| Marie M . Kolbenstetter |
Figure 3 . Overview Picture of the Nolasco Site , Mounds on the left ( Courtesy of the Proyecto Arqueológico Chinandega 2016 ).
commonly used within this region as building material ( Valdivieso 2006 , 122 ). Based on the ceramic material , it can be dated to the san Lorenzo and Fonseca Phase ( 550-1000 CE ) ( Amador , unpublished ; Beaudry 1982 ; Valdivieso 2006 , 120 ).
Numerous ceramics that could be associated with salt production were recovered ( Beaudry 1982 , 8 ). Asanyamba has therefore been identified as a major site for salt production ( Valdivieso 2006 , 121 ). Considering the quantity of shell found , it could be hypothesized that molluscs were also harvested in the vicinity as trade objects for export . The importance of the shell in regional cosmologies would have made them a valuable trade good , both for food consumption and for the associated symbolism ( Valdivieso 2006 ). At the inland site of San Andres , in El Salvador , shells from the same species as those found in great number at Asanyamba were documented ( Valdivieso 2006 , 123 ), suggesting the possibility of a trade route beginning at Asanyamba and extending inland ( Valdivieso 2006 , 123 ).
La Pegajosa , Honduras La Pegajosa is situated on the small volcanic island of Güegüensi , which in turn is located close to the Honduran mainland . The island is positioned in the general vicinity of two estuaries leading inland ( Baudez 1973 , 509 ). On the southeast end of
Güegüensi , a patch of land is seasonally flooded and becomes a 10 cm deep lagoon in the wet season . La Pegajosa is located on the edge of and extending into the lagoon where certain elevated parts form small islands ( Baudez 1973 , 509 ). Based on its ceramic material this site can be dated to the Amapala phase ( 1000-1200 CE ).
One aspect of the site is particularly striking : an elevated stretch surrounded by small mangrove trees that is covered in shells ( Baudez 1973 , 509 ). Several shell middens can be found in the direct vicinity of the site . At the surface , numerous ceramic bowls of a type that has been associated with salt production have been found ( Baudez 1973 , 512 ). In the central section of the site , 36 trenches were discovered with traces of firing . It is argued by Baudez that , considering the maximum occupation of the site has been limited to 20 individuals and for only a few months per year , this plethora of trenches would have been excessive for culinary use ( Baudez 1973 , 511 ). The archaeological remains provide evidence for an extensive exploitation of salt in the method known as sal cocida , which consists of heating receptacles containing brine prior to recovering salt through evaporation ( Baudez 1973 , 515 ). This method produces so-called briquetage , a diagnostic ceramic debris associated with salt production ( Robinson & McKillop 2014 , 98 ). This salt pro- p . 32 | VOL II | INTER-SECTION | 2016