Laguna de los Cerros facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Olmec Culture – Archaeological Site |
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Laguna de los Cerros and other sites in the Olmec heartland
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| Name: | Laguna de los Cerros | |
| Type | Mesoamerican archaeology | |
| Location | Corral Nuevo, Acayucan, Veracruz Mexico |
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| Region | Mesoamerica | |
| Coordinates | 18°6′N 95°7′W / 18.100°N 95.117°W | |
| Culture | Olmec | |
| Language | ||
| Chronology | 1200 BCE to 900 CE | |
| Period | Mesoamerican Classical | |
| Apogee | 250 to 900 CE | |
| INAH Web Page | Non existent | |
Laguna de los Cerros is an ancient place where people lived a long time ago. It is an archaeological site from the Olmec and Classical eras. You can find it near Corral Nuevo, in Acayucan, Veracruz, Mexico. This site is located at the bottom of the Tuxtla Mountains, about 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of Laguna Catemaco.
Laguna de los Cerros is one of the four most important Olmec centers. The others are Tres Zapotes, San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán, and La Venta.
The name "Laguna de los Cerros" means "lake of the hills." It got this name because there are almost 100 mounds scattered across the area. These mounds are part of the ancient buildings. They are often long and parallel, with large rectangular open spaces (plazas) between them. Cone-shaped mounds usually mark the ends of these plazas. Larger mounds were once raised platforms where people lived.
Most of the mounds you see today were built during the Classical era, which was from about 250 CE to 900 CE. This area was likely a key spot for trade between the highlands of Mexico and the Tuxtepec District.
The Olmec People
The Olmecs were the first major culture in the Mexican state of Veracruz. They settled near the Coatzacoalcos River, and this area became the heart of their civilization. One of their main important centers was San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán. Other big Olmec sites include Tres Zapotes in Veracruz and La Venta in Tabasco.
The Olmec culture was at its strongest about 2,600 years ago. They are famous for their amazing art, especially the huge stone heads. These ceremonial places were very advanced for their time. Many experts believe the Olmec civilization was the "mother culture" for many other Mesoamerican cultures that came after them. By 300 BCE, other cultures started to become more powerful.
History of Laguna de los Cerros
Laguna de los Cerros was used for a very long time, almost 2,000 years! This was because of its special location. It was in a pass between river valleys and close to sources of basalt rock in the Tuxtla Mountains. Basalt is a type of rock that was used for carving monuments.
People probably started living at Laguna de los Cerros between 1400 and 1200 BCE. By 1200 BCE, it had grown into an important regional center. It covered about 150 hectares (370 acres). By 1000 BCE, it was even bigger, with 47 smaller sites around it within a 5-kilometer (3-mile) area.
One of these smaller sites was Llano del Jícaro. This place was mainly a workshop for making large stone monuments because it was near basalt rock. Monuments carved from Llano del Jícaro basalt have been found at Laguna de los Cerros and also at the big Olmec center of San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán, which is about 60 kilometers (37 miles) away. It is thought that San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán might have controlled Llano del Jícaro, either directly or through Laguna de los Cerros.
Llano del Jícaro was no longer used after 1000 BCE. Laguna de los Cerros also saw a big decrease in activity around that time. We don't know exactly why this happened. It might have been because the San Juan River changed its path. This decline happened around the same time that San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán also declined and was abandoned, possibly due to environmental problems.
Laguna de los Cerros was briefly studied by Alfonso Medellin Zenil in 1960. Later, Ann Cyphers did more research there in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
What Was Found at the Site
Unlike the other three main Olmec sites, no giant stone heads have been found at Laguna de los Cerros. However, about two dozen other ancient monuments from the Formative period have been discovered.
During excavations in 1997 and 1998, important pieces of ceramic, basalt stone, and other materials were found. The ceramic pieces were sorted based on their texture and surface. Experts are still comparing these older ceramics with known sequences to understand their age better.
The ceramic pieces found came in many shapes and types. Here are some of the main types:
- ACHIOTE ORANGE: This ceramic has a medium texture and is mostly a bright orange color.
- ANONA LIGHT GRAY: This type is a typical light gray color.
- CACHIMBA BLACK: The color of this ceramic ranges from medium to dark gray, and black. Sometimes it has brown shades.
- CAMPAMENTO FINE ORANGE: This group has fine orange clay.
- CEIBA COARSE CREAM: This ceramic is cream-colored and might have light orange shades.
- MANGAL YELLOW: This type has a distinct yellow clay color.
- NANCHE COARSE ORANGE: The color of this ceramic goes from orange to a reddish yellow.
- YUAL FINE CREAM: This type looks very similar to Campamento Fine Orange and Zapote Fine Orange to Grey.
- ZAPOTE FINE GRAY: This name comes from a classification by Coe and Diehl (1980). The clay is similar to Zapote Fine Orange to Gray.
Archaeologists also found human burials during their digs. Some of these burials included ceramic items and other offerings.
Many other items of different types and shapes were found too. These include about 2,635 objects like vessels (pots), polishers, dishes, tablets, strikers, mortars, grinding stones (metates), basalt flakes, spheres, rings, and sharpeners.
Understanding the timeline of cultural development at the site relies on these ceramic findings. The condition of the ceramics and the way time periods are defined can affect how we understand the site's history. Studies of ceramics in nearby areas have helped to refine these timelines, providing important comparisons for this site.
See also
In Spanish: Laguna de los Cerros para niños
