La Joya (archaeological site)

La Joya is a Mesoamerican prehispanic archeological site, located in the municipality of Medellín in central Veracruz, Mexico, about 15 kilometers from the port of Veracruz, near the confluence of the Jamapa and Cotaxtla Rivers. The site, discovered and registered in 1935, is known as "La Joya de San Martín Garabato" and comprises several earthen structures from an alleged early Olmec origin. Remains of a continued human occupation throughout the classical period (200 BCE – 1000 CE) have been found), about 95% of the structures are destroyed by the common human carelessness and destruction. This city probably was an important political center in Veracruz, similar to Cerro de las Mesas, with monumental stamped earthen architecture. Two monumental platforms, apparently palatial residences, revealed a chronology during the first millennium CE, suggesting a well-organized society, providing new information on the Protoclassical (epi-Olmec) and Classical society.