osible h acer i nferencias f unerario.

s obre l a o rganizaciön t otal d el c omplejo

C orrelacionando l as d os f echas m äs c onfiables a sociadas a l c ementerio s e i nfiere u na u tilizaciön m axima d e

1 00 a äos d el a rea

f uneraria e xcavada e n e l s itio C -27HM. D entro d e e se l apso e stimado d e t iempo o ccurrieron d iferentes e ventos i nhumatorios d entro d e v arias d e l as s epulturas. S e h a s ugerido e n e ste t rabajo q ue t al f enömeno i nvolucrö l a p reservaciön d e a lgunas p artes ö seas d entro d e l os c ajones o a compa t iando l a n ueva i nhumaciön, m ientras q ue o tras s e r eubicaban. L a r eubicaciön s e d i öt anto e n r asgos c onstruidos p ara e se p ropösito y s obre l as t apas d e l as s epulturas, a m anera d e o frendas, c onjuntamente c on a lgunos a rtefactos; l os c uales p odrian s er, i nclusive, l os q ue e stuvieron o riginalmente a sociados a l os r estos t rasladados. E ste t ratamiento i nhumatorio p odria e star i ndicando t ambien a lgun t ipo c orporativo f amiliar i ntegrado a u na u nidad i nmediatamente m ayor ( p.c. v er F lannery

1 972:28-29).

S on n ecesarios e studios d onde s e s istematicen l os d atos e tnohistöricos, e n b usca d e p lantear p royecciones h ipoteticas s obre l as u nidades d e o rganizaciön s ocial m antenidas p or l os c acicazgos t ardios e n e l V alle d e C artago. L as a naloglas e tnohistöricas a e ste r especto g uiaran l as i nvestigaciones m ortuorias a n iveles ms c oncretos d e i nterpretaciön.

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1

R EFERENCIAS C ITADAS A guilar P ., C arlos 1 975 E l M olino: 1 (1):18-56. 1 976

u n s itio d e l a F ase P avas e n C artago.

V inculos

R elaciones d e l as C ulturas P recolombinas e n e l I ntermontano C entral d e C osta R ica. V inculos 2 ( 0:75-86.

A lfaro,

A nastasio

1 894

A rqueologla C ostarricense.

B oletin d e E scuelas P rimarias

2 (31):101-104. A nderson, J .E. 1 962 T he H uman S keleton:

A M anual f or A rchaeologists.

O ttawa:

D epartment o f N orthern A ffairs a nd N ational R esources. B ass,

W illiam M .

1 971

H uman O steology: A L aboratory a nd F ield M anual o f t he H uman S keleton. M issouri A rchaeological S ociety. C olumbia: U niversity o f M issouri.

B rown,

J ames A .,

1 971

e d.

A pproaches t o t he S ocial D imensions o f M ortuary P ractices. S ociety o f A merican A rchaeology,

C alvert, 1 917

P hillip P .

y A melia S .

M emoirs 2 5.

C alvert

A y ear o f C osta R ican N atural H istory. M cMillan C ompany.

F ernändez,

N ew Y ork:

T he

L eön

1 881- C olecciön d e D ocumentos p ara l a H istoria d e C osta R ica. 1 907

v ols.

F ernändez G uardia, 1 969 F errero, 1 977

F lannery, 1 972

R icardo

R esef ta H istörica d e T älamanca. L uis C osta R ica P recolombina. 6 .

1 0

S an J ose.

S an J ose:

E ditorial

S an J ose:

2 nda e d.

I mprenta 'Nacional.

S erie B iblioteca P atria

C osta R ica.

K ent V . T he O rigin o f t he V illage a s a S ettlement T ype i n M esoamerica a nd t he N ear E ast. E n M an, S ettlement a nd U rbanism, R . T ringham y G . D imbleby, e ds., p . 2 4-53. L ondres:

P . U cko, G erald

D uckworth & C ompany F onseca Z .,

O scar

1 979

I nforme d e l a p rimera t emporada d e r eexcavaciön d e G uayabo d e T urrialba. V inculos 5 (2):35-52.

1 981

G uayabo d e T urrialba a nd i ts s ignificance. E n B etween C ontinents/Between S eas: P recolumbian A rt o f C osta R ica. E lizabeth P .

B enson,

e d. p p.105-111.

A brams.

7 9

N ew Y ork:

H arry N .

Haberland, Wolfgang 1961 Arqueologla del Valle del Rio C-eiba, Buenos Aires. Informe Semestral (enero-juni):31-62. San Jose: Instituto Geografico Nacional. Hartman, Carl v. 1901 Archaeological Researches in Costa Ric. Ethnographical Museum.

Stockholm:

The Royal

Hurtado de Mendoza, Luis 1981 Aplicaciones de la F1sica Nuclear en la Arqueologla de Costa Rica y America Central. Ciencia y Tecnolog1a 2:61-106. Kennedy, William J. 1968 Archaeological Investigations in the Reventazon River Drainage Area, Costa Rica. Tesis doctoral (Ph.D.) inedita, Department of Anthropology, Tulane University, New Orleans. Lehmann, Walter 1920 Zentral-Amerika 1:178-356.

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Verlag Dietrich Reim.er.

Lothrop, Samuel K. 1926 Pottery of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. 2 vols. Contributions from the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation 8.

McKern, Thomas w. y T. D. Steward 1957 Skeletal Age Changes in Young .American Males, Analysed from the Standpoint of Identification. Technical Report EP-45, Headquarters Quartermaster Research and Develop:nent Command, Natick, Massachusetts. Peralta, Manuel Mar1a de 1883 Costa Rica, Nicaragua y Panama en el siglo 16. Librer1a de M·. Murillo.

Paris:

Snarskis, Michael J. 1978 The Archaeology of the Central Atlantic Watershed of Costa Rica. Tesis doctoral (Ph.D.) inedita, Department of Anthropology, Columbia University, New York. 1981 The Archaeology of Costa Rica. En Between Continents/Between Seas: Precolumbian Art of Costa Rica. Elizabeth P. Benson, ed., PP• 15-92, New York: Harry N. Abrams. en Central America: The Lower Caribbean. En Lower C-entral prensa .America, F. w. Lange and D. z. Stone, eds. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.

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80

U belaker, D ouglas H . 1 978 H uman S keletal R emains: E xcavation, C hicago: A ldine P ublishing C ompany.

a nalysis,

V äzquez L ., R icardo 1 982 2 7HM: u n s itio e n C artago c on t umbas d e c ajön.

i nterpretation.

T esis d e

l icenciatura i ngdita, D epartamento d e A ntropologia, U niversidad d e C osta R ica.

8 1

C ONTACTOS

I NTERREGIONALES

E N C OSTA R ICA :

U NA A PRECIACION D ESDE LA R EGION D E G UAYABO D E T URRIALBA

L uis H urtado d e M endoza A lfonso

S alazar M .

L uz M aria M oya

D epartamento d e

R .

A ntropologia

E scuela d e F isisca U niversidad d e

8 3

C osta

R ica

RESUMEN Un aspecto de las investigaciones arqueologicas en la region de Guayabo, Costa Rica, es la detenninacion de relaciones que pudieran haber tenido las poblaciones precolombinas de la region con otras sociedades en diversos lugares y tiempos. En este trabajo, se discuten los fundamentos teoricos y metodologicos que se estan empleando para afrontar este problema; y se exponen algunos resultados obtenidos al comparar muestras ceramicas policromadas de tres tipos que fueron halladas en los sitios Las Pilas, Guanacaste y Guayabo, Turrialba. Se prrpone que: 1. la tecnica de fluorescencia de rayos-X para establecer la concentracion de ciertos elementos traza es practica y util en la manera en que se esta implementando; 2. que las relaciones entre los dos sitios, en tiempos del per1odo Policromo Medio (800-1200 d.C.) son factibles, pero extremadamente limitadas; y 3. que las investigaciones deb1an ampliarse para inclu1r patrones de inter-relacion entre sitios dentro de la region, en el supuesto de que tales relaciones fueron tanto o mas importantes para el desarrollo del sistema sociocultural local. ABSTRACT One aspect of the archaeological investigations in the Guayabo region, Costa Rica,is the assessment of purported relationships among Precolumbian societies inhabiting different regions. In this report, a discussion is forwarded on the theoretical and methodological principles being utilized to perform research on this matter. Also, some results are presented based on comparisons between polychrome ceramics of three types recovered from the Las Pilas site, in Guanacaste, and the Guayabo site, in Turrialba. It is proposed that: 1. The X-ray fluorescence technique used to detennine the concentration of certain trace elements in potsherds is practical and useful in the manner that it is being implemented; 2. the relationships between the sites included for analysis were likely but limited, during the Middle Polychrome period, A.O. 800-1200; and 3. research should be expanded to include a probe of inter-site relationships within the Guayabo region under the premise that such relationships were extremely important to the develoµnent of the local sociocultural system.

84

INTRODUCCION El estudio arqueologico del intercambio en sociedades antiguas ha sido considerado importante (eg. Earle y Ericson 1977) debido principalmente a que se le reconoce como un factor muy importante en el desarrollo de sistemas socioculturales complejos; y debido a que se trata de un tipo de fenomeno que es relativamente facil de ser observado y medido. De hecho, el intercambio a gran distancia adquirio una notable prominencia gracias al trabajo de investigadores como Rathje (1971) quien defendia la idea de que el desarrollo de la civilizacion Maya en el Peten, resulto de un activo sistema de intercambio con las tierras altas de Guatemala. Tal sistema se habr1a centrado en el trafico de metates, sal y obsidiana, productos de los que el Peten carece naturalmente. Tal carencia de materiales fue precisamente lo que facilito la determinacion del origen de la obsidiana y de las lavas utilizadas en la manufactura de artefactos, gracias sobre todo al desarrollo de tecnicas sofisticadas que ayudan a definir la composicion geoqu1mica de las materias primas. Este panorama, que resulta de la interaccion entre teoria de base; visibilidad arqueologica de los restos que atestiguan procesos de intercambio; y la capacidad tecnologica para observarlos y medirlos, se repite en todas aquellas areas del mundo donde los arqueologos estudian sociedades complejas del pasado, pero el comun denominador es que. a medida que la herramientas anal1ticas han ido mejorando, proveyendo datos cada vez. mas exactos y cuantificables, en esa medida es que la teor1a del intercambio en el pasado y la metodologia para su estudio, han debido revisarse en diversas formas. En este art1culo, ·hacemos una breve discusion acerca de algunas de estas revisiones, desde el punto de vista de nuestras experiencias en Costa Rica. Tambien, hacemos una exposicion de la manera en que estamos organizando nuestras investigaciones acerca de relaciones inter-regionales, con foco en la region de Guayabo de Turrialba; y finalmente, presentamos algunos resultados preliminares con el animo de apoyar en ellos algunas ideas basicas que deseamos utilizar en la planificacion de actividades futuras. ACERCA DE LA TEORIA Y LA METODOLOGIA DE LOS ESTUDIOS DE INTERCAMBIO PREHISTORICA El rol del intercambio como impulsor primoridal de la evolucion de sistemas socioculturales, no es un tema del que nos vayamos a ocupar en esta ocasion. En vez de ello, concentraremos nuestra atencion en algunas suposiciones e hipotesis de nivel intermedio que tienen que ver con procesos de intercambio en la antiguedad. Pero antes de todo, es necesario clarificar nuestro uso de algunos terminos clave. El termino "intercambio" se utiliza aqu1 es la acepcion equivalente de los terminos ingleses: "trade" y "exchange," considerando su sentido economino general, esto es, expresando acciones de entrega de . mercader1a por mercaderia o de bienes por otros bienes. Se evita el termino "comercio" debido a su connotacion monetaria. El uso de dinero es considerado ausente de las operaciones de intercambio en Costa Rica precolombina. Un tercer concepto, que no debe ser confundido con ninguno de los anteriores es el de "relaciones". cuyo ambito de significacion es mucho 85

m äs a mplio y g eneral, s er g enitivas, i deolögicas,

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t emporales,

e conemicas,

t ipos d e c onexiones q ue p ueden s ociopoliticas,

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M enos p ertinente p ara l os p ropösitos d e n uestra d iscusiön, t erminos:

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s on l os

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s e l es e ncuentra c onstantemente e n l a l iteratura e specializada.

E l

p rimer ( ) s e r efiere a c ualquier t ipo d e m ovimiento d e b ienes c on l a i ntenciön d e l legar a l os c onsumidores; m ientras e l s egundo s e u tiliza c omunmente e n e l s entido g eneral p ropuesto p or S ervice ( 1962). L a d istinciön e ntre i ntercambio,

u n c oncepto e conömico,

y l as

r elaciones, e n g eneral, n o p uede t omarse a l a l igera. Y a s e h a c omentado e n o tra o portunidad ( Fonseca y H urtado d e M endoza 1 982) q ue a ün p revalecen e n e ste a specto, s uposiciones q ue n o t ienen m ayor b ase, e ntre i nvestigadores d e l a A rqueologia d e C osta R ica. P or e jemplo, l a i dentificaciön e stilistica d e c erämica n o l ocal, e s t ratada c omo e videncia s uficiente p ara c alificar m ateriales c omo p roducto d e i ntercambio ( eg. S narskis 1 978:263; S narskis y B lanco 1 978). A n uestro p arecer, e sta p räctica p uede s er a tribuida a p untos d e v ista d ifusionistas q ue c onsideran a l os d atos c ualitativos, n o i mporta c uan c ircunstanciales, c omo p rueba d e l a p resencia d e, d igamos, c ulturas m adre e n a reas q ue s on p erifericas r espect° d e n ücleos d e d esarrollo. E n e squemas d e e ste t ipo, l as " influencias" s on c onceptos ä ltamente r espetados y c onsiderados c omo l a e xplicaciön t eörica d e t odo a quello q ue p udiera h aber o currido e n l a p eriferia. E n o posiciön a t ales l ineas d e r azonamiento t eörico y d e p räctica m etodolögica, n osotros h emos p ropuesto q ue l os h allazgos d e o bjetos q ue s e i dentifican e stilisticamente c omo n o-locales d ebian s er c onsiderados c omo i ndicios d e r elaciones c ulturales, p rimero; y s olo e n e l c aso d e q ue s e r epitieran c onsistentemente p odrian a yudar a p erfeccionar h ipötesis a cerca d e l a p osibilidad d e q ue c iertas f ormas d e i ntercambio s e h abrian s uscitado e n e l p asado. C omprobar t ales h ip5tesis r equeriria d e d atos m äs a bundantes y d irectos. O tro a sunto q ue a qui e xaminamos,

t iene q ue v er c on n uestra

p ercepciön d e q ue l a m ayoria d e l os e studios s obre " sistemas d e i ntercambio" n o t ratan e ste f enömeno e n f orma c omprehensiva. L a d istribuciön d e b ienes a t raves d e d istancias n o s e e xamina c omo p roceso multidireccional e n e l q ue l os b ienes s e d esplazan, u nos d e i da y o tros d e r etorno. P or e l c ontrario, u sualmente s e l e d escribe c omo u n f lujo u nilineal d e b ienes, s iguiendo u na s ola d irecciön g eneral ( cf. C lark 1 979). D esafortunadamente, t odos e stos e studios d ependen c asi e xclusivamente d e m odelos d escriptivos q ue n o s e a decüan a l a n aturaleza b äsica,

i nteractiva, d e c ualquier s istema d e i ntercambio.

E n t ales c ircunstancias, c abe p reguntarse: z que c onseguian l os a rtesanos p roductores d e h ojas p rismäticas d e o bsidiana d e E l C hayal e I xtepeque, a c ambio d e e sta m ercancia q ue e nviaban a l F eten?; z que o btenian l as s erranias v olcänicas p or l os m etates q ue e xportaban?; y e n e l c aso d e l os c aciques d e G uayabo, e n C osta R ica, ‚ que e nviaban a G uanacaste e n r etribuciön d e a quellas v asijas p olicromadas?. S uponer q ue " algo" t endria q ue h aberse e nviado,

n o p arece s er s uficiente.

e speraria p oder e levar l as p retensiones d e l a i nvestigaciön a rqueolögica a n iveles a decuados a i ntentos d e d eterminar s istemas c ompletos d e i ntercambio, p ero l o c ierto e s q ue n o s e e ncuentran r espuestas e n e sta d irecciön d entro d e l a l iteratura e specializada. 8 6

U no

E l a sunto s e t orna a ün m äs c ompleio c uando s e i ncorpora p arämetros a nallticos a dicionales, q ue s e c onectan a c onsideraciones t eöricas n ovedosas. F or e jemplo, S anders ( 1978) y S anders y o tros ( 1979) h a c uestionado l a p resunta l mportancia d el i ntercambio a g ran d istancia, e n l o q ue r especta a p rocesos d e d esarrollo d e s ociedades c omplejas. B asados e n l os r esultados d e e studios e colögicos d e m ucho p restigio ( Odum 1 971), p resentan a rgumentos q ue f avorecen m as b ien a l os p atrones d e d istribuciön l ocal d e p roductos d e b ajo c osto, u tilizados r utinariamente p or l a g ente, a d especho d e s u p osiciön s ocial. E nfatizan l a i mportancia d e e stos p roductos, m inimizando l a r elevancia e xagerada q ue s e l e a signa u sualmente a l i ntercambio d e o bjetos l ujosos, r ares, t raidos d esde g randes d istancias, s ölo p ara e l b eneficio d e m inorlas d e s tatus a lto. E sta p osiciön,

c iertamente r epresenta u n d espegue s aludable

r especto d e t endencias

t radicionales

a l as e lites u n r ol d irectriz,

i dealistas q ue p refieren a signarle

d eterminante,

e n l os p rocesos e volutivos

s ocio-culturales. U n e jemplo d e e sto ü ltimo s e e ncuentra e n u n e studio r eciente a cerca d e l os c acicazgos p aname t ios ( Helms 1 979). U tilizando u n m arco d e r eferencia p ropio d e u na t eoria d e c onflictos, H elms i ntenta c orrelacionar p atrones d e c ompetencia e ntre c aciques, c on p rocesos d e i ntercambio d e m ercancias e scasas,

l ujosas,

t raldas d esde

l ejos. D e a cuerdo c on s us a rgumentos, t ales a ctividades s on e l r esultado d e u na n ecesidad p or p reservar y e naltecer e l s tatus d e l os c aciques. S in e mbargo, a p esar d e l os e sfuerzos d e H elms p or d emostrar l a p lausibilidad d e s u t esis, n o t arda e l l ector e n n otar q ue l os d atos e tnohistöricos q ue p resenta s on p ateticamente e scasos. L a T abla 1 i lustra e sta a preciacciön n uestra. L os d atos d isponibles, c orrespondientes a 3 8 c acicazgos p anamehos i nvestigados, s ölo i ncluyen u nas c uantas r eferencias d irectas a i nstancias d e i ntercambio. T oda l a d emäs " evidencia" a q ue s e a pela, c onsiste d e d educciones i ndirectamente f undamentadas b ajo l a s uposiciön d e q ue s e p uede i nferir i ntercambio, a p artir d e i nformaciön a cerca d e l a d istribuciön d iferencial d e r ecursos n aturales; d e l a p osiciön e strategica d e a sentamientos r especto d e p resuntas r utas d e i ntercambio; d el c onflicto; y d e l a d etecciön d e p roductos " no-locales" ( tan e n b oga e n A rqueologia). T abla 1 . D iversos t ipos d e d atos e xpuestos p ara i lustrar i ntercambio d e b ienes e scasos y c aros e n c acicazgos d e P anama, S iglo X VI. T ipo d e D atos R eferencia d irecta e n f uentes e tnohistöricas D istribuciön d e r ecursos n aturales P osiciön e strategica r especto d e r ecursos y r utas

F recuencia d e R ef e rencias

%

7

1 5.6

1 0 9

2 2.2 2 0.0

C onflicto a tribuido a l ucha p or r ecursos

3

6 .7

D isponibilidad y a cceso a r utas y p uertos D etecciön d e m ercancias " no-locales"

2 7

4 .4 1 5.6

C acicazgos s in d atos d isponibles

7

1 5.6

F uente:

D atos c ompilados d e H elms

( 1979)

8 7

E s p reciso a notar a qui q ue l as H elms,

i ntenciones d e c omprobaciön d e

n o p arecen l ograr e xito d espues d e u n e scrutinio muy s imple d e

s us p ropios d atos. D e 3 8 c acicazgos e studiados, r esulta q ue s ölo s e c uenta c on s iete r eferencias d irectas d e i ntercambio. N i s iquiera l a i nclusiön d e l os o tros s iete c asos d e d etecciön d e b ienes f oräneos m ejora l a s ituaciön, p ues e stos c atorce d atos c onseguidos d espues d e u na r evisiön b astante c opiosa d e f uentes e tnohistöricas, s ölo n os e starlan i ndicando q ue, d espues d e t odo, e l i ntercambio d e p roductos c ares, d esde d istancias l ejanas, n o e ra l o i mportante q ue i ndica H elms. S orprendentemente, l a m isma a utora n o h ace i ntento a lguno p or e valuar s us d atos r especto d e a quellos q ue t ienen q ue v er c on p atrones d e d istribuciön d e r ecursos a n ivel i ntra-regional, a ün c uando s us r evisiones d e e scritos a ntiguos p rodujeron d atos q ue n o a pprecen t an m agros c omo p ara i gnorarlos. U n e jemplo d e e sto ü ltimo, a parece e n H elms ( 1979:10-15) c uando n os i nforma p erifericamente a cerca d e u n a ctivo i ntercambio e ntre p oblaciones d e l a c osta y d el i nterior. E l

r egistro a rqueolögico n o c arece d e i nformaciön q ue s ugiera l a

i mportancia d e l os p atrones i ntra-regionales d e d istribuciön y r edistribuciön d e b ienes ( eg. Z eitlin 1 978a, 1 978b ; H urtado d e M endoza 1 981a) p ero l a t eoria m s p ertinente s e h a e laborado p rincipalemente s obre l a b ase d el r egistro e tnohistörico. P or e jemplo, l a m ayoria d e l as v ersiones d el m odelo " Vertical" p ara e l c ontrol d e z onas e colögicas e n l os A ndes C entrales ( Murra 1 972) u tilizan d atos d el s iglo X VI; l as i nformaciones e tnogräficas h an d emostrado q ue a ün e n t iempos a ctuales

p ero

s e p onen d e m anifiesto p atrones a ctivos d e i ntercambio d e

b ienes ( Mayer 1 970)

q ue c orresponden a decuadamente a l m odel°.

E l m odel°, c omo e l l ector r ecordarä,

e nfatiza e l h echo d e q ue

t anto e n e l p asado c omo e n e l p resente, l as p oblaciones a ndinas h an r eclamado a cceso a u n m äximo d e z onas e colögicas, u bicadas a d iversas a ltitudes, a f in d e o btener t oda l a d iversidad d e r ecursos n ecesarios p ara s ostener l a v ida y , c onsecuentemente, p ara m antener s istemas s ocioculturales. E n e ste s entido, e s d e p articular i mportancia l a c onfiguraciön d el a mbiente n atural q ue c onlleva e l f enömeno d e d istribuciön d iferencial d e r ecursos. P uesto q ue n inguna z ona e colögica p articular p uede p roporcionar t oda l a g ama d e b ienes q ue s on n ecesarios, r esulta i ndispensable l a i nteracciön e ntre g rupos e tnicos d iferentes q ue h abitan t ales z onas e colögicas d iferentes. D e o tra m anera, l as s oluciones a lternativas r esultarian e n l a s ubyugaciön, l a c olonizaciön,

o l a e liminaciön d e u nas p oblaciones p or o tras.

C uando s e t iene e n c uenta t odas e stas c onsideraciones,

r esulta

i ncuestionable l a i mportancia q ue p osee e l i ntercambio i ntra-regional, c omparado c on e l q ue i ncorpora b ienes c aros, l ujosos, t raidos d esde m uy l ejos. S in e mbargo, t ipo d e i ntercambio.

e l e studio d e u no n o d ebia s ustitulr e l d el o tro A n uestro p arecer, e stamos c onfrontados a u na

a parente d icotomia q ue p uede r esolverse f acilmente m ediante l a o bservaciön d el t räfico d e m ercanclas d e l ujo e n s u c orrecto d imensiön. P uesto q ue e stas m ercancias c irculan e n e l ä mbito d e m inorias e litistas,

s u e studio n o d ebia o pacar a l q ue c orresponde a p atrones d e

i ntercambio e ntre e l c omün d e l a g ente. S eria d eseable q ue l os e sfuerzos d e i nvestigaciön e n e sta d irecciön f ueran p or l o m enos e quivalentes a l os q ue s e d edican a l e studio d el i ntercambio d e b ienes e scasos,

c aros y d e

s tatus a lto.

8 8

Un aspecto adicionai que cabe discutir aqu1, concierne a la interrelaci6n· que · se puede notar entre ia tecnolog1a moderna y la ·1nvestigaci6n ar.queologica ert el presente. El asombroso desarrollo de tecnicas de analisis, especialmente dentro de la F1sica_ Nuclear,. ha sido determinante para establece·r _nuestro nivel ·de · expectativas en la investigaci6n. Es debido al hecho de q_ue podemos · identificar materias primas con extrema precisi6n (eg., Sydris y otros · 1976; Hurtado de Mendoza y Jester 1978; Bishop, Rands y Harbottle 1982)- que ahora podemos · . ser mas exigentes respect6 de aquello que queremos av·eriguar. Obviamente, estamos en ux:ia posici6n en la que .las posibilidades tecnologicas estan ayudando a establecer el alcance 'de nuestra te·or1a . acerca del intercambio en tiempos prehist6ricos. Desde e·l pun to de vista metodo16-gico, · todo esto significa que . .ahora es posible proceder con eficacia de acuerdo a una estrategia . escalonada. Las investigaciones ya no pueden continuar considerando .el fenomeno del intercainbio como un hecho concedido, cada vez_ qq,e encontramos algun objeto presuntamente foraneo. en un · sitio arqueol6gico. · Primero, tenemos que. asegurarnc>"s de ·que tales objetos · son realmente -foraneos. · Solo despues de esto, podemos proceder a intentos de comprobaci6n de hipotesis acerca. de intercambio. Preferentemente, tales hipotesis

P apagayo

erman ia

- 0-

M o ra —. --La s P i tas

-0--Guayabo

F igura 6 .-Concentraciön d e E stroncio e n l as m uestras c erämicas p olicramadas a nalizadas.

. 2 0 2 B i rman ia

0

LAS P ILAS

-2 . M ora

G UAVA B O

F igura 7 .-Comparaciön d e p erfiles b asados e n v alores d e c oncentraciön e standarizados, c orrespondientes a l R ubidio, E stroncio y Z irconio. L os g räficos d e l a i zquierda c orrespondan a e specimenes d el s itio L as P ilas, e n G uanacaste; l os g räficos d e l a d erecha i ncluyen l os e specimenes d el s itio G uayabo, e n l a v ertiente A tläntica C entral d e C osta R ica.

1 03

R EFERENCIAS C ITADAS A ccola, R . M . 1 977 A nälisis d e l a d ifracciön d e r ayos X : u na a plicaciön e xperimental e n e l e studio d e l a c erämica p olicramada d e N icoya, C osta R ica. V inculos 3 :37-45. A ccola, R . M . a nd P . R yder 1 980 E xcavaciones e n e l s itio M onte d el B arco, B ahia C ulebra. V inculos 6 :67-82. A cuf la, V . 1 981 A rqueologla d el s itio M argot, V alle d e T urrialba ( Informe p reliminar). M s. o n f ile, S ecciön d e A rqueologla, U niversidad d e C osta R ica. 1 982 Z apote-2: V alle d e T urrialba ( Avance d e l os t rabajos e n e l s itio). M s. o n f ile, S ecciön d e A rqueologia, U niversidad d e C osta R ica. A guilar, C . H . 1 972 G uayabo d e T urrialba. A rqueologla d e u n s itio i ndlgena p rehispänico. S an J ose: E ditorial C osta R ica. A guilar, C . H ., L . H urtado d e M endoza, 0 . F onseca a nd V . A cuüa 1 982 N otas s obre u na v isita a l s itio T a'Lari d e P acuare ( UCR-282). M s. o n f ile, S ecciön d e A rqueologla, U niversidad d e C osta R ica. A rias, A . C . 1 983 A cerca d e l a u nidad c ultural e ntre l as r egiones V ertiente A tläntica y V alle C entral d e C osta R ica. D ocumentos p ara f undamentar l a i niciativa d e d eclaraciön d el c antön d e T urrialba c omo R eserva A rqueolögica N acional, S ecciön d e A rqueologla, U niversidad d e C osta R ica. B audez, C . F . 1 967 R echerches A rcheologiques a u C osta R ica. T ravaux e t M emoirs I nstitut d es H autes E tudes d e l 'Amerique L atine 1 8, P aris. B audez, C . F ., a nd M . D . C oe 1 962 A rchaeological s equences i n N orthwestern C osta R ica. 3 4th I nternational C ongress o f A mericanists 1 :366-373, V iena. B ishop, R . L ., A . A . D emarest a nd A . J . S harer 1 981 C hemical a nalysis a nd t he i nterpretation o f L ate P reclassic i ntersite c eramic p atterns i n t he s outheast h ighlands o f M esoamerica. I n: T he A rchaeology o f t he P acific c oast o f G uatemala a nd E l S alvador, F . B ove, e d. ( in p ress). B ishop, R . L ., R . L . R ands a nd G . H arbottle 1 982 A c eramic c ompositional i nterpretation o f i ncense-burner t rade i n t he P alenque a rea, M exico. A CS s ymposium s eries, N o. 1 76, L . A . C urrie, e d., p p. 4 11-440, A merican C hemical S ociety.

1 04

B olaf tos, M . a nd R . R ivera s .f.

L os p ueblos i ndigenas a nte e l d esarrollo c apitalista e n l a r egiön o riental d el V alle C entral ( 1850-1890). p reparaciön .

C lark ,

J .

1 979

E n

R . M easuring t he f low o f g oods w ith a rchaeological d ata. E conomic G eography 5 5:1-17.

D ubön, J . 1 981

a nd H .

S olis

E valuaciön d e l as o bras h idräulicas d e s itio a rqueolögico G uayabo. P rimeras J ornadas d e I nvestigaciön, R esümes, p p. 2 44-245, U niversidad d e C osta R ica.

D urando G ., 0 . 1 961 E studio e spectrogräfico y g eoquimico d e a rtefactos m etälicos e ncontrados e n t umbas d e i ndios d e C osta R ica. I nformes, D epartmento d e G eologia, M inas y P etröleo, A f t° 1 , N o. 7 , M inisterio d e I ndustrias, S an J osé. E arle, T .K . a nd J . E . E ricson 1 977 E xchange s ystems i n a rchaeological p erspectives. I n: E xchange S ystems i n P rehistory , J .K . E arle a nd J .E. E ricson, e ds., p p. 3 -12, F onseca, 1 979 1 983

F onseca, 1 984

F onseca, 1 982

N ew Y ork:

A cademic P ress.

0 . I nforme d e l a p rimera t emporada d e r eexcavaciön d e G uayabo d e T urrialba. V inculos 5 :35-52. H istoria d e l as i nvestigaciones e n l a r egiön d e G uayabo d e T urrialba. I X C ongreso I nternacional p ara e l E studio d e l as C ulturas P recolombinas e n l as A ntillas, S anto D omingo, R epüblica D ominicana. A ctas, p p. 2 01-218, U niversitä d e M ontreal. 0 . a nd V . A cuf ta L os p etroglifos d e G uayabo y s u c ontexto. A nthropology ( in p ress). 0 .

a nd L .

S teward J ournal o f

H urtado d e M endoza

A lgunos r esultados d e l as i nvestigaciones e n l a r egiön d e G uayabo d e T urrialba. R evista d e C iencias S ociales, U niversidad d e C osta R ica ( en p rensa).

G allardo, M . 1 980 D eterminaciön d e a rsenic° e n g ranos d e c afé b ajo l a t ecnica a nalitica d e a ctivaciön n eutrönica ( AN). C iencia y T ecnologia I V :49-56, U niversidad d e C osta R ica. G allardo, M ., A . S alazar a nd V . H . C hanto 1 979 D eterminaciön d e l a c oncentraciön d e c obre e n s uelos a bandonados p or l a c ompa t ila b ananera d e C osta R ica. C iencia y T ecnologia 1 11:2:35-47, U niversidad d e C osta R ica. H elms, M . W . 1 979

A ncient P anama: C hiefs i n s earch o f p ower. U niversity o f T exas P ress.

1 05

A ustin:

H urtado d e M endoza, L . 1 981a

1 981b

D etecciön d e r edistribuciön e conömica e n u n c ontext° a rqueolögico. S imposio " La O bsidiana e n M oseamgrica," I NAH, M gxico ( en p rensa). P atrones d e a sentamiento e n l a r egiön d e G uayabo: e valuaciön p reliminar d e d atos. M s. o n f ile, s ecciön d e A rqueologia, U niversidad d e C osta R ica.

H urtado d e M endoza, L . a nd A . C . A rias 1 984 C erämica y p atrones d e a sentamiento e n l a r egiön d e G uayabo d e T urrialba.

S teward J ournal o f A nthropology ( in p ress).

H urtado d e M endoza, L ., V . A cu i la a nd E . 1 983

C astillo

E l s itio T alari d e P acuare ( UCR-282): d atos p reliminares. S imposio " El C antön d e T urrialba y l a I dentidad N acional," T urrialba.

H urtado d e M endoza, L . 1 978

a nd W . J .

J ester

O bsidian s ources i n G uatemala: A merican A ntiquity 4 3:424-435.

J aklevic, 1 971

L eön, M . 1 982

J . M .

a r egional a pproach.

a nd R . D . G iauque

R apid q uantitative a nalysis b y X -ray s pectrometry. A dvances i n X -ray A nalysis, K .F.J . H einrich e t a l., V ol. 1 5:164-174, N ew Y ork: P lenum P ress.

I n: e ds.,

F unciön y s tatus d e s itios a rqueolögicos e n l a r egiön d e G uayabo. D isef lo d e t esis, S ecciön d e A rqueologia, U niversidad d e C osta R ica.

M ayer, E . 1 970

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M urra,

J .

1 972

O du lm, H . 1 971

U n c arnero p or u n s aco d e p apas. A ctas y M emorias, 3 9 C ongreso I nternacional d e A mericanistas 3 :184-196, L ima. J oseph W . B ulk e lement c omposition v s. t race e lement c omposition i n t he r econstruction o f a n o bsidian s ource s ystem. S ymposium L a O bsidiana e n M esoamerica, P achuca, H idalgo, I NAH . V . E l " control v ertical" d e u n m äximo d e p ises e colögicos e n l a e conomia d e l as s ociedades a ndinas. E n: V isita d e l a p rovincia d e L eön d e H uänuco ( 1562), I t iigo O rtiz d e Z üf tiga, v isitador, J .V. M urra, E d., p p. 4 28-476, H uänuco, P erü : U niversidad H ermilio V aldizän. T . E nvironment, p ower a nd s ociety.

N ew Y ork :

W iley.

R athje, W . L . 1 971 T he o rigin a nd d evelopment o f L owland C lassic M aya c ivilization. A merican A ntiquity 3 6:275-285. S alazar, A . a nd L . 1 980

M . M oya

S ensibilidad e n f luorescencia d e r ayos-X . C iencia y t ecnologia 4 :75-102, U niversidad d e C osta R ica.

1 06

S anchez, M . 1 982

A rqueologla d e l a c uenca m edia d el r im R eventazön. P royecto d e t esis, D epartment° d e A ntropologla, U niversidad d e C osta R ica.

S anders, W . T . 1 978

C ommentary.

I n: P rehistoric C oastal A daptations, B .L .

a nd B . V oorhies, e ds., P ress. S anders, W . T ., J . 1 979

S ervice, 1 962

p p.

R . P arsons a nd R .

2 69-274, N ew Y ork:

S .

S tark

A cademic

S antley

T he B asin o f M exico: e cological p rocesses i n t he e volution o f a c ivilization. N ew Y ork: A cademic P ress. E . R . P rimitive S ocial O rganization.

N ew Y ork:

R andom H ouse.

S narskis, M . J . 1 978

T he a rchaeology o f t he c entral A tlantic w atershed o f C osta R ica. U npublished P h.D. d issertation, D epartment o f A nthropology, C olumbia U niversity.

S narskis, M . J . a nd A . B lanco 1 978 D atos s obre c erämica p olicramada g uanacasteca e xcavada e n l a M eseta C entral.

V inculos 4 :106-113.

S ydris, R . e t a l. 1 976 O bsidian s ources i n t he M ayan a rea.

J ournal o f N ew W orld

A rchaeology 1 :1-13. S parks, C . J . 1 975 Q uantitative X -ray f luorescence a nalysis u sing F undamental P arameters. E n: A dvances i n X -ray a nalysis, R . W . G ould e t a l., e ds., V ol. 1 9:19-52, N ew Y ork: P lenum P ress. S weeney , 1 975

1 976

J . W . G uanacaste, C osta R ica: a n a nalysis o f P re-columbian c eramics f rom t he N orthwest C oast. U npublished P h.D. d issertation, D epartment o f A nthropology, U niversity o f P ennsylvania. C eramic a nalysis f rom t hree s ites i n N orthwest c oastal G uanacaste. V inculos 2 :37-44.

T orrinaga, H . 1 974

R apid d etermination o f m ulti-elements i n t hin s pecimens b y X -ray s pectrometry. N uclear I nstrumental M ethods 14:65.

U .C.R., s .f.

S ecciön d e A rqueologla S itio L as P ilas ( UCR-94) N otas d e c ampo y l aboratorio. O n f ile, S ecciön d e A rqueologla, U niversidad d e C osta R ica.

Z eitlin, J . F . 1 978a C ommunity d istribution a nd l ocal e conomy i n t he s outhern i sthmus o f T ehuantepec: a n a rchaeological a nd e thnohistorical i nvestigation. U npublished P h.D . A nthropology, Y ale U niversity.

1 07

d issertation,

D epartment o f

1 978b

C hanging p atterns o f r esource e xploitation, d istribution a nd d emography o n t he

T ehuantepec, M exico. I n: P rehistoric B .L. S tark a nd B . V oorhies, e ds., p p. A cademic P ress.

1 08

s ettlement

s outhern i sthmus o f C oastal A daptations, 1 51-178, N ew Y ork:

I DENTIFICACIONES P RELIMINARES D E

1 76 MUESTRAS F AUNICAS P ROCEDENTES D EL S ITIO NACASCOLO, B AHIA C ULEBRA-GUANACASTE

M aritza G utierrez G onzalez Museo N acional d e

C osta R ica

D epartamento d e A ntropologia e H istoria S eccion A rqueologia

1 09

R ESUMEN E xcavaciones d e s ondeo y d e m uestreo r ealizadas e n e l s itio d e N acascolo ( G89-NA )(Väzquez, c ernidores d e 1 /2 y 1 /4", h umanas.

e n p rensa)

r indieron, m ediante e l e mpleo d e

c iento s etenta y s eis m uestras ö seas n o

E n e ste i nforme s e p resentan l os r esultados d el a nälisis f äunico p reliminar, p racticado e n e l 4 3% d e l a c olecciön ö sea. P or o tra p arte, e l e nsamblaje l itico s ugiere q ue l os p roductos a gricolas s irvieron m s c omo c omplemento d ietetico q ue c omo a limentos b äsicos p ara l a s ubsistencia d e l os a ntiguos p obladores. F inalmente, e l a nälisis p reliminar s ugiere q ue a proximadamente e ntre e l 5 00 y e l 8 00 d .C., l os i ndigenas a provecharon m ayormente c iertas e specias d e v ida t errestre q ue a quellas d e h äbitat m arino.

A BSTRACT E xcavations c arried o ut a t t he s ite o f N acascolo ( G89-NA ) 1 76 s amples o f n on-human b one. w ere 1 /4 a nd 1 /2 i nch.

y ielded

S creen s izes u sed t o r ecover s amples

I n t his r eport t he r esults o f p reliminary a nalysis o f 4 3% o f t he c ollection i s p resented. C oncomitantly, i nformation f rom t he l ithic a ssemblage a t N acascolo s uggests t hat a gricultural p roducts s erved m ore a s a c omplement t o t he d iet t han a s b asic s ubsistence c omponents f or t he s ite 's p rehistoric i nhabitants. F inally ,

t he p reliminary f aunal a nalysis s uggests t hat b etween

a pproximately A .D . 5 00 a nd 8 00, i ndigenous g roups a t N acascolo e xploited c ertain t errestrial s pecies i n p reference t o m arine s pecies.

1 10

I NTRODUCCION D urante 1 980 y 1 981,

e l M useo N acional d e C osta R ica r ealiz6 b ajo

l a d irecciön d el a rqueölogo R icardo V äzquez L .,

e xcavaciones d e s ondeo

y d e muestreo e n e l s itio N acascolo ( Väzquez, e n p rensa), r ecuperändose u n t otal d e 1 76 m uestras f äunicas c orrespondientes a t res p eriodos d e o cupaciön h umana; P olicromo A ntiguo ( 500-800 d .C.), P olicromo M edio ( 800-1200 d .C.) y P olicromo T ardio ( 1200-1500 d .C.). L as M uestras s e r ecogieron e specificamente d e l os d epösitos d e b asureros o c oncheros y d e l as ä reas d e a ctividad d omestica, u tilizändose d os t ipos d e c ernidores; d e m edia y u n c uarto d e p ulgada. L as m uestras p rovenientes d e l os b asureros u bicados e n l as m esetas, s e r ecogieron e mpleändose u n c ernidor d e m edia p ulgada, m ientras q ue e l d e u n c uarto d e p ulgada s e u sö p ara r ecuperar l a f auna d el a rea m uestreada o p iso d el v allecito.

S in e mbargo,

a lgunas d e l as m uestras q ue f orman

l a c olecciön f ueron r ecogidas s in u tilizar c ernidor a lguno. L o a nterior s e d ebiö a q ue l as i nvestigaciones e n e l s itio d e N acascolo s e o rientaron p rimeramente, a l r econocimiento i ntensivo d el s itio d e a cuerdo a l m arco g eogräfico, p ara l o c ual s e r ealizaron e xcavaciones d e s ondeo e strategräfico ( Väzquez, e n p rensa). P osteriormente, e n b ase a l os r esultados d e l a p rospecci5n, s e e jecutö u n p lan d e muestreo y p erfil e stratigräfico p ara l a p arte b aja d el s itio, e l p iso d el v allecito, c on e l f in d e o btener i nformaciön s obre l os c ambios e n l a o rganizaciön f isica d el a sentamiento a t raves d el t iempo ( Väzques, e n p rensa). S e

e mplearon n iveles a rbitrarios d e

s ondeo d e l as m esetas,

1 0 c m e n l as o peraciones d e

u bicadas a 8 0 m s .n.m.,

a si

c omo e n l as

r ealizadas e n e l a rea d e m uestreo. P ero t ambien e xisten m uestras d e f auna q ue p rovienen d e o tras o peraciones d e s ondeo q ue f ueron e xcavadas e n n iveles a rbitrarios d e 2 0 c m. E l

1 00% d e l a c olecciön ä sea s e c ompone d e

1 76 m uestras,

y c ada

u na c ontiene i ndistintamente d esde u no h asta 9 00 f ragmentos ö seos. S in e mbargo,

p or e l e stado a ctual e n q ue s e e ncuentra l a

i nvestigaciön, n o s e t ome e n c uenta p ara e l a nälisis f äunico p reliminar, e l c ontext° a rqueolögico. E sto o bedece a q ue l a m uestra a nalizada f orma p arte d e u n c onjunto m ayor d e d atos c orrespondientes a l p reyecto d e i nvestigaciön t itulado: P recolombina e n e l S itio N acascolo, N o o bstante,

A provechamiento d e l a F auna B ahia C ulebra-Guanacaste.

s e p resenta u n b reve i nforme d e l a s intesis d el

p royecto d e i nvestigaciön y a vances d el m ismo,

a si

c o m b,

l os r esultados

o btenidos d el a nälisis f äunico p reliminar p racticado e n s etenta y s eis m uestras, L a

1 1.314

f ragmentos ö seos,

p rovenientes d el s itio N acascolo.

i dentificaciön d e l os r estos s e h izo c omparando l os f ragmentos

a rqueolögicos c on e squeletos d e e specimenes m odernos. U bicaciön d el s itio N acascolo

( 3047

1 -89-1,

G 89-NA)

s e l ocaliza e n e l e xtremo n oroeste

d e l a B ahia d e C ulebra e n G uanacaste

( Väzquez

u n a rea a proximada d e 1 /4 K m

1 ).

( Fig.

1 11

1 982,

e n p rensa),

H acia e l n orte,

y o cupa

s ur y o este

e l s itio s e e ncuentra d elimitado p or l aderas.

L a o cupaciön t ambien s e

h a d etectado e n l as m esetas q ue r odean l a b ahla, m ientras q ue h acia l a m itad o este d el a rea q ue o cupa e l s itio, s e l ocalizan l a m ayoria d e l os c oncheros. E n d irecciön o este-este c orren d os q uebradas q ue a traviesan e l s itio y d esembocan e n u n e stero d onde s ubsiste e n l a a ctualidad, u n m anglar s umamante p erturbädo ( Wallace y A ccola 1 980; V äzquez 1 982, p rensa) ( Fig.

e n

1 ).

R esumen d el P royecto d e I nvestigaciön E n s intesis, e l t rabajo d e i nvestigaciön t itulado: A provechamiento d e l a F auna P recolombina e n e l S itio N acascolo, B ahia C ulebra-Guanacaste p ropone h acer u n a nälisis d e l os m ateriales f äunicos p rocedentes d el s itio N acascolo, a si c omo, r ealizar e n e l s itio c inco e xcavaciones v erticales p ara e xtraer m uestras d e c olumna. L a e valuaciön q ue s e p ractique e n l os materiales ö seos n o h umanos t endrä e l p ropösito d e: A .

I dentificaciön y c uantificaciön d e g rupos t axonömicos a nimales,

B . D etecciön d e p atrones d e u so d e l os r ecursos a nimales y s u v ariaciön e n e l t iempo ( Policromo A ntiguo, M edi c ), y T ardio: 5 00-1550 d .C.), y C . D eterminaciön d e l a i mportancia r elativa d e l os r ecursos d e c aza y p esca e n l a d ieta h umana p recolombina D e l a p räctica d e l as m uestras d e c olumna, e i nplementaciön d e u na m etodologia e specifica p ara l a r ecuperaciön y r egistro d e l os r estos f äunicos ( Thomas 1 969; W ing a nd Q uitmyer 1 983), s e e spera u n i ncremento r elativo e n e species d e f auna, t anto t errestres c omo m arinas. P or o tra p arte, e ste e studio i nvolucra l a f ormaciön d e u na c olecciön o steolögica c omparativa, p ara i dentificar e species a nimales e n l a m uestra a rqueolögica. A vances d el P royecto E n l a m edida q ue s e a vanzaba e n e l a prendizaje y r econocimiento d e l as e structuras ö seas d e l as d iferentes c lases a nimales, y d e l as c aracteristicas t ales c omo h uesos d erechos e i zquierdos, p roximales-distales, e pifisis f usionadas o n o, e ntre o tras, s e s 1nt16 l a n ecesidad d e c ontar c on a lgunas c olecciones c omparativas, q ue e n ü ltima i nstancia, s erän l as q ue g eneren l as i dentificaciones d e l os r estos a rqueolögicos a n ivel d e e species. S in e mbargo, l as c olecciones d e f auna t ropical s on m uy e scasas p ara e l c aso c oncreto d e C osta R ica. N o o bstante, d espues q ue s e d eterminö l a e xistencia d e o nce f amilias d e p eces ö seos e n l a muestra a nalizada, s e p rocediö a r ealizar u n " muestreo" d entro d e l a B ahia d e C ulebra. O riginalmente,

s e p lanteö m uestrear t res p untos d entro d e l a b ahia

t omando c omo r eferencia l a p laya d e N acascolo: A .

C erca d e l a p laya e n a guas d e p oca p rofundidad, y q ue s e c aracterizan p or l a p resencia d e f ormaciones r ocosas,

1 12

B .

E l c entro d e l a b ahia d onde h abitan e species d e p rofundidad, l lamadas p or L öpez y B ussing ( 1982:5), m eso y b atipelägicas,

C .

C erca d e l as f ormaciones c oralinas.

S in e mbargo,

u n c uarto p unto s e t endrä q ue m uestrear;

e l e stero d e

P almares q ue s e e ncuentra e n l a b ahia d el m ismo n ombre, e l c ual o frece u na a ccesibilidad c asi t otal p ara l a c aptaciön d e s us r ecursos ( Fig. 2 ). A si m isc:, l a d istancia e ntre e l s itio y e l e stero e s r elativawe l ice c orta. M etodo d e r ecolecciön y p reparacibn d e l as m uestras D el p lanteamiento a nterior s e l ogrö c oncretar e l p unto A . L a r ecolecciön d e l as muestras s e h izo u tilizando u n t rasmayo d e 1 00 m d e l argo p or 1 0 d e a ncho. L a m alla s e t endiö p rimeramente h acia e l l ado d erecho d e l a p laya, d ejändose d entro d el a gua c erca d e d oce h oras. D e i gual f orma s e p rocediö p ara e l l ado i zquierdo ( Fig. 3 ). E n e sta o peraciön s e d urö d os d ias o bteniendose 4 5 e specias ( Fig. 4 ). S e a notaron l as m edidas g enerales y e l p eso t otal d e c ada i ndividuo, l os c uales s e i dentificaron c on u n n ümero. S eguidamente s e p racticö, e n c ada u na d e l as m uestras, u na d isecciön p ara r etirar l as v isceras y p esarlas, r egistrando l os d atos y e ventualmente e l s exo. P or ü ltimo, s e p rocediö a f otografiar c ada u na d e l as m uestras ( Fig. 5 ), c olocändolas l uego e n u na c ämara c on s uficiente h ieb o p ara t rasladarlas a l l aboratorio d el M useo N acional. A l d ia s iguiente l as m uestras f ueron l levadas a l M useo d e Z oologia d e l a U niversidad d e C osta R ica, d onde l os d octores W illiam B ussing y M yrna L öpez h icieron l as i dentificaciones c orrespondientes. H echas l as i dentificaciones, s e p rocediö a d escarnar l o ms p osible c ada i ndividuo p ara c olocarlos e n r ecipientes c on a gua d ebidamente i dentificados y d ejarlos m acerändose. E l m ismo p rocedimiento s e s iguiö p ara u na g allina d e p ala ( Ieuana i guana) ( Fig. 6 ), y u n g arrobo ( Ctenosaura s imilis).

R ESULTADOS D EL A NALISIS P rocedimiento s eguido e n e l a nälisis D e l as c iento d iez muestras ö seas q ue s e r ecogieron e n N acascolo, s etenta y s eis s on l as q ue h asta e l m omento s e h an p odido a nalizar p reliminar e i ntermitentemente. E stas 7 6 m uestras r epresentan e l 6 9% d e l a c olleciön t otal, y s e h an t rasladado f ragmentariamente h asta P anamä p ara s er a nalizadas, p or e l D r. R ichard C ooke, y c hequeadas c on l a c olleciön c omparativa. E l p rocedimiento u tilizado p ara e l a nälisis c onsistiö p rimeramente e n s eparar d e c ada u na d e l as b olsas, l os r estos c orrespondientes a l as d iferentes c lases a nimales. H echa e sta s eparaciön p rimaria, s e p rocediö a r etirar a quellos f ragmentos d iagnösticos t ales c omo h ümeros, r adios, u lnas, m etapodiales, f emures, t ibias, f ibulas, d entarios, c uadrados, o perculares, p reoperculares, a rticulares, h iomandibulares, e scäpulas y v ertebras, e ntre o tros. E n u n c uaderno d e n otas s e a puntö l a c antidad d e f ragmentos y l as d iferentes p artes a natömicas

1 13

r epresentadas e n c ada u na d e l as b olsas, l as c uales c orresponden a l os d iferentes n iveles d e e xcavaciön. P or ü ltimo, s e p rocediö a c otejar l os h uesos d e l a m uestra a rqueolögica, c ada n ivel p or s eparado, c olleciön c omparativa,

c on l a

i dentificändose l os r estos a n ivel d e e species

e n l a m ayorfa d e l os c asos.

V ean l as T ablas 1 -4.

C OMENTARIOS E n r ealidad,

n o e s p osible p or e l mamento l legar a n inguna

c onclusiön r especto d e l a m uestra a nalizada p reliminarmente.

E sto p or

c uanto e s n ecesario c hequear a lgunos h uesos d e l a c olecciön a rqueolögica, c on l os c orrespondientes e squeletos d e r eferencia. A sf m ismo, f alta d e a nalizar e l 5 7% d e l a m uestra. N o o bstante, p ara e l c hequeo y c onclusiön d e a nälisis h abrä q ue t rasladar l a c olecciön t otal h asta e l l aboratorio d e A guadulce, P anamä, p ara n o s ölamente f amiliarizarme c on l a e structura ö sea d e l os a nimales, s ino t ambien p ara q ue e l D r. R ichard C ooke d irija y c orrobore d icho a nälisis. E n t odo c aso, l a s öla m anipulaciön d el 4 3% d e l as muestras p erfila d etalles c omo q ue l os m amfferos, a proximadamente e ntre e l 5 00 y e l 8 00 d .C., f ueron d e u n m ayor a provechamiento e n e species c omo e l v enado d e c ola b lanca ( Odocoileus v irginianus) y e l s afno ( Tayassu t ajacu). O tros mamfferos c omo e l a rmadillo d e n ueve b andas ( Dasypus n ovemcinctus), e l z orro p elön ( Didelphis m arsupialis), e ntre o tros, p arecen h aber s ido a nimales q ue e staban s iendo i ncorporados e n l a d ieta p recolambina s ino e n f orma c ontinua, s f t emporalmente d esde f inales d el P olicromo A ntiguo. L os i guänidos p or s u p arte ( Iguana i guana y C tenosaura s imilis) s ugieren h aber s ido a nimales q ue s e a provecharon e n f orma c ontinua y a q ue l a p resencia d e e stos r estos o curre e n c asi t odas l as m uestras a nalizadas. L os r oedores c omo e l t epeizcuintle y l a g uatusa ( Agouti p aca y D asyprocta p unctata, r espectivamente) n o p arecen h aber s ido, p or e l m omento, r ecursos d e m ayor i mportancia p ara l a d ieta. S in e mbargo, l os p equehos r oedores s on s uficientes e n t erminos d e u na a bundancia r elativa, i ndicando q ue f ueron u na f uente a limenticia i mportante d urante l a p rimera m itad d el P olicramo M edio. P or o tra p arte, ( Carangidae), ( Serranidae),

l os r estos d e p eces,

p articularmente l os j ureles

c hayotes ( Diodontidae), l oros ( Scaridae), y m eros s ugieren u na c aptaciön c asi c ontinua y r egular d e e stos

r ecursos p rincipalmente p ara e l P olicramo M edio C abe s eäalar t ambien,

( 800-1200 d .C.).

q ue m uchos r estos ö seos e videncian c artes

i ntencionales p ara l a e laboraciön d e h erramientas a p artir d e l as d iäfisis d e l os h uesos l argos, d el v enado.

a sf

c omo a p artir d e l os m etapodiales

E n o tros c asos e sas d iäfisis s e e mplearon p ara l a

f abricaciön d e a rtefactos b ellamente d ecorados m ediante i ncisiones. O curre t ambien q ue l a m ayorfa d e l os h uesos l argos d e a nimales c omo e l O docoileus v irginianus y e l T ayassu t ajacu,

e stän m uy f ragmentados

p roducto q uiz äd el c onsumo d el t uetano c ontenido e n e stos. E spinas d orsales y p ectorales, e n p ocas c antidades, d e p eces a parecen m odificadas y a lcanzan t amaäos d esde 4 a 5 c m. F inalmente, s on c ontados l os h uesos q ue a parecen q uemados. D e e sta m anera a nälisis p reliminar p erfila p ara l os a ntiguos p obladores d e N acascolo, u na d ieta b asada n o s ölo e n e l c onsumo d e m oluscos, s ino q ue e staban a provechando l os d iferentes n ichos a mbientales p ara p roveerse d e u na g ran v ariedad d e e species a nimales

1 14

m ediante a ctividades c omo l a c aza, l a p esca, r ecolecciön d e m oluscos y l a a gricultura. L os p roductos a gricolas p arecen s er e n c ierto m omenta, q ue n o c onstituyeron a limentos b äsicos p ara l a s ubsistencia. E n r ealidad, a unque n o s e h a a nalizado a c abalidad e l e nsamblaje l itico, l os a rtefactos a sociados a l a rea d omestica s on r elativamente p ocos ( Ricardo V äzquez, c omunicaciön p ersonal). E sta b aja c ontidad l itica s upone e n p rincipio q ue s e d ejara d e p racticar l a a gricultura i ntensiva, s ustituyendo e sta a ctividad p or l a i mportaciön d e e sos r ecursos a c ambio d e l a e xportaciön d e r ecursos l ocales c omo m oluscos y p escado p rincipalmente, a p arte d e o tras f uentes p rotefnicas. O tra p osibilidad p uede s er e l q ue l os r ecursos p roducto d e l a a ctividad a grIcola f ueran p rocesados d e m anera d iferente p or l o m enos e n t iempos t ardfos o bviando e l u so d e i nstrumentos c oma m anos y m etates, p ara s u p rocesamiento. E n c onsecuencia, e sa p osible m odalidad n o p ermitiö l a c onservaciön d e l os g ranos. E n f in, e stas p osibilidades t endrän q ue e valuarse p rofundamente c onforme a vance l a i nvestigaciän. E n t odo c aso l a f alta d e e videncia a rqueolögica p rimaria, muestras f lorales, y l a b aja d ensidad d e a rtifactos l lticos h acen s uponer q ue l a a ctividad a grfcola e n e l s itio f ue s econdaria e n c omparaciön c on o tras a ctividades q ue s f s e r elacionan m s r estrechamente c on l a o btenciön d e r ecursos p ara l a s ubsistencia c oma l a c aza, l a p esca y l a r ecolecciön d e m oluscos.

R ECONOCIMIENTOS

D r.

A gradezco p rofundamente e l t iempo, d edicaciön y e ntusiasmo q ue e l R ichard C ooke h a p uesto e n l a c olecciön d e h uesos d e N acascolo.

E l a nälisis d e l as m uestras s on p roducto d el t rabajo y e sfuerzo r ealizados p or e l D r. C ooke y d e A ureliano V alencia e n l os q ue r especta a p eces. N o o bstante, l a e xperiencia y c onocimientos q ue h e a dquirido e n l a m anipulaciön d e l os m ateriales f äunicos, s on r ealmente i ncalculables. H ago e xtensivo m i a gradecimiento, a L orena S an R aman d e G allegos, d irectora d el M useo N acional d e C osta R ica, p or p ermitir m is f recuentes v iajes h asta P anamä, e n p ro d e m i f utura c apacitaciön p rofesional. A si m ismo, e l a gradecimiento a l D r. L uis H urtado d e M endoza, p or l os c omentarios r ealizados a l p royecto d e i nvestigaciön y p or d irigir e l t rabajo d e g raduaciön. M il g racias a l D r. R oberto D rolet. E l s e t ior H ector A guilar d e T rabajo C omunal U niversitario ( T.C.U .) r edibuj6 l as f iguras 1 , 2 , y 3 .

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R EFERENCIAS C ITADAS L öpez S ., M yrna y W illiam B ussing 1 982

L ista P rovisional d e l os P eces M arinos d e l a C osta P acifica d e C osta R ica.

M ena M ., 1 978

T homas, 1 969

R amön F auna y G aza e n C osta R ica. e ds. p p. 1 -255. S an J ose:

V ol. 2 . R .A. M ena y S ues. C osta R ica.

S .A.,

D avid H . G reat B asin H unting P atterns: A Q uantitative M ethod f or T reating F aunal R emains. A merican A ntiquity 3 4(4):392-400.

V äzquez L ., 1 984

B iologia T ropical 3 0(1):5-26.

R icardo

E xcavaciones d e M uestreo e n e l S itio N acascolo,

u n P aso

A delante d entro d el P royecto A rqueolögico B ahia C ulebra,

C osta

R ica. E n A rchaeological S ettlement P attern i n C osta R ica: R esearch E ssays i n H onor o f C arlos E nrique H erra R . ( Journal o f t he S teward A nthropological S ociety 1 4(1-2), e n p rensa W ing,

E lizabeth S .

1 983

a nd

I rvy Q uitmyer

R ecovery o f A nimal R emains f rom A rchaeological C ontexts. P onencia P resentada e n l a R euniön A nual N o. A rqueolögica A mericana ( SAA ), P ittsburgh.

1 28

4 8

d e l a S ociedad

S UBSISTANCE C HANGES O N T HE C OAST O F T HE G REATER N ICOYA R EGION

J ean-Francois M oreau E tudes A merindiennes U niversite d u Q uebec a C hicoutimi C hicoutimi, Q ue. C anada G 7H2B1

1 29

A BSTRACT C hanges i n s ubsistence a re c ompared b etween f our s ubareas o f t he G reater N icoya r egion. I n t he C ulebra t o S alinas a rea ( and p robably t o a l esser e xtent i n t he L ower T empisque d rainage a rea) m aritime r esources w ere e xtensively u sed f rom t he E arly P olychrome P eriod o n t o t he c ontact p eriod. O n t he c ontrary, t he M atapalo-Nosara ( and p robably t he R ivas r egion) i s c haracterized b y n on-coastal o rientations. E cological a nd c ultural f actors a re l ooked

f or t hat m ight

e xplain t hese

d ifferences.

R ESUMEN S e d iscute c ambios e n p atrones d e s ubsistencia e n c uatro s ectores d el r egion d e G ran N icoya.

D esde B ahia C ulebra h asta l a B ahia S alinas,

y am enor g rado e n l a c uenca b aja d el

R io T empisque,

l as i ndigenas

a provecharon e xtensivamente l os r ecursos m arinos d esde e l P eriod . ° P olicromo A ntiguo h asta l a l legada d e l os e uropeos. A l c ontrario, l a r egion M atapalo-Nosara, y p robablemente l o d e R ivas s e c aracterizo p or a daptacion n o c ostef lo. S e e xamina f actores e cologicos y c ulturales q ue p ueden e xplicar e sta v ariacion.

1 30

I NTRODUCTION T his p aper r epresents o nly a n i ncomplete a ttempt t o u nderstand t he d iversity o f h uman a daptations a long c oastal N icoya P eninsula b ecause 1 ) t he c omparison o f a ll t he d ata c urrently a vailable f rom t he s ites i n t his r egion i s n ot c ompleted a nd 2 ) t he r eflection i tself i s p reliminary , w hatever t he s tate o f t he c omparison o f t he d ata. F rom t he R ay o f S alinas s outh t hrough t he t ip o f t he N icoya P eninsula a nd n ortheast i nto t he G ulf o f N icoya ( Fig. 1 ), m any c eramic s ites a re l ocated o n o r n ear t he c oast a nd d ate f rom t he p eriod b etween a t housand y ears B .C. a nd p re-contact t imes. H owever, t here i s a m arked c ontrast b etween t hose s ites l ocated a long t he n orthern s egment o f t his c oast ( Bay o f S alinas t o M atapalo) a nd t hose a long t he N icoya P eninsula p roper ( Matapalo t o L a B ocana) s ince t he n orthern s ites c learly e xhibit e xploitation o f m arine r esources, a t rait n ot f ound i n t he s outhern s ites. M aritime A daptation i n N orthern S ites A lthough g eneral s tatements h ave b een m ade, p articularly b y L ange ( 1971) a nd S weeney ( 1975) a bout t he s ubsistence p atterns i n t he n orthern s ection o f c oastal N icoya P eninsula, t here h as b een n o a ttempt t o q ualify m ore p recisely t his m aritime a daptation. H owever m y o wn r esearch ( Moreau 1 983) o n t he e volution o f s ubsistence p atterns a t V idor s ite o n t he B ay o f C ulebra m ay b e s ummarized i n t he f ollowing w ords ( Table 1 a nd F ig. 2 ). B asic d ata a bout t he d ifferent e lements o f s ubsistence w ill b e f ound a s f ollows: m olluscs ( Moreau 1 983), f ishes a nd t errestrial a nimals ( Kerbis 1 979), p lants ( Norr a nd C oleman 1 982). M arine r esources i ncrease b oth i n a bsolute a nd r elative t erms f rom t he E arly P olychrome P eriod ( A .D. 5 00-800) t o t he L ate P olychrome P eriod ( A .D. 1 200-1550). H owever, r elatively s peaking, t hese r esources n ever r epresented m ore t han a s econdary o r c omplementary r esource. I n E arly P olychrome t imes, t hey r epresented a bout 1 5% i n w eight o f a ll t he s ubsistence ( 5% m olluscs a nd 1 0% f ishes) a nd a bout 2 5% a t t he L ate P olychrome P eriod ( 10% m olluscs a nd 1 5% f ishes). T errestrial a nimals e xploited b y h unting d ecreased f rom 3 5% i n E arly P olychrome t imes t o 1 5% i n L ate P olychrome t imes. T his d ecrease i n r elative v alue t hrough t ime i s p aralleled b y s omewhat s imilar a bsolute w eight t hrough t ime, a t l east b etween t he E arly M iddle P olychrome ( A .D. 8 00-1000) t o L ate P olychrome P eriods. T he i mportance o f m olluscs a nd f ishes a s w ell a s t errestrial a nimals w as e stimated b y d irect r eckoning o f b ones a nd s hells u sing M inimum N umber o f I ndividual m ethodologies. T he i mportance o f p lants w as e stimated b y i ndirect o bservation, n amely t he a nalysis o f r elative c ontents o f c arbon i sotopes i n t he c ollagen o f h uman b ones ( Norr a nd C olemen 1 982). T he s o-called C 3-path p lants, t hose m ost p robably g athered, s uggest a r elative d ecrease i n i mportance f rom t he E arly P olychrome P eriod ( 20%) t o t he L ate P olychrome P eriod ( 5%). H owever i n a bsolute t erms t hese p lants i ncrease t hrough t ime e xcept f rom t he L ate M iddle P olychrome P eriod ( A .D. 1 000-1200) t o t he L ate P olychrome P eriod. T he C 4-path p lants, e ssentially m aize i n C entral A merica,

1 31

s uggest a r elative i ncrease f rom 3 0% o f t he s ubsistence i n E arly P olychrome t imes t o a bout 5 5% i n L ate P olychrome t imes w ith a c oncommittant i ncrease i n a bsolute v alues. U nless t he c arbon i sotope t echnique i s n ot a t a ll d ependable, i t c an b e s uggested t hat t he a bove r esults m ay e rr o nly b y a s light t endency t o o veremphasize t he i mportance o f p lants b ecause w e a re d ealing w ith a k ind o f d ouble i ndependent e quation. H igh c oncentrations o f c arbon i sotopes g enerally c haracterize b oth C 3 p lants a nd t errestrial a nimals w hile l ow c oncentrations i n t hese i sotopes c haracterize m aize a nd m arine r esources. T hus, g iven t hat a rchaeological r ecovery t echniques a nd M inimum N umber o f I ndividual a nalysis b oth g enerally t end t o u nderestimate t he r eal i mportance o f m eats, p lant i mportance w ill b e s omewhat o veremphasized. H owever, I f irmly b elieve t hat m aize w as n ot a bsent i n E arly P olychrome t imes ( and b y e xtension d uring t he Z oned B ichrome P eriod, 5 00 B .C.-A.D. 5 00). T he i mportance o f m aize s ome f ive t o s ix c enturies A .D. ( Early P olychrome P eriod) w ould h ave b een b etween 1 0% a nd 3 0%. I n p re-contact t imes, m aize m ay n ot r epresent 5 0% t o 6 0% a s s uggested a bove b ut c ertainly w as o n t he v erge o f b eing a s taple f ood ( 40% a nd o ver). O bviously t hese r ectifictions i n t erms o f p lant i mportance i nduce c hanges, a lbeit m inor, i n t he o ther m eans o f s ubsistence. T his o verall p icture o f s ubsistence a t V idor s ite i s c onsistent w ith t he s ubsistence d ata p resented f or t he B ay o f S alinas b y L ange ( 1971) a nd t hose p resented b y S weeney ( 1975) f or C hahuite E scondido o n t he S anta E lena P eninsula. S uch u se o f m arine r esources i s n ot c haracteristic o f s ites f rom t he s outhern t ip o f N icoya P eninsula. F or e xample, L ange e t a l ( 1976) h ad s hown t hat t here i s n o m aritime a daptation i n t he N osara v alley. B audez ( 1967:22) r eports s ome s hells a t L a B ocana, a lthough h e d oes p recisely s ay t hat t hese s hells a re f ew ; w e a re n ot t old i f t hey w ere c ollected i n m aritime o r f resh w ater ( i.e. t he T empisque R iver: s ee F ig.

1 ) e nvironments.

W hy a M aritime A daptation i n t he N orthern N icoya P eninsula? B efore p roceeding t o e valuate t he v arious e xplanations t hat c ould e xplicate t he c ontrast i n m aritime a daptation b etween n orthern a nd s outhern s ites, i t h as t o b e s tressed t hat m arine a daptation i n t he f ormer a rea i s p articularly e nhanced b y v ery i mportant s hell a ccumulations ( shellmounds) t hat a llow e stimates o f t he i mportance o f m olluscs t hemselves b ut a lso o f a ll o ther a nimal r esources s ince s hells n eutralize t he a cidity o f s oil a nd c onsequently, p reserve b ones o f f ishes a nd l and a nimals. C onversely , w here t here i s n o s hell, f ew i f a ny b ones a re f ound. I n b rief, w e c annot s ay f or s ure t hat t here w as n o m arine a daptation i n t he s outhern s ites b ecause t he a bsence o f s hells a lone c ould v ery e asily e xplain t he a bsence o f a ny b one e lements. A nother m ethodological p oint t o b e s tressed i s t hat t he i mpressive s izes o f s hellmounds p ush a rchaeologists t o e mphasize a nd o ften o ver-emphasize t he t rue i mportance o f m arine r esources. Ih ave s hown t hat m arine r esources a t t he V idor s ite n ever w ere a m ajor ( i.e. 5 0% a nd o ver o f t he s ubsistence) r esource. H owever t hey m ay b e u nderstood a s a s econdary r esource. I n t his c ase, m arine r esources n ever h ad a ny

1 32

o ther i mportance t han t hat o f a " tasty" s upplement t o t he o rdinary r esources. T he m inor s tatus o f t he m arine r esources m ay a lso b e u nderstood a s c omplementary. I n t his s econd c ase, i n t he v ery s hort t erm, t hey m ay h ave r epresented t he d ifference b etween s ome d ays w ith f ood a gainst s ome d ays w ithout f ood. T his m ay h ave b een c rucial e specially d uring t he g enerally s evere l ate d ry s eason i n t hat a rea ( March t o J une) w hen p lants b arely g row ( unless t here i s i rrigation) a nd a nimals t end t o m igrate e astward t o t he c entral C osta R ican m ountains t o f ind f ood i n m ore h umid a nd t emperate a reas. D ifferences i n E cological S ettings I n t he c ontext o f e cological e xplanations o ffered t oday t o u nderstand t he a daptation o f p rehistoric g roups, i t c an b e p roposed t hat t he c ontrast b etween n orthern a nd s outhern c oastal s ites a long t he N icoya P eninsula i s a c onsequence o f d ifferent p hysiographical f eatures. I n f act t he n orthern c oastal s trip i s l iterally i ndented b y n umerous i mportant b ays a nd p eninsulas, i n m arked c ontrast w ith a m uch l ess i rregular p hysiography f or t he s outhern c oastal s trip a round t he N icoya P eninsula ( sensu s tricto). T he n orthern a rea a lso d iffers f rom t he s outhern a rea b y ad ryer c limate a nd a m ore m arked c ontrast i n . w eather b etween d ry a nd r ainy s easons. I n b rief, p hysiographical a nd c limatological d ata s ustain w ell t he a ssertion m ade b y H ubbs a nd R oden ( 1964:163) a bout t he d evelopment o f i mportant u pwelling c urrents o f t he s ea a long t he n orthern c oastal s trip o f N icoya P eninsula, a c ondition t hat d oes n ot s eem t o p revail a round t he s outhern t ip o f t he P eninsula. T hese c urrents a re w ell k nown a rchaeologically f or t heir p ositive e ffects o n t he o verall s ea p roduction a t a ll l evels o f t he f ood c hain. T his s ituation o f c ontrasting m arine r esources p roduction i n s uch r estricted g eographical r egion a s t he N icoya P eninsula i s n ot u nique. L inares ( 1977, 1 980) s uggests t hat a s ame k ind o f c ontrast i n s ea p roduction e xists i n P anama b etween t he B ay o f P arita a nd t he G ulf o f C hiriqui s eparated b y a d istance o f t he s ame o rder o f m agnitude ( 150 t o 3 00 m ilometers) a s t he d istance b etween n orthern a nd s outhern c oastal N icoya P eninsula. I f s ea c onditions e xplain w hy t he s outhern s ites i nhabitants d id n ot h ave a ccess t o m arine r esources b ecause o f t heir s imple a bsence ( at l east o f m olluscs), t he p resence o f t hese r esources d o n ot e xplain b y t hemselves w hy p eoples b egan t o e xploit t hem i n t he n orthern a rea o f N icoya P eninsula. I n a ll p robability, g iven t hat t here h as n ot b een a ny m ajor s hift i n c oastal p hysiography a nd c limate s ince a t l east t he b eginning o f h uman o ccupation i n n orthwestern C osta R ica, m arine r esources p robably h ad b een p resent b ut w ere n ot e xploited d uring a ll t he Z oned B ichrome P eriod b etween a bout 1 000 B .C. a nd A .D. 6 00. W hy d id t his c hange i n e xploitation b etween t he Z oned B ichrome a nd t he f ollowing E arly P olychrome P eriods o ccur? D emographic P ressure a nd C hange i n S ubsistence T he a nswer t o t his q uestion i n n orthwestern C osta R ica h ad b een " classically" t he d emographic p ressure a rgument ( Coe 1 962, B audez a nd C oe 1 962, L ange 1 971). S ince t he v ery f irst d ays o f s cientific i nvestigations i n t he a rea, a ll i nterpretations s trongly s uggest a n i ncrease i n p opulation f rom t he Z oned B ichrome t o t he M iddle P olychrome P eriod. H owever t here i s l ess a greement b etween t he s earchers f or t he

1 33

t ransition f rom t he M iddle P olychrome P eriod t o t he L ate P olychrome P eriod, a lthough f ew a uthors w ould f avor a n i ncrease i n p opulation ; m ost a uthors f avor e ither s tability o r d ecrease i n p opulation s ize. A ssuming t hat a bsolute v alue o f s ubsistence m eans a re c losely c orrelated t o t he d emographic s ize o f t he p rehistoric g roups, I s uggest t he f ollowing p icture f rom V idor s ite a nd t he o ther s ites l ocated a round a nd n ear t he B ay o f-Culebra. A t V idor t here i s a c onstant d ecrease i n t he r ate o f c hange i n s ubsistence i mportance. T here i s a t hree f old i ncrease b etween t he w eight o f f ood a vailable d uring t he E arly P olychrome a nd l ate M iddle P olychrome P eriods r espectively; a 2 .3 f old i ncrease b etween e arly M iddle P olychrome a nd l ate M iddle P olychrome P eriods a nd a 0 .8 f old d ecrease b etween l ate M iddle P olychrome a nd L ate P olychrome P eriods. O n t he o ther h and f rom m aps o f t he g eneral i ntensive s urvey m ade a round B ay o f C ulebra ( Lange e t a l. 1 980), I s uggest t hat f rom t he Z oned B ichrome P eriod t hrough E arly P olychrome P eriod 'to M iddle P olychrome P eriod, t here i s am arked i ncrease i n n umber o f s ettlements w ith n o p arallel r eduction i n s ize f or t hose s ettlements a lready e stablished. B ut t here s eems t o b e a d ecline i n n umber o f s ettlements, a lthough c ertainly n ot a d ecrease i n s ize ( in f act t here m ay b e i ncrease i n s ize) b etween t he M iddle P olychrome a nd L ate P olychrome P eriods. F rom t hese d ata, I f eel c onfident t hat w e c an p ropose t hat d emographic, p ressure m ay b e av alid e xplanation f or t he c hanges i n s ubsistence p atterns f or t he p eriod f rom t he Z oned B ichrome t o t he M iddle P olychrome P eriods. H owever, t his e xplanation f alls s hort w hen t rying t o d eal w ith t he t ransition b etween M iddle P olychrome a nd L ate P olychrome P eriods. G iven t hat d emographic p ressure w as t he i ncentive t o c hange t he r esources m eans, h ow w as t his a ccomplished t hrough t ime? Is tated a t t he b eginning o f t his p aper t hat i f h unting a nd g athering d ecline i n i mportance w hile m arine r esources a nd m aize i ncrease i n a bsolute t erms, o nly g athering s hows a d efinite d ecreasing t rend ( albeit v ery l ate) b etween t he l ate M iddle P olychrome a nd L ate P olychrome P eriods, f ollowing a c onstant a bsolute i ncrease f rom t he E arly P olychrome t o t he l ate M iddle P olychrome P eriods. O ther r esources s how e ither s tability ( hunting, m olluscs?) o r d efinite i ncrease ( fishes, m aize). I n s um, i t d oes n ot s eem t hat t he n orthern s ites' p eople e xploited r esources t o t he p oint w here e xploitation w ould h ave d estroyed t he n atural p opulation. O n t he c ontrary , i t s eems t hat t he c hanges i n s ubsistence i n t hese n orthern N icoya P eninsula s ites s uggest, a t l east f rom t he Z oned B ichrome t o t he l ate M iddle P olychrome P eriods,that w hen p eople f elt t hat a r esource w as o n t he v erge o f a bsolute d ecrease u nder n ew d emographic i ncrease, t hey d id n ot--for e ither o r b oth u nconscious a nd c onscious r easons--increase t heir e xploitation o f t hat r esource b ut a dded a n ew o ne. T his e xplains w ell t he s low i ntroduction a nd d evelopment o f m arine r esources a s w ell a s t he r elatively s low d evelopment o f m aize a griculture. A lthough i t i s n ot t he p lace t o d iscuss t hat p roblem i n d etail, i t s eems t hat t his s witch t o t he e xploitation o f a n ew r esource i n l ieu o f o verexploiting a lready e xploited r esources, c an b e u nderstood i n t he c ontext o f av ery d elicate b alance i n h uman p erception b etween i nput a nd o utput e nergies p ut i nto a nd g ained f rom t he e xploitation o f t he p reviously u sed r esources a nd n ew o nes.

1 34

T his m odel s eems t o f it w ell t he c hanges i n p opulation f rom t he E arly P olychrome t o t he l ate M iddle P olychrome P eriods. H owever f rom ( and p ossibly i ncluding) t he l ate M iddle P olychrome P eriod t o t he L ate P olychrome P eriod, i t i s p lausible t hat s ome k ind o f a bsolute o verexploitation o f s ome r esources i s p erceptible, e specially i n p lant g athering. H owever, t he v ery i mportant i ncrease i n i mportance o f m aize b etween t he e arly M iddle P olychrome a nd l ate M iddle P olychrome P eriods a lso h as t o b e t aken i nto a ccount. I n f act, t he m aximum i ncrease o f g athering t ook p lace i n l ate M iddle P olychrome t imes w hen m aize d id I ncrease i n a v ery i mportant f ashion. G iven t he p ossibility o f d ecline I n h uman p opulation a nd i ncrease i n i mportance o f m aize d uring t he L ate P olychrome P eriod,

t he d ecrease i n p lants o btained t hrough g athering

d oes n ot s eem t o b e a c ase o f o verexploitation b ut o nly a s hift i n r esources e xploitation ( in f act i t i s r eally a s hift: i s t here a ny s harp d ifference b etween h orticulture a nd g athering?). T he d emographic p ressure m odel t hus f ar s eems t o e xplain p lausibly t he c hanges i n s ubsistence r esources. H owever n o s ites a long t he n orthern N icoya P eninsula c oast e xhibit a rtifacts t hat c ould s ustain a n I mportant m aize c ontribution t o t he d iet. O nly t he f ew a dzes m ay b e i nterpretated a s s uch ( Bernstein 1 979) a nd m anos a nd m etates a re r are i tems. M oreover l ateritic s oils a nd t he g enerally d ry c limate ( except f or t he r ather s hort r ainy s eason) p oint t o p oor m aize a griculture. I n s um, w e a re s eeking a nother s ource a rea t han n orthern N icoya P eninsula i tself f or m aize. T he M aize E xchange N etwork I n t his c ontext i t i s v ery t empting t o l ook e astward t o t he G uanacaste h ighlands a nd s outhward t o t he s outhern t ip o f t he N icoya P eninsula f or a s ource o f m aize. o n,

I n b rief,

f rom l ate M iddle P olychrome

a n e xtensive a nd i mportant e xchange s ystem m ay h ave p ermitted g oods

t o m ove a round n orthwestern C osta R ica. I n f act, g limpses o f s uch e xtensive e xchange n etworks h ad b een s uggested b etween n orthwestern C osta R ica a nd t he C osta R ican A tlantic h ighlands ( Snarskis a nd B lanco 1 978); i t h as b een d ocumented a lso a t t he m ore r egional l evel o f t he N icoya P eninsula ( Accola 1 977). I f m aize e ffectively c ame f rom o utside

t he n orthern c oastal N icoya

P eninsula, w hat c ould b e e xchanged i n r eturn,

u nless w e a re d ealing

w ith p hilanthropic g roups? M arine r esources m ay w ell b e o ne o f t hese r eturn i tems. I n t he T robriand I slands f or e xample, M alinowski ( 1935:17) h as s hown t hat t hose p eople e xploiting t he s ea p lay t he r ole o f " buffers" b etween s ea r esources a nd t hose p eople l iving i nland, l iterally c ontrolling a ccess t o m arine r esources. I t m ay a lso b e t hat t his e xchange a t t he p urely e conomical l evel a lso w as a n o pportunity f or s ocial e xchange ( exchange o f m ating p artners, c ompetition f or p ower b etween " chiefs," a nd s o o n).

C ONCLUSION T he c ontrast

i n m arine r esource e xploitation b etween n orthern a nd

s outhern c oastal s ites o f t he N icoya P eninsula u rged u s t o t ry t o f ind s ome e xplanations. A lthough e cological s ettings ( especially t he m arine e nvironment) h ad b een s hown a s a n ecessary c ondition f or d ifferentiating n orthern a nd s outhern a reas,

1 35

t hey d id n ot e xhaust t he

f ull r ange o f p lausible e xplanations. D emographic p ressure o n s ubsistence r esources s eems t o e xplain w ith a g ood d egree o f c redibility t he i nclusion o f n ew r esources, e specially m arine r esources, i n t he s ubsistence. T he d emographic p ressure e xplanation f or t he i ncrease i n m aize i mportance i s s omewhat c ounterbalanced b y t he a ctual n egative a rtifactual e vidence a nd t he g eneral s oil a nd c limate c onditions u nder w hich m aize a griculture i s d ifficult. W e h ave t o c onclude t hat m aize p robably c ame f or a g ood p art f rom o utside n orthern c oastal N icoya, s uggesting a n e xchange n etwork f or s ubsistence g oods a nd a lso f or o ther s ocial p urposes. I n c onclusion, a t l east f rom t he l ate M iddle P olychrome t o t he L ate P olychrome P eriods, t he n orthern a nd s outhern N icoya P eninsula a reas w ould h ave t o b e c onsidered c omplementary r egions i n a v ast e xchange n etwork w hile p rior t o t he l ate M iddle P olychrome P eriod, t hese a reas m ay h ave e xperienced m uch m ore i ndependent d evelopment w ith c asual c ontacts o nly.

N OTES I .

D iscussions a nd c riticisms o n t he i mportance o f

t he d ifferent f ood

r esources l ead t o s omewhat d ifferent e stimations p resented i n t he f inal v ersion o f m y P h.D. t hesis, h erein r eferred t o a s M oreau 1 983 ( note a dded i n p roof, f all 1 984).

1 36

F i gu re 1 . L oca t ions o f s i te s a nd r e sea rch a r e A rchaeo log ica l S uba rea i ss hown b y h a tch ing .

(R ep r in ted

f r om

P REH ISTOR IC

men t ioned i n t e x t . T he G rea te r N icoya

B .S ta rk & B .Voo rh ies (e d i to rs ) COASTAL ADAPTAT IONS: 1 02)

1 37

F igu re 2 SUBS ISTENCE

E VO WT IC IN I AT V IDOR S ITE ( COSTA • R ICA)

1 00

8 0-

•• ' "

6 0-

•

. . . .•• ‚ .•

4 0-

2 0-

'" ,• • 4* A ) Cumu la t ive w

e ts o f t he

v a r ious f ood

-

LP

-

LMP

r eSSOUf c es .

EMP • • EP

0

' g a th i e rng

M ae)

s he l lfi s hes

I f ish es

i h un t i ng

P ER IODS / PHASES

I

4 41 f . e . e e .„ p e \ . 40. ,,e . , /e ‘ 1 '

L P-

,

I S

• I I

LMP-

EMP-

E PA bso lu te we ighs

o f

t he

v a r ious f ood r essou rces.

1 500

1 C00

5 00

0

1 38

0 0 5 0 0

1 01

1 500

T able 1 I mportance a bsolue e t r elative d es r essources a limentaires a u s ite V idor p eriodes/ p hases

m ais

c ueillette

m ollusques

p oissons

c hasse

t otal

P T

1 883 ( 60)

1 57 ( 5)

1 60 ( 5)

4 27 ( 15)

5 12 ( 15)

3 139 ( 100)

P MR

1 550 ( 50)

4 65 ( 15)

1 69 ( 5)

5 48 ( 20)

3 68 ( 10)

3 100 ( 100)

P MA

4 65

2 65 ( 20)

1 04 ( 7)

1 23 ( 8)

3 70 ( 30)

1 327 ( 100)

4 6

1 47 ( 35)

4 40 ( 100)

( 35) P I

N ote:

1 54 ( 35)

8 8 ( 20)

5 ( 1)

( 9)

b iomasses a bsolues e xprimees e n k g e t l eur p ourcentage e ntre p arentheses

1 39

R EFERENCES C ITED A ccola, R ichard M . 1 977 A nalisis d e l a D iffraccion d e R ayos X : s u A pplication E xperimental e n e l E studio d e l a C eramica P olicromada d e N icoya, C osta R ica. V inculos 3 (1-2):37-46. B audez, 1 967

C laude R echerches a rcheologiques d ans l a v allee d u T empisque, G uanacaste, C osta R ica. P aris: U niversite d e P aris.

B audez, C laude a nd M ichael D . C oe 1 962 A rchaeological S equences i n N orthwestern C osta R ica. A ctes d u 3 4th o ngres i nternational d es A mericanistes, p p. 3 66-373. B ernstein, D . 1 979 T he A nalysis o f a n A ssemblage o f G round S tone A rtifacts f rom G uanacaste, C osta R ica. M aster t hesis, D epartment o f A nthropology, B rown U niversity. C oe, M ichael D . 1 962 C osta R ican A rchaeology a nd M esoamerica. o f A nthropology 1 8(2):170-183.

S outhwestern J ournal

H ubbs, C . L . a nd G . I . R oden 1 964 O ceanography a nd M arine L ife a long t he P acific C oast. I n H andbook o f M iddle A merican I ndians, R obert C . W est a nd R obert W auchope, e ds. V ol. 1 , p p. 1 43-186. A ustin: U niversity o f T exas P ress. K erbis, J . 1 979 A nalysis o f t he F aunal R emains a t V idor S ite. M asters t hesis. D epartment o f A nthroplology, U niversity o f C hicago. L ange, F rederick W . 1 981 C ulture H istory o f t he S apoa R iver V alley, C osta R ica. B eloit, B eloit C ollege O ccasional p apers i n A nthropology N o. 4 . L ange, F rederick W ., D avid J . B ernstein, M . S iegel a nd D . T ase 1 976 P reliminary A rchaeological R esearch i n t he N osara V alley. F olk 1 8:47-60. L ange, F rederick W ., R ichard M . A cola, a nd P eter R yder 1 980 L a A dministracion d e l os R ecursos C ulturales e n B ahia C ulebra. V inculos 6 (1-2):9-32. L inares, O lga F . 1 977 A daptive S trategies i n W estern P anama. W orld A rchaeology 8 (3):304-319. 1 980 C onclusions. I n A daptive R adiations i n P rehistoric P anama, O lga F . L inares a nd A nthony J . R anere, e ds., p p 2 33-249, C ambridge: H arvard U niversity P ress. M alinowski, B . 1 935 C oral G ardens a nd t heir M agic.

1 40

N ew Y ork:

D over.

M oreau, J ean-Francois 1 983 L 'adaptation M aritime P rehistorique a u s ite V idor, C osta R ica. P h .D. t hesis, D epartement d 'Anthropologie, U niversite d e M ontreal. N orr, L ynette a nd D . C oleman 1 982 D ietary I nterpretations o f 1 3C/12C i n P rehistoric B one C ollagen f rom a T ropical C oastal E nvironment, p repared f or p ublication i n C hemical A nalyses o f A ncient S keletal M aterial, L . K lepinger, e d. S narskis, M ichael a nd A ida B lanco 1 978 D atos s obre C eramica P olicromada G uanacasteca E xcavada e n e l M eseta c entral. V inculos 1 (2):83-91). S weeney, 1 975

J eanne W . G uanacaste, C osta R ica: A n A nalysis o f P recolumbian C eramics f rom t he N orthwest C oast. P h.D. t hesis, D epartment o f A nthropology, U niversity o f P ennsylvania.

1 41

E LITE P ARTICIPATION I N P RECOLOMBIAN C ERAMIC T RANSFER I N C OSTA R ICA

F rederick W . U niversity o f B oulder

1 43

L ange C olorado

A BSTRACT T he t emporal,

q uantitative,

a nd c ontextual p atterns o f

d istribution o f G reater N icoya c eramics R ica

i n t he C entral V alley o f C osta

i s e xamined o n t he b asis o f a vailable d ata.

t hat c ommercial-economic o bjectives w ere n ot

T he p atterns s uggest

t he p rimary b ases f or t he

d istribution. V arious t rade m odels ( Renfrew 1 975) a re e valuated i n l ight o f t he d ata a nd a m odel o f " elite e missary" b ehavior i s p roposed t o a ccount f or t he c eramic d istribution.

R ESUMEN S e e xamina l a d istribucion t emporal,

c uantativa,

y c ontextual d e

c eramica d e l a G ran N icoya e ncontrada e n e l v alle c entral d e C osta R ica.

L os p atrones d e d istribucion s ugieren q ue o bjetivos

c omerciales-economicos n o f ormaron l os b ases p ara l a d istribucion o bservado.

S e e valua a lgunos m odelos d e c omercio

( Renfrew 1 975)

v ista d e l os d atos a rqueologicos y s e p resenta u n n uevo m odelo d e " elite e missary" e n e xplicando l a d istribucion c eramico q ue s e h a n otado.

1 44

e n

I NTRODUCTION P rehistoric r esearch i n C osta R ica h as l ong b een c ompartmentalized b y g eographical a rea ( Fonseca t his v olume) a nd l ittle a ttention h as b een p aid t o r elationships b etween t he d ifferent g eographical/ecological z ones. T he c ontinuing r esearch a t G uayabo ( Fonseca a nd H urtado d e M endoza 1 982; H urtado d e M endoza e t a l t his v olume; F onseca a nd A cuna 1 984; H urtado d e M endoza a nd A rias 1 984) a nd o ther C entral V alley s ites ( Snarskis a nd B lanco 1 978; G uerrero 1 981; V azquez 1 982; G utierrez 1 984; B lanco 1 984) h as p roduced e vidence o f c ontact t hrough c eramic e arlier

w ith t he n orthwestern p art o f C osta R ica ( "Greater N icoya") t he p resence o f G reater N icoya p olychrome c eramics. T his e vidence ( dating p rincipally f rom A .D. 8 00-1300), t ogether w ith j ade/greenstone d istribution ( 300 B .C.-700 A .D.) d ata ( Balser

1 980; L ange, B ishop a nd v an Z elst 1 981; L ange a nd B ishop 1 984) i s b eginning t o p rovide b etter i nsights i nto t he P recolumbian r elationship b etween t hese t wo g eographically a nd e nvironmentally d istinct a reas. G reater N icoya:

L imits a nd

B oundaries

T he c oncept o f t he G reater N icoya s ubarea w as f ormulated b y N orweb ( 1961, 1 964) a nd i ncludes ( Fig. 1 ) t he P acific c oast o f N icaragua a nd G uanacaste P rovince a nd a ll o f t he N icoya p eninsula i n C osta R ica ( but n ot t he G ulf o f N icoya i tself)(Creamer 1 983, 1 984). R ecent s urvey b y L ange a nd S heets ( 1983, 1 984) s uggests a N icaraguan e xtension o f t he s ubarea a s f ar n orth a s t he s outheast s hore o f L ake M anagua. T here w ere t emporal f luctuations i n G reater N icoya's b oundaries, b ut t he a bove a reas w ere i n i ts " core" t hroughout t he c eramic p eriod. S mall q uantities o f E arly, M iddle a nd L ate P olychrome G reater N icoya c eramics o ccur o n t he e ast s ide o f t he c ordillera o f G uanacaste ( Dawson 1 979), b ut t his i s n ot c onsidered a s p art o f G reater N icoya. R esearch b y F inch ( 1977, 1 984), N orr ( 1979, 1 984), R yder ( 1979, 1 984) a nd S heets ( 1984), a lso i ndicates t hat t he f ull s ubarea t radition d oes n ot r each a bove a pproximately t he 4 00 M c ontour o n t he w est s ide o f t he c ordilleras o f G uanacaste a nd T ilaran. I t

i s e ssential

t o d istinguish b etween t he C entral V alley o f C osta

R ica, w hich i s m ost d irectly a pproachable f rom G uanacaste/Greater N icoya v ia t he R io G rande d e T arcoles, a nd t he b roader " Atlantic W atershed," w hich m ay b e r eached v ia t he C entral V alley, o r v ia a ny o ne o f a n umber o f i nter-volcano " saddles" i n t he c ordillera o f G uanacaste. T he

D istribution o f J ade a nd

C eramic

A rtifacts

A s n oted, p atterns o f j ade d istribution i n G reater N icoya a nd t he C entral V alley a re s omewhat e arlier ( ending a round A .D . 6 00-700) t han t he m ajor p eriod o f c eramic d istribution i n t he s ame a rea ( beginning a round A .D. 8 00-900). M ajor c hanges i n b oth i nternal c ultural d evelopment a nd e xternal c ontacts a re e videnced b etween t he t wo p eriods a nd w e m ay s uspect

t hat b oth r outes o f c ontact a nd u nderlying

m otivations f or e xchange v aried. T hat c ontact w as m aintained o ver s uch a n e xtended p eriod, d espite s hifting u nderlying r easons, w ithout a m ore g eneral i ntegration o f t he m aterial c ulture o f t he t wo a reas, i ndicates t hat c ontacts w ere s tructured t hrough e lite t hrough t he g eneral p opulace.

1 45

l evels o f s ociety,

a nd n ot

T he d istribution o f c ertain f orms a nd s tyles o f j ade a rtifacts c rosses t he e cological b oundaries b etween G reater N icoya a nd t he H ighlands, d emonstrating t hat e lite ( chiefdom l evel) i nteraction t ranscended e cological a nd p hysiographical ( Fig. 1 ) l imits. J ade o ccurs a lmost e xclusively i n m ortuary c ontexts a nd o ften a s p art o f a c omplex i ncluding c eremonial metates/stools, m ace h eads, a nd j ade. D e l a C ruz ( 1981) h as d one t he m ost t horough s tudy o f t his c omplex, w hile f urther e vidence o f i ts d istribution h as b een d emonstrated a nd s ummarized b y H artman 1 907; L ange 1 979, 1 984; S narskis 1 979; 1 984, a nd G uerrero 1 981. I n b oth c eramics a nd j ade, t he d ata i ndicate c ontact b etween G reater N icoya a nd t he C entral V alley a rea, b ut i n l imited q uantities, i ndicating t hat s pecific c ultural m echanisms o f b oundary m aintenance w ere a ctive. S ince t he p resent d iscussion f ocuses m ainly o n d ecorated p ottery w e s hould k eep i n mind

( 1)

B ray 's

( 1984)

c omment t hat p ottery i s

o ver u sed a s a n e stimator o f c ultural c ontact,

a nd ( 2)

B eaudry 's ( 1984)

o bservation t hat t he h ouse o f a p rehistoric " agriculturalist" i n E l S alvador h ad " ...a s trong r epresentation o f p olychromes w ithin t he h ousehold 's s upply o f v essels." S he s ees t his a c ontrasting w ith " ...a t endency i n M esoamerican a rchaeology t o e quate t he p resence o f p olychrome c eramics w ith h igh s tatus." I n t wo C osta R ican e xamples f rom G reater N icoya, b oth t he u nscientifically o btained h acienda T empisque ( Day 1 982, 1 984) a nd s cientifically e xcavated L a C eiba c ollections ( Guerrero 1 983), m ixtures o f d ecorated a nd u ndecorated c eramics a lso a ppear i n m ortuary c ontexts. A t H acienda T empisque w e c an n ever k now t he r elative p ercentages o f u ndecorated a nd d ecorated c eramics i n t he a lready e xcavated g raves, b ut a t L a C eiba,

G uerrero ( 1983:9)

n oted d ifferences i n c eramic

a ssociations b etween e xtended, a rticulated b urials w ith h igher q uality o fferings, a nd o thers i n b undles a nd u narticulated w ith l esser q uality ( from o ur a esthetic p erspective) c eramics: T ambien s e n oto q ue l as o frendas s on d e m ayor c alidad y c antidad, e s d ecir, q ue e l p orcentaje d e c eramica p olicromada q ue a parece e n e stos e ntierros e xtendidos e s mucho m ayor q ue e l d e e ntierros d e p aquete y n o a rticulados, l os c uales n o p resentan u na f ormacion l ineal d e a rtefactos, s ino q ue e s e n p equeno g rupos, c eramica p olicromada,

l os c uales t ienen m uy p oca

e n e special d el t ipo P ataky y

P apagayo q ue f ueron l os m as c omunes e n l os e ntierros e xtendidos; e s q ue r efuerza n uestra h ipotesis a nterior y p areciera q ue e stos e ntierros e n p aquete s on p ersonajes d e menos s tatus... T he L a

C eiba d ata s eem t o a gain r einforce t he p reviously s uggested

( Wallace a nd A ccola 1 980:58) r itual s ignificance o f P ataky P olychrome a nd a lso t he i mportance o f P apagayo P olychrome, a lthough i t i s a lso f requently f ound i n d omestic c ontexts ( as w ith t he p olychromes i n B eaudry 's e xample). T he p resence o f 2 9 c ulinary v essels a t L a C eiba, i n a manner s imilar t o P apagayo 's e xtensive p resence i n d omestic c ontexts,

s how t hat w e c annot

j udge f unction b y a ppearance a lone a nd

t hat c ontext i s a n i ndispensable e lement. T he c ulinary v essels m ay h ave b een f ood c ontainers w ith t he d eceased, o r a s i n t he c ase o f t he

1 46

M apuche, a s r eported b y D illehay ( 1984:14), r itual s ignificance.

u ndecorated v essels w ith

S ufficient d ata a re n ow a vailable t o e xplore t he n ature o f t he c ontacts a nd i nteraction t hat a re r epresented b y t he d istribution o f G reater N icoya c eramics.

I n t he f ollowing d iscussion t he t erms

" trade"

a nd " exchange" a re i ntended t o h ave a n e conomic e mphasis, w hile " transfer" h as a s ocial, r eligious, a nd p olitical e mphasis. T his a rbitrary d istinction f ully r ecognizes

t hat many a nthropologists

i nclude s ociopolitical c haracteristics i n t he t erm " exchange," a nd a lso t hat d ifferences b etween p olitical, r eligious, a nd e conomic b ehavior c annot b e f ully d elineated i n p rehistoric c ontexts. T he f ollowing d iscussion d emonstrates t hat t he G reater N icoya c eramics p resent i n t he C entral V alley a re b ut a s mall p ercentage o f w hat w as p roduced i n G reater N icoya. I nterpretations i nvolving t he d egree a nd n ature o f t he c ontacts b etween t he t wo r egions s hould b e t empered a ccordingly. T he B eginning o f C eramic P roduction i n G reater N icoya C eramic p roduction h as a pproximately t he s ame t ime d epth ( 2,500 y ears; L ange a nd S tone 1 984: A pp. 3 ) o n t he A tlantic ( Snarskis a nd P acific ( Lange 1 980a, 1 984) c oasts o f C osta R ica ( Fig. 2 ). F ollowing p articipation i n t he b road

1 984)

f ormative t radition o f z oned

i ncising, P acific a rtesans b egan t o e mphasize t he u se o f b ichrome a nd p olychrome p ainting, w hile A tlantic c oastal a rtesans f ocused o n i ncision, a pplique a nd m odeling ( plastic d ecoration). O ne r eason f or t his d ifference w as a g eological s carcity o f n ecessary p igments ( Agency f or I nternational D evelopment 1 965)

o n t he A tlantic s ide o f C osta R ica.

I t i s a lso w orth n oting t hat t he n atural p igments ( such a s m anganese) f or t he v ibrant b lack c olor s o e ssential t o m any G reater N icoya c eramics may h ave b een a bsent f rom t he n orthern s ector o f G reater N icoya ( modern P acific N icaragua). E xtensive t rade o r d irect p rocurement o f b lack p igments f rom s outhern s ector s ources ( modern P acific C osta R ica) i s i ndicated i f t his i s t rue. T he d ominance o f p ainted c eramics i n G reater N icoya i s r eflected i n t he " Zoned B ichrame," " Early P olychrome," " Middle P olychrome," a nd " Late P olychrome" a ttributions u sed t o d ivide t he r egional s equence. s ummary,

I n

a lthough t here a re s ome o verall p arallels i n t he e volution o f

t he P acific a nd A tlantic r egional c eramic t raditions,

t hey a re q uite

d istinct. I n a ddition t o t he G reater N icoya c eramics f ound a t s ites

i n t he

H ighlands, H ighland c eramics d o o ccur i n G uanacaste ( Ryder 1 980, 1 984; D ay 1 984) b ut v ery i nfrequently. N one w ere r eported b y H artman ( 1907) f rom L ate Z oned

B ichrame/Early P olychrome c ontexts a t L as

G uacas ( even

t hough t he s hared m etate, mace h ead, j ade c omplex i s p resent t here) a nd n one h as e ven b een r eported f rom c ontrolled e xcavations o n t he B ay o f S alinas, S anta E lena P eninsula, B ay o f C ulebra, B ay o f T amarindo, N osara V alley ( where t he m ace, m etate,

j ade c omplex i s a lso p resent),

o r i n t he T empisque V alley. D ecorated

( bichrome,

p olychrome a nd i ncised)

c omprise o nly a v ery s mall p ercentage

( 3-15%)

c eramics u sually

o f a ny c eramic

i nventory

i n G reater N icoya. M onochrome w ares a pparently w ere p roduced a nd u tilized l ocally a nd o nly t he d ecorated w ares w ere t ransferred o r

1 47

e xchanged i nterregionally. A ll p ainted G reater N icoya t ypes a re e asily r ecognizable i n e xternal c ontacts. S tylistic a nd n eutron a ctivation a nalyses i ndicate t hat m onochromes ( the m ajority o f w hich a re a ssumed t o h ave b een u tilitarian w ares, d espite t he c aveats i n t he i ntroduction) w ere l ocally made a nd n ot w idely t raded. G reater N icoya C eramics

i n t he H ighlands

T o e valuate t he s ignificance o f G reater N icoya c eramics f ound i n H ighland s ites w e n eed t o e xamine f our p rincipal v ariables: ( 1)

W hat p ercentage o f l ocal c eramic a ssemblages i n b oth G reater

N icoya a nd t he H ighlands w as t aken u p b y G reater N icoya c eramics? ( 2) W hat i s t he r elationship o f t he p roportion o f o ccurrence o f G reater N icoya c eramics

i n t he H ighlands c ompared t o t he p roportion o f

t heir o ccurrence i n G reater N icoya? ( 3)

W hat p ercentage o f t he t otal c eramic p roduction o f a ny

p articular t ype,

a nd a ll t ypes c ollectively f rom G reater N icoya,

i s

r epresented b y t he s ample o f G reater N icoya c eramics i n H ighland s ites? ( 4) W hat a re t he c ontexts i n w hich t he a bove o ccur? T his f ourth p oint i s c rucial t o e stablishing t he f unction a nd r ole o f t hese c eramics i n b oth l ocal a nd e xtra-local p rovenience. W ith c urrent d ata w e c an b egin t o d evelop a n e stimate o f t he p atterns a nd m agnitude o f p roduction a nd t ransfer. T hese e stimates a re b ased o n c onsideration o f t he f our v ariables p resented a bove. T he E xisting D ata B ase I n c omparing

t he " as a p ercentage o f t he t otal c ollection" d ata

f or s pecific t ypes b etween G reater N icoya a nd t he H ighlands c ontext,

w e

n eed t o b e a ware t hat c eramic d ensities a re n ot c omparable f rom r egion t o r egion ( or e ven w ithin r egions) a nd m ay v ary g reatly b etween t he A tlantic a nd t he P acific. F or e xample, t he c eramic p eriod s ite o f A gua B uena i n N icaragua ( Lange a nd S heets 1 983) y ielded a lmost n o s urface c eramics; i n g eneral c eramics s eem l ess p lentiful o n t he A tlantic c oast o f N icaragua t han t hey a re o n t he P acific c oast ( Anibal M artinez, p ersonal c ommunication). T hus, 3 % o f a t otal c ollection f rom o ne s ite m ay i n f act b e e ither m ore o r l ess t han t he s ame 3 % o f a t otal f rom a nother. D ata a re n ot a t h and t o r esolve t his p roblem f or t he e xamples u sed h ere a nd a n a rbitrary a ssumption o f e quality o f c eramic d ensity i s m ade. T he e xtent t o w hich t his a ssumption i s a ccurate w ill c learly a ffect o ur i nterpretations o f t he r elative q uantities o f

G reater N icoya

c eramics t hat a re p resent i n d ifferent s ites a nd d ifferent r egions. T he d ata b ases

f or b oth r egions a re c onsidered t o b e o f

s atisfactory c omparative v alue f or p resent p urposes. T he t otal a rchaeological u niverse o f e ither G reater N icoya o r t he C entral V alley i s a n a bstract c oncept a s f ar a s n umbers o f t otal s ites o r t otals o f p roduction o f d ifferent a rtifact c lasses, s uch a s c eramics a re c oncerned. T he t otals s hown ( Table 1 ) d o n ot d istinguish b etween w hole v essels a nd s herds. A lso, t here h as b een n o a ttempt t o i ncorporate e stimates

f or s ites k nown b ut n ot

t ested,

1 48

o r s ites w hich h ave b een

c ompletely d estroyed a nd a re u nknown i n s cientific t erms. T hus, w hile t he f igures a re c ertinly l ow i n r elationship t o a ctual l evels o f p rehistoric p roduction a nd a rchaeological r emains, t hey d o a ccurately r epresent t he p roportion o f d ifferent t ypes i n d ifferent a ssemblages, a nd t he t emporal a nd g eographical d istribution o f d ifferent t ypes. D istributional D ata A lthough p ortions o f G reater N icoya a re s till u nknown a rchaeologically, r esearch d uring t he p ast q uarter o f a c entury h as p roduced a r eliable b ackground f or t he d istributions o f m ajor c eramic t ypes a nd f or t he r elative f requency w ith w hich t hey o ccur i n e ither t he n orthern ( Nicaraguan) o r t he s outhern ( Costa R ican) s ectors o f G reater N icoya. R esearch h as a lso b een s ufficiently e xtensive i n t he C entral V alley t o a dequately r eflect d istributions i n t hat a rea. D ata f rom G reater N icoya a nd t he H ighlands, w ith a d istribution s imilar t o t hat s hown i n T able 1 , w ere a nalyzed b y n eutron a ctivation a t t he B rookhaven N ational L aboratory a nd u tilized i n t wo r ecent G reater N icoya c eramic c onferences ( Lange e t a l n .d.). T hese d ata s trongly s upport a n i nterpretation t hat p roduction o f d ecorated c eramics w as i nitially q uite d ispersed a nd b ecame g eographically m ore c entralized t hrough t ime. T here i s n o e vidence t hat a ny o f t he p rincipal c eramic t ypes f rom G reater N icoya w ere e ver p roduced e lsewhere. T hus, w hether a B irmania P olychrome s herd/vessel w as f ound o n I sla C ano ( Finch a nd H onetschlager 1 984) o r i n t he H ighlands ( Fonseca a nd H urtado 1 982), i t w as m ade s omewhere i n G reater N icoya. I n t erms o f f arther-flung d istributions, t he c eramics f ound b y D iehl e t a l ( 1974) a t T ula a re n ot G reater N icoya c eramics a s t hey r eported ; t hey a re s tylistically r elated t o L as V egas P olychrome ( Baudez a nd B ecquelin 1 973: 3 13-318), a t ype f rom c entral H onduras. L as V egas P olychrome f rom H onduras a nd P apagayo P olychrome f rom G reater N icoya s hare t he s imilarities o f r ed,

b lack,

a nd s ometimes o range a nd

g ray p aint o n a c reamy w hite s lip. T he t wo t ypes a re c hronologically c oeval a nd a lso o verlap g eographically a t L ake Y ajoa, H onduras, w here B uadez a nd B ecquelin ( 1973: F ig. 1 21), r ecovered b oth t ypes. G eographical d istinctions c an b e e stablished b oth o n c olor a nd s tylistic ( somewhat d ifferent u se o f s pace a nd s lightly d ifferent s lip c olors) a nd i nstrumental a nalyses ( distinct c ompositional p atterns) b ases. E . W yllys A ndrews V ( 1976:114) w ould s ee D elirio R ed-on-White ( from Q uelepa, E l S alvador) a s a nother c oeval g eographical v ariant o f t his M iddle P olychrome a nd e arly L ate P olychrome ( Mesoamerican P ostclassic) r ed-on-white c eramic " family." T he r elationship o f t he g eographical v ariants o f r ed-on-white a nd r ed-black-orange o n w hite p olychrome c eramics i n s outhern M esoamerica a nd n orthern L ower C entral A merica b etween A .D. 8 00-1300 w arrants f urther i nvestigation. J ane D ay ( 1984) h as c oncluded t hat w hite-slipped c eramics i n g eneral o ccur e arlier i n C entral A merica ( and s pecifically i n G reater N icoya) t han t hey d o i n s outhern M esoamerica. T he s ample r epresented b y T able 1 w as d erived f rom s ites t hroughout

G reater N icoya a rea,

i ncluding H ealy 's a nalysis

( 1974,

1 980)

o f W illey a nd N orweb 's w ork i n t he i sthmus o f R ivas, J ane D ay's a nalysis o f

t he H acienda T empisque c ollection

1 49

( 1982,

1 984),

B uadez 's

b enchmark s tudy ( 1967) i n t he T empisque V alley, a nd C reamer's r esearch i n t he G ulf o f N icoya ( 1983). T his s ample i s s elective a nd a l arge n umber o f s ites a re n ot r epresented ( only 1 o f 1 18 s ites i n t he R io S apoa/Bay o f S alinas a rea i s r epresented, a s i s o nly 1 o f 6 3 s ites o n t he B ay o f C elebra; l ikewise s ites f rom t he i sthmus o f R ivas w ere o nly p artially r eported b y H ealy, w hile L ange a nd S heets ( 1983, 1 984) v isited a n umber o f p reviously u nreported s ites. I n u tilizing T able 1 , i t s hould a lso b e n oted t hat i t i s s kewed b y t he l arge q uantity o f S acasa S triated r eported f rom R ivas b y H ealy a nd t o a l esser d egree b y t he l arge q uantity o f T empisque I ncised a nd A pplique r eported f rom t he G ulf o f N icoya b y C reamer. T he d ata t hat a re r eported r epresent o nly s mall p ercentages ( 1% o r l ess, b ased o n e stimates o f e xcavated u nits r elative t o t otal s ite a reas) o f t he c ontents o f k nown s ites. I n r eviewing t he p ublished a nd d raft r eports ( Hartman 1 901, 1 907; S weeney 1 975, 1 976; C reamer 1 983; D ay 1 984; B audez 1 967; L ange 1 971; A ccola 1 978; a nd H ealy 1 980) u sed t o c ompile T ables 1 -7, i t b ecame c lear t hat many d ifferent methods o f r ecovery ( no s creening o r s creening w ith v arious s ized m eshes; r ainy o r d ry s eason s oil c onditions, v aried i nterpretations o f t he t ypological n omenclature, a nd d ifferent l aboratory p rocedures) h ad a ll a ffected f inal c ounts. N one o f t he s ites r eviewed w as

s ampled b y a n e xplicit,

s tatistically b ased r esearch d esign. A s tatistically d rawn s ample w ould, o n t he o ther h and, a ccurately r eflect c ontextual d ifferences o n a n i ndividual s ite b asis ( individual b urial, m ultiple b urial, o pen h abitation, mound h abitation, e tc.). S uch a s ample w ould a lso p lace e qual a nalytical e mphases o n u ndecorated c eramics; u ntil n ow , t his c ategory o f c eramics h as b een c arefully a nalyzed b y s ome i nvestigators ( Baudez 1 967, S weeney 1 975) a nd l argely d isregarded b y o thers ( Lange 1 971, H ealy 1 980, C reamer 1 983, D ay 1 984). N ow t hat p atterns o f c eramic d istribution, s uch a s a re d efined o n a p reliminary b asis i n t his p aper, a re b ecoming b etter k nown a nd a h igh l evel o f c o-variation b etween s tylistic a nd i nstrumental a nalyses h as b een e stablished, m ore c arefully d efined s ampling s trategies s hould b e I mplemented i n f uture r esearch. T he q uantitative d ata p resented i n T able 1 s upport t he d ivision o f G reater N icoya i nto n orthern a nd s outhern s ectors ( Lange 1 984). O nly s ome o f t he f ollowing p rincipal t ypes a re

l isted, w ith c itations o f

p rincipal d escriptions: E volution o f C eramic P roduction I n t he f ollowing d iscussion " southern s ector" r efers t o t hat p art o f G reater N icoya i n c ontemporary C osta R ica, " northern s ector" t he p art o f G reater N icoya i n c ontemporary N icaragua,

a nd " pan-regional" t o

a ll o f G reater N icoya. A lmost t he e ntire s ample w as d rawn f rom d omestic c ontexts, a lthough m ortuary c ontexts a re e valuated i n t he d iscussion.

A lmost a ll o f t he p an-regional t ypes a re f rom t he z oned

B ichrome a nd E arly P olychrome P eriods, r eflecting G reater N icoya's p articipation i n g eneral f ormative d evelopments a nd d ispersal o f c ultural t raits. S ubsequently, P apagayo P olychrome h as t he s uperficial a ppearance o f b eing p an-regional, b ut i ts c oncentration i s much h eavier i n t he n orthern t wo-thirds o f t he s ubarea t han i n t he s outhern o ne-third ( compare

t he

R ivas a nd T empisque V alley d ata,

1 50

f or e xample).

A lthough, a s m entioned p reviously, w e h ave n o p olychrome k iln s ites ( but s ee A bel 1 978, A bel-Vidor 1 980a) t he t echnical d ata s upport a c onclusion t hat

t he p roduction o f p olychrome c eramics,

M iddle P olychrome P eriod a nd o nward, h ighly c entralized. Z oned

B ichrome a nd E arly P olychrome c eramics,

a nd i n s ome c ases n ot

e xample o f a R osales ( Snarskis

b ut

a lthough o f s imilar,

e ven g reater t echnical q uality t han l ater t ypes,

f ound w ith a ny f requency i n t he H ighlands.

H ighlands w as

c ertainly b y t he

w as n ot a h ousehold i ndustry,

Z oned

E ngraved

a re

P erhaps t he o nly k nown

( Claro v ariety) v essel

f rom t he

t he e ffigy m onkey f igure f ound i n t he T ibas b urial

1 979).

A s s hown i n T able

1 ,

R osales

Z oned

E ngraved i s

r elatively r are i n G reater N icoya a s w ell. N one o f t he m ore c ommon Z oned B ichrome t ypes s uch a s B ocana Z oned I ncised a re k nown i n t he H ighlands,

a lthough B ocana d oes h ave v ery s trong m odal a nalogs

e specially i n i ts c ommunication,

S antigo v ariety ( Guerrero a nd D ay p ersonal

D enver C eramic

C onference)

w ith E l

B osque t ypes

( Snarskis 1 978). Two l ate Z oned B ichrome t ypes, Z elaya B ichrame/Trichrome a nd G uinea I ncised a re a lso u nknown i n t he C entral V alley, but a gain h ave s trong a nalogs. E arly P olychrome t ypes s uch a s G ab oP olychrome a nd C arrillo P olychrome a re a lmost c ompletely u nknown i n t he

C entral V alley a nd

c ommunication) v essels)

t here a re n o a nalogs.

S narskis ( personal

r eports 1 s mall G ab oP olychrome v essel

a nd t hat J uan V icente G uerrero

( out o f 4 50

f ound 4 l ate G ab of igurines a nd

2 " Carrillo-like" b owls a t L a E abrica d e G recia. I n t he b roader A tlantic W atershed c ontext, S narskis ( 1978:213, 2 63-264) r eported f inding 3 s herds o f G alo P olychrome a t t he s ite o f L a Z oila, n ear T urrialba. C ONTEXT A ND F UNCTION P ersons w orking i n G reater N icoya h ave d iscussed

t he e xtent t o

w hich a t l east s ome o f t he p olychromes w ere p roduced e specially f or m ortuary u se a nd W allace a nd

A ccola

( 1980:58)

P olychrome m ay h ave b een s uch a t ype; i nterpretation s eems

P ataky

t his

t o h ave b een f urther s upported b y G uerrero 's

r ecent e xcavations a t L a

C eiba.

W hile a ll p olychrome t ypes a re f ound

i n m ortuary c ontexts i n G reater N icoya, v arying q uantities

s uggested t hat

a s n oted e arlier,

t hey a re a lso a ll

f rom d omestic r efuse.

t ypes may h ave b een more

T he e xtent

s pecifically i ntended

h ave h ad b roader u se p atterns m ay b e r eflected T he H acienda T empisque d ata a re a ll

r ecovered

i n

t o w hich s ome

f or mortuary u se o r m ay i n t he d ata i n T able

1 .

f rom n on-scientifically c ontrolled

d igging, but t he v essels a re p resumably f rom m ortuary c ontexts. T his i s a n a cceptable a ssumption, b ased o n a " whole v essel e quals mortuary c ontext a nd s herd m aterial e quals d omestic c ontext" g eneralization t hat s eems

t o

p revail

I n T able

1 ,

t hroughout

G reater N icoya.

t hose t ypes h aving a h igher p ercentage i n t he H acienda

c ollection t han i n t he a verage o f t he e xcavated d omestic s amples might b e a ssumed t o h ave a m ortuary e mphasis, w hile t hose t ypes h aving h igher p ercentages f rom e xcavated c ontexts i ndicate a much b roader m ortuary-domestic u se. I n B inford's ( 1962) t erminology, s ome o f t he G reater N icoya t ypes s eem t o b e m ore e xclusively i deo-technic o r t echnomic. I n c omparing

t he f requency o f o ccurrence o f d ifferent G reater

N icoya c eramics o utside

t he c ore s ubarea,

1 51

o ne

i s s truck b y major

c ontextual a s w ell a s q uantitative d ifferences: G reater N icoya c eramics h ave b een f ound i n m ortuary c ontexts a t N acascolo ( Vazquez 1 984a), 1 984),

V idor

( Vazquez a nd W eaver

H acienda M ojica

1 980),

( Ryder 1 979,

H acienda T empisque

1 984),

L a G uinea

( Day 1 982,

( Hoopes

1 979),

S an

V icente ( Day 1 984), L as M arias ( Faulwell 1 969), L as G uacas ( Hartman ( 1907), a nd L a C eiba ( Guerrero 1 983), a mong o ther s ites. T he g eographical d istribution o f t hese s ites c ontributes t o a f eeling o f c onfidence a bout g eneral d istributional p atterns.

D ecorated G reater

N icoya c eramics a lso c ome f rom g eneral s ite c ontexts r eflecting e veryday d omestic b ehavior a nd r efuse;

t he m ajority o f d ata i n T able

1

a re f rom s uch d omestic c ontexts. I n c ontrast, most o f t he G reater N icoya d ata f rom t he H ighlands s eems t o h ave b een r estricted t o s elected m ortuary c ontexts. N etworks o f D istribution I n c onsidering t he t ransfer o f G reater N icoya c eramics f rom t heir l oci o f p roduction t o t he H ighland r egion, w e must a lso b riefly c onsider w ho w as p roducing t hese c eramics, w ho c ontrolled t heir d istribution, a nd t he n etworks b y which t hey w ere d istributed. T he a vailable d ata s uggest

t hat w e m ay h ave multiple r outes a nd

s ystems

o perating: ( 1) N icaragua t o G uanacaste ( Day a nd A bel-Vidor 1 980, A bel-Vidor a nd D ay 1 981, A bel-Vidor 1 980b), ( 2) N icaragua t o t he C osta R ican C entral V alley v ia t he

S an C arlos P lain,

b ypassing t he d isperse

p opulation n odes ( Abel-Vidor 1 980b, 1 981) i n G uanacaste, G uanacaste t o t he C entral V alley. P ataky P olychrome a nd

a nd ( 3) P apagayo

P olychrome m ay h ave b een t ransferred b oth i nto G uanacaste a nd d irectly i nto t he H ighlands,

p erhaps u tilizing a r oute

J uan R iver a nd t hen u p a nd a cross S an C arlos

P lain,

t hat w ent d own t he

S an

t he e xtensive r iver n etwork o f t he

t hus e ntering t he

C entral V alley f rom t he n ortheast

r ather t han t he n orthwest. M ora P olychrome a nd a n umber o f i ts v arieties, B irmania P olychrome,

A ltiplano P olychrome,

a s w ell a s

a nd t he C ulebra V ariety o f

P apagayo P olychrome a ppear t o h ave b een t ransferred d irectly f rom G uanacaste i nto t he

H ighlands,

b ut

o nly o ccasionally i nto t he n orthern

s ector o f G reater N icoya. T he C ulebra v ariety o f P apagayo P olychrome p resents s omewhat o f a c ontradiction b etween i ts k nown g eographical d istribution a nd i ts c ompositional a nalysis. d istribution a ppears

t o b e

s trongly

i n t he s outhern s ector,

w hile

p ersonal c ommunication)

a ligns

T he g eographical

f ocused o n t he

B ay o f

t he c ompositional a nalysis

C ulebra a rea ( R.

B ishop,

i t w ith t he o ther P apagayo v arieties

f rom t he n orthern s ector. T he s outhern G reater N icoya

t radition i s

i nfrequently i n n orthern G reater N icoya,

r epresented v ery

r elative t o t he

r epresentation

o f n orthern G reater N icoya c eramics i n t he s outh ( however, l imited o ccurrence o r a bsence o f m any n orthern c eramics e xcavations

i n t he T empisque V alley a nd a lso t heir s omewhat l imited

o ccurrence a t C hahuite E scondido a nd o ther s ites a nd r eported b y S weeney ( 1975; 1 976). R egardless o f t he p ath, r eached t he

n ote t he

f rom B audez's

C entral V alley,

t ested

b y

C oe

( 1962)

o r p aths,

b y w hich G reater N icoya c eramics

t he e xtent

t o w hich c onsiderations o f t rade

m echanisms a re g ermane t o i nterpretation o f t heir p resence a s o pposed t o a lternative m eans o f c eramic d istribution, i s c ompletely d ependent u pon w hat p ercentage o f

t he p roduction o f G reater N icoya c eramic

1 52

a rtesans i s r epresented, a nd t he c ontext i n w hich t hey a re f ound. T he q uantitative a nd c ontextual d ata a llow u s t o a ssess t he p otential r ole o f t rade a nd o ther c ultural p ractices

i n t he d ispersal o f G reater

N icoya c eramics t o t he C entral V alley, i n t his c ase u tilizing t he m ode f ramework a dvanced b y R enfrew ( 1975:42ff).

1 0

C ONTEXTUAL A NALYSIS O F G REATER N ICOYA C ERAMICS I N C ENTRAL V ALLEY S ITES G uayabo

( Table 2 )

A guilar ( 1972) r eported a t otal o f 2 1 ( 0.2%) G reater N icoya p olychrome s herds f rom a t otal o f 1 3,742 f rom e xcavations i n 4 m ounds. F onseca a nd H urtado d e M endoza t ypes,

i ncluding

t he 2 t ypes

( 1982)

r eported f inding 3 G reater N icoya

i dentified e arlier b y A guilar.

T he c ounts

w ere u nspecified b ut a re k nown t o h ave b een r elatively s mall c ommunication, ( 1981;

F onseca a nd H urtado d e M endoza).

H urtado d e M endoza e t a l,

t his v olume)

( personal

H urtado d e M endoza

h as r eported f urther o n

t his r esearch. S ites T ested b y H artman L as H uacas

( Table 2 )

E xcavations a t t his s ite y ielded 6 whole a nd 2 f ragmentary G reater N icoya v essels which w ere i llustrated b y H artman ( 1901). T hese m aterials c ame f rom m ortuary c ontexts a nd r epresented c eramics

f rom t he

s outhern s ector. C hircot T he

( Table 3 )

C hircot m aterial r eported b y H artman w as f rom t wo

b urial g rounds.

H e

( 1901:125)

n oted t hat o nly o ne-third

s eparate

( 131/205)

o f

t he g raves h ad n on p erishable o fferings. F urthermore, o nly o ne-third ( 11/36) o f t he g raves w ith o fferings h ad G reater N icoya v essels ( all s outhern s ector), d istribution o f l imited

n ever w ith m ore t han o ne t o a g rave.

G reater N icoya c eramics w as

T he

s patially a nd t emporally

i n t his c emetery.

O rosi

( Table 3 )

H artman ( 1901) e xcavated t hree b urial g roups; t wo o f t he t hree p roduced n o G reater N icoya v essles, w hile o ne w as f ound i n G roup V . O ne 4 -legged B irmania P olychrome e ffigy v essel a nd o ne o ther p olychrome v essel w ere e xcavated f rom t he c offee p lantation a rea o f t he s ite. A ll v essels w ere s outhern s ector t ypes. L os

L imones

( Table 4 )

T o d ate, t his i s t he o nly H ighland s ite w here a P ataky P olycrome v essel h as b een f ound. T his v essel w as f rom a m ortuary c ontext a nd H artman ( 1901) d escribed

i t a s c ontaining a r esin-like m aterial.

H artman a lso f ound a C ulebra v ariety P apagayo P olychrome v essel,

t he

o nly r eported o ccurrence o f

t hese modeled-rim, m an-jaguar m otif v essels

o utside o f G reater

T he v essels

N icoya.

f rom t his s ite w ere e qually

( 1/1) d ivided b etween n orthern a nd s outhern s ectors.

1 53

S antiago ( Table 4 ) H artman e xcavated 1 P apagayo P olychrome v essel f rom G rave 1 6 a t t his s ite. I t i s a n orthern s ector v ariety. L as M ercedes E xcavations a t L as M ercedes p roduced n o G reater N icoya m aterial. N one o f t he s ites t ested b y H artman c an b e c ompared p roportionately w ith e ither G reater N icoya o r w ith o ther H ighland s ites b ecause t he n on-whole v essel a nd n on-polychrome v essel d ata a re i ncomplete. H owever, i t i s a pparent t hat G reater N icoya c eramics a re e ither a bsent o r e lse a v ery s mall p art o f t he c eramic a ssemblage a t a ny o f t he s ites.

S ignificantly,

e xcavation s trategy,

a nd t his i n p art r eflects H artman 's

a ll e xamples a re f rom m ortuary c ontexts.

B arrial d e H eredia ( Table 5 ) T his s ite h as t wo c omponents ( Snarskis a nd B lanco 1 978).

G reater

N icoya c eramics w ere f ound o nly i n t he l ater c omponent, which S narskis ( 1984) d ated f rom A .D . 9 00-1200. S narskis a nd B lanco ( 1978) r eported 2 0 G reater N icoya v essels f ound i n g raves ( with 5 f ound i n 1 g rave a lone), b eing 4 .5% " ... o f t he t otal n umber o f v essels f ound i n b urials a nd c aches." I t i s n ot k nown i f t he o verall p ercentage o f g raves w ith c eramic o fferings w as s imilar t o t hat a t C hircot, t he C entral V alley, o r n ot.

a t t he o ther e nd o f

T he m ultiple o ccurrence o f G reater N icoya v essels a t B arrial c ontrasts w ith t he s ingle v essel p er t omb a verage r ecovered b y H artman i n t he C hircot a nd O rosi c emeteries. P erhaps t his r eflects n othing m ore t han c loser g eographical p roximity o f B arrial d e H eredia t o G reater N icoya, o r i t m ay h ave s ociopolitical s ignificance a s w ell. T he v essels i ncluded f ive G reater N icoya t ypes,

w ith a ll b ut

P apagayo

P olychrome b eing f rom t he s outhern g roup. S narskis ( 1984) h as n oted t hat " Polychrome s herds f rom s urface c ollections a nd e xcavations t otalled 3 56, 1 .15% o f a ll s herds c ollected," a nd c oncluded t hat " ... o bviously t he b right N icoya-Guanacaste c eramics w ere h ighly v alued, a nd t heir q uantity s uggests w ell e stablished t rade c hannels w ith n orthwest C osta R ica." L ooking a t t he s ame d ata f rom t he p erspective o f G reater N icoya, n either i s t he q uantity o verly i mpressive n or a re o nly " well-established t rade r outes" s uggested. S narskis a nd B lanco 's d escription o f t he c ontext o f t he B arrial v essels i n f act s uggests t hat m ost o f t hem w ere c oncentrated i n a r elatively f ew b urials a nd r epresent i nfrequent a nd a lmost r are e vents o ver t he 3 00 o r s o y ears' o ccupation t hat a re r epresented. t o c oncur

i n t his a ssessment,

F onseca a nd H urtado d e M endoza s eem

s tating

( 1982:10)

" ...

l a c eramica

p olicromada d e G uanacaste, r ecuperada d el s itio B arrial, p uede c onsider a rsele e videncia d e i nterrelacion e ntre l os d os r egiones, p ero n o e s s uficiente p ara a segurar q ue s e t rata d e u na m anifestacion d e i ntercambio e conomico." T here i s n o c ertainty t hat a ll o f t he " polychrome s herds" a re f rom G reater N icoya c eramics. T he s ite o f C arrizal ( Fig. 1 ), w hich i s p hysically much c loser t o B arrial d e H eredia t han i s G reater N icoya, h as p roduced p olychrome c eramics t hat a re n ot G reater N icoya i n s tyle, a nd a re u nlike a ny o ther t ypes k nown i n C osta R ica u p t o t he p resent

1 54

t ime. I t i s p ossible t hat s ome o f t he s herds f rom B arrial d e H eredia r epresent t his m aterial i nstead. S narskis ( 1984) a lso n oted ( without q uantifying) t he " high p ercentage" o f G reater N icoya P olychromes w ith " cracklacing" a nd a lso w ear a round t he l ips a nd o n t he s urface o f m any v essels. H e i nterprets t his a s n ormal w ear a nd s ees i t a s c ontrary t o a r itual i nterpretation. W e n eed t o k eep i n m ind t hat o ften t he i conography i s m ore i mportant t han t he v essel

i t i s o n,

a nd t hat o lder v essels m ay b e o f h ereditary

r itual s ignificance ( Dillehay 1 984:14). W e a lso n eed t o r eview t he c ontext o f t he m aterial f rom B arrial. A ll o f t he w hole v essels w ere f ound i n m ortuary c ontexts; s ome o f t he s herd m aterial w as s urface c ollected a nd t he r est w as o btained f rom e xcavation. G iven t he s erious c onstruction i mpact a t t he s ite, f ollowing m any y ears o f c offee c ultivation, i t i s l ikely t hat a t l east s ome o f t he s herd m aterial f rom t he s urface a nd f rom e xcavation w as o riginally a lso f rom m ortuary c ontexts. O chomoqo ( Table 5 ) B lanco ( 1984)

r eported o n t hese s alvage e fforts a nd n oted t he

p resence o f G reater N icoya c eramics ( from m ortuary c ontexts, f requency w as n ot q uantified). A gain, n orthern s ector t ype r epresented. E l M olino ( Cartago)

b ut t heir

P apagayo P olychrome w as

t he o nly

( Table 6 )

V azquez ( 1982 a nd t his v olume) n oted t hat t his s ite h ad t wo c omponents, o ne major ( Pavas p hase 3 00 B .C. t o A .D . 3 00) a nd o ne m inor ( Cartago p hase A .D. s equence. H owever,

9 00-1500) b y a ssociation w ith t he r egional t wo r adiocarbon d ates f rom e xcavations p lace a t

l east p art o f t he c emetery c loser t o A .D.

6 00-800.

C eramics w ere

t he

p rincipal f unerary o fferings a t t his s ite, a nd h e i llustrated ( 1982:273) s ix s outhern s ector G reater N icoya p olychrome s herds. T ibas

( Table 6 )

T his s ite w as e xcavated u nder t he s upervision o f G amboa a nd S narskis ( Snarskis 1 979); a nd s o f ar i t i s t he o nly H ighland s ite t o h ave y ielded l ate Z oned B ichrome c eramics f rom G reater N icoya ( a w hole e ffigy v essel o f a m onkey i n t he C laro V ariety o f R osales Z oned E ngraved ( Snarskis 1 981:Plate 4 ; a p an-regional t ype). T his v essel w as f ound i n m ortuary c ontext a ssociated w ith H ighland c eramics, j ade/greenstone a rtifacts, 1 979,

d e l a C ruz

s tools/metates,

a nd m ace h eads ( Snarskis

1 981). D ISCUSSION

I n n one o f

t hese s ites,

e ither i ndividually o r c ollectively ( Table

7 ), i s t here t he q uantitative p resence o f G reater N icoya c eramics n ecessary t o s pecifically v alidate a ny o ne o f t he 1 0 t rade m odels p resented

b y R enfrew ( 1975:42ff).

A c loser e xamination o f h is

1 0

m odels i n c onjunction w ith G reater N icoya d ata m akes t his c lear: ( 1) D irect A ccess: A ll o f G reater N icoya a nd t he H ighlands l ie w ithin t he 2 00-300 k m r adius t hat R enfrew d efined a s a n a rea o f " local

1 55

a ccess" w here p eople p otentially c an s imply v isit a r esource a rea a nd o btain what t hey n eed w ithout u tilizing i ntermediary p ersons o r p rocesses. T hus, i n t heory, P acific a nd C entral V alley p eoples c ould h ave m oved f reely b etween t he t wo r egions a nd f acilitated t he d ispersal o f c eramics. A s a c aution, i t i s c lear t hat t he s ame d istance b oundaries o f " local a ccess" c annot b e l iberally m oved f rom o ne a rea t o a nother. D illehay ( 1984:20), f or e xample, i ndicates a r ange o f o nly u p t o 8 0 k ilometers f or s ome - Mapuche s haman, w hile A bel-Vidor 's e thnohistoric r esearch i n G reater N icoya ( 1981: A bel-Vidor a nd D ay 1 981) d oes n ot s uggest a ny e xtensive l evel o f c ontact b etween s ettlements i n d ifferent p arts o f G reater N icoya, a t l east a t t he t ime o f t he S panish C onquest. H elms ( 1979:51-56) s ees 6 -8 l eagues ( 16-22 m iles) a s t he p ossible l imits o f i ndividual c hiefdoms i n p rehistoric w estern P anama. N onetheless,

t he d istances c ommonly w alked b y h istoric C osta

R icans ( coast t o c oast a cross t he T alamancas--following o ld I ndian t rails, N icoya t o H acienda M ojica, P untarenas t o S an J ose, a nd S an J ose t o H acienda J erico) s uggest t hat t he G reater N icoya-Central V alley d istance w as w ithin t he n ormal r ange o f m ovement, e xcept f or c ultural b arriers. A gain, t he f act t hat a t n o t ime b etween 5 00 B .C. a nd A .D. 1 520 a re A tlantic a nd P acific m aterial c ulture c omplexes f reely i ntermixed i ndicates t hat s uch c ultural b arriers w ere e stablished e arly a nd m aintained e ven t hough t heir f unctions a nd e mphases m ay h ave c hanges. T he l imited o ccurrence o f G reater N icoya c eramics i n t he H ighlands, a nd t he e ven m ore r estricted f inds o f H ighland c eramics i n G reater N icoya, d emonstrates t hat d irect a ccess w as v ery l imited, i f i t e xisted a t a ll. A s n oted e arlier, p igments f or p olychrome c olors c ould h ave e asily b een e xploited i n t his m anner, b ut w ere n ot. T here a re n o s ignificant n atural b arriers t o s uch c ontacts a nd t he i mpediments a ppear t o h ave b een s ocially/religiously/politically b ased. ( 2) H ome B ase

R eciprocity:

T his d ispersal m odel i s b ased o n

p ersons f rom Z one A ( Greater N icoya) a nd/or v ersa a nd e xchanging c ultural e ither A o r B . T he l imited q uantity N icoya m aterial f ound i n t he C entral N icoya w ould i ndicate

t hat

v isiting Z one B ( Central V alley) m aterial a t t he h ome b ase o f a nd u nequal p roportion o f G reater V alley m aterial f ound i n G reater

t his w as n ot a s ignificant m echanism f or

d ispersal. ( 3) B oundary R eciprocity: I n t his m odel, p ersons f rom Z one A ( Greater N icoya) w ould m eet p ersons f rom Z one B ( Central V alley) i n a mutually d efined b oundary a rea t o e xchange c ultural m aterials a nd i nformation. S uch a n a rea m ost l ikely w ould e xist i n a g eographically o r e cologically i ntermediate l ocation. T hus f ar, n o s uch b oundary a rea h as b een s uggested b y a rchaeological d ata i n P acific c oastal c osta R ica ( Creamer 1 983, 1 984). A dmittedly , t here a re e xtensive a reas w hich r emain t o b e e xamined i n g reater d etail. ( 4) D own-the-Line: I n t his m odel, c ultural m aterials p ass t hrough i ntermediate p oints i n t heir t ransfer f rom Z one A t o Z one B . H ere a gain,

t he r elative l ack o f k nown i ntermediate s ites

i ndicate t his

w ould n ot h ave b een a f unctional s ystem i n e ither t he e conomic s ense o r a t a ll l evels o f s ociety. H owever, t he a vailable d ata, a nd a pplication o f a n e thnohistoric m odel p rovided f rom t he M apuche a rea o f C hile b y 1 56

D illehay ( 1984) s uggest t he s trong p ossibility o f e lite " down-the-line" a ctivities. W e w ill r eturn t o t his m odel l ater. ( 5) C entral P lace: I n t his m odel, c ultural m aterials a re d ispersed f rom Z one A t o Z one B f rom a c entral p lace, w hereas t he p revious 4 m odels g enerally a llow f or i ndependent a nd m ultiple s ources a nd p atterns o f d ispersal. T he G reater N icoya c eramic d ata d o d emonstrate t hat t he m ajority o f t he p olychrome c eramics w ere p roduce i n, a nd d ispersed f rom, a c entral p lace i n s ome c ases a nd f rom a v ery r estricted n umber o f p laces i n o thers. T he s pecific r outes a nd m echanisms b y w hich t hese c eramics w ere d ispersed b oth w ithin G reater N icoya a nd f rom G reater N icoya t o t he C entral V alley i s n ot c lear; a gain, w e w ill r eturn t o t his m odel l ater. ( 6) C entral P lace M arket E xchange: I n t his m odel, b uyers o r i ntermediaries w ould c ome t o t he c enter o f p roduction a nd e ngage i n c ommercial a ctivities t o o btain d esired p roducts, i n t his c ase p olychrome c eramics. T here i s n o a rchaeological o r e thnohistorical e vidence t hat t his m echanism o f d ispersal w as e mployed i n G reater N icoya. ( 7) F ree L ance: I n t his m odel, a n i ndependent t rader " C," w ho w as a ligned w ith n either Z one A n or Z one B w ould o btain c ultural m aterials i n e ither o f t he t wo z ones a nd t ransfer t hem e lsewhere d epending u pon h is o wn p erceptions o f t he " market." W hile a p ossibility, t he p redominantly m ortuary c ontexts a nd r estricted t emporal r ange o f G reater N icoya c eramics i n t he H ighlands s uggest t hat a m ore s tructured m echanism w as r esponsible f or t he d ispersal. ( 8) E missary: I n t his m odel, h igh s tatus/rank i ndividuals i n Z one A w ould s end r epresentatives t o Z one B c arrying d esired e lite g oods, i .e. G reater N icoya p olychrome c eramics. T heir i ntent w ould h ave b een s ocial, p olitical a nd/or e conomic. S uch a m odel c ould b e s upported b y t he q uantitative a nd c ontextual o ccurrence o f G reater N icoya c eramics i n t he C entral V alley ; w e w ill a lso r eturn t o t his m odel b elow . ( 9) C olonial: T his m odel i mplies d ispersal o t c ultural m aterials t hrough d omination o f o ne a rea b y a nother; t his i s c learly n ot t he c ase i n C osta

R ica.

( 10) P ort-of-Trade: T his i s a s pecial f orm o f c entral p lace a ctivity ( Chapman 1 957), i n w hich a p rotected e nclave a llowed c ontact a nd t rade b etween g roups t hat d id n ot, o r c ould n ot, i nteract u nder n ormal c ircumstances. A gain, t his m odel i s n ot s upported b y t he a vailable G reater N icoya a n T hus n one o f

C entral V alley d ata.

t he t en m odels s et

f orth b y R enfrew s eems

i ndividually a pplicable t o t he c ase o f t he d ispersal o f G reater N icoya c eramics t o t he C osta R ican C entral V alley, b ut t he d own-the-line, c entral p lace, a nd e missary m odels a ll s eem t o h ave s omething t o o ffer t o t he d evelopment o f a c omposite m odel. T here a re 3 p rincipal f actors t o c onsider:

( 1)

t he c eramic d ata d o s upport a n i nterpretation o f

c entral p lace(s) o f p roduction f or m ost M iddle a nd L ate P olychrome p olychrome c eramics, ( 2) t here i s d oubt t hat p rehistoric C osta R ican s ocial o rganization i n e ither t he C entral V alley o r G reater N icoya w as s ufficiently c omplex t o h ave e volved f ull-time s pecialist e missaries, a nd

( 3)

t he c ontextual d ata f or b oth p roduction i n G reater N icoya 1 57

( centralized) a nd d eposition i n t he H ighlands ( principally mortuary) i ndicates e lite i nteraction. S narskis ( personal c ommunication) h as s tated t hat G reater N icoya p olychromes o ccur r egularly, b ut a lways i n s mall q uantities i n C entral V elley s ites; t his c ould c ertainly b e i nterpreted a s l ocal e lite a ccess t o s tatus g oods r ather t han t rading a ctivities. I t i s s uggested t hat w ithin t he s patial l imits o f t he G reater N icoya a nd C entral V alley a reas t hat t he e lite t hemsleves w ere t he a gents o f d ispersal. T his i s a p oint o f v iew I h ave s tated p reviously ( 1980b) b ut h ave m odified h ere t o i nclude t he p ossibility o f s ome s ort o f e lite d own-the-line c ontact ( cf. D illehay 1 984). D illehay d escribes i n s ome d etail t he m anufacture o f a nd p rocurement o f r itual p araphernalia ( including c eramic v essels) M apuche m achi ( shaman).

H e n otes ( p.

5 )

b y

t hat:

F or r itual i tems t o b e p erceived b y t he c ommunity a s am aterial m anifestation o f t he e xtended r elationship b etween m achi a nd a ncestors, t heir p roduction a nd d istribution m ust b e h idden f rom t he s ociety a t l arge. T his i s a chieved b y i ntentionally s eparating a ll m anufacturing a nd h andling p hases o f t hese g oods f rom t he m ore m undane e conomic t ransactions o f d omestic p roducts, w hich a re c arried o ut t hrough b arter, t rade, o r r eciprocal e xchange. T he r esult i s t hat c ommon p eople s ee r itual p araphernalia o nly i n t heir f inished f orm d uring c eremonies a nd s o p erceive t hese i tems a s r eferents t o t he a ncestor w orld. D illehay n otes t hat t his i s n ot u nlike H elms' ( 1979) i dea o f p restige a nd p ower g ained f rom f oreign p laces a nd p ersons i n a ncient P anama. F inally, h e p oints o ut t hat t he a nnual p roduction o f r itual g oods i s l imited a nd t hat s ome o bjects m ay c ontinue t o b e u tilized i n t he s ociety f or 4 00 o r m ore y ears; t his m ight b e a nother e xplanation f or w orn a nd c racklaced v essles. A nother p ossible e xplanation i s s uggested b y D illehay 's o bservation ( 1984:24) t hat " Thus...there i s a h ierarchical r anking a mong t he i nteracting m achi. T he w eaker o r l ess s uccessful m achi m ust o ften s ubstitute p oorer q uality materials.. . or t hey a re f orced t o c ontinue u sing a w orn o bject l ong a fter i t s hould h ave b een r eplaced." W hile i t i s c lear t here a re d ifferences b etween t he M apuche, a ncient P anama, a nd C osta R ica, t hese d ifferent e xamples c learly s uggest

t he p ossibility o f e lite-based n etworks w hich i nvolve t he

t ransfer o f r elatively s mall q uantities o f g oods

f or r itual a nd n ot

e conomic p urposes. T he g eneral s cenario a ppears t o f it t he a vailable C osta R ican d ata, a nd c ombines R enfrew 's i dea o f a " prestige-chain" ( 1975:50) w ith t hat o f s pecial r epresentative t ransfer o f c entrally p roduced g oods. Ia m s uggesting t he d escriptive c ategory " elite e missary" t o e mbody t he m utually u seful a spects o f a ll t hree m odels. I n t he s pecific e xample o f t he

C entral V alley a nd G reater N icoya, w ere

t he o bjectives o f t hese e lite e missaries e conomic,

p olitical o r s ocial?

N either p urely e conomic n or p rincipally p olitical r elationships s eem t o b e d emonstrated b y t he a vailable d ata. t hat

t he p rimary b ehavior r epresented 1 58

i s

s ocial,

I t

s eems m ost l ikely

a nd t hat g iven t he

c ontextual d ata, t hat t he e mphasis w as m ortuary, a lthough n ot e xclusively. G reater N icoya c eramics m ay h ave r eached t he C entral V alley b y t wo s eparate m eans: ( 1) t hrough e lite e xchange n etworks w ho e mployed t he p olychrome c eramics a s p ower s ymbols; a nd ( 2) b y d irect v isits b y G reater N icoya e lite p ersonages t o t he C entral V alley. t hese e fforts m ay o ften h ave b een r elated t o m ortuary a ctivities, d oes n ot s eem t his e mphasis w as a s s ingular a s Ih ave p hrased i t p reviously ( Lange 1 980b).

W hile i t

T he e lite e missary m odel w ould e xplain t he r elatively t ight d egree o f c ontrol o f a ccess t o G reater N icoya c eramics s een i n t he C entral V alley a nd a lso t he r ather t ight t emporal p arameter i n w hich t he b ulk o f t he c eramic d ispersal t ook p lace d uring M iddle P olychrome t imes. T emporal c ontrol i s s till i nadequate t o b e s ure w hether o r n ot w e a re d ealing w ith h eirloom i tems.

C ONCLUSION R eview o f t he a vailable d istributional a nd c hronological d ata p ertaining t o G reater N icoya c eramics f ound i n t he C osta R ican C entral V alley i ndicates t hat: ( 1) t here i s a d istinction b etween a n orthern s ector a nd a s outhern s ector o f G reater N icoya; ( 2) t hat d uring t he Z oned B ichrome a nd E arly P olychrome P eriods c eramic m anufacture w as r elatively d isperse a nd v ery f ew c eramics f rom G reater N icoya f ound t heir w ay t o t he H ighlands; ( 3) t hat t he g reatest d ispersal o f G reater N icoya c eramics i nto t he H ighlands w as d uring t he M iddle P olychrome p eriod, a nd t hat t he p rincipal t ypes f ound i n t he H ighlands w ere t hose c haracteristic o f t he s outhern s ector; ( 4) t hat s outhern s ector M iddle P olychrome t ypes a re b asically a bsent f rom t he n orthern s ector; ( 5) t hat w hile q uantities o f n orthern s ector t ypes w ere d ispersed i nto t he s outhern s ector d uring t he M iddle a nd L ate P olychrome t imes, v ery f ew f ound t heir w ay t o t he C entral V alley ; a nd ( 6) t hat r egardless o f t ime p eriod, t he m ajority o f G reater N icoya c eramics f ound i n t he C entral V alley h ave b een r eported f rom m ortuary r ather t han d omestic c ontexts. T he s ame g eneral o bservations s eem a pplicable t o t he A tlantic W atersheds o f C osta R ica a nd N icaragua. T he c hronological, q uantitative ( both a bsolute a nd p roportional), a nd d istributional d ata f or G reater N icoya c eramics i n t he C entral V alley a ll d emonstrate t hat e conomic t rade w as n ot t he m echanism o f t ransfer f rom t he f ormer t o t he l atter. I t i s h ypothesized t hat t he m echanism o f t ransfer w as i nstead o ne o f e lite i nteraction. S uch a n e lite n etwork w ould m aintain i nter-regional r elationships s tructured t hrough r itual a ctivites a nd g oods. C urrently, t here i s n o w ay o f k nowing w hether o r n ot t hese r elationships w ere f ictive o r a ctual. R egardless o f t he b asis f or t he r elationships, s uch s tructured c onnections w ould h ave f acilitated t he m ovement o f l uxury g oods b etween e lites. T he i mportance o f s uch r elationships i s s hown t hrough t heir p resence i n C osta R ica o ver a lmost a 2 ,500 y ear p eriod, f irst t hrough j ade ( greenstones) a nd l ater t hrough p olychrome c eramics. A dditional d ata, a nd s pecific t esting o f h ypotheses, a re n eeded t o s ubstantiate, r efine,

o r r eject

t he " elite e missary" m odel

1 59

p roposed h ere.

N OTES 1 .

T he u se o f

t he t erm " Central V alley"

i n t his p aper g enerally

e ncompassed t he a rea o f t he M eseta C entral ( 1000 M ) a nd t he A tlantic s lopes d own t o t he a ltitude o f T urrialba a nd s urrounding a rea ( 650 M );

a s

S kirboll

( 1983)

n oted,

c ombining t he t wo r egions h as b ecome

a ccepted p ractice i n r ecent s ummaries 2 .

A s

E asby ( 1981:135)

( Stone

1 977,

S narskis 1 981).

h as n oted " Archaeologists s peaking o f " jades"

u sually m ean l apidary w ork,

t he c arving o f s tones g enerally."

h as c ertainly b een t he c ase

i n C osta R ican a rchaeology,

T his

w here

e verything f rom s late t o a ctually j adeite h as b een i ncluded u nder t he

t erm " jade."

B ishop,

H owever,

a nd v an Z elst

o f G uatemala a s C entral A merica,

n ow t hat B ishop 's r esearch ( Lange,

1 981)

h as

i dentified t he M otagua V alley a rea

t he o nly k nown s ource o f t he u se o f

t he

j adeite i n M esoamerica and

t erm " jade"

h istorical a nd p rocessual i mplications. g eneric t erm " greenstone" w ould b e

i n c osta

W hile

R ica h as c lear

t he u se o f t he

p referable t o t he g eneric u se o f

" jade," t he l atter t erm i s p robably s o e mbedded i n t he l iterature a nd n omenclature a s t o b e u nchangeable. I w ould s uggest t hat t he t erm " jade" E asby,

a nd

i n t he

f uture c arry t he g eneric s ense i ndicated b y

t hat "Motagua" o r s ome o ther g eological/geographical

s ource p refix p receded t he u se o f t he t erm when a pplied t o c ompositionally d efined j adeite. ( 1983) R ica,

h ave c oncluded t here a lso must

B ishop,

S ayre,

a nd v an Z elst

t hat w hile s ome M otagua j ade r eached C osta b e a m ore l ocal

s ource

i n o r n ear n orthwestern

C osta R ica. 3 .

T his c urrent p aper i s a n u pdated a nd e xpanded v ersion o f a n e arlier p aper i n S panish which w as s ubmitted t o t he U niversity o f C osta R ica. A CKNOWLEDGMENTS

T he d irection o f t he p resent p aper b enefitted g reatly f rom d iscussions w ith O scar F onseca a nd L uis H urtado d e M endoza d uring a v isit t o C osta R ica i n N ovember, 1 982, a nd f urther d iscussions d uring t he s ymposium " Inter-regional T ies i n C osta R ica" s ponsored b y t he C arnegie M useum o f o f D enver, C arnegie

N atural

H istory i n A pril,

1 983.

S ymposium,

f unded t wo c onferences o n G reater N icoya c eramics,

a nd s ponsored n eutron a ctivation r esearch u nder R onald L .

B ishop a t

t he

t o d elimit

N icoya c eramics i n a much m ore p recise R ebecca A .

B ishop w as

t he p roduction a rea o f G reater w ay t han p reviously p ossible.

t he t echnician f or t he

T he J FM F oundation a lso h elped N icaragua a nd c osta R ica

t he s upervision o f D r.

B rookhaven N ational L aboratory i n N ew Y ork.

T his r esearch h as a llowed u s

1 983

T he J FM F oundation

C olorado s upported L ange's a nd D ay 's p articipation i n t he

i n O ctober

B rookhaven r esearch.

t o make p ossible m y v isits t o 1 982 a nd N icaragua a gain i n M arch

f or t he p urpose o f g athering a dditional c eramic s amples

f rom t he

n orthern s ector o f G reater N icoya. O n t he l atter t rip, I w as a ccompanied b y D r. P ayson S heets o f t he U niversity o f C olorado-Boulder a nd h e a ssisted g reatly i n t he s uccess o f t he v isit, w ith " mucho g usto."

O lga M artah M ontiel o f t he M inistry o f

l eonor d e R ocha o f t he N ational M useum, M artinez o f

a lways w orking

P atrimonio H istorico,

D r.

1 60

C ulture,

A melia h arahona a nd A nibal

J aime

I ncer B .

o f

t he

B anco

C entral d e N icaragua, a nd R oberto P arrales S . o f I BM d e N icaragua, h elped t o m ake t hese v isits e xtremely p roductive. D r. h is

W olfgang H aberland e ncouraged t he

O metepe

b ase,

s amples. M endoza,

i nclusion o f s amples f rom

I sland e xcavations f or i nclusions

a nd J ane D ay h elped m e s ort S narskis,

i n t he

B rookhaven d ata

t hrough t he b oxes a nd p ick t he

Ia lso w ant t o t hank O scar M ichael J .

a ll

F onseca Z .,

L uis

a nd R ichard M agnus f or

H urtado d e t he l oan o f

m aterials f rom e xcavations u nder t heir s upervision f or i nclusion i n t he B rookhaven D ata b ase. N ational M useum o f a nd

S ilvia

L orena S an R oman d e G allegos, D irector o f t he

C osta

R ica,

f acilitated

t he e xport o f

t he s amples,

S algado s aw t o t heir s hipping.

Ia m p articularly i ndebted t o my f ellow D enver C eramic C onference c olleagues w hose c ollective e fforts h ave g reatly a dvanced t he f ield o f G reater N icoya s tudies:

S uzanne A bel-Vidor,

C laude F .

B audez,

R onald

L . F .

B ishop, W inifred C reamer, J ane S . D ay, J uan V incente G uerrero, H ealy, S ilvia S algado, R obert S troessner a nd A lice T illet.

o f

S uzanne A bel-Vidor a lso m ade v aluable c omments o n a n e arlier d raft t his p aper, a s d id P ayson S heets, J ane D ay, a nd M ichael S narskis.

1 61

P aul

NI C A R A G U A

ATL A NTI C OCE A N

CO STA

0 •

PA CIFI C

Carr izal San J n

CENTRAL VALLEY c o e t e z

ze

OCEA N

I SLA CA40 e l b

0 t

= 13 1 1 1 1 1B

50 f l l

K IL O METERS

Fig ure

R ICA

1

1 62

•

REG IONAL P ER IOD IZAT ION Guanacaste

Centra l

YEAR

L ange a nd

Snarsk is 1 978

Abe l-V idor 1 980 -1 500 \

LATE POLYCHROME LATE M IDDLE POLYCHROME

-1 000

TRANS IT IONAL

EARLY POLYCHROME 500

ZONED B ICHRO ME I ZONED B ICHR O ME

AD BC

ZONED B ICHRO ME

- 500

M IDDLE FORMAT IVE - 1 000 - 4000 -8 000 -

Figure

2

TABLE 1 . S ELECTED GREATER N ICOYA CERAMIC D ISTRIBUTIONS

TYPE

Chra

% Vallejo P ( N) 0 % Luna P . ( N) 0 % Madeira P . ( N) 0 % P ataky P . ( N) 0 % G ranada P . ( N) 0 % C asares P . ( N) 0 % P apagayo P . ( N) 0 % 2 8 Murrillo A . ( S) 4 32 % J icote P *(S) * 0 % Tempisque P .*(S) 0 % 7 0 Tempisque I /A ( S) 1 082 % B ramadero P . ( S) 0 % G illen B /T*(S) 0 % P almares I *(S) 0 % 1 S anta M arta P ( S) 1

HT 5

S ites T V al C hEsc 1 2

V dr 1

L asM 1

R ivas 1

L ine T otal 1

6 2 2

7

1 25

2 0

2

1 12 1

3 28 1

2 6

0

0 2

P 2

P 3

1 53 2

1 79 1

0 5

0

1 08

5

3 94 1

5 55 1

6 1 1

0

0

0

0

1 70 2

2 31 1

5 1

0

0

0

0

3 60 1

3 65 1

1 5 8

0 3

0 7

0 1 4

0 2 1

1 28 2 0

1 43 1 2

1 00 3

2 69 4

4 61 3

3 49 1

3 7 4 4

3 662

4 878 3

4 8

3 9 8

3 66 6

2 01 1

2 5 1

7 7

0

1 140 2

1 02 2

5 32

4 7

2 3

P

0

7 04 1

2 2

0

0

0

_0

0

0 1

0 1

0 1

0 1

0 3

0

9 2

1

6

6

P

7 2 1

0

0

0

0

2 0 1

0

P 4

P

0

2 0

0 4 5 3

0 1 6 7

P

5 0

P

1 64

9 8

2 2 3 1 082 1

1 P

0

1 52

Table 1 cont.

C hra

H T

TVal

C h E sc

V idor L as M

TYPE % S acasa S . % Cabuyal P .

1

( N) 0

0 4

( S) 0

4 5 % 1 A sientillo P . ( S) 0 1 0 % 2 A ltiplano P . ( S) 0 3 1 % 1 3 Mora P . ( S) 1 4 2 % 3 Mora P .,* Guabal V .(S) 0 3 4 % 2 Mora P .,* C hircot V . ( S) 0 2 9 % 3 B irmania P . ( S) 0 3 9 1 2 P otosi A . ( N) 2 1 2 9 V elasco P . ( N) 0

0 6

9 1

0 1

P

P

5 19 6

3 7 3

1 3 3

5 50

1 97

6 5 1

0 2 0

1 2 1 5

0 1 0 9 01 1

1 0

1 244 1

1 0,485 1 0494 2 0

6 14 2

0

0

8 22 1

P 7

0 1

1 3

4 3 7

2

2 585 1

4

0

0

6 8 1

P 1 5

P 6

0

0

2 9 4

4 01 1

9 69

1 63

0

0

3

0

P

0

1 05 1

1 58 1

0 6

0 3

0 1

1 75 1

1 75 2

6 3 7

1 4

1 23

6 61 4

P 5

0 3

0 1

3 6 7

8 8 4

2 0

3 82 1

R ivas L ine T otal 5 6 2 7

1

1 572

1

G ab oP . ( G) 0 % C arrillo P . ( 5) 0 % C havez W/R ( N) 0 % T ola T . ( G) 0 % Z elaya P . C S) 0

3 50 1 6

9 2 1

3 80

1 013 2

1 74 2

7 1 3

0 4

1 666 2

4 9

0 9

9 5 1

4 5 9

2 2

7 96 3

9 62 4

1 16 2

7 80 9

1 1 1

2 31 7

P

5 92

1 730 3

2 8

7 87

3 9

1 85

0

0

1 039

1 65

Table 1 cont .

C hra Guinea

I .

% U sulutan

( S) 0

8 6 1

( N) 0

% Charco B /R

( G) 0

% Rosales E ( G) 0 Schettel

HT 7

T V al 8

Vdr 5

L asM

6 75

7 63

1 17

0

0 5

0 2

P 1 8

0 2

2 4 4

3 0 5

1 05 5

4 62 1

4

7 91 2

1 908 2

2 88

8

0

4 24

8 03

0 2

0 2

2

1 09 1

1 11 6

4 8

0

1 34

6 8 9 9 1

4 47 1

4

7 9

I ( N) 0

0 1

0 2 2

% B ocana I ( G) 0

1 7

1 913

1 25

T OTALS

1 261

8 775

6 257

1 537

L ine R ivas T otal 1 4

C hEsc 1 2

2 541

1 1

1 76

1 8740

1 642 1

2 237

3 9287

NOTE: F or e ach t ype t he u pper l ine o f f igures i ndicates t he p ercentage o f t he t otal s ample o f e ach s ite's c eramic a ssemblage r epresented by t hat t ype; t he l ower l ine r epresents t he a ctual n umber o f s pecimens ( sherds a nd v essels) f ound a t e ach s ite. U nder t he " Total" c olumn o n t he f ar r ight, t he p ercentage r epresents e ach t ype's presence a s p art of t he t otal s ample, while t he l ower l ine a gain r epresents t he t otal n umber o f s pecimens.

KEY:

N= Northern s ector ( Nicaraguan) d ominance S = S outhern s ector ( Costa R ican) d ominance G= General d istribution i n n orthern a nd s outhern s ectors P = P resent a t s ite, b ut n ot quantified i n s ample 1= l ess t han 1 p ercent * = n ew t ype o r v ariety ( or c hanged) t hat w as p robably i ncluded u nder o ther t ypes o r v arieties i n p revious c lassifications

S UMMARY:

N orth

S outh

G eneral

TOTAL

L ate P olychrome

6

5

0

1 1

M iddle P olychrome

2

8

0

1 0

E arly P olychrome

1

1

2

Z oned B ichrome

3

3

4

1 66

5 1 0

T ABLE

2 .

G reater N icoya,

G N TYPE Total P apagayo P . 4 878 ( N) M ora P . 2 584 ( S) Mora P . 2 9 Chircot V . ( S) B irmania P . 1 572 ( S) A ltiplano P . 4 3 ( S) TOTAL 9 106

TABLE

3 .

4 .

6 00

Gybo Total P

6 00

3

% o f G N Total

1

6 00

1 8

1

4 00 2 1

C hircot,

1

6 00

C hrct Total 3

2 9 ( S) 1 572

6 00

3

1 0

6 00

5

1

4 3

4 00

1

2

2 0

4 00

1

5

4 248

1 3

Y ears

% o f GN T otal 1

3

4 1

3

4

8

1

a nd O rosi

Y ears

G reater N icoya,

L as H T otal 1

1

G N Total 2 584

G N T YPE Total P ataky P . 2 31 ( N) P apagayo P . 4 878 ( N) T OTAL 5 109

Huacas

6 00

G reater N icoya,

TYPE Mora P . ( S) Mora P . C hircot V . B irmania P . ( S) A ltiplano P . ( S) G illen B/T ( S) TOTAL

TABLE

Y ears

Guayabo a nd L as

Los L imones,

% o f GN Total 1

1

O rosi T otal

1 2

3

% o f G N T otal

3 1

1

a nd S antiago

4 00

L L im Total 1

6 00

1

1

1

1

2

1

1

1

1 67

% o f G N T otal 1

S ant Total

% o f GN T otal

TABLE

5 .

Greater N icoya,

G N TYPE Total Papagayo P . 4 878 ( N) Mora P . 2 584 ( S) Mora P . 2 9 Chircot V . ( S) B irmania P . 1 572 ( S) Altiplano P . 4 3 ( S)) TOTAL 9 106

TABLE

6 .

Years

B d H Total P

6 00

% o f GN T otal

O cho Total P

% o f G N Total

6 00 6 00

p

1

6 00 4 00 3 76

Greater Nicoya,

G N TYPE Total Rosales E . 8 03 C laro V . ( G) Mora P . 2 584 ( S) Altiplano p . 4 3 ( S) TOTAL 3 430

B arrial d e H eredia a nd Ochomogo

Y ears

E l Molino C art Total

4 %

( Cartago),

% o f G N Total

6 00 6 00

3

a nd T ibas T ibas Total 1

% o f G N Total 1

1

4 00 3 6

6 1

NOTE: Tables 1 -6 s how t he t otal c eramic counts f rom Greater N icoya o f particular t ypes, t he t ime s pan over which t hey a re t hought t o h ave been produced i n Greater Nicoya, t he t otal number of examples of each t ype known at d ifferent s ites i n t he C entral H ighlands, a nd what percentage of t he known Greater N icoya production i s r epresented b y t he H ighland t otals. The s ymbol " -1" i ndicates l ess than 1 %.

1 68

TABLE

7 . GREATER N ICOYA AND HIGHLAND/ATLANTIC COMPARISON Total % f or f or % OF GREATER N ICOYA GN GN HIGHLAND TOTAL TOTAL

TYPE Vallejo

Luna

P .

P .

Madeira

Pataky

P .

P .

3 28

1

1 79

1

5 55

2

2 31

1

Granada

P .

3 65

1

Casares

P .

1 43

1

Papagayo

P .

4 878

Murrillo A .

1 140

Jicote P .*

.7 04

Tempisque

P .*

2 2

Tempisque

I /A 1 082

1 8

Gillen

2 0

1

6 7

1

Santa Marta

P .

1 51

1

1

1

3

1

I

6

1

7 2

Palmares

1

3

Bramadero P .

B/T*

1

1

1 69

T able 7 c ont .

S acasa

S .

C abuyal

1 0,494

P .

6 14

A sientillo P .

8 22

A ltiplano P .

4 3

Mora

P .

2 585

2 7

2

3

1

7

Mora P . Guabal V .*

6 8

1

Mora P . C hircot V .

2 9

1

B irmania P .

1 572

4

4

9

9 .0

1

6

2 .0

1 0

1

+ 376 Mora, P apagayo, B irmania a nd C hircot f rom B arrial d e H eredia P otosi

1 58

1

Velasco 1 75 B l. Banded

1

Gab

A

oP .

Carrillo P .

C havez W/R

Tola T .

6 61

2

1 666

4

9 62

2

1 730

4

1 70

T able 7 c ont .

Z elaya P .

1 039

3

Guinea

1 642

4

I .

U sulutan

3 0

C harco B/R

Rosales

E .

S chettel

Bocana

I .

TOTALS

K EY:

I .

1

1 908

5

8 03

2

1 11

1

2 237 3 9287

1

1

6 4 14

1 %

1 i ndicates l ess t han 1 p ercent * Recently d efined t ypes/varieities w hich were p robably i ncluded i n o ther t ypes/varieties i n p revious c lassifications.

H ighland s ites r epresented i n t he t otal a re: Guayabo, L as üuacas, L os L imones, C hircot, O rosi, S antiago, B arrial d e H eredia, T ibas, E l Molino ( Cartago), a nd O chomogo.

1 71

R EFERENCES C ITED A bel, S uzanne 1 978 A n I nterpretation o f T wo B urnt C lay F eatures i n a n E arly C entral A merican V illage: V idor S ite, B ay o f C ulebra, G uanacaste, C osta R ica. M .A. T hesis, D epartment o f A nthropology, B rown U niversity. A bel-Vidor, S uzanne 1 980a D os h ornos p recolombinos e n e l s itio V idor, B ahia C ulebra, G uanacaste. V inculos 6 :43-50. 1 980b T he H istorical S ources f or t he G reater N icoya A rchaeological S ubarea. V inculos 6 :155-176. 1 981 E thnohistorical A pproaches t o t he A rchaeology o f G reater N icoya. I n B etween C ontinents/Between S eas: P recolumbian A rt o f C osta R ica, e dited b y E lizabeth P . B enson, p p. 8 5-92. N ew Y ork: H .N . A brams. A bel-Vidor, S uzanne a nd J ane S . D ay 1 981 T he C omplementary U se o f E thnohistory a nd A rchaeology f or P rehistoric R esearch i n t he G uanacaste A rea o f C osta R ica ( and s outhwestern N icaragua). P aper p resented a t t he a nnual m eeting o f t he A merican S ociety f or E thnohistory, C olorado S prings. A ccola, R ichard M . 1 978 A D ecorative S equence o f P rehistoric C eramics f rom t he V idor S ite, G uanacaste, C osta R ica. M .A . T hesis, D eprtment o f A nthropology, U niversity o f T exas. A gency f or I nternational D evelopment ( AID) 1 965 C osta R ica, a nalisis r egional d e r ecursos f isicos ( atlas). A lliance f or P rogress, W ashington, D .C. A guilar P ., C arlos H . 1 972 G uayabo d e T urrialba, A rqueologia d e u n s itio i ndigena p rehispanico. S an J ose: E ditorial C osta R ica. A ndrews V , E . W yllys 1 976 T he A rchaeology o f Q uelepa, E l S alvador. M iddle A merican R esearch I nstitute P ublication 4 2. N ew O rleans: T ulane U niversity. B alser, C arlos 1 980 J ade p recolombino d e C osta R ica. N acional d e S eguros.

S an J ose:

I nstituto

B audez, C laude F . 1 967 R echerches A rcheologiques d ans l a V allee d u T empisque, G uanacaste, C osta R ica. T ravaux e t M emoires d e l 'Institut d es H autes E tudes d e l 'Amerique L atine 1 8.

P aris.

B audez, C laude F . a nd P ierre B ecquelin 1 973 A rcheologie d e L os N arajos, H onduras. C ollection E tudes M esoamericaines 2 ( Mexico: M ission A rcheologique e t E thnologique).

1 72

B eaudry, 1 984

M arilyn P . T he C eramics o f t he Z apotitan V alley I n T he Z apotitan V alley o f E l S alvador: A rcheology a nd V olcanism i n C entral A merica, e dited b y P ayson D . P ress.

B inford, 1 962

S heets.

A ustin:

U niversity o f T exas

L ewis A rchaeology a s A nthropology.

A merican A ntiquity 2 8:217-225.

B ishop, R onald L ., E dward V . S ayre, a nd L ambertus v an Z elst 1 983 C haracterization o f M esoamerican J ade. P aper p resented a t t he s ymposium " The A pplication o f S cience t o t he F ine A rts" h eld a t t he M useum o f F ine A rts, B oston. B lanco, 1 984

A ida A rqueologia d e S alvamento d el S itio C 39-EC O chomogo, C osta R ica. J ournal o f t he S teward A nthropological S ociety. U rbana:

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W arwick

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C hapman, 1 957

A cross t he D arien G ap: A C olombian V iew o f I sthmian A rchaeology. I n T he A rchaeology o f L ower C entral A merica, e dited b y F . L ange a nd D . S tone, p p. 3 05-338. A lbuquerque: U niversity o f N ew M exico P ress. A . P ort o f T rade E nclaves i n A ztec a nd M aya C ivilization. I n T rade a nd M arket i n t he E arly E mpires, e dited b y K . P olanyi, C .M. A rensberg, a nd H .W. P earson, p p. 14-153. G lencoe, I llinois:

F ree P ress.

C oe, M ichael D . 1 962 P reliminary R eport o n A rchaeological

I nvestigations

i n C oastal

G uanacaste, C osta R ica. A kten, d er 3 4th I nternational A merikanisten K ongressen, W ien 1 :358-365. C reamer, 1 983

1 984

W inifred P roduction a nd E xchange o n T wo I slands i n t he G ulf o f N icoya, C osta R ica, A .D. 1 200-1550. P h.D. d isseratation, D epartment o f A nthropology, T ulane U niversity. A S urvey o f t he G ulf o f N icoya, C osta S teward A nthropological S ociety. I llinois, i n p ress.

D awson, 1 979

R ica.

U rbana:

J ournal o f t he U niversity o f

S usan A rchaeological S urvey i n t he S an C arlos P lains: U pala, C osta R ica, B .A. T hesis, D epartment o f A nthropology, L awrence U niversity.

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P aper p resented a t

t he

4 4th I nternational C ongress o f A mericanists, M anchester. N ew A pproaches i n S tylistic A nalysis: T he L ate P olycrome P eriod C eramics f rom H acienda T empisque, G uanacaste P rovince, C osta R ica. P h.D. d issertation, D epartment o f A nthropology , U niversity o f C olorado-Boulder.

1 73

D ay,

J ane S .

1 980

a nd

S uzanne A bel-Vidor

T he L ate P olychrome P eriod: G uanacaste, C osta R ica. p resented a t t he 7 9th a nnual meeting o f t he A merican A nthropological A ssociation, W ashington,

d e l a

C ruz,

1 981

R ichard,

1 974

R .

1 984

S ymbolic T hesis,

S ignificance a nd

R ole

D epartment o f

S outhern I llinois U niversity-Carbondale.

L omas a nd J .

Wynn N ew L ight a nd E vidence.

T om D . R itual

P araphernalia,

S ociety.

M s.

C eremony a nd

o n f ile,

I deology i n M apuche

U niversity o f K entucky.

E lizabeth

1 981

J ade. o f

I n B etween C ontinents/Between S eas:

C osta

R ica,

N ew Y ork: F aulwell, 1 970

M .A.

T oltec T rade w ith C entral A merica: A rchaeology 2 7:182-187.

D illehay,

E asby,

T heir

I nformation E xchange.

A nthropology, D iehl,

D .C.

E llen

C osta R ican M ace H eads: i n

P aper

e dited b y E lizabeth P .

H .N.

P recolumbian A rt

B enson,

p p.

1 35-152.

A brams.

J ames A B urial G rouping w ith a M urillo G rooved P ot a nd o ther S keletal M aterial f rom t he L as M arias s ite. I n A rchaeological R esearch i n t he S apoa V alley A rea, e dited b y F .W. L ange, 1 -20,

F inch, 1 977 1 984

W ill

C hicago:

A P reliminary S urvey o f H acienda J erico,

W ill O .

t he

S teward

A nthropological

I llinois,

F onseca Z .,

I n

U rbana:

i n p ress.

a nd K im H onetschlager

U niversity o f

I llinois,

i n p ress.

O scar a nd V ictor A cuna

L os p etroglifos d e G uayabo d e T urrialba y s u c ontexto. I n J ournal o f t he S teward A nthropological S ociety. U rbana: U niversity o f I llinois,

F onseca Z ., 1 982

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S ociety.

P reliminary A rchaeological R esearch o n I sla D el C ano, C osta R ica. I n J ournal o f t he S teward A nthropological S ociety. U rbana:

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t he M idwest.

O .

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1 984

C olleges o f

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F inch,

A ssociated

O .

a nd

L .

i n p ress.

H urtado d e M endoza

A lgunos r esultados d e l a I nvestigaciones e n l a R egion d e G uayabo d e T urrialba. C uadernos d e A ntropologia N o. 1 . J ose:

U niversidad d e

C osta R ica.

1 74

S an

G uerrero M ., 1 981

J uan V icente

I nforme p reliminar s obre e l p royecto d e r escate a rquelogico e n e l s itio L a F abrica, C osta R ica.

G utierrez, 1 984

G recia.

o n f ile,

N ational M useum o f

M aritza

H acia U na

I nterpretacion d e l a L lamadas " Tumbas d e T otella."

I n J ournal o f

t he

S teward

U niversity o f I llinois, H artman,

M s.

A nthropological

S ociety.

U rbana:

i n p ress.

C arl V .

1 901

A rchaeological R esearch i n C osta R ica. T he R oyal E thnographical M useum i n S tockholm. S tockholm: I var

1 907

A rchaeological

R esearches o n t he P acific C oast o f C osta R ica.

M emoirs o f t he

C arnegie M useum o f

H aeggstroms B oktryckeri A .B.

H ealy, 1 974

A rchaeological

1 979

H oopes, 1 979

S urvey o f t he R ivas R egion, D epartment o f A nthropology,

T he A rchaeology o f t he R ivas R egion, ( Ontario):

H elms,

H istory 3 :1-188.

P aul F . d issertation,

1 980

N atural

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P h.D.

H arvard U niversity.

N icaragua.

W aterloo

W ilfred L aurier U niversity P ress.

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A BSTRACT T he p resence o f P eriod b urial s ites j ades

f ound a t s ites

O lmec-style j ade a rtifacts i n Z oned-Bichrome i s e valuated.

T he c ontext o f t he O lmec-style

i n C osta R ica i s c ompared w ith t he c ontext o f

s imilar a rtifacts f rom s ites a long t he G ulf c oast o f M exico. D ifferences i nclude f requency o f O lmec-style p ieces a nd t he v ariety o f m otifs u sed, a s w ell a s t he t ype o f s ite a t w hich j ades a re f ound. I t i s p roposed t hat i n t he O lmec h eartland j ade a rtifacts w ere s ymbols w hich r einforced t he e xisting h ierarchy w hile t he s ame a rtifacts i n C osta R ican c ontexts m inimized d eveloping h ierarchical d istinctions t hrough t heir c ontext o f w idespread p lacement i n b urials. T he m ethod b y w hich j ades a rrived i n C osta R ica i s s een a s s poradic d own-the-line e xchange r ather t han t he r esult o f a s tructured e xchange s ystem.

R ESUMEN S e e xamina l a p resencia d e a rtefactos e n j ade e n e stilo O lmeca q ue s e h an h allado d e s itios a rqueologicos d el p eriodo B icromo e n Z onas. S e c ompara e l c ontexto d e l os j ades O lmecas d e p rovenencia c ostarricense c on e l c ontexto d e j ades p arecidos d e l a c osta V eracruzana d e M exico. L os c ontrastes i ncluyen l a f recuencia d e p iezas e n e stilo O lmeca, l a v ariedad d e m otivos d ecorativos, d iferencias f unctionales e ntre l os s itios d onde s e h an h allado l os j ades d iscutidos, y e l c ontexto d e l os j ades d entro d e s itios. P ropongamos q ue e l s entido s imbolico d e l os a rtefactos e n j ade r eforzaba l a j erarquia q ue y a e xistia e n l a a rea O lmeca, m ientras q ue e n C osta R ica l os m ismos a rtefactos, p or s u c ontexto, s ervian p ara d isminuir l os n iveles j erarquicos q ue e staban e n d esarollo. A demas s e p ropone q ue e l m odo d e t ransporte d e l os j ades e ntre M exico y C osta R ica f ue p or l os i ntercambios d e p ersona a p ersona, c asualidad, y s in mucha f recuencia, o rganizado.

p or

n o p or a lgun s istema f ormalmente

1 80

M aterial r emains s uggesting t hat t he i nhabitants o f C osta R ica w ere i n c ontact w ith p eople i n o ther r egions a re s cattered t hroughout a rchaeological l iterature. T he b est k nown e vidence c onsists o f a rtifacts o f e xotic m aterials h aving h igh f requency a nd s tylistic h omogeneity i n p arts o f M esoamerica, y et t hat h ave b een r ecovered f rom a rchaeological s ites i n C osta R ica o r v ice v ersa. E xplanations f or t he w idespread d istribution o f s uch i tems a s g old a nd j ade h ave c oncentrated o n h ypotheses o f e xchange, p articularly e xchanges a mong e lite g roups ( Stone 1 972:2, 1 977:194; P ohorilenko 1 981:327). I t i s a rgued t hat g roups e ither d irectly o btained e xotic r aw m aterials f rom f oreign s ource a reas o r w ere i nvolved i n t he d istribution o f f inished i tems a s s ymbols o f p ower a nd d ominance ( Helms 1 979:143), o r r eligious b eliefs ( Smith a nd H eath-Smith 1 980:19-31). T hese h ypotheses s hare a c oncern w ith u nraveling t he m echanisms o f e xchange, t hat i s, w here o bjects o r m otifs o riginated a nd h ow t hey r eached t he e xtra-regional p rovenience w here t hey w ere r ecovered a rchaeologically. H odder h as r ecently p ointed o ut t hat a rchaeologists f requently o verlook " the a bility o f m aterial o bjects t o h ave d ifferent m eanings i n d ifferent c ontexts" ( 1982:202). H e u ses e thno-archaeological s tudies t o s how t hat t he a ssumption t hat m aterial c ulture m irrors n on-material c haracteristics o f s ociety i s a n o versimplification . I n d ifferent s ituations a rtifacts m ay b e u sed t o " mask, c ontradict, o r e xaggerate" e xisting s ocial r elations. F or e xample, s tools a nd j ewelry a t o ne t ime g iven t o w ealthy o r h igh-status i ndividuals i n t he A frican k ingdom o f L ozi w ere l ater f orbidden t o a ll b ut t he r oyal f amily. T he r eversal w as t he r esult o f c ontinued g rowth o f t he k ingdom a nd c onsequent c hange f rom t he n eed t o i ncorporate a dditional g roups, t o a n eed f or t he k ing t o s tress h is s tatus a nd r ights a nd p reserve h is p ower o ver s ubject g roups H odder ( 1982:181-202). T he k ing's e ffort t o m aintain r ather t han t o c ontinue t o e stablish l egitimacy s howed h ow m aterial s ymbols c an b e r einterpreted o ver t ime d epending o n t he p revailing i deology. T o t est t he p roposition t hat i n M esoamerica s imilar e xotic i tems m ay h ave h ad q uite d ifferent s ymbolic m eanings i n d ifferent a reas, i t i s p rofitable t o r eexamine t he e vidence f or i nterregional c ontacts i n C osta R ica. S ymbolism c ould h ave b een m anipulated a nd o ften c hanged b y b oth d onors a nd r ecipients, a ccording t o e ach g roup 's d istinct s ocial a nd r eligious s ystem. T his a pproach m ay h elp e xplain t he s ignificance o f e xotic a rtifacts i n c ontexts f ar r emoved f rom t heir p lace o f m anufacture. W e m ay a lso l earn h ow s uch t raded o bjects m ay h ave b een u sed i n t heir n ew s urroundings t o c onfirm t he l ocal s ocial o rder, e ven w hen i t w as a m uch d ifferent o ne f rom t hat a t t he p lace o f m anufacture o f t he a rtifact. E vidence f or i nter-regional c ontacts i n n orthwestern C osta R ica c an b e g rouped i nto f ive o ccurrences. 1 .

D uring t he Z oned B ichrome a nd E arly P olychrome p eriods, a nd

c lustering a round A .D . 3 00, j ade a rtifacts c onsidered t o b e O lmec i n s tyle i f n ot i n o rigin w ere p laced i n b urials. 2 .

D uring t he l atter h alf o f t he M iddle P olychrome P eriod ( A .D.

1 000-1200), p ainted v essels m ade i n n orthwestern C osta R ica w ere p laced i n t ombs i n o ther r egions, i ncluding t he C entral H ighlands, t he A tlantic W atershed, a nd t he D iquis D elta.

1 81

3 .

I n t he L ate P olychrome p eriod ( A .D.

1 200-1550), g old a rtifacts

w ere i ntroduced i nto n orthwestern C osta R ica ( Creamer 1 983). 4 .

L ate P olychrome P eriod c eramics p roduced i n N icaragua w ere

d istributed i n C osta R ica. A t t he s ame t ime, c opies o f t he N icaraguan p olychromes a ppear t o h ave b een m ade i n C osta R ica. 5 . T hroughout t he e ntire s equence, o bsidian, u sually i n t he f orm o f b lades, w as i mported i nto C osta R ica f rom s ources w hich h ave n ot y et b een i dentified b ut w hich m ust b e i n n orthern N icaragua o r f urther n orth. Iw ill d iscuss o ne e xample, t he Z oned B ichrome a nd E arly P olychrome p eriod o ccurrence o f O lmec s tyle j ade a rtifacts i n C osta R ican c ontexts t o g ive a n e xample o f t he a dditional i nformation a vailable t o a rchaeologists b y p aying g reater a ttention t o b oth s ymbolic m eaning a nd t o c ontext o f a rtifacts. K nown m ajor O lmec s ites i n V eracruz w ith s ignificant a mounts o f j ade a rtifacts i nclude c eremonial c enters s uch a s L a V enta a nd C erro d e L as M esas t hat a re c omposed o f p latforms, m ounds, t ombs, a nd m onumental a rt. T hese r epresent t he e fforts o f a l arge l abor f orce o rganized t o a cquire t he m aterials a nd c onstruct t he f eatures, a nd c learly i ndicate t hat h ierarchical o rganization o f t he s ociety w ould b e n eeded t o m obilize t he w ork f orce ( Haas 1 982:185-186). J ade a rtifacts f rom t hese s ites w ere r ecovered m ost f requently i n c aches, t hough t he f ew b urials i dentified a lso c ontained j ades ( Drucker 1 952:23, c f. C oe a nd D iehl 1 980). C aches c onsisted o f a xes o r a xe-shaped s tones l aid i n a s pecific p attern ( Drucker, H eizer, a nd S quier 1 959:176, 1 85), h eaps o f a rtifacts ( Drucker 1 943:13), o r a rtifacts l aid o ut a s i f t o o rnament a n e xtended s keleton i n a b urial, b ut w ithout a ny e vidence o f b one ( Drucker, H eizer, a nd S quier 1 959:163, 1 68, 1 72). C ache c ontents i nclude j ade, s erpentine, a nd r elated s tone a rtifacts i n t he f orm o f f igurines, m asks, a xes, s eashell s hapes, e arspools, a nd b eads, v olcanic s tone a rtifacts, c innabar, h ematite m irrors, a nd o ccasionally a rtifacts o f r ock c rystal, s hell, a nd c eramics. O lmec s tyle j ade a rtifacts r ecovered i n C osta R ica a re f ound i n d ifferent c ontexts. M ost Z oned B ichrome P eriod s ites k nown a re c emeteries, w hich a re n ot k nown t o b e a ssociated w ith h abitation o r w ith c eremonial c enters. T here a re n o r emains o f l arge s tructures, a nd a lthough c emeteries m ay c over a l arge a rea a nd c onsist o f d ense c oncentrations o f t ombs, t ombs m ay b e a ltogether u nmarked. N or d oes t here a ppear t o h ave b een e laborate t omb c onstruction. B urial c hambers a s d eep a s s even m eters h ave b een r eported, a nd s ome m ay h ave b een s tone l ined. T he l abor n eeded f or s uch c onstructions, h owever, c ould p robably h ave b een m et b y a n e xtended f amily o r s mall c ommunity. T he q uantity o f a rtifacts p laced i n Z oned B ichrome t ombs i n n orthwest C osta R ica i s r arely k nown, a nd H artman 's e xcavations a t L as H uacas a re t he o nly s uccessful e fforts a t r ecovering u ndisturbed b urials t o d ate. T ombs a t L as H uacas c ontained n umerous j ade o r r elated m ineral a rtifacts i ncluding c arved a xes ( axe-gods), p endants, a nd b eads a long w ith v olcanic s tone m etates, s tone m etates, s tone m ace

1 82

h eads, a nd o ccasionally c eramics j ade a rtifacts w ere l imited t o a t ongue a s p art o f t he d ecoration f rom L as H uacas a re a s l ikely t o G enerally,

( Hartman 1 907:pl. 4 7). O lmec s tyle s ingle c arved a xe w ith a b ifurcated ( Easby 1 981:142). T he o ther j ades b e l ocal p roducts a s i mports.

t herefore, w hile w e f ind s imilar k inds o f m aterials i n

b oth t he O lmec a nd C osta R ican a reas, t hey a re i n a c ache c ontext a t O lmec s ites, a nd i n b urials i n C osta R ica. T he d ifferent c ontexts i mply t hat t he m eaning o f t he a rtifacts d iffered i n e ach l ocation. O lmec c aches, e ven t hose a rranged l ike b urial f urniture, w ere a ll p art o f m ajor c eremonial c enters w here l ocal i nhabitants c ertainly p articipated i n aw ell r egulated h ierarchy. C aches w ere a ssociated w ith r itual s ites, a nd i mply t heir v alue w as i n r einforcing h ierarchical d istinctions a mong t he l iving. I n C osta R ica, p resence o f j ade, m etates, a nd m ace h eads h as b een a ssumed t o r epresent s tatus m arkers i n b urials ( Lange a nd S cheidenhelm 1 972:244), a nd t he O lmec s tyle a rtifacts s pecifically a re a rgued t o h ave b een a cquired d irectly f rom O lmec t raders ( Stone 1 972:84). H owever, t he f act t hat j ades a re f ound i n am ajority o f t ombs s uggests t hat t hese m ay n ot h ave b een m arkers o f d istinctions a mong t he d ead b ut b etween t he d ead a nd t he l iving, l ike h eadstones o n m odern g raves. O fferings m ay h ave b een u sed t o r einforce a s ocial i deal o f e quality a t a d esired l evel a fter d eath, w hether o r n ot t hat w as t he i ndividual 's s ituation i n l ife. T he i mplication h ere i s t hat C osta R ican g roups p ossessed s ignificantly d ifferent i deology t han t he G ulf C oast O lmec a nd t hat s imilar a rtifacts h ad d ivergent s ocial a nd r eligious r oles. I n C osta R ica e xotic a rtifacts p laced i n t ombs m ay h ave b een e mployed i n a s trategy t o m ask d ifferences b etween g roup m embers a s r ank d istinctions d eveloped i n o rder t o e xtend a cceptance o f c hanging s ocial o rder. A mong t he G ulf C oast O lmec, l ong p ast t his e volutionary s tage w hen j ade a rtifacts w ere i ntroduced i n t heir r egion, j ades w ere a ccumulated a nd p laced i n c aches t o e mphasize d istinctions a nd t o r einforce a nd m aintain t he e xisting o rder. I f, a s i t a ppears f rom t his d ata,

j ade a rtifacts h ad d ifferent

c ontextual m eaning i n C osta R ica t han i n t he O lmec h eartland, t he s ymbols u sed o n O lmec s tyle j ade i n C osta R ica s hould a lso b e e valuated. T hough t he c ontexts d iffer, O lmec s ymbols s uch a s f igures w ith d ownturned l ips, d eformed h eads, b ifurcated t ongues o r w oven b elts, d uck m otifs, a nd s eashell s hapes m ay h ave b een t he a ttributes w hich g ave a rtifacts v alue i n C osta R ica. H owever,

s tudies o f O lmec s tyle a rtifacts h ave n oted t hat t here i s

g reater s imilarity a mong j ades f ound i n G uerrero, C hiapas, G uatemala, E l S alvador, a nd C osta R ica t han t here i s b etween C osta R ican a nd V eracruz e xamples ( Easby 1 981:139-142, P ohorilenko 1 981:324). M otifs o n c ontemporaneous j ades p roduced i n C osta R ica a re u nlike t hose o n O lmec s tyle p ieces. C osta R ican m otifs a re p rincipally a vian ( beak-bird, a xe-god), w hile O lmec m otifs m ost f requently d epict h uman f igures a nd f aces. E ven a vian m otifs d iffer b etween O lmec a nd C osta R ican a rtifacts. O lmec d epictions f avor d ucks, w hile C osta R ican f orms a re u sually l ong b eaked, p resumably r aptorial b irds s uch a s t he h arpy e agle ( Fonseca a nd S caglion 1 978:285). I t s eems t hat t he O lmec m otifs d id n ot n ecessarily p ossess s pecial s ignificance i n C osta R ica. 1 83

O lmec s tyle a rtifacts m ay h ave b een a cquired t hrough d own-the-line,

r ather t han l ong d istance e xchanges, p assing v ia s hort

l ocal t ransactions o ver g reat d istances, a nd e ventually r esulting i n a h andful o f p ieces b eing i nterred i n C osta R ican t ombs. d ecoration m ay h ave h ad n o u nique m eaning i n C osta R ica,

T he O lmec a nd p ieces m ay

h ave b een v alued f or t he m aterial u sed. T he m eaning o f O lmec s tyle a rtifacts w ould t herefore b e e qual t o b ut n ot g reater t han t hat o f a ny o ther w orked j ade a cquired f or u se a s b urial f urniture. T he r arity o f O lmec p ieces, t heir d ispersed d istribution, a nd t he d ifference i n c ontext f rom t heir o riginal l ocation a ll s uggest t hat O lmec j ade i n C osta R ica m ay h ave h ad t he s ame s ignificance a s l ocal j ade p roducts. J ade w as d ifficult t o o btain a nd h ard t o w ork, b ut w as v alued i n l ocal s ocial s ystems o perating u nder s trategies d eveloping r anking a mong i ndividuals o r g roups. T his i nterpretation w ould a ccount f or t he t emporal l ag b etween f lorescent O lmec s ites a nd C osta R ican s ites w here j ade h as b een f ound. I t w ould a lso a ccount f or t he f requent r eworking o f C osta R ican e xamples, a s w ell a s t he a bsence o f O lmec s tyle m otifs o n l ocally m ade p ieces. Ip ropose t here w ere n o c onsistent p olitical, r eligious, o r l ong d istance t rade t ies b etween t he G ulf C oast O lmec a nd C osta R ican g roups, a nd s uggest t hat t rade c onsisted o f h and t o h and t ransactions b etween t ravelers o r i tinerant t raders r ather t han f ormalized t rade n etworks o f m erchants, s oldiers, o r s ailors t raveling l ong d istances t o d eliver a t iny n umber o f O lmec s tyle a rtifacts t o d ispersed C osta R ican s ettlements. T he p receding d iscussion o f i nter-regional c ontacts o n t he P acific c oast o f C osta R ica d uring t he l atter p art o f t he Z oned B ichrome P eriod a nd t he s tart o f t he E arly P olychrome P eriod i s j ust o ne e xample s howing t hat n ew i nformation i s a vailable f rom w ell k nown d ata. B y e xamining m uch m ore c losely t he c ontext i n w hich w e f ind e vidence f or i nterregional c ontacts, a nd b y l ooking m ore c arefully a t t he u se o f s ymbols a nd t he m eaning o f a rtifacts i n e ach l ocal c ontext, w e c an i mprove e xisting m odels f or i nterregional c ontact. W ith m ore d etailed i nformation w e s hould b e a ble t o h ypothesize m ore r ealistically c omplex p rocesses t han l ong d istance t rade t o e xplain t he d evelopment o f t he s ocial s ystems w e i nvestigate, t heir d iffering i deologies, a nd t he s ocial s trategies w hich s haped t hem a nd t heir m aterial c ulture.

1 84

R EFERENCES C ITED C oe, M ichael D . a nd R ichard A . D iehl 1 980 I n t he L and o f t he O lmec. 2V ol. P ress.

A ustin:

U niversity o f T exas

C reamer, W inifred 1 983 P roduction a nd e xchange o n t wo i slands i n t he G ulf o f N icoya, C osta R ica, A .D. 1 200-1500. U npublished P h.D. d issertation, D epartment o f A nthropology , T ulane U niversity. D rucker,

P hilip

1 943

C eramic s tratigraphy a t C erro d e l as M esas, V eracruz, M exico. B ulletin

1 952

S mithsonian I nstitution, B ureau o f A merican E thnology , 1 41. L a V enta, T abasco, a s tudy o f O lmec c eramics a nd a rt. S mithsonian I nstitution, 1 53.

B ulletin

B ureau o f A merican E thnology,

D rucker, P hilip, R obert F . H eizer, 1 959

E asby, 1 981

S quier

E lizabeth K ennedy J ade. I n B etween C ontinents/Between S eas, P recolambian a rt o f C osta R ica, e dited b y E lizabeth P . B enson, p p. 1 35-151. N ew Y ork : H arry N . A brams.

F onseca Z ., O scar, 1 973

H aas,

a nd R obert J .

E xcavations a t L as V enta, T abasco, 1 955. S mithsonian I nstitution. B ureau o f A merican E thnology, B ulletin 1 70.

a nd R ichard S caglion

S tylistic a nalysis o f s tone p endants f rom L as H uacas b urial g round, N orthwestern C osta R ica. A nnals o f t he C arnegie M useum 4 7:281-298. J onathan

1 982

T he e volution o f t he p rehistoric s tate. U niversity P ress.

N ew Y ork:

C olumbia

H artman, C arl V . 1 907 A rchaeological r esearches o n t he P acific C oast o f C osta R ica. M emoirs o f t he C arnegie M useum 3 . H elms, M ary W . 1 979 A ncient P anama. H odder, 1 982

L ange, 1 972

A ustin:

U niversity o f T exas P ress.

I an S ymbols i n a ction: E thnoarchaeological S tudies o f M aterial C ulture. C ambridge: C ambridge U niversity P ress. F rederick W . a nd K ristin K .

S cheidenhelm

T he S alvage A rchaeology o f a Z oned B ichrome C emetery, R ica. A merican A ntiquity 3 7:240-245.

C osta

P ohorilenko, A natole 1 981 T he O lmec S tyle a nd C osta R ican A rchaeology. I n T he O lmec a nd T heir N eighbors, e dited b y E lizabeth P . B enson, p p. 3 09-327. W ashington, D . C .: D umbarton O aks. 1 85

S mith, M ichael E . 1 980

a nd C ynthia M . H eath-Smith

W aves o f I nfluence i n P ostclassic M esoamerica? A c ritique o f t he M ixteca-Puebla c oncept. A nthropology 4 :15-50.

S tone, D oris 1 972

P recolumbian M an F inds C entral A merica.

1 977

M useum P ress. P recolumbian M an i n C osta R ica. P ress.

1 86

C ambridge:

C ambridge:

P eabody

P eabody M useum

G REATER N ICOYA P OLYCHROME C ERAMICS; R egional a nd

I nter-Regional T ies

J ane S tevenson D ay D epartment o f A nthropology U niversity o f C olorado B oulder,

C olorado

A BSTRACT T he p olychrome c eramics o f t he G reater N icoya S ubarea a re o f p articular i nterest i n t he s tudy o f r egional a nd i nter-regional t ies d uring t he l ast p rehistory e ra, A .D. 1 000-1550. R ecent c eramic r esearch h as r evealed c hanges i n t he t echnological a nd i conographical a spects o f t he p ottery d uring t his p eriod a nd t he e xistence o f a s pecial r elationship b etween P acific N icaragua a nd s ites i n t he T empisque d rainage o f G uanacaste. T his s pecial r elationship i s e videnced b y a s hared i conography a nd b y t he p resence i n T empisque b urials o f w hite s lipped p olychrome v essels i mported f rom t he R ivas a nd L akes a rea o f N icaragua. T hese i mported v essels a re f ound i n a ssociation w ith l ocal c opies o f t hemselves, made i n t he o range s lipped F iladelfia W are p ottery o f t he a rea. T his s tylistic e vidence h as r ecently r eceived s cientific c orroboration f rom c hemical a nalysis o f a s ample o f t he c eramics

t hrough n eutron a ctivation t esting a t B rookhaven

N ational L aboratory. I nter-regionally t he N icoya a rea r eflects p ostclassic C entral M exican r eligious i conography a nd f uture r esearch i s n eeded i n a n a ttempt t o e xplain t he n ature o f t hese d istant c ultural t ies.

R ESUMEN L a c erämica p olicroma d e l a s ub-ärea d e G ran N icoya e s d e i ntergs p articular e n e l e studio d e l os c ontactos r egionales e i nterregionales d urante l a ü ltima e ra p rehistörica, 1 000-1550 D .C. L as i nvestigaciones r ecientes d e l a c erämica h an d escubierto c ambios e n l os a spectos t ecnolögicos e i conogräficos e n l a c erämica d urante e ste p eriod° y l a e xistencia d e u na r elaciön e special e ntre l a N icaragua d el P acifico y l os s itios d e l a c uenca d e T empisque d e G uanacaste. E sta r elaciön e special s e e videncia e n l a i conografla c ompartida y e n l a p resencia e n l os e ntierros d e v asijas d e e ngobe b lanco i mportadas d e l as a reas d e R ivas y d e L agos e n N icaragua.

E stas v asijas

i mportadas s e e ncuentran

e n a sociaciön c on c opias d e s i m ismas, h echas e n l a c erämica d e e ngobe c olor d e n aranja d e F iladelfia. R ecientemente, e sta e videncia e stillstica h a s ido c onfirmada c ientificamente p ot u n a nälisis q uimico d e u na m uesta p or l a t ecnica d e n eutron a ctivation t esting e n e l L aboratorio N acional d e B rookhaven ( EE.UU.). I nterregionalmente, l a a rea d e N icoya r efleja l a i conografia p oscläsica r eligiosa d el M exico c entral y s e n ecesita m s i nvestigaciön p ara e xplicar e l s ignificado d e e stos c ontactos c ulturales d istantes.

1 88

T he p olychrome c eramics o f t he G reater N icoya a rea ( Norweb 1 964) d uring P eriod V I, A .D . 1 000-1550 ( Fig. 1 ) ( Snarskis 1 981:27), a re o f p articular i nterest i n t he s tudy o f r egional a nd i nter-regional t ies. T his s hort p aper i s c oncerned w ith t hese c eramics, a nd t heir s patial a nd a rtistic d istribution.

t heir i conography,

W hile m ost o f C osta R ica

h as p roduced a f ew e xamples o f p olychrome c eramics,

t he g reatest n umber

o f f ine p ainted p olychrome v essels c ome f rom t he N icoya a rea w hich, p rehistorically, i ncluded t he N icoya P eninsula, G uanacaste P rovince, a nd t he R ivas a nd L akes r egion o f s outhwestern N icaragua ( Fig. 2 ). R ecent r esearch w ith c eramics f rom t his a rea h as p roduced s ome s ignificant a nd i nteresting n ew i nsights i nto t he p rehistory o f t he r egion. T he o riginal d ata b ase f or t he r esearch w as a l arge g roup o f o ver 6 00 w hole d ecorated v essels f rom t he l ast p rehistoric p eriod. T hese c eramics w ere r ecovered f rom b urials a t t he s ite o f H acienda T empisque, l ocated i n t he T empisque R iver d rainage o f G uanacaste P rovince ( Fig. 3 ). E ventually c eramics f rom o ther s ites i n t he a rea, s uch a s F iladelfia, V idor, a nd S an V icente, a nd a l arge n umber o f v essels f rom R ivas, i n t he B ransford c ollection a t t he S mithsonian I nstitution, W ashington, D .C., w ere a lso e xamined t o r ound o ut t he s tudy s ample. P olychrome c eramics b egan i n t his r egion a t a bout A .D .

5 00.

A t

f irst t hey w ere p ainted o n a h ighly p olished t an s lipped b ase, a nd t he m otifs a nd v essel s hapes s eem m ost c losely a ssociated w ith t he c eramics o f t he s outhern M aya p eripery ( see H oopes 1 980, R obinson 1 978, D ay 1 981). A t t he b eginning o f P eriod V I, a round A .D . 1 000, t hese a re r ather a bruptly o vershadowed b y t he f luorescence o f a c eramic t radition o f p olychrome p ainting o n a h eavy , w hite s lip b asecoat. T his f irst o ccurs o n t he s pectacular a nd w ell k nown P apagayo c eramic t ype a nd i ts v arieties ( Fig. 4 )(Buadez 1 967, H ealy 1 980). B eginning w ith t he C ulebra v ariety, a s e arly a s A .D. 8 00, P apagayo p olychromes b ring w ith t hem t o t he r egion t his n ew t echnique a nd a n i conography c losely r elated t o P ostclassic c entral M exico ( see N icholson 1 977, S tone 1 982). T his i conography a s i t a ppears o n G reater N icoya p olychrome v essels w as p robably c arried i nto t he r egion a s r eligious i magery b y g roups o f m igrating p eoples s uch a s t he C horetega a nd N icarao. L egends, e thnohistoric s ources, a nd a rchaeological e vidence c ombine w ith c eramic a nalysis t o s upport s uch m igrations a nd m ovements o f p eoples. T he r oute s eems t o h ave b een o ut o f t he c entral M exican a rea t oward V era C ruz a nd t hen s outh t hrough C hiapas, G uatemala, a nd E l S alvador a nd e ventually i nto G reater N icoya ( for i n d epth d iscussion o f t his s ee L eon P ortilla 1 972). T he c eramics i n t he N icoya a rea s trongly i ndicate a t l east t wo s uch i ntrusions o f i deas o r p eople: o ne a t a round A .D. 8 00, a s i ndicated b y t he P apagayo c eramic t ype j ust m entioned, a nd t he o ther a t a round A .D . 1 200. T his s econd c ontact p eriod i s m ost c learly d emonstrated b y t he a ppearance o f t he V allejo P olychrome t ype w hich i s d ecorated w ith d epictions o f s uch c entral M exican d ieties a s t he p lumed s erpent, h ummingbirds,and t he e arth m onster ( Fig. 5 ). Ia m n ot s uggesting t hat t he c eramic v essels t hemselves w ere t ransported f rom t he n orth, b ut o nly t hat t he i conography f ound p ainted o n t hem r eflects r eligious s ymbols c ommon i n P ost C lassic M exico ( see D ay a nd A bel-Vidor 1 981). T he t hree d ominant n ew t hemes w hich a ppear a s m ajor m otifs a t t his t ime a re a m an/jaguar t heme ( Fig.

6 a nd 8 ), a " Tlaloc-like" e ffigy

f ace ( Fig. 7 ), a nd v arious r enditions o f t he p lumed s erpent ( Fig. 4 , 5 , a nd 9 ). A ll t hree t hemes s trongly s uggest c entral M exican r eligious m ythology a s t heir s ource.

1 89

I n t he p ast N icoya p olychromes w ere o ften t hought t o d epict a lmost l imitless s ubject m atter; s tylistic a nalysis h as s hown t hat t his i s n ot t he c ase. W hile m inor m otifs d o a ppear o n p ottery f rom t ime t o t ime a nd multiple s econdary d ecorative b ands a re c haracteristic o f c eramics o f t he p eriod, i t i s t he t hree t hemes m entioned a bove w ith t heir a ssociated c lusters o f m ythological e lements t hat d ominate t he i conography. T he f eeling o f w ide v ariation i s d ue t o t he l ong p eriod ( almost 6 00 y ears) o f c ombining a nd r ecombining o f t he i magery , t o t he a bstraction a nd i nterpretation o f t he b asic t hemes b y t he a rtist, a nd t o t he n ecessity o f u tilizing s pace i n d ifferent w ays o n d ifferent v essel f orms. W ith t he p rogression o f t ime, P apagayo P olychromes a re s ucceeded i n t he r egion b y o ther w hite s lipped t ypes a nd v arieties o f p olychrome p ottery s uch a s V allejo, P ataky, a nd t he d istinctive L unaware ( Fig. 5 , 8 , a nd 9 ), b ut t he b asic i conography p ainted o n t hem r emains c onstant. E ventually, w ith t he p assage o f t ime, t hemes p ainted o n t he p ottery o ften b ecame s o a bstracted t hat t hey w ere r educed t o a f ew s imple l ines. T his s tep i n N icoya a rea I magery c an b e s een c learly o n L a M adeira P olychrome b owls o f t he p eriod ( Fig. 1 0). H ere t he i conography i s p ainted a bove t he t ripod l egs o f t he v essels i n a s tylized a nd s tandardized m anner. T he r elated j aguar m yth h as b ecome s o f amiliar t o p eople w ithin t he c ulture t hat a f ew l ines a re s ufficient t o s uggest a n e ntire s tory a nd o nly,t he s ymbols o f t he b east r emain. T he t ail, t eeth, a nd c entral b ody c rouch o f t he j aguar i ndicate t he w hole t heme. A nalysis o f t he c eramics s trongly i ndicates t hat i conography a nd i ts a ppearance o n t he s pecially p repared w hite s lipped s urfaces o f v essels s erved a s pecific p urpose i n t he G reater N icoya A rea. I t s eems t o h ave b ecome a m ethod o f c ommunication a nd i nformation e xchange t hrough s ymbols w hich w ere m utually u nderstood b y p eople s haring t he s ame c ulture. W e c ould, p erhaps, c ompare t he u se o f s uch v essels t o t he u se o f p ainted c odices o r b ooks. F or p urposes o f c ommunication t he w hite s urfaces o f b oth w ere p ainted w ith b rightly c olored r itual s ymbolism a nd i magery. C omparisons b etween s uch c eramics a nd c odices h ave b een s uggested i n t erms o f a rt s tyle a nd r itual m aterial f or t he M ixteca-Puebla a rea o f M exico ( Ramsey 1 975), a nd I f eel t he s ame s ituation p robably e xisted, a t l east a mong e lite g roups, i n G reater N icoya ( see F ig. 1 1 a nd 1 2). W hile n o c odices a re k nown t o h ave s urvived t he S panish c onquest i n t he N icoya a rea, t hey a re r eported i n t he h istoric d ocuments a s b eing p resent a t t he t ime o f t he f irst e ntradas ( Oviedo 1 945:65). A nother d iscovery t o r esult f rom t he c eramic a nalysis w as t hat i n b urials i n t he T empisque V alley t here a re t wo d istinct g roups o f l ate p olychrome v essels. A ll c arry t he s ame b asic i conography, b ut o ne b elongs t o a l ocal c eramic t radition a nd t he o ther t o a n i mported g roup. A n e xamination o f t he l ate p olychrome c eramics f rom t he R ivas/Lakes a rea o f N icaragua s trongly s uggested t hat t he w hite s lipped i mported g roup o f v essels o riginated t here, w hile e xcavated c eramics f rom t he T empisque d rainage s eemed t o c onfirm t he l ocal n ature o f t he o ther g roup. R ather t han h aving t he " classic" w hite s lip d iscussed a bove, l ocal Tempisque p olychrome c eramics a re a ll m ade i n a s almon s lipped F iladelfia W are. T his t erm w as f irst u sed b y L othrop ( 1926:127) t o d escribe s ome o f t he N icoya P olychromes w hich w ere f ound i n t he a rea o f t he G uanacaste t own o f F iladelfia, a nd i t i s a dopted h ere ( see D ay 1 981) a s a w are d esignation f or t hese l ocally made l ate 1 90

c eramics.

T hese v essels a re s lipped i n a s almon c olor t hat w as

p robably a n a ttempt o n t he p art o f t he l ocal p otters t o r eproduce t he w hite s lip t hey a dmired o n i mported v essels. T his F iladelfia W are p ottery r anges f rom a y ellow t o a n o range/tan s hade a nd i s p ainted i n b lack, o range,

a nd r ed w ith t he s ame d esigns a nd i conography f ound o n

t he w hite s lipped t ypes a nd v arieties o f t he p eriod. T he l ocally m ade v essels a re a ll v arieties o f J icote P olychrome ( Baudez 1 967), a n a bundant l ate p eriod T empisque c eramic t ype; a ll b ut t wo v arieties, h owever, a re a ctualy c opies i n F iladelfia W are o f t he v alued w hite s lipped i mports ( Fig. 8 a nd 1 3)(Day 1 982). T his c opying o n a l ocal l ivel o f p olychrome v essels f rom s outhwestern N icaragua f irst o ccurs a fter a bout A .D . 1 000 i n s ome v arieties o f t he p opular P apagayo P olychromes, a nd i t c ontinues w ith m ounting f requency t hroughout t he l ate p eriod. A lmost a ll o f t he P eriod V I w hite s lipped p olychrome t ypes h ave t heir F iladelfia W are c ounterparts w ith t he m utually i ntelligible i conographic i nformation c arefully c opied f rom o ne o n t o t he o ther. I n t he N icaragua s ection o f t he r egion o nly t he " classic" w hite s lipped v essels a re f ound ( Healy 1 980); b ut i n t he T empisque d rainage t his d uality o r r eplication o f m aterials i s c haracteristic o f t he p eriod. T his a nalysis a nd i nterpretation o f t he c eramics h as n ow r eceived q uantitative s upport f rom t esting b y D r. R onald B ishop o f B rookhaven N ational L aboratory. U nder a c ollaborative p roject w ith t he r esearch l aboratory o f t he B oston M useum o f F ine A rts a nd B rookhaven a nd g rant s upport f rom t he J FM F oundation o f D enver, C olorado, B ishop h as t ested b y n eutron a ctivation a g roup o f L ate P olychrome s herds f rom t he T empisque d rainage a nd a r andom g roup o f c ontrol s herds o f t he s ame p eriod f rom R ivas. T he b ombarding o f t he c eramic s amples w ith n eutrons d etermines t he a mounts o f t race e lements p resent i n t he p aste a nd a llows f or a c hemical f ingerprinting o f t he c lays. T his e nables q uantitative c omparisons t o b e m ade b etween v arious t ypes a nd v arieties o f c eramics. T his h as b een d one w ith t he T empisque a nd R ivas m aterials ( Fig. 1 4), a nd t he r esults o f t he t race e lement a nalysis a nd t heir c lusterings i ndicate t he s ame g eographic d ifferences a nd a rtistic a nd i conographic r elationships s uggested s o s trongly b y t he o riginal s tylistic a nalysis. B oth s ets o f e vidence i ndicate t he p resence o f i mported v essels w ith l ocal c opies i n t he T empisque d rainage a nd a s hared r egional i conography a nd a rtistic t radition d uring P eriod V I w ithin t he G reater N icoya A rea. T hus, b ased o n b oth c hemical c omposition o f p aste a nd s tylistic c riteria, t wo m ajor g roups o r w ares e merged f rom t he c eramic d ata o f t he l ast p rehistoric p eriod. T his b ifurcation c an b e d emonstrated b y a n e xample f rom t he V allejo P olychrome c eramic t ype ( Fig. 5 a nd 1 3). C haracteristic v ectors w ere c alculated f or t he t ype b ased o n t he g roup 's v ariance-covariance m atrix. T he v ectors a re a s et o f l inear c ombinations o f t he o riginal c ompositional v ariates w hich p rovide .a n ew s et o f r eference a xes, e ach o f w hich i s i ndependent o f a ny o ther a xis. I n a ddition, t he o rigin o f t he v ectors n ow o ccurs a t t he m ultivariate c enter o f a g roup. T hese c haracteristic v ectors s imply p rovide a n ew d escription o f t he d istribution a nd d o n ot a lter t he r elative p osition o f t he d ata p oints.

V ectors t hus d erived f or o ne g roup c an b e u sed t o

i llustrate t he r elative p osition o f a c omparison g roup. T he s tandardized v ector p lot ( Fig. 1 4) d isplays t he d ata r elative t o t wo s uch v ectors t hat u nderlie t he V allejo P olychrome c eramic d ata. T his

1 91

i s n ot a d iscriminant a nalysis p lot s o t he v ectors w ere n ot c hosen t o maximally s eparate t he g roups.

H owever,

w e c an e asily s ee t hat t he

" classic" w hite s lipped V allejo P olychromes a nd t heir c opies i n F iladelfia W are a re a lmost f ully s eparable i n t hese t wo d imensions a lone. T he v aiability o f b oth o f t hese c eramics f rom a t hird g roup c omposed o f s herds f rom a n e arlier t ime p eriod a t H acienda T empisque i s a lso a pparent.

C ONCLUSIONS C orrelation o f

t he t wo s ets o f s tylistic a nd q uantitative d ata

c learly h as i mportant c ultural i mplications f or t he G reater N icoya A rea. I ntra-regionally i t q uite c oncretely d emonstrates t he e xistence o f s pecific r elationships b etween t he T empisque a nd R ivas a reas. T he e xact n ature o f t his r elationship i s s till u ndetermined, b ut c eramic e vidence,

e thnohistory,

a nd a rchaeological e xcavation a nd s urvey ( Healy

1 980, D ay a nd A bel-Vidor 1 981, L ange a nd S heets 1 982) i ndicate a l ate p eriod n ucleation o f p opulations i n t he t wo a reas a s w ell a s a s haring o f c ultural v alues a nd a n i ncreasing s tandardization o f i conography. T hese t hings f urther s uggest a g rowing c entralization o f s ocial, p olitical, a nd r eligious c ontrol f ocused i n P acific N icaragua w hich w as i nterrupted b y t he a rrival o f t he S panish i n 1 521. I nterregionally t he a rea s eems

t o l ook,

d uring t his

t ime p eriod,

t o t he n orth f or r eligious a nd a rtistic i nspiration. A gain, t he b asis f or t he r elationship o r r eflection o f i nfluence i s u ncertain a nd d emands f urther r esearch. I f, a s Ib elieve f rom s tylistic, e thnohistoric, a nd a rchaeological e vidence, t he w hite s lipped p olychromes w ere p ainted w ith i conography r eflecting c entral M exican r eligious t hemes, t hen w e m ust c onsider t he d ating o f t he N icoya a rea m aterial i n r elationship t o P ost C lassic c entral M exican c eramics. S uch a c omparison i ndicates t hat w hite s lipped p olychrome v essels w ith M exican m otifs a ppear e arlier i n C osta R ica a nd N icaragua t han t hey d o I n t he a rea g enerally c onsidered t o b e t heir s ource. B y A .D. 8 00 i n b oth t he R ivas a rea o f N icaragua a nd c oastal s ites i n G uanacaste t he C ulebra v ariety o f P apagayo P olychrome o ccurs i n a bundance p ainted w ith t he m an/jaguar m otif. S tratigraphic e xcavations p lace t his p ottery 's a ppearance q uite c oncretely a t t his t ime,

w ith a p roliferation o f t he

t ype i n g eneral a round A .D. 1 000 ( Accola 1 981, H ealy 1 980). M ost i nvestigators i n c entral M exico p lace t he b eginning o f t he w hite s lipped M ixteca-Puebla o r C holula p olychromes w ell b eyond t his d ate, n o e arlier t han A .D . 1 100 ( Muller 1 970, B ernal 1 966). T his s eeming t ime l ag f rom s outh t o n orth p resents o bvious p roblems i n r elating t he e arliest N icoya w hite s lipped p olychromes t o t he M ixteca-Puebla p olychromes w ith w hich t hey a re m ost o ften c ompared ( Lothrop 1 926, N icholson 1 960, S mith a nd H eath-Smith 1 982). Y et n ot o nly t he c entral M exican t hemes b ut t heir a ssociated g eometric b ands a s w ell s uch a s t he s tep/fret ( Fig. 4 ) a nd t he i uhuitl ( Fig. 7 a) a re u nmistakably r elated ( see F ranco a nd P etersen 1 957; W estheim e t a l 1 972:242, 2 43; F ig. 1 a nd 1 2 t his p aper). A s y et w e h ave n o c lear u nderstanding o f t hese r esemblances a nd t he t emporal a nd s patial p roblems t hey p resent. P ossibly, h owever, t he e arlier m entioned m igrations p lus t he i ntroduction o f m etallurgy i nto M esoamerica f rom C entral A merica a t a round A .D .

8 00 m ay a t

l east p artially u nderlie t he i nter-regional t ies

e videnced i n t he c eramics.

1 92

A s

i s s o o ften t he c ase i n a rchaeology,

a bout a n a rea b rings w ith i t a n i ncrease

a n i ncrease i n k nowledge

i n p roblems t o b e s olved.

T his i s c ertainly t rue i n G reater N icoya.

W e f eel p rogress h as i ndeed

b een made b y e vidence o f r egional a nd i nter-regional t ies v ia m utually u nderstood i conography a nd b y t he r ecognition o f s tylistic a nd c ompositional c ovariation o f t he c eramics o f t he T empisque a rea a nd s outhwestern N icaragua.

Y et t he n ew i nformation d emands n ew

e xplanations c oncerning t he n ature o f t hese c ultural r elationships a nd i t i s o bvious t hat e xtensive r esearch r emains t o b e d one i n t he G reater N icoya R egion.

A CKNOWLEDGMENTS T he c ooperation o f t he G illen f amily a t H acienda T empisque a nd t he S mithsonian I nstitution o f W ashington, D .C. w as g reatly a ppreciated, a s w as t he o ngoing a ssistance o f R on B ishop w ith t he q uantitative a nalysis o f m aterial. F inancial s upport f or B ishop 's a nalysis w as g enerously p rovided b y t he J FM F oundation. B ob W illiams p rovided t he m aps f or t he p aper, J ane K ing, t yping a ssistance, H orace E . D ay t he p hotographs, a nd D r.

F red L ange g ave g enerously o f h is t ime f or d iscussion o f v arious

c eramic p roblems.

1 93

ARC II A EOLOG ICAL PHASES O ld R eg iona l P e r i e s c hra t ion

N ew C en t ra l Ame r ican P e roo l iza t ion

B ay o f S a l ina s S an ta E l ena P en in su la

C a lend a r Y e a r s

B ay o f C u l ebr a

T emp i sque R iv e r V a l ley

1 6 ) J0

A la iap a lo , T amannd o , N o sara ( Low er N ico ‘a P en in su l a) . ,

IC OO 1

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l g uan i ta

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' Mon te d e l D a m

100

g oo s . , E E › , , . . 3 . 2"

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P a lo B l anco B

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F igure 1 .

C hronological c hart o f a rchaeological p eriods a nd p hases f or t he G reater N icoya S ubarea.

1 94

0 Teguc iga lpa

NICA R A G U A

M anagua 4 0

La N ic el fl a

a patera

Bah ia Salinas

COSTA R ICA Go lfo d e Papa gayo

• L iber ia NCE OF CASTE

Go lfo d e N icoya

F igure

2 .

M ap o f G reater N icoya S ubarea

1 95

CAR AGU

Lago d e N icaragua

0 { › , 3

I ST MO DE R IVAS

/

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Bah ia Sa linas

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Bahia Santa E lena

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= c o • , . C t .

r

COSTA R ICA

‘. . . . ..

@

‘

Go lfo d e Papagayo

% . . . . . .. ... . 4 .4 \ % . . . . . . . ,

. . . ‘ ‘

i ber ia

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PROVI NCE

L a G u inea o

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c , e ‘

GUA NACASTE d e

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* N ic • a c r

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•

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c r z ,

Go lfo d e N icoya SCALE 4 0

m i les

0

F igure 3 .

km

4 0

Cabo ( B lanco

M ap o f G uanacaste P rovince,

1 96

C osta R ica:

S elected S ites

F igure 4

( Upper L eft)

F igure 5 F igure 6 F igure 7

( Upper R ight) V allejo P olychrome p late w ith s erpent m otif ( Middle) P apagayo P olychrome p late w ith m an/jaguar m otif ( Bottom) T laloc-like e ffigy v essels: A , J icote P olychrome j ar, C oronel V ariety; B , P ataky P olychrome j ar

P apagayo P olychrome w ith s erpent m otif

1 97

F igure 8

( Top) J aguar e ffigy j ars: A , P ataky P olychrome; P olychrome, C oronel V ariety ( Filadelfia W are)

F igure 9

( Middle)

F igure

1 0 ( Bottom)

A bstract s erpent m otif, L unaware A bstract j aguar m otif,

b owl

1 98

B ,

J icote

t ripod b owl

L a M adeira P olychrome t ripod

F igure 1 1

( Upper L eft) p . 2 42)

F igure

( Upper R ight)

1 2

V ariety; F igure

1 3

M ixtec — Puebla C odex s tyle

C odex s tyle j ar,

H acienda T empisque,

( Bottom) A ,

P ataky P olychrome,

G uanacaste,

V alleja P olychrome b owl,

s lip; B , J ieote P olychrome b owl, W are w ith s almon s lip

1 99

j ar ( Westheim e t a l,

L eyenda

C osta R ica

C ara V ariety, w hite

R amon V ariety,

F iladelfia

0

F iladelfia W are C opies,

V allejo P olychrome C eramics

•

V allejo P olychrome C eramics, w hite s lipped

*

E arly P olychrome C eramics

VECTOR1

• 6 .03-

1 5 .4 .

1 . 38-

•

S I 0

3 .27-

o 000 00 00 o 0 oo o

* 7 .91-

0

0

12 .56-

I MO

1 0 .66

7 .97

5 .28

2 .58

0 . 11

2 .81

5 .50 V ECTOR 2

F igure 1 4.

S tandardized V ector P lot: D ata,

H acienda T empisque

2 00

V allejo P olychrome C eramic

R EFERENCES C ITED A ccola,

R ichard

1 978

A d ecorative s equence o f p rehistoric c eramics f rom t he V idor s ite, G uanacaste, C osta R ica. U npublished M .A . t hesis, D epartment o f A nthropology, U niversity o f T exas.

B audez,

C laude

1 967

R echerches a rcheologiques d ans l a V allee d u T empisque, G uanacaste, C osta R ica, T ravaux e t M emoires d e l 'Institut d es H autes E tudes d e l 'Amerique L atine 1 8, P aris.

B ernal,

I gnacio

1 966

T he M ixtecs i n t he a rchaeology o f t he V alley o f O axaca. A ncient

O axaca,

J ohn P addock e d.,

S tanford:

I n

S tanford

U niversity P ress. D ay,

J ane

1 982

S .

N ew a pproaches i n s tylistic a nalysis:

t he c eramics a t H acienda

T empisque. P aper p resented a t t he 4 4th T riennial m eeting o f t he I nternational C ongress o f A mericanists, M anchester. 1 981

S ome M esoamerican c eramic r esemblances i n n orthwestern C osta R ica. P aper p resented a t t he X VII M esa R edonda, S ociedad M exicana d e A ntropologia,

D ay,

J ane S .

1 981

S an C ristobal l as C asas.

a nd S uzanne A bel-Vidor

E thnohistory a nd a rchaeology o f G uanacaste, p resented a t t he A nnual M eeting o f t he E thnohistory. C olorado S prings.

F ranco,

L uis F ranco a nd

1 957

H ealy ,

C osta R ica.

P aper

S ociety f or

F rederick P eterson

M otivos D ecorativos e n L a C eramica A zteca. M exico: M useo N acional d e A ntropologia.

S erie C ientifica 5 ,

P aul

1 980

A rchaeology o f t he R ivas R egion, L aurier P ress.

H oopes,

N icaragua.

W aterloo:

W ilfrid

J ohn

1 980

C opador P olychrome: a c eramic s tyle o f c lassic C opan a nd i ts i nfluence o n p olychrome t ypes o f l ower M esoamerica. U npublished S enior t hesis,

L ange,

Y ale U niversity.

F rederick a nd P ayson S heets

1 983

P reliminary r eport o n a n a rchaeological s urvey i n s outhwestern N icaragua.

M anuscript i n p ossession o f t he a uthor.

L eon-Portilla, M iguel 1 972

R eligion d e l os N icaraos. A utonoma d e M exico

L othrop, 1 926

M exico: U niversidad N acional

I nstituto d e

I nvestigaciones H istoricas.

S .K . P ottery o f C osta R ica a nd N icaragua. M useum o f t he A merican I ndian 8 .

2 01

C ontributions f rom t he

M uller, 1 970

F lorencia L a c eramica d e C holula.

I n P rojecto C holula.

N acional d e A ntropologia e H istoria, M exico. N icholson, 1 982

H .

I nstituto

S erie I nvestigaciones

B .

T he M ixteca-Puebla c oncept r evisited.

I n T he A rt a nd

I conography o f L ate P ost-Classic C entral M exico, B oone e d. W ashington, D .C.: D umbarton O aks. N orweb, 1 964

A .

R amsey, 1 975

H .

G onzalo F ernando d e

H istoria g eneral y n atural d e l as I ndias, d el m ar o cean°. M adrid.

A n a nalysis o f M ixtec m inor a rt, w ith a c atalogue. A nn A rbor:

R obinson,

D epartment o f A nthropology,

P h.D .

T ulane U niversity.

U niversity M icrofilms.

E ugenia

M ayan d esign f eatures o f M ayoid v essels o f t he U lua-Yojoa p olychromes. A nthropology,

S mith, M .E. 1 980

I slas y t ierra f irme

J ames d issertation,

1 978

E lizabeth

C eramic s tratigraphy i n s outhwestern N icaragua. A cts o f t he 3 5th I nternational C ongress o f A mericanists 1 :161-61.

O viedo y V aldes, 1 945

1 9,

a nd

U npublished M .A . t hesis, T ulane U niversity.

D epartment o f

C ynthia H eath-Smith

W aves o f i nfluence i n p ostclassic M esoamerica? t he M ixteca-Puebla c oncept.

A c ritique o f

A nthropology 4 (2):15-50.

S narskis, M ichael 1 981

B etween C ontinents,

B etween S eas:

R ica.

B enson,

E lizabeth P .

e d.

P recolumbian A rt o f C osta N ew Y ork:

H arry A brams,

I nc.

S tone, D oris 1 982 C ultural r adiations f rom t he C entral a nd S outhern H ighlands o f M exico i nto C osta R ica. I n A spects o f t he M ixteca-Puebla s tyle a nd M ixtec a nd C entral M exican c ulture i n s outhern M esoamerica. M iddle A merican R esearch I nstitute, T ulane U niversity. W estheim, 1 972

P aul,

e t a l

P rehispanic M exican a rt.

N ew Y ork: G .

2 02

P .

P utnam 's S ons.

U TILITARIAN L ITHICS A S P RESTIGE I TEMS:

A P RELIMINARY E XAMINATION O F

S OME L OWER C ENTRAL A MERICAN M ORTUARY P RACTICES

D avid J .

B ernstein

D epartment o f A nthropology B inghamton, N ew Y ork 1 3901

2 03

A BSTRACT T he d istribution o f g round s tone c elts a t a n umber o f p rehistoric c emetery s ites i n C osta R ica a nd P anama i s d iscussed. T hese a rtifacts c onsistently o ccur a s o fferings i n t he m ost e laborate a nd r ichest g raves m ales.

i n t he r egion a nd s eem t o b e a ssociated p rimarily w ith e lite S ome p ossible e xplanations f or t his p attern a re s uggested.

R ESUMEN S e d iscute l a d istribucion d e h achas p ulidas e n s itios m ortuorios p recolombinos e n C osta R ica y P anama.

H achas p ulidas o curren

r epetidamente e n l as t umbas m as a dornadas. L as i ndividuos e n e stas t umbas m as o rnadas g eneralmente s on m asculinos, a parentamente d e r ango a lto. S e p resenta a lgunos p osibles e xplicaciones p ara e ste p atron.

2 04

I NTRODUCTION G round s tone c elts,

o ften r eferred t o a s u ngrooved a xes,

u biquitous i n t he a rchaeological r ecord o f t he N ew Y orld. a rtifacts, m ost f requently made b y c hipping,

p ecking,

a re

T hese

g rinding,

a nd

p olishing i gneous r ocks, a re g enerally a ssociated w ith a gricultural a ctivities a nd a re t hought t o h ave b een i mportant f or c learing f ields f or p lanting. N umerous o ther f unctions h ave b een d etermined f or c elts i ncluding u se a s a dzes, i ntermediate t ools, p ercussors, g rinders, a nd w edges ( Bernstein 1 980a, 1 980b ; R anere 1 975, 1 980). W hile t he s tudy o f t he p ast u ses o f t hese a rtifacts a nd u tilitarian l ithics f rom l ower C entral A merica i n g eneral h as m ade g reat s trides i n t he p ast d ecade ( see t he n umerous r eports i n L inares a nd R anere, 1 980 f or r ecent a dvances), c omparatively l ittle a ttention h as b een p aid t o t heir r ole a s s ignificant i tems i n m ortuary r ituals. T hroughout t he r egion, p articularly d uring t he l ast 7 00 y ears o f t he p rehistoric p eriod, g round s tone c elts a ppear a s o fferings i n r ich a nd e laborate g raves. T hese i nterments f requently c ontain n umerous a rticulated a nd/or d isarticulated s keletons i n a ssociation w ith o ne p rincipal i ndividual a nd a re o ften a mong t he m ore r emarkable g raves e ncountered i n a ny p articular c emetery c omplex. T his p aper r eviews t he e vidence f or t he i mportance o f g round s tone c elts i n t he m ortuary p ractices o f a n umber o f p rehistoric L ower C entral A merican p eoples ( Fig. 1 ). I h ave d rawn o n p ublished m aterials f rom f our a reas: t he G uanacaste-Nicoya, A tlantic W atershed, a nd C entral H ighland a reas o f C osta R ica, a nd C od e i n c entral P anama. O nly b urials f or w hich c omplete, r elatively u nambiguous, a nd r eadily a ccessible p ublished i nventories a re a vailable h ave b een i ncluded i n t his s tudy. M any o f t hese s ites w ere e xcavated w ell o ver h alf a c entury a go a nd i n s ome c ases r ecording p rocedures w ere n ot u p t o t oday 's s tandards. R ather t han b e r estrained b y t his s tate o f a ffairs I h ave d ecided t o f orge a head e ven t hough t he e xtant d ata b ase m ay b e l ess t han i deal. Ih ave, f or t he m ost p art, maintained t he t erminology u sed b y t he e xcavators o f t he s ites d iscussed i n t his p aper a nd h ave a ltered t he f ormat o f t heir d escriptions a s l ittle a s p ossible. G uanacaste-Nicoya T here a re a n umber o f a ccounts o f g round s tone c elts a ppearing i n m ortuary c ontexts i n G uanacaste. B urial I a t N acascolo ( Wallace a nd A ccola 1 980), a s pectacular i nterment d ating t o t he M onte d el B arco P hase ( A.D . 1 000-1200), t welve c eramic v essels,

c ontained, i n a ddition t o a u tilized c elt, t wo s hell b racelets, a c opper b ell, a nd a n i ron

p yrite t ablet ( Table l a). T he p rincipal i ndividual i s am iddle-aged m ale, p resumably o f v ery h igh s tatus ( Snarskis 1 981:36). I n a ddition t o t he g rave g oods, t he s keleton w as a ccompanied b y s ix c rania a nd a l arge q uantity o f d isarticulated b ones. A n eighboring g rave a t t his s ite ( Burial I I) y ielded t wo a dditional s kulls, o ne s howing s ubstantial d ental m utilation. I n c ontrast

t o t his e laborate b urial a t N acascolo,

i s t he c emetery

c omplex a t L a G uinea i n t he T empisque V alley ( Hoopes 1 980). H ere n o c elts w ere f ound a nd, i n g eneral, t he i nterments a re m uch l ess e laborate t han t hose a t

N acascolo

( Table 2 05

l a).

N one o f t he

a pproximately 1 9 s keletons r ecovered a t t he s ite c ould b e i dentified a s a n a dult male a nd c eramics a re, b y f ar, t he m ost c ommon g rave i tem. T he B olson c emetery ( Baudez 1 967), d rainage,

a lso i n t he T empisque

i s s imilar t o L a G uinea i n t hat i t l acks g round s tone c elts

i n i ts i nterments a nd t hat i t c ontains r elatively u nelaborate g rave o fferings ( Table l b). O f t he t welve g raves w hich B audez e xcavated h ere o nly o ne y ielded t he r emains o f a n i ndividual i dentified a s a n a dult male. T he s ingle g rave e ncountered a t t he T empisque V alley s ite o f B irmania c ontained t he s keleton o f a n a dult m ale a long w ith a g round s tone c elt a nd t wo c eramic v essels. T his i nterment p robably d ates t o t he M iddle P olychrome P eriod

( Baudez

1 967:45-46).

A t t he s ite o f L as H uacas i n G uanacaste,

H artman ( 1907)

r ecovered

m erely s ix g round s tone c elts i n h is e xcavations, t hough n umerous o thers a re k nown f rom t he s ite. O f t hese, o nly o ne w as r ecovered f rom a r elatively i ntact g rave, t he r est b eing f ound i n c onfused, b ut p robably f unerary c ontexts. B urial X I, t he i nterment c ontaining t his c elt, h as b een p laced i n t he S an B osco P hase ( A .D . 5 00-800) b y G raham ( 1981:115). F onseca a nd S caglion ( 1978), o n t he b asis o f t heir s tone p endant a nalysis, s uggest t he s ite w as u tilized f rom a pproximately A .D . 1 80-525. A n e xamination o f t he d istribution o f g oods i n t he s ixteen b urials ( Table l c) e xcavated b y H artman i ndicates t hat B urial X I i s n ot n ecessarily o ne o f t he r icher g raves a t L as H uacas, t hough t he c arved m etate, w hich i s t he o nly o ther o ffering i n t he t omb, i s s aid t o b e p articularly e laborate a nd u nique

( Graham 1 981:115;

H artman

1 907:22-23). I t h as b een d escribed a s t he o nly e xample f rom t he s ite s howing " carved s lab l egs w ith o penwork d ecoration" ( Graham 1 981:115). A n a dditional f ive c elts w ere r ecovered i n e xcavations n ear t he m ajor b urial c oncentration a nd t hey a lso s eem t o b e a ssociated w ith h uman r emains. I t i s i nteresting t o n ote t hat o ne o f t hese a rtifacts ( catalogue n o. 2 793/54) a ppears t o b e v irtually i dentical t o g round s tone t ools t ypically f ound i n m idden a nd h abitation c ontexts i n G uanacaste, b ut i n t his c ase i t s eems t o h ave b een p erforated, p ossibly t o f acilitate s uspension s o t hat t he c elt c ould s erve a s a n i tem o f a dornment o r d isplay. T he p erforation t echnique e mployed o n t his c elt i s r emarkably s imilar t o t hat c ommonly u sed o n t he i ntricate j ade p endants f ound t hroughout t he G reater N icoya a rea ( see f or e xample, H artman 1 907:

P late

1 ).

T he i mpression o ne g ets w hen l ooking a t

t he p ublished a ccounts o f

c emetery e xcavations i n G uanacaste i s t hat L as H uacas a nd N acascolo s tand a part i n t hat t hey c ontain e xtremely e laborate g rave g oods s uch a s c arved m etates, j ade p endants, m ace h eads, a nd c opper b ells. I a lso s uggest t hat i f g ood s keletal d ata w ere a vailable f rom H artman 's e arly w ork a nd f rom t he e xtensive " commercial" e xcavations a t N acascolo,

o ne w ould f ind t hat a n e xtremely h igh p roportion o f t hese

g raves c ontained

t he s keletal r emains o f a dult m ales.

I n c ontrast,

c emeteries s uch a s B olson a nd L a G uinea s eem t o c ontain l ess e laborate o fferings ( Snarskis 1 981:30) a s w ell a s t he s keletons o f c hildren a nd f emales. I nterestingly, g round s tone c elts a re e ntirely a bsent i n t he m ortuary o fferings

f rom t he l atter t wo s ites.

A tlantic W atershed o f C osta R ica T he p lacement o f g round s tone c elts a nd u tilitarian l ithics i n 2 06

g eneral i n b urials d oes n ot s eem t o h ave b een a s p revalent o n t he A tlantic W atershed a s i t w as i n o ther a reas o f C osta R ica. ( 1978)

e xcavations

S narskis'

i n t his r egion f ound n o c elts i n u nequivocal b urial

c ontexts d ating b efore t he T ransitional P eriod

( A .D .

5 00-1000),

t hough

c elts d o o ccasionally a ppear i n o ther a rchaeological c ontexts ( Table 2 a).

T he o ne T ransitional P eriod ( A .D .

t he L a M ontana s ite, " special",

5 00-1000) b urial,

i n w hich c elts ( five)

l ocated a t

w ere f ound h as b een t ermed

a nd i t c ontains a n u nusually r ich a ssortment o f o fferings

i ncluding a n umber o f o carinas a nd f igurines ( Snarskis 1 978:413). D uring t he

S tone C ist P eriod ( A .D .

1 000-1500) c elts w ere

o ccasionally i ncluded a s g rave o fferings. S narskis n otes t heir p resence i n t ombs a t L a Z oila i n t he T urrialba V alley ( Table 2 b), a nd H artman ( 1901) f ound o ne c elt i n G rave 7 a t L as M ercedes. T his p articular a rtifact a ppears t o h ave b een u sed o r e ven i rreparably d amaged p rior t o i ts p lacement i n t he c ist t omb. C entral H ighlands o f C osta R ica I n t he C entral H ighlands o f C osta R ica g round s tone c elts a ppear i n m ortuary c ontexts w ith a bout t he s ame f requency a s t hey d o o n t he A tlantic W atershed. A s i s t he c ase e lsewhere i n l ower C entral A merica, c eramics a re b y f ar t he m ost a bundant s ort o f g rave o ffering. H artman ( 1901), w ho e xcavated a pproximately 3 86 S tone C ist P eriod t ombs a t t he s ites o f S antiago, C hircot, L os L imones, a nd O rosl n otes t he o ccurrence o f g round s tone c elts i n o nly e ighteen g raves, e ven t hough t here i s a n a pparent a bundance o f s tone f or m anufacturing t hese a rtifacts i n t he i mmediate v icinity o f a t l east o ne o f t he s ites ( Oros1). T hese e ighteen g raves d o n ot a ppear u nique e xcept f or t he f act t hat t hey c ontain c elts ( Table 3 ). U nfortunately, n o a ge o r s ex d ata i s a vailable f or t he s keletons e xcavated b y H artman. C ocle A t

S itio C onte ( Lothrop 1 937)

t he a ssociation o f g round s tone

c elts w ith t he m ost e laborate a nd p resumably h igh s tatus i nterments i s m ost c learly e vident. O ver 6 2% o f t he c elts r ecovered b y L othrop i n g rave c ontexts ( "caches" a re n ot i ncluded i n t his a nalysis) w ere f ound, i n w hat h e t ermed, " large" g raves ( Table 4 ). T hese a re t he t ombs w hich y ielded t he l argest n umber o f i ndividuals, t he g reatest q uantity o f g rave g oods, a nd t he m ost m agnificent m aterial r emains. I n c ontrast, o nly s lightly m ore t han 5 % o f t he c elts w ere p laced i n t he " small" c ategory g raves e ven t hough n early o ne-quarter o f t he s keletons o ccur i n t hese i nterments. A s c an b e s een i n T able 4 , t here i s a p ronounced t endency f or t he n umber o f c elts p er i ndividual t o i ncrease w ith t omb s ize. T he e xamination o f t he p resence o r a bsence o f g round s tone c elts a mong t he v arious g rave t ypes i s e ven m ore i nstructive s ince i t a voids p roblems e ncountered b y t he t endency f or t he l arge g raves t o c ontain m ore o f a ll s orts o f g rave g oods, n ot j ust c elts. A ll s ix o f t he " large" g raves e xcavated b y L othrop y ielded c elts ( at l east f ive e ach) w hile t hey w ere a bsent i n o ver t hree-fourths o f t he s mall i nterments ( Table 5 ).

A s tatistical e valuation o f t he p resence/absence d ata f or

t he c lassified g raves s uggests t hat t here i s a r elationship b etween g rave t ype ( as d efined b y L othrop) a nd w hether o r n ot a c elt a ppears i n a p articular g rave. A t S itio C onte, a s w as a lso t he c ase f or

2 07

G uanacaste,

t here i s a g reater l ikelihood

f or t hese a rtifacts

t o a ppear

i n t ombs w hich s eemingly c ontain t he r emains o f h igh s tatus i ndividuals. S UMMARY A ND C ONCLUSION I t h as b een s uggested t hroughout t his p aper t hat t he l ower C entral A merican g round s tone c elt w as n ot j ust a v ersatile u tilitarian i mplement, b ut a lso a n i tem e ndowed w ith o ther l ess t angible, b ut e qually a s s ignificant q ualities. W hile i t i s d ifficult, a t t his t ime, t o b e v ery s pecific i t m ay b e r easonable t o p ropose t hat t hey s erved, a long w ith s elected o ther i tems, a s s tatus m arkers f or e lite o r p rivileged m ales. T hese i ndividuals m ay h ave b een w arriors a s L inares ( 1977) f eels w as t he c ase a t S itio C onte o r r eligious a nd/or s ocial l uminaries a s G raham ( 1981) G uanacaste. C learly,

a nd

S narskis

( 1981)

h ave d escribed f or

a g reat d eal o f e ffort w as e xpended i n t he p roduction o f

t hese a rtifacts a nd f ew m embers o f s ociety s eemed t o h ave m erited t hem a s m ortuary o fferings. J ust h ow much l abor w as i nvested i n t he m anufacture o f g round s tone c elts i s h inted a t i n t he e thnographic l iterature. K apches ( 1979), f or e xample, i n h er s ynthesis o f t he a vailable i nformation o n c elt p roduction, n otes t hat t hey m ay t ake a s l ong a s t hree w eeks t o m ake, t hough s horter p eriods o f t ime a re t ypical. P robably t he b est r ecorded c ase o f t raditional g round s tone c elt m anufacture a mong N ew W orld g roups i s t he a ccount o f K ozak ( 1972) w ho s tudied t he H eta I ndians o f B razil. I t t akes t he H eta f rom t hree t o f ive d ays t o c omplete a g round s tone a xe, a n e stimate w hich i ncludes t he t ime s pent p ecking, W hen o bservations

g rinding,

p olishing,

a nd h afting

s uch a s t hese a re c onsidered,

c elts f ound i n G rave 2 6 a t I n c onclusion,

S itio

t he t ool.

t he 5 7 g round s tone

C onte s eem e specially s ignificant.

Iw ould l ike t o c aution t hat t he a ppearance o f

s imilar m ortuary p ractices t hroughout a w idespread r egion, i n t his c ase l ower C entral A merica, d oes n ot n ecessarily i mply t hat t hese p ractices c arried t he s ame m eaning r egardless o f w hen a nd w here t hey w ere f ound ( Binford 1 971:16). Ih ave c overed a b road e xpanse o f s pace a nd h ave d rawn e xamples f rom o ver a t housand y ears o f p rehistory. T he c ultural c ontexts i n w hich t hese p ractices a ppeared w ere c ertainly much d ifferent f rom e ach o ther, a f actor w hich c learly n eeds c onsidered i n f uture r esearch.

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T able 4 .

F requency o f c elts a nd n umber o f i ndividuals b y g rave t ype a t S itio C onte. G rave 2 n ot i ncluded b ecause o f d isturbance. C ompiled f rom L athrop ( 1937).

G rave T ype S mall I ntermediate L arge C omposite U nclassified

C elts 1 3(5.3%) 4 3(17.4%) 1 55(62.8%) 2 4(9.7%) 1 2(4.9%)

T otal

2 47(100.1%)

T able 5 .

C elt/Individual 0 .50 2 .39 2 .87 4 .00 1 .09

1 15(199.1%)

2 .15

O ccurrence o f c elts b y g rave t ype. U nclassified a nd c omposite g raves n ot i ncluded. C ompiled f rom L athrop ( 1937).

G rave T ype S mall I ntermediate L arge T otal

I ndividuals 2 6(22.6%) 1 8(15.7%) 5 4(47.0%) 6 (5.2%) 1 1(9.6%)

P resent 5 8 6

A bsent 1 7 6 0

1 9

2 3

2 16

T otal 2 2 1 4 6 4 2

N OTES T O T ABLES 1 .

S ex a nd a ge r efer t o p rincipal i ndividual o nly. A bbreviations: M =male F =f emale 1 =i nfait C =child Y A=young a dult A =a dult

2 .

T ime p eriod a bbreviations. G uanacaste: L D=Linear D ecorated ( A .D. 3 00-500) E P=Early P olychrome ( A .D . 5 00-800) M P=Middle P olychrome ( A .D . 8 00-1200) L P=Late P olychrome ( A .D . 1 200-1500) A tlantic W atershed a nd C entral H ighlands: Z BII=Zoned B ichrame I I ( A .D . 1 -500) T R=Transitional ( A .D . 5 00-1000) S C=Stone C ist ( A .D . 1 000-1500)

3 .

A c hi s quare v alue o f 1 2.565 w as o btained f or t he 3 x2 c ontingency t able i n T able 5 ( Blalock 1 979:279-292). T his f igure i ndicates s ignificance a t t he . 01 l evel f or 2 d egrees o f f reedom.

A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS D uring t he p reparation o f t his p aper I b enefited g reatly f rom d iscussions w ith M ichele M orrisson, J ohn S haffer, a nd V incas S teponaitis. S pecial t hanks a re d ue F rederick L ange w ho m ade a vailable a n umber o f t he manuscripts u sed i n t his r esearch a nd w ho h as, i n n umerous w ays, a ssisted m y w ork o n C osta R ican l ithics. T homas W ebster p repared t he map i ncluded i n t his r eport.

2 17

R EFERENCES C ITED B audez, 1 967

C laude F . R echerches A rcheologiques d ans l a V allee d u T empisque, G uanacaste,

C osta R ica.

T ravaux e t M emoires d e l 'Institut d es

H autes E tudes d e l 'Amerique L atine, N o. B ernstein,

1 8.

P aris.

D avid J .

1 980a A rtefactos d e P iedra P ulida d e G uanacaste, P erspectiva 1 980b T he C entral D iversity. S ociety f or

C osta R ica:

u na

F uncional. V inculos 6 (2):141-154. A merican G elt: C onsiderations o f F unctional P aper p resented a t t he 4 5th A nnual M eeting o f t he A merican A rchaeology. P hiladelphia.

B inford, L ewis R . 1 971

M ortuary P ractices: T heir S tudy a nd P otential. I n A pproaches t o t he S tudy o f M ortuary P ractices. J ames A . B rown, e d. p p. 6 -29. M emoirs o f t he S ociety f or A merican A rchaeology, N o. 2 5.

F onseca Z amora, 1 978

O scar a nd R ichard S caglion

S tylistic A nalysis o f S tone P endants f rom L as H uacas B urial G round,

N orthwestern C osta R ica.

A nnals o f C arnegie M useum

4 7(12):281-298. G raham, 1 981

M ark M . T raditions o f C osta R ican S tone S culpture.

I n B etween

C ontinents/Between S eas: P recolumbian A rt o f C osta R ica, E lizabeth P . B enson, e d., p p. 1 13-134. D etroit I nstitute o f F ine A rts. N ew Y ork: H arry N . A brams, I nc. H artman,

C arl V .

1 901

A rchaeological R esearches i n C osta R ica. E thnographic M useum.

1 907

A rchaeological R esearches o n t he P acific C oast o f C osta R ica. M emoirs o f t he C arnegie M useum 3 (1):1-188.

H oopes, 1 980

1 979

R oyal

J ohn W . R ecent A rchaeological I nvestigations a t t he S ite o f L a G uinea, T empisque R iver V alley, G uanacaste, B .A. t hesis, Y ale U niversity.

K apches,

S tockholm:

C osta R ica.

U npublished

M ima T he P roduction o f C elts.

M an i n t he N ortheast 1 8:63-81.

K ozak, V ladimir 1 972 L inares, 1 977

S tone A ge R evisited. O lga F .

E cology a nd t he A rts i n C entral P anama: O n t he D evelopment o f S ocial R ank a nd S ymbolism i n t he C entral P rovinces. S tudies i n P re-Columbian A rt a nd A rchaeology , N o. 1 7. W ashington, D .C.:

D umbarton-Oakes.

L inares, O lga F . 1 980

N atural H istory 8 1(8):14-24.

a nd A nthony J .

R anere

A daptive R adiations i n P rehistoric P anama. P eabody M useum M onographs, N o. 5 . C ambridge: H arvard U niversity. 2 18

L othrop, 1 937

R anere, 1 975

S amuel K irkland C o de,

a n A rchaeological S tudy o f C entral P anama:

P art

t he P eabody M useum o f A rchaeology a nd E thnology,

V ol. V II.

C ambridge:

H arvard U niversity.

A nthony J . T oolmaking a nd T ool U se A mong t he P receramic P eoples o f P anama. I n L ithic T echnology, M aking a nd U sing S tone T ools. S wanson, e d. p p. 1 73-209. T he H ague: M outon.

1 980

1 .

M emoirs o f

S tone T ools a nd T heir i n P rehistoric P anama.

I nterpretation. 0 .F.

1 18-138. P eabody M useum M onographs, H arvard U niversity. S narskis,

I n A daptive

L inares a nd A .J. N o.

5 .

E . R adiations

R anere,

e ds.

p p.

C ambridge:

M ichael J .

1 978

T he A rchaeology o f t he C entral A tlantic W atershed o f C osta

1 981

R ica. U npublished P h.D. d issertation, A nthropology D epartment, C olumbia U niversity. T he A rchaeology o f C osta R ica. I n B etween C ontinents/Between S eas: P recolumbian A rt o f C osta R ica, E lizabeth P . B enson, e d., p p. 1 5-84. T he D etroit I nstitute o f F ine A rts. N ew Y ork: H arry N . A brams, I nc.

W allace, 1 980

H enry and R ichard M .

A ccola

I nvestigaciones a rqueologicas p reliminares d e N acascolo, C ulebra,

C osta R ica.

V inculos

2 19

2 :51-66.

B ahia

I NTER—REGIONAL T IES B ETWEEN P ANAMA A ND C OSTA R ICA : F ORMATIVE C ERAMICS F ROM W ESTERN C HIRIQUI,

C atherine S helton E inhaus

2 21

A C LOSER L OOK A T P ANAMA

A BSTRACT T o b e o f v alue a d iscussion o f i nter-regional t ies i s n ecessarily b ased u pon t he c omparative a nalysis o f w ell d ated r emains a nd s equences f rom s pecific a reas.

W estern C hiriqui a nd a djacent p ortions

o f C osta R ica s hare s imilar c eramic r emains, b ut t here a re f ew d ated s equences t o s how t he t emporal r elationships, f or e xample, t he p riority o f o ne a rea o ver a nother, w ithin t he a rchaeological r egion k nown a s C hiriqui. T his p aper i ncludes a b rief o verview o f w hen c eramic s equences w ere e stablished i n C hiriqui. I t a dds d ata a nd i nterpretations b ased o n s urface s urvey a nd t est e xcavations f rom S an V icente a nd t he R io C hiriqui V iejo i n W estern P anama. C eramic w ares f rom t he a rea a re r edefined a nd p revious t erms d iscussed. O n t he b asis o f t he L inares c hronology a nd t he n ew m aterials a p rovisional s eriation i s o utlined. M ajor q uestions c oncerning t he c ontinuity b etween L a C oncepcion a nd L ate B ugaba o n o ne h and, a nd E arly a nd L ate B ugaba, o n t he o ther, a re r aised b ut c annot b e a nswered w ithout m ore s ystematic s tudy a nd d ated s equences f rom t he r egion. T hus, t ies b etween a djacent a reas o f C osta R ica a nd P anama a re n oted b ut r equire f urther e xamination.

R ESUMEN E l A nälisis d e i ntercambios i nterregionales s e d ebe b asar e n • d atos c oncretos--anälises c omparativos d e a rtefactos p rovenientes d e z onas e specificas b ien f echadas e n t erminos a bsolutos. E l o este d e l a p rovincia d e C hiriqui,

P anamä y l a z ona s ur d e C osta R ica c ompartan

r estos c erämicos p arecidos, s in e mbargo, s e c onoce p ocos d atos q ue r elacionan t odo e ste a rea e n u na s ecuencia t emporal. S e p resenta u na v ista d e l a s ecuencia c erämica d e

C hiriqui.

P roporciona d atos n uevos d e p rospecciön y e xcavaciones a rqueolögicos d e S an V icente y e l R io C hiriqui V iejo. B asada e n l a c ronologia d e L inares y l os m ateriales n uevos s e p resenta u na s eriaciön c erämico nuevo. S e n ota c iertas p roblemas c omo l a c ontinuidad 1 ) e ntre l os f ases C oncepciön y B ugaba T ardio, y 2 ) e ntre B ugaba T emprano y T ardio. A unque s e r econoce l os v inculos e ntre e l s ur d e C osta R ica y C hiriqui, n o s e i ntenta d e r esolverlos c on e sta p rimer p aso. T enemos q ue e sperar m as i nformaciön s obre c ronologla r egional y l os r esultados d e n uevos e studios s istematicos.

2 22

I NTRODUCTION W estern C hiriqui,

P anama a nd t he D iquis A rea o f S outhern C osta

R ica s hare a c ommon g eological h istory a nd p hysiography. T he i dea t hat t he t wo a reas s hare a c ommon h uman h istory a nd a rcheological r emains h as l ong b een r ecognized ( see f or e xample H olmes 1 888, L inares 1 968, 1 979, H aberland 1 969, W illey 1 971). T he e xtent o f t hese s imilarities a nd t heir m eaning i n h uman t erms h as n ever b een c learly s pecified. T his i s n ot u nexpected g iven t he n ature a nd a mount o f r esearch i n b oth a reas u ntil r ecently. T his p aper i s n ot

i ntended t o d efine o r e ven e xplain i n d etail

t he r elationships b etween s ubregions o f C hiriqui a nd o ther r egions i n C osta R ica. R ather, t he a im o f t he p aper i s t o p rovide a c larification a nd d escription o f t he e arly c eramics f rom W estern C hiriqui P rovince, P anama a s t hey a re p resently u nderstood. R eliable i nferences a bout t he n ature o f i nter-regional t ies d epend u pon w ell d ated a nd d escribed r emains i n b oth a reas. T he f ocus o f t he p aper i s t he F ormative P eriod, w hen v illage a griculture i s t hought t o h ave s pread t hroughout much o f t he r egion ( see F ig. 1 f or m ap o f W estern C hiriqui). T he p eriod i s t hought t o d ate f rom a pproximately t he m id f irst m illenium B .C. u ntil A .D.800 ( Haberland 1 969, 1 978, L inares 1 980). T he e arly d ate i s b ased o n r elative c eramic d ates o f " scarified" c eramics t hought t o f orm a h orizon f ound t hroughout l ower C entral A merica, b ut h as b een s upplemented b y t he 3 50+75 B .C. d ate t hat marks t he t ermination o f t he p receramic o ccupation i n t he R io C hiriqui r ockshelters ( Ranere 1 980:28, 1 972). I n C hiriqui H aberland w as t he f irst t o n ame t he e arly c eramic p hases C oncepcion a nd A guas B uenas, b ased m ainly o n f inds f rom t ombs a nd u nstratified r efuse.

E arly w ork h ad n ot s ucceeded i n d ating t he

e arly c eramics a t a ll ( Holmes 1 888, M acCurdy 1 911, O sgood 1 935, S tirling 1 949) a nd s ubsequent w ork h as s till n ot c ompletely c larified t he r elationships b etween t he e arly p hases. T he f irst r adiocarbon d ates i n C hiriqui c ome f rom t he c oast w here t he B urica P hase w as d efined b y L inares ( 1968a). L inares' W estern P anama P roject i n t he e arly 1 970's f urther e xpanded t he c hronology b y s tudying b oth c oastal a nd h ighland s ites i n C hiriqui i n t he c ontext o f l arger e cological a nd e volutionary q uestions ( Linares a nd R anere 1 980). S urvey a nd s ettlement p attern d ata i n t he h ighlands r evealed s mall a mounts o f w hat L inares c alls

t he L a

C oncepcion c eramics, b ut

t he p redominant e arly c eramics a re t hose o f t he B ugaba P hase ( A .D. 2 00-800). B ugaba c eramics a re a lso f ound o n t he P acific c oast w here t hey a re p laced i n t he B urica P hase. T hey a re f ound t o t he n orth o n t he A tlantic s lopes o f

B ocas d el T oro P rovince i n t he A guacate P hase,

a s w ell. A s urvey t hat

Ic onducted i n 1 979 s ought t o d ocument

t he

t ransition f rom p receramic t o e arly c eramic s ites i n C hiriqui. T he s urvey f ocused o n t he m iddle R io C hiriqui V iejo a nd t he e xpectation w as t hat s ites w ith t he L a C oncepcion c eramics w ould b e f ound a nd s tudied. A n a ppreciable a mount o f t he e arly c eramic m aterial w as d iscovered i n a nd a round t he t own o f S an V icente o n am inor d rainage

2 23

t hat r uns p arallel t o a nd e ast o f t he l ower R io C hiriqui V iejo. T he s ite i s l ocated o n t he r ich v olcanic s oils o f t he m id-altitude s lopes o f W estern C hiriqui a t 6 00 m eters a bove s ea l evel. T wenty-one h ectares o f n early c ontinuous s catter h ave b een m apped. E xtensive s urface s urvey a nd t ests f orm t he b asis f or i nterpretations m ade h ere. C hronological r efinement i s l imited b ecause o f m ixing i n t he p low z one a nd w ashing i n t he s ubsurface t ests a t o ne l ocation. T wo d ates w ere o btained f rom t he l ower l evels o f o ne o f t he t ests. T hese a re 1 580+90 B .P. ( TEM 1 44) a nd 1 600+140 B .P. ( TEM 1 54). W ith o ne s tandard d eviation t he d ates f air b etween A .D . 2 10 a nd 4 90 o r w ithin L inares' E arly B ugaba P hase, o verlapping t he e nd o f t he p roposed L a C oncepcion P hase. I nterpretation o f m y f indings i n l ight o f p revious w ork h as b een m ade d ifficult d ue t o t he h ighly v ariable f indings o f c ollectors a nd r esearchers w ith b roadly d ivergent e mphases. T hese r ange f rom l ooting t ombs f or g old t o s alvage, t o d ocumenting c hanging s ettlement p atterns, s ubsistence, t echnology a nd s ocial p atterns ( Holmes 1 888 ; M cNiel 1 883; D e l a G uardia 1 966-1968; H aberland 1 956, 1 961; L aurencich a nd M inelli 1 972; L inares I 968a a nd b ; R anere 1 972; L inares, S heets a nd R osenthal 1 975; L inares a nd R anere 1 980). T he r esult h as b een a g ood d eal o f c onfusion a bout t he e arly C hiriqui c eramics. T he l ad ( o f s trict t ime a nd s pace c ontrol i n a ll b ut t he m ajor a nd m ost r ecent s tudies h as f urther c onfounded t he i ssue a s h as t he o ccasional r euse o f t he s ame t erms w ith d ifferent m eanings i n d ifferent l ocalities o r u se o f d ifferent t erms f or s imilar m aterials i n t he s ame a rea. I f ound i t n ecessary t o r e-examine t he d ata f rom t he r egion a nd t o i ndependently g enerate a n ew c eramic c lassification. T his c eramic d ata c omes f rom s ites n ear t hose w here L inares e t a l ( 1975) e stablished a h ighland c hronology f or c eramics f rom F ormative v illages. T he s imilarity b etween t heir V olcan a rea c eramics a nd t hose f rom S an V icente a nd o ther s ections o f t he m iddle R io C hiriqui V iejo m akes r elative c ross d ating p ossible, a nd p rovides m arkers f or d etermining t he d irection o f t he s equence. T HE C ERAMIC A NALYSIS W ares a re t he u nit o f a nalysis u sed. T hey w ere s elected f or m aximum f lexibility a nd a re b ased o n a c ombination o f s urface f inish, d ecoration, a nd p aste. S pang, R osenthal, a nd L inares' ( 1980) c eramic a nalysis o f t he V olcan a rea h ighland c eramics s howed c hanges i n w ares a nd v essel s hape a s h orizon m arkers f rom t he e arly t o l ate B ugaba P hase. T he s tudy e stablished s even w ares f or t he B ugaba P hase b ut t he a uthors f ound t hat s hapes, w ares, a nd a ppendages c ould n ot a lways b e c orrelated d ue t o t he n ature o f t he c ollections. T he n eed t o d ocument s hapes a nd v ariations w ithin w ares b ecame a pparent i n s tudying t he S an V icente m aterials. S ince t here w ere n o w hole v essels f rom t he s ite, I v isited c ollections a t t he N ational M useum o f N atural H istory i n W ashington, D .C., t he M useum o f t he A merican I ndian i n N ew Y ork, t he P eabody M useum o f H arvard U niversity, t he P eabody M useum o f Y ale U niversity , a nd t he U niversity M useum i n P hiladelphia. Iw as l ooking p articularly f or v essels t hat m ight b elong t o t he L a C oncepcion P hase s o t hey c ould b e s eriated a nd c ompared w ith m aterials o f l ater p hases. A s t he w hole v essels s how t he s hapes f rom w hich m any o f t he s mall S an V icente s herds m ay h ave c ome t hey a re u sed t o i llustrate a n umber o f t he L a C oncepcion P hase c eramic s hapes a nd a ssociated a ppendages a nd 2 24

d ecorative t echniques ( Figs. 3 a nd 4 ). F or t he B ugaba P hase e xamples o f w hole v essels a re, o n t he whole, p oorly p ublished s o t hat m ost o f t he s hapes h ave b een o nly p artially r econstructed f rom s herds a nd i llustrated h ere. W herever p ossible, I h ave a ttempted t o d etermine v essel s hapes a nd a ssociated a ppendages a nd d ecoration s o t hat c hanges i n t hese t hrough t ime c an b e s een. T his p aper i s a s ummary o f e xpanded d iscussion i n E inhaus ( n.d.) a nd l ike i t, a ttempts t o s en ate t he v essels ( Table 2 ). T he i ndependent g eneration o f t he c eramic c lassification w as d one t o r eassess

t he i ntegrity o f t he p reviously n amed p hases,

t o d etermine

t he n ature o f t he r elationships b etween t he B ugaba P hase a nd b oth C oncepcion a nd A guas B uenas c eramics a nd t o d etermine w hether e ither o r b oth C oncepcion o r A guas B uenas c eramics c ould b e i ncorporated i nto t he B ugaba P hase. W ares h ave b een g iven l etter d esignations f or t he

t ime b eing a nd,

w here a pplicable, t he n ames o f k nown w ares w hich c orrespond c losely a re n oted. T he w ares h ave b een p laced i n o rder b ut t he s equence i s p rovisional a nd c annot a ccommodate c ontemporary r elationships, w hich n o d oubt d id o ccur. S ome m aterials c an b e c ross-dated w ith m aterials i n L inares' B ugaba o r B urica P hases s o t hat t he l ater e nd o f t he s equence i s m ore s ecurely p laced t han t he e arly e nd. T he e arly w ares ( A , B a nd ( 1962).

p ossibly C )

c orrelate w ith H aberland's C oncepcion C omplex

E leven w ares h ave b een d esignated f or

t he e arly c eramics.

A dditionally s everal u ndated p lain w ares a nd l ater w ares a re f ound a t S an V icente b ut w ill n ot b e d iscussed i n t his p aper. T he l argest e arly w ares c ontain m aterials t hat c an b e m atched w ith w ares b elonging t o t he p hases p reviously n amed i n t he a rea ( Haberland 1 969; S pang 1 976; S pang, R osenthal a nd L inares 1 980). T he 1 979 m aterials c ould n ot b e f it d irectly i nto t he e xisting c ategories b ecause o f d ifferences i n p aste, c olor, e tc. T herefore, t he w ares d iscussed h ere w ere n ewly g enerated f rom t he 1 979 c ollections a nd t hen c orrelated w ith t he o lder n ames. B oundaries o f t he n ew a nd o ld c ategories v ary s omewhat b ut t he e ffects o f t his c annot b e a ssessed w ithout r e-examining t he o riginal c ollections. S everal n ew m inor g roups a re a lso i ncluded i n t hese m aterials; t hey w ere i solated a s d ifferences i n t hem a ppear t o b e s ignificant ( Einhaus n .d.). S ince m ost c eramic a nalysis h as b een f ormulated i n o rder t o t reat v essels t hat a re h ighly d ecorated, t here i s u sually a n e mphasis o n t he s urface t reatment o f v essels. T he L a C oncepcion a nd B ugaba c eramics a re t he f irst k nown i n W estern P anama a nd, l ike e arly c eramics i n o ther a reas, t hey a re m onochrome o r b ichrome w ith p lastic d ecorated o r p lain s urfaces. T here i s s ome m odelling o f v essels a nd a ppendages a nd a pplique w ork. V essel s hapes a nd s urfaces a re i mportant i n l ooking f or o verall p atterns t o d etermine w hen t o s eparate m aterials i nto p hases. W ithin t he p roposed p hases c hanges i n t echnology a nd m anufacture m ay b e t he m ost i mportant c hronologically. T hese w ould i nclude a spects s uch a s p rocessing a nd f iring c lays, s haping v essels, i ncising t echniques, a nd t he s equence o f s lipping a nd i ncising. T hus, e xamination o f s uch a spects i n o ther c ollections a nd f uture s tudies s hould p rove u seful i n a ssessing c hanges a nd d evelopment w ithin t he e arly p hases a s w ell a s b etween t hem. T hey h ave b een g iven c onsideration i n a ttempting

t o f orm a s eriation o f s ome v essel s hapes

2 25

a nd t echniques o f s urface d ecoration i n T able 2 . T able 1 g ives a l ist o f t he w ares a nd t heir v essel s hapes a nd a ppendages. M ajor w ares h ave b een p laced i n t he p hase i n w hich t hey a re m ost c ommonly f ound. T able 3 s hows h orizon m arkers f or t he L a C oncepcion a nd B ugaba c eramic p hases i n C hiriqui. L a C oncepcion P hase W ares A , B a nd p robably C a re p art o f t he p reviously n amed L a C oncepcion P hase. I n C osta R ica L ange h as b een a ble t o s ubdivide t he e arly Z oned B ichrame P hase c eramics i nto t hree p hases ( 1980). T he e arly C hiriqui c eramics m ay b e f urther s ubdivided a s w ell, b ut d ue t o t he l ack o f d ates a nd s equences f or t his t ime p eriod t he c hronological s ignificance o f t he d ivisions c annot y et b e a dequately a ssessed. L a C oncepcion a ppears t o b e a d eveloping c eramic t echnology, y et w ithout t ime s pace c ontrol o r e ven a c lear u nderstanding o f f unctional d ifferences i t i s n ot c lear w hich v essels w ere m ade a nd u sed c ontemporaneously a nd w hich s equentially. A s ingle t omb a t L a C oncepcion i s t he o nly p ublished b urial o f t he e ntire p hase ( De l a G uardia a nd G uerra 1 966). I t i ncludes a n umber o f c eramic v essel s hapes a nd s tyles a s w ell a s g rinding s tones. V essels i nclude: p lain a nd i ncised m odelled w ide-mouth t ripod j ars, p lain g lobular o r b evelled j ars, d eep o r s hallow b evelled i ncised w ide m outh t ripod j ars, d eep o pen b owls, a z oomorphic f igure w ith a j ar a top i t, a s w ell a s a n o val b owl a nd a s imple f igurine. M etates i nclude o ne w ith s hort r ounded l egs a nd o ne e nd o f t he g rinding b ase n arrowed t o a n o pening, a s w ell a s o thers t hat a re l egless o r h ave s hort l egs a nd s imple r aised b orders a round t hree s ides o f t he g rinding s urfaces. T he t omb c ontents a re p robably c ontemporary o ver a f airly s hort t ime. T his v ariation a ppears t o c onfirm t he u se o f m ultiple c eramic s hapes a nd s tyles a t t he s ame t ime. W are A v essels a re m odelled a nd m ay i mitate c ontainers p reviously m ade o f g ourds o r b asketry. I ncision i s c rude a nd f orms a c hevron-like p attern m uch l ike t he v eins o f l eaves. O nly o ne s hape, a w ide-mouth j ar, i s p laced i n t his w are; b ut t he c rudely m ade i ncision o n a n u nslipped b ody c an a lso b e f ound o n a n o pen b owl a ssigned t o W are B ( Figs. 2 a nd 3 ). B oth h ave s lipped r ims a nd t ripod f eet. T he b ody i s u nslipped a nd t reated a s a z one. T he c oncept o f f eet f or • t hese v essels a nd m any i n W are B i s a l iteral o ne, a s t hey a re s hort t oed a ppendages. W are A p aste a ppears s omewhat c oarser t han W are B p aste a nd i t c ontains l arger i rregular g ray i nclusions. W are B i ncludes m uch o f t he f ormer C oncepcion C omplex ( Haberland 1 962). P aste i s d istinctive b ecause o f t he i nclusions t hat s how t hrough t he s lip. S lip c olor i s d ark r ed o r m aroon a nd i s s ometimes d arker o n t he e xterior o f t he v essel t han o n t he i nterior. S lip c overs t he i nterior, l ip, a nd p ortions o f t he b ody . T he p rincipal d ecoration i s i ncising. I ncision m ay b e i n u nslipped z ones, m uch l ike W are A , o r t hrough t he s lip i n z oned a reas o n t he b ody o f t he v essel. T he s equence o f z oning, i ncising a nd s lipping w ill p robably p rove t o h ave c hronological s ignificance, a lthough a t p resent t here a re n ot e nough d ates o n t his m aterial t o c onfirm i t. F ine i ncision o r c ombing w ith a m ultiple p ronged i nstrument o ccurs i n t he B ugaba P hase a s w ell a nd s o i s p robably l ate i n t he L a C oncepcion s equence.

2 26

T he d esign f ield v aries w ithin W are B ( Figs. 3 a nd 4 ). F illed v ertical o r h orizontal p anels m ay c over a w hole v essel o r p ortions o f a v essel. I n s ome c ases l ines i n a lternating d irections f orm a c ross-hatch p attern o ver t he v essel b ody.

W hether s uch a p attern

c haracterizes p ots i ntended f or s pecial u se s uch a s c ooking i s u nclear, p articularly w ithout m ore c ontextual d ata a nd b etter t emporal c ontrol. S uch r oughening o f t he v essel s urface i s c ommon o n c ooking p ots i n a reas s uch a s t he S outhwestern U .S. ( Linton 1 944). C ooking v essels m ight b e e xpected t o s how e vidence o f p rolonged u se o ver f ire b ut i n c ollections c onsisting m ainly o f r ather s mall s herds i t i s n ot a lways c lear w hether b lackening i s i ntentional o r n ot, o r w hether i t i s p ost d epositional. S ome L a C oncepcion v essels a re p robably p lain, b ut m ost h ave i ncision o n t he s urface, w hether i t i s o nly a s mall b and a round t he n eck o f a j ar o r o ne o r m ore l arge z ones c overing a ll b ut a f ew p lain a reas o n a b owl. T here a re f ew a ppendages i n W are B . T he b est k nown a re t he f eet, w hether w ebbed o r r ounded.

T abs a re a dded t o t he r ims

o f s ome v essels ( oval b owls) a nd p robably p redate t rue h andles. M odelling i n t he f orm o f h ead a nd t ail a ppendages i s u sed t o f orm z oomorphic v essels; t hese m ay h ave f langes a round t he s houlder. A dditional v essel s hapes s uch a s c omposite a nd m ultiple c hambered • v essels a nd o ther s urface t echniques s uch a s b ands o f p unctation a re f ound i n t he m useum c ollections. T hese a lso i nclude a v essel w ith m ore t han o ne m outh. T he u nusual s hapes t end t o s upport t he i dea t hat t here i s a g ood d eal o f e xperimentation i n c eramic m anufacture d uring t his p hase i n t he C hiriqui r egion. W are C h as s omewhat i rregular s ingle l ine i ncision t hrough t he s lip o n a n i ncurved o r i nslanted b evelled b owl. r ed. T he w are h as b een s eparated f rom W are B , r elated t o i t a nd p robably t o W are H a s w ell.

S lip i s o range o r t hough i t i s c losely T he i ncision t echnique

m ay b e a c hronological c hange a s i t i s s imilar t o L inares' B ugaba E ngraved, w hich i s m ore c ommon i n • L ate B ugaba ( Linares 1 980). B ugaba P hase W are H i s m uch l ike t he C erro P unta O range w are d escribed b y S pang ( 1976) a nd S pang, R osenthal, a nd L inares ( 1980). I t h as t hick o range s lip a nd i ncludes s ome s hapes s pecific t o t his w are s uch a s t he i ncurved b owl w ith a w idely g rooved l ip ( slipped o ver t he g roove), a b ottle-like j ar w ith a n eck t hat i s n early s traight, a nd t he t ecomate o r n eckless j ar ( Figs.

5 ,

6 a nd 7 ).

S uch s hapes a re p robably h orizon

m arkers f or t he E arly B ugaba P hase ( Linares 1 980). S ome m ight a lso b e i ncluded i n w hat H aberland h as c alled A guas B uenas c eramics ( 1969, 1 955), a lthough t he C erro P unta O range i s b y f ar t he l arger a nd m ore w ell d escribed p ottery a nd t herefore t his t erm i s p referable. M ost i f n ot a ll o f t he A guas B uenas c eramic m aterial w ould p robably b e i ncluded i n t his w are, a lthough s ome m ay a lso b elong i n o ther B ugaba w ares. T he e xterior o f i ncurved W are H b owls m ay b e i ncised o n a n u nslipped s houlder o r h ave a ppliques o n a p lain s houlder. A ppendages i nclude b oth p lain a nd d ecorated o r m odelled t abs.

L egs

i nclude

w ebbed f eet a nd p lain s olid o nes. S ome v essels h ave b asal f langes. I n t he 1 979 h ighland s urvey s ection s trap h andles a re f ound a nd t hey

2 27

m ay b e p resent a t S an V icente a s w ell, b ut i n s ome c ases h andles a re d ifficult t o c orrelate w ith w ares t here. W are I i s m uch t he s ame a s t he h ighland V albuena w are ( Spang, R osenthal,

a nd L inares

1 980).

S ome v essels h ave a t hin f ine p aste

w hile o thers h ave a t hicker c oarse p aste m uch l ike W are H ( Figs. 6 , 8 , a nd 9 ). A s s ome s hapes a re s o s imilar t o w are H a nd d iffer p rincipally i n c olor i t s eems l ikely t hat s ome m ay b e o verfired o r d ifferently f ired v ariants o f C erro P unta O range. W are I s lip i s

7 ,

u sually m aroon, w hether i t i s t hick o r t hin. B owl s hapes i nclude i ncurved s hallow v essels w ith s imple t apered l ip ( either p lain o r w ith a s houlder f lange), b owls d ecorated w ith n ubs ( in h orizontal b ands), f igures o r c oils, a nd d eep o pen b owls w ith i ncurved f luted o r p lain s houlder. I ncurved v essels w ith g rooved o r i ncised l ip a re f ound b ut t he l ip d iffers f rom t hose i n W are H a s

i t i s o ften f ormed b y t he e dge

o f a n o verlapping t op c oil a nd i s f ound o n a d eeper, l ess s harply i ncurved b owl. S ometimes t he s houlder i s v ertically f luted. J ars i nclude t hose w ith o utslanted o r o utcurved n ecks a nd t hickened r ims. M ost o f t he l arge u rns u sed f or b urials a re p robably o f t his w are ( De l a G uardia 1 968). I n a f ew c ases t here i s r esin o r b lackening a dded o n t he r im o r o n b ody s herds. h andles,

s everal l eg

f orms,

A ppendages

i nclude k nobs,

t abs a nd

r ingstand b ases a nd a b asal f lange.

W are G i s e quivalent t o t he p reviously d escribed B ugaba E ngraved W are ( Ichon 1 968; S pang 1 976; S pang, R osenthal, a nd L inares 1 980). L inares f inds i t m ost f requently a ssociated w ith V albuena ( Ware 1 ) i n L ate B ugaba c ontexts ( 1980). T he w are i s d istinctive f or i ts r ather c lean c lay ( a c ommon c haracteristic o f l ater p hases) a nd f or i ts s hapes a nd i ncision t echnique ( Fig. 1 0a a nd b ). I ncision i s m ade t hrough a l eather-hard o r f ired s lip s o t hat i t a ppears j agged. Z ones a re o utlined a nd c urvilinear o r g eometric d esigns e nclosed i n t hem. I n c ontrast t o t he C oncepcion i ncision t here i s m uch m ore o pen s pace w ithin t he z ones. S lip i s r ed o r d ark o range a nd t here i s b lack n egative p aint o n t he i nterior o f s ome v essels. W are G i s o ne t hat a ppears o nly i n s mall p ercentages a nd m ay b e r estricted t o l arge s ites o r o nes w ith s pecial a ctivities. M inor W ares W are D c onsists o f i ncurved b owls a nd j ars w ith a n u nslipped s houlder o r n eck t hat i s b rushed o r i ncised w ith w idely s paced l ines. T he v essel l ip a nd i nterior i s s lipped r ed o r o range,

b ut s ince n o

w hole v essels a re k nown i t i s n ot c lear w hether t he l ower s ection o f v essels w as s lipped, d ecorated o r p lain. B oth b owls a nd j ars w ere p robably g lobular t o s ubglobular i n s hape. T he s houlder m ay b e s moothed, much l ike t hat i n W are J . T his w are i s p robably c ontemporary, o verall, w ith C erro P unta O range ( Ware H ) w hich i t r esembles m ore t han o thers.

I t hink t he c ross-hatching u sually

a ssociated w ith t he C oncepcion P hase i s f ound i n E arly B ugaba a s w ell o n s uch f orms a s t he b road-based c ylinder w ith z oomorphic a dornos, o ften r eferred t o a s a " chimney s hape." H aberland h as made a s imilar o bservation ( 1969:235). W are E a ppears t o b e a s omewhat d ifferent p aste a nd i s f ired d ark m aroon o n t he s urface. V essels m ay h ave b een f ired i n a r educing a tmosphere a s c ores a re d ark. S hort b ands o f i rregular v ertical i ncision c haracterize j ar n ecks t hat a re m edium i n l ength a nd a lmost

2 28

v ertical i n a ngle. ( Spang e t a l 1 980 d iscuss n eck l ength). O nly n ecks a re k nown, s o t he b ody o f t he v essels m ay d iffer. T hese v essels m ay b e s maller v ersions o f t he p lain C erro P unta O range b ottle; t hough t hey a ppear t hicker, t he p aste i s s imilar. I f s o t hey w ould b e p art o f t he E arly B ugaba P hase ( Fig. 1 0d a nd e ). W are J c onsists o f v essels w ith a n u nslipped b uff d ecorated s houlder t hat a ppears s moothed; i t i s s ometimes b rushed a nd h as s hort v ertical a ppliques e venly s paced o ver i t ( Fig. 1 0c). B owls t end t o b e a b it t hicker t han t hin W are I b owls t o w hich t hey m ay b e r elated. T hese r ed o r m aroon s lipped v essels a re c haracterized b y a s lipped s -shaped r im, a h orizon m arker f or t he L ate B ugaba P hase ( Linares 1 980). B rushing i s a lso f ound o n B ugaba P hase v essels i n B ocas d el T oro. W are K i s p robably t he s ame a s S pang,

R osenthal,

a nd L inares'

I chon

( 1980)

( 1968),

S pang ( 1976) a nd

Z oned B ichrome,

f irst i dentified

i n P anama a t B arriles. I t d iffers f rom C osta R ican Z oned B ichrome c eramics i n t hat t he p aste a nd s ome s hapes a re l ike C erro P unta O range j ars, b ut t he r ims s lant o ut m ore s harply o n t he s amples a t S an V icente. T he l ip i s s lipped w hile t he n eck e xterior i s n ot. I t h as i ncised a reas, s ometimes f orming d esigns l ike b irds, m ixing c urvilinear f orms w ith s traight l ines. w ith a s econd o r t hird c olor,

S ome i ncised a reas a re f illed

u sually a n o range o r r ed r ather t han

b lack o n r ed a s i n C osta R ica ( Fig.

1 0 0.

W are F i s c omposed o f a s mall g roup o f s herds t hat f orm a r esidual c ategory. T hey a re t hick o pen o r s traight s ided b owls. a re d ark r ed o r m aroon w ith p astes s imilar t o w are B o r I ( Figs. a nd h ).

A ll l Og

S hapes a re m ore l ike t hick v ersions o f V albuena ( Ware I ),

I sla P alenque M aroon S lipped o r p ossibly s ome e arly C osta R ican m aterial s ince t here i s b lack b anding o n t he r im o f o ne. L inares ( 1968b) n oted t he s imilarity i n p aste b etween s ome C oncepcion v essels a nd s ome I sla P alenque M aroon S lipped, t he c haracteristic c eramics o f t he c oastal B urica P hase t hat a re c ontemporary w ith s ome L ate B agaba v essels f rom t he h ighlands.

T he f ine p oints o f t his r elationship

r emain t o b e c larified p ending a dditional l owland s tudies. T he

S eriation T able 3 s hows a s eriation o f m ajor v essel a nd w are

c haracteristics. I t s hows f oremost t he l arge n umber o f s hared c haracteristics b etween t he L a C oncepcion w ares a nd C erro P unta O range/Ware H o n t he o ne h and a nd b etween L a C oncepcion a nd V albuena/Ware I o n t he o ther a s w ell a s b etween C erro P unta O range/H a nd V albuena/I. T his i s d ue i n p art t o t hese b eing t he t hree l argest ware c ategories ( B, H a nd I ). T he t able a lso p oints o ut c learly h ow c losely r elated t hese w ares a re. M ost s mall w ares s hare o nly a f ew c haracteristics w ith t he l arger o nes b ut t his c an h elp i n p lacing t hem i n a r elative c hronology. C urrently I s ee t he s equence a s f ollows: C oncepcion A + B

C ,

D ,

E

I f w e u se L inares'

E arly B u a ba H , K h orizon m arkers,

L ate B ugaba I , J , G , F ( ?) t he g rooved l ip C erro P unta

O range b owl f or e arly B ugaba a nd s -shaped r ims f or t he 2 29

l ate B ugaba

t his p rovides t he d irection o f t he s equence i n t ime. A s s tated a bove, I t hink t he L a C oncepcion P hase w ill e ventually b e b roken d own f urther. T he C oncepcion v essels t hat m ost r esemble C erro P unta O range a re o range i ncurved r ound b owls w ith f ine m ultiple i ncision t hrough t he s lip ( Fig. 4 c a nd F ig. 5 ). T hese s hared s hapes a nd i ncision t echniques s uggest t hey a re f ound n ear t he e nd o f t he L a C oncepcion s equence a nd t hat f ine c ombing i s l ate. U nslipped z oning m ay b e e arly o r m ay b e f ound i n t he w hole s equence. W ithin t he C oncepcion P hase c eramics s hapes t end t o b e s imple o verall, w ith s ome u nusual m ultiple c hambered v essels a s w ell, b ut o nly i n s mall n umbers. T abs a re p robably a dded b efore t rue h andles a ppear i n t he B ugaba p hases. L obed j ar b odies a re p robably r eplaced b y s mooth o nes w ith f iner d rawn l ines i mitating t he l obes a nd l eaves o f W are A . I n s ome c ases i ncising o r b rushing o ver t he e ntire b ody c ould b e a f unctional r ather t han, o r a s w ell a s, a t emporal v ariant. T he i ncision t echniques o f c ombing a nd b rushing c ontinue t o b e f ound o n s ome B ugaba v essels, b oth i n C hiriqui a nd i n n eighboring B ocas d el T oro. E arly i ncision i s o ften i n t he f orm o f c hevrons, w hile t he multiple l ine i ncision a ppears t o h ave b een a l ater m ore e fficient m eans o f i ncision. A s i t i s f ound o n r ed t hick o pen b owls a nd i ncurved o val t hin b owls i t m ay b e t ransitional t o B ugaba o r l ate i n t he C oncepcion s ub p hases. O ne v essel s hape t hat m ay s pan t he t wo p hases i s t he b road b ased c ylinder t ripod w ith b rushed e xterior a nd a dornos. A dornos a re a lmost e xclusively B ugaba, a lthough t he r ough s urface a nd a lternating o f u nslipped i ncised z ones a nd s lipped p lain a reas i s a C oncepcion p attern o f d ecoration. M any o f t he s ame t echniques s uch a s i ncising, a pplique, a nd a dornos a re a lso f ound i n t he C hiriqui P hase b ut e xpressed s omewhat d ifferently. T echnological c hange m ay w ell m ark c hronological c hanges i n t his a rea's c eramics. T he C oncepcion c eramics a re t hought i n C hiriqui.

O nly B arriles a nd

t o b e t he e arliest c eramics

S an V icente h ave d ates

f irmly

a ssociated w ith t hem. T he C erro P unta O range/Ware H d oes s eem t o d iffer c onceptually f rom t he C oncepcion c eramics. M any o f t he v essels a re e nclosed, r ather t han o pen. R estricted b owls, j ars a nd b ottles a re f ound a s w ell a s j ars w ith f laring n ecks. A ppendages s uch a s t he w ebbed f eet a re f ound o n s ome e arly B ugaba v essels a s w ell a s o n C oncepcion o nes

( see T able 3 f or p hase m arkers).

V albuena/Ware I i s B ugaba P hase.

t he m ost c haracteristic w are o f

I t h as b oth a t hick a nd t hin f orm,

t he L ate

a s L inares

( 1968b)

n oted f or t he I sla P alenque M aroon S lipped c oastal c eramics. I t hink t his d ifference i s a n i mportant o ne, f or C oncepcion w ares a lso h ave t hick a nd t hin v ariants. T hese m ay w ell b e r elated t o a nd a ncestral t o t hose i n W are I . I n C oncepcion m aterials b oth t hick a nd t hin v ariants o f t he s ame s hapes a re f ound, w hile m any o f t he o pen V albuena b owls a re t hin.

R estricted V albuena b owls m ay b e t hick o r

t hin.

A lmost a ll V albuena j ars a re t hick. O verall t he t hick V albuena s hapes a re much m ore c losely r elated t o C erro P unta O range s hapes a nd i n s ome c ases t he j ars a re e xtremely h ard t o s eparate b etween t he t wo w ares, n ot o nly i n t he h ighlands b ut i n t he f oothills a s w ell. L inares h ad n oted a p ossible f iring d ifference b etween C erro P unta O range a nd V albuena. A lthough t he i dea h as n ot y et b een t ested t hrough e xperimentation, I t hink t his m ay w ell b e t he c ase. T he p aste o f s everal B ugaba w ares i s v ery s imilar a lthough c olor a nd d ecoration s eparate t hem.

L inares d id n ot

f ind a t ime d ifference a t

2 30

C erro P unta

between fully slipped vessels and those with an unslipped band on the exterior neck, but I have separated wares D and J which have large unslipped areas on the shoulder. (Compare Snarskis 1982 for La Montana and Pavas ceramics with a similar shoulder). The lines of Ware D seem most like those incised on Cerro Punta Orange, rather than those in the Concepcion Phase. The smoothed shoulder is not outlined in zones as was the case in Concepcion incision. The addition of applique on the shoulder of bowls with s-shaped rims is clearly a late Bugaba characteristic. Fluting is found on the shoulder of maroon vessels in this phase as well as in Valbuena ware. This leaves us with some markers but very little to confirm which vessels in various wares are found at the same time in given areas. Haberland has found Concepcion materials on lower river courses while Aguas Buenas sites are found on highland ridge tops; thus the two phases at first appeared to be spatially separated (Haberland 1961). Drolet has recently found Aguas Buenas sites at elevations of 250-620 M in the Diquis region of Costa Rica (Drolet �.d.). The ceramics from San Vicente, however, clearly show both phases well represented at the same location. The reasons for this reoccupation are not entirely clear but are probably related to the location and/or importance of the site. Several of the Cerro Punta sites may have Concepcion components as well as Bugaba, for I believe Spang's Cotito ware to be much like the La Co ncepcion ceramics. Sites in· the middle Rio Chiriqui Viejo drainage conform to the pattern of having only Bugaba ceramics. As for why sites like Concepcion, the type site for the phase, did not have Bugaba materials I would suggest a careful survey of the area to see if, indeed, this is the case, or whether sampling error accounts for the apparent dichotomy. There may not be any Bugaba material but it would be very helpful to be more certain about the distribution of the Concepcion materials. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS A number of general comments can now be made about this data. 1. In many cases within the Bugaba Phase the pastes of the wares seem to grade into one another, so that surface treatment emerges as more important than paste in differentiating wares. 2. Bowls seem to be more numerous and more varied than jars. Thus bowls seem to have more potential for showing change through time here. 3. It may prove useful to consider whether differences in vessels are the result of their intended use or of stylistic variation through time and/or technological changes. Given the lack of data on context and intrasite variability, particularly in.the La Concepcion Phase, it is difficult to tell what each vessels' intended uses were and just which vessels were used together at a given location. This i� particularly fuzzy when phases overlap at the same site as at .San Vicente. It is not entirely clear why several wares may be found contemporaneously there or at Cerro Punta. We do not know who the potters were locally, nor whether vessels were exchanged in family or other networks or whether the same potter might make more than one ware for various purposes. 231

4 . A t l east f ive o f t he w are g roups d istinguished a t S an V icente o verlap w ith p reviously k nown w ares f or t he a rea. O ther s maller g roups h ave b een s orted o ut, a lthough t hese a re s ometimes c atch-all c ategories o r s mall o nes w ith o nly a f ew s hapes t hat s eem c losely r elated t o k nown w ares ( Table 1 ). I t i s i mportant t o n ote t hat c eramics c lassified a s Z oned B ichrome i n C osta R ica a re n ot e quivalent t o t hose c alled Z oned B ichrome i n P anama, e ven t hough z oning a nd t wo c olor c ombinations c haracterize b oth. T he u se o f Z oned c ontemporary, a t l east i n p art.

B ichrome p ottery i n b oth a reas i s

5 . H aberland h as d ivided t he e arly c eramics o f t he C oncepcion C omplex i nto f our g roups b ut t he s ignificance o f t he d ifferences r emains u nstated ( 1962). M ore r ecently L ange h as f ound t hat a t V idor i n C osta R ica t he e arly Z oned p hases ( Lange 1 980).

B ichrome c eramics c an b e d ivided i nto t hree B oth t ypes a nd s tyle o f i ncision c hange f rom

p hase t o p hase. T hus i t s eems l ikely t hat i n C hiriqui t he C oncepcion P hase m ay b e f urther d ivided c hronologically w hen b etter d ata i s a vailable. I h ave t ried t o p oint o ut d ifferences t hat m ay h ave c hronological s ignificance. T hese i nclude t he s equence o f s lipping a nd i ncision, t he d esign f ield, t he p recision u sed i n i ncision, w ell a s w hether t he w hole v essel i s s lipped o r u nslipped. 6 .

T he d egree o f i nfluence f rom C osta R ican c eramics o r

a s

t he n ature o f

t ies b etween t hem a nd t hose i n C hiriqui r emains a p roblem t o b e d etailed m ore f ully, c urrent s tudy o f n earby a reas i n C osta R ica w ithin t he C hiriqui a rcheological r egion m ay s oon r emedy t his, a t l east i n o ne a rea ( Drolet n .d.). S narskis' w ork i n t he A tlantic w atershed a ppears t o s how d ifferent c eramic a nd l ithic t raditions t here, a lthough h e s ees s ome s imilarities b etween t he E l B osque c omplex a nd t he B ugaba c eramics ( Snarskis 1 982). B oth t he L a C oncepcion a nd B ugaba t raditions m ay h ave e ntered P anamanian C hiriqui a t d ifferent t imes v ia C osta R ica, t hough t he e arly c eramics s eem t o b e c learly a l ocalized t radition i n C hiriqui. T he B ugaba P hase c eramics a re s aid

t o b e e vidence o f t he r apid p opulation m ovement

t hroughout t he h ighlands i n t he l ate F ormative a nd p robably o f m ovement d own t owards t he c oast ( Linares 1 980). T he e mphases o f H aberland's a nd L inares' w ork, t he f ormer h istorical a nd t he l atter e volutionary, a ffect t he k inds o f q uestions e ach a sks a nd t he m anner i n w hich f ield w ork w as c arried o ut. G iven r igorous e xecution e ither c an p rovide t he b asis f or c ontributions t o t he u nderstanding o f t he p rehistory o f t he a rea a nd i ts r elationship t o l arger p atterns i n t he a djacent a reas a nd b eyond. L inares' W estern P anama P roject h as p rovided t he d ates a nd d ata f or t he f irst f irm c hronologies a way f rom t he c oast a s w ell a s d ata o n s ettlement p atterns, l and u se, l ithic t echnology, a nd p ast e cology. T his c ontextual d ata i s e ssential i f w e a re t o m ove b eyond n arrowly f ocused c eramic s tudies t o i nterpretations o f f indings. 7 . T he o verall c ontinuity b etween t he C oncepcion a nd B ugaba P hases, n ot o nly i n c eramics, b ut a lso i n s tone a nd s ettlement l ocation a t S an V icente i s n oteworthy, o f

f or i t a rgues a gainst

t he v arious p hases o f o ccupation,

a t

s trict a real s eparation

l east i n m ajor s ites.

A c areful s tudy o f t he e arly C hiriqui c eramic w ares w as w arranted b ecause o f p rior c onfusion o ver t erminology a nd p hases.

2 32

T his

s tudy o f

w ares f rom S an V icente a nd t he m iddle R io C hiriqui V iejo c onfirms t he i ntegrity o f t he L inares' c hronology. M ajor w ares h ave b een d istinguished a s w ell a s s mall w are g roups

s ince t hese h ighlight

d ifferences n ot p reviously b rought t o l ight. S ince t he k inds o f d istinctions a mong c eramic g roups r ecognized i n C hiriqui o ften r eflect t emporal d ifferences i n C entral P anama t o t he e ast a nd C osta R ica t o t he w est, t hose i n C hiriqui m ay b e e xpected t o d o s o a s w ell w hen a dditional d ated s equences a re s tudied. C larification o f v essel s hapes w ithin w ares a nd t heir p ossible s equence w ill b e s ubject t o f urther r efinements b ut t his s tudy h as a ttempted t o m ake a nother s tep t owards d ocumenting t he p rehistoric d evelopment o f p ast c ultures i n C hiriqui.

I t i s h oped i t c an p rovide a m ore d etailed b asis f or

c omparisons w ith m aterials i n C osta R ica, r elations b etween t he t wo a reas.

2 33

a n ecessary s tep i n s tudying

2 34

a

0

F ig.

2 :

a . W are A ,

l obed z oned i ncised j ar

I 2 3

4

5 CM

( after B audez 1 970,

P late

1 01). b . W are B , s hortneck j ar w ith i ncised n eck. Y ale U niversity v essel £ 1197/1313. c . W are B , s hortneck j ar r im v ariants f rom S an V icentä. L eft: s ite 6 0, S an V icente, r im d iam. 1 c ms. R ight: S ite 5 9, d iam. 2 7 a ns.

2 35

F ig. 3 : W are B b owls a nd s mall j ars w ith z oned i ncision ( a-g); W are I s mall j ar ( h) a . o pen b owl, S mithsonian v essel # 108267, M cNiel C ollection. H t. 1 1.8 e ms, r im d iam . 1 9.6 e ms. b . o pen b owl w ith _ u nslipped i ncised b ody t reated a s o ne z one, S mithsonian v essel # 108279, M cNiel C ollection. H t. 1 1.8 c ms., d iam. 1 9.2 e ms. e . r estricted o val b owl, Y ale U niversity v essel # 518/1313. P hotograph b y M . K irkpatrick ( see a lso M acCurdy 1 911, f ig. 1 69). H t. 8 .8 e ms, m ax. d iam. 1 9.5 e ms. d . o val b owl ( damaged) w ith u pper b ody i ncised t hrough t he s lip a nd l ower b ody u nslipped a nd b rushed, S mithsonian v essel # 108276. H t. t o b reak 7 .3 e ms, m ax. d iam . 1 4.0 e ms., M cNiel C ollection. e . b evelled j ar w ith u nslipped b ody i ncised v ertically a nd h orizontally, S mithsonian v essel # 108263, M eNiel C ollection. H t. 8 .3 e ms., r im d iam. 1 0.2 e ms. f . j ar w ith r ingstand b ase; b evelled b ody i s u nslipped a nd t reated a s o ne v ertically i ncised z one. S mithsonian v essel # 115284, M cNiel C ollection. H t. 9 .2 e i ns., r im d iam . 1 1.3 e ms. g . z oomorphie j ar, S mithsonian v essel # 108269, M eNiel C ollection. H t. 1 1.8 e ms., r im d iam . 1 4.5 e ms. h . W are I f luted j ar s howing m any s imilarities t o W are B , i ncluding s hort r ound l egs, m aroon s lip, p aste. S mall p ierced h andles s et v ertically o n s houlder. S mithsonian v essel # 115291, M eNiel C ollection. H t. 1.2 e ms., r im d iam. 1 3.2 e ms.

2 36

a

C

e

f

g

h

F ig . 3 2 37

F ig.

4 :

W are B b owl a nd j ars a .

j ar w ith f lat b ase, z one.

1 9.8 c ms., b .

r im d iam.

1 1.1

H t.

c ms.

H t.

1 1.4

S mithsonian v essel # 108280, c ms.,

r im d iam.

C ollection.

M cNiel

1 9.8 c ms.

j ar w ith i ncised h orizontal b ands o n n eck , v essel # 115288, M cNiel d iam. 1 2 e ms.

e .

C ollection.

1 2.7 c ms.

r estricted r ound b owl, C ollection.

d .

r im d iam.

b road b ased j ar w ith f laring n eck a nd l ong c ylindrical l egs. B ody i s b rushed i n z ones s eparated b y s lipped a reas. M useum o f t he A merican I ndian v essel # 23/4772. H t. 2 0.2 c ms.,

c .

f lared n eck a nd b ody t reated a s i ncised

S mithsonian v essel 1 108292, M cNiel

H t.

S mithsonian

1 4.2

c ms.,

r im

j ar w ith i ncised b ody a nd f lared n eck, S mithsonian v essel 1 / 115292, M cNeil C ollection. H t. 1 6.0 c ms., r im d iam . 1 3.2 c ms.,

f eet m issing.

f . g lobular j ar w ith i ncised h orizontal b ands o n n eck, S mithsonian v essel 1 / 109755, M cNiel C ollection. H t. c ms., r im d iam. 2 0.0 c ms.

2 38

2 4.6

2 39

F ig.

5 :

W are H ( Cerro P unta O range)

r estricted b owls

a .

g rooved l ip t ripod b owl w ith t hree t abs. S mithsonian v essel # 133484, H t. 8 .8 c ms., r im d iam. 1 5.4 c ms.

b .

f ragment o f a v ery s imilar b owl w ith g rooved l ip a nd t ab f rom S an V icente, r im d iam.

1 9

S ite 5 4,

T rench 2 E ast,

6 0-70 c ms. b .s.,

c m ' s.

c . r estricted p lain l ip b owl w ith u nslipped s houlder f lange f rom S an V icente, S ite 6 0 s urface, r im d iam. 1 7 c ms. d .

r estricted g rooved l ip b owl w ith a dded h orizontal s houlder a pplique b and, f rom S an V icente, s urface, r im d iam. 2 0 c ms.

e .

S ite 5 9,

S quare 7 9,

r estricted g rooved l ip b owl w ith v ertical s hell u nslipped s houlder, d iam. 1 6 c ms.

f rom S an V icente,

S ite 5 9,

i ncising o n s urface,

r im

f . d eep r estricted b owl w ith g rooved l ip. Z oned u nslipped s houlder i s c ircled b y v ertical g eometric a pplique b ands, f rom S an V icente,

S ite 5 4,

2 40

s urface,

r im d iam.

1 6 c ms.

a

0

I 2 3 4

F ig . 5

2 41

5 CM.

F ig.

6 :

a . W are I ( Valbuena)

p artially r econstructed b owl w ith

s -shaped r im f rom S anta C lara, V iejo.

R im d iam.

S ite 5 8,

o n t he R io C hiriqui

2 0 c ms.

b . W are H ( Cerro P unta O range) p artially r econstructed t ecomate w ith h andle, f rom F ib od e C aison, S ite 7 , o n t he R io C hiriqui V iejo. R im d iam . 1 4 c ms.

2 42

a

0

F ig . 6

2 43

I 2 3 4

5 CM .

F ig. 7 :

W are H ( Cerro P unta O range) j ars f rom S an V icente ( a-e) a nd W are I ( Valbuena) j ar f rom S an V icente ( f). a .

s hortneck j ar w ith s craped u nslipped n eck , e ms.

b .

j ar w ith o utcurved n eck ,

r im d iam. 2 4

r im d iam. 2 2 c ms.

c . b ottle w ith e xteriorly t hickened r im,

r im d iam .

1 4 e i ns.

d . j ar w ith o utslanted n eck a nd e xteriorly t hickened r im, d iam . 2 a ns. e . j ar w ith o utslanted n eck a nd f lattened c oil a t r im, d iam. 2 4 e ms. f . W are I j ar w ith o utcurved n eck a nd e xteriorly t hickened r im, d iam . 3 0 e ms.

2 44

a

0

I 2 3

4

F ig . 7

2 45

5 CM .

F ig.

8 :

a . W are I ( Valbuena)

s mall t ripod j ar w ith s -shaped r im a nd

s houlder t abs. S mithsonian v essel £ 133488. r im d iam. 9 .5 c ms.

a t.

8 .4 a ns.,

b . W are I r estricted b owl w ith s imple l ip a nd f lange, V icente,

S ite 5 9,

s urface,

r im d iam.

2 1

f rom S an

e ms.

c . W are I r estricted b owl w ith s imple l ip a nd h orizontal b and o f a pplique n ubs o n s houlder. S an V icente, S ite 5 9, s urface,

r im d iam.

1 8 e ms.

d . W are I r estricted b owl w ith g rooved l ip a nd v ertically i ncised b ands o n t he s houlder, f rom S an V icente, S ite 6 2, s urface,

r im d iam.

2 4 c ms.

e . W are I r estricted b owl w ith u nslipped f luted a rea o n s houlder, f rom S an V icente, S ite 5 9, s urface, r im d iam.

1 3

ORS.

f . W are I r estricted b owl w ith i ncised l ip a nd a lternating f ingernail I mpressed a nd b rushed a reas o n s houlder s eparated b y a pplique b and, f rom S an V icente, S ite 5 9, s urface, r im d iam. 1 6 e ms. g .

W are I r estricted b owl w ith i ncised l ip a nd v ertically i ncised u nslipped s houlder, s urface,

r im d iam.

f rom S an V icente,

S ite 5 9,

1 7 c ms.

h . W are I r estricted b owl w ith i ncised l ip a nd d eep v ertical c hannels o n s lipped s houlder, f rom S an V icente, S quare 1 , s urface, r im d iam. 1 3 e ms. i . W are

I r ingstand b ase.

S ite 5 9,

D iam.

1

c ms.,

S ite 5 9,

f rom S an V icente,

s urface.

j . W are I o pen b owl w ith s houlder i ncision t hrough t he s lip, f rom S an V icente,

S ite 5 9,

2 46

s urface,

r im d iam.

2 1

c ms.

a

m g


0

F ig . 8

2 47

I 2 3 4

5 CM

F ig.

9 :

a . W are I ( Valbuena) ( 7) u rn f rom D olega ( after M iranda, P erez, a nd d e l a G uardia, 1 966, f ig. 1 ). H t. 3 1.5 e ms., r im d iam.

1 9 e ms.,

s hown a t h alf s cale.

b .

W are I l arge j ar w ith e xteriorly t hickened r im, V icente, S ite 5 4, s urface, r im d iam. 4 6 e ms.

c .

a nd d . W are I l arge j ars w ith e xteriorly t hickened r ims, f rom S an V icente, S ite 6 0, s urface, r im d iam. 2 5 c ms.

a nd 3 0 e ms.

2 48

f rom S an

a

b

C

0

I 2 3 I la

M I N I

3 1 1 1

4 5 CM . M

4 13

F ig . 9 2 49

d

F ig.

1 0:

a . W are G ( Bugaba E ngraved), i ncision,

i ncurved b owl w ith p ost-fired

f rom S an V icente,

S ite 5 9,

s urface,

r im d iam.

1 8

c ms. b . W are G o utcurved b owl w ith p ost-fired i ncision, V icente,

S ite 5 9,

s urface,

r im a ngle u ncertain,

f rom S an d iam.

c . W are J o pen v essel w ith s -shaped r im a nd v ertical s houlder a pplique r ibs,

f rom S an V icente,

t est,

r im d iam.

2 0 e ms.

d . W are E s hortneck j ar w ith v ertically i ncised n eck , f rom S an V icente, S ite 5 4, T rench 2 E ast, 3 0-40 c ms. b .s., r im d iam. 1 3 c ms. e . W are E s hortneck j ar f rom S an V icente, d iam. f .

1 5

S ite 5 9,

t est 5 ,

W are K Z oned B ichrome j ar w ith i ncised u nslipped n eck , S an V icente,

S ite 5 9,

g . W are F o pen b owl, d iam.

3 6

r im

c ms.

s urface,

r im d iam .

f rom S an V icente,

2 4

S ite 5 4,

f rom

c ms. s urface, r im

c ms.

h . W are F o pen b owl w ith b evelled s houlder f rom S an V icente, S ite 6 2, s urface, r im d iam. 3 2 c ms.

2 50

a

0

I 2 3 4 5 CM

F i g . I 0

2 51

Table 1:

Vessel Shapes of Formative Wares in Western Chiriqui 2 Panama

Major Phase: La Concepcion Ware: A. Lobed zoned incised Shapes: Wide mouthed jars with lobed bodies Ware: B. Zoned incised Shapes: Open bowls with flaring to nearly straight sides Restricted bowls, round (shallow or deep) Restricted bowls, oval Open bowls with nearly straight sides Zoomorphic bowls or jars Multiple chambered or composite vessels Shortneck jars Globular jars with outcurved or outslanted neck Large jars with outslanted neck Hourglass jar with broad base and long neck Appendages: Feet: short, webbed or rounded on bowls and jars long, cylindrical on hourglass Tabs: some attached to rim, others as flanges or appendages on zoomorphic vessels Ware: C. Incised Shapes: restricted bowls Major Phase: Early Bugaba Ware: H./Cerro Punta Orange Shapes: Restricted bowls, plain lip Restricted bowls, grooved lip (deep) Restricted bowls, grooved lip with adornos, tabs or flange Open bowls with exteriorly thickened flattened lip Short-necked jars with s-shaped rim Tecomate Bottle Globular and sub-globular jars with outslanted or outcurved thickened lip Appendages: webbed feet, anthropomorphic legs on bowls and small jars lobed horizontal, modelled or decorated tabs on bowls, broad strap handles on urns Major Phase: Late Bugaba Ware: I./Valbuena Shapes: Restricted bowls with simple lip, plain Restricted bowls with simple lip, plain, and flange on shoulder Restricted bowls with simple lip, plain, nubs on shoulder Restricted bowls with folded coil or thin groove. Incurved to straight sided bowls with flattened lip Open bowls Bowl with s-shaped rim Shortneck jars Jars with simple, tapered or thickened rim that curves or slants out, all sizes Urns or large jars 252

A ppendages:

s lab o r s hort, r ound l egs t abs: s imple k nobs, l obes r ingstand b ase h andles

( ?)

M ajor P hase: E arly a nd L ate B ugaba W are: G ./Bugaba E ngraved S hapes: R estricted b owls C oncave s ided b owls A ppendages: l egs W are:

K ./Zoned

B ichrome

S hapes:

U rns O ther j ars ( ?)

P hases: L a C oncepcion a nd B u4aba M inor W ares: D . S moothed U nslipped S houlder o r N eck S hapes: E . F . J .

I ncurved b owls

J ars D ark F ired w ith I rregular L ines ( Ware H v ariant?) S hapes: S hort-neck i ncised j ars P lain S hapes: T hick i ncurved b owls S moothed I ncised S houlder w ith V ertical A pplique R ibs S hapes: r ims

I ncurved s hort-neck v essels w ith s -shaped

2 53

T able 2 :

S eriation o f F ormative C eramic W are A ttributes, W estern C hiriqui W A A B

1 .

P unctation

2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . 1 0. 1 1. 1 2. 1 3. 1 4. 1 5. 1 6. 1 7. 1 8. 1 9. 2 0. 2 1. 2 2. 2 3. 2 4. 2 5. 2 6. 2 7.

L inear i ncision i n z ones W hole b ody i ncised Z oomorphic v essel O pen b owl W ebbed f oot I ncised t hrough s lip M aroon s lip C urvilinear i ncision i n z ones P lain l ip r estricted b owl I ncised n eck o r s houlder O range s lip U nslipped s houlder o r n eck D ark c ore P lain b ody , s lipped S -shaped r im S houlder a pplique Z oomorphic a dornos G rooved l ip b owl S houlder i ncised, s hell T ecomate B ottle H andles R ingstand b ase o r b asal f lange S houlder f luted t hen s lipped " Arm" a pplique o n s houlder F olded l ip b owl

C

D

E

R F

E

S

G

H

I

J

K

X

2 54

X X X X X

X X X X X X X

X

X X

X X

X X X X X X X X X X X

X X

X X X X X X X X X X

X X X X

X X X X

X X

X

T able 3 :

F ormative C eramic P hase M arkers

LA C ONCEPCION:

1 .

O pen F laring B owls

2 .

Z oomorphic v essels

i n W estern C hiriqui,

3 .

O val b owls

4 .

" Odd" s hapes

5 .

S hort-necked j ars

6 .

J ars w ith u niform f laring r ims

1 . 2 . 3 .

J ar w ith f laring b ase I ncurved i ncised b owls W ebbed f eet

WARES:

P anama

A ,B,C

B ridging C oncepcion & B ugaba:

M ixed W ares

E ARLY B UGABA :

1 .

G rooved l ip r estricted b owl

2 .

T ecomate

3 . 4 .

B ottle J ar w ith s harply o utcurved r im a nd t op c oil

WARE:

H

f lattened

5 .

Z oomorphic a dornos a s

6 .

Z oned b ichrome j ars

t abs

1 .

I ncurved p lain l ip b owl

M ixed E arly & L ate B ugaba:

2 .

I ncurved b owl w ith f lange

3 .

U rns

4 .

J ars w ith o utcurved o r s lanted t hickened r ims

M ixed W ares

LATE B UGABA :

1 .

O pen b owl

2 .

B owl w ith s -shaped r im a nd

3 .

a pplique o r f luted s houlder S emi-restricted b owl w ith

4 .

P lain l ip r estricted b owl

5 .

O utcurved b owl

WARE:

I

WARE:

G

f olded " groove" o r c oil

A CKNOWLEDGMENTS F ield

R esearch f or

t he

1 979

F ulbright-Hays T raining G rant N o. a cknowledged.

F igure

s urvey w as f unded b y G O-07802211 and i s g ratefully

1w as d rawn b y S ue S okolak.

a re b y J uliette C artwright G erhardt. p repared b y A nja D alderup o f

C eramic d rawings

F inal p hotographs w ere

t he V isual A nthropology L ab a t T emple

U niversity. Iw ould l ike S mithsonian v essels.

t o t hank t he l ate D r.

C lifford E vans o f

I nstitution f or p roviding p hotographs o f

t he

t he C hiriqui

T he o riginal p hotographs a re b y V ictor K rantz.

T he

c ourtesy o f t he M useum o f t he A merican I ndian a nd t he P eabody M useum o f Y ale U niversity i s a ppreciated f or u se o f t heir v essels i n t he f igures a s w ell a s

f or u se o f

S mithsonian I nstitution,

t heir c ollections.

M any t hanks t o t he

t he U niversity M useum a nd t he P eabody

Museum o f H arvard U niversity f or u se o f t heir c ollections. K irkpatrick o f t he T emple U niversity A rcheology L ab h as

M uriel

p rovided

i nvaluable a ssistance w ith c eramics a nd f igures. R ichard C ooke h elped a t a c ritical p oint i n t he c eramic a nalysis. T om P atterson h as p rovided v aluable a dvice a nd c omments a t many p oints a nd T ony R anere h as p rovided much s upport a nd a dvice t hroughout t he s tudy. A ll e rrors a re o f c ourse my o wn. T heir h elp i s g reatly a ppreciated. Iw ould a lso l ike t o t hank t hose w ho made a vailable u npublished materials during t he c ourse o f t his s tudy e specially D rs. L inares, R anere,

C ooke,

H aberland a nd L ange.

2 56

R EFERENCES C ITED B audez, 1 970

C laude F . C entral A merica.

J ames H ogarth t ransl.

L ondon:

B an e &

J enkins. D e l a G uardia, R oberto 1 968 L a C ultura d e l a F ase B urica.

A ctas d el P rimer S ympososium

N acional d e A rqueologia y E tno-historia d e P anama. U niversidad d e P anama.

1 :8-24.

D e l a G uardia, R oberto, e d. 1 966-68 B oletins d el M useo C hiricano. D avid, D e l a G uardia, 1 966

E l

R oberto a nd M arco G uerra

S itio

S olano.

O livares. D rolet, n .d.

C olegio F elix O livares.

P anama.

B oletin d el Museo

C hiricano.

C olegio

F elix

2 :1-7.

R obert P . E l O tro L ado d e

C hiriqui,

E l D iquis:

D atos N uevos P ara L a

I ntegracion C ultural E n L a R egion G ran C hiriqui. E inhaus,

C atherine

S helton

n .d.

F ormative

S ettlement

H aberland, 1 955

P anama.

M anuscript.

W olfgang

P reliminary R eport o n t he A guas E thnos

1 961

i n W estern C hiriqui,

2 0:224-230

B uenas C omplex,

C osta R ica.

S tockholm.

A rchaeologische U ntersuchungun i n d er P rovinz C hiriqui, P anama. A cta H umboldiana. S eries G eographica e t E thnografica.

1 962

N um. 3 . T he S carified W are a nd t he E arly C ultures o f C hiriqui

1 969

A merikanistenkongresses, V ienna ( 1960) p p. 3 81-389. E arly P hases a nd t heir R elationship i n S outhern C entral

( Panama).

A kten d es 3 4,

I nternationalen

A merica. 3 8th I nternational C ongress o f A mericanists. S tuttgart-Munich ( 1968) p p. 2 29-242. 1 978

H olmes, 1 888

L ower

C entral A merica.

I n C hronologies

A rchaeology.

R .E.

p p.

N ew Y ork:

3 95-430.

T aylor a nd

C lement W .

i n N ew W orld M eighan,

e ds.

A cademic P ress.

W . H . A ncient A rt o f t he P rovince o f C hiriqui. S mithsonian I nstitution. S ixth A nnual R eport o f t he B ureau o f A merican E thnology ( for 1 884-1885).

W ashington,

I chon, A lain 1 968 L e P robleme d e l a C eramique d e B arriles. C hiricano d el

C olegio

F elix O livares,

D .C.

p p.

1 -187.

B oletin d el M useo

D avid.

6 :15-24.

L ange, F rederick W . 1 980 T he F ormative Z oned B ichrome P eriod i n N orthwestern C osta R ica ( 800 B .C.-A .D. B ay o f C ulebra.

5 00),

b ased o n E xcavations a t

V inculos

6 .

2 57

t he V idor

S ite,

L aurencich, L aura a nd L uigi M inelli 1 972 L a F ase A uguas B uenas e n l a R egion d e S an V ita d e J ava ( Costa R ica) - I nforme P reliminar. A tti d el X L C ongreso i nternazionale d egli A mericanisti, R ome-Genoa ( 1972). 1 :219-224. L inares, 1 968a 1 968b

1 979 1 980

L inares, 1 980

O lga F . C eramic P hases f or C hiriqui, P anama, a nd t heir R elationship t o N eighboring S equences. A merican A ntiquity 3 3:216-225. C ultural C hronology o f t he G ulf o f C hiriqui, P anama. S mithsonian C ontributions i n A nthropology. V ol.8. W ashington, D .C. W hat i s L ower C entral A merican A rchaeology? A nnual R eviews o f A nthropology 8 :21-43. T he C eramic R ecord: T ime a nd P lace. I n A daptive R adiations i n P rehistoric P anama. O lga F . L inares a nd A nthony J . R anere, e ds. p p. 8 1-117. P eabody M useum M onographs 5 . O lga F . a nd A nthony J . R anere, e ds. A daptive R adiations i n P rehistoric P anama.

P eabody M useum

M onographs 5 . L inares, O lga F ., 1 975

L inton, 1 944

P ayson D .

S heets a nd E .

J ane R osenthal

P rehistoric A griculture i n T ropical H ighlands. 1 87:137-145. R alph N orth A merican C ooking P ots.

S cience

A merican A ntiquity 9 :369-380.

M acCurdy , G eorge G rant 1 911 A S tudy o f C hiriquian A ntiquities. M emoirs o f t he C onnecticut A cademy o f A rts a nd S ciences. V ol. I II. N ew H aven: Y ale U niversity P ress. M cNiel, J . A . 1 883-1887 L etters.

A rchives o f N ational M useum o f N atural H istory,

S mithsonian I nstitution. A ccessions n umbers 1 6765, 1 7377, 1 9699. W ashington, D .C. M iranda, 1 966

1 3670,

M aximo, J uan B . P erez y R oberto D e l a G uardia E l S itio D olega. B oletin d el M useo C hiricano. O livares,

D avid.

p p.

1 4796,

C olegio F elix

7 -12.

O sgood, 1 935

C ornelius T he A rchaeological P roblem o f C hiriqui. A nthropologist 3 7:234-243.

R anere, 1 972

A nthony J . E arly H uman A daptations t o t he N ew W orld T ropical F orests: T he V iew f rom P anama. U npublished P h.D. T hesis, D epartment o f A nthropology,

1 980

U niversity o f C alifornia,

A merican

D avis.

P receramic S helters i n t he T alamancan R ange. I n A daptive R adiations i n P rehistoric P anama, O lga F . L inares a nd A nthony J .

R anere,

e ds.

p p.

1 6-43.

2 58

P eabody M useum M onographs 5 .

S narskis, M ichael J . 1 982 L a C eramica P recolombina e n C osta R ica. N acional d e S eguros.

S an J ose:

I nstituto

S pang, S ara 1 976 E xcavation o f a P rehistoric V illage S ite i n W estern P anama. U npublished M .A . T hesis, D ept. o f A nthropology, T emple U niversity. S pang, S ., E . J . R osenthal, a nd O . F . L inares 1 980 C eramic C lasses f rom t he V olcan B aru S ites. I n A daptive R adiations i n P rehistoric P anama, O lga F . L inares a nd A nthony J . R anere, e ds. p p. 3 53-371. P eabody M useum M onographs 5 . S tirling, M atthew 1 949 U npublished f ield n otes o n B arriles E xcavations. I nstitution, W ashington, D .C. W illey , 1 971

S mithsonian

G ordon R . A n I ntroduction t o A merican A rchaeology. V ol. I I, S outh A merica. E nglewood C liffs, N ew J ersey: P rentice H all.

2 59

THE VALLE D E G ENERAL AND P ANAMANIAN C HIRIQUI: R EGIONAL D IFFERENCES

W olfgang H aberland H amburg,

! . 61

G ermany

T EMPORAL A ND

A BSTRACT T he G reater

C hiriqui c ultural a rea o f

s outheastern C osta R ica a nd

t he P anamanian p rovince o f C hiriqui a re d iscussed b ased o n t he m ajor p ottery t ypes o f

t he a rea.

B isquit, w hich i s p ainted w ares;

a nd

T he m ost

f ound t hroughout i ncised w ares.

i mportant

t he a rea;

t ypes a re

S an M iguel

U raba P olychrome;

n egative

T he s ubareas w ithin G reater C hiriqui

a re a lso d iscussed a nd n ew s ubareas i n C osta R ica a nd P anama a re i dentified o n t he b asis o f r ecent i nvestigations.

R ESUMEN S e d iscute l os p rincipales t ipos c erämicos d el G ran C hiriqui, l a z ona c ultural c ompuesta d e C osta R ica d el s ur y l a p rovincia C hiriqui d e P anamä. L os t ipos mas i mportantes i ncluyen: S an M iguel B isquit, c on a mplia d istribuciön e n G ran C hiriqui, U raba P olicromo, t ipos c on p intura n egativo y t ipos

i ncisos.

A demäs s e d iscuta c iertas s ubareas

d entro d el G ran C hiriqui y s e p ropone n uevos s ubareas e n C osta R ica y P anama,

b asadas e n i nvestigaciones r ecientes.

2 62

I NTRODUCTION I n t he s ummary o f my s econd r eport r egarding t he

1 955

e xcavations

i n s outheastern C osta R ica a nd t he P anamanian p rovince o f C hiriqui ( Haberland 1 961:59-66) I s tated t hat t hese r egions b elonged t ogether a nd f ormed, a t l east i n l ate p re-European t imes, a n e ntity I c alled " Greater C hiriqui." T his e xpression h as s ince t hen b een u sed i n m any a rticles b y v arious a uthors. I n t he s ame s ummary I a lso p ointed o ut t hat t his c ultural a rea i s c omposed o f a n umber o f s ubareas d istinguished f rom o ne a nother b y r egionalized p ottery t ypes a s w ell a s o ther c ultural modes.

A t t hat t ime

I r ecognized t hree s ubareas w hich I

n amed B oruca ( comprising t he V alle d el G eneral), H ighland C hiriqui a nd L owland C hiriqui. T he s cope o f t he l ast n amed s ubarea w as s ubsequently r estricted t o t he f oothill r egion o f t he P acific s ide o f C hiriqui. A t t he s ame t ime t he s uspicion w as e xpressed t hat o ther s ubareas w ere p resent i n G reater C hiriqui. S ubsequent e xcavations a nd r econnaissance w ork b y t he a uthor a s w ell a s i nvestigations b y o ther a rchaeologists, s uch a s O lga L inares ( Linares 1 968) a nd L aura M i l le n' ( Minelli & M inelli 1 966) v erified t his i dea. T oday t hree m ore s ubareas c an b e d istinguished. T hey a re t he O sa P eninsula, t he r egion a round S an V ito d e J ava ( both i n C osta R ica), a nd C oastal C hiriqui. F urthermore, t hese s ubsequent i nvestigations s uggest t hat t he " Classic C liriqui" p eriod, t he l ast o ne b efore t he c onquest,

c an b e d ivided i nto t wo c onsecutive

p hases. T hese r egional a nd t emporal d ifferences w ill b e t he t heme o f t his p aper. A n a dditional r emark s hould b e m ade h ere.

I t c oncerns

t he D iquis

D elta i n C osta R ica, w here L othrop e xcavated i n 1 948. U nfortunately, m ost o f h is s tratigraphic p its w ere o bviously i n d isturbed p arts o f t he s ites a nd d o n ot r eveal a c lear-cut s tratigraphy. A lso, s ome o f t he p ottery " wares" i n h is p ublication ( Lothrop 1 965) i nclude m ore t han o ne p ottery t ype, s ometimes i ncluding t ypes f rom d ifferent p eriods. T he r esult i s t hat n o r eal d istribution i n t ime f or t his i mportant r egion c an b e e stablished. T here a re i ndications i n t he p ublication t hat t he D iquis D elta r egion i s c eramically v ery s imilar t o t he V alle d e G eneral. B etter i nvestigations a nd c onfirmation o f i t a re, h owever, n ecessary. I t m ight a lso b e p ossible t hat t he D iquis D elta r egion f orms a s pecial s ubarea. B ecause o f a ll t hese u ncertainties t he D iquis D elta r egion w ill o nly b e m entioned i n p assing a nd i f n ecessary. S an M iguel

B isquit

C rucial f or t he s ubstantiation o f t he s tatements m ade i n t he p aragraph a bove i s o ne p ottery t ype:

S an M iguel B isquit

f irst

( Haberland

1 961a:58) l ater r enamed T arrago B isquit b y L inares ( 1968:36-41). I n 1 960 i t w as p ossible t o d emonstate t hat S an M iguel B isquit w as p resent i n a ll o f 1 961:60).

t he t hree s ubareas e stablished a t t hat t ime ( Haberland L inares ' e xcavations o f 1 961 s howed t he p resence o f t his

c eramic t ype i n C oastal C hiriqui ( Linares 1 968:38-41), w hile M inelli f ound S an M iguel B isquit a t S an V ito d e J ava ( Minelli & M inelli 1 966:425)

a nd t he a uthor o n O sa P eninsula ( Haberland 1 960:83).

I t w as

a lso p resent i n t he D iquis D elta r egion ( Lothrop 1 963:89-90; S tone 1 943, p l. V b r ight). S an M iguel B isquit r epresents, t herefore, a m arker f or t he c ultural a rea n amed " Greater t he v arious

s ubareas t ogether.

2 63

C hiriqui," a c lamp h olding

F or u nderstanding t he n ature o f t his c ultural a rea i t t o k now i f S an M iguel

i s

i mportant

B isquit w as m anufactured a t a s ingle l ocation

s uch a s a v illa o r s mall r egion;

o r w hether i t w as c opied a nd

manufactured i n d ifferent s ubareas.

T hin s ections f rom s herds

c ollected i n t he V alle d e G eneral a nd L owland C hiriqui w ere c ompared u nder a p etrographic m icroscope a nd i ndistinguishable.

T his p roves

t hat

f ound t o b e v irtually t hese s herds, a nd p robably a ll t he

S an M iguel B isquit v essels f rom t hese t wo s ubareas, w ere m anufactured a t t he s ame p lace. I t s trengthens a s uspicion t hat b efore t hat t his p ottery t ype o riginated a t a s ingle c enter a nd w as d istributed f rom t here t hrough c ommerce t hroughout G reater C hiriqui . I ts t echnical e xcellence ( it i s b y f ar t he b est made p ottery i n s outhern C entral A merica) i s a nother a rgument f or t he i dea o f a c ommon o rigin. I t s hould, h owever, b e m entioned t hat L inares f ound t wo s lightly d ifferent k inds o f t emper i n h er " Tarrago B isquit" ( Linares 1 968:38). O ne w as p resent a t V illalba, t he o ther a t L as S ecas, t wo i slands i n t he G ulf o f C hiriqui. T his i nformation, i f i t i s c orrect, m ight o r m ight n ot i ndicate l ocal m anaufacture p erhaps b y i tinerant p otters s upposed c enter. I f

t his c enter e xisted,

f rom t he

i t w ould b e o f g reat i mportance t o k now

i ts l ocation. U nfortunately t he b ulk o f t he k nown B isquit v essels w ere e xcavated b y h uaqueros a nd, t herefore, l ack a ny d ata a s t o t heir p oint o f o rigin. M y o wn i nvestigations, e specially i n 1 959, i ndicate t hat t he c enter m ight h ave b een l ocated i n t he L owland C hiriqui s ubarea. T he p ercentage i n t he g raves h ere i s r ather h igh, a nd a v ery l arge r ange o f s hapes o ccur, m ore t han i n o ther s ubareas a s f ar a s t his c an b e a scertained i n v iew o f t he l ack o f l ocalized m aterial. A f inal d ecision c annot b e m ade y et. M ore f ield w ork , i nvestigations o f c lay a nd t emper s ources,

a nd a c ompilation o f a ll k nown B isquit v essels,

e specially t hose f rom k nown l ocations, o ther q uestions. A s m entioned a bove,

i s n eeded t o s ettle t his a nd

t wo c onsecutive p hases

s eem t o b e p resent

d uring t he " Classic C hiriqui" p eriod. A gain, S an M iguel B isquit p lays a c rucial r ole i n d istinguishing t hese t wo u nnamed p hases. I t i s o bviously a bsent d uring t he e arlier p hase a nd p resent during t he l ater o ne. T his d ifference c an b e i llustrated t hrough a c omparison o f t he c eramic c ontents o f t he e xcavated p arts o f t wo g rave m ounds a t B uenos A ires,

C osta R ica.

O f M ound

I ,

2 6 g raves w ere e xcavated i n 1 955 a nd

s ubsequently p ublished i n g reat d etail ( Haberland 1 959). I n 1 958/59 f our m ore g raves o f t his m ound a s w ell a s 1 8 g raves a nd f ive d eposits o f M ound I I w ere i nvestigated. O f t his e xcavation o nly a p reliminary r eport e xists ( Haberland 1 961:34-38). T he 3 0 g raves o f M ound I y ielded 3 3

p ottery v essels a nd s ome o ther a rtifacts.

( 18.2%) t o

S ix o f t hese v essels

c ould b e c lassified a s S an M iguel B isquit ( Fig.

t his n one o f

t he 5 0 v essels r ecovered

f rom M ound

c lassified i nto t his p ottery t ype ( see T able

1 ).

1 ).

C ontrary

I I c ould b e

T he p resence o r

a bsence o f S an M iguel B isquit c an b e e xplained i n s everal w ays. I ndividual p references, a vailability t hrough t rade o r o ther c onnections, o r i ndication o f w ealth m ight b e s uggested. I b elieve t hat i t r eflects a t emporal d ifference a nd t hat M ound I i s l ater t han M ound I I. Ia lso b elieve, t herefore, t hat B isquit v essels w ere a r ather l ate

i ntroduction i nto t he V alle d e G eneral.

T his

i s c ertainly

a n u nproven h ypothesis w hich n eeds f urther s tratigraphic i nvestigation a nd c onfirmation. I n m y o pinion a c omparable s ituation e xists i n C oastal C hiriqui. H ere t he C hiriqui P hase i s c haracterized b y t he

p resence o f S an M iguel p receeding

( Tarrago)

S an L orenzo p hase

B isquit, w hich i s a bsent d uring

( Linares

1 968:66-67,

F ig.

4 2).

t he

O therwise

S an L orenzo a nd C hiriqui p hases o f C oastal C hiriqui a re s o s imilar c eramically t hat w ithout d istinguish.

S an M iguel

( Tarrago)

B isquit

t hey a re h ard t o

T he d ifference b etween M ound I a nd I I o f B uenos A ires c an a lso b e s een b y c omparing o ther c eramic

t ypes

( Table

1 ).

O f

P anteon

W hite-lined o nly o ne s mall v essel w as f ound i n M ound I I, a nd n one i n M ound I . P anteon W hite-line i s o bviously c onnected w ith s imilar t ypes o f H ighland C osta R ica,

t he R eventazon V alley,

( Snarskis

o r i s a n i mport

1 976:108-110)

a nd t he A tlantic C oast

f rom o ne o f

t hese r egions.

I f

t he t emporal d istinction b etween t he mounds i s c orrect, t he p resence o f w hite-line c eramics d uring t he e arlier t ime might i ndicate t hat t here w ere

C entral C osta R ican i nfluences w hich w ere

l ater s upplanted b y

t hose f rom P anama. A n

i mportant i ssue i s

t he c hange i n p ercentages o f P apayal

I ncised. T he f our e xamples i n M ound I ( Haberland 1 959:16-21, P l. V II c -e, V III g ) a mount t o 1 2.1% o f t he t otal w hile t he 1 5 P apayal I ncised v essels f rom M ound I I a mount t o 3 0%. T his i s m ore t han d ouble t he p ercentage o f t hose f ound i n M ound I . v essels o f M ound

S ince most o f t he B isquit

I a re b owls w ith t hree

f eet

( Fig.

1 ),

a nd s ince

s hape i s a lso t he m ost c ommon o ne a mong P apayal I ncised

( Fig.

t his

2 ),

i t

i s

p ossible t hat S an M iguel B isquit p artially r eplaced P apayal I ncised. T his i dea c an o nly b e p roven b y s tratigraphic e xcavations i n w hich t hese two p hases o ccur s tratigraphically a nd d emonstrate t he p ercentage o f P apayal

I ncised a nd/or i ts

t he c hange i n

r eplacement b y S an M iguel

B isquit T he

t wo

r emaining t ypes

P olychrome a nd p ercentages

f ound a t B uenos A ires,

C eiba R edbrown,

( Table

o ccur i n b oth m ounds

B uenos A ires i n n early i dentical

1 ).

U rabä P olychrome I n a ddition t o

S an M iguel B isquit

t here a re a n umber o f o ther

p ottery t raditions w ith a more o r l ess g eneral d istribution i n G reater C hiriqui d uring t he " Classic P eriod." N one, h owever, s eems t o f orm a s ingle p ottery t ype s imilar t o S an M iguel B isquit, w ith a s ingle p oint o f o rigin.

O bviously a ll w ere manufactured l ocally e ither i n r egional

c enters o r e ven i n t he v illages t hemselves.

O ne o f

t hese p ottery

t raditions i s t he t ypical C hiriqui p olychrome, p ainted b lack a nd r ed o n a c ream t o b eige g round c olor. H olmes ( 1888:130-140) a nd M acCurdy ( 1911:125-151)

c alled i t

P olychrome

C hiriqui

f or

P olychrome f or

" Alligator W are." p roper

( Haberland

t he V alle d e G eneral

I r enamed i t U rabä 1 961a:58)

a nd

B uenos A ires

( Haberland 1 961b:36).

F rom r eading

t he a ccounts o f H olmes ( 1888) a nd M acCurdy ( 1911) a nd a lso l ater o nes s uch a s t hose o f O sgood ( 1935) a nd S olc ( 1970), o ne g ets t he i mpression t hat U rabä P olychrome i s w idely a nd e venly d istributed P anamanian p art t his

o f o ur a rea.

i s p robably n ot c orrect.

A mong

c emetery o f S an M iguel d el J uce, C hiriqui s ubarea,

t he

n ear L a

n ot a s ingle v essel w as

t o t he U rabä P olychrome

t ype.

f rom d ifferent

C hiriqui s ites

H ighland

( Haberland 1 961:9-11,

i n t he

H owever, my o wn e xcavations

f ound w hich c ould b e a ssigned

f ive

V a).

2 65

i n t he

C oncepciön i n t he L owland

O n t he o ther h and,

t op p hoto I V,

s how t hat

1 38 v essels e xcavated

a mong

( 16.3%)

t he 3 1 v essels

b elong

B uenos A ires

i n t his t ype

P olychrome w as

p resent i n t he V alle d e G eneral i n n early e qual p ercentages i n t he e xcavated p arts o f t he t wo m ounds w ith 2 1.2% ( 7 v essels) i n M ound I a nd 2 2% ( 11 v essels) i n M ound I I ( Table 1 ). T he d ifferent n ames f or t hese p olychromes i ndicate t hat U rabä P olychrome ( Fig. 3 ) a nd B uenos A ires P olychrome ( Fig. 4 ) a re s ufficiently d ifferent f rom o ne a nother t o b e c onsidered d ifferent t ypes. S hape, p aste, a nd d esigns i n e ach a re d istinct. T hey m ay i ndicate l ocal m anufacture a nd/or m anufacture i n r egional c enters. C olor c ombinations a nd g eneral m otifs a re t he s ame. T herefore, I t hink t he p olychromes o f G reater C hiriqui w ith p ositive p ainted m otifs f orm a s ingle a nd c oherent t radition. A s

f or t he o ther s ubareas, b lack-and-red-on-cream p ositive p ainted

p ottery i s p resent o n t he O sa P eninsula, w ith s ome v ery s pecial s hapes s uch a s d eep b owls w ith t hree f ish-like f eet ( Haberland 1 960:83, F ig. 1 2). H ere a gain a r egional v ariation w ithin t he g eneral t radition s eems t o b e p resent. I n t he D iquis D elta r egion t he p olychrome v essels a nd s herds f ound, p ublished, a nd i llustrated b y L othrop ( 1963:78-86, P l. X XX-XXXII) a re s o s imilar t o t hose f rom t he m ounds a t B uenos A ires t hat t hey a ppear t o r epresent B uenos A ires P olychrome. " Alligator W are" p olychromes h ave a lso b een f ound i n r ather l arge p ercentages ( between 1 4.4% a nd 3 7% o f t he t otal) 1 i n t he Z oncho m ounds o f t he S an V ito s ubarea. T hey w ere e xcavated a nd p ublished b y t he M inellis ( Minelli a nd M inelli 1 966). A ccording t o t heir p hotographs ( Figs. 1 6 a nd 1 7)

s ome o f

t hese v essels a re c omparable

t o t hose U rabä P olychrome

v essels o f H ighland C hiriqui. O thers a re s imilar t o B uenos A ires P olychrome, w hile s till o thers m ight i ndicate a l ocal d evelopment. I n C oastal C hiriqui, U rabä P olychrome i s r are. L inares f ound o nly a s ingle s herd i n h er 1 961 e xcavations ( Linares 1 968:43-44). T here a re n o U rabä P olychromes m entioned i n h er l ater e xcavations ( Linares a nd R anere, 1 980) n or i n r eports o n " classic" C hiriqui e xcavations f rom t he L owland a nd C oastal C hiriqui S ubareas ( Boletin d e M useo C hiricano, v arious). I f w e t ake a ll t hese d etails t ogether w e c an s uppose t hat t he p ositive-painted p olychrome p ottery t radition o f G reater C hiriqui s hows a d ifferentiated d istribution. C oastal a nd L owland

I t

i s a bsent o r a t l east r are i n

C hiriqui, b ut p resent

i n t he o ther s ubareas. A t ime d ifference, c ertainly n ot p resent a t B uenos A ires.

i n a r ather l arge p ercentage h owever,

i s u nlikely,

a nd i s

N egative-Painted P ottery N egative-painted p ottery w as a lways r egarded a s a nother c haracteristic " ware" o f M acCurdy 1 911:103-124,

( Greater)

C hiriqui ( Holmes

O sgood 1 935:238).

1 888:113-130,

O bviously i ts d istribution i n

G reater C hiriqui i s i rregular. N o n egative p ainted c eramics w ere f ound i n t he V alle d e G eneral o r d uring t he a dmittedly r ather s hort s urvey o n O sa P eninsula. H owever, S tone ( 1958, F ig. 6 c) p ublished a n egative p ainted o lla. T his a ppears t o b e c ream p ositive o n b lack-on-red n egative, a v ariety o f B ugavita N egative f rom t he P otrero G rande s ite i ncluded i n t he V alle d e G eneral. I n t he H ighland C hiriqui s ites o nly t wo n egative p ainted v essels ( 6.45% o f t he t otal) w ere e ncountered ( Haberland 1 961:11-12). 2 O ne o f t hem w as M ontelirio N egative, a b lack-on-cream w ith a r ed b ottom. T he o ther B ugavita N egative i s b lack-on-red, a t ype a lso p resent i n L owland C hiriqui a nd o ther s ubareas ( Fig. 5 ). A s m entioned e lsewhere ( Haberland 1 957) b lack-on-red n egative-painted p ottery t radition i s o f g reat f or o ur u nderstanding o f

t he i mportance

t he c ultural h istory o f s outhern C entral

A merica a nd n orthern S outh A merica.

I t m ay b e r elated t o t he

s pread o f

t he C hibcha s peaking g roups d uring P recolumbian t imes.

T his h ypothesis

r emains t o b e i nvestigated a new. I n G reater C hiriqui b lack-on-red n egative h as t he w idest d istribution o f a ll n egative c olor s chemes o r t ypes. N egative-painted p ottery w as o bviously I mportant i n l owland C hiriqui c ulture. T his c atch-all c ategory i ncludes 1 5.2% o f t he v essels f ound a t S an M iguel d el J uco. T he 2 1 l argely o lla-shaped v essels r epresent s ix d ifferent c olor c ombinations. S ome o f t hem a re a t hree c olor c ombination. A mong t hese a t wo-color b ackground i s n egatively o verpainted w ith a t hird c olor ( MacCurdy 1 911, P l. X XIIb) o r a t hird c olor i s a dded t o a t wo-color n egative b ackground ( MäcCurdy 1 911, P l. X LIIa). N egative-painted c eramics h ave a lso b een f ound i n t he S an V ito s ubarea.

U nfortunately,

a ll t ypes a re l umped t ogether i n t he r eport

a nd n o c olor s chemes a re g iven. F rom t he p ictures ( Minelli a nd M inelli 1 966, F igs. 1 4 a nd 1 5) o ne c an a ssume t hat m ost o f t hem a re e ither b lack-on-cream H uigala N egative o r b lack-over-red-and-cream S anchez N egative, t wo t ypes a lso k nown f rom S an M iguel d el J uco. T he p ercentage o f n egative p ainted p ottery v aried a mong t he e xcavated Z oncho g rave y ards f rom 1 4.3% i n Z oncho B t o 0 % i n Z oncho D ( see N ote 1 ). L inares o bviously f ound o nly b lack-on-red n egative p ainted s herds i n h er 1 961 e xcavation ( Linares 1 968:44). N o n egative p ainted p ottery i s m entioned i n h er l ater e xcavation r eports ( Linares a nd R anere 1 980). S tone ( 1977:116-117) p ublished s everal n egative p ainted c eramics f rom h er " Diquis R egion." T hey c annot, h owever, b e u sed h ere t o i llustrate ad istribution b y s ubareas, s ince h er " Diquis R egion" c overs a ll o f s outheastern C osta R ica a nd,

t herefore,

a t l east f our o f o ur

s ubareas:

V alle d e G eneral, S an V ito r egion, O sa P eninsula, a nd t he D iquis D elta r egion. N o s ites a re m entioned f or t hese o bjects, w hich c annot, t herefore, b e a ssigned t o a ny o f t he C osta R ican s ubareas o f G reater C hiriqui. I n

t he D iquis D elta r egion i tself t he w idespread b lack-on-red

n egative w as f ound b y L othrop

( 1963:70-72).

L othrop a lso m entions

a nother n egative p ainted t ype w hich h e c alled " negative p ainted o n r ed." F rom t he i llustrations, i t l ooks l ike " red-on-cream" ( ibid., F ig. 4 9), I f

a t ype n ot f ound e lsewhere.

i t i s p ossible t o t entatively l ump t he d ifferent

t ypes a nd/or

v arieties o f n egative-painted p ottery i n G reater C hiriqui t ogether, t hen w e c an s tate t hat n egative-painted p ottery i s o bviously s trongest i n t he s ubareas w here t he p olychrome ( positive) t ypes a re e ither a bsent o r v ery w eakly r epresented. T his m ight e ven b e t he c ase i n i ndividual g rave y ards i n t he S an V ito s ubarea a s c an b e s een i n t he f ollowing: Z oncho A 1 4.4% p olychromes a nd 1 2.2% n egatives Z oncho

B

1 9.9%

Z oncho

C

3 3.5% p olychromes a nd 0 .7% n egatives

p olychromes a nd 1 4.3%

n egatives

Z oncho D 3 7% p olychromes a nd 0 % n egatives I s uggest t hat a t l east t he t hree-color n egatives r eplaced t he p ositive-painted p olychromes i n s ome a reas o r s ubareas. T his o ccurred e ither a long w ith t he s pread o f B isquit p ottery o r a t a l ater d ate. F urther i nvestigations a re n eeded t o t est t his h ypothesis a nd t o t race t he d evelopment o f n egative-painted p ottery i n G reater C hiriqui.

2 67

I ncised W are T he l ast c eramic t radition I w ill d iscuss i s w hat h as b een c alled " Chocolate

I ncised W are."

o f d ifferent p ottery t ypes.

T his i s a lso a t radition made u p o f a n umber O ne o f t hem, P apayal I ncised,

h as a lready

b een m entioned i n c onnection w ith t he p robable t ime d ifferences b etween M ound I a nd M ound I I o f B uenos A ires.

F our v essels o f t his t ype h ave

b een f ound i n M ound I ( Haberland 1 959:16-21). T hey a mount t o 1 2.1% o f t he t otal. M ound I I y ielded 1 5 e xamples o r 3 0% ( Fig. 2 ). S hapes a nd d esigns a re v ery s imilar a nd s ometimes i dentical. I t s hould b e m entioned, h owever, t hat t he c olor o f t he v essels f rom M ound I I i s m uch d arker, o ften n early b lackish, c ompared t o t he r ed b rown v essels f rom M ound I . W hether t his i s d ue t o s oil c onditions o r o ther e xternal i nfluences o r r eflects a n i ntentional s hift i n c olor i s u nknown. I n a ny c ase, i f w e a ccept t he p ossibility t hat M ound I I i s o lder t han M ound I , t hen w e c an a lso s tate t hat t here w as o bviously a s hift a way f rom P apayal I ncised i n t ime. L othrop i llustrates s ome " brown i ncised" D elta ( 1963, F ig. 2 0, " Chocolate w are" ( pp.

f ragments

f rom t he D iquis

P L . X XVIII b ottom), s ome o f w hich h e d escribes a s 6 5-66 a nd F ig. 2 0b-d, g , 1 ). W hether t he

d ifference i s o nly t he c olor o f t he p ieces o r i ncludes o ther m odes i s n ot c lear.

S hapes a nd m otifs a re,

i n a ny c ase, v ery s imilar t o P apayal

I ncised a nd I s uspect t hat t hese p ieces b elong t o t his t ype. " Chocolate I ncised" w as a lso f ound b y L inares i n C oastal C hiriqui ( Linares 1 968:44-45). S he c ompares i t e xpressly w ith t he f inds b y L othrop a nd s uggests t hat t his p ottery m ight h ave b een i mported f rom t he D iquis D elta. T he o nly f ragment i llustrated b y L inares ( ibid., P l. 1 6d)

i s v ery s imilar

t o v essels f ound i n M ound I ,

B uenos A ires

( Haberland 1 959, t op p hoto V II h ,i). N o " Chocolate I ncised" w as f ound d uring t he r econnaissance o n t he O sa P eninsula, b ut s ince t he c ollection i s n ot v ery l arge a nd h as n ot b een t horoughly i nvestigated t his t radition m ight a lso b e p resent. G oing i n t he o ther d irection f rom B uenos A ires w e e ncounter " Chocolate I ncised" i n t he S an V ito s ubarea. I ts d istribution a mong t he v arious Z oncho m ounds i s r ather i rregular. T heir p ercentages v ary b etween 1 .4% ( Zoncho B ) a nd 1 8.3% ( Zoncho C ). T he p hotograph ( Minelli a nd M inelli 1 966, F ig. 1 0) s eems t o s how t wo d ifferent s hapes: o pen t ripod b owls a nd g lobular t ripod v essels w ith r estricted n ecks. T he s mall p hotographs m ake i t d ifficult t o d etermine i f t he t ripod b owls a re c omparable w ith t hose f rom B uenos A ires. T he g lobular v essels w ith r estricted n ecks c ertainly r eflect t he s hape o f C otito I ncised o f H ighland C hiriqui ( Haberland 1 961:14, t op p hoto V f -h). C otito I ncised ( Fig. 6 ) i s o bviously a m inor t ype i n t he H ighland s ubarea ( 9.7% o f t he t otal) a nd m ight h ave b een i mported f rom t he C osta R ican p art o f G reater C hiriqui, o r f rom t he S an V ito r egion n earby. F or t he l owland s ubarea M acCurdy mentions a t l east

t wo

" Chocolate I ncised" v essels f rom

D ivala, o f w hich o ne, F ig. 1 61, c ertainly b elongs i n t he C otito I ncised t ype ( MacCurdy 1 911:95-96). O n t he o ther h and, n ot o ne b rown i ncised v essel h as b een f ound i n t he c emetery o f S an M iguel d el J uco. T he p lace o f t he " Chocolate I ncised" t radition m ight h ave b een o ccupied i n L owland

C hiriqui b y D ivala P unched.

O nly o ne v essel,

h owever, w as e xcavated a t S an M iguel d el J uco a nd, t herefore, i s d efinitely l ocalized ( Haberland 1 961:43, t op p hoto X III i ). N one o f t he e xamples g iven b y H olmes ( 1888:80-82, 2 68

F igs.

1 10-113)

h ave a ny

i ndication a s

t o t heir p oint o f o rigin.

O f

t he v essels o f t his t ype

i llustrated b y M acCurdy ( 1911:72-73, F igs. 1 16-117, P l. X VII), w ho c alled t hem " Serpent W are," s ome a re s aid t o c ame f rom D ivala, w hich p erhaps c ould b e i ncluded i n t he l owland s ubarea. T wo f urther e xamples a re g iven b y S olc ( 1970:192, F igs. 7 1-72). T hey a re s aid t o h ave b een e xcavated a t " San M iguel," b ut t he e xact l ocation o f t his s ite i n u nknown. N onetheless, i t i s p robable t hat D ivala P unched w as r estricted t o l owland C hiriqui. I t c ertainly d oes n ot b elong i nto t he " Chocolate I ncised" t radition a s n either t he g rey t o b lack c olor n or t he p unched d ecoration t echnique a re s imilar. I n

1 958 I ( Haberland 1 958:341-342)

s tated t hat n either P apayal

I ncised n or C otito I ncised a re t rade w ares f rom t he C osta R ican H ighland a s O sgood p roposed ( 1935:235). T his v iew w as c onfirmed b y L inares ( 1968:45); a nd I a gree w ith h er t hat t he i nspiration m ight h ave c ome f rom c entral C osta R ica, n ot o nly b ecause o f t he s imilarities a nd t he l ong t radition o f b rown i ncised c eramics

t here b ut a lso b ecause o f

t he p rincipal d istribution i n G reater C hiriqui. I t i s f ound i n t he C osta R ican a reas t here a nd i s p robably a bsent f rom l owland C hiriqui, p robably t he m ost i mportant a nd m ost d iversified s ubarea w ith r egard t o p ottery. A nother p ossibility i s t hat t he " Chocolate I ncised T radition" o f G reater C hiriqui d eveloped l ocally f rom c ertain i ncise s r ed p ottery t ypes w hich o ccur a mong A guas B uenas a nd r elated material ( Haberland 1 959, P l. X IV c -e; H aberland 1 961, P l. V III f f-gg, I X i ; L inares F ig. 7 .0-2 j ; S pang, R osenthal a nd L inares 1 980, F ig. 9 /1 m -p).

1 980,

C ONCLUSION D uring t he C lassic P eriod G reater

C hiriqui w as m ade u p o f a n umber

o f s ubareas w hich c an b e d istinguished b y s ome o f t heir c eramics a s w ell a s o ther c ultural f eatures n ot d iscussed h ere. O nly o ne p ottery t ype, S an M iguel ( Tarragö) B isquit h as a n o verall d istribution. I t m ay, h owever, b e o nly c haracteristic f or t he l ater p art o f t he p eriod i f t he i ndications f rom t he B uenos A ires m ounds a re t rue. O bviously t he C lassic P eriod c an a lso b e s plit u p i nto t wo c onsecutive p hases i n o ther s ubareas.

T his m ight b e

t rue i n a ll o f G reater C hiriqui b ut t he

l ack o f i nvestigations d oes n ot a llow a c onclusion o n t his p oint. A n umber o f o ther c eramics, e specially t he t hree-color p olychrome ( "Alligator W are") a nd t he b rown i ncised ( "Chocolate I ncised") a s w ell a s t he b asically r eddish c eramics o f p robable d aily u se n ot d iscussed h ere s uch a s " Fish-Tripod-Handled W are" ( Osgood 1 935:237) f orm t raditions w ith s eparate t ypes i n a ll o r s ome o f t he s ubareas. B oth o rnamented t raditions m entioned a re e specially p rominent i n t he w estern ( Costa R ican) p art o f G reater C hiriqui a s w ell a s i n H ighland C hiriqui. T he " Chocolate I ncised T radition" ( Papayal I ncised, C otito I ncised) m ost p robably r eflects

i nfluences f rom c entral C osta R ica.

T herefore,

i ts o ccurrence i n t he w estern s ubareas i s l ogical. 4 T he " Polychrome T radition" ( Buenos A ires P olychrome, U rabä P olychrome) c annot b e t raced i n t hat d irection. I ts c oncentration i n t he C osta R ican s ubareas a nd i n H ighland C hiriqui i s, t herefore, u nexplained. C ontrary t o t hese d ecorated c eramics, t he n egative-painted p ottery o ccurs e specially i n l owland C hiriqui a nd, p erhaps, i n c oastal C hiriqui. I t r eflects c onnections w ith c entral P anama a s d o t he d ifferent r ed-line t ypes o f t he s ame s ub-areas. T he " Fish-Tripod-Handled T radition," p erhaps b etter c alled " Utility T radition" ( Ceiba R edbrown, F oncho R ed, V illalba R ed S treaked, p erhaps C arbonera A pplique) i s p robably " homegrown" a s i s S an M iguel

( Tarrago)

B isquit.

I n a ny c ase e ach o f t he s ubareas h as 2 69

i ts

very.distinct inventory 5 probably reflecting the political situation in Greater Chiri.qu1 at the time of conquest, when this territory was occupied by a number of warring chiefdoms (Linares 1968:75-81). To confirm or refute the above many more publications of excavations, especially in settlements, but also of graveyards are necessary. I hope that this will be done by some younger colleagues in the near future, before the last remnants of archaeological remains are completely destroyed and, therefore, lost forever.6

270

F igure

1 .

F igure 2 .

1

2

3

4

B owl, M ound

S an M iguel B isquit; I , G rave 6 , B uenos A ires,

B owl,

P apayal I ncised;

M ound I I, F igure 3 .

G rave 5 ,

L arge 0 11a, G rave 2 ,

C hiriqui,

M ound I ,

C osta R ica.

V alle d e

S anta C lara,

R epüblica d e P anamä.

O pen v essel w ith t hree l egs B uenos A ires

R ica

U rabä P olychrome;

H uacal d e C hebo,

P rovincia d e F igure 4 .

B uenos A ires,

C osta

i n s hape o f a nimal h eads,

P olychrome;

G rave 1 0,

B uenos A ires,

2 71

C osta R ica.

F igure 5 .

F igure 6 .

Z oomorphic v essel,

B uenos A ires

M ound I ,

B uenos A ires,

G rave

S mall o lla,

1 7,

P olychrome; C osta R ica.

b lack-on-red n egative p ainted ( Bugavita

N egative); G rave 4 , S an M iguel d el J uco, P rovincia d e

C hiriqui,

2 72

R epüblica d e P anama.

T able 1 .

D istribution o f P ottery T ypes i n M ound I a nd M ound I I, B uenos A ires,

C osta R ica. M ound I

M ound I I

N UMBER 7

P ERCENTAGE 2 1.2

P anteon W hite-Line P apayal I ncised S an M iguel B isquit C eiba R edbrown u ndetermined

0 4 6 1 5 1

0 1 2.1 1 8.2 4 5.5 3

T otal

3 3

B uenos A ires P olychrome

1 00

2 73

N UMBER 1 1 1 5 0 2 3 0 5 0

P ERCENTAGE 2 2 2 2 0 0 4 6 0 1 00

N OTES 1 .

T he M inelli's i ncluded a ll a rtifacts T herefore,

i n t heir p ercentages.

Ih ave r ecalculated t hem f or p ottery o nly.

T he

o riginal p ercentage o f n egative p ainted p ottery f or i nstance f rom Z oncho B w as 1 1.8% w hile t he n ew c alculation g ives i t a s 1 4.3%. 2 .

A t hird v essel w as h eavily w eathered. I t a ppeared t o b e a n egative-painted v essel b ut a p ositively-painted d esign i s a lso a p ossibility. T herefore, i t w as n ot i ncluded h ere i nto a t ype f or c omparison.

3 .

T he r elationship a nd i dentity r espectively o f A guas B uenas, B ugaba, a nd

B urica w ill n ot b e d iscussed h ere.

T his s ubject

r equires m uch m ore s pace a nd i s o utside t he s cope o f t his p aper. 4 .

T he w hite-line t ypes d iscussed e arlier i n t his p aper r epresent a nother i mported i dea f rom t he H ighlands o f C osta R ica a nd p erhaps a re e ven i mported c eramics. T hey h ave a lso b een r estricted t o t he w estern s ubareas.

5 .

A n e xception m ay b e t he D iquis D elta r egion, w hich m ay h ave b een p art o f t he B oruca s ubarea w ith w hich i t i s c onnected b y t he r iver v alley. B oth r egions h ave a r ather l arge n umber o f p ottery t ypes i n c ommon a s f ar a s c an b e s een f rom t he p ublications.

6 .

T he f ield w ork i n P anama a nd C osta R ica w as f inanced b y t he D eutsche F orschungsgemeinschaft ( German S cience F oundation ),

B onn,

G ermany a nd t he I beroamerika-Stiftung ( Ibero-America F oundation), H amburg, G ermany. M y t hanks g o t o b oth i nstitutions a s w ell a s t o t he g overnments a nd m useums o f P anama a nd C osta R ica f or e xcavation p ermits, a ided m e d uring

a nd t o m y many f riends i n b oth c ountries w ho

t he a ctual f ield w ork.

2 74

R EFERENCES C ITED H aberland, 1 957

W olfgang

B lack-on-White P ainted W are a nd A ssociated F eatures I ntermediate A rea.

1 958

E thnos,

i n

2 2(3-4)148-161.

A R e-Appraisal o f C hiriquian P ottery T ypes. I nternational d e A mericanistas,

A ctas,

t omo

X XXII' C ongreso I I;

3 39-346;

S an

J ose. 1 959

A rchaologische U ntersuchungen i n S udost-Costa R ica. A cta H umboldtiana, S eries G eographica e t E tnographica, N o. 1 ; W eisbaden. 1 960 P eninsula d e O sa. A notaciones g eograficas y a rqueologicas; I nstituto G eografico d e C osta R ica, I nforme S emestral, e nero a j unio 1 960, p p. 7 5-85; S an J ose. 1 961 A rchaologische U ntersuchungen i n d er P rovinz C hiriqui, P anama. A cta H umboldtiana, S eries G eographica e t E tnographica, N o. 3 , W iesbaden. 1 961a N ew N ames f or C hiriquian P ottery T ypes. P anama A rchaeologist, V ol. 4 :56-60, B alboa H eights. 1 961b A rqueologia d el V alle d el R io C eiba, G eografico d e C osta R ica, 1 961, H olmes, 1 888

L inares, 1 968 1 980

p p.

3 1-62,

I nforme

B uenos A ires.

S emestral,

S an J ose.

W illiam B . A ncient A rt o f C hiriqui. B ureau o f A merican E thnology, R eport 6 :1-197, W ashington.

1 980

O lga F .

O lga F .

a nd A nthony J .

1 963

a nd

O sgood, 1 935

P eabody M useum

S amuel K . A rchaeology o f t he D iquis D elta, E thnology ,

C osta R ica.

P apers,

v ol.

M acCurdy, G eorge G . 1 911 A S tudy o f C hiriquian A ntiquities.

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5 .

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M inelli,

i n

R anere ( eds.)

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A nnual

C ultural C hronology o f t he G ulf o f C hiriqui, P anama. S mithsonian C ontributions t o A nthropology 8 , W ashington. T he C eramic R ecord: T ime a nd P lace. I n A daptive R adiations P rehistoric P anama, O lga F . L inares a nd A nthrony J . e ds.,pp. 8 1-117, C ambridge: H arvard U niversity.

L inares,

I nstituto

e nero a j unio

S ciences M emoirs 3 :1,

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L I.

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N ew H aven.

L aura L aurencich d e a nd L uigi M inelli I nforme P reliminar s obre E xcavaciones A lrededor d e S an V ita d e J ava. X XXVI C ongreso I nternacional d e A mericanistas, A ctas y M emorias, 1 :415-427, S evilla. C ornelius T he A rchaeological P roblem i n C hiriqui.

A merican

A nthropologist 3 7:234-243. S narskis, M ichael J . 1 976 L a V ertiente A tlantica d e C osta R ica. 2 75

V inculos 2 (1)101-114.

S olc, V aclav 1 970 C hiriqui C ulture. S pang, 1 980

S .,

E .

J .

N aprstek M useum,

R osenthal a nd O .

F .

P rag.

L inares

C eramic C lasses f rom t he V olcan B aru S ites.

I n A daptive

R adiations i n P rehistoric P anama, O lga F . L inares a nd A nthony J . R anere, e ds. p p. 3 53-371, C ambridge: H arvard U niversity. S tone, 1 943 1 958 1 977

D oris A P reliminary I nvestigation o f t he F lood P lain o f t he R io G rande d e T erraba, C osta R ica. A merican A ntiquity, 9 :74-88. I ntoruccion a l a A rqueologia d e C osta R ica. S an J ose: M useo N acional. P re-Columbian M an i n C osta R ica. C ambridge: P eabody M useum P ress.

2 76