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

inference as opposed to evidence. To demonstrate the instability of some social theory as
it relates to the Olmec paradigm, the review begins with an examination of the
hypotheses of social complexity that are based on the institution of agriculture.
Generalized Development of Social Complexity
Trigger (1989:400) points out that evidence from San Lorenzo contradicts the
commonly held assumption that the emergence of social complexity occurred only in dry,
arid regions and required substantial irrigation programs. Earle (1987:286-287, 295, 298;
Johnson and Earle 2000:265) views the Olmec as a complex chiefdom and the
Mesoamerican civilization upon which later regional developments were based. He refers
to numerous lines of evidence to support both statements: examples include the
settlement patterns of independent centers containing planned mounded complexes,
monumental art, and elite residences that imply central control. He believes that evidence
of economic administration can be seen in the organization of labor and craft
specialization, long distance trade, and the elite ownership of fertile productive
agricultural lands. The scale and duration of labor-intensive projects demonstrate a long-
term continuity of central organization associated with chiefdom level complexity. Earle
(1991b) also recognizes that the emphasis on religious or sacred power held by the
central authority may characterize the Olmec as a “theocratic state.”
Bingham (1999:159) claims that advancements in weapon technology (i.e., bow
and arrow or atlatl) were responsible to a significant degree in the development of
sedentary communities and emergence of social complexity. He asserts that the
appearance of this technology in the archaeological record of the San Lorenzo Olmec
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