Implications of new petrographic analysis for the Olmec “mother culture” model

Flannery, Kent V.; Balkansky, Andrew K.; Feinman, Gary M.; Grove, David C.; Marcus, Joyce; Redmond, Elsa M.; Reynolds, Robert G.; Sharer, Robert J.; Spencer, Charles S.; Yaeger, Jason

doi:10.1073/pnas.0505116102

Cited by 48 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 13 publications

(7 reference statements)

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“…Earlier (Ocotillo phase) serving vessels share a different set of features with other Mesoamerican communities. The serving of cacao beverages at Puerto Escondido, in vessels that reflect participation in far-flung networks of interaction, strongly suggests that the later crystallization and spread of an Olmec style did not involve a wave of one-way cultural influence emanating from the Gulf Coast region (16)(17)(18)(19).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical and archaeological evidence for the earliest cacao beverages

Henderson

Joyce

Hall

et al. 2007

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

166

114

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Chemical analyses of residues extracted from pottery vessels from Puerto Escondido in what is now Honduras show that cacao beverages were being made there before 1000 B.C., extending the confirmed use of cacao back at least 500 years. The famous chocolate beverage served on special occasions in later times in Mesoamerica, especially by elites, was made from cacao seeds. The earliest cacao beverages consumed at Puerto Escondido were likely produced by fermenting the sweet pulp surrounding the seeds.archaeology ͉ chemistry ͉ Honduras ͉ Mesoamerica

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical and archaeological evidence for the earliest cacao beverages

Henderson

Joyce

Hall

et al. 2007

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

166

114

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The study demonstrated that each area produced pottery with Early Horizon motifs locally and imported some white and some carved gray ware pottery from the San Lorenzo area. More controversially, the authors found no evidence for exchange of these ceramic types to San Lorenzo or between other regions, conclusions that are contradicted by petrographic analysis (see also Flannery et al, 2005;Stoltman et al, 2005). Although Blomster et al's study supports a significant role for San Lorenzo in the interregional exchange of pottery with Early Horizon motifs, additional sampling and analysis is needed to assess the degree to which other regions may have exchanged such pottery among themselves.…”

Section: Pottery Production and Exchangementioning

confidence: 84%

Current Research on the Gulf Coast of Mexico

Pool

2006

J Archaeol Res

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The Gulf Coast of Mesoamerica is a culturally and environmentally heterogeneous area that encompasses the lowlands along the Gulf of Mexico as well as rugged inland highlands. Blessed with a wealth of valued resources and a favorable geographical setting, the pre-Hispanic Gulf Coast played a critical role as a cultural and economic crossroads, and its cultures contributed vital elements to other Mesoamerican traditions. Gulf Coast archaeology currently is experiencing the most active period in its history. This recent research underscores the diversity and dynamism of the area's cultures and environment. An enormous expansion of settlement pattern studies reveals considerable diversity in sociopolitical organization, urbanism, and human-land relationships. A second important trend focuses on documenting and understanding variation in craft production and exchange systems. A third is the continuing emphasis on interregional interaction through all time periods. These three foci merge in a growing interest in variation and change in Gulf Coast political economies. Future research will need to incorporate theoretical perspectives that focus on the generation of cultural variation, including agency-based models of technological choice and political economy, as well as those, like Darwinian approaches, that emphasize the differential persistence of variation.

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“…Neff and Glascock (2002) produced similar results while Kennett et al (2004) note that import of San Lorenzo ceramics to the Pacific Coast began by at least the Cherla phase. Stoltman et al (2005) and Flannery et al (2005) have criticized the results of the Blomster et al study, which have in turn been defended by Neff et al (2006c) and critiqued anew by Sharer et al (2006).…”

Section: Recent Research On the Archaic Periodmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…The relationship between the Pacific Coast and the Gulf Coast during the Cherla to Jocotal periods is a subject of intense debate that is part of a wider discussion about the relationship of early complex societies throughout Mesoamerica (Blomster et al 2005;Clark 1997;Clark and Pye 2000;Demarest 1989;Diehl and Coe 1995;Flannery and Marcus 2000;Flannery et al 2005;Love 1991Love , 2002c. Often described as a division between the ''mother culture'' and the ''sister culture'' hypotheses, the discussion is actually much more fragmented, and many models are compatible with the available data.…”

Section: Recent Research On the Archaic Periodmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Research in the Southern Highlands and Pacific Coast of Mesoamerica

Løve

2007

J Archaeol Res

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Recent research on the southern highlands and Pacific Coast of Mesoamerica has investigated topics of interest to all archaeologaists. Although best known for studies on the development of early social complexity, research in the region also has addressed hunter/gatherer subsistence patterns, early sedentism, the origins of food production, the development of the state, migration, the construction of social identity, political economy, and the collapse of complex societies. Research has accelerated in the past ten years, fueled by efforts of scholars from a number of disciplines. Recent paleo-ecological studies have provided much needed data for understanding human social action against the backdrop of the natural environment, while the region also has been the scene for testing numerous innovative theories of social change. Studies of identity and its manifestation in material culture have been especially productive.

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Implications of new petrographic analysis for the Olmec “mother culture” model

Abstract: ancient Mexico ͉ ethnographic models ͉ reciprocal exchange

Cited by 48 publications

References 13 publications

Chemical and archaeological evidence for the earliest cacao beverages

Chemical and archaeological evidence for the earliest cacao beverages

Current Research on the Gulf Coast of Mexico

Recent Research in the Southern Highlands and Pacific Coast of Mesoamerica

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