Quelepa
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Quelepa is an important archaeological site located in eastern
El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...
. Generally considered to have been settled by the Lenca people, the site was founded around 400 BC in the Late Preclassic period (500 BC - AD 250). The inhabitants constructed a platform from plaster and
pumice Pumice (), called pumicite in its powdered or dust form, is a volcanic rock that consists of extremely vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicula ...
and rebuilt it a number of times. Artifacts recovered during the excavations of the site indicate that the local population depended upon
subsistence agriculture Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow crops on smallholdings to meet the needs of themselves and their families. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements. Planting decisions occu ...
, these artifacts included ''
metate A metate (or mealing stone) is a type or variety of quern, a ground stone tool used for processing grain and seeds. In traditional Mesoamerican cultures, metates are typically used by women who would grind nixtamalized maize and other organi ...
s'' (a kind of mortar) and '' comales'' (a type of griddle). The site belonged to the
Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area that begins in the southern part of North America and extends to the Pacific coast of Central America, thus comprising the lands of central and southern Mexico, all of Belize, Guatemala, El S ...
n cultural region. Quelepa means "stone jaguar" in the Lenca language, probably in reference to the large Jaguar Altar found at the site. Throughout its occupational history, the inhabitants crafted stone tools from
obsidian Obsidian ( ) is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extrusive rock, extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. It is an igneous rock. Produced from felsic lava, obsidian is rich in the lighter element ...
. The site appears to have been linked to trade routes extending to western El Salvador and the
Guatemalan Highlands The Guatemalan Highlands is an upland region in southern Guatemala which lies between the Sierra Madre de Chiapas to the south and the Petén lowlands to the north. Geographic description The Highlands lie between 6360 ft and 13780 ft and are ...
and also to the north in
Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...
. Although sites in western El Salvador were severely affected by the eruption of the Ilopango Volcano during the Early Classic, its only effect on Quelepa was the severance of trade routes into Mesoamerica. This cutting off did not result in stagnation at the site, but rather resulted in the florescence of a local culture.


Geography


Location

The Quelepa archaeological site is located outside the small village of the same name. The ruins are situated along the north bank of the San Esteban River, a tributary of the
Río Grande de San Miguel Rio or Río is the Portuguese and Spanish word for "river". The word also exists in Italian, but is largely obsolete and used in a poetical or literary context to mean "stream". Rio, RIO or Río may also refer to: Places United States * Rio, Fl ...
which flows into the Pacific Ocean. The site is located west-northwest of the town of San Miguel. Quelepa is north of the neighbouring site of Los Llanitos. The archaeological site divided into East and West groups by a small stream called the Quebrada Agua Zarca, which has high, steep banks. The ruins have an altitude of between
above mean sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of a location's vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) in reference to a vertical datum based on a historic mean sea level. In geodesy, it is formalized as orthometric height. The zero level ...
. The archaeological remains of Quelepa are on privately owned land under cultivation, the entire East Group together with a part of the west group are on the land of the Hacienda El Obrajuelo farm. The area to the west of the Quebrada Agua Zarca is planted with
maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...
and
cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...
, as is the area south of the river. The general area around Quelapa is part of the
flood plain A floodplain or flood plain or bottomlands is an area of land adjacent to a river. Floodplains stretch from the banks of a river channel to the base of the enclosing valley, and experience flooding during periods of high Discharge (hydrolog ...
of the Río Grande de San Miguel, lying between the hills to the north and the San Miguel volcano some from the Pacific Ocean. The volcano is the most prominent local landmark, with its peak at above mean sea level. Although the volcano has erupted 6 times since 1699, most recently in 1924, and continues in a low state of activity it has never dropped sufficient
volcanic ash Volcanic ash consists of fragments of rock, mineral crystals, and volcanic glass, produced during volcanic eruptions and measuring less than 2 mm (0.079 inches) in diameter. The term volcanic ash is also often loosely used to r ...
on Quelepa to be detectable archaeologically. The climate of Quelepa is classified under the Köppen system as tropical wet and dry. The majority of rainfall occurs between the months of September and October with a long
dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The t ...
from November to May. Monthly rainfall averages between in September and less than in March. Native
fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...
has been practically extinguished by the heavy use of
pesticide Pesticides are substances that are used to control pests. They include herbicides, insecticides, nematicides, fungicides, and many others (see table). The most common of these are herbicides, which account for approximately 50% of all p ...
s on the local cotton crops. Andrews reported many
iguana ''Iguana'' (, ) is a genus of herbivorous lizards that are native to tropical areas of Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. The genus was first described by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti, J.N. Laurenti in ...
s near the watercourses and the occasional snake.


History

Quelepa was founded around 400 BC, in the Late Preclassic period (500 BC - AD 250). The first inhabitants of the site constructed a platform from plaster and
pumice Pumice (), called pumicite in its powdered or dust form, is a volcanic rock that consists of extremely vesicular rough-textured volcanic glass, which may or may not contain crystals. It is typically light-colored. Scoria is another vesicula ...
and rebuilt it a number of times Quelepa is generally considered to have been settled by the Lenca people. Around AD 539 the Ilopango volcano erupted and devastated western El Salvador, breaking Quelepa's link with Mesoamerica. Between AD 150 and AD 625 Quelepa turned instead to the
Intermediate Area The Intermediate Area is an archaeological geographical area of the Americas that was defined in its clearest form by Gordon R. Willey in his 1971 book ''An Introduction to American Archaeology, Vol. 2: South America'' (Prentice Hall: Englewood ...
beyond the frontiers of Mesoamerica, with artifacts arriving from the north and the east. The major ceremonial architecture of the East Group was built in the Early Classic. In the Late Classic to Early Postclassic periods (from approximately AD 625–1000), the ceremonial centre of the settlement was abandoned and smaller structures were built around a small plaza. This has been interpreted as a Mesoamerican influence with its origins on the Gulf coast of Mexico, or perhaps from
Seibal Seibal (), known as El Ceibal in Spanish, is a Classic Period archaeological site of the Maya civilization located in the northern Petén Department of Guatemala, about 100 km SW of Tikal. It was the largest city in the Pasión River regio ...
, a
Maya Maya may refer to: Ethnic groups * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Mayan languages, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (East Africa), a p ...
city in the
Petén Basin The Petén Basin is a geographical subregion of the Maya Lowlands, primarily located in northern Guatemala within the Department of El Petén, and into the state of Campeche in southeastern Mexico. During the Late Preclassic and Classic periods ...
of northern
Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...
. The stone facing from this period is cruder than that of earlier times and stairways replaced the earlier use of access ramps. The ballcourt also dates to this time. Quelepa as a whole was abandoned around AD 1000, at the beginning of the Early Postclassic period. The abandonment of the site has been linked to the arrival of the
Pipil people The Pipil are an Indigenous group of Mesoamerican people inhabiting the western and central areas of present-day El Salvador and Nicaragua. They are a subgroup of the larger Nahua ethnic group. They speak the Nawat language, which is a closel ...
in the El Salvador region, although there is no evidence that they ever occupied the site.


Modern history

The first mention of Quelepa in print was a brief description written by Atilio Peccorini and published in 1913. Herbert Spinden mentioned Quelepa in 1915 and Peccorini published another, even less detailed account in 1926. Peccorini reported that the site had many structures faced with stone, a paved "road", artificial terraces and various sculptured monuments, one of which was probably the Jaguar Altar. Also in 1926, Samuel K. Lothrop mentioned that he made a brief visit to the ruins to buy ceramics for the
Museum of the American Indian The National Museum of the American Indian–New York, the George Gustav Heye Center, is a branch of the National Museum of the American Indian at the Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in Manhattan, New York City. The museum is part of the Sm ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, he listed Quelepa in his list of archaeological sites in El Salvador under the alternative name of ''Mayacaquin''. The site was visited by Antonio Sol, the Director of the Departamento Nacional de Historia, in 1929. The first excavation of the site took place in 1949, directed by Pedro Armillas. The investigations focused on Structure 3 in the East Group and were never completed and the results were unpublished, although the fieldnotes he made were forwarded to E. Wyllys Andrews V. The principal excavations of the site were carried out under the direction of E. Wyllys Andrews from 1967–1969, funded by the Middle American Research Institute of
Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...
and by the
United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the US federal government created to protect the health of the US people and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Im ...
. Although the site is officially listed as a National Archaeological Monument, as recently as 2005 it was effectively unprotected.


Site description

Quelepa has approximately 40 structures occupying an area of approximately . They are spread out over a distance of along the bank of the San Esteban River, never at a distance greater the from the river itself. Ceramic remains and isolated mounds extend as far as from the site core. The site is divided into East and West Groups by a small stream. Structure size at the site varies greatly from high
pyramids A pyramid () is a Nonbuilding structure, structure whose visible surfaces are triangular in broad outline and converge toward the top, making the appearance roughly a Pyramid (geometry), pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid ca ...
to small, badly eroded mounds. These smaller mounds probably served as platform bases for perishable structures. The site also possesses a
Mesoamerican ballcourt A Mesoamerican ballcourt () is a large masonry structure of a type used in Mesoamerica for more than 2,700 years to play the Mesoamerican ballgame, particularly the hip-ball version of the ballgame. More than 1,300 ballcourts have been identifi ...
. Agricultural land use of the site continues to constantly erode the archaeological remains. The site, unusually for Mesoamerica, features ramps in place of stairways for some structures. Ramps have also been reported from Los Naranjos in
Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...
and from
Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...
on the Pacific coast of
Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...
, although the latter differed in form and function from those at Quelepa. In all cases, the ramps have been dated to the Classic period. The two groups are fairly distinct in their architectural styles, probably due to being built in different periods. The West Group is probably the later of the two groups and is similar to a miniature Maya-style acropolis. The area south of the San Esteban River lacks structures but contains a great number of tombs. A cache was uncovered at the site that contained a collection of artifacts associated with the
Mesoamerican ballgame The Mesoamerican ballgame (, , ) was a sport with ritual associations played since at least 1650 BC by the pre-Columbian people of Ancient Mesoamerica. The sport had different versions in different places during the millennia, and a modernized ...
, including finely sculpted yokes, ''palmas'' and a ''hacha''. They were all placed under a stone slab. These, together with other artifacts such as flutes and wheeled toys indicate a link with the Gulf coast of Mexico.


West Group

The structures of the West Group are located upon artificial terraces that are generally aligned north–south. To the south of the group the terrain descends steeply to the river. The group consists of a number of mounds, 15 of which are arranged around a rectangular plaza in the southeastern area of the group, most of them upon an artificial terrace. The northeast of this terrace supports a narrow platform upon which was built a long, low structure. A similar structure is on the east side of the plaza. The mounds in the West Group date to the Late Classic. The I-shaped Ballcourt (denominated Structure 19) is situated north of the plaza, it has not been excavated. It consists of a mound measuring long and high that forms one side of the playing area, with the west side formed by the face of a terrace. The ballcourt is oriented north–south. The north and sound end zones are close by low, narrow walls running east–west. In the rain season, runoff water flows through the ballcourt and has buried it under more than of soil. The original height of the sides of the ballcourt was probably around . Two large stone slabs were laid in the centre of the playing area, upon them was a broken
sandstone Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
disc that measured and was probably a ballcourt marker. Structure 23 is a small platform dating to the Late Classic. It is located near the edge of a high terrace and closes the west side of a small plaza. It is a single-level platform with vertical sides and measures by high. It was accessed by a wide stairway that extends westwards from the platform. The use of a stairway indicates a major change in architectural style, moving away from the earlier use of ramps and involving the use of poorly reworked stone blocks for the facing of the building. The platform and the stairway both contained a mix of earth, mud and rock infill. Burnt remains of
wattle and daub Wattle and daub is a composite material, composite building method in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called "wattle (construction), wattle" is "daubed" with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, and ...
were found scattered around the base, together with fragments of mortar and red-painted
stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...
. The wattle and daub suggests a perishable superstructure once stood upon the platform but it is not certain if the stucco came from this or from the platform itself. Offering 23 was excavated from the structure and contained three ceramic vessels, including a red effigy vessel. This offering was buried at the time the structure was built and was likely to have been a dedicatory offering. A rough altar had been built in the angle formed by the southern wall of the stairway and the western wall of the platform itself. Structure 28 is a platform located to the south of Structure 23. It measured high and has been badly eroded. Its architectural style is identical to that of Structure 23, suggesting that it also dates from the Late Classic. The platform base was buried under a thick layer of burnt wattle and daub mixed with ceramic fragments, probably the remains of a perishable superstructure that once stood on top of the platform. Structure 29 is a small mound that was a three-tiered pyramid platform measuring at the base. It is out of alignment with the other structures in the west group. The mound was high when excavated but the structure's original height has been calculated as approximately based on the angle of its stairway. The stone facing was poor quality, consisting of rough, unequal stones placed haphazardly and cemented with mud mortar. This was then roughly covered with a thick, uneven coating of mortar. The lowest tier of the platform was high, the middle tier measured in height and the third tier was approximately high. The stairway climbed the west side of the platform and projected from the base of the pyramid. Structure 29 was built over an earlier structure that was similar in form. The poor workmanship associated with Structure 29 indicates that it was probably one of the last major structures to be erected at Quelepa. Ceramic evidence indicates that the building was abandoned at the end of the occupational history of the site, around AD 1000 at the beginning of the Early Postclassic period. Offering 22 was found in front of Structure 29-sub and consisted of 3 ceramic discs piled on top of each other, a large
obsidian Obsidian ( ) is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed when lava extrusive rock, extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. It is an igneous rock. Produced from felsic lava, obsidian is rich in the lighter element ...
knife, a piece of
haematite Hematite (), also spelled as haematite, is a common iron oxide compound with the formula, Fe2O3 and is widely found in rocks and soils. Hematite crystals belong to the rhombohedral lattice system which is designated the alpha polymorph of . ...
, a piece of dusty orange clay, and 43 flakes of obsidian. Offering 24 was found near the southeast corner of Structure 29 and was the most unusual offering found at Quelepa. A stone slab measuring was placed on top of three U-shaped stone yokes laid out in an interlaced pattern, together two carved ''palmas'' and a sculpted ''hacha''. The larger ''palma'' measured and was sculpted to represent a seated deity, probably
Ehecatl Ehecatl ( , ) is a pre-Columbian deity associated with the wind, who features in Aztec mythology and the mythologies of other cultures from the central Mexico region of Mesoamerica. He is most usually interpreted as the aspect of the Feathered Se ...
, the god of wind. The smaller ''palma'' measured and represents a
feathered serpent The Feathered Serpent is a prominent supernatural entity or deity found in many Mesoamerican religions. It is called Quetzalcoatl among the Aztecs; Kukulkan among the Yucatec Maya; and Q'uq'umatz and Tohil among the K'iche' Maya. The do ...
. The ''palmas'' have been dated stylistically to the Late Classic and show affinities with ''palmas'' from
Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...
on the Gulf coast of
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. All these items are associated with the Mesoamerican ballgame.


East Group

The East Group consists of structures clustered close to the edges of enormous artificial terraces. These terraces rise successively to the north as they get further from the river until the highest rests against the base of a range of hills. The massive terraces in the group provided a level base for the construction of further architecture. The terraces were faced with cut stone slabs laid horizontally. Most of the structures in the group are aligned north–south, although a few are clustered in arranged groups. The two main structures at Quelepa are found in the East Group. They were step pyramids, distinguished from those normally built in Mesoamerica by having access ramps instead of stairways. Structure 3 is the larger of the two main buildings and Structure 4 is the smaller. Both buildings appear to have been abandoned in the mid-7th century AD. The two pyramids faced south towards the edge of their supporting terrace, one of the largest terraces at the site, and were accessed via Ramps 1 and 2 that climbed the terrace edge and were directly aligned with the access ramps of Structures 3 and 4 respectively. Both ramps were paved with massive slabs and rose at an angle of 13°. The terrace and the ramps were faced with large volcanic
tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock co ...
blocks similar to, but larger than, those used to build the base of Structure 3. The terrace facade measured approximately high. Ramp 1 extended from the edge of the terrace, at the lower (southern) end it measured wide, it narrowed as it rose and measured wide where it met the terrace in front of the access ramp of Structure 3. Ramp 2 was long and got wider as it rose. At the lower southern end it measured wide, widening to at the top. Ramp 2 is directly aligned with the access ramp of Structure 4. Three offerings were excavated from the base of Ramp 2. Offerings 20 and 21 were close to each other and each consisted of an inverted ceramic vessel placed over another vessel. Offering 18 was northwest of the base of the ramp and contained two small ceramic bowls, one inverted over the other. All the ceramics from these offering belong to the Shila ceramic complex dated to the Early Classic.


Structure 3

Structure 3 is the largest structure at Quelepa. It is situated to the east of the smaller pyramid Structure 4, on the third terrace rising northwards from the river. Both the terrace upon which it stands and the structure itself were faced with large, finely cut stone blocks. Structure 3 was built somewhat after Structure 4, which was already in use during its construction. Considerable effort was made to artificially level the volcanic
tuff Tuff is a type of rock made of volcanic ash ejected from a vent during a volcanic eruption. Following ejection and deposition, the ash is lithified into a solid rock. Rock that contains greater than 75% ash is considered tuff, while rock co ...
surface of the terrace before construction began. The pyramid probably had eight stepped levels, with the lowest measuring and the highest measuring approximately . It is not aligned precisely with Structure 3, being oriented 5° east of north, a 10° variance from the earlier structure. The lower levels of the pyramid measured between high, the fourth level was higher, measuring . The lower levels had a horizontal depth of between , the upper levels of approximately . The front (south) face of the pyramid was not straight, the angles of the southern corners were slightly greater than 90° with the facade of the pyramid extending out slightly to meet the access ramp. The excavator concluded that this was to create the illusion that the building was larger than its actual size. The pyramidal base originally stood between high. The access ramp was wide and originally faced in stone, as uncovered during the 1949 excavations by Pedro Armillas. However, after the excavations, the owners of the Hacienda La Obrajuelo stripped the stone facing to be reused as construction material in San Miguel. The surviving remains of the ramp project from the front of the pyramid, ending from the edge of the supporting terrace. The ramp had a total length of approximately from base to summit and an initial incline of 18.5° that increased to 28° at the upper levels. The south face of Structure 3, including the access ramp, is badly eroded with the damage having been accelerated by the original excavations at the site. Structure 3 was built on top of an earlier structure that had been deliberately destroyed to make way for the new building. Structure 3-sub is estimated to have been high. Construction of the final structure is estimated to have begun around AD 500. The tuff blocks used to dress the lower levels of the structure measure up to by and weigh over a ton, during excavations they were unable to be moved by ten men without mechanical aid. The upper levels of the pyramid used smaller blocks that were able to be carried by a single person. The walls of the pyramid were probably coated in plaster and the upper surfaces were paved. Pieces of burnt
wattle and daub Wattle and daub is a composite material, composite building method in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called "wattle (construction), wattle" is "daubed" with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, and ...
were found scattered all over the surface, sides and base of Structure 3, the remains of a perishable structure that once stood on top of the pyramid. At least 3 offerings were buried under the floor of the summit of the pyramid. Offering 2 included a large stone disc placed upon a large cylindrical jade bead. Offering 3 included ceramics with a large grey-green river pebble placed on top. Offering 4 contained only an inverted polychrome bowl. A large offering was buried under the upper part of the ramp and was excavated by Pedro Armillas, the excavated artifacts passed into private ownership and their location are now unknown. The Offering included two large stone discs similar to that uncovered in Offering 2. Upon each disc was placed a four-legged ceramic vessel and underneath each disc were three stone balls measuring between and placed in a triangle. Also underneath each stone disc was a large tubular jade bead. This offering also contained a ceramic vessel inverted upon another with
charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ca ...
between the two, and a large vessel inverted over a bowl that contained five
jadeite Jadeite is a pyroxene mineral with composition Na Al Si2 O6. It is hard (Mohs hardness of about 6.5 to 7.0), very tough, and dense, with a specific gravity of about 3.4. It is found in a wide range of colors, but is most often found in shades ...
beads and a
nephrite Nephrite is a variety of the calcium, magnesium, and iron-rich amphibole minerals tremolite or actinolite ( aggregates of which also make up one form of asbestos). The chemical formula for nephrite is Ca2( Mg, Fe)5 Si8 O22(O H)2. It is on ...
''hacha'', together with traces of a red pigment, probably
cinnabar Cinnabar (; ), or cinnabarite (), also known as ''mercurblende'' is the bright scarlet to brick-red form of Mercury sulfide, mercury(II) sulfide (HgS). It is the most common source ore for refining mercury (element), elemental mercury and is t ...
. A further bowl contained a small piece of charcoal.


Structure 4

Structure 4 is the smaller of the two pyramids, it is also the earlier of the two buildings. It dates to the Early Classic period. The pyramid base is on the edge of the third terrace rising from the river and is near the centre of the East Group. The structure measures and was aligned just under 5° west of north. The pyramid probably only had two levels, the upper level being set back a little rather than centred and measuring . The lower level measured high and the upper is estimated to have measured high originally but was somewhat reduced. The total height of the pyramidal platform was about . Access to the top of the pyramid was via a south-facing ramp that measured long with the lower end extending south of the pyramid base. The ramp was wide and rose at an estimated angle of 27°. Excavations revealed that the ramp was built of compacted clay and that the pyramid was packed with unworked stones. Both were built simultaneously. Structure 4 was faced with rough volcanic tuff blocks that varied considerably in size, cemented with mud. The blocks were covered in a coating of mortar that varied between thick and that may originally have been painted although no evidence was found to prove this. Around the base of the pyramid were found large amounts of burnt wattle and daub that can only have originated with the burning of a perishable superstructure on top of the pyramidal platform. The structure contained seven caches, among the offerings were Early Classic ceramic vessels,
jade Jade is an umbrella term for two different types of decorative rocks used for jewelry or Ornament (art), ornaments. Jade is often referred to by either of two different silicate mineral names: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in t ...
beads and an
onyx Onyx is a typically black-and-white banded variety of agate, a silicate mineral. The bands can also be monochromatic with alternating light and dark bands. ''Sardonyx'' is a variety with red to brown bands alternated with black or white bands. ...
bowl.


Other structures and monuments

At the western edge of the East Group is a large rectangular platform supporting architectural remains. The platform was once almost entirely enclosed by walls, leading to its description as a fortress, although the walls are now badly eroded. Structure 9 is located at the southern edge of the platform. The Jaguar Altar is a huge
monolith A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock, such as some mountains. Erosion usually exposes the geological formations, which are often made of very hard and solid igneous or metamorphic rock. Some monolit ...
ic monument that measures by high and dates to the Late Preclassic, it has a face sculpted on one side in the style of Cara Sucia and that has affinities with the sculptural styles of
Kaminaljuyu Kaminaljuyu (pronounced ; from Kʼicheʼ language, Kʼicheʼʼ, "The Hill of the Dead") is a Pre-Columbian site of the Maya civilization located in History of Guatemala City, Guatemala City. Primarily occupied from 1500 BC to 1200 AD, it has been ...
in
Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...
and
Izapa Izapa is a very large pre-Columbian archaeological site located in the Mexican state of Chiapas; it is best known for its occupation during the Late Formative period. The site is situated on the Izapa River, a tributary of the Suchiate River, ...
in southern
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. The upper face of the altar has a deep square hollow that measures . All four sides of the altar bear
relief Relief is a sculpture, sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''wikt:relief, relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give ...
sculptures. The altar was removed from the site after Quelepa was excavated by E. Wyllys Andrews and is now in the Museo Nacional de Antropología Dr. David J. Guzmán in
San Salvador San Salvador () is the Capital city, capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its San Salvador Department, eponymous department. It is the country's largest agglomeration, serving as the country's political, cultural, educational and fin ...
. It was found north-northwest of Structure 29 and northeast of the ballcourt. It had been placed near the edge of a high terrace. When excavated the area around and under it had already been explored by looters. It is not known if the altar was found in its original location or if it had been moved there, one corner of the altar had been broken off and archaeologists were unable to locate the missing fragment, suggesting that it had been broken while being moved. Altar 2 was found upon Structure 9 in this group. It measures by high and was removed to the Museo Nacional de Antropología. The altar is roughly circular with a square hollow carved out of the upper face. Altar 3 is a fragment that was found in 1970 a few metres east of Structure 36 in the West Group.Andrews 1976, 1986, p.235.


Notes


References

* * * * * * {{authority control Archaeological sites in El Salvador San Miguel Department (El Salvador) Mesoamerican sites Lenca Classic period in Mesoamerica Formative period in the Americas