User:Davidggonz/Cerro Juan Diaz

Cerro Juan Diaz
Please do not edit, work in progress for my ANTH class, Thanks.

Cerro Juan Diaz is located in the Azuero Peninsula on the Pacific Coast of Panama. The site is located in the Providence of Los Santos on the Parita Bay coast. The first scientific excavations at the site were undertaken by archaeologists from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama and the Instituto Nacional de Cultura de Panama in 1992. There have been two different time periods found on the site both time periods are relevant to the Grand Coclé Semiotic Tradition. The two cultural traditions found at the site are Cubitá (A.D. 550-700) and Macaracas (A.D. 700-100).

History
Cerro Juan Diaz is part of a period that included the Gran Coclé Semiotic Tradition of the Central Pacific coast of Panama. Archeologists have found different vertebrates and invertebrates on the site that give reason to believe that the site was at one point located nearer to the coast. According to Richard Cooke, principal archeologist who has researched the site, the principal occupation can be dated to beween 1550 to 1050 BP (radiocarbon years. From the finds at the site, it appears that it may have been used as a cemetery.

Findings
The Archeological site of Cerro Juan Diaz covers an area that reaches the banks of River La Villa to the North but archeologists have been concentrating their efforts mostly on the actual hill. Archeologists have found many things at Cerro Juan Diaz from different types of pottery to skeletal remains and gold ornaments.

Operation 3

At the site archeologists have also found what is speculated to be some sort of "ovens" found in Operation 3 at Cerro Juan Diaz. These ovens were in a circular formation, with three other ovens on the outside, in a shape that seem to be the start of another circular formation. In the inside of the first set of ovens archeologists found what seem to be two tombs according to the inspectors of the Instituto Cultural. According to Cooke each of the tombs had different offerings; some of the offerings were canine teeth and gold ornaments. In side some of the ovens archeologists have found fragments of metal ornaments made of gold and copper.

Burial Sites

Archeologists have found approximately 208 human remains in approximately 76 graves in different operations on Cerro Juan Diaz. . According to Cooke's article in Gold and Power in the burial site you find both female and male remains. Most of the male remains have different metal ornaments and some have been cloth. Women also have metal ornaments on them and in there tombs.

Metal Ornaments

Metal Ornaments have been a major find in Cerro Juan Diaz, most of which have been gold and copper. In earlier research that was done in different part in the Panamanian isthmus it was believed that metal work did not arrive to the isthmus until about cal. A.D. 400-500 but findings at Cerro Juan Diaz suggest it came much earlier then at first believed according to Cooke. Some of the metal ornaments found in Cerro Juan Diaz had pictures of birds engraved on them. Archeologists have also found metal tools at Cerro Juan Diaz such as axes.