Identification of Earthen Construction Techniques in the Casas Grandes Region, Chihuahua, Mexico

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2019: General Sessions" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This study compares pre-Columbian earthen construction techniques in three archaeological sites of the Casas Grandes region: Paquimé, Arroyo Seco, and Cueva de la Olla. These sites are found in different geological and geomorphological setting, although they present similar architectural typology. Their construction techniques were examined by archaeometric characterization, such as particle-size analysis, thin-section petrography, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray fluorescence analysis. These analyses were performed on samples from walls of archaeological constructions and samples from local material banks previously identified as potential original material source banks. The study demonstrates the local origin of earthen construction materials, and the techniques particularity for each site, which reflects their adaptation to the local geological and geomorphological context.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

Keywords

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 23629