By Geoffrey McCafferty (2010)
Pacific Nicaragua is generally considered to have been part of the Greater Nicoya culture area (Fig. 1), on the southern frontier of Mesoamerica (at least during the Postclassic period). It was known as a cotton producing zone in the Colonial period, and maguey can also be grown, although it is not as abundant as in northern regions. Ethnohistorical and linguistic sources indicate that Nahuatl and Oto-Manguean languages were spoken in the Late Postclassic period, with origin myths suggesting migration into the region beginning in the Early Postclassic. Relatively little archaeological investigation has occurred in Pacific Nicaragua, with Santa Isabel and El Rayo as the most extensively excavated and analysed sites.
SANTA ISABEL
The largest assemblage of excavated whorls come from the site of Santa Isabel, located in the Rivas department of Nicaragua near the shore of Lake Nicaragua. Excavations from 2000-2005 explored domestic contexts dating to the Sapoa time period, AD 900-1250.
A corpus of 73 spindle whorls were recovered at the site of Santa Isabel, in the Rivas district on the shore of Lake Nicaragua, dating to the Sapoa period (AD 900-1250). The majority of these were perforated sherds (n=40; 60%; Fig. 2), while 26 (36%) were modeled (Fig. 3). Other whorls were made of bone and greenstone.
Figure 2: Perforated disk whorls from Santa Isabel
Figure 3: Modelled whorls from Santa Isabel
The diameter of the perforated worked sherd whorls ranged from 2.1 to 5.4 cm, with the greatest concentration between 2.0 and 4.9 cm. The modeled whorls, on the other hand, were clustered between 3.5 and 5.4 cm in diameter, indicating that they were generally larger than the perforated disks (Fig. . The greenstone whorls measured 2.9 and 3.5 cm in diameter, while the bone whorl measured 3.7 cm.
The perforated disk whorls were very consistent in their height measurement of between 0.5 and 1.4 cm – obviously limited by the thickness of the ceramic vessels from which they were modified (Fig.). The modeled whorls ranged in height from 1.5 to 3.4 cm, with distinct concentrations between 1.5 and 1.9 cm and another between 2.5 and 3.4 cm. The heights of the greenstone whorls were 2.5 and 2.6 cm, while the bone measured 1.3 cm in height.
The perforated sherd disk whorls had a distinctively shallow shape (calculated as the height divided by diameter) of between .10 and .39, with the mean at a ratio of about 1 to 4 (Fig. ). One perforated disk was made from a jar rim, with the greatest shape ratio of 1.04; it may, however, have been a bead rather than a whorl. The modeled whorls tended to be higher, with the strongest node at .30-.39 but with shape ratios continuing steadily to .80. Technical analysis indicates that a shallow whorl tends to produce a relatively slow rotation of the spindle, while a taller whorl spins faster but for a briefer period of time. The greenstone whorls had very high shape ratios of .90 and .71, indicating that they were used for specialized spinning. The bone whorl had a shape ratio of .35.
Weight was measured for all whorls; fragmentary whorls were estimated by dividing the percentage of the fragment into the existing weight. For example, if a whorl fragment weighed 2.0 g and was estimated to represent 40% of the original whorl, then 2.0 was divided by .4 to obtain a total of 5.0 g. Weights for the perforated sherd disks ranged from 3 g to 43 g while the modeled whorls clustered between 20 to 54 g, with outliers as high as 132 g (Fig. ). The greenstone whorls weighed 42 and 48 g, while the bone whorl weighed only 14 g.
Hole size relates to the diameter of the spindle, so that the whorl can be snugly attached. Measurements were taken for both top and bottom holes, if available. The hole sizes varied from 2-10 mm, with most perforated sherd whorls’ holes measuring between 4 to 7 mm, while the holes in modeled whorls varied from 5-9 mm (Fig. ).
Taking all of these measurements into consideration, the Santa Isabel whorls can be related to a typology established from Cholula, Mexico using the different variables discussed (McCafferty and McCafferty 2000). Perforated sherd disk whorls corresponded to numerous types, with the most common being types B, C, D, F, G and H. Types B, C and D are very light weight and shallow, and were likely used for supported spinning of short staple fibers such as cotton or feathers. Type G was also important as a modeled whorl, and was the most abundant type overall. Type G has a medium weight and diameter, is medium to tall in height, has a medium to high shape ratio, and a large hole; it is a versatile whorl for both supported and drop-spinning to create a variety of thread qualities using a range of fiber types. The greatest number of modeled whorls did not correspond to an established type using the Cholula classification, so a new type, Type K, was defined as having a medium diameter and weight, but ultra high height and shape ratios.
Both plain and polychrome sherds were used to fabricate the perforated worked sherd disk whorls, so decoration does not seem to have been a consideration. The modeled whorls were occasionally decorated with crude incising on the flat surface (Fig.). Incised decorations included geometric patterns and circle motifs. Two whorls had a woven motif, identical to the Mixteca-Puebla stylistic representation for textiles. Another whorl fragment may depict the eye and upturned snout of a reptile. Others use a ‘ladder’ motif to divide the whorl into quadripartite spaces.
Figure Whorl patterns from Santa isabel
Three of the modeled whorls exhibit wear marks on the edges, as possible indication that they were used in a spinning bowl. All three were of Type K.
MI MUSEO, GRANADA
A large collection of whorls exists in Mi Museo, Granada. Based on the similarities with the Santa Isabel whorls, these also probably date to the Sapoa period. Two major forms exist in the collection, Types C and K.
Type C Type K
Whorls are decorated on the bottom with incised patterns.
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