J. Przedwojewska-Szymańska / Pasi; Antiquity
Ceramic statuettes at the Archaeological Site of San Isidro, in El Salvador
The new discovery challenges the ancient idea that El Salvador was isolated and did not do cultural exchange with other civilizations in Central America.
A team of archaeologists from El Salvador discovered Five Curamic Puppets rare, with an estimated age of 2400 years, which may have been used in public rituals to represent mythological or historical events.
The discovery, reported in an antiquity, challenges the notion that El Salvador was culturally isolated, revealing links with broader traditions in Central America.
The Figures – four female and one male – They were found at the top of a large pyramidal structure in 2022. Initially thought of as funeral offerings, the absence of human remains led investigators to propose their use in public shows. The expressive faces of puppets change with emotion depending on the observation angle, suggesting that they were designed to improve the narration of ritual stories.
The three larger puppets, about 30 cm high, are naked and have Mobile heads and open mouthspossibly for theatrical stagings. The smaller figures, with distinct hairstyles and jewelry, can represent different characters or roles in representations. Researchers also found fragmented figures, including a potential element of a birth scene.
This is just the second discovery of this kind of puppets in its original context and the first to include a male figure. The first discovery, in 2012 in Guatemala, included six female figures From a 350-100 BC bury site, El Salvador figures date from about 400 BC, indicating a shared cultural practice in pre-classic (2000 BC) and classic (200 to 900 AD) periods.
The style and materials of puppets are aligned with Guatemala artifacts, suggesting cultural exchanges between the elites from Central America. Other artifacts found in the place, such as jade pendants, reflect those of Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, further supporting trade and cultural links, says.
The rash of the Ilopango volcano around 400-500 AD, which buried many artifacts in volcanic ash, and modern development have archaeological investigation hampered in the region. This contributed to the wrong idea that the old El Salvador was isolated. However, this discovery highlights the existence of dynamic communities with long -range cultural bonds, challenging previous beliefs about the historical development of the region.
