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

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Of all of the monolithic “Olmec-style” sculptural forms, thrones are among the largest and most symbolically laden pieces known, and they are unique to the Southern Gulf Lowlands. Originally, Stirling (1943) had described these monuments as altars but insightful work by Grove (1973) demonstrated the pieces were more likely thrones of leaders; a seat of power. Grove (1999:267) further categorized these sculptures as tabletop thrones and sub-divided them into Type A, which depicts a solitary individual, and Type B, where the primary figure is holding a “baby.” The La Venta thrones (altars), include three Type A (La Venta Altars 3, 4, and 6) are two Type B (La Venta Altars 2 and 5). At San Lorenzo there is one Type A throne (Monument 14) and one Type B (Monument 20), but other modified carved stones indicate a number of other table top altars were subsequently reworked, divided, and recarved (Grove 1999:277). The monument from El Marquesillo is a Type A tabletop throne in Grove’s classification system, and shows no evidence of recarving or reworking for the purposes of reuse. The variety in size, shape, and iconographic content of Olmec thrones provides comparative factors for deducing the ranking of the throne and, in turn, the site in San Lorenzo’s realm in which it was recovered. Four thrones have been recovered at San Lorenzo, including Monument 14 that measures 1.83 m high x 3.48 m long x 1.52 m deep (Figure 3.18). Monument 20 is another throne measuring 1.67 m high x 2.25 m long x 1.5 m deep. It is possible that this piece in its original form would have rivaled Monument 14 in size, but later modifications have substantially reduced its proportions. Monument 60 (see: Brüggeman and Hers 1970) and Monument 18 are fragments of thrones whose original dimensions cannot be accurately assessed. 108
Figure 3.18. Illustration of San Lorenzo Monument 14. An Olmec tabletop throne with personage seated in niche (Diehl 2004:39) Monuments 53 and 17 from San Lorenzo are Olmec colossal heads that were recarved from thrones. On Monument 53, the remnants of a niche figure are clearly visible behind the head’s right ear (Porter 1989). As a throne, the piece would have measured 1.85 m high x 2.7 m wide x 1.35 m deep. Monument 17 contains the same evidence of a niche figure, in this case just in front of the head’s right ear and would have measured 1.26 m high x 1.67 m long x 1.67 m deep. Assuming the niche figure was centered on the throne, as in all other known examples, the actual throne length would have been longer by almost a third. The reduction was probably performed during the recarving of the piece. Only two other thrones, or throne segments, are known outside of San Lorenzo proper; Monument LZ-2 (Cyphers 2004:234-238), also known as Potrero Nuevo Monument 2, was originally said to come from Loma del Zapote (Coe and Diehl 109
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An Unexplored Realm in the Heartlan
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“Note to Reader” The original o
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Confederacy Model 39 Feudalistic Mo
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Elemental Analysis of the Soils fro
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The Initial Occupation of El Marque
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List of Tables Table 5.1. Ceramic C
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Figure 3.14. Plan view of the Olmec
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Figure 5.7. Site map illustrating l
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Figure 5.53. El Marquesillo throne
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the resulting data do not fit many
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Furtherance of my academic career w
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Introduction Chapter 1. Archaeology
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esearch being conducted along the S
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its introduction to Mesoamerican ar
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participants. It is especially crit
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interpretations. Finally, I compare
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analogy (Diehl 1989:25; VanDerwarke
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change, fluctuates according to “
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embedded misconceptions about these
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The “Heartland” has been deline
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than a century after their occurren
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inference as opposed to evidence. T
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Sanders and Webster (1988:544) argu
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Park (1992:90) presents the Olmec a
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lowland subsistence economy until a
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Maya are lineal descendents of the
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continued to inhibit scientific inq
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describes this attempted conformanc
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The models used for evaluation of t
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number of archaeological correlates
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Confederacy Model Pool (2000:150;20
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Limitations and Cautions in the Use
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Lorenzo is considered the earliest
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Several lines of evidence suggest a
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turn, gave budding Olmec leaders co
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apid growth of settlements and thei
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techniques (Berger et al. 1967; Hei
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appear to characterize it as a “c
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iconographic detail, and appear to
Page 79 and 80: Formative period Southern Gulf Lowl
Page 81 and 82: Medellín-Zeníl (1960) found large
Page 83 and 84: de Agua, and the famous, iconograph
Page 85 and 86: egarding subsistence, settlement, p
Page 87 and 88: Introduction Chapter 3. El Marquesi
Page 89 and 90: 300-900). Historical documentation
Page 91 and 92: The features of the San Juan are ch
Page 93 and 94: Figure 3.4. Aerial photograph of El
Page 95 and 96: At each of these three points of co
Page 97 and 98: El Marquesillo’s geographic locat
Page 99 and 100: of the location for more than 3,500
Page 101 and 102: The extensive Villa Alta architectu
Page 103 and 104: of constructions. This formal archi
Page 105 and 106: To achieve and maintain this elevat
Page 107 and 108: Figure 3.11. Map of the Southern Gu
Page 109 and 110: Teotihuacán and Aztec trade routes
Page 111 and 112: land was not in the form of gold an
Page 113 and 114: Huaspaltepec (Playa Vicente), betwe
Page 115 and 116: as listed in these records, include
Page 117 and 118: community members had to work the l
Page 119 and 120: The 1944 flood was a momentous even
Page 121 and 122: of ancient structures, including Ce
Page 123 and 124: to recover as much information as p
Page 125 and 126: Figure 3.17. Photograph of El Seño
Page 127 and 128: collection along the cut bank was a
Page 129: its termination line (Borstein 2001
Page 133 and 134: is seated transitionally between th
Page 135 and 136: Introduction Chapter 4. El Marquesi
Page 137 and 138: Grove 1997; Tolstoy 1989). Landscap
Page 139 and 140: Determination of the Survey Area Th
Page 141 and 142: Surface Mapping and Terrain Modelin
Page 143 and 144: Global Positioning System (GPS) Map
Page 145 and 146: Figure 4.4. Map of El Marquesillo g
Page 147 and 148: have the potential to record points
Page 149 and 150: The topographic images and terrain
Page 151 and 152: Figure 4.8. Digital Terrain Model o
Page 153 and 154: Figure 4.11. View to the east of lo
Page 155 and 156: The western third of the platform h
Page 157 and 158: Figure 4.15. Elevated view of Field
Page 159 and 160: Figure 4.17. Topographic map of El
Page 161 and 162: Figure 4.19. Northwest view of spri
Page 163 and 164: Information Systems (GIS) approach
Page 165 and 166: Figure 4.21. Illustration of docume
Page 167 and 168: Magnetic Properties of Basalt The m
Page 169 and 170: Magnetic Data Collection, Condition
Page 171 and 172: The magnetometer was set to the bas
Page 173 and 174: Figure 4.23. Topographical base map
Page 175 and 176: of basalt, but instead, a body of s
Page 177 and 178: Figure 4.25. Topographic contour ma
Page 179 and 180: mercuric sulfide in the soil. There
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Coyote, Honduras (Terry et al. 2000
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intersection on the numbered rows a
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The results were reported in parts
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Figure 4.28b. Box plot summaries of
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Elemental Analysis of the Soils fro
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Summary of the Soil Analyses When t
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Figure 4.31a. Potassium distributio
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estriction prohibiting further exca
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The average depth of any observed a
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Figure 5.7. Site map illustrating l
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Figure 5.8. River cut profile 1A Le
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Figure 5.9. River cut profile 1B in
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Figure 5.10. River cut profile 2A L
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Figure 5.11. River cut profile 6B o
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Formative to Protoclassic ceramics
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fabrication methods, technologies,
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some of the Formative period wares
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The San Lorenzo Olmec Period (c. 11
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Figure 5.19. Examples of Middle For
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The Late Classic Period (c. AD 550-
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English annular ware (c. AD 1785-18
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Ceramic Collection Areas The identi
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Figure 5.26. Distribution of cerami
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Formative period accounted for 785
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The survey was conducted along the
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Figure 5.29. Diagram of Olmec thron
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Figure 5.30. Map illustrating the l
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Late Formative (263), Protoclassic
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demonstrates an analogous situation
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Offering I Figure 5.32. Locations o
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Figure 5.34. Offering I is at the c
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Figure 5.36. Two reconstructed plat
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crescent with its concave and conve
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The two figurine types are common t
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vessels that were deposited into a
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Figure 5.45. Two of three similar s
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Obsidian and Lithic Analyses The Ob
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Throne Units Test Units Offerings I
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inhabitants from other sites, or in
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Figure 5.50. Examples of stones tho
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Figure 5.51. El Marquesillo throne
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accomplished through violent blows
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Figure 5.56. Close-up of the figure
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Figure 5.58. Illustration of magnet
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Modifications to this pattern occur
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class occurred only in the presence
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appearance of ceramics occurred dur
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series of interrelated residential,
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The Early Formative period appearan
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Evidence of these constructions is
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and the excavated pit is not known,
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For the Gulf Olmec, monumental exhi
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precisely. This method would also m
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An earlier discussion suggested sty
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approximately 100 cm to 120 cm belo
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Nevertheless, the structural design
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discussion about the antiquity of t
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6.3). At La Venta equivalent basalt
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shamanistic ritual and rulership (F
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elevation provides an excellent ove
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further support to the idea that El
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Also contributing to the ceramic pr
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Another possible basalt deposition
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off is dramatic to say the least. T
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direction, a series of hills approx
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Finally, the selection and investig
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a metaphor for the movements of the
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plaza complex is also oriented to p
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the traditional communal ideology.
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where new diagnostic ceramic types
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Understanding of the early Postclas
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ceramics probably arrived at the en
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investigation before the direction
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Marquesillo, past and present. Fitt
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Through the integration of a sequen
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experienced an upward trend in popu
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prehispanic occupation would have b
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Assmann (2006) argues that prehisto
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1997:288). These changes in residen
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structures that could provide long-
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Analysis of these three components
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Early architectural units, specific
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activities and that these activitie
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political structure. Was it an inde
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subordinate to a nearby primary cen
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Explanation of Spatial Organization
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conjunction with other forms of arc
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Mesoamerican worldviews (Vogt 1981:
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Expanding the Boundaries and a Look
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to illustrate their power and wealt
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emains is striking. This disproport
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the earliest detectable occupation
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and Uxpanapa River Basins, I wonder
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Arnaiz-Villena, A., G. Vargas-Alarc
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Bassie, K. 2006 The Fire and Water
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Blake, M. and J. E. Clark 1999 The
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Butler, R. F. 1992 Paleomagnetism:
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2001 Gulf Lowlands: South Region. I
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Coe, M. D., D. Snow and E. Benson 1
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2003 Laguna de los Cerros: Una Capi
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2003 Analysis of Formative Period O
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Elachi, C. 1987 Introduction to the
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Foster, G. M. 1940 Notes on the Pop
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2001 La Venta, Tabasco, Mexico. In
Page 389 and 390:
Halbwachs, M. 1992 On Collective Me
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Hester, T. R., H. J. Shafer and K.
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Johnston, K. J. and N. Gonlin 1998
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Kruger, R. P. 1996 An Archaeologica
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Madry, S. L. H. 1987 A Multiscalar
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Middleton, W. D. 2004 Identifying C
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Ortíz, P. 1975 La Ceramica de los
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Plog, S. 1990 Agriculture, Sedentis
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Rapoport, A. 1990 History and Prece
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Rueda, H. G. 1989 Nuevas Exploracio
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Santley, R. S., S. A. Nelson, B. K.
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1989 Olmec Studies: A Status Report
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Stark, B. L. and P. J. Arnold 1997
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Tarling, D. H. 1983 Geomagnetism. C
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Tykot, R. H. 2004 Stable Isotopes a
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Wallerstein, I. 1974 The Modern Wor
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2003 The Role of Kinship and Demogr
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Appendix 1a. Ceramic Analysis: Type
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Appendix 1b. Ceramic Analysis: Type
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Appendix 2. Ceramic Types and Count
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Appendix 2 Ceramic Types and Counts
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Appendix 3a. Obsidian from Test Uni
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Appendix 3b. Obsidian from Throne E
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Appendix 4a. Lithics from Surface C
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Appendix 4b. Lithics from River Cut
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Appendix 5a. Soil Survey I Element
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Appendix 5a. Soil Survey I Element
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Appendix 5b. Soil Survey II Element
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Appendix 5b. Soil Survey II Element
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About the Author Travis F. Doering
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An Unexplored Realm in the Heartland of the Southern Gulf ... - Famsi

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