157:“In Formative period Mesoamerica, high-status goods were significant components of cultural practice and a source of social, political, and ideological power.” Seinfeld (2007) asserts that “early complex societies often used feasting as a way for individuals to gain followers and to assert their status” and that this occurred at San Andres. This study is particularly interesting because the researchers used sound and updated methods to determine social facts concerning feasting at a site where little is conclusively known about social structures. Maize and cacao were detected due to their distinctive biomarkers including C4 signature plant carbon for maize and nitrogen containing organic compounds for cacao. “Discoveries include patterns of maize use suggestive of its use as an elite feasting food and beverage rather than as a dietary staple. Further results suggest possible evidence of Olmec cacao use.” During the Middle Formative period
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both a calendar date and, in keeping with
Mesoamerican custom, the name of an Olmec ruler. In addition to the ceramic cylinder seal, two fingernail-sized fragments from a greenstone plaque have been recovered, each containing an incised glyph. Both these glyphs have been linked to well-documented glyphs in other Mesoamerican writing systems, including the Isthmian and Maya scripts.
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events much in the same fashion as La Venta
Offering 4.” Other elite-religious-status denoting objects (greenstone artifacts, jewelry, maskettes, iron-ore mirrors, etc.) were found at San Andres. “A contextual comparison suggests that, like the La Venta prestige artifacts, the San Andrés sumptuary items were significant components of ceremonial activity.”
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Excavations at San Andrés in 1997 and 1998 produced three artifacts that many archaeologists contend demonstrate that the Olmec civilization used a true writing system. These artifacts, dated roughly to 650 BCE (the middle of the Olmec concentration at La Venta and San Andres), were found in a refuse
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Pohl (2005) and her colleagues found plenty of evidence to suggest that miniature representations of everyday objects were used ritualistically. “These miniatures may have been crafted with the express purpose of composing didactic or ritual reenactments of crucial mythic or conventionalized historic
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emanating from a bird, followed directly by a number of design elements enframing what has been interpreted as logograms for “king (sideways U shape),” "3 (three dots, according to the
Mesoamerican bar and dots numbering system),” and “Ajaw (from the sacred 260-day calendar)", a designation used for
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The first evidence of Olmec occupation has been dated to 1350 BCE, an occupation that lasted some 150 years (until 1200 BCE), with an ensuing hiatus lasting until roughly 900 BCE. Continuously occupied over the following 550 years, San Andrés was finally abandoned some time before 350 BCE. This date
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in the
Grijalva river delta section of the Tabasco Coastal Plain, San Andrés is considered one of its elite satellite communities, with evidence of elite residences and other elite activities. Several important archaeological finds have been made at San Andrés, including the oldest evidence of the
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allowed the elite to demonstrate their power and enhance their status and identity, as the consumption of alcohol had ritualistic and spiritual meaning among the elites. Cocoa, maize-alcohol, and “elite-foods” gave these gatherings special significance and provides definite proof that there was an
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Mary Pohl, funded by The
Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc. (FAMSI), has been a crucial part of conducting ceramic analysis and collecting evidence of feasting vessels and early Olmec writing on greenstone plaques and ceramic roller stamps.
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San Andrés is notable for the ancient pollen and seeds recovered there. Although the humid rainy tropical lowlands have made quick work of organic substances, including Olmec skeletal remains, the multi-disciplinary research team delved below the
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dump, the remains from a festival or feast. “The fact that the artifacts with glyphs were found in the context of feasting refuse suggest that writing among the Olmec was sacred and was closely tied to ritual activities.”
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recovered at San Andrés, with fine photos. Books and articles focus on the more artistic and complete figurines, while this collection details the entire range of figurines (or more precisely figurine fragments).
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von Nagy; Christopher L. (2003). "Of
Meandering Rivers and Shifting Towns: Landscape Evolution and Community within the Grijalva Delta, Tabasco, Mexico" (Document). New Orleans: Dept. of Anthropology,
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pollen grain dated to roughly 4600 BCE. Since manioc pollen is rare in sediments, its discovery was either "fortuitous, or abundant stands of manioc were growing close to the site".
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148:) pollen from roughly 2500 BCE. The researchers suggest that this cotton was domesticated, although wild cotton does occur naturally along the Gulf Coast to the east.
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A domesticated sunflower seed and fruit dated to roughly 2650 BCE and 2550 BCE respectively. This is the earliest record yet of the domesticated sunflower.
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Later evidence of human habitation includes pollen dated to 4600 BCE, seeds from 2600 BCE, and evidence of maize cultivation from 2000 BCE.
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was further inland and San Andrés was the site of beach ridges and barrier lagoons, features that are today some 15 km to the north.
287:"The cultural and chronological context of early Holocene maize and squash domestication in the Central Balsas River Valley, Mexico"
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The most important find was a fist-sized ceramic cylinder seal, likely used to print cloth. When rolled out, the seal shows two
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Seinfeld, Daniel (2007). "Molecular
Archaeology Investigations of Olmec Feasting in Ceramics from San Andres, Tabasco Mexico".
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193:. The top set of glyphs have been interpreted as "3 Ajaw". The bottom two glyphs were found incised into semi-precious
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638:"Gender, Context, and Figurine Use: Ceramic Images from the Formative Period San Andres Site, Tabasco, Mexico"
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Pope, Kevin; Mary E.D. Pohl, John G. Jones, David L. Lentz, Christopher von Nagy, Francisco J. Vega
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Pohl, Mary; Kevin O. Pope; Christopher von Nagy (2002). "Olmec
Origins of Mesoamerican Writing".
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roughly coincides with the abandonment of the La Venta and the dissolution of the Olmec culture.
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A rollout of the San Andrés cylinder seal, showing the bird possibly "speaking" the name "3 Ajaw"
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567:", Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc. (FAMSI), accessed October 2007.
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Ranere, Anthony J., Dolores R. Piperno, Irene Holst, Ruth Dickau, José Iriarte (2009).
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Origin and
Environmental Setting of Ancient Agriculture in the Lowlands of Mesoamerica
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Unpublished Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of
Anthropology, Florida State University
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Pohl, Mary (2005). "Olmec Civilization at San Andrés, Tabasco, México".
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A comprehensive catalogue of figurines (or rather figurine fragments)
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Olmec archaeological site in the present-day Mexican state of Tabasco
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Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, Inc. (FAMSI)
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San Andrés and La Venta in the context of the Olmec heartland
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elite class in San Andres, and, by extension, La Venta.
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The earliest evidence of human activity at San Andrés –
611:"The Cascajal Block: The Earliest Precolumbian Writing"
596:, 18 May 2001:Vol. 292. no. 5520, pp. 1370–1373.
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470:, Vol. 162, No. 23, December 7, 2002, p. 355.
565:Olmec Civilization at San Andres, Tabasco, Mexico
557:Pohl, Mary; Christopher von Nagy, Allison Perrett
292:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
485:. Ancient peoples and places series. London:
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129:species) pollen from as early as 5100 BCE.
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481:The Olmecs: America's First Civilization
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640:. Tallahassee: Dept. of Anthropology,
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175:Indications of an Olmec writing system
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109:Early traces of domesticated plants
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711:Former populated places in Mexico
78:species) pollen and extensive
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622:Mesoweb Reports & News
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153:Evidence of Elite Feasting
449:Pohl, et al. p. 1984-1985
642:Florida State University
121:Their findings include:
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166:Didactic Miniatures
37:in the present-day
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299:(13): 5014–5018.
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189:San Andrés
116:water table
700:Categories
655:2009-08-21
628:2007-06-20
561:Kevin Pope
457:References
197:artifacts.
195:greenstone
28:San Andrés
673:305298385
624:. Mesoweb
377:Pope 2001
359:Pope 2001
275:Pohl 2005
257:Pohl 2005
239:Pope 2001
220:El Manatí
145:Gossypium
132:A single
52:sunflower
669:ProQuest
563:(2004) "
550:19494498
542:12471256
505:56746987
477:(2004).
333:19307573
214:See also
159:feasting
142:Cotton (
80:charcoal
66:Overview
47:La Venta
593:Science
522:Bibcode
514:Science
324:2664064
301:Bibcode
84:swidden
43:Tabasco
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191:glyphs
134:manioc
30:is an
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227:Notes
72:maize
32:Olmec
538:PMID
501:OCLC
491:ISBN
347:link
329:PMID
616:PDF
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
