Occam’s Razor, Confirmation Bias, and the “Conquest Slabs” of Building “J” at Monte Albán, Oaxaca, Mexico: A New Proposal

Research at Monte Albán led by Alfonso Caso began in 1931 and extended across 18 field seasons. Based on his investigations, Caso proposed that the images of inverted figures on Building “J” represented towns conquered by Monte Albán through the depiction of their defeated leaders: “elements suggested to Caso that these were historical records related to the conquest of certain places”. Since Caso made this designation, little if any work has been done to offer alternative proposals as to the purpose of the slabs. Díaz, 2026; Fahmel, 1991; and Robles, 2011 have all done work on Building “J” and have accepted Caso’s proposal. This paper offers an alternative explanation. It argues that Caso, due to confirmation bias, may not have considered other possible explanations: “people tend to test hypotheses in a one-sided way, searching for evidence consistent with the hypothesis they hold at a given time”. In support of this argument, this paper presents evidence such as slab placement and the presence of a stucco covering that is contradictory to the “conquest slabs” proposition. This paper also proposes that Occam’s razor may have been a factor in the designation of the slabs as propaganda. Occam’s Razor is presented in a variety of forms. We will offer two of its formulations. This document proposes a new interpretation of the “conquest slabs” as simple construction elements reused from other works at the same site. These were placed in Building “J” in the most practical and logical manner: with their wider flat faces pointing downward and without taking into account the previously existing carvings.