Landscapes of Power: The Uacusecha Presence in the Southern Portion of the Tarascan Señorio

Summary

In 2012 INAH-Michoacan, started an archeological project in the south central portion of the state based on ample surveys in the region looking for the presence of sites associated to the Tarascan period, especially in relation to mining, transport, manufacture and consumption of metallic items. In that sense, with this new survey we been able to identify the existence of important archeological sites with presence of rectangular stone structures with circular extensions (yácatas) similar to those that exist at Tzintzuntzan or Ihuatzio, the capitals of the Tarascan Señorio. These sites were placed in strategic locations at the routes that connect the highlands, the core of the Tarascan Señorio, and the lower Tierra Caliente, places with relevant strategic resources for the Cazonci, especially copper mines. On the other hand, the historical sources of the XVI century give us important information about the caciques, the towns and the richness of the area. In this paper I will present the recently conducted research, discussing how the location of those sites and the routes for travelling in that landscape, speaks to the power executed by the uacusecha lords, expressed in the architecture and the prestige goods encountered at those sites.

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

Keywords

Spatial Coverage