Prehispanic Northwest and Adjacent West Mexico, 1200 B.C.–A.D. 1400: An Inter-Regional Perspective

Ben Nelson, Elisa Villalpando Canchola, José Luis Punzo Díaz, Paul E. Minnis

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

Northwest Mexico and West Mexico include four to five times as many named cultural areas equivalent to those known in the US Southwest, all with independent yet also connected histories. Together these changing cultures formed the bridge that connected the US Southwest with Mesoamerica. We review some aspects of regional diversity and moments of inter-regional relations, beginning with early agriculture and sedentism in the north. We trace the northward spread of rising regional centers and the appearance of some of the tangible elements of connection. This review shows that specialized production was more sparsely distributed than archaeologists once thought. Cultural identities were gained and lost; yet material connections persisted, and with the advances of past decades archaeologists can better characterize their occurrences, if not yet the mechanisms that produced those connections.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)31-61
Number of pages31
JournalKIVA
Volume81
Issue number1-2
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 5 2015

Keywords

  • Archaeology
  • Connectivity
  • Long distance exchange
  • US southwest

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Archaeology
  • Anthropology
  • History
  • Archaeology

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