Joya de Cerén (''Jewel of Cerén'' in the
Spanish language
Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...
) is an
archaeological site
An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...
in
La Libertad Department,
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
, featuring a
pre-Columbian
In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, th ...
Maya
Maya may refer to:
Civilizations
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...
farming village.
The ancient Maya site of Joya de Cerén is located in the Zapotitán Valley, 36 kilometers northwest of
San Salvador
San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...
, El Salvador.
[Castellanos, p. 94.] It is often referred to as the "
Pompeii
Pompeii (, ) was an ancient city located in what is now the ''comune'' of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area (e.g. at Boscoreale, Stabiae), was buried ...
of the
Americas
The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World.
Along with th ...
", in comparison to the famed Ancient Roman ruins.
This site is known for the excellent preservation of a
Classic period
Mesoamerican chronology divides the history of prehispanic Mesoamerica into several periods: the Paleo-Indian (first human habitation until 3500 BCE); the Archaic (before 2600 BCE), the Preclassic or Formative (2500 BCE –  ...
settlement that was rapidly buried by the ashfall of an eruption of the
Loma Caldera around AD 600. The relative abundance of
paleoethnobotanical remains recovered at Joya de Cerén in comparison to other ancient Maya archaeological sites make Joya de Cerén particularly significant in the study of everyday life of ancient Maya agricultural communities. Of importance was the discovery of a
manioc
''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated a ...
field, the first instance of manioc cultivation identified at a
New World
The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. 3 ...
archaeological site. The site was thought to have been settled between AD 200 and AD 600.
Joya de Cerén was inscribed on the
UNESCO World Heritage List
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
in 1993 for its archeological importance, and is a major tourist attraction in El Salvador.
Abandonment of Joya de Cerén
1,400 years before the village was abandoned, the population was estimated to be 200 people. The eruption of the
Loma Caldera volcano caused 10 meters of pyroclastic debris to settle over the site. The site was remarkably well preserved due to the low temperature of ash and very fast ashfall, a 4 - 8 meter thick layer having blanketed the town in the space of a few hours. The use of plaster casting by archaeologists similar to the one used in
Pompeii
Pompeii (, ) was an ancient city located in what is now the ''comune'' of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area (e.g. at Boscoreale, Stabiae), was buried ...
assisted in their identification of fruiting plants, abundance of beans in storage, and mature
maize
Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
to predict the eruption happened in August or September.
Guava
Guava () is a common tropical fruit cultivated in many tropical and subtropical regions. The common guava ''Psidium guajava'' (lemon guava, apple guava) is a small tree in the myrtle family ( Myrtaceae), native to Mexico, Central America, the ...
,
agave
''Agave'' (; ; ) is a genus of monocots native to the hot and arid regions of the Americas and the Caribbean, although some ''Agave'' species are also native to tropical areas of North America, such as Mexico. The genus is primarily known for ...
,
cacao, and manioc were some of the major crops to the community. Based on crack patterns observed from the relatively earthquake-resistant wattle-and-daub walls and adobe columns at Joya de Cerén, scholars suggest that an earthquake measuring 4.0 on the
Richter scale
The Richter scale —also called the Richter magnitude scale, Richter's magnitude scale, and the Gutenberg–Richter scale—is a measure of the strength of earthquakes, developed by Charles Francis Richter and presented in his landmark 1935 ...
preceded the eruption, giving residents time to flee the site. Further, possible steamy emissions from the volcano may have alerted residents of the impending danger, but only inferences can be made about what exactly warned them. It is unclear to scholars if the duration of the eruptions lasted a few days or a few weeks.
The position of artifacts at the site have led scholars to suggest that the evacuation of Joya de Cerén happened in the early evening: shovels and other agricultural work equipment were found stored near the domestic structures, and fires had been lit in
hearths
A hearth () is the place in a home where a fire is or was traditionally kept for home heating and for cooking, usually constituted by at least a horizontal hearthstone and often enclosed to varying degrees by any combination of reredos (a low, ...
. Also, sleeping mats had not yet been rolled out on the domicile floor. No human remains have been discovered at the ancient Maya site.
The Plaza
Joya de Cerén can be divided into a northeastern area, a southeastern area, and northwestern area.
[Sheets 2013, p. 22] The northwestern area holds Household 1 alongside Structure 1, 5-6, 10-12, 17 containing milpas and a kitchen garden. The southeastern area holds Household 2 alongside Structure 2, 7, 9, 13, 18 containing a
temascal, milpas and a basurero (trash pit). The northwestern area holds Household 3-4 alongside Structure 3-4, 8, 14-16 containing
milpa
Milpa is a crop-growing system used throughout Mesoamerica. It has been most extensively described in the Yucatán peninsula area of Mexico. The word ''milpa'' is derived from the Nahuatl word phrase ''mil-pa'', which translates into "cultivated ...
s, fruit trees, and another basurero.
18 structures have been identified in archaeological survey. Of these, ten have been excavated by archaeologists. Scholars distinguish ceremonial buildings from non-ceremonial buildings with the following considerations: orientation of building, platform heights, floor plans, assemblages, construction technique,
altar
An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...
s,
caches, burials, etc.
Structure 10
Structure 10 is a multi-roomed structure with many corridors.
[Brown and Sheets 2000; Parnell et al. 2002] Archaeologists interpret Structure 10 as being used for community festivals in the Classic Maya period, based on features associated with ceremonial activities. Inside Structure 10 was a north corridor for food preparation, while the east corridor stored several vessels.
[Brown and Sheets, p. 14] For instance, decorated vessels and a red painted deer and twine headdress was recovered in Structure 10, which has been interpreted by archaeologists as connected with fertility and harvest rituals. Vessels filled with achiote seeds, found in associated with ceremonial objects suggest that the eruption may have interrupted a ceremony.
Additionally, archaeologists propose that a north corridor for used for food preparation, while the east corridor may have been used for storage.
Structure 12
Structure 12 is located 5 meters away from Structure 10 and was defined by a doorway and two lattice windows that directed and restricted traffic inside the structure.
[Brown and Sheets, p. 14] Similarly to Structure 10, archaeologists believe Structure 12 was also associated with the performance of religious activities.
The storage of miscellaneous female-associated artifacts discovered in the niche of an earthen bench may have been a part of a woman’s supernatural tool kit.
The tool kit of ceramic figurines, shell fragments, beans, and antlers has led scholars to infer the building was for the diviner to hold divinatory activities in the back rooms and through a window of the west room.
Structure 1
Structure 1 is also known as Household 1 in archaeological literature, and has been fully excavated. Archaeologists propose a service relationship between 1 and Structure 10 and Structure 12 because the kitchen of 1 presumably was used for masa production with their supply of metates for ceremonies inside Structures 10 and 12.
[Brown and Sheets, p. 13] The difference in hearths based on amount of wear was an indicator to scholars to identify if the building was for ritualistic activities or not.
The combination of phosphorus detection and heavy metal extraction within the site have allowed archaeologists to discover that each household stored about 70 vessels for cooking, plus serving food and drinks conducted in kitchen and midden areas in comparison to other areas.
Economy
The community of Cerén locally produced agave fibers, manos, and metates, and pottery vessels, while acquiring imports such as cutting tools made from
obsidian
Obsidian () is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extrusive rock, extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. It is an igneous rock.
Obsidian is produced from felsic lava, rich in the lighter elements s ...
and
chert
Chert () is a hard, fine-grained sedimentary rock composed of microcrystalline or cryptocrystalline quartz, the mineral form of silicon dioxide (SiO2). Chert is characteristically of biological origin, but may also occur inorganically as a prec ...
,
jade
Jade is a mineral used as jewellery or for ornaments. It is typically green, although may be yellow or white. Jade can refer to either of two different silicate minerals: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole group of ...
from the north (
Sierra de las Minas
Sierra (Spanish for "mountain range" and "saw", from Latin '' serra'') may refer to the following:
Places Mountains and mountain ranges
* Sierra de Juárez, a mountain range in Baja California, Mexico
* Sierra de las Nieves, a mountain range i ...
), or fancy pottery from
Copán
Copán is an archaeological site of the Maya civilization in the Copán Department of western Honduras, not far from the border with Guatemala. This ancient Maya city mirrors the beauty of the physical landscape in which it flourished—a fert ...
presumably from elite-managed markets outside. Once households owned these commodities, they often participated in horizontal exchanges with other households in the village or places nearby in the case of a surplus. The orientation of the households in the village and the assemblages found in each one helped scholars determine that the building was used for non-ceremonial purposes, rather than ceremonial purposes.
[Brown and Sheets 16; Parnell et al. 333]
Discovery
The site was discovered in 1976 by a bulldozer driver leveling ground for a government agricultural project. The first structures dug up were Structure 10 and 12 that were part of the northeastern area of the village. It was explored in depth by
Payson Sheets, a professor of
anthropology
Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...
at the
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sys ...
, in 1978 and 1980. Excavation resumed in 1988, and has been continuous since then. Approximately 70 buildings have been uncovered so far, including storehouses, kitchens, living quarters, workshops, a religious structure, and a communal sauna.
Gallery
File:ES Joya Ceren 05 2012 Estructuras 11 y 6 y 1 Area 1 1491.jpg
File:ES Joya Ceren 05 2012 Estructura 3 Area 3 1470.jpg
File:ES Estructura 1 Area 1 Joya Ceren 05 2012 1513.jpg
File:ES Joya Ceren 05 2012 Estructura 9 Area 2 Tamazcal 1478.JPG
File:ES Joya Ceren structure 4 Area 3 05 2012 1462.JPG
File:ES JoyadeCeren 06 2011 Estructura 2 Area 2 2107.jpg
Notes
References
*Conyers, Lawrence B. (1996) "Archaeological evidence for dating the Loma Caldera eruption, Ceren, El Salvador", in ''Geoarchaeology'' Vol. 11, Iss. 5, pp. 377–391.
*"Joya de Cerén Archaeological Site." United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. UNESCO, n.d. Web. 15 Apr 2012.
.
*Lentz, David L.; Beaudry-Corbett, Marilyn; de Aguilar, Maria Luisa Reyna; Kaplan, Lawrence (1996) "Foodstuffs, Forests, Fields, and Shelter: A Paleoethnobotanical Analysis of Vessel Contents from the Ceren Site, El Salvador" in ''Latin American Antiquity'' Vol. 7, No. 3 (Sep., 1996), pp. 247–262.
*Castellanos, Carolina, and Descamps, Francoise 2004 Joya de Cerén, El Salvador: site interpretation in participatory management planning. Blackwell Publishing. 56(3), 94-103.
*Brown, Linda, and Payson Sheets 2000 Distinguishing Domestic from Ceremonial Structures in Southern Mesoamerica: suggestions from Cerén, El Salvador. Mayab 13, 11-21.
*Farahani, Alan, et al. 2017 Identifying ‘plantscapes’ at the Classic Maya village of Joya de Cerén, El Salvador. Antiquity Publications, Ltd. 980-997.
*Miller, D.C. 1989 Stratigraphy of Volcanic Deposits at El Cerén. In P.D. Sheets and B.R. McKee, Eds., 1989 Archaeological Investigations at the Cerén Site, El Salvador: A Preliminary Report. Boulder: Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado. 8-19.
*Parnell, J., Terry, R., and Sheets, P. 2002 Soil Chemical Analysis of Ancient Activities in Cerén, El Salvador: A Case Study of a Rapidly Abandoned Site. Latin American Antiquity, 13(3), 331-342.
*Sharer, Robert, and Loa Traxler 2005 The Ancient Maya, 6th edition. Stanford University Press, Redwood City. 1-984.
*Sheets, Payson 1992 The Cerén Site: A Prehistoric Village Buried by Volcanic Ash in Central America. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
*Sheets, Payson 2000 PROVISIONING THE CERÉN HOUSEHOLD: The Vertical Economy, Village Economy, and Household Economy in the Southeastern Maya Periphery. Ancient Mesoamerica, 11(2), 217-230.
*Sheets, Payson 201
Revealing Ancestral Central America: Dwelling on the Ancestral Joya de Cerén Village. The Smithsonian Latino Center and the National Museum of the American Indian Smithsonian Institution. 22-31.
CU team discovers Mayan crop system.
University of Colorado at Boulder, June 16, 2009
Bibliography
* ''Before the Volcano Erupted: The Ancient Cerén Village in Central America''. Texas University Press, 2002.
External links
Very comprehensive Ceren website, from University of Colorado at Boulder.
UNESCO entry on Joya de Ceren
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joya De Ceren
Archaeological sites in El Salvador
Tourist attractions in El Salvador
Maya sites in El Salvador
World Heritage Sites in El Salvador
Former populated places in El Salvador
La Libertad Department (El Salvador)
1976 archaeological discoveries