Photograph by Alexander Geurds
About the Project
Despite occupying a key geographic position between the Mesoamerican and Lower Central American cultural worlds during pre-Hispanic times, Nicaragua is arguably the region's least understood country archaeologically, with most data limited to the country's Pacific side.
NGS/Waitt grantee Alexander Geurds hopes to rectify this with his Central Nicaragua Archaeological Project.
In March 2009, Geurds spent a month recording archaeological sites and studying monumental statuary in the mountainous area northwest of Lake Nicaragua, the largest freshwater lake in Central America. Twelve sites were registered, including an extensive settlement called San Isidro with some 500 mounds, more than any other site in Nicaragua.
At another site, called Nawawasito, 44 intact and fragmented Chontales-style stelae and monoliths were discovered, the first time such artifacts have been recorded outside of museum collections and in their original settings.
Compared with about a hundred statues known before Geurds's discovery, the statues at Nawawasito represent an extraordinarily large quantity in one area. Geurds's examination of Nawawasito led him to propose that Chontales-style statuary likely exists across a much wider area of Nicaragua than previously assumed, extending beyond the watershed line into the Caribbean lowlands to the east.
A second phase of the project, funded by an NGS/Waitt grant, is planned for January 2010. It will continue the search for monumental sculpture in Central Nicaragua to increase understanding of the region's pre-Hispanic cultures.
More NGS/Waitt Grants Projects
Meet All Our Explorers
-
Explorers A-Z
At the heart of our explorers program is the quest for knowledge through exploration and the people who make it possible.
Advertisement
Newsletter: Explorer Updates
-
Sign Up Now
Stay in the know with updates about the exciting work of our explorers with our newsletter.
-
Explorers to Judge at Google Science Fair
The event features worldwide participation and life-changing prizes.
Listen: Explorer Interviews
-
00:11:00 Lee Berger Audio
National Geographic grantee and paleoanthropologist Lee Berger has been searching for the fossils of human ancestors, but it was his 9-year-old son who stumbled upon the find of a lifetime: a partial skeleton that may very well change our understanding of the genus Homo.
-
00:07:59 Brad Norman
Some go swimming with dolphins or stingrays, Brad Norman, National Geographic Emerging Explorer and marine conservationist, talks about swimming with the largest fish in the world: the whale shark. Norman speaks with Boyd about his research concerning whale shark habitats, tracking and conservation.
-
00:11:00 Losang Rabgey
National Geographic Emerging Explorer Losang Rabgey has found her life's work in strengthening rural communities on the Tibetan plateau, which includes building schools to educate local students. Rabgey joins Boyd with updates on the successful work of Machik, the non-profit she founded and now directs.
-
00:09:00 Joshua Ponte Audio
National Geographic Emerging Explorer Joshua Ponte was a successful young English entrepreneur when, over breakfast one morning, his eye fell on a newspaper ad that said "Gorilla Reintroduction Program, Gabon." His life has never been the same since. Pursuing his passion for conservation, Ponte moved to a central African forest where 13 orphaned gorillas were being studied. Boyd talks with Ponte about the joys and dangers of raising young gorillas.
-
00:11:00 Nathan Wolfe
National Geographic Emerging Explorer and virus hunter Nathan Wolfe says there is a disease pandemic lurking just around the corner. But, we can prepare ourselves. Wolfe says there are even ways to harness and use the power of viruses. Wolfe joins Boyd to talk about his new book, The Viral Storm: The Dawn of a New Pandemic Age, which is changing the way we think about viruses.
-
00:11:00 Dereck and Beverly Joubert
National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence Dereck and Beverly Joubert capture astounding images of African wildlife in their beautiful films. The Jouberts live in the African bush alongside the lions and other animals they profile. They explain to Boyd that, because big cats are in such danger, their work is now focused on conservation projects such as the Cause an Uproar program.
-
00:11:00 Sylvia Earle
National Geographic Explorer in Residence Sylvia Earle has been deeper undersea than any other woman. Earle is an oceanographer, explorer, author, lecturer, field scientist, and an inspiration to women around the world. She recently received the Royal Geographic Society’s 2011 Patron’s Medal. Boyd talks to Earle about some of her early dives in the Jim Suit.
-
00:11:00 Wade Davis
How did the death and destruction of World War One lead young British climbers to attempt an epic conquest of Mount Everest? National Geographic Explorer in Residence Wade Davis answers that question in his new book “Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Everest.” Davis joins Boyd in the studio to chat about the book.
-
00:11:00 Bob Ballard
Boyd heads out of the studio to join National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence Bob Ballard aboard his vessel the E/V Nautilus. Currently in Turkey, Ballard tells Boyd about the many shipwrecks he is finding in the Mediterranean. You can follow Ballard and his team, live as they explore the ocean at www.nautiluslive.org.
-
00:06:00 Valerie Clark
National Geographic grantee Valerie Clark licks frogs for a living. As Clark tells Boyd, she’s not looking for Prince Charming. Instead, she is studying how the diet of frogs in Madagascar relates to the toxicity of their skin.
