Changes in Settlement, Resource Extraction, and Trade in the Lower Río Verde Valley, Oaxaca, Mexico, between the Late Classic and Late Postclassic Periods (CE 500–1522)

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Cholula to Chachoapan: Celebrating the Career of Michael Lind" session, at the 86th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Michael Lind investigated major sociopolitical changes between the Late Classic and Postclassic periods in Oaxaca, particularly involving Mixtec and Zapotec peoples. His interpretations integrated both ethnohistorical and archaeological evidence. In the lower Río Verde Valley, an ethnohistoric record provides insight into the development of a Late Postclassic Mixtec Empire that was centered at Tututepec. The Mixtec codices and colonial documents describe Mixtec migration to Tututepec, imperial expansion, and the development of a vibrant tributary economy. This paper presents archaeological evidence focusing on shifts in settlement, resource extraction, and trade between the Late Classic and Late Postclassic periods (CE 500–1522). We highlight new data from a continuation of the regional survey conducted during the 2012–2016 Río Verde Settlement Project (RVSP). Evidence indicates that a major demographic expansion occurred, and settlement shifted to the eastern half of the valley, with a nucleation in the piedmont around Tututepec during the Late Postclassic. Coastal plain survey reveals salt production predominantly using a boiling (*sal cocida) method. During the Late Postclassic period, salt and other goods were likely used to attract outside merchants bearing copper and obsidian, as suggested by ethnohistoric sources and the recovery of imports on or near salt production sites.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 86th Annual Meeting, Online (2021)   •
• Cholula to Chachoapan: Celebrating the Career of Michael Lind

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 33007