This was a kiln-er find.
Puppets with remarkable facial features believed to date back some 2,400 years have been discovered at the top of an ancient pyramid in the jungle of El Salvador.
The incredible find suggests that indigenous Salvadorians had a much closer connection to the wider ancient Mesoamerican world than previously thought, according to a study published in the journal Antiquity on Wednesday.
The five human figurines, which depict four women and a man, were discovered in 2022 at the top of a pyramid in San Isidro and are notable for their versatile facial expressions.
“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,” Jan Szymański, an archaeologist at the University of Warsaw and the study’s lead author, told Live Science in a statement.
From above, they appear to be smiling; at eye level, they appear frightened, and from below, they look scared, researchers said.
“This is a conscious design, perhaps meant to enhance the gamut of ritual performances the puppets could have been used in,” Szymański said.
The puppets, which date from 410–380 BC, were initially believed by archaeologists to be part of an elaborate burial — but no human remains were discovered at the site, leading researchers to believe they were used for public rituals or displays.
Three of the puppets are roughly a foot tall, while the remaining two are about half that size.
The larger statues are all naked and have movable heads that spin on sockets and open mouths, according to the study. The two smaller statues each have hair on their foreheads and earrings hanging from their lobes.
The researchers suggested they may have been used like puppets to tell stories — mythical or real — that have been long lost to history.
Part of the smallest figure recovered fits inside of another hollow torso figure, perhaps representing a birth scene.
Ancient peoples in El Salvador were previously believed to have been largely isolated from their neighbors.
The puppets, along with other artifacts recovered at the site, suggest elites were culturally connected to other communities in the region, as similar figurines have been found in Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Panama.
“This discovery contradicts the prevailing notion about El Salvador’s cultural backwardness or isolation in the ancient times,” Szymański said.
“It reveals the existence of vibrant and far-reaching communities capable of exchanging ideas with remarkably distant places.”
