🤯 Did You Know (click to read)
Settlement surveys in the Gulf Coast lowlands have identified dozens of smaller sites linked to major Olmec centers.
Survey data from the Olmec heartland show a hierarchy of primary centers, secondary settlements, and smaller villages. This zonal distribution dates primarily to the Middle Formative period. Major centers such as San Lorenzo functioned as administrative hubs, while surrounding settlements supplied agricultural and craft support. The tiered structure resembles later urban hierarchies documented in Classic Mesoamerica. Such organization implies coordinated governance rather than isolated village clusters. Resource flow likely moved from peripheral zones toward ceremonial cores. Administrative layering preceded empire. Settlement pattern reveals system.
💥 Impact (click to read)
Multi-tier settlement systems enhance economic efficiency and political coordination. Central hubs manage redistribution while peripheral sites specialize. Institutional layering strengthens resilience against localized disruption. The Olmec case demonstrates early regional administration. Hierarchical geography mirrors hierarchical governance. Urban systems form networks rather than single nodes. Structure sustains complexity.
For residents of peripheral villages, connection to a larger center provided access to ritual and trade networks. Identity extended beyond local kinship groups. The psychological awareness of belonging to a wider system fosters cohesion. Yet inequality between tiers likely intensified over time. The irony is that integration both unifies and stratifies. Networks bind and divide simultaneously.
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