Olmec-Style Art, Rock Art and Social Practice in the Complex Societies of Mesoamerica

This study examines the role that rock art associated with Olmec-style art played in the cultural production of socio-political complexity in Early and Middle Formative (c. 1600--500 BC) Mesoamerica. In so doing, it reconceptualizes the development of complex societies in terms of the problems posed by presupposing that the members of these Formative period societies were capable of independent thought and action (i.e. agency). By applying a contextual-comparative methodology that uses the stylistic features of rock art associated with Olmec art, its placement within site-specific landscapes, its intra- and inter-regional distribution, and direct historical associations, this study seeks to uncover how this rock art was implicated in the creation of social relationships and daily practices in various Formative period communities.;The data used to develop these insights is presented in the form of seven case studies focusing on the following Formative period sites: Tlapacoya, Chalcatzingo, Cauadzidziqui Cave, Oxtotitlan Cave, Juxtlahuaca Cave, La Venta, San Lorenzo Tenochtitlan, Xoc, and Pijijiapan in Mexico; Tak'alik Ab'aj in Guatemala; and Chalchuapa in El Salvador. At least three patterns regarding the manner in which Olmec-style rock art was deployed at these sites to constitute elite identities, to negotiate or assert their right to rule, and to create unequal socio-political relationships were observed using the rock art data. These patterns included: (1) establishing continuities with past traditions as well as the permanence of certain social groups; (2) the sharing and/or appropriation of Olmec-style motifs and themes among different social groups; and (3) linking Olmec-style rock art to ritual practices associated with the social construction of rulership. Taken together, these observations not only demonstrate the dynamic nature of the socio-political relationships in Formative period societies but also provide new avenues for interpreting the various ways in which the unequal socio-political relationships of the Formative period were produced through Olmec-style art.