Mesoamerica en la frontera: Understanding Large-Scale Connectivity Using Hohokam and Trincheras Pottery Designs

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Crossing Boundaries: Interregional Interactions in Pre-Columbian Times" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

More than merely a physical barrier, the international border between the United States and Mexico has become an ideological boundary that shapes modern perceptions of prehistoric cultures and limits the transfer of academic knowledge. Such is the case in the study of the prehistoric Hohokam and Trincheras traditions. Archaeologists have argued for nearly a century that the Hohokam tradition of southern Arizona is more closely related to Mesoamerica than to the Ancestral Puebloan culture further north. These assertions are made despite little comparative work between Hohokam material culture and the Trincheras tradition of northern Sonora. In the spirit of "crossing boundaries," this presentation compares Hohokam pottery designs with those produced by the Trincheras tradition. I will argue that similarities in pottery designs demonstrate deep social connectivity within the two groups. Despite these similarities, many Mesoamerican-influenced design elements found on Hohokam pottery are lacking on Trincheras pottery. These differences provide important evidence for reconstructing trade routes from central Mexico to the modern border region.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Crossing Boundaries: Interregional Interactions in Pre-Columbian Times   •
• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24360