Monagrillo (archaeological site)

Monagrillo (also known as He-5) is an archaeological site in south-central Panama with ceramics that have been shown by radiocarbon dating to have an occupation range of about 2500 BC—1200 BC. The site is important because it provides the earliest example of ceramics in Central America along with one of the earliest examples of maize agriculture in the region. The site lies along Panama's most fruitful seacoast. and reached a maximum living area of 1.4 ha

The site lies along or very near the modern shoreline of Parita Bay, on the Pacific side of Panama near the base of the Azuero Peninsula. It is 5 km northeast of Chitre, the capital of Herrera province. It sits 1.5 km south of the Parita River on a strip of land that juts into what is today a salt flat.

The shallow, silt-filled Parita Bay is forms the northwest corner of the Gulf of Panama. Large populations of mollusks, crustaceans, and fish thrive in the bay’s modern mud flats and have done so for the past 7000 years, according to archaeological evidence.Mangroves line the shore which is backed by low-lying swamps, marshes, and salt flats. Plains then encircle much of this low area and extend inland 20 to 30 km. Major river systems with wide floodplains cut through the plains and discharge into the bay.

Nearby archaeological sites include Cerro Mangote, Cueva de los Ladrones, Aguadulce Shelter, Zapotal, and Sarigual.

Monagrillo measures 210 m by 85 m and “consists of two low, parallel ridges separated by a central trough." The ridges contain archaeological deposits averaging 2 m in height along the main axis.

Matthew W. Stirling discovered and tested the site in 1948, and Gordon R. Willey and Charles R. McGimsey followed with major excavations in 1952. Approximately 435 sq m were excavated during the 1948 and 1952 field seasons. In 1975, Anthony J. Ranere excavated a 1 m by 2 m cut from the site’s south ridge and a 2 m by 2 m cut from the north ridge.

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