Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
open access
In central Nicaragua pre-Hispanic archaeological remains are visible throughout the rural landscape that is presently inhabited by farmers. However, no research has been done on whether these...Show moreIn central Nicaragua pre-Hispanic archaeological remains are visible throughout the rural landscape that is presently inhabited by farmers. However, no research has been done on whether these contemporary inhabitants perceive a continuity between the producers of the pre-Hispanic archaeological remains and themselves, nor how this is influenced by top-down national narratives on heritage and identity. Nevertheless this has important consequences for the way that heritage management projects could be effectively managed. Therefore, this thesis explores the role of the pre-Hispanic past in the construction of identity of the present-day inhabitants of rural central Nicaragua, and how national narratives on heritage and identity are related to this. Through anthropological methods including participant observation and structured and unstructured interviewing with the inhabitants of rural central Nicaragua, the role of the pre-Hispanic past in their construction of identity is investigated. Through literature research, the different ways in which the national narratives ascribe the role of the pre-Hispanic past in the formation of national Nicaraguan identity is explored. As such, this thesis can provide important information for future heritage management project.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
closed access
Aguas Buenas is a site containing mounds and rock carvings in central Nicaragua. There are 371 mounds situated over a 28-hectare area with a complicated topography in a semi-geometrical pattern....Show moreAguas Buenas is a site containing mounds and rock carvings in central Nicaragua. There are 371 mounds situated over a 28-hectare area with a complicated topography in a semi-geometrical pattern. Thus far, the use, precise dating and the means of the site’s construction are known. However, in this thesis it is argued that it is a monumental site. This thesis presents the result of six months of fieldwork in Aguas Buenas, methodology, and results of the site survey and advanced mapping process, leading to the development of a Digital Elevation Model of the site and site feature databases. By applying a GIS-based methodology and the principles of phenomenology, and analysing the results in the context of the contemporary discussion on monumentality, several questions related to the building processes at Aguas Buenas and the experiences at the site are addressed. Areas that present a different spatial logic are offered, suggesting the site’s development and use in phases.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
open access
In this thesis, the data on households from the archaeological sites of Chalcatzingo, Dzibilchaltún, El Remolino, Kaminaljuyú, and San José Mogote are analyzed and compared to each other. In this...Show moreIn this thesis, the data on households from the archaeological sites of Chalcatzingo, Dzibilchaltún, El Remolino, Kaminaljuyú, and San José Mogote are analyzed and compared to each other. In this way, an overview of Formative Mesoamerican households is reached. The aim of this research is to explore what we can interpret about the people living within these households with regards to materiality, social organization, and behavior. Furthermore, the data from the different case studies are compared with each other, in order to reveal general trends and significant differences between Mesoamerican regions. The results show that households from each of the case studies presented general similarities. Houses were primarily made out of clay construction materials, i.e. adobe and/or wattle and daub, which would have been part of the identity of the people living in them. These houses were usually arranged in patio groups with closely knit connections. Ancestors remained very much present within life and had important roles to play in the household. Decorations seem to have been used as a kind of language providing information about identity and delineating contexts. Structures and burials had very consistent orientations throughout the case studies, suggesting an overlying, Mesoamerican worldview. Each household provided for its own basic needs in terms of food preparation, tool production, and household rituals. They were also involved in partial specializations, permitting each household to exchange products for other necessary goods in an extensive local and regional market system. The elite played an important role in long distance exchange, and they had important ties to the ceremonial centers of each site. However, the exact ways these general similarities were expressed differed from site to site. Each case study retained its particular characteristics and, with that, its proper identity. It seems that each of these sites was part of a wider, Mesoamerican network and identity bridging geographical and historical distances, but at the same time the particular identities of individual settlements or regions were maintained.Show less
