Recorrido Arqueológico El Mesón

Introduction

The Late and Terminal Formative periods (400 B.C.-A.D. 300) marked an important transition in the Gulf Lowlands between the Early and Middle Formative Olmec culture and the later Classic period cultures. One of the most important developments of this time was the emergence of a hieroglyphic writing system that was used in politically themed Epi-Olmec monuments; however, the political environment in which the script emerged remains largely unknown. This research addresses questions of regional political and economic organization in the Eastern Papaloapan River Basin during the Late and Terminal Formative periods. Specifically this project examines whether settlements in the area around El Mesón were politically independent, or if they formed part of a large regional polity most likely controlled by the large center Tres Zapotes located approximately 15 km to the south. Additionally, this project provides settlement data for the El Mesón area for all Prehispanic periods.

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