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

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
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