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

The monument is not damaged except for a small piece from the lower rear that
was broken during its recovery. There are, however, what Porter (1989:24) refers to as
“cupping” depressions or circular ground holes with smaller, slightly deeper central
holes. Two of these are present on the El Marquesillo monument; one on the left side of
the personage’s loincloth, to the viewer’s right, and the second under the left tabletop
extension. Both are shallow, reaching a depth of perhaps 1.5 cm.
Depositional Details
The throne was buried with the face of the seated individual downward. The axis
plane created by the top of the throne was oriented approximately 15º to 18º west of
magnetic north. Based on observations of the stratigraphy made by Hernández during the
throne’s rescue project, it is hypothesized that the monument was lowered into its
depositional position by removing the supporting soil at the front of the monument and
allowing it to gradually slide from its original position and turn downward into a prepared
cavity. Prior to its interment, the hands were broken off, the facial and identifying
features removed, and the cupping or shallow circular hole was ground into the loincloth.
Once the throne had been lowered and turned, the cupping hole could have been ground
into the underside of the table top extension. This hole is visible in Figure 5.56 at the
center of the underside of the table-top extension. The throne was buried at a depth of
245 cm and covered with 30 to 50 cm of soil.
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