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Early Olmec Obsidian Trade and Economic PDF
Early Olmec Obsidian Trade and Economic PDF
a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t
Article history: The Olmec were the first complex society to develop in Mesoamerica between 1800 and 600 cal B.C. The
Received 29 November 2012 earliest large Olmec center during this period was the archaeological site of San Lorenzo which emerged
Received in revised form as Mesoamerica’s first large ritual and political center between 1400 and 1000 cal B.C. San Lorenzo’s
14 January 2013
growth as a prominent center included the development of long distance trade relationships with
Accepted 27 January 2013
adjacent areas of Guatemala and highland Mexico. High precision chemical analysis of obsidian imported
for use in the fabrication of cutting tools is used to reconstruct the growth, size and extent of San Lor-
Keywords:
enzo’s interregional exchange networks with areas of Mexico and Guatemala where obsidian occurs as
Olmec
San Lorenzo
raw material. A total of 852 obsidian artifacts were analyzed to reconstruct changes in obsidian pro-
Obsidian source analysis curement between 1800 and 800 cal B.C. This represents one of the largest samples of sourced obsidian
Trade from a Mesoamerican site and it provides a comprehensive picture for the development of interregional
Mesoamerica trade networks for Mesoamerica’s first large Olmec center.
XRF Ó 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
1. Introduction access to building stone and the lithic resources needed for both
cutting and grinding tools. The San Lorenzo Olmec solved part of
Research conducted over more than seven decades has estab- this problem by importing basalt from the Tuxtla Mountains
lished that the Olmec were Mesoamerica’s first great civilization located 60 km away which was used for grinding implements and
(Coe and Diehl, 1980; Diehl, 2004; Pool, 2007). The Olmec were large stone monuments so important for their public displays of
located in the humid coastal plains of Veracruz and Tabasco between religious and political ideology. Stone for cutting implements,
1800 and 400 cal B.C. Contact between the Olmec and their neigh- however, was not locally available which they resolved by
bors can be seen in the spread of religious iconography along with importing obsidian from distant sources. The focus of this study is
the movement of a range of trade goods into and out of the Olmec this long distance obsidian procurement network and its implica-
heartland. The earliest Olmec center is the archaeological site of San tions for the development of early Olmec economic networks. The
Lorenzo, Veracruz, which was occupied continuously between 1800 goal of this study is to provide a comprehensive view of the evo-
and 800 cal B.C. (Table 1) and developed into Mesoamerica’s first lution of obsidian provisioning at San Lorenzo over a 1000 year
large ritual and political center between 1400 and 1000 cal BC (Fig.1). period between 1800 and 800 cal BC.
Complex society at San Lorenzo was supported by a highly A total of 852 artifacts were analyzed using high precision
diversified subsistence base tailored to its surrounding wetland neutron activation and X-ray fluorescence techniques which form
environment. Despite a rich resource base, San Lorenzo lacked easy the basis for reconstructing obsidian procurement networks. These
artifacts were drawn from 50 different occupation contexts
collected by the Proyecto Arqueológico San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan
* Corresponding author. Tel.: þ1 814 867 0005; fax: þ1 814 863 1474. (PASLT) over six field seasons (Fig. 2). The large number of contexts
E-mail addresses: kgh2@psu.edu (K. Hirth), cyphers@unam.mx (A. Cyphers), available for study ensured that only artifacts from securely dated
cobean_robert@hotmail.com (R. Cobean), jasonpatrickdeleon@gmail.com (J. De single component contexts were used in this analysis. These ana-
León), glascockm@missouri.edu (M.D. Glascock). lyzes document the extent and diversity of San Lorenzo’s early
1
Tel.: þ55 5644 7822.
2 economic obsidian networks and provide a glimpse into the
Tel.: þ55 5522 4446.
3
Tel.: þ1 734 764 7274. complexity of economic interactions involved in the development
4
Tel.: þ1 573 882 5270. of Mesoamerica’s first complex society.
Fig. 3. Obsidian distributions at San Lorenzo. A) The location of San Lorenzo, B) The Ojochi phase obsidian distribution, C) The Bajío phase obsidian distribution, D) The Chicharras
phase obsidian distribution.
The presence of El Chayal obsidian in even small amounts is 4.2. The Bajío phase (1600e1500 cal BC)
important because it demonstrates that obsidian was already
moving over 613 km across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec to reach San Lorenzo grew during this phase and expanded beyond
San Lorenzo (Tables 3 and 4). The SL: D4-Plan excavation area is the plateau to include settlement along the site’s periphery.
the only context where obsidian from all three sources was Monumental construction in the form of landscape modification
recovered together. was initiated on the summit of the natural landform. These
K. Hirth et al. / Journal of Archaeological Science 40 (2013) 2784e2798 2789
Table 5
Chicharras phase obsidian source determinations.
4.4. The San Lorenzo A phase (1400e1200 cal BC) in the sample. El Chayal, Guatemala (18.6%) and Paredon, Mexico
(4.5%) were the next most used sources, following the pattern
San Lorenzo emerged as the largest site in Mesoamerica during established in the previous Chicharras phase. The remaining sour-
this phase growing to more than 690 ha (Cyphers, 1996:70; ces exploited (Pico de Orizaba, Ucareo, ZaragozaeOyameles,
Lunagómez Reyes, 1995; Cyphers et al. 2008-2007). It is now and Zacualtipan, and Ixtepeque) occur in trace amounts of only 0.6e
during the following San Lorenzo B phase that the site reached the 1.9%. Two new sources were exploited at this time: Zacualtipan,
height of its cultural development. Massive filling operations Hidalgo, situated 555 km northwest of San Lorenzo and Ixtepeque,
created a monumental construction in the shape of a terraced Guatemala, located 647 km to the southeast (Table 3). The
earthen plateau. Large public buildings were constructed and there appearance of these new sources is significant because they reflect
were sculpture workshops in the central plateau that produced the continued broadening of trade connections with San Lorenzo.
colossal heads and medium sized stone monuments used in ritual Prismatic pressure blades were manufactured from six different
displays and to reinforce the dynastic authority of San Lorenzo sources and comprise 6% of the obsidian recovered during this
rulers (Cyphers, 1997b, 2012). San Lorenzo was the most influential phase. Nearly 90% of these blades come from the four highland
center in the southern Gulf Coast and its location on the ancient Mexican sources of Paredon (27.1%), Otumba (21.6%), Ucareo (21.6%)
Coatzalcoalcos river system provided a locational advantage for and ZaragozaeOyameles (18.9%). The other two sources used were
participation in regional and interregional trade. Both Loma de El Chayal, Guatemala (8.1%) and Guadalupe Victoria (2.7%). That
Zapote and Laguna de los Cerros developed into secondary centers Guadalupe Victoria obsidian also was used to manufacture pressure
(Cyphers, 2012; Symonds et al., 2002) and household inventories blades is surprising given its high level of inclusions which impede
reveal differences in wealth indicative of status differences both at blade removal. Particularly striking is the variable consumption of
San Lorenzo and throughout sites in the surrounding region obsidian blades across the site. Blades comprise 80% of the obsidian
(Cyphers, 1996, 1997a). sample from the non-elite residential area of P. Camilo Domínguez
The complete lithic analysis shows that percussion flaking of (N ¼ 11) and 37% of the samples from the GD-1 or Red Palace
blocky nodules continued to supply most of the cutting edge used structure (areas SL:B3-11 and SL:B3-17) in Group D. Conversely,
at San Lorenzo. Nevertheless, there was a clear increase in the blade consumption is low at both monuments SL: SL-53 (6%) and in
number of prismatic pressure blades used in both domestic and SL: Grupo E, SL-14 (8%). All indications are that pressure blades
non-domestic contexts across the site. A total of 193 pieces of reached San Lorenzo through blade trade (De León et al., 2009).
obsidian were sourced that consisted of 156 percussion flakes and
flake tools and 37 prismatic pressure blades (Table 6). This sample 4.5. The San Lorenzo B phase (1200e1000 cal BC)
was drawn from 19 well preserved San Lorenzo phase A deposits
(Fig. 4). Chemical analysis reveals that exchange intensified along San Lorenzo reached its maximum size and influence during this
the trade routes established during the Chicharras phase and two phase. Regional population grew to its maximum size and there is
new areas were exploited which raised the number of sources used the possibility that large sites like Laguna de los Cerros became
at San Lorenzo to nine (Table 6). more independent, eventually competing with San Lorenzo
The bulk of obsidian exchange remained focused on the pro- (Borstein, 2001, 2008; Cyphers, 2012). Many of the public monu-
curement of small irregular and blocky nodules for the production ments found at San Lorenzo date to this phase and it is likely that
of usable flakes. Eight sources supplied these nodules with Gua- there were changes in the site’s ruling dynasty. Evidence for
dalupe Victoria providing 71.2% of the flakes, cores, and flake tools monument recycling suggests that either rulers were losing the
K. Hirth et al. / Journal of Archaeological Science 40 (2013) 2784e2798 2791
Table 6
San Lorenzo A phase obsidian source determinations.
Area Guad. Pico de El Chayal, Ucareo, Paredon, Otumba, Zaragoza, Zacualtipan, Hid Ixtepeque, Total
Victoria Orizaba Guat Mich Mex Mex Pue Guat
Percussion
SL: A4 Ilmenitas CHE 10 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11
SL: A4 Ilmenitas JZN 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
SL: A4 Ilmenitas LGL 7 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8
SL: B. Jobo CW 8 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 11
SL: B. Jobo EHG 12 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 14
SL: C5-6 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
SL: Grupo C, Col A 5 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 7
SL: Grupo D, B3-11 7 0 3 0 1 0 1 0 0 12
SL: Grupo D, B3-17 6 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 8
SL: Grupo D, SL-30 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
SL: Grupo E, SL-14 19 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 24
SL: Grupo E, SL-73 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 2 8
LZ: PN, S. Bernal 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
LZ: S. Aguilar 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
SL: P. Camilo Domínguez 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
SL: P. Miguel Rosas 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
SL: P. Perfecto Domínguez LO 8 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 15
SL: SL-112 6 0 4 0 3 0 0 0 0 13
SL: SL-53 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15
Total Percussion 111 3 29 1 7 0 1 1 3 156
Percentage of Percussion 71.2 1.9 18.6 0.6 4.5 0.0 0.6 0.6 1.9 99.9
Area Guad. Victoria El Chayal, Guat Ucareo, Mich Paredon, Mex Otumba, Mex Zaragoza, Pue Total
Pressure blades
SL: B. Jobo CW 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
SL: Grupo D, B3-11 0 2 2 0 1 0 5
SL: Grupo D, B3-17 0 0 2 3 2 0 7
SL: Grupo E, SL-14 1 0 0 1 0 0 2
SL: Grupo E, SL-73 0 1 0 1 0 5 7
LZ: PN, S. Bernal 0 0 0 1 1 0 2
LZ: S. Aguilar 0 0 1 0 0 0 1
SL: P. Camilo Domínguez 0 0 3 2 2 2 9
SL: SL-112 0 0 0 1 1 0 2
SL: SL-53 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
Total Pressure Blades 1 3 8 10 8 7 37
Percentage of Pressure Blades 2.7 8.1 21.6 27.1 21.6 18.9 100
ability to command the labor necessary to import large basalt the first time and represents the only new source exploited during
blocks from the Tuxtla mountains and/or older monuments were this phase.
defaced and recycled to remove the images of earlier rulers from Procurement networks were remarkably stable from the pre-
public spaces. The quantity and diversity of imported goods indi- ceding phase with the same eight sources supplying raw material
cate that San Lorenzo was at the center of an extensive trade for the percussion industry. The nearby source of Guadalupe Vic-
network that included green stone, ilmenite, mica and polished toria supplied the bulk of this material (58.7%) although in lower
magnetite mirrors. The massive deposits of drilled ilmenite blocks amounts than during the preceding phase. El Chayal (19.2%), Par-
date to this phase and indicate both high levels of interregional edon (10.2%) and Ucareo (7.9%) also provided significant amounts of
trade and the on-site manufacture of exotic craft goods (Cyphers, nodular material. The remaining four sources (Pico de Orizaba,
1996; Di Castro Stringher, 1997). Otumba, ZaragozaeOyameles, Ixtepeque) contributed only trace
A significant change also occurred in the organization of San amounts of obsidian in the range of 0.6e1.1% for percussion flaking.
Lorenzo lithic assemblages. While percussion flakes still accounted The increase in nodular material from Ucareo and Paredon from
for most of the lithic artifacts recovered (68.6%), obsidian pressure previous phases was very likely a side product of the large number
blades rose sharply in popularity accounting for 31.4% of all the of pressure blades entering the region from these sources.
obsidian artifacts recovered at San Lorenzo. This was a transitional Prismatic blades occur in obsidian from nine different sources.
period for blade use at San Lorenzo with blade frequencies soaring Three sources supplied over 80% of these blades. The most impor-
from 6% during the preceding phase. Of course, 31.4% is the average tant of these was Ucareo (37.6%) followed by Paredon (27.3%) and
level of blade consumption for the entire phase. Since blades Otumba (16.2%). The sources of ZaragozaeOyameles (6.5%) and El
represent only 6% at the start of this phase, usage rates would have Chayal (5.2%) also supplied a small but important quantity of
had to be very high by the end of San Lorenzo phase B to produce an blades. Blades also appeared for the first time from three new
average usage rate of 31% for the entire phase. sources in trace amounts: Ixtepeque (3.2%), Zacualtipan (1.3%) and
A total of 331 obsidian artifacts were chemically analyzed which Sierra de Pachuca (0.7%).
were drawn from 34 well preserved deposits at San Lorenzo and
the nearby sites of Loma de Zapote and El Bajío (Figs. 2 and 5). This 4.6. The Nacaste phase (1000e800 cal BC)
sample was composed of 177 percussion flakes, cores and flake
tools, and 154 pressure blades (Table 7). Obsidian continued to The Nacaste phase witnessed the waning of San Lorenzo as a
move into the site along previously established trade routes. major center in the Gulf Coast. Its political influence declined
Obsidian from the Sierra de Pachuca is recovered in collections for sharply along with its on-site population. A dispersed population
2792 K. Hirth et al. / Journal of Archaeological Science 40 (2013) 2784e2798
continued to live on the plateau but there is no evidence for major decrease in the quantity of material from Guadalupe Victoria from
architectural construction across the plateau either in the form or nearly 59% during the preceding phase to only 36.9% during
terracing or the construction of monumental public buildings. Nacaste. The decrease in Guadalupe Victoria obsidian was offset by
Nevertheless, San Lorenzo shared ceramic and figurine styles with increases in raw material from both El Chayal (34.2%) and Paredon
other sites in the Gulf Coast (Coe and Diehl, 1980:188; Lowe, (15.8%). Obsidian from Ucareo (7.9%), Otumba (2.6%) and Zaragozae
1989:53e57) even though it was eclipsed by La Venta and other Oyameles (2.6%) supplied the remainder of nodular raw material
sites in the Gulf Coast after 1000 cal BC. used at the site.
Despite changes in the internal organization of San Lorenzo, the
total obsidian analysis indicates that blades continued to increase 5. Discussion
in frequency, constituting almost one-half of the lithic assemblage
(47.5%) compared to percussion flakes and flake tools (52.5%). The results of this study expand on the pioneering in-
Although the frequency of blades to flakes was about equal, flakes vestigations conducted of obsidian procurement at San Lorenzo
were smaller than they were during all previous phases. It is likely (Cobean et al., 1971, 1991). This investigation confirms that the
that prismatic blades provided the majority of the cutting edge obsidian used at San Lorenzo came from a large number of sources.
used at San Lorenzo at this time. Furthermore, it adds new information by analyzing a large sample
A sample of 100 pieces of obsidian was chemically analyzed for of obsidian artifacts from each of the six phases of site development
this phase that consisted of 38 percussion flakes and 62 pressure from 1800 to 800 cal B.C. The results allow us to identify the
blades (Table 8). This sample was collected from nine Nacaste phase structure of obsidian procurement networks by recognizing which
contexts at San Lorenzo (Fig. 6). The major source for obsidian sources supplied raw material and finished goods in different
blades was the highland source of Otumba, Mexico (40.3%). Other quantities over the life of the site. Eleven obsidian sources were
important sources used for blades were Ucareo-Zinapecuaro (29%), identified that are distributed across the greater breadth of Meso-
Paredon (11.3%), ZaragozaeOyameles (8.1%), and El Chayal (8.1%). america (Fig. 1, Table 8). San Lorenzo had access to, and drew ma-
Blades were also identified in trace amounts from the Ixtepeque terial from, most of the major obsidian source areas in the Mexican
(1.6%) and Pachuca (1.6%) sources. The disappearance of obsidian and Guatemalan highlands before 1000 cal BC. This has important
from Pico de Orizaba and Zacualtipan reflects a slight shrinkage in implications for understanding the structure of early trade and
procurement patterns. Zinapecuaro obsidian appeared in trace procurement networks that need to be explored in greater depth in
amounts for the first time and probably entered the site through future studies.
the same channels as material from its neighboring source of Obsidian supplied the primary cutting edge at San Lorenzo and
Ucareo. had to be transported long distances to reach the site. The in-
Changes can be observed in the procurement networks that habitants of San Lorenzo had established contact with two major
supplied small nodules for percussion flaking. There was a sharp source regions by 1800 cal BC. These were: 1) the slopes of the
K. Hirth et al. / Journal of Archaeological Science 40 (2013) 2784e2798 2793
Orizaba volcano where the Guadalupe Victoria and Pico de Orizaba Guatemalan source network increased substantially, indicating an
sources were located, and 2) the Valley of Guatemala with its expansion and intensification of long distance relationships
important obsidian source at El Chayal (Fig. 1). Guadalupe Victoria through the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and into the Guatemalan
and Pico de Orizaba are the closest sources to San Lorenzo. Located highlands (sensu Zeitlin, 1982). Second, there is the expansion of
300 km northwest of San Lorenzo, these sources supplied the source networks north and west into the Mexican highlands
majority of the hand-sized obsidian nodules used to produce flakes reaching as far west as the Cuitzeo Basin in eastern Michoacan. This
at the site. The earliest use of Orizaba obsidian is an obsidian pro- highland Mexican route represents a third procurement network
jectile point recovered from El Riego phase deposits in the Tehua- that provided obsidian from four new sources. These new sources
can Valley (Cobean et al., 1971:668) which predates its appearance included: ZaragozaeOyameles in the eastern Puebla highlands,
at San Lorenzo by nearly 4000 years. This underscores the early Otumba and El Paredon in the northeastern Basin of Mexico, and
importance of obsidian and its movement over long distances to Ucareo in the Cuitzeo Basin of Michoacan. The direct line distances
supply quotidian cutting tasks. to these sources range from 360 km to ZaragozaeOyameles to over
What is more surprising is that obsidian from El Chayal, 660 km to Ucareo (Table 3).
Guatemala, occurs at San Lorenzo during the Ojochi and Bajío The obsidian that moved through this new highland network
phases. El Chayal is more than 600 km from San Lorenzo, fully twice was small in quantity and relatively insignificant in terms of pro-
the distance of the two sources near the Orizaba volcano. While El visioning San Lorenzo residents with usable cutting edge. The
Chayal obsidian is a higher quality of glass than obsidian from importance of the obsidian data is that it documents the creation of
Guadalupe Victoria, it provides no real technological advantages for network relationships that linked San Lorenzo to highland Mexico.
expedient percussion flaking. All three sources provide razor sharp These contacts provided the linkages for the reciprocal movement
flakes suitable for hand-held cutting tasks. The greater distance to of people, ideology, technology and material goods. It was along
the El Chayal source should have precluded its use at San Lorenzo this corridor and at least a century later that Gulf Coast ceramics
because of its higher transportation costs (Drennan, 1984; Hassig, moved into the Basin of Mexico (Blomster et al., 2005; Neff et al.,
1985). Clearly resource provisioning was not structured purely in 2006) and West Mexico. Likewise it was through this network
energetic terms. Instead, resource procurement more likely oper- that highland goods including obsidian blade technology reached
ated through multiple, nested interregional social networks that the Gulf Coast. Obsidian pressure blades manufactured from
moved material over space irrespective of the distances involved. Otumba, Paredon, and ZaragozaeOyameles obsidian reached San
Interregional procurement networks operating during the Ojo- Lorenzo during the Chicharras phase. Although Ucareo obsidian
chi and Bajío phases expanded dramatically during the Chicharras moved across the highland route as small nodules, blades and other
phase around 1500 cal BC. Two important developments occurred goods appear to have followed this network as trade expanded
at this time. First, the quantity of obsidian moving through the after 1400 cal BC.
2794 K. Hirth et al. / Journal of Archaeological Science 40 (2013) 2784e2798
Table 7
San Lorenzo B phase obsidian source determinations.
Area Guad. Pico de El Chayal, Ucareo, Paredon, Otumba, Zaragoza, Ixtepeque, Unknown Total
Victoria Orizaba Guat Mich Mex Mex Pue Guat
Percussion
SL: A4 Ilmenitas JZN 1 0 10 0 1 0 0 0 0 12
SL: A4 Platos 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
SL: B. Jobo CW 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 4
SL: B. Jobo EHG 6 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 8
SL: B. Jobo MVG 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
SL: C5-6 6 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 9
SL: D4-22 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 5
SL: D5-9 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
SL: D5-9W 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
SL: D5-31 5 0 1 0 5 0 0 0 0 11
SL: Grupo D, B3-11 6 0 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 12
SL: Grupo D, B3-17 2 0 1 0 3 0 1 0 0 7
SL: Grupo D, SL-30 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 5
SL: Grupo E, SL-14 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 8
Las Camelias 0 0 0 2 1 0 1 0 0 4
LZ: Malpica U 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 7
LZ: P. S. Salomon 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3
LZ: PN, S. Diego Osorio 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
LZ: S. Aguilar 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
SL: P. Camilo Domínguez 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
SL: P. M. Rosas, Col A 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
SL: P. M. Rosas, Col F 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
SL: P. Perfecto Domínguez LO 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
SL: Perfecto Domínguez TV 27 0 4 0 3 0 0 0 0 34
RSLT-116a 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9
SL: Trans 1W, Sondeo 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
SL: Trans 2S, Sondeo 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
SL: Zanja La Mina 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
El Bajio 10 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 1 16
Total Percussion 104 2 34 14 18 1 2 1 1 177
Percentage of Percussion 58.7 1.1 19.2 7.9 10.2 0.6 1.1 0.6 0.6 100%
Area Guad. El Chayal, Ucareo, Paredon, Otumba, Zaragoza, Zacualtipan, Ixtepeque, Pachuca, Unknown Total
Victoria Guat Mich Mex Mex Pue Hid Guat Hid
Pressure blades
SL: A4 Ilmenitas JZN 0 1 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 7
SL: A4 Platos 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 3
SL: B. Jobo EHG 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
SL: B. Jobo MVG 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2
SL: C5-6 0 0 0 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 8
SL: C5-6, Sondeo 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
SL: D4-22 0 0 4 2 3 1 1 0 0 0 11
SL: D4-7 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
SL: D5-9 0 0 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 6
SL: D5-9W 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 3
SL: D5-31 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2
SL: Grupo D, B3-11 1 2 3 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 11
SL: Grupo D, B3-17 0 0 5 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 9
SL: Grupo D, SL-30 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2
Las Camelias 0 1 5 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 10
LZ: Malpica U 0 1 10 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 12
LZ: P. S. Salomon 0 0 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 5
LZ: PN, Diego Osorio 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 3
LZ: Represa Azuzul 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 4
LZ S. Aguilar 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
P Camilo DGZ 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
SL: P. M. Rosas, Col F 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
SL: P. M. Rosas, Col H 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 3
SL: P. Perfecto Domínguez LO 0 0 4 2 0 3 0 0 0 0 9
SL: P. Perfecto Domínguez TV 0 0 7 6 1 1 0 0 0 1 16
SL: SL-112 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
SL: Trans 1W, Sondeo 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
SL: Trans 2S, Sondeo 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
SL: Zanja La Mina 0 0 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 5
El Bajio 1 1 4 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 10
Total Pressure Blades 2 8 58 42 25 10 2 5 1 1 154
Percentage of Pressure Blades 1.3 5.2 37.6 27.3 16.2 6.5 1.3 3.2 0.7 0.7 100%
K. Hirth et al. / Journal of Archaeological Science 40 (2013) 2784e2798 2795
Table 8
Nacaste phase obsidian source determinations.
Area Guad. Victoria El Chayal, Guat Ucareo, Mich Paredon, Mex Otumba, Mex Zaragoza, Pue Total
Percussion
SL: B. Jobo ESLE 3 1 1 2 0 0 7
SL: Grupo E, SL-14 5 2 1 1 0 0 9
LZ: P. S. Salomon 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
LZ: PN, S. Bernal 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
LZ: PN, S. Vasconcelos 1 7 0 0 0 0 8
LZ: S. Aguilar 2 1 0 1 0 0 4
SL: P. Camilo Domínguez 1 1 0 0 0 0 2
SL: P. M. Rosas 0 0 1 0 0 1 2
SL: P. Simon Hdz PS 2 1 0 0 1 0 4
Total percussion obsidian 14 13 3 6 1 1 38
Percentage percussion obsidian 36.9 34.2 7.9 15.8 2.6 2.6 100%
Area El Chayal, Ucareo, Paredon, Otumba, Zaragoza, Ixtepeque, Pachuca, Zinapecuaro, Total
Guat Mich Mex Mex Pue Guat Hid Mich
Pressure blades
SL: B. Jobo ESLE 2 4 3 0 1 1 0 0 11
SL: Grupo E, SL-14 0 2 0 1 2 0 0 1 6
LZ: P. S. Salomon 0 5 1 1 0 0 0 0 7
LZ: PN, S. Bernal 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2
LZ: PN, S. Vasconcelos 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 3
LZ: S. Aguilar 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 4
SL: P. Camilo Domínguez 3 4 1 0 1 0 0 0 9
SL: P. M. Rosas 0 2 0 12 0 0 0 0 14
SL: P. Simon Hdz PS 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 6
Total Pressure Blades 5 17 7 25 5 1 1 1 62
Percentage of Pressure Blades 8.1 27.4 11.3 40.3 8.1 1.6 1.6 1.6 100%
San Lorenzo reached its cultural apogee during San Lorenzo down-the-line exchange networks through which obsidian nod-
phases A and B. Between 1400 and 1000 cal BC it was the primary ules had moved across Mesoamerican since the Archaic period
Olmec center and a source of cultural influences throughout the (Clark and Lee, 1984:241; Nelson and Voorhies, 1980; Voorhies,
Gulf coast and possibly beyond (Footnote6). The obsidian infor- 1976). Second, if the spread of obsidian blade technology and the
mation indicates an increased volume of raw material and finished distribution of prismatic pressure blades was a political process as
blades moving along trade circuits across Guatemala and the Clark (1987) suggests, then the frequency of blades should have
Mexican highlands. The same also was true for ceramic and other decreased during the Nacaste phase with the decrease in elites and
goods (Blomster et al., 2005; Herrera et al., 1999; Neff et al., 2006; their influence over a reduced population. This is not what
Pires-Ferreira, 1975). Most notably the increased consumption of happened. Rather blade consumption at San Lorenzo continued to
obsidian blades at the beginning of the San Lorenzo A phase rise into the Nacaste phase. What these data imply is that neither
continued well into its decline during the Nacaste phase. Blades the procurement of obsidian, nor the production of blades,
constituted 6% of the obsidian assemblage during the San Lorenzo A depended completely upon the presence of elite. Instead the first
phase, 31% during the San Lorenzo B phase, and nearly one-half of obsidian blades probably arrived as trade goods moving through
the assemblage (47.5%) during the Nacaste phase. During these the same networks as obsidian nodules (De León, 2008).
three phases fully 90% of all blades consumed at San Lorenzo were This study has examined the obsidian imported and consumed
produced from obsidian from highland sources (Footnote7). Four at San Lorenzo from 1800 to 800 cal BC. It was not designed to
new highland sources (Zacualtipan, Ixtepeque, Pachuca, Zinape- reconstruct the network of economic relationships through which
cuaro) were added during these three phases, all of which occur as it moved. Nevertheless the data are suggestive. They imply that
prismatic blades by the San Lorenzo B or Nacaste phase. during the Early Formative period obsidian moved through a
It is important that the frequency of obsidian blades continued network of decentralized domestic exchanges. Domestic trade
to increase unabated into the Nacaste phase. Blade use in domestic networks often operated through trade partner relationships
contexts continued to rise to 47.5% throughout the Nacaste phase (Heider, 1969) with resources moving from household to household
despite San Lorenzo’s political decline and the decreased impor- as gifts or reciprocal exchanges (Wiessner, 1982; Yan, 2005).
tance of the site elite. This high level of blade use differs from that Because these networks are household centered, they produce a
reported near La Venta where pressure blades constitute only 28% matrix of independent and overlapping connections through which
of the obsidian assemblage at the Middle Formative site of San resources move. The result is a greater diversity in the type and
Andres (Doering, 2002:72; see also Raab et al., 2000). Clearly eco- distribution of the resources moving through household networks
nomic systems operated independently of the political events that compared to centralized systems. Winter and Pires-Ferreira (1976)
engulfed San Lorenzo during its decline. The economic needs of San have demonstrated that domestic exchange networks were the
Lorenzo domestic units were too important to have political dis- principal conduits for obsidian provisioning in the Valley of Oaxaca
ruptions interfere with them. Obsidian blades reached Nacaste during the Tierras Largas phase 1150e1400 BC.
phase households well after the elite had departed or declined in Diversity in the distribution of obsidian from different sources is
regional importance at San Lorenzo. found across San Lorenzo during all phases of site occupation.
Clark (1987) has suggested that blade technology spread During the Ojochi and Bajío phases the SL: D4-Plan area displays
throughout Mesoamerica as a direct result of elite action. This greater variation in the sources of nodular obsidian used than do
proposed involvement took two forms: 1) the procurement of areas SL-53 or Perfecto Dominguez LO (Table 4). These differences
obsidian cores from distant sources, and 2) sponsorship of the ar- became exaggerated once obsidian blades increased in popularity.
tisans with specialized skills to produce obsidian blades (Clark, During San Lorenzo B, variation in blade occurrence was pro-
1987:278). Elite involvement is assumed to be motivated by the nounced. Blades ranged from 10 to 11% of lithic materials recovered
control over unique or preferred goods that they could selectively from ritual and domestic areas at C5-6 and D5-31, to 48% of the
distribute to individuals for elite political advantage (sensu domestic assemblage in the residence of D4-22 (De León, 2008:
Brumfiel and Earle, 1987; Clark, 1987:280). Tables 6.14e6.43). This variation continued into the Nacaste phase
The San Lorenzo data expands our understanding of obsidian where Otumba obsidian dominated blade assemblages at SL: P.
procurement in two ways. First, obsidian was the dominant mate- Miguel Rosas and SL: P. Simon Hdz in contrast to SL: B. Jobo ESLE
rial used for cutting tools during the Ojochi phase indicating that it and LZ: P. S. Salomon where Ucareo, Paredon and El Chayal obsidian
moved readily through interregional exchange networks by predominated (Table 8).
1800 cal BC. This obsidian moved into San Lorenzo in nodular form
and probably reached the site through the same type of reciprocal, 6. Conclusions
probably moved together through interregional procurement Brumfiel, E., Earle, T., 1987. Specialization, exchange, and complex societies: an
introduction. In: Brumfiel, E., Earle, T. (Eds.), Specialization, Exchange, and
networks.
Complex Societies. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 1e9.
Most of the discussion of Early Formative Gulf Coast culture Clark, J., 1987. Politics, prismatic blades, and Mesoamerican civilization. In:
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was the period of rulers, palaces and impressive stone monuments. view Press, Boulber, pp. 259e284.
Clark, J., 1997. The arts of government. Annual Review of Anthropology 26, 211e234.
It was also when San Lorenzo reached its maximum size and Clark, J., 2007. Mesoamerica’s first state. In: Scarborough, V.L., CLark, J.E. (Eds.), The
importance and an array of exotic goods reached the site through Political Economy of Ancient Mesoamerica: Transformations During the
extensive interregional trade. This is the Olmec story as we have Formative and Classic Periods. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque,
pp. 11e46.
come to know it. Obsidian, however, supplies a different Clark, J.E., Bryant, D., 1997. A technological typology of prismatic blades and deb-
perspective. itage from Ojo de Agua, Chiapas, Mexico. Ancient Mesoamerica 8, 111e136.
Obsidian analysis illustrates that by 1800 cal BC San Lorenzo was Clark, J., Lee, T., 1984. Formative obsidian exchange and the emergence of public
economies in Chiapas, Mexico. In: Hirth, K. (Ed.), Trade and Exchange in Early
involved in two long distance procurement networks, one Mesoamerica. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, pp. 235e274.
extending north into central Veracruz and the Orizaba region, and Cobean, R., 2002. A World of Obsidian: the Mining and Trade of a Volcanic Glass in
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Cobean, R.H., Coe, M.D., Perry Jr., E., Turekian, K.T., Kharjar, D.P., 1971. Obsidian trade
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pears to have been the Chicharras phase (1500e1400 cal B.C.). Not Cobean, R.H., Vogt, J.R., Glassock, M.D., Stocker, T.L., 1991. High precision trace-
only were strong leaders and the foundations of Olmec society element characterization of major Mesoamerica obsidian sources and further
analyses of artifacts from San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, Mexico. Latin American
emerging at San Lorenzo, but also the site extended its procure-
Antiquity 2, 69e91.
ment networks deep into the Mexican highlands as far as the Coe, M.D., 1989. The Olmec heartland: evolution of ideology. In: Sharer, R., Grove, D.
Ucareo obsidian source in West Mexico. It is likely that most if not (Eds.), Regional Perspectives on the Olmec. Cambridge University Press, Cam-
all of the obsidian moved along these routes through down-line- bridge, pp. 68e82.
Coe, M.D., Diehl, R., 1980. In the Land of the Olmec. University of Texas Press, Austin.
exchange. What is important for Olmec development is that Collins, M., 1975. Lithic technology as a means of processual inference. In:
trading networks stretching from Guatemala to West Mexico were Swanson, E. (Ed.), Lithic Technology: Making and Using Stone Tools. Mouton,
already established and operating by 1400 cal BC, at the beginning The Hague, pp. 15e34.
Collins, M., 1993. Comprehensive lithic studies: context, technology, style, attrition,
of San Lorenzo’s rapid growth and development. This framework breakage, use-wear and organic residues. Lithic Technology 18, 87e94.
served as the foundation for expanded interregional exchange by Cyphers, A., 1996. Reconstructing Olmec life at San Lorenzo. In: Benson, E.P.B. (Ed.),
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Obsidian does not provide all the answers to questions about lógicas, Mexico, D.F, pp. 255e274.
Cyphers, A., 1997b. La gobernatura en San Lorenzo: inferencias del arte y patrón de
resource procurement, trade and exchange during prehispanic asentamiento. In: Cyphers, A. (Ed.), Población, Subsistencia y Medio Ambiente
times. What it does supply, however, is a solid empirical foundation en San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico,
for reconstructing the structure of exchange networks between Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas, Mexico, D.F, pp. 227e255.
Cyphers, A., 2012. Las bellas teorías y los terribles hechos, Controversias sobre los
source areas and points of consumption like San Lorenzo. What are
olmecas del Preclásico Inferior. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México,
needed now are data from other sites on the landscape so that a Instituto de Investigaciones Antropológicas.
fuller reconstruction of trade relationships is possible for the areas Cyphers, A., Zurita-Noguera, J., 2012. Early Olmec risk management. In: Burger, R.L.,
that were directly or indirectly liked to San Lorenzo and the Rosenswig, R.M. (Eds.), Early New World Monumentality. University Florida
Press, Gainesville, pp. 138e173.
obsidian sources that they used. Cyphers, A., Murtha, T., Borstein, J., Zurita-Noguera, J., Lunagómez, R., Symonds, S.,
Jiménez, G., Arturo Ortiz, M., Figueroa, J.M., 2008-2007. Arqueología Digital en
la Primera Capital Olmeca, San Lorenzo. Thule 22e25, 121e144.
Acknowledgments De León, J., 2008. The Lithic Industries of San Lorenzo-Tenochtitlán: an Economic
and Technological Study of Olmec Obsidian. Department of Anthropology, The
Pennsylvania State University, University Park.
We are grateful to the Dirección General de Asuntos del Personal De León, J.P., Hirth, K.G., Carballo, D.M., 2009. Exploring formative period obsidian
Académico-Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México for blade trade: three distribution models. Ancient Mesoamerica 20, 113e128.
providing the financing for this project. Our special thanks to Di Castro Stringher, A., 1997. Los bloques de ilmenita de San Lorenzo. In: Cyphers, A.
(Ed.), Población, Subsistencia y Medio Ambiente en San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán.
Michael Coe who worked with Cobean and Glascock in the original
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, Instituto de Investigaciones
Yale and Missouri obsidian projects. We acknowledge the National Antropológicas, Mexico, D.F, pp. 153e160.
Science Foundation for grants BCS-0802757 and BCS-1110793 Diehl, R.A., 2004. The Olmecs: America’s First Civilization. Thames and Hudson,
supporting the Archaeometry Laboratory at MURR. We also thank New York.
Doering, T., 2002. Obsidian Artifacts from San Andres La Venta, Tabasco, Mexico.
Greg Luna for drafting the accompanying maps. Department of Anthropology, Florida State University, Tallahasee.
Drennan, R.D., 1984. Long-distance movement of goods in the Mesoamerican
Formative and classic. American Antiquity 49, 27e43.
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