Cerro De Las Mesas

A site in southern Veracruz, Mexico, in the plains of the Papaloápan River that is a hybrid site of Pre-Classic and Classic periods. Dozens of earthen mounds are scattered over the surface in a seemingly haphazard manner, and the archaeological sequence is long and complex. The site reached its apogee in the Early Classic, when the stone monuments for which it is best known were carved. Most important are a number of stelae, some of which are carved in a low-relief style recalling Late Formative Tres Zapotes, early lowland Maya, and Cotzumalhuapa. Cerro de las Mesas pottery, deposited in rich burial offerings of the Early Classic, is much like that of Teotihuacan, with slab-legged tripods. Potters made large, hollow, handmade figures of the gods and the most spectacular discovery on the site was a cache of 782 jade objects, many of Olmec workmanship. Cerro de las Mesas is famous for Remojadas-style pottery figurines, found in great quantity as burial goods. Because the Classic occupation contains abundant Teotihuacan materials and two Maya Long Count dates (ad 468 and ad 533), it is usually interpreted as a redistribution point for materials from both Mexico and the Maya lowlands.

Site in southern Veracruz, Mexico on the northern edge of the Tuxtla Mountains. Although there is a PreClassic component to the site (possibly associated with Izapa), the major occupation was in the Classic Period. An inheritor of Olmec traditions, along with nearby Tres Zapotes, Cerro survived long after the demise of the latter. The Classic occupation contains abundant Teotihuacan materials and two Maya long count dates (ad 468 and ad 533). Thus it is usually interpreted as a redistribution point for materials from both Mexico and the Maya lowlands. It is also well known for its cache of some 782 jade objects.