Early Urbanism in Central Mexico: Preliminary Results of the Tlalancaleca Archaeological Project, Puebla

Summary

Tlalancaleca was one of the largest settlements before the rise of Teotihuacan in Central Mexico and likely provided cultural and historical settings for the creation of Central Mexican urban traditions during later periods. Yet its urbanization process as well as socio-spatial organization remain poorly understood. This paper presents preliminary results of mapping, ground survey, surface collection, manual auger probe, and test excavations, which were carried out over the three seasons of fieldwork since 2012. It discusses the timing and extent of urban development along with the presence of discrete urban zones and their spatial relationships. The site is characterized by a complex natural landscape, consisting of a large plateau and its surrounding areas. Current evidence suggests that there was an extensive occupation both on the plateau and in the surrounding areas during the Middle Formative, whereas population was concentrated on the plateau during the Late to Terminal Formative.

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This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 80th Annual Meeting, San Francisco, CA (2015)

Keywords

Spatial Coverage