Playa de los Muertos (Beach of the Dead) is an archaeological site from the Middle Formative period and is located on the Honduras north coast, in the Ulua valley,[1] however it has "had a continuous history going back as early as any sedentary society yet documented in Mesoamerica".[1] Thought to at one time have been a village, Playa de los Muertos is primarily known through its burials and ceramics.[1] Archaeologists have identified a strong Aztec and Mayan influence on the early inhabitants at Playa de los Muertos, however it is considered a distinct culture. The site is most notable for its finely made ceramic figurines, famously excavated by Dorothy Popenoe. These figurines, in particular those depicting the female form, have helped archaeologists interpret gender roles at the site.[2] Archaeologists believe that people at Playa de los Muertos likely participated in long-distance trade networks which reach from Guatemala to the Gulf Coast Olmec centers.[1]
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- ^ a b c d Joyce, Rosemary A. and John S. Henderson 2001 Beginnings of Village life in Eastern Mesoamerica. Latin American Antiquity 12(1): 5-23.
- ^ Joyce, Rosemary A. 1993 Women's Work: Images of Production and Reproduction in Pre-Hispanic Southern Central America. Current Anthropology 34 (3): 255-274
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