THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL EVOLUTION OF CHIAPA DE CORZO, CHIAPAS, MEXICO: AN ANALYSIS OF CHANGING STRATEGIES OF RULERSHIP IN A MIDDLE FORMATIVE THROUGH EARLY CLASSIC MESOAMERICAN POLITICAL CENTER by Timothy D. Sullivan B.A. University of Kentucky 1991 M.A. Southern Illinois University, Carbondale 2002 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Pittsburgh 2009 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH FACULTY OF ARTS AND SCIENCES This dissertation was presented by Timothy D. Sullivan It was defended on October 30th 2009 and approved by Robert D. Drennan, Professor, Dept. of Anthropology Bryan K Hanks, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Anthropology Michael F. Rosenmeier, Assistant Professor, Dept of Anthropology Dissertation Director: Olivier DeMontmollin, Associate Professor, Dept of Anthropology ii THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL EVOLUTION OF CHIAPA DE CORZO: AN ANALYSIS OF CHANGING STRATEGIES OF RULERSHIP IN A MIDDLE FORMATIVE THROUGH EARLY CLASSIC MESOAMERICAN POLITICAL CENTER Timothy D. Sullivan PhD University of Pittsburgh, 2009 This study investigates the evolution of the early polity of Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas, Mexico, from its inception as a political center during the early Middle Formative Dili phase (100-750 B.C) through its apparent peak in political power during the early Terminal Formative Horcones phase (100 B.C.-100 A.D). I approach the evolution of this polity through an analysis of how eight different strategies were employed by rulers in governing the hinterland over the trajectory of Chiapa de Corzo as a political center. My evaluation of the evolution of these political strategies is based on my full coverage survey of 107 km² of Chiapa de Corzo and a portion of its southern hinterland, as well as the large body of research conducted by the New World Archaeological Foundation at Chiapa de Corzo proper. I focus on changes in the following strategies: projection of power into the hinterland; control over access to agricultural lands; control over access to obsidian; control over networks of communication; the use of warfare and coercion; the formation of elite identity, community identity and the use of feasting; and control over ritual and religion. Changes in how rulers applied different strategies suggest that political power at Chiapa de Corzo did not evolve steadily towards stronger and more integrated authority over the hinterland. In some phases increases in markers of status differentiation between rulers and subjects were accompanied by the development and strengthening of mechanisms to project power into the hinterland. However, in other phases increases in status differentiation at the center appear to have been accompanied by the atrophy of aspects of the projection of power and control over economic activities in the hinterland. iii While the general trend in the part of the Chiapa de Corzo trajectory covered in this study was towards greater political complexity and integration of the hinterland, a focus on the strategies utilized by rulers reveals that these processes did not proceed uniformly. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEGMENTS .................................................................................................... xi 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................... 1 1.1 POLITICAL STRATEGIES IN THE CHIAPA DE CORZO POLITY................... 9 1.1.1 The Projection of Political Power into the Hinterland....................................... 9 1.1.3 Control over Access to Agricultural Resources............................................... 12 1.1.4 Long Distance Prestige Goods Networks and Control over Obsidian Access 13 1.1.5 Control over Networks of Communication and Exchange.............................. 15 1.1.6 The Use of Warfare and Coercion. .................................................................. 16 1.1.7 Elite Identity, Community Identity, and Feasting............................................ 20 1.1.8 Control over Ritual, Religion, and Ideology.................................................... 21 1.1.9 Summary.......................................................................................................... 24 2. METHODOLOGY AND FIELD CONDITIONS ...................................................... 25 2.1 NATURAL ENVIRONMENT ............................................................................... 25 2.2 FIELD METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................... 30 2.3.1 Population Estimates........................................................................................ 38 2.3.2 DAI/C to Absolute Population Conversion ..................................................... 43 2.3.3 Settlement Area Estimates ............................................................................... 49 2.3.4 Rank-Size Analysis.......................................................................................... 52 2.3.5 Lower Tier Political Centers............................................................................ 53 2.3.6 Nearest Neighbor Calculations ........................................................................ 55 2.3.7 Survey area and polity size .............................................................................. 56 2.3.8 Control over Access to Agricultural Land....................................................... 59 2.3.9 Control over Access to Obsidian ..................................................................... 61 2.3.10 K-means Cluster Analysis.............................................................................. 63 2.3.11 Least Cost Paths of Transportation and Communication .............................. 64 3. THE FOUNDATION OF CHIAPA DE CORZO: JOBO AND DILI PHASES ........ 65 3.1 AUTONOMOUS VILLAGES: JOBO PHASE (1150-1000 B.C.) ....................... 66 3.1.1 Population Distribution and Nucleation........................................................... 66 3.1.2 Autonomous Villages and the Lack of Political Centralization....................... 68 3.1.3 Agriculture and Access to Prime Lands........................................................... 69 3.1.4 Long Distance trade, Obsidian Access, Prestige Goods, and Effects on the Jobo Economy........................................................................................................... 71 3.1.5 Evidence for Warfare and Raiding .................................................................. 75 3.1.6 The Use of Ceremony ...................................................................................... 76 3.2 THE EMERGENCE OF CENTRALIZED LEADERSHIP: DILI PHASE (1000- 750 B.C.)....................................................................................................................... 83 3.2.1 Population Growth, Resettlement, and Nucleation.......................................... 83 v 3.2.2 The Projection of Power into the Hinterland and the Persistence of Village Autonomy ................................................................................................................. 93 3.2.3 Elite Control over Labor .................................................................................. 97 3.2.4 Control over Access to Agricultural Lands ................................................... 104 3.2.5 Control over Prestige Goods and Access to Obsidian ................................... 107 3.2.6 Control over Trade and Communication Networks....................................... 113 3.2.7 The Use of Warfare and Coercion ................................................................. 118 3.2.8 The Establishment of Elite Political Identity................................................. 121 3.2.9 Control over Public Ritual, and Religion....................................................... 134 3.2.10 Summary...................................................................................................... 136 4. THE CONSOLIDATION OF POWER: THE ESCALERA PHASE (750-500 B.C)142 4.1 SETTLEMENT HIERARCHY AND POPULATION DISTRIBUTION............ 143 4.1.1 The Size and Population of the Escalera Phase Chiapa de Corzo Polity....... 145 4.2 THE PROJECTION OF POWER INTO THE HINTERLAND AND THE REDUCTION OF VILLAGE AUTONOMY............................................................. 150 4.3 ELITE CONTROL OVER LABOR ..................................................................... 153 4.4 CONTROL OVER ACCESS TO AGRICULTURAL LANDS........................... 162 4.5 CONTROL OVER OBSIDIAN ACCESS ........................................................... 166 4.6 CONTROL OVER ROUTES OF TRADE AND COMMUNICATION ............. 171 4.7 THE USE OF WARFARE AND COERCION .................................................... 175 4.8 ELITE POLITICAL IDENTITY .......................................................................... 178 4.8.1 Political Identity and Feasting. ...................................................................... 180 4.9 CONTROL OVER PUBLIC CEREMONY AND IDEOLOGY.......................... 186 4.10 SUMMARY........................................................................................................ 191 5. SHIFTING ALLEGIANCES AND CHANGING MODES OF GOVERNANCE: GUANACASTE (300-100 B.C) AND HORCONES (100 B.C-A.D.100) PHASES. ................................................................................................................................ 195 5.1 POPULATION DISTRIBUTION