Advances in the archaeology of West Mexico and the surrounding areas

Part of: Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Since it is difficult to clearly define the geographic extent of West Mexico and the interactions in which social groups in this region participated, this session includes archaeological research taking place both within the classic area of West Mexico, as well as the surrounding areas. Paper topics include ethnoarchaeological studies of pseudo-cloisonné and negative ware ceramics, analyses directed at more clearly defining the regional chronology of the northern frontier area, studies of interaction within the Río Verdo-San Pedro, Los Altos de Jalisco, El Bajío, and the Basin of Mexico, mortuary practices in Colima, the study of ritual fire and political organization in Postclassic Michoacán, and recent efforts involving the negotiation of archaeology and local politics in the Lake Pátzcuaro Basin. The range of topics in this session illustrates the diversity of archaeological projects currently being conducted in Jalisco, southern Zacatecas, Colima, and Michoacán.