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

class occurred only in the presence and with the cooperation of a community of labor and
support groups (Earle 1989; Gilman 2001; Widmer 2003). Of concern here is the critical
balance between the competitive needs of an emerging leadership to demonstrate its
influence and stability and a growing population whose fundamental requirements must
be met if they were to remain within the community (Price 1977). At least initially, it
would appear that this equilibrium required compromise and collaboration by both
segments if either was to prosper. Clark and Blake (1994:19) maintain that the
competitive and cooperative issues are interrelated, “To compete effectively, [elites]
require the cooperation and support of indebted clients.” They add that elite competition
“is undertaken to maintain and enlarge this cooperative unit.”
To launch and maintain a successful sedentary community during the pre-Olmec
period (c. 1500-1150 BC), and for that community to expand significantly during the San
Lorenzo phase (c. 1150-900 BC) would require the attraction of outsiders. Thus,
“recruitment and retention of migrants must therefore have been a central concern among
the leadership of these emerging polities” (Ringle 1993:189-190). Stability of the
environmental landscape to continually produce sufficient levels of foods, goods, and
services were also necessary. The fact that this community succeeded and endured while
San Lorenzo and La Venta rose and fell suggests that, at El Marquesillo, these needs
were successfully met.
The Initial Occupation of El Marquesillo (c. 1500-1150 BC)
For centuries, it appears that the initial occupation of El Marquesillo was confined
to a small restricted area that, today, is located along the river cut bank in the northern
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