The Ruins of Takalik Abaj
Takalik Abaj (or Abaj Takalik, depending on who you ask), was a site occupied from the 9th century BCE until the Spanish invasion in the 16th century. It reached its zenith during the Maya's late preclassic period (from 300 BCE to 250 CE) and much of the art and architecture at the site dates from this period. The site is particularly interesting because it is does not really belong to any of the major cultures of Meso-america, but was in many ways a culture of its own.
Takalik Abaj was a major trading center in the route between modern Mexico and modern San Salvador, and formed a link between the many cultures that surrounded it. It seems to have been influenced successively by the major cultures of each, without ever loosing its distinctive character until Maya immigrants displaced the local population at the end of the Late Postclassic period, just before the arrival of the Spanish, at which time it was abandoned.
As such, a wander through the site is like a wander through pre-columbian history. The site has Olmec-style sculptures with their giant heads, Maya-style altars and stelae, and potbellied sculptures that were common along the pacific coast. Sprinkled among these are some zoomorphs that represent a truly local style and provide a common thread in the city's history.
A visit to the Archeological Park of Takalik Abaj is very quite a nice afternoon excursion. Local volunteers take visitors around in exchange for a small tip and explain the details of the site to the visitors. The park itself is only a small portion of the historic city as much of the remains are under privately-owned plantations, but there are plans to incorporate these into the park as archeology resources become available. There are also plans to open a museum to show off the great number of obsidian tools and other artwork found at the site, but for the time being these are warehoused.
The park features the standard Meso-American fare of pyramids, ball courts and drainage/canal systems , but there are two points that make it stand out. First, the site is under active excavation. A visitor on a guided tour can therefore walk through an active archeological dig and observe the work first-hand. Unfortunately, no pictures are allowed of this part to protect the research until the archeologists can secure artifacts and also so that they can be the first to publish their findings.
The second fascinating aspect of Takalik Abaj are the sculptures that dot the site. They offer a great snapshot of its history and that of the cultures that it had contact with. We do have pictures of these, and they are, in order:
- An old man in potbelly style
- A drainage canal
- Glyphs in Maya
- A Maya-style alter and stela
- A tree in the Early-Preclassic style
- A person emerging from a cave or jaguar mouth holding a baby, probably Olmec style
- Maya language carvings on an altar
- Probably a monumental head, Olmec style
- Original Olmec fruit
- A baby, botbelly style
- An altar and sculptures at the base of a passage between two levels in the terraced city. The round stone in the foreground is a modern Maya altar used for ceremonial fires.
- One side of a local-style boulder-carving. This side represents a snake.
- The other side of the sculpture above. It represents a crocodile. It should be noted that these are both symbols of death and that they are at the base of the east side of their pyramid. (the side the sun sets on)
- A boulder-sculpture of a frog, local style.
- A ruler emerging from the mouth of a Jaguar, Maya style.
- A stela at the base of a pyramid. I can't remember what he is.
- Another frog. I like the frogs.
- The same frog.
- A particularly interesting sculpture of an old man's head. Note the large, floppy jowls. Olmec style.
- A baby, botbelly style.
