Connections and Complexity: Shifting Perspectives and Current Research in Western Mesoamerica
Part of: Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)
Fifty years ago, Ignacio Bernal famously stated that western Mesoamerica lacked "civilization." Since the west had not received "Olmec" influence, Bernal reasoned, the region was a uniquely isolated area in which complex societies and "high culture" failed to develop and flourish. Since then, much archaeological research in west Mexico has attempted to demonstrate the fallacy of this reasoning. Ironically, however, many treatments have been based on the same outmoded neo-evolutionary frameworks and static typologies that underpin Bernal’s vision, thereby reinforcing the original perception and losing sight of the richness of the archaeological data itself. In contrast, this symposium highlights current archaeological research in western Mesoamerica to provoke and engage debate surrounding these and other issues. Through the presentation of original data and interpretations, contributions seek to advance understanding of both regional complexity and diversity, as well as the role of the west in broader, pan-Mesoamerican sociocultural processes. The symposium thus illustrates the ways in which research and areal data from western Mesoamerica can meaningfully contribute to the construction of theoretical models applicable in multiple contexts and capable of enhancing archaeological descriptions and explanations of the dynamic diversity characteristic of all Mesoamerican societies.
Other Keywords
West Mexico •
Aztatlán •
settlement •
Social Complexity •
Architecture •
Chronology •
Settlement Pattern •
Spatial Analysis •
Urbanism •
Cotton
Geographic Keywords
Mesoamerica
Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-9 of 9)
- Documents (9)
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Architectural Discourse and Sociocultural Structure at Los Guachimontones, Jalisco (2016)
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The site of Los Guachimontones, in central Jalisco state, Mexico, has long been the subject of intensive archaeological research, beginning in the 1970s with Weigand’s investigations of the site’s unique circular architectonic configurations. Nonetheless, a detailed understanding of intra–site architectonic variability eludes adequate explanation and obscures our comprehension of the internal sociopolitical dynamics of the site. To address these lacunae, this paper compares two distinct areas of...
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The Construction of Prehispanic Landscapes in the Santiago Bayacora Basin, Durango (2016)
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Northern Mexico has traditionally been underrepresented in received archaeological scholarship on Mesoamerica, and in this sense the Guadiana branch of the Chalchihuites Culture in Durango is no exception. Nonetheless, in recent years archaeological research in the region has produced a body of new data that permits a deeper understanding of the ancient inhabitants of Durango. This paper explores archaeological evidence from the Santiago Bayacora basin, a riverine watershed whose lower portion...
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Cultural Dynamics and Influences in Jalisco’s Central Plateau during the Late Classic-Epiclassic Period: The Case of El Palacio de Ocomo (2016)
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The El Grillo Complex (AD 300-600) of Jalisco’s central plateau, as defined by Galvan in the Atemajac Valley, is recognized as a dynamic and changing society that was integrated in the emergent Epiclassic cultural system of the Mesoamerican northwest. The excavations done in the last few years at El Palacio de Ocomo by the Oconahua Archaeological Project reveal a close relationship between this site and the El Grillo Complex. At the same time, ceramic analysis show elements that are considered...
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The Early Chronological Sequence at Los Guachimontones-Loma Alta, Jalisco (2016)
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The site of Los Guachimontones-Loma Alta is the largest political center of the Late Formative/Early Classic periods in central Jalisco, with an occupation extending from the late Middle Formative through to the end of the Postclassic period. This spans more than 1500 years and includes three major material culture complexes already defined in other locations - Tequila II, III, and IV, El Grillo, and Atemajac I and II. The primary ceremonial architecture of the site pertains to the Tequila...
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The Early Postclassic Aztatlán Colonization of the Coast of Jalisco, Mexico (2016)
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Recent investigations at the site of Arroyo Piedras Azules on the northwestern coast of Jalisco have revealed much about the nature and the date of Early Postclassic Aztatlán colonization of the Pacific coast of Jalisco. Excavations at this 3-4 hectare habitation site by a local enthusiast and follow-up investigations that included stratigraphic excavations by the primary author have indicated a direct colonization of this site by people from coastal Nayarit who arrived during the Cerritos phase...
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Landscapes of Power: The Uacusecha Presence in the Southern Portion of the Tarascan Señorio (2016)
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In 2012 INAH-Michoacan, started an archeological project in the south central portion of the state based on ample surveys in the region looking for the presence of sites associated to the Tarascan period, especially in relation to mining, transport, manufacture and consumption of metallic items. In that sense, with this new survey we been able to identify the existence of important archeological sites with presence of rectangular stone structures with circular extensions (yácatas) similar to...
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Urbanism in the Purepecha Heartland at Angamuco, Michoacan (2016)
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Despite over 70 years of research in the Lake Patzcuaro Basin of Michoacan, there has been limited work focusing on pre-Purepecha and Purepecha urbanism in the region. In this paper, we discuss how recent survey and excavation data from the ancient city of Angamuco (c. 250-1530 CE) is helping us to evaluate whether suggested urban models from different parts of Mesoamerica are applicable in western Mexico. Alternatively, is there evidence for a distinct type of west Mexican or Purepecha city?...
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Weaving Our Life: The Economy and Ideology of Cotton in Postclassic West Mexico (2016)
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West Mexican archaeologists long have noted that around AD 900 the material culture record in this broad region exhibits a pronounced increase in the presence of modeled ceramic spindle whorls, particularly along the Pacific coastal plain of Nayarit and south-central Sinaloa. Although limited evidence of cotton in this region is present in the Classic period, the heightened cotton cultivation and consumption that seemed to accompany the dramatic social transformations in the Aztatlán culture...
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What the "Teuchitlan Tradition" is, and What the "Teuchitlan Tradition" is Not (2016)
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Recent full coverage systematic surveys in the Tequila region have produced new and significant data to understand the nature of the well-known Teuchitlán tradition which has been variously described as a state-like society, a segmentary state, and a chiefdom. The evidence presented for these various models remains shaky and speculative. Here, I evaluate and test the current evidence, including the published literature, while providing empirical data from the region. Then, I interpret these data...