The Early Chronological Sequence at Los Guachimontones-Loma Alta, Jalisco

Summary

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 complex. Radiocarbon dates define the Tequila occupation at the site, but a finer grained chronology is necessary for research into social questions. Recent analysis of the ceramics and hollow figures from the different architectural groups allows the recognition of markers from three phases of the Tequila occupation. This part of the sequence is based in radiocarbon dates, architectural stratigraphy, wares, types, and modes of the ceramic vessels and hollow figures, offerings and burials, and short stratigraphic snippets in different areas of the site. I describe the sequence, and the complex pattern of site growth over a period of 700/800 years.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Connections and Complexity: Shifting Perspectives and Current Research in Western Mesoamerica

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