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

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1980a:366-368) (Figure 3.19). It differs from the other known thrones not only in size, but in style, form, and iconographic content. This piece is 94 cm high x 1.29 m long x 64 cm deep, literally half the size of the San Lorenzo thrones. There is no central niche personage, instead two dwarf-like figures support the upper tabletop portion of the throne. Monument ER-8 from Estero Rabón (Cyphers 2004:273) is extrapolated to be almost identical in size to the LZ-2 throne. Only the upper, tabletop portion remains, but its dimensions (1.3 m long, 75 cm deep, and 25 cm high) mirror the equivalent portion on the LZ-2 monument. As well, the style, form, and carved symbols are the same as those on the Loma del Zapote throne. Cyphers (2004:273) contends that Loma del Zapote and Estero Rabón were both secondary support centers that controlled areas of important river junctures, and the size and content of the thrones are indicative of their status within the sociopolitical hierarchy of the region. The iconographic and symbolic content of these thrones is noteworthy. According to Gillespie (1994), the throne itself is a representation of the earth. The tabletop variety include a niche, which is interpreted as a cave opening into the earth where an individual Figure 3.19. Illustration of Potrero Nuevo Monument 2 (Diehl 2004:35). 110
is seated transitionally between the spiritual underworld and the natural world (Reilly 1991, 1995, 1999; Taube 2004). This location places the individual in a seat of supernatural power. Grove (1973:135) asserts that these stone carvings are, in fact, thrones of Olmec chiefs that confirm the owner’s divine right to rulership. Gillespie (1994:224) adds that these altars were markers of ancestral sacredness, “material symbols of high-status, kin-based corporate groups whose wealth and rank were associated with the ritual maintenance of ties to suprahuman ancestors.” The presence of this type of altar at El Marquesillo is suggestive of a highly complex society, elevated settlement status, and participation in the Gulf Coast Olmec hierarchal politico-religious system. The depositional position of the altar and associated offerings appear to indicate that the inhabitants of the site participated in ritual practices similar to those depicted at San Lorenzo and La Venta (Coe and Diehl 1980; Drucker et al. 1957). The Marquesillo altar, its ritualistic deposition, and the accompanying offerings are indicative of Gulf Coast Formative period ideological and political concerns (Drucker 1952a; Grove 1999). The discovery of this artifact at El Marquesillo was unexpected, but perhaps it should not be surprising when the site’s geographic location on the landscape is considered. Due to El Marquesillo’s physical position, it could provide strategic socioeconomic advantages as a nexus for exchange and communication throughout the region. The significance of the throne at El Marquesillo as well as the evidence recovered in conjunction with its rescue operation demonstrates that the inhabitants of this undocumented site played a role in the Formative period development of the Southern Gulf Lowlands. To better understand El Marquesillo’s sociopolitical position and 111
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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
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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 and 130: its termination line (Borstein 2001
Page 131: Figure 3.18. Illustration of San Lo
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
Page 181 and 182: 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
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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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