New AMS Dates for Paquimé, Northern Chihuahua, Mexico

Summary

In an effort to resolve some long standing questions about the chronology of the site of Paquimé, accelerator radiocarbon dates were obtained from bone collagen of 77 burials. Bone samples were obtained as part of a larger project to explore life history and diet at the site. We address three questions: the temporal relationship between the Viejo period (Convento site) and Medio period (Paquimé), whether or not the "non-interred" individuals from the Medio phase at Paquimé date to the later occupation (the proposed Diablo phase suggested by Charles DiPeso), and the likely closing date of Paquimé. Making use of Baysian modelling, our results indicate likely overlap between Convento and Paquimé, deposition of non-interred specimens throughout the Medio period rather than only toward the end, and a closing date for the site between 1423 – 1460 A.D.

We gratefully acknowledge funding through an Insight Grant from SSHRC and permission to study and obtain samples from The National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), Mexico and from the Centro Cultural Paquimé in Casas Grandes, Mauricio Salgado, Director.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Casas Grandes: Addressing Key Issues of Chronology, Culture Change, Social Organization, and Exchange

Keywords

Spatial Coverage

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16504