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

plaza complex is also oriented to precisely this same alignment. As well, a line drawn
through the center of Structure 83 and the unique platform projection attached to the
northeast corner of Structure 79 corresponds exactly to this same directional alignment.
Therefore, at least three separate axes at El Marquesillo appear to conform accurately to
this orientation, and are attributed to Formative as well as Classic period constructions.
When this directional alignment is extended northward from El Marquesillo, its
path intersects the peak of Cerro el Vigía, which is clearly visible from El Marquesillo.
This “mountain massif” reaches an elevation of 850 m, covers an area of 4,500 km², and
at its base is the site of Tres Zapotes (Diehl 2004:181). Porphyritic basalt from Cerro el
Vigía was the primary source for monuments and groundstone implements at Tres
Zapotes (Pool 2003:1-2).
Alignment D
The medial north-to-south axis of the primary Villa Alta phase long-mound
complex intersects with the centerline of Structure 84 and the anomaly that lies below.
The direction of this axis is 2º east of magnetic north. A line drawn through the centers of
Structures 83 in Field 5 and 78 in Field 8 also corresponds to this same direction.
Therefore, again, there are multiple architectural alignments that mirror identical
directional patterns and they are assigned to Formative and Classic period constructions.
An extension of this directional alignment intersects the 1,650 m high peak of the
San Martín Tuxtla Volcano (see Figure 6.10). Multiple eruptions of this volcano have
been documented for the Archaic, Formative, Classic, and present eras (Chase 1981;
Moziño 1870; Reinhardt 1991; Santley et al. 2000) and would have been clearly visible
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