Joya de Cerén

Joya de Cerén (sp.: Jewel of Cerén ) is an archaeological site in the department of La Libertad in El Salvador and was a pre-Columbian Mayan village that has been preserved remarkably well under layers of volcanic ash.

The site belongs since 1993 a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered one of the most important archaeological sites in Central America. Unlike other Mayan ruins as it shows the life of the common people, Joya de Cerén is often referred to as the " American Pompeii ".

Location

The archaeological site Joya de Cerén is located about 4.5 kilometers south of the town of San Juan Opico about 35 km ( driving distance ) north-west of San Salvador at an altitude of about 490 meters above sea level. inst.

History

Probably the 4th or 5th century buried the last major eruption of the volcano located about 40 kilometers southeast Ilopango the village under 14 layers of ash and pumice, and saved her against weathering.

It is believed that the inhabitants had sufficient time to escape because no body remains were found. They left in their hasty escape but her belongings (ceramics, furniture, tools, etc. ) and even leftovers back.

The place was only in 1976 by ​​Payton Sheets, a professor of anthropology at the University of Colorado, rediscovered and excavated since then.

Urban structure

So far, the remains of about 70 mud huts or wooden huts were found; these five functions could be assigned: dormitories, kitchens ( here knife, grinding stones, clay pots with food residues were - beans, cocoa, chili - and Lehmteller found), storehouses, workshops and Schwitzhäuser ( temazcals ). The houses had gardens and - in some cases - walls made of wooden poles that were knotted together. The outer walls of some mud buildings are - possibly from disastrous defensive ( apotropaic ) reasons - adorned with geometric ornaments (diamonds).

Finds

More important than the building, however, the archaeobotanical artifacts. The low temperature of the wet ash from the Loma Caldera and their high precipitation rate allowed for the preservation of plant material. Important in this context is the discovery of cassava, as it concerned the first time around that cassava was found in an archeological dig site in the New World. Although the cassava had decayed long ago, scientists at the University of Colorado to make plaster casts from the resulting voids. The farmers had planted the cassava only hours before the volcanic eruption.

Museum

Parts of the excavation site has been covered with a metal roof. Situated next to the archaeological site is a museum with artifacts, photographs, and ( reconstruction ) drawings. The museum was founded on June 19, 1993 the current building was inaugurated on 12 December 2003.