The Early Postclassic Aztatlán Colonization of the Coast of Jalisco, Mexico

Summary

Recent investigations at the site of Arroyo Piedras Azules on the northwestern coast of Jalisco have revealed much about the nature and the date of Early Postclassic Aztatlán colonization of the Pacific coast of Jalisco. Excavations at this 3-4 hectare habitation site by a local enthusiast and follow-up investigations that included stratigraphic excavations by the primary author have indicated a direct colonization of this site by people from coastal Nayarit who arrived during the Cerritos phase (circa 1000 A.D.) possessing elaborate polychrome pottery, spindle whorls, figurines, metal and shell fishhooks, prismatic obsidian blades and jewelry of metal, bone, stone and shell. Analysis of shell and bone refuse shows a broad-spectrum diet of coastal resources. The reason for this colonization it thought to have been principally to obtain local spondylus shell for jewelry manufacture.

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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