Sán Lorenzo

San Lorenzo is located on the Rio Chiquito, a tributary of the Rio Coatzacoalcos in the state of Veracruz, Mexico. It is the largest and earliest Olmec settlement in Mesoamerica with evidence of Early Formative period occupations beginning about 3800 cal BP, but evidence of later occupations lasting through the Classic period as well (Coe and Diehl 1980). Beginning in the 1990s, excavations at the site by Ann Cyphers and her colleagues have recovered many ceramic types and vessel forms from well-dated deposits (Cyphers 1999, Powis et al. 2011). Powis et al. (2011) conducted a chemical analysis of residue in 156 pottery sherds and vessels from Early Preclassic occupation contexts at San Lorenzo (154) and the neighboring secondary center of Loma del Zapote (2) to assess the presence of cacao (theobromine) in these vessels and confirm the continuous presence and use of cacao by the Olmec. Powis et al. (2011) confirmed the presence of cacao's main chemical component in 27 pottery sherds and vessels of different forms, dates, and composition. Furthermore, the authors also suggest the possibility of the use of cacao in an elite mortuary ritual for sacrificial victims (Powis et al. 2011).