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Chalcatzingo:Abrief Introduction Special DAVID C
ThePARIJournal A quarterly publication of the Pre-Columbian Art Research Institute Volume IX, No. 1, Summer 2008 Chalcatzingo:ABrief Introduction Special DAVID C. GROVE Chalcatzingo Issue University of Florida containing: In 1934 archaeologist Eulalia Guzmán trav- bas-relief carvings. The largest of them Chalcatzingo: A eled to the remote hamlet of Chalcatzingo (Monument 1), nicknamed “El Rey” by Brief Introduction near Jonacatepec in the Amatzinac valley the villagers, depicts a personage seated of eastern Morelos state to investigate re- in a cave-like niche above which are rain by ports of “stones with reliefs.” The village clouds and falling raindrops (Guzmán David Grove sits near two conjoined granodiorite hills 1934:Fig. 3) (Figure 2). In addition, in a PAGES 1-7 or cerros—the Cerro Delgado and the larg- small barranca that cuts through the site er Cerro Chalcatzingo (also known as the Guzmán was shown a unique three di- • Cerro de la Cantera)—that jut out starkly mensional sculpture—a “mutilated stat- against the relatively flat landscape of the ue” of a seated personage, minus its head. Chalcatzingo valley (Figure 1). The archaeological site Guzmán also found pot sherds dating to Monument 34: A that Guzmán viewed is situated just at both the “Archaic” (Preclassic or Forma- Formative Period the base of those cerros where they meet tive) and “Teotihuacan” (Classic) periods, “Southern Style” to form a V-shaped cleft. The ancient oc- leaving her uncertain as to the date of the Stela in the Central cupation extended across a series of ter- carvings (Grove 1987c:1). Mexican Highlands races below the twin cerros. -
Were-Jaguars and Crocodilians: a Need to Redefine
Takkou-Neofytou, R 2014 Were-Jaguars and Crocodilians: A Need to Redefine. pia Papers from the Institute of Archaeology, 24(1): 25, pp. 1-12, DOI: http:// dx.doi.org/10.5334/pia.472 GENERAL Were-Jaguars and Crocodilians: A Need to Redefine Richard Takkou-Neofytou* The general consensus amongst scholars is that anthropomorphic and zoomorphic Formative art, usually associated with the Olmecs but extending to post-Columbian civilisations, are depictions of humans and/or jaguars known as were-jaguars (De La Fuente 2000: 258). More recently, there has been discussion concerning what is actually being depicted through this Mesoamerican art form. In this paper, I will argue that the art form is much more complex than first anticipated with motifs of different deities amalgamated into one depiction, thereby extolling ceremonial influence to other animals worshipped in a religion based on animism, whilst also looking critically at some anthropomorphic images of the jaguar. Introduction art under the umbrella of the jaguar. Colin Upon entering the Mexico gallery at the McEwan, the former curator of this gallery, British Museum, it occurred to me that the writes (McEwan 2009: 136): Museum was endorsing a particular view of Olmec art history; a view that is quite conten- This massive ceremonial axe (celt) tious since the issue surrounding the genre combines characteristics of the cai- of the type of art in question has not yet been man and the jaguar, the most pow- settled. Of course, I refer to the ‘were-jaguar’ erful predators inhabiting the rivers and its feline components (see figures 1 and and forests of the tropical lowlands. -
Michael E. Smith Curriculum Vitae for Posting Feb
Michael E. Smith Curriculum Vitae For Posting Feb. 1, 2020 Email: [email protected] Home page: https://asu.academia.edu/MichaelESmith ResearcherID: A-2935-2008; ORCID identification no: 0000-0002-0677-8206; Scopus: 55495919500 Address School of Human Evolution & Social Change Phone: 480-727-9520 (office) Box 872402 480-272-3308 (cell) Arizona State University Tempe, AZ 85287-2402 Office: SHESC-104C Education • Ph.D., Anthropology, 1983: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (8/79 - 8/82). • MA, Anthropology, 1979: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (8/75 - 12/78). • BA, Anthropology, 1975: Brandeis University, Waltham, MA (9/71 - 12/74); (degree awarded Magna Cum Laude with Highest Honors in Anthropology. Present Positions • Professor, School of Human Evolution & Social Change, Arizona State University (2005 - ). • Director, ASU Teotihuacan Research Laboratory (2015 - ). • Affiliated faculty, School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, ASU (2013 - ). • Core faculty, Center for Social Dynamics and Complexity (2013 - ). • Fellow, ASU-SFI Center for Biosocial Complex Systems (2014 - ). • Investigador especial, El Colegio Mexiquense (2007 - ). Past Academic Positions • University at Albany, SUNY, Department of Anthropology: Professor, 1996-2005; Associate Professor, 1991-1996. • Loyola University of Chicago, Department of Sociology and Anthropology: Associate Professor, 1988-1990; Assistant Professor, 1983-1988; Lecturer, 1982. Visiting Academic Positions • Aarhus University, Centre for Urban Network Evolutions (School of Culture and Society), Visiting Professor, April – July, 2018. • University of Bonn, Research Training Group 1878, Archaeology of Pre-Modern Economies. Mercator Fellow, May – July, 2017. Research Areas • Mesoamerican archaeology and ethnohistory: Specialist in Aztecs and Teotihuacan. • Comparative urbanism: Premodern neighborhoods & urban life; urban scaling of premodern cities; modern relevance of ancient cities. -
A 3D Model of Complex A, La Venta, Mexico
Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage 1 (2014) 72–81 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Digital Applications in Archaeology and Cultural Heritage journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/daach A 3d model of Complex A, La Venta, Mexico Susan D. Gillespie a,n, Michael Volk b a Department of Anthropology, University of Florida, P.O. Box 117305, Gainesville, FL 32611-7305 USA b Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Florida, P.O. Box 115704, Gainesville, FL 32611-5704 USA article info abstract Article history: La Venta was a large regional center located near the Gulf coast in Tabasco, Mexico. From ca. 800–400 BC Received 21 September 2013 it was the major Olmec capital in Mesoamerica. Despite its significance La Venta has received little Received in revised form archeological attention. The clay structures of its ritual precinct, Complex A, excavated in the 1940s–50s, 14 April 2014 were subsequently destroyed. Unfortunately, the published reports on those excavations are inadequate, Accepted 27 June 2014 with misleading archeological drawings. In order to obtain a more precise and comprehensive under- Available online 5 July 2014 standing of La Venta the original excavation records were consulted, and field drawings and maps were Keywords: digitized to create more accurate 2d images as well as a 3d model of Complex A. This article summarizes La Venta the process of digitizing the archival records and the interpretive benefits from utilizing 3d visualizations Olmec of the site. Recounting the process may inform similar projects dependent on archival records when field Archival archeology mapping or excavation are no longer possible. -
Informe Del Proyecto Arqueológico Ceibal-Petexbatun La Temporada 2011
INFORME DEL PROYECTO ARQUEOLÓGICO CEIBAL-PETEXBATUN LA TEMPORADA 2011 Editado por Victor Castillo Aguilar y Takeshi Inomata Directores Takeshi Inomata y Victor Castillo Aguilar Informe entregado al Instituto de Antropología e Historia 2011 Agradecimientos El Proyecto Arqueológico Ceibal-Petexbatun desea manifestar su agradecimiento a las personas e instituciones que apoyaron la realización de la Temporada 2011. Se agradece al Maestro Erick Ponciano, Director del Patrimonio Cultural y Natural del Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, a la Licenciada Mónica Urquizú, Directora Técnica del Instituto de Antropología e Historia y a la Licenciada Griselda Pérez Robles, Jefa del Departamento de Monumentos Prehispánicos y Coloniales por el apoyo institucional para la ejecución del proyecto. A la Licenciada Ana Lucía Arroyave y la Licenciada Elisa Mencos, supervisoras del proyecto, al Sr. Julio López, Inspector de Monumentos de la zona y demás trabajadores del Instituto de Antropología e Historia pos su apoyo y colaboración. El Proyecto Arqueológico Ceibal-Petexbatun fue financiado por la Universidad de Ibaraki, fondo que es otorgado por el Ministerio de Educación, Cultura, Deportes, Ciencia y Tecnología de Japón. CONTENIDO Agradecimientos PARTE I: INTRODUCCIÓN 1. Introducción a la temporada de 2010 1 Takeshi Inomata y Victor Castillo Aguilar PARTE II: INVESTIGACIONES EN LA CORTE ESTE 2. Excavaciones enfrente de la Estructura A-15: Operación 201B 7 Daniela Triadan 3. Excavaciones en la Estructura A-14: Operación 201C 23 Giovanni González y Daniela Triadan 4. Excavaciones detrás de la Corte Este: Operación 201D 30 Jessica MacLellan 5. Excavaciones en la fachada oeste de la Estructura A-14: Operación 201E 37 María Belén Méndez Bauer 6. -
Olmecs: Where the Sidewalk Begins Jeffrey Benson Western Oregon University
Western Oregon University Digital Commons@WOU Student Theses, Papers and Projects (History) Department of History 2005 Olmecs: Where the Sidewalk Begins Jeffrey Benson Western Oregon University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wou.edu/his Part of the Latin American History Commons Recommended Citation Benson, Jeffrey, "Olmecs: Where the Sidewalk Begins" (2005). Student Theses, Papers and Projects (History). 126. https://digitalcommons.wou.edu/his/126 This Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of History at Digital Commons@WOU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Student Theses, Papers and Projects (History) by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@WOU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Olmecs: Where the Sidewalk Begins By Jeffrey Benson Western Oregon University An In Depth Look at the Olmec Controversy Mother Culture or Sister Culture 1 The discovery of the Olmecs has caused archeologists, scientists, historians and scholars from various fields to reevaluate the research of the Olmecs on account of the highly discussed and argued areas of debate that surround the people known as the Olmecs. Given that the Olmecs have only been studied in a more thorough manner for only about a half a century, today we have been able to study this group with more overall gathered information of Mesoamerica and we have been able to take a more technological approach to studying the Olmecs. The studies of the Olmecs reveals much information about who these people were, what kind of a civilization they had, but more importantly the studies reveal a linkage between the Olmecs as a mother culture to later established civilizations including the Mayas, Teotihuacan and other various city- states of Mesoamerica. -
Formative Mexican Chiefdoms and the Myth of the "Mother Culture"
Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 19, 1–37 (2000) doi:10.1006/jaar.1999.0359, available online at http://www.idealibrary.com on Formative Mexican Chiefdoms and the Myth of the “Mother Culture” Kent V. Flannery and Joyce Marcus Museum of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1079 Most scholars agree that the urban states of Classic Mexico developed from Formative chiefdoms which preceded them. They disagree over whether that development (1) took place over the whole area from the Basin of Mexico to Chiapas, or (2) emanated entirely from one unique culture on the Gulf Coast. Recently Diehl and Coe (1996) put forth 11 assertions in defense of the second scenario, which assumes an Olmec “Mother Culture.” This paper disputes those assertions. It suggests that a model for rapid evolution, originally presented by biologist Sewall Wright, provides a better explanation for the explosive development of For- mative Mexican society. © 2000 Academic Press INTRODUCTION to be civilized. Five decades of subsequent excavation have shown the situation to be On occasion, archaeologists revive ideas more complex than that, but old ideas die so anachronistic as to have been declared hard. dead. The most recent attempt came when In “Olmec Archaeology” (hereafter ab- Richard Diehl and Michael Coe (1996) breviated OA), Diehl and Coe (1996:11) parted the icy lips of the Olmec “Mother propose that there are two contrasting Culture” and gave it mouth-to-mouth re- “schools of thought” on the relationship 1 suscitation. between the Olmec and the rest of Me- The notion that the Olmec of the Gulf soamerica. -
Pre-Classic: Olmec
Pre-Classic: Olmec Monday, September 17, 12 Pre-Classic: Olmec The Olmec Heartland Monday, September 17, 12 Pre-Classic: Olmec Earliest writing in Mesoamerica can be found here on Stela C of the Olmec city of Tres Zapotes. The glyphs give the date of 32 bce. Olmec religion based on the were-jaguar had few rivals in being bizarre. Monday, September 17, 12 Pre-Cl Pre-Classic: Olmec The Major Olmec Site Was La Venta Plan of LaVenta Monday, September 17, 12 Pre-Cl Pre-Classic: Olmec Ceremonial Zone Pyramid of LaVenta Monday, September 17, 12 Pre-Classic: Olmec This tomb, made of carved basalt columns, was constructed in a cavity carved into an existing mound. Inside were two coffins of two youths and jadeite and hematite sculptures. Plan of LaVenta Monday, September 17, 12 Pre-Classic: Olmec Jaguar Mask Floor Mosaic Monday, September 17, 12 Pre-Classic: Olmec Jaguar Mask Floor Mosaic Monday, September 17, 12 Pre-Classic: Olmec Jaguar Floor Mask Mosaic Monday, September 17, 12 Pre-Classic: Olmec Jaguar Floor Mask Mosaic Monday, September 17, 12 Pre-Classic: Olmec Artist’s Reconstruction of Building the Floor Mask Jaguar Floor Mask Mosaic Monday, September 17, 12 Pre-Classic: Olmec Offering #4 Monday, September 17, 12 Pre-Classic: Olmec In this grouping of 16 figures, 13 are of serpentine, 2 of Jade, and 1 of red sandstone. They stand before 6 jade celts. Offering #4 Monday, September 17, 12 Pre-Classic: Olmec Colossal Head Monday, September 17, 12 Pre-Classic: Olmec Colossal Head Monday, September 17, 12 Pre-Classic: Olmec Colossal Head Monday, -
2. Background of the 1976 UCB Project During the Summer of 1975 We Discussed the Feasibility and Profitability of Detailed Explorations at Abaj Takalik
85 ABAJ TAKALIK 1976: EXPLORATORY INVESTIGATIONS by J.A. Graham, R.F. Heizer, andE.M. Shook 1. Preface In February, 1976, in the course of a preliminary exploration of the archaeological site of Abaj Takalik, Department of Retalhuleu, southwestern Guatemala, for the purpose of evaluating its potential for more intensive investigations, a number of very important discoveries were made. While these finds serve to justify more thorough investigation of the site in the near future, an interim and preliminary report should be of interest to colleagues. Since fuller investigations will greatly expand our present information on the site, the present report will not attempt to present all data resulting from our 1976 preliminary investigations nor to undertake detailed analysis of the data collected which are still in the process of study. Monument terminology for sculptures previously reported from the site follows that of Miles (1965: 246) and as expanded,with a single exception, by Parsons (1972: 203). In a later report we will provide a fuller table of terminology including early references to these and other monuments from sources not utilized by Miles and Parsons. The earlier practice of referring to sections of the site by names of the various modern fincas which now divide up the ruins, as well as references to the site as Colomba, have created considerable confusion and some misunderstandings; to correct this problem, Miles (1966: 246) christened the ruins "Abaj Takalik" (her translation of "piedra parada" into Quiche), a convenient designation now generally adopted. In the present report we have provided descriptions of only a sampling of the many new or unpublished sculptured and plain monuments from the site; further work will expand our data on these and other monuments and will further provide a better photographic record than we were able to obtain with the limited time and resources available to us. -
California State University, Northridge the Were
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE THE WERE-JAGUAR MOTIF AND THE OLMEC CHIEFDOM A thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the .requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Anthropology by Bryn Marie Barabas January 1985 0 • The Thesis of Bryn Marie Barabas is approved: Susan Kenagy Dav~ Hayanbj f{_ Robert Ravicz, Chairma~ California State University, Northridge ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to gratefully acknowledge all of the help and guidance provided by my committee members, Susan Kenagy, David Hayano, Robert Ravicz, and my second ·chair Carol Mackey, without whom this thesis wo~ld not have been possible. I also extend thanks to Gregory Truex, Charles Bearchell, and Ralph Vicero for coming through in the end. Thanks Mom and Pops for your patient understanding and encouragement. And finally, multiple thank yous to all of those special people, particularly R. J., for seeing me through with my elusive were-jaguar dream. iii TABLE ·oF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS • • • • • • • • • • • • iii LIST OF FIGURES • • • • • • • • • • • • v ABSTRACT • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • vi Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION • • • • • • • • • • 1 2 DEFINITIONS • • • • • • • • • • 5 Summary • • • • • • • • • • 14 3 BACKGROUND • • • • • • • • • • 16 Summary • • • • • • • • • • 36 4 THE WERE-JAGUAR • • • • • • • • • 38 Summary • • • • • • • • • • 71 5 SAN LORENZO • • • • • • • • • • 73 Summary • • • .. • • • • • • 86 6 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS • _. • • • • 89 Conclusions • • • • • • • • • 93 NOTES • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 97 FIGURES • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 99 REFERENCES • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 117 APPENDIX • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 130 iv LIST OF FIGURES figure page 1 The Olmec Area (Weaver 1981:63). • • • • • • 100 2 Chronology (Coe 1970; Tolstoy 1978; Weaver 1981) • 101 3 Olmec Central Places (Bernal 1969; Bove 1976:129). 102 4 Celts or Ceremonial Axes (Covarrubias 1946:30). • 103 5 Evolution of Mesoamerican Rain Gods (Covarrubias 1946:27) ~ • • • • • • • • • 104 6 R{o Chiquita Monument 1 (Joralemon 1976:31). -
Olmecs: Where the Sidewalk Begins by Jeffrey Benson Western Oregon University
Olmecs: Where the Sidewalk Begins By Jeffrey Benson Western Oregon University An In Depth Look at the Olmec Controversy Mother Culture or Sister Culture 1 The discovery of the Olmecs has caused archeologists, scientists, historians and scholars from various fields to reevaluate the research of the Olmecs on account of the highly discussed and argued areas of debate that surround the people known as the Olmecs. Given that the Olmecs have only been studied in a more thorough manner for only about a half a century, today we have been able to study this group with more overall gathered information of Mesoamerica and we have been able to take a more technological approach to studying the Olmecs. The studies of the Olmecs reveals much information about who these people were, what kind of a civilization they had, but more importantly the studies reveal a linkage between the Olmecs as a mother culture to later established civilizations including the Mayas, Teotihuacan and other various city- states of Mesoamerica. The data collected links the Olmecs to other cultures in several areas such as writing, pottery and art. With this new found data two main theories have evolved. The first is that the Olmecs were the mother culture. This theory states that writing, the calendar and types of art originated under Olmec rule and later were spread to future generational tribes of Mesoamerica. The second main theory proposes that the Olmecs were one of many contemporary cultures all which acted sister cultures. The thought is that it was not the Olmecs who were the first to introduce writing or the calendar to Mesoamerica but that various indigenous surrounding tribes influenced and helped establish forms of writing, a calendar system and common types of art. -
Front Matter
Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-78882-3 - Olmec Archaeology and Early Mesoamerica Christopher A. Pool Frontmatter More information OLMEC ARCHAEOLOGY AND EARLY MESOAMERICA The foundations for the Maya and other civilizations of ancient Mesoamerica were laid down over 2,400 years ago during the early and middle phases of the Formative period. The most elaborate of these formative Mesoamerican societies are represented by the archaeological culture called Olmec, which merged some 3,500 years ago in the trop- ical lowlands of southern Veracruz and Tebasco, Mexico. Flourishing over the next 1,000 years, the Olmec created the most complex social and political hierarchies of their time on the North American continent. Olmec rulers expressed their material and religious power in the first monumental stone art of Mesoamerica, remarkable for its sophistication and naturalism, as well as through massive buried offerings of wealth obtained from great distances. Olmec Archaeology and Early Mesoamerica offers the most thorough and up-to-date book-length treatment of Olmec society and culture available. Christopher A. Pool is associate professor of anthropology at the Univer- sity of Kentucky. He has conducted archaeological fieldwork in south- ern Veracruz state, Mexico, and in the eastern United States. © Cambridge University Press www.cambridge.org Cambridge University Press 978-0-521-78882-3 - Olmec Archaeology and Early Mesoamerica Christopher A. Pool Frontmatter More information CAMBRIDGE WORLD ARCHAEOLOGY series editor NORMAN YOFFEE, University of Michigan editorial board SUSAN ALCOCK, University of Michigan TOM DILLEHAY, Vanderbilt University STEPHEN SHENNAN, University College, London CARLA SINOPOLI, University of Michigan The Cambridge World Archaeology series is addressed to students and pro- fessional archaeologists, and to academics in related disciplines.