Papers by Jan Szymanski
Antiquity, 2025
Representations of the human body are ubiquitous in cultures across the world. Beyond the aesthet... more Representations of the human body are ubiquitous in cultures across the world. Beyond the aesthetic, figurines transmit deeper meanings that were readily decodable by their intended audience and may still offer sociocultural insights despite the loss of this coding through time. The discovery of a rare tableau of 'Bolinas'-type clay figurines dating to 410-380 BC at San Isidro, El Salvador, now permits the theoretical reconstruction of a less stratified Preclassic society in southeast Mesoamerica and the exploration of its spheres of interaction, which may have stretched along the coast from Guatemala to Costa Rica.
Journal of Field Archaeology, 2024
This paper presents a study of the San Isidro archaeological site in El Salvador, providing signi... more This paper presents a study of the San Isidro archaeological site in El Salvador, providing significant insights into the development of Preclassic settlements in the region. Through analysis of ceramic sequences, radiocarbon dating, and excavations, the study traces the site's evolution and its contextual significance within Mesoamerican and Isthmo-Colombian spheres. We report on the discovery of over 50 mounds constructed around 400 B.C., indicating the emergence of a complex social structure at that time. The unearthed artifacts, including jade objects and Bolinas-type figurines, suggest cultural exchange with often distant regions of Mesoamerica and the Isthmo-Colombian area. This research not only contributes to understanding the chronological and geographic development of San Isidro but also highlights the site's role in broader Preclassic Mesoamerican cultural dynamics. Our findings challenge existing perceptions of cultural peripherality and emphasize the need for nuanced regional studies in reconstructing ancient Central American history.
Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 2022
The archaeological site of San Isidro, Sonsonate, El Salvador, is located at a geographically adv... more The archaeological site of San Isidro, Sonsonate, El Salvador, is located at a geographically advantageous position within the transitional zone between large study areas of Mesoamerica and Central America. It became the focus of the Polish-Salvadoran Proyecto Arqueológico San Isidro (PASI) investigation in 2018. The overarching research question of the Project is to understand the prehispanic cultural and social dynamics within this zone, and recover identities of its ancient inhabitants. A number of non-invasive research methods have been employed to accommodate the wishes of the host community to avoid disturbance of the sugarcane plantation. Drone-based mapping, carried out between 2018 and 2021, demonstrated an exceptional size of the ancient settlement, consisting of more than 50 still-visible remains of architectural structures dispersed over an area of 6 square kilometers. Three remote-sensing geophysical survey methods were used in the presumed center of the site. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), magnetometry, and electric resistivity analyses have all detected anomalies related to the eruption of the Ilopango volcano. Initial archaeological excavations permit tentative dating of the prehispanic San Isidro lifespan to the Middle and Late Preclassic periods (1000-400 BCE, and 400 BCE-AD 250, respectively), with possible extension into Early Classic (AD 250-600). Construction techniques of the investigated mounds prove to be rare in the general area, but have close analogies in the relative vicinity of San Isidro.
Estudios Latinoamericanos, 2020
Despite receiving a fair amount of scholarly attention the archaeology of the extreme southeast o... more Despite receiving a fair amount of scholarly attention the archaeology of the extreme southeast of Mesoamerica still remains a relatively poorly developed focus of study (Love and Kaplan 2011. In this article I identify some important factors that hamper our understanding of the ancient past of this region, including, but not limited to, the lack of data about the eff ects of population density and of volcanism, and exceptionally uneven distribution of data from diff erent periods. Th e second half of the Preclassic period (ca. 1000 BC-AD 250) seems to be the most neglected by researchers, even as it is likely the most crucial time for the southeastern boundary of Mesoamerica from the perspective of reconstructing processes of cultural dynamics and emergence of identities. I off er what I believe is a reasonable albeit partial solution to the problem by presenting recent research results, as well as outlining the future directions of my ongoing investigations at the large Preclassic site of San Isidro, located in the Sonsonate department of El Salvador. I argue that even at the early stages of these investigation , San Isidro shows great potential for providing data to better understand El Salvador's ancient past as an important player in the Mesoamerican past. Resumen Investigaciones recientes en San Isidro, El Salvador, en el contexto de la arqueología del sureste meso-americano La arqueología del extremo sureste de Mesoamérica, a pesar de recibir una buena cantidad de atención académica, sigue siendo un campo relativamente poco desarrollado. En este artículo identifi co los princi-pales factores que difi cultan nuestra comprensión del pasado antiguo de esta región, incluida, entre otros, la densidad de población, el volcanismo, y una distribución excepcionalmente desigual de datos de dife-rentes períodos. La segunda mitad del período Preclásico (ca. 1000 a. C.-250 d. C.) parece ser el período menos estudiado y probablemente el más clave para la frontera sureste de Mesoamérica desde la perspec-tiva de la reconstrucción de procesos de dinámicas culturales y el surgimiento de identidades. Ofrezco una solución probable, aunque sólo parcial, al problema al presentar avances recientes y direcciones futuras de mi investigación en curso en un gran sitio del Preclásico de San Isidro en el departamento de Sonsonate en El Salvador. Sostengo que incluso en la etapa inicial de la investigación, San Isidro muestra un gran potencial para proporcionar los datos faltantes sobre el pasado de el Salvador y el rol que jugaba en el pasado mesoamericano.
Mexicon, 2018
In April 2018 a Polish-Salvadoran team has conducted a preliminary survey of the previously not i... more In April 2018 a Polish-Salvadoran team has conducted a preliminary survey of the previously not investigated site of San Isidro, department of Sonsonate, El Salvador. The results revealed an ancient city core comprising at least 37 visible mounds dispersed over the area of approximately 4 km2. The surface collection of ceramics yields exclusively Preclassic dates, with heavy accent on the Middle Preclassic period.
Introducción Introducción 2 Operación TZB 8: Programa de Restauración y Consolidación en la "Casa... more Introducción Introducción 2 Operación TZB 8: Programa de Restauración y Consolidación en la "Casa de las Pinturas".
B. Arroyo/ L. Paiz Aragón/ A. Linares Palma/ A. L. Arroyave (Ed.): XXIV Simposio de investigaciones Arqueologicas en Guatemala. Museo nacional de arqueologia y etnologia. 2010. ISBN: 978-9929-40-037-5. Guatemala 2011, 439-448.
B. Arroyo/ L. Paiz/ H. Mejía (Ed.): XXV Simposio de investigaciones Arqueologicas en Guatemala. Museo nacional de arqueologia y etnologia. 2011. ISBN: 978-9929-40-037-5. Guatemala 2012, 147-155.
Estudios de Cultura Maya 44:119-166, Dec 2014
Resumen: En este artículo se intenta reunir una lista lo más completa posible de los grupos triád... more Resumen: En este artículo se intenta reunir una lista lo más completa posible de los grupos triádicos registrados en el área maya para, posteriormente, analizar diversos aspectos de su presencia y cronología, su arquitectura, contextos urbanos e iconografía, a fin de poder re--evaluar las dos teorías existentes y proponer una nueva. La conclusión final establece que ambas propuestas, a saber, la concepción de los grupos triádicos como réplicas terrenales del "hogar cósmico" o como escenarios arquitectónicos de ritos de adhesión al trono, no pueden descartarse por completo. Sin embargo, estas teorías demuestran posibles funciones y significados secundarios de los grupos triádicos, limitados a cierto número de los conjuntos conocidos actualmente. Se presenta una interpretación más general según la cual los grupos triádicos pueden ser percibidos como escenarios arquitectónicos y réplicas de la mítica "montaña florida" en el preciso momento de la resurrección del dios del maíz.
XXV Simposio de Investigaciones Arqueológicas en Guatemala, 2012
This work presents the results of the first season of excavations at the site of Tz'ibatna (in th... more This work presents the results of the first season of excavations at the site of Tz'ibatna (in the area of the El Mirador park) in the northern Peten. Investigations at the site were undertaken by the SAHI-Uaxactun Project, but due to distance, different contexts, and other circumstances we present the work separately. We clarify the location, preliminary research plans, chronology, architecture, and iconography at the site. Special attention will be directed to the grafitti found at the site and some interesting architectural elements.
During the second field season of the SAHI-UAXACTUN Archaeological Project, excavations were cont... more During the second field season of the SAHI-UAXACTUN Archaeological Project, excavations were continued in areas already under investigation. Excavations were extended in Groups C, F, G, and H North with results that have changed our perception of the site. A program of epigraphy was added, which has reviewed already known texts from new points of view, and speleology, geodesy, and geophysical studies were also integrated. The restoration sub-project continued in Group H North, where two masks were treated, in addition to the consolidation of the principal access to this large platform. The project also extended its radius of action to neighboring groups of the site center, as well as sites in the periphery.
The formal and functional evolution of round structures in the Maya architecture is connected wit... more The formal and functional evolution of round structures in the Maya architecture is connected with social evolution, both on the micro-and macroscale. Round stage-like platforms are essential ritual elements in an egalitarian or oligarchic society. Round temples and astronomic observatories refl ect changes in the cult of the Wind God, triggered by the demise of Teotihuacan. Abandonment of this type of architecture during the Classic period is a consequence of the rise to power of K'uhul Ajawob -Divine Rulers. Reappearance of stages at the end of Late Classic occurs after a decrease of power concentration in the hands of Ajaw and the emergence of a new type of shared rule -Multepal, the City Council.
MAYA PAPERS - International by Jan Szymanski
During the second field season of the SAHI-UAXACTUN Archaeological Project, excavations were cont... more During the second field season of the SAHI-UAXACTUN Archaeological Project, excavations were continued in areas already under investigation. Excavations were extended in Groups C, F, G, and H North with results that have changed our perception of the site. A program of epigraphy was added, which has reviewed already known texts from new points of view, and speleology, geodesy, and geophysical studies were also integrated. The restoration sub-project continued in Group H North, where two masks were treated, in addition to the consolidation of the principal access to this large platform. The project also extended its radius of action to neighboring groups of the site center, as well as sites in the periphery.
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Papers by Jan Szymanski
MAYA PAPERS - International by Jan Szymanski