An Unexplored Realm in the Heartland of the Southern Gulf ... - Famsi

its termination line (Borstein 2001, 2005). Thus, this region has remained an
archaeological terra incognita.
Because the investigative focus has been largely concentrated on the border
regions to the north and east of the San Juan River, the accidental discovery of a carved
basalt Olmec throne at El Marquesillo was unanticipated, to say the least (see Morales
2002). Diehl (2004:191) considers the consequences that this find may have on Olmec
studies. To fully understand the implications of this monumental sculpture, a discussion
of Olmec thrones is in order.
Olmec Thrones in the Southern Gulf Lowlands
The settlement patterns, craft production, stone sculptures, and subsistence
systems at San Lorenzo during its primacy in the late Early Formative period (c. 1300-
900 BC) demonstrate a recurring orientation toward the overt demonstration of social
standing (Cyphers 1993; Stark 1993). Based on the documented archaeological evidence
it appears that within the San Lorenzo polity size mattered. For example, the San Lorenzo
Plateau was clearly a major central place, and at an estimated 690 hectares was by far the
largest Early Formative period site in Mesoamerica (Cyphers 2001; Symonds 2000).
A recent compellation of 159 pieces of monumental stone sculpture from the
environs of San Lorenzo (Cyphers 2004) illustrates that quantity and size were important
factors in delineating a locality’s level within the sociopolitical hierarchy. No other site
comes close to San Lorenzo’s 129 pieces. Loma del Zapote is a distant second with 15
pieces, and Estero Rabón has eight recovered pieces. The dominance in size, variety of
type, and quantity of each is clear (see Cyphers 2004:Figure 9).
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