Joya de Cerén
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| State Party |  El Salvador |
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| Type | Cultural | |
| Criteria | iii, iv | |
| Identification | #675 | |
| Region2 | Latin America and the Caribbean | |
| Inscription History | ||
| Formal Inscription: | 1993 17th WH Committee Session |
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| WH link: | http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/675 | |
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1 Name as officially inscribed on the WH List |
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Joya de Cerén (Jewel of Cerén in the Spanish language) is an archaeological site in El Salvador featuring a pre-Columbian Maya farming village preserved remarkably intact under layers of volcanic ash. It is often referred to as the "Pompeii of the Americas" in comparison to the famous Ancient Roman ruins.
It is one of the most important archeological sites in Mesoamerica because it shows how life was for the normal people. Inhabited as early as 900 BC, it was vacated in AD 250 due to the eruption of the Lake Ilopango. It was repopulated in 400, a tributary to San Andrés.
Around 600 A.D. Loma Caldera, a nearby volcano, erupted and buried the village under 14 layers of ash, protecting it from the elements. It is believed the villagers were able to flee in time, because no bodies have been found. They left behind utensils, ceramics, furniture, and even half-eaten food in their haste to escape. The site was discovered in 1976 by Payson Sheets, a professor of anthropology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Since then the excavation process has continued. About 70 buildings have been uncovered. Joya de Cerén was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.
