From their beginnings some 4,000 years ago to their decadence around 400 b.c., the Olmec people a... more From their beginnings some 4,000 years ago to their decadence around 400 b.c., the Olmec people achieved a high level of sociopolitical complexity and dominated their native geographic territory, the southern Gulf Coast of Mexico. The first Olmec capital of San Lorenzo, Veracruz, was the only site in Mesoamerica that produced imposing monumental stone sculpture and architecture between 1800 and 1000 b.c. These characteristics reflect the capabilities of its centralized political system headed by hereditary rulers with divine legitimation. Key issues regarding the development of San Lorenzo Olmec culture center on subsistence and environment. The present study focuses on a portion of the landscape located immediately north of the first Olmec capital of San Lorenzo, Veracruz, that has been proposed as a key resource area during the development of the first civilization in Mesoamerica. We calculate the surface, volume, and water depth of this area based on archaeological data and a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) derived from an airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) survey. The expected minimum and maximum area, local minimum altitude, and the DTM of 5-m spatial resolution provide a basis for inferences regarding the characteristics of the wetland ecosystem during Olmec times. The goal is to quantify and qualify the potential of this resource zone relying on LiDAR topography. Our models validate the observations in the field and, when combined with algorithms, they confirm the archaeological conclusions. We affirm that the northern plain in Olmec times was deeper than it is today and would have been a source of abundant aquatic resources for the primary subsistence of the early Olmec society.
Las investigaciones en las tierras bajas mayas durante las ultimas decadas han revelado nueva inf... more Las investigaciones en las tierras bajas mayas durante las ultimas decadas han revelado nueva informacion sobre el temprano desarrollo del pueblo maya. Al hayar cada vez vestigios con mayor antiguedad, las viejas preguntas que surgieron al inicio del siglo XX sobre la relacion entre los pueblos olmeca y maya pueden ser reconsideradas con estos nuevos datos.
Abstract Our knowledge of the Earth's magnetic field intensity changes over the past few thou... more Abstract Our knowledge of the Earth's magnetic field intensity changes over the past few thousand years is still limited because of the uneven spatial and temporal distribution of data, which also includes the Americas. The present study reports 41 new palaeointensity data covering the past 3600 years which, together with 38 previously published data of similar quality, are used to construct a palaeointensity secular variation curve for Central Mexico. These new data are an important contribution to the global intensity database and will also improve the application of palaeomagnetic dating in Mexico, which is of interest because of the many Holocene monogenetic volcanoes within the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, and of its archaeological heritage. The most conspicuous feature of the new intensity curve is the rapid increase between 400 and 250 BCE, from about 45 to 65 μT. Other relative intensity highs of ≈45–55 μT were found around 1600 BCE, 370 CE, and 1200 CE and relative intensity lows of ≈30–35 μT around 1350 BCE and 700 CE. Comparing the virtual axial dipole moment of our intensity curve with global VADM-VDM dipole estimates indicates that non-dipole components in Central Mexico have been observed at several times from 1600 BCE to 1000 CE while the dipole field was prevalent from 1000 to 1800 CE. A comparison of our results with selected data from southern USA shows a significant difference between the two regions which indicates an important nondipole feature of the magnetic field during the last few thousands of years, and/or undetected problems in the age/palaeointensity data accuracy.
The Olmec culture arose and flourished on Mexico’s southern Gulf Coast between 1800 and 400 BC, a... more The Olmec culture arose and flourished on Mexico’s southern Gulf Coast between 1800 and 400 BC, and developed extensive trade relationships for procurement of exotic materials from distant regions. The early capital of Mesoamerica’s first civilization, the archaeological site of San Lorenzo, flourished between 1400 and 1000 BC, in the humid tropical coastal plains of southern Veracruz. Previous studies have revealed the regional importation of iron-ore, minerals and stone, such as obsidian, greenstone, and mica, for sculptures, grinding tools and artifacts used in domestic, ceremonial and productive activities. This study focuses on the sourcing of non-local artifacts, made from iron–titanium (ilmenite) oxide mineral and iron-ores, found in large quantities in the archeological excavations, in order to shed light on Early Preclassic trade. We study multi-perforated ilmenite artifacts and iron–titanium oxide ores from potential provenance areas using rock magnetic analyses, macroscopic observations, petrography, scanning electron microscopy and micro-geochemistry. Magnetic analyses include magnetic susceptibility as a function of high temperature, hysteresis, isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) acquisition and backfield demagnetization of saturation IRM, and first-order reverse curves. Based on the Curie points and coercivity ranges, we suggest that the geographically unidentified source III-a, proposed earlier, corresponds to the Huitzo anorthosites. The mineralogical and textural relations between ilmenite and granulite host-rocks also suggest for the ilmenite in Olmec samples an origin that is similar to the Huitzo anorthosites. The compositional similarity between large apatite grains in the Huitzo and Olmec samples, and the high MgO content (1.3(6) wt%) of Olmec ilmenite are additional evidence that the provenance of the Olmec ilmenite artifacts is in the Huitzo area, within the northern part of the Oaxaquia Precambrian complex.
La escultura conocida como el Luchador, supuestamente procedente de Antonio Plaza, Veracruz, es s... more La escultura conocida como el Luchador, supuestamente procedente de Antonio Plaza, Veracruz, es sin duda una obra maestra hecha en basalto. Ha habido una polemica en torno a su pertenencia a la cultura olmeca, a su autenticidad, cuestion que no se ha podido resolver. La evaluacion adecuada de esta escultura, estimada por su belleza, tiene importantes repercusiones para el estudio de los olmecas, desde las perspectivas arqueologica y de la historia del arte.
ANNA DI CASTRO Y ANN CYPHERS instituto de investigaciones antropológicas, unam ... 1). EnSan Lore... more ANNA DI CASTRO Y ANN CYPHERS instituto de investigaciones antropológicas, unam ... 1). EnSan Lorenzo, Veracruz, estas cerámicas llegan a su máxima frecuencia durante el apogeo de esa capital olmeca,1 del 1150 al 850 aC En el marco de la polémica que ha surgido en ...
En los últimos años los análisis de densidad poblacional y distribución espacial conforman temas ... more En los últimos años los análisis de densidad poblacional y distribución espacial conforman temas medulares sobre el desarrollo de las sociedades. Una manera de abordar estos temas en la capital olmeca de San Lorenzo, Veracruz, gira en torno al análisis y la interpretación de las pruebas de barreno realizadas de manera sistemática e intensiva. El presente estudio permitió reconstruir el número y tamaño de las estructuras arquitectónicas ubicadas en los diversos sectores del sitio y, a partir de éstos, estimar el número total de pobladores en el asentamiento con el fin de llegar a inferir tendencias en el desarrollo de la primera capital olmeca.
From their beginnings some 4,000 years ago to their decadence around 400 b.c., the Olmec people a... more From their beginnings some 4,000 years ago to their decadence around 400 b.c., the Olmec people achieved a high level of sociopolitical complexity and dominated their native geographic territory, the southern Gulf Coast of Mexico. The first Olmec capital of San Lorenzo, Veracruz, was the only site in Mesoamerica that produced imposing monumental stone sculpture and architecture between 1800 and 1000 b.c. These characteristics reflect the capabilities of its centralized political system headed by hereditary rulers with divine legitimation. Key issues regarding the development of San Lorenzo Olmec culture center on subsistence and environment. The present study focuses on a portion of the landscape located immediately north of the first Olmec capital of San Lorenzo, Veracruz, that has been proposed as a key resource area during the development of the first civilization in Mesoamerica. We calculate the surface, volume, and water depth of this area based on archaeological data and a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) derived from an airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) survey. The expected minimum and maximum area, local minimum altitude, and the DTM of 5-m spatial resolution provide a basis for inferences regarding the characteristics of the wetland ecosystem during Olmec times. The goal is to quantify and qualify the potential of this resource zone relying on LiDAR topography. Our models validate the observations in the field and, when combined with algorithms, they confirm the archaeological conclusions. We affirm that the northern plain in Olmec times was deeper than it is today and would have been a source of abundant aquatic resources for the primary subsistence of the early Olmec society.
Las investigaciones en las tierras bajas mayas durante las ultimas decadas han revelado nueva inf... more Las investigaciones en las tierras bajas mayas durante las ultimas decadas han revelado nueva informacion sobre el temprano desarrollo del pueblo maya. Al hayar cada vez vestigios con mayor antiguedad, las viejas preguntas que surgieron al inicio del siglo XX sobre la relacion entre los pueblos olmeca y maya pueden ser reconsideradas con estos nuevos datos.
Abstract Our knowledge of the Earth's magnetic field intensity changes over the past few thou... more Abstract Our knowledge of the Earth's magnetic field intensity changes over the past few thousand years is still limited because of the uneven spatial and temporal distribution of data, which also includes the Americas. The present study reports 41 new palaeointensity data covering the past 3600 years which, together with 38 previously published data of similar quality, are used to construct a palaeointensity secular variation curve for Central Mexico. These new data are an important contribution to the global intensity database and will also improve the application of palaeomagnetic dating in Mexico, which is of interest because of the many Holocene monogenetic volcanoes within the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, and of its archaeological heritage. The most conspicuous feature of the new intensity curve is the rapid increase between 400 and 250 BCE, from about 45 to 65 μT. Other relative intensity highs of ≈45–55 μT were found around 1600 BCE, 370 CE, and 1200 CE and relative intensity lows of ≈30–35 μT around 1350 BCE and 700 CE. Comparing the virtual axial dipole moment of our intensity curve with global VADM-VDM dipole estimates indicates that non-dipole components in Central Mexico have been observed at several times from 1600 BCE to 1000 CE while the dipole field was prevalent from 1000 to 1800 CE. A comparison of our results with selected data from southern USA shows a significant difference between the two regions which indicates an important nondipole feature of the magnetic field during the last few thousands of years, and/or undetected problems in the age/palaeointensity data accuracy.
The Olmec culture arose and flourished on Mexico’s southern Gulf Coast between 1800 and 400 BC, a... more The Olmec culture arose and flourished on Mexico’s southern Gulf Coast between 1800 and 400 BC, and developed extensive trade relationships for procurement of exotic materials from distant regions. The early capital of Mesoamerica’s first civilization, the archaeological site of San Lorenzo, flourished between 1400 and 1000 BC, in the humid tropical coastal plains of southern Veracruz. Previous studies have revealed the regional importation of iron-ore, minerals and stone, such as obsidian, greenstone, and mica, for sculptures, grinding tools and artifacts used in domestic, ceremonial and productive activities. This study focuses on the sourcing of non-local artifacts, made from iron–titanium (ilmenite) oxide mineral and iron-ores, found in large quantities in the archeological excavations, in order to shed light on Early Preclassic trade. We study multi-perforated ilmenite artifacts and iron–titanium oxide ores from potential provenance areas using rock magnetic analyses, macroscopic observations, petrography, scanning electron microscopy and micro-geochemistry. Magnetic analyses include magnetic susceptibility as a function of high temperature, hysteresis, isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) acquisition and backfield demagnetization of saturation IRM, and first-order reverse curves. Based on the Curie points and coercivity ranges, we suggest that the geographically unidentified source III-a, proposed earlier, corresponds to the Huitzo anorthosites. The mineralogical and textural relations between ilmenite and granulite host-rocks also suggest for the ilmenite in Olmec samples an origin that is similar to the Huitzo anorthosites. The compositional similarity between large apatite grains in the Huitzo and Olmec samples, and the high MgO content (1.3(6) wt%) of Olmec ilmenite are additional evidence that the provenance of the Olmec ilmenite artifacts is in the Huitzo area, within the northern part of the Oaxaquia Precambrian complex.
La escultura conocida como el Luchador, supuestamente procedente de Antonio Plaza, Veracruz, es s... more La escultura conocida como el Luchador, supuestamente procedente de Antonio Plaza, Veracruz, es sin duda una obra maestra hecha en basalto. Ha habido una polemica en torno a su pertenencia a la cultura olmeca, a su autenticidad, cuestion que no se ha podido resolver. La evaluacion adecuada de esta escultura, estimada por su belleza, tiene importantes repercusiones para el estudio de los olmecas, desde las perspectivas arqueologica y de la historia del arte.
ANNA DI CASTRO Y ANN CYPHERS instituto de investigaciones antropológicas, unam ... 1). EnSan Lore... more ANNA DI CASTRO Y ANN CYPHERS instituto de investigaciones antropológicas, unam ... 1). EnSan Lorenzo, Veracruz, estas cerámicas llegan a su máxima frecuencia durante el apogeo de esa capital olmeca,1 del 1150 al 850 aC En el marco de la polémica que ha surgido en ...
En los últimos años los análisis de densidad poblacional y distribución espacial conforman temas ... more En los últimos años los análisis de densidad poblacional y distribución espacial conforman temas medulares sobre el desarrollo de las sociedades. Una manera de abordar estos temas en la capital olmeca de San Lorenzo, Veracruz, gira en torno al análisis y la interpretación de las pruebas de barreno realizadas de manera sistemática e intensiva. El presente estudio permitió reconstruir el número y tamaño de las estructuras arquitectónicas ubicadas en los diversos sectores del sitio y, a partir de éstos, estimar el número total de pobladores en el asentamiento con el fin de llegar a inferir tendencias en el desarrollo de la primera capital olmeca.
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