9515495 Kosakowsky This Americas Program award will fund a visit to Guatemala by Dr. Laura Kosakowsky, Boston University, to plan a research project with the goal of identifying the archeological sequence of the Santa Rosa region on the Pacific Coast of Guatemala. During this visit, Dr. Kosakowsky, with the collaboration of Dr. Francisco Estrada Belli, director of the Santa Rosa Archeological Project, will examine surface collections of ceramics from the region in order to provide maximum information on the local ceramic chronology. The analysis of ceramics is a critical step in the identification of chronological placement of archaeological sites, and of regional and inter-regional patterns of interaction. The examination of the available material will provide a realistic background for selecting sites for excavation in the coming season. The archeological sequence of the Santa Rosa area has been poorly documented up to now, but there are indications that this region played a key role in networks of trade and communication from as far away as Central Mexico, El Salvador , the Guatemalan highlands, and the Maya lowlands. Since the region is undergoing extensive modernization and agricultural intensification, it is rapidly facing the loss of archaeological resources. It is critical that this type of study be undertaken as soon as possible. ***
