The Middle to Late Formative Olmec Chipped-Stone Assemblage from Los Soldados, Veracruz, Mexico

Summary

The use of chipped-stone in domestic Olmec contexts has only recently become a focus of archaeological investigation. With the publication of data on the chipped-stone assemblages from the Olmec centers of San Lorenzo and Tres Zapotes in the last few years, a picture emerges of great diversity in materials consumed and technologies used by commoners and non-commoners alike. The Middle to Late Formative household chipped-stone assemblage from the 2010 excavations at Los Soldados, in the hinterland of the Olmec center of La Venta, adds to this picture of regional diversity. Unlike other Olmec period sites where obsidian from numerous sources was the principal chipped-stone material consumed, the Los Soldados assemblage reflects the utilization of a wide variety of microcrystalline materials, the most common being chert. While obsidian also is common, it appears to have been used in ways that differ from other materials. What this variation suggests about the participation of the Los Soldados inhabitants in a region-wide obsidian exchange network is addressed through regional comparison.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Household and Ritual in the Eastern Olmec Heartland

Keywords

Spatial Coverage