Defining the house at post-collapse Jalieza, Oaxaca

Summary

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

Households are often considered the smallest social and economic unit that we can evaluate through the archaeological record. Oaxaca scholars have played a key role in setting the precedent for household studies. In the Valley of Oaxaca, most household studies have focused on the Formative and Classic periods. Very little is known of subsequent periods and only a handful of studies have highlighted the Early Postclassic. The Early Postclassic is a notable time in the history of the region, as it marks the beginning of social and political changes following the collapse of the Zapotec State. This study seeks to “define the house” of the Early Postclassic settlement at Jalieza in the southern Valley of Oaxaca. Over the course of three seasons of excavation, we have obtained data from multiple households. With this date, it is now possible to initiate the identification of the essential components of the post-collapse house at Jalieza. By “defining the house” at Early Postclassic Jalieza, we can then assess the effects of the Zapotec state collapse at multiple scales of organization beyond the house.

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 II

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 53889