Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2010 Subsistence Patterns, Social Identity and Symbolism at the Early Formative Period Site of Cantón Corralito, Chiapas, Mexico Cynthia M. Bellacero Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES SUBSISTENCE PATTERNS, SOCIAL IDENTITY AND SYMBOLISM AT THE EARLY FORMATIVE PERIOD SITE OF CANTÓN CORRALITO, CHIAPAS, MEXICO By CYNTHIA M. BELLACERO A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Anthropology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2010 The members of the Committee approve the dissertation of Cynthia M. Bellacero defended on May 28, 2010. __________________________________ Mary D. Pohl Professor Directing Dissertation __________________________________ Robinson A. Herrera University Representative __________________________________ Lynne A. Schepartz Committee Member __________________________________ Glen H. Doran Committee Member Approved: __________________________________________ Glen H. Doran, Chair, Department of Anthropology __________________________________________ Joseph Travis, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences The Graduate School has verified and approved the above named-named committee members. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people aided in the completion of this project. First and foremost, my committee chairperson and advisor Dr. Mary Pohl made the most significant contribution. Dr. Pohl was the inspiration for this project, and without her infinite patience and guidance I could not have completed it. A debt of gratitude is owed to my dissertation committee: Dr. Lynne Schepartz, Dr. Glen Doran, and Dr. Robinson Herrera for volunteering to donate their time and expertise to this project. Thanks to David Cheetham for allowing me access to the soil samples from Cantón Corralito from which the project dataset originated. A special thanks to Dr. David Lentz at the University of Cincinnati for his generosity with both his Mesoamerican botanical collection and his archaeobotanical expertise. Thank you to Dr. Michael Uzendoski who inspired me to integrate social theory into my project in a new and different manner. Thank you to the Florida State University Office of Graduate Studies for awarding me Predissertation Research Grants and the Florida State University Department of Anthropology for granting me the Eisele Predissertation Research Award which funded the initial costs of gathering my data in Mexico and allowed me to purchase equipment needed for the analysis of the botanical specimens. Thank you to the New World Archaeological Foundation in San Cristóbal de las Casas for hosting me during the data collection phase of my project. I would also like to express my gratitude to Elizabeth Brown who volunteered many hours during the analysis phase of the project. I also owe a great deal of thanks to all the archaeologists whose work has been cited within in this project, without them it would not have been possible. Finally, to my family and friends, thank you for all the endless support you have given me and for tolerating my long absences while I traversed the continent or closeted myself away to analyze my dataset and interpret my results. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ......................................................................................................................xi List of Figures .................................................................................................................. xiii Abstract ........................................................................................................................... xvii 1. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 Research Strategies and Questions ............................................................................. 5 Early Formative Period Pacific Slope Foodways ....................................................... 8 Food and Social Identity ............................................................................................. 9 Chapter Overview ..................................................................................................... 11 2. FOODWAYS AS PART OF A TOTAL SYSTEM OF VALUES ............................... 13 Total Systems of Value............................................................................................. 14 The Role of Cosmology in the Production of Social Value...................................... 15 The Role of Ideology in the Construction of Social Identity.................................... 18 Food as Part of the Total System of Value ............................................................... 23 Luxury Foods and Feasting....................................................................................... 26 Fermented Beverages................................................................................................ 27 Iconography .............................................................................................................. 34 3. FORMATIVE PERIOD MESOAMERICA ................................................................. 39 Cantón Corralito........................................................................................................ 39 Site Ecology.............................................................................................................. 41 The Soconusco Region of the Pacific Slope ............................................................. 43 Cultural Chronology ................................................................................................. 43 The Early Formative Period on the Pacific Slope............................................. 44 iv The Barra Phase ........................................................................................ 45 The Locona Phase ..................................................................................... 46 The Ocós Phase......................................................................................... 47 The Cherla Phase ...................................................................................... 47 The Cuadros Phase.................................................................................... 48 The Jocotal Phase...................................................................................... 48 The Middle Formative Period on the Pacific Slope.......................................... 49 The Conchas Phase ................................................................................... 49 The Late Formative Period on the Pacific Slope .............................................. 50 The Gulf Coast.................................................................................................. 51 Early Formative Period Olman ......................................................................... 53 Middle Formative Period Olman ...................................................................... 54 Late Formative Period Olman........................................................................... 55 Olmec Controversies......................................................................................... 55 Chiefdom versus State .............................................................................. 56 Mother Culture versus Sister Culture Debate ........................................... 57 Food Procurement Strategies .................................................................................... 61 Soconsuco Food Procurement Strategies.......................................................... 61 Manioc ...................................................................................................... 67 Intraregional Variability.................................................................................... 69 Gulf Coast Lowlands Food Procurement Strategies......................................... 70 Olmec and Mokaya Comparisons..................................................................... 75 4. METHODOLOGY........................................................................................................ 78 Sample Processing .................................................................................................... 80 v Analytical Methodology ........................................................................................... 85 Preservational Issues................................................................................................. 87 Identification of Botanicals....................................................................................... 89 5. RESULTS ..................................................................................................................... 93 Carbonized Specimens.............................................................................................. 96 Seed Type #3 Talinum triangulare ................................................................... 96 Seed Type #31 Solanum cf. torvum .................................................................. 97 Seed Type #34 Physalis angulata..................................................................... 99 Seed Type #37 Solanum cf. hispidum ............................................................. 100 Seed Types #56 & #57 Zea mays ssp. mays ..................................................