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Soil Chemical Analysis of Ancient Activities in Cerén, El Salvador: A Case Study of a Rapidly Abandoned Site

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

J. Jacob Parnell ,
Richard E. Terry  and
Payson Sheets
J. Jacob Parnell
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA. E-mail: richard_terry@byu.edu
Richard E. Terry
Affiliation:
Department of Agronomy and Horticulture, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA. E-mail: richard_terry@byu.edu
Payson Sheets
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309 USA., USA. E-mail: sheetsp@spot.colorado.edu
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Abstract

Activities performed over long periods of time tend to leave soil chemical residues as evidence of those activities. Some of the questions studied in this paper deal with the interpretive capabilities provided by chemical patterns. Soil samples from Cerén, El Salvador, a well-preserved site, were analyzed for extractable phosphorus and heavy metals. We compared in situ artifacts collected from the site with chemical signatures that indicate activity areas. We found that elevated concentrations of phosphorus were associated with food preparation, consumption, and disposal. Heavy metals were associated with the interior of the structure where pigments and painted gourds were found. In this case, where well-preserved, in situ artifacts were available for analysis, we found that chemical analysis was effective in locating human activity areas. Our findings indicate that chemical analysis can be used to guide interpretation in areas of poor artifact preservation with reasonable accuracy, and in archaeological sites that underwent gradual abandonment.

Actividades realizadas por largos períodos de tiempo tienden a dejar residuos químicos como evidencia de estas actividades. Algunos de los puntos de este estudio se relacionan con la capacidad interpretativa que los patrones químicos proveen. Muestras de suelo de Cerén, El Salvador, un sitio bien preservado, fueron analizadas para obtener fosfatos y metales pesados extraibles en ácido. Comparamos los artefactos recogidos in situ del lugar con los patrones químicos que indican áreas de actividad. Encontramos que las concentraciones elevadas de fosfatos estaban asociadas con preparación, consumo y desecho de alimentos. Los metales pesados estaban asociados con el interior de la estructura donde se encontraron pigmentos y calabazas pintadas. En este caso, cuando bien conservados, los artefactos in situ estaban disponibles para analizar, encontramos que el análisis químico era eficaz para localizar áreas de actividades predetermindas. Nuestros hallazgos indican que el análisis químico puede ser utilizado para guiar la interpretación en áreas donde los artefactos han sido pobremente preservados con una precisión razonable, y en lugares arqueológicos que sufrieron un abandono gradual.

Type
Reports
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 13 , Issue 3 , September 2002 , pp. 331 - 342
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 2002

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