Izapa, a Late Preclassic regional center located in southern Mexico, was heavily excavated by the New World Archaeological Foundation from 1961-1965. However, much remains unclear regarding the details of those excavations, specifically in regards to Group B. In this thesis I hope to present important details derived from those excavations in a way that is meaningful and useful. The purpose of this thesis project is to: (1) reconstruct the excavation history of Izapa Group B, (2) to provide a reconstruction of Group B's architectural history as revealed through the excavations, and (3) to identify and present descriptions of the contents and context of the plaza's numerous burials and offerings. Group B, containing the oldest known constructions at Izapa, is a special place and vital to understanding the growth and development of Izapa as a regional center.

Chiapa de Corzo Mound 3 was excavated by Tim Tucker under the direction of the New World Archaeological Foundation in July 1965. Mound 3 is located in the ritual center of Chiapa de Corzo, the southwest quadrant. Significant Preclassic and Protoclassic architecture, burials, and caches were discovered there but were never fully analyzed or published. A complete analysis of this mound is necessary to better understand the role of Chiapa de Corzo as a whole and as a regional power. This thesis completes the analysis and accomplishes the following goals: (1) completes the ceramic analysis and classification started by Tucker, (2) produces a catalog of all the burials and caches and their furniture found in Mound 3, and (3) describes changes in the architecture of this mound for each construction phase to determine the general function of Mound 3 throughout its occupation. Keywords:

This thesis aims to identify the possible origins of the peoples who immigrated into the archaeological sites of Guajilar and Lagartero, located in the upper Grijalva River Basin region in southern Chiapas, Mexico, during the Late Classic period (AD 650-900). First, I present the Late Classic burial data from both sites according to four basic descriptive criteria: burial location, grave type, burial type, and grave goods. Then, I conduct a comparative analysis of the burial practices found at these two sites based on these criteria so that patterns in burial practices can be identified. Following the comparative analysis between Guajilar and Lagartero, I then compare their burial practices to those from two sites in the southern Maya Lowlands (Altar de Sacrificios and Seibal) and those found at various sites in the Guatemala Highlands (which border the upper Grijalva River Basin region to the north and east, respectively). The analysis reveals greater similarities in burial practices with sites in the Guatemala Highlands than with those in the southern Maya Lowlands. This suggests that peoples from the Guatemala Highlands were more likely to have immigrated into Guajilar and Lagartero during the Late Classic period.

Chiapa de Corzo Mound 3 was excavated by Tim Tucker under the direction of the New World Archaeological Foundation in July 1965. Mound 3 is located in the ritual center of Chiapa de Corzo, the southwest quadrant. Significant Preclassic and Protoclassic architecture, burials, and caches were discovered there but were never fully analyzed or published. A complete analysis of this mound is necessary to better understand the role of Chiapa de Corzo as a whole and as a regional power. This thesis completes the analysis and accomplishes the following goals: (1) completes the ceramic analysis and classification started by Tucker, (2) produces a catalog of all the burials and caches and their furniture found in Mound 3, and (3) describes changes in the architecture of this mound for each construction phase to determine the general function of Mound 3 throughout its occupation.