Tak'alik Ab'aj, the site and it's history
Guatemala - The ancient history of Tak'alik Ab'aj is one of the most fascinating of Mesoamerica. The traces of the remarkable events that occurred at this site and which affected the evolution of the cultures throughout the region can be found by the archaeologists in the remains of the materials left by the early inhabitants. Among the most important of these materials are the monuments sculpted in stone, the sacred buildings constructed of clay and faced with cobbles, the ceramic vessels and the stone and obsidian tools.
The study of these public works and objects allows to follow the changes in styles and technology utilized, reflecting some of the wealth of ideas that existed in the minds of the ancient architects and artisans. These changes mark for us the different epochs in local cultural developments. The ideas conveyed by the locally produced utilitarian and artistic objects communicate how man was able to live and sustain his family, how he associated with others and organized his society, and how he understood his world.
The archaeological site of Tak'alik Ab'aj is found in the municipality of El Asintal, Department of Retalhuleu, situated on the well-watered flanks of the mountainous chain that runs along the Pacific littoral of Guatemala. It occupies a strategic point where a natural pass cuts through the mountains and leads up to the highlands. Such a location must have been deliberately selected to enable Tak'alik Ab'aj to function as a critical link within the predominant commercial network of the era, for the site soon evolved as one of the most important economic and cultural centers of Pre-Columbian times.
The extraordinary wealth of Tak'alik Ab'aj was certainly due to its vital role in the long-distance commercial exchange system which allowed the traffic of products and raw materials to flow back and forth, extending as far as the Isthmus of Tehuantepec at one extreme to El Salvador at the other. Along with these merchants traveled ideas and customs, resulting in extensively shared communication and cultural diffusion. In this historical process, Tak'alik Ab'aj functioned as a primary player and catalyst in the bridge that led from the Olmec world system into that of the Maya.
