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

Both the emergence and decline of La Venta as a major Middle Formative period
center are associated with changes in the surrounding river systems. Between 1000 and
900 cal BC, elevated river levees and sandy point bars were created by the fluvial action.
Population densities reached their peak between 800 and 600 BC, a period when La
Venta was surrounded by closely spaced riverside hamlets (von Nagy et al. 2001:3).
Around 500 BC, the intrusion of the Grijalva River system affected the course of the Río
Barí and affected the development of the Mezcalapa Delta (Jiménez-Salas 1990). These
natural events coincided with the significant decline in occupation at the riverine sites
and, by 400 BC, the La Venta center and other sites in the adjacent river systems were
essentially abandoned (González-Lauck 1996b:75; von Nagy 1999:13).
More intensive investigation of the dense riverine settlement surrounding La
Venta indicated that a hierarchal support system was in place. Among secondary sites,
differences in architectural remains, imported objects, ceramic assemblages, and
subsistence items have been recorded, suggesting a clear differentiation of status in the
sociopolitical hierarchy (Pope et al. 2001; Raab et al. 1995; Rust and Sharer 1988; Stokes
1999; von Nagy et al. 2001).
Complexes A and C in the archaeological zone of La Venta are the primary
source for information pertaining to Middle Formative period life on the Southern Gulf
Coast (González-Lauck 2001:799) (Figure 2.2). The Olmec occupation of La Venta is
believed to have ranged from around 1200 to 400 BC (González-Lauck 1996b:73), when
the site core reached an areal extent of 5 km². A number of characteristics differentiated
La Venta from other Olmec sites. Architecturally, La Venta was unique. The site was laid
out on a cardinal axis (8º west of magnetic north) and contained multiple elevations that
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