With National Science Foundation support, Drs. David Grove, Susan Gillespie and their colleagues will conduct archaeological research at the Olmec site of La Isla which is located in Veracruz, Mexico. The name "La Isla" or "island" reflects the fact that two streams bound the site which, unfortunately, is being destroyed through lateral erosion by each stream bed. Material abundant on both the surface as well as stream walls supports the attribution of this small site to the Olmec. The investigators plan to conduct an intensive surface survey to locate and plot object densities and distributions. This should provide clues to the nature of individual activity areas and on this basis, limited excavations will be conducted. With the stream wall materials to guide them, the team will also conduct horizontal excavations. In addition to cultural materials such as pottery, both plant and animal remains will constitute an important focus of the research since the investigators wish to reconstruct subsistence practices. The Olmec society developed and flourished in the tropical lowlands of Mexico's southern Gulf coast between 1200 and 500 BC. Large Olmec sites contain Middle America's first large public architecture and massive stone monuments. Olmec has been termed the "America's first civilization." Surprisingly, however, relatively little is known about them and is limited to old data from two large sites. Very little is known about either Olmec social organization or subsistence. Archaeologists have learned that to answer such questions it is best to examine smaller sites where people lived rather than concentrate on large ceremonial centers which served as focus for ritual events. This research by Drs. Grove and Gillespie is the first to be conducted in such a situation. This research is important for several reasons. It will shed light on the factors which gave rise to the Olmec civilization. It will also provide data of interest to a large group of archaeologists.
