Archeology and Volcanism in Central America

The Zapotitán Valley of El Salvador

AvPayson D. Sheets

Häftad, Engelska, 1984

Del i serien Texas Pan American Series

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Beskrivning

Scientists have long speculated on the impact of extreme natural catastrophes on human societies. Archeology and Volcanism in Central America provides dramatic evidence of the effects of several volcanic disasters on a major civilization of the Western Hemisphere, that of the Maya. During the past 2,000 years, four volcanic eruptions have taken place in the ZapotitÁn Valley of southern El Salvador. One, the devastating eruption of Ilopango around A.D. 300, forced a major migration, pushing the Mayan people north to the YucatÁn Peninsula. Although later eruptions did not have long-range implications for cultural change, one of the subsequent eruptions preserved the CerÉn site-a Mesoamerican Pompeii where the bodies of the villagers, the palm-thatched roofs of their houses, the pots of food in their pantries, even the corn plants in their fields were preserved with remarkable fidelity. Throughout 1978, a multidisciplinary team of anthropologists, archeologists, geologists, biologists, and others sponsored by the University of Colorado's Protoclassic Project researched and excavated the results of volcanism in the Zapotitan Valley-a key Mesoamerican site that contemporary political strife has since rendered inaccessible. The result is an outstanding contribution to our understanding of the impact of volcanic eruptions on early Mayan civilization. These investigations clearly demonstrate that the Maya inhabited this volcanically hazardous valley in order to reap the short-term benefits that the volcanic ash produced-fertile soil, fine clays, and obsidian deposits.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:1984-01-01
Mått:216 x 279 x 17 mm
Vikt:454 g
Format:Häftad
Språk:Engelska
Serie:Texas Pan American Series
Antal sidor:318
Förlag:University of Texas Press
ISBN:9780292741690

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Mer om författaren

Payson Sheets is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Recensioner i media

"A book that all Mayan and Mesoamerican archeologists will want to own ... of interest to geologists, historians, and a growing number of people of numerous disciplines who are interested in the effects of natural disasters and human responses to them." - Richard Diehl

Innehållsförteckning

1. Introduction, by Payson D. Sheets 2. Tierra Blanca Joven Tephra from the AD 260 Eruption of Ilopango Caldera, by William J. E. Hart and Virginia Steen-McIntyre Appendix 2-A. Field Data for Geologic Stops Mentioned in Chapter 2, by William J. E. Hart and Virginia Steen-McIntyre 3. Classic to Postclassic Tephra Layers Exposed in Archeological Sites, Eastern ZapotitÁn Valley, by William J. E. Hart 4. An Evaluation of Soil Properties and Potentials in Different Volcanic Deposits, by Gerald W. Olson Appendix 4-A. Soil Test Laboratory Data, by Gerald W. Olson 5. The ZapotitÁn Valley Archeological Survey, by Kevin D. Black 6. Excavations at the Cambio Site, by Susan M. Chandler 7. The CerÉn Site: A Classic Period Maya Residence and Agricultural Field in the ZapotitÁn Valley, by Christian J. Zier Appendix 7-A. Volcanic Events at the CerÉn Site, by Richard P Hoblitt Appendix 7-B. Preliminary Study of Selected Ceramics from the CerÉn House, by Judith A. Southward and Diana C. Kamilli 8. The CerÉn Survey and Test Excavations at C-2, a Postclassic Village, by Meredith H. Matthews 9. The Ceramics of the ZapotitÁn Valley, by Marilyn P. Beaudry Appendix 9-A. Summary of Figurines and Miscellaneous Ceramic Artifacts, by Kevin D. Black 10. Chipped Stone from the ZapotitÁn Valley, by Payson D. Sheets Appendix 10-A. Obsidian Hydration Study of Prismatic Blade Fragments from the Cambio Site, by Fred W. Trembour Appendix 10-B. Trace Element Analysis of Obsidian from the Cambio Site, by Helen V. Michel Frank Asaro, and Fred Stross 11. Ground Stone of the ZapotitÁn Valley, by Anne G. Hummer Appendix 11-A. Ground Stone Artifacts, by Site and Isolated Find, by Anne G. Hummer 12. Recent Geophysical Explorations at CerÉn, by William M. Loker 13. Summary and Conclusions, by Payson D. Sheets Appendix I. Analysis of Faunal Materials from the Protoclassic Project in the ZapotitÁn Valley 1978 Season, by James Hummert Appendix II. Pollen Analyses from 1978 Research in the ZapotitÁn Valley, by Susan K. Short Contributors Index