The five puppets date back to 400 B.C.E. and were seemingly used in public rituals to depict real and mythological events.
J. Przedwojewska-Szymańska/PASIThe five ceramic puppets discovered in El Salvador date back 2,400 years.
Archaeologists long believed that El Salvador was relatively isolated from other pre-Columbian cultures, which contributed to the region being historically understudied and overlooked. However, researchers from the University of Warsaw recently sought to fill in these gaps of knowledge about ancient Salvadoran communities. While examining a pyramid structure in San Isidro, they made an extraordinary discovery: five clay figures unlike anything previously found in the country.
The figurines, dating back to 400 B.C.E., feature moveable parts and unique facial expressions, possibly pointing to their use as puppets in ritual performances. Their similarities to other artifacts found in Guatemala point to a link between the two regions, casting doubt on the longstanding belief that pre-Columbian El Salvador was isolated and sparking more interest in exploring the country’s ancient history.
Archaeologists Discover Puppets On Top Of A Pyramid
M. Sokołowski/PASIThe puppets were found atop the tallest pyramid at the San Isidro site.
In 2022, archaeologists from the University of Warsaw discovered five clay figurines on top of a pyramid structure in San Isidro, El Salvador. The discovery was led by Dr. Jan Szymański and his colleague Gabriela Prejs, who wanted to excavate pre-Columbian sites in El Salvador, an area that has been historically neglected by archaeologists.
“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. This gets worse the further back in time we look,” Dr. Szymański stated in a Threads post from the journal Antiquity, in which the archaeologists’ study about the artifacts is now published.
At first, Szymański and Prejs believed the clay figures — four female and one male — were burial offerings. However, the team did not discover any human remains at the site, pointing to a possible ritualistic purpose instead.
They then realized that the artifacts had removable heads and small holes in their necks through which strings could be threaded. This led them to deduce that the figures were puppets.
“One of the most striking features of the puppets is their dramatic facial expression, which changes depending on the angle that we look at them from,” Szymański explained.
At eye level, the puppets look angry and aggressive. From above, they appear happy, but from below, they seem scared. “This is a conscious design, perhaps meant to enhance the gamut of ritual performances the puppets could have been used in,” noted Szymański.
With ritualistic use in mind, archaeologists got to work studying the figures.
Analyzing The Mysterious Ancient Puppets
G. Prejs/PASIResearchers discovered that the smallest figurine fit inside another artifact found at the site.
Szymański and Prejs discovered that the five figurines date back to around 400 B.C.E. Their style and composition are very similar to others previously discovered in Guatemala, pointing to trade and cultural exchange between the two areas.
“This contradicts the prevailing notion about El Salvador’s cultural backwardness or isolation in the ancient times,” Szymański stated in the Threads post. “It reveals the existence of vibrant and far-reaching communities capable of exchanging ideas with remarkably distant places.”
The puppets themselves feature intriguing designs. Three of the five artifacts are nearly a foot tall, while the smaller two measure about seven inches and four inches. The three larger figurines are naked and lack any ornamentation, although the male figure has designs on his face that likely represent tattoos or scars. The smaller figurines have hair on their heads and jewelry in their ears. It is unclear if the puppets represent real people.
J. Przedwojewska-Szymańska/PASIThe male figurine’s face shows a design of tattoos or scars.
Additionally, the smallest figurine was found to fit inside a hollowed-out torso discovered at the same site. Archaeologists speculate that these artifacts may have been used to reenact a birthing scene.
J. Przedwojewska-Szymańska/PASIThe figurines have removable heads that fit into sockets.
Excavations at San Isidro are ongoing, and experts hope to discover more artifacts that elucidate the history of pre-Columbian El Salvador.
Szymański is confident that the area was once a thriving cultural hub and that the puppets are the first of many future discoveries that attest to the diverse communities who lived there.
After reading about the puppets found in El Salvador, look through 25 astonishing photos of Aztec pyramids. Then, read the true history of human sacrifice in pre-Columbian American cultures.
