43786
Title Of Article Chaper
Obsidian sources and elemental analyses of artifacts in southern Mesoamerica and the northern intermediate area
Title Of Journal Book
American antiquity: a quarterly review of American archaeology
Volume
55
Issue
1
Pages
144-158
Collation
3 figs., 9 tables
Reference Bibliography
refs.
ISSN
0002-7316
Language Of Text
English
Language Of Summary
English;Spanish
Literature Type
Serial
Literature Level
Analytic
Abstract
Obsidian sources, and the proportions of those sources represented in site collections, are known poorly in the southeast mesoamerican periphery. The Honduran sources of La Esperanza and Güinope are described and fingerprinted chemically, and the utilization of these obsidians is explored in selected sites in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. Although prehistoric Nicaraguans and Costa Ricans used obsidian from sources as far away as Honduras and Guatemala, most of their cutting tools were made from local materials, using informal manufacturing techniques. The analytical results indicate that the sources for two new types of obsidian have yet to be found they may lie in western Nicaragua.
Keywords
obsidian;Honduras;prehistoric;Guatemala;cutting;tools; manufacturing; provenance;Central America;elemental analysis;Nicaragua; Costa Rica
pub_id
43786