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Archaeological Drawings as Re-Presentations: The Maps of Complex A, La Venta, Mexico

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Susan D. Gillespie
Susan D. Gillespie*
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-7305 (sgillesp@ufl.edu)
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Abstract

Scientific drawings, including maps, are increasingly recognized as theory-laden media for conveying information. The degree to which this quality impacts archaeological interpretations is revealed in the history of the published maps of La Venta, a Formative period Mesoamerican regional center. La Venta is pivotal to understanding the Olmec culture of Mexico’s Gulf Coast, yet archaeological knowledge is based primarily on one small portion of the site, Complex A, excavated in 1955. Since destroyed, Complex A is now known especially through visual representations. A review of the Complex A maps in the original field report and subsequent publications demonstrates how these technical drawings have sometimes superseded the textual excavation data in generating and disseminating archaeological knowledge. Over time the maps have become more schematic and misleading, impeding understandings of La Venta and its role in regional cultural manifestations. Reliance on totalizing plan maps has led most archaeologists to overlook the 1955 excavators’ major interpretations of the construction history of Complex A. However, the 1955 conclusions regarding the longevity of the formal design rules of the complex, reiterated by later archaeologists precisely because they are clearly visible in plan maps, are less well supported by the stratigraphic evidence.

Resumen

Resumen

Los dibujos científicos, incluyendo mapas, son cada vez más reconocidos como medios con carga teórica que comunican información. El grado en que la calidad de los mismos impacta las interpretaciones arqueológicas, es revelado en la historia de los mapas publicados de La Venta, un gran centro regional del período Formativo en Mesoamérica. La Venta es fundamental para el entendimiento de la cultura olmeca de la costa del Golfo de México, más sin embargo, el conocimiento arqueológico está basado casi completamente en una pequeña parte del sitio, el Complejo A, excavado en 1955. Ahora destruido, el Complejo A es conocido principalmente por varias representaciones visuales. Una revisión de los mapas del Complejo A en el informe original de campo y en las publicaciones subsecuentes, demuestra cómo estos dibujos técnicos a veces han sobrepasado en la generación y diseminación del conocimiento arqueológico, a los datos de excavación presentados en forma de texto. Con el tiempo los mapas se han hecho más esquemáticos y engañosos, impidiendo el entendimiento del papel de La Venta en las manifestaciones culturales regionales. En particular, la confianza en los mapas ha conducido a algunos arqueólogos a pasar por alto las interpretaciones más importantes que hicieran los arqueólogos en 1955 sobre la historia de la construcción del Complejo A. Las conclusiones de 1955 en cuanto a la longevidad de los principios del diseño formal del Complejo han sido reiteradas por arqueólogos posteriores precisamente porque son claramente visibles en los planos del sitio, aunque dichas interpretaciones han demostrado no ser apoyadas del todo por la evidencia estratigráfica.

Type
Articles
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 22 , Issue 1 , March 2011 , pp. 3 - 36
Copyright
Copyright ©2011 by the Society for American Archaeology

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