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

conjunction with other forms of archaeological or ethnohistoric evidence, the use of this
model can “provide a whole new line of evidence in circumstances where knowledge of
cultural processes is limited” (Evans 2003:199). Therefore, El Marquesillo presents a
good test case.
As a prelude to her development of the capital zone model, Stark (1978)
examined 16 th century ethnohistoric data from the lower Papaloapan Basin. These data
were used to develop a model of economic diversification and settlement location. The
San Juan River empties into the Papaloapan less than 18 km from the Gulf. Therefore,
other than the coastal and estuarine zones of the Papaloapan, the ecological and
environmental conditions are comparable. Moreover, based on repetitive or continual
occupations of numerous sites in the San Juan region as well as those adjacent to the east
and west, her predictive locational model would appear to be justifiable for not only the
Postclassic but earlier periods as well.
Borstein (2001:229) summarizes a set of archaeologically testable predictions
based on Stark’s findings that literally describe El Marquesillo. He states that the largest
regional centers should be found at the boundary of contrasting environmental zones (i.e.,
ecotones) where ecological diversification allows a variety of subsistence strategies to be
employed. He adds that these centers are expected to be located along waterway
communication routes, specifically at “key nodes in the fluvial system…such as
confluences or bends in rivers.” These locations would: 1) permit strategic control of
trade; 2) minimize trade and transport costs; and 3) provide potable water, aquatic
resources, and floodplain farming (Stark 1978:223-227). Finally, Borstein (2001:229)
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