March 15, 2005

Professor’s Research Rocks Mesoamerican Cultural Theory

By Thomas Kohout

An article published in the Feb. 18 (v. 307, n. 5712) edition of the journal Science by GW’s Jeffrey Blomster, assistant professor of archaeology; Hector Neff, California State University – Long Beach; and Michael D. Glascock, University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR), seeks to resolve a contentious debate about the evolution of early civilization in the Americas; what role did the Olmec society play in the development and distribution of the first coherent iconographic system in Mesoamerica?

This hotly debated issue focuses on two opposing view points — the “Mother Culture” and the “Sister Culture.” Under the Mother Culture theory, Mesoamerican societies developed thanks to the guidance of one overwhelmingly advanced group — the Olmecs. The Sister Culture theory portrays the Olmec as just one of many emerging societies that simultaneously developed new symbols and cultural systems. Even before the article was released, Blomster and others heard rumblings from those who support the current philosophy of Mesoamerican development.

“I was surprised by how fast the response came,” confessed Blomster. The results fundamentally challenge those in the Sister Culture camp. He added, “Controversy is good as long as there is a dialogue.”

According to the article, the iconography found of this pottery is a key indication of how many cultural concepts developed. “Because this iconography has been linked with the dissemination of the social, political, and religious institutions of the Olmec, analyzing its origin and spread is central to understanding the development of complex society in Mesoamerica.”

Olmec society, centered in the Gulf-coastal region of Mexico where the states Veracruz and Tabasco are now located, dates to 1200 BC. The culture is most widely recognized for its enormous sculptures of heads carved from giant blocks of basalt. Mesoamerica is the cultural region encompassing much of modern Mexico, as well as Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador.

The research project was conducted through support from the National Science Foundation and with assistance and permission from Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Anthropoligía e Historia.

The San Lorenzo site, the ancient Olmec capital, is located on the ideal spot for the development and dissemination of ideas as well as goods. Located in a richly fertile region along the Gulf coast of Mexico, the city was centered near a crisscross of waterways used by the Olmec not only for transportation of goods but also the delivery of news and information.

The researchers focused on several types of pottery: fine kaolin clay which Blomster refers to as “white wares”; coarser “gray wares”; and a type of orange on white ware he refers to as “Conjeo orange-on-white.” All of these pottery types appear to have been reserved for serving rather than cooking or storing, and may have been the Mesoamerican equivalent of “Mom’s good china.”

With permission and assistance from the Instituto Nacional de Anthropoligía e Historia, researchers subjected more than 1,000 pottery fragments, or sherds, and clay samples collected from sites not only in the Oaxacan Valley and San Lorenzo but throughout Mexico, to instrumental neutron activation analysis at the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR). Scientists at MURR focused of the presence of elements such as chromium, tantalum, and thorium to determine the regions of origin.

According to Blomster, the data suggests that potters in regions such as the Nochixtlán and Oaxacan valleys produced Olmec-style ceramics using local clays.

They also determined that local potters used clays from the San Lorenzo region, even though the finished vessels were produced in villages across Mesoamerica. So each region developed local imitations of Olmec pottery but did not trade or export these pieces. However, all examples of Conjeo orange-on-white, as well as virtually all samples of two other “white wares,” were produced exclusively with San Lorenzo clay. None of the sherds sampled from San Lorenzo contained clays from other regions, making it unlikely the Olmec would export raw materials to neighboring sites and then import knock-off ceramics rather than buy higher quality San Lorenzan products. This information, concluded Blomster, suggests that the Olmec produced luxury white wares, other regions imported this pottery, and access to both the authentic Olmec pottery as well as the Olmec-style pieces was limited to only the affluent.

“This analysis validated the theory that the Olmec had a profound impact,” said Blomster. He is quick to note his aversion to the terms “Mother Culture” and “Sister Culture” and notes that neighboring cultures weren’t struggling before the arrival of the Olmec and their iconography. “These civilizations were already thriving. The level of that impact [the Olmec had] varied from region to region.”

“It is incontrovertible evidence that the Olmec wares held priority,” said Allison Brooks. She added that because they were so far ahead, the neighboring cultures in the region willingly experienced revolution of ideology. “The regions were transformed by their contact with the Olmec, but there is no evidence of conquest.”

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