Refinement of the La Quemada Chronology and its Implications for Inter-polity Interaction along the Northern Frontier of Mesoamerica

Summary

During the Epiclassic period (A.D. 500-900), the northern frontier of Mesoamerica consisted of a regional network of polities focused on large, hilltop centers including the site of La Quemada in the Malpaso Valley of Zacatecas, Mexico. While extensive archaeological research has been conducted at the site, a seriation of the La Quemada-Malpaso Valley Archaeological Project ceramic assemblage remains to be finalized. Establishing the chronology of La Quemada is essential for two reasons: (1) to ensure the occupational history of La Quemada is accurately integrated into the regional chronology of the northern frontier; and (2) to establish the chronological control necessary for addressing changes in the social interactions in which La Quemada residents engaged. Previous analyses found that red-on-buff and incised-engraved types predominate in most proveniences through the entire occupation of La Quemada; therefore, the type-based analysis will be informed by an attribute analysis focused on seriating design motifs (e.g., frets, steps, zigzags, and life forms). Such an approach may allow us to identify fine-scale variations in the frequency of red-on-buff and incised-engraved ceramics though time, which will enhance our ability to order proveniences based on their assemblage composition.

SAA 2015 abstracts made available in tDAR courtesy of the Society for American Archaeology and Center for Digital Antiquity Collaborative Program to improve digital data in archaeology. If you are the author of this presentation you may upload your paper, poster, presentation, or associated data (up to 3 files/30MB) for free. Please visit http://www.tdar.org/SAA2015 for instructions and more information.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)   •
• Advances in the archaeology of West Mexico and the surrounding areas

Keywords

Spatial Coverage