After Teotihuacan: A View of Collapse and Reorganization from the Southern Basin of Mexico

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe collapse of ancient states is often examined from the perspective of regional capitals. However, factors contributing to the decay of central power may be better measured in the fates of surrounding communities, which may closely shadow or depart markedly from the trajectories of declining capitals. Here I examine the breakdown of the first millennium state of Teotihuacan, Mexico, from the vantage of Chicoloapan, a settlement outside of the capital that prospered in the years surrounding the state's dissolution. As a settlement that expanded while others were abandoned, Chicoloapan presents an opportunity to consider the conditions and strategies that promote resilience in the midst of decentralization and to examine collapse as a simultaneously regional and local process. Recent data pertaining to demographic growth, changing household practices and material culture, and internal social diversity at Chicoloapan are discussed. Particular attention is given to the possible impact of migration, an issue at the heart of enduring debates surrounding Teotihuacan's demise. Chronometric data from Chicoloapan suggest that Teotihuacan's influence in this area had diminished by C.E. 600s, lending support to recent arguments, based on evidence from within the capital, that the power of the state's governing institutions deteriorated during the sixth century. [Teotihuacan, collapse, Basin of Mexico]