Seriating Trincheras Bichrome Pottery and Understanding Nearly a Millennium of Regional Ceramic Production

Abstract

Nearly a century ago, pioneering investigations in northern Sonora led to the first discussion of Trincheras tradition ceramics. Since then, only cursory attempts have been made to understand the temporal and spatial variability of Trincheras bichrome pottery. A recent detailed attribute analysis of pottery from sites across Sonora and southern Arizona has resulted in the region’s first ceramic seriation and a revised decorated ceramic typology. In this paper, I synthesize the results of this study, highlight key technological differences which occurred over nearly a millennium, and argue that the Trincheras tradition was one of the earliest producers of bichrome ceramics in the Southwest/Northwest. A revision of Trincheras ceramic typologies has been much needed and is invaluable for archaeologists working in both Sonora and Arizona.