I, Indiana Jones

Today, I continued my archaeological adventuring on my own. I traveled some two hours east, paralleling the coast, to the town of Santa Lucia Cotzumalguapa. Santa Lucia is known for two archaeological sites and two museums, El Baul, Museo El Baul, El Bilbao and Museo Cultural Cotzumalguapa.

Unfortunately, most all of the archaeological sites are on privately owned plantations, and preserving the area's archaeological heritage is not a major priority for the government or the finca owners. Many of the monuments have been moved from their in situ locations to company museums. This limits access to the monuments, which modern day Maya worshippers would otherwise visit. At the sites where the monuments were left in situ alcohol, wax and seeds are ritually offered on a regular basis, staining the tops of the statues, as pictured here. Most of the ancient city has yet to be unearthed, still under sugarcane fields. It was incredibly frustrating to walk over giant mounds of earth, knowing that the knolls were actually buildings. I was tempted to start excavating them myself on the spot.

Because so little has been unearthed there is little information available about the sites. My information was gleaned from my illiterate cab driver, a little kid, Wikipedia and a Lonely Planet guidebook. Talk about academic excellence. My advance apologies to any professors who may be reading this.

As I understand it the area was first occupied as a trading hub by the Pipil peoples. The Pipil currently live in coastal El Salvador. They are related to modern day Mayans and claim Mexican ancestry. The height of their society here, when all the building was done, was the Late-Classic period, from 500CE to 700CE. The Pipil primarily grew cacao, the currency of the day. Their city spanned 10 square kilometers, including dwellings, administrative buildings, obsidian and jade workshops, saunas and a ball court. The Pipil had a far more detailed, ornate and flowery style than the Mayans. For instance they used vines, unfurling out of mouths, to indicate speech. Their figures are slightly more pot-bellied, reminiscent of the Olmec style. However, Mayan influence is apparent in the inclusion of long-count calendar dates. The same animal motifs appear in all the monuments in the area. Jaguars and frogs were most prominent in the Pipil art.

El Baul, pictured here, and El Bilbao are quite a way off the beaten track. I adored this, because it means I was the only tourist in town. However, it also meant that I had to convince local children to guide me to the sites (for Q1, or 15 cents). However, their guide services did not include security, and they insisted that I bring my machete to widen the path and dissuade would-be thieves. You can see how I felt very Raiders of the Lost Ark, no?