The Morrosquillo Assemblage Revealed: Provenance and Context of a Refined Group of Ground-edge Stone Tools from the Caribbean Lowlands of Colombia

ABSTRACT

Polished ground-edge stone tools exhibiting a wide range of shapes, sizes, and lithologies as well as aesthetic sophistication and exceptional quality occur in large numbers throughout the Caribbean lowlands of Colombia and beyond. The wealth of polished tools suggests an advanced and large-scale lithic industry. This paper provides context for a collection of over 300 tools collected as surface finds in an area centered on the Gulf of Morrosquillo on the central lowlands, and it is thus dubbed the Morrosquillo assemblage. Using a combination of geologic and archaeological evidence, these tools are traced to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the enclave of the Taironas for 1000 years, where the abundance of high-quality raw materials enabled the development of an impressive lithic industry. Thorough examination of the stone tools revealed that they were mostly utilitarian objects used in a variety of tasks; however, the large numbers of polished tools suggest that the tool makers were as concerned with aesthetic appearance as with utilitarian purposes, and some of the tools were apparently symbols of status. The presence of tools that appear to have been deliberately broken suggest that they probably were used in rituals or offering ceremonies.

KEYWORDS:

• Ground-edge stone tools
• edge grinding technology
• Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta
• Tairona
• Caribbean lowlands of Colombia

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the many farmers who provided the stone tools and who took time to collect and record the location where they were found; without their contribution this study would not have been possible. Juliana Campuzano, Universidad del Norte, shared her views on local archaeological sites on the Caribbean lowlands; Nick Morales helped with interpretations on tool use, and wear and weathering patterns. Jorge Quiroz, curator of Museo Comunitario de San Jacinto, allowed us access to large museum collections of polished tools. Guillermo Soto facilitated access to his own collection for analysis and comparison. Jose Duque, Departmento de Geologia, Universidad EAFIT, helped with identification of rock types and provided important clues leading to the recognition of the unique La Paila Ignimbrite. Russell Skowronek, Associate Dean College of Liberal Arts, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, and Steven Hackenberger, Department of Anthropology, Central Washington University, reviewed earlier drafts of the manuscript and provided insightful comments. The manuscript benefited greatly from the comments of two anonymous reviewers.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributor

Juan L. González, School of Earth Environmental and Marine Sciences, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, 1201 W. University Drive, Edinburg, TX 78539, USA. Email: [email protected]

ORCID

James R. Hinthorne http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9931-1885