Evidence of Early Human Occupation at "Cueva de los Hacheros", Michoacán

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Archaeology in South Central Michoacán México, Ongoing Studies" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

In 2016, Dr. Jose Luis Punzo-Díaz attended to a complaint from the municipality of Turicato regarding the rockshelter Cueva de los Hacheros. As part of Proyecto de Arqueología y Paisaje del Área Centro Sur de Michoacán, the site was excavated. During excavations, the project discovered evidence of multiple periods of human occupation separated by different strata showing that the site was in use over a long period of time. The lower levels excavated demonstrated an aceramic context and artifacts found include arrowheads, stone spear points, human and faunal remains. The superior levels yielded pre-Classic materials including ceramic vessels, lithics, faunal and human remains with associated grave goods and shell ornaments. This poster focuses on the lithics from the aceramic layer, especially the stone arrowheads and stone spear points that are morphologically similar to other points found in early prehistoric sites in the southwestern U.S. and in northern and central México. Radiocarbon dates (12,000 B.P. and 11,000 B.P) determined that the site was in use in the late Pleistocene and early Holocene. The context and our analysis of the lithics and associated debitage suggest that the site may have been a lithic workshop and hunter-gatherer camp.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 84th Annual Meeting, Albuquerque, NM (2019)   •
• Archaeology in South Central Michoacán México, Ongoing Studies

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 22982