El Salvador

Joya de Ceren

WHS Score 2.71
rate
Votes 33 Average 3.0
Show votes
Votes for Joya de Ceren

1.5

  • Samy G

2.0

  • Alberto Rodriguez Gutierrez
  • Dorejd
  • Gary Arndt
  • Jon Opol
  • Paw90
  • Philipp Leu
  • Thomas van der Walt
  • Zoë Sheng

2.5

  • Everett
  • GeorgeIng61
  • João Aender

3.0

  • Alejandro Lau
  • Ammon Watkins
  • Ana
  • Carlos Sotelo
  • Els Slots
  • Eva Kisgyorgy
  • Frederik Dawson
  • George Gdanski
  • Hanming
  • John Smaranda
  • Mikko

3.5

  • Carlo Medina
  • ctravel
  • Dennis Nicklaus
  • Sutul

4.0

  • Christoph
  • Larry F

4.5

  • Digits
  • Miguel Marquez

5.0

  • Michael anak Kenyalang
  • Sabrina Liebehentschel

The Joya de Cerén Archaeological Site is a pre-Columbian Maya farming village that has been preserved after it was destroyed by volcanic ash around 600 CE.

It provides an excellent testimony of the daily lives of ordinary people, as they left behind utensils, ceramics, furniture, and even half-eaten food in their haste to escape the eruption of the Loma Caldera volcano. The remains of the earthen architecture have also been preserved.

Community Perspective: the site is easily reached by public bus, either from Santa Ana or San Salvador. Visiting the on-site museum with original excavated items is recommended to do first. The earthen buildings are very much intact, but do not expect grand stone buildings like in other Maya sites.

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Joya de Ceren Archaeological Site (ID: 675)
Country
El Salvador
Status
Inscribed 1993 Site history
History of Joya de Ceren
1993: Inscribed
Inscribed
Type
Cultural
Criteria
  • iii
  • iv
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
Official
All Links
UNESCO.org
Official Website
News Article
  • 25 Dec 2015 scientificamerican.com — Archaeological Finds in El Salvador Tell a Whole Different Tale about Maya Society
  • 4 Nov 2015 eurekalert.org — Footprints on ceremonial road may indicate Ceren residents were fleeing volcano
  • 17 Jun 2009 dailycamera.com — Anthropologists have uncovered the first and only site of ancient, large-scale manioc cultivation in Central America at Ceren

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Archaeological site: Pre-Columbian
Travel Information
No travel information
Recent Connections
View all (16) .
Connections of Joya de Ceren
Trivia
History
  • Mayan culture
    Late Preclassic Maya Period Mesoamerican settlement (AB ev)
  • Historical Food Remains
    ICOMOS : "the objects recovered constitute a virtual inventory of their contents at the moment of eruption .... and a variety of foods including maize, beans, chilis and cocoa beans"
Damaged
  • Covered by volcanic ash
    The rapid ash fall from Loma Caldera volcano, and the sudden abandonment of the village, created exceptional circumstances that preserved architecture, organic materials and different artefacts. (OUV)
World Heritage Process
Constructions
Timeline
Science and Technology
  • Recently discovered
    The site was discovered during the construction of government grain-storage silos in 1976, when a clay-built structure was exposed by a bulldozer. Excavation were carried out under the direction of Dr Payson D. Sheets (University of Colorado) in 1978 and 1980, but were interrupted by civil war. They were resumed in 1988 and have been continuing since that time." - AB Document
  • Excavated by American Universities
    Colorado University
Visiting conditions
WHS Names
News
scientificamerican.com 25/12/2015
Archaeological Finds in El Salvado…
eurekalert.org 04/11/2015
Footprints on ceremonial road may …
dailycamera.com 17/06/2009
Anthropologists have uncovered the…

Community Reviews