Trade and inter-community networks around Managua, Nicaragua

Trade and inter-community connections are keys to understanding how the ancient region around the modern city of Managua, Nicaragua interacted and participated in the larger Central American and Mesoamerican trade corridor. This poster will present potential interpretations of long distance and local connections through a cost and pathway analysis using ArcGIS. This study will incorporate recent research on obsidian sources from the site of Chiquilistagua into the model of interactions, as well as an analysis of ceramic spheres. Adapting site catchment areas, using trade and pathway data, and incorporating sourcing analyses we can help to identify potential connections between sites and regions. These models may then be tested in future excavations around Managua, Nicaragua, to evaluate their utility.