Farming, Hunting, and Fishing in the Olmec World

257 Pages·2006·2.18 MB·English

by  Amber M. VanDerwarker

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farming, hunting, and fishing
in the olmec world
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The Linda Schele Series in Maya and Pre-Columbian Studies
This series was made possible through the generosity of
William C. Nowlin, Jr., and Bettye H. Nowlin,
the National Endowment for the Humanities,
and various individual donors.
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farming, hunting,
and fishing in
the olmec world
amber m. vanderwarker
university of texas press
Austin
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Copyright © 2006 by the University of Texas Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
First edition, 2006
Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should
be sent to:
Permissions
University of Texas Press
P.O. Box 7819
Austin, TX 78713-7819
www.utexas.edu/utpress/about/bpermission.html
(cid:1)(cid:2) The paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of
ansi/niso z39.48-1992 (r1997)(Permanence of Paper).
library of congress cataloging-in-publication data
VanDerwarker, Amber M.
Farming, hunting, and fishing in the Olmec world / Amber M.
VanDerwarker.— 1st ed.
p. cm. — (The Linda Schele series in Maya and pre-Columbian
studies)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn0-292-70980-3 (hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Olmecs—Agriculture. 2. Olmecs—Hunting. 3. Olmecs—
Food. 4. Food habits—Mexico—History. 5. Subsistence
economy—Mexico—History. I. Title. II. Series.
f1219.8.o56v36 2006
980(cid:1).012—dc22
2005008768
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To Mom and Dad with love and gratitude
To Greg for giving meaning to everything I do
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contents
acknowledgments
ix
Chapter 1 1
agricultural risk and intensification along
mexico’s southern gulf coast: an introduction
Chapter 2 5
agriculture and political complexity
in theoretical perspective
Chapter 3 31
politics and farming in the olmec world
Chapter 4 66
farming, gardening, and tree management:
analysis of the plant data
Chapter 5 116
hunting, fishing, and trapping:
analysis of the animal data
Chapter 6 182
eating plants and animals: stable isotopic
analysis of human, dog, and deer bones
Chapter 7 193
farming, hunting, and fishing in the olmec
world: a model of olmec subsistence economy
notes
205
bibliography
207
index
233
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acknowledgments
I would like to recognize those who have helped to bring this project
to fruition, for it is through the help of many different individuals that
the conception and completion of this work was possible. Foremost, I
acknowledge the National Science Foundation (grant no. 9912271) for
funding this project. I would like to express my gratitude to my husband,
Greg Wilson, whose support and encouragement kept me going daily.
Greg helped in so many ways, from proofreading my writing and trouble-
shooting my ideas to calming me down and installing an air-conditioning
unit in my office. I would also like to acknowledge my mentor, Margaret
Scarry, whose guidance and levelheadedness kept me focused. I could not
have asked for a better mentor.
I also acknowledge the other members of my doctoral committee,
Vincas Steponaitis, Philip Arnold, Carole Crumley, Brian Billman, Dale
Hutchinson, and Peter Whitridge. Each brought something different and
important to the mix. Vin’s encouragement and quantitative advice were
pivotal in terms of my data analysis and argument development. I am ever
grateful to Flip, whose support has enabled this project from the very
start. Flip introduced me to Mexico and to the Olmec, assisted in pro-
curing the collections, provided important chronological and regional
information, and was always available to answer questions and listen to
ideas. My conversations with Carole about complexity and global envi-
ronmental change have shaped the ways in which I imagine the past, and
her calm encouragement was greatly appreciated. Thanks to Brian for al-
ways shaking things up and broadening my anthropological perspective
through conversations, seminars, and trips to Peru. Thanks also to Dale,
whose careful comments and close evaluation of this work have made it
thatmuchbetter,andtoPeteforengagingmeinmanyzooarchaeological
conversations.
For the past two years, I have been a member of a cross-disciplinary
writinggroup,includinggeographerCherylWarren,filmtheoristBrenda