Culture Change at Casas Grandes: New Perspectives from Bioarchaeological Analyses

Summary

One of the significant ongoing debates surrounding Casas Grandes is whether the Medio period florescence of Paquimé arose from in situ developments or external stimuli. Some scholars have attributed Medio period cultural developments to the arrival of immigrants from surrounding regions, including Mesoamerica, west Mexico, and the American Southwest, while others have suggested that Paquimé grew out of the preceding Viejo period. To address this question, we use strontium and oxygen isotope analysis to identify non-local individuals in the Paquimé burial assemblage, then compare this data with a number of mortuary variables, including burial location, grave type, and burial accompaniments. The results of our analysis indicate that while the majority of units at the site contain a mix of both local and non-local individuals, three units were distinct in that they only contained local individuals. Interestingly, these units are the most ritually, politically, and economically charged units at the site. We interpret these results as evidence for local control over prestige goods, which suggests that Medio period florescence was likely due to a combination of both internal and external stimuli.

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): 17000