From Codex to Calabash: Recovery of a Painted Organic Artifact from the Archaeological Site of Cerén, El Salvador

Harriet F. Beaubien

11 citations0/0 files storedJournal of the American Institute for Conservation

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Cultural Heritage Materials Analysis Historical Studies in Central America Conservation Techniques and Studies

Abstract

During the 1989 field season, a layered deposit of paint fragments was excavated at the site of Cerén, El Salvador, and thought to be the remains of a classic Maya Period codex. Information gained from materials analysis and conservation treatment now suggests that it once was a painted calabash (or gourd), with the strongest evidence provided by the reconstructed decorative scheme and impressions of the disintegrated substrate preserved on the fragments' reverses. Supporting archaeological and literary evidence for this interpretation is presented, and treatment procedures and mount design are discussed.

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1945Excavations at Kaminaljuyu, Guatemala 1990The conservation of artifacts made from plant materials 1987Cenote of Sacrifice: Maya Treasures from the Sacred Well at Chichen Itza 1984Cenote of Sacrifice 1945The Aztec and Maya Paper Makers.1990Household Archaeology at Cerén, El Salvador 1943The Aztec and Maya papermakers

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