March
06
/ 2025
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
