Defining the Urbanism of the Ancient Purépecha Site of Angamuco

Summary

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

The ancient Purépecha site of Angamuco located in the Lake Patzcuaro Basin of Michoacán, Mexico provides an unrivaled opportunity to study the urban tradition of the Purépecha prior to the formation of the empire in the late postclassic (1350 – 1520 CE). Previously, the understanding of Purépecha urbanism relied upon analysis of the imperial capital Tzintzuntzan, now covered by the modern town of the same name. Angamuco occupies a densely vegetated malpais, ancient volcanic lava flow, which has preserved the site’s architectural features to include pyramids, mounds, raised roadways, water control features, and ballcourts. Utilizing LiDAR data, ArcGIS, and additional open source GIS software applications, a methodology is presented which allows for the extraction of above ground architectural features from the surrounding complex topography. This methodology allows for easier analysis of the pre-empire Purépecha urban tradition and provides an avenue to understanding the transition from multiple chiefdoms to an empire within the Lake Patzcuaro Basin.

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): 25874