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Inaugural Article

Ancient palace complex (300–100 BC) discovered in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico

Elsa M. Redmond and Charles S. Spencer
  1. aDivision of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024

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PNAS April 11, 2017 114 (15) 3805-3814; first published March 27, 2017; https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1701336114
Elsa M. Redmond
aDivision of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024
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  • For correspondence: eredmond@amnh.org
Charles S. Spencer
aDivision of Anthropology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024
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  1. Contributed by Elsa M. Redmond, February 22, 2017 (sent for review January 26, 2017; reviewed by Joyce Marcus and Stephen Plog)

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Significance

The emergence of the earliest states is a major research problem in anthropology. A key archaeological manifestation of states is the royal palace. Excavations at the site of El Palenque have recovered the oldest-known palace in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico. The palace displays similarities to the royal palaces of historically documented Mesoamerican states. It was a multifunctional palace, composed of courts and buildings where government officials assembled to conduct state affairs, as well as the ruler's residential quarters. We propose that the palace complex was built in a single large-scale construction effort. A series of radiocarbon dates indicates that the El Palenque palace complex was in use during the 300–100 BC period of archaic state emergence in Oaxaca.

Abstract

Recently completed excavations at the site of El Palenque in Mexico’s Valley of Oaxaca have recovered the well-preserved remains of a palace complex dated by associated radiocarbon samples and ceramics to the Late Formative period or Late Monte Albán I phase (300–100 BC), the period of archaic state emergence in the region. The El Palenque palace exhibits certain architectural and organizational features similar to the royal palaces of much later Mesoamerican states described by Colonial-period sources. The excavation data document a multifunctional palace complex covering a maximum estimated area of 2,790 m2 on the north side of the site’s plaza and consisting of both governmental and residential components. The data indicate that the palace complex was designed and built as a single construction. The palace complex at El Palenque is the oldest multifunctional palace excavated thus far in the Valley of Oaxaca.

  • archaic states
  • royal palaces
  • Mesoamerican archaeology

Footnotes

  • ↵1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: eredmond{at}amnh.org.
  • This contribution is part of the special series of Inaugural Articles by members of the National Academy of Sciences elected in 2014.

  • Author contributions: E.M.R. and C.S.S. designed research, performed research, analyzed data, and wrote the paper.

  • Reviewers: J.M., University of Michigan; and S.P., University of Virginia.

  • The authors declare no conflict of interest.

  • This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/lookup/suppl/doi:10.1073/pnas.1701336114/-/DCSupplemental.

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Ancient palace complex discovered in Oaxaca
Elsa M. Redmond, Charles S. Spencer
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Apr 2017, 114 (15) 3805-3814; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1701336114

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Ancient palace complex discovered in Oaxaca
Elsa M. Redmond, Charles S. Spencer
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Apr 2017, 114 (15) 3805-3814; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1701336114
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences: 114 (15)
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    • Abstract
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