The Best Defense is a Good Terrace Defense; Comparing Terraced Hilltop Sites in Northern and Central Mexico

Summary

This is an abstract from the "SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Terraced landscapes are the remains of landscape management decision making that was shaped by the constant changes in social, economic, and ecological conditions of the surrounding regions. Within Mexico, terracing has been used extensively both spatially and temporally. Utilizing terracing, many groups were able to expand settlement and land use into less arable areas like hilltops. The limited accessibility of many hilltops made them attractive settlement options during periods of increased regional violence and political instability. By terracing these hilltops, groups were able to create agriculturally productive areas that could also serve as defensive structures that limited movement up the hill. This study investigates the utilization of terraced landscapes in Northwestern and Central Mexico by comparing the spatial layout of several hilltops sites that span the Pre-hispanic period. By mapping the terrace systems of these sites, measuring environmental characteristics of the hillsides, and conducting a least cost paths analysis, it was possible to determine what likely functions these terrace systems served. The addition of survey and excavation data from these sites was also incorporated to provide more specific data for the use of specific areas on the hillsides.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)   •
• SAA 2025: Individual Abstracts

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 54040