Interzonal Interaction in Pre-Conquest North Central Nicaragua

North Central Nicaragua has long been on the fringes of the researched world and this region is still largely underrepresented in discourses on Central American archaeology. These have traditionally put the emphasis on defining ethnic territories and boundaries across the isthmus, often obscuring local diversity. The existing knowledge on the pre-Conquest societies of North Central Nicaragua rely heavily on linguistic sources and biased colonial accounts. An archaeological effort to understand the pre-Conquest past of the region would not only contribute to the writing of local history, but also contribute to archaeological discussions on an interregional scale. Most of the archaeological data available for the Matagalpa and Jinotega departments are found in unpublished survey reports. These have been largely disregarded due to the non-systematic survey strategies used and lacks in a chronological understanding of the archaeological sites and finds. This thesis adopts a visual GIS...Show moreNorth Central Nicaragua has long been on the fringes of the researched world and this region is still largely underrepresented in discourses on Central American archaeology. These have traditionally put the emphasis on defining ethnic territories and boundaries across the isthmus, often obscuring local diversity. The existing knowledge on the pre-Conquest societies of North Central Nicaragua rely heavily on linguistic sources and biased colonial accounts. An archaeological effort to understand the pre-Conquest past of the region would not only contribute to the writing of local history, but also contribute to archaeological discussions on an interregional scale. Most of the archaeological data available for the Matagalpa and Jinotega departments are found in unpublished survey reports. These have been largely disregarded due to the non-systematic survey strategies used and lacks in a chronological understanding of the archaeological sites and finds. This thesis adopts a visual GIS approach that makes use of these data sources, in order to combine existing survey data and explore the pre-Conquest past in the Matagalpa and Jinotega departments of North Central Nicaragua. A flexible framework is used to analyse the survey data, accounting for its limitations and considering the particularly variable environmental zones that characterise this region. Considering different models of zonal complementarity and interregional exchange, the visual analysis seeks to gain an understanding of pre-Conquest interzonal interaction and exchange in the research area. The analysis reveals different patterns of interzonal interaction. Distributions of movable finds penetrate different environmental zones, indicating exchange between groups occupying different environmental zones. Finds linked to interregional networks are found in differing degrees of diversity in different parts of the research area, suggesting differing degrees of centrality and access to goods from outside regions. The available data supports interregional down-the-line trade models taking place in an environmentally and most likely also socially and culturally heterogeneous landscape. This thesis contributes to closing a knowledge gap on the pre-Conquest past both on a local and interregional scale. Combining existing archaeological data helps archaeology to participate more effectively in current discourses about pre-Conquest North Central Nicaragua. Interregionally, this thesis contributes by presenting a comprehensive data exploration in an underrepresented region through an environmental and geographical perspective. This perspective helps seeking new avenues in Central American archaeology that allow the consideration of local diversity without losing sight on interregional dynamics.Show less

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Interzonal Interaction in Pre-Conquest North Central Nicaragua