Charting the Evolution of the Tres Zapotes Polity: Results of the RRATZ 2014–2016 Field Seasons

The Olmec and Epi-Olmec center of Tres Zapotes boasts a continuous occupation that spanned over two millennia. For over half that time, between 800 B.C. and A.D. 300 it ruled as the capital of one of the most resilient polities of the Mesoamerican Gulf lowlands, surviving and flourishing after the collapse of Olmec capitals to the east. Subsequently, the area supported a dynamic political landscape occupied by smaller competing polities. In 2014, with NSF support, we initiated a settlement study to place the rise, fluorescence, and decline of Tres Zapotes in its regional context, combining traditional pedestrian survey and surface collection with high-resolution LiDAR-assisted survey. This symposium presents results of the 2014-2016 fieldwork and ongoing laboratory analysis. Participants will present the theoretical foundations and methods of the survey, reflections on community engagement and the social context of regional survey, an overview of settlement patterns, and new information on interregional interaction, Classic period formal architectural layouts, variation in obsidian production and use, and an unexpectedly robust Postclassic occupation.