Tazumal represented the culture; Joya de Cerén, people; Tecpán San Andrés, the connection between man, art and universe.
Listed as one of the most important ceremonial centers of the pre-Hispanic period, during the clasico-tardio period (600-900 A.d.), the stunning city of Tecpan exercised remarkable dominance over smaller settlements (villages surrounding), becoming the center of them.
Its development was remarkable, mainly because of political and economic relations with Western ethnic groups in Honduras and the cities of Tazumal and Copán.
The location of San Andres allowed frequent contact with all the Central American area, that it was an important centre of craftsmen specialized in ceramics.
Its population (traced to an occupation again) was closely linked to Teotihuacán (Mexico), by the trade route that existed at that time and extended from Veracruz to the East of Honduras.
San Andres was structured as a great acropolis (high, and imposing city from which the other settlements were controlled), and its architectural complex was determined by the orientation of its temples and causeways to the rising and setting of the Sun; with this (although lacking an Observatory) were closely related to the universe and all the magical aspects of the stars and the stars; However the structure known as “The Bell” (now mound) might be, by their shape and elevation, a site dedicated to those rites.
Areas for public events, as well as outdoor markets were located in the esplanades surrounding the main temple and was built staggered or pyramidal structures with temples on top, which were mostly sacred enclosures from which encouraged the worship of people (Sun, rain, fire, etc.).
These rooms wore decorations with different Visual and symbolic, elements which were exclusive access to the nobility and rulers.
A very significant finding in one of the structures (structure 7, as it is known) was a small altar where splitting the stairs formed by five tiers. In the interior became small finds of fragments of figurines, winches, metates of ceremonial type and domestic, and to dig about four meters he ran into a unique piece in El Salvador, “eccentric Flint”, a grayish sceptre which represents the profile of a person sitting on a bench, of which only ten throughout Mesoamerica are known and believed that they were made in the area of Belize and by the same craftsman , because the similarity of dates between”Flint” (El Palmar in Campeche; Quiriguá in Guatemala and Copan in Honduras) date from a same period: 7th century ad
Next to this piece was found a series of objects by way of offerings: a sting of Stingray fish, a batch of seven sea shells of Spondylus type, a grayish green solid Jadeite account clear and Obsidian of triangular tip. All of this suggests that it was an offering at the time of erecting a stage of construction (as the first stone placed at present), or it could also have been an Exchange, since this represents features of maya type.
