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)
closed access
The UNESCO World Heritage List is both growing in popularity and gaining criticism in the heritage discourse. Where a place on the list can lead to economic benefit for communities and more...Show moreThe UNESCO World Heritage List is both growing in popularity and gaining criticism in the heritage discourse. Where a place on the list can lead to economic benefit for communities and more adequate protection of heritage, problems can be found in a geographical bias of inscribed sites, preference of monumental heritage and promotion of national importance at the expense of local values. In Nicaragua there are problems concerning heritage in the sense that there is a cultural bias present that favours colonial heritage over pre-Hispanic heritage. Moreover, apart from the Pacific zone, hardly any heritage research has taken place in the country so far. In order to conquer some of these global and national problems and due to its archaeological significance, this thesis aims research the possibilities for a potential World Heritage Nomination for the pre-Hispanic site of Aguas Buenas, Chontales, Nicaragua. This site consists of 372 mounds that are spatially organized in a particular geometrical formation, accompanied by at least 150 petroglyphs. In order to answer the main question: “Does the pre-Hispanic site of Aguas Buenas, Chontales, Nicaragua have potential to be included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List?”, extensive literature research was carried out, accompanied by field work in the form of mapping and ethnographic interviewing. In this thesis, a landscape description is carried out and a preservation analysis is undertaken. It is also researched if Aguas Buenas adheres to UNESCO’s criteria for becoming World Heritage. Lastly, a stakeholder analysis and assessment is carried. The results provided in this thesis show that in terms of archaeological qualities there is a strong argument for a World Heritage inscription of Aguas Buenas. In addition, none of the stakeholders is by definition against a nomination and the majority of the people living in and around the site have expressed an interest in being involved in a potential heritage designation. However, due to the governmental dynamics of the country concerning archaeological heritage in the Chontales Province, there is no guarantee for an adequate protection and management of the property in practice, which is required by UNESCO. Therefore, even though the site is archaeologically significant enough for a nomination, problematics concerning governmental interests need to be solved first. A first step in solving these problematics can be found in offering information requested by the stakeholders and also showing people in Nicaragua on both a national and local scale the importance Aguas Buenas as both an archaeological site and a rural community can have for them.Show less
Research master thesis | Archaeology (research) (MA/MSc)
open access
The most characteristic feature of the archaeology of Chontales, Nicaragua, are the high amount of earthen and stone mounds present throughout the landscape. However, traditionally in the...Show moreThe most characteristic feature of the archaeology of Chontales, Nicaragua, are the high amount of earthen and stone mounds present throughout the landscape. However, traditionally in the archaeology of this region, the focus has predominantly been on building a ceramic sequence. This sequence is used to correlate the Prehispanic Chontales people to those of the Greater Nicoya region on the Pacific coast, and in its current state views ceramic types as representative of ethnic groups of people migrating from one region to the next. In this thesis, a new theoretical framework is used to argue that the relationship between ceramic style and ethnic identity is not straightforward. This warrants a reevaluation of the data that was used to build the sequence, in which the ceramics, mounds, and other archaeological features are analyzed together per site. The resulting site-complexes reveal a pattern of ethnic identity formation on a micro-scale, where contact with outside influences is predominantly visible in the material culture, rather than the habitus.Show less
This thesis is about the ceramics that were found during the field season excavation of May 2012 at the pre-Columbian site Aguas Buenas, Nicaragua, AD 400-1400. Aguas Buenas is situated in the...Show moreThis thesis is about the ceramics that were found during the field season excavation of May 2012 at the pre-Columbian site Aguas Buenas, Nicaragua, AD 400-1400. Aguas Buenas is situated in the Chontales province, Central Nicaragua, where there is not much archaeological research done. Linguistic and ethno historical research shows that the province was a cultural complex area in pre-Columbian times. Aguas Buenas is the largest known site in this province and so far only studies in surveys. The aim of the thesis is trying to say something about the identity of the people who build the site and regional interaction. During the field season of 2012 pottery was the most found material. The ceramics were studied using a modal analysis. The following modes were analysed: pot shape, lip shape, diameter of the pot, firing colour, colour, slip, decoration, and surface finishing. These results are compared with previous studies from Chontales and the Pacific region of Nicaragua.Show less
In the field season of May 2011, progress was made in documenting the petroglyphs found at Aguas Buenas, Nicaragua. This dataset serves as a backdrop onto which problems of rock art analysis and...Show moreIn the field season of May 2011, progress was made in documenting the petroglyphs found at Aguas Buenas, Nicaragua. This dataset serves as a backdrop onto which problems of rock art analysis and rock art documentation are placed. For the rock art analysis, several approaches are considered. First, the semiotic approach is looked at, through the use of theories constructed by Panofsky, Saussure and Pierce. Then, a contrasting way of looking at rock art is described, that also considers the landscape that these images are placed in. Both approaches have their merits and their weaknesses in application to the Aguas Buenas dataset. In the second half, documentation methods and techniques for petroglyphs are subjected to critical evaluation with the purpose of creating a method, that is easy, cost efficient and still provides a high quality. Photography has proven to fulfill these requirements, and instructions are given as to provide a handhold for (starting) rock art researchers to take accurate photographs of petroglyphs. Lastly, the database is explained and provided, and a comparison is made with other petroglyph datasets.Show less
