▁the ▁el ite ▁to ▁enh ance ▁and ▁maintain ▁rights ▁to ▁r ul ership .” ▁ ▁It ▁has ▁been ▁estimated ▁that ▁La ▁V enta ▁would ▁need ▁to ▁be ▁supported ▁by ▁a ▁population ▁of ▁at ▁least ▁ 1 8 , 0 0 0 ▁people ▁during ▁its ▁principal ▁occupation . ▁To ▁add ▁to ▁the ▁myst ique ▁of ▁La ▁V enta , ▁the ▁all uv ial ▁soil ▁did ▁not ▁preserve ▁ske let al ▁remains , ▁so ▁it ▁is ▁difficult ▁to ▁observe ▁differences ▁in ▁bur ial s . ▁However , ▁col oss al ▁heads ▁provide ▁proof ▁that ▁the ▁el ite ▁had ▁some ▁control ▁over ▁the ▁lower ▁classes , ▁as ▁their ▁construction ▁would ▁have ▁been ▁extremely ▁labor - int ensive . ▁“ Other ▁features ▁similarly ▁indicate ▁that ▁many ▁labor ers ▁were ▁involved .” ▁In ▁addition , ▁exc av ations ▁over ▁the ▁years ▁have ▁discovered ▁that ▁different ▁parts ▁of ▁the ▁site ▁were ▁likely ▁reserved ▁for ▁el ites ▁and ▁other ▁parts ▁for ▁non - el ites . ▁This ▁seg reg ation ▁of ▁the ▁city ▁indicates ▁that ▁there ▁must ▁have ▁been ▁social ▁classes ▁and ▁therefore ▁social ▁inequality . ▁ ▁Bur ial s ▁Several ▁bur ial s ▁have ▁been ▁found ▁at ▁La ▁V enta , ▁especially ▁in ▁M ound ▁A , ▁but ▁none ▁have ▁ske let al ▁remains ▁as ▁the ▁environment ▁is ▁too ▁hum id ▁for ▁organ ic ▁pres ervation . ▁“ Organ ic ▁materials ▁do ▁not ▁preserve ▁well ▁in ▁the ▁acid ic ▁so ils ▁of ▁La ▁V enta . ▁The ▁only ▁organ ics ▁recovered ▁at ▁the ▁site ▁include ▁traces ▁of ▁long ▁b