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

The Early Formative period appearance of obsidian prismatic blades may also be
an indicator of elite areas. At San Lorenzo, Coe and Diehl (1980:258-259, 391) and
Cobean et al. (1971) demonstrated that obsidian importation and tool production were
associated with the elite. Clark and associates (1987; Clark and Blake 1994; Clark and
Lee 1984; Clark et al. 1989) have argued that prismatic blades and their requisite
technologies were initially tied to elites and their sociopolitical and economic activities.
Over the course of my field work at El Marquesillo, I noted that this specific area
contained more obsidian blades and flakes, both on the surface and in situ in the river cut
bank, than anywhere else at the site. In December, 2005, a collapse along the northern
edge of the Field 6 river cut exposed significant portions of this area and revealed new
evidence. Obsidian prismatic blades were found in direct association with Limon Incised
and Calzadas Carved ceramics. At this point, it cannot be definitively concluded that
blades were present during the earlier pre-Olmec phases, but it is possible. Thus, the
presence of prismatic blades at this early date in El Marquesillo suggests elite occupation.
When compared to other areas of the site and considering later intra-site developments,
the argument is maintained that this was the elite residential center of El Marquesillo
during the Formative period. The sources of the obsidian material also demonstrate that,
although El Marquesillo participated in acquisition networks to obtain long-distance
commodities, its operation and import practices differed from other contemporary sites.
This differentiation of obsidian sources at El Marquesillo suggests a level of
sociopolitical and economic autonomy.
Architectural features are also present in this zone. River cut Profiles 6B and 7A
demonstrate a series of Formative period construction events. Formations depicted in
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