| Marie M. Kolbenstetter |
Figure 3. Overview Picture of the Nolasco Site, Mounds on the left( Courtesy of the Proyecto Arqueológico Chinandega 2016).
commonly used within this region as building material( Valdivieso 2006, 122). Based on the ceramic material, it can be dated to the san Lorenzo and Fonseca Phase( 550-1000 CE)( Amador, unpublished; Beaudry 1982; Valdivieso 2006, 120).
Numerous ceramics that could be associated with salt production were recovered( Beaudry 1982, 8). Asanyamba has therefore been identified as a major site for salt production( Valdivieso 2006, 121). Considering the quantity of shell found, it could be hypothesized that molluscs were also harvested in the vicinity as trade objects for export. The importance of the shell in regional cosmologies would have made them a valuable trade good, both for food consumption and for the associated symbolism( Valdivieso 2006). At the inland site of San Andres, in El Salvador, shells from the same species as those found in great number at Asanyamba were documented( Valdivieso 2006, 123), suggesting the possibility of a trade route beginning at Asanyamba and extending inland( Valdivieso 2006, 123).
La Pegajosa, Honduras La Pegajosa is situated on the small volcanic island of Güegüensi, which in turn is located close to the Honduran mainland. The island is positioned in the general vicinity of two estuaries leading inland( Baudez 1973, 509). On the southeast end of
Güegüensi, a patch of land is seasonally flooded and becomes a 10 cm deep lagoon in the wet season. La Pegajosa is located on the edge of and extending into the lagoon where certain elevated parts form small islands( Baudez 1973, 509). Based on its ceramic material this site can be dated to the Amapala phase( 1000-1200 CE).
One aspect of the site is particularly striking: an elevated stretch surrounded by small mangrove trees that is covered in shells( Baudez 1973, 509). Several shell middens can be found in the direct vicinity of the site. At the surface, numerous ceramic bowls of a type that has been associated with salt production have been found( Baudez 1973, 512). In the central section of the site, 36 trenches were discovered with traces of firing. It is argued by Baudez that, considering the maximum occupation of the site has been limited to 20 individuals and for only a few months per year, this plethora of trenches would have been excessive for culinary use( Baudez 1973, 511). The archaeological remains provide evidence for an extensive exploitation of salt in the method known as sal cocida, which consists of heating receptacles containing brine prior to recovering salt through evaporation( Baudez 1973, 515). This method produces so-called briquetage, a diagnostic ceramic debris associated with salt production( Robinson & McKillop 2014, 98). This salt pro- p. 32 | VOL II | INTER-SECTION | 2016