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Monte Albán's Hidden Past: Buried Buildings and Sociopolitical Transformation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 November 2020

Marc N. Levine Open the ORCID record for Marc N. Levine [Opens in a new window] ,
Scott W. Hammerstedt Open the ORCID record for Scott W. Hammerstedt [Opens in a new window] ,
Amanda Regnier  and
Alex E. Badillo Open the ORCID record for Alex E. Badillo [Opens in a new window]
Marc N. Levine*
Affiliation:
Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History and Department of Anthropology, University of Oklahoma, 2401 Chautauqua Ave., Norman, OK73072, USA
Scott W. Hammerstedt
Affiliation:
Oklahoma Archeological Survey, University of Oklahoma, 111 Chesapeake, Norman, OK73019, USA (swh@ou.edu; aregnier@ou.edu)
Amanda Regnier
Affiliation:
Oklahoma Archeological Survey, University of Oklahoma, 111 Chesapeake, Norman, OK73019, USA (swh@ou.edu; aregnier@ou.edu)
Alex E. Badillo
Affiliation:
Department of Earth and Environmental Systems, Indiana State University, Science Building 159, 600 Chestnut St., Terre HauteIN47809, USA (alex.badillo@indstate.edu)
*
(mlevine@ou.edu, corresponding author)
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Abstract

In this article, we present the most significant results of the Monte Albán Geophysical Archaeology Project. Using ground-penetrating radar, gradiometry, and electrical resistance, we carried out a systematic survey of the site's Main Plaza to identify buried prehispanic features that might shed light on Monte Albán's early history. The most important discoveries include three buried structures dating between the Danibaan (500–300 BC) and Nisa phases (100 BC–AD 100). We argue that the largest structure, measuring 18 × 18 m, was probably a temple platform and that all three of the structures were razed and buried by the end of the Nisa phase at the latest. Furthermore, we contend that these events were part of a major renovation and expansion of the site's Main Plaza that occurred during a pivotal period of dramatic sociopolitical transformation in the Zapotec capital.

En este artículo presentamos los resultados de mayor relevancia obtenidos durante el Proyecto Geofísico de Monte Albán. El uso del radar de penetración, la aplicación de análisis gradiométrico, aunado al principio de resistencia eléctrica, fueron las técnicas utilizadas a lo largo de una serie de recorridos sistemáticos en la Plaza Principal. El objetivo fue la identificación de elementos arqueológicos debajo de la superficie con lo cual fuera posible elucidar ocupaciones más tempranas. Los resultados más significativos fueron el hallazgo de tres elementos arquitectónicos datados entre las fases Danibaan (500-300 BC) y Nisa (100 BC-100 AD). El elemento con mayores dimensiones fue lo que suponemos se trata de la plataforma de un templo, este cuerpo cubre un área de 18 × 18 m. Como primer acercamiento a este hallazgo, proponemos que las tres estructuras localizadas hayan sido destruidas al final de la fase Nisa y posteriormente cubiertas como parte de un proyecto de reconfiguración de los espacios de la Plaza Principal. En ese sentido, estos cambios en términos de espacialidad en la plaza podrían corresponder a una renovación y expansión de este espacio que, estarían relacionados también con una serie de cambios sociopolíticos a gran escala en la Capital Zapoteca.

Keywords

Monte AlbánOaxacaMexicoZapotecplazaarchitecturetemplegeophysical prospectionground-penetrating radarMonte AlbánOaxacaMéxicoZapotecoplazaarquitecturatemploprospección geofísicaradar de penetración
Type
Article
Information
Latin American Antiquity , Volume 32 , Issue 1 , March 2021 , pp. 76 - 98
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for American Archaeology

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