Paso de la Amada, an archaeological site in the Soconusco region of the
Pacific coast of Mexico, was among the earliest sedentary, ceramic-using
villages of Mesoamerica. With an occupation that extended across 140 ha
in 1600 BC, it was also one of the largest communities of its era. First
settled around 1900 BC, the site was abandoned 600 years later during
what appears to have been a period of local political turmoil. The
decline of Paso de la Amada corresponded with a rupture in local
traditions of material culture and local adoption of the Early Olmec
style. Stylistically, the material culture of Paso de la Amada
corresponds predominantly to the pre-Olmec Mokaya tradition. Excavations
at the site have revealed significant earthen constructions from as
early as 1700 BC. Those include the earliest known Mesoamerican ball
court and traces of a series of high-status residences. This monograph
reports on large-scale excavations in Mounds 1, 12, and 32, as well as
soundings in other locations. The volume covers all aspects of
excavations and artifacts and includes three lengthy interpretive
chapters dealing with the main research questions, which concern
subsistence, social inequality, and the organizational history of the
site.
