Salvadorean Archaeology? : a utopia in the making

Abstract

To talk about archaeology in El Salvador, it is necessary to generate a discussion on different political and socio-cultural aspects that influenced its practice in the country. Since its inception, archaeology in El Salvador has been mainly influenced by American methodological and theoretical approaches. The Archaeology Major in El Salvador was first offered in the mid-nineties, thus allowing the training of national archaeologists. However, in spite of these two decades and the more than thirty graduates in the country, we are still unable to talk about a Salvadoran archaeology. Why? What are the reasons that prevent Salvadoran archaeology from growing and developing as such? This paper analyzes and discusses some issues that are affecting and slowing the growth and maturity of this field as a discipline.

Entorno, april 2015, issue 58: 61-67