In a surprising and intriguing development, a team of archaeologists discovered five ceramic figurines atop the largest pyramidal structure at San Isidro, El Salvador, a Mesoamerican dig site. The style of the figurines suggests that ritual puppetry may have connected Central American societies during the Preclassic (2000 BC–AD 200) and Classic (AD 200–900) periods.
These artifacts are recognizable as Bolinas figurines, which are associated with various Middle and Late Preclassic (1000–350 BC and 350 BC–AD 250, respectively) sites along the Pacific coast of Guatemala and westernmost El Salvador. The term derives from the name of a private ranch in El Salvador—Finca Bolinas—located less than four miles (6km) south of the modern Salvadoran town of Chalchuapa.
A large collection, consisting of 95 figurines, was found there around the middle of the twentieth century, although the circumstances of the discovery—and thus context—of the figurines remain uncertain. Most of these figurines (93/95) represent human females of various ages, either standing or sitting with widely parted legs; just two may represent males.
“Of the many forms used to render the human body in ancient times, portable figurines are perhaps the most ubiquitous,” the study authors wrote in an Antiquity article about their discovery. “Crafted from clay, stone, wood, wax, bone or metal, they are found throughout the world in both domestic and monumental archaeological contexts. In Mesoamerica, the tradition of crafting clay figurines pre-dates the use of pottery vessels and persisted through the colonial period and even to the present day.”
Overhead view of the pyramidal structure, with the spot where the figurines were found indicated. (J. Przedwojewska-Szymańska/PASI) /Antiquity Publications Ltd.).
In the present instance, it is the special placement of the figurines that is so notable and striking. They have now been found in the context of other groundbreaking archaeological discoveries, offering a unique opportunity to learn more about a culture that disappeared into the mists of time long ago.
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An Ancient Puppet Show? Unlocking the Mysteries of an Unknown Culture
Efforts by archaeologists to explore the ruins of pre-Columbian El Salvador have often encountered roadblocks. The country’s high population density makes excavation difficult, and several volcanic eruptions have obscured potentially revealing sites.
"Very little is known about the identities and ethnolinguistic affiliations of the creators of ancient settlements that predate the arrival of Europeans in the early 16th century," stated Dr. Jan Szymański from the University of Warsaw, in an interview published by the Poland-based archaeological news service Archeowieści. "This gets worse the further back in time we look."
To fill this gap in knowledge, Dr. Szymański and his colleague Gabriela Prejs performed excavations at an expansive and promising site known as San Isidro, which is in the Department of Sonsonate in western El Salvador. At the top of the largest pyramidal structure they uncovered at the site, the researchers made an unexpected discovery: a rich offering that suggested a funerary deposit, but without any human remains. It was here that they found the five ceramic Bolinas figurines, which have been dated to around 400 BC.
"This finding is only the second such a group found in situ, and the first to feature a male figure," Dr. Szymański said.
Three of the figurines have articulated heads, and look a lot like modern toy dolls. The authors believe they may have been used as puppets, positioned in a scene or tableau meant to convey a message that would have been understood by the people who came to see them.
Protrusion and socket allowing for articulation of the head seen in all three large figurines. (J. Przedwojewska-Szymańska/PASI) /Antiquity Publications Ltd.).
And they might have been seen by quite a few people. The puppets' position atop the largest pyramid at the site suggests they might have been incorporated into some type of ritual, one most likely meant for public consumption.
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"One of the most striking features of the puppets is their dramatic facial expression, which changes depending on the angle that we look at them from," Dr. Szymański noted. "Seen from above they appear almost grinning, but when looked at from the level angle they turn angry or disdainful, to become scared when seen from below. This is a conscious design, perhaps meant to enhance the gamut of ritual performances the puppets could have been used in."
One question the researchers are unable to answer at this time pertains to the identities of the figurines. It is possible, they say, that the puppets may have been stylized versions of real people, possibly community leaders, either living or dead. They might also represent deities important to the culture of southeastern Mesoamerica, or they could even represent a personification of certain spiritual or metaphysical concepts.
As excavations continue at the San Isidro site, more discoveries may give the researchers a clue as to what these Bolinas figurines truly represent—and of course its possible that more figurines might be unearthed as well.
An Ancient World United by Shared Interests and Values
This style of figurine has been found in both western El Salvador and southern Guatemala. Other artifacts discovered in the deposit, including some beautiful and exquisitely crafted jade pendants, are also known from the Isthmo-Colombian area of modern Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. These similarities likely expressed the local elite's connections to other elites in far-flung locations (i.e., other parts of Mesoamerica and possibly even ancient South America).
Up close look at face of one figurine, which shows carefully crafted facial features including tattoos or scarring. (J. Przedwojewska-Szymańska/PASI) /Antiquity Publications Ltd.).
This all suggests that the people of San Isidro took part in long-distance trading networks, and were integrated into a larger cultural mileu in which ritual traditions and customs were shared across Central America. This is a significant discovery, because it challenges archaeologists' traditional thinking that El Salvador was isolated from the rest of the region in ancient times.
"This discovery contradicts the prevailing notion about El Salvador's cultural backwardness or isolation in ancient times," Dr. Szymański concluded. "It reveals the existence of vibrant and far-reaching communities capable of exchanging ideas with remarkably distant places."
Top image: The five ceramic figurines found at the San Isidro, El Salvador site.
Source: J. Przedwojewska-Szymańska/PASI) /Antiquity Publications Ltd.
By Nathan Falde
