Whole Vessel Caches: A Comparison of Offerings at Cerro de la Virgen with lower Río Verde Valley Public Space Offerings

Summary

Previous archaeological excavations in the lower Río Verde Valley in Oaxaca, Mexico have provided evidence for communal ceremonies since the Late Formative (400-150 BCE). The Terminal Formative (150 BCE-250 CE) period saw a continuation of communal ceremonies at hinterland sites along with the emergence of the region’s first polity, Río Viejo. The maintenance of these practices in the hinterland during the increasing urbanization occurring at Río Viejo suggests their importance in community identity. These ceremonies included mortuary rituals, feasting, and public offerings. This presentation will focus on public offerings primarily by presenting data from Cerro de la Virgen, one of several secondary centers. Three seasons of fieldwork at Cerro de la Virgen have demonstrated a marked affinity for the emplacement of offerings, especially whole vessels, on a scale not seen in other secondary centers in the lower Río Verde Valley. The data from Cerro de la Virgen will then be compared with public offerings at other secondary sites in the region.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• In the Land of the Sky: Recent Interdisciplinary Archaeological Research in the Lower Río Verde Valley, Oaxaca   •
• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 14462