Defining the Izapa polity with lidar and pedestrian survey

Summary

This paper reports the results of the first systematically collected Formative-period settlement data from the area around Izapa. Three environmental zones (coastal plain, low hills and piedmont) were documented by the Izapa Regional Settlement Project combining lidar and pedestrian survey methods. Results indicate population was highest on the coastal plain from 1700-850BC as a series of four sequential political centers rose and fell, each lasting for a century or two. After 850BC collapse of the La Blanca polity (the fourth and final coastal plain center), occupation shifted to the piedmont as the Izapa polity coalesced. Between 750-350BC (the Escalon and Frontera phases) population peaked in both the low hills and piedmont survey zones while there was almost no one documented in the coast plain survey zone. At this time, eight lower-tier monumental centers are documented in the low hills zone – all arranged with the same orientation and architectural features as Izapa. During the Guillen phase (350-100BC) the quantity of occupation decreased in both the low hills and piedmont zones and population was relatively more concentrated in and around existing monumental centers. These data begin to illuminate regional demographic changes as the Izapa state was established.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• New Perspectives on the Izapa State

Keywords

Spatial Coverage