essay

Comments on the site and its organization

ancient chalcatzingo • Austin • Published In 1987 • Pages: 420-433

By: Grove, David C..

Abstract

In this interpretation of the data from survey and excavation in and around the Olmec-influenced highland site of Chalcatzingo, Grove begins with a review the settlement pattern data showing the special status of the site within a regional system, and considers internal variability at the site as it relates to social status and craft production. Evidence for destruction or 'ritual termination' of dwellings is compared to the mutilation and burial of stone monuments in the Olmec heartland; possibly at the death of the associated personage, be it household head or king. Although of distinctively local style, the Type C8 ceramic figurines described in Grove: 1987 (Document 17) exhibit consistent individualized traits (especially headdresses), making them analogous to the portraits of rulers found in the colossal stone heads of the Gulf Coast Olmec. Parallels in portraiture on monumental stone carvings at Chalcatzingo provide evidence of the diffusion of a 'Cult of the Ruler' from the Gulf Coast, stimulating increased social stratification. A review of monumental stone sculpture identifies three consistent themes: 1) leadership and the importance of external relations with Olmec coastal centers and other highland outposts; 2) mythological-religious cycles; and 3) reference to a sacred landscape with Cerro [Mount] Chalcatzingo located within a vaguely defined cosmology. All three aspects of Olmec-style monumental sculpture at the site--most clearly contemporary with La Venta IV examples--appear somewhat modified to address specifically highland concerns with seasonal rain and fertility.

HRAF PubDate

2000

Region

Middle America and the Caribbean

Sub Region

Central Mexico

Document Type

essay

Evaluation

Creator Type

Archaeologist

Document Rating

4: Excellent Secondary Data

5: Excellent Primary Data

Analyst

Leon G. Doyon ; 2006

Field Date

1972-1976

Coverage Date

3500 BP-2500 BP

Coverage Place

Río Amatzinac Valley, Morelos State, Mexico

Notes

David C. Grove

For bibliographical references see Grove: 1987 (Document 3)

LCCN

85022673

LCSH

Olmecs