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Polychrome pot from ancient Maya village
A polychrome pot unearthed at the ancient Maya village of Ceren in El Salvador. Such pots were prized by the villagers and had likely been obtained through trade at local marketplaces in the valley.
In A.D. 660, the village was blasted by toxic gas, pummeled by lava bombs and then choked by a 17-foot layer of ash falling over several days after the Loma Caldera volcano, less than half a mile away, erupted, leaving Ceren frozen in time.
Learn more about National Science Foundation-supported archaeological research taking place in Ceren in the NSF News From the Field story Buried in ash, ancient Salvadoran village shows images of daily life. (Date image taken: 2000-2015; date originally posted to NSF Multimedia Gallery: Oct. 10, 2019)
Credit: University of Colorado
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