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

subordinate to a nearby primary center to which it owed allegiance or tribute (Taschek
and Ball 2003:388). The residents were considered a self-sufficient corporate group that
may have consisted of multiple nuclear units of a single extended family, lineage, or
house that controlled the center. In such an arrangement, architecture is modest and
without the spatial organization of major centers. In other words, large, directionally
oriented plazas and flanking civic-ceremonial structures are not present. Elite, exotic, or
monumental items are minimal anywhere in the site. Craft production consists solely of
utilitarian items and is generally conducted under a centralized administration.
Although data from El Marquesillo could correspond to various components (i.e.,
residential core, possible presence of lineage or factional leadership, and apparent self-
sufficiency), a number of other factors of the feudalistic model are not supported. For
example, El Marquesillo contains significant ceremonial and public architecture and
monumental objects with ritual associations. Alignments of architectural features appear
to have specific directionality. Finally, at this time, the evidence does not suggest
subordination to a nearby primary center.
The central place model is formulated around a nexus that serves as a
redistribution center of goods and services for the surrounding area (Bove 1978; Hirth
1978). Central places may be primary or secondary centers that perform administrative
and managerial functions such as resource acquisition and allocation, production and
storage (Symonds et al. 2002). Central places consist of highly nucleated site cores and
have larger occupation areas and greater populations than outlying sites. At the core of
the center are monuments, major constructed features, and elite residences. Specialized
activity and craft area are situated on integrative facilities such as plazas or ballcourts.
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