We investigate the dietary impact of urbanism on the population of Cerro Jazmín, a Late and Termi... more We investigate the dietary impact of urbanism on the population of Cerro Jazmín, a Late and Terminal Formative urban center in the Mixteca Alta region of Mexico (300 B.C.-A.D. 300). We reconstruct the urban diet from faunal analysis and isotopic results from 24 individuals recovered from formal burials. Bone collagen and bone and enamel apatite isotopic data provide C, N, and O values describing diet and breastfeeding patterns. Carbon values suggest a narrow diet heavily based on maize and little animal protein. Individuals 0-3 years of age had significantly higher nitrogen and oxygen values than adults, suggesting that these infants may have still been breastfeeding at the time of death. Weaning likely occurred between 3 and 5 years of age when C 3 foods, perhaps squash, supplemented maize atole in the weaning diet. Isotopic and faunal evidence suggest that the Cerro Jazmín population did not supplement their diet by hunting or trapping wild animals. Instead, animal protein came from domesticated animals, mainly dogs that were fed a C 4 rich diet. The data suggest that urban dwellers had little dietary autonomy and may have fully relied on the urban food production and distribution system for the bulk of their diet.
Este estudio busca comprender el comportamiento y las prácticas culturales que rodean el tratamie... more Este estudio busca comprender el comportamiento y las prácticas culturales que rodean el tratamiento funerario en la Mixteca Alta durante el Formativo. El tratamiento funerario implica todo el proceso que el cuerpo de un individuo tuvo durante y después de su entierro. Actualmente, los datos de los sitios de Etlatongo y Cerro Jazmín, localizados en ésta región, nos permiten entender las interacciones sociales a través de la muerte. Desde la bioarqueología, observamos como el estudio detallado del tratamiento funerario brinda información sobre la organización social, incluyendo las creencias religiosas, relaciones sociales, y la memoria social. Por lo tanto, analizamos los datos disponibles del Formativo medio (850–400 a.C.), el Formativo tardío (400 a.C.–50 d.C.), Formativo terminal (50–200/300 d.C.) y Transición (200–300 d.C.), enfocándonos en tres aspectos: a) la ubicación del entierro; b) el espacio funerario utilizado; y c) la posición del cuerpo. De esta forma, con una muestra de 67 individuos discutimos los cambios que hubo en el tratamiento funerario de la Mixteca Alta durante tres periodos y como estos cambios se relacionaron con el incremento de la complejidad social.
Based on stratigraphic excavation data and associated radiocarbon dates we argue that the pre-His... more Based on stratigraphic excavation data and associated radiocarbon dates we argue that the pre-Hispanic city of Cerro Jazmín, in the Mixteca Alta region of Oaxaca, underwent a period of political change between the Late Formative (300 b.c.-a.d. 50) and the Terminal Formative periods (a.d. 50-300). This shift is reflected in the city's layout and in the timing of construction and use of two different monumental sectors. During the city's Late Formative occupation, we found evidence of more exclusionary feasting activity taking place in a secluded monumental sector called the Sunken Courtyards near the hilltop. In the Terminal Formative, however, monumental construction expanded in the more accessible Tres Cerritos sector where larger and accessible public areas were the focus of activity. We argue that changes in the city's layout, along with the differing patterns of feasting, suggest that the city's leaders went from a more exclusionary form of government to a more collective political strategy during the Terminal Formative period. Despite of these efforts monumental construction largely stopped and the city's population declined by the start of the Classic period (a.d. 300).
A B S T R A C T In the Formative period, Cerro Jazmín, a settlement in the Mixteca Alta region of... more A B S T R A C T In the Formative period, Cerro Jazmín, a settlement in the Mixteca Alta region of Oaxaca, experimented with different sociopolitical strategies to first consolidate its position as a nascent urban center and later to convey its regional independence. In this article, we investigate whether the sociopolitical changes that took place from the Late Formative to the Terminal Formative period at this settlement are also evident at the household level. The article focuses on a household located on Terrace 131 where our excavations revealed a continuous residential occupation, fluctuating material wealth, and changes in household economic activity. The patterns identified and the timing of these shifts reflected broader socioeconomic changes that took place across the entire polity and region.
We present new data on a class of ceramics called Tiltepec yellow wares, dated to the Late and Te... more We present new data on a class of ceramics called Tiltepec yellow wares, dated to the Late and Terminal Formative period occupations at Cerro Jazmín, Oaxaca (300 BC– AD 300). Evidence from 27 radiocarbon-dated ceramic assemblages indicates that Tiltepec yellow wares are a distinct ceramic type. Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) results further confirm the wares' identification. Defining Tiltepec yellow wares as a type apart from Classic-period orange ceramics allows the reassessment of the regional settlement sequence, previously understood to indicate widespread settlement abandonment in the Terminal Formative period. The new data suggest that Cerro Jazmín had a more continuous urban occupation than previously thought. Se presentan nuevos datos sobre una clase de cerámica llamada Tiltepec Amarillo, la cual se asigna a las ocupaciones del Formativo tardío y terminal en Cerro Jazmín, Oaxaca (300 aC-300 dC). A partir del análisis de colecciones cerámicas asociadas a 27 fechas de radiocarbono se propone que las vasijas Tiltepec Amarillo formaron un tipo cerámico distinto. Este argumento se apoya en los resultados obtenidos del análisis de activación por neutrones. La definición de este tipo cerámico como distinto de las vajillas anaranjadas del periodo Clásico permite reevaluar la secuencia regional que, hasta el momento, indicaba el abandono del asentamiento en el Formativo terminal. Los nuevos datos sugieren que Cerro Jazmín tuvo una ocupación urbana más longeva y estable de lo que se creía.
This paper presents data on Late Formative to Terminal Formative (300 BCE–300 CE) ceramic assembl... more This paper presents data on Late Formative to Terminal Formative (300 BCE–300 CE) ceramic assemblages that suggest a change in the use of Valley of Oaxaca ceramics and ceramic styles at Cerro Jazmín, Oaxaca, Mexico. We describe the characteristics of 29 dated ceramic assemblages from civic-ceremonial and residential contexts. We present INAA results and chronological trends in the ceramic assemblages that point to a decrease in the use of Valley of Oaxaca gray-ware serving vessels from the Late to Terminal Formative and a significant increase in the use of two types of locally-made serving vessels, one that was stylistically similar to crema vessels from the Valley of Oaxaca and another that was stylistically distinct and widespread in the Mixteca Alta, but rare in the Za-potec region. These serving vessels would have featured prominently in domestic and public food-consumption events. We interpret this shift as evidence of Cerro Jazmín's political and cultural independence, centuries after it was first established. Resumen: En este artículo se presentan datos de colecciones cerámicas del Formativo tardío y terminal (300 a.C.– 300 d.C.) del sitio mixteco llamado Cerro Jazmín, en Oaxaca, México. A través de la descripción de 29 colecciones cerámicas asociadas a fechas de radiocarbono, se demuestra que hubo un cambio cronológico notable en el uso de cerámicas y estilos cerámicos procedentes del Valle de Oaxaca. El artículo describe las características de las 29 coleccionees cerámicas provenientes de contextos residenciales y cívico-ceremoniales además de presentar los resultados de un análisis por activación neutrónica de una muestra de los materiales. Los cambios cronológicos apuntan a una disminución en el uso de cerámicas de pasta gris provenientes del Valle de Oaxaca del Formativo tardío al terminal. Otro cambio fue el incremento significativo en el uso de dos tipos cerámicos hechos en la re-gión mixteca, uno que producía vasijas estilísticamente similares a las cerámicas cremas del Valle de Oaxaca y otro que seguía un estilo propio de la Mixteca Alta y que era menos frecuente en la región zapoteca. Arguímos que estos tipos cerámicos de vasijas de servicio hubieran sido importantes en actos de consumo de alimentos en el ámbito doméstico y en eventos públicos y rituales. Interpretamos este cambio cerámico como un reflejo de la creciente independencia política y cultural de Cerro Jazmín siglos después de su fundación.
This article presents the results of a bioarchaeological analysis of 39 human remains recovered f... more This article presents the results of a bioarchaeological analysis of 39 human remains recovered from Late and Terminal Formative burials excavated from residential and civic-ceremonial contexts at Cerro Jazmín, a site that emerged in the Early Ramos period (Late Formative, 300 BCE) and thrived until the end of the Late Ramos period (Terminal Formative, 200–300 CE). We evaluate the osteological evidence to characterize the skeletal health of the ancient population at various points of the city's occupation and consider the bioarchaeological data along with their archaeological context—associated offerings and location—to identify broader patterns of skeletal health and mortuary treatment. The skeletal health and burial context data are used as proxies to assess the population's quality of life and determine whether that quality of life deteriorated in the centuries leading up to the city's abandonment at the start of the Early Classic period (300–500 CE). The late Terminal Formative burial sample suggests an increase of infant mortality rates prior to the city's abandonment, while adult burials display overall good skeletal health in the population. We discuss whether this pattern may have been a factor in the city's demise. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
In prehispanic Mesoamerica , obsidian is ubiquitous at most
archaeological sites. The ability to... more In prehispanic Mesoamerica , obsidian is ubiquitous at most
archaeological sites. The ability to determine the geological source for each compositionally analyzed piece of obsidian provides a window into prehispanic exchange that is not presently possible for any other abundant archaeological good. Because there are no obsidian outcrops in the state of Oaxaca, the Valley of Oaxaca and surrounding regions are ideal for examining long-distance exchange and shifts in networks over time. Through the use of portable X-ray fluorescence technology we have expanded the corpus of sourced obsidian from the Valley of Oaxaca to over 10,000 pieces that were procured from 13 different sources. Significant changes over time are noted in the abundance of these sources. In addition , site-to-site differences point to contemporaneous variation in obsidian procurement and network participation.
The findings from this analysis do not support a model of centralized
control and redistribution by Monte Alban or any other settlement. Obsidian
assemblages in Oaxaca were affected by extra-regional, geopolitical processes that impacted broader networks of exchange.
Resumen El sitio Cerro Jazmín está ubicado al noroeste de la actual capital de Oaxaca. Esta urbe ... more Resumen El sitio Cerro Jazmín está ubicado al noroeste de la actual capital de Oaxaca. Esta urbe fue poblada desde el Formativo Tardío hasta el Posclásico Temprano. Los habitantes aprovecharon diversos ambientes para subsistir y cubrir sus necesidades en esta ciudad. El recurso faunístico refleja diferentes ecosistemas como las costas marinas del Océano Pacífico y el Golfo de México, zonas templadas húmedas y semisecas. La evidencia de los restos de invertebrados y vertebrados muestra técnicas de trabajo para convertirlos en objetos ornamentales y utilitarios. La alimentación en este sitio se distingue en dos grupos: animales domesticados y silvestres, destacando la presencia de tortugas marinas. En esta investigación se resalta la importancia de trabajar en grupos multidisciplinarios para entender el mosaico de la alimentación en poblaciones antiguas. Palabras clave: Cerro Jazmín, fauna domesticada, moluscos trabajados, artefactos de hueso, urbe. Abstract The use of the fauna resource in El Cerro Jazmín, Oaxaca, the Cerro Jazmín site is located northwest of the current capital of Oaxaca. This city was populated from the Late Formative to the Early Postclassic. The inhabitants took advantage of diverse environments to subsist and cover their needs in this city. The fauna resource reflects different ecosystems such as the Pacific Ocean coast and the Gulf of Mexico, humid and semi-dry temperate zones. Evidence of the remains of invertebrates and vertebrates shows working techniques to convert them into ornamental and utilitarian objects. The feeding in this place is distinguished in two groups: domesticated and wild animals, emphasizing the presence of sea turtles. This research highlights the importance of working in multidisciplinary groups to understand the mosaic of food in ancient populations.
Current research in the Mixteca region of Mexico has revealed that Formative communities were as ... more Current research in the Mixteca region of Mexico has revealed that Formative communities were as populous as in other Mesoamerican regions. Evidence of emerging social complexity is associated with the use of and access to luxury items of foreign style and/or manufacture. Research efforts draw from indigenous models to interpret data and investigate urbanism. Regional and environmental approaches, household studies, and ethnohistory are integrated to study ethnic diversity and the complex history of human occupation. The politics associated with cultural resource management and community archaeology in the Mixteca also are discussed.
Terracing is an important and ubiquitous landscape feature in the Mixteca Alta region of southern... more Terracing is an important and ubiquitous landscape feature in the Mixteca Alta region of southern Mexico. It is a land-management strategy that has been in use for millennia, perhaps starting around 300 B.C.E. We discuss terracing as an adaptive and resilient strategy of food production and land management that continues to be culturally significant to modern-day farmers. Through the integration of archaeological, geomorphological, ethnohistorical, and ethnographic data we document the history of terracing and discuss how Mixtec communities and terraces have responded to natural and cultural perturbations through millennia. We find that different stages in the history of terracing show parallels with the adaptive cycles of a resilient system.
Culture, Agriculture, Food, and Environment. The Journal of Culture & Agriculture, 2016
This article presents ethnographic information on terrace farming that was collected to ground ar... more This article presents ethnographic information on terrace farming that was collected to ground archeological interpretations of cross-channel terraces known as lama-bordos in the Mixteca Alta region of southern Mexico. Ethnographic interviews asked about labor organization and the labor requirements of terrace construction, and also documented agroecological knowledge associated with terrace farming. The integration of ethnographic and archeological data indicate that lama-bordo terracing started 3,400 years ago and today lama-bordos continue to be built, maintained, and farmed at the household level, in ways that correspond with the recorded stratigraphies of Prehispanic lama-bordo terraces. Even in contemporary contexts of government agricultural programs and global markets, farmers continue to grow food and build their lives around lama-bordos using a complex body of knowledge about the weather, plants, soils, and the behavior of pests. The continuation of this land-use and food-producing strategy for over three millennia attests to the longevity, effectiveness, and resilience of this ancestral practice that has been a cornerstone for Mixtec society and survival.
We investigate the dietary impact of urbanism on the population of Cerro Jazmín, a Late and Termi... more We investigate the dietary impact of urbanism on the population of Cerro Jazmín, a Late and Terminal Formative urban center in the Mixteca Alta region of Mexico (300 B.C.-A.D. 300). We reconstruct the urban diet from faunal analysis and isotopic results from 24 individuals recovered from formal burials. Bone collagen and bone and enamel apatite isotopic data provide C, N, and O values describing diet and breastfeeding patterns. Carbon values suggest a narrow diet heavily based on maize and little animal protein. Individuals 0-3 years of age had significantly higher nitrogen and oxygen values than adults, suggesting that these infants may have still been breastfeeding at the time of death. Weaning likely occurred between 3 and 5 years of age when C 3 foods, perhaps squash, supplemented maize atole in the weaning diet. Isotopic and faunal evidence suggest that the Cerro Jazmín population did not supplement their diet by hunting or trapping wild animals. Instead, animal protein came from domesticated animals, mainly dogs that were fed a C 4 rich diet. The data suggest that urban dwellers had little dietary autonomy and may have fully relied on the urban food production and distribution system for the bulk of their diet.
Este estudio busca comprender el comportamiento y las prácticas culturales que rodean el tratamie... more Este estudio busca comprender el comportamiento y las prácticas culturales que rodean el tratamiento funerario en la Mixteca Alta durante el Formativo. El tratamiento funerario implica todo el proceso que el cuerpo de un individuo tuvo durante y después de su entierro. Actualmente, los datos de los sitios de Etlatongo y Cerro Jazmín, localizados en ésta región, nos permiten entender las interacciones sociales a través de la muerte. Desde la bioarqueología, observamos como el estudio detallado del tratamiento funerario brinda información sobre la organización social, incluyendo las creencias religiosas, relaciones sociales, y la memoria social. Por lo tanto, analizamos los datos disponibles del Formativo medio (850–400 a.C.), el Formativo tardío (400 a.C.–50 d.C.), Formativo terminal (50–200/300 d.C.) y Transición (200–300 d.C.), enfocándonos en tres aspectos: a) la ubicación del entierro; b) el espacio funerario utilizado; y c) la posición del cuerpo. De esta forma, con una muestra de 67 individuos discutimos los cambios que hubo en el tratamiento funerario de la Mixteca Alta durante tres periodos y como estos cambios se relacionaron con el incremento de la complejidad social.
Based on stratigraphic excavation data and associated radiocarbon dates we argue that the pre-His... more Based on stratigraphic excavation data and associated radiocarbon dates we argue that the pre-Hispanic city of Cerro Jazmín, in the Mixteca Alta region of Oaxaca, underwent a period of political change between the Late Formative (300 b.c.-a.d. 50) and the Terminal Formative periods (a.d. 50-300). This shift is reflected in the city's layout and in the timing of construction and use of two different monumental sectors. During the city's Late Formative occupation, we found evidence of more exclusionary feasting activity taking place in a secluded monumental sector called the Sunken Courtyards near the hilltop. In the Terminal Formative, however, monumental construction expanded in the more accessible Tres Cerritos sector where larger and accessible public areas were the focus of activity. We argue that changes in the city's layout, along with the differing patterns of feasting, suggest that the city's leaders went from a more exclusionary form of government to a more collective political strategy during the Terminal Formative period. Despite of these efforts monumental construction largely stopped and the city's population declined by the start of the Classic period (a.d. 300).
A B S T R A C T In the Formative period, Cerro Jazmín, a settlement in the Mixteca Alta region of... more A B S T R A C T In the Formative period, Cerro Jazmín, a settlement in the Mixteca Alta region of Oaxaca, experimented with different sociopolitical strategies to first consolidate its position as a nascent urban center and later to convey its regional independence. In this article, we investigate whether the sociopolitical changes that took place from the Late Formative to the Terminal Formative period at this settlement are also evident at the household level. The article focuses on a household located on Terrace 131 where our excavations revealed a continuous residential occupation, fluctuating material wealth, and changes in household economic activity. The patterns identified and the timing of these shifts reflected broader socioeconomic changes that took place across the entire polity and region.
We present new data on a class of ceramics called Tiltepec yellow wares, dated to the Late and Te... more We present new data on a class of ceramics called Tiltepec yellow wares, dated to the Late and Terminal Formative period occupations at Cerro Jazmín, Oaxaca (300 BC– AD 300). Evidence from 27 radiocarbon-dated ceramic assemblages indicates that Tiltepec yellow wares are a distinct ceramic type. Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA) results further confirm the wares' identification. Defining Tiltepec yellow wares as a type apart from Classic-period orange ceramics allows the reassessment of the regional settlement sequence, previously understood to indicate widespread settlement abandonment in the Terminal Formative period. The new data suggest that Cerro Jazmín had a more continuous urban occupation than previously thought. Se presentan nuevos datos sobre una clase de cerámica llamada Tiltepec Amarillo, la cual se asigna a las ocupaciones del Formativo tardío y terminal en Cerro Jazmín, Oaxaca (300 aC-300 dC). A partir del análisis de colecciones cerámicas asociadas a 27 fechas de radiocarbono se propone que las vasijas Tiltepec Amarillo formaron un tipo cerámico distinto. Este argumento se apoya en los resultados obtenidos del análisis de activación por neutrones. La definición de este tipo cerámico como distinto de las vajillas anaranjadas del periodo Clásico permite reevaluar la secuencia regional que, hasta el momento, indicaba el abandono del asentamiento en el Formativo terminal. Los nuevos datos sugieren que Cerro Jazmín tuvo una ocupación urbana más longeva y estable de lo que se creía.
This paper presents data on Late Formative to Terminal Formative (300 BCE–300 CE) ceramic assembl... more This paper presents data on Late Formative to Terminal Formative (300 BCE–300 CE) ceramic assemblages that suggest a change in the use of Valley of Oaxaca ceramics and ceramic styles at Cerro Jazmín, Oaxaca, Mexico. We describe the characteristics of 29 dated ceramic assemblages from civic-ceremonial and residential contexts. We present INAA results and chronological trends in the ceramic assemblages that point to a decrease in the use of Valley of Oaxaca gray-ware serving vessels from the Late to Terminal Formative and a significant increase in the use of two types of locally-made serving vessels, one that was stylistically similar to crema vessels from the Valley of Oaxaca and another that was stylistically distinct and widespread in the Mixteca Alta, but rare in the Za-potec region. These serving vessels would have featured prominently in domestic and public food-consumption events. We interpret this shift as evidence of Cerro Jazmín's political and cultural independence, centuries after it was first established. Resumen: En este artículo se presentan datos de colecciones cerámicas del Formativo tardío y terminal (300 a.C.– 300 d.C.) del sitio mixteco llamado Cerro Jazmín, en Oaxaca, México. A través de la descripción de 29 colecciones cerámicas asociadas a fechas de radiocarbono, se demuestra que hubo un cambio cronológico notable en el uso de cerámicas y estilos cerámicos procedentes del Valle de Oaxaca. El artículo describe las características de las 29 coleccionees cerámicas provenientes de contextos residenciales y cívico-ceremoniales además de presentar los resultados de un análisis por activación neutrónica de una muestra de los materiales. Los cambios cronológicos apuntan a una disminución en el uso de cerámicas de pasta gris provenientes del Valle de Oaxaca del Formativo tardío al terminal. Otro cambio fue el incremento significativo en el uso de dos tipos cerámicos hechos en la re-gión mixteca, uno que producía vasijas estilísticamente similares a las cerámicas cremas del Valle de Oaxaca y otro que seguía un estilo propio de la Mixteca Alta y que era menos frecuente en la región zapoteca. Arguímos que estos tipos cerámicos de vasijas de servicio hubieran sido importantes en actos de consumo de alimentos en el ámbito doméstico y en eventos públicos y rituales. Interpretamos este cambio cerámico como un reflejo de la creciente independencia política y cultural de Cerro Jazmín siglos después de su fundación.
This article presents the results of a bioarchaeological analysis of 39 human remains recovered f... more This article presents the results of a bioarchaeological analysis of 39 human remains recovered from Late and Terminal Formative burials excavated from residential and civic-ceremonial contexts at Cerro Jazmín, a site that emerged in the Early Ramos period (Late Formative, 300 BCE) and thrived until the end of the Late Ramos period (Terminal Formative, 200–300 CE). We evaluate the osteological evidence to characterize the skeletal health of the ancient population at various points of the city's occupation and consider the bioarchaeological data along with their archaeological context—associated offerings and location—to identify broader patterns of skeletal health and mortuary treatment. The skeletal health and burial context data are used as proxies to assess the population's quality of life and determine whether that quality of life deteriorated in the centuries leading up to the city's abandonment at the start of the Early Classic period (300–500 CE). The late Terminal Formative burial sample suggests an increase of infant mortality rates prior to the city's abandonment, while adult burials display overall good skeletal health in the population. We discuss whether this pattern may have been a factor in the city's demise. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
In prehispanic Mesoamerica , obsidian is ubiquitous at most
archaeological sites. The ability to... more In prehispanic Mesoamerica , obsidian is ubiquitous at most
archaeological sites. The ability to determine the geological source for each compositionally analyzed piece of obsidian provides a window into prehispanic exchange that is not presently possible for any other abundant archaeological good. Because there are no obsidian outcrops in the state of Oaxaca, the Valley of Oaxaca and surrounding regions are ideal for examining long-distance exchange and shifts in networks over time. Through the use of portable X-ray fluorescence technology we have expanded the corpus of sourced obsidian from the Valley of Oaxaca to over 10,000 pieces that were procured from 13 different sources. Significant changes over time are noted in the abundance of these sources. In addition , site-to-site differences point to contemporaneous variation in obsidian procurement and network participation.
The findings from this analysis do not support a model of centralized
control and redistribution by Monte Alban or any other settlement. Obsidian
assemblages in Oaxaca were affected by extra-regional, geopolitical processes that impacted broader networks of exchange.
Resumen El sitio Cerro Jazmín está ubicado al noroeste de la actual capital de Oaxaca. Esta urbe ... more Resumen El sitio Cerro Jazmín está ubicado al noroeste de la actual capital de Oaxaca. Esta urbe fue poblada desde el Formativo Tardío hasta el Posclásico Temprano. Los habitantes aprovecharon diversos ambientes para subsistir y cubrir sus necesidades en esta ciudad. El recurso faunístico refleja diferentes ecosistemas como las costas marinas del Océano Pacífico y el Golfo de México, zonas templadas húmedas y semisecas. La evidencia de los restos de invertebrados y vertebrados muestra técnicas de trabajo para convertirlos en objetos ornamentales y utilitarios. La alimentación en este sitio se distingue en dos grupos: animales domesticados y silvestres, destacando la presencia de tortugas marinas. En esta investigación se resalta la importancia de trabajar en grupos multidisciplinarios para entender el mosaico de la alimentación en poblaciones antiguas. Palabras clave: Cerro Jazmín, fauna domesticada, moluscos trabajados, artefactos de hueso, urbe. Abstract The use of the fauna resource in El Cerro Jazmín, Oaxaca, the Cerro Jazmín site is located northwest of the current capital of Oaxaca. This city was populated from the Late Formative to the Early Postclassic. The inhabitants took advantage of diverse environments to subsist and cover their needs in this city. The fauna resource reflects different ecosystems such as the Pacific Ocean coast and the Gulf of Mexico, humid and semi-dry temperate zones. Evidence of the remains of invertebrates and vertebrates shows working techniques to convert them into ornamental and utilitarian objects. The feeding in this place is distinguished in two groups: domesticated and wild animals, emphasizing the presence of sea turtles. This research highlights the importance of working in multidisciplinary groups to understand the mosaic of food in ancient populations.
Current research in the Mixteca region of Mexico has revealed that Formative communities were as ... more Current research in the Mixteca region of Mexico has revealed that Formative communities were as populous as in other Mesoamerican regions. Evidence of emerging social complexity is associated with the use of and access to luxury items of foreign style and/or manufacture. Research efforts draw from indigenous models to interpret data and investigate urbanism. Regional and environmental approaches, household studies, and ethnohistory are integrated to study ethnic diversity and the complex history of human occupation. The politics associated with cultural resource management and community archaeology in the Mixteca also are discussed.
Terracing is an important and ubiquitous landscape feature in the Mixteca Alta region of southern... more Terracing is an important and ubiquitous landscape feature in the Mixteca Alta region of southern Mexico. It is a land-management strategy that has been in use for millennia, perhaps starting around 300 B.C.E. We discuss terracing as an adaptive and resilient strategy of food production and land management that continues to be culturally significant to modern-day farmers. Through the integration of archaeological, geomorphological, ethnohistorical, and ethnographic data we document the history of terracing and discuss how Mixtec communities and terraces have responded to natural and cultural perturbations through millennia. We find that different stages in the history of terracing show parallels with the adaptive cycles of a resilient system.
Culture, Agriculture, Food, and Environment. The Journal of Culture & Agriculture, 2016
This article presents ethnographic information on terrace farming that was collected to ground ar... more This article presents ethnographic information on terrace farming that was collected to ground archeological interpretations of cross-channel terraces known as lama-bordos in the Mixteca Alta region of southern Mexico. Ethnographic interviews asked about labor organization and the labor requirements of terrace construction, and also documented agroecological knowledge associated with terrace farming. The integration of ethnographic and archeological data indicate that lama-bordo terracing started 3,400 years ago and today lama-bordos continue to be built, maintained, and farmed at the household level, in ways that correspond with the recorded stratigraphies of Prehispanic lama-bordo terraces. Even in contemporary contexts of government agricultural programs and global markets, farmers continue to grow food and build their lives around lama-bordos using a complex body of knowledge about the weather, plants, soils, and the behavior of pests. The continuation of this land-use and food-producing strategy for over three millennia attests to the longevity, effectiveness, and resilience of this ancestral practice that has been a cornerstone for Mixtec society and survival.
Traditional pottery-making in Santo Domingo Tonaltepec, Oaxaca, 2018
With National Geographic support we conducted ethnographic interviews with potters in the Mixtec ... more With National Geographic support we conducted ethnographic interviews with potters in the Mixtec community of Santo Domingo Tonaltepec, Oaxaca. This work went into producing a documentary on the traditional pottery-making tradition in Tonaltepec.
Este estudio busca comprender el comportamiento y las prácticas culturales que rodean el tratamie... more Este estudio busca comprender el comportamiento y las prácticas culturales que rodean el tratamiento funerario en la Mixteca Alta durante el Formativo. El tratamiento funerario implica todo el proceso que el cuerpo de un individuo tuvo durante y después de su entierro. Actualmente, los datos de los sitios de Etlatongo y Cerro Jazmín, localizados en ésta región, nos permiten entender las interacciones sociales a través de la muerte. Desde la bioarqueología, observamos como el estudio detallado del tratamiento funerario brinda información sobre la organización social, incluyendo las creencias religiosas, relaciones sociales, y la memoria social. Por lo tanto, analizamos los datos disponibles del Formativo medio (850–400 a.C.), el Formativo tardío (400 a.C.–50 d.C.), Formativo terminal (50–200/300 d.C.) y Transición (200–300 d.C.), enfocándonos en tres aspectos: a) la ubicación del entierro; b) el espacio funerario utilizado; y c) la posición del cuerpo. De esta forma, con una muestra ...
Se presentan los resultados del recorrido de superficie realizado en la comunidad de Santo Doming... more Se presentan los resultados del recorrido de superficie realizado en la comunidad de Santo Domingo Tonaltepec en la Mixteca Alta de Oaxaca, en el que se identificaron y registraron 43 nuevos sitios arqueológicos datados a las fases Ramos (alrededor de los 300 aC hasta los 250 dC), Las Flores (aproximadamente 250-900 dC) y Natividad (aproxima-damente 900-1521 dC). Estos nuevos sitios se contextualizan en el ámbito regional al relacionarlos con los sitios urba-nos identificados para cada una de estas fases en los valles adyacentes de Coixtlahuaca, Nochixtlán, Tamazulapan y Teposcolula. Basados en estos datos, consideramos que Tonaltepec se encontró relativamente aislado y fuera del control de los sitios urbanos tempranos durante Ramos; que se transformó en un asentamiento fronterizo entre las entidades políticas durante la fase Las Flores; y que aprovechó los beneficios de localizarse sobre la ruta de comunicación entre importantes reinos mixtecos durante Natividad. La localización de Tonaltepec, relativamente lejos de los principa-les valles, pero a la vez entre ellos, le otorgó ventajas que supo aprovechar a través de la historia de desarrollo político de la región. Palabras clave: patrón de asentamiento, territorio, análisis espacial, Mixteca Alta, Oaxaca We present the results of a surface survey conducted in Santo Domingo Tonaltepec, Mixteca Alta, Oaxaca, Mexico. In this survey we identified and recorded 43 new archaeological sites dating to the Ramos (around 300 BC-AD 250), Las Flores (around AD 250-900), and Natividad phases (around AD 900-1521). We contextualize these new sites in relation to the urban sites and political centers identified in the adjacent valleys of Coixtlahuaca, Nochixtlán, Tamazulapan, and Tepos-colula, which were surveyed by previous projects. We use a least cost analysis based on Tobler's hiking function to measure the distance of Tonaltepec from the regional centers in terms of hours by foot in order to estimate the optimal routes between centers. Based on these data, we propose that Tonaltepec was relatively isolated during the Ramos phase; that it became a borderland between polities during the Las Flores phase; and that it took advantage of its location along travel routes between important Mixtec kingdoms during the Natividad phase. The location of Tonaltepec, relatively far from the valleys, but at the same time among them, presented advantages and opportunities to establish different relationships with the main polities at different times of the political development of the region.
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archaeological sites. The ability to determine the geological source for each compositionally analyzed piece of obsidian provides a window into prehispanic exchange that is not presently possible for any other abundant archaeological good. Because there are no obsidian outcrops in the state of Oaxaca, the Valley of Oaxaca and surrounding regions are ideal for examining long-distance exchange and shifts in networks over time. Through the use of portable X-ray fluorescence technology we have expanded the corpus of sourced obsidian from the Valley of Oaxaca to over 10,000 pieces that were procured from 13 different sources. Significant changes over time are noted in the abundance of these sources. In addition , site-to-site differences point to contemporaneous variation in obsidian procurement and network participation.
The findings from this analysis do not support a model of centralized
control and redistribution by Monte Alban or any other settlement. Obsidian
assemblages in Oaxaca were affected by extra-regional, geopolitical processes that impacted broader networks of exchange.
archaeological sites. The ability to determine the geological source for each compositionally analyzed piece of obsidian provides a window into prehispanic exchange that is not presently possible for any other abundant archaeological good. Because there are no obsidian outcrops in the state of Oaxaca, the Valley of Oaxaca and surrounding regions are ideal for examining long-distance exchange and shifts in networks over time. Through the use of portable X-ray fluorescence technology we have expanded the corpus of sourced obsidian from the Valley of Oaxaca to over 10,000 pieces that were procured from 13 different sources. Significant changes over time are noted in the abundance of these sources. In addition , site-to-site differences point to contemporaneous variation in obsidian procurement and network participation.
The findings from this analysis do not support a model of centralized
control and redistribution by Monte Alban or any other settlement. Obsidian
assemblages in Oaxaca were affected by extra-regional, geopolitical processes that impacted broader networks of exchange.