Drafting Residential Architecture: Changes in Zapotec Residences from Formative to Postclassic Oaxaca

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Moving the Needle: Expanding the Discourse on Modern Archaeology in Oaxaca (Part 1)" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This article will explore the origins and development of shared conventions in Zapotec residential architecture by synthesizing research from the Early Formative to the Late Postclassic periods in Oaxaca. Archaeologists in this region have contributed significantly to the methods for studying residential spaces and the theorizing of the role of households in broader sociopoliticial change. This study examines the changes, influences, and traditions in the strategies of Zapotec residential spaces over time by comparing architectural features, and spatial organization from two case studies: El Palenque, a late Formative period capital center, and Guiengola, a fortified city in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec occupied right before European contact. Both are dense, urban settlements with defensive concerns, allowing for an assessment of the durable, shared conventions in Zapotec residential space at the household and neighborhood scales. This research offers a long-term perspective on the socio-political dynamics, economic activities, and community life of Zapotec households.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• Moving the Needle: Expanding the Discourse on Modern Archaeology in Oaxaca (Part 1)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 51872