Research Report (Nobuyuki Ito) - 2022.12.13

Introduction

In July 2022, permission was granted for the El Trapiche-Casa Blanca Archaeological Survey (2022-2026) at Chalchuapa, El Salvador. The purpose of this survey is to reconstruct the history of the Pacific region in the southeastern Mesoamerica, centering on the archaeological survey of Chalchuapa.

Chalchuapa. Among them, I will investigate what kind of relationship was between the archaeological sites of El Salvador and the ones in Honduras, specifically making a comparison in architecture and what kind of cultural elements shared with Copan archaeological site. In addition, we aim to provide materials for Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (S) Project No. 22H04928 “Elucidating the dynamics of the Copan dynasty in the Maya civilization through paleogenomics”.

Summary of 2022 Activities

1. Archaeological Survey of El Trapiche Area, Chalchuapa Archaeological Site

An architectural feature shared with western Honduras is the construction of earthen structures. At Copan site, earthen structures have been found under the stone structures of the Classical period. Earthen structures were traditionally built in the Pacific region of southeastern Mesoamerica, to which western El Salvador belongs. Even at Chalchuapa site, earthen structures were constructed from the Middle Preclassic period onwards.

In this archaeological survey, excavations were carried out at structure E3-1, the largest prehispanic edifice in El Salvador, in order to elucidate the characteristics of buildings before the Late Preclassic period. We explored the stairs of the building, the sloping road leading to it, and the architectural construction of the earthen structure. In the future, we plan to explore the relationship with other regions such as Honduras through an analysis of earthen architecture.

2. Study of plain monument

In the Pacific region of the southeastern part of Mesoamerica, we can identify stone carvings that are simply shaped without decorations such as bas-reliefs, and stone pillars that have remained largely untouched by nature. Many of these are thought to have been intended for rituals. If we define these stones as plain monuments, it becomes clear that they are concentrated in the area of study. In addition, plain monuments have been unearthed in Honduras and Nicaragua. In the future, we will clarify the characteristics of such stone monuments and aim at their cultural function.

3. Cumbre Olmeca 2022 (Olmeca Summit)

Based on an invitation of the Veracruz State Government, Mexico, prominent researchers of the Olmec civilization were invited not only from Mexico but also from Guatemala and Japan whose summit was based in three cities in the southern part of Veracruz (Coatzacoalcos, Nanchital, and Ixhuatlán del Sureste). Attending academic conferences and presenting investigation results. This academic conference discussed the cultural exchange between the Olmec culture of the Gulf Coast and the Pacific region of southeastern Mesoamerica across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec.

Future plans

In the archaeological survey of Chalchuapa so far, we will examine the human bones excavated and materials will be selected for paleogenomics analysis. In addition, we plan to choose human bones that will be unearthed in future surveys in consultation with the principal investigator and co-investigators.

On the other hand, in the excavation survey in El Salvador, I would like to clarify cultural exchanges with the Copán region by dividing the ruling class and the commoner class, and analyzing the excavated remains and cultural materials.

References

• Aiba, Nobuhiko y Ito, Nobuyuki 2022 “Las figurillas encontradas en El Trapiche, Chalchuapa.” In XXXIV Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala，pp. 861-871.
• Ito, Nobuyuki 2022 “Altar liso en la Costa Sur de Mesoamérica.” The Journal of Humanities Nagoya University 5:291-326.
• Ito, Nobuyuki 2022 “Linaje de trono en Mesoamérica: desde los olmecas hasta los mayas.” Perspectivas Latinoamericanas 18: 61-87.
• Ito, Nobuyuki 2022 “Los monumentos lisos en el paisaje urbano de Chalchuapa” Paper presented in XXXV Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, Guatemala, C.A.
• Ito, Nobuyuki 2022 “Intercambio cultural entre el Golfo de México y Centroamérica.” Paper presented in Cumbre Olmeca, Secretario de Turismo y Cultura del Estado de Veracruz, Coatzacoalcos, México.
• Ito, Nobuyuki, Carlos Flores Manzano y Nobuhiko Aiba 2020 “Un fragmento de estela relacionada al bak’tun 7 en Chalchuapa.” In XXXIV Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala，pp. 923-934.