Field Trip Report Joya de Ceren, El Salvador April 10-13, 2002 By: Francois LeBlanc, Head, Field Projects

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1 San Salvador suburbs as seen from the Radisson hotel Field Trip Report Joya de Ceren, El Salvador April 10-13, 2002 By: Francois LeBlanc, Head, Field Projects United Airlines flight 865 left LAX at midnight and arrived in San Salvador at 5:30 AM local time. As I disembarked the airplane, I could already feel the heat and high humidity. The rain season is just about to begin in Central America. This mission to El Salvador had several objectives. One was to introduce me to our partners in the national governmental agency Concultura and also to the Joya de Ceren project. Mary Hardy was there to organize the final phase of the post earthquake relief project and Françoise Descamps was working on the final phase of the management plan for Joya de Ceren and examining various aspects of site drainage and soil mechanics with consultant engineers in preparation for the conservation plan. El Carmen church in Santa Clara Getty resources at work Last year, the GCI offered its help to the Salvadorians to support their efforts for the protection of their heritage after two major earthquakes hit the country early in Following discussions with the national heritage agency Concultura it was agreed to undertake a demonstration project to develop practical knowledge of how to shore historic buildings and protect them against the rain. To this end, three historic buildings were selected as demonstration sites: one built in masonry, one in wood and adobe, and one in adobe. With the help of two Peruvian structural engineers hired by the GCI, plans were drawn to protect these buildings against rain and to shore them up while investigations, plans and fund raising efforts for their restoration were initiated. Local architects, engineers and technicians were trained during the first phase of this initiative. Nave of El Carmen; the wooden structure resisted to the earthquakes Nave of El Carmen; adobe walls partially collapsed, shoring and rain protection in place. April 10, Santa Tecla and San Vicente On April 10, Architect Lorena de Alvarenga of Concultura, Mary Hardy and I visited two of these sites: the church El Carmen located in Santa Tecla, in the suburbs of San Salvador, and the church of Nuestra Siñora del Pilar in San Vicente, a small town located sixty-five kilometers south from San Salvador. The church of El Carmen El Carmen in Santa Tecla is an important national historic monument in El Salvador. Part of the structure is in wood while the walls were built in adobe. It was heavily damaged during the two major earthquakes of January and February 2001 but it remained standing. Several of the adobe walls completely collapsed but the wooden structure held, though it shifted dangerously. Following a major earthquake, historic building protection is most often not the first preoccupation of people. This case is a good illustration of this fact. The Jesuits own the church. Their lives were threatened, and actually Jesuits were harmed during events in previous years. Immediately following the earthquakes, there was social chaos in the region, and fearing for their lives and property, the Jesuits removed the lamina, the corrugated metal sheets used for much of the roofing of the church, and used it to barricade the property. Needless to say that this was not so good for the building. But with our help, the building was temporarily shored and protected against rain by new lamina. It resisted through Lamina from roof used by the Jesuits to barricade the site.

2 the rain season of last year. If this building is still standing today, it is certainly due to a large extent to the GCI s initiative and Concultura s foresight. During the next phase, the building s structure will be shored and braced and made stable awaiting restoration work. Meanwhile, church activities are conducted in a temporary shelter adjacent to the building. Facade of Nuestra Siñora del Pilar in San Vicente. Waterproof sheathing protected the roof against rain but it was partly uplifted by the wind. The church of Nuestra Siñora del Pilar The second project concerns the church of Nuestra Siñora del Pilar in San Vicente. It dates back to 1762 and is built of masonry. It is one of the important national historical monuments of El Salvador. It was also heavily damaged during the two major earthquakes of January and February During phase I of the project, it was protected against rain with special waterproof sheathing fixed to the exterior stucco. The protection really made a difference according to the structural engineers. But due to strong winds during the rain season, part of this protection was torn off. Alternative methods for protecting the open cracks from rain were discussed and will be implemented during the next phase. The shoring and stabilization of the structure is also planned for this next phase. These plans were discussed with Concultura s structural engineering consultants and three general contractors that will bid on the project s next stabilization phase. There again, the approach of shoring the building and protecting it against the rain while developing restoration plans was proven to be a very efficient approach. The regional cathedral, a masonry building of historical significance, had suffered severely during the first earthquake. Instead of shoring the building and protecting it against the rain, the ecclesiastical authorities decided to go immediately into restoration work. When the second earthquake hit, the building that was only partly restored, completely collapsed into ruin. Major cracks caused by earthquakes make the building unsafe for use. Bahareque vernacular architecture. While reviewing the proposed stabilization plans with our structural consultant engineer, Julio Vargas from Peru, we looked at various possibilities for installing mechanical tensiometers to monitor structural movement. This will be a first attempt at monitoring a stabilization intervention in El Salvador. This monitoring will help to see if there are further shifts in tension or weight distribution in the structure and to adjust the tension in the shoring elements accordingly. Since the building is located a few hours drive from San Salvador where Concultura s headquarters are located, and thousands of miles from our offices and the offices of Julio Vargas, we discussed that there may be ways of monitoring some aspects of the building s condition by installing simple webcams at strategic locations on site and hooking them up to the web. An idea to explore... Bahareque, a traditional construction technique Along the way to San Vicente, we stopped several times to take pictures of vernacular architecture built in a construction technique known as bahareque. The technique consists of building a light structure with bamboo and embedding it in adobe then covering it with stucco. This type of structure has proven to resist quite well to earthquakes. It can sway without collapsing. This technique goes all the way back to the Maya. It was used to build most of the buildings at Joya de Ceren, which dates back to the sixth century A.D. Bahareque vernacular architecture.

3 April 11, a day for planning and public relations The second day began with meetings with Maria Isaura Arauz, the Director of Cultural Heritage and Gustavo Heredier, President of Concultura. Gustavo Herodier, President of Concultura Maria Isaura Arauz, Director of Cultural Heritage at Concultura. Maria Isaura, Françoise and Mary. Offices of Concultura in San Salvador. Françoise, Mary and I were welcomed very warmly. Our discussions lasted several hours. President Heredier and Director Arauz expressed their most sincere appreciation for the GCI s collaboration on both of these projects. They especially expressed gratitude for the close collaboration, respect, understanding and professionalism of Françoise Descamps and the GCI team who guided Concultura throughout the preparation of the management plan for Joya de Ceren. The plan is in its final draft. The deadline for its completion is now set for end of June and arrangements are being made with the Office of the President of the Republic of El Salvador, Flores Perez, to have him officially receive the final document during a public event at the end of June or early July depending on his schedule. I emphasized to them the fact that our collaboration with Concultura had some unique aspects. For instance technical documentation on how to shore and protect historic buildings following a major earthquake is almost inexistent. The Salvadorian experience is therefore quite unique because our joint efforts to document the shoring and protection activities in writing and in video will help when we receive future requests for support from countries experiencing this type of natural disaster. I also pointed out to them that of the more than 700 sites on the World Heritage List, only a very small number have management plans. In this context the management plan project for Joya de Ceren is quite at the forefront of international conservation efforts and that they should not be surprised if cultural heritage agencies from other countries approach them for help in creating such plans for their own world heritage sites. On this subject, President Heredier mentioned that Francisco Bandarin, the Director of the World Heritage Center and Mounir Bouchnaki, Director of UNESCO s Cultural Heritage Division have already expressed to him their interest in coming to El Salvador to witness these efforts and to get a better understanding of the process followed by the Salvadorians. The meeting concluded with an exchange of suggestions and ideas for furthering the collaboration between the GCI and Concultura. Then, official group pictures were taken in the offices of Concultura. Our team was invited to a cultural event that night at the Presidential Theater. Present at the event was El Salvador s Vice-President, Carlos Quintannilla. Françoise and I were introduced to him. I was able to engage in a short conversation with him during which he said that he had visited the Getty Center last October and had been very well welcomed. He was impressed by our facilities in Los Angeles and said he would ensure that the Office of the President would follow up on the suggestion of having an official event for the reception of the management plan for Joya de Ceren. There again, an official group photo was taken. Interior courtyard at offices of Concultura in San Salvador.

4 April 12, Joya de Ceren Archaeological Site The following persons met on site at Joya de Ceren on April 12: GCI: Françoise Descamps, F. LeBlanc GCI engineering consultants: T. Rutenbeck, M. Gemperline Concultura: Maria Isaura Arauz, C. Ramirez, and E.Gochez Concultura engineering consultant: G. Melara Joya de Ceren; aerial view of site in 1996 before removal of grain silos. Eng. Mark Gemperline, Francoise Descamps and eng. Todd Rutenbeck. Tech. Eduardo Gochez in front of environment monitoring station. Shelter over archaeological ruins: steel structure covered with lamina. Maya pyramid at San Andres archaeological site located a few kilometers rom Joya. Considered the best-preserved prehistoric farming village in Latin America, Joya de Ceren was buried by 17 feet of volcanic ash about 590 A.D. Although a warning earthquake apparently gave residents time to flee, the ash preserved their personal belongings, from garden tools and bean-filled pots to sleeping mats and religious items, essentially freezing the agricultural village in time. Colorado University at Boulder anthropology Professor Payson Sheets discovered the site in 1976 and directed the archaeological project. The CU-led team excavated 12 structures, including living quarters, storehouses, workshops, kitchens, a community sauna and a religious structure. The site was inscribed on the World Heritage List in During our team s visit, participants discussed various aspects of soil mechanics, drainage, environment monitoring, site development and management issues. Some interesting points: The current temporary site museum is riddled with technical problems. The government of Japan has offered to contribute half a million dollars towards the construction of the new site museum and its infrastructure. Many technical issues and problems still have to be resolved for the conservation of the archaeological remains. For instance, the relative humidity under the shelters that were built in 1995 is very high. At night the water vapor condenses under the roof and falls back onto the ruins the following morning. If too much ventilation is introduced to resolve the problem, then the structures dry too quickly and crumble. If too much natural light is allowed to penetrate, then photosynthesis occurs. If not enough natural light is allowed, then the visitors can t see the ruins. Understanding the delicate balance between all the elements necessary for the conservation and presentation of these remains is still quite a challenge. The site maintenance and management is done by a local nongovernmental organization called Patronato Pro-Patrimonio Cultural. This organization receives a subsidy from Concultura, the site custodian. Outside pressure has been exerted on Concultura for developing the site and for continuing with further archaeological research. The draft management plan was instrumental in helping to halt or mitigate these pressures. For several years now, our colleagues Shin and Urs from the Science department have been contributing to this project by monitoring environmental site conditions and analyzing and characterizing the materials. They were careful to train a local technician, Eduardo Gochez, in the operation and maintenance of the delicate equipment installed on site to monitor various environmental conditions such as relative humidity, temperature, light intensity, rain precipitation, wind intensity and direction etc. This data is accumulated on a daily basis and forwarded to our labs at the GCI for analysis.

5 San Andres archaeological site museum exterior. From a visitor s point of view, the site may currently looks a bit shabby. Concultura recognizes that new development and continuing archaeological research must wait until the management plan is completed and approved and the conservation issues surrounding the earthen remains are resolved. The neighboring Maya archaeological site of San Andres gives an idea of what the Salvadorians can achieve in developing and maintaining a first class archaeological site. I had the opportunity to visit and appreciate the site in the company of Maria Isaura. San Andres interior of site museum. Ceiling of temporary site museum at Joya de Ceren; ceiling paint pealing due to high levels of humidity and heat. El Salvador (summary) For more info: El Salvador Introduction Background: El Salvador achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in A 12-year civil war, which cost the lives of some 75,000 people, was brought to a close in 1992 when the government and leftist rebels signed a treaty that provided for military and political reforms. El Salvador Geography Top of Page Exhibit at Joya de Ceren site museum. Structure No.3 at Joya de Ceren. Location: Geographic coordinates: Area: Area - comparative: Climate: Middle America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras N, W total: 21,040 sq km land: 20,720 sq km water: 320 sq km slightly smaller than Massachusetts tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November

6 to April); tropical on coast; temperate in uplands Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau Maria Isaura Arauz and archaeologist Claudia Ramirez. Natural resources: Natural hazards: hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum, arable land known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes very destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes; Hurricane Mitch damage El Salvador People Top of Page Site maintenance employee humidifying structure to prevent drying and salt migration. Population: 6,237,662 (July 2001 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 37.68% (male 1,198,623; female 1,151,584) years: 57.27% (male 1,693,865; female 1,878,254) 65 years and over: 5.05% (male 142,345; female 172,991) (2001 est.) Structure No. 4 Ethnic groups: mestizo 90%, Amerindian 1%, white 9% Religions: Roman Catholic 86% note: there is extensive activity by Protestant groups throughout the country; by the end of 1992, there were an estimated 1 million Protestant evangelicals in El Salvador Languages: Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians) Literacy: definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 71.5% male: 73.5% Monitoring equipment at Structure No. 4. female: 69.8% (1995 est.) El Salvador Government Top of Page Structure No. 9 Country name: Government type: Capital: conventional long form: Republic of El Salvador republic San Salvador Administrative 14 departments (departamentos singular departamento);

7 divisions: Ahuachapan, Cabanas, Chalatenango, Cuscatlan, La Libertad, La Paz, La Union, Morazan, San Miguel, San Salvador, Santa Ana, San Vicente, Sonsonate, Usulutan Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain) Structure No. 10 National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821) Constitution: 23 December 1983 Legal system: based on civil and Roman law, with traces of common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations Structure No. 12 Archaeological remains of kitchen. Executive branch: chief of state: President Francisco FLORES Perez (since 1 June 1999); Vice President Carlos QUINTANILLA Schmidt (since 1 June 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Francisco FLORES Perez (since 1 June 1999); Vice President Carlos QUINTANILLA Schmidt (since 1 June 1999); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: cabinet selected by the president Conjectural reconstitution of kitchen in museum. Diplomatic representation in the US: elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 7 March 1999 (next to be held NA March 2004) chief of mission: Ambassador Rene Antonio LEON Rodriguez chancery: 2308 California Street NW, Washington, DC telephone: [1] (202) consulate(s) general: Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco consulate(s): Boston Site artifact cleaning and analysis facility. Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Rose M. LIKINS embassy: Final Boulevard Santa Elenal, Antiguo Cuscatlan, La Libertad, San Salvador mailing address: Unit 3116, APO AA telephone: [503] Structure No. 1 FAX: [503] Flag three equal horizontal bands of blue (top) white and blue with

8 description: the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL; similar to the flag of Nicaragua, which has a different coat of arms centered in the white band - it features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band Site drainage detail. Mary Hardy and Peruvian consultant engineer Julio Vargas. Concultura architect Lorena de Alvarenga and GCI architect Mary Hardy. El Salvador Economy Top of Page Economy - overview: El Salvador is a struggling Central American economy which has been suffering from a weak tax collection system, factory closings, the aftermaths of Hurricane Mitch of 1998 and the devastating earthquakes of early 2001, and weak world coffee prices. On the bright side, in recent years inflation has fallen to single digit levels, and total exports have grown substantially. The trade deficit has been offset by remittances (an estimated $1.6 billion in 2000) from Salvadorans living abroad and by external aid. As of 1 January 2001, the US dollar was made legal tender alongside the colon. El Salvador Transnational Issues Top of Page Disputes - international: with respect to the maritime boundary in the Golfo de Fonseca, the ICJ referred to the line determined by the 1900 Honduras- Nicaragua Mixed Boundary Commission and advised that some tripartite resolution among El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua likely would be required Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine; marijuana produced for local consumption; domestic drug abuse on the rise