essay
Chalcatzingo in in a broader perspective
ancient chalcatzingo • Austin • Published In 1987 • Pages: 434-442
By: Grove, David C..
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
Grove systematically considers the place of the site of Chalcatzingo in a wider interaction sphere, beginning with typically highland Early Formative period cultural origins. A summary of the Middle Formative period evidence for cultural connections to Gulf Coast Olmec centers (esp. La Venta), emphasizes particular ceramic traits, long-distance exchange of jade, and novel types of public and religious architecture. But most striking are monumental stone carvings, unprecedented in the highlands, that embody an Olmec 'frontier art style' almost certainly learned in the Olmec heartland and brought to 'frontier sites' like Chalcatzingo. The didactic nature of the content and arrangement of such monuments indicates a proselytizing, even propagandistic, message promoted by local elites seeking to elevate their own status, and/or by lowland Olmec colonists seeking to gain influence within alien societies. Whether Olmec cultural influence outside of the heartland can be attributed to religious, military, or economic expansionism remains inconclusive, though a consistent explanation for Chalcatzingo is that it functioned as a 'gateway community,' channeling raw materials from a broad highland area to the Gulf Coast, and distributing finished goods in the other direction.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Acculturation and culture contact
- External trade
- External relations
- Identification
- traditionCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Olmec
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2000
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- Middle America and the Caribbean
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Central Mexico
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- essay
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Archaeologist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 4: Excellent Secondary Data
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Leon G. Doyon ; 2006
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1972-1976
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 3500 BP-2500 BP
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama (Mesoamerica)
- NotesAdditional notes
- David C. Grove
- For bibliographical references see Grove: 1987 (Document 3)
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 85022673
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Olmecs