Ancient Stones, Living Relations: Contemporary Indigenous Veneration of Potbelly Sculptures in Guatemala and El Salvador

2026-07-11T01:14:59+02:00

This article examines the contemporary veneration of four Preclassic potbelly sculptures from the Pacific region of Mesoamerica, located in present-day Guatemala and El Salvador and associated with Kaqchikel, Tz’utujil, Mam, and Pipil communities. Archaeologically, these monuments belong to a shared sculptural tradition dating between approximately 600 BCE and 100 CE and are generally interpreted as representations of ancestors, rulers, or lineage founders. Through archaeological documentation, ethnographic fieldwork, oral histories, and the analysis of contemporary ritual practices, the study investigates how these monuments continue to function as active agents within local religious worlds despite the absence of direct cultural continuity with their original contexts. Drawing on ontographic approaches and the ontological turn in anthropology, the article argues that the sculptures should not be understood primarily as carriers of fixed meanings but as relational nodes through which humans, landscapes, memories, ancestors, offerings, and supernatural forces become connected. The study identifies recurrent patterns of reinterpretation, including their association with water, fertility, protection, healing, and female supernatural beings. Rather than representing a survival of Preclassic religion, these cults emerge as dynamic configurations in which ancient monuments are continually reactivated within new social, historical, and cosmological frameworks. The enduring significance of potbelly sculptures thus lies in their capacity to generate and stabilize relationships across deep time.

Estudios Latinoamericanos

Ancient Stones, Living Relations: Contemporary Indigenous Veneration of Potbelly Sculptures in Guatemala and El Salvador