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

the earliest detectable occupation of the site, in the Early Formative pre-Olmec period (c.
1500-1150 BC), it became apparent that a number of sites contained the equivalent of
Ojochi, Chicharras, and Bajío phase ceramic material. According to regional surveys,
these settlements went on to become centers during what is termed the San Lorenzo
Olmec phase (Borstein 2001; Killion and Urcid 2001; Symonds 2000). These data
suggest a significant link between specific sites and the later development of the Olmec
phenomenon. Further documentation of sites that contain pre-Olmec and Olmec ceramics
needs to be assembled. Recording their spatial positions is an efficient and effective
method that would involve entering these data into a GIS where it could be layered and
queried across the Olmec Heartland and beyond as needed. The desirability of this type
of platform is the ability to include a complete diachronic placement of sites according to
type, size, chronology, ceramics, and any other trait or characteristics deemed significant.
Furthermore, this database would be expandable to include any new data recovered and
could begin with the earliest occupations along the Southern Gulf Lowlands, to Spanish
Contact, and even to contemporary habitation. Finally, the database could be made
available to any and all researchers via the internet, thereby expanding the investigation
and promoting focused collaborative efforts.
Concluding Remarks
Although a rewriting of Olmec political history may not yet be necessary, the
investigation of El Marquesillo has shown that the unexpected appearance of a single site
can have archaeological repercussions throughout the Southern Gulf Lowlands. The
formation of the theoretical Olmec paradigm commenced at the Hacienda de Hueyapan in
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