Primary State Formation in Mesoamerica

Spencer, Charles S.; Redmond, Elsa M.

doi:10.1146/annurev.anthro.33.070203.143823

Cited by 72 publications

(43 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Based on the available chronological evidence, one could be tempted to posit that the leaders of the Virú polity were the first to take steps toward the establishment of a functioning state "without contact with other preexisting states" (1). Such a conclusion would seem premature, however, considering the large gaps that still exist in the chronology of other major settlements in this region where signs of incipient statecraft have been documented archaeologically, including at Huacas de Moche, the most important center of the post-A.D. 300 period.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the last 40 years or so, scholars have worked to define and document the development of state-level societies in six areas where firstgeneration states are known to have emerged, including Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Indus River Valley, Northern China, Mesoamerica, and the Andes (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12). Definitions of the state are varied, yet most scholars agree that they are political organizations regarded by those who live in them as politically independent and in which specialized leaders have the authority to control the social, political, legal, economic, and cultural activities, as well as the use of force.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Definitions of the state are varied, yet most scholars agree that they are political organizations regarded by those who live in them as politically independent and in which specialized leaders have the authority to control the social, political, legal, economic, and cultural activities, as well as the use of force. States are visible archaeologically through a number of material indicators, including a four-tiered settlement system, evidence of defensive works and expansion, temples and palaces, tribute collection and redistribution systems, and specialized craft production (1,5,12,13). These should not be understood as elements of a definition of the state but rather for what they are: clues for identifying an anthropological and political phenomenon archaeologically (5).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Primary State Formation in the Virú Valley, North Coast of Peru

Millaire

2010

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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The origins of urban life and functioning states are two of the most fascinating research problems in anthropological archeology and a topic that has intrigued generations of scholars working on the Peruvian north coast. In this region, Andeanists have documented the rise of Moche as a dominant culture during the first millennium A.D., and the emergence of urban life and stately institutions at this society's principal center. Although there is a broad consensus that Moche represents an archaic state, it is still unclear whether it is an example of primary state formation or a case of a second-generation state. To document this question, archaeological excavations were recently carried out at the Gallinazo Group site in the Virú Valley. Results from a radiocarbon dating program indicate that a functioning state probably emerged in this valley during the second century B.C., possibly preceding Moche by a few centuries. These results necessarily raise question regarding the nature of state development on the north coast of Peru and, in particular, whether there was a single center of state development in this region or multiple sites where similar conditions and processes led to the parallel emergence of functioning states.state development | Andes | Gallinazo Group | radiocarbon dating

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Primary State Formation in the Virú Valley, North Coast of Peru

Millaire

2010

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Following the paradigm of the evolution of pristine states from chiefdoms (see e.g. Carneiro 1981;Earle 1987;Flannery 1995;Marcus 1992;Spencer 1990;Spencer and Redmond 2004), we mark this distinction in our data by assigning the following values: Band/tribe is marked by a rule score of 0, paramount chiefdom is assigned 0.75 and fully-fledged state receives the value 1. Robert Carneiro emphasizes that the paramount chiefdom is the evolutionary link between autonomous bands or tribes and the state.…”

Section: Constructing the Indexmentioning

confidence: 99%

State history and economic development: evidence from six millennia

2017

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The presence of a state is one of the most reliable historical predictors of social and economic development. In this article, we complete the coding of an extant indicator of state presence from 3500 BCE forward for almost all but the smallest countries of the world today. We outline a theoretical framework where accumulated state experience increases aggregate productivity in individual countries but where newer or relatively inexperienced states can reach a higher productivity maximum by learning from the experience of older states. The predicted pattern of comparative development is tested in an empirical analysis where we introduce our extended state history variable. Our key finding is that the current level of economic development across countries has a hump-shaped relationship with accumulated state history. Keywords State historyWe are grateful for useful comments from Carl-Johan Dalgaard, Jakob Gerner Hariri, Sascha Becker and four anonymous referees and from seminar participants at University of Copenhagen and Brown University. We also thank Taewan Roh and Nicholas Carter for valuable research assistance. Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10887-017-9152-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…Our investigations at the site have been directed at exposing the building plans of the key institutions of this independent state, which we have argued resisted domination by the expansionistic Monte Albán state, centered in the Oaxaca Valley's Etla-Central subregion, until the first century B.C. (5). In Area I, on the north side of El Palenque's plaza, we excavated (in 1997-2000) the well-preserved remains of a palace complex on the highest ground overlooking the plaza (Figs.…”

Section: Temple Precinct At El Palenquementioning

confidence: 99%

Early (300−100 B.C.) temple precinct in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico

Redmond

Spencer

2013

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Archaeological investigations during the past two decades in Mexico's Valley of Oaxaca have documented the appearance of key public buildings, such as the royal palace and multiroom temple, associated with the rise of an archaic state at ca. 300−100 B.C. A fuller picture is now emerging from the site of El Palenque, where recent excavations have defined a temple precinct on the east side of the site's plaza. This precinct exhibits characteristics similar to those of the temple precincts of later Mesoamerican states described by Colonial period sources. The excavation data document a walled enclosure containing three multiroom temples, two special residences identified as priests' residences, and an array of ritual features and activity areas. The temple precinct's components are interpreted as comprising a hierarchy of temples staffed by a specialized priesthood. A series of radiocarbon dates indicate that the precinct's differentiated components were all in use during the 300−100 B.C. period of archaic state emergence. The El Palenque temple precinct is the earliest temple precinct excavated thus far in the Valley of Oaxaca.Zapotec religion | state institutions | Mesoamerican archaeology W hen archaeologist V. Gordon Childe (1) proposed his defining criteria of urban civilization, he highlighted monumental public buildings, especially temple precincts. Such precincts, consisting of one or more temples and their attached facilities, were considered an expression of occupational specialization within society, which he saw as a hallmark of civilization. Building upon Childe's perspective, Adams (2) and Flannery (3) focused on the sociopolitical institutions associated with the state as a form of government. These authors characterized the state as highly centralized and hierarchical, managed by a professional ruling class whose legitimacy was often reinforced through the tenets and practices of a state religion maintained by full-time priests.Adams (2) traced the development of Mesopotamian temple precincts in terms of the monumental scale of construction and increasing differentiation in function. The temple precincts at Uruk, the capital of a first-generation state, tended to be set apart from the community by an enclosure wall. The temples and temple precincts were variable in morphology and presumed function, and included attached living quarters for their attendant personnel.Flannery (4) examined the archaeological indicators of early state institutions and proposed that a state religion was frequently associated with standardized, multiroom temples and special residences for full-time priests. Such priestly living quarters were often attached to the temples, or in close proximity behind or to one side of the temples, which the priests accessed by entryways or stairways different from those used by the public. Access to them was restricted and privacy achieved by narrow corridors and curtain walls. In some cases, priestly residences were similar in size and layout to each other, and shared the same astronomic...

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Primary State Formation in Mesoamerica

Cited by 72 publications

References 47 publications

Primary State Formation in the Virú Valley, North Coast of Peru

Primary State Formation in the Virú Valley, North Coast of Peru

State history and economic development: evidence from six millennia

Early (300−100 B.C.) temple precinct in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico

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