An early Formative village site located on the left bank of the Naranjo River near Ocos on the Pacific coast of Guatemala, noted for its excellent preservation of vegetal materials. The principal features of the site are two low house-mounds raised above the level of the surrounding swamp, constructed of clay and household debris, and dating to 1000-850 be. A typical household cluster consisted of the house itself, an outdoor hearth, a number of ‘borrow pits’ (dug to obtain clay) and a sherd and shell midden. Hunting appears to have played a very small part in subsistence activities, although fish, turtles and other swamp-dwelling fauna were more widely exploited. Large numbers of primitive corn cobs indicate that the population also engaged in some farming.
The Macmillan dictionary of archaeology, Ruth D. Whitehouse, 1983Copied