El Mesón Regional Survey: Settlement Patterns and Political Economy in the Eastern Papaloapan Basin, Veracruz, Mexico
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University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology Anthropology 2012 EL MESÓN REGIONAL SURVEY: SETTLEMENT PATTERNS AND POLITICAL ECONOMY IN THE EASTERN PAPALOAPAN BASIN, VERACRUZ, MEXICO Michael L. Loughlin University of Kentucky, [email protected] Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Loughlin, Michael L., "EL MESÓN REGIONAL SURVEY: SETTLEMENT PATTERNS AND POLITICAL ECONOMY IN THE EASTERN PAPALOAPAN BASIN, VERACRUZ, MEXICO" (2012). Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology. 2. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/anthro_etds/2 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Anthropology at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--Anthropology by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. Proper attribution has been given to all outside sources. I understand that I am solely responsible for obtaining any needed copyright permissions. I have obtained and attached hereto needed written permission statements(s) from the owner(s) of each third-party copyrighted matter to be included in my work, allowing electronic distribution (if such use is not permitted by the fair use doctrine). I hereby grant to The University of Kentucky and its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible my work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I agree that the document mentioned above may be made available immediately for worldwide access unless a preapproved embargo applies. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of my work. I understand that I am free to register the copyright to my work. REVIEW, APPROVAL AND ACCEPTANCE The document mentioned above has been reviewed and accepted by the student’s advisor, on behalf of the advisory committee, and by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), on behalf of the program; we verify that this is the final, approved version of the student’s dissertation including all changes required by the advisory committee. The undersigned agree to abide by the statements above. Michael L. Loughlin, Student Dr. Christopher A. Pool, Major Professor Dr. Richard W. Jefferies, Director of Graduate Studies EL MESÓN REGIONAL SURVEY: SETTLEMENT PATTERNS AND POLITICAL ECONOMY IN THE EASTERN PAPALOAPAN BASIN, VERACRUZ, MEXICO ____________________________________ DISSERTATION ____________________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By Michael L. Loughlin Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Christopher A. Pool, Professor of Anthropology Lexington, Kentucky 2012 Copyright © Michael L. Loughlin 2012 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION EL MESÓN REGIONAL SURVEY: SETTLEMENT PATTERNS AND POLITICAL ECONOMY IN THE EASTERN PAPALOAPAN BASIN, VERACRUZ, MEXICO This dissertation examines settlement patterns and political and economic organization at the archaeological site of El Mesón, located in the Eastern Lower Papaloapan Basin, in the Mexican state of Veracruz. Monumental art from the site indicated that the primary occupation dated to the Late Formative (400 B.C.-A.D. 1) or Protoclassic period (A.D. 1-300), however aside from a small surface collection of ceramic sherds, the area remained uninvestigated archaeologically. The Recorrido Arqueológico was initiated in 2003 to provide data about the development of settlement in the area around El Mesón, and to examine how the area was organized politically and economically. The settlement data indicate that over the course of the Formative period El Mesón expanded from a medium sized village to become a secondary center to Tres Zapotes during the Late Formative period. The replication of Tres Zapotes’s civic- ceremonial architecture in the core of El Mesón indicates its subordinate status to the larger center. Over the course of the Protoclassic period, El Mesón was abandoned and a series of new architectural complexes proliferated in the area until the Late Classic period (A.D. 600-900), settlements in the El Mesón area declined. In assessing the political organization I focus on how exclusionary strategies that focus of the personal prestige of the leader were combined with corporate strategies that promote group solidarity. I argue that based on the architectural layouts and internal organization of the civic-ceremonial complexes that exclusionary strategies predominated in the area, but corporate strategies were also promoted to reinforce group solidarity among factions. This work complements ongoing work at Tres Zapotes by providing a perspective on the use of exclusionary and corporate strategies within secondary centers. This work contributes to the study of political systems more broadly by focusing on how different political strategies were integrated within political systems at the regional and local scale. KEYWORDS: Mesoamerica, Epi-Olmec, Formative Period, Settlement Patterns, Political-Economic Strategies Michael L. Loughlin February 29, 2012 EL MESÓN REGIONAL SURVEY: SETTLEMENT PATTERNS AND POLITICAL ECONOMY IN THE EASTERN PAPALOAPAN BASIN, VERACRUZ, MEXICO By Michael L. Loughlin Dr. Christopher A. Pool Director of Dissertation Dr. Richard W. Jefferies Director of Graduate Studies February 29, 2012 For my parents Dale and Nancy Loughlin ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the aid and assistance of many people. First I would like to thanks Chris Pool for letting me come down to Veracruz to work at Tres Zapotes (even if he did forget to pick me up at the airport). I would not be the researcher that I am without his guidance and friendship. Chris’s mentoring on drafts of the proposal and advice in the field made the research in this dissertation stronger. His comments on drafts of this dissertation were invaluable, but I bear sole responsibility for any errors. Thanks, Jefe. I would also like to thank Dick Diehl at the University of Alabama for sparking my interest in the southern Gulf Coast. As my master’s advisor, Dick was instrumental in getting me down to Veracruz to work with Chris Pool. He also suggested that I do this project for my dissertation, and I am extremely grateful. I thank my committee members over the years, Dick Jefferies, Lisa Cliggett, John Watkins, and Tom Dillehay. I appreciate their support and patience. This project would not have bee possible without the support of the Foundation for the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies Incorporated (FAMSI grant 02058), Lambda Alpha National Anthropology Honor Society, and the University of Kentucky. I would also like to thank INAH for granting permission for this project, especially, former President Joaquin García Bárcena in Mexico City and Daniel Goeritz in Veracruz. A special thank you goes to Ponciano Ortíz Ceballos and María del Carmen Rodríguez Martínez who helped me navigate the INAH bureaucracy. Ponciano was also iii instrumental in helping me to get established in Angel R. Cabada and teaching me to identify Polished Orange ceramics. Thanks also to the people of Angel R. Cabada for allowing me to conduct this survey in their community, especially former Presidente Municipal José Osvaldo Andrade, and all of the ejiditarios and landowners who gave us access to their fields. No fieldwork could have been accomplished without my field crew, “Los Huevones,” Ernesto “Pachin” Gutierrez Ramos, Irving Hervis Prieto, Jonathan Prieto García, Jairo Aguirre Rios, Felipe Montalvo Fomperosa, and Mauro A.Hervis Prieto. Thank you for being willing to walk through so many cane fields. Thanks to Eraeeth Gonzalez Prieto and Maria del Carmen Chegala Galloso for washing artifacts. In the field, pasante Hugo Alberto Huerta Vicente was my right hand. Without his hard work in the field and in the lab, this project would have never been completed. In Lexington the support of my friends and fellow graduate students helped immensely in getting this project finished. Thanks to Steve Ahler and David Pollack for keeping me employed while I was writing and giving me the time away from work when I needed it. I cannot thank Chris Gunn and Chris Pappas enough for opening their home to me and letting me stay in their guest room while I was finishing writing. Chris Pappas also deserves a special thanks for helping me to get the dissertation laid out and turned in. My parents, Dale and Nancy Loughlin never stopped believing I would finish, even when I doubted myself. Their love and support helped to keep me going. Finally, I would like to thank my wife Marcie who has stuck by me and encouraged me, especially when I was frustrated and swore I could not write another word. None of this would have been possible without your support, patience, and love. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements............................................................................................................iii Table of Contents................................................................................................................ v List of Tables ..................................................................................................................... ix List of Figures...................................................................................................................