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Cueva La Conga: First Karst Cave Archaeology in Nicaragua

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Suzanne M. Baker  and
Ruth Ann Armitage
Suzanne M. Baker
Affiliation:
Archaeological/Historical Consultants, 609 Aileen Street, Oakland, CA 94609 (suzannebaker@ahc-heritage.com)
Ruth Ann Armitage
Affiliation:
Department of Chemistry, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI 48197 (rarmitage@emich.edu
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Abstract

Cueva la Conga, recorded in June 2006, is the first limestone cave in Nicaragua reported to contain prehistoric rock paintings, culturally modified natural formations called speleothems, and artifacts. Located in northcentral Nicaragua in the Department of Jinotega, Cueva la Conga is the farthest south on the Mesoamerican periphery that a cave of this type has been reported, and it extends our knowledge of ritual cave use, including cave painting and speleothem modification, to include Nicaragua. Radiocarbon analysis of charcoal in five samples of the paint, the first such dating of Nicaraguan rock art, yielded calibrated dates from cal A.D. 680—905 to cal A.D. 1403—1640. The baseline data provided by Cueva la Conga are of great importance for regional rock art analysis and for our growing understanding of regional and Nicaraguan prehistory. More archaeological survey and excavations in the area will be key in establishing a firm cultural context for the rock art and ritual cave use found at Cueva la Conga.

Cueva La Conga, registrada en junio de 2006, es la primera cueva de piedra caliza encontrada en Nicaragua con pintura rupestre de tiempos prehistóricos, formaciones naturales culturalmente modificadas, llamadas espeleotemas, y artefactos. La Conga, ubicada en el departamento de Jinotega, en la parte centro-norte de Nicaragua, es la cueva de este tipo que se ha encontrado más al sur, ya en la periferia mesoamericana, y el sitio amplía nuestros conocimientos sobre una tradición de rituales en cuevas al incorporar Nicaragua, incluyendo las pinturas rupestres y espeoletemas. El análisis de radiocarbono en el carbón hallado en cinco muestras de la pintura, la primera datación de arte rupestre en Nicaragua realizada con este método, arrojó feehas que abarcan desde 680–905 cal d.C. hasta 1403–1640 cal d.C. Los datos de línea base obtenidos de la cueva La Conga son de mucha importancia para el análisis del arte rupestre y para nuestra creciente comprensión de la prehistoria en la región y en Nicaragua. Es fundamental que continúen las investigaciones y excavaciones arqueológicas en el área de La Conga para establecer un sólido contexto cultural del arte rupestre y el uso ritual de cuevas.

Type
Reports
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 24 , Issue 3 , September 2013 , pp. 309 - 329
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2013

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