BYOP (Bring Your own Pot)? petrographic perspectives on seasonal practices and ceramic mobility in the Gulf of Fonseca, Honduras (700-1520 CE)
Hanegreefs, C.; Kolbenstetter, M.; Braekmans, D. (2026). BYOP (Bring Your own Pot)? petrographic perspectives on seasonal practices and ceramic mobility in the Gulf of Fonseca, Honduras (700-1520 CE). Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 72: 105781. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105781
In: Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. Elsevier. ISSN 2352-409X, more
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| Author keywords |
Ceramic Petrography;Provenance of archaeological ceramics;Precolonial Honduras;Salt production;Seasonality;Briquetage |
| Authors | | Top |
- Hanegreefs, C.
- Kolbenstetter, M.
- Braekmans, D., more
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| Abstract |
Pre-Columbian salt production sites have previously been documented within the Gulf of Fonseca, Honduras. However, the overall organization of these salt-making operations remains poorly understood. Through the investigation of briquetage (specialized salt-making vessels debris) fabrics, this study explores the role of local and regional mobility in the organization of salt production in the Gulf of Fonseca. We conducted a petrographic analysis on 27 ceramic samples from 10 salt production sites across the Gulf of Fonseca. Additionally, thin sections of ten test bars from diverse clay mineral resources from the Gulf were selected for comparison. Archaeological ceramic fabrics were grouped and inclusions identified to correlate them with the region's geology and the geological clay samples. Our analysis identified eight distinct petrofabric groups, showing significant variability within and between sites. Specifically, the identified Fonseca 4 fabric group closely matches one of the Isla del Tigre clays, despite the associated ceramics being systematically found on the coast of Honduras. The presence of multiple fabric groups at individual sites, and the clear differences between the geological substrates of the ceramics and the place they were collected from, suggests that multiple communities coming from across the Gulf were jointly participating in salt production operations. This challenges the idea of a single source community monopolizing salt exploitation in the Gulf of Fonseca, and gives us further insight into the societal organization of these precolonial communities. |
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