THE RÍO CLARO SITE (AD 1000-1530), NORTHEAST HONDURAS: A CERAMIC CLASSIFICATION AND EXAMINATION OF EXTERNAL CONNECTIONS A Thesis Submitted to the Committee on Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Faculty of Arts and Science TRENT UNIVERSITY Peterborough, Ontario, Canada © Copyright by Carrie Lynd Dennett 2007 Anthropology M.A. Program September 2007 ABSTRACT The Río Claro Site (AD 1000-1530), Northeast Honduras: A Ceramic Classification and Examination of External Connections Carrie Lynd Dennett Excavated in 1975, Río Claro is the largest known Period VI (A.D. 1000-1530) site in Northeast Honduras. The first objective of this study was to compile and present complete typological and modal classifications for the Río Claro ceramic collection. Definitions of the Isthmo-Colombian Area generally include Northeast Honduras as the northernmost frontier, with little actual research to support this assertion. The second objective of this study was to use these new ceramic data, along with other cultural features such as language, settlement planning, mortuary customs, subsistence, and carved stone traditions, to assess whether or not Northeast Honduras was the northernmost frontier of the Isthmo-Colombian Area in Period VI, or if evidence suggests, instead, that it was an autonomous socio-political region. “Frontier” and “independent region” models were examined as potential explanatory frameworks for understanding potential affiliations. Evidence suggests that Northeast Honduras was the northernmost frontier of the Isthmo-Colombian Area in Period VI. ii Acknowledgements This thesis is dedicated to my late parents, Frank and Violet Dennett, the source of everything that is good in me. They would be proud, and I miss them both greatly. I also dedicate this to my “niece”, Rebecca Lynd Van Gennip. I hope I can help demonstrate that the world is open to you; all you have to do is reach for it. First and foremost, I owe a debt of gratitude to my supervisor, Dr. Paul F. Healy. One could not ask for a better supervisor. He has been an involved mentor and unparalleled role model, who offered me the chance to prove myself at a time in my life when chances were few and far between. Thank you for the education, guidance, and opportunities you have provided me with these many years. Thank you to my internal thesis committee (past and present): Dr. Paul Healy, Dr. John Topic, Dr. Gyles Iannone, Dr. Marit Munson, and Dr. James Conolly. A warm thank you also goes to my external reviewer, Dr. Chris Begley. I appreciate your time and comments. Most sincere thanks to Dr. Susan “stealth mode” Jamieson, a generous, strong, and extremely intelligent woman and scholar who has had an enormous impact on the way I approach life, theory, and the archaeological record. She has kindly provided numerous opportunities through which I could improve myself as a student, and as an archaeologist. I will never forget all she has done for me. Special thanks to Kate Dougherty whose friendship has sustained me these past years. I don’t know what I would have done without her. She is, hands down, the smartest, coolest, and most resourceful lady I have ever met. Thank you for your constant confidence, warmth, support, and academic advice. iii I do not have the space necessary to appropriately thank the Trent Anthropology faculty and staff, past and present. Please know that over the past 6 years your sharp minds, sharp wit, and enthusiasm for the discipline have all contributed, in unique ways, to my love of all things archaeological. All of your time and personal support has not gone unappreciated. Thanks for being the “swell” group you are. The “Geek Squad” (in alphabetical order): Marc Blainey, Nathan Contant, J.P. Foster, Cynthia Kwok, Rhianne McKay, Jason Seguin, Flannery Surette, Ferenc Toth, and Dagmara Zawadzka. I have had the good fortune of spending two years with a group of intelligent and zany junior scholars whom have all left an indelible impression on my heart (and psyche!). I would also like to extend my thanks to Adrienne Perrin, a student and friend, who graciously provided most of the illustrations found in the ceramic typology. My research has been generously supported by funding from the Ontario Graduate Scholarship Program; the Bagnani Graduate Award; the Trent University Archaeological Research Centre (TUARC); the Anthropology Graduate Program at Trent; the Graduate Studies Program at Trent; and the Sandi Carr Graduate Award. iv Table of Contents Acknowledgements................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents...................................................................................................... v List of Figures........................................................................................................... viii List of Tables............................................................................................................ xii Chapters: 1. Introduction and Overview of Northeast Honduras............................................... 1 Introduction.................................................................................................... 1 The Geographical and Environmental Setting............................................... 3 The Cultural Setting....................................................................................... 11 Definition of the Northeast Honduras Region............................................... 14 2. Archaeological Investigation in Northeast Honduras............................................ 19 A Brief History of Research in Northeast Honduras..................................... 19 The Northeast Honduras Regional Chronology............................................ 21 Archaeological Research at the Río Claro Site.............................................. 24 3. Methodology.......................................................................................................... 28 Paste Composition Analysis.......................................................................... 29 Typological Classification............................................................................. 31 Modal Analysis.............................................................................................. 37 4. Ceramic Analysis and Classification..................................................................... 39 Paste Composition......................................................................................... 41 Typology........................................................................................................ 42 Ceramic Modes.............................................................................................. 66 v Supports............................................................................................. 67 Handles/Lugs/Adornos...................................................................... 70 5. Examination and Interpretation of External Connections..................................... 75 Overview of the Isthmo-Colombian Area..................................................... 75 Interpretive Models........................................................................................ 79 Northeast Honduras as Frontier or Independent Region?: Models and Evidence......................................................................... 82 Exploring Inter-Regional Cultural Connections in the Isthmo-Colombian Area................................................................................. 83 Language............................................................................................ 85 Discussion.............................................................................. 86 Architecture and Settlement Planning............................................... 87 Site Location and Layout....................................................... 89 “Longhouse” and Palenque Mounds...................................... 90 Cobble Facings....................................................................... 91 Cobblestone “House-Rings”.................................................. 92 Cobble and Flagstone Pathways............................................ 94 Discussion.............................................................................. 95 Mortuary Customs............................................................................. 97 Secondary Urn Burials........................................................... 98 Artificial Burial Mounds........................................................ 100 Hilltop Cemeteries................................................................. 102 Primary Subterranean Burials................................................ 105 Ethnohistoric Evidence.......................................................... 106 vi Discussion.............................................................................. 107 Subsistence......................................................................................... 108 Discussion.............................................................................. 109 Carved and Ground Stone.................................................................. 110 Polished Ground Stone Celts and Pendants........................... 112 Hand Pestles........................................................................... 114 Mace Heads...........................................................................