El Remolino is an important Olmec site of the Early Formative period (1200-900 B.C.), in the Coatzacoalcos river basin. Research at El Remolino focuses on household and community activities to uncover an aspect of Olmec society little known: social organization outside the elite level.
Few research projects have focused on Olmec sites at the household level. These sites, in fact, are usually located in low-laying areas, where fluvial sediments, and annual flooding deeply buried most of the contexts. The case of El Remolino represents an interesting counter-example.
El Remolino Development
The site of El Remolino developed during the apogee of San Lorenzo, when the political influence of this major Olmec center was more prominent.
El Remolino was a settlement of about 130 ha, located on the riverbank of the Chiquito river, an affluent of the Coatzacoalcos. This important waterway system provided transportation, facilitated communication and the movement of goods. These elements suggest that the site functioned as a strategic control point in the Coatzacoalcos basin.
The site was first studied in the 1940s by Matthew Stirling and Philip Drucker, who individuated two huge stone columns. In 1993 Ann Cyphers excavated three exploratory pits, and, recently, operation were carried out in the so-called El Bajío area by archaeologist Carl Wendt and colleagues.
El Remolino Artefacts
The contexts excavated at El Bajío, the eastern sector of the site, represented an area of domestic and non elite activity. Few architectural elements were identified, and findings consisted mainly of areas of artifact dispersions. These elements allowed to infer the presence of a multi-unit household with a central patio.
The inhabitants of El Bajío practiced fishing, as indicated by the net weights found in many operations, hunted aquatic fauna, such as waterfowl and turtles, and practiced gathering and plant cultivation. Even if no farming tools such as celts or hoes have been found, archaeologists believe that an important portion of subsistence system at El Remolino was based on agriculture. This is based on the location of the site on terrains particularly good for cultivation.
No evidence of intensive ceramic production have been recorded at El Remolino. Pottery production seems to have been organized as part-time activity. Vessels found in the excavation included jars, bowls, bottles and plates with few examples of decorated pottery and figurines.
Excavations at El Remolino illustrate that house level research are still much needed in Olmec archaeology in order to reconstruct a more complete picture of Olmec society in all its levels.
Sources
This glossary entry is a part of the About.com guide to the Olmec Civilization, and the Dictionary of Archaeology.
Wendt, Carl J., 2005, Excavations at El Remolino: Household Archaeology in the San Lorenzo Olmec Region, Journal of Field Archaeology, Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 163-180
Wendt, Carl J., 2010, A San Lorenzo Phase Household Assemblage From El Remolino, Veracruz, Ancient Mesoamerica, Vol. 21, No.1: 107-122.