Archaeological Reconnaissance at Fracción Mujular: A Small Site with Big Connections

Summary

Located on the Pacific Coast of Chiapas, the site of Fracción Mujular is best known for three carved stela bearing Teotihuacan associated stylistic elements, first identified by Carlos Navarrete in the 1960s. The relatively modest architecture of the site, combined with evidence for long-distance connections, makes Fracción Mujular an interesting place to investigate the impact that inter-regional political and trade relationships during the Early Classic had on the lives of common people. This paper presents the results of preliminary archaeological surveys conducted at Fracción Mujular during the summer of 2015. This work mapped four occupation groups at the site and conducted systematic surface collections from each area. The results of this research have expanded the occupation of Cerro Bernal into the Terminal Classic, and have solidified evidence for material interactions with Central Mexico. Additionally, topographic and architectural maps of the site have helped clarify the nature of the relationship between Fracción Mujular and the nearby regional center of Los Horcones. I argue that the proliferation of Central Mexican stylistic elements and material artifacts into small sites such as Fracción Mujular indicates that coastal Chiapas was closely connected to Central Mexican political and trade networks during the Early Classic.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage