The development of Early Formative rank societies in the Soconusco, Chiapas, Mexico. (Volumes I and II).

Abstract

This study addresses the transition from egalitarian, tribal societies with achieved status distinctions to inegalitarian societies founded upon principles of ascribed status or hereditary inequality. Four models for the origins of institutionalized, hereditary inequality are investigated, and the expectations from each are compared to archaeological data from the Mazatan region of southern Mexico. The Early Formative period (1800-900 b.c.) of this semi-tropical coastal region witnessed the beginnings of sedentary village life, rapid population growth, settlement in large villages, adoption of highland cultigens such as maize and beans, increased reliance on agriculture, adoption of ceramic arts, increased long distance exchange, local production of prestige goods from imported raw materials, the appearance of elevated structures, and the transition from egalitarian to inegalitarian sociopolitical formations. The twin objectives of this study are (1) to demonstrate that the transition from tribal societies to simple chiefdom societies took place in the Mazatan region during the Early Formative period and (2) to determine the factors that may have led to this radical change in local social and political organization. Archaeological data from systematic surface survey and extensive excavations of house floors at a range of sites located in different environmental zones within the region suggest that the transition to simple chiefdom societies occurred about 1400 b.c. The most convincing data for the emergence of simple chiefdoms from egalitarian communities are the changes in regional settlement patterns, shifts in community organization, and appearance of high status residences. The relative sequence of inferred significant events further suggests that an interaction model for the emergence of sociopolitical complexity best fits the data. Archaeological investigations demonstrate that managerial requirements of redistribution, population pressure, and warfare were probably not significant causal factors. Social competition among aggrandizers or big men for prestige and followers appears better to explain the data available from the Mazatan region.