Monagrillo (archaeological site)
Monagrillo (also known as He-5) is an archaeological site in south-central Panama with ceramics that have been shown by radiocarbon dating to have an occupation range of about 2500 BC—1200 BC.[1] The site is important because it provides the earliest example of ceramics in Central America along with one of the earliest examples of maize agriculture in the region. The site lies along Panama's most fruitful seacoast.[2] and reached a maximum living area of 1.4 ha [3]
Setting in Parita Bay
The site lies along or very near the modern shoreline of
The shallow, silt-filled Parita Bay is forms the northwest corner of the Gulf of Panama. Large populations of mollusks, crustaceans, and fish thrive in the bay’s modern mud flats and have done so for the past 7000 years, according to archaeological evidence.[2] Mangroves line the shore which is backed by low-lying swamps, marshes, and salt flats. Plains then encircle much of this low area and extend inland 20 to 30 km. Major river systems with wide floodplains cut through the plains and discharge into the bay.[2]
Nearby archaeological sites include Cerro Mangote, Cueva de los Ladrones, Aguadulce Shelter, Zapotal, and Sarigual.
Site Description
Monagrillo measures 210 m by 85 m and “consists of two low, parallel ridges separated by a central trough."[2] The ridges contain archaeological deposits averaging 2 m in height along the main axis.[2]
History of Research
Interpretation
Findings by Ranere in 1975 support conclusions of Willey and McGimsey 23 years earlier that during initial occupation, the site was situated along the active shoreline of
Ceramics and Stone Tools
Emphasizing open bowls and neckless jars, Monagrillo phase pottery is simple, somewhat crude,[5] and poorly fired.[3] The ceramics are monochrome. Decoration, when it occurs, generally reflects ‘plastic’ techniques [4] confined to “a rather primitive-looking meander-incising” occasionally combined with “excising in scroll patterns”.[5] The oldest ceramics were reliably dated to around 2500 BCE.[1] Monagrillo pottery continues to be the oldest known pottery in Panama as well as in all of Central America.
Ferdon (1955) reports that other artifacts, which all consist of stone, are also simple. Stone
Faunal remains
Occupants of Monagrillo relied heavily upon aquatic food sources. Shell representing “mud flat and/or sandy, shallow-water species” was found in large quantities, but it “tended to occur in concentrated lenses rather than in an evenly distributed fashion”.
Floral remains
Some plant remains have also been recovered from Monagrillo, resulting in an important late discovery. Large quantities of charred plant remains were found, consisting largely of wood charcoal, but also including a few fragments of palm nuts.
Notes
References
- Coe, Michael D. (June 1960). "Archaeological Linkages with North and South America at La Victoria, Guatemala". American Anthropologist. New Series. 62: 363–393. .
- Cooke, Richard; Ranere, Anthony J. (June 1992). "Prehistoric Human Adaptations to the Seasonally Dry Forests of Panama". World Archaeology. 24: 114–133. .
- Ferdon, Edwin N. Jr. (December 1955). "Review: The Monagrillo Culture of Panama". American Anthropologist. New Series. 57: 1334. .
- Piperno, Dolores R.; Clary, Karen H.; Cooke, Richard G.; Ranere, Anthony J.; Weiland, Doris (December 1985). "Preceramic Maize in Central Panama: Phytolith and Pollen Evidence". American Anthropologist. 87: 871–878. .
- Piperno, Dolores R.; Holst, Irene (1998). "The Presence of Starch Grains on Prehistoric Stone Tools from the Humid Neotropics: Indications of Early Tuber Use and Agriculture in Panama". Journal of Archaeological Science. 25: 767–776. .
- Rands, Robert L. (January 1956). "Review: The Monagrillo Culture of Panama". American Antiquity. 21: 319–320. doi:10.2307/277217.
- Ranere, Anthony J.; Hansell, Pat (1978). "Early Subsistence Patterns Along the Pacific Coast of Central Panama". In Stark, Barbara L.; Voorhies, Barbara (eds.). Prehistoric Coastal Adaptations: The Economy and Ecology of maritime Middle America. New York: Academic Press, Inc. pp. 43–59.