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

and the excavated pit is not known, but spatial analysis of their deposition may provide
some clues as to their general objective. A total of 10 ceramic vessels were recovered in
the three, apparently formal, offerings and are attributable to the Late Classic period. The
three offerings are diverse and distinctive in their content, and their individual interments
were precise in their location and arrangement. The location and possible meaning of
these offerings is discussed further in the following section.
The Olmec Throne Complex
This architectural complex is so named due to its proximity to the depositional
location of the monumental Olmec throne. At this time, no reliable evidence was
recovered that would indicate any Formative period occupation or activity occurred to the
south of the Olmec Throne Complex. A number of surface and subsurface architectural
features are present within this complex and suggest it was the site’s religious and
ceremonial center during the Formative period. Furthermore, the interpretation of the
ceramic evidence implies that this area remained a center of ritual or ceremonial
significance through the Classic period. The context of the architectural, artifact, and
natural features in this complex is described below. When the cumulative evidence is
considered, it appears that the El Marquesillo elite were involved in ideological
legitimation as it was practiced within the setting of the Olmec area of the Southern Gulf
Lowlands during the Formative period.
It has been recognized that specific architectural complexes within Mesoamerican
sites contained locations where monumental architecture served as a setting for
performance of ritualized ceremonies, rites to venerate ancestors, or reenactments of
259