“Very little is known about the identities and ethnolinguistic affiliations of the creators of ancient settlements that predate the arrival of Europeans in the early 16th century,” states Dr. Jan Szymański from the University of Warsaw. “This gets worse the further back in time we look.” To fill this gap in our knowledge, Dr. Szymański and his colleague Gabriela Prejs excavated at the large, hitherto unexcavated site of San Isidro in the Department of Sonsonate, western El Salvador. At the top of the largest pyramidal structure at the site, the researchers made an unexpected discovery: a rich offering resembling a funeral deposit, but without any human remains. There they found five ceramic figurines, dating to c. 400 BC…”

More details can be found here: https://phys.org/news/2025-02-pre-columbian-puppets-ritual-central.html

  • @pseudonautEnglish
    2•2 days ago

    Three of the figurines have articulated heads, causing them to resemble modern toy dolls. The authors suggest they were a kind of ancient puppet, positioned into a scene, or “tableau,” undoubtedly meant to convey a message that is now lost.

    Some important context.