The chonology of Pacific Nicaragua conforms to that of the Greater Nicoya region, although far more attentiion has been paid to Costa Rica due to the more extensive range of archaeological projects conducted in the south. A ceramic conference in the early 1990s resulted in a revised ceramic sequence and chronology:
[image courtesy of Larry Steinbrenner]
Based on the diagnostic ceramics recovered by Willey and Norweb (Healy 1980) and Niemel (2003), and in our initial season of fieldwork. Santa Isabel was identified with an occupation spanning the Sapoa and Ometepe periods (AD 900-1520).
Favorable preservation conditions allowed the project to collect numerous samples of carbonized wood for radiocarbon dating, and seventeen samples have been processed by Beta Analytic in Florida (McCafferty and Steinbrenner 2005; McCafferty, Steinbrenner and Fernandez 2006). This represents the largest corpus of dated materials from any site in the Greater Nicoya region. The results were surprising, and contradict the expected site chronology. The majority of samples dated between 1000-1250 CE (calibrated), while samples from the deepest levels dated to about 900 CE.
Table 1. Radiocarbon dates from Santa Isabel (RI-44), 2000-2005 field seasons.
Sample # Unit Level Conventional 1-Sigma Range 2-Sigma Range
LOCUS 1
Beta-196654 N20E30 9 920±50 BP AD1030-1180 AD 1010-1230
Beta-196655 N21E8 3 870±60 BP AD 1050-1100 AD 1020-1270
Beta-196656 N30E10 10 980±50 BP AD 1010-1050 AD 980-1180
Beta-217127 N21E13 F20 1010+40 BP AD 1000-1030 AD 980-1050
Beta 217128 N21E13 12 1090+60 BP AD 890-1010 AD 790-1030
Beta 217129 N21E13 7 860+70 BP AD 1050-1100 AD 1020-1280
Beta 217130 N21E16 F18 1180+70 BP AD 770-960 AD 680-1000
LOCUS 2
Beta-196657 S10E50 4 900±60 BP AD 1030-1210 AD 1010-1260
Beta-196658 S60E41 4 820±50 BP AD 1180-1270 AD 1060-1080
Beta-196659 S63E51.5 7 970±60 BP AD 1010-1160 AD 980-1200
Beta-196660 S62E52 F43 1010±70 BP AD 980-1040 AD 890-1180
Beta-196661 S70E65 9 930±60 BP AD 1020-1180 AD 1000-1240
Beta-196662 S72E60 4 940±80 BP AD 1010-1190 AD 970-1260
Beta-196663 S73E61 6 990±60 BP AD 1000-1050 AD 960-1180
Beta-196664 S73E68 7 860±60 BP AD 1060-1080 AD 1030-1280
LOCUS 4
Beta-196665 S82W121 F3 1020±70 BP AD 980-1040 AD 890-1180
LOCUS 7
Beta 217131 N142W123 F2 910+50 BP AD 1030-1190 AD 1020-1240
These dates were integrated with other dates from Greater Nicoya pertaining to the "Postclassic" period (when Mesoamerican migrants were important in the region). The implication is that nearly all of the dates relate to the Sapoa period, and there are almost no dates for the later Ometepe period.
Table prepared by Larry Steinbrenner
Based on these dates, it is likely that Santa Isabel was only occupied during the Sapoa period, with occupation about 900 AD and abandonment by about 1250 AD. Based on this chronology, Santa isabel was not occupied at the time of Spanish contact, and so was not the town where Gil Gonzalez encountered Chief Nicaragua. Furthermore, these dates are too early in terms of current interpretations of Nicarao ethnicity, and would be more in line with an occupation by Chorotega groups. Actual ethnic identity remains the subject of ongong investigations.