Early and Middle Formative: San Lorenzo, Veracruz, México

Preliminary Conclusions

The ceramic analysis (14,443 sherds) has confirmed the presence of pre-Olmec and Olmec habitation on the small mound sites that scatter the northern alluvial floodplain of San Lorenzo. I was able to identify Coe and Diehl's (1980:137-159) Ojochi, Bajío, San Lorenzo, Nacaste, Remplás and Villa Alta phases in at least three of the mounds excavated. I have yet to identify the Chicharras or Palangana phases. Coe and Diehl (1980:150) believe that the pottery of the Chicharras phase has complete continuity with the San Lorenzo phase although differential firing and white pottery begins in the Bajío phase. The differences in type and form cited by Coe and Diehl (1980:151) may not represent a new phase but could result from the Bajío phase deposit or sample being too small. Coe and Diehl's excavations thus may have not included all pottery types of the Bajío phase. Based on the preliminary analysis of the floodplain sherds, I believe that the Chicharras phase has enough continuity with the Bajío phase to suggest that pottery types of Chicharras phase may belong with Bajío phase. I also believe that the skill level and technology involved in the manufacturing of pottery during the Ojochi and Bajío phases was equal to that of the San Lorenzo phase. In fact, the inhabitants of the floodplain probably used the same source of sands and clays during the different ceramic phases of San Lorenzo. Thus, form and decoration are better indictors of chronology than temper when dealing with the San Lorenzo ceramics.

The Ojochi and Bajío phase ceramics, in my opinion, have a great sense of style, especially the Bajío phase pottery (Figure 2, Figure 3, Figure 4, Figure 5, Figure 6). The pottery from those phases represents a more naturalistic style. That is, elements associated with the physical environment are reflected in the decoration (e.g., fluting) and/or form (e.g., calabaza) of the ceramics. In contrast, the San Lorenzo phase has pottery that portrays supernatural images or abstracts of the supernatural (e.g., Coe and Diehl's [1980:162-175] Calzadas and Limón Carved-Incised; Symonds, Cyphers, and Lunagómez's [2003] Tigrillo) that are also manifestation of the physical world but reflect a sense of ideology (Figure 2). Differential firing and controlled firing are also present in the floodplain pottery. I would (as did Coe and Diehl 1980:182-184) treat differential and controlled firing as representing two different types. The ceramic analysis of the remaining test units needs to be completed before addressing these possibilities in more detail. Nonetheless, the analyses of the ceramic and other materials from the alluvial floodplain excavations provides an opportunity to further study the changes in the cultural materials of San Lorenzo over time and space. The majority of the materials come from possible pre-Olmec and Olmec habitation or household sites. Thus, the cultural material analyses will contribute to the understanding of the Olmec from a household perspective.

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