The obsidian of la ferrería site: Local consumption and long-distance interactions in north and northwestern mexico

Abstract

La Ferrería is an archaeological site located in the Mexican state of Durango, north of the country. This settlement has been thought as the product of the interaction of three different pre-Hispanic traditions: Chalchihuites culture, Aztatlán tradition and a local culture known as Loma San Gabriel. Along various systematic excavations in the site, 77 obsidian artefacts were collected, containing flakes, blades and projectile points. Since the origin of the raw material and the cultural affiliations of these artefacts were unknown, a non-destructive portable XRF analysis and an innovative statistical procedure was applied to classify them and determine their provenance, resulting in the detection of four chemically differentiated sources. The provenance study shows that the inhabitants of the site acquired most of their raw material from Llano Grande, the geological deposit closest to the site. However, the detection of obsidian utilization from other regions suggests some type of interaction between the pre-Hispanic cultures of northwest Mexico, including Sonora region.