A Paleoethnobotanical Analysis of the Trincheras Tradition: Community, Identity, and Foodways

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 88th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

The Trincheras Tradition thrived in the Altar Valley, Sonora, Mexico between AD 400 to 1400. The Hohokam are known for their extensive irrigation systems and reliance on agriculture. Lacking evidence of similar features, the Trincheras were interpreted as primarily hunters and gatherers, a rustic branch of the Hohokam. This characterization of Trincheras Tradition's cultural development was based on limited data. Recent research has significantly expanded our understanding of the Trincheras Tradition, however, questions about their foodways remained unresolved. Here, I present the results of paleoethnobotanical analysis of samples collected from three sites in the Altar Valley excavated in 2017-2018 as part of the transnational project, Movilidad, Conectividad y Etnogénesis en la Tradición Trincheras, Valle de Altar. Applying a combination of traditional ecological knowledge, methods, and theory in paleoethnobotany I interpret ancient Trincheras foodways and practices over time. Statistical analysis is applied to evaluate Trincheras’ dependence on agriculture compared to that of the Hohokam. Looking beyond subsistence, this study integrates Indigenous ontologies, social practice theories, and political economy to shed light on Trincheras Tradition cultural development and identity.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• SAA 2023: Individual Abstracts   •
• Society for American Archaeology 88th Annual Meeting, Portland, OR (2023)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 36920.0