Ancient ‘Puppets’ Discovered atop El Salvador’s Pyramid Link Rituals Across Central Americ

Archaeologists have uncovered five ancient small clay figurines resembling puppets atop the largest pyramid at the ancient site of San Isidro, El Salvador, a discovery that could reshape the understanding of Central American cultural connections.

The figurines, dating back to around 400 B.C., may have played a role in public rituals, challenging long-standing beliefs that ancient El Salvador was isolated from neighboring civilizations.

Uncovering the past

San Isidro, located in western El Salvador, remains one of the country’s least-explored archaeological sites.

Unlike its neighbors, such as Guatemala and Honduras, El Salvador’s ancient history is poorly documented due to a combination of dense modern populations and layers of volcanic ash that have buried potential excavation sites.

NEW The surprising discovery of five ceramic figurines atop the largest pyramidal structure at San Isidro, El Salvador, suggests ritual puppetry connected Central American societies between 2000 BC and AD 900.

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“Very little is known about the identities and ethnolinguistic affiliations of the creators of ancient settlements that predate the arrival of Europeans in the early 16th century,” said Dr. Jan Szymański of the University of Warsaw. “This gets worse the further back in time we look.”

To bridge this gap, Szymański and fellow researcher Gabriela Prejs conducted the first excavations at San Isidro. Their work led to an unexpected find – a ceremonial offering resembling a burial site, but without human remains.

A rare discovery

Inside the offering, researchers discovered five clay figurines, marking only the second known discovery of such artifacts in their original placement. Notably, one figurine represents a male figure, making it unique among similar finds.

Three of the figurines feature movable heads, resembling ancient puppets. Researchers believe they were part of a staged performance, possibly used to tell stories or convey messages through ritual ceremonies.

“One of the most striking features of the puppets is their dramatic facial expression, which changes depending on the angle that we look at them from,” Szymański said.

“Seen from above they appear almost grinning, but when looked at from the level angle they turn angry or disdainful, to become scared when seen from below.”

Challenging historical assumptions

Similar figurines have been found in western El Salvador and southern Guatemala, while other objects in the offering, such as jade pendants, resemble artifacts from Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama.

These similarities suggest San Isidro’s leaders maintained connections with distant regions, exchanging goods, traditions, and possibly even religious practices.

For years, scholars believed that ancient El Salvador was culturally isolated. However, the discovery at San Isidro indicates otherwise.

“This discovery contradicts the prevailing notion about El Salvador’s cultural backwardness or isolation in ancient times,” Szymański said. “It reveals the existence of vibrant and far-reaching communities capable of exchanging ideas with remarkably distant places.”

It adds to growing evidence that pre-Columbian El Salvador was part of a complex and interconnected world. As researchers continue to study San Isidro, they hope to uncover more clues about how its people engaged with their neighbors.